Top 10 Cigars

Man of the House: We've got plenty on our plates

She has the skin of English royalty — very fair, a little peachy in the cheeks, freckles. The little girl carries herself like that too, as if there will always be some manservant to open the door or carry her across rain puddles.

That manservant is usually me, but when I’m not around, others step up to the task. She is 20 and lovely as a jar of honey.

I’ve been making her breakfast all summer, her and her little bro, the one who latched on to me like a tiny mollusk some eight years ago.

Him: “Dad, I caught a praying mantis.”

Me: “What’s he praying for?”

Him: “A new bike.”

Anyway, each morning — him before summer school, her before work — I’ve made them pancakes and scrambled eggs, English muffins and jam, bagels and cream cheese.

Sensing a bit of momentum, one brave day I even made them crepes.

Now, I’d never seen a crepe, so I was a bit at a disadvantage. I wasn’t sure whether they were supposed to be grilled, baked, nuked or flamboozled.

In college, I once cooked a steak on a coal shovel over an open fire, so for a while I considered that technique. Eventually, I settled on a fry pan and headed to the stove, a popular shortcut I’ve seen their mother use several times.

Here’s something you maybe didn’t know — I’m sure didn’t — but you can make crepes from instant pancake batter. All you do is add a little more beer (or water, depending on your mood that day).

So you’ve got this extra thin batter, much like a creamy soup, or 30-weight motor oil, and you pour it into a greased pan. Not for long it sits before it bubbles, then you turn it. Done.

Then you take some fresh fruit — strawberries, blackberries, blue — and roll them into the crepe as if you’re rolling a banana-sized cigar.

Top it off with a couple clouds of aerosol whipped cream.

Done again.

To your children, you will appear to be the most amazing genius in the kitchen, the kind of Renaissance dad who can make crepes. I’ve still never eaten one; they just don’t appeal to me. But to see the kids nosh down on this novel creation gives me all sorts of paternal satisfaction.

Dads aren’t what they used to be — not better, not worse. Just different.

By the way, I spotted the biggest tomatoes of all time the other day at the farmers market — ginormous orbs the size of a grown man’s noggin’. We stopped, the little girl and I, and flipped one over to see whether it was still breathing.

Top 10 Cigar Samplers of 2006 : College Preparation for High ...

Anyone who has read my articles on Associated Content knows that I pretty much stick to domestic political issues and U.S. foreign policy. Of late I’ve spent much of my effort at AC writing about the war in Iraq, the nuclear showdown with Iran, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and the November midterm Congressional elections.

Well now I’ve decided to show another side of myself to the readers and content producers at AC. For about 10 years now I’ve enjoyed the pleasures that a good cigar can bring to the palate. I’m not talking about Swisher Sweets or Black and Mild’s here. I’m talking about imported, hand-rolled cigars that are a bit on the pricey side, but in my opinion worth the money for the relaxation and all-around good feeling they bring me. So, presented here are my top 10 cigar samplers from 2006. I hope you enjoy my selections.

1. Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra Sampler: Made in Honduras, this eight-cigar sampler offers two each of four different varieties with the Hoyo dark brown Ecuador Sumatran wrapper and Connecticut broadleaf binder. Filler tobacco is a combination of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican. Retails for about $35.00.

2. Punch Gran Puro Holiday Three Pack: The cigars are referred to as puros because all of the tobaccos come from one country, in this case Honduras. With this sampler you get three medium to full-bodied cigars with ring gauges of at least 50. Retail price is around $13.00.

3. Menendez y Garcia Robusto Sampler: A ten-cigar sampler of different brands from Menendez y Garcia, including Romeo y Julieta, Henry Clay, and Onyx. Cigars are medium-bodied Dominicans and vary in wrapper shade. Retails for about $50.00.

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