sausage, snow, & bubbles

okay, enough with the snow. and that's all i have to say about that. :)

let's warm up to a quick tour of a few "cool" hits from the net:

• nerd alert! sure, there, there are gloves that help you access your iphone in the cold and snow...but what about sausage??
• apparently, my northern kinfolk have never heard of snow cream. well y'all, it's a southern-thing. if you don't believe me, just ask paula deen!
• what do you do while you're snowed in AND it's valentine's weekend? enjoy a little bubbly, that's what! might i suggest something that tastes top-notch and it's $ friendly - gruet blanc de noirs. sooooo yummy!!
• if you're thinking of doing some cooking this weekend for your sweetie, you're not gonna find any better recipes than those in thomas keller's newest book - ad hoc at home. (finally got my holiday back ordered copy! thanks, richard!) and if you're not familiar with keller's ad hoc concept - go here.
• and some chill music to play us out...airplanes by local natives

Airplanes

Local Natives | MySpace Music Videos

dinner out

if anyone is taking part in jose garces' progressive dinner tomorrow night i MUST get details!

just check out the menu. yum.

and if you're not familiar with garces and his goods - check out his website.

eat, drink, & be merry

and to borrow a line from the avett brothers, "when i drink" i like to drink well. call me a snob, call me a nerd, but hey, i'm over 30 and i know what i like. and there is a place right down the road from me that knows exactly what i'm talking about - it's called teresa's next door (and in case you were wondering, it's beside teresa's cafe in wayne, pa. obviously.) this fine drinking establishment has been around, well, at least for as long as i have been around in pa (so not that long). but let me assure you that it's bible of beers will not disappoint you. i mean, just take a look at what tnd has on tap! wowzas, right? and they have some fine fare to go along with their brews. (you must try the crispy artichokes!)

so next time you're in town visiting or if you're out and about in my neck of the woods, stop by tnd and indulge your inner beer geek. happy thursday!!

i don't speak spanish.

but i wish i did.

i love california. the first time i visited california i went to san francisco. beautiful city. it was there that i first became aware of tequila. now, you might thinking, "kiki, haven't you every had a maragarita? or do a shot of it??" of course i have. heck, in college someone even purchased some kind of blue tequlia with a spider on the label. that wasn't a good idea.

the kind of tequila i'm talking about is the kind you enjoy. a neat tequila you sip on. lately, i've been very curious about tequila - the different kinds, different regions - all that and then some. i'm finding out the tequila discipline is quite vast. i'm thinking it might take me a while.

but you gotta start somewhere, right? let's start with a drink recipe featured in the philadelphia edition of daily candy last november. it's a drink called the deseo. which, i believe, means desire (again, i don't speak spanish). the drink is featured at a great philly mexican restaurant called (of course) tequilas. AND, one of the guys in charge as his own boutique tequila distillary called siembra azul. perfecto!

so, if one would like to start a tequila adventure, why not start with something fun and then move on the real stuff?

the deseo
(taken from daily candy, 11/10/08)
ingredients
1/6 green apple
½ lime
¾ oz. agave nectar
2 basil leaves
1½ oz. siembra azul blanco tequila (it is his restaurant)
1½ oz. champagne

1. muddle the apple, lime, agave nectar, and basil in a cocktail shaker.
2. add tequila and ice.
3. shake and strain into a champagne flute.
4. top off with champagne, stir, and garnish with a starfruit slice.

"how's your burger?"

looks like stephen starr's burger shack is finally opening this week in franklin square. ummmm, "cake shake?" vanilla ice cream with a tastycake? i'm there!