Category Archives: limoncello

Lit Snapshot: Sailing Out of Darkness with Normandie Fisher

Today I’m pleased to introduce a new feature to the blog: Lit(erary) Snapshot. My first guest is one of the kindest writers out there. Be it through the Women’s Fiction Association, Writer Unboxed, or one of the many blogs and forums writers flock to, she’s always ready with a gracious comment and encouraging words of wisdom. Her second novel, Sailing Out of Darkness, has recently been released and is receiving lovely reviews. Let’s give a warm welcome to Normandie Fisher. . . {cue applause}

Tell us about yourself: who are you?

I experienced the best of several worlds: a Southern heritage, access to schooling in the DC area (which meant lots of cultural adventures), and several years of sculpture studies in Italy before I returned to finish my degree here. It might have been better for me if I’d used all these opportunities more wisely, but the imperfect and the unwise also add fodder for the artist and the writer.

My life changed radically when I married the love of my life at an age when some would have said I was over the hill and way past my prime. A lifelong sailor, I was delighted to find that Michael also longed to cruise lovely waters, which is what we did from Northern CA to Mexico, spending too few years in the incomparable Sea of Cortez. Sea Venture, our 50′ ketch, is back home in North Carolina now because my mama needed care. Still, it’s gorgeous here, too, and I can write and edit from home as easily as I could on the boat.

My two grown children, son-in-law, and two step-sons are handsome (or gorgeous, as the case may be), talented, and a delight—as is my new grandbaby. I just wish they lived a lot closer to home.

We took Sea Venture north in 2013 to visit some of these young folk. Along the way, I had a delightful time hosting boat party/book signings from Beaufort to NYC. Keep a lookout for our beautiful boat with its clipper bow as we sail into various harbors in 2014.

Tell us about Sailing out of Darkness:

Love conquers all?

Maybe for some people.

When Samantha flies to Italy to gain distance from a disastrous affair with her childhood best friend, the last thing on her mind is romance. But Teo Anderson is nothing like her philandering ex-husband or her sailing buddy, Jack, who, despite his live-in girlfriend, caught her off guard with his flashing black eyes.

Teo has his own scars, both physical and emotional, that he represses by writing mysteries—until one strange and compelling vision comes to life in the person of Sam. Seeking answers, he offers friendship to this obviously hurting woman, a friendship that threatens to upend his fragile peace of mind.

But not even sailing the cobalt waters of the Mediterranean can assuage Sam’s guilt for destroying Jack’s relationship and hurting another woman. Soon the consequences of her behavior escalate, and the fallout threatens them all.

Sailing out of Darkness is the haunting story of mistakes and loss…and the grace that abounds through forgiveness.

What made you write this particular story?

Over the years, I’ve met a number of women who, overwhelmed by loss and guilt, imagined themselves friendless and condemned. Some chose a final solution. Sam’s story is fictional, but I’m hoping that it will speak to hurting women and to those who know them, to those who might listen to voices crying in the wilderness after following their heart into an unhealthy place.

I also hope readers will have fun with the sailing and the visits to Italy and will come to love Sam and Teo as much as I did.

What did you learn writing Sailing out of Darkness?

Sailing out of Darkness was, I think, my third completed manuscript, one I worked on over a number of years before my agent sold it in its present form. Because the story was dear to me, I wanted to tell it a certain way, but my husband—who always has my back—read its zillionth iteration and shook his head. “The middle has to go.”

Yikes! I loved that middle. None of my critique partners had even hinted that it should be slashed. I mean, the middle was great! It showed character development! It wasn’t fluff, but solid action! (Can you hear me? Can you see my hands raised, fending off disaster and the grim manuscript reaper?) I wanted folk to understand and sympathize with Sam. She needed that middle.

My husband is one of the smartest people I know, so I’d have to be a fool to ignore him. I took a deep breath, sighed loudly, and hit Delete. Out came chapter after chapter after chapter after chapter. Instead of beginning at the beginning, I began at the end of the middle. The old saying that writers must be willing to kill their darlings? Well, they also have to be willing to put their manuscript on a diet and lose fat that either doesn’t propel the story forward or, as in this case, propels it in the wrong direction.

What’s your favorite paragraph/line from Sailing out of Darkness?

That’s a difficult question. I probably love the snippets of poems best, such as this from Chapter Twenty-three:

Time has a way of galloping when what we do is fun. It passes slower than a snail’s pace, Leaving a gooey snail’s trail, When what we do is wrong.

Or, from Chapter Two:

Lonely isn’t lonely if one looks from outside in; It’s just the inside out that makes a person feel so thin.

But this sums up my heroine:

…“Stefi was right.”

“What do you mean?”

“She said you’re good at guilt. Honey, you’re not just good, you’re first rate…”

Who will this book appeal to?

Readers who enjoy a bit of romance, a hint of suspense, a dash of the literary, a soupçon of fantasy, some sailing, and, of course, travel to one of my favorite countries, Italy.

What’s next for you?

I’m busy with requested revisions of Heavy Weather, the next of my Beaufort books. Readers of Becalmed will remember Hannah, who now gets her own story, one she shares with an abused mama, two wounded children, and the police lieutenant who arrested the bad guy in Becalmed. Having fun!

How can we keep up with you?

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

Thanks so much for joining us, Normandie—I can’t wait to pick up my copy of Sailing Out of Darkness!

10 Easy Champagne Cocktails

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…to thrill your guests and help you survive the holidays.

Champagne tends to be the beverage of choice for my families’ gatherings. At least for the womenfolk. But bubbly can go to one’s head awfully quick if you’re not careful, and since I’m often the one organizing the festitvites, I must keep my head so I don’t burn dinner or let my lips get too loose. Many Champagne drinks add additional liqueurs, packing the punch. Not what I needed. So, for years I’ve tested out various Champagne cocktails—mixers to cut the potency a bit and make everything tasty and festive. Below are ten of my favorites.

You can pour all into a punch bowl if you have an elegant family heirloom you’d like to show off (something I must remember to do) or mix them individually if everyone wants something different.

Generally, one bottle of Champagne (or sparkling wine or Prosecco) serves 4 to 6, depending on the size of your champagne flutes or glasses.

Tangerine Mimosa
Serves 4 to 6

1 1/8 cups freshly squeezed or frozen tangerine juice
1 750-ml bottles Champagne, chilled

Pour 3 tablespoons juice in each Champagne flute. Fill flutes with Champagne, and serve.

Cranberry Pear Bellini
Serves 8

1 cup pear nectar
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1 750-ml bottle Prosecco or other dry sparkling white win, chilled

In a small pitcher or large liquid measuring cup, combine pear nectar and cranberry juice cocktail. Pour 1/4 cup juice mixture into each of eight champagne glasses. Dividing evenly, top with Prosecco or other dry sparkling white wine.

Pomegranate Cocktail
serves 1

1 fl. oz. pomegranate juice
1/2 fl. oz. Grand Marnier
Sparkling wine as needed

Pour juice and Grand Marnier into flute. Fill to top with sparkling wine or champagne. *(Optional) Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Seabreeze Champagne Cocktail

cranberry juice
Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled, as needed
lime twist (optional)

Fill flute 1/4 with cranberry juice. Fill to top with champagne. Garnish with lime twist.

Kir Royal
Serves 6

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) creme de cassis
1 750-ml bottle Champagne or other sparkling white wine
6 strips tangerine or orange zest, for garnish

Just before serving, pour 1 tablespoon creme de cassis into each glass. Fill with Champagne, and garnish with zest.

Peach, Pear, or Mango Bellini
serves 1

Peach, pear, or mango nectar (Kern’s)
Prosecco or sparkling wine, chilled, as needed

Fill flutes or glasses 1/4 with nectar. Fill to top with Prosecco.

Strawberry Champagne Punch

serves 12

1 750-ml bottle Champagne or sparking wine
1 2-liter ginger ale
2 boxes frozen strawberries

Mix all in punch bowl and ladle into glasses.

Or if you do want to go stronger:

Lemoncello Fizz
serves2

1 cup Champagne or sparkling wine
1/4 cup limoncello liqueur
Crushed ice
(optional) fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries, thawed

In a small pitcher, combine the Champagne and limoncello. Place a spoonful of crushed ice into each of 2 Champagne glasses and top with raspberries. Pour the Champagne mixture over the ice and raspberries.

Cheers!

Great Gifting: Homemade Limoncello

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“Pure sunshine in a bottle.”

Since we couldn’t stay in Italy forever (oh, how I wish we could have) we had to hunt down our new favorite after-dinner digestivo stateside. Ten years ago, that wasn’t so easy. Luckily, a co-worker’s Italian Mamagraced us with her family recipe. Making limoncello became Hubby’s passion, nearly an obsession, as he tried to duplicate the taste he so fondly remembered from our lazy days in Italian cafes.

Don’t worry, we shared. Limoncello became a holiday tradition. Friends and relatives threatened to withhold our gifts if we didn’t give them another years supply under the tree. Yeah, it was that good.

When we bought our home years ago, one of the first garden purchases we made was our own little lemon tree. Kept in a huge pot by the pool, our little tree produces a healthy crop each year. As soon as they are ripe and ready, it’s time to make the cello. Hubby zests and I save all the juice and freeze it for later use. A few years later, we added another tree (which finally produced fruit for the first time this year!)

I’m going to share our TOP SECRET recipe with you. This recipe makes quite a big batch — enough to last you a year (unless you have a wicked drinking problem) and to share. Make it. Put it in a cute bottle. Heck, you could put it in a plastic water bottle. Your friends will LOVE you…

Italian Limoncello

1 kilo lemons – 2.2 lbs (about 10)
1 liter grain alcohol*
1.25 liters water
700 grams (3 1/2 cups) sugar

Step 1

Using a zester or a fine grater, remove only the colored part of the lemon rind. Avoid the white pith just below — it is bitter and will change the flavor. (This part is messy, but your whole house will smell like a citrus grove.)

Pour the grain alcohol into a large glass jug or jar (must have a lid to seal). Add the zested rind. Let it sit for four days to two weeks at room temperature. (Yes, it must be glass. Large mason jars or recycled gallon sized wine bottles work well. The citric acids will corrode plastic.)

Step 2 (four days to two weeks later)

In a large pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool.

Layer some cheesecloth over a mesh strainer and set over a large bowl. Pour the grain/rind carefully into the strainer, filtering out all of the rind. Pour the (now vibrant yellow) alcohol back into the glass jar.

Add in cooled sugar water.

Store in glass or distribute into smaller, decorative bottles. Keep servings in the freezer —it is best ice cold.

*Many recipes call for vodka, but we prefer grain. Higher alcohol content = no chance of it freezing when you store it in the freezer. But if you can ‘t find grain (I’m told some states won’t sell it?) you can use vodka.

*We don’t waste the lemons after they’ve been zested. We freeze the juice in ice cube trays and save it for cooking and lemonade.

*Don’t worry about letting it sit. The longer you wait to drink it, the better it tastes. But make sure to drink it ice cold.

As I stated before, this makes a fabulous gift. You can find decorative bottle many places such as Ross, World Market, Pier 1, TJ Maxx, etc. You can also recycle glass beverage bottles for a simple and inexpensive presentation—the Sweetleaf Tea bottles are the perfect size and the caps even state “Homemade Goodness”

I’ve made many lables over the years, but this is a scan of my original Limoncello tag I’ve used for over ten years. Maybe it’s time to update, but I’ll always love it.

front back

Now, make go some Limoncello. Take two shots and email me in the morning.

If you do any more I don’t want to hear from you (and don’t blame your hangover on me).

Salute!

{that’s “cheers” in Italian, you know…}

TangerineCello Recipe

1 Reply

“Pure sunshine in a bottle.”

That’s my favorite description of Limoncello, the refreshing and iconic drink of the Italian Coast. Hubby and I fell in love with the lemon liquor during our honeymoon in Italy. After each dinner (and occasionally even lunch) our cameriere (waiter) would deliver the delightful chilled shot glass of brilliant yellow liquid. Whether sipped or shot, a glass of this elixir leaves you with a slight afterglow, as if you have been kissed by the sun.

Since we couldn’t stay in Italy forever (oh, how I wish we could have) we had to hunt down our new favorite after-dinner digestivo stateside. Ten years ago, that wasn’t so easy. Luckily, a co-worker’s Italian Mother graced us with her family recipe. Making limoncello became Hubby’s passion, nearly an obsession, as he tried to duplicate the taste he so fondly remembered from our lazy days in Italian cafes.

When we moved into our home we were pleased to discover it came with a mature tangerine tree. It produced bushels of fruit. And we had no idea what to do with all of it. One year Hubby got a flash of culinary brilliance and decided to adapt our Limoncello recipe to use up our bounty of tangerines.

A new specialty drink was born. And drunk. And enjoyed.

I’m going to share our TOP SECRET recipe with you. This recipe makes quite a big batch — enough to last you a year (unless you have a wicked drinking problem) and to share. Make it. Your friends will LOVE you…

Trattoria Morgan’s Tangerine Cello**

**(to make Limoncello simply sub lemons for the tangerines)

1 kilo tangerines – 2.2 lbs (about 10)
1 liter grain alcohol*
1.25 liters water
700 grams (3 1/2 cups) sugar

Step 1

Zest tangerines. Take a zester or a fine grater and remove only the colored part of the rind. *Avoid the white pith — it is bitter and will change the flavor.* (This part is messy, but your whole house will smell like a citrus grove.)

Pour the grain alcohol into a large glass jug or jar (must have a lid to seal). Add the zested rind. Let it sit for two weeks. (Yes, it must be glass. Large mason jars or recycled gallon sized wine bottles work well. The citric acids will corrode plastic.)

Step 2 (two weeks later)

In a large pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool.

Layer some cheesecloth over a mesh strainer and set over a large bowl. Pour the grain/rind carefully into the strainer, filtering out all of the rind. Pour the (nice orange) alcohol back into the glass jar.

Add in cooled sugar water.

Let it sit another week or two. Store in glass or distribute into smaller, decorative bottles. Keep servings in the freezer — it is best ice cold.

*Many recipes call for vodka, but we prefer grain. Higher alcohol content = no chance of it freezing when you store it in the freezer. But if you can ‘t find grain (I’m told some states won’t sell it?) you can use vodka.

Take three shots and email me in the morning.
If you do any more I don’t want to hear from you (and don’t blame your hangover on me).

Salute!

{that’s “cheers” in Italian, you know…}