I see some of the "Finer" things that John is doing with this site. My mouth waters every time I read his posts or I yearn for the items he is showing off from the Farmer's Markets and vendors. This stuff is just spectacular. I love the local flare shown here. Whether we know it or not, we are all local flare. Did you know that?

I am not sure how many of you have children. Some of the "Finer" things in children's lives are connecting with their parents on any level. As much as they may rebel against us, like we did with our parents, they love us as we do our parents. What better way to connect with our children than getting down to the most basic of life's requirements? Social eating is as old as caves. Cooking with children is about that old.

As we get more and more into a service lifestyle where we tend to order our basic needs online we need find a way to keep some of the basic rituals alive especially cooking.

I have been divorced for a long time. My daughter was 5 when this happened. Right now, I am happy to say, my daughter and I have a fantastic relationship that somehow developed around getting together to eat. I didn't have much money so I would bring her over to my house and cook dinner for her. It wasn't long until I had her helping. That basic element created a fantastic bond that continues to make us closer.

Of course, after time, the skill development and the imagination grew. And, the internet began to influence our thinking. My daughter found a YouTube series of videos called Epic Meal Time.

In July 2012 we explored the Microbrewers of the Pioneer Valley, and managed to secure 7 bottles representing 7 local microbrewers.

I sampled them over the following week, most of them with some meal or snack that complemented the ale.

The report is on the pages linked under this one. The reports are in the order in which they were sampled. Each report includes a brief description of the ale, where I got it, links to the brewers, and descriptions of what made for complementary dining with each ale.

There are photos that show the whole ensemble. In most cases I am drinking from my favorite blue stein so you can't see the color, but I do like that funny German mug! I think a favorite glass or stein can be an important part of enjoying a fine ale, nearly as important as seeing the color of the beer.

Each report also includes a link to a BeerAdvocate review of the ale, if a review is available on the encyclopedic site.

If you have an account on this site, you can post your own reviews and thoughts. I am especially interested (as you will see) in pairing foods with each craft beer.

While exploring the lower connecticut river, we picked up a Hooligan and his three inebriated brothers to join us for a soiree on the beach.

No, it wasn't that kind of party! Hooligan is a washed-rind raw Jersey cow's milk cheese from the (many, many) award-winning Cato Corner Farm in Colchester, CT.  The other three cheeses are Hooligans that are washed with something other than brine.  All are "stinky cheeses" aged 2 months.

Here's what we got, and what we thought:

• Hooligan: Cato Corner's signature "stinky" cheese. Hooligan is bathed twice a week in brine.  This was Richmond's favorite.
• Drunken Hooligan: Hooligan washed with grape must and young red wine from Colchester's Priam Vineyard.  This Hooligan must have been a younger brother, not quite as soft and runny as his kin. Lorna and Melissa liked this one best.
• Drunk Monk: Hooligan rubbed in brown ale from Willimantic Brewing Company. This monk was pretty elderly, but the flavors were fabulous and still harmonious. Annette and John liked this one best.

Sun poured into the room where Richmond, John and I sat drinking an early evening libation.  Having missed the Kentucky Derby and our yearly mint julep on the traditional Saturday, we had felt the need to make up for the loss on Sunday.

Richmond’s juleps are a perfect blend of sweetened mint, ice and Maker’s Mark; even a sometime drinker such as I finds they go down very easily. Several hours slipped by as we sipped and enjoyed ham-wrapped asparagus and a duo of cheeses John brought back the day before from the upper reaches of New England.  One of them, a Fiddlehead Tomme from Boggy Meadow Farm in Walpole, NH, is an all time favorite with the three of us.

Twilight began to fall, and I found my thoughts turning towards dessert.  “I need a cupcake,” I announced.  “No you don’t,” replied John, but his efforts to distract me were ineffective, to say the least.  After a few more minutes of my sighing, John remembered he had at home a Maine specialty known as a Needham.

I love shad roe.

It's a very seasonal thing, appearing briefly when the shadbush and forsythia are in bloom, and, in these parts, around Opening Day. Spring is here, with tempestuous weather turning mild and brown fields turning green, fresh asparagus and pea greens and sun-kissed strawberries are not far behind.

Shad roe is not pretty. It looks like a pair of lungs. You can find lots of details with a quick web search; the important thing to know is that is is very seasonal, very regional, and usually very hard to find without a reliable fishmonger. 

It is also very delicate; a slip of the knife can spill the precious eggs and make it much more difficult to prepare and serve.

We found some, in one market by luck and in another by special order.  We served it with another delicacy in our Shad Roe and Halibut Cheeks dinner.

I suppose there are some clever chefs who could find some way to present it attractively, but my advice is to concentrate your efforts on the preparation and let the presentation follow as needed.

I always use the butter-poaching method in Jasper White's Cooking from New England.