Food Thread: Generic Thread [Insert Boiled Beef Here]

The Cozy Apron

As we go deeper and deeper into glorious fall (or not...see below), the pull of that wonderful cultural imperative to stew and braise gets more and more powerful

But don't forget hearty soups! When made well, and that means with lots of meat and other toothsome stuff, they can be immensely satisfying and filling. And even better, most soups freeze really well, so make a big batch and enjoy the contentment of knowing that there is a great meal in the freezer for a rainy or snowy day!

My favorite soup is probably chicken and hominy with tons of roasted tomatillos. It's really a stew, but I'm going to call it a soup just because. Typical Mexican spicing, with the addition of mirepoix and a ridiculous amount of hominy. I modified the original recipe a lot, because it called for chicken breasts, and that's just silly. Thighs rule!

What's that? Of course it's pozole!

I saw that on the menu at a pleasant Italian restaurant in the Philadelphia suburbs. I get that there are lots of people who don't like the bite of alcohol and would prefer something that is on the sweet side. But...that's really pushing it.

Although I'll bet with a little work it could be an interesting drink, and not just a sugar bomb.

Speaking of Pennsylvania! Scrapple! This was at breakfast the next morning, also in the 'burbs. Nice and big too! And crispy. It was quite delicious, and much better than the sad and embarrassing version that I usually find in Philadelphia proper.

I bought that last month because I had never heard of it, and really, that's how one finds good bourbons that aren't stupidly priced. But it was crap. Oaky, dusty, without any of the sweet balance that those flavors need to make a well rounded bourbon.

On the other hand, the older brat tried it three weeks after I opened it and said that it really wasn't bad! I wonder whether that little bit of oxidation was enough to improve it?

I'm playing around with growing garlic, because I like garlic. Garlic is a good thing. And I like vampire movies too, so having a good supply of garlic on hand makes perfect sense to me.

But we had a spell of unseasonably warm weather, and the damned stuff sprouted! Hell. The books say it's going to be fine, but still...

I was at Costco a few weeks ago and bought the smallest pack of Halloween candy they had...the 10 pounder!

Dildo, why did you do that? You didn't have any trick-or-treaters last year, or the year before (I think).

Because hope springs eternal! And I like candy. I have a pretty significant sweet tooth, although every year I tell myself that THIS year I will control it. And every year I don't.

This pack even had one of my old-time favorites...a "Hundred Grand" bar!

Nope....nobody came by this year. Yet that bag is half empty! I wonder what happened.

Who are those poor deluded souls We know who shake their Manhattans! These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

$1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty of fifty years, but it is worth it!

posted by CBD at 04:00 PM

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