New York Times, Feb. 24 2011:
Currently, there are six lawsuits winding their way through the courts where the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act is at issue, Mr. Davidson said.
No, not ‘wind,’ but ‘wend’. To wend one’s way means to steer or direct oneself. From the same old English word stem that gives us the verb ‘wander’.
Sour Cereal Recipe
1/2 cup millet
8-9 cups water
Wash the millet, add to a 4-qt pot with the water. Turn on the heat.
Ginger – about 1-inch piece, chopped finely (cuisinart works).
½ medium-sized onion – chopped fine (cuisineart)
Add ginger and onion to the pot.
3 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1 pinch ground fenugreek
Add cumin, salt and fenugreek to the pot. Stir the pot to prevent its foaming over the side.
2 ½ tsp chopped green chillis, canned
Add chillis and coconut to the pot. Stir, scrape off the foam.
1 ancho chilli pepper
Break ends off the chilli, dump out the seeds, cut into small pieces with scissors.
6 pitted dates (will be too sweet if you use too many), chopped fine.
½ tsp Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce
2 Tbsp medium-heat bottled Salsa
1Tbsp Butter
Add chilli, dates, sauce, and salsa to the pot.
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut — add
The Sour Cereal is cooked when the millet seeds are split open.
1 bunch chopped Cilantro
Turn off the heat, add chopped cilantro.
Serve when hungry.
Many people (okay, a few) have asked me how I make my wine blend, Castello d’Avis. Since reading the column in The Atlantic about the quality of box wines (reviewer liked the Franzia cabernet sauvignon), I thought I should post my own blend.
The idea behind this blend came from our liking of a Californa blend, Menage a Trois; a tasty wine, but getting more and more expensive: last I looked, it was $11 at CostCo. That’s getting a bit rich for my blood. It’s a blend of cabernet, merlot and zinfandel. I haven’t found a cheap zinfandel in a box, so I am using the shiraz.
7 Parts (350 ml) Almaden Cabernet Sauvignon
5 Parts (250 ml) Carlo Rossi Merlot
3 Parts (150 ml) Black Box Shiraz
Almaden Cabernet Sauvignon: it has a fresh, hearty flavor, with a pleasant bouquet (some overtones of chocolate): unusual in a box wine. I’ve tried all (that are carried by Total Wine), and this is the best. $11 for 5 liters.
Carlo Rossi Merlot: Gives a fruity body to the blend. Best of the big boxes: $15 for 5 liters.
Black Box Shiraz: The spiciest of the boxes. $15 for 3 liters.
That comes to $41 for a total of 13 liters, which is 17.33 bottles at 750 ml each, or $2.37 per bottle. Pretty good price, and a pretty good wine.