Eat This While you Read That: L Jagi Lamplighter
I had the pleasure of meeting Jagi and at least one of her charming children (I'm not sure. My kids, hers, and others were involved in this swirling vortex of geeky kidness. It was fun) at LibertyCon this summer. I'd previously encountered her Rachel books, YA fantasy with a boarding school theme and a very naughty dragon. Knowing that Jagi is a busy mother made me a bit hesitant to bother her about taking part in this, but I really wanted to see what she'd have me make. And she didn't disappoint, with something completely different.
When I asked her which book she wanted me to promote, she asked that I offer my readers a chance to support SciPhi Journal, a good place to find terrific science fiction and fantasy short-form stories. This particular edition, she tells me, has a "story of mine that I rather love about a woman trying to get her son's favorite toy back from car-stealing faery pirates."
I had some fun with photographing her dish, too... I was worried about that part, some things are more photogenic than others. You'll see!
Tiny dragon, pegasus... the fantasy creatures approve of Jagi's 'dish'
Lemon-Limeade
perfect for drinking while you write:
1 cup lemon/lime juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. Lemon/lime zest
water to taste
fresh mint
Grate rinds to produce zest
Place sugar, zest, and 1 cup of water into pot. Heat until sugar dissolves. Put mixture through strainer to remove zest.
Add cold water to taste (2 to 5 cups) Add fresh mint, if desired.
Handy-dandy juice thingy. I am sure it has a name, but all I know is that it works really well.
Cedar's notes: I used two lemons and two limes, which was about right. I heated it to just below boiling, I was afraid that too high a heat would make the zest turn bitter and give the concoction an off flavor. I diluted this into a 2-quart pitcher, and it was about right. The First Reader said it was good, maybe too sweet, and we'll try diluting a little further next time. But the flavor was wonderful!
Concentrate, cold water, and mint. The concentrate could be stored for future use, I'm sure.
Pour the concentrate, then the water, and voila! you're done.
Invite little friends to join you, and enjoy!