Delicious: Maytag Blue Cheese Dressing

Why?  Because it is my favorite salad dressing.  I make my own and its simple. The key, which cannot be ignored is to use only the best cheese for the job: Maytag Blue Cheese.

I had this delicious cheese years ago in the San Francisco Bay Area at Skates restaurant in Emeryville.  They had a Maytag Blue Cheese salad that I would order with grilled salmon nuggets.

I make my own dressing because I can't find one mass produced that is this good.  So here's the really simple recipe - - DO NOT USE LOW or REDUCED FAT, this is no time for calorie counting:

Simple Maytag Blue Cheese Dressing

4oz. Crumbled Maytag Blue Cheese (or more depending on your taste)

1 Cup Good Mayonnaise

1 Cup Sour Cream

Cream together the Maytag Blue Cheese, mayo and sour cream until it reaches whatever consistency you like. I like it with a little chunk, but the more you incorporate the MBC into the mixture the more flavor you get.  Let it stand overnight in the fridge (if you can wait that long).  If you need you can thin it a bit with a few tablespoons of cream or whole milk. Remember: this is not diet food and a tablespoon full, or three ,goes a long way.  This is full flavored, delicious and needs nothing else but wonderful crisp Romaine and a delicious tomato for me to have a nice salad.

Try this. You'll thank me later.

Being Thrifty: Vintage Find on eBay

I love the look, feel and general design aesthetic of tweed overcoats.  The problem is I could not find one that had raglan sleeves, in an acceptable color combination, at a reasonable price.  But: I finally did. (sing eBay song here) I found it on eBay!  Beautiful 60's vintage Harris Tweed from a family owned company apparently, "Kaufman's".  $24 shipped.  Really. $24.  Check it out:

 

The labels inside seem pretty well intact and there are no obvious holes, tears, stains.. nothing. I dry cleaned it and I am happy with the result.

 

The obligatory closeup:

Shop Online: Ledbury.com - Order Up!

Check out ledbury.com for the story of the two Pauls and why they founded Ledbury.

I have belts older than some of your kids.  Luggage too. Shoes too. Classics.  I just ordered this belt as a replacement for one I left in a hotel room (No, the housekeeping staff didn't turn it in...really?)  Love the belt. Classic craftsmanship.  Check it out.

The Commonwealth Collection is a unique range of hand-crafted accessories designed in collaboration with local Virginia artisans. The inaugural piece is The Free Union Belt, made in partnership with Marcus Wiley of Wiley Belts, best known for applying equestrian aesthetic and craftsmanship to belt design. Ledbury and Marcus joined forces to create a truly distinctive piece made entirely by hand in Albemarle County, Virginia.

The Free Union Belt: Crafted from large-hide English bridle leather, The Free Union’s Tobacco leather strap has been stripped, beveled, stitched, dyed and burnished, all by hand. The buckle is a unique quick release mechanism first employed as a hose clamp by England’s National Fire Service in the 19th century. Cast locally, it is formed from a high-density white bronze metal. Over time, the white bronze will develop a slight natural patina, giving each buckle its own tint and character.