Some recipes, etc.

Inspired by a couple recipes by papersky, I decided to post a couple of my favorite things from summer, now that it is over and I want to remember to make these again next year!You will know from the title of this recipe whether you will love or hate it: Jalapeno mint margaritas - a recipe I adapted from one I ripped out of a magazine several years ago.Ingredients:1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice1 cup jalapeno mint syrup (instructions follow)*6 tall shots tequila4 tall shots Grand Marnier1 tray ice*Prepare the jalapeno mint syrup ahead and allow it to cool. Boil together: 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, about 12 springs fresh mint, and 4 jalapenos cut chunky with seeds. Boil for a couple of minutes and then let simmer for a few more, then strain into a container.To make the margaritas, put everything into a blender and blend. I love this so much I went out and bought an electric juicer (only $8.99!) to be able to make them in quantity and save the wear and tear on my mildly arthritic wrists. Everyone in my family likes spicy food, so these were a big hit with my husband and his three children. The recipe makes about 4-6 drinks depending on how big the glasses are. I love the peppery mint tingle!I only made this once but want to make it again next summer for sure:Grilled apricot skewers - something I thought up loosely inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine.Ingredients:Several fresh apricots, halved and pittedOlive oilhoneyrosewatersesame seedsI don't have quantities for any of this, but it's not hard, just taste the mixture until it suits you. Make enough honey-olive oil mixture to coat the apricots. Thread the apricot halves onto skewers and coat well with the oil-honey mixture. Mist with rosewater (alternately I suppose you could add rosewater to the mixture, but I happened to have mine in a spray bottle), and roll in sesame seeds. Cook on the grill until nicely black on the edges and soft inside - yum! We ate these with a grilled meat dish and rice pilaf. If you make them sweeter they could also be a dessert.And if you really
What breed of horse are you? Find out!Writing is going slowly, but I am 8 pages into my next chapter and am beginning to feel relieved (hopefully not prematurely) that I think I can wrap this chapter up without it getting longer than I hoped.The tree came down on Tuesday. They had to get a crane to take it off of the house. I only cried a little bit. The house is ok, except for a broken porch railing, some torn shingles, and a couple small branches sticking out of the siding. We will have to see if there is any more damage we can't see. Mostly, I just miss the shade.