Snowed In

The north part of the Willamette Valley has been suffering through a ten day bout of snow on the ground. We've received record amounts of accumulation with some area reaching 18". My little residential street in NE Portland is a dead end and is traveled almost exclusively by the residents and doesn't get plowed or sanded. I'd scheduled vacation for the week and most of my neighbors are retired or self employed and so none us have had much reason to venture out of the neighborhood. Consequently we've all just enjoyed being snowed in since last Saturday afternoon.


I was supposed to go out and help cook and serve at a community dinner tonight. I've been clearing the snow off the old Suburban every morning, but it still has inch of ice under last night's 4 inches of snow. I decided to take the bus since the street was not really passable and as a bonus I wouldn't need to dig out the car.

The transit agency's website said the bus that runs through the neighborhood was running a snow route. So I bundled up and slogged a couple of blocks down to the bus stop and waited for the bus. And waited. And waited. After about 45 minutes I decided I was going to get hypothermia before I'd ever see a bus, so I walked back home to figure out plan B. I called up my buddy Tony who was helping cook the dinner and he said they had more volunteers than they needed. I decided I could relax with a clear conscience since they had the situation handled.

Having an open evening, I decided to make a batch of "Housemade Grenadine". I'd bought the ingredients on my last trips to Costco and Trader Joe's. It's a simple project, but very satisfying. This home brewed version is so superior to the usual store bought dreck that it will change your mind about grenadine. Grenadine is an essential ingredient in many of the cocktails that I'll be writing about in future posts.

This project would be good fun to make with the kids and you can serve it to them in the traditional non-alcoholic gateway kiddie cocktail the "Shirley Temple"

Housemade Grenadine

1 quart Pomegranate Juice - I use Trader Joe's "Just Pomegranate"
1 cup of Sugar - I use evaporated cane sugar from Costco that is really superior to C & H
Optional - An ounce or two of high proof vodka

Mix juice and sugar together in a sauce pan and simmer until reduced by about 50%

If you have an instant read or candy thermometer boil until the temperature hits 219 F and you'll have a syrup that's about 66 brix or the consistency of maple syrup when it's cooled down.

Add the high proof vodka if you wish. It's supposed to improve the shelf life. I'm not sure it's really necessary if you store it in the refrigerator, but I rarely pass on an opportunity to get more alcohol in my diet.

Yields about 2 cups or a bit more. Store in the refrigerator.

Shirley Temple

• Fill a highball glass with ice
• Fill with 7-Up or Sprite
• Add a tablespoon or two of Housemade Grenadine - it will sink to the bottom of the glass - let them stir it in or just suck up the syrup.
• Add a straw and garnish with an orange wheel and a toothpick with a couple of bright red maraschino cherries and a chunk of pineapple or orange.

Merry Christmas!