ENJOYING BEING A HOMEBODY

“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” - Benjamin Franklin

Oh what a day in Melbourne today – Melburnians would probably say a typical Melbourne day! We really did get all four seasons into one, with rain, hail, sunshine, cold and then slightly warmer temperatures! Just as well I was busy at work and except for short foray to the bank across the road, I was quite sheltered from the changing and quite inclement weather with many meetings, and much desk work. However, Winter was certainly showing his teeth today just as he is departing…

When I came home this evening, I felt like a drink before dinner, which is something quite unusual for me these days. However, once every blue moon, a little apéritif is quite nice to enjoy prior to dining and especially so on a Friday. Here is what we enjoyed this evening:

DRY MARTINI BITTER
Ingredients
    • 2 measures of gin
    • ½ measure of dry vermouth
    • A couple of drops of lemon juice
    • 1 drop of lemon essence (or a tiny piece of lemon peel)
    • 1 drop of Angostura bitters
    • Stuffed green olive.
    • Strip of lemon peel

Method
Pour the spirits in a cocktail shaker, add several ice cubes and the drop of lemon juice, essence and bitters.  Shake until the martini is ice cold.  Drain into a chilled martini glass and keep this in the freezer until ready to drink.  Wrap the strip of lemon peel around the olive and secure with a toothpick.  Drop the olive in the martini and serve ice-cold.

This was very nice to sip while relaxing before dinner. For dinner tonight we had some steamed broccoli with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing, some cheese with crackers, and mushroom crêpes, washed down with some nice pinot gris. Fridays are very nice, especially in a warm house while it is wet and cold outside. After dinner, it’s time for curling up with a good book. Much better than being out and watching the football – grand final weekend or not!