Music You Need to Hear

As Tracy Dahl said on This Is My Music, we typically regret that we got our Christmas music out too late, not too early, and that we put it away too early, not too late.

That made me realise that there are probably folks who've never heard this, most fabulous version of the Carol of the Bells, by The Bird And The Bee, and as there's something I can do to fix that sad state of affairs, I'm doing it.

Here's a link to the Amazon $0.99 offer on the mp3 of the song.
Even if you don't buy it, go preview the track - it's stupendous. Their Twelve Days of Christmas is equally fine, but I didn't find it there for sale for some reason.

Merry Christmas!

Shameless Self-Promotion - UPDATED! AGAIN!!!

It seems a near certainty that you all have been waiting (and it is to be hoped that none were waiting with breath held) to hear when - at last! - my next novel would be published.

I am pleased to inform all and sundry that the wait is over.
A Rune With a View is now available from the CreateSpace store, and will be available at Amazon in short order as well.
(OK, here is the link, now that it has happened, but you should be able to search there and find it easily - it is Amazon, after all.)

Clearly nearly everyone on nearly everyone else's Christmas list should be jumping for joy, or shivering in antici ... pation.

Grab a copy - it's good for you!

Amazon is now also ready for your shopping pleasure!

For those out there awaiting the Kindle version, I have good news: it is available and simply waiting for your order to be delivered directly to your reading device. Please, feel free to purchase and enjoy - and why not share that experience with all your Kindling friends? They'll no doubt thank you for it.

Cheers,
Charlie

RIP Alex Karras

Detroit Lions fans have lost a great one.

He may not be in the Hall of Fame (thanks, Pete Rozelle), but we all know he was one of the all-time greats.
Even if you only remember him for saying that the Lions had lined up against field goals on that part of the field before - just not facing that direction, you know he was a great interview.

Acting? Mongo. Need I say more? I think not.

Alex, you'll be missed.

Where to Eat in Detroit

Roast.

Yes, our anniversary dinner at Michael Symon's Roast in the Westin Book Cadillac hotel was as spectacular as we had hoped.

The atmosphere was great - energetic but not noisy / rowdy.

The service was excellent - attentive and friendly but not hovering.

The food was spectacular - we agreed that it was almost certainly the best food we've ever had in a restaurant.
 
The appetizers we had were excellent: fried Brussels Sprouts - what can one say? They were simply delicious, and the pecans really did add some flavour and texture. The beef cheek pierogie had the only slight disappointment of the night - the dough was more a puff pastry than a pasta, but the filling, the sauce, and the mushrooms were great.

The sauces were amazing - the flavours had clearly been allowed to develop and work together so that there was never a single note that stood out, but each of the ingredients built layers upon one another.

The entrées were wonderful - The lemon chicken had such lemon flavour without being tart and acidic; the chicken actually had its own flavour. The lamb ragu was a bowl of perfectly cooked fresh pasta with stunningly tender lamb in a sauce where every ingredient worked together beautifully (in fact, the shaved cheese on top was nearly superfluous - it was good there, certainly not detracting nor distracting, but I would have enjoyed it just as much without the cheese, and that's very unusual for me).

All in all, a beautiful anniversary night out (being with Heidi always makes for a better time), and a place we'll recommend (and already have) and to which we'll return.

Highly, highly recommended.

Oh, Canada?!

What has happened to the Canada we've known for so long?

Driving the 402, 401, 403, and QEW was - I'm sad to report - little different from driving on I-94 or I-696.
Merging didn't happen with the expected politeness. Drivers (with Ontario plates!) passed on the right at speeds well in excess of 120 (in the 100 km/h zones).

At least our experiences in Niagara Falls and Hamilton (apart from the final score) were excellent as always. Walking is different from driving, I suppose. Perhaps it's true, as we read on an overpass, that the 100 km/h limit constitutes abuse. As large and spread out as that country is, that anonymous graffitist may have a point.

Carnage du Jour - 19 August 2012

Hmm.
Grapes are on sale.
That makes me think that I should get a pork roast and do a rotisserie Rôti de Porc Véronique. And so I shall, or rather, so I did.

The roast (a rolled loin roast) first got my usual seasoning mix of beau monde, white pepper, and nutmeg, then it was loaded on the spit into the rotisserie.
Some vermouth bianco was put in the dripping pan, to mix with the juices coming from the roasting meat.
I also took a lemon, halved it, and put the juice all over the roast - cutting one half of the juiced carcass into quarters and placing them in the pan with the vermouth, and the other half getting impaled on the spit to release whatever it had left onto the top of the pork.

Oh, that's right, I hadn't mentioned that it's a vertical rotisserie, had I? Sorry about that.

At any rate, it was now time for the grapes. They were nice red seedless grapes, and after tossing a bunch in that drip pan, I also surrounded the top of the pork with more grapes.
Then it was simply plug it in and let it go for the recommended time (written on the side of the machine!) with the occasional stoppage for a bit of basting.

The lemon and pork and grapes and vermouth melded together into a wonderful sauce that wasn't actually necessary for flavour or moistness, but was welcome for both nonetheless.

"Was it good?" you ask.
A triumph, quite frankly. Highly recommended.

Carnage du Jour - 19 July 2012

Liver and Onions.
Sometimes there's just nothing better than the classics - especially when they get a slight update as in this instance.

We had four nice little slices of calf's liver that really wanted to be cooked.
Heidi had made a nice mixed frites bowl of russet and sweet potato fries, and we had some great left-over broccoli salad, so the flavours were going to work beautifully.

You know how liver can get a bit gummy when you fry it? That's because you're using flour on the outside - even if it's been seasoned, it's still flour, you know.
So, instead I used some seasoned corn meal - just a nice coating of corn meal mixed with Old Bay.
First the bacon was heated up in the pan (lardons, don't you know) and then the onions joined the fun.
When all was cooked, but not crisped, it was removed, the amount of oil adjusted, and the liver went in. After the first side got a nice sear and crust, they were flipped and the bacon and onions dumped on top to let their flavours flow into everything else.

That's all there is (and was) to it. A delicious meal, only slightly updated from the classic.

Enjoy!