COCKTAIL HOUR ~ LAVENDER LEMON MARTINI

Don't be frightened. It's better than you think. Like lemonade with just a hint of lavender in the background. And It's not lavender massage oil you're using, this calls for fresh leaves. The edible kind. I prefer the tender new growth personally. The flavor is just barely there, and the lemon really brightens and lightens the warmth of the lavender. You can find fresh lavender in some health food stores, and I have also seen it at Whole Foods. I picked mine while out on a walk the other day. Don't like booze? No problem! This is awesome with Perrier too!

So, Merry Christmas everyone! It's been pretty busy, and we've been gone a lot, so there hasn't been a whole lotta cooking going on here lately. And what I have cooked is just the average boring stuff you throw together when you're hungry and have no energy and very little time to get food on the table, definitely not blog material. Hey... here we had buttered noodles, and here we had an omelette. Big whoop.  So instead of letting the blog sit here dormant, I just decided to do another cocktail post. Because it's slightly possible that people might be looking for cocktail recipes for holiday parties, right? 

LAVENDER LEMON MARTINI

Why lemon and lavender? I have no clue where I got the idea, but it just works. 

~2 oz Belvedere Vodka

~4 teaspoons simple syrup (50% water 50% sugar dissolved)

~2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

~1 heaping teaspoon fresh lavender leaves. I suppose you could also use dried?

~paper thin lemon slices for garnish

Add crushed ice, vodka, lemon juice & syrup to shaker -- massage lavender leaves lightly to release the oils and add to shaker also. If your lavender seems really potent (there are different varieties), cut to half teaspoon or less -- you can always add more later. The point is to have a very faint lavender aroma in the background, not for this to taste like you're eating a Glade air freshener. So anyway, shake well.... Serve in chilled glass. Garnish with the paper thin lemon slices. 

For a NON-alcoholic version, use 7-up or sparking water instead of the vodka. 

FRESH LEMONS

Oh my gosh. Nothing beats fresh lemons. I mean right from the tree. With most produce there is usually a time during their peak season when you can get beautiful, fresh, vine ripe vegetables at the grocery or Farmer's Market. But lemons... never. They're always these small, hard pieces of junk. Well, in California anyway. Which is ironic since this is where lemons are GROWN and just about everyone has a lemon tree in their backyard! I was at my mother in law's the other day and was amazed to see that her sad looking lemon tree that was missing most of it's leaves was COVERED in big bright lemons. I was contemplating stealing lemons at night from neighbors then I found my legitimate source! I used to have a tree but it died after a year of heavy rain. I have been meaning to get a new one, but just don't have anywhere at the moment to plant it. I want the perfect spot, even if it means cutting out a hole in my concrete patio.

Lemons that are allowed to ripen on the tree are big and beautiful and the second you touch them you get a rush of sweet lemon aroma from the oil rich skin. Ahhhh......