Vacation Juice

Like many people, I too have turned to Animal Crossing to help me get through the weeks upon weeks of social isolation. I was resistant at first but eventually caved, and it turns out it's a fun way to visit people you can't normally hang out with.

Notes:

• I recommend drinking it with a long spoon; the frozen part tends to float to the top and you may need to mix it back in occasionally so you're not sipping either all ice or completely melted drink.
  
• The video description gives the incorrect amount of pineapple juice so I have written the recipe below with the proper amount. (If you don't use enough, it won't taste quite right.)
  
• If you don't want to try the float with the blue portion of the drink (it's entirely for looks) or if you fail at making it float on top, just pour it into the glass -- it starts off with this cool ice blue and pale yellow marbled look but it will eventually mix and turn green. OR if you're feeling lazy, just put the blue curaçao into the bottom of your glass instead of blending it into a portion of the drink. It will mix in as you drink.
  
• We really liked adding a small amount of key lime juice to it (1/2 oz total per drink) to enhance the sour flavors. Regular lime juice would work too.
• I made my own cream of coconut using Steve the Bartender's recipe (400 ml coconut milk, 375 g sugar, pinch of salt, heat on the stove until the sugar is dissolved).
• You want to use enough ice to double the volume of the drink. There is about 8 fl oz (1 cup) of liquid so you will need about 7-8 ice cubes.
  

Verdict: I like it! It's fruity, cool, and sweet but not overwhelmingly so.

Edit 10/29/20: I have made this at least 4-5 more times over the summer, but with some slight tweaks (as described above) because I am lazy. Still not sick of it.

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Vacation Juice
adapted from How to Drink, originally posted June 20, 2020
Serves 2, or 1 very generously

3.75 fl oz (98 ml) pineapple juice
0.75 fl oz (22 ml) orange juice
0.5 fl oz (14 ml) lime juice (optional, but recommended if you like yours more sour)
1.5 fl oz (45 ml) cream of coconut
2 fl oz (60 ml) white rum
0.5 fl oz (14 ml) blue curaçao
7-8 ice cube, about 1 cup total volume
Optional garnishes: lime wheels, foam plumeria flowers, maraschino cherries

Measure juices, cream of coconut, and rum into the blender jar. Add ice. Blend to a frappe (ice will be finely ground). Pour 3/4 of it into glass(es). Add blue curaçao to the remainder of the drink in the blender, and pulse a few times until it is incorporated. Slowly pour the rest of the blender contents over the back of a wide spoon into the glass so that it floats on the top of the drink. Garnish (if desired) and drink through a colorful straw.

French Toast Casserole

I watched this Basics With Babish video recently and got really hungry for French toast, plus realized I'd never had French toast bake before. We were also needing to get groceries, so we got all the ingredients to make it the very next day.

Notes:

• I used a mix of 2% milk and half-and-half instead of whole milk in the custard.
  

Verdict: Absolutely loved it. It's not the healthiest breakfast in the world, but my goodness it is magical, and smells as good as it tastes. Any morning you'd make this would feel like Christmas morning, presents or not.

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RECIPE: French Toast Casserole (Binging With Babish)

Spaghetti Carbonara with Kale

I've had spaghetti with kale and eggs before, but didn't really care for how dry the finished dish was and wanted to try something else, so I settled on this.

Notes:

• I used ham instead of bacon because it's what I had. Bonus: I didn't need to cook the ham first.
  

Verdict: Liked it a lot! I would definitely make it again.

 

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RECIPE: Kale Carbonara (Primavera Kitchen)

Barbecue Beans

I liked baked beans a lot as a child, but didn't really care for the homemade type (they remind me a lot of graduation parties somehow, because that was really the only place I ever saw them). Now I don't like them straight from the can because they're much too sweet, but I'd love to try more homemade versions to find one that suits my grown up tastes. The one my family has is fine, but a bit bland.

 

Verdict: Made a number of substitutions and they were still quite good. They were a little too ketchup-y for my taste but perhaps the apple ingredients would have tamed it if I'd had them. They were about as spicy as I would want them to be (mild end of medium). Would like to try again with the proper ingredients.

 

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RECIPE: Quick Barbecue Beans (Serious Eats)

Vanilla Cardamom Stewed Rhubarb

I've been looking for ways to eat the rhubarb I grow for a while, and this was on my list of things to try for a long time because it mixed it with vanilla and cardamom (these three things together taste wonderful to me). I was trimming my rhubarb plants and decided to use the stalks to make this. I ate it with yogurt.

Verdict: I really enjoyed this! It was tart and tangy, and just sweet enough. Easy to make. I would definitely make it again.

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RECIPE: Vanilla Cardamom Stewed Rhubarb (Fare Isle)

Blue Jasmine Gin and Tonic

I've been fascinated with teas that contain butterfly pea flowers because of both the pretty blue color and the fact that they'll change to purple or pink with the addition of acidic ingredients -- the pigment that makes the flowers blue reacts to changes in pH. I also love jasmine tea and when I found that Rishi had combined the two, I was excited to try it. I did not have their exact blend, but I had their plain jasmine tea and plain butterfly pea flowers at home, and seeing as those are the only two ingredients in their blend, I added butterfly pea flowers to the jasmine tea until it looked visually similar to their picture. I brewed some first to taste it and I liked it, so my next trial was to make their Gin Blossom drink with the tea I blended. It involves steeping the tea overnight in the gin, something that was new to me but seems safer than infusing liquor with fresh fruit at room temperature for weeks.

I only made half a batch of the infused gin because I wasn't sure if it'd be worth the extra work but I LOVE it. The finished drink was surprisingly complex and nicely balanced. It started out tasting lightly fruity and sweet, almost like a grape popsicle, and then as I sipped and the ice melted I started to get more of the bitterness and floral flavors from the tea.

Notes:

• I used a neutral flavored gin (New Amsterdam) and liked the result, but I could see an herbal or floral tasting one working nicely too.
• The color of the finished drink was less vivid pink than their photo but was still delightfully pretty.
• Don't skip the lemon peel! It helps balance all the flavors and also smells nice while you drink.

Verdict: This was unusual and lovely, and not particularly hard to make, though it takes some more planning than a regular gin and tonic. I would definitely make it again, especially for a fancy event or special occasion.

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RECIPE:

Blue Jasmine Gin and Tonic

adapted from Rishi Tea

Per 1 drink:

2 oz tea infused gin (recipe follows)

5 oz tonic water

Ice

Lemon peel

Tea infused gin (makes enough for 5 drink servings)

5 g dried jasmine green tea

3 g dried butterfly pea flowers

10 oz (about 300 ml) neutral flavored gin

To infuse gin: combine all ingredients in a glass jar with secure lid and let stand overnight (~8 hours) at room temperature. Strain out tea leaves.

To make the drink: Fill a rocks or highball glass with ice. Pour gin over the ice, then top with tonic water. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with the lemon peel. Serve immediately.

Banana Pancakes

I had old bananas and wanted to use them up but wanted something that wasn't banana bread. I've had banana pancakes before and hadn't made them in a long time, so I decided to give them another try. I made them exactly as written, so no notes this time, other than that they behave a little differently than plain pancakes and don't get bubbly on the top as quickly, so it's not as reliable an indicator for when to flip them.

Verdict: It's a solid recipe. They're sweet and smell nice, and were pretty easy to make.

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RECIPE: Banana Pancakes (Alicia Skousen, via Lil' Luna)