March 17, 2019

St. Patrick's Day. Going to make a Corned Beef simmered in Guinness Stout.



Got the recipe from Allrecipes. Of course, I did some modifications including throwing a little Jameson.



Went to the Barclay's Center for a College game.



Local bar had an outside porch on the upper level. 70 degrees and a great place to hang out.



Love the hat.



Guinness settling.



$5 win and $41 win in a real poker game.

May 24, 2011

Well, if you are in Ireland, you might as well have a pint of Guinness.



I am glad I ordered my fast pass early, they are now sold out.



“Somebody’s counting on that. It’s the easiest way to fool them. That or the police. Geiger can collect on these notes, unless you can show fraud. Instead of that he makes you a present of them and admits they are gambling debts, which gives you a defense, even if he had kept the notes. If he’s a crook, he knows his onions, and if he’s an honest man doing a little loan business on the side, he ought to have his money. Who was this Joe Brody you paid the five thousand dollars to?”

know one's onions Vrb phrs. Knowledgeable and competent in one's task. E.g."I'll say one thing for Craig, he knows his onions when it comes to repairing car engines."



Bob Steele as Lash Canino in the movie.
From the book:
"There's a boy that is tough like some guys think they are tough. He does a job for Eddie Mars when Mars needs him - trouble shooting. He'd bump a guy off between drinks. When Mars don't need him he don't go near him. And he don't stay in this habitat. Well it might be something or it might not. Maybe they got a line on Regan and Mars has just been sitting back with a smile on his puss, waiting for the chance. Then again it might be something else entirely. Anyway I tell Joe and Joe gets on Canino's tail. He can tail. Me, I'm no good at it. I'm giving that one away. No charge. And Joe tails Canino out to the Sternwood place and Canino parks outside the estate and a ground car pulls up beside him with a girl in it. They talk for a while and Joe thinks the girl passes something over, like maybe dough. The girl beats it. It's Regan's wife. Okay, she know Canino and Canino knows Mars. So Joe figures Canino knows something about Regan and is trying to squeeze a little on the side for himself. Canino blows and Joe loses him. End of Act One."
"What does this Canino look like?"
"Short, heavy set, brown hair, brown eyes, and always wears brown clothes. Even wears a brown suede raincoat. Drives a brown convertible. Everything brown for Mr Canino."

February 26, 2011

Beers for the weekend are Guinness Stout and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Straight and mixed.



Not crowded and not much available. But, Spring is coming soon.



American pussy willow (Salix discolor), native to northern North America. Pussy Willows are a classic harbinger of spring, opening well before the crocuses and snowdrops.



George with a bird on his head.



Bonk, a book about sex research by science writer Mary Roach was fascinating and hilarious. A great line: “My favourite sentence in the entire oeuvre of Alfred Kinsey, from Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female: “Cheese crumbs spread in front of a copulating pair of rats may distract the female, but not the male”.”

January 15, 2011

My new wallpaper, a picture found on the net, in honor of 4d in today's NYT Crossword.



Found this too, a good thought.



Found this great recipe in Serious Eats. A real nice BBQ Sauce. I will , of course, make my own additions and subtractions. Also, since it does not use much Guinness, the rest can be had while watching Football.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 8 oz stout beer
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Since this is BBQ, BEER and BOOKS,let's get to what is important. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA is the weekend beer via a Growler. Guinness Stout Drought will also be consumed after the BBQ Sauce is made. I returned Voltaire to the Queens Library. It was an interesting read, did not know he was sleeping with his niece. The later years involving his fighting intolerance and injustice was quite interesting. Will have to read some more of his output, having only read Candide.



I tend to favor Biographies and this one was available from the Queens Library. I had read Ron Chernow's previous biography of Alexander Hamilton and enjoyed it. This one should be good, Washington is often not given the credit he deserves.



Also on the reading list, True Grit by Charles Portis. I will eventually see the Coen Brothers Movie, but everything I've read talks about how good the novel is to read.



Abita tasting at the local Beer Distributor, a flight convinced me to get the Party Pack. It came with a complimentary T-Shirt. This is a three-day weekend, after all.