Tonight, following a suggestion that A— wrote on the internet, we went to The Green Street Grill for cocktails and dinner. As I’d been directed I requested a cocktail made with Bittermens Bitters — specifically the Xocolatl mole bitters. The bartender (featured here on a page on the internet) made me the same drink that my friend R— got when making a similar request which she later wrote about on the internet.

While at the restaurant, we ran into T— and J—, who I know from the internet.

Upon arriving at home, I looked up the drink and discovered that someone else I know entirely via the internet wrote a short comic about making it.

Here is the drink, which you are reading about on the internet:

The Twentieth Century

1 1/2 ounces (4.5 cl.) gin
3/4 ounce (2 cl.) Lillet Blanc
3/4 ounce (2 cl.) light creme de cacao
3/4 ounce (2 cl.) fresh lemon juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

(Recipe via Wikipedia, a site on the internet for counterfactual information.)

Oriental Veal Casserole

1 lb veal
2 tbs shortening
1.5 cups sliced celery
2 small onions
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tbs soy sauce
.25 cups uncooked rice

Hot Dog Casserole

Potato Buds ®
.25 cups sweet pickle relish
2 tbs salad dressing
1 tbs instant minced onion
2 tsp mustard
4-6 frankfurters (sliced in half and inserted into the casserole dish upright)

Cereal Topping for Vegetables

Enhance vegetables with a buttery, crisp topping. A delightful disguise for warmed-overs.

1 half cup Cheerios ®, Kix ® or Wheaties ®
1 tablespoon butter
salt

Stir and sprinkle over creamed vegetables

Franko Corn Thins

2 eggs
3/4 cups milk
1 package Betty Crocker Corn Muffin Mix ®
Parmesan cheese
5 frankfurters
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt

Cheese Pennies

1 jar Pasteurized Processed Sharp American Cheese Spread ®
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup Gold Medal ® flour

Other recipes omitted:

Olive Cheese Balls
Spicy English Muffins
Cereal Funny Faces
Sassy Sausages
Nippy Shrimp
Polynesian Ham Loaf
Tomato Bursts

Liza’s enthusiasm for writing is a gift she will always treasure. Bravo Liza!

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Not any less superior was the bacteria report she wrote so beautifully.

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Tests do not always reflect her real understanding of the algebraic operations presented.

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Attention aux détails!

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There has been a noticible [sic] change in attitude this quarter, in receptiveness to the work we are doing in Art class. I hope this is just a passing phase. B-

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Liza did well on her written work although she could participate more in our discussions.

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Latin: She is not working up to her capacity. B+

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Days absent: 3

Some of the rules are the same: no authors I’ve read previously, no books that I’ve seen adapted into film, a baker’s dozen. New rule: works in translation with a different language each month.

I’ve ordered them, somewhat nonsensically, based on climate.

January: Russian
Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita

February: Japanese
Mishima Yukio: The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

March: German
Thomas Mann: Death in Venice

April: Dutch
Harry Mulisch: The Assault

May: Spanish
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude

June: French
Michel Houllebecq: The Elementary Particles

July: Italian
Italo Svevo: Zeno’s Conscience

August: Arabic
Elias Khoury: Gates of the Sun

September: Anglo-Saxon
Beowulf (Seamus Heaney translation)

October: Chinese
Mo Yan: The Republic of Wine

November: Yiddish
Isaac Bashevis Singer: Enemies

December: Norwegian
Knut Hamsun: Hunger

Bonus book:
Portuguese
Jorge Amado: Dona Flor and her Two Husbands

It felt odd to omit all of India but I couldn’t find anything I was interested in that wasn’t written originally in English. I bumped Portuguese in favor of Arabic — the list was too heavy on Romance languages. Within any given language, I went with contemporary over classic.

(I read some excerpts from Beowulf in high school but it was a different translation and I’ve wanted to read this one anyway, plus it’s my project and I can cheat if I want to.)

This Ask Metafilter thread was invaluable, although the project is somewhat different: Which books are most representative of each country?.

Usually when it’s our birthdays we have two dinners: one is a big multi-course prix fixe extravaganza at a nice restaurant, and the other is cooked at home. The home-cooked dinners are easy comfort food (in their own way) and unlike most nights, the other person does not have to do the dishes. That’s the real gift.

When I make dinner for Dan’s birthday, it’s ma po tofu, adapted from Land of Plenty by Fuschia Dunlop.

My birthday was more recently. Dan made pastitsio, from Cook’s Illustrated Best 30 Minute Recipe.

Recipes follow:
Read the rest of this entry »

Last night I had to prepare an impromptu dinner for one. I made a veggie burger with bacon and cheese. The burger was cooked in the bacon fat. It was delicious.