I know things have been a little slow here at the Den, but unfortunately life has gotten in the way of fun. I’m hoping things get back to an even kiel sooner rather than later. Just hang in there, things will improve.

I also wanted to thank all the people who submitted recipes for the Templeton Rye contest. Thanks!!! I’ll begin judging tomorrow and hope to have an announcement just after Memorial Day. I’ll email the winners before posting anything so keep your eyes peeled.

Finally, THE BEST DAMNED HICCUP CURE EVER!!!! (Hyperbole, never!)

We’ve all experienced hiccups at some point. Maybe it was because we ate too much or imbibed too much. Maybe it was because of too much citrus, sweets or richness. Honestly, I don’t know why we get hiccups, but I know I hate them and always had a hard time getting rid of them quickly.

I saw this cure on TV sometime. I think it was the episode of “Three Sheets” where Zane Lampry is at the Angostura facility. It seemed so simple. Could it really work? Could it get rid of my historically difficult hiccups? There was only one way to be sure.

First, cut a fresh lemon wedge. Dredge both sides of the wedge in sugar. White table sugar seems to work best. I think because of the relatively small granule size. At home, the only white sugar I have is for vanilla sugar, so that’s what I use.

So now you have the sugar dredged lemon wedge. Get out your bottle of Angostura bitters. I don’t know if other bitters will work because I haven’t tested alternatives. I don’t want to mess with perfection. Now, saturate the sugared lemon wedge with Angostura. Cover both sides.

Now, eat the flesh of the Angostura soaked sugar-dredged lemon wedge.

That’s it. Your hiccups should be gone. If not, repeat the process. I’ve had to eat two or three wedges before to get rid of my notoriously bad hiccups. You’re mileage may vary. But the end result has been the same for me – bye-bye hiccups.

I’ve shared this with several people and they’ve all been amazed. Sean has had the same reaction from those he has shared this with.

Why does it work? I don’t know and I don’t care. It just does.

Cheers!