@MotherOfDragons I was inspired by this recipe although I will probably swap out the tequila for rum or gin, although I’ll probably concoct a virgin version for myself. I love grapefruit flavored things and decided to do something rhubarb as well since it is in season.
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/paloma?xid=dailyrecnews-05-20-2017
Now would the Yale dean approve of our foodie creations or are they “white trash”? 
I’ve never had the paloma made with tequila (hendrick’s gin has rose and cucumber essence-not the juniper stuff), my favorite tequila drink is a Drug Mule (basically a moscow mule made with tequila instead of vodka).
I seem to have a weird fondness for mixed drinks originally meant to be made with other spirits :D. My favorite martini is called a Peach Belle-tini. I don’t think it actually has any of the stuff that is in a real martini (which I’ve never had).
Here’s a recipe for Rhubarb Collins that’s on my to-drink list for the summer:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/rhubarb-collins-394704
I think if we drink it out of jelly jars we’d definitely quality as white trash…
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I have a fabulous recipe for rhubarb ginger jam that I got from some library book decades ago. Absolutely delicious. To me, the strawberries spoil the rhubarb. (I will never forget the day I arranged in advance with a local farmer to get 20 lbs of rhubarb first thing in the morning so that I could make a vast quantity…the day turned out to be like 90 degrees. No AC. Slaving over hot jam all day…)
@doschicos , consider adding fresh ginger slices to your infusion.
Dinner report:
I ended up making risotto with fresh fennel, saffron, and mascarpone. It was really good, but next time I might increase the thin sliced fresh fennel from half a bulb and decrease the saffron a bit. Lidia Bastianich’s ravioli with pear, gran padano, and mascarpone was good, but not as pear-y as I expected. Would consider increasing the grated pear element. Shrimp good. Greens with gorgonzola polenta/gnocchi cake divine. Veal stew with fresh rosemary and sage was excellent. Wonderful flavor. Used Baby Bella instead of white mushrooms. (Marcella Hazan) It would be interesting to try it with some other meat, possibly something like pork sirloin that might braise well. Panna cotta with passionfruit strawberry sauce to die for. (If you have the opportunity to buy frozen passionfruit puree, buy some packages for your freezer. For many years I’ve been buying it at Patel’s Indian supermarket in Norwalk, CT, originally for passionfruit truffles. You can make passionfruit curd to fill cakes and tarts and flavor buttercreams: divine!
Dish washing: water, white, red, and champagne glasses for 8, total 32 glasses. Dishes for 8 for 6 courses, including underplates: 56+. Pots and pans–including 2 of my 3 woks, for those who declared woks useless on the wedding present thread --you can only imagine.
@MotherOfDragons , that sounds amazing!
@MotherOfDragons I think it’s fair game to substitute a preferred alcohol of choice. 
@Consolation Maybe I should make a ginger simple syrup as well. That way I could mix and match and experiment. Your meal sounds like it was wonderful. You must be exhausted, though! I think you need one of these cocktails.
I typically like ginger but just bought some Stonewall Kitchen Apricot Ginger Jam and don’t really care for it. The ginger is a little overpowering in it.
I forgot to add:
Antipasti, thin sliced finochiona (A salami flavored with fresh fennel, I love it.) smeared with goat cheese and rolled up; artichoke heart pesto with crostini; grape tomatoes. Wines: an excellent Italian Soave for antipasti, risotto, and pasta; Marcus James Pinot Noir for shrimp and greens; an Italian red blend for stew (not crazy about this one). Prosecco for dessert.
Alas, “my” wine guy, who is truly gifted at pairings, and owns the local pizza/takeout/convenience/kind of unclassifiable place that has a pretty amazing wine section–it’s his hobby, I think–turned out to be out of the store for the crucial few days, so I had to go elsewhere. ( @MaineLonghorn knows Mark well! ) The help there was nowhere near as knowledgeable. He was the one that recommended the iffy red. I really wanted a Barolo, but no way could I spring for a couple of $25+ bottles.
@Consolation, that’s cool! My middle son worked for Mark briefly, but the fast pace was too difficult for him. Mark still asks about both my sons - he’s one of those people who really listens to you! I like his store, too.
@Consolation I once had an delicious pear ravioli with taleggio cheese sauce on a trip to Liguria. It was incredible and the taleggio did not overwhelm the delicate pear flavor. After a few tries, I’ve duplicated the dish pretty well, and have found that taleggio makes a great sauce on a variety of filled pastas.
@Gourmetmom, what do you put in your filling?
I’m of Japanese ancestry…
Mochi is made of a highly glutinous Japanese slightly sweet rice which is steamed and then pounded or processed until smooth. Then a small handful is torn off and molded into a small rounded, not quite flattened disc, about 2 inches in diameter by about half an inch. By itself, it tastes like smooth rice but very chewy. Not many of us eat it as is, but with additional ingredients or added to soups.
We make mochi just before New Year’s either traditionally by pounding it, or with a “mochi maker” – a pressure cooker that has a beater at the bottom, like in a bread machine. First the rice is steamed, then the beater processes the rice until it is smooth. We take the whole batch out and form mochi shapes. For example:
As it is molded, one can add sweetened red or white bean paste, or ice cream, into the middle for a dessert.
As it is molded, it can be coated with a mix of brown sugar and soybean flour (kinako).
Mochi can be toasted or broiled until you have some nicely toasted spots, and then eaten with soy sauce mixed with sugar, along with a piece of dried nori. This method tastes like rice crackers.
By the way, I like risotto too, and I make it with my pressure cooker! There was a delicious mushroom risotto recipe by @abasket over on the [Instant Pot thread](Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Tips & Recipes - #466 by abasket - Parent Cafe - College Confidential Forums)!
I like communing with the risotto over the 18 or so minutes of stirring. It’s part of the pleasure.