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gifts

Homemade Limoncello

by Amber on August 17, 2010

A couple of days ago I got the hankering to make some Limoncello. I’m not sure really where this urge came from – I did enjoy a tiny glass of it at Coco’s Cantina recently, so maybe there. Anyway, I researched the recipe – learning it takes 80 days to cure. Coincidence 1: It’s about 80 days until my birthday and the beginning of summer. We need nice things to drink in the summer. Coincidence 2: This weekend I was gifted a large shopping bag of organic lemons…

So tonight I got started, completing part 1! I have to fess up, zesting is tiresome. I did 20 lemons and felt like I got very little zest for my money. It’s going to be great though. Stay tuned for the results…

making limoncello

LIMONCELLO

Ingredients

17-20 organic lemons
2 bottles (750 ml) of 100-proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water

Part 1 : day 1, aka what I did today

  • Wash the lemons thoroughly with hot water and a brush. We don’t want any nasties!
  • Zest lemons carefully ensuring there is no white pithy parts on the peel. The white bit is rind and will make your Limoncello bitter.
  • Put zest into a glass jar and cover with one bottle of vodka. Close the lid tightly and hang on baby, we have forty days to wait. We can interrupt it at day 10, but the longer we wait, the more the vodka will take on the flavour and colour of the lemon.

Part 2 : day 40

  • In a large pot, combine the sugar and water; cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Let the sugar syrup cool before adding it to the Limoncello mixture.  Add the additional bottle of vodka (I used Stil brand because it’s what I had on hand, you can also use grain alcohol). Allow to rest in a dark, cool place for another 40 days.

Part 3 : day 80

  • After the incubation period, strain the mixture using coffee filters or similar.
  • Bottle your Limoncello, discarding the lemon zest. A big bottle for you, or several little bottles to share the love – your decision!
  • Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

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PHRASEOLOGY #2

by Amber on July 18, 2009

I can never resist writing or design in jokes, I love them. (Cough, geek). This time I’m sharing a card I’ve had in my file for ages:

The Copywriter's Birthday Card

Cuttingly cynical, delightfully personalised. I don’t know who Mike Dempsey is either. So recently when I left my family of 5 years at designworks, I was stoked to open the figurative envelope (it’s a damn big piece of card) and find this:

Oh Great - Amber's Card

A similarly sarcastic piece of long copy. Lovingly composed by Mick (I heard there were several frustrating drafts) and kerned by dear Emma – just for me!

By the way, I’ll have you all know the the stain is just teriyaki sauce -we were at a Japanese restaurant and everybody had to have a read. Nothing dire like a splash of blood from a – after I told everyone what I thought of them, ho ho ho. That’s just smoke and mirrors… I really treasure this card – and don’t tell anybody, but I miss them too.

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ENVELOPES OF LOVE

by Amber on May 20, 2009

Year Of Flowers

My husband gave me a wonderful 29th birthday gift — 52 tiny red envelopes with a handwritten love note and a bit of cash in each, just enough to run across the street to the flower stand and make a bouquet, once a week.

Abigail is documenting her glorious year of flowers in a Flickr set. What a sweet gift! It would be my idea of heaven, even if I did only buy hydrangeas and lilies.

Other good years – a year of cupcakes, cookies, shaped and polished nails, a massage a month, a different magazine a month or a bottle of wine a week. Bliss. What would you love to have, little and often, that you wouldn’t normally get for yourself?

[via Grow Fonder; which is a neat little blog - take a peep!]

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