kochleffel

It's impossible to forget the Chernobyl disaster. No Australians within hugging reach at the moment. Because of the charges of scientific fraud and plagiarism, plus racism and body-snatching, against John James Audubon, some chapters including those in Seattle, Chicago, and New York, have changed their names, although the National Audubon Society did not. OK on the menu suggestion although I wouldn't go out of my way to get farro or whatever. No on the drink, especially since I'm still not sure what it's really supposed to be. For the wine, Glenora Blanc des Blanc 2015, $30.99. The bruising of my arm is worse, but it's less painful. The main project for today is lawn mowing, then making a shepherd's pie using turkey and a matzah-kugel topping. I have a little bok choy left, not enough for another stir-fry, and may just add it to the turkey mixture.

Summer Love If you're my age, and many people here are, you probably remember the Summer of Love. The Summer Love cocktail appears to have nothing to do with that, but there may be some sort of philosophical lesson in the extreme variety of recipes for it--no two were alike or even similar, although many of them are pink. I'm going to offer two. Summer Love 1 2 oz vodka 1 oz lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup 5 mint leaves (buy) 1 oz watermelon liqueur In a cocktail shaker, gently muddle the fresh mint leaves to release their aromatic oils. Add the vodka, watermelon liqueur, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds to combine all the ingredients and chill the cocktail. Strain the mixture from the shaker into the glass with fresh ice cubes and garnish the cocktail with a watermelon slice or a sprig of mint (optional). Summer Love 2 40ml rum 3 strawberries 15ml limoncello liqueur 15ml honey Juice of half a fresh lemon Champagne Muddle the strawberries. Add all of the other ingredients except the champagne. Shake over ice. Double strain into a Champagne coupe. Top with champagne. Garnish with half a fresh strawberry.

Blood donation was successful in the senses that (a) they got a pint, and (b) I didn't faint. On the other hand, it was exceptionally painful and also took a lot of fiddling to get good flow, and it still hurts a bit. I just removed the bandage; there is some bruising and I think there may be more by morning, but no swelling.

I can't help thinking of Fred Small's song "At the Elbe." Pass on the meal, with prejudice (shrimp). Also pass on the drink for now (Passover). For a Sauvignon Blanc, Hosmer 2021. I've been to Santorini but don't have pix handy. Rather full day today: groceries, blood donation, and the last class of the semester, with our Nature Appreciation slideshows. I don't expect any of the snacks at the blood donation to be kosher for Passover. Actual dinner will be a tofu and bok choy stir-fry, with brown jasmine rice. Jews of Ashkenazi background don't eat either tofu (or any legumes) or rice during Passover, but I switched to Sefardi rules for Passover almost a decade ago.

Mexican Coffee If the name of today's drink made you think of Irish coffee, you were on the right track, and you might be able to guess how it's made. 1 fluid ounce coffee-flavored liqueur (such as Kahlua®) ½ fluid ounce tequila 5 fluid ounces hot coffee 2 tablespoons whipped cream (some versions use plain cream) Stir together coffee liqueur and tequila in a mug. Pour in hot coffee and top with whipped cream.

I finished my Nature Appreciation requirement on Monday by visiting a forest preserve and a nature center that are near each other. Houghton Land Preserve Spencer Crest Nature Center

I wouldn't mind some Sauvignon Blanc and it would go with the salmon cakes, but the wine I have open is a kosher Gamay-Pinot blend from France. Believe it or not, salmon patties were already in my plan for today, the recipe adapted slightly for Passover. I was up too early for brunch, even with a mimosa waiting, and after the second seder last night I probably shouldn't drink any more for a while. No Nebbiolo grapes here, so I might substitute Chateau LaFayette Reneau's Petit Verdot, $29.99. I seem to have attended not one seder (required), not two (customary in the diaspora, but I follow the Israeli calendar), but three. The second was virtual, starting at lunchtime EDT yesterday because it was being led from Germany. The third was at the synagogue with 65 people, more a community event (with very good food) than a religious occasion. I had arranged to sit with my hosts from the first seder and a medical student whom they had invited; a Presbyterian minister joined us. I also led part of the morning service yesterday.

Mimosa This is another drink that should be too simple to mess up, not that people haven't tried. 1 part freshly squeezed orange juice 1 part Champagne or other sparkling wine The sparkling wine for this need not be, and should not be, the best French champagne. Domestic American champagne, so-called, prosecco, or cava will be fine, but avoid one that is too insipid. Pour both the sparkling wine and the juice into a champagne flute (they mix better if the sparkling wine goes in first). That is all.

It's good to have English Language Day and English Muffin Day together, because muffins demonstrate once again that England and the United States are two countries divided by a common language. In other online venues, people in England declare vehemently that what is called an English muffin over here is not a muffin in any way, shape, or form -- but what is a muffin is something that there's less-than-complete agreement on in England, especially if you add pikelets to the conversation. The menu suggestion would be OK if I had any of the ingredients. I would simplify the drink to just Campari and soda, because I rarely have an open bottle of prosecco handy. For the wine, I'd go with whatever Bordeaux-style blend happened to be available, perhaps Rooster Hill's Cabernet Franc-Lemberger blend, $24.99.

Campari Spritz A person might think that a Campari Spritz was such a simple idea that the Interweb couldn't possibly mess around with it. Such a person would be wrong, but in this case, the maker of Campari has provided an official recipe. 2 oz. Campari 3 oz. Prosecco 1 oz. soda water Pour the Campari, Prosecco, and soda water into an ice-filled wine glass. Garnish with a orange slice of fresh orange.

Thank you, and not to worry. As I was puzzling over the many formulae for the drink, some of them farfetched, I realized that it was setting me behind on the Passover prep, and so left it for lunchtime. If I am too impaired in the morning, I might not post until lunchtime tomorrow as well, although tomorrow's drink is an easy one.

Fujiyama There are about a thousand different recipes for this one, and they don't agree on anything. Some of them seem to think that it's named for Fuji apples, not for the mountain, and use apple juice as the mixer or applejack as the spirit. One of them is a pseudotini that contains a tiny amount of sake and large amounts of other ingredients. There's even one that thinks it should be made with Mountain Dew. Here is the least bizarre that I could find. 2 tsp of Triple Sec 1 1/2 oz of sake rice wine 1 1/2 oz of sweet and sour mix Stir ingredients together in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a maraschino cherry, and serve.

I think that the coleslaw needs to accompany a pastrami sandwich (after Passover). Will think about the drink when I know what it is. For the wine, I might substitute Fulkerson's Zweigelt even though the variety is from the other side of Europe. I've been to Mykonos but any pictures I have are of Delos.

Thank you. The kitchen is prepared, except for emptying a cabinet for the Passover dishes that are in the drainer now.

My kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Decker. She was one of the last graduates of a specialized kindergarten-primary teaching school still working in our district, but there was nothing old-fashioned about her teaching. I would like some chocolate-covered cashews but probably won't get any. The stir-fry would be OK if I had any of the ingredients. No on the pseudotini even if it's French. For a Sauvignon Blanc, Ravines Wine Cellars 2022, $22.95. The big projects for today are shopping, including cleaning supplies for Passover, and Passover cleaning. Some people start Passover cleaning weeks in advance, making it harder and harder to cook in the interim. Ordinarily I do it quickly in the morning before the first evening. I'm going to do pre-cleaning, basically the ordinary kitchen cleaning, today, so that tomorrow it requires only what is specific to Passover, including unpacking and washing dishes and utensils. This is because I want to Appreciate Nature in the afternoon. I'm not cooking for a seder at home, and my contribution to one with friends is wine, lots of it. BTW, a self-cleaning oven is the most important thing for Passover, imo. Some people prepare their ovens using a blowtorch, and in Los Angeles, the fire station serving the large Orthodox neighborhood of Pico-Robertson has its busiest day of the year right before Passover, as rabbis go from house to house starting fires.