MMmmm . . . Double Chocolate Stout. Yesterday I made a beef short rib dish and one of the ingredients that the recipe called for was a cup of strong stout. I saw Young’s Double Chocolate Stout was on sale, sounds like the best choice of beer was made for me. It comes in a 500 ml bottle which meant there was going to be 250 mls left. Well of course I tried it and it is just heavenly ~ very delicious and I could detect the chocolate as well. It was the perfect stout to use for my beef short rib dish (which also turned out simply fabulous).
So next time you are in the liquor store wonder over to the imported beer section and buy a bottle of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout ~ it is silky rich and creamy smooth ~ simply luxurious!
Also according to Alton Brown this is a recipe for the perfect Bloody Mary:
- fill a normal size blender with cherry tomatoes to the top and add two ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 tsp. of your favourite hot sauce ( I prefer Tabasco’s Chipotle Sauce and would probably use more), 2 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp. of Kosher salt. and blend for a full two minutes
- into a tall glass add 3 frozen tomatoe juice ice cubes and 2 ounces of good Vodka ~ top with blended mixture
- add a slice of lemon and a rib of celery
Can you imagine using the cherry tomatoes that you have just picked off your organic cherry tomato plant that you have growing in your back yard!!
Doesn’t that look good ~ looks like you can use a pickle spear too! 
With a few tweaks you can make the perfect Caeser – which my friends, Cathy and Albert can as well as myself. Leave a comment and I will let you know how to make the perfect Caeser! 
I saw a show today that claimed to make the perfect margarita. This is what Alton Brown claims to be the perfect Margarita:
- dip a Margarita glass in Tequila then wait 10 seconds then dip into Kosher salt
- squeeze the juice of two limes into a steel shaker
- into a different steel shake put one orange cut into eights, one and a half limes cut into sixths and 2 ounces of Agave nectar then muddle for two whole minutes and strain into the first steel shaker that has the lime juice
- add two ounces of excellent quality Tequila to the first steel shaker and three good quality ice cubes ~ pop the lid onto said steel shaker and shake for a full 30 seconds
- strain into the rimmed Tequila glass and add a slice of lime
Enjoy
The last time I was grocery shopping one of the items on my grocery list was dishwasher detergent. I prefer to use Electrsol but I haven’t seen it the last two times that I have been grocery shopping. I was totally out of dishwasher detergent so I settled for a new brand. This new brand to me does a fairly good job cleaning but try getting the stuff out of the bottle. It is suppose to be a liquid but trying to squeeze that stuff our of the bottle is a work out in it self. Each time I need to put the dishwasher on and try to fill the compartments with this so-called liquid - I think of some old couple that don’t have a lot of muscle strength left and what they are going through just to get their dishes clean. I finally popped the squirt spout off and I am now squeezing the stuff out through the bigger opening – still a work out but now low-impact.
I am going to email the company now that makes this stuff and let them know about their product and that they should put a warning on it that says “The Dishwasher Detergent for the Physically Fit”!
At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks is a very sappy romance. It annoyed the hell out me while I was reading it – come on – people aren’t really like that.
This book is about a journalist, Jeremy Marsh, that lives and breathes New York City until he meets Lexie Darnell, a librarian from Boone Creek, North Carolina. Well he gets 31 year old Lexie pregnant and gives up his whole New York lifestyle to do the right thing which is move to Boone Creek, North Carolina and the story unravels from there.
I found this book annoying because it seemed to go on and on with the sweetness between Jeremy and Lexie and the over-the-top politeness.
Last night I decided to finally put an end to my misery and finish this book so I could move onto to something with more depth. I went to bed at 9 p.m. and was determined to read it until I finished it which was 11:45 p.m.. When I did finish the last page my very first thought was ~ thank goodness it is over.
If your are a lover of romance novels go for it. I am sorry Nicholas but it will be a very long time before I read another one of your novels.
I am either going to continue on with Treading Water by Anne DeGrace ~ a story about the community of Renata, BC in the early 1900′s. I started it a while back then started the sappy romance novel because I forgot the Treading Water novel at home and I happen to have At First Sight with me at that given time.
Or I am going to start Here’s the Deal Don’t Touch Me by Howie Mandel. I think I will call it a biography. I got the book from the library for Bob and he absolutely totally enjoyed the book. It is not due back until April 20 which gives me a fair amount of time.
Mmmmm . . . I made Easter dinner chowder with the leftovers and it turned out quite delicious. I had made three batches of Scalloped Potatoes with one batch not having any flour or dairy in it so I had not only ham leftover but Scalloped Potatoes as well. Here is the recipe ~ depending on how much ham you have leftover and how much chowder you want to make:
Chop equal amounts of onion and celery and shredded carrots then saute with a little EVOO: add the rest of the bag of undressed coleslaw that you didn’t use to the sauteing mixture: add the slightly mashed leftover Scalloped Potatoes to the same pot; add however much chopped ham you want in that pot: add either veggie or chicken broth just to cover all that is in the pot: add a little milk for that chowder appearance. Taste and adjust seasonings then let simmer for about 20 minutes. Enjoy with a slice of grainy bread. Mmmm . . . Easter Chowder!
What a lovely surprise. Yesterday afternoon my brothers and sisters from PPWC local 26 had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to me as a get well gesture ~ how thoughtful. The bouquet is sitting pretty on my living-room coffee table.
I just finished another audio book ~ Hot House Flower and the 9 Plants of Desire. This is a story about plant magic, spiritual discovery and romantic fever (sex too) in the jungles of Mexico. Legend has it that if you can find the nine plants of desire then all of your wildest dreams will be fulfilled. The story is about a recent 30 something New York divorcee that goes to the Yucatan jungle in Mexico hoping to find the 9 plants of desire and her adventures from New York to Mexico. A fun and entertaining read. You can learn a few things about tropical plants too such as if you torture the female cannabis plant before harvesting it will produce much more resin ~ huh!
My garlic is up that I planted last fall by about four inches. I am so excited. I hope to sell some of it this year if it is successful and as far as know there should not be any reason for it not to be ~ unless of course Mother Nature decides to do something drastic weather wise. I planted close to 500 bulbs so that is a fair amount to start with.
I just finished an audio book called, “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein. It is about a dog named Enzo who knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul, who loves to watch TV and videos (especially about car racing) and is deeply devoted to his master, race car driver Denny Swift. This book had me laughing out loud, very angry and even a little disgusted a few times. It was a terrific listen!
This book made me wonder what goes on in Bailey’s mind.