Joy the Baker

Home is where the desk is.  Home is where the dirty dishes are.  Home is where the paper straws, cookbook collection, and to-be-folded laundry is.

It’s good to be home from New Orleans.  It’s good to be home knowing that I cleaned my desk before I left… I sometimes surprise myself.

I picked up this Gourmet Special Edition Pasta Magazine at the airport in New Orleans because I wanted to fill my brain with pasta carbs on my journey home.  I thought it would inspire me to make copious amounts of ravioli upon my return.  I think reading this magazine on the plane inspired my seatmate’s hungry belly (I could feel you reading over my shoulder, sir) and inspired me to, strangely enough, make Lime Cordials.

This could be a clear sign that I’ve eaten too much jambalaya and crawfish.

Limes will be my restart.  I’ll be back on the pasta and beignet train shortly.

Home is also where the old orange juicer is.

I love juicing citrus because it’s an excuse to use my parents’ juicer.  They received this as a wedding gift and now it’s a part of my everyday.  I’ve probably told you about this juicer at least a dozen times.  I appreciate your patience with me.

Let’s juice some limes!

It took about ten limes to yield one cup of fresh juice.

I like to give the limes a firm roll on the countertop before slicing into them.  It helps ready the juices.

A Lime Cordial is a fancy name for a sweet lime syrup.  It’s the sort of syrup you add to fizzy drinks and fancy cocktails.  It’s also the sort of syrup that would prevent you from getting scurvy is you were a seaman a long ass time ago.  You know… totally normal.

With our fancy named lime syrup, let’s get our Cordial options ready!

Club Soda-  A benign choice, totally refreshing… like homemade soda, but we didn’t invent bubbles.

Fresh Cucumber Juice- Yea, friends!  Fresh sweet lime combined with super fresh cucumber juice.  It tastes green and divine!

Blonde Ale-  Whaatt!?  Think of how natural it is to combine lime with beer.  Think of summertime Coronas with lime.  This version is just slightly elevated with a sweet syrup that combines surprisingly well with a light Blonde beer.  Dreams, I tell you… dreams!

I think you should invite three friends over, make three bowls of popcorn, and watch three episodes of Downton Abbey.

It’s good to be home.

I’m a sucker for a simple syrups that can color-up my drink options.  A few years ago I made a ginger syrup that was genuinely bonkers.  This simple syrup is so easy to make and wonderfully versatile.  It’s a really lovely addition to the fridge, no matter what you mix it with.  Ps.  Gin.  Aaand, go!