The Fall colors seem brighter this year all over SoCal. I usually don’t note it except for a few liquidambar trees in the neighborhood.
Must be the way the weather worked out. It must have allowed them a slower decay of the green chlorophyll than usual to let the colors shine through.
Just started my batch of Limoncello for this year. I decided to only make a half batch this year, as it makes so much. I can always start another batch later if I decide I need more.(SMILE)
Costco had Meyer Lemons today, that special extra fruity, less acidic variety of lemons, so I decided to give them a try.
Making Limoncello, or any infused liqueur is so simple. Basically, you soak your flavorful ingredient in pure grain alcohol or 100 proof vodka for about 2 weeks. Then you strain out the flavoring and combine the result with an equal part of simple sugar syrup. (1 part sugar to 1 part water and then boiled to dissolve the sugar)
I prefer pure grain alcohol, like Everclear, as I think it does a better job of extracting the flavor components from the lemon. Since it is combined with the simple syrup later, I don’t find it to be any more harsh the using vodka. It is, however, highly flammable, so take care when mixing up the batch and storing it while it macerates.
I have plans to try my hand at making pistachio liqueur and also vanilla extract using the same methods at some time in the future, too.
“Under the Tuscan Gun“, a fun foodie podcast has a video and complete recipe for Limoncello. I will refer you there for more information.
My friend, Liam (@editorliam) and I spent Saturday wandering around the Antelope Valley including stops at the recently re-opened Antelope Valley Indian Museum, Crystal Airport in Llano to watch the sailplanes and Littlerock Lake and Dam in the Angeles National Forest.
The Indian Museum, a California State Park, is one of the most eclectic and unique museums you will find anywhere in LA County. Originally designed as a home, it is built into the boulders of the surrounding hillside and decorated with the owners extensive collections. It is off the beaten path but well worth a trip.
Click for more pictures from our day.
Playing around with Instagr.am again. I really liked the way this one looked.
Stylized photos using a new iPhone App entitled Instagram
Click the photo to see more examples in my Flickr Photostream.
Lovely, lovely latte art (and a great tasting Cubano Latte) made by my favorite barista, Kate, at M Street Coffee. Yum!
To make a Cubano Latte, she loads the portafilter of the espresso machine with coffee and then tops it with muscavado sugar. When you pull the shot it blends the sugar with the shot and gives a slight caramelization to the sugar. Very tasty!
Our quick pizza. My sauce, provolone and large flour tortilla for crust. It gives me the thin and crispy crust with having to make my own crust.
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