Drink your dinner...the conclusion

It's been more than a week but I am back to tell you the conclusion of how the Limoncello turned out! I've been busy, ok?

Can I tell you how yummy this liquor is? Yummy. Not, yum-o as Rachael Ray will say. I don't believe that you should invent a new language when we have a perfectly good one which will express the same thing!

The only problem with this recipe is you don't get instant gratification AND you need cutsie glasses to drink it in. It is for sipping and you really don't want to make a huge cocktail out of it. Well, I guess you caaaaaan...but it's too sweet for me to do that.

Does this look good or what? I know right? I even went out and purchased some cutsie glasses. I am sure it's 5:00 somewhere!

Bulgar and Lentil Salad

Looking for a filling and healthy salad/snack? Stop right here because I have just the thing - Bulgar and Lentil salad. You don't even have to hug trees or wear socks with your sandals to like it.

The only thing is that you should make it a day prior to when you want to eat it because it needs to sit in the dressing and absorb the flavors but I like to make it on a Sunday for the week as a quick lunch or something to "hold me over" till dinner without reaching for chips, candy, brownies, Easter candy....well, you get it.

Bulgar and lentil salad – make at least 1 day ahead.

1 ½ cups boiling water – or veg/chicken stock
1 ½ cups bulgar
1 ½ cups dry lentils rinsed
½ cup diced green onion
½ cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley
Crumbled feta
Chopped tomatoes


Dressing: (I double it)
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 olive oil
1 tbl dried basil
1 tbl dill seed
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over bulgur. Let stand until the liquid is absorbed about 45 minutes or so. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add lentils. Reduce heat and cover simmering until tender about 10-15 minutes. Drain. In another large bowl combine bulgur and lentils cool completely.

Add onions and parsley. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the vinegar, oil and other spices. Shake to combine. Pour over salad, toss. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or best overnight. Before serving add feta to taste and chopped tomatoes.

Drink your dinner

A couple of summers ago, when I wasn't working and could cook waaaaaaay more often a friend turned me on to Limoncello. It's a sipping liquor and you can either buy it or make it. My friend made hers, so I am making mine. The only problem with making your own is the lack of instant gratification as it takes about a week or so. So set your timers for a week and I will update you on how it turned out!

So easy (and hopefully, so tasty). You take vodka, either plain or vanilla (I chose plain because flavored alcohol makes me gag) and you measure out 4 cups which turns out is roughly a fifth of the stuff. Into a glass bowl or in my case, a Pyrex measuring thingie add the rind (no white stuff) of about 5 large lemons. Let that sit for a week at room temperature lightly covered (so nothing falls in). Then, supposedly in a week, you make a simple sugar mixture and voila! Limoncello.

How to drink it......in a little glass you pour ice cold (not sure yet if you can keep it in the freezer) Limoncello. Add a lawn chair, sunglasses and a Summer day and there you have it. You won't care what's for dinner.




Ingredients:

The peels from 2 pounds of lemons (just the yellow)

4 cups of vodka (or reg or vanilla vodka…)

leave sit for one week (I cover loosely with plastic wrap to keep things from falling in it)

Then Combine:

4 cups of sugar with 4 cups of water in a sauce pan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. ****revision**** Use 1/2 the amount of sugar with the same amount of water. Jimminy Crickets, this drink turned out like drinking melted lemon drop candies. If that is what you are in to....grrrrreat. If you are like me, just use 1/2 the amount of sugar.

cool

strain the lemon mixture and combine with the sugar solution

store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a month.