Dirty Martini

The history of the Martini is uncertain, although it seems to date to the mid 1800s and the days of the "California Gold Rush." Some "claims" to the beginning of the famous cocktail have connections to the city of Martinez, California, in the San Francisco area, with one claim being that the drink was invented in Martinez, and another claim being that it was invented in San Francisco for a man on his way to nearby Martinez. Of course, the name supposedly was taken from the city and eventually morphed into "Martini." Another theory has the drink named for the brand name of one of its component parts, "Martini & Rossi" Vermouth, which had the name shortened to simply "Martini" for the drink. Olives were a common garnish for a martini and later some of the brine was added to the drink, which made it a bit murky; thus, "the Dirty Martini." Some say this version of the martini started in New York City.    

When I went to buy some olives, I decided to go to a place that stuffs their own olives, of which they have quite a number of varieties. I asked the clerk about every variety and after a lengthy explanation by her, I took a a small of number of the pimento stuffed olives. She seemed a little miffed that after all of her explanations, I hadn't bought much, and when I commented how it's so interesting that her shop stuffs their own olives, she handed me a pitted olive and said, "Here... take this olive and stuff it!" I answered, "But you haven't given me anything to stuff it with," which drew her reply of, "You don't get it." By damn, I didn't get it and I still don't!

I'm not a big fan of gin, so I often use vodka for such drinks. I'm also not much for strained drains, so I prefer to have them on the rocks; that is, the drink is served over ice cubes in a glass. 


Ingredients (per drink):

3 ounces of gin (or vodka)
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce olive brine
2 stuffed olives
 
You can put the gin, vermouth and olive brine into a mixing cup, stir, strain into a glass and garnish with a couple of olives in the glass or on a pick. Or you can put the gin, vermouth, olive brine and olives into a glass with ice cubes, stir and serve. 

WORD HISTORY:
Vermouth/Wormwood-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, although it is assumed to be a compound, with the first part being related to "worm," or perhaps to "warm." The word "vermouth" is really just a form of the word "wormwood," the common English name for an herbal plant used in certain medicines and in the production of the alcoholic beverage "absinthe." The word "absinthe" is from the scientific botanical name of the wormwood plant. The word "wormwood" goes back to West Germanic, but again, what the West Germanic form was is unknown. Old English had dialectal forms "wermod" and "wormod," which then became "wermode," before the modern form "wormwood." Old High German had "wermuota" (meaning, "wormwood"), which then became "wermuot" and finally modern "Wermut." French borrowed the word from German as "vermout," and then "vermouth," which was used for a type of white wine flavored with wormwood herb. English borrowed the word "vermouth" from French in the early 1800s, with the same meaning. As I mentioned above, the first part of the word has long been associated by many with "worm," and the connection seems to be that the wormwood herb was used to treat people with worms (I would assume that was a common problem centuries ago). On the other hand, some have associated the first part with "warm," with the connection being the "warmth" brought on by consuming wormwood; and indeed, it was also used to induce sweating. Other West Germanic relatives: Low German "Wörm," Dutch "vermout" (seemingly borrowed from either French or English), and as already mentioned, German "Wermut."

Mudslide Cocktail

No question about it, this drink has a good many calories, but you can save some calories by cutting down on the ice cream and replacing it with crushed ice, but it naturally won't be as creamy. This cocktail was supposedly invented in the Cayman Islands in the 1950s.

Ingredients (about 6 servings):

3 ounces vodka
3 ounces coffee flavored liqueur
3 ounces Irish cream liqueur
48 ounce carton of vanilla ice cream (or 14 to 16 ounce carton and 4 large scoops crushed ice)
4 tablespoons chocolate syrup (+ more for serving)
grated or shaved chocolate for serving
whipped cream for serving

Add everything except the grated/shaved chocolate and whipped cream to a blender. Blend until the ice cream is well mixed with the other ingredients. Pour into glasses, top each with whipped cream, drizzle some chocolate syrup over the whipped cream and then sprinkle on some grated or shaved chocolate. Another way to make this, is to use chocolate ice cream, and then skip adding the chocolate syrup to the blender, but you will still need some chocolate syrup for each serving, used as above.   

WORD HISTORY: 
Mud-This word is distantly related to "moss," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "meu," which had the notion, "moist, damp, musty," and its extended form "meut," which added the meaning, "dirty, impure;" thus also, "decaying." This gave Old Germanic "mud(d)," meaning, "soft, moist earth," which then gave Low German "modder," meaning, "mud," which then became "mudde." This was borrowed by English circa 1400. It seems odd that no form of the word "mud" has been identified in Old English, although Old English "fenn," which became modern "fen," meant "mud," besides "wet land, marshy land," the meaning that has continued into modern times. Perhaps "fenn" overtook an unrecorded form of the word "mud," only later to have English borrow a form from its close cousin Low German? Anyway, relatives of "mud" in the other Germanic languages: German has "Moder," meaning, "wet and muddy land, moldiness," but this was taken from Low German (in about 1400?), but German also has "Modder," which means "mud," but it too was taken from the Low German form (apparently in the 1800s), as well as the adjective  "modderig," which means "muddy," and another adjective, "modrig" (long "o"), which means, "moist," but also, "to smell spoiled or decayed." Low German has "Mudd," meaning "mud." Low German does not have a standard form, as it is a collection of dialects, and thus it also has "Modder," also meaning, "mud," Dutch has "modder," meaning, "mud, sludge," Swedish has "modd," meaning, "slushy snow," West Frisian has "modder," meaning "mud," Danish "mudder," meaning, "mud."       

Fruit Gazpacho

This is a fully fantastic dish for hot weather days, but it's really great anytime. While most people likely think of gazpacho as a cold vegetable soup, fruit-based gazpacho is also made, and there are a number of variations in the recipes. This is my own recipe, and before you get yourself into a frame of mind that feels that some of these ingredients will not work well together, give it a try. The natural sweetness of the fruits offsets the acidic tomato juice, while the onion and chili pepper add a little "zip" to the recipe (they both should be finely chopped). I like the "heat" of chili peppers, but please don't overdo it with chilies in this gazpacho, because the heat will overwhelm the tastes of the fruit. You can always add a little more juice, if needed, in a 2 to 1 ratio, pineapple juice to tomato juice. You need no sugar or salt in this soup, and you don't need to cook anything for it. It is easy to make, with the only time consuming part being the rinsing, peeling and chopping of some of the ingredients. This cold soup is best when given proper time to chill in the refrigerator; so a minimum of 3 or 4 hours is required, but longer is even better. Serve with a scoop of basil cream on top. And you can make the basil cream with low fat sour cream. *  

Ingredients:

1 cup tomato juice
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano chili pepper (or jalapeño, or habanero), finely chopped
1 ripe mango, chopped
1/2 cup pineapple chunks (you can halve large chunks) 
1 cup peeled, seedless cucumber, chopped (if using regular cucumber, remove seeds)
1/2 cup blueberries, whole
1/2 cup strawberries, quartered 
juice of 1 or 2 limes (I often buy small limes, so I use 2)

Add the juices to a non reactive bowl or pot, then add the the other ingredients. Stir very well to mix. Refrigerate the fruit gazpacho for several hours, then stir well once again before serving. Top each serving with a dollop of basil cream.   

* To make basil cream, here is the link to the recipe, but for this soup, I would use sour cream or creme fraiche, but not Mexican Crema, because it is typically not as thick: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/06/basil-cream.html

WORD HISTORY:
Mauve-This word for "purple-like color," and "a dye of that color," is closely related to "mallow," the name of a genus of plant. Its ultimate origin is unknown, but it goes back to Latin "malva," which meant, "mallow" (plant name). This passed into Old French as "mauve," as the plant name, but by the mid 1800s a purple dye came into use which was given the name "mauve," due to its similarity in color to the flowers of the plant. The color was certainly popularized by England's Queen Victoria, who wore dresses of mauve on a couple of occasions. I've read, but can't recall where I read it, that the Queen wore a mauve dress for her daughter's wedding or at some point during the celebration of that wedding. This wedding was for her namesake daughter Victoria, who married German/Prussian Crown Prince Frederick. They became the parents of the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, the German leader during World War One. And yes, Kaiser Wilhelm II was the grandson of Britain's Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria was also the grandmother of Alix von Hessen by the Queen's daughter Alice, who died when Alix was only 6 years old. Queen Victoria then helped to raise her granddaughter, who spent much time in England with the Queen, as well as in her native Germany. Alix would become the Tsarina Alexandra of Russia by her marriage to Nicholas II, and her grandmother's influence was evident, as she had her room colored in mauve, and it was called the "Mauve room." (Very original name; how'd they they come up with that?) 

Asparagus Salad: Spargelsalat

White asparagus is common in German cultural areas in Europe, but they do also use green asparagus, and "Asparagus Salad," known as "Spargelsalat" in German, is pretty common, but in various forms. Myself, I prefer green asparagus. Watercress was once pretty readily available in many parts of the U.S., but it is not always as easily found nowadays, depending upon your location. You can substitute arugula. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, I knew a couple of guys who LOVED watercress seasoned with a little salt. The one guy was a cousin of mine and the other was a neighbor, and he would sit on his front porch eating salted watercress from a bowl, drinking beer and often listening to a baseball game on radio.   

Ingredients (4 servings):

12 to 15 asparagus stalks, remove the tough bottom parts of the stalks
1/2 cup watercress or arugula
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 radishes, thinly sliced 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons
3 to 4 tablespoons honey, to desired sweetness
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (divided use)
2 slices pumpernickel bread, cut into crouton size pieces

Rinse the asparagus well, cut off the tough bottom parts of the stalks, then cut the asparagus into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Cook the asparagus in water seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt until the asparagus reaches the desired tenderness, which should be with a little crunch/crispness to it; you don't want it mushy. Drain the asparagus and let it cool, and in the meantime, in a skillet, saute the bread pieces in 2 tablespoons olive oil until a gets a little crispness. To a bowl, add the asparagus, chopped tomato, radish slices, and watercress/arugula. In a cup, mix together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey. Pour the balsamic dressing over the salad mixture, tossing to coat the salad. Let the salad sit for a few minutes, then season with 1/2 teaspoon each of black pepper and salt. Add some of the pumpernickel croutons to the top of each serving.  

WORD HISTORY:
Cress-This word for various, but similar, plants of the mustard plant family, is distantly related to "gastro," a word derived from Greek, and to "gastric," a word borrowed from Latin, which had derived it from Greek. It goes back to Indo European "gras/gres," which meant, "to eat, to devour." This gave Old Germanic "krasjon," which seems to have meant, "edible (plant)." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cærse" (the 'r' and the vowel sound were transposed, see some forms in other Germanic languages below), and then "cresse" (which took the word back to the 'r' plus vowel sound).^ As the pronunciation of the ending 'e' disappeared, the spelling became modern "cress." The development of the Indo European form into a meaning for a plant was something that purely happened in Germanic, although some Latin-based languages borrowed forms from Germanic; for example, French "cresson." Relatives in the Germanic languages: German has "Kresse," Low German Saxon "Kars," Dutch "kers," Danish and Norwegian "carse," Swedish "krasse," Icelandic "karsi." 

^ The ending 'e' was pronounced "eh/ah," making some spellings "cressa."         

Veggie Fritters with Basil Cream

I found making these fritters with adobo seasoning gives them a little more flavor, rather than just using plain salt. These are very easy to make, but you want to be sure to grate or very finely chop the vegetables so that they will cook relatively quickly. You also may find you want a "little more" flour (either whole wheat or all purpose), but I would add it just a tablespoon at a time. You can always make one fritter and fry it to see how the texture is, before proceeding with the rest of the fritters. Myself, I don't like the fritters if they have too much flour; just a coating of flour mixture on the vegetables is sufficient for me. Of course, you may like the fritters to be more like vegetable pancakes. Rather than just using sour cream with the fritters, the basil cream adds a nice touch with its mild basil taste.   

Ingredients (approx. 8 fritters):

1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup grated yellow squash
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup kale, thinly sliced
1/3 cup grated or finely chopped red onion (or white onion)
2 teaspoons marjoram (or oregano)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning* (for those controlling salt intake, this is about 1 teaspoon of salt)
oil for frying

To a bowl, add the vegetables, the marjoram and the adobo seasoning; mix everything together. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour and the all purpose flour. Add the flour to the vegetables, then add the beaten eggs and the oil. Mix well. Over medium heat, heat enough olive oil to just about thinly cover the bottom of a frying pan. Take enough of the vegetable dough to make about a golf ball size round, then flatten the ball into a patty. Add some patties to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve with a dollop of basil cream** on each fritter.

* "Adobo" seasoning is available in many supermarkets or Latino markets in commercial brands, or you can make you own. Here's the recipe:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html  

** For the easy recipe for "basil cream," here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/06/basil-cream.html

WORD HISTORY:
Crust-This word is related to "crystal," a word borrowed long ago from Latin (reinforced by French?), which Latin had borrowed from Greek. "Crust" goes back to Indo European "krus/kreus," which had the notion, "to form a crust, to begin to solidify, harden or freeze." This gave Latin "crusta" which meant, "crust, tree bark, scab, shell." English borrowed the word circa 1300 from Latin, reinforced by French "crouste" (the form taken by Latin-based French from Latin), or perhaps the other way around; it's difficult to say. German has "Kruste," borrowed way back in the 800s from Latin, which perhaps gives some support to English having borrowed the word directly from Latin.   

Basil Cream

Basil Cream is fairly common in a number of areas of the world, including in Germany and Austria, where it is known as "Basilikum Creme." You can use sour cream or creme fraiche* as the base, or you can use Mexican Crema, which is more neutral in taste, as both sour cream and creme fraiche have varied amounts of tartness. Mexican Crema is also not usually as thickened as either of the other two. Basil Cream is used as an ingredient in several dishes, often to make a sauce for chicken or fish, but it is also used as a topping for some fruit and vegetable dishes. There are variations to recipes for Basil Cream, and this is mine.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sour cream, creme fraiche, or Mexican Crema
15 medium basil leaves, chopped or torn into smaller pieces
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients to a non reactive bowl or jar. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate the basil cream for at least a couple of hours prior to use to allow the flavor to develop. Stir before using. 

* To make creme fraiche, here is the recipe. It is very easy: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/07/make-your-own-creme-fraiche.html

WORD HISTORY:
Horde-This word's exact history (the specifics) is a bit shaky, but that history seems to be close to the meaning of the word, as it seems to have traveled from Asia into eastern Europe and then further westward, as its less specific history is likely correct. By the way, it is not related to the word "hoard," the spelling of both the noun and the verb in English, which is a word from the Germanic roots of English. The ultimate origin of "horde" is far from certain, although there are theories that are just too loose for me to accept. Anyway, it seems to go back to Mongolian "ordu/ordo," meaning, "the residence or encampment of a ruler." (Note: It's important to remember that through much of history, "rulers/leaders" often literally led their armies in military actions; thus, a ruler was often in a camp with their military forces, which were often frequently on the move.) This was borrowed into Turkic as "ordu," meaning, "army force, army camp, military command camp." This was then borrowed into East Slavic languages, either from Turkic or Mongolian, as Russian has transliterated "orda," originally meaning "the Khan's military command camp," a little later identified with the Mongol, and then Mongol/Turkic area of eastern Europe/western Asia ruled by a Khan, and known as "the Golden Horde." As this area began to break up, groups traveled off, giving a twist to the meaning of the word as, "group of related nomads traveling about and living off the land" (and all that really meant, such as plunder and slaughter). Polish borrowed the word as "orda" from Ukrainian, which also had "orda," but the word also added an identification with the Tatars/Tartars, either from Ukrainian or Polish, as the Tatars had risen in military power as allies of the Mongols of Genghis Khan and then Timur, better known to English speakers as Tamerlane. German borrowed the word from Polish, as "Horde," but it's unclear whether the "h" had already been added in Polish, or whether this was a German insertion. Latin had borrowed the word as "orda," "seemingly" from Turkish in the Balkans? French had the word as "horde," "apparently" borrowed from German, but perhaps from Latin, with a French added "h?" English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s, but from French? German? Its meaning expanded in English to mean just about any group of people, usually unruly, but not always, and its older meaning is also still around. Examples: (broader meaning) "The soccer game drew a horde of fans as spectators;" but also, (derogatory) "After the local team won the soccer game, a horde of fans surged along the streets breaking windows, smashing doors and overturning cars;" (historical) "The roads were clogged with panicked people from the town as a horde of Tatars approached." The Nazis used the word to try to scare Germans into continuing their support of the war and of the regime to resist the Russians later in World War Two.       

Danish Sandwich with Egg & Shrimp: Smørrebrød med æg og rejer

This open-faced sandwich uses Danish rye bread (rugbrød), which is dark, but unfortunately it is not available to many people outside of Denmark, unless you check online, or if you happen to have a local bakery that makes this as a specialty bread. So... you can substitute the much more easily found pumpernickel, and German or German-style pumpernickel is more like Danish rye, but any good pumpernickel should be fine. Extra small cooked shrimp of 61 to 70 per pound or small cooked shrimp of 51 to 60 per pound are best for this, but the day I went to the seafood shop, they were out of extra small shrimp, so the choice was made for me. In Sweden, they do a very similar shrimp sandwich, but they often use cucumber slices as one of the ingredients, but I don't believe they use watercress or arugula. In the U.S., depending upon where you live, watercress might be difficult to find, but arugula is a good substitute and easier to find. Watercress was once sold in many produce markets, but its availability has declined in the U.S. 

Ingredients (4 servings):

4 slices pumpernickel bread or Danish rye bread (rugbrød)
4 lettuce leaves (head lettuce or romaine lettuce)
4 hard boiled eggs
extra small or small cooked shrimp(s) * (see preparation below for amounts)
juice of one lemon
2 tomatoes, cut into quarters
some arugula or watercress, rinsed and drained on paper towels  
4 pats of butter (at room temperature, to spread easily)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, pour off the hot water, rinse the eggs in cool water, and let them cool, then remove the shells. Slice the eggs (if you have an egg slicer, that's perfect). Butter each slice of bread with a pat of butter, then cover each bread slice with a leaf of lettuce. Put the egg slices of one egg onto each slice of lettuce. Put some mayonnaise on top of the egg slices, add some shrimps to each slice of bread,** then add 2 tomato quarters to each sandwich. Sprinkle a little lemon juice onto each open "sandwich," then add a little watercress to each and finish with salt and pepper to taste.

*  In the U.S., the plural "shrimps" is seldom heard, as "shrimp" is overwhelmingly used as both singular and plural.  

** If you get the extra small shrimps, with 61 to 70 shrimps per pound (often called "salad shrimp" in the U.S.), use about 8 or 10 per slice of bread, or the small shrimps, with 51 to 60 shrimps per pound, use about 6 or 7 per slice of bread.

 This is German-style pumpernickel bread...similar to Danish rye bread... 

WORD HISTORY:
Weir-While not all that commonly used today in American English (it might still be used more often in some parts of Britain), it is still around in place names, although sometimes spelled "war(r)," as in "Warwick" (meaning "settlement by a weir"), and also as a family name.^ It goes back to Indo European "wer," which meant "to cover, to shut off." The notion of "cover/shut off" gave Old Germanic "warjanan," which meant "protect;" thus also, "defend." This same meaning continued in the various Germanic dialects, including Old English, which had "awerian" (to defend against) and "bewerian" ("to guard, to protect"), but it also often took on the meaning in the West Germanic languages (English is West Germanic) of "dam up;" that is, "protect from water by shutting it in." In Old English this was represented in the verb form "werian,"^^ ("to dam up") and there was the noun "wer," which meant "a dam, an embankment, an enclosed area of water;" as well as the noun, "wering," meaning "the process of damming up water." Related forms in the other Germanic languages are numerous, but some are: German noun "Wehr," meaning, "military force, weapon, shield, enclosed water area for keeping fish, a dammed off area of water;"^^^ the noun "Abwehr," meaning "defense;" the verb "bewehren" meaning, "to arm with weapons, to reinforce;" the verb "wehren" meaning, "to defend, to offer resistance to"; Low German has the verb "wehren" meaning "to defend, to offer resistance to," the noun "Wehr" meaning, "dammed off area of water"; Dutch has the verb "weren" meaning, "to fend off, to repulse;" the noun "weer" meaning, "defense, a dammed off area of water"; West Frisian "ferwaarje" meaning, "to defend, to offer resistance to," the noun "ferwar" meaning "defense, dike"; the Danish noun "værge" meaning "guardian"; the Swedish noun "värja" meaning "sword," and the verb "värja" (same as the noun) meaning "to defend, to protect"; Icelandic verb "verja" meaning, "to guard, to defend."

^ The family name "Weir" isn't exclusively derived from the word "weir," as some families have the name from a different source.

^^ Old Saxon, the Saxon dialect/language that remained in northern Germany after part of the Saxons went to Britain, where they helped to found England, also had "werian."

^^^  For history buffs, "Wehr" is the same word in German "Wehrmacht," the term Hitler used for his armed forces; with the "macht" part being the close relative of the English noun "might" (strength, power, force).  

Mojito Cocktail

This drink was invented in Cuba, although exactly where and when in Cuba is disputed, but "possibly" as long ago as the second half of the 1500s. A couple of these and I was speaking Spanish to my neighbors, who are Spanish and English speakers from Puerto Rico. The problem is, I don't speak Spanish, and what's worse, they seemed to understand me! Hm, if I drink Stoli vodka, maybe I'll be able to speak Russian so I can tell Vladimir Putin, "You're a no good pile of horse dung."  

Ingredients:

2 ounces white rum
juice of 4 lime wedges
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to your preferred taste
10 mint leaves
club soda to fill
ice

I used a tall glass, but you can certainly use a smaller glass and adjust the amount of the ingredients. If you prefer not to have the ice cubes in the glass, you can use a shaker and strain the cocktail into a glass. Rinse and dry the lime before cutting into wedges. Squeeze the juice from the lime wedges and then mix in the sugar. Rub the mint leaves a bit in your hand to help them release their essence and add them to the lime/sugar mixture. Add the rum, stir briefly and add the ice then fill the remaining glass space with club soda. Mix in the squeezed lime wedges. You can garnish with lime and/or a sprig of mint. 

WORD HISTORY:
Poncho-This word for a "type of cloak that slips over the head" goes back to Araucanian^ "pontho," which meant, "cloth/cloak made of wool." This was borrowed by Spanish as "poncho," which was then borrowed by English in the early 1700s. By the mid 1800s, American English added the meaning, "waterproof garment slipped over the head." 

^  "Araucanian" is an Amerindian language family of South America, primarily in Chile.  

Law & Order Episode, Seaon 7: Past Imperfect

"Law & Order" was a crime drama series originally broadcast on NBC from 1990 until 2010. This episode always intrigued me. I've had lots of dealings with lawyers over the years, because of work, and one of those attorneys had a dry, but funny way of saying things, although at times the dry remarks were skewering to others, and this episode always makes me think of him. Whether he's ever seen this episode, I have no idea, but I can imagine him chuckling a little about the last scene in this episode. Many of the episodes of this great series required viewers to pay attention, because there could be twists and turns in the plot and this episode is no exception. 

Main cast for this episode:

Sam Waterston: Executive Assistant District Attorney  Jack McCoy
Steven Hill: District Attorney Adam Schiff
Carey Lowell: Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross
S. Epatha Merkerson: Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
Jerry Orbach: Detective Lennie Briscoe
Benjamin Bratt: Detective Rey Curtis
René Augesen: Sonja Harlan
Bray Poor: Grant Silverman
David McCallum: Craig Holland
Adam Kaufman: Douglas Burke
Katherine Borowitz: Defense Attorney Marjorie Larson
Kitty Chen: Judge Elizabeth Yee

A birthday party put together by Craig Holland for friend and neighbor Chrissy Sandler turns ugly when Holland finds Chrissy dead in her apartment. The dead woman's son, Douglas, shows up for the party, but he becomes a suspect, as he has had a somewhat rocky relationship with his mother and tests confirm some blood found in Chrissy's apartment is from a blood relative. The medical examiner also finds evidence of violence on the body and the police begin to question people about Chrissy's death. The dead woman is a former model who had had drug problems in the past, and when the police go over her financial records, they find a check for $2500 made out to "cash," with an illegible endorsement signature and no forms of identification noted by the bank teller who cashed the check. This takes the police to the bank where the check was cashed. The bank teller, Sonja Harlan, receives praise from her superior, but also a scolding for not having noted the identification used to cash the check. She claims she must have seen identification, but that she simply forgot to write it down. The police are essentially satisfied and they decide to head over into New Jersey to see Chrissy's mother, who is in a nursing home there and suffering with Alzheimer disease. The elderly lady has good days and bad days, but during her talk, she mentions that her daughter came to visit her fairly recently, although the nurse doesn't believe it to be accurate. So Briscoe and Curtis ask to see the sign in log for visitors. They find a visit to the lady from Sonja Harlan, the bank teller!

The police return to New York City and stop Ms. Harlan as she leaves work. They want to know why she would visit an elderly woman in a nursing home. After some back and forth with the police, she tells them, "She's my mother." Harlan tells the police she didn't disclose the information about her mother, because her mother had given birth to her out of wedlock, and that she (the mother) gave her up for adoption when her mother was 18; "It's not something she was proud of." All of this prompts the police to check on Harlan's movements on the day Chrissy was killed. The bank cameras show Sonja leaving for lunch wearing a white blouse, but then returning later wearing a different blouse and carrying a purse, which she hands off to Grant Silverman, the bank loan officer, and as Lennie Briscoe puts it about Silverman's relationship to Ms. Harlan, "The rumor around the coffee machine is, he's been stamping her bank book for the past few months." (They came up with some clever lines in this series... hahaha) Another video shows Silverman leaving the bank with the purse a little later, and the police theorize that it contains Sonja's white blouse, with her mother's blood on it. Chrissy's neighbor Craig Holland tells the police Chrissy had a purse like the one Ms. Harlan appears with in the bank video, and that the purse is missing from Chrissie's apartment. After obtaining a search warrant for Harlan's apartment (a judge refuses to grant a search warrant for Silverman's home), the police find one of the mother's blouses in Harlan's closet. They arrest Sonja Harlan and take Grant Silverman in for questioning. Silverman tells the police Sonja told him the purse had gym clothes in it. Down the hall, Harlan is under questioning, and she tells the police her mother gave her the purse. Then, when she struggles with her answers, she asks for her lawyer. When the police ask for her attorney's number, she tells them, "You've got him down the hall." In the meantime, Silverman, feeling the pressure, admits that he looked in the purse and that it contained a blouse covered in blood, and that Sonja told him her mother had an accident. When the police questioning Harlan leave her and go to Silverman to ask if he's Sonja's attorney, he says he "represents" Harlan. Sonja Harlan hires a top defense attorney, Marjorie Larson, and she moves to invoke attorney-client privilege regarding Silverman's statement about the blood covered blouse and anything Harlan had told him about what happened to her mother. Judge Yee, the trial judge, agrees and Silverman's testimony is out.*

The police go through Harlan's records from the search of her home and they find that she and Silverman had been checking into the fairly recent death of a wealthy man, Harold Lancer, who was worth $250 million when he died at an area hospital. They also find that Silverman did indeed act as Sonja's attorney, as he wrote the hospital where Harold Lancer died from cancer about Lancer's tissue biopsy. Jamie Ross goes to the hospital where she finds out that the hospital kept a tissue sample from Harold Lancer for cancer research and that Silverman had been in contact with the hospital about that tissue sample. It turns out, Chrissy had told Sonja that she was Harold Lancer's "love child." Then Silverman contacted the law firm representing Lancer's estate about getting Lancer's tissue sample tested, as Lancer had been cremated, and this was now the only means to see if Lancer was Sonja's father. Lancer's will named his heirs as his "wife and his children," but it didn't specify the children by name.** Silverman told the lawyers representing Lancer's estate that if a paternity test proved that Harold Lancer was Sonja's father, that Sonja would pursue a case for a full share of Lancer's estate. The thing is, Sonja needed her mother's cooperation to attest that Lancer was the father to establish a basis for the paternity test. Jack McCoy decides to go to trial with the evidence they have.

At the trial, the main attorney for the Lancer estate testifies about Silverman's contact with him, and about how Harlan, if proven to be Lancer's child, would be entitled to $53 million, as a valid claimant to the estate. Sonja Harlan takes the stand and testifies how it was much easier to trace who her mother was (she and Silverman found a birth record), and then once she found her mother, her mother told Harlan who her father was. Harlan tells the court that her mother was the one who suggested that Sonja pursue legal action to claim part of Lancer's estate, and that this would be a partial remedy for her life in foster homes and "all I've been through." She also testifies that her mother knew she had to sign papers saying that Lancer was Sonja's father, but that her mother wanted to first break the news to her son, but that her mother would have signed the papers if "someone hadn't killed her." McCoy points out that Mr. Silverman likely told Sonja that there was a kind of time limit for her to succeed in her claim, because once the will had gone through probate and the estate had been divided among Lancer's family, it would be extremely difficult for Harlan to make a claim. McCoy presses her as to why her mother hadn't signed the papers after a couple of weeks had passed. Sonja again says that her mother wanted to tell her son about everything first, and that the whole thing was up to her mother. McCoy then asks her if she was willing to walk away from $53 million, and she answers by noting that Silverman, as her attorney, would get a third of the money, and that she would have given her mother some of the money. McCoy theorizes that her mother wanted more money than Sonja was willing to pay her, so she wouldn't sign the paper and that Harlan became angry and killed her mother. Sonja replies that her mother loved her, but McCoy says that wasn't true, that her mother saw Sonja as an accident, and that she only really loved her son (he was the son by her former husband, a rock band star).

During discussions of the case at the DA's office, Jack McCoy decides to try to get Silverman to break over by challenging the "attorney-client privilege" ruling, by asserting that Silverman was an accomplice to his client, Sonja Harlan. McCoy has Silverman arrested and he then meets with Silverman and his lawyer. He lays out the case that Silverman knew Sonja was going to make her mother sign the papers one way or another, but that he did nothing to intercede to prevent violence, and then, once the mother was dead, he helped to dispose of evidence (the bloody blouse). McCoy says it's at least attempted grand larceny. Then McCoy lays out the benefit to Silverman if he testifies that he helped dispose of evidence and also testifies to what Harlan had told him about her mother's death ... that based on the DA's theory of the case, Harold Lancer was Sonja Harlan's father. If Harlan is convicted based on that theory, New York State will accept that as true, which will provide the basis for the paternity test, and if the test proves Lancer was her father, Harlan will get $53 million, with Silverman getting $17 million of that amount. McCoy says further, he would accept a plea of misdemeanor attempted grand larceny and recommend five years probation for Silverman. As Silverman consults with his lawyer, Jamie tells McCoy that he's buying Silverman's testimony, to which McCoy answers, "I just motivated him to tell the truth." Silverman accepts the offer and tells MCoy that Sonja's mother didn't know how she was "when she doesn't get her way...She had so much hate inside her. Her mother should have just signed the damn papers."

McCoy and Jamie meet with Harlan and Marjorie Larson. Larson tries arguing that everything Silverman has now admitted is still privileged, but McCoy answers that Silverman stopped being her attorney once he helped Harlan destroy evidence and he alludes to Judge Yee agreeing with him. He offers 12 1/2 to 25 years as the sentence, and it is accepted by Harlan. She then tells them her mother wouldn't sign the papers, because she admitted that she was a call girl when she got pregnant by Lancer. Her mother was afraid everyone would find out, especially her son, and that even the possibility of all that money wouldn't change her mind. Sonja implies how frustrating it all was, that her mother told her about her father and all of that money, but then she wouldn't help her get the money. Then she says how it was her mother's birthday and the party her neighbor was having, but her mother wanted her (Sonja) to leave, but that her son was invited to the party, "that's who she wanted, him, not me ... That bitch," she calls her mother. Even her attorney cringes.

In the final scene at some later, unspecified date at the DA's office, Jamie tells McCoy and Adam Schiff that the paternity test proved Harlan to be Lancer's daughter, so she will get the $53 million and Silverman will collect his $17 million. Jamie comments, "No wonder everybody hates the legal profession." A bit agitated McCoy tells Jamie to make sure that Chrissy's son gets a copy of Sonja's full confession (allocution in court), so that he'll be able to collect from Harlan and Silverman "when he sues them for his mother's wrongful death." Adam smiles and says...."Lawyers!"       

* I'm not an attorney to agree or disagree with the judgment, but the DA's office argues that if Mr. Silverman were representing Sonja Harlan, he would have told the police that and kept his mouth shut. Marjorie Larson, Harlan's defense attorney, argues that Sonja Harlan believed that Silverman was her attorney, and that this belief is the only thing that counted. It is that argument that Judge Yee accepts.

** To me, this is the weak part of the script, as it's hard to believe that a multimillionaire would have such a loosely worded will, and not an ironclad will written by a top law firm and reviewed by several attorneys of that law firm, although anything is possible.

Photo is of the 2010 DVD set for Season 7 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 

WORD HISTORY:
Fragrant-This word goes back to Indo European "bhragh," which meant, "to smell, to give off an odor or scent." This gave Italic "fragro," meaning, "to give off a sweet smell, to smell of something" (the beginning Indo European "b" became "f" in Italic). This gave Latin the verb "fragrare," with the same general meaning, and its participle form was "fragrans," meaning, "giving off a sweet smell, smelling of something." English borrowed the word from Latin as "fragrant" in the 1400s.

Crab Imperial

"Crab Imperial" is a seasoned crab casserole gratin. While we likely think of the seasonings as being rather strong individually, in the amounts used in this dish, they just provide a relatively mild flavor, allowing the wonderful crab meat to be the star of the show. Crab meat is expensive, but if you can afford it, give yourself a treat, although you can certainly use imitation crab meat. You want to use "lump crab meat." From what I can tell, the history of this dish is uncertain, but it would make sense that someone decided to make a crab cake dish, but with the breadcrumbs added as a topping for the crab mixture. The area around Baltimore or the entire Chesapeake Bay area would be a good candidate for where "Crab Imperial" started, as the area is noted for "blue crabs," which actually turn a reddish-orange color when steamed over a pot of boiling beer seasoned with "Old Bay," a seasoning invented in Baltimore in the late 1930s, which is easily available in supermarkets or even in some neighborhood grocery stores in the eastern and southern U.S., and I wouldn't be surprised if it's in stores in the western part of the U.S. I'm not sure of its international availability in stores, but in this day and age, you can find it online.

I put this recipe of my own as serving 3 to 4, but it may take some real will power to keep from eating it all yourself.
       
Ingredients (3 to 4 servings):

1 pound lump crab meat
1/3 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat type is fine)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley 
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper (sweet or hot)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you use hot chili pepper above, you can omit this, if you'd like)
1 egg
(optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to 375 F. Mix together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, egg, paprika, chopped red pepper, ground red pepper, parsley and salt. Then add the lump crab meat and "fold it" into the "sauce," taking care not to break up the crab pieces. Put the mixture into a casserole. Mix the breadcrumbs and melted butter together, then sprinkle the mix over the top of the crab mixture. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and "set." Remove the crab from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving, if it's possible to wait that long.  

In the bottom photo, I turned the breadcrumb topping over to show the interior...

WORD HISTORY:
Empire-This word is related to "imperial" and "emperor," words of Latin derivation borrowed by English from Latin-based French, and to "imperative," a word English borrowed from Latin. The "em" part goes back to Indo European "in/en," which meant, "in."  The "pire" part goes back to Indo European "per(e)," which had the notion, "to produce, to bring forth, to get, to obtain.'' These parts gave Latin "imperare," which meant, "to command." This produced the Latin noun "imperium," meaning, "a command, an authority, a realm, lands under control of an authority." This passed into Old French as "empire," with the same meanings. This was borrowed by English in the 1300s. The original English word for "empire" was "rice" (not pronounced like the food, but rather like, "rike-eh," and it is a close relative of "Reich" in German, which once was spelled "riche," and pronounced very similarly to its English cousin.     

Mango Margarita with Tajin

One of the most famous cocktails in the world, the "Margarita," has an unclear history. According to the online site of the Smithsonian Institution, the time and place of the invention of the Margarita is not really known, but with one possible inventor in the late 1930s being from the Mexican city of Tijuana, located just over the Mexico-US border, south of California. Margarita's are made with tequila, a type of alcohol distilled from the blue agave plant, which is native to parts of Mexico, as well as to parts of the US southwest and Central and South America. Over time, variations to Margaritas have developed, and this one with mango is great. In this recipe, I've also used "agave nectar" to sweeten the drink. This nectar is now pretty common in supermarkets and certainly in Latino shops, so it's easy to find, but you can certainly substitute the "similar tasting" honey for the nectar. Some people put the Mango Margarita mixture into the freezer, where it takes on a "slushy" texture, but it won't completely freeze due to the alcohol. You can also just blend the mixture with ice cubes to give a similar effect, as I've done here. This is sooooooo good!    

Ingredients (per drink):

2 ounces tequila
1 ounce triple sec
1/2 cup mango pieces
juice of half a lime
2 to 3 tablespoons agave nectar (depending upon the sweetness of the mango) 
tajin seasoning for the rim of the glass*
1 to 1 1/4 cup ice

Use a piece of lime and run it over the top and outside rim of the glass. Put some tajin seasoning onto a small plate and then dip the rim of the glass into the seasoning. Tilt the glass and move the outside rim of the glass around in the tajin to coat it. Put all of the remaining ingredients into a blender, but start with 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey). Blend for about 30 seconds, then taste the mixture and add the amount of agave nectar to match your preferred taste, before you blend some more. Don't be afraid to blend for another few seconds, then taste, and add more nectar, if needed, and blend again. There's no law saying you can only blend this once or twice; the "Mango Margarita Police" won't get you. Add some ice to the glass, pour in the mango margarita and a small sprig of mint is good for a garnish. I grow my own peppermint, so I use it. LOVE IT! I've got to go, a car shaped like a mango just pulled up and it's got "MMP" on the side. DAMN! "MMP" means "Mango Margarita Police!" 

* "Tajin" is a dry Mexican seasoning of lime, salt and ground chilies. It has a spicy, tart flavor, but it is not overly "hot." It is available in many supermarkets, Latino markets or spice shops. 

WORD HISTORY:
Mallow (Marshmallow)-The origin of this word for a particular genus of plant is not completely known, although it "may" be from a Middle Eastern source. Ancient Greek had transliterated "maláche" and Latin had "malva," but they seem to have borrowed the word separately^ and the Greeks and the Romans  picked up a number of words from the general area of the Middle East. The Latin word was borrowed into many European languages, including English, long ago, as Old English had "mealwe," as a name for these plants. This then evolved into modern "mallow." "Marshmallows" are so called, because the sap of the mallow plant was originally used to make these sweet, puffy confections, and the plants usually grow in and around marshes, and this was a common name for the plant in English, which prevailed among the English people, rather than the developing scientific term from Latin "malva."     

^ Latin borrowed a number of words from Greek, but "malva" does not appear to be one of them.   

Rocky Mountain Potato Salad

I'd guess in the early 2000s, I started buying "Rocky Mountain Potato Salad" several times at a supermarket, but I haven't seen it for quite some time, and I'm NOT claiming this is the same exact recipe, but it is, at least, similar. The supermarket sold the salad from the deli case, and if I remember right, the store didn't make the potato salad themselves, but rather they bought it ready made. I checked, and there are a number of recipes that are called "Rocky Mountain Potato Salad," but why exactly the name "Rocky Mountain Potato Salad" is used, I do not know (ahh, maybe because it's easier than saying Appalachian Mountain Potato Salad or Adirondack Mountain Potato Salad? hahaha).  

Ingredients:

2 pounds small red potatoes, cooked (but not mushy), then halved or quartered, depending upon size
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup chopped red onion
1 rib celery, chopped
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat type is fine)
1/3 cup smoky barbecue sauce  
3 tablespoons chopped dill
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water until they are cooked through, but not mushy. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces, saute it to the desired level of crispness, then drain it on paper towels. Cut the small potatoes into halves and the somewhat larger potatoes into quarters. Put the potato pieces into a bowl, add the red onion, the bacon, the chopped walnuts, the celery, the chopped dill, the pepper and the salt, add the sour cream and mix to lightly coat the salad, then drizzle the barbecue sauce over the potato salad. Gently give the salad just a couple of folds to distribute the barbecue sauce a little into ribbons running through the salad (it doesn't have to coat all of the pieces of the salad).  

 WORD HISTORY:
Country-This word is related to the compound forming elements "contra" (as in "contraband") and "counter" (as in "counterattack"), both indicating "against, to be opposite or in opposition," and both are Latin-derived forms borrowed by English ("contra" from Latin, "counter" from Latin-based French). "Country" goes back to Indo European "kom," which had the notion "by, with, near, beside." This gave Latin "com" and its variant form "con," meaning "together, with," which was given the comparative suffix "tra," a form of "ter," which produced "contra." This was used in the Latin term "terra contrata," meaning, "land opposite one;" that is, "land spread out in front of one," often rendered as only "contrata," which passed into Latin-based Old French as "contree," initially meaning, "countryside, the region immediately around cities or towns." English borrowed the word as "cuntree" in the mid 1200s, but its meaning more and more meant "one's homeland" and "homeland to a particular group of people." The word also took over much of the later expanded form "countryside," as a short form of that word: "Karen doesn't live in the city, she lives out in the "country(side"), or, "We're taking a few days vacation to get out of the city and go out in the country(side)." But that idea of "countryside, rural lands," had been present for quite some time, as "the region immediately around cities or towns," but centuries ago, because cites/towns commonly had walls around them, it made the contrast much starker.   

Law & Order Episode: Jeopardy

A wealthy widow helps a cash strapped judge get a large loan at a super low interest rate. The problem is, he is the sitting judge in a case involving the woman's son, who is on trial for murdering 3 people, including his own brother. On top of that, the judge and District Attorney Adam Schiff are long time friends.

The story opens with shots being fired inside the office of a computer magazine publisher. The police respond and find 2 employees and their boss shot to death. The boss is Edward Nicodos, part of a family that owns a food distribution company. The detectives go to Mrs Elaine Nicodos, played by Sada Thompson, and her son, Peter, played by Peter Frechette. Mrs. Nicodos is a widow and VERY wealthy, and the mother of Peter and Edward. The detectives find that Mrs. Nicodos gave her son Edward the money to start the magazine, which is struggling,* and Peter insists his brother's magazine is separate from the family food business. As they investigate further, the detectives find out the secretary to Peter Nicodos kept a gun in her desk and that Peter had given approval for her to keep the gun on the premesis, so he knew the gun was there, but further, Peter had a key to her desk. They also learn the secretary has filed a report that the gun is now missing, and that the gun is the same type used as the murder weapon.

Detectives Briscoe and Curtis, played by Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt, respectively, later learn that Eddie's magazine did a negative review of a video game and that the game designer filed a lawsuit against the magazine AND against the Nicodos food business, claiming the businesses were linked. The detectives find out from the game designer's lawyer about a payment of $10,000 a month from the Nicodos food business going to a shell corporation, Gaston Inc, and the theory is it's really a payment going to Eddie's business; thus the lawsuit connecting Eddie's magazine to the family food business. When the detectives go to the address listed for Gaston Inc, they find that Peter Nicodos has a mistress living there, Celia Gaston, played by Brettanya Friese. She tells them that she saw Peter the night Eddie was killed, and that he told her they had to break up, because Eddie had told the attorney for the game designer about their relationship and he threatened to make the relationship public, unless Peter settled the lawsuit with the game designer. Ms. Gaston also says Peter left her as angry as she had ever seen him about Eddie. The detectives also take some clothing of Peter's from the woman's closet, as there had been some clothing fibers found on one of the victims in the killings. The clothing proves to be negative, but the lab technician does find cat hairs on Peter's clothing, and cat hairs were also found at the murder scene (Ms. Gaston has a cat). The technician says it will take him a couple of weeks to determine if the hairs match (the hairs match, but it took longer than anticipated, which will come into play). In the meantime the police arrest Peter Nicodos for the three murders.

In front of the judge who will preside at the trial, Judge Edgar Hynes, played by Louis Zorich, Peter's attorney asks the judge to bar Ms. Gaston from testifying, as her testimony is hearsay. The judge agrees, and Executive District Attorney Jack McCoy, played by Sam Waterston, tells the judge that she can testify as to Peter's mood and anger, because she directly witnessed it. The defense attorney, Mr. Rothenberg, played by Jeffrey DeMunn, argues that Peter was angry at his brother over not attending a memorial service for their father, and that this could be misconstrued by the jury. The judge bars Ms. Gaston's testimony completely. When McCoy tells DA Adam Schiff, played by Steven Hill, about how Judge Hynes gutted much of their case, Schiff sort of smiles and tells McCoy that he's known Edgar Hynes for 35 years and that he was not a "bleeding heart" years before, and not likely to be one in the present. McCoy decides to proceed with the trial based on the evidence they have. At the trial, the lab technician is testifying, and Rothenberg asks to speak to the judge. He argues that he only received the evidence about the matching cat hairs 2 days before trial and that his whole strategy was based upon the belief that the prosecution didn't have this evidence. He asks that the lab technician's report and testimony be excluded, and the judge grants it. McCoy is angry, as he had even offered to delay the trial to give the defense time to prepare their case. Detective Curtis testifies about some evidence, and McCoy rests the prosecution's case. Rothenberg asks for dismissal of the charges, because the prosecution failed to prove the prima facie case, and the judge agrees; the charges against Peter Nicodos are dismissed. Elaine Nicodos smiles as her son is now free.

McCoy tells Adam Schiff how Judge Hynes sided with the defense on everything, and while Adam is skeptical about McCoy's case against Peter Nicodos, he goes to meet his long time friend Edgar Hynes over drinks. Hynes defends his handling of the case, and as he gets up to leave, Adam asks about the judge's wife, and mentions that they might all be able to get together for a trip on the judge's boat. Hynes tells Adam that his wife filed for divorce and that he had to sell the boat. Later, a very troubled Adam tells McCoy to look into Judge Hynes. They find that Judge Hynes specifically requested the Nicodos trial and that he had received a $600,000 second mortgage with a super low interest rate (saving him $300,000 interest), even though he had little equity in the house, and had loads of debt. They find out from the bank that Elaine Nicodos had interceded with the bank on the judge's behalf, and that she made it clear that if the judge didn't receive preferential treatment from the bank, she would take her many millions of dollars to another bank.

The police bring in Judge Hynes and Adam Schiff interrupts the questioning, sending everyone from the interrogation room, including the judge's attorney. Hynes tries defending himself, but Adam bluntly tells him that he personally authorized the arrest warrant for Hynes. The judge admits that the divorce had financially crippled him and that Elaine Nicodos offered to help him with the loan. A badly shaken Judge Hynes begs Adam for help, but Adam tells him he will go to prison, as after all, he was willing to let a killer of three people go free. Later, McCoy meets with Elaine Nicodos and Mr. Rothenberg. McCoy explains to Elaine that her bribery of the judge is a serious charge, but she says she doesn't care, because it saved her remaining son, and that McCoy can't do anything to him now. But McCoy tells them he's going to have Peter arrested and that he's reinstating the murder charge. Rothenberg fumes at McCoy about "double jeopardy," ** but McCoy tells him, he isn't worried about it.

McCoy and Rothenberg go before a judge hearing their arguments about "double jeopardy." McCoy successfully argues that "double jeopardy" doesn't apply, because the defendant was never in jeopardy, as "the judge was bribed, the fix was in." Peter and Elaine Nicodos and Mr. Rothenberg meet with McCoy, who offers Peter a minimum sentence of 25 years before he can be considered for parole, which brings a scoff from Rothenberg, who prepares to leave with Peter. Then McCoy tells them he will prosecute Elaine Nicodos, which can get her a 25 year sentence, but that he'll take 12 years for her (she's older, so you can infer that this is like a life sentence). Peter tells McCoy he'll plead guilty and serve the 25 year sentence, if McCoy drops the charges against his mother. McCoy accepts. Later, as McCoy, Claire Kincaid (played by Jill Hennessy) and Adam discuss the case, Adam takes a brief phone call. When he hangs up, he tells the other two that Judge Hynes was found on the beach with a gunshot to the head. Kincaid was just about to have a drink, Scotch I think, and Adam tells her to "Bring that over here."

* The "Law & Order" series was noted for tying stories to the times, and this episode includes this element about Edward Nicodos starting a computer magazine. While that wouldn't cause anyone to even blink an eye now, when this episode was filmed in the mid 1990s, such things were not common, and this use of the Internet for a magazine published exclusively online was relatively daring, and the fact that the magazine is struggling shows how society had not yet adjusted to the new technology; a pretty accurate depiction by the writers of this episode. Printed newspapers and magazines sold by mail, home delivery or newsstands were still very much the way publications were marketed. 

** In the legal system, "double jeopardy" prevents people accused, or even convicted, of a crime from being charged and put on trial more than once for the same crime. Randy is charged with stealing a cookie from a vending machine, but he is acquitted. Law enforcement then discovers there is a video of Randy actually stealing the cookie. Randy can't be charged again. I guess that's how the cookie crumbles... Damn that cookie was good! Further, if Randy were actually convicted and got a sentence of 30 days in jail, but the prosecution felt that was too lenient, the prosecutor can't retry Randy for the same stolen cookie in an effort to get a 90 day sentence.
  
Photo is from the 2008 Edition of the Universal Home Entertainment Law & Order Sixth Year DVD box set

 WORD HISTORY: 
Joke-This word is related to the first part of the word "jeopardy," a word borrowed by English from French. It goes back to Indo European "yek," which meant, "to speak, to utter." This gave its Italic offspring "joko/ioko," meaning, "something said, an utterance," but also, "something said in jest." This gave Latin "iocus," meaning, "a joke, amusing entertainment." This was borrowed by English in the 1600s (mid 1600s? alternate spelling "joque?"), meaning, "something said to provide amusement, especially something said to bring about laughter." Later, by extension, the meaning included, "something or someone not to be taken seriously (often, but not always, meant disparagingly)."   

Stanford Cocktail

According to an article by Gaz Regan from September 22, 2005, the "Stanford Cocktail" was invented by Englishman Colin Peter Field, the head barman at the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz Paris Hotel in the 1990s. Some strain the drink into chilled glasses, as this keeps the drink from being watered down as the ice melts, but I like the ice in the drink.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces amontillado sherry
1 1/2 ounces Cognac (or brandy)
1 "good" dash Angostura bitters
ice cubes

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the ingredients, stir briefly. 

WORD HISTORY:
Firm-This word is used as an adjective ("The proposal for the new law was based upon firm arguments"), as a verb, often, but not always, used with "up" ("Mix the ingredients and put them in the refrigerator to firm up"), and as a noun ("The company hired an establish law firm to handle their legal matters"). All of the forms trace back to the same origin, and "firm" is related to "farm," a Latin derived word borrowed by English from French. "Firm" goes back to Indo European "dher," which had the notion, "to hold, to hold tightly;" thus also, "to support, to give support to." This gave Latin the adjective "firmus" (the Latin form took an "f" sound), meaning, "steadfast, strong, stable," and this passed to Old French as "ferm(e)" ("steadfast;" thus also, "healthy"), and this was borrowed by English circa 1400, initially as "ferm(e)," with the same general meanings (steadfast, strong, steady;" thus also, "long lasting." The change of spelling to "firm," by circa 1600, seems to have been from the influence of Latin. The verb form also goes back to the Latin adjective "firmus," which spawned "firmare," meaning, "to strengthen, to make strong;" thus also, "to affirm, to provide a base/basis for." This passed to Old French as "fermer," meaning, "to build, to set up, to make secure," and this was borrowed by English in the (early?) 1300s as "fermen," meaning, "to strengthen, to make strong, to establish." The noun too goes back to the Latin adjective "firmus," and then forward to the verb  "firmare," and its meaning of "affirm" took on the meaning, "to affirm or confirm something with a signature," which passed into Italian with the same spelling and meaning, "to sign (a signature to an agreement/document)." This gave Italian the noun "firma," meaning "signature." There is uncertainty as to how English got the noun as "firm," with some believing it to come directly from the Italian word, while others have thought German was the source, as German borrowed the word from Italian in the early 1700s, BUT where the idea of "signature" was taken as the course "to legally establish a business by signature(s)." It "seems" to have been first used in English in the mid 1700s.