GIVE TIL IT HURTS

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41 thoughts on “The Daily Donnybrook”

  1. Huh. No one else is chattering here? Well now, that just cannot stand!

    Homemade Blackberry sodas tonight at Casa ‘Bear:

    Blackberry Cream Soda

    Blackberry Cream Soda –

    The Blackberry Syrup:

    3 cups blackberries [About a pint and a half or 18oz or 3 6oz packages]
    1 cup Tubinado/raw sugar
    1 tablespoon grated Lemon zest
    Juice from 1 lemon [the one you grated for the zest, duh]
    1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean paste*
    1 cup of water**

    Rinse and dump the blackberries into a blender along with a cup of cold water and a couple of tablespoons of sugar, then blend until well pureed.

    Pour the blackberry puree into a saucepan through a strainer, pressing the solids with a spatula until all of the juice has been forced through into the pan. Discard the solids and seeds [I just dump ’em into the kitchen compost container].

    Add lemon zest, tubinado, water, and lemon juice and bring to a roiling boil for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Then reduce heat to a simmer, and let simmer until it cooks down and becomes syrupy, stirring ocassionally. [By about a half, usually takes roughly an hour of simmering.]

    * 2 tablespoons of Vanilla extract if you don’t have paste.

    ** Counting the water added to the blender, it’s about two cups of water, actually, but who’s counting?

    That’s the base recipe: you can vary the amounts of blackberries, vanilla, lemon, and sugar to your own tastes.

    For Sodas [per soda]:

    2-4 tablespoons of blackberry syrup
    2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream
    16 ounces of Seltzer water or Club Soda
    1 16oz Swing top bottle [Or a tall soda glass]

    You can strain it again if you want to before using, to strain out the lemon zest particles. I usually don’t.

    I usually add a half a cup of water to our blender, and then add the syrup and the cream and hit it with a couple of quick pulses to make sure it’s blended well first. Then I pour our big 8-cup measuring cup full of chilled seltzer to the 8-cup mark, and slowly whisk in the syrup and cream mixture. Then I pour it into the bottles with a funnel, and cap them. Set them in the fridge to chill, and voila! Cream soda!

    Uncap and drink.

    You can use more or less syrup as you want for stronger or weaker blackberry flavor. Both the housemate and I like ours pretty strong tasting, so I always at least double the amount of syrup and cream – 8 tablespoons syrup to 4 tablespoons cream per soda. (Which means I also use double the amount blackberries and sugar in the syrup.)

    Pour the leftover syrup into a jar. It’ll keep at the back of the refrigerator for several weeks – long enough for several batches of sodas.

    The bottles and vanilla bean paste were from Amazon. I can find them around here locally, sometimes, but I’m lazy. Swingtop bottles usually come in a sixpack of 16oz bottles. Just adjust the recipe a bit if you’re using the 8.5oz swingtops.

    Remember: There must be 50 ways to make your sodas! 🙂

  2. Reply* to Ironbear:

    Oh YUM! Blackberry soda sounds delicious…. and I have been saving a few of those bottles, but had not come up with a way to use them yet. I come from “wild blackberry country” so they have always been a favorite.  How fun, and the little grandchildren can drink it too.  Good find – thanks for another great recipe.

     

    To Mike: Yay, it is Christmas time and my favorite header is back at Ye Olde Cold Fury! The first time I ever read your blog, that was the header, so it always “feels more like home” when the Christmas decorations go up! 🙂

    To one and all, Happy Thanksgiving! God is good, all the time, and there is so very much to be thankful for and to look forward to. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving feast and celebration! 🙂

     

    *For some reason, when I hit the “reply” button on IB’s post, my cursor disappears and won’t place into the comment-reply box, nor into the regular reply box. I had to reload and just use the regular reply box, which works fine.

    2. Heya, Tina. 🙂

      Yeah, lots of cool recipes on that page. Lots to experiment with for making your own sodas.

      We’re having a 3.5 pound roast with au jous, mashed potatoes, rolls, and redeye gravy tomorrow.

      Went out and got a bunch of landscaping stuff at Lowe’s today, and hit Tuckers to add a bunch more meat to the deep freeze. And I did about $300 worth of groceries to the storeroom a week or so ago.

      Come what may, we could probably live for over a month or more on just canned chili, corned beef hash, soups, and rice at this point. It’s… comforting to have that pad for just in case we get any supply chain shortages.

      Not that I’m too worried about those at this point: I didn’t see any shortages or empty shelves at Pruett’s or Sooners when I was making the grocery runs.

  3. Thanks for the recipe and pics, Ironnear. Looks delicious! 🙂

    Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Enjoy the day and spend time with family and friends. Even in a bizarro year like 2020, there is much to be thankful for and to celebrate.

    1. True, we’re still a better place than everywhere else. For how long may be a question…

      Happy Thanksgiving Haz and to Mike and all the commenters here at CF.

    2. Yeah, that’s some good stuff. Experiment with the proportions a bit to get it to your taste, and enjoy.

  4. Happy Thanksgiving All.

    Oh and Barry – College BBall is back.

    Still no fans, but some normalcy returning is better than nothing. Another Thanksgiving Blessing.

    1. Yea, I’m watching. Pretty damn sad seeing the Smith Center empty except for $100+ cardboard cutouts* in the stands. Just as sad as seeing Kenan Memorial Stadium empty.

      *for a 100 you can get your very own cardboard poster. More will get you signed ones, culminating in the $250 level for one signed by the coach. I love Coach Williams, Dean E. Smith Center, and Carolina BB, but BS. I’m sick of the pussy’s that are frightened of a virus that has less effect on college age kids than the flu bug.

      1. SJU squeaks out one with a 3 pointer with 8 seconds left to beat St. Peter’s. Too many new players and not a great game but a W is a W.
        Highlights: Posh an excellent freshman point guard debut. Cole with 21 points and lights out from 3 point range.
        Lowlights: Squeaking a 1 point win with St. Peters, not a great bball school.

        Tomorrow LaSalle. Tomorrow!!!

        2020 Sux.

      2. Second win over LaSalle yesterday.
        Looking sloppy but they have 10 players rotating and only about 4 ever played a minute of Div 1 BBall. Plus, their best player from last year is out injured (ankle) and Dunn banged his head in the first game and is in hospital with concussion. I need to check on his status now.

        1. Hey 2&0. Could be worse…

          I thought the Heels freshmen really played well for their first game ever as Tar Heels. If this were a normal year I’d really be looking forward to this season. As it is, I find so many people disgusting it’s hard to work up my usual enthusiasm for all things Tar Heel.

          1. It really is ridiculous to watch a game with no fans. It gets more absurd though. They arrange the benches spaced and in a square. What use is that. They are banging and sweating and breathing hard and in each other’s face while they play and then “distance” on the bench.
            The coaches wear masks but constantly take them down to yell instructions or yell at the ref or something.

            It’s just so idiotic. We’re living in a Kafkaesque World of Absurdity so absurd even Kafka would reject it as being too much absurdity.

              1. Like almost all teams they are rusty and their system tends to show that more until they get used to it. It’s also hard to play with a lead.
                Good new players added to some experienced players bodes well. Goals:
                Winning Season.
                Winning Big East Record.
                Make the Big Dance.

                1. Premium value on a senior team this year. With the government disrupter in place, young teams are going to struggle more than normal. Nice to have a senior/junior team.

    1. I’m going to read The Prince. Light. Short book.

      Give Thanks everyone. It could be worse.

  6. @Barry, So far so good 🙂

    @ IB, Sounds like your stores are well set for the winter, come what may! Fortunately people in that part of the country are sensible (they are here too), so the stores never look like a plague of locusts (or grasshoppers) came through (so long as the stores are getting their shipments in).

    We are having beef today, too, as our big feast will be on Saturday, and my stepmother is cooking the traditional turkey meal. She usually makes about 10 pies so the biggest decision is which kind(s) of pie to have LOL

    I’m checking to see if I have any blackberries in the freezer. I collected up fruits all summer to make a Texas version of Britain’s Hedgerow Jam, and have not done it yet. I made blackberry jam last year and still have a few jars, and am debating if I can melt the jam, strain it, and add the vanilla and some lemon zest and use that as my syrup. I think I will give it a try and see how it works out.

    Off now to keep the feast! God bless you one and all 🙂

    2. You probably can. The difference between blackberry jam and a blackberry simple syrup is minimal, to the best that I can determine. Jam may be a bit sweeter, but that’s okay.

      @stores: Yeah, with the exception of WalMart down here. I have no clue what the hell is going on with WalMart’s supply chain. I just know that they’re consistently out of stuff, while Pruett’s and Sooner’s have no gaps in their shelves or supply the last few month.

      Another thing we’ve noticed is that WalMart’s “buy online pickup in store” is screwed: I don’t know how many times they’ve come up with “out of stock” on things we’re ordered online, but then you go in the store and it’s sitting right there on the shelves. Lazy “personal stockers” for the online? Incompetence? Who knows?

      I just know I’ve gotten tired of it. The housemate’s about yeah close to just dropping WalMart completely from the shopping rotation.

  7. They have Kill Bill on Prime Video for free so I watched most of Volume 1 thus far.
    As I have said before Tarantino puts an emphasis on Codes of Honor, even if that is just Honor amongst thieves. One code of course that is not thieves is the Code of the Samurai. The Code of Warriors.

    Here is what I noticed today though. A woman finds out they killed her fetus in her womb. “They killed my baby!”. Subtle but I don’t think it fits the Left’s Narrative.

    1. Hmm, thought that was getting posted in the “The Red Death Fizzle”.

      Must be the virus.

    2. It’s funny that Barry, he of the empty cranium, now claims to be able to read minds.

          1. Barry, Kenny, I love you pseudo tough guys, mostly for your insipid insults.

              1. Are you calling him a girlyman?

                YOu nailed it.

                Ooooh a Virus, I’m so scared I’m going to get the government to force you to act scared too!!!

          2. Man, you must of been reading as fast as I typed. Dropped it in favor of the more considerate henryKaren.

  9. If anyone is watching UNC v Stanford in BBall, can you tell Bill Walton to shut the hell up already. He talks about everything but the game and when he does say something about the game it’s completely out of left field and stupid.

    This was supposedly one of the great players in the modern era and he brings absolutely 0 to the broadcast. Typical Leftist.

    1. “If anyone is watching UNC…”

      Raises hand.

      Yes, Walton is an absolute asshole. I’ve heard him before and he makes you want to puke. I would listen to the radio broadcast but no station I can get out here on the coast has it.

      Anyway, 3&0 for the Heels against a pretty good Stanford team. Texas has had our number for years, hope we break the jinx tomorrow.

  10. Headline on Newsmax:

    DOJ Investigating Possible Presidential Pardon Bribery Scheme.

    If that is about Trump, then Barr just confirmed his Deep State status.

    They will never leave Trump alone for fighting them. Ultimately it’s because they Hate US and he’s just in the way.

      1. It’s so frustrating to realize that almost everything about the news, no matter what the source, could be as fake a $3 bill more often than not.

        I’m really trying to reconcile Barr’s statement that he didn’t see Fraud in the election with what the reality is on the ground.

        We all see it. It’s like the Elephant in the Room but only we say it’s there.

        Being stuck in the Matrix is not fun. There is no spoon.

  11. Tough losses for both UNC and SJU today.
    UNC sometimes still has shooting problems. I need to look at their box scores though. I still don’t really care for Bacot though. Seems to be out of position a lot. Brooks is great. The new big guy rookie has potential but makles rookie mistakes.

    SJU: potential. Great game except for the breakdowns they have for 3 of every 12 minutes. Awesome playing and then poor shot selection and too many turnovers.
    Anderson’s system requires a 10 TO ratio. They’ve skated by with 4 or 5 in their first three wins.
    Give BYU credit. They stayed poised most of the time, and held the pace to Just Fast Enough for them, and a Little Too Slow for SJU.
    Good coaching and execution on BYU’s part.

    I see a Western resurgence this year that hasn’t been true for a decade.
    UCLA, USC, Stanford, Arizona State and of course Gonzaga and now BYU and others seem to have picked up a lot of players that were not ESPN “Star” players but have been developed in the last 2 years.

    We shall see.

    I call that as my first “trend” I see this year.

    Big East still in a lull, ACC slightly down (too many lower classmen going pro for both leagues), Big 10 down, Big 12 with potential. Shift to the West.

    My early calls. Of course, that’s IF we have a full season.
    I thought SJU was poised to make a Big East Tournament run last year to make the Tournament. Sigh, 2020 sucked.

    1. Watched UNC of course. First half bad, 2nd half better. They didn’t quit and they played hard. But youth always takes time to develop and this year even longer. I like what I see except we seem to have a damn shooting jinx missing many wide open shots. Not to mention that Texas seems to be the one school we have trouble with no matter they’re ranking.

      I like Bacot, a lot. Hampered by injury most of last year, he is just getting better. I watch his feet and I see much better footwork than last year.

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