24 cats and another among the countless manhattans

I picked up this lovely 3 year old girl midweek. She is foster cat number 24 for me. She was found wandering the streets of Dorchester by Animal Rescue League and has been in the shelter since December 28. She's with me for 10-14 days so she doesn't get an infection after being fixed. She's as skinny as a rail but is eating well.

She is quite the starlet. She'd take a few steps, pause, face the camera and then repeat. Very sweet temperament but has a real problem with being picked up and held so it's a good thing she doesn't require any medication. She is sleeping with me and has jumped up on my lap while I'm working at my desk so I'm hoping by the time it gets to put her back in the carrier, I won't be mauled to badly.

The tradition in my house is I get a cat, I welcome her with a manhattan. This one is a perfect sazerac...in my perfect frozen glass.

JJ Foley's Boston

Not much to write home about with this place, typical Irish pub. This Maker's Mark manhattan with a twist that was really a wedge was decent enough at $9.50. All the little sparkly things are the reflections of the Christmas lights hung around the backroom. It was a last minute/early outing on New Years Eve. Tonya supplied party favors to all the girls (boxes with hula dancing paraphernalia Gross.

I did meet two people who might shovel the walk; one at the bar and one who was shoveling at the Epiphany School. Why can I find 4 people to to this chore and the other two unit owners can't find anyone? Rhetorical question since we know the answer.

Red pepper and tomato soup (so shouldn't this be red?)

Another recipe from James McNair - and you'd think from the name, it would be much redder. OK, Patricia Brabent's photo in his cookbook is much redder but in the interest of full disclosure, my photo is unretouched. Tomatoes available lately in the great state of Massachusetts have been most unappealing and unappetizing. But come on, if they are shipped all the way from California, shouldn't they be better (sorry Barbara Kingsolver, I am weak. Although I will probably make due without until spring). All that aside, this was a very good soup. I got lots of good red pepper favor and I will make it again.