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This is one of those typical Aussie Shirazes that is getting more and more of my wine dollar. I paid $15 for this wine at The Wine Library. What I got for my money is an extremely well-made wine, tasting of dark fruits and hints of something spicy. There is ample structure, so I [...]

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We had one of those “oh damn, what the hell are we going to eat tonight?” evenings. Actually, it worked out surprisingly well, but it wasn’t without a few bumps in the culinary road. The highlight was the incredible French butter. We Americans, until recently, have been used to butter being either palatable, or rancid. [...]

Filed under: Food | 7 Comments »

I don’t know what to say. The fabric of the universe has been torn. Brussels sprouts are good. Yes, you read that correctly. They are good. Now, I roasted them in olive oil, salt and pepper, then sautéed them in bacon. But still. Brussels sprouts?
Even the kids ate them.
OK, I lied. They tasted them and [...]

Filed under: Food | 11 Comments »

I got slapped around a bit, in a good-natured way, by another, funnier, blogger. I was trying to walk the fine line between telling him that his taste in coffee sucks and making the point that at a certain quality level, everything is about personal preference. I was wishy-washy, and he called me on [...]

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And it was fun too! The end result was a nicely crisped chicken, with absolutely spectacular roasted potatoes and carrots (yeah, I caved and added something healthy).  I cleverly used duck fat instead of oil, because I have a pint of the stuff from my Thanksgiving multiple-duck-roasting™. Duck fat has a fairly high smoke point, [...]

Filed under: Cooking | 2 Comments »

Not of lemon, but of technique. Recently, I watched our chef friend cook a chicken, and I thought that I could steal and then modify his method. Not really, because he roasted it whole, then carved it into pieces and continued roasting, and he knew when each piece was done without the benefit of a [...]

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For his birthday dinner, a sixteen-year-old, who shall remain nameless, requested spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, Caesar salad, and my justifiably famous molten chocolate cake. Of course, I was insulted and hurt that he didn’t want my roast duck, or pasta with shrimp and arugula, or any of dozens of dishes that actually are interesting. [...]

Filed under: Cooking | 2 Comments »

I have one of these. I received it as a Hanukkah gift. I progressed through the following stages:
1) not understanding how to hold it,
2)understanding how to hold it but feeling too awkward to use it in front of guests,
3) using it while mocking it in front of guests,
4) realizing just how damn effective it is, [...]

Filed under: General | 4 Comments »

First it was salt. Then it was a snooty, wine-snob tasting glass that, unfortunately, works really well. It was a gift from my sister and her life partner, so I would never criticize its function if it were crappy. I just wouldn’t say anything. But this thing really works! It is awkward to [...]

Filed under: General | 3 Comments »