Since Bird and Deal could eat real food, the kind that requires teeth instead of a food processor, they have been snacking off my plate. Those little rascals are culprits of plate pinching especially at breakfast. They have always had big appetites, so it seems that no matter how much I pile on their plates in the morning, they are hungry for more. Take this morning for example. Bird and Deal ate two croissants with strawberry jam (that’s two each!), an entire canteloupe, vanilla yogurt, and a banana/mango smoothie.
I sat down with my smoothie and a whole grapefruit cut in half. I bought an adorable little grapefruit spoon at the flea market years ago and just love to pull it out. Using it makes me feel like the kind of lady who would have a sterling silver toast rack set upon the pressed linen table clothed table for champagne brunch with ladies who own feathered hats and hankies. I suppose I would first have to be the kind of lady who hosts champagne brunch. Scratch that. I suppose I would first have to be a lady. Well, sticking out my pinkie to drink my smoothie and using that grapefruit spoon is as close as I’m gonna get. I chose to buy a whole mess of grapefruit because I figured it might be too tart for Bird and Deal’s taste buds, meaning I could actually eat my whole meal for a change.
I was wrong.
I think the spoon is to blame.
Both boys wanted half of my grapefruit, leaving me with an empty plate. They took turns with the grapefruit spoon and asked that I squeeze the juice into a cup. The beauty of grapefruit is that you get a whole lot of juice for very little effort. And there I was, squeezing my breakfast into my sons’ BPA-free yellow plastic cups. Luckily I made a big batch of banana/mango smoothies so I could at least get something in me before my morning walk with Lark. After seeing Bird and Deal steal eat my breakfast once again, I decided there’s only one way for me to be able to enjoy those lusciously supple pinkish yellow grapefruits perched on my kitchen table.
I had to make a cocktail.
Greatfruit
1 ounce Tequila (Don’t even look at the labels below eye level!)
Triple Sec
3 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Hansen’s grapefruit soda or Fresca
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh lime wedges (about 3)
Pinch of sugar
Fill a highball glass with ice and add tequila and a splash of triple sec. Pour in freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and a splash of grapefruit soda (or Fresca). Muddle torn mint leaves with lime wedges and sugar. Pour the juice into the glass and plop in a lime wedge with some mint. Give the glass a gentle stir. Keep out of reach of (my) children.
And just for the record, I did not mix this drink in the morning before school. I did wait until the perfectly respectable hour of 5:00.