Lend Me Your Ears

Gargantuan Appetites. Feeding the Beast.

Posted on 22 November 2017

We are entering the season of overeating. It begins with Thanksgiving followed by Christmas and New Year’s, and then extends through the rest of the winter. Overeating seems to give us an inner comfort and warmth we crave. At least it seems like a good idea. Then, in April, we assess what we’ve done and what’s become of us. And through diet and exercise we begin to pay for our sins. Wretched Excess There were some whose overeating had no season. They indulged and over indulged excessively most of the…

The Gourmand

Posted on 11 November 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

A Dinner Parties and More Extra . . . A Characterization The Gourmand His Raison D’être While most eat to live, the gourmand lives to eat. He considers voracious gluttony his raison d’être. His appetites are legendary and the amounts of food he has consumed are well-known. Seeking haute cuisine in the most respectable of places, his opinions and judgments are sought after from cafes to bistros, diners to tearooms, and hamburger stands to supper clubs. Although not officially a critic, he is known as the critic’s critic. If Michelin were…

A Dinner Party Host Often Needs A Great Side Man

Posted on 7 November 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

What’s The Definition Of A Sideman? Often called a “hired gun” by other musicians, a sideman is a musician invited to play a gig. It’s usually on a temporary basis where he or she provides a special or unique talent that’s needed. A Sideman Versus A Side Man While I’m not a hired gun, I’ve found myself serving as a sideman on many occasions. Perhaps “side man” instead of sideman is the more appropriate title. Every Thanksgiving I get to perform as a side man. My Famous Sides When my…

Reasons Why You Should Learn To Tango

Posted on 3 November 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

Quote: “Suppose you had but three minutes to spend with the love of your life. What would you do? You would tango.” Why Should We Learn Tango? Tango is soooo sexy. It’s intimacy, sensuality, and passion personified. Everyone should dance at least one tango in their life. Gentlemen can score big. By taking tango lessons with your partner you will score an unbelievable amount of points. It will be HUGE. This will upgrade your slow dance moves. When the music slows down, you will no longer be limited to that…

Sage Advice About Sage The Herb

Posted on 18 October 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

Our “Fall Classic” The World Series has been known as “The Fall Classic” for decades, but in our family, we have recently added our own fall classic. It’s Food & Wine’s recipe for Warmed Camembert With Wild Mushroom Fricassee (see picture above). We have always liked soft cheeses, especially Brie, and many times we have eaten it warm. We usually serve it with a sweet topping consisting of apples or apricots. Our featured recipe takes more of a savory approach. Instead of Brie we use Camembert. It seems…

Rock Music And Wine – A Classic Pairing

Posted on 7 October 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

A Tribute To Tom Petty I was saddened to hear of the death of Tom Petty. I loved his music. Whenever I’m in the kitchen for any length of time, I play a hits disc with about half of them Tom Petty songs. Many have served as anthems for me, and I will really miss this Hall Of Fame rocker. As a tribute, I would like to do a re-post of a blog I did in May. While I guess I thought he would live forever,…

Putting Food On The Table – Upland Game

Posted on 4 October 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

circa 1978 An homage to my hunting dog, Maisy. She was a delightful companion, a great friend, and a hunting dog par excellence. If we failed to get our limit, she was never at fault. The Gun Dog Naught equals the tang of autumn air Ere winter’s wind sets the leaves asail Urging the gun dog with joyful ploy To seek the quarry, the wily quail. Pursuing the search with tireless zest With vibrant tail, a staccato beat Running gracefully with rhythmic style Scenting…

A Good Waitress Can Jump-start Your Day

Posted on 23 September 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

A Dinner Parties and More Extra . . . I have always had a soft spot in my heart for waitresses. I especially appreciate the ones who arrive at their work before the sun comes up. It must be difficult at that early hour to greet everyone with a smile and some friendly banter. But that’s as important to me as the coffee and the grub. A waitress is like an angel who appears out of the fog of my waking hours. And she always seems to get my day started off on…

An Outdoor Passion – Smoking A Good Cigar

Posted on 21 September 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

A Boston Legal Moment “In what is now the traditional ending to each episode, Shore and Crane wander out to the spacious balcony off of Crane’s office, and Scotch and cigar in hand, rehash the high points or lessons learned of the previous 60 minutes.” From Betsy Model’s Sept/Oct 2006 Cigar Aficionado article on William Shatner. Having Your Own Moment Summer is prime time to smoke a cigar. It’s a pleasant activity to enjoy outdoors on the patio. I can get this marvelous sense of well-being from smoking a…

Ratatouille In A Tower – An Eggplant/Tomato/Zucchini Stack

Posted on 17 September 2017

in Lend Me Your Ears

by Bob

The Sinful Choice There’s comfort food. Everyone knows about that. It has been resigned to the category of “guilty pleasures.” We eye these dishes with a combination of food lust and the fact that we know it probably isn’t good for us. It’s loaded with calories, sugars, sodium, and who knows what else (especially if commercially prepared). I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a steady diet of such fare. But once in a while I don’t think it hurts to indulge ourselves in some decadence. The Feel-good Choice …

Dinner Parties

Lend Me Your Ears

Gargantuan Appetites. Feeding the Beast.

The Gourmand

A Dinner Party Host Often Needs A Great Side Man

Reasons Why You Should Learn To Tango

Sage Advice About Sage The Herb

Rock Music And Wine – A Classic Pairing

Putting Food On The Table – Upland Game

A Good Waitress Can Jump-start Your Day

An Outdoor Passion – Smoking A Good Cigar

Ratatouille In A Tower – An Eggplant/Tomato/Zucchini Stack

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