{Hello} I’m Deanna

In an effort to expedite the “Getting To Know You” process, I thought I would break myself down by the numbers. Hold on to your hats and glasses, it’s about to get numerically ca-razy.

0 – Siblings I have

1 – Tombstones found on our property (creepy!)

2 – Kids I have

3 – Years we’ve lived on Silly Goose Farm

4 – Barn cats we have

5 – Years my husband and I have been together

6 – Calves born on our farm this year

8 – Colors we have tested on the house for the upcoming paint job

10 – Amount of strawberry jam (in pints) I’ve made so far this year

12 – Bottles of Scotch I could consume by myself in one year

15 – Magazines I subscribe to

22 – Length (in days) of our honeymoon

25 – How old I am

27 – Students in my graduating high school class

35 – Apple and pears trees on our property

50 – Approximate number of batches of biscuits I make annually

75 – Tomato plants in my garden this year

125 – The age (in years) of our house

All of them – Number of Woody Allen movies I have seen

Most of them – Number of Woody Allen movies I have liked

Well, that sums it up nicely, eh? Deanna in a nutshell.  If you would like to learn more about me, you can check out my website or my blog. I would tell you more, but I’ve always been a fan of mystique and of that ol’ saying “If you give the milk away for free, no one will buy the cow.”  Wait, that might be the wrong analogy here. Anyway, since the Fourth of July is upon us (and because I love booze), I thought I would offer a patriotic cocktail for you to enjoy this holiday weekend. This drink is a spin off a Lime Rickey, a libation invented in our nation’s Capitol at the old Shoomaker Inn. It also featured blueberries and strawberries, two fruits indigenous to North America and that likely filled the bellies of the Pilgrims. If you want to make it truly All-American, substitute gin for bourbon.

Red, White and Blue Rickey
Serves 1

Ingredients

7-8 Blueberries
Ice
1 ounce Gin
½ ounce Simple Syrup*
1 dash Bitters
1 ounce Strawberry Juice
1 ½ ounce Club Soda

Method

In a highball glass (or pint-sized mason jar), muddle blueberries, then fill glass with ice. Add gin, simple syrup, bitters, and strawberry juice (which you probably have left over from making all that strawberry jam!). Stir well, then top with club soda. Drink while watching fireworks and playing dangerously with cherry bombs and sparklers.

*Simple syrup is just that, really simple! Just add equal parts sugar and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Be sure to stir to dissolve sugar and prevent burning. Once a boil begins, remove from heat and all to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.

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I look forward to getting to know you (and you, me) here at From Scratch Club. I hope to impart what I know about sustainable living, feeding someone with Juvenile Diabetes, and crazy things like home brewing, growing heirloom veggies, and boosting the size of pumpkins by shooting them up Roger Clemens-style with milk. In the meantime, have a great Independence Day, and if you have a special holiday cocktail or beverage recipe, please share it in the comments or on Twitter (just use the hashtag #FSCdrink). Until next time!