Smartinis and shopping

Last night Addie and I hosted a GenX happy hour at the Social. We thought said happy hour would be a good kickoff event to attract other local members of Mensa. Smart and fun don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Kevin, the owner of the Social, created a signature smartini for us (in the photo, there's one in front of Cathy). The cocktail has green tea, Cointreau, Zygo, and sour, plus a few other things I can't remember — a fresh, summery drink for an overcast May day. Kevin's going to email me the recipe, so non-local Mensans (and even non-Mensans, natch) can enjoy it, too.

Continuing with the tropical theme, we also enjoyed food from the Social's new spring menu: jerk chicken with green beans, cilantro rice, and fried plantains, tuna and beef carpaccio, and sea scallops with curry-mango sauce. I especially loved my mini creme brulee; the small-dessert idea is a great one for those of us who can't quite forego dessert.

Speaking of great ideas, Steve, a friend from preschool, has an interesting blog post about navigating the grocery store. He makes his shopping lists according to the store's layout. Brilliant! Of course, he's a guy who buys healthy food for his family, as you can tell from the items at the perimeter of the box. Fig Newmans, anyone? My drawing would have stuff mostly on the inside. (Alas, baking supplies, chips, and pasta are usually on the inner shelves.) I suspect that Steve is not prone to impulse buys, either.

I hope your day is filled with good ideas. Happy Friday!