Refreshing Apple Shrub Syrup

It's heating up outside, and this apple shrub syrup, or drinking vinegar, infused with mint and fennel is a refreshing way to beat that heat. To enjoy, combine 1 part shrub syrup with 3 to 4 parts sparkling water and serve over ice. Shrub syrups are also a fun and creative way to bring a signature cocktail to life—it is wedding season, after all!

A way of preserving fruit after the harvest in Colonial times, sweet and tangy drinking vinegars are a fantastic way to enjoy the pure spirit of your favorite fruit any time of the year. Fresh herbs and whole spices will add another layer of flavor to your syrups, as will experimenting with different types of vinegar.

Anise-scented Ice Cream w/ Candied Fennel Seeds

What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, Leslie Knope and her lady friends leave their husbands and their boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!

Today, some of my food blogging lady friends and I have done just that. We've left our husbands and boyfriends at home, and we're kickin' it around the table, sharing stories of other awesome ladies who have inspired or influenced us in some way over the years. I don't think any of us will go as far as Leslie's 5000 word essay today, but...

Today, I'm remembering my grandma (my dad's mom). I never got the chance to know her as an adult, since she passed away when I was a freshman in high school. Fortunately, I have lots of good memories of her through the years. Red-headed, fiesty (that combination of Irish and Native American blood running through her veins made sure that was a trait), independent, and opinionated as all get out.