- I'm #reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson http://t.co/WwfEFjg #
- Xena has cabin fever. I think I can't get her into the new house with new stuff to explore fast enough. She is driving me crazy. #
- Did you know that craft breweries account for more than 60,000 jobs in NY state? That's pretty great. #
- Damn. Field trip season is starting early this year. Was hoping I'd be out of here before it started. #
- Scott knocked over a full pint glass last night and the towels we used to mop made the whole house smell like stale beer while they dried. #
- Add the lovely aromas of vomit and dead fish and it would bring back fond memories of concerts at The Pier. #
- Oh my god I hate Doc so much. #
- That was pretty much a BS call. #
- Henrik! #
- Mostly seated? As opposed to what? Because other teams' fans spend the game on their feet the whole game? #
- YEAH!!!! #
- YES!!!!! #
- Duguay is looking shiiiiiiiny. #
- Sorry to see the Predators knocked out. #
- 5/8/77? Never happened. Truth. #
- *Stills #
- Anyone out there ever use one of these? http://t.co/yk7B50b #
- Rob, my UPS guy, just delivered the first of our moving boxes. He's house shopping, too. We had a nice chat. I'll miss him. #
- Well, Rinaldo left his feet for sure. I bet he gets a suspension, because there are different rules for Ovie and most other players. #
- I'm watching Modern Family (75 others checked-in) http://t.co/RvsLbOd @GetGlue @ModernFam #
- Watching Suburgatory and they just casually dropped in a mention of someone having ART. Like it was no big deal. Really refreshing. #
- Or not. Looks like it's heading toward surrogacy humor. #
- “@Shopaholic_918: I support marriage equality. Many many americans of all stripes do as well. NC is not the last word #LGBT #equality” #
- Congrats Devils fans. #
- By the way, remember all the brouha over the appraisal with the sellers and their attorney? The appraisal came in higher than our offer. #
- All that agita for no reason. #
- RT @eagene: What if male superheroes posed like female ones? http://t.co/irqpTAA #
- Obama just told ABC news that he supports same-sex marriage. #
- They just said on the news that after the violence after the RHCP show, there are now concerns a about the Cup conference finals at the Rock #
- I muted the tv because I canNOT listen to Doc anymore. #
- Son of a bitch. #
- At least we weren't shut out. What a crappy game. #
- Wow, Blondie Guy got an upgrade in his musical taste. He just went by blasting Satisfy My Soul. #
- It was pointed out to me that yesterday's list didn't publish properly, so here it is for real: http://t.co/vXfqjSj #
- Add to that list: the wonderful harbinger of spring and fine weather known as Blondie Guy. #
- Working on getting moving quotes today. Bleh. #
- Movers are booked! #
- Wait… It's THURSDAY? Oh crap. #
- It just occurred to me that I should probably look into what I need to do to transfer a freelance business to NJ. #
- I hate when I see in my head the exact piece of furniture I want and it doesn't exist. (I know, first world problems.) #
- It's kind of awful looking at the decline in health insurance from my first surgery in 2003 to my last surgery in 2011. #
- We paid $0 out of pocket on the first, a total of about $100 on the second, a few hundred on the third, and several thousand on the fourth. #
- And we always choose the top tier plan, to get as much coverage as possible, since I usually need it. #
- Okay, so I had to watch a Youtube video to learn how to load a tape gun. Don't judge. #
- I don't even know where to start with the packing, to I'm starting with yarn. My stash should clear out a whole bookcase and take 2 boxes. #
- Packing my stash turned into gathering it from its many spots and sitting in the middle of the mess researching cocktails using rye. #
- At the dentist waiting while Scott has his turn before it's my turn. #
- We're working on packing all the CDs and DVDs and sorting stuff for Goodwill while the game is on. The distraction is good. #
- What the hell was that?? #
- Stuck in the Rangers zone again?? Time for a TO. #
- Yeah DZ!!!! #
- He takes it to the hole. #HockeyPorn #
- If I was Hunter I'd be pissed about the frozen puck with no whistle, but I'll take the time run down on the clock. #
- Yeah!! Rangers win! Bring on the Devils!!!! #
- We want the Cup chant at the Garden. #
- MDZ with the game winner. Now I feel better about that jersey we bought last season. #
- Duguay's suit is truly epic. #
- RT @IanMcB: Devils already sold out for conference finals. @thenyrangers fans must have done some early shopping. #
- 66 CDs and 42 computer games packed up for Goodwill tomorrow. All our CDs are dusted and packed. DVDs are ready to be boxed. #
- I think if we get a little done every day we'll be in good shape. #
- 8 more wins, but I have a bad feeling it's going to take 14 more games. #
- I'm watching Saturday Night Live (4289 others checked-in) http://t.co/Z44Yy6V @GetGlue @NBCSNL #
- He doesn't suck quite as much as a lot of the musical guests SNL has had, but I will never like Usher. #
- It figures that two days after I pack the stash I get a hankering to knit from it. #
- I have TWENTY dresses going to Goodwill. This clean out is a long time coming, you think? #
- I'm at The Goodwill Store (New Rochelle, NY) http://t.co/u0858CO #
- I'm at ShopRite w/ @kyrion http://t.co/iNXY52g #
- I'm at Chez Baron (Bronx, NY) http://t.co/fInoZr8 #
- Willie Nelson's Whiskey River bourbon isn't anything to write home about. Maybe on par with JD. #
- We never registered for china when we got married, so I've had this idea of picking up a vintage set and making a project of completing it. #
- Saw a very pretty, pretty much complete set at Goodwill today for $60. If it's still there Wednesday, I think we'll buy it. #
- I'm watching The Walking Dead (102 others checked-in) http://t.co/7G9kJxe @GetGlue @WalkingDead_AMC #
- I'm watching Game of Thrones (12563 others checked-in) http://t.co/NAWp10J @GetGlue @GameofThrones #
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- The clop-clop-clop of horses outside my window every day.
- The Pay Phone Show. (This made the list of things I won’t miss, too. It’s annoying and entertaining all at once.)
- The view of the woods across the street from my kitchen window. (This is usually what I’m looking at while people stare in at me from the sidewalk.)
- The short walk that brings me to Eastchester Bay.
- Having Pelham Bay Park right at my doorstep, literally.
- Summers when the Metropolitan Opera performs in the park, and I can sit on my stoop and listen to Carmen.
- The way the sun comes in through the kitchen windows in the morning and hits my prism, sending rainbows all around the room.
- The crazy variety of birds that show up in the park and in my yard over the course of a year. Ospreys, blackbirds, woodpeckers, orioles, and on and on and on.
- City Island.
- Joanne, our neighbor up the block.
- Tosca, my favorite restaurant for Italian food delivery.
- The variety of food I can have delivered. Pizza and Chinese are available everywhere, but right now we also have Thai, Indian, two diners and a bar that deliver, more Mexican than you can shake a stick at, two seafood restaurants, several sushi places, Cuban, a place that specializes in only mofongo, and a cafe or two.
- Easy access to 95 when we want to go north.
- Bona Vita Key Food with its fantastic deli and crazy impulse buys I can never resist at the register, like jars of pickled peppers or preserved cherries.
- How all the local delis have mozarella and pasta made in house.
- The Old Man. Yeah, I’m going to kind of miss the old guy.
Probably not a complete list, but as I was typing someone knocked on the window and made me think of the things I won’t miss again.
- Having people who come to the door knock on the windows in the front of the house instead of ringing the bell.
- Likewise, and even worse, having people yell through the front windows instead of ringing the bell.
- Late night drunken people yelling outside at 3am on a Tuesday.
- Hordes of teenagers – also drunk – partying on the corner every night all summer long.
- Fighting and yelling of obscenities by same said hordes.
- The Old Man starting his lawnmower right outside our bedroom window at 8am on a Saturday.
- Leaving same lawnmower running right outside the open bedroom window, forcing us out of bed lest we drift off into that sweet, final sleep known as carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Field Trip Season in the park, which should be gearing up right around the time we move.
- The shower that never keeps the same temperature for more than 15 seconds at a time, turning a 5-minute shower into a 20-minute shower with all that additional time needed to constantly adjust the temperature.
- The Pay Phone Show.
- The lack of storage.
- How people stare at me as they walk by while I do dishes in front of the kitchen window that’s, you know, over the sink.
- How the kitchen table is the launching point for cats to get to the island.
- Constantly worrying about someone dinging my car, or worse, because it’s parked on the street.
- Never being in control of the heat in the winter, and subsequently being boiled or frozen depending on someone else’s whim.
- The yellow bathroom tile. And the blue bathroom fixtures.
- Having only one bathroom. You may think one bathroom is enough for two people. It is not.
- Worrying about disturbing someone else if we’re being loud late at night.
- Creepy Guy wandering around outside the living room window cursing and talking to himself, and yelling, “BOOM!”
- The Old Man carrying on loud conversations outside our open bedroom window at 7:15 on a Sunday morning.
I’m sure this isn’t a complete list, merely a starting point. Up next: things I will miss when we move.
- Do I know anyone using PlayOn with a set top device? #
- The Old Man just yelled through the window to talk to me. Man, I am not going to miss being startled by a sudden shout through the window. #
- Frozen pizza in the oven and a bourbon old-fashioned in my glass. Apparently my bachelorhood looks like a preppy frat boy. #
- Oh, and hockey on the teevee rounds out that frat boy thing. #
- Hey, Boyle is playing. Nice. #
- Texted Scott to let him know Boyle is playing and my phone autocorrected Boyle to Hitler. #
- Hahahahah. Ovie sucks. #
- Crap. #
- Damn, Krieder with the jets. And now another Caps goal. Dammit. #
- Yeah, Richards! #
- Freakin' Kreider. Way to go. #
- I really hate the summer Olympics and I feel terribly sorry for the poor people of London. #
- Thank god no Doc tonight. #
- Crap. #
- Dammit. #
- Do you think pot racks just look messy if your pots are all mismatched open stock? #
- Scott's going to be irked, but he's going to be gone a lot over the next 6 months and I need some tv to watch, so I started Bones on Netflix #
- 16 days! #
- From an Angie's List review: "I have used this wonderful woman. I have used her for at least three times" #
- Oy. Doc tonight. #
- Let's go red? That's kind of lame. #
- I don't know who DiGiorno thinks will mistake their pizza for delivery, but I guarantee none of those people live in NYC. #
- Happy didn't say I couldn't tweet: Yeah, Captain Cally! #
- Foo. #
- That horn is seriously annoying. #
- Doc: "The probing continues." #
- Doc: "Went stiffly off of Semin," #
- Richards, what the hell? #
- Doc: "Ovechkin can't get Stralman off." #
- Ow. That looked really painful. #
- They throw catfish on the ice in Nashville? #
- Looks like Pecorino will get the shutout. #
- Looks like Nashville didn't even need those two boneheads they suspended, #
- No double minor? #
- I hate to say it, but I hope Holtby's parents walk out of that building sad. #
- Actually, I didn't hate to say it. #
- Holy crap they're opening the test instance for monks on Friday. I can't believe it. #
- Bickel is the only Ranger not exhausted. #
- Schultz has the ref rummaging in his pants. Ha. #
- Gabby!!!! Yeah!!! #
- Love seeing Hank so happy after a game. #
- So this whole scheduling blog posts thing works really well. I scheduled a bunch all at once and they just keep publishing themselves. #
- They are all food and liquor, because I was clearing out the cameras. #
- Thinking about growing baby's breath. It's such an old fashioned planting, and looks so pretty en masse. #
- When the hell did cinqo de mayo become an occasion to send cards? #
- This site is pretty cool. I could spend a lot here when I start buying for the house. http://t.co/M9efsxu #
- It's torture not buying anything for the house yet, but I won't buy anything till after we close. Still, lusting after so much. #
- Happy lisping Yoda day. I guess. #
- I just love when you're trying to login to pay a bill somewhere and all you succeed in doing is locking the account. #
- PSA: The toaster doesn't work until you push the button down. #
- Tonight I'm enjoying a Bronx Cocktail with bitters, aka an Income Tax Cocktail. But I prefer Bronx with bitters. #
- It's pretty damn tasty. I think I may have put in too much OJ, though. My oranges are kind of big. #
- It's pretty snappy, though. I didn't think you'd taste the gin through the orange juice, but it really showcases it. #
- Would like to try this cocktail with that Ethereal Gin we were drinking. #
- Let's go Predators! I'm cheering on the team that does not have Roszival. http://t.co/PGLsbNG @GetGlue #NHLStanleyCupPlayoffs #
- Every time the announcers say Boyd Gordon I think they're saying Boy George. #
- Was going to go take the 5-hour class tomorrow morning to try to get a license before we move, but it takes 3-5 weeks for a road test. #
- So I'm just going to wait till we move to Jersey. Then I don't have to take any stupid 5-hour class. #
- 3 of 5 stars to The House At Riverton by Kate Morton http://t.co/hdSJ8Jb #
- Let's go Rangers! #
- Really, @newyorkrangers? Ovechking?? #
- Er… I meant @thenyrangers . #
- 3 shots on goal is pathetic. Play like you mean it. #
- Yeah, Artie! #
- No call on Stepan being tripped with that stick? #
- Three hours of coverage for the Derby. Doesn't the race take like three minutes? #
- Did Doc say "Richards squirrels"? #
- Dammit. #
- Girardi looks like insanity puppy: http://t.co/sZZLULA #
- The magic wand of Girardi. I wonder if thats what his wife calls it. #
- More inconsistent officiating. Shocker. #
- Crap. #
- Son of a bitch. #
- If the Rangers had played better in the first, the game wouldn't have have had to be decided on a goal on a bad call. #
- Got through one bookcase today. Two big boxes for Goodwill, a recycling bag of trashed paperbacks, and a reduced amount to pack and move. #
- While going through the books I found the 3 copies of an anthology I'm in. Aromatherapy recipes. Totally forgot about that. #
- They paid me $100 and 3 copies of the book. That's something blogging got me, in the blogging heyday. #
- I'm watching Paranormal Activity 3 http://t.co/hm9RHrD @GetGlue @TweetYourScream #
- The purging begins. (@ The Goodwill Store) http://t.co/7RpW1qC #
- Campari, rye, and honey bourbon. Mmmmmmm. (@ Wine & spirits discounts warehouse) http://t.co/ivERHAy #
- I'm at Ashley Furniture HomeStore of New Rochelle, NY w/ @kyrion http://t.co/DnqiwZh #
- I'm at Safavieh Outlet (New Rochelle, New York) http://t.co/eNvWiX6 #
- I'm at Home Depot (New Rochelle, NY) http://t.co/zi4OSXF #
- I'm at Super Stop & Shop (Mt Vernon, NY) w/ 3 others http://t.co/GgldCwZ #
- Dropped off two boxes of books, a bag of clothes, and a box of electronics at Goodwill. Somehow walked out with 3 pressed glass bowls. #
- 1.5 ounces each of bourbon and Wild Turkey American Honey, 2 dashes orange bitters, a giant ice cube, an orange twist for garnish. Yummy! #
- I think I know what bits are tonight, looking forward to tonight's ep. http://t.co/NAWp10J @GetGlue @GameofThrones #
- Where are the Reeds??? #
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I’m not as crazy about this cocktail as I am about the Aviation, which uses the same ingredients with the addition of maraschino liqueur. The maraschino really adds something to it. Still, this cocktail will do just fine in a pinch, and I’m always happy to have other ways to use my crème de violette.
2 ounces dry gin
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce crème de violette
Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
A little bourbon, a little water and sugar, and bitters. A classic cocktail, in its simplest form. And one of my favorite ways to drink bourbon these days.
2 ounces bourbon
1/4 ounce simple syrup
3 dashes of bitters
Stir until chilled in a mixing glass filled with ice. Strain into a chilled double old-fashion glass filled with ice. I like to use the 2-inch ice cubes you see in this photo. The cubes take longer to melt, diluting my drink less. Garnish with a thick piece of lemon zest.
I like to play around with the ingredients in this cocktail. Sometimes I make it with maple syrup. Sometimes I use orange bitters or Peychaud’s. I plan to try various flavored syrups with it over the next few months.
These little pizza bites are the easiest thing in the world to make and they’re super yummy. I mean… it’s pizza, with bacon. How can you go wrong? All you need is a slice or two of leftover pizza – with whatever toppings you like; the pizza I used in this photo was bacon and broccoli, which is a favorite combination around here – a few slices of bacon, and some toothpicks.
Heat up your broiler. Cut up the pizza into bite-sized chunks. A pizza cutter works great for this, but I bet kitchen shears would be good, too. Wrap a little bacon around each pizza chunk, secure it with a toothpick, and plunk it onto a baking sheet. Lining the sheet with a silpat or parchment is nice because it makes clean up easier. Plunk the baking sheet under the broiler for a few minutes until the bacon is cooked and the pizza cheese is melty.
Then all you need to do is let them cool a couple of minutes so they’re easy to handle, pour an adult beverage – or non-adult beverage, if you must – and have yourself a nice little nosh.
My food choices are often highly influenced by whatever I happen to be reading at the time. I read it in a book and my mind fixates on that food until I find a way to get it into my mouth. I’m sure that similar impulses are what gave rise to the Inn at the Crossroads blog. A few months ago I was reading The Tea Rose: A Novel
Fortunately for me, sausage rolls turned out to be not only easy to make, but incredibly delicious. All you need is frozen puff pastry, some Dijon mustard, and some loose sausage. I used the Jimmy Dean stuff you can get in a roll, but you can use whatever fancy sausage meat you’d like.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Thaw your puff pastry sheets and cut them into squares; six squares per sheet. Brush a little mustard on each square, then add some of the loose sausage. Roll the pastry up around the sausage and seal the roll with an egg wash.
(At this point, you can put the rolls onto a baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen, pop them into a zipper bag and store them in the freezer. You can cook one or two or all of them, as needed.)
Brush the tops with the egg wash, then bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffy and golden and the sausage is fully cooked.
They’re a bit greasy, so next time I might try cooking the sausage first to try to get rid of some of the grease. Either way, they’re delicious.
Sweet, salty, crunchy, nutty… do you really need to know anything else? Okay, okay. I suppose a recipe will help.
I used the Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts recipe from Smitten Kitchen for this. My version used pecans and walnuts, but you can do this with any nuts you have around. When I make these again – and I will, oh yes I will – I think I’ll cut the white sugar down a bit and up the salt a bit. They came out a little sweeter than I’d like and I couldn’t taste the sweet and salty contrast.
We devoured these pretty quickly. They made appearances alongside cocktails, in salads, and the jar somehow found its way onto the counter while I was cooking dinner every night. I definitely recommend giving them a try.
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