Okay! So for all 5 of you that follow my blog, I’m going to be transitioning to another WordPress blog within the next few weeks. I’ve decided to try my hand at video blogging in addition to plain ole’ regular blogging. Hey, I need a hobby! Oh, and it’s going to focus more on food and entertaining.
I’ll be keeping this site open, and I’ll let you know when I’ve officially launched the other site.
THANKS!
I confess. I am a Facebook junkie. Twitter? No interest. Sorry, but I can never say what I want in 140 characters or less. I just don’t feel like I’m connecting with people with those quick little hits of text. But Facebook? You have an entire page to write your thoughts, share photos, post news items and those goofy YouTube videos. I love it! There is another reason I love Facebook. Finding old friends. I have reconnected with more friends from high school and college than I could have ever imagined.
Back in the late 70′s – in between the partying at discos and finding my way in the world, I attended Northern Illinois University. In the middle of a corn field close to nowhere, I left home for the first time and moved into a high rise dorm – Stevenson North. Suddenly I was sharing living quarters with 75 women of various makes and models. Now, I was not the most popular or prettiest girl on the floor, but I wasn’t a pariah either. I was just your average 18 year old girl.
Most of the girls, when they weren’t in class, were solely interested in connecting with, hooking up, and hanging out with the guys on our “brother floor.” Every weekend was a series of mixers where the objective was to get drunk, get high, and get la… find a boyfriend – not necessarily in that order. Now, don’t get me wrong. I LOVED to party and I sure did want to… ahem, find a boyfriend. But these guys? Ugh. 18 year old guys. Need I say more? I was a Theatre major for Christ sake! I wanted to talk about my favorite musical, A Chorus Line, and discuss the nuances of Anton Chekhov’s social commentary in Uncle Vanya. These dudes wanted to jam to Led Zeppelin and get wasted. Get the picture? Not a lot in common.
Is it weird that I can remember what I wore on my first day of classes at NIU? Brown corduroy jumper with a brown, white and grey striped turtleneck, and Frye boots. Remember them? Oh, and my Dorothy Hamill “Wedge” haircut. Feeling confident in my “first-day-of-school” outfit and haircut, I walked into my first theatre class. I was ready to set the stage on fire with my talent! After all, in high school I was in a lot of the plays and even had the lead in our high school musical, Hello Dolly. Hey, in my mind I had been a big fish in a small pond during high school. Walking into the classroom that day, I quickly realized I was a very small fish in a very big pond. I found myself in a classroom full of actors – all who knew that they were going to be the next big thing. Uh oh. Where did that leave me?
I quickly found a seat and tried to gather some confidence. A few minutes later, a guy sat down next to me and started to chat. He was funny, worldly, charming, and had a bigger than life personality. He made me feel at ease. Before you know it Jeff and I were buddies, hanging out with a group of great people. Chip, Steve, Boots and Tom, Matt, Debi, and an assortment of other characters. Theatre was our common language, but it went so much deeper than that. We did everything together. We travelled down to Jeff’s home town in rural Illinois and met his whole family. I remember a weekend when a bunch of us descended on my parent’s house (they weren’t too sure what to make of us). I sang at Boots and Tom’s wedding in DeKalb. On stage, backstage, hanging out at somebody’s house, we were a support system – an extended, crazy family. It was a wild, wonderful, sometimes awful couple of years. At the end of it some of us dropped out, some graduated, but we all sort of scattered to the four winds.
During the following 32 years, I’ve thought of those times often. Brief moments of “I wonder what ever happened to….” We were young, talented, sometimes (many times) out of control, and pretty much grabbing everything that life brought our way. You know the line, “They were the best of times and the worst of times?” I remember those years like that and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. And despite what may have divided us all those years ago, I still care about each and every one of those people. They helped me grow in ways I never could have imagined, and brought so much laughter and joy into my life.
Okay, so all this reminiscing - get to the POINT already!!!
Facebook! Facebook has given me the opportunity to reconnect with alot of these old friends. Last week I received a friend request from my buddy, Jeff. I swear, I almost started to cry. It felt like all those years just disappeared in an instant. Looking through photos on Facebook and piecing together what has happened in those 32 years. Are we older? Oh yeah. Are we wiser? Jeez, I sure hope so! All I know is that I can’t wait to catch up with my old friend.
Last night was the one-year anniversary of The Dude asking me to marry him. In honor of that wonderful occasion, I wanted to make him a special dinner. Also, he’s been suffering with a nasty sinus infection and I’d hoped this would let him know just how much I wished I could take away how lousy he has been feeling.
Last week I received my copy of La Cucina Italiana in the mail. I love that magazine because it allows me to remember the all too brief time that I spent in Italy. The photos are gorgeous, the articles about cuisine trends in Italy are interesting, and the recipes are a lot more than Grandma’s Sunday meatballs and sauce – not that there is ANYTHING wrong with Grandma’s meatballs and sauce!
A recipe caught my eye in this month’s issue that reminded me of the movie Big Night. It’s a Neapolitan Rice Timbale or Sartú. If you saw the movie you know that the two brothers Primo and Segundo are trying to make a go of their restaurant. They are promised that recording star and entertainer Louie Prima will come to their struggling restaurant, which will put them on the map. So in honor of the big night, Primo, played wonderfully by Tony Shalhoub, creates a menu that pulls out all the stops, including a huge, beautiful timbale.
I’ve never made a timbale before, but how could I not try something that has wild mushrooms, onions, peas, sausage, meatballs, fresh mozzarella and arborio rice? Let me just say that this is a stick to your ribs, earthy dish that is perfect for a fall evening. Pop open a bottle of good chianti, toss a quick salad with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar and you’ve got a meal fit for a king, or a dude!
Wild mushrooms, sausage, onions and peas working their magic!
The timbale before it's unmolded
The timbale after unmolding - not too shabby for a first effort!
Just a note if you are going to try this – give yourself plenty of time! It’s especially important that the rice cools to room temperature before you try to mold it to the sides of the dish. And be sure to grease the mold really well – as you can see, I had a bit of a sticking issue on the top – but it still looks great. And the taste? Buona, buona!
Here is the link to the recipe: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/rice_timbale
As a side note, the recipe calls for chicken livers. I left them out as I am not a fan, but if you like them then more power to you!
So, plan your own big night and try this recipe!
I work at a college that specializes in media, fine, and performing arts. I love this place. I love that our students walk around here in all manner of dress, with every hair color in the rainbow. Every race, sexual identity and religious belief is represented, and with that diversity comes every style of art you can imagine.
Right now I’m sitting at my desk looking at a postcard for an upcoming exhibition. The image on the front of the postcard, the winner of the previous year’s exhibition, is a black and white photograph of six dead octopi draped over three sticks tied together like a ladder with string. When I pulled this out of my mailbox yesterday my first reaction was to laugh. Then I thought, “Jeez, I could do that!” After a while that image just grossed me out, and I started to contemplate, what is art?
To me, this is art.
Michelangelo's David
And this.
Monet's Water Lillies
And this.
Picasso's Femme Couchee a la Meche Blonde
I have a friend, Paula, who is a very talented filmmaker. She does some beautiful narrative and experimental work. When we first met, I complained to her that I didn’t get experimental film. It seemed to me a hodge-podge of images that said nothing. Whenever I had to view an experimental film I rolled my eyes. Until I saw a film Paula had made titled, Fever. It is about the bond between a mother and child, and the interruption of that bond due to illness. It is a beautiful series of images, sounds, and text – I loved it. I understood exactly what she was trying to convey. That really changed my attitude when faced with watching an experimental film. It made me think, and it left an emotional impact. Isn’t that what art is supposed to do? Does it mean that I embrace all experimental film? Absolutely not. When given the choice between art house experimental or Hollywood blockbuster, I’m going to go with Hollywood. It’s just how I roll.
So back to the six dead octopi…. Is it art? Well, it made me think, and it left an emotional impact. So yes, it’s art. It’s just not the art I want hanging on my walls. Sorry, but it’s just how I roll.
Apples got a bad rap when Eve tempted Adam. But fortunately for us now, we don’t have to suffer God’s wrath when we want the tasty treat. And since it is fall, all roads lead to apples.
The great thing about apples is the variety. Tart or sweet, straight off the tree to pies, tarts, muffins, or paired with a lovely pork roast – there is an apple for every application.
I must confess that my favorite way to enjoy apples is in the form of hard ciders. Remember how you used to love apple cider as a kid? Well, step up to the bar and enjoy something with a bit more kick. If you’ve never had hard cider, it has a taste somewhere between beer and wine. I really like it because it doesn’t make me feel weighed down like I do when I drink beer. But because it has light carbonation it’s a lot more refreshing than wine – in my opinion at least. Plus you have that light, sweet taste of apple – heavenly!
The first hard cider I ever had was Woodchuck, and it is still one of my all time favorites. I admit that at first the cute little woodchuck on the label drew me in, but the contents of that bottle? Well, just say from the first sip I was a big fan. And the great thing is that they have so many varieties. The Dude and I were at a beer tasting last spring and I sampled Woodchuck’s Summer Cider. It’s light with a hint of blueberry. It is absolutely the perfect drink on a hot summer day. The only problem is that it is a limited edition, so when you find it at your favorite liquor store you better stock up. When The Dude would bring some home for me I treated the refrigerator like Fort Knox. Even he had to ask if he could have some! The Summer cider is long gone, but I do have a stash of the Pear cider and the ever popular Amber cider. Ain’t that woodchuck cute?
Since that first sip, I’ve expanded my horizons beyond the Woodchuck brand. Who knew there were so many different makers and styles of the stuff? The Dude has gotten into the habit of bringing me home a different brand on Friday’s after work. I mentioned to him that I was going to blog about hard cider so he brought me quite the selection this week. Yet another reason why I love him.
Aren’t they pretty? Maybe I missed my calling in food styling for photographers.
Seriously, if you haven’t tried hard cider, get out there and pick some up. If it’s been a while since you’ve enjoyed a cider then you need to try some J.K. Skrumpy or one of Crispin’ Artisanal Reserve ciders. Oh, and I’m seriously considering getting a fruit press so that we can make our own home brewed cider. I think we need to add a cider to our brewing line-up!
Cheers!
We have had some wild and woolly weather the last couple of weeks. I’m not a meteorologist, but apparently we’ve had some crazy cold front swirling around that has brought us tons of rain, followed by short bursts of sunshine, followed by gale force winds off of beautiful Lake Michigan.
Last weekend we took a day trip to Fort Wayne to visit my mother-in-law. It rained. A lot. While at her house one of her neighbors called and told us to go outside to see a double rainbow. It’s been ages since I’ve seen one so I grabbed my iPhone and headed outside.
Double Rainbow over Ft. Wayne, IN
Double Rainbow over Ft. Wayne
The pictures just don’t do it justice. It was beautiful.
On Thursday they put up gale warnings on our side of the lake. We had gusts up to 60 miles per hour and waves cresting around 25 feet. And rain. A lot of rain. See a theme going on here? We had some tree branches come down on our property and we actually lost power for a while in the middle of the night. But the thing that never ceases to amaze me is the sound. We are surrounded by big trees and the roar of the wind is awesome. I would have gone outside to record some of it, but frankly I didn’t want to get hit by flying branches, so you have to take my word for it – it was AWESOME and just a bit scary.
Last night we went to a friend’s house who lives on Lake Michigan. The lake was still whipped up and the winds were howling. Here are some shots off of her back deck.
You can see Chicago on the horizon in this picture. I wish The Dude had brought his camera because he could have gotten some great photos.
So, today it is still windy, chilly and gray. A perfect day to clear out the garden and get the Halloween decorations out.
And that concludes the weather report.
It’s autumn. I love, love, love the change of seasons. Living out in the woods we see quite the color change out here and it is gorgeous. But there are a lot of reasons why I love it.
Yep, I’m a total dork for Halloween. To me there is nothing better than dressing up and pretending you are someone else for an evening. My affinity for this holiday probably stems from being a performer for so many years. But even as a kid, I LIVED for Halloween night. My sister and I would go out with a group of girl friends and hit up as many houses as we could. There was nothing more satisfying than carrying that heavy pillow case filled with goodies home, and then dumping the contents out onto the living room floor. Sugar bliss!
So this year we are blending my obsession for Halloween with The Dude’s love of brewing beer. It’s Brew-o-Ween, the most magical day of the year, and we’re throwing a party/beer tasting for all of our friends. Not only will we be sampling some of our own 3TW Brewing libations, but we’re asking our friends to bring one of their favorite craft brews to sample as well. You all need to know that there is nothing I like more than decorating the house and throwing a great Halloween party.
These are some photos from a Halloween dinner party I threw several years ago. It was a much more formal affair than the typical Halloween party I like to throw. But it was so much fun designing my table and menu to reflect the season. One dish I made was a wicked good garlic soup with toasted black bread bats. I’ll post the recipe at the end of the post.
Halloween Dinner Party - Daytime shot
Halloween Dinner Party - Night time shot
Now I know that not everyone likes to dress up in costume so I’m making it a “costume optional” party, but I’m really hoping that our party goers get into the spirit of the holiday. This year, I’ve decided that I’m going as Bride of Frankenstein. But not just ANY Bride of Frankenstein. I’m going as Madeline Kahn’s character “Elizabeth” from my all time favorite movie – Young Frankenstein. She was hysterically funny and had so many great lines in that movie.
For research I guess I’m going to have to watch the movie several times. Then I’ll need to get out my sewing machine and get busy on the costume!
GARLIC SOUP
5 heads garlic
2 TBSP unsalted butter
4 leeks, white and pale green only, thinly sliced – be sure to wash and remove grit
2 sprigs fresh thyme
8 sprigs flat leaf parsley
1 TBSP whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ dice
4 14 0z. cans of chicken stock
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap 3 heads of garlic in aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes. Let cool, halve crosswise, and squeeze garlic from cloves. Reserve garlic puree, discard paper skin. Peel remaining 2 heads of garlic.
In a 6 quart stockpot, melt butter over medium low heat. Add leeks and garlic cloves, stirring frequently until translucent but not brown (about 20-25 minutes). Wrap thyme, parsley, peppercorns and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine. Add to pot with potatoes, stock and garlic puree. Raise heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 25-30 minutes). Discard cheesecloth bundle. Use food processor or blender to puree soup then return to soup pot. Add wine and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Garnish with black bread bats. Use bat shaped cookie cutter to cut bread slices and toast in a 350 oven until crisped.
(Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Halloween)
