Author Archives: Ryo

Extreme Luck Leads to Profit

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Ryo

It took me until July this year to make it out to Vegas, but I finally went this week. My short, two-night trip got off to kind of a bad start, when I played $1/3 no-limit at Caesar’s Palace for … Continue reading →

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Variations on a Manhattan

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Ryo

I made some cocktails with brandied cherries before. As good as they were, I kept thinking about the original Manhattan. And since I still had a bunch of brandied cherries left, I thought, why don’t I try some variations on … Continue reading →

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Vanilla Madeleines

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Ryo

Madeleines, if you’ve never had them, are these little sponge cakes that are shaped like shells. Or at least, people seem to call them shells. I always thought they looked like small blimps. But giving little cakes a girl’s name? … Continue reading →

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Brandied Cherry Cocktails

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Ryo

Since I made some brandied cherries, I of course had to make some cocktails with brandied cherries. Because otherwise they’re just sitting there in that jar, looking pretty. So first, I made a version of the classic Manhattan with some … Continue reading →

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Brandied Cherries

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Ryo

I went cherry picking last weekend, and I somehow ended up with over five pounds of cherries. It’s just so easy to keep picking those round globes of sweetness off of low-hanging branches. There was talk of brandied cherries amongst … Continue reading →

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Part of Me

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Ryo

You may have heard Katy Perry’s little ditty called “Part of Me” on the radio: Now she’ll probably have you thinking that this “part of me” that you can’t take away from her is some noble thing like her soul … Continue reading →

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Final Fantasy XIII-2

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Ryo

I finally did it. I got the platinum trophy in Final Fantasy XIII-2. OK, so it didn’t take me nearly as long as for the first game. But it still took a while. I found the sequel to be quite … Continue reading →

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Honey Tea Cakes

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Ryo

Having just made the banana bread with streusel with my new mini loaf pans, I felt like making something else in small loaves. So I found these honey tea cakes in the Miette cookbook, and since I like honey, they … Continue reading →

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A Visit from the Goon Squad

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Ryo

During a couple of international flights last month, I read Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Good Squad, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2011. It’s one of those books that has an ensemble cast of characters. There’s … Continue reading →

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Kiwi Cocktails

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Ryo

I spotted a bottle of “Shakka Kiwi” in my kitchen that I had bought a while back, for the sole reason that there was a deep (>50%) discount on it. Oh well and I guess the bottle looked interesting. But, … Continue reading →

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