True Story

I just Wikipedia’d Speyside, and discovered just how many Single Malts are Speysides.  It turns out that my two all-time favorites, Balvenie and Macallan, are Speysides.  Of the thirty-nine listed, I’m only intimately familiar with six.  Sigh.  So little time…..  It is a goal of mine to visit Scotland and “taste” my way across as many distilleries as possible, but that hasn’t happened yet.  Soon, I hope.

All this to say, find a love of your own, whether it be animal, vegetable, or liquid, and celebrate the day of love in your own way.  And let us know how it turns out!

One more thing:  I got sunburned on our LAST day.  WHAT was I thinking?  I’ll tell you what I was thinking.  I was thinking that it was morning, that we were only going to walk along the beach, and that I didn’t need sunscreen.  Big mistake.  HUGE.  (name that movie)

I came home with red legs, red arms, a red face, a red back, and red ….. um….. nipples.  Luckily, the only part that got painful was my lower back. 

You just knew I was going to say my nipples, didn’t you!  Wrong.  They’re fine.  TRUST me!

Word to the stupid, like me:  wear sunscreen all the time.  That sunshine’s a tricky thing.  Full of Vitamin D, and sunburn to boot!

I almost missed Valentine’s Day as a result, which would have been a real bummer. But I got out in time to make a huge pan of lasagna, a Caesar salad, and some yummy French bread. Plus, chocolate for dessert! So all is well, for a while. Unfortunately, I’ve still got that bottle of Barefoot Bubbly in my refrigerator, waiting to be drink-drank-drunk (at least, that’s the progression at my house). Maybe next weekend…..

Have a great rest of the week, & think of me when you have some of that spring asparagus that’s coming out soon!

Our own Amy Reily has been cited again, on Epicurious.com’s website, here.  It’s a good read, full of cool trivia, plus recipes!  Some of them look fabulous; the only thing stopping me from trying them right now, is the fact that anticipation makes the act even sweeter.  So, off you go to get some ideas for making your own day most excellent.  But before you leave ME, a few thoughts:

Champagne is a must for your party.  The bubbles make women giggly, and giggly women jiggle – in all the right places.  It’s even better if one is nude while one giggles, but not required.  Some things take care of themselves.  I’m not about to go out on a limb & recommend a champagne or sparkling wine – there are tons of people out there who can do it for you.  I’ve been enjoying Barefoot Bubbly lately; even the name is fun.

With champagne, you need one, or both, of these:  strawberries and chocolate.  It’s not a cliche’; strawberries are the perfect guest to have at your champagne party.  Chocolate is the other – and by no means limit yourself to a Hershey bar!  Go to your local bookstore & get some Godiva truffles.  Or pick up a bag of Ghiradelli squares – they come in all sorts of flavors, milk and dark chocolate.  Or go out on a REAL limb & buy some chocolate body paint – the edible kind – and kick this party up to its (proverbial) climax.  And on that note, I’ll leave you to another day.

So, I decide to try out this new hot drink, and lo & behold, it was truly good!  A little on the sweet side, but the blend of raspberry and chocolate was most excellent.  It only lacked one thing – whipped cream on top – essential to any orgasmic experience, in my opinion.  Other than that misstep, I walked away from that shop having a good time.  A REALLY good time.  No, not that GOOD a time – give me a break!  But for a sipping occasion in the middle of the afternoon, for under five bucks, it was a deal.

If there’s a coffee shop near you, try one of these – even if it’s not listed, I bet they could make it for you.  If you like fruit & chocolate flavors together, you’ll love it – I promise!

Go hug your honey.  Go SIP some honey!  Enjoy the last day of a VERY long year, celebrate new beginnings, and I’ll see you next year!

P. S.  The more “honey” you “sip,” the better you’ll feel.

We give lots/most of it away to friends, but we do keep small amounts of everything. Part to nibble on, and some to put out for Santa. For the record, my kids are 17 & up, but we still put out cookies – usually with some milk, but this year, I’m thinking of putting out some Scotch – it’ll probably go great with the fudge!

Celebrate the season – whether it’s Hannukah, Christmas, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, or even Boxing Day! Hang out with your loved ones, eat too much, and in general enjoy this life.

And, if it blows your proverbial dress up, have some really good sex. Tell your person I said so! Merry Christmas!

After dinner, we ordered desserts & after-dinner drinks of choice – mine was Scotch, as always. That night, I think it was a 15 or 20 year old Macallan, one of my favorites. On the table was a dark chocolate concoction of some sort, just sitting there. One guy took a bite of it, then chased it with the Scotch. He instantly told me to try it, so I did (I’m gullible that way).

As soon as the flavor of the Scotch hit the chocolate melted on my tongue, I died a thousand deaths (in a good way). We shared a look that made my husband VERY nervous for a second – you know – THAT look. But, it was all superficial and food-related, so he was safe.

What is it about certain foods & alcohols that do that to us? Most of us know about the relationship between strawberries & champagne, and it’s even better if the strawberries are dipped in chocolate! I’ve had chocolate truffles (the candies) with red wine – a merlot, cabernet, or especially a Sangiovese is best – and the flavor combo is heavenly. The Scotch & dark chocoate was a new one for me, & I’ve lived half my life trying new flavors!

What flavor combos do you like? What blows up your dress; or, causes your clothes to fly off? Which ones get you halfway to Nirvana on taste alone? Let me know – we may both learn something!

I’m very excited, in a non-carnal sense, to be blogging here.  I’ve been a follower of Amy since I discovered her website several years ago.  We’ll see if you guys like following ME.

Stay tuned for the next installment, where I just may discuss the interactions I’ve had with chocolate and alcohol – they are legion.  Later!