A blissful day on the dock should be all about, well, the bliss. Sun shining, water lapping, loons calling, refreshing beverage in hand, mind meditatively empty. It would be a shame if that serenity be even a tiny bit marred by any angst about how one feels in a bathing suit (however universal this angst is!). No one wants the buzz kill reminder that [slothful lack of movement + empty imbibing calories + bathing suit = 😕]

This is by no means a fitness or health blog; most of what is posted within is firmly focused on pleasure. Alas, too much pleasure can unfortunately bite you in the (enlarging) ass. Owning a cottage further puts you at risk, as every weekend tends to be approached like you are on vacation (so attested by my annual end-of-August protest that someone shrunk all my clothes in the dryer…)

Today’s post is most certainly not a lecture, but rather offering up the notion of BALANCE… have the cocktail, eat the chips, put mayo on the burger…but maybe consider a tweak elsewhere to balance it out:  a morning walk, a swim to the island, some paddle board yoga, etc. 

Enter the notion of the oxymoronic ‘light cocktail’.  I’m not usually a fan.  It has to taste good, otherwise why bother?  However, this lovely concoction (invented by my friend Karen) clocks in at around 65 calories…and it tastes really good.  I won’t go as far as to endorse her proclamation that “it tastes just like a margarita”, but I will say it’s a lovely light refresher on its own accord. 

So, to those of you interested in balancing your pleasure-seeking-Ying to your self-care-Yang, I give you a:

Teeny Bikini Margarini

Keeping up the balance theme, this cocktail pairs excellently with guac and veggies.  Sure, avocados are not low-fat, but the good fats are important!  Use this recipe as a very loose guideline, as I’ve never actually measured anything when making it.  Just throw these ingredients in until it tastes to your preference!

Food Pairing: Guacamole & Veggies

Song Pairing: Senorita

Enjoy your Teeny Bikini Margarini with any spanish-inspired song of your choosing, such as “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabela.  I had technical difficulties trying to attach the music file, so you’ll have to look it up on your own!

To peacock, -v:  to make a vainglorious display;  as in, strut like a peacock.

This is Ontario in the Fall;  Muskoka Ontario, however, takes the already dazzling up ten notches to resplendent.  Funny though, she chooses to flaunt her stuff after the crowds have left — the cottages shuttered for the winter, the boats put away, the docks pulled out of the water.  Does an exhibitionist without an audience still count?

Fall in Muskoka is also cranberry harvest season — this too a stunning display of ‘neature’ (neat nature, as my camp kids say).  I’ve never actually visited a cranberry bog, but it’s certainly on my Muskoka to-do list! (photo cred:  Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh, Bala)

So what better ingredient to salute in this last (boo hoo!) end-of-dock-season Docktails post?  But cranberry dear, you deserve more than the cliched and over-done Cosmopolitan or Vodka-Cran Soda.  A strutty little vainglorious number perhaps??

Muskoka Mule

• 4-5 cranberries
• 2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 4-5 oz ginger beer
• 1-2 oz cranberry juice

1. To cocktail shaker, add cranberries, vodka, lime juice, and ice.  Shake.
2. Strain into copper cup with ice.
3. Top with ginger beer and cranberry juice, proportioned to taste.
4. Garnish with cranberries

Enjoy in hip-waders in a cranberry bog!

 

Song Pairing:  Walk This Way, Aerosmith

‘Cuz if you look up ‘strut’ and ‘peacock’ in an audio dictionary, surely this song would appear?

This one is a stunner! Dragon fruit is the key, as it makes a fuchsia-coloured simple syrup that can be created into all sorts of beautiful concoctions. This one is very easy-drinking…just be careful it doesn’t creep up on you! Unless of course, you are looking for some liquid courage to enjoy one of the greatest summertime cottage traditions — the skinny dip!

There is nothing quite like an August night on the dock, when the sun has long set, the air is still warm, and only starry sky casts any light. If you have never tried skinny dipping in a lake, you must. When you doff your clothes in the dark, it’s more than peeling off layers of fabric. It is shaking away worries, stress, judgements and body hang-ups, and giving into the awesome freedom that only skin on water can bring!

Skinny Dipper

Dragon Fruit Simple Syrup

• Wash & chop up half a dragon fruit (keeping on pink rind)
• Heat 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar on medium. Remove from heat as soon as it hits boil
• Pour in mason jar (filling it half full), and add fruit
• Sit out (un-lidded) to cool 30-45 minutes, and then refrigerate ~4 hours.

 

4 hours later…

For one Skinny Dipper, mix:

• 1-1/2 oz gin
• 1 oz dragon fruit simple syrup
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 3-4 club soda, to taste

Food Pairing:  Chunky Dunk

Ok, the real recipe name is Feta-Pine Nut Spread (thank you guest-contributor Patricia for this bit of loveliness! I think originally from Epicurious). However, Chunk Dunk feels like a better name pairing with Skinny Dip. Plus, once you taste it, you will be spreading it on everything — we enjoyed as a veggie dip, but it would go equally well with crackers, baguette, as a sandwich spread, a burger condiment, or just dip your finger in (only once though!) and nosh away! Trust me, this photo does not do it justice.

Chunky Dunk

• 1-8 oz tub whipped cream cheese spread
• 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1-7 oz package crumbled feta
• 1/3 cup drained oil-packed sundried tomatoes

1. Blend cream cheese, yogurt, pinenuts, basil, and garlic in a food processor.
2. Add feta and sundried tomatoes, and blend until combined but still chunky
3. Cover and refrigerate — a great make-ahead appetizer!

Song Pairing:  Skinny Dippin’, Cody Parks

Really, was there another choice??

In our 8 years of cottage ownership, we have had MANY guests.  We love our personal slice of heaven, and love also to share it.  We intentionally created a space that could accommodate loads of guests, and thus far have had only great experiences — either we have a fortuitous guest-selection process, or our guests have actively vied for invitations back!  If you find yourself invited to someone’s cottage and do hope to score a return, there are generally two 2 basic facts to keep in mind:  1) your hosts also want to relax, and 2) your hosts likely don’t live at their cottage and don’t want an accumulation of stuff to have to deal with later (see basic fact #1).

If you are the recipient of an invitation to a friend or family member’s personal oasis (cottage, cabin, farm, summerhouse, beach house, etc), here are some good-guest behaviour tips that will keep you on the roster:

10 Ways To Be a Good Guest (aka…how to get invited back)

1. Offer to bring/prepare a meal.  When you go to a dinner party at someone’s house, unless it’s potluck, your hosts are likely happy to buy/make/serve/clean-up the whole thing.  If you are going to someone’s cottage for a weekend, that is a lot of buying/making/serving/cleaning up.  Plus, unlike a home, where you have a pantry full of staples and/or a convenient grocery store, at a cottage almost everything that gets consumed has to be brought to & from the cottage.
2. Bring your own sheets/pillowcases (unless otherwise instructed) — chances are, your hosts will be departing the cottage around the same time you are, so will not want to be left with a bunch of laundry to do, nor cart back to the city where the washer & dryer actually is.  If your hosts tell you in advance they will provide bedding, consider it a bonus!
3. Clean up after yourself — strip your bed, empty the waste basket in your room, offer to clean the bathroom, etc.  [I get it, you might be thinking: ‘wait a sec, I have to do that at home.  I don’t want to do it when I’m away.’  Fair enough, but your hosts are themselves thinking the same thing.]  If you see something that needs to be done in communal spaces, offer to help with that too — clean up after meals, sweep, etc
4. BYOB/BYOP.  It could be our guests, but we’ve never (ever) had anyone forget to bring booze.  Your hosts might have plenty for you, but don’t assume it!  The same goes for any other preferences you might have (the P in BYOP…).  You may prefer vegetarian fare, a certain type of milk, gluten-free options, or anything else you might consider a staple at home, but don’t assume your hosts will know or remember your preferences.  Same with any allergies or sensitivities — let your hosts know in advance (bring your own allergy meds too for that matter — it might be a long drive to the nearest hospital!)
5. Check with your hosts on the plumbing situation.  Every cottage will have its own finnickiness (yes, I made that word up) — whether you can drink the water, need to jiggle the handle, need to let yellow mellow (ugh), etc.  Just ask.  Even showering…while stinky is not necessarily encouraged if it’s a cozy place, your shower water will likely end up in a septic system that ultimately has to get emptied…so shower sparingly.  A jump in the lake may just do the trick (though no shampoo in the lake please!)
6. Make yourself at home (as in, don’t wait to be waited on).  All hosts will have their own take on this, but my general assumptions are: a) you want to relax, and b) I want to relax.  So, I will show you where the fridge is (and will likely offer you your first drink), but you’re on your own after that.  At home, I might not want you digging through my fridge, but at the cottage, knock yourself out!
7. Do not complain about the bugs, weather, lack of cell reception/WIFI — For most people, it fills the soul to get back to nature.  And since nature comes in many forms, don whatever you need to make it tolerable (bug spray, sunscreen, rain boots, etc) and get in it.  Likewise, embrace the chance to eschew all things digital, and go old school — cards, games, puzzles, books, actual conversation, etc.  Don’t worry, your weekend will be over soon enough, and you’ll be back to your screens, email, tweets, streaks, and likes.
8. Consider ‘consumables’ if you want to bring a hostess gift (which you don’t need to bring to our place! :).  Even the least sexy of consumables (toilet paper, batteries, hand soap, etc) are appreciated!
9. Bring home your perishable leftovers.  I don’t mean the compostable garbage, but the leftovers that you might be inclined to toss into your fridge or freezer at home.  Most likely you are being kind and generous when you suggest “keep it, it will freeze”.  However, if your host asks you to take it home, there is likely a practical reason for it — they don’t live there and will likely have to pitch it when they leave anyway, they don’t want a freezer full of mystery meals, they get pests/rodents if food is left behind.  Notable exceptions — beer and wine — generally not much risk of them not getting consumed before they go bad!
10. If you bring a watermelon, cut it up and serve it!  Watermelon is great — feeds a crowd, tastes good, not too filling, universally appealing — a veritable celebration of summer.  But they only do those things if cut up and served.  If it doesn’t get consumed, take it home with you.   (or…see last blog post for an excellent use for left-over watermelon!)

Now, if you happen to be hosting this weekend, and your guests do not read the above list in advance…for you we have created a:

 

Guest Tolerator

• 1 oz fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice
• splash of fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1-1/2 oz tequila
• 1 tsp simple syrup (for a batch:  equal parts water & sugar on med-high heat; remove immediately from heat when it hits boil; allow to cool)
• pinch of salt
• 1-1/2 oz grapefruit soda (we used Perrier; San Pellegrino also good)

1. Shake all ingredients except soda
2. Pour into glass filled with ice
3. Top with grapefruit soda
4. Garnish with citrus of choice
5. Head to the hammock, or your own secret spot, and enjoy in peace and quiet!

 

 

Song Pairing:  We’re Here For A Good Time, Trooper

Enjoy your guests.  They’re here for a good time.  Not a long time.

 

 

I have a love-hate relationship with August.  Mostly love, but some hateful twinges.  I LOVE you August because your days are still beautifully hot.  The lake is warm.  The bugs are gone (woo hoo!).  Everyone is looking healthy & tanned (or in my case, a close proximity, as the freckles start to connect).  The sun sets earlier, so outdoor night-time fun can happen sooner — campfires, flashlight tag, skinny-dipping… (not all at the same time, mind you).  And August bursts with in-season fruits and vegetables that are spectacular for all the senses — bountiful, colourful, fragrant, and soooooo tasty.

My tinges of irk lies in that August sometimes brings out glass-is-half-empty observations:  “summer is half way done”…”the kids will be back to school before you know it”…”I saw a red maple leaf the other day”…  For all that is holy, please swallow those observations, and enjoy the here and now!!  This August long-weekend, I implore everyone to choose a glass-is-half full outlook!  Unless of course, your glass really is half empty…then quickly pour another of these — in tribute to August’s big beautiful colourful in-season watermelon:

Watermelon Mules

(makes 2-3 cocktails)

• 4 cups cubed watermelon, frozen
• 3 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 3 oz vodka
• 12 oz ginger beer
• Lime slices, for garnish
• Ice

1. Blend: watermelon, lime juice, vodka, and 6 oz ginger beer; add ice if needed to make a thick slush
2. Stir in remaining ginger beer (or add all of it in the blender in step one, and create a volcano over the sides, as I did…)
3. Serve in copper glasses
4. Garnish with lime

 

 

Food Pairing:  Nacho chips and August Salsa (aka, August Salad)

My all-time favourite salad is this:  August Salad.  So named for two reasons:  1) it’s made with ingredients that are at their peak of awesomeness in August, and 2) you can be unapologetic about making it over and over again, if you restrain yourself to a one month period.  So far, my family has not complained!  Plus it tastes great for days, so it’s a good make-ahead recipe.

Wait, salad you say??  It that not a photo of nacho chips?  This cottage day in particular, the salad was served for lunch.  The leftovers were brought out again at cocktail hour, re-purposed as a salsa to go with said nachos — a stroke of brilliance from one of our cottage guests!  And yes, it paired perfectly with the cocktail!

 

August Salad/Salsa

• 4 cobs fresh corn
• 2/3 cup green onion, diced
• 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
• 1-1/2 cups wild blueberries (another reason to only make this salad in August, as you can’t generally only find them in summer)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tblsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced (seeds removed)
• 1 tblsp candied ginger, finely chopped

1. Cut raw kernels from cobs.  Saute in 2 tblsp olive oil, on medium heat, ~3 minutes.  Remove & cool
2. Toss all other ingredients in large bowl.  Add corn when cool
3. Add salt & pepper to taste

 

Song Pairing:  Consequence Free, Great Big Sea

“I’ve got the best intentions for a little bit of anarchy…but not the hurting kind.”

Ok, using a salad as salsa is probably the lightest form of anarchy you can get.  Call it dock-side anarchy…where the very, very, chill anarchists are hanging out.

It has been a blessed, gloriously hot summer so far.  We are long over-due, for those of us Eastern Canadians who have endured back-to-back cold winters and cool summers.  Of course, not everyone has the luxury of escaping the heat with a refreshing plunge off the dock.  Whether you are on the dock this weekend, or sweltering in the city without AC,  we have just the remedy for you:

Iceberg

Prepare slushy margarita:

• 2 parts tequila / 1 part cointreau /1 part lime juice (or cheat and use a mix)
• enough ice for a thick slush;  blend

 In a tall (ideally frosted!) beer glass:

• Wet rim of glass with lime; rim with salt
• Pour beer to 1 inch top of glass (any beer with a light-ish lager taste – Dos Equis, Heineken, Modelo; not Corona…too cliché)
• Top with 2-3 inches of slushy margarita

 

Song Pairing:  Walkin’ On The Sun, Smash Mouth

A few days this summer have felt a bit like walking on the sun.  Icebergs to the rescue!

If any cocktail needs to be made by the pitcher, this one is it!  Beyond it being a crowd pleaser of a beverage, couldn’t everyone use a little more zen in their lives?  Not sure if it can promise full enlightenment, but certainly relaxation;  maybe even a dose of letting go of that which you can not change…

The flavours of this concoction are lovely, with just enough sweetness and sparkle from the elderflower water, mingling with your favourite green tea.  I use Tazo Zen — a not-too-grassy green, but it’s worth experimenting with the array of green teas available.

 

Zen Lemonade

For a pitcher (~6 drinks):

• 1 cup green tea (any kind, but Tazo Zen is perfect)
• 1 cup simple syrup
• 1-1/2 cups gin (Georgian Bay is lovely)
• 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups sparkling Elderflower water
• Lemon for garnish

1. Steep tea per normal method; allow to cool
2. Make simple syrup (boil 2 c water & 2 c sugar; remove from heat as soon as it hits boil);  allow to cool
3. In pitcher, stir first four ingredients; refridgerate
4. Just prior to serving, add Elderflower water
5. Pour in highball with ice 
6. Garnish with lemon wheel

 

Song Pairing:  Pinch Me, Bare Naked Ladies

It’s a perfect time of year…

You like the zing of a Dark & Stormy cocktail (spiced rum, ginger beer, bitters), but there’s something about it that screams Fall.  A cozy fireside sort of cocktail, when you’re wrapped up in a blanket reading a good book.  Hardly the hankering when it’s gorgeous July, with seemingly endless daytime and sun on the dock well into evening.

But the zing…   Since we certainly don’t want to urge on Fall, how about a summer twist on this fall favourite?  A subtle twist, but nonetheless just enough to ditch the blanket & fireside imagery for more suitable sunshine & shimmery waters.  My new summer fav…

 

Dock & Stormy

• 1-1/2 oz spiced rum
• 1/8 ripe medium peach
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 3 oz ginger beer

1. In cocktail shaker, muddle the peach wedge with lemon juice and bitters.
2. Add rum, and fill shaker with ice
3. Shake & strain into glass filled with ice
4. Stir in ginger beer;  garnish with peach slice

 

Food Pairing:  Avocado on grilled sliced baguette

Slice baguette (or whatever carb you have around), and brush both sides lightly with olive oil and quick grill (1-2 minutes per side).  Add a couple avocado slices and salt & pepper to taste.  Or really, add whatever you’ve got in your fridge…just about anything tastes amazing on grilled baguette!  Cheese, hummus, shrimp, proscuitto, the peach slices leftover from the cocktail, etc.  You get the idea.

Song Pairing:  My House, Flo Rida

Not sure why, but I love this song.  Probably because it makes me feel cooler than I actually am.  But, welcome to my house!

I had dream that the lake was full of orange soda.  Turns out it was a FantaSea…

FantaSea

• 1½ oz vodka
• ½ oz Aperol
• 2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz orange soda
• 3 oz ginger beer
• cut slightly with club soda, as desired
• lots of ice
• play with proportions to taste!

 

Food Pairing:  BBQ’d Pepperoni Sticks or Hotrods

This one is tricky.  There is alot going on in this cocktail — the ginger beer has some zip, the aperol slightly bitter, and the orange soda is syrupy-sweet.  Personally, I would lean into the zip (but not too far), with something strong enough to hold up to all the flavours.  Try BBQ’ing some pepperoni sticks, and then slice into medallions.  On their own, or with some crackers (Triscuit Cracker Pepper & Olive Oil were good).

 

Song Pairing:  House Party, Sam Hunt

Even when you’re staying “home” (as in, not leaving your dock), it can still become a party!

There is something about the month of June that’s unlike any other month.  Warm summer days still feel new, and there’s an anticipatory sense in the air — school is almost over, vacation is on the horizon, trees & flowers are on the cusp of their most vivid displays.  If June was a time of the week, it would be Saturday morning…a block of bliss yet to unfurl.

This post’s cocktail has the feeling of a Saturday morning paddle on the lake:  quiet, subtle, relaxed, and refreshing.  The cocktail equivalent of a happy sigh.  To June, Saturday mornings, and paddles around the lake, we give you a:

Happy Paddler

Hibiscus Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup demerra sugar, 1 cup water
• Heat & stir until it hits boil, then remove from burner
• Add 4 tea bags of any hibiscus-based herbal tea and steep (30 min)
• After steeping, stir in zest of one lime (yes, there will be floaty bits in your drinks, but it will add to it’s outdoorsy charm!)

 In a glass, mix:

• 1½ oz tequila
• 1½ oz hibiscus simple syrup (above)
• 3-4 oz tonic (as desired)
• Stir, add ice
• Garnish with a slice of lime

Enjoy, as you sunflower your face to the sun, breathe in the bliss, and sigh….

Song Pairing:  Saturday Sun, Vance Joy

Oh Saturday sun, I met someone.