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Spiced Apple Cider Margarita – Two Ways
I have a very serious question for all of you… how in the heck is September almost over? Actually, make that two questions, I also want to know where the summer has gone? The Autumnal Equinox is just two days away and I honestly feel like summer just began. It probably doesn’t help that it has been a very busy summer and I have been traveling for most of this month. 12 days in a row were spent away from my home as I explored Maine, visited my family in New York, then returned home to quickly leave a mere 12 hours later, to visit a ranch and explore the adorable small town, Julian, CA.
I always find the end of September and the start of October to be a highly charged time for me, with lots of energetic shifts. Not only is change in the air with the start of a new season, but the fall equinox celebrates the equality of light and dark. As the sun shines directly on the equator, we experience (nearly) equal hours of daylight and darkness, all across the world! How cool is that? Because of this, the shift into fall focuses our energies on balance and as a libra, this equanimity is vital to my very existence. I thrive in the balance and I find myself at my best, most aware and most creative at this time.
Over the past few weeks I have had many reminders, presenting themselves in many different forms, to “honor yourself”. It’s easy in the busy time of summer to get lost in a sea of plans, to constantly be honoring promises to others and to fill the long days with socially-charged commitments. Summer is so focused on putting ourselves and our creations out into the world, feeding them and encouraging their flourishing growth in all the light surrounding us. I find as we transition toward darker days, the need to pause, to go within and to harvest our creations from these previous months. This time of rebalancing of our lives is the best for shifing our focus toward honoring our self. Armed with this knowledge of this time, the readings, reminders and messages, I have been able to focus on my energy inward these past few weeks. I have started to give myself the room to honor me and it has given me the space to see much more clearly.
Beyond this balance and the start of this energetic shift, with this new season I also very much enjoy the very literal harvest taking place, of the foods we eat and are creating. Apples and winter squashes, warming spices, stews, soups and baked goods. After our trip to Julian, CA at the end of last week, a town known for it’s apples, I was feeling inspired to create an apple pie with the beautiful apples we brought back. I planned to create a grain-free pie reminiscent of the slice of delicious gluten-free Apple Boysenberry Crumb Pie I had from a small bakery off Main Street. As I finished the last few bites of this pie, I dreamt of filling my own kitchen with the spicy, comforting aroma that filled this tiny little gold-mining town. Sadly, mother nature had other plans for me with her 100 degree summertime-like temperatures. While I really wanted to create this pie to share with you, I couldn’t imagine turning my oven on and slaving over peeling apples and rolling out dough. I chose to instead create another recipe, honoring the swing season. This special, but brief time where summer and fall meet.
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Strawberry Blood Orange Margarita
There is something about this time of year that I just love. The fresh newness of spring, the feeling of balance in the air with more and more hours of light. Though the winters are not freezing and snowy here in Southern California, the days are still short, the sun sets early and despite what you might think, the nights do get cool. No matter where you reside, as spring starts to creep in and as we get closer to summer, we have lighter and brighter days, everything is in bloom and feels new again. In these first few weeks of the new season however, one of the best things is this “Swing Season”, where we still have the remnants of winter and the beginnings of spring together for a short time. Mostly I am talking about produce. My beautiful local organic produce boxes that have been delivered the last few weeks, have had both the last bits of winter, my favorite being the beautiful citrus like these blood oranges. Plus the new spring fruits start showing up in our boxes too, like these fresh strawberries. With this beautiful, vibrant combination, I found myself inspired to create a gorgeous bright and seasonal Strawberry Blood Orange Margarita, the perfect drink to cheers the arrival of spring with.
While you read this, I’ll be sitting on the beach in Mexico, *hopefully* sipping away on a margarita just like this one. We planned a super quick escape from the craziness of life, with our friends Dan and Debbie, for a 4-day trip down the coast to Playa de Rosarito for a little rest and relaxation. Life has been so busy and hectic as of late, Mark was away for 10 days at SXSW in Austin, meanwhile I have been getting ready for our 4-day Women’s retreat next weekend, plus the Yoga and Yummies event this past weekend and lots of other projects. So, although I will still be working away most mornings while we are in Mexico, you’ll find me practicing yoga and sitting on the beach most afternoons and hopefully finding time to just breath and enjoy being back with my hubby and surround by my friends.
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Watermelon Hibiscus Lime Cooler
Having an organic farmer that shows up at your door every Wednesday afternoon with the freshest, yummiest and most in-season foods is literally a dream come true for this girl.
It’s like my own personal Food Network show where I am given a box of random ingredients and I have to create something delicious with them. I guess the only difference is, I don’t also have to use random canned weirdness, fish body parts or other strange things no one has ever heard of.
Basically, it just means I get to play with my food and I get to be creative with different delicious treats, each week. It really is so fun.
Lately, we’ve been getting all kinds of amazing fruit in our boxes and most excitingly we have been getting these big beautiful watermelons that are seriously the tastiest things I have ever had. So sweet, so juicy and just so perfect for these hot sunny days we’ve been having.
I created these non-alcoholic Watermelon Hibiscus Coolers simply because at one point we had more watermelon than we knew what to do with. They are soo refreshing, so perfectly sweet and aromatic and a beautifully impressive, refreshing treat when you have guests. I served these at the little Memorial Day BBQ we hosted here at our place. Some was even served as margaritas (recipe below) with silver tequila and a little extra fresh lime juice.
