The Gin Connoisseur

Gainesville

High in the low 60s today-- low of 31 (!) expected. This is not unheard of, but certainly not heard of in a very long time. Glad now I didn't get the gardening bug this year, else I'd be fretting about tomatoes and peppers and beans (oh my!) all of which should have been planted and established ages ago.

All the joys of cold weather: bad hair days, fingernails splintering, dry skin, and another night of competition with the cat for bed space. Bill has given her a new nickname: Kitty T. (T as in Trouble.)

We all slept in this morning-- it IS great sleeping weather, of course. I threw together a Leanne-based menu plan, and made a late shopping run. Had forgotten all about Easter until I got there, and realized I should do some sort of roast beast, especially since it's so frakkin' cold. Didn't see a ham I liked, so got a small standing rib roast. Also, didn't see salmon I liked; much mental shifting of the menu plan as I shopped. The fridge is packed to the gills with who knows what. I'll need to sit down tomorrow and take a serious inventory and revise the plan.

My pantry purge had turned up egg dying stuff from some years past, so will probably dye some past-it eggs tomorrow. I DID do the liquor run, picking up a pair of Tanq half gallons. I notice Tanq has yet another new gin variety out, and this one comes in half gallons, unlike the effete Ten. It's called Rangpur, and while not lime flavored, has lime hints, supposedly. I was tempted to try it, but didn't have the wherewithal to schlep another bottle to the car. I am curious, though. I've become such a gin fancier (snob).

The thing I fixed tonight was SO weird: Sausage and Spinach Soup. It calls for a pound of chopped mushrooms. When I added these to the rather modest sausage, tomatoes, onions, broth etc. the "soup" all but disappeared. I decided to cook the mushrooms some (recipe said to add off heat), and something soup-like eventually reappeared. Spinach added off heat, topped with Romano. Very strange, but strangely good. Both Bill and the Cat approved. And soup was appropriate for such a cold night. It was so filling I had no interest in the sushi I bought as a side, nor in the cuke/tomato salad I manufactured at the last minute.

I need to look into those Shout sheets you mentioned, Mom. Think I forgot to mention that earlier in the week I managed to dump a bottle of olive oil on myself-- caught it quickly, but it left a nasty oil stain on my Everyday Cooking apron and the t-shirt I was wearing under it. I'm trying to get it out after soaking in Shout and Ivory liquid-- Castor is midway through his stain cycle as we speak. I have another apron in there, along with the t-shirt, and am wondering how the various colors will play together-- the Shout sheets might have helped. Maybe.

Sorry about last night's unedited mess of a post. But tonight's will probably be even worse. My editorial voice seems to be on vacation.