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Chocolate Missile
Jan. 21st, 2008 08:22 pm2 parts vanilla vodka
2 parts creme de cacao
1 part Navan
1 part Frangelico
Combine with ice in a shaker; serve in a cocoa-rimmed cocktail glass.
2 parts creme de cacao
1 part Navan
1 part Frangelico
Combine with ice in a shaker; serve in a cocoa-rimmed cocktail glass.
dining 2007
Jan. 6th, 2008 02:23 pmFollowing up on dining 2005, I present Dining 2007
(yes, 2006 happened, but I never bothered to post it. and the last four months of the year are missing anyway).
Days something was recorded: 252
Most frequent places for dining out: Joe Sent Me, Hana Sushi, Redbones.
Restaurants visited exactly once: 46
Most frequent meals at home: black bean quesadillas (again!), tomato/basil/mozzarela salad (despite only being able to eat it during a two-month stretch), pasta with zucchini and goat cheese.
( foooooood )
(yes, 2006 happened, but I never bothered to post it. and the last four months of the year are missing anyway).
Days something was recorded: 252
Most frequent places for dining out: Joe Sent Me, Hana Sushi, Redbones.
Restaurants visited exactly once: 46
Most frequent meals at home: black bean quesadillas (again!), tomato/basil/mozzarela salad (despite only being able to eat it during a two-month stretch), pasta with zucchini and goat cheese.
( foooooood )
2004-2006 (Amherst): 91 bottles of wine consumed (61 were Charles Shaw). Monthly rate of 3.79 (2.54 chuck).
2006-present (Cambridge): 54 bottles of wine consumed (14 were Charles Shaw). Monthly rate of 3.6 (0.93 chuck).
The irony, of course, is that we drank three times as much Charles Shaw when we had to drive to Cambridge to get it.
2006-present (Cambridge): 54 bottles of wine consumed (14 were Charles Shaw). Monthly rate of 3.6 (0.93 chuck).
The irony, of course, is that we drank three times as much Charles Shaw when we had to drive to Cambridge to get it.
Taste Disappointment of the Day
Aug. 27th, 2007 05:57 pmYogurt soda. It sounded like a good idea, and it certainly looked nice on the shelf over at Eastern Lamejun Bakery (hello, 1996-era web design). The day was one that called out for some carbonated refreshment. However, the double-teaming tang of the yogurt and the carbonated water was too much for me. I head that there's a minty version, and I bet having that additional flavor in there to balance it would help. But perhaps my palate for dairy products just isn't very broad; I couldn't get into kefir, either.
Wine shipping to MA
Jan. 13th, 2007 03:36 pmLast February, section 19F of Chapter 138 of the MGL went into effect, permitting wine shipments directly to customers in MA, provided they obtain a license from the state. Earlier this week ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rlcarr wondered online (aloud?) if any wineries, particularly any out-of-state wineries, had bothered to get such a license. I called up the ABCC, and while they seemed slightly puzzled that I was asking, were willing to fax me a list of the current licensees. There are only 21 licensed wineries, and only 10 of them are outside of MA:
So, do any of these outfits make something interesting?
rlcarr wondered online (aloud?) if any wineries, particularly any out-of-state wineries, had bothered to get such a license. I called up the ABCC, and while they seemed slightly puzzled that I was asking, were willing to fax me a list of the current licensees. There are only 21 licensed wineries, and only 10 of them are outside of MA:- Jewell Towne Vineyards, South Hampton, NH
- Deerfield Ranch Winery, Glen Ellen, CA
- Mildara Blass, which is the wine arm of Fosters, I believe operating through Windsor Vineyards, Windsor, CA
- Page Springs Cellars, Cornville, AZ
- Red Car Wine Company, Santa Maria, CA
- Alpha and Omega Winery, Rutherford, CA
- Hans Fahden Vineyards, Calistoga, CA
- Dorset Farms, Inc., Peconic, NY
- Black Mesa Winery, Velarde, NM
- Ventana Vineyards Winery, Soledad, CA
So, do any of these outfits make something interesting?
still life with vegetables and fruits
Aug. 18th, 2006 08:41 pmbasket of bok choy
3/4 lb Alisa Craig onions
3/4 lb carrots
1 lb broccoli
4 ears corn
2 pickling cucumbers
2 heirloom tomatos
2 hybrid tomatos
1 watermelon
1 cantelope
self-pick:
1 pint basil
1 pint cherry tomatos
5 (bigger) sauce tomatos
mmm. more tomato-basil-mozzarela salad.
3/4 lb Alisa Craig onions
3/4 lb carrots
1 lb broccoli
4 ears corn
2 pickling cucumbers
2 heirloom tomatos
2 hybrid tomatos
1 watermelon
1 cantelope
self-pick:
1 pint basil
1 pint cherry tomatos
5 (bigger) sauce tomatos
mmm. more tomato-basil-mozzarela salad.
plant matter
Aug. 11th, 2006 10:54 pm4 ears corn
3/4 lb carrots
1/2 lb cipollini onions
1/2 lb beets
1 heirloom tomato
1 hybrid tomato
1 zucchini
1 head garlic
1 hot pepper
cooking greens (spinach, swiss chard)
mixed lettuce
Self-pick:
pint of basil leaves
pint of cherry tomatoes
5 plum tomatoes
We had two of the ears of corn tonight, just steamed and dressed with butter. Even better than the corn from two weeks ago.
We also made a tomato-basil-mozzarella salad with the heirloom and hybrid tomatoes (saving the cherry and plum tomatoes for other purposes). The last time we had this salad it was marred by mediocre mozzarella; this time, on the advice of the farm stand staff, we picked up some Maplebrook Farm Mozzarella at whole foods, and it made a big difference. Yum!
There is clearly pasta in our future; most likely, both fresh tomato sauce and the zucchini-goat cheese-tarragon dishes will be occurring soon.
3/4 lb carrots
1/2 lb cipollini onions
1/2 lb beets
1 heirloom tomato
1 hybrid tomato
1 zucchini
1 head garlic
1 hot pepper
cooking greens (spinach, swiss chard)
mixed lettuce
Self-pick:
pint of basil leaves
pint of cherry tomatoes
5 plum tomatoes
We had two of the ears of corn tonight, just steamed and dressed with butter. Even better than the corn from two weeks ago.
We also made a tomato-basil-mozzarella salad with the heirloom and hybrid tomatoes (saving the cherry and plum tomatoes for other purposes). The last time we had this salad it was marred by mediocre mozzarella; this time, on the advice of the farm stand staff, we picked up some Maplebrook Farm Mozzarella at whole foods, and it made a big difference. Yum!
There is clearly pasta in our future; most likely, both fresh tomato sauce and the zucchini-goat cheese-tarragon dishes will be occurring soon.
plant life subscription update
Aug. 4th, 2006 11:06 pmOur CSA haul this week:
1 hot pepper
1 large tomato (1 pound!)
1 bulb fennel
1 Asian eggplant
1 head garlic
N scallions
1/2 lb zucchini
3/4 lb cipollini onions
3/4 lb carrots
3/4 lb beets
mixed lettuce
cooking greens (tatsoi)
Self-pick:
1 pint green beans
1 pint basil leaves
a few cherry tomatoes
I took this week's beets and some smaller beets from a few weeks ago and made beet burgers[1], with toasted pine nuts in place of the sunflower and sesame seeds. It was pretty good, although judging when such a thing is "done" in the oven is an interesting trick. Worcestershire sauce was judged a better condiment for it than ketchup.
Beers of the evening: brooklyn pennant pale ale (oh god the flash), anchor steam, and my homemade IPA.
[1] recipe link taken fromplymouth's post in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
csa_cooking, although the same recipe was on our weekly CSA newsletter, attributed to From Asparagus to Zucchini.
1 hot pepper
1 large tomato (1 pound!)
1 bulb fennel
1 Asian eggplant
1 head garlic
N scallions
1/2 lb zucchini
3/4 lb cipollini onions
3/4 lb carrots
3/4 lb beets
mixed lettuce
cooking greens (tatsoi)
Self-pick:
1 pint green beans
1 pint basil leaves
a few cherry tomatoes
I took this week's beets and some smaller beets from a few weeks ago and made beet burgers[1], with toasted pine nuts in place of the sunflower and sesame seeds. It was pretty good, although judging when such a thing is "done" in the oven is an interesting trick. Worcestershire sauce was judged a better condiment for it than ketchup.
Beers of the evening: brooklyn pennant pale ale (oh god the flash), anchor steam, and my homemade IPA.
[1] recipe link taken from
plymouth's post in csa_cooking, although the same recipe was on our weekly CSA newsletter, attributed to From Asparagus to Zucchini.This week in vegetables
Jul. 29th, 2006 12:23 pmbok choy
lettuce mix
1 tomato (some funny-looking heirloom variety)
1 Asian eggplant
1 small head cabbage
1/2 lb small carrots
1 lb zucchini
4 pickling cucumbers
4 ears of corn
N giant scallions
N garlic scapes
The self-pick was rained out when we were there to pick things up, so we'll need to go back again. The lure of basil is too strong to resist.
Half the corn was immediately devoured; the cabbage was braised with some onions, cayenne, and tomato paste. I'm going to try to set up some refrigerator pickles today with all the cucumbers kicking around.
(and I think I need some food/cooking related icons)
lettuce mix
1 tomato (some funny-looking heirloom variety)
1 Asian eggplant
1 small head cabbage
1/2 lb small carrots
1 lb zucchini
4 pickling cucumbers
4 ears of corn
N giant scallions
N garlic scapes
The self-pick was rained out when we were there to pick things up, so we'll need to go back again. The lure of basil is too strong to resist.
Half the corn was immediately devoured; the cabbage was braised with some onions, cayenne, and tomato paste. I'm going to try to set up some refrigerator pickles today with all the cucumbers kicking around.
(and I think I need some food/cooking related icons)
This week's CSA haul:
1 basket of cooking greens (Russian kale and "perpetual spinach")
1/2 basket of salad greens (lettuce, arugula, mustard greens, tatsoi)
2 pounds summer squash
3 beets with greens
1 head small cabbage (softball-sized)
1 bunch broccoli
2 pickling cucumbers
handful large scallions
self-picked:
1 pint basil leaves
1 pint green beans
(declined to pick a pint of cilantro)
bunch of flowers
The summer squash/zucchini situation continues to be out of control, though it's down a bit from last week. I still haven't figured out what to do with the two-pound zucchini. The ratio of "rabbit food" to other vegetables has fortunately gone down a bit; seven salads a week was starting to feel oppressive.
1 basket of cooking greens (Russian kale and "perpetual spinach")
1/2 basket of salad greens (lettuce, arugula, mustard greens, tatsoi)
2 pounds summer squash
3 beets with greens
1 head small cabbage (softball-sized)
1 bunch broccoli
2 pickling cucumbers
handful large scallions
self-picked:
1 pint basil leaves
1 pint green beans
(declined to pick a pint of cilantro)
bunch of flowers
The summer squash/zucchini situation continues to be out of control, though it's down a bit from last week. I still haven't figured out what to do with the two-pound zucchini. The ratio of "rabbit food" to other vegetables has fortunately gone down a bit; seven salads a week was starting to feel oppressive.
When rolled up burrito-style, raw chicken does not stick to itself nearly as well as a steamed tortilla.
( But it worked out OK in the end )
( But it worked out OK in the end )
dining 2005
Jan. 2nd, 2006 10:37 pmIn the spirit of people's "100 recipes" posts, I present "365 dinners". Well, okay, 309 after accounting for days away or when I forgot to write it down.
Random statistics:
Takeout or dining out: about one day out of four.
Most frequent place for dining out: Amherst Brewing Co.
Most frequent dinner vegetable: kale (usually with double garlic)
Most frequent home meals: Black bean quesadillas, spaghetti carbonara
( Full list )
Random statistics:
Takeout or dining out: about one day out of four.
Most frequent place for dining out: Amherst Brewing Co.
Most frequent dinner vegetable: kale (usually with double garlic)
Most frequent home meals: Black bean quesadillas, spaghetti carbonara
( Full list )
daily bread
Jan. 6th, 2005 09:04 pmI've finally got this recipe down. My yeast doesn't seem to be as active as Mark Bittman's, so I had to boost it a bit to get a decent rise.
( What, you think this is some kind of photoblog or something? )
( What, you think this is some kind of photoblog or something? )
Ethnic food
Dec. 11th, 2004 09:48 pmIf I cook up some Moors and Christians, but the rice is yellow, do I have to call it something else?
I just made my grandmother's eggnog recipe for the first time. It's a family classic, and I think I did a respectable job on it. It's somewhat remarkable in that she's usually a teetotaler, but this has been known to loosen people's tongues substantially at Christmas dinner.
Mary Taylor's Eggnog
1 quart liquor - a fifth of bourbon plus rum or brandy (note: expensive bourbon is unnecessary and might even taste wrong)
2 cups sugar
12 egg yolks
2 cans (3 cups) evaporated cream
1 quart whipping cream
Nutmeg
Dissolve sugar in liquor (may need to heat liquor slightly). Pour 1 tablespoon at a time over egg yolks, beating with electric mixer at medium speed. Let stand several hours or overnight.
Add evaporated milk. Let stand another several hours or overnight.
Whip cream until frothy but not thick. Fold in.
Grate fresh nutmeg over each serving.
Makes about 4 quarts.
(half recipes are also pretty convenient. I probably should have done that... at this rate, I may have to have a party just to finish the batch)
Mary Taylor's Eggnog
1 quart liquor - a fifth of bourbon plus rum or brandy (note: expensive bourbon is unnecessary and might even taste wrong)
2 cups sugar
12 egg yolks
2 cans (3 cups) evaporated cream
1 quart whipping cream
Nutmeg
Dissolve sugar in liquor (may need to heat liquor slightly). Pour 1 tablespoon at a time over egg yolks, beating with electric mixer at medium speed. Let stand several hours or overnight.
Add evaporated milk. Let stand another several hours or overnight.
Whip cream until frothy but not thick. Fold in.
Grate fresh nutmeg over each serving.
Makes about 4 quarts.
(half recipes are also pretty convenient. I probably should have done that... at this rate, I may have to have a party just to finish the batch)
(no subject)
Sep. 23rd, 2004 02:00 amToday I finished the first and largest stage of what should be a big and exciting contract and delivered the result to the customer. That means slightly less deadline pressure in the immediate future, which is good. The project itself wasn't bad; the schedule was somewhat demanding for the variable task of debugging an OS on novel hardware.
I can use some free time, because DDR Extreme (US) is supposed to make it out to our hinterlands any day now. The living room has been cleared out in preparation.
It'll also be good to have more time to think about cooking, and to push along the process of getting a gas stove installed. It puzzles me that both the price I'm paying and the price in Consumer Reports are higher than the listed MSRP.
After the project was "delivered" (bah, Comcast uplink speeds), we went out for dinner. The restaurant, Judie's, was described by a review book as "aging gracefully". It certainly had a lot of 1977 still going on, mostly unashamedly. My feelings were mixed. What was a gustatory revelation in America in 1977 is not so exciting now. My dish was decent (lamb shank), though I'm not sure they know about flavors other than salt. They also claim to be "home of the popover". But in my heart, the home of popovers is the Jordan Pond House. I would like to go there again, but I hear that it is no longer as nice as my memory of it from 1983.
Finally, we went to see a movie - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It was overdone, but I enjoyed it. It was so pulpy that it hurt. Retro-future is totally my genre of choice (see also my fascination with the Wasteland and Fallout games). The really evocative bits were towards the beginning - The movie went quickly enough that there wasn't time to dwell on any of the ridiculousness that went on, even beyond the things that are part of the pulp genre.
( Spoilers )
At any rate, I have to go reread The Gernsback Continuum now.
I can use some free time, because DDR Extreme (US) is supposed to make it out to our hinterlands any day now. The living room has been cleared out in preparation.
It'll also be good to have more time to think about cooking, and to push along the process of getting a gas stove installed. It puzzles me that both the price I'm paying and the price in Consumer Reports are higher than the listed MSRP.
After the project was "delivered" (bah, Comcast uplink speeds), we went out for dinner. The restaurant, Judie's, was described by a review book as "aging gracefully". It certainly had a lot of 1977 still going on, mostly unashamedly. My feelings were mixed. What was a gustatory revelation in America in 1977 is not so exciting now. My dish was decent (lamb shank), though I'm not sure they know about flavors other than salt. They also claim to be "home of the popover". But in my heart, the home of popovers is the Jordan Pond House. I would like to go there again, but I hear that it is no longer as nice as my memory of it from 1983.
Finally, we went to see a movie - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It was overdone, but I enjoyed it. It was so pulpy that it hurt. Retro-future is totally my genre of choice (see also my fascination with the Wasteland and Fallout games). The really evocative bits were towards the beginning - The movie went quickly enough that there wasn't time to dwell on any of the ridiculousness that went on, even beyond the things that are part of the pulp genre.
( Spoilers )
At any rate, I have to go reread The Gernsback Continuum now.
Capitalism
Jun. 9th, 2004 11:19 pmThe bar underneath my office has been advertising, for Boston Pride week, "rainbow martinis". Today I got around to asking them what the heck they put in a rainbow "martini". It turns out that it's not one multi-colored beverage, but an entire suite of colored martinis designed to separate the prideful from their pocketbook. I don't know whether to be impressed or appalled. Without further ado, here they are:
The nerd in me is bothered that it's "purple" and not "violet" at the end. Oh well.
- $8 Red
- The one you can't keep your eyes off. Call him eye candy, call her hot. By any other name, it's the one we lust after to get into bed: this is not just another notch, this is the trophy! This martini of Southern Comfort, Amaretto, orange juice, and a drizzle of grenadine will be sure to pop that cherry. Now take it off, take it off!
- $8 Orange
- You're not quite sure. He catches your eye when he walks into the room: she gives you just that hint of a smile that keeps you guessing. Are they checking you out or are you checking them out? Smirnoff Orange, Grand Marnier, and orange juice will give you a nice kick to get your juices flowing. All of them!
- $8 Yellow
- We've all had that moment when we just can't seem to gather up enough nerve to make the first move. Even though we know we would regret not doing it. Get over it! This Lemoncello, Absolut Citron, sour, and a nice little surprise will give you that kick in the mouth that will be sure to make both of you pucker, f*ckers!
- $8 Green
- Whether it's envy, jealousy, or in this case, just plain horny. You want people to see you eating green shelled chocolate covered peanuts so that you can ever so slightly drop the hint that you're hard up. Dive into this mixture of Midori, pineapple, and Smirnoff Watermelon. You're sure to get some legs in the air. Yours or theirs!
- $8 Blue
- No, not the sad one, lonely one, or the one in dire need of an upper. This is the one that plays coy and shy, but inside they are just waiting to shock the shit out of you. You think you've had amazing sex? Try this Smirnoff, cranberry, pineapple, and Blue Curacao brew and you will be more than surprised. You know you want it.
- $8 Purple
- Sometimes it's more than just about sex. Sometimes we want to wake up next to someone and say "good morning" and not wonder what time they're finally going to leave. We've won a big battle this year. Let's celebrate with this Smirnoff Raz, Blue Curacao, and cranberry Martini, topped with a little bubbly. Cheers, Queers!
The nerd in me is bothered that it's "purple" and not "violet" at the end. Oh well.
