SUMMER INFUSIONS SUMMER INFUSIONS

June is here – and since it’s not yet too hot to turn on the oven – it’s a wonderful time to bake this delectable crostata with the first local cherries of the season. Yum. The “all season” mozzarella and tomato is as pretty as it is delicious. And since Pet Appreciation Week is the first week in June, you should hook your pooch up with these CBD biscuits! They have tamed some pretty hyper pups … a nice way to say “I love you.” I infused the crostata and the olive oil with the strain Sunburn, a delicious smoking and tasting strain from Noble Farms. The CBD is from East Fork Cultivars, a superb flower that’s grown with a lot of love.

Cannabis Cherry Crostata

SERVES 9 | 5MG THC/SERVING

This flaky crust pairs beautifully with the sweet and tart cherry filling. A crostata is a free form pie, and it’s forgiving and fun to make. You can pick your fruit seasonally, or go with frozen. Another favorite of mine is peach and blueberry.

Damn Good Cbd Dog Biscuits

40 BISCUITS | 2 PER SERVING | 5MG CBD PER SERVING

1 cup pumpkin or sweet potato puree

½ cup peanut butter

2 large eggs

2½ cups oats

¼ cup grated or shredded carrot

3 1/3 teaspoons CBD infused coconut oil

¼ cup water

Optional ingredients: chopped bacon, grated cheese, liver powder, grated apple

1. Heat oven to 340º. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients. Pulse until mixed, but still a bit chunky.

3. Press the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, scoop the mixture into 40 portions.

4. Bake as a whole for 30-35 minutes, cutting into 40 portions while still warm. If baking in individual treats, bake for about 9-11 minutes. Most dogs seem to like them crunchy.

This is a good starting dose for most dogs, regardless of their size. If your dog requires a stronger dose, keep the recipe the same but add more CBD oil. As I suggest for people, start with a low dose and work your way up.

5. If you have a dog with no teeth (like my five-pound rescue named Bisou), either bake them for a shorter time, or crumble and serve.

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

12 tablespoons cold butter, divided

1½ tablespoons cold canna-butter

5 tablespoons ice water

1 pound cherries, pitted (frozen works too)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 teaspoons lemon juice pinch of salt zest of one orange coarse sugar

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add 8 tablespoons of the unsalted butter along with the canna-butter and pulse until pea-sized crumbs form.

2. Add ice water and pulse until the dough comes together. Wrap and chill for an hour.

3. In another bowl, combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, orange and lemon juice. Toss with the orange rind.

4. Heat oven to 340º. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle, ⅛ of an inch thick. Place the fruit on the crust, leaving a 1½ inch border. Fold the crust up around the fruit, and dot with the remaining butter and coarse sugar.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust has browned and the fruit is bubbling.

6. Once cooled, slice into nine pieces and serve.

SERVES 3

Fresh Mozzarella With Cannabis Drizzle

9 slices good quality fresh mozzarella cheese

6 basil leaves, shredded

2 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped

2 tablespoons toasted walnuts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Cannabis olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced coarse black pepper

1. Layer the mozzarella slices on a small plate. Sprinkle with the basil, bacon and walnuts. Combine the two oils with the garlic and drizzle with the oil.

2. Serve with crusty bread.

This use of mozzarella does not require a perfectly ripe tomato, so it has no season. I make this as a starter year round and everyone loves it. If mozzarella only speaks to you when combined with tomato, during the cold months roast cherry tomatoes in olive oil and add them to the rest. Tasty!

WE ARE PREOCCUPIED WITH SEX. Since each of us first exited the womb, the genitalia has drawn our fascination by the irreversible magnetism that’s built into our DNA.

But as the system of indoctrination has been designed to control our natural urges through guilt and shame, there is still no proven method of turning off the salacious thoughts that occupy much of our attention – no matter how hard we try. Because like any animal with the propensity to propagate its lineage, the compulsion to unveil the object of our reproductive options hiding behind those undergarments is undeniable. And make no mistake about it, were we armed with the intensity of a dog or a bear’s ability to determine the signals of varying bodily scents, we would probably be sniffing each other’s backsides, too.

Thank God for perfume and cologne.

But then again, those are a creation for the modern age, as our innate senses seek to gauge one’s virility by taking stock of the current state of natural bacteria that we foolishly wash away and subsequently mask with these pheromones of other mammals.

They call this evolution.

Hence, the mind and body will negotiate, often subliminally, to direct our senses to determine what we favor the most based on our biological needs. Just as the nose knows when it dips into a jar of finely-cured Cannabis bud or a saucer of freshly-pressed rosin, the subconscious directs our senses to the favored terpenes to best stimulate the body’s endocannabinoid receptors. They are females, the givers of life, and their sensuous allure is only a different manifestation of what instinctively draws us to the loins…

We want to see the flowers in full blossom. It satisfies our voyeurism.

Because we are naughty.