Remember those resolutions? Thanks to sinus surgery (#1) I have dropped five pounds (#7). I do not recommend this method and know the weight will come right back if I don’t make other changes. I described my resolution as ‘return to a feel good weight’ which means that the number of pounds matter less to me than how my clothes fit and my body feels. I have a little ways to go still to fit [...]

This olive oil container has been in the background of many pictures on this little blog.  It might possibly be the most utilized ingredient and container in our whole kitchen. Five years ago, I found the winemaker Four Sisters at a shop in Portsmouth Virginia where we were living.  As the oldest of four sisters, I knew I wanted each of my sisters to have a bottle with this label. More than the wine itself, [...]

On the night before Valentine’s Day we shared a bottle of Kinkead Ridge 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($18)with my mother. We were waiting for the right time to open it because Kinkead Ridge is one of the most “local” wines we have. It’s made here in Ohio. That’s right, Ohio wine. Our last experience with Ohio wine was on the drunkard’s dream island of Put-in-Bay. The barely fermented grape juice was so sweet and tasteless that [...]

One of our rules is that what is in our liquor cabinet at the beginning of the year is fair game for drinking, even if it is foreign. Here is everything we start with, with links provided for the unusual or highly recommended: Tools:The Little Black Book of Cocktails by Virginia ReynoldsCocktail shakerSelection of shot glassesPlastic flaskSmall pocket flaskSIGG stainless steel flask/bottleWooden muddlerWooden reamerBeer bottle opener (wall mount, hand held, and Homer Simpson voiced)Wine bottle [...]

We are having some of our last foreign drinks until 2009. Last night we had friends visit from Cincinnati, so we went for something special. First was a very nice Brut Champagne from France followed by an Italian Prosecco (sparkling wine) and finished by Lindeman’s Cassis Lambic from Belgium. I also picked up a 4-pack of La Fin Du Monde by Unibroue of Quebec, Canada. I’ll miss all these drinks in the coming year, but [...]

On our way home from a Xmas lunch today, Alex and I were discussing the globalization of trade, especially food trade. We already make efforts to eat locally by participating in a Columbus area Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and shopping our local co-op grocery store. We buy durable goods from ethical businesses and limit our purchases to things we ‘need’ as much as we can. What’s left to do to limit our resource footprint? I [...]