Today, for this week’s Drink of the Week, I thought to do something a little different.
Below is a YouTube video featuring a drink that, although not in the present offering of Sips with Susan, could certainly find its way into a future volume.
Makes two libations, one to share and one for you.
ENJOY! 😉 Drink your “Sips” responsibly! 😂
From Sips with Susan — A Gathering Place Companion 🍸
Each week, we’ll share one recipe from Sips with Susan — A Gathering Place Companion. Some will be simple, some a little more involved, but all are meant to be shared — one to enjoy and one to pass along to a friend.
We begin where many of the drinks begin — with Ginger Jazz. Drinks in Sips with Susan feature ginger liqueur — often shown using a familiar commercial bottle. Ginger Jazz is our homemade version, crafted right here at The Gathering Place.
Ginger Jazz is a bright, spicy house liqueur that brings warmth and character to your cocktails. Once made, it quickly becomes a favorite to keep on hand.
Ingredients
2–3 oz fresh ginger root (2 oz = milder | 3 oz = hotter)
1 whole vanilla bean
1 cup orange blossom honey
1 tsp cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp cardamom (ground)
Zest from ½ orange
1⅜ cups water
1⅜ cups V.S.O.P. brandy
¼ cup neutral spirit (190 proof grain alcohol = 95% alcohol) (see note below for substitute)
Directions
Peel ginger and slice thin.
Slice vanilla bean lengthwise.
Add ginger, vanilla bean, water, and honey to a pan and simmer about 20 minutes.
Strain through fine mesh lined with a coffee filter into a bottle.
Allow to mellow 24 hours before use.
Makes approximately 2½ cups of Ginger Jazz.
⚠️ Note on Neutral Spirits
Grain alcohol (190 proof = 95% alcohol) is extremely strong and should never be consumed straight. It is used in small amounts to help extract flavors during infusion.
If neutral spirits are unavailable or not preferred, substitute:
¼ cup mixture made from:
⅛ cup water
⅛ cup brandy
Finished Ginger Jazz averages about 56 proof(28% alcohol) once diluted.
ENJOY! 😉 Use your Ginger Jazz responsibly! 🍸 From Sips with Susan — A Gathering Place Companion
I would rise up I would reach out In the dark for just a spark And capture just a twink-a-blink of star stuff That the creator begot as a mobile Of dancing light in the dark Guarding and Loving over O’er His children’s cribs
And float back down effortlessly Through space and time Defying gravity Just to seize your attention
No price admission For the price has already been paid By one for all
Then reach out Reach into you That you would see That you would hear That you would smell That you would taste That you would feel That you would know The gifts I have been given
And as your hearts rise up your feet in understanding I’d fade and be right behind you Participating in a standing ovation Limited in duration as this life is
Called back Then fade, gathered back up To whence I came By the same twink-a-blink of star stuff One apple of God’s eye
And see us all drawn together Victorious performance ran God’s plan
And that’s what fifteen minutes of fame from 65+ years of effort, means to me
From the collection: ‘Songs in the Key of Me’ by the same author
Sometime ago, I started writing a cookbook called, ‘The Gathering Place’ “Holidays & Special Occasions Entertaining”. My goal is for you and anyone to be enabled to turn your own home into a 5,6, or 7 star restaurant. I’m not sure a 6 or 7 exists, but I think you get the point. It is to include step by step instructions and pictures for:
appetizers, salads, main courses, desert, decorating, table setting, deserts, garnishing and the whole package from full-course gourmet meals— breakfast, lunch and dinner
Along the way I thought, beverages should be included, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Over the last few years I have built quite a collection. My wife Susan is a beneficiary as we have enjoyed these together. Many of the names are named after her and her words and emotional response have been the cause of the names for others. I have named this collection of drinks, ‘Sip’s with Susan’ as almost daily, in the morning, we likely gather on our enclosed front porch to converse over morning coffee or in the late afternoon, for Happy Together Hour, with adult libations.
I have named other drinks to honor other people. I have shared some as private messages, by email, on my Facebook timeline, FB pages, blogs (like this one), Instagram and other social media publicly. Several people have asked why, do I give these away, instead of selling them as a drink or bar book. Well, I just want to share with others and these may still appear in my book, as a stand-a-lone book or both, in the cookbook and separately. I probably should at least make up one for myself. There are so many, I can’t remember them all, even though I made them up. I have more than a hundred original drinks, but somehow, they got out of sequence. So, I started numbering them from 1-100 saying, I would stop when I hit.100 Today, is that day.
I forwarded advance recipes of #98 and #100 to several people, including my sister who told me, “the last two(#99 and #100), “had better be over the top!” I believe they are. I shared #98 on this blog, on May 31st, 2020 and this one (#100), today, June 1st, 2020. I will share #99 ‘Flag Day’ on Flag Day, June 14th, 2020. 🙂
But for this one (#100), I thought of gold and golden, like an “anniversary”. I decided to make this drink with real edible gold and to celebrate its completion. I call it, ‘Anniversary’. It seems apropos or fitting to me. It is also to honor or celebrate four important events, to me.
• My sister’s 45th Anniversary of graduating from High School, in 1977 • Our Grandma that we three grandchildren affectionately called ‘Nanny’, passed away on the same date, May 30th, 1990, so this is to honor her as she has ended her labor and is awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. This marks the 30th Anniversary, of this event. • On June 1st, 2020, my brother, Richard & his wife Susan, celebrate (I believe their 44th), wedding Anniversary • On June 1st, 2020, My Susan and I, celebrate the completion of, ‘Sips with Susan’, as its 1st Anniversary.
Having a name (‘Anniversary’), and deciding to use edible gold, I started to envision what I could do with this. Champagne or sparkling wine came to mind, then those skinny flutes, often seen in mid-morning weddings, toasts, brunches and other celebratory events and ‘anniversaries”. Then I thought about, why not some kind of mimosa-like drink? I did not want to use the typical equal parts of Champagne (or sparkling wine), and orange juice. So, then I went on a journey to discover. Please come along. There is a drink (recipe), waiting for you at the end. 🙂
Note: ‘Anniversary’ may also be called, an ‘Anniversary Mimosa’ or a ‘True Mimosa’. A True Mimosa is prepared with equal parts of a pink citrus or pink colored liquid and champagne.
What you may or may not be familiar with is, the one that appears orange and is made with equal parts of orange juice and champagne. Confused? There is no need to be. Both drinks derive their name from the Mimosa Tree (so-called). One has yellow to orange blossoms and the other has pink flower puffs that have the appearance of silk threads, tipped in light pink, darker pink or even white. Only one is a true Mimosa and the other is just called, a Mimosa. Though both may grow as tall as trees, many refer to them as weeds and both are invasive. Neither is related to the other. They only share the name of mimosa and fern-like leaves. Are you really confused now? Not to worry! Lets us begin discovery to understand, by the drink name of, Mimosa.
There exists an unproven theory that the Mimosa (drink), first appeared in some hotel, someplace in the Mediterranean in, 1900. So, we are looking at least in Europe. Now Spain, for centuries, has been making drinks with oranges and sparkling wine. Only if approved by France and from the Champagne region of France can it be officially called Champagne, unless it is made in California USA? They somehow get to call their sparkling wines, California Champagne. Everyone else, must just call them, sparkling wines. Carbonation naturally or by adding CO2 is what causes the fizzy-bubbles that people like and others do not, for the same reason, fizzy-bubbles.
Next, let’s look at the name, Mimosa.
The generic name is derived from the Greek word μῖμος (mimos), an “actor” or “mime”, and the feminine suffix -osa, “resembling”, suggesting its ‘sensitive leaves’ which seem to ‘mimic conscious life’. Some varieties (the True Mimosa), have leaves which are known to close up if touched and at night when the sun goes down. So this is where the idea that it is conscious and alive. In first light of the sunrise, these fragile silk-thread-like blossoms will appear to dance, refracting first-light. When the blossoms fall and if upon water, they will shimmer and appear to dance again, but will sink below the water’s surface, when the sun sets. For a time, they will appear as if alive again, when they rise to the water’s surface again, when the sun returns.
Out of the many species, let’s look at two. Actually, they are similar, but not the same. To add even more potential confusion, there is the following:
“The Mimosoideae are trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They comprise a clade, previously placed at the subfamily or family level in the flowering plant family Fabaceae (Leguminosae). In previous classifications (e.g. the Cronquist system), Mimosoideae refers to what was formerly considered the tribe Mimoseae. Characteristics include flowers in radial symmetry with petals that are valvate (twice divided) in bud, and have numerous showy, prominent stamens. Mimosoideae comprise about 40 genera and 2,500 species.”
The ‘True Mimosa’, is part of the above. Albizia julibrissin, the Persian silk tree or pink silk tree, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae, native to southwestern and eastern Asia. The genus is named after the Italian nobleman, Filippo degli Albizzi, who introduced it to Europe in the mid-18th century, and it is sometimes incorrectly spelled, Albizzia. The specific epithet julibrissin is a corruption of the Persian word gul-i abrisham (گل ابریشم) which means “silk flower” (from gul گل “flower” + abrisham ابریشم “silk”).
Albizia julibrissin is known by a wide variety of common names, such as Persian silk tree and pink siris. It is also called Lenkoran acacia or bastard tamarind, though it is not too closely related to either genus. The species is called Chinese silk tree, silk tree or mimosa in the United States, which is misleading, because acacia is not a true Mimosa, even though it is called a mimosa. Grown all over the world now, it prefers a southern or tropical climate and does not long survive in areas that drop further in temperature, than a mere frost. Native to the Middle East and Asia, this True Mimosa was brought to this country in 1785, by the famous French botanist, Andre Michaux, who planted it in his botanic garden, in Charleston, South Carolina. Some describe its fragrance to being similar to a light scent of gardenia. I read of one lady that loved this growing up in Alabama (it spread that far). But now, if she was asked how to care for them her response is, “whenever you have a good chainsaw!”
Map of range in the USAAcacia dealbata
Acacia dealbata
Acacia dealbata, the silver wattle, blue wattle or mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to southeastern Australia in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory and widely introduced in Mediterranean, warm temperate, and highland tropical landscapes. The flowers are produced in large puff-like balls which are made up of numerous smaller globe–like bright yellow or orange flowerheads of 13–42 individual flowers. In moist mountain areas, a white lichen can almost cover the bark, which may contribute to the descriptor “silver”. The Latin specific epithet dealbata also means “covered in a white powder” Acacia dealbata appears to be most closely related to A. mearnsii, A. nanodealbata and A. baileyana. While some consider A. dealbata to be a variant of Acacia decurrens. Acacia dealbata is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions of the world, and is naturalised in some areas, including Sochi (Black Sea coast of Russia), southwestern Western Australia, southeastern South Australia, Norfolk Island, the Mediterranean region from Portugal to Greece and Morocco to Israel, Yalta (Crimea, Russia), California, Madagascar, southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe), the highlands of southern India, south-western China and Chile. It is hardy down to 23 °F), but does not survive prolonged frost.
My theory is that someone saw a True Mimosa (pink flowered tree), and where they lived there was another plant/tree that had fern-like leaves and puff balls of silk-like flowers of yellow or orange blossoms. Spain, having consumed sparkling wine with orange juice for centuries, someone saw this somewhere and decided to name the drink, a mimosa. By the way, a most favored variety of orange for juice is, the Valencia Orange. Is there a connection with Valencia, Spain? 🙂
A mimosa (the drink), is generally equal parts of citrus juice and sparkling wine, Champagne or California Champagne. If you live where this plant/tree/ flourishes and the flowers are yellow or orange, this would be a mimosa to you. But if you live where the True Mimosa plant/tree flourishes (pink flowers), red grapefruit, perhaps blood orange or a splash of grenadine with lemonade (spiked or not), with sparkling wine, would be a mimosa to you.
In the fall, many mix apple juice, cider or hard cider and call this a apple mimosa. But I don’t suppose apples are a citrus fruit and citrus is typically used for a mimosa.
And just so you know, all the tree/plants we have been discussing here are invasive. They take over the canopy. They choke out other plants and they spread wildly, widely and grow quickly. Their roots have compromised concrete and block wall foundations. They are considered weeds is many areas. Many parts of the world outlaw their plants and vehement seek to eradicate them with extreme prejudice.
Call these drinks (however you find them), order them in what colors are available to you and call them whatever you like. They are popular for mid-morning weddings, brunches (between breakfast and lunch), and anything celebratory like, “anniversaries”.
For myself, in the spirit of a true mimosa (the tree), and the mimosa (the drink), I am using citrus and something red to make the drink pink in color. For mine, I’m’just calling this, ‘Anniversary’ ______________________________
‘Anniversary’ edible gold (closeup)
Anniversary
Libatious’ #100 (stopped now that I’ve hit 100)
By Dahnini or Dahnitini Spirits Alchemist Bon Devant
Use tall glassware with long stems Dip rims of champagne 🥂 flutes into lemon juice and holding the stem of the glass in your hand at an angle, slowly turn, making a full circle, sprinkling edible gold dust on lemon juiced rims Add a little grenadine to the bottom of each glass (about ½”) Place a pink heart-shaped💕 ginger sugar cube, into the bottom of each glass Chill the flutes until ready to serve
1 jigger of lemon 🍋 simple syrup 1 jigger of ginger liqueur A splash of grenadine syrup for color (pale pink)
Pour into hand shaker Add ice Shake
“Shaken not stirred!” -007, Bond, James Bond-😂
Pour strained into chilled champagne 🥂 flutes Top with champagne 🍾 Sprinkle a little edible gold dust over top of bubbles
Makes 2 lovely libations. One to share and one for you 😀
ENJOY! 😉 Drink your ‘Anniversary’ responsibly! 😂
‘Anniversary’ with heart-shaped ginger sugar cubes‘Anniversary’ edible gold
Note: You would need to purchase the book or collection when published, to receive the recipes how to make lemon simple syrup and what I call ‘ginger juice’, to make the ginger sugar cubes. In the pictures above they appear to be floating at the bottom, but size prevents from sinking to the bottom and weight does not allow them to float to the top. A small silicone candy mold was used to make the heart shapes. Red food coloring was used to make them pink. Edible gold should be 23K – 24K gold with no other metals, alloys or additives. Edible gold does not have any known nutritional benefits and it is consider safe and is excreted or eliminated from the body. You don’t really taste this per se, it just looks beautiful. Edible gold dust is available at many places online as, Amazon.com
It has been a while since I posted here, but I wanted to share a new drink I recently prepared with you. It is what I call an adult libation, to be shared, and that I shared with my wife Susan, during our late-afternoon or early-evening Happy Together Hour, AKA, ‘Sips with Susan’
The name ‘O’ Beautiful’ may make you think of some patriotic song, but it is really a lot simplier than a song. It was the words and the expression on Susan’s face, when I presented it to her; she said,
“O’ Beautiful!”
This is the perfect name for me, for this drink. Recently, I have been into layering drinks and using wine with other distilled spirits. I have come across a really simple, beautiful and delicious way to do this that anyone can do. One friend in particular, really loves my drinks, as do Susan and I. I often send my friend Lisa advance copies of at least some of my recipes. She has a husband, family and they too, love to get together and share drinks. But Lisa recently commented that she might try this and other drinks, “but no one can make them as beautiful as you do!”
My response to her was, au contraire, anyone can make these!! I do not make them to show off or to impress, but to bless!!! What is the purpose of them if they can’t be replicated simply and by anyone? I’ll gladly accept the credit for their concept and the fun in naming my own original drinks, but you take the credit and the praise from others in their enjoyment of them, and I’m fine with that. So, without further adieu, I present to you, O’ Beautiful’.
‘O’ Beautiful’
Libatious’ #98 (stopping when I hit 100)
By Dahnini or Dahnitini Spirits Alchemist Bon Devant
Juice of 1 fresh lime 🍈 1 jigger of cherry 🍒 liqueur 1 jigger of ginger liqueur 4 jiggers of vodka 4 jiggers of lemonade 🍋
Pour into hand shaker Add ice Shake
“Shaken not stirred!” -007, Bond, James Bond-😂
Pour into chilled wine glasses 🍷 with 1 -3 pieces of ice 🧊 (depending on cube size) Pour 1 jigger of merlot or some dry red wine over the back of a spoon 🥄 at an angle over the surface of the liquid beneath Garnish with cut slices of fresh strawberries dipped in lemon juice 🍋 and sprinkled with sugar skewered with a bamboo knot pick
Note: What do fresh strawberries have to do with this drink? Absolutely nothing other than it’s just part of what makes it “O’ Beautiful” and a nice taste at the end of your already deliciosness! 😀
Makes 2 lovely libations. One to share and one for you 😀
Ethel and her two sisters, Audrey and Anne (in this order), were the first which welcomed me with open arms and open hearts, ♥️ without hesitation or reservation; without judgement. Some believe your marry a family when you marry someone (my wife, Susan Meech Hayden), in it. But there was also my father-in-law, an uncle, three step-sons, their wives, their 7 children and cousins and other kindreds. Marrying any woman is work enough and then there is work with all she is kindred to. Few men are ever good enough for a mother’s and father’s daughter. Multiply this many times, if you marry a divorced woman with children! But, call it Kingly or Queenly kindness, Mom and her two sisters (my aunts), graciously accepted me the first time I met them. And I liked all three of them, the first time I met each of them. Now unless you think this is about me or three sisters, it is not. But it is about a similar trait that all three shared and this merely is my observations of the qualities of one in particular.
Ethel Lovatt Meech, is my mother-in-law, to which I have long dispensed with the factual and formal title and just call her Mom. Blood not, but not any less is she to me, than my birth mother.
Her husband Henry, “Bud” Meech, my father-in-law called her “Lovie”. She was indeed, a loving 🥰 sister, a loving 🥰 wife, a loving 🥰 mother, a loving 🥰 aunt, a loving 🥰 cousin, a loving 🥰 grandmother, a loving 🥰 great grandmother and a loving 🥰 friend!
Our only granddaughter Leona, and one nephew Chase, both have ‘Lovatt’ as their middle name.
Mom was a proper Lady. She was often quiet and a good listener. But she was an exceptional conversationalist too, poignant, sharp and smart.
She also had a fun and funny side too. Both her two true children could tell you about her burgundy red convertible 67′ mustang she loved to drive.
Her comedic timing was often unexpected, but greatly appreciated. I would’ve loved to have been at the dinner table when her husband Bud asked her to throw him a pickle and she tossed it into the air! I remember standing next to her and my wife Susan, was on her other side at the funeral home. We were there to say goodbye to her husband, the father of her children, “Bud” Henry Meech. The grandchildren called her, ‘Grandma Sweetie Pie’. Yes, she was a sweetie, made great pie and was a wonderful cook. But there we were and it was a solemn moment, for all in saying goodbye, as we drew near to see him and pay our respects and begin the grieving process. Mom looked on her husband and friend and just quietly said, “The shell is still here, but the nut is gone.”
I would have loved to have been a fly in the car when she and dad were in the front seats (Dad was driving) and it was the first time she met his mom and grandmother. They were all singing songs and then there was a sudden quiet. To break the ice and cut through the edginess, Mom broke out singing, ‘Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall’. If that’s not funny enough for you, unbeknownst to Ethel, her newly met grandmother-in-law just happened to be the wife of a Methodist minister and her new mother-in-law was aligned with The Women’s Temperance Movement that opposed the consumption of alcohol. 🍹 🍸 🍺 🍷 🤣🤣🤣
But to me, the greatest thing my Mom had been was a career registered nurse. And that fact does not even begin to tell the story. I have met a few famous people in my life and had my heroes and heroines, But never in my wildest dreams, could I ever have imagined, marrying into a family with one hero and one heroine, married to each other. Their family became my family!
But Ethel was not only a registered nurse, oh no, a million times no! She was a proud and lifelong member of, The United States Nurse Cadet Corps.
Logo
The United States Cadet Nurse Corps (CNC), was authorized by the U.S. Congress and signed into law as a nondiscriminatory program, in July 1943. Its purpose was to help alleviate the nursing shortage that existed during World War II. The United States Public Health Service (USPHS), was named the supervisory agency; it was answerable to, the Surgeon General of the United States.
Its origins can be traced to the establishment in 1798, of a system of marine hospitals. In 1870, these were consolidated into the Marine Hospital Service, and the position of Surgeon General, first began.
The program was formed, July 1st, 1943 and was dissolved, December 31st, 1948.
The Media carried the news and offerings everywhere
The program was open to all women between the ages of 17 and 35 who were in good health and had graduated from an accredited high school.
All state nursing schools in the U.S. were eligible to participate in the program; they were, however, required to be accredited by the accrediting agency in their state and be connected with a hospital that had been approved by the American College of Surgeons. The participating schools of nursing were required to compress the traditional 36-month nursing program into 30 months and were obligated to provide the students with the clinical experiences of medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics.
Ethel was an operating room and surgery nurse, for the better part of her career in nursing.
This was an incredible opportunity for women, for financial independence and a lifetime career, no matter the economic situation or societal woes that may befall a nation. If you were a nurse and even today, you always have a job. All of these things appealed to young women which before, may have had little to no opportunity to improve the quality of their lives. The uniforms, stockings, lapel pins, a particular shade of ruby red lipstick, and berets were highly attractive to many. If you were a nurse, a Cadet Nurse, you were in essence, a fashionista!
Status symbols and fashionistasMany wanted to be one or to be seen with one!
There was a lot of prestige being a Cadet Nurse. You were not just anybody or just a woman, you were often gorgeous, highly intelligent, professional, highly trained, in high demand and were often viewed like rock stars of the times. Many women longed to be a Cadet Nurses and along with all these characteristics and compassion for others and the faithful dedication, many men fervently desired to date a Cadet Nurse, kiss one and with an ultimate hope of marrying one!
Beyond these things, Cadet Nurses were honored to serve their country as the country was honored by their presence. They filled great voids in this country, when so much of the medical field were on the front lines overseas. But no matter where a Nurse Cadet served, she was also on the front lines and among the ‘first responders’. They did not only give life giving aid and literally saved many a life, they often wrote letters for their patients, read to them, talked to them, comforted them, and kept vigil the whole dark night of their patients’s souls. They were heroes and heroines each one, and often your trusted confidant and best friend! Doctors could never, and cannot ever, survive for any length of time without them! And the greatest medical people in the world are in the USA! 🇺🇸 The quality of the entire medical industry that we enjoy today, are the direct results of The Nurse Cadet Corps that forged it in fire, 🔥 on the front lines, of the front lines of, human trauma and tragedy, crisis and redemption, by what many think on as the ‘angels of grace and mercy!
My mother-in-law, Ethel Lovatt Meech, my adopted mom, was a pioneer on a love frontier. And she is my heroine!
She knew her grandson Jonathan was following, in her footsteps and she spoke of him often fondly and beamed with pride. He wanted her to be the one that pinned him when he graduated from nursing school, but sadly, she passed before. But he did graduate, is a husband, a father of three boys, and a NICU nurse (neonatal Specialist), but he is also studying and soon to graduate, as a Nurse Practitioner. I know she would be (is), so very proud of him as he like her, in our current World War against the Covid19 virus, is on the front lines of the front lines!
Triple Victory- The War is Over, Home Again, & Kiss a Nurse! 🙂
Jonathan was there and Susan and I were there when Mom took her last breath. I have no other way to say this than, it was a beautiful death. She was surrounded by people that loved her and that she loved and she quietly closed her eyes and went to sleep. She was draped with a quilt that was given to her by a Nurse who had also served in the military. The quilt has an American flag woven design. We still have this. It was just a token of a grateful country, for her service!
The Quilt that draped Ethel, in honor of her service to the USA
We now live in the same home that she and my father-in-law lived in, from 1973 until they passed. We inherited a simple little kitchen timer that runs off of batteries. It is just inside one of the cabinets in our kitchen. For some unknown reasons and at different times, when either of us walk by the cabinet, the alarm inside starts dinging. We always think it’s Mom trying to say something and we always say, “Hi Mom,” and then shut the alarm off. And today is, your birthday! Your your daughter Susan, is making a cake for you, to celebrate you today and for as long as we still draw breath.
I don’t know if I ever said this to you, but like the line from a favorite song of mine, “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?” 🥰❤️
Your Dahni (Because you made me yours)
A Beautiful Woman inside and OutStill kept her red curly hair
Cadet Hymn
Faithful ever to my country, to the Corps, my sacred trust, Grant that I may follow wisely, all the guidance offered me. Give me kindness, grant me patience, That I may not fail this noble challenge to heal the suffering ones. Help me to ally the sorrowing in a world torn by strife, May I hold the lamp of nursing in the sprit of the Corps, Give me strength, and grant me knowledge, To pursue my chosen way with courage to heal the suffering ones. Now I dedicate my service, pledge myself and all I am, Thus to make of life a triumph, over sorrow over death, Give me pride in my endeavor In the service of my Corps, o grant that I may heal the suffering ones
The cadet hymn was composed by the director of music at Mt. Vernon Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. and the words were written by a member of the Division of Nursing Education of the USPHS. It was released in 1945 on the second anniversary of the CNC
Hot or cold, love is in the air. The Italians call it, amore (love). Heading to the spa or hot tub with your love? Why not a couple of Amore-tinis and watch Jupiter in the night skies or the poetry in motion, in each other’s eyes! 🙂
Spa Side Amore-tinis By Dahnini or Dahnitini
Amore-tini
By Dahnini or Dahnitini
Juice of 1 small fresh lime
2 jiggers Amaretto almond liqueur
1 jigger of vodka
1 jigger or apricot juice or nectar
Add ice
Pour into hand shaker and shake
“Shaken not stirred!” -007, Bond, James Bond” 🙂
Pour back into martini glass
Garnish with a stick and a skewered piece of dried apricot, dipped in lime juice and sprinkled with mix of almond flour and raw sugar
ENJOY! Drink your ‘Amore-tini responsibly! 🙂
Notes: Amore is Italian 🇮🇹 for “love” Amaretto (also Italian 🇮🇹), means “little bitter” and is often made with almonds and pulverized apricot shells which also taste like almonds.
One dancing goat, the other one is drinking coffee- click for larger view
From Kaldi and his dancing goats from Ethiopia, to Kenya and Yemen, coffee spread across the world where today—
• Coffee locations on the map all share similar characteristics: tropical and high elevation (among others). The climate must be perfect, for coffee to be grown and thrive!
• Coffee is exported from around 70 countries and imported by most countries in the world! The United States, is one of, if not the biggest importer of coffee in the world! WE the People of the USA, like our coffee!
• Mexico is likely the largest exporter of coffee to the United States! Think about that! Where did your coffee come from? Is it a blend of Mexican and some other(s)?!
• No coffee origins (varieties), are exactly like any other! Even the same origin will not always be the same, every time. Correctly roasted coffee reaches a peak then falls off in about 7-10 days! Coffee in those 7-10 days is always subtle, unique and their nuances different, each day! Some believe that the ONLY place to roast coffee is at the same location where the plants are grown, the cherries are harvested and the green beans (seeds), are processed! If this is true, then wouldn’t the best place to drink coffee be, at the same place where it is roasted? Personally, I am not financially independent, not that particular and not this patient!
• They are not really beans, they are seeds! They are called ‘cherries’, before they become ready for our coffee. They are very odd as, not every “cherry” will produce a seed! It takes around two thousand (2,000), cherries (the ones with seeds), to make our one cup of coffee!
• Because of all the above conditions and more, most cherries are still picked by hand, throughout the world! The terrain of most areas where coffee is grown, prevents most beasts of burden and modern equipment, from reaching the plants to extract the “cherries”!
• Arabica beans are the most desired, but they are also, the most fragile, compared to Robusta! Generally, Robusta beans have more caffeine and are larger beans! Robusta are often used in “blends” and to lower costs, while still charging us more for what they tell, are their, “signature blends”! Arabica beans account for sixty percent (60%), and Robusta, forty percent (40%), of all coffee beans!
• Coffee is the second (2nd), most traded commodity in the world!
• Coffee is the fourth (4th), most consumed beverage in the world, following in order: water, beer, wine and coffee!
• Kona Coffee from Hawaii (one of the most expensive and most popular in the world), is about the only place where commercial and mass quantities of coffee, are grown in the United States!
• One of the reasons (among many), Jamaican Blue Mountain (another expensive, popular and my favorite coffee), is so expensive is because, Japan (yes Japan), has had a trade agreement with Jamaica, to purchase ninety percent (90%), of their beans (roasted or green), for maybe well over a hundred (100), years!
• Political unrest and instability, could potentially halt the export of coffee, from that country, at anytime! Think about that and ask yourself what you would do, if tomorrow morning, your favorite coffee was no longer available??? This is another wonderful reason to order green beans at a current price and not at a higher price in the future and green beans can keep for years, in a cool dark place! Need I mention the importance of trying new coffees and educating your palette? ROAST YOUR OWN COFFEE!
Brewed Coffee and Beans
Brewed Coffee
The most obvious thing to do after roasting your beans is to grind them and brew, and have a cup or two or a few. If you have never had coffee this fresh and that it’s not over-roasted, you just might be tasting coffee as it was meant to be enjoyed, for the very first time??!! If you usually drink coffee with cream, sugar or both, you may be surprised how great your roasts taste, drinking it black??!! Enjoy the flashback ‘Percolator ‘ song, from the YouTube video to follow. 🙂
OK, what next?
What to do with those grounds? Do you have roses or hydrangeas? Share your grounds, they like coffee too. One of the reasons for this is due to the acidity in the coffee that plants like. OK, what next?
Decaf? There is no such thing! Most coffee marketed and sold as decaffeinated is around 97% caffeine free. Well, that still leaves around 3% caffeine doesn’t it? What I’m calling it is, Locaf (lower caffeinated) Coffee.
Locaf or Lower Caffeinated Coffee
Sometimes, you or your others, may or would like a cup of coffee before say, bedtime. Maybe you don’t need the energy or the buzz from caffeine and you don’t want to stay awake all night. 🙂
To remove caffeine, it begins with green beans ONLY! There are only 2 ways to remove up to about 97% of the caffeine from coffee:
1. Chemicals- Not for me!
2. Water- The most natural and organic! For anything and everything you may or may not want to know about so-called decaffeination (lowered caffeine, but never all), click here
Want it? Need it? Well, you have three choices:
1. Buy whole beans or ground decaffeinated (Locaf), coffee. But if you are a home roaster or want to be, why would you?
2. Buy green beans that have most of the caffeine (never all), removed and roast yourself. NO PROCESS CAN REMOVE ALL OF THE CAFFEINE! But I would only choose green beans that use the water process, to remove caffeine (whatever amount is removed)! Where to get them? Click here
3. Do it yourself! How? Well, it will take some time!!! Place your green beans in a bowl. Pour hot water onto the beans and cover them with the hot water. Let them soak, for a few minutes. Drain and rinse. Repeat. Each time you do this, more of the caffeine is removed. When finished, roast the beans to your satisfaction.
Did you know, there are over 1,200 complex compounds in coffee, which contribute to their flavor profiles?? There are!!! Uhh, why then, would anyone want to over-roast and mess up any of these flavor compounds??? Just Don’t!!! Sugar is just one of the compounds. Caffeine is another. But it is odorless and colorless, though it does contribute acidity, which does affect, the overall taste of some coffees.
Note: There is more information available on this to class participants or online subscribers. See classes- click here
OK, what’s next?
Blends or Blending
Blends could be something you might like? Blends are for two real reasons, in the coffee industry:
By using inferior beans and over roasting, costs can be cut and it can be marketed and sold as a signature blend and charge more for it.
You really want to produce a signature blend with something unique. Or, maybe you had no choice? Look back to the South during the Civil War. The North was often blocking the southern waterways and prevented or disrupted the supply of coffee. They either had to make some dark beverage from roots and other stuff besides coffee or they stretched the coffee by adding other grains and etc. to it.
Chicory was once such grain and it is still popular in the south, particularly in Louisiana. Have you ever heard of Cafe du Monde? It is world famous and started in New Orleans in 1862. They are open seven days a week; year-round, except, for Christmas Day or if an occasional hurricane forces them to close. We still have a can of this in our freezer (not a good idea to store this way, but it’s done). My wife Susan, actually had this coffee in New Orleans. I first tasted it in Japan. Yes, it’s all over the world. But in a can? How fresh can [pun-ny], that be? What if you made your own? Yes, yes you can!
Coffee blended with pine nuts
Another blend I liked and tasted, is roasted in New Mexico, USA. It is coffee made with pinions (pine nuts). It is very unique, but how long can it stay fresh in a can or even a nitrogen packed can or foil bag? When was it roasted? How many months ago was that? How many months hence, from the date of roasting, does the package read, “Best is used by [some date way into the future]”. Why not roast this blend yourself? I will be, as soon as possible!
Blends and Dark Roast
Do you like or do your friends and family like espresso, latte, macchiato, capuchino and other dark roasted beverages? Then roast some! It is easy to do. Any coffee, if dark roasted, can be used for any of the beverages above. But here is where blending or blends come in. I wanted to try this and I mixed three (3), different coffees from different countries. One was from Ethiopia. By now you know that Ethiopia is likely, where coffee began. In our classes, we use Ethiopian coffee to roast. Class participants get to sample some fresh brewed, from fresh ground, and from fresh roasted coffee beans. And they each receive a 1/4 pound of fresh roasted beans, they can take home and enjoy the next morning. Now by “fresh” I mean, coffee beans that were roasted 24-48 hours before shared. Two of the class members will each receive 1/2 pound of the coffee, I roast at the actual class. Chosen by having the winning ticket selected, one receives from the popcorn popper roast and the other from the skillet roast. Obviously, I cannot make these available online and I do not have the means or the desire to be roasting around 7 pounds of coffee beans (what is needed for a class of 14), more than once or twice a week! But also, in class and by way of a special password required protected location and for a limited time ONLY, class members will receive the actual recipe I used, for making my dark blend, for espresso and etc. For more info. on classes and etc. click here Again, Ethiopian is the coffee used for classes, for obvious reasons. It was probably the “FIRST COFFEE”, many people have never tried it, it is one of the most popular and it is great in a blend, for espresso and etc.
Various beverages from dark roasting-click for larger view
This could be your dark roasted beans- click for a larger view
Note on Blends/Blending: Technically, each coffee used in a blend, should be roasted separately and then blended. But I only made a 1/2 pound of dark roast and I roasted all three (3), different coffees together, at the same time. You are probably expecting this, but you will have to take my word for it (or take a class, learn the recipe and roast it yourself), but it made the freshest and best cup of espresso, latte, macchiato and cappuccino, my wife and I have ever had! Then I did another, not-supposed-to-do thing. I put it in a plastic sandwich bag, in a sealed black plastic container and stuck it in the freezer. Oh Noooo! 🙂
If needed or desired, I have my dark roast on hand, for anyone that comes to ‘The Gathering Place’ (what we call our home). I will be roasting this again, if/when needed, but especially for, the winter holidays! OK, what next?
Roasting for espresso? Have you ever had or do you like eating espresso beans? How about chocolate covered, espresso beans?! I have recipes for these too! Take a class and/or become a subscriber. Click here OK, what’s next?
Latte Art
Have you ever seen or had one of those extraordinary and barista artist created designs with cream, on top of your dark beverage?
Latte Art- click for a larger view
Latte Art You Could Make at Home
Do you think these might add to the cost of your cup? Why not make your own? They do not have to be complicated and so detailed and complex, that you regret destroying the art when you or someone drinks your cuppa! I’ve seen some that are so detailed, they look like famous people, animals and all kinds of stuff! Do you you think these might add to the time it takes to get a cup, and drink it and that your coffee may not be as hot as you may like it, depending on how long it takes to make and get it to you?? Please do not misunderstand me. I like, admire, respect and appreciate art and artists. But as a former chef, there is a line I just won’t cross. That line is in the middle of Impress and Bless. There is nothing wrong with presenting food and drink in a beautiful or visually pleasing manner. It actually aides in digestion, promotes good conversation and increases enjoyment or JOY! But If I want to, have to or feel the need to impress you, I have crossed the line over my desire to simply, Bless You! And, like anticipating and expecting and waiting on a good meal or beverage to come, I just don’t have the patience to wait for say, da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ to be made with cream, on top of my coffee. And as a former chef, I don’t have the patience to wait to see your reaction to what I’ve prepared especially for you! Still, latte art is cool. You can learn to do some really simple, gorgeous, beautiful (find your own adjectives), latte art which will bless your guests and not take forever and a day to make. The word bless means, “Highly Favored!” For more information, to take one of our classes and/or become a subscriber. Click here Or wait until I finish my book (see below). OK, what’s next?
Cold Coffee (iced) or Cold Brew
Cold Coffee-click for larger view
Have you ever had or do you like, Cold Coffee or Cold Brewed Coffee? What’s the difference? Cold coffee is just like it is written. It is coffee that has been brewed and allowed to cool. It is served at room temperature, cool, cold, ice cold or with ice. It is served, with or without cream and or sugar. Cold Brew is just like brewing sun tea in a glass jar, in a filter (or a tea ball), and allowed to sit in the sun (or even on your counter-top). I call this, ‘Sun Coffee’ 🙂
Each (Cold Coffee or Cold Brew), have their own unique tastes, and depend on the origin of the coffee they are made from.
Sun Coffee- click for a larger view
One of a grandfathers (a proper man and a highly educated man), liked cold or cooled or chilled or room temperature coffee (whatever was his preferred temperature). He would make coffee in a glass-top metal percolator, on top of his stove. Then he would pour some out into a nice teacup, which sat on a matching saucer. He would let this cool, pour some into the saucer, set aside the cup and raise the saucer and drink form it. I never saw him do this in public. I do not know if it is civilized or acceptable in public or how Emily Post or Miss Manners (two culture, class and etiquette champions), would view this, but it was his home, his castle, his private time and it made him happy! To be honest, I was not a fan of coffee that has any other temperature than hot enough to burn my lips! Hosting others and serving others is a responsibility and should be a joy to all chefs. Seek to bless and not impress! But I concede these (Cold Coffee or Cold Brew), have a place and FYI (for your information), I am warming up (or cooling down), to the idea! 🙂
You can add some spices and (natural flavorings), to either of these, to really transform your summer-cool-off beverages or whenever you want your coffee to Chill Out! 🙂
I’ve recipes for these too, also either available from online, for class participants, subscribers only or when completed and published, in my book—
‘The Gathering Place Feast Book’ (“How anyone can turn their home into a 5 star restaurant!”)
By Dahni
Note: If you like Nitro (nitrogen treated), Coffee, I cannot help you. I don’t care for it and I certainly do not have the necessary equipment or nitrogen sitting around in my mad-scientist lab in the basement! And there will not be one in the future, either, EVER! 🙂
OK, what’s next?
Other Beverages with Coffee
Other beverages with coffee? Like what? How about Adult Beverages (alcohol or non-alcoholic), for your Libations and Happy Together Hours! Coffee Liqueur made by you? Absolutely! How about a home-made ‘Coffee-tini’ by your’s truly, Dahnitini, mixologist; drink meister extraordinaire! 🙂
Desserts With Coffee
Coffee ice cream, coffee cake, tiramisu, coffee pie, coffee cookies anyone? We’ve got em’ and a lot more. Make your own! Make up your own.
Coffee as a Spice
Ground coffee as a spice? Sure, why not? Use as a rub, or part of a meat sauce for hamburgers and etc. The possibilities are endless. Use it. Make up some great stuff!
Coffee in Art & Literature
Yes! I’ve used coffee as a water color background, for some of my photograph turned paintings. Remember, Thomas Jefferson loved coffee and said it was the most civilized drink in the world. He may have had coffee when he was working on the drafts, to the Declaration of Independence. Maybe our Founders of this wonderful Republic of Ours, consummated its signing, before, during or after, with coffee. Poets and authors wrote and write, while consuming coffee. I have a cup of coffee beside me, as I am writing this. Now maybe this is not literature, but I am writing and I am drinking coffee, while doing it!
I’ve already mentioned using your used coffee grounds, on roses and hydrangeas. It’s great fertilizer. Coffee grounds contain several key minerals for plant growth — nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and chromium. Compost with 40% coffee produce less green-house gas and contributes greatly, to some of the best quality compost. Coffee around your plants help create a barrier that slugs and snails do not like to crawl over. Coffee grounds contain compounds that are toxic to many insects. You can use your coffee grounds to repel mosquitoes, fruit flies, beetles and other pests. Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps eliminate odors. Try placing some roasted beans in your refrigerator or really, anywhere you want to neutralize odors. Place some grounds by your sink for scrubbing your hands, after handling onions or garlic. Take some roasted coffee beans in a plastic bag with you, when you go shopping, especially for fragrances, perfume, cologne, scented candles or anything scented. and etc. After sniffing a few fragrances, your ‘nose’ can become overwhelmed and you can hardly sense another scent’s attributes. Open your bag of roasted coffee beans and sniff them for a few seconds. Your ‘nose’ for new scents will come back to you! Do not worry about what others may think about you sniffing coffee beans at the store. I have found many places offer this technique (service with coffee beans), and I always recommend it to the stores I shop at, if they don’t already offer this. It really does work! Try it! There are seemingly endless and countless ways to use coffee!
Coffee for Your Health and Wellness
Do some research and you will find that coffee consumption has many health benefits. My sister makes a fabulous shower scrub with coffee! My wife, Susan, loves it! Not to get personal or anything, but coffee is a diuretic. It helps eliminate salt and well, it helps you go. Coffee is excellent for constipation, it keeps me regular! Some people use coffee as a laxative. Some use coffee for enemas, to clean-out their digestive tracts and rid it of a buildup of toxins and poisons. Many people who do this, report feeling healthier, happier and much more energetic. That being said, personally, I would rather drink and consume my fresh coffee! There are so many things coffee can do, for us and that we can do with coffee.
Coffee for Conversation
In my book, I will have a section on making your own home made ‘Beverages’. I call this section, ‘Sips with Susan’ (my wife). Whether it is during our Happy Together Times (Happy Hour), or our morning coffee, we sit and sip, enjoy one another’s company and converse about little things, no-things of great importance or great things, which truly matter. This is what conversations are for and I truly believe, coffee promotes good conversation. Even if you are a tea drinker, have you ever invited someone or have you ever been invited to, ‘Have a Cup of Coffee’? I’m sure that you have! Even if you are having tea, saying you are having a cup of coffee with someone is a good-feeling, friendly, civil and cultural thing to do!
Coffee as Gifts
Almost everyone loves and craves for, “A Taste of Home,” “Home Made”, “Home Cooking” or just going or being Home! You could help provide these wonderful and good feelings, by giving away as gifts, some of your roasted coffee beans. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and on and on, a gift of your coffee would be like any other special gift, but it’s made by you and it’s FRESH. What about coffee as a home warming gift? The new house owners may be living out of boxes, for awhile, but I bet they have found their coffee maker and it’s in their kitchen. Imagine them sitting around and sipping your coffee, while they decide where to put all their furniture, where to hang or put this and that. How about your coffee for a baby announcement? Think about the new mom and dad, sitting around and enjoying your fresh roasted beans that they ground and brewed, while they think about names for the baby. A coffee gift of thanks, appreciation, friendship and love? Yes! The possibilities are too numerous, to even try and list! The greatest gift that can ever be given is said to be, the gift you give of yourself! You are and your own fresh roasted beans are synonymous. You and your beans are one! Give the gift of yourself! 🙂
Where to Go from Here?
Coffee, it’s Not Just for Waking Up!
This concludes our series on roasting coffee, ‘Toast the Roast’. Remember this, it is really simple to roast your own coffee! I hope like me, you enjoy learning. I hope you have learned something!
Learning is, an Exciting adventure!
I hope you are excited! I close with raising my cup to you, to…
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