This Morning, I Gathered Meats.

Don't little butcher-paper packets, all wrapped in twine make you happy? Maybe that is just me. Anyhow, today I doddered around fair Albany gathering various foodstuffs for Mrs. Dave's impending annual age progression festivities. Pictured above is much of the bounty that I accumulated. We have ham and wurst from Rolf's, cold cuts from Cardona's, bread from Prinzo's, and all manner of other delicious goodies (also some of Mrs. Dave's favorite purty flowers).

I performed a little amateur meat artistry and made up a couple of meat platters. First we have the Rolf's selection (bauernschinken, westfalianschinken, plockwurst, cervelat, and some Tilsit).



And an Italian assortment from Cardona's (Genoa salami, cappicola, soppresata, and prosciutto).



You can't go wrong with salty, cured/smoked meats at a cocktail soiree. They are portable, flavorful, and have the added benefit of girding the gut with protein and fat prior to a night of imbibing. As an added bonus, it is a relatively affordable away to sate the appetites of a crowd. Buy a bunch of bread to accompany your selection of meats and there will be full bellies all around. Plus, you just plop the stuff on a table and you don't have to worry about anything. This releases one from the culinary bondage of the kitchen and sets you free to get knackered with your friends instead of worrying over a pricey roast or something.

Anyhow, yeah meats!