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Had a very nontraditional feast this year, primarily consisting of some homemade ravioli in bolognese.

Wings did get a bit of a nod, though. Made myself a nice salad, topped it off with carrots and celery, and then mixed up ranch and hot sauce for the dressing. Usually my choice would be "both," though.

If the source of those carbs is primarily lots of fruits and veggies, don't worry about the carbs. But if you are looking for a non-carb, non-protein way to add calories, basically you're looking at adding fat. Nothing wrong with that if you choose good fats. If you want to cut down on simple carbohydrates, be sure to have plenty of veg and whatnot, and then "heavy up" the meal with extra fat (olive oil, avocado, a hand full of nuts, etc.).

I have a tiny bit more than 12 bottles right now, but most of them are whisk(e)ys of some sort. What can I say, my bar is pretty boring. Not too much going on in the way of mixed drinks beyond the occasional Old Fashioned, Manhattan, or Negroni. Plus the occasional Pimm's Cup for the wife and sometimes a G&T or Dark and Stormy if the mood strikes. But mostly it's just bourbon or the like and a splash of water.

Currently my bar contains Four Roses Single Barrel, Elijah Craig 12, Elmer T. Lee, Woodford Reserve, Angel's Envy, Pappy Van Winkle 20, Bulleit, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Rittenhouse Rye, Johnny Walker Swing, Famous Grouse, and then some Plymouth gin, Pusser's Rum, Pimm's, Campari, and vermouth. Plus bitters.

There are really not too many things that I eat on a regular basis that aren't tasty with rooster sauce.

Recently, though, it's been making plenty of appearances in tuna salad and in some spicy vinaigrettes (the recipe is never the same twice).

Brussels sprouts - any recipe (which seems to be a pretty common choice). I enjoy them, but I haven't had much luck converting anyone. Perhaps a new approach to them would help me up my game and convince others they can be delicious.

I'm not so sure about that, @alexis. I have some friends who are there probably every week. The fact that they live just up the street may have something to do with it, but the fact remains that those locals dig Loveless.

For bourbon you could try some combination of water, vanilla, and liquid smoke (very, very, very small amounts of liquid smoke). No clue if it would work, but vanilla and smoke are some of the flavors commonly found in bourbon (along with tobacco, leather, sometimes hints of citrus or other fruit, oak, sweetness, etc.). Some of those additional flavors may also be suitable for addition (maybe some raspberry balsamic or some oil from an orange peel?), but it's just not going to be practical to steep, say, tobacco and leather in water to use as a base for the other flavorings.

You're right about the Manhattan. Made one last night. Started reaching for the Elmer T. Lee before thinking better of it and grabbing the Rittenhouse. It just works. Of course, I'm not shy about switching back and forth between the bourbon and rye in most of these drinks -- especially the Old Fashioned and the Mint Julep.

Though in prime Julep season I do things a bit differently. I make a mint-infused simple syrup and just mix that with my bourbon or rye rather than worrying about dissolving the sugar or properly muddling the mint. If I'm going to be drinking them with any regularity, the ease of preparation is a godsend. The syrup keeps well in the fridge, and it also makes a nice addition to tea and the like.

The most essential technique in my kitchen is the braise. Doubly so if you count cooking beans as a form of braising!

Is there any type of food you're looking for in general? Any cuisines you just can't stand? What part of town are you in? How do you feel about driving?

As for food blogs, off the top my my head I would suggest diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com Will try to think of some others and report back.

Definitely love me some pizza for breakfast. But it absolutely must have been kept in the refrigerator over night, and it absolutely must not be reheated before consumption.

You will know from the smell. Seriously, though, you can leave beans soaking for a few days without any trouble, provided you have enough water. Though if I have to soak them for longer than about 24 hours (e.g. things keep coming up to prevent me from cooking the soaking beans) I will go ahead and put them in the fridge after the first day.

And you should definitely discard the soaking liquid and then rinse before cooking. But you should be doing that regardless of how long they have been soaking.

Whole Foods has a great selection of olive oils. In their house brand, you can choose what region's olives you would like. I typically get their Spanish olive oil, and it definitely has a flavor.

Not very expensive, so it's definitely worth checking out.