As soon as I got into Cheryl's house she said 'let me make you the Key Lime Martini'. My plan was to only stay for a few minutes and get home to warm up the leftover margarita pizza. But upon hearing the word martini, I thought, well okay, maybe it will be a liquid dinner tonight. And does one really say 'no' to a martini? Well maybe. But 'go with the flow' was resonating in my head. The cold leftover pizza would have to wait for another day. I had wondered if this key lime martini would be 'too sweet', but it took only one sip for me to discover it wasn't too sweet at all. Actually it was 'just right'. Immediately I knew I absolutely had to ask for this recipe, as this was one martini recipe I wanted to make for others. Okay, so maybe I wanted to taste test it again just to make certain that being in a state of starvation wasn't affecting my judgment.
As we were enjoying this martini, Cheryl wondered if it needed to be served with a graham cracker rim. Too sweet was my thought. And then the epiphany. A macadamia nut sugared rim. A kind of liquid version of the key lime pie, only not as tart. It wasn't until the weekend that I experimented with the macadamia nut rim. After just one trial, I knew that if this martini was going to have a rim garnish, this would be the one. Don't you just love when you get something right on the first try?
To say that I have an obsession for glassware, dishes and serving pieces would be a slight understatement. Seriously I could probably supply the glassware and dinnerware for a gathering of more than a hundred people, maybe even two hundred people. So when I walked into a Pier I store last weekend and saw what I thought looked like vintage looking martini glasses, I knew I was probably not leaving without them. The sale price was too good to pass up was how I rationalized this purchase.
I can be, or shall we simply say, a little particular about the brands of vodka I like. If I had not tasted this martini, I think I would have walked past the aisle or shelf where Pinnacle Whipped vodka was displayed. Pinnacle must sell at least twenty different 'flavors' of vodka. Who knew? Besides not ever drinking the Whipped Vodka, I don't ever recall ever tasting Dr. McGillicuddy's Intense Raw Vanilla Liqueur. Just its' name had me visualizing it as something maybe once described as 'cures all aches and pains'. You know, like those elixirs sold in the mid 1800s. (Maybe living in this farmhouse has me channeling a different century.) This martini calls for one cup of the Vanilla liqueur and a half cup of all of the other ingredients. The proportions in the recipe make at least two to three martinis, depending on the size glasses you are serving it in. Not only did it perfectly fill three of my new martini glasses, there was enough for at least one refill.
I didn't have a lime, let alone a key lime when I was making these martinis. So I had to use a lemon to rim the glass. Citrus works so much better than water when trying to adhere the macadamia nut sugar mixture to the martini glass. While you can serve this martini without the macadamia nut sugared rim, there is something about the taste of the macadamia nuts that balances out the flavor of the martini.
Cheryl's Key Lime Martini with a Macadamia Nut Sugared Rim
Ingredients
1 cup Dr. McGillicuddy's Intense Raw Vanilla Liqueur
1/2 cup Whipped Vodka (recommend the Pinnacle brand)
1/2 cup Key Lime juice (recommend Nellie and Joe's brand)
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup macadamia nuts (toasted and finely chopped)
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
1. Lightly toast macadamia nuts in oven at 300 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
2. Place macadamia nuts and sugar in food processor and process into fine crumbs. Place mixture on a flat plate. Set aside.
3. Put crushed ice in martini shaker.
4. Add all ingredients and shake until well blended.
5. Wet the rim of the martini glass with a lime or lemon. Dip martini glass in macadamia nut crumbs.
6. Pour martini into glasses and serve immediately.
With the days getting longer and the weather turning much warmer and sunnier these past few days, I have gone to the ocean to take long end of the day walks. Hearing the ocean and watching the sun set are such incredible distractions, I think I could walk for hours. I love being able to walk the beach when no one else is there. Maybe its my inner Lone Ranger that likes the solitude or maybe its as simple as being able to take photos of the landscape without any other distractions. Or waiting for others to move out of 'that perfect shot'.
As I am now on week two of giving up my diet soda addiction, I feel like I am getting closer to pushing myself to run again. It seems that as I get older, it feels like time is moving much to quickly. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and before I know it, I have let some valuable time slip away. I had made a promise to myself two weeks ago. I promised I would not just 'think' about getting out in the fresh air and exercise, but I would 'act' on this promise. One's spirit, soul and body do not receive any benefits from just 'thinking about doing something' I remind myself. And yes, I have spent way too much time thinking lately. Glad I am finally moving past this stage.
