Drink of the Week and I came up with another delicious cocktail. This time, we played around with the pear syrup I made from pears, sugar, and water. We combined it with bourbon, ginger ale, and maraschino liqueur and ended up with a sweet, golden, winter-y drink.

If you haven’t heard of maraschino liqueur, I am happy to report that it is not made from the juice of those candied cherries that were popular in the 1970s. Rather, Maraschino liqueur is made from the entire (real) cherry, including the pits, which adds a subtle almond flavor to any drink. It is a good addition to the home bar.

In this case, the maraschino liqueur gives a nice nutty undertone to the fresh pear in the syrup. That, combined with the caramel notes of the bourbon, makes for one well-blended, darn delicious drink. Here’s the recipe:

Pearaschino

Ingredients:
(makes one cocktail)

Pear Syrup:

2 pears
1 c sugar
2 c water
2 Tbs vodka (optional)

For the drink:

1 1/2 oz bourbon (one shot)
1 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz pear syrup
roughly 1 oz ginger ale
ice
cherry for garnish

Directions:

Make the pear syrup:

Similar to my strawberry syrup. First, cut up the pears. Combine them with the sugar and water in a pot on the stove. Boil for about 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the syrup has a strong pear flavor.

Strain the pears from the syrup (you can also save the pears and use as an excellent topping on ice cream, yogurt, etc.). Transfer the syrup to a bottle. If you want it to last longer, add a little vodka to the syrup. (Explanation here.)

Make the cocktail:

In a shaker, combine the bourbon, maraschino liqueur, and pear syrup. Shake thoroughly with ice. Strain into a martini glass and top with ginger ale, about 1 oz. Garnish with a cherry. Enjoy!

In the 1970s, teenager Dolly Freed wrote a book called Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money. It was about how she and her father decided to reject that they called “money living,” i.e. consumerism, and live a self-sufficient lifestyle growing their own food and reusing and recycling and so on. That way, they could live without having to work at a “boring, meaningless, frustrating job to get [...] money,” Freed wrote.

Freed had such a practical, logical approach to her lifestyle that she appealed to many people, even though she was essentially saying what Thoreau said back in the 1800s–if you live simply, growing a garden and not over-consuming, you can live a free life without having to work. Of course, you need a house and some land first, but once you get started, the concept seems to work pretty well.

Anyway, writer Paige Williams tracked Freed down, and it sounds like she is still pretty awesome. She’s a former NASA aerospace engineer and an environmental educator. She composts. She has a wildlife sanctuary in her backyard. She makes homemade gin and rabbit sausage. She gets free fruit from an abandoned orchard. She put minnows in her neighbor’s swimming pool to take care of the mosquito problem. I hope she writes another book.

From the article:

“The best way to save money is not to spend it,” she e-mailed the other day. “We might see something in a magazine or at the store, but just because we like it doesn’t mean we have to buy it. Think of it as going to a museum and seeing pictures—you can admire them, but you don’t have to own them. It also helps to stay out of places of temptation. Bookstores and kitchen stores, for me, and electronics stores, for Pete, are dangerous places. Except for the used-books store, we never, ever use shopping as entertainment.”

Here’s a short documentary on Freed made in the 70s after her book came out. It is worth watching. (Via Jezebel)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Speaking of Sunset: Look at that. Is that not mouth watering? It is a Grilled Pastrami, Swiss, and Sweet Onion Marmalade on Rye from Sunset’s Sandwiches 26 ways.

I’ve never thought of using a recipe for a sandwich, but if it makes the sandwich come out like that, I’m listening. Here is the recipe:

Grilled Pastrami, Swiss, and Sweet Onion Marmalade on Rye

Ingredients

Onion Marmalade

1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
1/2 c red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine

Sandwiches

4 slices extra-sour rye or caraway rye bread
2 Tbs softened unsalted butter
4 thin slices pastrami
4 oz Swiss cheese
2 Tbs whole-grain mustard

Directions:

1. Make marmalade: Melt butter with oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper, stirring well to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened and browned, about 20 minutes. Add vinegar and wine. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and onions are soft and sticky, about 10 minutes. Let marmalade cool slightly.

2. Make sandwiches: Evenly spread one side of each bread slice with 1/2 tbsp. butter. Spread unbuttered side of 2 slices with 1 1/2 tbsp. marmalade each, then top with pastrami and cheese. Spread mustard on unbuttered side of remaining 2 bread slices and place each, buttered side up, on pastrami- and cheese-topped slices.

3. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add sandwiches and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes total.

Make ahead: Marmalade keeps up to 2 weeks, covered and chilled.

Check out the link for 25 other sandwich recipes.

I’m loooving these chicken coops by Chicken Cribs in Oakland, Ca. They come in a DIY kit that you assemble yourself. It can accommodate up to 4 chickens and is supposedly easy to clean. From the FAQ:

“The interior has plastic panels which are easily lifted out and rinsed with a hose or scraped off. The run area needs little maintenance – removal of uneaten compost, and occasional collection of droppings for use in other parts of the garden are all that’s required.”

It keeps the hens safe from predators too, which I understand is one of the major problem with chickens. Best of all, it is actually attractive! The kit costs $550 to $750.

Hmmm 2010… the year I finally get chickens? (Via Sunset Magazine)

I mention clocks on here a lot because I’ve been looking for an interesting one for my living room for some time now. I think I found it. In perusing this house tour of photographer Rion Nakaya’s house on Design Sponge, I saw the following clock:

This is good. It’s interesting, has the right amount of quirk, and would look good with the rest of my decor. The post says it was found in The Conran Shop in Paris.

Oh but I love the Internet. Here is the same thing on Amazon for $34.95.

It’s called the Nextime Wall Clock. I might just get it, except that when I showed it to my husband the first thing he said was, “That would be easy to make.”

And so it would. Hmmm….

For Christmas, my mom made chocolate dipped pretzels. She dipped long pretzel sticks in white or dark chocolate and then added sprinkles and other candy toppings. Then she put them in a canister and gave them as gifts. They are among the prettiest treats I received this Christmas, plus they also taste good.

Turns out, chocolate-dipped pretzels are one of those bang-for-your-buck treats. They looks impressive for minimal work. (And my mom told me how to make them, so it’s not tacky that I’m dissecting her gift on here.) Here’s how you do it:

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Ingredients

12 oz chocolate chips
27 8-inch pretzel rods
Toppings, such as sprinkles, small chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and so on.

Directions

Put the chocolate in a bowl that is deep enough for you to dip most of a pretzel in. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler, stirring often.

In the mean time, lay your toppings out on individual plates for easy access.

Pick up the pretzel. Holding it by one end, dip about two-thirds of the pretzel in the chocolate. Hold it above the bowl so that excess drips off.

Immediately sprinkle the chocolate with the toppings. As you do this, turn the pretzel so that it is evenly coated. Then place it in a bowl or a pie pan in such a way that the uncoated part is touching the edges.

Repeat. Try not to let the chocolate-covered pretzels touch each other. When you are done, you can refrigerate the pretzels for 20 minutes so that they will set. Store in the appropriate container.

Voila!

The other day at the post office, a woman in line behind me was telling another woman about her bathroom remodel. She then started talking about how she had to get rid of the original bathtub of the house, which sounded like an antique. Anyone who has ever looked knows how valuable antique bathtubs are, but this woman was apparently clueless and went on and on about how hard it was to get the bathtub to the dump.

“You took it to the dump?” the other woman said. “Oh no, you shouldn’t have done that! There are people who refurbish those bathtubs. I could have shown you where to donate it. They might have even paid you.”

“It was heavy,” the first woman said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get it to them.”

“You were able to get it to the dump!” the other woman pointed out.

Although I’m a fan of getting rid of clutter, I never throw things out. There is a fabulous world of second-hand buying out there that is great for both the environment and the pocketbook. This woman dragging what has morphed in my mind into a $22,000 clawfoot bathtub to the dump is the perfect example of the old adage, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Just because I don’t want it doesn’t mean someone else won’t.

When I am getting rid of something, I first think about whether I can sell it or not. Surprisingly often, the answer is yes. I have had a lot of luck selling through:

* my own yard sale/garage sale.

* Craigslist.com, especially in the case of electronics, furniture, and house supplies.

* Amazon.com, for books.

I’ve also tried selling through eBay, but didn’t like it. I tried selling clothes in consignment shops, but you make so little money and the shops are so picky, that it’s not really worth it. I used to sell CDs and DVDs for credit at record stores, but now that everything is going digital, that’s slowly going away.

For the things I can’t sell, I see if my friends or family want it. If they don’t, I give it to my local thrift store. If I have something large that I don’t want to haul, I have been known to put it on Craigslist’s free section and let someone else haul it away. There are other sources like Freecycle that have a similar service, although I haven’t used them. Lots of charities will pick things up too.

I have also looked up specific charities for specific items. There are charities that will take your old cell phone, that suit you never wear, your broken eye glasses, etc. Basically, there’s little reason to throw something out unless it’s completely broken. And even then, it can be recycled (e-waste recycling comes to mind).

Feel free to share any services that have worked for you when getting rid of your clutter.

I’m getting rid of clutter right now. Clothes, furniture, dishes, etc. are all going. I don’t know if I will ever get to the point where I have exactly the right number of possessions, but I keep trying.

The way I look at it, if something in my house is taking up space, then it should serve a purpose. It should either be useful in some way, or it should add beauty or other value to my life. Otherwise, it’s just cluttering the room. Usually, a clean, calm space is more valuable than the thing itself.

Here’s how I know when it’s time to get rid of something:

1. I got a new version of the thing, thus replacing it. No need to have two of most things.

2. I haven’t used it in at least a year. Obviously it is not necessary, then.

3. I am sick of it. It have no qualms about dumping something if it annoys me.

Still, sometimes it’s a little hard to figure out what to get rid of. You know your closet is overflowing, but you’re not sure what’s useful and what’s not. When that happens, I start by reorganizing the closet in question. As I do this, I ask myself the following questions:

1. Do I need this? Yes, keep it. No, then ask:

2. Do I like this? Yes, keep it. No or not really, then ask:

3. Can this have another use? Is there some other way this can serve a purpose or is there a new way of looking at it that makes it interesting again? Yes, keep it. No, then it’s time to get rid of it.

If I’m still not sure, I put the item aside for a week and then look at it again. Something about that space of time clarifies the issue and I will know whether to keep it or dump it. Usually, I dump it.

Now. Sometimes clutter comes from having too many of something useful–too many mugs, too many pencils, too many towels, etc. This can get tricky because, technically, these things have a purpose, so it’s hard to balance how many you really need. Here’s a couple of question I ask myself in that situation:

1. How long is the life of the item? If the thing can be used up, then you might as well keep it. For example, if you have too many bars of soap, the smart thing to do is store all of them and stop buying new soap until they are gone. But if you have too many purses, say, they will not get used up, so it may be time to consider getting rid of some of them.

2. How many will I use? Think of the scenario where you will need all of an item and do a count. Someone gave me a giant box of wine glasses, way more than I can ever use. I thought of the biggest party I would have where I would break out wine glasses. I figured about 12 people. So I kept 12 glasses and got rid of the rest.

3. How much space do I have to store these? I had a bunch of teapots, but only one small part of my kitchen cupboard to store them in. Since I don’t need multiple teapots, I forced myself to get rid of some. Turns out, I didn’t even like them that much and it’s nice to not have teapots falling on me whenever I open the cupboard.

Annd three more thoughts on getting rid of clutter:

1. I don’t keep things out of guilt. It is silly for your own possessions to guilt you. I don’t like it when I make a mistake and buy something that I didn’t end up needing, but that isn’t a reason to keep the thing in question. (Instead, I look at why I made the mistake in the first place and try not to repeat it.) Likewise, while I appreciate when people give me presents, I won’t keep something just because someone gave it to me. Possessions should serve you, not the other way around.

2. I want a clean, serene space. As mentioned above, when you are de-cluttering, you are trying to gain something of value–space, cleanliness, and calm–in exchange for the things you are getting rid of. It’s about having a nicer life by keeping only the things you want and need around you. It’s a good thing to keep in mind.

3. I have never missed something after getting rid of it. Okay, once. In college I sold a green cardigan that I sort of liked and then later wished I still had. That was 10 years ago, and it is the only time I have ever missed something after getting rid of it. So I must be doing something right.

What are your de-cluttering tips?

Ha! This is a great idea from designer Joo Youn Paek–the polite umbrella. It “is a shrinkable umbrella that enables users to morph its shape in order to reduce occupied space and to increase user maneuverability.” No more poking people in the eye with your umbrella, plus added benefits in a wind storm. (Via Swiss Miss)

Here are a few resolutions I made to save money and be more frugal in 2010:

1. See how long we can go eating out of the freezer and cupboard before I have to do a serious grocery run. By serious, I mean more than four items. I will need to replace things like milk and eggs, but how long can I go without having to go full-on grocery shopping? I will let you know.

2. Pay off the student loan. I am still in debt for college even though I graduated 10 years ago. Can you believe it? Time for that to go.

3. Get a financial advisor. I need to fix up retirement savings and make other financial plans. I have been putting this off because, frankly, it sounds boring. But I need to do it, and so I will.

4. Use it or lose it. I am still on a tear where I use up all my craft supplies, read all my books, eat all my food (see above), and so on. Doing this frees up space and saves the items from becoming a waste of money. In general, my rule is: no new things until I use up the old.

What frugal resolutions did you make for 2010?