Nothing Rhymes With Oranges!

 It's that time of year again! 

My Dear friend and fellow blogger, KD Pierre, (http://collectedsubs.blogspot.com/)  has his annual Holiday Cocktail exchange. This year however, things have been more than a little topsy-turvy, so recipes have been encouraged as well.  I thought about this, and decided why not have it all? So I present to you my recipe for candied orange peel that  gives you 3 (THREE!) treats in one fabulous recipe!

Merry's Candied Orange Peels

3 to 4 large oranges

1½ cups water

3 cups sugar

2 cups sugar

Buy the prettiest oranges you can find. Unblemished and pleasant smelling. Wash the whole orange under running water to get rid of any dirt or residue.

Using a sharp knife, remove the orange peels carefully, then cut the peels into 1/4-inch-wide strips. 

 

Boil peels and 1 cup cold water to a pan, bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain, repeat. (I like to do it a minimum of 3 times)

Add 3 cups sugar and 1½ cups water to a pan. Heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is boiling. Add the peels, reduce to a simmer and cook, using a wooden spoon to stir the pan occasionally, for 1 hour. Don’t be like me and get distracted!

 

Place 2 cups of sugar in a medium bowl.

Use a slotted spoon to remove a few of the peels at a time and let the excess syrup drip off for a few seconds. Place the hot, wet peels in the bowl of sugar and toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to set, about 2 hours. Put it in a ziplock bag or a plastic container.

There are many uses for candied orange peel, my favorite being eating it as is, but you can add it to nearly any recipe or even cocktails. Check out Google for ideas.

 

 

Save the syrup to add to your drinks/cocktails for a wonderful kick of citrus flavor!. Save remaining orange infused sugar for special occasions. (I like it in my herbal tea)

ENJOY!

 

Photo Credits 

Orange peel: Me

Naked Chef pictures: Stitch M.

It's Six O'Clock Somewhere...

Hello my people! Whether you are a first-time reader, an occasional reader, or someone who reads everything I write, you are "My" people. You share an interest in whatever I write about, or maybe you show up for the occasional (okay, rare) nudes of myself, Shilo, or one of my other "victims." Either way, happy to have you here!

I've had many changes over the years, including a complete stop of BDSM and Domestic Discipline of my Husband/Chosen One/slave Shilo due to his ongoing problems related to his health. Currently, his Advanced metastatic prostate cancer is under control thanks to his Chemotherapy (an injection every 3 months) and last year's Radiation, although they have some unpleasant side effects. Still better than being dead, and 2 years ago, he only had maybe 2 years to live without treatment, so I'm happy.

Related to all that, Shilo recently decided to talk to his doctor about his desire to engage in sexual activity, and related to that, although not mentioned to the doctor, is his interest in spanking and other related activity has returned. I NEVER, not once, complained about his lack of interest since his diagnosis, because it's not like he has had any control in the matter. This was his decision to do something about it, and I'm glad it was Shilo's decision, because it means a lot to me.

Last week, Shilo sent me an email titled "The Six O'Clock Alarm" and because it is personal, yet relevant, especially to couples who may have reached a point of disinterest, or maybe a dry spell, I wanted to share the email with you.  In the interest of presenting it in my blog, I've changed some You's to me, etc. Please enjoy!

The Six O'Clock Alarm

His phone alarm goes off at 6PM, every day.

Am I in the kitchen, at the computer, in bed, next to him, not home? If I am easy to find, he may ask me something like "You in?" or "You game?"

He will not wake me for this – appointment. If I am asleep, It's canceled. 

IF I am not home, it's canceled. IF I say 'No', with or without a reason, doesn't matter, it's canceled. He can cancel, too, for health issues.

IF we're both in and willing:

He will enter Stitch’s bedroom (on the rare occasion that Stitch might be occupying his bedroom at this particular time, we'll adjust this to our room). Shilo will prepare himself, in terms of state of undress suitable for the temperature, and position himself for a spanking.

Before I enter the bedroom, I will go into the Dining Room to use the dice. There is paper, and a pen nearby. I will roll ONE die, to indicate the number of spanking implements I get to pick. Then I will roll BOTH dice, to indicate how many swats of the each implement.... and write the numbers down. I will continue rolling, one roll for each implement, until my list is complete. (EXAMPLE: I roll a 4, so four implements, and then I roll 10, so ten swats with the first implement, then I roll 3, so three swats with the second, and so on...)

This MAY result in one implement, two swats. This MAY result in six implements, twelve swats each. That's just... the way the dice roll.

I will go into the bedroom, select my implement(s), and (this would be a great time for me to say anything that comes to mind, along the lines of “I'm glad I'm about to spank you, because you did this, or I'm upset about that”), and deliver the indicated number of swats to his anxiously-waiting bare bottom.

I will put down the implement, select my next, employ it, and so on until I have finished with the number of implements indicated, and then I will announce by saying, "Done!" so he knows I’m finished. If I’m feeling nice, I will ask him to pose for pictures for his diary. I might then say, cheerily, "All done!" or perhaps, grumpily, any other words that lets him know he can get up, get dressed, put away implements, etc. He might even offer a 'thank you' of an intimate nature, right after. I may accept or refuse, my choice.

Back to the cancellations mentioned above: If there are three cancellations in any one week period (Sunday to Saturday) we will have a conference to assess the reasons, and decide if the plan is working for us.

Positive to this plan: no guesswork as to the other's mood, no hemming and hawing. No asking or demanding. This is not punishment or discipline, which Shilo resents. For me, this could be therapeutic, I can think about the number of times I wanted to spank him, and he wouldn't cooperate.

Negative to this plan is no spontaneity. Spontaneity has not worked great for us, anyway. No adjustment to the number of swats decided by the dice. If I don't think the number is big enough, I can wait another day. Or lie. He has no way of verifying the numbers that came up on the dice. I might be pissed off by something he did and decide, without rolling any dice, that the numbers are 6x12.

So, my people, what do YOU think? Do you have any thoughts or input?

I will share that I had my doubts, but since that email, we have done this three separate times, and it has worked out well for us.

Cocktails Anyone?

I'm pretty sure most people have heard of a "Cookie Exchange" where a group of people (usually women) get together around Hanukkah and Christmas and bake a batch of their specialty cookies and have cards available with the recipe so that they can share it.

Anyway, my Dear Friend KDPierre came up with a different idea.  How about doing one with Holiday cocktails? It doesn't have to have alcohol in it (Good thing, because I don't drink alcohol!) and it would be fun! Well, I'm on board with that!

You can find the blog with the participation information and "rules" HERE! On the date of what I'm calling the "Cocktail Party" add your link to the recipe, and then, add everyone else's links to their cocktail recipes so it looks like Hermoine's and then EVERYONE can have some fun!

See you on the 17th!