Tuesday, November 25, 2003
On To Basketball!
OK, welcome, welcome basketball season. The Cubs Almost World Series videotapes are being sacrificed to the altar of basketball. (OK, I am going to keep a few key games.) We need Tivo.
Meanwhile, On the Cooking Front
A pretty low key and traditional Thanksgiving meal, nothing from the Cosa Nostra. Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts in honey-bacon-mustard sauce, fresh cranberry relish.
I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For
The list should be obvious: my health, the divine Miss S., a great place, the City of Chicago, but, of course, I'm thankful for our annual viewing of Holiday Inn. How many of the phrases of our daily life come from this movie???
"Don't Ask Why, Just Go and God Bless America"
"I'm Linda Mason"
"A dozen orchids. Loose. Looking like they don't care."
"The lady must have been willing."
And, I didn't realize until this year's viewing, that the pose for Afro-Dafny, the Goddess of Vacation, came, in part from this movie. Check out Bing's attempt to dance in "You're Easy to Dance With." Just take the hand position, turn it 90 degrees up, and you've got Afro-Dafny.
"Don't Ask Why, Just Go and God Bless America"
"I'm Linda Mason"
"A dozen orchids. Loose. Looking like they don't care."
"The lady must have been willing."
And, I didn't realize until this year's viewing, that the pose for Afro-Dafny, the Goddess of Vacation, came, in part from this movie. Check out Bing's attempt to dance in "You're Easy to Dance With." Just take the hand position, turn it 90 degrees up, and you've got Afro-Dafny.
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Merce-O-Rama
On Friday and Saturday, we went to two nights of Merce Cunningham Dance Company at the new Harris Music and Dance Theater. It is always an enormous pleasure to see Merce, and there was a great atmosphere because the fabulous Bonnie Brooks put together a great series of programs over the weekend. Everyone was there: board president Sage Cowles (who we know from Minneapolis), Carolyn Brown, Elizabeth Streb, and on and on. Merce read with David Vaughn for "How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run." Absolutely great.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Dinner with Scott and Matt
Tuesday we had my nephew Scott and his roommate Matt over for dinner. They are both med students: Scott at Northwestern, and Matt at Loyola. They both went to the Air Force Academy. We picked one recipe from the Cosa Nostra, Tunnel of Fudge Cake, and one recipe, African Beef, that we plan to put in the 25th anniversary edition. And we made butternut squash soup, just because we had butternut squash, and the weather's finally turned cold enough that a good butternut squash soup sounded good.
Even though I told Stacey I wasn't going to buy any new stuff while I'm unemploy...I mean tell-Mom-I'm-consulting, I couldn't resist going to William Sonoma to get a new bundt pan that I've been eyeing for like two years. It's got a cathedral/castle shape, and when you top with some powdered sugar it looks fantastic. Presentation counts.
African Beef has become an old favorite: beef marinated in cayenne and lemon juice (very hot), cooked with spinach, and served over rice. Bad news--when we make it for ourselves, we make it REALLY hot, and I backed off too much--it lost its distinctive totally hot flavor, though it was nice to have the lemon flavor coming through. The boys would have like it hot. Oh well.
The Tunnel of Fudge cake was good, but we all thought it was misnamed or mis-made. I vote for mis-made. One issue is that it calls for "a package of chocolate frosting mix." I think times have changed--most of the frosting on the shelves is already made, and there were limited choices for straight dry frosting mix. And also a) our oven runs hot and b) the bundt pan has a dark finish, so I think it was a bit overcooked. It was a good, solid bundt cake, but didn't have any of the gooey, fudgy texture that I thought I would get. Still, it looked great with my new pan and all.
A good time was had by all, great to catch up, and I think I talked Scott into coming over to help when we get to Chicken Kevi (boning a whole chicken without cutting it up). We'll need his surgical skills.
Even though I told Stacey I wasn't going to buy any new stuff while I'm unemploy...I mean tell-Mom-I'm-consulting, I couldn't resist going to William Sonoma to get a new bundt pan that I've been eyeing for like two years. It's got a cathedral/castle shape, and when you top with some powdered sugar it looks fantastic. Presentation counts.
African Beef has become an old favorite: beef marinated in cayenne and lemon juice (very hot), cooked with spinach, and served over rice. Bad news--when we make it for ourselves, we make it REALLY hot, and I backed off too much--it lost its distinctive totally hot flavor, though it was nice to have the lemon flavor coming through. The boys would have like it hot. Oh well.
The Tunnel of Fudge cake was good, but we all thought it was misnamed or mis-made. I vote for mis-made. One issue is that it calls for "a package of chocolate frosting mix." I think times have changed--most of the frosting on the shelves is already made, and there were limited choices for straight dry frosting mix. And also a) our oven runs hot and b) the bundt pan has a dark finish, so I think it was a bit overcooked. It was a good, solid bundt cake, but didn't have any of the gooey, fudgy texture that I thought I would get. Still, it looked great with my new pan and all.
A good time was had by all, great to catch up, and I think I talked Scott into coming over to help when we get to Chicken Kevi (boning a whole chicken without cutting it up). We'll need his surgical skills.
Monday, November 10, 2003
Weekend (And Week) Update
Delinquent on the blog. What's the story? I have ALL the time in the world. So, I'm going to mend my ways, but a recap of our life last week.
Went to two art lectures: Helen Molesworth, the new Chief Curator of Exhibitions at the Wexner Center (who I had not met) discussing her recent exhibition "Work Ethic," which just opened in Baltimore. She had a fun, offhand style, very approachable, but very smart. The next night, Eric Fischl talking about his work in general, but mostly about "Tumbling Woman," a piece he create in response to 9/11, which has just been installed at the Smart Museum at the U of Chicago.
On Saturday, our friend Michael Clifford was in town for a conference, so we had lunch at the Melrose, then went to tour the teapot exhibition at the Cultural Center. That night, we went to a party with Stacey's workmates, a great place on Lakeshore Drive.
Went to two art lectures: Helen Molesworth, the new Chief Curator of Exhibitions at the Wexner Center (who I had not met) discussing her recent exhibition "Work Ethic," which just opened in Baltimore. She had a fun, offhand style, very approachable, but very smart. The next night, Eric Fischl talking about his work in general, but mostly about "Tumbling Woman," a piece he create in response to 9/11, which has just been installed at the Smart Museum at the U of Chicago.
On Saturday, our friend Michael Clifford was in town for a conference, so we had lunch at the Melrose, then went to tour the teapot exhibition at the Cultural Center. That night, we went to a party with Stacey's workmates, a great place on Lakeshore Drive.
Sunday, November 02, 2003
Kiss Me Kate
Also went to see Taming of the Shrew at the Shakespeare Theatre on Saturday. OK, how confused is the theme of the weekend: Il Fine Del Monde, Kate and Petruchio, going through our journal and pictures from our trip to Italy a year ago, and Day of the Dead?
Italian for Beginners with a Mexican accent?
Italian for Beginners with a Mexican accent?
Day of the Dead
We also visited the Mexican Fine Arts Museum to see their Day of the Dead exhibition and pick up some sugar skulls for our altar. It's the first time we've done one, and it is pretty impressive, I must say. Stacey was the chief architect and instigator.
She also made a wonderful tortilla soup for our Sunday supper.
She also made a wonderful tortilla soup for our Sunday supper.
"Thank You for Being Born Into Your Family"
We were going to save Il Fine Del Mondo for the seventh game of the Cubs vs. Red Sox World Series, but...
Gathering the ingredients (veal, prosciutto) was an excuse to visit the Pauline Meat Market--we had driven by frequently, but never stopped in, and our friends Brad and Don reminded us that it was a required stop for serious cooking.
When we order, the butcher is delighted, and seems to approve of the choice of veal and prosciutto. I tell him it’s for a family recipe, Il Fine Del Mondo, the end of the world. Later he asked the name of the recipe again, and I defer to Stacey (imagining how bad my pronunciation might have been), and he says, “oh, now I understand. I’m from Tuscany, so I didn’t recognize the name with the Sicilian accent…”
While the veal is not cheap, making it is ridiculously easy. A little veal, a little prosciutto, mozzarella, and Marsala wine. It truly, truly, truly, is a dish to make you cry:
Burn My Clothes Ma, I'm In Heaven!
The title of this post is Stacey's response...
Gathering the ingredients (veal, prosciutto) was an excuse to visit the Pauline Meat Market--we had driven by frequently, but never stopped in, and our friends Brad and Don reminded us that it was a required stop for serious cooking.
When we order, the butcher is delighted, and seems to approve of the choice of veal and prosciutto. I tell him it’s for a family recipe, Il Fine Del Mondo, the end of the world. Later he asked the name of the recipe again, and I defer to Stacey (imagining how bad my pronunciation might have been), and he says, “oh, now I understand. I’m from Tuscany, so I didn’t recognize the name with the Sicilian accent…”
While the veal is not cheap, making it is ridiculously easy. A little veal, a little prosciutto, mozzarella, and Marsala wine. It truly, truly, truly, is a dish to make you cry:
Burn My Clothes Ma, I'm In Heaven!
The title of this post is Stacey's response...
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