Dog Story

The season of over-indulgence is upon us. Imbibing more than is perhaps wise happens all too often and the price as most of us know is a fuzzy-mouthed, head-hurting, slow-starting morning after. There are various traditional, somebody-swears-by-them cures. The Mexican approach is a bowl of menudo (tripe soup, find it Saturdays and Sundays at Mi Pueblo 12207 Lorain Avenue). Other favored ways to ease your suffering include quaffing pickle juice, a hearty helping of prairie oysters, or a plate of extra greasy eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. But a couple of local guys have another solution. Chris Pinta and his brother Scott created a hair of the dog beverage that doubles as an energy drink. They call it Hot D Wake Up Juice . I met them at the Fabulous Food Show a couple of weeks ago and brought some home.

Appropriately bottled in a medicinal looking amber glass jar, it’s got everything you’d expect in a Bloody Mary mixer and none of the junk found in many commercial brands. Looking to combine ingredients that make you feel better as well as buzzed enough to get moving, they added caffeine, cocoa, and taurine. To make their tomato-based formulation taste good the recipe also includes honey, red wine vinegar, and ginger. For sass, there’s horseradish, cayenne, hot sauce, and black pepper. It’s got enough going on that even if you don’t stir in any spirits, it will surely lift yours.

My days of going overboard in most things are behind me, and I almost never drink enough to cause next day repercussions. So I was not in need of a remedy or a kick-me-up when I paired my Hot D with a splash of Absolut Citron for a round of late Sunday afternoon cocktails. While I can’t comment on its healing properties, I can say that it went down nice and easy, and may have fueled the raucous outbursts of football fans in my living room. Maybe not.

Belly up to the bar to try it at Southside in Tremont, Three Birds, Great Lakes Brewing Co, Garage Bar, and Johnny's Bar. Bottles are on the shelves at Minotti's, Heather's Heat and Flavor, P'zazz, Sappell's, and Simones Beverage or can be ordered online . Cheers!

Gramophone: Cleveland Orchestra second best U.S. Orchestra

The U.K.'s Gramophone magazine ranked the Cleveland Orchestra as the second best U.S. orchestra behind Chicago, but ranked seventh overall. The orchestra typically ranks in the top five in the world, so this isn't necessarily cheery news as we expect to be near the top of any list of great orchestras, but it's not really bad news, either.

The ranking of orchestras was done by classical music critics worldwide.

While the rankings are based on performance and individuality, there is a major difference between Chicago and Cleveland. The Chicago Symphony is on firm financial ground, actually producing a surplus this year. The Cleveland Orchestra is struggling financially. We reported last year that the plan to expand its donor base with residencies in Miami* and Vienna was not going as well as planned. The last I heard, speaking with someone who keeps a close ear on the financial position of the orchestra, we can expect a deficit again this year.

It's remarkable that the orchestra, through reputation and a devout following and support in this town, has remained one of the premiere orchestras for so long. Cleveland is a much smaller city than any of the top-ranked American symphony orchestras. This latest report says we can still see one of the world's best orchestras playing in University Circle.

*In the above photo, the orchestra is rehearsing in Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center (then called the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts).

It's a Wrap

There's a trend emerging at our offices. Some co-workers have dubbed us the Secret Scarf Society, while others just stare wondering what we are thinking. But regardless of how many comments and odd looks we get, a lot of us have been sporting bright, colorful scarves around the office to keep warm. Some of our favorites? Target's Merona line has plenty of colors from pink (shown on the right) to turquoise at a nice price ($12.99), too. For a little more variety, Gap's fine-knit ruffled scarf  (shown in yellow on the left for $29.50) can liven up any outfit we wear. And that's no secret. 

Still on the holiday hunt for gifts? Check out our A to Z Shopping Guide for ideas. Also, sign-up for our style newsletter. Full of advice from our style expert to fashion-related events and cool items, next week's will feature places to go for great deals on Black Friday. 

Debbie Brooks @ Peter & Co. Jewelers today

Celebrity handbag designer and two-time Olympic artist Debbie Brooks will be on hand at Peter & Co. Jewelers in Avon Lake tomorrow to unveil artwork designed specifically for the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. But don't worry, Brooks didn't forget about the upcoming First Lady — she will also unveil a handbag (we guess similar to the ones above) for Michelle Obama. With almost everything the trend-setting Michelle wears flying out of stores, be sure to snag your piece of history now. 

Listen to Bruce Drennan on our podcast

If you haven't checked out this month's Cleveland Magazine podcast, yet, you should: It's worth a download. We have an interview with sportscaster Bruce Drennan, who appears in our November issue.

He talks about life in federal prison and his meteoric rise back to the limelight as the face of Sports Time Ohio.

Listen here.

We have more than 5,500 listeners each month. If you like what you here, you can subscribe to the podcast for free on iTunes.

Gravy on My Mind

I am about to give everyone who reads this the absolute, hands down best bit of advice for how to make the prep for Thanksgiving dinner easier. Much easier. Cook a turkey this week. I’m not cracked and I’m not suggesting that you serve guests old, reheated bird.

Real gravy starts with pan drippings. In the normal sequence of events, you don’t get those until the bird is done and pulled from the oven. While it’s resting, you’re not. Instead of relaxing with a glass of wine, you’re at the stove. You need at least one burner for the roasting pan (two if it’s large) and another to warm the stock. That creates a bottleneck if you’ve got other things to heat up at the last minute. Eveybody’s laughing in the living room while you’re in the kitchen whisking, stirring, and handling pot logistics.

My method offers an alternative. Make the gravy in advance and freeze it. Mine, I'm happy to announce, is already done and in the “can.” On T-Day, I’ll defrost, add freshly cooked, chopped giblets, and warm in a covered saucepan. I’ve been doing this for a decade. It started as a way to keep my brother-in-law, a man who does not believe there’s a role for him in the clean-up department, from taking on this job and trashing my kitchen in the process. “Thanks for the offer of help,” I’d say with a sweet smile, “but the gravy’s all taken care of. Why don’t you uncork more wine instead.” Now it’s a necessity. We Taxel’s deep fry and smoke our turkeys these day. (We do both because they are so good we can’t decide which we like better). The problem is neither of these techniques produces the essential pan drippings. So here, now, are my instructions for what I call Make-Ahead Gravy.

-Roast a small turkey or a bunch of turkey parts now. Use the meat for sandwiches- turkey reubens are a favorite- and the bones for stock.
If you do parts, choose a mixture of thighs with skin, legs, necks, and wings (total 4-6 pounds). If you get a whole bird, boil giblets separately, chop fine, and set aside in a small bowl.
-When done, set pan with drippings aside.
-Slice off the meat you want to eat. Put bones and remaining parts plus additional 1-2 lbs turkey thighs into a large pot. Cover with cold water, 8-10 cups. Add 2 onions peeled and quartered, 2 carrots peeled and sliced in chunks, 1 stalk celery, sliced, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, covered 1 hour. Skim off fat, strain, and discard meat, bones, and vegetables. The liquid is your stock.
-Using pan drippings and the turkey stock you just made to prepare gravy according to your favorite recipe. Basically you make a roux by whisking flour into hot drippings, brown a bit, slowly add stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Flavor and season just as you normally would. Around here we like to toss in a healthy splash of bourbon. If you have giblets, add them.
-Cool and store in freezer.

The payback for this extra, early effort- no last-minute rush; everything arrives at the table at the same time; less kitchen mess; more fun for the cook.

Marrying a Catholic Priest

In May 2007, we published an Experience about a woman, Linda Marcin, who fell in love with and married a Catholic priest.

We've recently added the ability to comment on articles on ClevelandMagazine.com, and I was surprised to find a note at the end of that story since it was put online before readers could respond publicly.

The reader, who only identified herself as E. Mary, left a pretty powerful message. Here it is:

Linda, I recognized right away that moment when you looked up and saw Phil with that incredible tenderness. I had the same experience with my priest. It was a moment of intense prayer and I have been falling in love with him over the past year and a half and cannot tell anyone. Thank you for your story. Phil, what do you think now about your call to the priesthood? Did you not hear God clearly? Is it possible to serve for a season? Can't God call you to pastor for awhile and then to raise a family? Why do we say that it is all or nothing? A priest in his traditional duties for life? God called me to be a mother and now a social worker...to me there is a season for everything. E.