Punch

It’s a fun thing, drinking alcohol but most of the alcoholic drinks been perfected over time.  You’ve got beer, not many variations on beer.  Gin and Tonic, Rye and Coke, Rum and Coke, Rye and Ginger, Rye and 7-Up and so on.  Vodka still seems foreign to me, the whole martini thing, I don’t understand.  Some people just don’t care what they put in their drinks, as long as it’s cold and they can taste the alcohol.  Some like lime on the side, straight, on the rocks.  It’s a long list but something you learn through drinking, learn from different people and from various jerk bartenders who let you know the name of what you are asking for.   But not drinking alcohol is a different beast altogether and it’s something I’ve been doing since March, a few months.  I haven’t been tempted other than the fact that I still go to restaurants and bars and am clueless about what to drink.  So I’ve been drinking lots of water and coffee and tea and that’s getting boring.  So I’ve started creating non-alcoholic drinks and I’ll make a non-alcoholic punch for the Johnson Reunion.  

There are different kinds of punch, most are bubbly, some are fruity, as in using really fruit juice.  Generally they are all not very strong and are reminiscent of a chick drink but you can make some that are stiff, usually tonic based.  The big difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is that strange taste of alcohol and how it mixes with other liquids. 

Most punches are difficult to make, a number of steps, recipes are longwinded and clearly put together by doughty homemakers.  The involve simple sugars and various levels of fruit juices, carbonated drinks and grenadine, always grenadine.   The ones I’ve tried of course don’t have alcohol and they have been boring, the problem is that as you drink more alcohol, generally it starts tasting better and things get very strange as the night goes on.  With non-alcoholic punches, as you get closer to the bottom of the barrel, there is more sugar so things get very strange as the night goes on.  

Various problems with punches are keeping it cold, especially if it’s outside for a while.  The cost of the ingredients, fruit juices, fresh limes and lemons, pop, carbonated water blah blah blah, there are so many ingredients going on.  Have to decide whether to put it in a nice bowl and ladle or have it in a bin surrounded with ice.  Then there is the sugar part and whether we will serve this stuff to kids.  There is a recipe below made with wine which may be a favorite or least favorite depending on the child.  Hopefully, there is something that doesn’t make them wild things looking for their next fix, that means the simple sugars will be kept to a minimum. 

Then there’s the taste, many people don’t like tonic water, I don’t like Clamato juice close to any drink and it shouldn’t be too sweet.  So I’ve got some work in front of me.  If you have a great recipe, pass it on, I would like to try it.  Please pass it on todjleonardj@gmail.com.  If you are going to be a punch drinker at the reunion, give the post on the Johnson Reunion facebook page a LIKE so I can know how many litres I should make.

Here’s a couple recipes, I’ve tried

MOCK PINK CHAMPAGNE
 

½ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 6 oz. can frozen grapefruit juice concentrate
1 28 oz. bottle chilled ginger ale
1/3 cup bottled grenadine syrup 

Early in day mix sugar with water in a saucepan and bring to boil for 5 minutes.  Cool.  Add frozen juice concentrates.  Refrigerate.  At serving time, add ginger ale and grenadine syrup.  Stir slightly. Serve in champagne or wine glasses.  Makes 3 pints.

S.S.S. (STAY SOBER SANGRIA)

1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon non-alcoholic wine
¾ cup raspberries
¾ cup sweetened strawberries
1/3 cup apple juice
½ banana
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cranberry juice
black cherry soda 

Blend and refrigerate until ready to make the drinks.  To make one drink, use one cup of mix blended with one scoop of ice. Top off with black cherry soda.  Serves 8-10.

GINGER BEER

4 lemons                                                 
¾ cup sugar
1 orange                                                  
1¼ cups orange juice
¾ cup roughly chopped fresh ginger
4 cups sparkling mineral water, chilled
¾ cup honey 

Grate 2 tablespoons each of lemon and orange zest.  Squeeze 1/3 cup lemon juice from 3 of the lemons.  Set aside.  In a food processor, pulse the ginger, honey, and sugar until just combined.  Add the orange and lemon juices and process.  Transfer to a large lidded container.  Add the orange and lemon zests and 2 cups of boiling water and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 5 days.  To serve, stain the ginger-beer base into a pitcher.  Thinly slice the remaining lemon and orange to form circles.  Add the slices and mineral water to the pitcher and stir.  Serve over ice.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Vikings, we are a long way from it.

Our family has been in a race, the race to live and conquer the world, this time without all the raping and pillaging.  We have changed from the Vikings into who we are now.  We’ve followed different currents but a reunion brings us closer, tightens the roots of the family tree

It’s fun to remember our common starting point, where we come from.   We are going to be celebrating the widening sphere of the Johnson family from the Westlake area, the family tree of Steini and Margaret Johnson.  It’s fun to think back about them and see what they have started and how much we have changed.  It’s a chance to celebrate those differences now and not stay rooted in the past. 

Think about it, 21 people are named Johnson on the Reunion Facebook page, but ¾ have different last names.  None of us need to change our last names on Facebook to be funny or stop people from finding us, we are individuals and proud of our names.

It’s a chance to meet with other success stories in our family, possibly develop mentors from family members who do what you want to do.  The reunion is a good time to come together, to remember where we come from and give us strength and support as we continue life.

I’m trying to figure out if we will have enough space for all the craziness that will go down at this Reunion.  The Johnson Reunion 2012 is rounding into shape; there is a general outline of the weekend that will be sent out by mail soon. It’s a chance to be memorable and we are hoping all ages can participate in every activity and create memories as a group.

Sonja is organizing some activities for Saturday night after a catered dinner.  Conrad will host a history trivia contest, all Johnson facts.  It can be a family joke (I know you all have one), special location or place with family history, certain years where something big happened or remembering certain people.

Example “Who read the tea leaves and foretold futures”   Violet   “What year did the cream boat run from Bay End to Steep Rock” Not really sure, check your Patience, Pride and Progress for that story “How many families actually lived in Larkspur in the 1940’s?” Anyone?

we found this hot little diddy...someone composed a family song!

I suggest you read Patience, Pride and Progress and the other histories, ask your family about information, we want everyone to have suggestions or something that surprised you. There are lots of stories about the 13 Johnson children, many have been written in various histories and told and retold at parties but we have less about the other generations, of the people who are descendants of this great family. 

Anyone can send information, “facts,” whether jokes, locations, years, children.  Send them to Sonja at her email sonjal@mymts.net.  She is a little swamped with figuring out her iPad but she will put together the ideas.

 On Sunday, everyone can have fun with skits and a role playing charade game.  There were some pictures posted by Steina Wakefield Erlendson on the Facebook group page and there is good one, a skit at Olive and Violet’s 90^th Birthday party.  It shows the twins over their life with Kyla, Dayna, Erin and Ella dressed as the twins at different ages.  Hilarious.

Last Sunday, Luella had a 90^th birthday celebration party organized by her children, their spouses and grandchildren in Ste. Rose.  It was supposed to be a tea but it turned into dinner and I heard they had some fun later on in the evening.

A whole bunch of Johnson’s and friends from the Eddystone and Ste. Rose areas were there and everyone got loud.  Brett made a great point that Luella is the perfect wingman, accomplice, sidekick but she doesn’t seek the spotlight.  That day Luella was excited to be the centre of attention for once. 

But now I realize why she didn’t like to be the centre of attention, her sisters teased her.  Grace, Audrey, Freda (none were innocent, although Grace was the most guilty) decided to play a prank on Luella!

We will have similar fun at the reunion, with 48 hours to hang out with family and make deeper connections.  People will be having fun and you can do things, you may not have a chance to for another twenty years, or ever.  And it’s a time to start relationships with people so you can continue them at other functions.  The Facebook page is great, seeing as we have the collective Johnson facebook profiles, add everybody before the reunion (but be sure to keep them under the right privacy setting if you plan on posting crazy pictures)

the beautiful children

kissing the baby

leonard ( 93 ) and luella ( 90 )

homemade and baked with love

tribute to luella from her family

full gathering

make a wish birthday girl!!!

We are still fleshing out the photo booth area, still looking for backgrounds and foregrounds but there will be some fun things to pose with.  The background is important as it cast everyone in the same light, it’s easier for the photographer to get great photos.  It offers continuity in the photographs for the future Johnsons who look at the photos and will know that those pictures were taken at the Family Reunion 2012. 

We want the Johnson story to last forever...

Margaret and Steini Johnson

You've heard stories about them, the things that have been said is their legacy

There are history books about the Johnson's, pictures with stories.

Sonja showed up one day with a box of pictures and books and when you read them, you can follow the story. They show people who have done things, enjoyed life, sought solitude and friends

It is the story of our lives, spelled out by our words or by others about us

Straight forward, sensitive, beautiful

The pictures create memories that a story can be weaved through

We will write another chapter at the reunion, providing an opportunity for individual and group photos 

We are looking for some family members to create a backdrop for the portraits that we'll have at the reunion...Below was David and Meghan's at their wedding last September and it turned out really great!

Are you interested in working on it???

 Contact meghan_kinita@mac.com

Freda, Steini, Margaret

Violet, Sophie, Olive

the johnson family: Scandinavian Cultural ClubFive Johnson family memb...

the johnson family: Scandinavian Cultural ClubFive Johnson family memb...: Scandinavian Cultural Club Five Johnson family members met, Sonja Lundstrom, Wendy Johnson, Dayna Yurkiw, Meghan Greenlay and David Johnson ...

Scandinavian Cultural Club

Five Johnson family members met, Sonja Lundstrom, Wendy Johnson, Dayna Yurkiw, Meghan Greenlay and David Johnson

Lots of laughs, Swedish Day sweets, Sunday brunch (excellent, visit 764 Erin St)

Talked about our lives but mostly about the upcoming family reunion

Dayna explained what was currently planned.  

Wendy remembers how Johnsons have connected in the past.  

Sonja has so many ideas for fun during the reunion and lots of energy to connect with everyone

Meghan is new to the family and is excited to meet everyone in the huge Johnson family

David just wanted to know about the food

We talked about the great reception to the Facebook page, how we will use it to connect with those not on Facebook.  (this is for you young people, please keep your amma informed)

We talked about the numbers (120+ and rising) and the activities (open for suggestions)

We talked about food (a catered meal on Saturday night) and the fun we would have (karaoke and an iPod dance party)

There will be a mail-out with more information soon coming to your doorstep. But we want some engagement on the Facebook page as we will post suggestions for activities and gauge the response.

We are excited for the July 27-29th weekend and plan on using this blog for future content including pictures, stories and contact information.