Proboscidea's Profile

This isn't helpful for the OP necessarily, but others interested in ketchup might want to check out Stephen Raichlen's "Sauces, Rubs and Marinades". It's a companion book to his BBQ Bible that has a bunch of different ketchup recipes and includes a fascinating write-up on the history of ketchup.

It has a bunch of other sauces too -- a wide array of different sauces (not just variations where one recipe is basically the same as another recipe but with out garlic or whatever, which I've seen in other cookbooks).

http://www.amazon.com/Barbecue-Bible-Sauces-Marinades-Butters/dp/0761119795

Be a Good Samaritan: flag the original post in Craigslist as "prohibited" so others don't fall for it.

And report the full details of the Western Union wire fraud (including URL of original listing for the apartment) to Craigslist: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/emailForm.cgi

Noob question: when a wine adheres to the strict standards of region and pruning and maturation etc., is it possible that there could always just be a bad year for growing grapes or a bad batch that doesn't taste great but still gets the designation because of its adherence to the standards?

As a drinker of mostly California wines, I tend to pay much more attention to competition results. I'll look for a wine that has won a Double Gold at the SF Int'l Wine Competition or other judging event, or was rated by Wine Spectator (usually limited to the high 80s in my price range). Retailers are seeing the value in posting this info alongside the wine, and if a bottle rated well, it's usually displayed.

Like you say, the non-standardized and unique wines (in this case, in the U.S.) may not be produced through an ages-old process, but the wines that won awards given by human beings who sampled them are usually tasty, which is what matters to me. If that tastiness comes from blending varietals from different regions in some new or weird way, fine by me.

I do see how the Old World designations can eliminate the element of unpleasant surprise, though, and guarantee that you'll at least get a passable bottle of wine for your money (barring the bad-batch theory above). Thanks for this article! I will use the info in your post to make informed decisions as I veer into the world of European wines.

And of course there's the $30 gold standard of tea liqueur: Qi White Tea Liqueur, made in Alameda, CA by Hangar One/St. George spirits.

http://www.qispirits.com/Qi%20White%20Product.htm

Unbelievably tasty. Less sweet and intense than the sweet tea liqueurs. Good for sipping on ice or neat.

I like grain-based salads for their ability to taste good at any temperature, and most of them are relatively dry as opposed to gloppy (so if the container tumps over or leaks, there's not a mess in your pretty summer tote).

Current favorite: a chilled concoction made with hulled barley, chopped shiba zuke (purple Japanese pickle -- you could chop up some tomatoes or sweet pickles or fire roasted peppers instead), cucumber, chopped tree nuts like pecans/walnuts, and mushrooms. Simple vinaigrette with ginger.

Are you worried that the noise would drown out people trying to quietly talk to each other, or are you worried more about the annoyance of having to listen to traffic no matter what you're doing at the party (playing, eating, swimming)? I guess it depends on the size of your space, but if the concern is the latter, perhaps a clever selection of activities could distract guests from the annoying noise: semi-active party games, participation in the outdoor food-making (smoothie party! with a loud blender! constantly blending!), live entertainment (invite your friend who plays bagpipes), etc.

www.overstock.com has some good ones. I've been happy with the value/quality intersection of Luigi Bormioli glasses when they're on sale.

My favorite heavy-bottomed whiskey glass is the Anchor Hocking "Alexis" double old-fashioned. The square shape makes it easier to hold in my smallish hands. http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Anchor-Hocking-Alexis-11-oz-Glasses-Set-of-4/4060555/product.html?rcmndsrc=2

Why a big house? For me, I need a spacious gift wrapping room all to myself. And don't tell me to use the art room down the hall to wrap gifts in -- the art room is for art, and besides, it's already starting to fill up with excess items from the puppet theater room, the thank-you letter-writing room, and the bow-tie-tying room.

Anybody feeling vibes of the house from Forbidden Planet?

http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Posters/F/Poster%20-%20Forbidden%20Planet_19.jpg

Open & airy by day with lush gardens and lovely landscape views, but can be instantly shuttered with impermeable materials in case of Id attacks.

<blockquote>Maybe you could veer into the colonial palette with IPA or gin-based iced cocktail.</blockquote>

That is, an IPA beer OR a gin-based cocktail. As opposed to an IPA-based cocktail, which sounds like a recipe for barf-o-rama.