It's sweltering in Jersey, too.  I wouldn't be that annoyed about it if we hadn't had so much autumnal weather during the last few weeks.  If August is going to be all fall-like, September's got no right to bring summer back.

Happy birthday!  To you and your daughter!

For my sister's birthday last week we went to Agricola in Princeton for dinner.  Between the four of us at the table we managed to try pretty much every cocktail on the dinner menu.  The consensus was that the Barn Burner (strawberry-infused mezcal, spiced rum, curacao, basil, balsamic vinegar) was the best, with the…

BOOOOOOOOO!  Your parents are WRONG!!!

Liked for "Flute Loop"!

Next time you're making that, let me know ahead of time and I'll invite myself over.

I've been terrible this CSA season about keeping up with the kale, so when the fall greens start picking up I'm totally going to make this.  It looks fantastic!  (Adding potatoes is probably genius.)

Damn, Smacky!  That's some fantastic broke-and-improvising cooking you've been doing.

@LJo1:disqus I missed you too!  I don't remember what I was doing on Wednesday (napping, most likely), but later Hugs was all, "Oh, I checked in on TI today…" and I was all, "DAMMIT!"  But anyway, it was a fantastic birthday vacation week.  We ended up having two cakes, and going out to dinner, and she liked all her…

Every week on Wednesdays I set my hair on fire at 11:59 am, so I can douse the flames a minute later when Amelie tells me to calm down.  This week?  Blazing inferno.  Amelie will be hearing from my lawyers.

Good news: I'm not feeling as crappy as I was yesterday!

I generally have no love for donuts, but the cider donuts from my local orchard are among my favorite foodstuffs on earth.  (It's Terhune Orchards, in Princeton, NJ.  Maybe the same orchard @avclub-22eda830d1051274a2581d6466c06e6c:disqus used to go to?  Maybe not — throw a rock around these parts and you'll hit an…

My primary sport (and primary TV content in general) is the NHL, and I'm a die-hard New Jersey Devils fan.

I love vuvuzelas!  During the last World Cup a friend sent us a few of them, just randomly.  They were so much fun to chase the cats around the house with.  (My cats?  Do not like vuvuzelas.)

I'm still shuffling my "Fall Moods For Your Earholes" mega playlist, so this was slightly curated:

That literally made me laugh out loud.

Okay, I want to have honey, brie, and apple sandwiches for dinner now.  That sounds delish.  (I wouldn't say no to tortilla chicken soup either, come to think of it…)

Last week I smoked a chicken (rubbed inside and out with chili powder), then shredded the meat into a white-bean chili made with roasted tomatillos, poblanos, and garlic.  Served over brown rice with a dollop of sour cream and a smidgen of shredded cheddar, it was the most sublime meal I've made in ages.  And I have…

Yeah, I've listened to it five times through today (did I mention I'm home sick?  I can't be bothered getting up and putting on some other music…) and there's nothing about this album that I don't love. 

Which is the evil one?  Why, the one with the goatee, of course.