Oh there’s nothing like an evening at the State Fair. Back when I lived in Chicago, I had to travel 300 or so miles to get to it. Now that I live in Louisville, it’s just a fifteen minute drive away. The place has it all, world class horse shows, carnival rides, cock crowing competitions, […]
READ ONThe really good late-season freestone peaches are coming in here in Kentucky. There’s no way I can ignore that. So I figure a little of this action might be in order: Peach Cobbler And if you’re like me you spend a good chunk of your time these days trying to think up ways to consume […]
READ ONI’m very glad to have had a full week before debriefing this project, since I’ve never known a refrigerator pickle that didn’t benefit from several days of ripening. Oh the deep down contentment of opening the fridge to a big jar of home-pickled goodies. I’m frequently disappointed by the fading that usually happens with watermelong […]
READ ONWhile in Chicago I had the opportunity to try the new fudge mint and peanut butter Oreos. I pronounced them good. The mint was especially nice, with a pretty decent minty flavor. The peanut butter was less satisfying, lacking a pronunced PB bouquet. But come on, how bad can an Oreo be? There was a […]
READ ONAh Chicago, how I miss thee. But then I spent 6 hours of the last four days in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton… The week off was capped by my sister-in-law’s wedding on Saturday, which was a splendid affair. Little Josephine failed to make it down the aisle […]
READ ONI’m sorry, but I just couldn’t stay away, especially with the New York Times swiping all my best ideas again. I only just finish a long series on home ice cream making when they come out with their own article on the subject! Lucky for them there’s unique news here: a new wave of home […]
READ ONI hate to end on such a macabre note, but events got away from me today. I had some fun stuff on watermelons that’ll have to wait. I’m headed off on vacation this coming week, but I’ll be back in action on Monday the 21st. In the meatime, if you feel like taking me up […]
READ ONThat last post reminds me of a funny turn of phrase that you can still hear every so often in Britain: “Tap the Admiral”. It means to sneak a drink. During part of my stint in Britain I lived in a chapel house, populated almost entirely by monks and theological students. One fellow (the abbot […]
READ ONHow well does pickling work for meat, a reader has been wondering. The answer is: pretty well. There are all types of pickled fish in the world (herring and the like), and then or course the famous Irish (or at least American-Irish) corned beef. The word “corned” actually refers to the pickling process here, not […]
READ ONOh my yes you can, as every teenager who’s pinched a forgotten bottle of their parents’ pear brandy knows. I have a recipe for pickled peppers in brandy given to me by an old German chef I knew in Chicago, the products of which can actually be used for physical combat. For obvious reasons, alcohol-based […]
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