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The Rain in Spain - Travelogue Part 1 - Barcelona

6/1/2017

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Parc Guell and Barcelona view
Parc Guell, designed by Antoni Gaudi, and a beautiful view of Barcelona (look, no rain!)
Hola, mi amigos! We’ve recently returned from a dream vacation to Spain. Two weeks, three cities, total of five diverse regions to explore. Wow! The culture, the architecture, churches, museums, all the walking. Friendly people, both locals and fellow travelers. Food and drink that more than lived up to its stellar reputation. Foodie trends in the areas where we stayed – Barcelona/Catalonia, and the Basque Country (San Sebastian/Bilbao) – include gin-tonics (the ‘&’ is silent), tapas, and pintxos: small plates and even smaller bites eaten while standing in a crowd of friends, new and old. 
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Pintxos bar in San Sebastian
Pintxos bar in San Sebastian -- just look at all the options!
Spain is a fascinating mix of people, languages, culture and food, but if there is one thing all Spaniards share, it's a love of food and drink.
                                                                                 -- Jose Andres,  World renowned chef
We’re going to borrow the small bites concept and apply it to the format of this España travel post. We will serve up mouthwatering morsels of local flavor to illustrate a full tasting menu of our Spanish vacation. Destination details, cultural cues, foodie finds, and travel tips. All will be revealed. Forks up, and away we go! First off, let’s get our lingo squared away. 
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Tapas: Small Spanish savory dishes, typically served with drinks at a bar. Origin: Tapa literally means ‘cover, lid’ (because the dishes were given free with the drink, served on a dish balanced on, therefore ‘covering’, the glass). (Source: Oxford Dictionaries)

Pintxos: Pronounced peen-chos, pintxos are Basque snacks served in bars, resembling tapas. the main difference between pintxos and tapas is that pintxos uses toothpicks to avoid the food top from falling off the bread slice bottom. (Source: YourDictionary.com)
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Picture

​Next, we need some music. How about a little tango by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra?

We heard them perform an excellent program of Mozart and Haydn at the beautiful L’Auditori concert hall. ​

​TRAVEL TIP: It's fun to participate in the local cultural scene aside from yet another museum or made-for-tourists event. Check an online events calendar for neighborhood festivals or free concerts in the park. 
Okay, now we’re ready, vámonos.
​
First impressions of Barcelona, the first stop on our holiday:
  • Stunning architecture, modern and centuries-old, side by side with urban decay, graffiti, and the detritus of daily life. Interesting to see that Barcelona does not attempt to “Disney-fy” the tourist areas by making everything clean and sparkly all the time. This is what a modern city with an ancient heritage looks like in 2017.
  • Loud and busy, like most cities. Our rental apartment in a beautiful old (uninsulated) building faced the street, so I can tell you that garbage pick-up begins at 5am and traffic revs up around 7:00.
  • Scooters everywhere. My theory is that Barcelona bebès are issued a motorcycle helmet and a starter-pack of cigarettes (also everywhere) as soon as they vacate the birth canal. 
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
That Antoni Gaudí fella – what a character, eh?! A brilliant, creative, obsessive visionary of an architect who left his mark all over this beautiful city. We were lucky to visit a few Gaudí sites – La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, and La Pedrera. They’re all extremely crowded with tourists and more tourists, but if you’re in Barcelona you need to visit them anyway. Be sure to allow enough time for exploring the colorful and imaginative work of an artist who saw the world through his own distinct lens.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Gaudi was only one of many architects and artists to make a splash in Barcelona. There are many fine museums and public art displays around the city. We visited the Picasso Museum, theMuseu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), and The Fundació Joan Miró. On an excursion to the Costa Brava we visited Salvador Dali’s museum in Figueres. What. A. Trip. 

TRAVEL TIP: Your stamina may be better than mine, but as a general rule visiting more than one museum per day is a baaaaad idea. Mix up the routine with some nature/outdoor activities. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
The people of Barcelona love to spend their free time outdoors, whether it's strolling La Rambla in the evening or sharing space with the pigeons at Placa Catalunya or congregating with friends in the squares and stand-up bars in El Born and the Gothic Quarter. One of the city's green treasures is Parc de la Ciutadella near the Arc de Triomf, a well-used park with fountains, sculptures, gardens, and playgrounds. We also spotted The Mojito Man, a local entrepreneur plying his wares to the sun-worshippers all over the lawns. We did not wave him down, but gave it careful consideration. 
Now let's discuss the food and drink. Yes, it's true that meals start later and last longer than we Americans are accustomed to -- 90 minutes or more for lunch (with wine), and 9pm is about the earliest time you can make a dinner reservation -- but never fear, you will not go hungry during the "off hours" in this foodie-friendly city. You can always find a tasty snack at one of the many bodegas, tapas joints, and pintxos bars that stay open seemingly around the clock.  
  • We made only one dinner reservation in advance and it was our least favorite meal in Barcelona. My advice is to browse in person and be spontaneous in your dining choices. 
  • That said, there's an excellent restaurant in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya called Oleum - highly recommended for lunch during your museum crawl. 
  • A big advantage to renting an apartment vs a hotel stay is the ability to keep fruit, wine, cheese, charcuterie, etc. on-hand for breakfasts and light suppers. It's convenient and economical.
  • Grocery store wine in Barcelona is really cheap and surprisingly delicious! 
  • As I mentioned earlier, gin-tonics  are very popular in Spain and so is vermouth. We tried them both and went back for more G&Ts. Interpret that as you will. 
  • Jamon Iberico (ham) is a delectable specialty of this region. Be sure to try it at least once. And if you are like us, you'll bring home a delicatessen's worth of vacuum-sealed meat in your suitcase.  

​Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Finally, a few travel tips if you're planning a trip to Barcelona:
  • This is a city best explored by walking. Comfortable shoes will help you navigate those cobblestone streets much more easily than stilettos, just sayin'. 
  • Buy your skip-the-line tickets in advance for the big attractions such as Sagrada Familia. 
  • That said, do allow yourself enough freedom in the schedule for spontaneity. The unplanned moments often turn out to be the most memorable.
  • The hop-on hop-off (HOHO) double-decker tourist bus is a great way to gain an overview of the city on Day 1 or 2 of your trip.
  • Although most locals speak English, it's courteous and much appreciated to be prepared with a few phrases in Spanish or Catalan. 

We will now say "Adios y Gracias" to Barcelona, and plan to return soon with another post about Basque Country, the next stop on our awesome Spanish vacation. Until we meet again! 
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Art Appreciation, Foodie Style – Part 2

4/11/2017

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Baked Lobster Tails
Baked Lobster Tails - read on to see how we made them Surrealistic
The Foodies (formerly known as the Supper Club) are a group of friends who love to cook, eat, drink, and laugh together at themed dinner parties. Our friends and family say they like to live vicariously through our feasts so we’ll share the stories, pictures, and recipes here on the blog from time to time. Click here for previous Supper Club posts, and here for the group’s origin story.

​Friends, please hold on to your bowler hats, we’re about to get surreal for real, far out, outa sight, dyn-o-mite, dreamy, steamy, and WHOOOOOA! It’s time for a little Surrealism with your appetizers.

Before we dig in, let’s have a quick recap. (Or if you’ve got a minute, go back and read Part 1. It’s all about the Cubist cocktails – totally worth a read!)

The theme is Modernist Art Movements. We each chose one style to interpret for our course. The menu and art movements are listed below.  
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  • Drinks – Dan and Greg – Cubism: Cubist Cocktail featuring jelly shots in a variety of colors and flavors, cut into fancy shapes; Wines included Bordeaux, Medoc, and Roussillon (more on that later)
  • Appetizers – Ann and Ilise – Surrealism: Roasted Vegetable Salad with Parmesan Mousse; Baked Lobster Tails with Clarified Butter
  • Main Course - Karen and Kathleen – Constructivism:  Smoked Arctic Char Burger; Tomato Aspic; Steamed Asparagus; and Arancini Pyramids with Herb Lemon-Butter Sauce  
  • Dessert: Ellyn – Post-Impressionism: A Multi-Media Musing on the Iconic NYC Black and White Cookie 
In this post we’ll focus exclusively on the Surrealism/Appetizers course. We went a little overboard with apps and activities so there’s a lot to report on.

​A Part 3 post (coming soon) will delve into the main course and dessert.  
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But first, let’s summon the creative spirit, create a little ambiance, and turn up the tunes to enjoy a pop/rock/folk playlist with an artistic theme. Please enjoy.
Ilise and I oversaw the appetizers and selected Surrealism as our art genre. Given how nutty life seems to be these days it seemed like a good fit. Here are a few things we learned about Surrealism that helped us decide how to approach our dishes.
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Surrealism began in the early 1920s with roots in Dadaism, the avant-garde art movement intent on upending society’s norms. Best known for visual artworks and writings although the performing arts were represented too, Surrealism gained popularity in the 1930s and 40s.  

Among the best-known Surrealist artists are Salvador Dalí and René Magritte.

Surrealist artists sought to channel the unconscious to unlock the power of the imagination and explore the space between dream and reality. Sigmund Freud was profoundly influential for Surrealists, particularly his book, The Interpretation of Dreams (1899).

Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions, and non-sequitur.

Surrealism was meant to be, above all, a revolutionary movement.

Sources: The Art Story; The Met; MoMA; Wikipedia

​Here are a few Surrealist works we especially like, including three that directly inspired our dishes:
One can see from the pictures and the "Cliff Notes" that Surrealism is all about the unexpected, shaking things up, and delving into the subconscious. We tried to go there with our appetizers and the group activities we forced upon our friends. Surrealism is about revolution after all, one cannot be a passive bystander!
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The first app we served was a salad of roasted beets and rainbow carrots topped with dollops of parmesan mousse. It was quite tasty, but that’s not the interesting part. That distinction belongs to the delivery system for each person’s first bite of the mousse. We riffed off Magritte’s painting titled Les Amants (The Lovers) and then this happened … (Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.)
Yes. We asked our friends to don cheesecloth headgear and then eat a spoonful of parmesan mousse through the fabric. After that they were free to remove the material and eat their salads normally. Dan, however, loved his cheesecloth veil so much that he wore it for most of the evening. Always a fashion icon, that one!

All agreed that the mousse was a creamy, flavorful, decadent delight – the perfect accompaniment for baked potatoes, roasted veggies, salads, even grilled steak. We liked it just fine with nothing more than a breadstick for dipping. Yum!

The mousse recipe may be downloaded here. Please note: this is another case where using high quality ingredients really makes a difference, so get the best quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese that you can. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Printable Recipe- Parmesan Mousse
File Size: 572 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Post-mousse we shooed the group out of the kitchen to experience another activity while Ilise prepared the next appetizer. One aspect of Surrealism involves automatic writing, or tapping into the subconscious to create stream-of-consciousness prose. We set a timer and asked each diner to write without thinking for one minute. Random ideas welcome, punctuation not required.

I have taken their notes, mashed them up, and now present to you The Foodies Co-Created, Infiltrated, Exclamated, Surrealistic Essay While We Waited. There are two versions – one in which I pulled a clause or sentence from each writer and edited them together; and another more randomized offering (which is probably truer to what the Surrealists intended back in the day). 
Version #1 (edited):

Smart asses unite to intimidate. Doodles doodles Howdy Doody doodles. I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy. Dan wearing cheesecloth on his head! Bridal veil. Did anyone notice the cats, the absence of dog? Yes. We did. Introspective pondering on why we are here on this planet. Is this the best way to convey ideas?
Version #2 (random words):
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Had orange to evil the wonderful. Gelatin wearing bridal this head. Time mother sister how put what. It and wait for isn’t did. One clocks like piano I’m dandy. Everything way pack good places asses.

​I think that’s not too bad for a roomful of hungry, slightly intoxicated Foodies!

Our final appetizer was inspired by two Surrealist works: Magritte’s The Treachery of Images (This is not a pipe) and Dali’s Lobster Telephone. Take a look. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
And here’s how we made the lobsters and clarified butter. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Baked Lobster Tails with Clarified Butter
Recipe sources: Lobstergram and Serious Eats
 
If your lobster tails are frozen, start by thawing them in cool water for 30-60 minutes, depending on size of the lobster tails. Once the tails have thawed, you should:
  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Blanch the lobster tails in boiling water for 90 seconds, then plunge them into an ice bath. This step will make it easier to do the remaining lobster prep, manipulating the meat from the shell. 
  • Cut the top of the shell lengthwise, starting from the base and going toward the end of the tail.
  • Crack the bottom of the shell using your hands, but be sure that you don’t smash the shell.
  • Reach inside the newly opened shell and gently remove the meat from the shell, but don’t detach the meat from the base of the tail. After pulling the meat out, lay it on top of the shell.
  • Remove the darkly colored vein from the meat and throw it away.
  • Place the tails on a baking pan with enough water to shallowly fill the bottom of the pan. The water helps to steam the tails.
  • Baste the tail with clarified butter and top it with seasoning of your choice – paprika is a good choice for great flavor and color.
  • Bake your tails for exactly 1 to 1 ½ minutes per ounce. You’ll know that your baked lobster tails are done when the meat is white and firm with no gray coloring or translucency. NOTE: Our tails took more like 2 minutes per ounce to cook. Use the coloring and translucency tips as your ultimate guide to doneness.
 
Clarified Butter
  • 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat.
  • Continue to cook over medium-high heat; an even layer of white milk proteins will float to the surface.
  • Bring to a boil; the milk proteins will become foamy.
  • Lower heat to medium and continue to gently boil; the milk proteins will break apart.
  • As the butter gently boils, the milk proteins will eventually sink to the bottom of the pot, and the boiling will begin to calm and then cease.
  • Once boiling has stopped, pour butter through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or through a coffee filter into a heatproof container to remove browned milk solids. Let cool, then transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use. Clarified butter should keep for at least 6 months in the refrigerator.
Printable Recipe- Baked Lobster Tails with Clarified Butter
File Size: 521 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
That’s enough Surrealism for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed this venture into the subconscious, blurring the lines between dream and reality. We’ll be back with Part 3 of our Modern Art dinner in a few days at which time we’ll serve up a big helping of the Main Course and Dessert. See you then! If you'd like to read past Foodie Dinner posts you may find them here. 
With this theme we pay tribute to the American artist James Kuiper, whose work often takes a semi-abstract form and reflects on humanity’s relationship with the environment. This mask is one of his works. ​RIP James Kuiper.
Mask by James Kuiper
Mask by James Kuiper
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Art Appreciation, Foodie Style - Part 1

4/7/2017

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Cubist Cocktails with Liqueur Jelly Shots
Cubist Cocktails with Liqueur Jelly Shots
The Foodies (formerly known as the Supper Club) are a group of friends who love to cook, eat, drink, and laugh together at themed dinner parties. Our friends and family say they like to live vicariously through our feasts so we’ll share the stories, pictures, and recipes here on the blog from time to time. Click here for previous Supper Club posts, and here for the group’s origin story.

​Our Foodies dinner group has always enjoyed the life of the mind, reaching to literature, history, music, and the arts to inspire our culinary creations. We like to learn and share our knowledge – but as you know, eating and drinking well is Job #1 for our little group. Clever is as witty does, but if it’s not delicious it won’t make the cut. Never was this more apparent than at the recent dinner hosted by Kathleen and Karen.
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The Ks treated us to an awesome theme, the kind of challenge that really gets my blood pumping. We were invited to choose from a short list of Modernist Art Movements including Dada; Futurism; Constructivism; Surrealism; De Stijl; Post-Impressionism; and Cubism. No limits and no rules other than taking inspiration from the art for our courses. We were free to color outside the lines. 
PictureMask by James Kuiper
In part, the modern art theme was offered in tribute to the fine American artist, James Kuiper, Kathleen’s brother, who passed away in February of this year.

His work often takes a semi-abstract form and reflects on humanity’s relationship with the environment. The mask shown at right is one of his works.

Click on the photo to visit the artist's website for more information about his life and work.

RIP James Kuiper.
Here’s a breakdown of the courses for our dinner party, the genres, and the culinary artistes who created the masterpieces.

  • Drinks – Dan and Greg – Cubism: Cubist Cocktail featuring jelly shots in a variety of colors and flavors, cut into fancy shapes; Wines included Bordeaux, Medoc, and Roussillon (more on that later)
  • Appetizers – Ann and Ilise – Surrealism: Roasted Vegetable Salad with Parmesan Mousse; Baked Lobster Tails with Clarified Butter
  • Main Course: Karen and Kathleen – Constructivism:  Smoked Arctic Char Burger; Tomato Aspic; Steamed Asparagus; and Arancini Pyramids with Herb Lemon-Butter Sauce  
  • Dessert: Ellyn – Post-Impressionism: A Multi-Media Musing on the Iconic NYC Black and White Cookie 

In this post we will drink deeply from the Cubist cup with an in-depth exploration of the beverages provided by bar chefs Greg and Dan. Future posts will cover the Appetizers, Main Course, and Dessert. 
But first, let’s set the scene with some music. Kathleen prepared a wonderful playlist for the actual dinner party, which will be included within the Main Course post (coming soon). A quick Google search informs me that some art and music scholars believe that Igor Stravinsky’s music reflects Cubist motifs and patterns, particularly today’s featured piece. Let’s have a listen, shall we? Learn more about music and Cubism here. 
As Dan began to prep the cocktails, Greg gave us an informative presentation on Cubist art with images of the most famous pieces from that period. Here are a few factoids (courtesy of the Tate) and pictures to bring you up to speed. 
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Cubism was a radical and influential art movement that began in the early 20th century. Paintings done in this style reduce everything – people, objects, landscapes – to geometric shapes.

Characteristics of Cubism include multiple views of objects within the same painting, which often appear fragmented and abstracted.  

Pablo Picasso and George Braque are the best known artists of this movement. Juan Gris is another.

There were two phases of Cubism – Analytical (1908-1912, more austere, muted tones) and Synthetic (1912-1914, brighter colors, sometimes included real objects through collage).
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Source: Tate 
Picture
Process Note: As always, the pictures I post with these stories are selected from those approved for sharing by the copyright holder, or with a Creative Commons license, or residing in the public domain. This means I can’t always post the exact images I’d like, but in this case I think you can get the feel for the Cubist movement from the available images.
 
Fun Fact: The wines that Dan and Greg served with dinner were featured in cubist paintings by Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso, and George Braque. By peering closely at the shapes, lines, and cubes they were able to detect bottles or labels for Bordeaux, Medoc, and Roussillon. I was unable to show those specific paintings in the gallery above but again, I think you get the gist.
 
If you’ve read any of our past Foodie Group stories you know that these guys always aim high and exceed expectations with their culinary contributions. Not only are their dishes mouthwatering they're also beautifully presented, which made this evening’s foray into the visual arts so perfect for Greg and Dan.

If I had the assignment of cocktails with a Cubist theme, I might be tempted to point to ice cubes in a glass and call it a day. Not Dan and Greg! They made 7 different flavors of liqueur jelly shots, cut them into festive shapes, then floated them in a sparkling wine cocktail. Amazing – and I mean that visually, conceptually, and as a craft cocktail aficionado – this drink packs a flavorful and heady punch. Much like Cubist art itself. Let’s hear from Greg and Dan about their creative cocktail:
Cubist Cocktail with Liqueur Jelly Shots
Greg and Dan's Cubist Cocktail
For the various 'jelly shot' flavors, we used either 2 or 4 ounces of liqueur or vodka to make 7 different flavors/colors/shapes.  

Cubist Cocktail Color Shapes (jelly shots)
For a batch of multiple different flavors:
1 750ml bottle white wine (fruity, acidic, light body wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gavi, Albariño Rias Baixas or Vinho Verde)
5 packets Knox unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup vodka (lemon-flavored is good)
2 tablespoons sugar or simple syrup
Liqueurs or flavored vodka (Cointreau, Chambord, Limoncello, Montenegro amaro, Opal Nera anisette, St. Germain, Canton ginger, Pear liqueur or vodka)
Liquid food coloring
 
Pour wine into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin powder over the wine and let soak about 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in vodka and sugar/syrup.
Mix two parts wine/gelatin mixture to one part liqueur; if using a flavored vodka, add a bit of simple syrup to sweeten to taste. Conversely, syrupy liqueurs such as limoncello may need additional citrus vodka to dilute the mixture. Tint with liquid food coloring.

​​Spray small loaf pans with vegetable spray.  Pour in gelatin/liqueur mixture and chill for two hours.  Dip pan in warm water for 10 seconds to loosen; invert onto a cutting board and blot with paper towel.  Cut out desired shapes using knife or small cookie cutters.
 
Cubist Cocktail
4 oz Sparkling white wine (blanc de blancs or cava)
1 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. Nocino walnut liqueur
1/2 oz. Hendricks Gin
few dashes Fee Brothers black walnut bitters
few drops 1821 Bitters Barrel Aged Havana & Hide bitters (sold at Rogers Park Provisions)
few dashes Jack Rudy small batch tonic syrup (Binny's, Amazon or Sur La Table)
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Jelly shots in a variety of colors and flavors cut into small cubes or other fancy shapes
 
Stir together liqueurs, gin, bitters and tonic in a champagne glass or pilsner.  Add in various colored liqueur gelatin shots.  Pour sparkling wine over all and stir gently.  The bubbles from the sparkling wine will lift and toss the gelatin shot cubes.

​Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Let's leave our art appreciation class here for the time being to be continued very soon. Future posts will share the details about our Surrealist appetizers, the Constructivist main course, and the Post-Impressionistic dessert. 

In the meantime, I will leave you to chew on this lovely quote from Father Thomas Merton -- "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” So true.
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Want to read about past Foodie Group dinners? You may find them here.
 
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Strength, Grace and Motion

1/5/2016

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Please enjoy this video clip from Revelations, one of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater's signature pieces. So beautiful. So powerful. If you have the chance to see them perform live, take it. You will be moved. Today would have been choreographer Alvin Ailey's 85th birthday. 
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Happy Birthday, Henri Matisse

12/31/2015

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PictureHenri Matisse, 1913, photograph by Alvin Langdon Coburn
Henri Matisse is considered to be the most important French artist of the 20th century by some awfully smart people. You may read about his life and accomplishments here. Exuberant use of color is a hallmark of his work, and is one of the reasons I remain captivated by this artist who seems to project joy even in his still lifes. 

I also became captivated early on, in a musical context, by progressive rock -- prog rock 4eva! -- you know, artists like Genesis in the early days, Yes, King Crimson and Emerson Lake & Palmer. Loved me some ELP. 

And so today, on the cusp of the new year, I am seizing the opportunity to mash-up a few faves: artistry in all forms, aural pomp and circumstance from my progressive past, color and exuberance.

​That's what I wish for all of us in the New Year -- art, music, color and joyful exuberance.
​
May I present ... Pictures at an Exhibition. 
​
There's an interesting slide show with narrative from the Art Institute of Chicago which shows Matisse's multi-year progression of work on his masterpiece Bathers by a River. Check it out here. 
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Happy Birthday, Mrs. Fletcher

10/16/2015

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In honoring the marvelously talented actress Angela Lansbury who has enjoyed such a long and storied career, I feel bad that my go-to reference is of her character Jessica Fletcher, the slightly dowdy professional writer, nosy neighbor and amateur sleuth of a certain age living Down East in Cabot Cove, Maine. But I truly adored the TV series, Murder, She Wrote, which aired from 1984 through 1996, anchoring CBS’s Sunday night programming along with Matlock, perennial favorite among the gray-haired set.

Jessica was so clever, with an acerbic wit and a keen eye for detail, presenting her findings in a schoolmarm-y way as she solved crimes ranging from fraud to robbery to murder most foul, all within a tidy 60 minute time frame (really 47 with commercial breaks).

But Dame Angela Lansbury deserves better recognition than that. Star of stage and screen, some of her most famous roles include:
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
  • The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
  • Mame (1966)
  • Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
  • Sweeney Todd (1979)
  • Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Please click through to the next page to enjoy some video clips showcasing a few of Angela’s many talents and then join me in wishing her a very Happy Birthday. There’s no mystery about it – Mrs. Fletcher rules my heart.

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Happy Birthday, Julie Andrews

10/1/2015

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​From the wonderful movie Victor/Victoria, which raised a few eyebrows at the time despite a long history of theatrical male/female gender-bending, this is one of my favorite Julie jewels. I hope you like it too. 
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This is cool ... Dawn

9/17/2015

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Picture
Happy birthday to William Carlos Williams, an American poet who not only advanced modernism and imagism through his work but also practiced medicine as a family doctor in New Jersey. 

He served as a mentor to Allen Ginsburg, which may come as a surprise when thinking about his short, direct, clear as a bell poems such as "The Red Wheelbarrow," but begins to gel a bit more when considering Williams' experimental hybrid of prose and free verse in "Spring and All," which has been described as a manifesto of the imagination. 
Dawn
Ecstatic bird songs pound 
the hollow vastness of the sky 
with metallic clinkings -- 
beating color up into it 
at a far edge, --beating it, beating it 
with rising, triumphant ardor, -- 
stirring it into warmth, 
quickening in it a spreading change, -- 
bursting wildly against it as 
dividing the horizon, a heavy sun 
lifts himself -- is lifted -- 
bit by bit above the edge 
of things, -- runs free at last 
out into the open --! lumbering 
glorified in full release upward -- 
songs cease.

-- William Carlos Williams
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Fish for Dinner – Baked Grouper with Potatoes and Tomato-Olive Sauce

8/13/2015

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Picture

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Where Ya Been?  

8/4/2015

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Picture"Southeastern field cricket" by Jeffrey Reed
Apologies for the light posting schedule lately. 

It’s been a busy few weeks – work deadlines, business travel, organizing the neighborhood garage sale, wacky weather including Sunday’s freak storm with hail, high winds, power outages and oh yes, gigantic branches liberating themselves from 100 year old trees and plunging to the yard below (one hefty limb pierced the garage roof). Plus Dear Partner’s birthday wasn’t going to celebrate itself, now was it?! 
That’s all in the rear view mirror now; much fun, productivity, professional networking, and yard clean-up was had. I’m eager to embrace a regular routine again (until the kitchen demolition begins in a couple of weeks). 

So be on the lookout for upcoming Fish for Dinner features, a new Cookbook Road Test, and of course we need to cut loose with our Afternoon Dance Breaks – I do, anyway!

In the meantime here are a couple little treats to tide you over -- after the jump.

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This is Cool -- eighth blackbird videos

4/29/2015

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Are you familiar with eighth blackbird? I have only recently become aware of their genre-intermingling, label-defying artistic presence, and now I’m fascinated and want more of this contemporary classical music sextet. Their website describes them thusly:

eighth blackbird combines the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band and the audacity of a storefront theater company. The Chicago-based, three-time Grammy-winning “super-musicians” (LA Times) entertain and provoke audiences across the country and around the world.

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