Painting With Donnie

Hello my beautiful friends!  It’s such a beautiful day today that I thought it would be very nice to paint a terrific golf scene!  I love playing golf!  Why don’t you join me today?  We can choose to go to my fabulous Trump National in Bedminster, or maybe we can fly to Scotland and play my Turnberry?  Did you know that I own a course that is used for the British Open?  It’s true.  I own the most fantastic golf courses in the world.  No one else does! But this is your painting, so you choose!  Or, for fun why not design a new hole that’s perfect for us?

Let’s start by putting an elevated green over here on the far right side of the canvas. No big trees over here, I want a clear line of sight when I approach the green.  On the far left let’s put in some thick waist high rough.  There, that looks good.  Oh, and surprise!  There is poor Nancy Pelosi in the weeds!  It will take her two weeks to get out of there!  Hah, hah, hah!  You know how you can tell it’s Nancy?  Because she is wearing horrible looking clothes!  A disgrace!  Typical!  But look, she’s not alone!  There is a 20 foot python that hasn’t eaten in six months that is approaching her!  Won’t she be surprised!

I can tell this is already well on the way to being a spectacular painting.  Really.  Let’s put my ball 10 feet from the cup.  Probably a “gimme”.  Over here on the fringe, on the lower level of the green, 75 feet from the pin, let’s put Lindsay Graham’s ball. Oooops!  I just accidently kicked it into the sand trap!  Too bad… his ball is half buried in an infestation of sand fleas.  Very sad.

It’s such a gorgeous day, don’t you agree.  I love being outdoors and playing golf.  All this exercise can work up an appetite!  I think it’s time for a snack, don’t you?  Before I tap in my putt for an eagle, let’s put down our brushes and take a break!

Ahhhhh!  My favorite light snack.  Two delicious Big Mac’s, a McChicken and a cold Diet Coke! Real American food! Perfect!  Did you know when Premier Putin comes for a visit I always order-in McDonald’s for him.  It’s his favorite, too. He loves the vanilla shake the best!  He puts some Stoli in it (which I don’t approve of).  But he is our guest!  He says that it makes the shake a “White Russian.”  He always laughs at that!  He has such a great sense of humor.  Very funny guy.  He told me that Lenin hates the White Russians!  And then he laughs hysterically!  Whatta guy! But I had to remind him that John Lennon is dead! Do you know how I know?  Because I got an “A” in American History in the Third Grade.  And Betsy DeVos told me that it was an Advanced Placement Course and I was the only one in the class to get an “A”.  You can ask her… she has all the transcripts.

OK, let’s put the finishing touches on this beautiful painting.  We have to put the Club House over here.  And Barack Hussein Obama and his type aren’t permitted!  Neither is Chuck Shumer and his people!  Sorry!  This is a Club for real Americans!  We’ll let Mitch McConnell and Mike Pence in as locker room attendants! Hah, hah, hah!  And over here let’s put up some signs “Prestigious Lots for Sale”.You know what’s missing in our painting?  Puffy white clouds!  Let’s put a few over here.  You can put your clouds whereever you want.  Remember, this is your painting!  I’m going to put a small black dot over by this cloud.  Do you know what it is?  It’s a Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon armed with Sidewinder Missiles that are trained on the sand trap! It’s gonna be a bad day for Lindsay!

There!  A sensational painting! Don’t you agree?  But where are you?  I can fix that!  Send me a donation of $10,000 and you can put your ball 11 feet from the cup, and for an extra two grand I can get Rudy Giuliani to carry your bag! (But don’t tip him heavy!  I don’t want him to get a swelled head!)

Well, there it is! I hope that this was as much fun for you as it was for me! Remember… your painting is not as good as mine. And thank you for your wonderful support and for joining me on such a magnificent day!

Posted in Ministry of Humor | Leave a comment

Christmas Goose w/John Family Dry Riesling

Posted in Wine | Leave a comment

Hard Cider Braised Bratwursts & Dr. H. Thanisch Riesling ’17

Call me lazy, but come the cooler weather “in-door” season, I love recipes that use slow cookers, dutch ovens or single-skillets.  There is perception that there is a simplicity to the assembly, prep and cooking.  I’m all for that!  And when I espied this recipe with the following descrip, “… hearty pairing of sweet and savory flavors has ‘autumn’ written all over it.” I sensed a winner.  Besides, and any recipe built around bratwursts has a 97% chance of being a delicious success.  And this one doesn’t disappoint!

Wine?  I will say it!  Nay, shout it… this dish demands a Riesling.  Why waste words with alternate recommendations? Folks who know, or already love Rieslings will understand the pairing immediately.  More important, if you’re shy about trying Riesling, then this pairing will be the doorway to seeing the magic of the varietal.  True there are other wines to enjoy with this recipe or with cassoulet, pork roasts, Asian cuisine & goose (Christmas Eve, I’m looking at you Bob Cratchit) – but no other wine will surpass the natural affinity Riesling has with the aforementioned dishes.

Dr. H. Thanisch Riesling Kabinett Bernkasteler Badstube ’17 (Saar-Mosel-Ruwer, Germany)
Ripe quince and Golden Delicious apple are wreathed in musky narcissus and tinged with pungency of bruised apple skin on a nose that foreshadows the almost decadently ripe fruit and inner-mouth perfume, but also the counterpoint of chew and piquancy, that emerges on the polished, buoyant palate. Fresh lime injects welcome juiciness and animation to a lusciously lingering finish where high residual sugar is held in check. Interestingly for a vintage in which many growers found it challenging to capture ripeness at a must weight appropriate to Kabinett, the volume of this bottling slightly exceeds the aggregate volume of the present collection’s two Doctor Spätlesen. 90pts Vinous

HARD CIDER BRAISED BRATWURSTS

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
1 12oz bottle of hard apple cider, divided
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbs olive oil
1¼ bratwursts
1 vidalia onion, sliced
8oz Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Fuji apple, cored, sliced
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Whisk together ½ cup of the cider and flour in a small bowl & set aside

3. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add bratwurst and cook turning occasionally until all sides are browned.  Transfer brats to a plate.

4. Add onion to the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  About 3 minutes.  Add potatoes, salt & pepper.  Stirring often ‘til onions are translucent.  About 3-5 minutes. Add apple slices and remaining cider. Scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Bring mixture to a simmer & return brats to the skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered ‘til liquid is reduced, about 15 minutes.

5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer brats and vegetables to a serving platter.

6. Whisk reserved flour mixture, mustard, thyme & sage into the skillet and stir constantly ‘til thickened, about 2 minutes.  Drizzle over brats and vegetables.

n.b.  Any sweet apple will do, and the original recipe called for fresh kielbasa… which then necessitates making sure that it is cooked thru at step 4.  I’m sure other type of sausages would do fine.  I’m a fan of Black Bear Bratwursts.  Side note:  If you haven’t tried Eastern Standard Provisions pretzels, then you are missing out on the best pretzel in the galaxy!  Direct shipping, outstanding service!

Posted in Sandy's Table | Leave a comment

Wine for Thanksgiving: No One Wine Works!

Posted in Wine | Leave a comment