Well, after long thought (OK, 17 seconds) I've decided the Hinkelgruber family menu should be brought to the web. A couple of things for you to remember: no substitutions (Charlie's not a short-order cook, after all), and change is inevitable - Charlie may not feel like cooking kim chee on a Tuesday! Oh, and there is one request: if you're joining us for dinner, please either call or text the Scary Lady (you know the number - if you don't, you're really not invited).

Saturday, April 30, 2011

May Day!

One of my favorite memories of May 1 took place in Denmark.  
As the boys and I were coming back from the "Row Boat Park," a young woman rolled down the hill at the castle.  Literally - rolled down - the hill! Turns out she and her boyfriend were engaging in the age-old socialist custom of drinking heavily on May Day (power to the worker, and all that).  Imagine my surprise, when arriving back at the "buffoonery" all the Americans in the group were gathered on a patio - drinking, well not quite so heavily, but drinking.  (For the record - they had all gone to work that morning and were dismissed at 12:00 noon...)
You know what they say...."When in Rome (or Denmark)...."

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Spring is here ... well for one day, anyway!

Rumor has it we may hit 70 degrees today!  Do I believe it?  Well, for today anyway, you can call me Charlie Brown and I really believe that Lucy will not pull that football away.  I have a true need for it to be a spring day!

The younger Hinkelgruber son came home from college this weekend (I'll say it's to spend Easter with his Mumma - he'll say it's to open an new bank account) and the elder Hinkelgruber boy went to Vegas - oh, we all have our priorities (and, good for him).

Mr. Hinkelgruber and I are going to have a much welcome few hours (more likely, several minutes) on our deck - have I told you how much I love spring?!?

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

One week until Easter and while the temperature isn't really as warm as I'd like, at least the sun is making more appearances.  I planted a pansy and some Sweet Williams today - I'll drag us into spring, if necessary!
I'm getting to watch the Cubs play nearly every game, and that's helping my attitude (well, when they don't throw the game away).

The menus seem to be somewhat lighter fare (spring is coming, you know!), and I now have some fancy, fancy gourmet baking chocolate to begin baking with.  Wonder what I ought to make?

Friday, April 8, 2011

Vegas, Spring and Everything's Good!

Have I told you how much I love spring?  No, really, really love spring...

Mr. & Mrs. Hinkelgruber had a wonderful time in Las Vegas - plenty of alcohol, really good food and enough gambling to remember why we don't consider it a job but a really, really decent form of entertainment! We came back to Portland to a couple of days of the seemingly never-ending January only to be pleasantly surprised by the most lovely spring day in a long time!

This week's menu seems to be a particularly centered on Italian cuisine and, you're not hearing me complain!