Know Full Well: May Flowers Bring:

A prolific week of recipes, ruminations, etc. But first, the Washington Post's two leading stories today:

D.C. Council Launching Campaign Against Childhood Obesity
Oil Spill Threatens Gulf Region's Ecosystem and Fishing, Tourism, and Shipping Industries

I was thrilled this morning to see these very important stories above the fold, especially the latter one. This one's deserving of loads of print and airtime, as far as I'm concerned. I mean, what the hell is going on down there? The most recent report says that it could take 90 days before this is solved! "In that time, lots of oil could spread." Thanks for the insight, Mr. Salazar. Let's hope not. You and the Prez better get on those geniuses at BP for the sake of the environment AND the livelihoods of the Gulf region's residents.

Now onto cocktails. I should preface this by saying I'm usually pretty old-fashioned when it comes to libations, but I came up with two this week that don't fit that bill, and I'm OK with that. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did ;)

First, the Candied Lavender Martini. Make lavender-infused simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and generous pinch of dried lavender. Bring to boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool and strain. Place some ice in martini glass and set aside. Put ice into cocktail shaker. Pour in 1 ounce of Drambuie and 2 ounces of gin of your choice (not Hendricks). Shake well. Remove ice from serving glass and, using strainer, pour into glass. Drizzle in syrup to taste. Garnish with sprig of fresh lavender if you wish.

Second, the "Altered State," which is a Negroni-Greyhound combo. Place some ice in old-fashioned glass and set aside. Put ice into cocktail shaker. Pour in jiggers (1.5 ounces) of gin of your choice (not Hendricks), sweet vermouth, Campari, and white grapefruit juice (not "cocktail"). Shake well. Using strainer, pour into glass. Top off with 3 ounces of tonic water. Finish with squeeze of lime. Stir. Garnish with lime wedge.

Now onto grub. It was a varied week: seared scallops on Monday night; paneer with vegetables on Tuesday night; martinis and filet mignon on Friday night; Italian sausage sandwiches, of course with peppers and onions, at Merriweather Post Pavilion pre-My Morning Jacket (our fifth time seeing our favorite band) last night; and brunch today at the Hay-Adams--just because--complete with one of their famously strong Bloody Marys.

For the paneer dish, I sauteed onion, garlic, and ginger then added cauliflower, asparagus, and peas with canned diced tomatoes and garbanzos. Seasonings were garam masala, bay leaf, lime zest and juice, salt, and pepper. I cooked the veggies until tender and added the cubed paneer to warm through. (You could use extra firm tofu if you can't find paneer cheese.) It was hearty enough to eat without rice, but you definitely could serve it over basmati.