Cold Lamb, Warm Marlin or a Few Weeks in Review

(Note: This post has been sitting around, unpublished, since mid-March. I can't quite remember the details on some of the pictures so I'll just allow this to be a simple bit of non-captioned eye candy. M)

I know it's supposed to be cold hands, warm heart but my interpretation was more appropriate for my post. As I write this post today, Saturday the 15th, we've been having heaving squalls of rain, and gusts of wind up to 50 mph, so paradise or not, we're not immune to the madness that Mutha Naychure has been throwing the entire planet. Laugh or not, hate me or not, it's chilly here with the rains. I've got the space heater on and the cats have been scratching on the door and clawing the screen, imploring me with their big surprise-birthday-party eyes. They're outdoor cats, not mine, and I love them but I just couldn't deal with them inside the house... those curiously little nosey faces getting into everything. My house is not set up for kitties running amok. So here I am, inside, hoping the winds won't bring down tree limbs which will take out the power and me trying to stay as cozy as possible on such an impossibly rainy day.

Nasturtiums

Brightly colored. Peppery. Flower. Edible.

I have always had a fondness for this plant. The bright summery, highly-saturated hot colors of red, orange, crimson, persimmon, burgundy and sometimes white. The cool, peppery watercress or arugula bite of the leaves - charming in salads, mixed into sweet butter with fresh lemon juice and zest, or steeped in champagne vinegar. 

Petals heaped (generously) into a measuring cup.

Mixed with the appropriate ratio of champagne vinegar.

The strained elixir in a slim, tall-neck bottle (anyone but me think this looks like the Eye of Sauron?)

Blended with softened sweet organic butter, backyard lemon juice and zest, then rolled into a small log and frozen for future use on a juicy, grilled piece of steak or fish.