JMGarciaIII

 As you guys know, it's not easy to get your material to the attention of someone who can make you an offer the most prominent feature is a cubic acre of money coming to you on a regular basis. In the Covid Time, it's even harder, since the people who'd give your stuff (positive, we hope) coverage have all been furloughed. So, I decided to make it easier to chew and swallow by recording (properly!) many of my pilot drafts, and making them forwardable. It is a bit of work to get it done right, but to not trigger any of you with suspense issues, here is the second rough cut of The Lost Keys which I created in partnership with Miriam Trogdon (Last Man Standing, etc.)

Here is the RIGHT way to do this. Start by slicing pickles. NOT the sweet kind, and (ideally) not the ones that sit shelf-stably at room temperature. You need the crunch. I'spose you could get away with the pre-sliced ones, but I like my surface:mass ratio just so , and the Pickle Industrial Complex will not comply. (I'll post my homemade ones in the very near future.) Take Cuban bread, or Cuban rolls or, if you live in the provinces, something in the egg bread family (which turns this from a Cubano to a Medianoche , because it's better to have a pretty authentic Sandwich B than a wildly inauthentic Sandwich A, but whatever) split them. and mustardize them. The classic choice is plain ol' yellow mustard but I like the "deli" style mustard better. You do whatever you want. Some people, bless them, like mayonnaise in this sandwich. That's just bad-WRONG, but you do whatever. (I'm judging you with my thoughts.) Then you lay down your pickle coverage

Today's entry will be a brief recap of Thanksgiving 2021. It's very important to stress the process of getting Thanksgiving up-and-running started sometime around February. It gives you something to do as you and Lou Bega dance to Lockdown Number Five. Anyway. If you are lucky, you will have a stationer nearby which carries Crane & Co. or similar. If you are diligent you will be popping by on a semi-regular basis, and if you are assiduous, you will head directly for the clearance bin to the exclusion of all other temptations. For it is there, the clearance section, on some fine day/evening in February when you will find Thanksgiving stationery, forlorn and forgotten-ish, at +/-90% off. You should pounce. The same applies -- should you not have such accouterments at your disposal -- to tablecloths, napkins and serve/flatware (disposable is fine, provided they are attractive enough). (For these, I scour Williams-Sonoma, both my nearby stores and online , as they sometimes

Today is National Bourbon Day . Which is a good thing, I s'pose, as Bourbon is a close 2nd in the category of My Favorite Ardent Spirits. We all know about my favorite Bourbon cocktail -- the Whisk(e)y Sour, details upcoming thereon -- but when the thermometer starts to creep upward, chasing the spike in humidity, something minty is called for. Now, it seems that normal people who grow mint have it overrun their yard. I end up with a terracotta pot of damp dirt and beige twigs. Still, dum spiro, spero . So, in order to not make nothing but a waterfall of mojitos all summer* long, here's my choice cocktail: Joe's Julep 2 oz. Bourbon (my go-to for mixing is Maker's Mark) 1 oz. Rye (Templeton's is nice, if you're especially manly-manlike, add an extra ½ oz.) 1 dash Peychaud's Bitters 18 (!) mint leaves, any varietal, but Yerba Buena ( mentha nemorosa ) is optimal. 1 oz. superfine sugar (just put regular sugar in the food processor and zap it for as

Another gem from the archives

 New Orleans is one of my two favorite cities for a quickie getaway with She Who Decides. Great food -- if you're delicate of palate, you have my pity -- sensational people, great bars, and just a Glorious Vibe. Even the stuff you never think of (pizza, say) is shatteringly good.