Liverwurst + Ale = family love

In NYC for a sad occasion, we made a pilgrimage to an old family haunt, McSorley's Ale House. Much family history there -- great grandfather interaction with Teddy Roosevelt, beloved uncle and cousin -- grandfather.

Original ale house, one of the oldest in the city, still has the original icebox for their two ales McSorley's-- light or dark. Menu is simple -- burger, liverwurst, turkey, ham sandwiches. Beer comes two mugs at a time. Wood floor, wood stove. Long bar with standing rail, bunch of tables in two rooms.

This time we got there early, first time I ever actually saw the floor -- it's packed constantly. Scored the best table by the window on rainy, gray day.

Best liverwurst sandwich in the world -- rye, thick slices of 'wurst, fresh onion rings and the best hot mustard I've ever had. Drink the beer, eat the sandwich -- be in touch with the past and the family you love.

Motown Pho Down

Who's up for a pho down? We and our Gang of Pour pals are going pho fest -- tasting our local pho, finding out degrees of deliciousness, and maybe/maybe not rating our favorites. After all, there probably is no bad pho, especially in five degree weather.

Stay tuned here or at gangofpour.com for details.

Betty Crocker lives on

I have been sharing my original "Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls" with a couple of young friends. The dated graphics, comments from the kids and the old photos are totally irrelevant.

We walked through the pages and they were amazed by the bunny salad, the cake that looks like an Easter hat, the drum cake(!) with its support of candy canes and cherries, the fruit gem drink (lots of fruits and berries in lemonade in a really pretty glass.)

It's very affirming that Betty knew her stuff then and it translates now. Simple, easy food that is colorful, fun to make and actually tastes pretty good without a lot of crap.

Pigs in a blanket were a big hit and we did a riff on it using crescent rolls and nutella ---"awesomely, wonderfully tasty" said Kiran, second grade.

We don't need a lot of whoo-ha and fancy stuff to engage our children in good food, making food and exploring different tastes. Making your own sloppy Joe that you can present to mom when she comes in from a hard day is a great satisfaction and a gift of love and comfort from a child to a parent. Can't beat that.

Tweet & Taste Michigan

Our pals at Gang of Pour http://blogs.gangofpour.com/
are partnering with some of the areas best wine experts and Black Star Farms in Michigan to offer a great opportunity to share comments and insights on three Black Star Wines.

Here's the link on facebook with all the info. Hope we'll be tweeting you...

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=277978122435&ref=nf