1. Luna's blood work last week showed that her aging kidneys are beginning to slip so on Thursday I dropped her off at the vet for a urinalysis. Dr. Cook called me today with no alarming news. Overall, the urinalysis was good news, but we might be nearing the time to change Luna's diet a bit by lowering her protein intake. Dr. Cook and I will talk more about this possible change next week.
2. Diane T. might have, upon arriving at our front door this afternoon, presented us with a card that said, "Have Brats -- Will Travel". She brought over brats she had marinated and boiled in beer and onions and that were ready to be broiled. She also brought a special sauce, buns, mustard, and sauerkraut.
Diane had requested that I buy a "good beer" for us to enjoy during her visit. Before I picked up my passport photos at the Walmart Photo Center, I checked out their beer offerings and, to my delight, saw that they carried pFriem's Pilsner. Diane doesn't enjoy IPAs and she liked the pilsner at City Limits in Wallace so I bought a sixer. Back home, Debbie and I taste tested the pilsner and I found it light, clean, easy to drink, with a slight hit of bitterness on the back end.
Diane arrived. I poured her a taste test. She happily approved and so Debbie and I split a 19.2 oz of Deschutes' Royal Fresh Imperial IPA while Diane enjoyed the pilsner. We got to yakkin' about booze at some point and decided we must switch from beer to Old-Fashioneds.
One problem: no rye whiskey in the house. After a some early resistance to leaving the house, I adjusted my attitude and whisked down to the liquor store and purchased a fifth of Seven 7 Devils Rye Whiskey, an Idaho brand.
Now I had everything I needed: simple syrup, a variety of bitters, a rye whiskey we all approved of (!), Luxardo Maraschino cherries (a must!), oranges to cut into wedges, and ice.
I made my variation of the Stanley Tucci Old Fashioned and we all loved them and went back to the Old Fashioned well a few more times.
3. Our brat dinner was awesome. The way Diane prepared the brats to be broiled made them really tasty. They came out of the broiler deliciously crunch on the surface and beautifully cooked through on the inside. Debbie whipped up a simple and awesome cabbage and carrot salad with a delicious vinegar and oil dressing. We were in seventh heaven and ate every brat Diane brought, loved the sauce we put on them, and had some inspired conversation.
I'd like to have a record of one contribution I made to the conversation.
On Fox Sports, a tv ad is running that features (blowhard) Colin Cowherd saying, "I always say there are three things never to go cheap on: toilet paper, transportation, and quarterbacks."
Inspired by the concept of what to never go cheap on, I kind of tongue in cheek proclaimed that one should never go cheap on maraschino cherries, liquor, or beer. Debbie added coffee to the list. I also proclaimed that I only eat about two steak dinners a year in a restaurant -- both of them at The Plateau at the Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton. I am happy to pay whatever they charge for the rare pleasure of eating one of their thick, locally raised, perfectly prepared steaks and don't care how much my pre-meal martini costs. So, I guess I'd add that I don't want to go cheap on steak dinner!
It's fun to think about -- what things in life are any of us willing to pay more for (if we can afford it) because the quality is better and what things do we always buy cheap because the quality just doesn't matter that much? A list is growing in my head -- I'm not always 100% consistent, but I am always happier when I don't go cheap on cheese, crackers, ginger beer, or Rose (Rosay) wine.
I'll leave it at that and just think about this some more.
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