moon & martini

The camera on my iPhone sometimes gets a spectacular picture of the moon, more often a smudge. Not good with the almost orange rising super moon 5:23 pm Sunday evening.

Or 24 hours earlier, rising nearly full Saturday evening, 6:00 pm.  

What’s more, with earth now tilted for winter the moon passes above the condo building such that from 7H we can only see it as it rises on the eastern horizon. 

Good about the tilting business though is that in summer the sun is over the condo building; in winter it blazes onto the Bay with glaring reflection into our windows, meaning that in our three years here we’ve run the heater maybe a total of twenty minutes. Even bitterly cold outside, 7H is snug and naturally warm. 

In other news, everyone who likes a martini likes it different. Sunday after church I may concoct and sip one while dinner is cooking, maybe one other during the week, but seldom to never. After several weeks trying this and that, yesterday I came up with one that suits my taste. There may be others in Time, but this one pleases at the moment.

Four ice cubes in martini shaker.

Pour in one capful M&R dry vermouth.

Swirl lightly so vermouth coats ice cubes.

Let sit for a minute while you get the green olives with red pimiento out of the fridge and spear two queen size beauties with toothpick.

Pour out the shaker contents into the sink.

This leaves just the right hint of vermouth frozen to the ice cubes.

Lay the olives in the martini glass. I want the shaken martini to be poured over them.

Measure out and pour two and a half ounces gin into the martini shaker. I abandoned the Tanqueray and bought what the BX had: Seagrams extra dry gin. It was all they had, lots of vodkas but only this one gin. Okay.

Pour in less than teaspoon olive juice.

Close shaker tight so it doesn’t leak.

Shake the hell out of it, nevermind that prissy rubbish about not bruising the gin, why should the gin get off easy, bruise it, make it scream with pain.

Let sit for couple minutes while Linda does our thirty-something-year routine of critiquing SS and sermon for me, contemplating whether SS (subject, Day of the Lord) was too rambling and sermon too something or other. Worst is when sermon was too long.

Take off shaker cap and pour contents through the strainer into beautiful clear martini glass with fish etchings round it, that Linda bought me at her favorite store in Apalachicola.

Sip. Serves one.

Clergy martini before Sunday dinner, which was a trial standing rib-in roast from TAFB commissary that worked out beautiful, crispy crust, red rare, blue center. Cut off one rib and serve onto warm plate. Keep warm in toaster oven while Linda's slice of roast cooks a bit longer. Side: two tbsp rice covered with one tbsp collard greens and four pan-seared Brussels sprouts. Glass chianti (Gaetano D’Aquino 2015), mug ice water.

Sunday afternoon: high priestly nap.

DThos+ enjoying +Time+