Remember when it was really hot? Yeah, me too. And one scorching hot day this summer, our friends Ben and Kelee invited us up to their place for strawberry vodka smoothies. They were delicious and helped us fight the heat for a very happy afternoon. We also got to play with their adorable kids, while we (probably) annoyed the neighbors by playing “Houses of the Holy” repeatedly.

So, if you're a little depressed heading into December, make these for yourself and some friends. If you play Led Zeppelin loudly enough and turn every light on in the room, you might convince yourself that it's early August.

This an old fashioned way to fight Seasonal Depression Disorder.

Whether it's just to save money or whether it's the fun of a challenge, we like to take a DIY approach to foods and drinks that we might otherwise just buy at the store. Sometimes it's homemade condensed soups, reconstructing something from a restaurant or recreating our favorite Vermont artisanal bread. This weekend it was two simple versions of a tart carbonated lime drink in the spirit of Limonata.

Last week we received some beautiful, leafy celery in our CSA - but it was a little bitter. I tried to think of what I could do to mellow the flavor a bit and I decided to do a test with some of the leaves. So, I dried some in the oven hoping that would do the trick. Once they were dried and I tasted the little leaves I fell in love.

They tasted like little celery stalks and they weren't bitter at all. Then I tasted another leaf, and realized what made it so delicious - it reminded me of a Bloody Mary. So I tossed a bunch of the leaves with sea salt and now we have homemade celery salt for soups, stews and (this makes Jedd very happy) Bloody Marys.

The mint julep is among my favorite mixed drinks for a hot summer day. I'm also a fan of the basic whiskey and ginger, also known by its classic name, the High Ball. Then one quiet Sunday when there was both fresh mint and fresh ginger root in our fridge and a longing in my heart for something slightly different, I decided to bring two of my favorite drinks together.

I'm not sure why I had never added fresh ginger root to a whiskey and ginger, but once it occurred to me it felt like it should have always been. The recipe here isn't as sweet as most juleps and it's more refreshing than a whiskey ginger alone. The crunchy spice of the ginger and the leafy coolness of the mint go really nicely together and the whiskey doesn't get over-powered. I have a new favorite drink for unbearably hot days.