When I want something bad enough, it usually comes my way eventually
For a long time, a very long time, I've been wanting some dried sausage. Preferably the dried German sausage of my youth, made in Fredericksburg, smoked and air-dried, never cooked. My mom told me a couple of years ago that it was no longer possible to get that. Apparently regulations now require everything be cooked and while she could still get the dried sausage in Fredericksburg, it wasn't quite the same. Sure enough, when she brought me some I had to agree - it wasn't the same, but it was better than nothing. However, no matter how much I might be craving dried sausage, I wasn't going to jump in the car and drive out to Fredericksburg, especially for a pale imitation of the original. I've searched on-line, hoping to find something mail order, but I haven't had much luck. There is mail-order dried sausage out there, but it's not affordable and not necessarily what I was craving since I suspect that Italian dried sausage might be seasoned a bit differently than the German-Texan dried sausage I was wanting. I even looked into the possibility of making my own dried sausage and the stuff to do it is also out there, available to the average Joe, but way too expensive for our budget at this time. Maybe someday. Lately I've been somewhat vocal in my desire for dried sausage, even considering a daytrip to the 'burg and tonight when Rob asked me what I wanted for dinner I said I wanted cheddar cheese, crackers and dried sausage. But I figured dried sausage was out of the question so I asked him to just get me some salami, about as close I thought he could get at HEB. Imagine my surprise when he called me from the store to say he thought he had found some honest-to-god dried sausage. I asked if it was a shriveled up link and he said, "Yes, it's a shriveled up link that's tied in a loop with a string, it says it is dried sausage made with garlic, has a German name and it's only $3." And I said, "Go for it!" And it was close, very close to what I've been craving for years. Missing the black pepper, obviously cooked, but still very close. Thereby providing me with a dinner fit for kings (provided the king lives in my fantasy kingdom) and apparently now available at my corner grocery store. Life is Good!