Amaretto

Apricot pit cracked open to reveal the nut

Since this year's tomato crop is abysmal at best, I'm consoling myself with apricots. Aside from eating them fresh, I've made apricot caramel ice cream and apricot jam (easiest recipe ever). I now have a nice collections of apricot pits set aside to make homemade amaretto. So far, the leading recipe contender is this one from CHOW. Has anyone out there made amaretto? Any tips or favorite recipes to share?

My lemon infused vodka has been ready to drink for a couple of months now. I should probably strain the zest from the vodka since it's been infusing since April, but I'm enjoying the over the top lemon flavor. The only problem is that since I used 100 proof vodka, a little shot glass of the stuff knocks me out. This was great when I had to stay still due to my loopy ankle (which is doing much better - thanks to all for the well wishes), but it's potency begs to be mixed with other things in order for me to stay functional. I suppose I could cook and bake with it, too.

They Know I'm Stuck

Yesterday, I sprained my ankle in a very uninteresting way. Consequently, the majority of my time is spent laying down. This morning, as I was laying in bed, Mingus and Fifty started to smother me because they both wanted head scratches.

Fifty is supremely stubborn, as you can tell by the look on her face and the fact that she persisted in staying in place despite Mingus using her as a pillow. Mingus was kind of oblivious to her presence, as per usual. Eventually, I had to yell for the boy to remove both of them because I was pinned down and Mingus has erratically kicky legs that were dangerously close to my injured ankle.

Now, let's hope that this bum ankle heals completely before Sock Summit! I cannot imagine hobbling around on crutches while trying to fondle sock yarn.

Post Natto Day Report

June 10th was Natto Day, and to celebrate, my cousins came over to indulge in natto, fried eggs, and hot rice. The meal was especially memorable because the natto was of the homemade variety. Taking a cue from my cuz, I am continuing the natto train and fermenting some more today.

Can I eat this for breakfast like so many Japanese people? Probably, but do keep in consideration that I am not a sweet breakfast person. No insipid frosted cornflakes will pass my lips. Give me black coffee and natto and a fried egg over hot rice any morning and I'll be content. Natto contains probiotics just like yogurt with live cultures, so I can see why eating it is considered healthy.

And since we're on the topic of probiotics, probiotic supplements are such a rip off. Just eat foods with naturally occurring probiotics like kimchi, yogurt, and natto.

I've used the words "blue cheese" to describe the natto smell, but my friends had a better description after tasting some tonight: they taste like ginkgo nuts. If you have haven't had ginkgo, I guess this doesn't help, but ginkgo has a slight bitter taste like natto.

Natto phobia is unwarranted.

Have you eaten natto? What did you think of it?