Vibrant.(Still) Unrepentant. Badass. Old. Queer

Good Morning, Kittens! Great news! The chili-infused tequila is finished. And it is chili-y. I have total mouth burn going on right now. I put a dried chili in the bottle (as sort of an homage to the worm in the mezcal), but it's floating. I think it will eventually reconstitute and sink to the bottom. We shall see ... And, that is all. Have a great Saturday. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Yesterday, after remembering of a couple obligations, I postponed my trip to the yarn shop. I'll be heading down there this afternoon instead. Also, since Y was going to be out for most of the morning/afternoon, I had extra incentive to stay home and enjoy my place. I did laundry. And I met with some contractors a neighbor had hired to work in his apartment while he is on vacation. Then, I wandered up to the likker store and grocery store. The other day, I had a chat with GayProf and he inspired me to try chile-infused tequila (pictured). As luck would have it, El Jimador (the tequila the 'Prof recommended) was on sale - $17.99 for a fifth. Score! I only used 3 green chiles and one red one. I wonder if it will be spicy enough? I suppose we will know in about a week. At Whole Foods, I bought the fixin's for dinner: A Thai-esque stir-fry consisting of tofu, zucchini, red onion, heirloom tomatoes, cashews, chilies (from the garden!), and Thai an...

Good Morning, Kittens! Gray. Cloudy. Not much to see here. The tea-infused vodka is finished. And delicious. To make it, I combined about 3 tablespoons (maybe more, I didn't really measure) of orange pekoe tea leaves and 750 mL of vodka in a glass jar. Then, I put the jar in a cool, dark place and waited until it (the vodka, not the jar) became tea colored. Which didn't take nearly as long as I thought - less than 2 days. Actually, it may have been about 24 hours, but I can't remember when I started the infusion. I tried two different cocktails. First, I mixed about 2 oz of tea vodka with a couple of spoonfuls of simple syrup over lots and lots of ice. It tasted just like sweet tea. Yum. Second, I mixed 2 oz of tea vodka with about 4 oz of lemonade. Over ice. Also teh Yumz. I'm sure using orange pekoe tea isn't necessary. It's what I had in the cupboard. For dinner, I made one of my typical summertime meals: Couscous Salad = (Couscous + black beans ...

I braved the continuing rain (which, I suppose, is good for the drought and the slugs eating my chrysanthemums, but bad for my leaking shoes and wet socks) to visit the likker store, which, as luck would have it, is right next door to my office. It's practically the only thing I like about my job. Does proximity to a big likker store count as a perk? I picked up a couple of bottles of wine for the party. Then, I remembered I was out of sweet vermouth. Then, I thought, "I have sweet vermouth, what if people at the party want to make Manhattans? I don't want them drinking my good bourbon!" [Ha. I kid, People Who are Attending My Party. OK. I'm not kidding. Keep your clammy little hands off my good bourbon.] So, I purchased a still good, but not quite as good, bourbon for them (and me!) ... if they (and I!) want to drink Manhattans. If they (and I!) don't, there will be other booze options. I might have a Manhattan tonight though. Mmmm. Manhattan. Aft...

Tasty new cocktail: 2 oz of chili pepper-infused vodka 1/2 oz lime juice Shake over ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Top with seltzer. SPICY!

I bought a mum today from Whole Foods [4/$12!]. I was going to plant it tomorrow in the Valley of the Dead Chili Peppers, but Fate, and Isabella, had different ideas. She keeps nibbling on it. And I would rather not spend the evening and morning cleaning up Vomit of Joy. So, I'm going out to plant it now. Photo to follow shortly: Pretty, no? That's our rosemary bush to the right. I may buy a maroon one tomorrow so that she will have a friend. Late night bonus : Photo of my homemade peach-infused vodka and cocktail [2 oz peach vodka, shaken over ice, splash of lemon Italian soda]:

Most. Boring. Day. Ever. And isn't it interesting that all the coffee beans have sunk to the bottom? I found a recipe for Summer Vegetable Stew , which looks good. I think I'm going to make that. Any suggestions for side dishes? I already have a big ol' tub of double fudge brownie ice cream for dessert. Mmmm.