A Food, Spirits & Wine Blog

As we approach the end of summer, It’s definitely time for the summer 2026 installment of my blog series, “The Whiskeys I’m Drinking Now”. All four of these whiskeys are a bit rare and difficult to find, but they are out there if you really want to get your hands on one or more of them! Let’s talk rye and bourbon! Wattie Booke & Sons Small Batch Ancient Reserve Bourbon Whiskey 1776 ($90). I discovered this unique bottling at a local liquor store (Manhattan Liquors) that alway

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It’s hard to believe that 25 years have gone by since that terrible day in American history – it still seems like yesterday for Laurie and me. For this week’s blog, we’ll forego the topic of food, wine, and spirits and instead share our personal recollections of 9/11 and how it impacted our lives. Everyone seems to remember where they were, and what they were doing on the morning of 11 September 2001 when two pla

Last week’s blog covered some of the things about recipes that annoy me. This week, I’ll finish off my list of recipe pet peeves, in the hopes that someone out there who actually writes recipes will see my blog and make the necessary changes required to create easier to use recipes! Writing easy-to-use recipes is harder than one might think! Laurie and I have created 80+ recipes over the past five years, and I still struggle sometimes to describe the steps for making these

It’s easy to spot a well-written recipe: easy-to-understand ingredients list with helpful substitute information for those ingredients that might be difficult to find; clear instructions on how to prepare the ingredients; and a logical timeline and specific information on how to cook and then combine the ingredients to create a beautiful dish. But what about all those recipes that don’t meet these requirements? Here are the things about recipes that annoy me the most! I get m

What makes the perfect martini? Gin or vodka? Shaken or stirred? Vermouth or another aromatized wine? Dry or wet? A twist or olive garnish? Nick & Nora or martini glass? So many choices, so many options for screwing things up! But I’m here to help you make the perfect martini (well, at least MY version of the perfect martini)! My perfect classic martini - a "dirty" martini Martinis are all the rage these days. Go to any restaurant or cocktail bar and you’ll find an amazing se