Musings

A minor wealth of djuknows here….

Rye, originally created from rye grain (Secale cereale), may not have as much rye in it today. Cheaper substitutions, a sweetened flavor profile, and all that.

And, if you use rye for a classic Manhattan, you need a maraschino cherry (do you say “shee” or “skee” for that middle syllable?), and that’s an interesting djuknow, too. The name, my dictionary says, comes from the words for bitter cherry. The jarred version we encounter, however, is made from a sweet cherry…with sweet syrup—very sweetened. I see that Amazon offers some maraschino cherries with reasonable ingredients lists….

A Friday tip-o-the-glass to ya!

Okay, for the trifecta, read about vermouth here.

Posted at 10:22 PM | 2 Comments »

Just wondering: one of the specialties of Provence is rosé, that is, rosé that isn’t sweetish, but a stand-alone tasty blend, and we sampled so little Provence rosé when we were there last fall…is that reason enough to push to return? To taste rosé? To argue for another France trip on the altar of planning….

Plus maybe if we returned I could learn to taste whether a rosé is made from Mourvedre or Cinsault or some other grape…. Just thinking ahead.

Posted at 8:01 PM | 1 Comment »

I lived one of those strange coincidences today—had to start new bottles of all but one of my supplements…that’s never happened before. I didn’t start them at one time. They don’t have the same number of doses per bottle.

Posted at 8:46 PM | Comments Off on Random nutrients

Rain off and on all day made the tulips float. Still…miniature…but trying to open….

We did a Cinco de Mayo celebration of sorts tonight, under the assumption that independence is one of a range of conditions worthy of being honored.

We got a frozen red mole chicken dinner from TJs (never tried it before; rice gluey but kinda interesting/okay; whole dish fine), and I cooked down and pureed three cans of black beans to make refried beans (which are not fried, despite the name*). With guac as a salad, yum.

*Which otherwise might make the holiday Cinco de Fry-o?

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on No beer (for no apparent reason)

Vodka gimlet.

It’s Friday and the server’s still not functioning. So, here’s a drink.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Sip away

We branched out today, buying a wee 300g–wheel of Le Chimay à la Bière, made by the Belgian Trappists known for their beer. Indeed, cheese bathed in beer—what can go wrong?

Our conclusion: fine fine lovely wonderful. Yum.

Posted at 5:09 PM | 2 Comments »

The Italian salames we tried didn’t have a cheesecloth layer like this one….

This is the sausage I’ve found here in ATL, in a cursory rather than exhaustive search, that is most similar to the everyday ones we enjoyed in southern Italy. Its serious classy name and presentation are no comparison to one of our Italian favorites, Il Baby—short little sausages sold in pairs….

So far I’ve only noted these gems at Whole Foods; the line has several versions, not all of which I’ve see at WF.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Appetizer?

Storms overnight meant neither of us slept well. After a nap this morning, when it finally got quiet, I got sucked into Paul Lukacs’ Inventing Wine (2012). We might not recognize the liquid the ancients called wine as such. This means there’s been quite a migration of meaning—interesting…along with changes in manufacturing…. For starters, to the ancients quality wines were made from raisinized grapes, not fresh ones. Also, the liquid wasn’t sealed from oxygen, so the flavor migrated; can’t say I’d be excited about swilling the vinegarish stuff….

Posted at 5:48 PM | 1 Comment »

I’m feeling…static Friday.

A recent in-law party has led me to…a (temporary?) fascination with Manhattans.

My variation: rye (not “regular” bourbon)—the “original” recipe.

Which raises the question: Are there non-HFC maraschino cherries out there (in the accessible world)?

In the meantime, bottoms up!

Posted at 7:12 PM | 5 Comments »

I had a bit of a consumerism day. Nothing major, just a series of purchases of little note. Plus lunch out. Sushi buffet.

Posted at 8:44 PM | Comments Off on Maybe not your cuppa tea