Lavender, Bay & Anise Infused Gin | #FoodnFlix

This month the Food 'n Flix club has been watching and creating recipes inspired by the movie, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. In the US, you can watch the film, chosen by this month's host Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla, on Netflix. Though it's been on my tbr list for a while now, I haven't yet read the book (by the same name) that this movie was created from. So, anything I mention in this post will be solely based on the movie adaptation.

This movie takes place during WWII, on the German Military occupied island of Guernsey, in the year 1946. The military had commandeered most of the residents food, leaving them with not much more than potatoes and ingenuity. One night, a group is caught out past curfew in good spirits, bellies full from gin and a secret meal of roast pig. As the soldiers grill them, they come up with a name for their "illegal assembly" on the fly, calling themselves members of the "Literary [...and drunkenly added...] Potato Peel Pie Society".

Rosemary Yuzu Gin Fizz

Two things that inevitably speak to me of winter are citrus and evergreens. I know that winter is still a couple of days away, but when you wake up daily to find everything outside of your front door covered in soft white frost, it kind of puts you in the mindset a little bit early. Therefore, it just feels timely to sip this this winter-inspired fizzy gin cocktail featuring the flavors of yuzu (a citrus fruit) and rosemary (an evergreen).

I recently tried a bottle of Yuzu Liqueur (made by iichiko Bar Liqueur) for the first time, and thought that the lightly sweetened citrus liqueur would be perfect in cocktails of all sorts for the holiday season. The fresh, piney scent of rosemary seemed like a natural accompaniment to the base yuzu citrus flavor, and combined, they just beckoned for the addition of a botanical gin.

Rose Collins, a Mother's Day cocktail

Are you looking for a cocktail to add to your Mother's Day Brunch menu? This one is infused with something we all associate with Mother's Day - flowers! Thank you to thebar.com for helping me share this cocktail with you.

When you think "Mother's Day", what pops into your head? I think spring gardens, flowers, breezy get-togethers, brunch on a balmy late Sunday morning, light cocktails. I bet a lot of people have similar associations. Perhaps it's a regional thing, though. You see, living in my part of the Midwest*, Mother's Day usually signals the time to start turning over the earth and reviving  your garden because the threat of frost has passed. I can recall many a Mother's Day weekend spent strolling my grandma's flower beds.

Of course, it's not just the shoots and vines coming from our own back yards. According to Statistic Brain, $1.9 billion is spent on flowers for mom on Mother's Day. So apparently, most people have flowers in hand when they drop by to help mom celebrate her special day.

Pickled Cranberries and a Dirty Cranberry Gibson

The cranberry-madness still has a hold on me. I seriously can't enough. Anytime time I make something, I stop to wonder if cranberries would go well in it. Over the years, I've always had at least two or three bags of cranberries in my freezer at any given time. Right now I have zero, and it's making me a little uneasy. I'm worried that next time I go to the market, they'll be all gone—that I'll have missed my chance for the season.

Since that hasn't happened yet, I'm just gonna go with the flow. So,  you know how Food Network Magazine has those awesome little inserts every month? They have titles like "50 Pies", "50 Potato Salads", "50 Super Bowl Snacks", "50 Smoothies", "50 Things to Make with Bacon"... those may be my favorite part of the whole magazine. I have a ton of them (okay, not a ton—but at least 27) stacked on my working bookshelf. They full of great ideas and inspiration. You probably know where I'm going with this.

Yes, there was one on cranberries. It was in the November '14 issue, and titled (surprisingly) "50 Things to Make with Cranberries".  I'm thinking of trying all 50. Maybe that will make my little obsession disappear. Today, I'm checking two off the list—pickled cranberries, and the cocktail that they tumble perfectly into.

Ramos Gin Fizz

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safest Choice Eggs in conjunction with Honest Cooking. All opinions are my own.

Using egg whites in shaken cocktails adds a creamy and slightly rich texture to your drink, plus tops it with a fun foam cap. Yet, I'd never made one before now. Heck, I'd never tried one before now. I wasn't necessarily leery of consuming uncooked eggs, I mean, I grew up eating raw cookie dough. But I suppose that thought was always there. That said, I do know that are plenty of people might let the raw egg factor steer them away from such a cocktail.

But they needn't worry! When I was offered the opportunity to work with Safest Choice Eggs on the An EGG for Every Occassion campaign, I knew without a doubt that I'd be making a cocktail with an egg foam cap. Given, my cap is kind of tiny, but I didn't realize until later that I should have left more space for it to develop in the glass.

Strawberry Gin Fizz

Remember that Strawberry-Infused Gin that I shared last week?  How about those Strawberry Ice Cubes?  I bet you knew that they were destined to hang out together in a cocktail... for Valentine's Day.  I mean, there was pink... and of course red... but the real giveaway?  It was the hearts.

I almost went sweet.  I actually already had a plan.  There was a Towering Flourless Chocolate Cake on the horizon.  TOWERING!  But oddly enough, I am still sweeted-out from Christmas (and the month or so leading up to it).

I'll Drink to That: Strawberry-Infused Gin + Strawberry Ice Cubes

Yes, this post consists of all Instagram photos.  I'm hopelessly addicted.  I'll admit to being a late-starter when it comes to Instagram, though.  I really didn't think I'd ever actually be "on" there.  I have a boring old cell phone.  It slides, I can text.  (But I rarely do.)

And then for Christmas, I was surprised.  It's a rare thing for me to be surprised by a gift, as I usually have to HINT at what I actually want.  And, or need.  I'd dropped a few not-so- casual suggestions that may or may not have involved the ridiculous camera on my Average (ummm...as in not Smart) phone.

A tablet was not one of those gentle suggestions.  Sure, I wanted one.  But I never really let myself dream of it, because I just didn't think it was doable right now.  My husband has a way of pulling off the impossible.  Sometimes I'm curious as to how he does it.  This time, I didn't care - didn't want to question.  I was shocked into silence when I tore off the wrapping paper (and a "decoy" box, mind you) to find a tablet.  A tablet of my very own.  My very first app was Instagram.

There's just something that I love about the imperfection of Instagram shots.  They're more of a peek into daily life - real, raw, blemished.

That said, I really wanted to talk booze today.  Infused booze, to be exact.  It's not random, I have a plan for this strawberry-colored (and lightly flavored) gin.  But you will have to wait until next weekend to find out what exactly that plan is.

Consider it a heads-up.  Make a batch of this and have it ready and waiting.  It's going to be a cocktail that is totally pretty-in-pink.  Mmm hmm.  You know what holiday is just around the corner.  Just witness the lovey-dovey ice cubes I've sneaked (snuck?) in alongside the booze for whimsy.

Strawberry-Infused Gin + Strawberry Ice Cubes

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 24 hours (basically unattended

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: beverage alcohol strawberries Gin Valentines Day birthday

Ingredients (8 fluid ounce)

for the Strawberry-Infused Gin:

• ~8 ripe strawberries, hulled & sliced
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, optional (see notes)
• 8 floz. Gin

for the Strawberry Ice Cubes:

• strawberries
• water

Instructions

Strawberry Infused Gin (yield: 8 oz.)

Place sliced strawberries and rosemary sprig in a 1 pint canning jar. Add Gin. Cover tightly and let sit for about 24 hours; it doesn't take long for the gin to leach the color and flavor from the delicate berries. Shake a few times, you know, whenever you walk by. Strain into a clean jar.

note:

You could leave the rosemary out for plain strawberry infused gin. You could also switch up the herbs - try using basil, mint, or sage instead.

Strawberry Ice Cubes (yield: varies)

Hull the strawberries and chop them roughly. Mash up a bit with a fork. Place into ice cube trays and top off with water. (Use heart-shaped silicone ice cube trays - or chocolate/candy molds - for Valentine ice cubes.) Freeze until solid.

Add to cocktails (or lemonade, tea, etc.) for a fun twist!

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I already know what I'm making with this Strawberry-Infused Gin... what would YOU make with it?