Lime Wine Cooler and Mint Pea Salad with Apricots

It is blisteringly, gloriously hot in Washington at long last. As I swelter oh-so-happily I am most definitely in the mood for cold foods and colder drinks.

Last night I mixed up 1 part chilled Riesling with 1 part seltzer water and the juice of one lime for a marvelously refreshing drink that cooled me off beautifully while the sun set over the trees.

How has your week been, dear ones? Have you been working on any projects that are delighting or baffling you?

I had a rather serious relapse from my car accident, and it’s been a painful few weeks for me. Thankfully things are getting better now and it makes me smile that the sunshine arrived just as I started getting back to my old self. Such a splendid gift!

While recovering I spent many an hour in the grass on the creek bank, reading, thinking, napping, writing. I love that dear spot.

This weekend I hope to put my house back in order. Dishes, vacuuming and such are NOT a priority when I feel wretched, and it will be marvelous to see things gleaming and tidy again.

Last night I had no idea what to make for dinner, especially as I perused the contents of my fridge and pantry: mint leaves, English peas, apricots, red leaf lettuce, goat cheese, coconut-almond pancake sauce, etc.

On a whim I decided to throw it all together in a rather random salad. I’m so glad I did. Mmm, mmm – delicious!! I heated the coconut-almond sauce to make it the consistency of dressing, and drizzled it over everything else. It gave a lovely tropical twist to the salad and the sweetness was marvelous with the creamy goat cheese.

I’ve caught myself reading a lot more travel blogs lately, sighing happily over gorgeous pictures, dreaming about jetting off to the beaches of Greece or a tropical isle in the South Pacific or a beach house on the Gold Coast of Australia. I’m sensing a theme here.

In the meantime I’ve been looking at places I might visit within a couple of hours of home.

I’d love/hate to walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge in British Columbia. Yipes! I’m such a scaredy cat of heights, and wobbly heights are practically the devil! Sure looks beautiful though.

A sunny day ferry-hopping to the San Juan Islands sounds jolly.

And a picnic lunch and a bit of hiking around Mt. Baker would be wonderful.

What is your favorite inexpensive thing to do during the summer? I hope you have a gorgeous weekend and I will see you bright and early Monday morning!

This post is my contribution to Happy Hour Friday.

Coconut Almond Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup ground almonds

Directions:

1. Combine honey, agave, butter and coconut milk in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. Stir in ground almonds.
4. serve warm or let cool and use as a spread.

Lime Wine Cooler
(serves 1)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chilled Riesling
1/2 cup chilled seltzer water
Juice of one lime and a few strips of zest

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, pour into glasses and serve immediately.