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Lovely Internet 10.10.14

10.10.14

1. Get out the vote! 

2. This makes me incredibly, overwhelmingly, completely happy. Congratulations, North Carolina. It’s about damn time.

3. Nothing makes me quite so proud to be a Southerner than reading essays like this.

4. PREACH.

5. Columbus Day. (This book blew my mind when I read it in high school and has heavily informed the way I teach my students the history of our state, country, and world.)

6. I’ll be adding this podcast into my rotation.

7. Two ridiculously big book deals, compared.

8. Good for her.

9. A chance to win a multisport watch that I completely love by a blogger who is awesome.

10. Taxis, gender, and power.

For more tidbits from Elena the person, follow me on twitter (@elenabrent or @biscuitsandsuch), instagrampinterest or facebook. Subscribe to my bloglovin’ feed to make sure you never miss a post. Follow along with MissElenaeous for thoughts on everything other than Southern food.

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Stormy Scuppernong

Lately my drink of choice has been the Dark and Stormy. Actually, I can’t get enough of any combination of spicy/strongly flavored spirits mixed with my beloved ginger beer. From the Honey Buck to the Dark and Stormy it’s my preferred cocktail for nights out at restaurants to afternoons spent relaxing on the porch, and everything in between.

stormy scuppernog 3

stormy scuppernog 2

I made an impulse decision a few weeks ago to buy a bunch of scuppernongs. The season is fleeting and I knew I’d find a way to use them that would make the most of this local favorite. After much deliberation (read: procrastination) I threw them, whole, into a pot to simmer with brown sugar, a little lemon juice, and water. They boiled down and down and down until I had a lovely dark brown simple syrup. When I tasted it everything clicked- what the syrup really needed was some black spiced rum and a splash of ginger beer. Of course.

stormy scuppernog 4

What can I say, I just do what the syrup demands. Twist my arm! I filled my mixer with fresh lime juice, a few glugs of Kraken, and my syrup. Topped off with Reed’s Extra Ginger Beer (is there anything better? I’m not sure), and I had invented my new favorite drink, the Stormy Scuppernong.

stormy scuppernog 5

Stormy Scuppernong

scuppernong syrup:

2 cups fresh scuppernong grapes

1 cup brown sugar

3 cups water

1 tsp vanilla extract

Juice of 1 lemon

cocktail (serves 2):

1 lime

3 jiggers black spiced rum

2 jiggers scuppernong syrup

1 bottle ginger beer

To make the syrup combine all ingredients over low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until grapes have burst. Press through a fine mesh strainer. If the syrup is too thick to pour, whisk in a bit of water until it is the desired consistency. Chill.

To mix your cocktail combine rum, lime juice, and syrup in a mixer with a handful of ice. Shake well. Strain and pour into your serving glasses. Top with ginger beer. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Lovely Internet 10.3.14

10.3.14

1. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is something near and dear to my heart, and my guess is yours too. There is so much value in prevention and early detection.

2. I like Grace’s take on blogger burnout. This past Wednesday marked my 6th year of blogging and if I’m being totally honest, sometimes I feel completely burnt out. But sometimes I love it more than anything, and those moments outweigh the negative ones, which is all I need to keep moving forward.

3. The more successful I have become the more I have felt the impact of imposter syndrome. It’s something I’ve struggled with for as long as I can remember, and I’m very conscious of how it has woven its way into my psyche. These tips on overcoming it seem like a great way to start, I am going to make an effort to focus on giving myself honest credit for my accomplishments.

4. The class issues related to eating healthy.

5. Growing up table manners were paramount. Here’s a refresher.

6. This is for you, Naoise.

7. “You seem to think that right now is the most you will ever love each other, like you only get one tank of gas for the long trip of marriage. You’ve never considered the possibility that love will grow.” I’ve found that my love for Dan has grown and deepened in the most amazing ways the past five years. I can only imagine where it will be in five, ten, fifty years. As a child of a particularly toxic divorce I could absolutely relate to this essay on marriage, the confusion and hesitation and, in our case, the reward.

8. The problems with Thug Kitchen being written by white people.

9. Holy smokes, guys. Emily has outdone herself.

10. What my backyard probably needs is a fire pit.

For more tidbits from Elena the person, follow me on twitter (@elenabrent or @biscuitsandsuch), instagrampinterest or facebook. Subscribe to my bloglovin’ feed to make sure you never miss a post. Follow along with MissElenaeous for thoughts on everything other than Southern food.

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