Look at the crazy thing I found at the farmer’s market this weekend!
No, it’s not actually called a sea lemon. It’s called a fingered citron or a Buddha’s hand. But the lovely lady at the farmer’s market stand said she likes to name each one individually depending on what it looks like – she had Turtle and ET with her. Since mine looks like a piece of coral or a sea anemone, I’ve decided to call it a sea lemon. 🙂
There’s not a whole lot of fruit to this thing, but the rind is super fragrant and wonderful. So the way to use this is for anything you want some lemon zest in – say a smoothie, some lemon curd on a fruit pizza,maybe some lemon-lavender muffins.
So what the heck am I doing with my find? Well, a hot toddy is one idea. I got sick last week 🙁 I knew my Under the Weather post would jinx me. Luckily it was one of the world’s fastest colds – the universe just had to put me in my place for a couple days.
When I first got a sore throat, I whined to my mom and she recommended a hot toddy. She emailed me 6 recipes.
I fished around in my cupboards and made a phenomenal drink. Sleepy time sinus tea (yeah, that exists, look into it), a cinnamon stick, some lemon, agave, and bourbon.
All the recipes my mom sent recommended whiskey, rum, or brandy. Well I didn’t have that. Bourbon it is! Nothing wrong with that!
Adding a “finger” from my sea lemon creature works well too . . . . 🙂
Seriously. Way to turn having sore throat into a foodie event.
the drink:
serves 1
1 C hot water
tea bag of choice
1 cinnamon stick
1 slice lemon or “finger” from a fingered citron
2 t agave syrup
2 oz bourbon
To make: put everything in a mug.
Maybe I’ve made this drink a little too much in the last week. And maybe I’ve tried a handful of variations so far. Here are a few things I’ve already tried and things I’ll make sure to try this winter:
♥ Tea options: (just pick your favorite!)
» sleepy time or sleepy time sinus tea makes this a perfect knock-you-out drink before bed
» can’t go wrong with plain green tea
» I’m absolutely dying to try it with one of my favorite tea varieties – orange spiced black tea (but I have about a year’s supply of tea and I’m not allowed to buy more right now . . . )
♥ Spices: try whole cloves, cardamom, allspice, or nutmeg – whatever your favorite is
♥ Sweetener: I’ve only used agave or maple syrup, but I’m sure anything sweet will do! Or no sweetener at all if you don’t miss it
♥ Liquor: I’m perfectly happy with bourbon since that’s what I have, but feel free to try anything like whiskey, rum, or brandy (like the recipes I saw suggested)
Nutrition facts per drink: Calories: 176; Calories from Fat: 0; Total Fat: 0.0g; Sodium: 10mg; Total Carbohydrates: 11.8g; Protein: 0.1g
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