My Grandpa's Fuzzy Navels

Does this little guy look at all familiar? If not, let me give you a little hint: he graces the side of my favorite soda... VERNORS!
I know I've talked about this before, but I just love Vernors. Unfortunately, I can't buy it in NYC, which is the biggest bummer. So when my folks came to visit this winter, they brought me a HUGE stock of Vernors which should last me quite a while.
And now that I have Vernors back in my life, I can drink more Fuzzy Navels. I told this story a while ago, but here's a recap: when my cousins and I were kids, my Grandpa made us Fuzzy Navels as a special treat when we would visit him at the lake. Here are the ingredients he used:
He would start by filling a glass halfway with Vernors.
Then he would fill the rest of the glass with orange juice.
When we got older, he also added a dash of lemon juice to the mix.
And after a handful of ice cubes and a gentle stir...
Our fuzzy navels would be complete.
Like I said, we kids went crazy for this drink! So when I turned 21, the Fuzzy Navel was one of the first drinks I ordered at a bar. Imagine my surprise (and subsequent disappointment) when the drink that was served to me tasted NOTHING like the treat my Grandpa used to make! I thought I was alone in this experience, but my cousins and I were talking a few years ago and realized we had all done the same thing- how funny is that?

So now that you have my Grandpa's secret recipe for Fuzzy Navels, you can make this for the kiddos (and grown-ups) in your life! I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday- thanks for stopping by!

I love Vernors!

If you know me at all, you know that I love Vernors! I love the fizzies that go up my nose upon every drink… I love the bite of the ginger… and most of all, I love FUZZY NAVELS! That last statement might confuse some people, as the “traditional” Fuzzy Navel includes peach schnapps, lemonade and OJ. But in my family, a Fuzzy Navel is equal parts Vernors and orange juice. I don’t really know how this came to be, because my grandpa made my brother, cousins and I fuzzy navels when we would visit him at Higgins Lake for as long as I can remember.

There are HUGE perks about living in NYC: Broadway shows 6 days a week, amazing museums, any kind of take-out at any time of day, etc… but NO Vernors. I have searched every gourmet grocer, supermarket, corner store and bodega, to no avail. My amazing family realizes the sacrifice, and will often send a few bottles my way, but I still horde it like a precious commodity. A couple of my work colleagues have noticed a weird pop (or SODA, as they call it) bottle on my desk and asked about its origins. After explaining about Vernors and Fuzzy Navels, today was the big test- I made Fuzzy Navels for two of the fellas I work with. To my great relief (though I can’t say I’m surprised), they LOVED them. They admitted that they were each a little skeptical, but other than the murky color of the drink (it DOES look like dirty OJ), they both thought it was delicious! Plus, I can’t tell you HOW happy it made it to start the day with an ice cold Fuzzy Navel! It TOTALLY makes up for getting bird poop in my hair yesterday! (Yes, I was pooped on while walking to work yesterday… that makes 6 times in my life so far- what’s the DEAL?)

To add to good mood, a few of my Etsy.com purchases arrived yesterday. I love to send cards (a fact to which ANY relative of mine will attest), and I take great pride in finding the “perfect” card. For example, I send my Grandma M. cards with frogs on them, as she loves frogs. But I’ve bought one of EVERY frog card I’ve seen in the city- so I took to the internet for a new supply. I’ve purchased things from etsy in the past, so it was fun searching for something NEW!

Aren’t these perfect? The green design is by CamCruz, while the others are made by Fiddlebones.

And I couldn’t pass these up! Not only are the covers beautiful, but there is a mini-window on the inside of each card. Plus, Popoonworld included a FREE card (the one on the far left).

And how cute are these? The “do not bend” sticker was on the mailing envelope I received from Popoonworld, and the little card was tucked inside my package. Even with shipping, these cards were a TOTAL deal, and I can’t WAIT to send them!!