Another sparkling Christmas here

All the credit goes to my great wife. Sure, I do most of the shopping. But Eileen cooks most every thing and it's a great meal with a great family in attendance. On tap in the liquor department was this hot cider with vodka and pomegranate liquor. Add the chambord and champagne plus some good beers and I surrendered without saying good bye. Don't recall the prime rib nor the turkey. I did cook the sea bass with the ginger soy marinade but never spotted it. We had some new guests who we enjoyed immensely. Granted it's exhausting but since it's only once a year, I'm sure we will be back next year.

Shrine Session No. 2

On the anniversary of the Frank Robinson trade (1965), I invited both best men from the weddings for a shrine session. After that fine meal with brisket, beans, slaw and pickles, we headed downstairs for the fine ale part of the night. Dan didn't care for the first selection of beer which I agreed with him. Dave didn't seem to care either way. And when I got my kick going with those IPA's, my thought processes began to slow down. I know we did have cognac to end the evening at 1 a.m. Now, how in the heck did I get upstairs?

Darn right it was COLD

Curse the forecast. It started raining on Saturday and it was a mess. It threatened to turn to snow at night and turn very cold. No matter, Riley and I had tickets to the Bears game and we were going, heck or high water. Luckily the Bears had switched the time of the game to 3:15 allowing us ample time to get to Chicago. No problem driving to Libertyville to the Metra Line. Plus it was just 7 bucks for both of us to travel in style. We also had no trouble waving down the bus to Soldier Field. But by this time, it was very, very cold. The stinking bus broke down. Riley and I, plus it seemed like hundreds of people, had to foot it over to the field from about a mile away. It was a nice outing. And then we ran into a very long line getting into the place. We actually sat down with 50 seconds to play in the opening quarter. No matter, Riley is a Patriots fan so he was thrilled with the big New England win. But by the time the second half rolled around it was incredibly cold. The wind went right through us. With the Bears losing big, we were also treated to a big collection of curse words from the angry fans. We finally gave up with four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. By this time most of the Bears faithful had surrendered. This time, the bus survived the trip to Union Station. Riley and I were still cold the next day but we had lived to tell the story. And the story is no more Bears games for us in December.

With 25 $100 bills in my pocket

Great Grandma lived to be 101 years old. She was in great shape until near the end. Anyway, she left me some cash. Of course I saved some but I did want some really good speakers for the shrine. So, I did my research. After some time, I found Soliloquy speakers in North Carolina. So, I googled them to see where they were in the Chicago area. It was Evanston. Not a bad ride for me. I grabbed one CD from my collection, the Spoons singing "Nova Heart." I also looked at the prices. The speakers were listed at 4 grand but they had some used ones. I grabbed my collection of $100 bills (25) and headed over there. Yes, I was a great target for a robbery. But I found a decent parking spot and went into the store. I had my cash and CD ready. They set me up with some $1,700 speakers and I wasn't pleased. I wanted my Soliloquy's. They said they had two pair. They brought in the large ones you see here. I loved them. I told them my tale. I wasn't concerned with tax. But I would not pay one cent more than $2,500. They sad yes. But were stunned when I emptied my pockets on their table. Did I just rob a bank they must have wondered. Of course, I didn't go home with the speakers. Some guy brought them out and set them up in the shrine. Sorry, I didn't tip him. I was stone broke. A good seven years later, they still sound great.

Yankee Pulled Brisket

I clearly recall getting this gift at the 1984 wedding. It came with a small charcoal grill and a barbecue book from Jane Butel. In it I found this recipe that is so labor intensive but worth it.
Dave and Dan (best men at both weddings) are coming over for a shrine session tomorrow and I can't just serve fine brews.
So this recipe is on tap. You have to cook the brisket for four hours in liquid smoke. The next day, you pull the brisket. This is a major pain. I thought I would listen to tunes while doing it but instead watched the news. Anyway, once it is all cooked up, it's paired with pickles, baked beans and slaw. So we will have that fine meal and then hit Binney's for the beer tasting festival. Next up is the Shrine Session with big thoughts, tunes and big brews. Oh, gosh, that's a lot of calories.