The Mystery of the Cosmo's. Eat, Bike, Eat!

Christmas Day

The Mysterious Cosmo

 

Even on a gloomy day the stars can align when it's Christmas in Florida. The Chickenless Chick and her hubby weren't due for a couple hours. The pork loin was whammed flat and rolled, with nuts and goodies stuffed inside, the green beans were snapped, the pie was baked...

 And the sun came out. A sign from the bike gods. Quick! Get moving! Pump those tires! A fast 2 hour out and back to the south beaches, a bit of caught-in-a-warm-rain-so-who-cares, a chance meeting with friends, confirmation for both a Boxing Day and a Sunday expedition... and no time for photos! Until the Cosmo's, that is.

It's Florida. I'm into it. So is the Chickenless Chick. I like pink and green at Christmas. A Cosmo seemed just the thing. They're so pretty! Not the sort of drink we make every day around here, so naturally I followed the standard recipe printed on the side of the glass cocktail shaker. They should know right?


Well, it looked pretty, for sure. The Chickenless Chick and I just couldn't stop taking pictures!

Then came the tasting. What is that weird taste??? Too much lime? Too much triple sec?


More cosmos were made. Some dumped -some consumed. And no one figured it out. They tasted good, just weird. They were pink, and definitely pretty! Mission accomplished. But the mystery of the strange, sharp taste remained.


The second mystery of the evening:

There's the pork loin, the braised cabbage, the cranberry relish, the two kinds of potatoes...still, the plate looks sorta empty doesn't it?Hmmm. Big plate? Never mind. Smells great, let's eat!

The next morning, there were the green beans in their casserole dish, perfectly seasoned and steamed, waiting for rescue from the cold, cold microwave.

One mystery down. And one to go. Until I reached into the fridge to get the eggs for the two-pie breakfast. Whoops.

Ah well, it was a refreshing change from plain old cranberry.

On to the Two Pie Breakfast.

The Chickenless Chick and hubby headed for the inlaws, and Popeye and I headed out to meet Scout, Pie-Man, Sailor and Cap'n Bligh for a ride up Tropical Trail.

Boxing Day.  Eat, Bike, Eat!

Sailor and the Cap'n were visiting from Ft Meyers and the rest of us were all anxious for them to see our "backyard ride" ride along the beautiful Indian River.

I talked Sailor into switching bikes with me for the ride back.  She took my favorite bike, and I rode her new, full suspension, Specialized 29'r.  Wow, from Pony to Horseback!  With fat tires for shoes!  

From the river to the beach, and back here for beers, with time for a nap before dinner at Scout's. She made Boxing Day Chili, and Sailor brought her Texas Tamales. (Recipes, ladies?  Pretty please?)  For desert: cheesecake and flaming cafe bru-let! (How the heck is that spelled anyway - it's pronounced brew-lay, that's all I know.)

Scout, you are one brave cook!!!! I will have to beg some photos from you. And that recipe. YUM!

Whew. What a couple of days!  Ridin' and eatin' - what we do best.  And another planned ride to look forward to tomorrow... if I can get this poor ole tamale-belly out of bed in the morning!