A relaxing weekend, strawberry jam experiments, a Philadelphia outing, and one seriously awesome podcast recommendation in this edition of Thymeline.
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I’ll be honest. I didn’t do much this weekend. That was a really good thing.
I spent most of last week trying to work on things for others and take care of some personal health things, and felt a little run into the ground by the end of it. Luckily, this was gloriously one of my few obligation-free weekends for the next couple of weeks, so I took advantage of it. After seeing Wonder Woman on Friday night (phenomenal), I spent Saturday catching up on some much needed household chores and then worked on things purely for me. I did some recipe research, planned out my posts for the next month, and best of all spent several hours out on my front porch, just writing. I don’t spend enough time writing and reading, and I absolutely need to rectify that. Sunday was a bit busier, with a trip to a much bigger farmer’s market and some cooking and preserving.
Speaking of canning, last week I made a batch of this Honey Rum Strawberry Jam. I made a version last year that met with loud acclaim, so I made sure to double the batch this time. I’ll be sharing the recipe on the blog later this month. I expect I will be making much more of it before the strawberry season is over.
I almost forgot to mention – I took my first solo drive into Philadelphia proper since we moved to the area in December! Last week I met a friend for a fun Cuban-inspired happy hour at Alma de Cuba in Center City. Can I just say how much I’ve missed happy hours since I moved out of Jersey City? I loved the chocolate cigar dessert (chocolate mouse shaped like a cigar, with salted caramel ice cream and an actual flaming set of “matches” made from sugar), and the empanadas were my favorite of their happy hour snacks. Inexpensive mojitos rounded out the meal.
And with that, here are some links for you! Hope you enjoy.
- It’s Negroni Week 2017! Hosted by Imbibe Magazine and Campari (a main ingredient in the classic cocktail), bars around the world have made donations to various charities through the campaign and will be featuring the drink on their menus in celebration. Tamworth Distilling even has some recipe variations on the Negroni cocktail that look pretty fantastic. Visit a participating venue near you to show your support!
- This month, the Food52 Cookbook Club is honoring the acclaimed chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and we are cooking from any and all of his published books. I personally love his all-vegetarian book Plenty and plan to make a couple things from it. If you’d like to try some recipes before committing to a book though, he has a number of recipes published on The Guardian– I’m personally eyeing this Sweet and Smoky Mexican Chicken recipe.
- I can’t ever have enough tiki cocktails: First off, the Jungle Bird Cocktail is back, and I might need one. Second, I don’t know if it’s the love of tiki or my religious studies background, but let’s have a glass of Holy Water while we’re at it.
- What the Food in ‘Twin Peaks’ Means to Kyle MacLachlan, 26 Years Later.
- Loving the warm look of these Soy Basted Pork Chops with Herbs and Jalapenos.
- Campfire Banana Boats are perfect for spring and summer adventures!
- Speaking of campfires, these Fudgey S’Mores Popsicles look insane.
- This is the perfect Wonder Woman tee for your first, second, or third viewing of the film.
- Last but certainly not least, if you have a passion for cocktails or history, you have to check out this episode of The Feast Podcast by Laura Carlson – The Scandalous, Dangerous, & Unbelievably True History of the Cocktail Party. Clara Bell Walsh is my new hero.
Cheers!
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Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend products honestly and because I find them interesting or helpful. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
