Wrath of Doon

May 24, 2004

First things first. Enterprise finale-izes this week and soon I will be free! Free! FREE! Until next fall. Because it got renewed. I'm actually happy about that, though. More so because Boss Lady Sars gave me the okay to do some TOS and TNG Extras this summer. William T. Riker -- the other all beef patty with cheese.

Once I'm free [FREE!], I can update fully because, man, a whole lotta eatin' going on! I'm in love with a new cheese, I got some awesome S&P shakers by Alessi from this completely adorable recap-reader in Europe, I ate a bunch of artichokes, and I won some limited-edition wine. Since I am about dead on my feet after a crazy weekend -- both with work and play -- I'm only going to talk about the wine tonight.

A few months ago, I entered a Bonny Doon Vineyard writing contest called "A Gutwrenching Parody of Staggering Silliness." I'm not The Winner, but I am a Laureate winner who gets a limited edition poster of Bonny Doon's original label for Le Cigare Volant, signed by Randall Grahm along with one of Randall Grahm’s original haikus, hand-lettered onto a collectible bottle of Bonny Doon wine! AND my piece gets published in their newsletter! ZING! Pretty freakin' good for something I tore off in under an hour! I'm damn proud of myself, and hey, I don't say that often here because, let's face it, you'd all begin to hate me. I mean seriously, what's more annoying than someone who goes on and on and ON about how great they are? But still, the pride, it's there and I'm sorta feelin' it.

In celebration, Mathra and I got to lovingly brush off some dust from a bottle of Bonny Doon's Il Circo 2001: "La Violetta Uva di Troia" and pretend that it has been sitting in our capacious wine cellar for the past fifteen years while studiously ignoring the fact that the dust is actually a combo of city, construction, and cats.

I submitted two entries and since they pretty much own the winning entry, I'm only posting the one that didn't win. However, I can tell you that I called The Winning Entry "A Corkless Carol." Anyway, here's my other entry -- so inspired because I know people over at Boony Doon are Trekkies. Enjoy.

The Wrath of Doon

Il Kirko: Doon, you grape-crusher. You're gonna have to do your own dirty work now, do you hear me? Do you?
Doon: Il Kirko? You're still alive, old vine.
Il Kirko: Still, "old vine." You've managed to drink everyone else but like a poor oenophile, you keep missing the glass.
Doon: Perhaps I no longer need to try, di Troia.
[beams the bottle of Le Cigare Volant away to the waiting UFO]
Il Kirko: Doon... Doon, you've got Le Cigare Volant, but you don't have me. You were going to drink me, Doon. You're gonna have to come down here. You're gonna have to come down here.
Doon: I've done far worse than drink you, di Troia. I've sipped you. And I wish to go on sipping you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left my cigar after that unfortunate incident with the kilt: decanted for all eternity in the center of a corked bottle, buried in wine. Buried in wine.
Il Kirko: DOOOOOOOON!
[echo]
Il Kirko: DOOOOOOOOOOOON

Oh, and yeah, those Brussels sprouts recipes? I asked for them too late and tested them on sub-par, waning from the season sprouts, so I think I'm going to have to do it again. However, even on the subbest of par sprouts the recipe that TC Duong sent me was killer!

Here it is:

Balsalmic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 shakes of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 435 degrees. Cut out leaves off the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Finely chop the garlic and then mix the rest of the ingredients together. Toss Brussels sprouts with the marinade. Let sit for about 5 minutes and then spoon Brussels sprouts onto a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are tender and slightly caramelized.

Thank you to all who sent me recipes -- I promise I will test them all again and post pictures.