Sunshine Martini

... but first, I have to talk about the weather. It's cold, and not just your regular, "brrr, it's chilly!" cold. This is frigid, run-from-the-house-to-the-car cold. How cold is it?

Yes, that's a "-" in front of that 13. Down in the valley, as I was taking Pipsqueak to school, it was 20 below. I was told yesterday that cold air settles in the valleys, hence the colder temps. One of the lunch ladies was right inside the door, passing cups of hot chocolate to everyone as they came in. But enough about that... it'll warm up.... someday.

In the meantime, we have all these oranges, and if I have a drink in the evening, I can forget for a few minutes how cold it is outside. I created what I named a "Sunshine Martini" the other night.

In a shaker half-filled with ice, put:

• 2 oz. Absolut Mandarin
• 1 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 oz. triple sec

Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with orange zest.

It's one of those sneaky drinks where you don't think you're drinking alcohol... until you try to stand. up.