Mother's Day Plans

In an alternate universe my day would include:
reading novels
vodka
and
cigarettes

(Please don't tell the kids--)

In the official universe it will include deli fixings from Billy's in Glendale--and some form of drama, to be determined.

Easter Bunny Wishes

The Easter Bunny can bring me plenty of these, by the crate.

Knock knock
Who's there?
Ether
Ether who?
Ether Bunny.
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Samoa.
Samoa who?
Samoa Ether Bunnies.
Knock, knock.
Who's there?!
Consumption.
Consumption who?
Consumption be done about all these Ether Bunnies?!?!

Ah, yes,  The simple things.  Malted milk balls and corny knock knock jokes always hit the spot for me.

Last Gasp, East Egg

I came across this online at the LA Times.  Apparently they are demolishing the 20,000 square foot
mansion that was said to have been the model for Fitzgerald's novel.  A photographer took a number of evocative shots, that you may enjoy.  Here.  Click for the slide show.

What does this have to do with food?  It made me think of feasts past and feasts future.

Currently Reading

Goddess Margaret, in the LA Times, right here.
 btw, I think not only did they like her writing, but I think they really really liked her head shot!

Weekend Cocktail for a lazy Evening

Since my daughter moved to Manhattan I've been trying to acquire the taste.  Mixologists recommend rye, so I've been buying rye bourbon.  I like the sweet, the bitter, and the iciness.

However, before a swinging artistic event, three of us stopped into Fraiche, a trendy/swank restaurant in the ever-aspiring-to-be-somewhere Culver City.  This time the bartender used orange peel, searing it with a match to intensify the aromatics.  I sipped, savored, and approved. So did AH.  Later in the week I tried this at home, and this is what I came up with.





Fill your shaker halfway with ice.
Add 2 ounces bourbon ( I really like Buffalo Trace or Bulleit)
Add a splash of angoustura bitters
Then a splash of Regan's orange bitters.
Add one ounce sweet vermouth.
Swizzle, and let it sit in the cocktail shaker, so the drink chills completely, without getting watery.
Pull out your previously chilled cocktail glass, strain drink into glass. Garnish with orange peel.

And relax!  Your taxes are filed.  Aren't they?
If not, sip celebrate that this year you can wait until Monday--

Constant Cravings

Salty, nutty, with a soul-satisfying crunch, I buy these at my scale's peril.
Once the bag is opened, they are quickly decimated.  How 'bout you?
What disappears around your house?

Salad Days

As I kid I dreamed of the salad dressing that Lucy Ricardo pitched.  I knew, just like everyone else who watched it, what it tasted like: fabulous!

The other night I was out, and my husband, inspired by restaurants that drizzle bleu cheese dressing over hunks of iceberg or romaine, dug up this recipe.  When I got home I had to taste it, for quality control, of course.  In an instant I realized, this was it.  This was that dressing I could practically taste, years and years ago.

Mush 4 ounces gorgonzola or bleu cheese.
Blend in half a cup of mayonnaise.
Drizzle in up to a cup of buttermilk, to desired salad dressing consistency.  Season aggressively with salt and pepper. 

Drizzle, a la Smitty's, over ice berg, or, a la Beckham over romaine.
Garnish with finely chopped tomatoes.

If, for some reason, doesn't live up to your expectations, try it again, except this time have someone else make it. Food always tastes better when someone else cooks.  Because then, it's like magic.

I'm in love!

This was a Christmas gift.  For nearly three months it sat silently, behind jars of spices and bags of pasta, waiting.  It was only a matter of time before I would come across it, and dip a teaspoon in.

Sigh.  Life should always be like this.  Need a supply? Williams Sonoma.  Hate shopping?  On a frugal budget?  Here's the home version, via Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts:

Take a can of condensed milk.  Pour it into a 9 inch pie pan, cover with foil.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees, place pie pan in larger roasting pan, and fill with warm water until the level of the water comes halfway up the pie pan.  Bake until rich and thick and caramelet, around 90 minutes.

(I've never tried this, once I open a can of condensed milk, its life is short-lived).