Mostly Semantics

This morning I received an email from a casual acquaintance who wondered if I could possibly be the leather-clad dominatrix he saw on the interwebs.

Watching Jeopardy! over lunch, I correctly guessed 3 of 5 cartoon mice when the category was revealed, and got the other two when they actually read the clues.

I’m also way behind on posts. TK: a rundown of the promenade gourmand menu - with gustatory wine selection - at Citronelle, as served to R and I on his birthday. Also smoker madness. And ice cream. Mmm… ice cream.

An elderly couple in Kensington died last night when their home burned, in spite of heroic behavior from neighbors and local emergency personnel. My thoughts are with them, and those who cared about them.

It is believed – but not confirmed – that their home was not equipped with smoke detectors. It may not have helped, even if they did: Mrs. Reynolds had limited mobility, and may not have been able to escape even with ample warning. The following is no way meant as an indictment of the Reynolds, for whom I have nothing but sympathy. (more…)

So, caramel is delicious. It’s sweet, just a little salty, and considering that it’s pretty much burned sugar… remarkably complex. And ice cream. Ice cream is amazing. So caramel ice cream studded with little bits of crispy caramel goodness? Yeah, that probably shouldn’t be legal.

This was my thinking before I made the stuff. If possible, I’m even more fanatical about it now. I made it to finish off this year’s inaugural smoked meat dinner, and had 10 or 12 people over. Hunched over the bowl, stealing tastes of the still-cooling custard at 3am, we knew the ice cream would be good. When the ice cream finally froze, it actually exceeded expectation. Just. Wow. It’s like a cold, creamy version of those little candies in the shiny gold wrappers… minus the creepy old man from the commercials. I couldn’t resist: as each guest arrived, I drug them to the corner of my kitchen, opened the freezer, and doled out a single precious spoonful. All swooned, closed their eyes, or sighed approvingly. One said, in a rather accusatory tone: “this is pure butterscotch!” No, it’s better. (more…)

Recently, road rage in the greater-DC area turned deadly.

And a World Health Organization study shows bad driving is
traffic injuries are the leading cause of death in people ages 10-24. They go out of their way to avoid using the term “accident,” stating that “road traffic crashes are not ‘accidents.’ We need to challenge the notion that they are unavoidable.” And how. (more…)