Hops

Water, malted grain, yeast, water and yes, Hops...

Yup, been around for ages being turned into beer by Monks and such.
This post isn't for the Nazarine boys...sorry guys.
Let's start this by saying that I've had my fair share of beer. Good beer and baaad beer. Miller? baaad beer. Guinness? goood beer.
My desert island beers have been, No# 1 Guinness , No#2 Sierra Nevada. No#3 a wonderful beer from Stella Artois and No#4 a white ale from Hoegaarden, that was until a few weeks ago. While in Pennsylvania, I came across a local brew called Hop Devil from Victory Brewing. Wow, wow, wow... read a review here.
This has to be the perfect balance between Hops and Malt. too much malt and the beer can be sweet and very filling, too many hops and the back of your throat wants to close up. Sierra Nevada's India Pale Ale has been at the top of my Hop threshold, not anymore. Bring on the Hop Devil. What an amazing brew. Did it replace Sierra's I.P.A? nope, let's make it beer No#5, there's always room for beer, wait that's pudding....hmmm, beer pudding? MY IDEA FIRST! WOOHOO!

I am a man....really!

Doing laundry this morning...
Lint in the machine...
Grab said lint...
Actually a little mouse...
I screamed like a little girl...

Kim's cats stink...

Philly Cheese Steaks...

Thanks Steve for reminding me about this sandwich...



A few weeks ago I was in Philly and was determined to enjoy a real Philly cheese steak.
I called my friend Nick, a Philly native and asked...without hesitation he said "gotta go to Jim's Steak on South and 4th"
Now THAT'S an endorsement! I asked a cabbie the same thing and he said either Jim's or Geno's. That was enough for me Jim's it is. My buddy and I go over there and it's right across from the Fillmore music venue, ok this was meant to be cool location with plenty of thumbs up! We walk in, study the menu but were advised that we have to get it "wit" onion and whiz. Yes, cheese whiz. We get our sammy's and sit down. After studying our prizes we take our first bite....ok, let me try a second bite to be sure. What does it say about a sandwich when you are wishing for more cheese whiz for flavor... It was a Steak-Um with whiz
We just didn't get it. We were so bummed that it wasn't better.
Give me an Italian beef combo any day of the week...Sorry Nick.
He also told us of a martini bar that serves a concoction called a "Dean Martin"
A gin martini, a Lucky Strike and a match. We didn't go there but that did sound cool

A fry pan...

While other blogs I read are posting stories about life, family, books, world events, economics and computer stuff, I find it only fitting to post a message about my favorite frying pan. Yes, my Le Creuset enameled cast iron beauty has seared countless roasts. Caramelized thousands upon thousands of mushrooms. Sauteed hundreds of onions.
This pan has provided so much flavor in my life. Caramelization = Flavor. How did I learn that? My sister Donna told me. She gave me this pan when she got new cookware back in the mid 80's. She also gave me a passion for the culinary arts. Every time I use this pan I wonder how she could have given it up. Seasoned to perfection, it never fails me.
So let's turn this lame post about a pan into thanks to my sister for passing along her knowledge (and the pan)

and....


no, you can't have it back

Talk your way outta this one mister...

I was driving past Shuba's tonight and it reminded me of a goofy story from a few years ago. A friend of mine came up from Nashville with his wife in the month of April. We went to the club to see another friend of ours who was playing there. It was a wee bit chilly so the wife borrowed my leather coat for the evening. After a great show and a few days of laughter, our guests went back home. End of story? Hardly. My coat spends a lonely summer tucked away in the closet awaiting the arrival of fall for it's owner to once again take it out so it can do it's job of keeping him warm. I'm out with Kim at dinner and reach inside my pocket and pull out a pair of black lacy women's under ware. Now I've been known to partake in the wearing of unders from the fairer sex but I swear these weren't mine. I stood there with them in my hand looking at Kim not knowing how they got in my pocket or how I was going to get out of this one. I was truly stunned and confused. With my mouth agape, I couldn't even begin to explain my new found prize. If you remember in the Blues Brothers where Belushi was on his knees in the mud screaming..."I SWEAR, IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!" That was me trying to keep Kim from killing me in the most painful way she could think of. We stood there trying to figure it all out realizing that my buddy's wife was the last to wear my coat. At some point in the evening she decided her under ware was better off residing in my pocket. Kim, knowing this girl shook her head in agreement that those were hers. Gotta love an understanding wife...Phew

Opera

Went with Kim to the Opera tonight. LaTraviata, Die Fledermaus, Faust and Das Rheingold from Wagner's Ring Cycle make up the four that I've seen and I have to say...I just don't get it!! Kim has purchased a half a season every year for 18 years now. She loves the pageantry, the music, the sets... More power to her I love to see her so passionate about the Lyric. Why don't I get it? I am a fan of all styles of music but I get lost in non melodic tunage. Now on to the fun stuff. I saw "frasier's" John Mahoney there tonight, pretty cool. A few years ago I was attending Faust and in the lobby, who should I see but Billy Corgan in the lobby and then I bumped into him later someplace else.
Kim's brother is a DJ in Texas and felt the experience was broadcast worthy.
My brush with greatness

*edit* Billy's last name was corrected, Thanks Chris.

Golden Globes???

Did you guys catch the Golden Globe award show?
Each category took 45 seconds or so..."and the winner is...NEXT"
They have raised the bar for all award shows from here on out.

The best award show I have ever seen!!

(One good thing came from this strike)

Turn off the burner for a friend...

Not even sure what to name this post...
While singing "Mother freedom" (previous post) I got hit with the urge for beer and Tiroler Schnitzel Bites from one of my favorite restaurants Chef Paul's Bavarian-Lodge.
I pick Kim up and I hint around that that's what I would like for dinner on this cold and rainy night. Kim doesn't even bat an eye and suggests I give my buddy Steve a call. He convinced his wife and actually turned off the burners under their already cooking dinner to meet us. A few hours later, having been sated by the ultimate in cold weather food, I quickly realized there aren't many people I could call at 5:30, who already have dinner cooking that would turn the burner off for a friend...

Love ya Steve!

Cockles???

How in the heck can I digress from the get go???
Apparently a Cockle is bivalve mollusk that reminded surgeons of spiral ribbing of the ventricles of the human heart. So how a band can warm the Cockles of my heart?
EASY!!
Ladies and Gentlemen (and Mark) I give you...

Yes, I threw in "Baby I'm a want you" today and every cockle I had started heating up. I had a cassette of this when I was a kid. I would lay in bed at night learning how to sing harmonies with these guys. From "Just like Yesterday" to "Diary" right to the title track, I used to sing under my covers dreaming that I was in that band.
So today I was one of those morons you see driving around singing and for a few minutes, I was back in the band...

Right out of a sitcom...

Ever see a sitcom where the folks had to eat multiple thanksgiving meals?
I picked Kim up from work and took her out for dinner. We had a lovely meal with sparkling conversation. With our bill paid we head home for an evening in front of the wood stove and letter transcription (stay tuned for for that post). A knock at the door confuses then scares us. We forgot that a dear friend of ours was coming over to bring us dinner. Oh crap. We had to pretend we were starving. I contemplated bringing back the old vomitorium tradition. He starts us off with some Hummos and pita, moving into the main course, Kim totally throws me under the bus with this comment "I had a huge lunch so don't be offended if I don't eat much" I WAS GONNA SAY THAT!
He roasted a turkey and brought over this bread that tastes like stuffing oddly enough called, stuffing bread. I choke it down and beg Kim for one of her belly rubs. She touched me and I almost barfed. I swear I thought it was a good idea...not.

I wonder what's for dessert?