blair (a taurus) over at TRADER TIKI is hosting MIXOLOGY MONDAY this month and his chosen theme is rum, as in yum. who doesn’t like this easy going spirit? i’m not big into classic cocktails - i always try and tweak a tipple to make it new. but, with the pina colada… no can do! i tried ginger, i tried mint… a GINGER MINT PINA COLADA sounds good no? not so much. so without further ado, i present you with the tried and true PINA COLADA. this is one classic best left alone… if you are feeling creative, i’d advise using infused rum with perhaps orange, banana, coconut or pineapple. stick with the tamer flavors, and definitely stay away from the chili pepper.

the pina colada is usually served in a fishbowl sized goblet, perhaps because it is half filled with water (ice). it is so often presented in a larger than life manner with some lovely garnish (sorry). fitting, because the PINEAPPLE belongs to the largest planet in our solar system, jupiter, who rules over the larger than life sign of sagittarius. see, it all makes sense now! actually, the PINEAPPLE is technically made up of many, many small spirally arranged fruits that all join together on a single core to make what we know as the pineapple. that interesting feature is also a jupiterian quality… multiples… spreading… expansion… wealth… knowledge… luck… all traits of this hugely benefic and fun-loving sign. it’s not a party until sagittarius gets there. (credit)

PINA COLADA

1 C COCONUT CREAM OR MILK
1 C PINEAPPLE JUICE
1/2 DARK RUM
4 TBSP RAW ORGANIC SUGAR
8-10 ICE CUBES

LIQUIFY ALL IN BLENDER AND ENJOY

MIXOLOGY MONDAY

The pineapple is a fruit of Jupiter due to it’s rather gargantuan size. It can be argued that there is some Arian energy in it as well due to the sharp leaves that make up it’s top. It also happens to looooove water, which is a trait of cancer. it’s so hard to assign just one astrological ruler to a plant! for like ourselves, they are complex. we are so much more than our sun sign…

It’s also interesting that this fruit is a symbol of hospitality, for Sagittarians are known for their open arms and generous spirit. Royalty is also is also included in the story of pineapple symbolism, and Sagittarians are a magestic sign as well. Leo might be king, but Sagittarius is a big part of the royal family. treat the Sag girl in your life like nobility and serve her a beautifully layered IPANEMA. they do taste as good as they look, so don’t forget to make a few for yourself too…

IPANEMA (AS IN THE GIRL FROM)

1 1/2 oz Cachacha
2 oz freshly extracted pineapple juice
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 oz raw simple syrup
1/2 oz homemade grenadine***
Garnish: 3 pomegranate seeds

Combine Cachacha, pineapple juice, lemon juice, simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into frozen cocktail glass. Gently top with homemade grenadine, which will sink to the bottom creating a beautiful sunset affect. Garnish with a pineapple leaf, pomegranate peel or float three pomegranate seeds on top. (Cocktail by Gwen; Photo by Mary Claire Miraldi)

***To make homemade grenadine syrup, add the seeds from 1 pomegranate to 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in sauce pot. Bring to boil, stir and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain into final storage container, adding 1 oz vodka as a preservative. Store in fridge.

the saying, you can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink, is certainly not true of the centaur. adding the half man onto the half horse turned this animal into quite the drunkard. sagittarius never needs a second invitation to accept a tipple. the ultimate party animal, at the core of their very being lies an unbridled gusto for all things fun, extravagent, and delicious. you know those sins… the seven deadly ones? well, this wild stallion has broken every one of em at least twice. sagg will take it to the limit–and beyond in any given category–all though drinking, eating and spending money seem to be favorites. makes me kinda upset i wasn’t born a sagittarius!

the chestnut is a sagittarius. see the real one above from my mum’s chestnut tree and a realistic imposter below from UNCOMMON GOODS. the perfect christmas gift the sagg in your life! ($350)

UNBRIDLED (CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT ALEXANDER)

1 1/4 oz chestnut-infused brandy*
1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
1 oz ORGANIC cream or soy creamer

cook chestnuts by boiling, steaming or roasting. peel shell and skin and chop coursely. place into 750 ml liters brandy and let sit in cool, dark place for one to three weeks. strain into final storage container.

HOW TO COOK CHESTNUTS VIA RECIPE SOURCE:

Roasting chestnuts is often a tradition during the holidays. Storage conditions have to be just right, not too dry and not too damp. In dry air, they dry out and lose quality. In warm, damp air, they mold. Store fresh chestnuts in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with a few ventilation holes punched in it. Chestnuts can be cooked by roasting, boiling or steaming. To roast over an open fire, use a long handled popcorn popper or chestnut roaster. To roast in an oven, try a temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Before roasting, puncture each nut once or twice with an icepick or a knife. If you fail to do this, pressure from steam building up inside the shells will cause the nuts to explode, either before or after they come out of the oven or roaster. To boil chestnuts, place them in a shallow pan with water that just covers them. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and partially cool, then remove the kernels using a sharp tine of a table fork. The longer the nuts cook, the mealier the kernels become and tend to crumble when removed from the shells. For especially dry chestnuts, soak them overnight in water before boiling in fresh water. For steaming, carefully cut fresh, moist chestnuts in half and cook them in a vegetable steamer over boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Most kernels should fall out of the shells during cooking. Steamed or boiled nuts can be dipped in melted butter and salted, if desired, or used in other recipes. Store cooked chestnuts in tightly sealed jars in the refrigerator for a month or two or in the freezer for up to a year.

thanks to WHAT’S ON MY PLATE for hosting WEEKEND HERB BLOGGING #110.

the maple tree is thankfully ubiquitous in north america, as we enjoy our maple syrup very much. not that fake syrupy stuff, like aunt jemima, but the real deal, tapped from the trunks of sugar maple trees and boiled down on the stove to make the little piece of heaven we call maple syrup. ever have a maple syrup candy? if you haven’t, then you simply haven’t lived, either. in the fall when the trees shed their seeds in hopes of sewing a zillion little maple babies, the abundance of jupiter is blatantly obviously as the ground lay covered in a blanket of green seeds. now that’s proliferation, the jupiterian way. come spring, many of those will have all ready taken root, continuing the legacy of their far-reaching, and super self seeding, ruling planet.

SPICY PEACH TART:

2 oz brandy
1 1/2 oz maple syrup
3 oz fresh squeezed peach nectar
5 drops tabasco
maple leaf

add brandy, maple syrup, peach nectar and tabasco to ice filled shaker and shake vigorously for ten seconds. pour entire contents into lowball glass and garnish with a sugar maple leaf. (created by gwen sutherland kaiser)

special thanks to mark, who bravely climbed up a rickety ladder to grab my garnish, all the while shaking like a leaf!

(Cocktail created by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser)

I’m hot for blueberries right now - obviously. as i might have mentioned, these tasty little ubiquitous berries are ruled by the planet of Jupiter. This is due to their bountiful and seemingly endless nature. Pisces is co-ruled by Jupiter and Neptune. Where as, Sagittarius is ruled solely by Jupiter. To paint a blue picture for you, think about Elvis (sag rising) & anna nicole (sag sun). Gluttony, hedonism & expansion (ahem, waistline) were but a few of their Sagittarian qualites.

If there’s anything I could possibly hate about my favorite season, summer, it’s that everything is ripe all at once! arghhh… so little time, so much to pick. or buy, whatever. that’s why we have freezers, right? now if i could just learn how to use them! but back to blueberries… when it rains it pours. all spring and summer, i painstakingly watch those little balls go from a pale shade of green to pink to finally a deep blue hue. YES… FINALLY! what gives? weeks and weeks of no ripe berries, but then, one day they all decide to get ripe. together. blue ball overload! here’s the way to handle that girls…

BAD GIRL SMOOTHIE

yield: 2 drinks

1/2 c silken tofu
1/3 c honey
full tray of ice
tsp flax oil
2/3 c blueberries
4 oz vodka

throw it all in the blender at the same time and puree until ice is smooth. (created by gwen sutherland kaiser)

even the goodest girl has to be bad sometimes. well no time like the present, so go ahead girls, adulterate those hyper-healthy ingredients. and like it too. who’s to know your smoothie’s kickin? that’s your dirty little secret, you bad girl you. drink for breakfast and walk to work with a spring in your step. or, drink for dinner and have some really sweet dreams.

ABOUT BLUEBERRIES

Once ubiquitous throughout the United States, an unthinkable plague killed almost all of our grand Chesnut trees. Jupiter is the planet of proliferation, abundance and largeness. If the Chesnut tree, whose diameter could be as great as 17 feet, didn’t epitomize the qualities of Jupiter, I don’t know what did. Sagittarius’ heart, appetite and mind are as large as the trunk of a Chestnut tree. They will drink till there’s no tomorrow. They will dance through the soles of their shoes. They will pick up the gigundo bar tab. They will eat all seven courses of their six course meal. They will heavy pour when mixing your drink. They will stay out ’til dawn, and then go to an after hours club. This is a sign with not a whole lot of limits, and a soft spot for anything decadent. Hence, Sagg will delight in this rich, cream-based cocktail.

CHESTNUT CHILLIN’ (CHESTNUT TODDY)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 oz Chestnut Syrup
- 1 oz Scotch
- 1 oz SILK soy creamer or real cream
- 12 chestnuts

INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add Scotch, SILK creamer or cream, chestnut syrup and shake. Strain into frosted martini glass. Slit a whole chestnut for garnish (baked or raw).

* CHESTNUT SYRUP:
Bake 12 chestnuts in oven. Slit the pointed end of
each nut with an X. Place on baking tray and bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool, peeling shell and skin from the nuts. Chop coarsely and place in sauce pot with 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. Bring to boil, stir, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain into final storage container, adding 1 oz vodka as a preservative. Store in
fridge.
***pureed or vacuum sealed chestnuts may be substituted in the off season.

ALSO TRY: Caramelized Chestnuts & Chocolate Fondue

(Recipe created by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser)