Cranberry spritzer at a carnival-themed baby shower

Something about this Sunday, my last day of detox, and first baby shower caused me to tilt and whirl.

in lieu of coffee

Brene Brown

detox version of pizza and wine

Popcorn cooked in coconut oil  sprinkled with nutritional yeast flakes and fruity sparkling mineral water.

Cinnamon raisin mochi drizzled with maple syrup subs for Reese's pieces.

3 Tea Saturday

The first
warm peaches
for noshing and cheeks kissed
off season sweet elixir
shrug the peripheral garbage
pail fire

The second
garnet hibiscus
tendril limbs
Quatre Nuits Dun Reveur

The third
burdock and nettles
cleavers, dandelions, lemon myrtle
Dreamy chrysalis

Reset

It's a new moon today and the first day of my three week whole food detox. That's a lot of potential energy to spray at a Monday. Monday of my first five day work week since the holidays came a-caroling. I'm taking it all gingerly.

The above drink isn't too far from a Southampton, the only non-alcoholic drink recipe listed on the bottle of angastora bitters. I sub seltzer for tonic. If you're cutting out the booze, you might as well cut the calories but keep the bubbles. The dashes of bitters do make the ice, seltzer, and lime seem almost like a cocktail. The name conjures sun burnt, hungover vacationers reluctant to return to the city. They need a drink to brace them for itchy suits and monotony. A bloody mary would send them tumbling into the surf. The Southampton, however, sits them straight as they watch the water from the porch. Remember common pleasantries like chopping vegetables and walking home from the train at sunset?

Return to turn to return.

Kumquat is not a dirty word

My mom is doing this totally awesome thing. She's 52 and trying to do 52 things she's never done in her 52nd year. Yeah, mathletes, that works out to one new thing per week. Do you do one new thing per week? 

One of the 52 in 52s she did during my last visit was try kumquats. She candied them and had the brilliant idea to plunk a few in the bottom of a mimosa. Yes! When you reach the tasty little bits, they have absorbed some of the booze and effervescence of the champagne.

Enjoy the tickle of the new.

good stuff

This and this.