Tea Tasting, Part I
One of my fondest—and most vivid—childhood memories is going to the tobacco shop with my father, who smoked a pipe.* Bear with me, I’ll get to the tea in a sec. Pipe-shop adventures Now, Dad has long since quit smoking and tobacco shops are getting harder and harder to find. When you do happen upon [...]
Maple Fireside Nightcap
Last week, our dear friends the Lady Otter and D. Bunnyhunter brought us a little jar of Macallan’s Amber Liqueur to sample. Made by Scotland’s The Macallan, this is an amazing whiskey liqueur with notes of maple and pecan. Talk about a great thing to drink in New England in the fall. I’m not usually [...]
Happy Sea Urchin Meringues
When I made a batch of Tuxedo Meringues a few weeks ago, my dear friend the Lady Otter and I got to talking about cookies. Our conversation went something like this: “Hey Mouse, you know what would be really cool?” “What would that be, Otter?” “Meringues in the shape of sea urchins. You could make [...]
Big Top Marshmallow Cookies
The Lady Otter and I were cruising through Whole Foods last night, on a mission to pick up some flowers for the host of the cocktail party we were attending. It was supposed to be a “quick in and out” trip, as we were already running a tiny bit late. It never quite works like [...]
Hey, You: Save the Mint! And Make It Schnappy!
This week, I started to think about one of my dreaded end-of-summer chores: cleaning up the garden. Aside from all the weeding, pruning, and plucking, I needed to figure out what I’m doing with all my mint. Our front garden is positively overrun with a few different kinds—from traditional peppermint, to run-of-the-mill spearmint and the [...]
Goody Glover’s: An Irish Pub in Boston’s North End
What’s an Irish pub like Goody Glover’s doing on the edge of Boston’s Italian North End? Serving absolutely amazing drinks and fat, juicy burgers, that’s what. After our adventure through Boston’s Haymarket open air market yesterday, the Lady Otter and I needed a little refreshment. She suggested Goody Glover’s, and I’m so glad she did. [...]
A Photo Tour: Boston’s Legendary Haymarket
It’s way too hot out. The Lady Otter and I are wading through a crowd, weaving under awnings and past overflowing stalls. It’s like a cross between a narrow Tokyo market street and the New York Stock Exchange. It’s dirty and loud. People are yelling. At each other. At the crowd. At us. Customers are [...]
Medieval Meat Grinding Party
The venerable Lady Otter is headed to the woods for a few weeks, and needs to bring some lamb meatballs with her, as part of a traditional medieval Indian meal she’s making. If she’ll be kind enough to share her recipes when she gets back, I’ll post them up here. Chickpea pancakes First, she made [...]
