Memorial Day Thank you and drinks

First I'd like to say Thank You.

I thought a nice summery drink would be nice for Memorial Day. Caribbean Rum Punch sounds appropriately beachy and the perfect way to kick off the so-called official start of summer!

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh lime juice 2 cups simple syrup 3 cups amber rum

4 cups orange juice 4 dashes bitters freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

1.	In a pitcher, combine lime juice, simple syrup, rum and orange juice. Add a few dashes of bitters and some grated nutmeg to taste. Serve chilled over ice.

Memorial Day and Weekly Goals 21

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because
flowers would be in bloom all over the country.



This is from the Military.com site where it talks of Decoration Day (a term I rarely hear used anymore) now known as Memorial Day. Whether you know someone in the armed services, whether you're in the US or not, remember those who fought and died, and are still fighting for, for the freedoms we enjoy.








My goals for this first (semi-official) start to summer:

• Work on and rename 4th in Hellfire Club Erotique series, a m/m story with all the love and angst I can possibly put in.


• Work a bit on streamlining the blog. Seems to be a tad crowded.


• And for those following my alter-ego's blog tour, here's the link for this week's stop for Dark Inheritance: Fallen Empire

Friday Recipe: BBQ

It's that weekend. The commerical (if not traditional) start to the summer holidays (here in the USA at least). It's also a weekend of BBQ. Delicious grilled food of all sorts that melts in your mouth (assuming the person in charge of the grill remembered they were and didn't wander off).

I've previously posted a to-die-for Amazing Whisky Grilled Baby Back Ribs as well as grilled veggies. I thought about the Grilled Bacon Jalapeno Wraps, but decided on chicken. Why? Because it's underrated. Everyone wants to try new, chicken is old, boring, blah.

Granted, I haven't tried this recipe, it's on my do-make list for this upcoming weekend, but look at the ingredients-nothing blah or boring there! I'd like to thank Ray for this recipe--my only drawback is the marinating time, but I suppose overnight is better than starting at 6AM!

Ray's Chicken
Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:15 Min
Ready In:8 Hrs 30 Min
Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup sherry
2 tablespoons ground mustard
2 teaspoons honey
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions
In a large glass bowl, stir together the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, lime juice, lemon juice, sherry, mustard, and honey. Mix in the garlic, brown sugar, lemon pepper, oregano, rosemary, and salt.

Place the chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Discard marinade, and place chicken on the grill. Cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 337 Total Fat: 16.2g Cholesterol: 67mg

Friday recipe

I've made this one before, it's time consuming but delicious and I highly recommend it. This doesn't look anything like my creations, but it's a great picture nonetheless.

Prep Time:      Cook Time:      Ready In:

15 Min              12 Min       1 Hr 27 Min

Ingredients

• 1 quart strawberries, sliced
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup white sugar
•  
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (7 ounce) container marshmallow creme
•  
• 2 1/3 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick ®)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch square baking dish.
2. Mix strawberries and blueberries with 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl, and set aside. Mix the cream cheese with the marshmallow creme in a separate bowl until smooth, and set aside. In another bowl, mix the baking mix, milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and melted butter into a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown on top, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan.
4. Spread the berry mixture and juice over the cooled shortcake, saving a few pretty berries aside for garnish. With a spatula, gently press down on the berries to allow the juices to soak into the cake. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the fruit, and garnish with the reserved berries. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting in squares to serve.

Weekend plans

A three-day weekend. Never has a phrase sounded so wonderful! BBQ? Beach? Pool? Lounging around the house?

I'll be doing the BBQ, lounging around the house (or someone's house at least) with friends and family, and writing. Not going to let a bonus day pass me by!

However, Memorial Day is much more than me having a day off. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Thank a soldier or remember a loved one who fought in a war.But don't forget that they did it out of a sense of honor, not obligation.

What are you doing?

Memorial Day

Thank you to all veterans, all current-serving military, and all their families.