Pequito Verdecito // Drink the Summer

Words cannot express how much I appreciate the messages of positivity, encouragement, and support y’all brought to this blog space last week. When I hit publish on that post, my hands were shaking. I don’t think I ate all day. And my heart took about six hours to finally stop rattling. But it eventually stopped. Your words, I think, calmed me. Made me feel like we had so many people in both our physical and digital corners, cheering us on. Please know that when things get rough in the coming months, as they inevitably will, even if I’m not sharing it here I will be returning to your words again and again to remind myself of just how much goodness there is in all of this.
Thank you, sweet friends. <3

Now, Some of you had questions. A lot of questions. And I don’t blame you, I still have a bunch myself. But I want to talk to you about the three most-asked things, which were:

Are you worried about pirates?

What about Mr. Spazzy-Swimmy, aka, Bourré?

And, from the food blogging community in particular, can I have your food props while you’re gone?

You shameless vultures, you. 😉 (Just kidding, I love y’all and definitely would’ve asked the same if the roles were reversed.)

The topic of Bourré is the hardest for me to address, so I’ll cover that first. Until last week, we had settled on having Bourré live with my mom at what I’m calling Bayou Year-Round Camp for Boys. The kitschy name makes me feel less guilty so that’s what it will be referred to as here. Despite what most people assume about labs, Bourré never has been much of a water dog, preferring instead to chase his ball on solid ground. In fact, he only learned to swim about one year ago, when he incorrectly mistook our bobbing fishing cork for his most treasured ball and found himself frantically paddling back to the shores of Lake Trillium, fishing hook threaded neatly through the flappy part of his back right leg. All of that is to say, I’d assumed that living on a bobbing boat with a steep companionway and irregular access to shore and a dog that doesn’t swim (well) would not be the best situation in the world for Bourré. But I’ve since had many people reach out to share stories of life aboard with big dogs and small dogs and cats that don’t swim. Liz even had some pretty amazing pro tips for potty training dogs on boats. So, I’m reconsidering all of this now, doing more research, and will be feeling it out with Bourré once we are all in Louisiana and on the boat together. But, for now, the jury is still out on that one.

Ah, the props. For all of the non-food blogging readers out there, props are the term we use to refer to our treasured bowls and boards and antique silverware that make all of these photos look pretty. They’re all of the things we hunt for in consignment stores in our hometowns and while traveling, hoping to find a steal on the next perfect piece. I will be selling some of my lesser-loved props, but most, sadly for all of you I know, will go into storage to await our return. Should I decide to not return to house-based blogging in the future, I promise, you’ll all be the first to know and we can have a digital garage sale of sorts, I’ll bring the beer. That actually sounds crazy fun.

Finally, let’s talk about those pesky Pirates of the Caribbean. Because I probably incorrectly assume that all pirates look like Johnny Depp and like to swig large bottles of rum, I’m actually not all that worried. However, we’ll be doing plenty of research on how to protect ourselves while we’re cruising. And if all else fails, I’ll just offer to whip them up some cookies and cocktails and in exchange for not stealing us or our boat. (Cocktails and cookies work every time, y’all. In fact, it’s how I convinced our neighbors to give us the “good side” of the fence just a few months ago.)

Speaking of cocktails, allow me to introduce you to a little something known as the Pequito Verdecito, my little contribution to this year’s #DrinkTheSummer party hosted by one of my most favorite bloggers, Sherrie of With Food and Love. This is a recipe that Nick Detrich of New Orleans’ Cane and Table gave me on our trip to Avery Island and I instantly fell in love with it. Bright and vibrant, refreshing and a little zingy. It includes some tangy tomatillos, sweet pineapple juice, a heavy hit of jalepeno hot sauce and a large bunch of cooling mint, all blended, strained, and then shaken with a little tequila and a lot of lime juice. It’s a bit sweet, a bit spicy, and a quintessential drink of summer as far as I’m concerned. It would also probably turn any of those potential pirates into our new best boat friends if it comes down to it. At least that’s what I’m telling myself for now.

For more summery drink inspiration, check out the list of summer cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks created by a few dozen food bloggers over on Sherrie’s site. Also get inspiration from last year’s #DrinkTheSummer party, including this Whiskey Beet Cocktail that’s just about perfect with smoked meats and summery vegetables.