Weekend Cooking - Guests are Cooking!

Last week I indicated Guests were coming.  This weekend, it's even better because guests are cooking!  Beth Fish Reads sponsors this weekly meme where we foodies can chat about cookbooks, cooking gadgets, recipes, or anything else gustatory. Be sure to stop over there to find other terrific weekend cooking posts.

>We had the potential for a disastrous visit here when my daughter, who drove up from DC arrived Wednesday just an hour ahead of one of the most monstrous thunderstorms we've had in the six years we've lived here. She had just enough time to get to the fish market, buy the lobster and rolls, and get back before the heavens opened.  Over 4" of rain fell in less than two hours, washing out both ends of the road into our house.  We didn't lose power, but did lose the sattelite links to both TV and internet...no big deal, lobster rolls, homemade cole slaw,blueberry iced tea and some homemade brown sugar cookies she brought with her were all we needed before we all settled down with the cats and read our good books.

Luckily, the road commissioner got one end of the road opened in time for the arrival of  our dear friend from Texas who flew into Manchester NH and drove up....bad news is his bag forgot to change planes, so it went to Buffalo NY. Never fear. Daughter made a few of her famous gimlets, we had a delicious pulled pork that had been 'smoking' in the slo cooker for over 12 hours, along with a fresh from the garden lettuce and tomato salad, and again all was well with the world.

This morning, I awoke at 6:00AM to the incredible smell of baking cinnamon rolls...homemade, gooey, and scrumptious.  I have told her she may not leave ever.  She and goddad are off to a local distillery to buy more gin (they make a cranberry gin we're all anxious to try), and then we'll grill buffalo steaks out on the deck, to enjoy along with fresh green beans, insulata caprese (again from our garden) and potato salad.

Now to tie this whole thing in with books, we've been leafing through daughter's copy of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, from the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie and beyond.  A fun fun fun book that son-in-law gave her for Christmas last year.  It has the recipes and stories behind 100 rediscovered drinks. It begins with a history of the drink - who knew cocktails were originally served in the morning?- gives some thoughts about various 'bumps' on the road to acceptance and usage such as the temperance movement, prohibition, war rationing, and then the general evolution of attitudes about alcoholic drinks in general, and those risque mixed drinks in particular.

I love some of the recipes, but don't think I've found one yet for which I had all the ingredients.  However, I do remember enough of my world travels to be able to say (in keeping with my Tutu moniker) Okole maluna!  Enjoy your weekend.