Should be Blogging

Obviously, I haven’t been posting much lately. I think about it and I mean to, but I end up doing other things. I find that I can come up with a lot of reasons not to blog when I want to. Some of these reasons include, but are not limited to: 

1. Jerseylicious - I can't believe that I'm admitting this, but I could watch this train wreck for hours. What comes out of these girls mouths is as appallingly stupid as it is hilarious. Each and every one of them is overly tanned, teased and loaded down with about 35 pounds of costume jewelry and makeup. There's a marathon this Sunday and you can bet the Tivo is set to record it. 

2. The Millionaire Matchmaker - Don't ask me why I find Patti Stanger entertaining, but I do. She's loud, over-the-top, and rude. I spend most of the time cringing at both her and the usually horrendous first dates that are spiraling out of control. But I can't stop watching. 

3. Angry Birds - Apparently this game is old news to anyone in the know, but I am pretty far behind in the "popular apps" category and most things involving technology. However, we recently downloaded this and it has since taken up a quite a significant amount of our free time. Killing those snorting little pigs is addictive. And the concept in general just makes me chuckle. 

4. Cooking just to cook - Not so much a time killer, but probably the biggest reason for a lack of posting. No stopping to take photos, and no stopping to write down what I'm doing. The end result is a hot meal instead of the cold, congealed one you get while you try unsuccessfully over and over and over again to get that perfect picture of the less than cooperative food. 

I think I'll stop there. The more I think about my other guilty pleasures, the more embarrassed I get. It would basically be a list of the worst reality shows on television, with an occasional visit to gossip columns and celebrity twitter accounts. I've said too much... 

Something else that occupies my time is champagne. (This sounds like I have a bit of a problem, doesn't it? What I mean is that I think about new cocktail ideas quite frequently, and they usually involve champagne. It’s not that I just sit around drinking it all day.) I've written about champagne several times already, but I never get tired of it. It is so versatile and easy to pair with just about any other flavor, which results in a fun, festive and sparkly drink. 

The idea that I had floating around in my head this go-round involved cucumber. Turns out cucumber and pomegranate are a delicious combination. 

Pom-Cucumber Champagne Cocktail

Makes enough for 1 bottle of champagne 

1/2 cup cucumber juice (from an English cucumber) 

1 cup pomegranate juice 

1 tablespoon superfine sugar
bottle of champagne
pomegranate arils and cucumber slices, optional 

To get cucumber juice, grate the whole cucumber on a box grater and push through a strainer until you get desired yield.

Mix cucumber juice, pomegranate juice and sugar together. Pour about 3 tablespoons of juice mixture into flutes and top with champagne. Garnish with cucumber slices and pomegranate arils. 

The grassiness of the cucumber is perfect with the sweet and tart flavor of the pomegranate. This very refreshing drink has beautiful color and would be perfect for an early Spring brunch. Or, if you're lucky enough to live in California right now, you could enjoy it in mid-January on the patio in almost 70-degree weather. Another fantastic way to kill time...

Cheers!