by Brian | Mar 17, 2015 | Dedicated Drinker's Diary
Shrubs are making a comeback and deservedly so. Not the shrubs you plant. It's the shrumbs you drink. With delight. Actually, the term "shrub" covers both the ultimate beverage and the “drinking vinegar” that is its flavor base. A vinegared...
by Brian | Mar 16, 2015 | Recipes
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and the issue at hand is how to have a green baked potato. The answer involves Ireland, India, and Illinois. When politicians refer to the Three I’s, they mean Ireland, Italy and Israel, but here our topic is food, not ethnic...
by Brian | Mar 14, 2015 | Dessert Digest, Recipes
Today is March 14 or 3/14 or 3.14. Ah, 3.14 is the start of the mathematical constant Pi, a number that has been entertaining, mystifying, and satisfying us for thousands of years. The pursuit of mathematical Pi has been a complicated and ultimately productive...
by Brian | Mar 13, 2015 | Recipes
A miracle occurred. I can’t explain what happened except to use the “M” word. I have often said that I misplaced my copy of Empanadas, a slim book from 1984 that was my introduction to empanadas and had the most heavenly dough. The other day, without...
by Brian | Mar 12, 2015 | Recipes
When I see the phrase “sweet and sour” I always pause. My memory cuts in, and I can taste the sweet and sour pork from my favorite restaurant in the Chinatown of Portland in the 60’s. I suppose those little pork nuggets were sweet but it was the...
