mneek's New Writeups

A great big ugly man came up and tied his horse to me (thing)

2002-11-23T20:00:30Z

I just bought this book at a used bookstore. It was published in 1976. I had a copy as a child, and was thrilled to see it.

My favorite entry in the book is The Slithergadee. Unlike most of the selections, which are historical English nonsense verse, this one is modern -- it was written by Shel Silverstein. It shows a little bunny rabbit perched on a rock in front of an immense red sea serpent. Lots of other bunny rabbits are fleeing for their lives.

Oh, the Slithergadee
Has come out of the sea.
He'll catch all the others,
But he won't catch me.

No, you won't catch me,
You old Slithergadee.
You'll catch all the others,
But you wo--

wubba wubba (idea)

2001-03-03T16:45:34Z

According to Ernie, "Wubba wubba" was what scary monsters under his bed in the dark would say. I remember Bert repeating this, slowly, in his nasal bleat: "Wub-ba wub...ba?" And then shaking his pointy, tufted head and telling Ernie to go (the hell) to sleep.

Sheep counting ensued...

Update -- Sesame Street now has a repeating bit called Monster Time, in which four very hyperactive and multicolored monsters sing "Wubba wubba" songs.

1996 Marques de Caceres Vendimia Seleccionada Rioja (thing)

2001-02-05T03:43:18Z

My friend Mike brought this when he and his wife came over for dinner. Wow, was this great. I don't know much about Spanish wine, but this is extra-nice. The label says it's a "Red Crianza" (type of wine which has limited oak aging, as opposed to "Reserva" or "Gran Reserva," which would be barrel-aged for longer) that contains Tempranillo, Masuelo and Graciano grapes, is grown in Rioja Alta and "aged in French and American oack (sic) casks."

Impressions: cherries, leather, caramel, a nice little bit of vanilla/oak in the finish, really gentle tannin. It's very full and satisfying, but not difficult/confrontative like a Cabernet Sauvignon can be. Even my husband, not a big fan of red wines, thought it was pretty good, although he still skipped the wine and had a beer with dinner. This would probably taste good with anything, although it pretty much kicked butt with our citrus-y, salty Mexican-style veggies. Have it with light, herbaceous…

herb (thing)

2001-01-31T00:43:55Z

An herb is a plant, or the leaf of a plant, used by people for some purpose. In other words, it's an herb if you know what it is and what it's good for, otherwise it's just a plant, or even a weed. "Herb" refers to the leafy part of a plant; "spice" usually means seeds or bark that can be ground up into a powder.

Fresh herbs are great. You can rub them between your fingers and then smell the bruised leaves to discover their distinctive fragrances, and you can add them to your food by the handful. Most dried herbs lose their potency after a few months, so you should always check your herbs before you use them -- give them a sniff. If they're smelling stale or have no discernable fragrance, throw them out.

Most health food stores in the USA have dried herbs (both cooking and medicinal) in bulk, generally Frontier brand, which is pretty good. This is the best way to buy them. The supermarket will charge you an enormous amount of money for ancient, denatured, prepackaged herbs…

1999 Cavit Pinot Grigio (thing)

2001-01-28T22:11:20Z

The bottle also says "della Venezia."

I've been drinking white wine because it's easier to get my husband to have some too. With reds, unless I've got other company, I usually end up throwing out half the bottle, Vacuvin or no Vacuvin.

This wine is totally ubiquitous: I found it at Hannaford's in both regular and big sized bottles for $7.99 and $10.29 respectively. It got written up as "wine of the week" on the NY Times/Wine Today website, which is why I decided to try it. It's on the wine list as the cheapie white at Ricetta's, the local brick-oven pizza joint.

I've heard that pinot grigio has been mildly trendy as an alternative to much-maligned, oversold chardonnay. This particular one seems to be the MGD of wines. It doesn't suck. It's harmless and pleasant, light-bodied, dry, almost colorless, and affordable. Flavorwise, I guess I could say, um, melon, hay, a little grapefruit, a vaguely mineral finish. It will offend nobody.

It's probably a safe…

pasta and cauliflower (thing)

2001-01-22T23:35:57Z

Pasta and Cauliflower

This is a pretty easy recipe, and tastes way better than you think it does.

1/2 box of pasta (either gemelli or fusilli are good)
1/2 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1-2 dried hot red peppers (optional)
good extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

On a burner at medium, heat some (a tbsp. or two) olive oil in a skillet. When it's hot, add the garlic and red pepper (if you're using it), and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the cauliflower florets to the oil, and stir and sautee until the florets are well coated and are beginning to soften. Add the wine and allow the mixture to simmer until the alcohol is somewhat cooked off. Lower the heat and cover the pan. Stir occasionally until the cauliflower is done (should be soft but still crisp). Add the parsley.

Meanwhile, cook the…