Today is the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday for all you retail folks out there, I've been there, I understand) - the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. It is also the day that Christmas music is acceptable to be listened to in large quantities. The Brave Astronaut clan is returning from Thanksgiving celebrations with Mrs. BA's family and there will be Christmas music in the car on the way home.
Here, from BuzzFeed, is a ranking of the 30 Best Christmas recordings in the 20th Century. Comment away.
30. The Royal Guardsmen, "Snoopy's Christmas" (Christmas Bells) - one of my favorites (and a particular favorite of my brother).
29. Elton John, "Step into Christmas" - the Holiday Party for the professional organization at work is having a "British Invasion" themed party. Here's one option.
28. Alvin and the Chipmunks, "The Christmas Song (Don't Be Late)" - LBA and SoBA's exposure to the Chipmunks is confined to the newer version of the Chipmunks.
27. Jose Feliciano, "Feliz Navidad" - hey, it's catchy. In a former life, I used to be able to give someone the perpetual ear worm by mentioning this song to her. For several years, I used to give her the "Feliz Navidad" Hallmark ornament that would come out every year.
26. Carnie and Wendy Wilson, "Hey Santa" - bringing sexy to the Yuletide season.
25. Gene Autry, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" - Still one of the best Christmas specials out there.
24. Andy Williams, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - the crooners got a lot of play in the Brave Astronaut home growing up and Mr. Williams was very well represented. Him, along with the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Sinatra - are very high on my list of Christmas standard singers. The song of course enjoyed a rebirth in the 1990s when Staples opted to use it for Back to School shopping.
23. John Denver and the Muppets, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - also found on the Brave Astronaut iPod, I am particularly fond of Beaker's lines and the heartily delivered "BA DA BUM BUM" by Miss Piggy and finally, the entire group on the twelfth day.
22. Charles Brown, “Merry Christmas, Baby/Please Come Home For Christmas” - not really on my radar (though I've heard it before, primarily as it has been covered by many artists since Brown's original recording.
21. WHAM!, "Last Christmas" - talk about your earworms.
20. George S. Irving and Dick Shawn, “Snow Miser and Heat Miser” - from the best, IMHO, Christmas Special out there.
19. Perry Como, "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays" - this one is hard, for as most of you know, Christmas was my mother's favorite holiday, so "Home for the Holidays" isn't the same anymore.
18. The Beach Boys, "Little Saint Nick" - sometimes it's hard to listen to a group so closely associated with summer sing about Christmas.
17. Frank Sinatra, "Jingle Bells" - although I like some of his others (particularly his version of Adeste Fideles), this one's fine.
16. ‘N Sync, “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” - As the songs started to come out when I was alive, I began to lose interest in those seeking to cash in on the holiday music gravy train.
15. Harry Belafonte, "Mary's Boy Child" - A little Calypso Christmas music, anyone?
14. Dean Martin, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - I mean, really, who wouldn't want to stay inside with Dino?
13. Thurl Ravenscroft, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” - how many sizes will your heart grow this Christmas?
12. Elvis Presley, "Blue Christmas" - The King gets in on the Christmas music band wagon.
11. Vince Guaraldi Trio, “O Tannenbaum” - Linus's reading of the Christmas story from Bible still moves me.
10. Bobby Helms, "Jingle Bell Rock" - the original version of the song that has been covered many, many, many times.
9. John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” - An always timely piece of Christmas music.
8. Stevie Wonder, “Someday At Christmas” - another different tack on Christmas music.
7. Jackson 5, “Frosty The Snowman” - I prefer the Jackson boys singing about Mommy kissing Santa Claus.
6. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” - Clarence, you keep practicing, maybe Santa will bring you a new saxophone.
5. The Drifters, “White Christmas” - the list makers feel this is a better version that Bing's.
4. Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” - not one of my favorites, but here it is on the list, anyway.
3. Bing Crosby & David Bowie, “The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth” - yes, it's totally cheesy and a little staged, but it's pretty good singin'.
2. Nat King Cole, “The Christmas Song” - who doesn't love roasting chestnuts?
1. Mariah Carey, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” - OK, OK, don't shoot the messenger. I would have expected Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" but perhaps they didn't realize that was in the 20th Century. I mean, isn't that the biggest selling song of all time?
Well at least this song didn't make the list. What are your favorites?
Friday, November 29, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
I am a latecomer to cranberries - and I prefer the real stuff to the "canned log." Here's a dessert that could easily be put out after the Thanksgiving bounty and made to disappear rather easily.
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 8 to 10.
From Simply Recipes
Ingredients
Topping
Cake
Equipment
Method
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 8 to 10.
From Simply Recipes
Ingredients
Topping
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
Cake
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Scant pinch ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp (plus more for buttering the pan)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- 1/4 cup of milk
Equipment
- A 9-inch cake pan with at least 2-inch high sides
Method
- Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch diameter cake pan.
- In a small saucepan, place the 1/4 cup of butter and the 3/4 cups of packed brown sugar. On medium high heat, stir the sugar as the butter melts. Do not stir after the butter has melted.
- Pour the brown sugar butter mixture into the prepared cake pan. Spread the cranberries on top of the sugar butter mixture.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl vigorously whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until light. Add the sugar and beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the orange zest.
- Mix a third of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Beat in half of the sour cream. Mix in another third of the dry ingredients. Mix in the remaining sour cream. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the milk.
- Pour batter over the cranberries in the cake pan, and smooth the surface. Place in the preheated oven and lower the heat from 350°F to 325°F. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 55 minutes to an hour. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the inside rim of the cake pan to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Then turn the cake out onto a platter.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Reflection on a Dark Day
This morning LBA asked me about the significance of the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. My first answer was that the killing of an American President had not happened since William McKinley in 1901 (obviously Warren Harding and Franklin Roosevelt had died in office but not at the hands of a killer). LBA knows about Tecumseh's Curse and he asked about that, too. My follow up response was that JFK was so young and full of "vigah" - plus he was the first Catholic President as well. The assassination also played out on national television, bringing a nation (and the world) to a standstill for the weekend.
Most of the reports that you hear often start with, "People who were alive in 1963 can always remember exactly where they were when they heard the news." For an entire generation of Americans, the day's events are seared in their collective memories.
My mother told me her story many times. She was bowling in a women's league, while my brother was home sick. He called the bowling alley to tell my mother what had happened. She immediately asked for the news to be announced over the bowling alley's PA system. Everyone in the alley stopped bowling and went home to learn more. The rest of the weekend was spent watching the news on television. Of course, in 1963, there were no cable news channels, and only a few TV channels at that. She always told me of watching Walter Cronkite deliver the news in his shirtsleeves - then as the afternoon turned to evening, he suddenly realized he was not wearing a suit jacket. Later, when Cronkite returned to the air, he had put on his suit jacket.
There are any number of stories about this seminal event in American History. Of course, there are the conspiracy theories as well, and there have been a number of "alternate histories" of what could have happened had JFK lived. Where I work, there are countless records about the JFK assassination and I have worked with researchers here and in a previous archives job who were looking into the story of the day's events.
As a "history geek," I can tell you with ease where I was when other significant events took place in history though I was not alive when JFK was killed. The death of JFK was most certainly a defining moment in history and it brought a generation together not seen again, in my opinion, until the September 11 attacks nearly forty years later.
Most of the reports that you hear often start with, "People who were alive in 1963 can always remember exactly where they were when they heard the news." For an entire generation of Americans, the day's events are seared in their collective memories.
My mother told me her story many times. She was bowling in a women's league, while my brother was home sick. He called the bowling alley to tell my mother what had happened. She immediately asked for the news to be announced over the bowling alley's PA system. Everyone in the alley stopped bowling and went home to learn more. The rest of the weekend was spent watching the news on television. Of course, in 1963, there were no cable news channels, and only a few TV channels at that. She always told me of watching Walter Cronkite deliver the news in his shirtsleeves - then as the afternoon turned to evening, he suddenly realized he was not wearing a suit jacket. Later, when Cronkite returned to the air, he had put on his suit jacket.
There are any number of stories about this seminal event in American History. Of course, there are the conspiracy theories as well, and there have been a number of "alternate histories" of what could have happened had JFK lived. Where I work, there are countless records about the JFK assassination and I have worked with researchers here and in a previous archives job who were looking into the story of the day's events.
As a "history geek," I can tell you with ease where I was when other significant events took place in history though I was not alive when JFK was killed. The death of JFK was most certainly a defining moment in history and it brought a generation together not seen again, in my opinion, until the September 11 attacks nearly forty years later.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Seven Score and Ten Years Ago Today
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham LincolnNovember 19, 1863
Monday, November 18, 2013
What's Thanksgiving Without Stuffing?
As for sides on Thanksgiving - I like my carbs. I prefer my potatoes, whipped (as opposed to mashed), regular over sweet. Vegetables are welcome additions, though I am in the minority on that (because I'm going to want brussel sprouts or roasted root vegetables). Of course, my mother would always have pearled onions in cream sauce on the table - even though she didn't like them - but they had to be there. I've grown to like them and try to make sure they're on the table.
For years, the stuffing that was on the table came out of the bird - I'm sure at a questionable temperature and doneness. Over the past years that I have been making my own Thanksgiving feasts, the stuffing has been cooked outside the bird, in a casserole dish.
Here's a recipe for a twist on the old, crouton-based stuffing recipe. It might be worth a try. From the Bitten Word, via BuzzFeed.
Tortilla Chip Chorizo Stuffing
Food Network Magazine (November 2012)
Prep: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 25 min
Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the chorizo, scallions, chiles and cumin and cook, stirring, until the chorizo is slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
Whisk the eggs and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the tortilla chips, bread and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the chorizo-broth mixture and toss to combine.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish; dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes.
Chef's Note: If you're using fresh bread, dry the cubes in a 300 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
For years, the stuffing that was on the table came out of the bird - I'm sure at a questionable temperature and doneness. Over the past years that I have been making my own Thanksgiving feasts, the stuffing has been cooked outside the bird, in a casserole dish.
Here's a recipe for a twist on the old, crouton-based stuffing recipe. It might be worth a try. From the Bitten Word, via BuzzFeed.
Tortilla Chip Chorizo Stuffing
Food Network Magazine (November 2012)
Prep: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 25 min
Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
- 12 ounces dried chorizo, chopped
- 4 bunches scallions, chopped
- 4 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 13-ounce bag corn tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
- 8 cups stale white bread cubes
- 2 cups cubed queso fresco cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the chorizo, scallions, chiles and cumin and cook, stirring, until the chorizo is slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
Whisk the eggs and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the tortilla chips, bread and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the chorizo-broth mixture and toss to combine.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish; dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes.
Chef's Note: If you're using fresh bread, dry the cubes in a 300 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Friday, November 15, 2013
101 Objects That Made America
Last week was the Fall 2013 MARAC Meeting in Philadelphia. Many of my colleagues (including Mrs. BA) work at the Smithsonian, which has just come out with a list of items in their holdings that tell the American Story.
See what you think. Items 2-10 are grouped under "Wild America," items 11-20 are listed as "Discovery," 21-34 in "Voice," 35-48 under "Power," next is "Invention" for items 49-60, followed by "Community" for items 61-70, then items 71-79 are under "Happiness," then "America in the World" for items 80-91, and finally "Freedom" for items 91-101.
See what you think. Items 2-10 are grouped under "Wild America," items 11-20 are listed as "Discovery," 21-34 in "Voice," 35-48 under "Power," next is "Invention" for items 49-60, followed by "Community" for items 61-70, then items 71-79 are under "Happiness," then "America in the World" for items 80-91, and finally "Freedom" for items 91-101.
- The Star-Spangled Banner
- The American Buffalo
- The Duck Decoy
- The Bald Eagle
- Coast Redwood
- Stegosaurus
- Audubon Plate
- Passenger Pigeon
- Life Preserver (from a Westward Exploration journey)
- Bierstadt Painting
- Neil Armstrong's Space Suit (didn't he just die?)
- Lewis and Clark's Compass
- Gold Nugget
- Polio Vaccine
- Dark Matter Spectrograph
- Scopes Trial Photograph
- Benjamin Franklin's Experiments
- Burgess Shale
- George Catlin Paintings
- [James] Smithson's Will
- Walt Whitman Photograph
- Bell's Telephone
- Remington Typewriter
- Marian Anderson's Fur Coat
- FDR's Microphone
- Nat Turner's Bible
- Langston Hughes' 'The Colored Soldier'
- Middle Mississippian Mask
- Chavez's Jacket
- Andy Warhol's Michael Jackson
- Louis Armstrong's Trumpet
- Nam June Paik's Electronic Superhighway
- Justice O'Connor's Robe
- Telstar
- Lincoln's Top Hat
- Appomattox Table and Chairs
- Gordon Photograph (a runaway slave, whose picture showed the multiple scars of many lashes)
- George Washington: The Lansdowne Portrait
- Susan B. Anthony's Gavel
- Red Horse's Drawings of Little Bighorn
- Greensboro Lunch Counter
- Predator Drone
- Bell UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter
- Enola Gay
- Wright Flyer
- Wonder Woman Comic
- Colt Revolver
- White House Timber
- Clovis Points
- Singer Sewing Machine
- Cotton Gin
- Levi's Jeans
- Eames Chair
- Eniac computer
- Edison Light Bulb
- Kodak Camera
- Morse Telegraph
- John Bull Locomotive
- Model T
- Space Shuttle Discovery
- Ration Ticket
- Pueblo Jars
- "This Land Is Your Land"
- Suitcase From Japanese Internment
- AIDS Quilt
- Emergency Money
- John Deere Plow
- Stagecoach
- Negro League Baseball
- Psychedelic Signboard
- Barbie
- Chuck Berry's Guitar
- Irving Berlin's Piano
- R2-D2
- Ruby Slippers
- Teddy Bear
- Ali's Gloves and Robe
- Jordan's Jersey
- Richard Petty's Stock Car
- Spirit of St. Louis
- Novus Orbis Map
- "M*A*S*H" Sign
- Fallout Shelter
- World Trade Center Sign
- Gas Mask (from World War I)
- Pocahontas Engravings
- Giant Panda
- U.S. Olympic Hockey Jersey
- Vintage California Wines
- USS Maine Bugle (blown up in Havana harbor, sparking the Spanish-American War)
- USS Oklahoma Stamp (sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor)
- Stained Glass Shards (from the church in Birmingham Alabama)
- Geronimo
- John Brown Daguerreotype
- LBJ's Pen
- Thomas Jefferson's Desk
- Piece of Plymouth Rock
- Harriet Tubman's Hymn book
- "Clipper Flying Cloud"
- Stamp Act Proof
- The Pill
Monday, November 11, 2013
Pigs In Sleeping Bags
Normally there's so much eating and cooking going on on Thanksgiving that appetizers don't make an appearance. But I might make an exception for these.
Pigs In Sleeping Bags
from Epicurious
yield Makes 36 (9 to 12 servings)
A handmade sausage mix takes the place of cocktail franks in this new party classic. A couple of these will keep those Manhattans you're swilling in check.
Ingredients
Preparation
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed to prevent burning, until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until aromatic, about 1 minute. Transfer shallot mixture to a large bowl and let cool.
Combine panko and milk in a small bowl; let stand until milk is absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Add to bowl with shallot mixture. Squeeze any excess liquid from sauerkraut; coarsely chop and add to bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and caraway seeds; season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Add pork; using a fork or your hands, gently mix until just combined (do not overmix).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 14x10" rectangle. Cut lengthwise into three 14x3 1/3" strips. Transfer strips to prepared baking sheet. Using one-third of sausage filling and leaving a 1" border at each end, pat sausage to form a thin log of filling down the center of 1 pastry strip. Fold pastry over sausage mixture to enclose, then press pastry together to seal. Fold seam under to ensure that sausage is tightly wrapped. Repeat with remaining pastry and sausage mixture.
Cut small diagonal slits at 1" intervals along top of pastries (to help release steam). Brush top and sides of pastry with beaten egg; chill in freezer for about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Pastries can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, and keep frozen.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake pastries (if frozen, no need to thaw) until puffed and light brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F; continue baking until sausage is cooked through and pastry is golden and completely puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Cut sausage rolls crosswise into 1" pieces. Serve with a bowl of Dijon mustard for dipping.
Pigs In Sleeping Bags
from Epicurious
yield Makes 36 (9 to 12 servings)
A handmade sausage mix takes the place of cocktail franks in this new party classic. A couple of these will keep those Manhattans you're swilling in check.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup minced shallot
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 3/4 cup drained sauerkraut
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard plus more for serving
- 3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted, lightly crushed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1 14-ounce package Dufour Pastry Kitchens frozen puff pastry, thawed
- All-purpose flour (for dusting)
- 1 large egg, beaten to blend
Preparation
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed to prevent burning, until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until aromatic, about 1 minute. Transfer shallot mixture to a large bowl and let cool.
Combine panko and milk in a small bowl; let stand until milk is absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Add to bowl with shallot mixture. Squeeze any excess liquid from sauerkraut; coarsely chop and add to bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and caraway seeds; season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Add pork; using a fork or your hands, gently mix until just combined (do not overmix).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 14x10" rectangle. Cut lengthwise into three 14x3 1/3" strips. Transfer strips to prepared baking sheet. Using one-third of sausage filling and leaving a 1" border at each end, pat sausage to form a thin log of filling down the center of 1 pastry strip. Fold pastry over sausage mixture to enclose, then press pastry together to seal. Fold seam under to ensure that sausage is tightly wrapped. Repeat with remaining pastry and sausage mixture.
Cut small diagonal slits at 1" intervals along top of pastries (to help release steam). Brush top and sides of pastry with beaten egg; chill in freezer for about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Pastries can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, and keep frozen.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake pastries (if frozen, no need to thaw) until puffed and light brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F; continue baking until sausage is cooked through and pastry is golden and completely puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Cut sausage rolls crosswise into 1" pieces. Serve with a bowl of Dijon mustard for dipping.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Off to the City of Brotherly Love
Tomorrow the Brave Astronaut will depart the launchpad for Philadelphia and the Fall Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. I'm taking the train (something I like to do - but don't nearly do often enough). I did however score an Amtrak voucher because I don't need the return leg of my journey - so a trip could be in the cards later.
The reason I won't be taking the train home is that Mrs. Brave Astronaut, also known as the First Lady of MARAC, will be joining me for the end of the conference. Some of you, my dear readers may recall that I was elected as Chair of MARAC in the Spring - this is my first meeting that I will preside over as Chair.
I am sure that the attendance shattering record of archivists coming to the meeting have nothing to do with that fact. :) However, to commemorate and celebrate Mrs. Brave Astronaut's appearance - I hope that several of my archivist friends will join us for dinner on Friday night and then perhaps a brief lunch on Saturday after the conclusion of the meeting. At some point we will need to go and pick up LBA and SoBA who will be with my MIL.
If any of my Philly friends have some thoughts on where we might dine on Friday night - I welcome the suggestions. I promise to keep it to a manageable number and I might even make a reservation.
The reason I won't be taking the train home is that Mrs. Brave Astronaut, also known as the First Lady of MARAC, will be joining me for the end of the conference. Some of you, my dear readers may recall that I was elected as Chair of MARAC in the Spring - this is my first meeting that I will preside over as Chair.
I am sure that the attendance shattering record of archivists coming to the meeting have nothing to do with that fact. :) However, to commemorate and celebrate Mrs. Brave Astronaut's appearance - I hope that several of my archivist friends will join us for dinner on Friday night and then perhaps a brief lunch on Saturday after the conclusion of the meeting. At some point we will need to go and pick up LBA and SoBA who will be with my MIL.
If any of my Philly friends have some thoughts on where we might dine on Friday night - I welcome the suggestions. I promise to keep it to a manageable number and I might even make a reservation.
Monday, November 4, 2013
It's November - Thanksgiving Recipe Month
It looks like the Brave Astronaut Clan will be spending Turkey Day with Mrs. BA's family this year. We won't be on the hook for much this year - except to show up and eat - which we can do.
All this month on Recipe Monday, I will be posting some yummy Thanksgiving recipes that I have come across recently. Hopefully they'll show up on the table.
First up, who wouldn't love a bacon themed cocktail? From the LA Times via BuzzFeed.
Candied Bacon Martini
Total time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Note: The candied bacon recipe is adapted from "The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations From Two Great American Cooks" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.
Candied bacon
Candied bacon martinis
Each of 4 servings: 284 calories; 1 gram protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 3 mg. cholesterol; 78 mg. sodium.
All this month on Recipe Monday, I will be posting some yummy Thanksgiving recipes that I have come across recently. Hopefully they'll show up on the table.
First up, who wouldn't love a bacon themed cocktail? From the LA Times via BuzzFeed.
Candied Bacon Martini
Total time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Note: The candied bacon recipe is adapted from "The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations From Two Great American Cooks" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.
Candied bacon
- 8 slices smoked bacon
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Candied bacon martinis
- 6 ounces premium vodka
- 4 ounces Applejack brandy
- 2 ounces amaretto liqueur
- 2 ounces maple syrup, preferably grade "B"
- 4 thin slices tart apple, such as Granny Smith
- 2 slices candied bacon, halved crosswise
Each of 4 servings: 284 calories; 1 gram protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 3 mg. cholesterol; 78 mg. sodium.
Friday, November 1, 2013
All About Saints
Today is All Saint's Day in the Catholic Church Calendar. As has been mentioned here before, the patron saint of my profession is St. Lawrence, whose feast day is celebrated on August 10.
Here's a list of some more obscure saints that you may not have realized were looking out for you.
Performers
St. Genesius - the patron saint of actors - allegedly had an epiphany while performing in a play satirizing Christian sacrament and converted to Christianity on the spot, right in the middle of the play. Emperor Diocletian, for whom the play was being performed, was enraged and, when Genesius refused to change his mind, had the performer tortured and beheaded. This reputedly untrue story, originated three centuries after Genesius’ death. It is believed that Genesius was actually a legal clerk who became so upset about the edict of persecution for Christians that he left his position and went in search of baptism. He was beheaded, around 303 CE, but there’s no evidence to suggest the conversion-during-a-play story is accurate.
St. Vitus has a slightly more legitimate reason to be patron saint of performers, but it’s still a bit fuzzy. Vitus is known as one of the “Fourteen Holy Helpers,” a group of saints venerated together because their intercession is considered especially effective.
Advertising, Television, & Broadcasting
Bernardine of Siena was a Franciscan priest and is considered the patron saint of advertisers, an honor that stems from his passionate and highly persuasive preaching. In 1444, he realized his death was imminent, and preached for 50 consecutive days until his death. Take that, Don Draper.
Gabriel the Archangel looks after radio broadcasters (and “communication workers” in general). Gabriel is the angel who appeared to Mary to announce her pregnancy.
St. Clare of Assisi helps those in television. Near the end of her life, Clare became too sick to attend daily mass. On Christmas Eve, she saw visions of the chapel mass on the wall of her cell, complete with organ music and singing. Considering this miracle to be the first live broadcast, Pope Pius XII declared St. Clare the patron saint of television in 1958.
Beer, Brewers, & Alcoholics
Beer has just one patron saint, an Austrian bishop who was known for extolling the benefits of drinking beer. St. Arnold was born into a prominent Austrian family in 580 CE. In that time, water wasn’t actually very safe to drink, as it was often filled with contaminants that could make people sick. Beer’s preparation, however, kills off any harmful bacteria, making it positively healthy in comparison. Arnold spoke often on the topic of beer, especially its health benefits. He’s credited with the statement, “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” About a year after Arnold’s death and burial at his monastery in Remiremont, France, his body was relocated to the local church in Metz, France, where he had frequently preached. According to legend, the procession that transported his body stopped at a tavern for refreshment on the way, but there was only one mug of beer left, so they all split it… and the mug never ran dry, quenching the crowd’s thirst. Today, there’s a brewery in Houston named for the patron saint of beer: Saint Arnold Brewing Company.
Brewers have a whole assortment of patron saints to call their own: Augustine of Hippo, Luke, Nicholas of Myra, Amand, and Wenceslaus. Yet the explanations for these patrons are lacking. The only one given an explanation is St. Augustine of Hippo, and it’s shaky at best. According to Catholic.org: “St. Augustine of Hippo is the patron of brewers because of his conversion from a former life of loose living, which included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break.” His early bad boy lifestyle may have been a classic case of rebellion—his mother was the super holy St. Monica, who managed to convert her husband and his mother to Christianity. She prayed for Augustine through 17 years of his “loose living” and was consoled by a priest who told her, “It is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish.” Eventually, her prayers and preaching won out, and Augustine cast aside “all impurity” and began living “in imitation of Jesus.”
Speaking of St. Monica, she’s known as the patron saint of alcoholics (and those affected by them). In addition to her challenges with her son Augustine, her husband was an abusive alcoholic pagan whom she had married through arrangement at a young age. Despite their differences and his bad temper, Monica was able to not only “nag him to sobriety,” as one site put it, but to convert him to her faith. She’s also the patron saint of wives and victims of abuse, as you may have been able to guess.
Illegitimate Kids, the Divorced, & Single Moms
There isn’t much information available as to why St. John Francis Regis is regarded as the patron saint of illegitimate children, but it’s most likely related to his work with “wayward women and girls.” John was ordained in 1630 and embarked on a life of assisting others, including helping wayward women and girls “withdr[a]w from vice,” establishing hostels for prostitutes, and providing girls with incomes by setting them up as lacemakers (which is why he’s also the patron saint of lacemakers).
Those who have been divorced, especially women, can look to Helena of Constantinople, mother of Constantine the Great, as their patron saint. St. Helena (also known as St. Helen) is most often associated with the True Cross, since she is credited with finding the relics of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. However, her personal life suits her to patronage of divorcées. It’s unknown exactly when and how she met Emperor Constantius, but it is said that when they met he saw her as “his soulmate sent by God.” Sources are also unsure as to the exact nature of their relationship: some say it was a legal marriage, others a common-law marriage; some say she was his wife, others his concubine. Whatever the specifics, the two were in a relationship that produced an heir, Constantine, around the year 272 CE. They remained together for at least 15 years, but in 289 CE Constantius, who was Roman Emperor Caesar, divorced Helena to enter into a politically advantageous marriage with a younger woman, Theodora, who was the stepdaugher of Maximian, Roman Emperor Augustus at the time.
As for single moms, they have St. Margaret of Cortona, who became the mistress of a nobleman when she was a teenager. Margaret remained with the nobleman for ten years and even bore him a son, despite his refusal to marry her as she desired. She left only after his murder (don’t worry, she wasn’t the one who killed him) and returned home to her father’s house with her son, but her stepmother refused to let her stay. She took refuge with the Church of Saint Francis in Cortona, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis (although her past led to resistance by some members of the order).
The Ugly & Those Suffering Discrimination
Drogo of Sebourg, who was born into Flemish nobility, held himself responsible for his mother’s death in childbirth and practiced extreme penance, ridding himself of all possessions at age 18 to become a penitential pilgrim. During one pilgrimage, he suffered an “unsightly bodily affliction.” The term “unsightly” is actually a bit too mild to properly convey Drogo’s condition: he became so deformed that townspeople were scared of his appearance, and they even built a cell (attached to a church, since he was so religious) for him to stay in, to “protect the local citizens of the village from his appearance.” Yeah, he was that ugly. For the remaining 40 years of his life, the only human contact he had was via a small window in the door of his cell, through which he received his sustenance—barley, water, and the Eucharist. So if you feel that you’re ugly or deformed, send up a prayer through St. Drogo… or just remind yourself he had it a lot worse. There’s also St. Germaine, who supposedly was abandoned by her parents as a young child due to her unattractiveness. She spent her life isolated from society; as a shepherdess, she slept in fields and under stairways and had limited human interaction.
Desperate Situations and Impossible Cases
People who feel they’re facing desperate situations can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they have several patron saints to whom they can turn: Jude, Gregory the Wonderworker, and Eustace. Really, the majority of the officially recognized saints suffered through “desperate situations,” so almost any of them are worth a shot. St. Jude is probably the most well-known for desperate situations (and lost causes). His reputation as patron of the desperate is due to his New Testament letter, which “stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them,” according to Catholic.org.
If your situation is truly impossible, though, you have only one person to turn to: Rita of Cascia. From childhood, Rita (also known as Margarita) yearned to be a nun, but her parents forced her into marriage at age 12 to “a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who had many enemies in the region.” She endured his “insults, abuse, and infidelities” and persevered in converting “her cruel husband from his wicked ways, making their home a peaceful sanctuary of holy bliss.” They went on to have two children together. Despite her husband’s change of heart, his past led to his downfall; he was stabbed to death, betrayed by his allies. As her sons grew older, they plotted revenge for their father’s murder and wouldn’t listen to reason from Rita. So Rita turned to prayer instead, and her sons died non-violent deaths before they were able to enact any revenge.
Here's a list of some more obscure saints that you may not have realized were looking out for you.
Performers
St. Genesius - the patron saint of actors - allegedly had an epiphany while performing in a play satirizing Christian sacrament and converted to Christianity on the spot, right in the middle of the play. Emperor Diocletian, for whom the play was being performed, was enraged and, when Genesius refused to change his mind, had the performer tortured and beheaded. This reputedly untrue story, originated three centuries after Genesius’ death. It is believed that Genesius was actually a legal clerk who became so upset about the edict of persecution for Christians that he left his position and went in search of baptism. He was beheaded, around 303 CE, but there’s no evidence to suggest the conversion-during-a-play story is accurate.
St. Vitus has a slightly more legitimate reason to be patron saint of performers, but it’s still a bit fuzzy. Vitus is known as one of the “Fourteen Holy Helpers,” a group of saints venerated together because their intercession is considered especially effective.
Advertising, Television, & Broadcasting
Bernardine of Siena was a Franciscan priest and is considered the patron saint of advertisers, an honor that stems from his passionate and highly persuasive preaching. In 1444, he realized his death was imminent, and preached for 50 consecutive days until his death. Take that, Don Draper.
Gabriel the Archangel looks after radio broadcasters (and “communication workers” in general). Gabriel is the angel who appeared to Mary to announce her pregnancy.
St. Clare of Assisi helps those in television. Near the end of her life, Clare became too sick to attend daily mass. On Christmas Eve, she saw visions of the chapel mass on the wall of her cell, complete with organ music and singing. Considering this miracle to be the first live broadcast, Pope Pius XII declared St. Clare the patron saint of television in 1958.
Beer, Brewers, & Alcoholics
Beer has just one patron saint, an Austrian bishop who was known for extolling the benefits of drinking beer. St. Arnold was born into a prominent Austrian family in 580 CE. In that time, water wasn’t actually very safe to drink, as it was often filled with contaminants that could make people sick. Beer’s preparation, however, kills off any harmful bacteria, making it positively healthy in comparison. Arnold spoke often on the topic of beer, especially its health benefits. He’s credited with the statement, “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” About a year after Arnold’s death and burial at his monastery in Remiremont, France, his body was relocated to the local church in Metz, France, where he had frequently preached. According to legend, the procession that transported his body stopped at a tavern for refreshment on the way, but there was only one mug of beer left, so they all split it… and the mug never ran dry, quenching the crowd’s thirst. Today, there’s a brewery in Houston named for the patron saint of beer: Saint Arnold Brewing Company.
Brewers have a whole assortment of patron saints to call their own: Augustine of Hippo, Luke, Nicholas of Myra, Amand, and Wenceslaus. Yet the explanations for these patrons are lacking. The only one given an explanation is St. Augustine of Hippo, and it’s shaky at best. According to Catholic.org: “St. Augustine of Hippo is the patron of brewers because of his conversion from a former life of loose living, which included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break.” His early bad boy lifestyle may have been a classic case of rebellion—his mother was the super holy St. Monica, who managed to convert her husband and his mother to Christianity. She prayed for Augustine through 17 years of his “loose living” and was consoled by a priest who told her, “It is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish.” Eventually, her prayers and preaching won out, and Augustine cast aside “all impurity” and began living “in imitation of Jesus.”
Speaking of St. Monica, she’s known as the patron saint of alcoholics (and those affected by them). In addition to her challenges with her son Augustine, her husband was an abusive alcoholic pagan whom she had married through arrangement at a young age. Despite their differences and his bad temper, Monica was able to not only “nag him to sobriety,” as one site put it, but to convert him to her faith. She’s also the patron saint of wives and victims of abuse, as you may have been able to guess.
Illegitimate Kids, the Divorced, & Single Moms
There isn’t much information available as to why St. John Francis Regis is regarded as the patron saint of illegitimate children, but it’s most likely related to his work with “wayward women and girls.” John was ordained in 1630 and embarked on a life of assisting others, including helping wayward women and girls “withdr[a]w from vice,” establishing hostels for prostitutes, and providing girls with incomes by setting them up as lacemakers (which is why he’s also the patron saint of lacemakers).
Those who have been divorced, especially women, can look to Helena of Constantinople, mother of Constantine the Great, as their patron saint. St. Helena (also known as St. Helen) is most often associated with the True Cross, since she is credited with finding the relics of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. However, her personal life suits her to patronage of divorcées. It’s unknown exactly when and how she met Emperor Constantius, but it is said that when they met he saw her as “his soulmate sent by God.” Sources are also unsure as to the exact nature of their relationship: some say it was a legal marriage, others a common-law marriage; some say she was his wife, others his concubine. Whatever the specifics, the two were in a relationship that produced an heir, Constantine, around the year 272 CE. They remained together for at least 15 years, but in 289 CE Constantius, who was Roman Emperor Caesar, divorced Helena to enter into a politically advantageous marriage with a younger woman, Theodora, who was the stepdaugher of Maximian, Roman Emperor Augustus at the time.
As for single moms, they have St. Margaret of Cortona, who became the mistress of a nobleman when she was a teenager. Margaret remained with the nobleman for ten years and even bore him a son, despite his refusal to marry her as she desired. She left only after his murder (don’t worry, she wasn’t the one who killed him) and returned home to her father’s house with her son, but her stepmother refused to let her stay. She took refuge with the Church of Saint Francis in Cortona, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis (although her past led to resistance by some members of the order).
The Ugly & Those Suffering Discrimination
Drogo of Sebourg, who was born into Flemish nobility, held himself responsible for his mother’s death in childbirth and practiced extreme penance, ridding himself of all possessions at age 18 to become a penitential pilgrim. During one pilgrimage, he suffered an “unsightly bodily affliction.” The term “unsightly” is actually a bit too mild to properly convey Drogo’s condition: he became so deformed that townspeople were scared of his appearance, and they even built a cell (attached to a church, since he was so religious) for him to stay in, to “protect the local citizens of the village from his appearance.” Yeah, he was that ugly. For the remaining 40 years of his life, the only human contact he had was via a small window in the door of his cell, through which he received his sustenance—barley, water, and the Eucharist. So if you feel that you’re ugly or deformed, send up a prayer through St. Drogo… or just remind yourself he had it a lot worse. There’s also St. Germaine, who supposedly was abandoned by her parents as a young child due to her unattractiveness. She spent her life isolated from society; as a shepherdess, she slept in fields and under stairways and had limited human interaction.
Desperate Situations and Impossible Cases
People who feel they’re facing desperate situations can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they have several patron saints to whom they can turn: Jude, Gregory the Wonderworker, and Eustace. Really, the majority of the officially recognized saints suffered through “desperate situations,” so almost any of them are worth a shot. St. Jude is probably the most well-known for desperate situations (and lost causes). His reputation as patron of the desperate is due to his New Testament letter, which “stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them,” according to Catholic.org.
If your situation is truly impossible, though, you have only one person to turn to: Rita of Cascia. From childhood, Rita (also known as Margarita) yearned to be a nun, but her parents forced her into marriage at age 12 to “a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who had many enemies in the region.” She endured his “insults, abuse, and infidelities” and persevered in converting “her cruel husband from his wicked ways, making their home a peaceful sanctuary of holy bliss.” They went on to have two children together. Despite her husband’s change of heart, his past led to his downfall; he was stabbed to death, betrayed by his allies. As her sons grew older, they plotted revenge for their father’s murder and wouldn’t listen to reason from Rita. So Rita turned to prayer instead, and her sons died non-violent deaths before they were able to enact any revenge.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
On Public Speaking
Today I participated in a class offered through my employer on Successful Public Speaking. I don't particularly have a problem speaking in public - in my various roles and hats that I wear - I tend to do a lot of public speaking.
It was an opportunity for me to hear about where "the knowledge bar" is these days and what the current "do's and don'ts" of public speaking are. The instructor was outstanding (as she is in most things - although she is retiring in January and leaves some might big "ruby slippers" to fill). I say ruby slippers - as she equated our experience today to going on a journey of unforeseen consequences, unforeseen circumstances, and unforeseen outcomes - much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. She also used some visuals, including Paul McCartney and George Harrison (she has a thing for the Beatles) and a clip from Home Improvement, specifically an episode where Jill has to give a speech.
For the class, we had to prepare (and then deliver) one-minute, two-minute, and three-minute speeches. In the first speech, we had to "inform, motivate, or persuade" our audience about a particular topic. The second (two-minute) speech asked us to use an illustration / visual aid to make our point. The final speech was to use visual, vocal, and/or verbal techniques to convey our message.
I procrastinated on preparing for the speeches (much like Jill Taylor does in Home Improvement) - finally making some notes on the metro ride in this morning. I chose the topic of professional organizations for my first speech (as most of you know, I am involved in several professional organizations, including currently serving as Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. I spent my minute extolling the virtues of being professional active and finished under the time deadline by telling the audience to talk with me after if they were interested in being more involved.
For the second speech, I employed the visual aid of a thumb drive to illustrate what happens when you get records on a medium that is not supposed to be transferred to the archives. Of course (for those of you monitoring - the thumb drive was my own, the other thumb drive is locked away at work). I used the remainder of my time explaining the "problem" and the "solution" that I would employ to deal with the thumb drive transfer.
Finally after lunch (never a good time to give a speech - or listen to one, for that matter), I explained for the audience how one "Trick or Treats" with an 8-year old (LBA) and a 5-year old (SoBA). I explained how the costume selection process went at the launchpad - LBA is planning on being Harry Potter for Halloween, while SoBA has flitted from costume to costume, before finally settling on (we think) Indiana Jones - we'll find out tomorrow what is the winner. In order to keep the audience engaged (and use visuals), I went out at lunch time and bought a bag of Halloween candy to proffer to them, which I believe helped my case a great deal.
Happy Halloween to all of you out there! "See you on the other side, Ray!"
It was an opportunity for me to hear about where "the knowledge bar" is these days and what the current "do's and don'ts" of public speaking are. The instructor was outstanding (as she is in most things - although she is retiring in January and leaves some might big "ruby slippers" to fill). I say ruby slippers - as she equated our experience today to going on a journey of unforeseen consequences, unforeseen circumstances, and unforeseen outcomes - much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. She also used some visuals, including Paul McCartney and George Harrison (she has a thing for the Beatles) and a clip from Home Improvement, specifically an episode where Jill has to give a speech.
For the class, we had to prepare (and then deliver) one-minute, two-minute, and three-minute speeches. In the first speech, we had to "inform, motivate, or persuade" our audience about a particular topic. The second (two-minute) speech asked us to use an illustration / visual aid to make our point. The final speech was to use visual, vocal, and/or verbal techniques to convey our message.
I procrastinated on preparing for the speeches (much like Jill Taylor does in Home Improvement) - finally making some notes on the metro ride in this morning. I chose the topic of professional organizations for my first speech (as most of you know, I am involved in several professional organizations, including currently serving as Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. I spent my minute extolling the virtues of being professional active and finished under the time deadline by telling the audience to talk with me after if they were interested in being more involved.
For the second speech, I employed the visual aid of a thumb drive to illustrate what happens when you get records on a medium that is not supposed to be transferred to the archives. Of course (for those of you monitoring - the thumb drive was my own, the other thumb drive is locked away at work). I used the remainder of my time explaining the "problem" and the "solution" that I would employ to deal with the thumb drive transfer.
Finally after lunch (never a good time to give a speech - or listen to one, for that matter), I explained for the audience how one "Trick or Treats" with an 8-year old (LBA) and a 5-year old (SoBA). I explained how the costume selection process went at the launchpad - LBA is planning on being Harry Potter for Halloween, while SoBA has flitted from costume to costume, before finally settling on (we think) Indiana Jones - we'll find out tomorrow what is the winner. In order to keep the audience engaged (and use visuals), I went out at lunch time and bought a bag of Halloween candy to proffer to them, which I believe helped my case a great deal.
Happy Halloween to all of you out there! "See you on the other side, Ray!"
Monday, October 28, 2013
Mac and Cheese Pie - With Bacon on Top
When the Brave Astronaut Clan has breakfast for dinner - the leftover bacon (more so the bacon that is reserved and not allowed to be eaten) is made into quiche for the next evening's dinner. As has been previously noted here - one of SoBA's favorite dishes (and easy for the Brave Astronaut to produce quickly) is pasta and peas. They are not huge fans of the prepared mac and cheese options - though they do like my MIL's mac and cheese. While I was furloughed recently - I went back to my roots and made my mother's mac and cheese. It was almost as good as she used to make.
I spotted this recipe some time ago and thought it might make an appearance and be very well received.
Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese Pie with Bacon Lattice
Inspired by Breakfast for Dessert and chef Matt Jennings’ Cheesemonger’s Mac and Cheese
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
PREPARATION
For the crust:
For mac ‘n’ cheese filling:
To assemble:
I spotted this recipe some time ago and thought it might make an appearance and be very well received.
Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese Pie with Bacon Lattice
Inspired by Breakfast for Dessert and chef Matt Jennings’ Cheesemonger’s Mac and Cheese
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour (from the freezer if possible)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
- ¼ cup cold vegetable shortening
- 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. scant apple cider vinegar + enough ice water to make ¾ cup liquid
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups dried macaroni
- 4 Tbsp. of butter (½ a stick)
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 2.5 cups heavy cream
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pound grated cheese — an equal parts mixture of gruyere, sharp cheddar, brie (no rind)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
PREPARATION
For the crust:
- Measure out all of your ingredients for the crust and make sure your butter and shortening are very cold. (It helps to put them in the freezer after they’re measured and cut into pieces. It also helps to keep the flour in the freezer.)
- Put flour, butter, vegetable shortening, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse JUST until butter resembles tiny pebbles, about 12-15 times. (If you don’t have a food processor, stir the dry ingredients then cut the fats into the mixture with the tines of a fork until you have tiny pebbles and it’s pretty well incorporated.) Transfer to a large bowl. Gradually add vinegar-ice water mixture, using a fork to stir until dough is a mixture of clumpy wet pieces and sandy pieces, adding more water if dry. Take care not to over-moisten your dough — you don’t have to use all ¾ cups liquid. Watch the dough and stop adding liquid once it begins to clump. It doesn’t need to be completely stuck together.
- Turn dough out onto a clean counter and form into ball. Be careful not to over-handle it — it doesn’t need to be kneaded, just needs to come together. Once it’s in a ball, cut the ball in half then flatten the halves into discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. (DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead. Keep dough refrigerated up to 2 days, or enclose in resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month, then thaw in refrigerator overnight. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
- Lightly grease a 9” pie plate with butter, shortening, or baking spray.
- Prepare a clean countertop as workspace to roll out the dough. Sprinkle some flour on a sheet of parchment, put one dough disc on it, sprinkle flour on the disc, then top with another sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough between those two sheets of parchment paper in a circular shape until its diameter is 2”-3” larger than the pie plate all around.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment, then carefully pick up an edge of the round and wrap it around the rolling pin. As you continue to roll the pin, the dough will wrap completely around it so you can easily transfer it to the plate. Starting on one edge of the pie plate, unroll the dough, making sure it is centered. At this point it’s best to put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Press the dough into the plate. Leaving enough dough to crimp the edges, trim the overhang with a knife or scissors.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prick chilled crust in pie dish all over with a fork. Line crust with foil or parchment paper, then fill the liner with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven; lift out foil and weights. Reduce temperature to 350°. Return to oven and bake, using fork to prick any bubbles that have formed and pressing down on them with back of fork, until crust is JUST light golden-brown, about 2 minutes longer. (It will bake again later so it shouldn’t be too dark yet.) Let crust cool completely.
For mac ‘n’ cheese filling:
- Boil pasta in generously salted water until just al dente, following directions on package.
- Cook bacon pieces in sauté pan until just crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside.
- In a large pot, melt the butter. Then stir in the flour. Whisk to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Now you’ve got what is called a “roux” — equal parts butter and flour cooked together. Add the cream and whisk again, let cook, whisking occasionally, for 5-10 minutes until it thickens. Now you’ve got bechamel sauce.
- Add mustard powder and whisk to combine.
- Temper egg yolk into the bechamel: To do this, take a little of your hot bechamel and put it into a bowl with the egg yolk. Whisk so that the egg heats up gently. Then dump the warm egg/bechamel mixture into the hot pot of bechamel, and whisk.
- Add all the cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add macaroni and cooked bacon pieces to cheese sauce, then add more freshly ground pepper to taste.
To assemble:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Fill the baked pie crust with the mac ‘n’ cheese. You’ll use all but 1 or 2 cups.
- Weave a lattice with 8 bacon slices (4 in one direction and 4 in the other direction — keep them long as long as possible because they will shrink when they cook).
- Using your fingers, spread brown sugar on the strips of bacon, then put in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes or until the bacon is cooked. Serve warm.
Monday, October 21, 2013
All About the Sprout
I like vegetables - almost all vegetables. I am fond of the Brussel Sprout. My sister, who knows of my inclination to the sprout, sent me a link to "9 Brussel Sprout Recipes to Make Anyone a Believer." Here's my favorite. Hey Mrs. BA - it's after Columbus Day - we can talk about Thanksgiving now, right?
Crispy Brussel Sprouts with a Garlic Aioli
from Costa Kitchen
For Brussel Sprouts:
For Aioli:
For Brussel Sprouts:
Place brussel sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with canola oil. Crack some fresh salt & pepper to taste. Mix around brussel sprouts on pan to ensure they all get nicely coated in the oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown on at least one side.
For Aioli:
Mix together mayonnaise, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Serve in a ramekin.
Place ramekin of aioli on a plate and surround with brussel sprouts. If serving as an appetizer, put some toothpicks on the side for your guests. Enjoy!
Crispy Brussel Sprouts with a Garlic Aioli
from Costa Kitchen
Brussel sprouts have a really delicious flavor and are almost like a more flavorful mini cabbage. This recipe can be served as an appetizer (think updated artichoke) OR as a vegetable side. You can omit the aioli if serving as a vegetable side or you can offer it separate and your guests can spoon it over the top. I made this with pork chops the other night and my husband freaked out it was so good. He’s so sweet. :)
Also, you might be wondering why I’m using canola oil instead of olive oil. The reason is because brussel sprouts have such a unique and bold flavor and I didn’t want it to compete with the olive oil. Canola oil also seems to crisp things up a little better too. I hope you enjoy!
For Brussel Sprouts:
- 20 Brussel Sprouts cut into wedges
- Canola Oil
- Salt & Pepper
For Aioli:
- 6 tbs mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp garlic minced fine
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbs flat leaf parsley chopped fine
For Brussel Sprouts:
Place brussel sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with canola oil. Crack some fresh salt & pepper to taste. Mix around brussel sprouts on pan to ensure they all get nicely coated in the oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown on at least one side.
For Aioli:
Mix together mayonnaise, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Serve in a ramekin.
Place ramekin of aioli on a plate and surround with brussel sprouts. If serving as an appetizer, put some toothpicks on the side for your guests. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Notes on a Shutdown
As most of you know, I work for the federal government. At least I do again - today I was allowed to go back to work after I was furloughed on October 1, because the government could not appropriate funds to keep the government running. So for 16 days, 12 work days, I sat at home.
It would be nice to say that I did something fun - I have a few friends who managed to get away for some vacation - but that wasn't an option for the Brave Astronaut Clan - LBA and SoBA had school and Mrs. BA is not a federal employee, she's paid out of a Trust Fund revenue stream - so she went to work, every day.
So what did I do with my time? My days started with taking LBA and SoBA to school and then bringing Mrs. BA to the metro so she could go off to work. That put me back at the launchpad by 8:15am. Gone are the days when I would stay home from school sick and I would set myself up in front of the TV with a diet of game shows in the morning and then maybe Barnaby Jones or Jim Rockford to keep me company in the afternoon. Luckily, The West Wing is available on Netflix Streaming, so I watch several of those episodes, naturally starting with "Shutdown."
As we were looking at reduced income while furloughed, we decided to pull LBA and SoBA out of aftercare at school - so I picked them up at the end of their school day. Then school was in session at the launchpad - and the former teacher in me supervised homework for the third grader and kindergartener. I had planned to volunteer some time at their school - but that didn't happen.
I did some records management for the church men's club for which I serve as Secretary and for the pool. I learned a lot about the pool going through the records - it was rather interesting. I had planned to work on the Brave Astronaut's archives, too, but I didn't get there.
I went to the grocery store more than I normally do - which is usually on Sundays. As a result, I cooked more - making dinner almost every night - no eating out during a furlough situation. I went back to my youth, making meatloaf, my mother's mac and cheese, roasting a chicken, making the big meals that I can't usually do when arriving home at 6:00pm. I also ran some errands here and there - one of the first days, I was in Home Depot at 8:30 and had my pick of employees to help me, which never happens on the weekends. When I moved on the grocery store, I think there were more employees than customers in the store.
During this week, as the shutdown stretched on, I decided to do some serious cleaning of the house. I intended to work on one room each day, but wanted to focus on places that were hiding things, like my desk and then Mrs. BA and my closet. That's as far as I got with that - when the shutdown ended.
We did also do some entertaining - holding a "Furlough Friday" Pizza/Movie on the first Friday then a "Furlough Monday on the Columbus Day Holiday this past Monday. We invited several of our friends who were also furloughed and had a good time as usual. I went out to lunch with a few friends who were also furloughed - we decided we needed the intellectual stimulation and collegial conversation. And of course, there was drinking, I'm waiting to hear of some poor government worker who tries to sue the government for their alcoholic problem they didn't have before this started.
Looking back, I would have taken more naps (I overheard a colleague say to our supervisor today that he had been taking a nap at 1:00 and hoped that would be OK), I would have gone to the movies or played some golf. I didn't accomplish a great deal with my time off - I often found myself thinking, "well I can't do that - I'm going back to work soon." It was a very strange two weeks, I may have also been a little depressed - my sister called me every day to check on me - and I thank her for looking out for me. It was a very strange feeling - it wasn't like I had lost my job - I knew where it was, I just wasn't allowed to do it or go to it.
I also want to thank my father, who sent me a little something to help us bridge the gap in income. It was much appreciated and helped immensely and offered peace of mind to both Mrs. BA and me.
So we're back to work. At least until this funding deal expires . . . in January.
It would be nice to say that I did something fun - I have a few friends who managed to get away for some vacation - but that wasn't an option for the Brave Astronaut Clan - LBA and SoBA had school and Mrs. BA is not a federal employee, she's paid out of a Trust Fund revenue stream - so she went to work, every day.
So what did I do with my time? My days started with taking LBA and SoBA to school and then bringing Mrs. BA to the metro so she could go off to work. That put me back at the launchpad by 8:15am. Gone are the days when I would stay home from school sick and I would set myself up in front of the TV with a diet of game shows in the morning and then maybe Barnaby Jones or Jim Rockford to keep me company in the afternoon. Luckily, The West Wing is available on Netflix Streaming, so I watch several of those episodes, naturally starting with "Shutdown."
As we were looking at reduced income while furloughed, we decided to pull LBA and SoBA out of aftercare at school - so I picked them up at the end of their school day. Then school was in session at the launchpad - and the former teacher in me supervised homework for the third grader and kindergartener. I had planned to volunteer some time at their school - but that didn't happen.
I did some records management for the church men's club for which I serve as Secretary and for the pool. I learned a lot about the pool going through the records - it was rather interesting. I had planned to work on the Brave Astronaut's archives, too, but I didn't get there.
I went to the grocery store more than I normally do - which is usually on Sundays. As a result, I cooked more - making dinner almost every night - no eating out during a furlough situation. I went back to my youth, making meatloaf, my mother's mac and cheese, roasting a chicken, making the big meals that I can't usually do when arriving home at 6:00pm. I also ran some errands here and there - one of the first days, I was in Home Depot at 8:30 and had my pick of employees to help me, which never happens on the weekends. When I moved on the grocery store, I think there were more employees than customers in the store.
During this week, as the shutdown stretched on, I decided to do some serious cleaning of the house. I intended to work on one room each day, but wanted to focus on places that were hiding things, like my desk and then Mrs. BA and my closet. That's as far as I got with that - when the shutdown ended.
We did also do some entertaining - holding a "Furlough Friday" Pizza/Movie on the first Friday then a "Furlough Monday on the Columbus Day Holiday this past Monday. We invited several of our friends who were also furloughed and had a good time as usual. I went out to lunch with a few friends who were also furloughed - we decided we needed the intellectual stimulation and collegial conversation. And of course, there was drinking, I'm waiting to hear of some poor government worker who tries to sue the government for their alcoholic problem they didn't have before this started.
Looking back, I would have taken more naps (I overheard a colleague say to our supervisor today that he had been taking a nap at 1:00 and hoped that would be OK), I would have gone to the movies or played some golf. I didn't accomplish a great deal with my time off - I often found myself thinking, "well I can't do that - I'm going back to work soon." It was a very strange two weeks, I may have also been a little depressed - my sister called me every day to check on me - and I thank her for looking out for me. It was a very strange feeling - it wasn't like I had lost my job - I knew where it was, I just wasn't allowed to do it or go to it.
I also want to thank my father, who sent me a little something to help us bridge the gap in income. It was much appreciated and helped immensely and offered peace of mind to both Mrs. BA and me.
So we're back to work. At least until this funding deal expires . . . in January.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Garlic Shrimp
Today's blog post appears on the day that the government shutdown enters its third week. I am still on furlough. Up this week - house cleaning.
___________________________________
Evidently Mrs. BA has a thing for Fried Shrimp, which I learned about her over the summer. Perhaps this dish would mollify her displeasure with the fall weather.
Easy & Healthy Shrimp
(no butter - uses chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice)
Ingredients
Preparation
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter and keep them warm.
In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; and bring it to a boil. Boil uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half.
Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Enjoy!
___________________________________
Evidently Mrs. BA has a thing for Fried Shrimp, which I learned about her over the summer. Perhaps this dish would mollify her displeasure with the fall weather.
Easy & Healthy Shrimp
(no butter - uses chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice)
Ingredients
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds med raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 lemon wedges
Preparation
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter and keep them warm.
In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; and bring it to a boil. Boil uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half.
Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Back to the Electronic Records!
Tomorrow would have been the day that I was scheduled to return to my desk in Electronic Records at my place of employment. However - for the past week, since October 1 - I have been furloughed from my job due to a lack of appropriations - the budget.
Washington has been a ghost down since the shutdown began. You have all surely read of the trials and tribulations going on here in the nation's capital. I am going to keep my tongue and not let fly with the expletives and other salty commentary.
Suffice to say, I would prefer to be back at work. I have been keeping myself busy at home, doing some records management, house cleaning, and taking care of LBA and SoBA - who have been taken out of aftercare for the duration of the shutdown.
There is no sign of any progress of resolving this in the near future - so for now, we will sit and wait.
As far as the electronic records waiting for me back at work - they have been worked on in my institution for about forty years and thirty years ago, computers began to appear in most places of business, including the New York Times. From scribd via kottke.
Employees of the Old Gray Lady were instructed to make sure that "nothing should be in the computer that isn't totally relevant to the production of The Times." If individuals want to send "indiscreet or potentially embarrassing messages," they should continue to use The Times' typewriters.
Washington has been a ghost down since the shutdown began. You have all surely read of the trials and tribulations going on here in the nation's capital. I am going to keep my tongue and not let fly with the expletives and other salty commentary.
Suffice to say, I would prefer to be back at work. I have been keeping myself busy at home, doing some records management, house cleaning, and taking care of LBA and SoBA - who have been taken out of aftercare for the duration of the shutdown.
There is no sign of any progress of resolving this in the near future - so for now, we will sit and wait.
As far as the electronic records waiting for me back at work - they have been worked on in my institution for about forty years and thirty years ago, computers began to appear in most places of business, including the New York Times. From scribd via kottke.
Employees of the Old Gray Lady were instructed to make sure that "nothing should be in the computer that isn't totally relevant to the production of The Times." If individuals want to send "indiscreet or potentially embarrassing messages," they should continue to use The Times' typewriters.
Monday, October 7, 2013
The World's Best Lasagne?
According to AllRecipes.com, this is the World's Best Lasagne. And the person who posted the recipe is not Italian. And lives in Texas. A few weeks ago, the Washington Post profiled the "chef" and slightly tweaked the recipe. I like lasagne - it's a lot of work - but it's so tasty. I also posted a lasagne recipe here back in 2008 - by local Cheverly Chef Scott.
World's Best Lasagna (Tweaked)
The Washington Post, September 11, 2013
Summary: According to AllRecipes.com, this is the Web site's most popular recipe and possibly the most viewed among English-language sites. We tested it with a few tweaks to reduce the sodium, as recommended by many comments attached to the original recipe.
MAKE AHEAD: You'll have leftover sauce, which can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. The unbaked lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, or it can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before baking.
12 servings
Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat the sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, using a spatula to break up any large clumps, until the meat is browned with no trace of pink. If desired, drain and discard the fat. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic, stirring to combine; cook until the beef is thoroughly browned and the onion has softened, breaking up any clumps as needed.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water, then add the sugar, basil, fennel seed, Italian seasoning blend, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper and half of the parsley, stirring to incorporate. Cover and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. The yield is about 6 1/2 cups.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt and then the lasagna. Cook not quite as long as the package directions indicate, so the noodles are al dente. Drain and rinse under cool water; separate them and lay them on a clean surface.
Combine the ricotta, egg, the remaining parsley and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl until well incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Have a 9-by-13-inch baking dish at hand.
Spread 1 1/2 cups of the sauce evenly over the bottom of the baking dish, then arrange half of the cooked lasagna noodles lengthwise so they completely cover the sauce, overlapping them a bit. Use an offset spatula to spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then use half of the mozzarella slices to completely cover the ricotta layer. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the sauce over the mozzarella, then scatter half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over the sauce.
Next, repeat the layers using the remaining lasagna noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture and the remaining mozzarella slices. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce, spreading it to cover the mozzarella, then scatter the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese evenly over the sauce.
Use cooking oil spray to coat the underside of a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the lasagna; seal the foil tightly around the edges of the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 25 minutes so the lasagna’s top layer of cheese is nicely browned on top.
Cool for 15 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish with parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe by AllRecipes.com member John Chandler of Dallas and from its accompanying AllRecipes.com video.
530 calories, 15g fat, 8g saturated fat, 100mg cholesterol, 760mg sodium, 63g carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber, 9g sugar, 33g protein.
World's Best Lasagna (Tweaked)
The Washington Post, September 11, 2013
Summary: According to AllRecipes.com, this is the Web site's most popular recipe and possibly the most viewed among English-language sites. We tested it with a few tweaks to reduce the sodium, as recommended by many comments attached to the original recipe.
MAKE AHEAD: You'll have leftover sauce, which can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. The unbaked lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, or it can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before baking.
12 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 12 ounces lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup minced white or yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped or minced
- 28 ounces canned, no-salt-added crushed tomatoes and their juices
- 12 ounces canned, no-salt-added plain tomato paste
- 13 ounces canned, no-salt-added plain tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the cooking water
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 12 pieces dried lasagna pasta (each 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide and about 13 inches long)
- 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 12 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for optional garnish
Directions:
Heat the sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, using a spatula to break up any large clumps, until the meat is browned with no trace of pink. If desired, drain and discard the fat. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic, stirring to combine; cook until the beef is thoroughly browned and the onion has softened, breaking up any clumps as needed.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water, then add the sugar, basil, fennel seed, Italian seasoning blend, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper and half of the parsley, stirring to incorporate. Cover and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. The yield is about 6 1/2 cups.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt and then the lasagna. Cook not quite as long as the package directions indicate, so the noodles are al dente. Drain and rinse under cool water; separate them and lay them on a clean surface.
Combine the ricotta, egg, the remaining parsley and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl until well incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Have a 9-by-13-inch baking dish at hand.
Spread 1 1/2 cups of the sauce evenly over the bottom of the baking dish, then arrange half of the cooked lasagna noodles lengthwise so they completely cover the sauce, overlapping them a bit. Use an offset spatula to spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then use half of the mozzarella slices to completely cover the ricotta layer. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the sauce over the mozzarella, then scatter half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over the sauce.
Next, repeat the layers using the remaining lasagna noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture and the remaining mozzarella slices. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce, spreading it to cover the mozzarella, then scatter the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese evenly over the sauce.
Use cooking oil spray to coat the underside of a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the lasagna; seal the foil tightly around the edges of the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 25 minutes so the lasagna’s top layer of cheese is nicely browned on top.
Cool for 15 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish with parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe by AllRecipes.com member John Chandler of Dallas and from its accompanying AllRecipes.com video.
530 calories, 15g fat, 8g saturated fat, 100mg cholesterol, 760mg sodium, 63g carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber, 9g sugar, 33g protein.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Brownie Pie? Yes, Please!
Evidently there is a new craze sweeping the country, and it's called the hybrid dessert. Sign me up.
From BuzzFeed's 30 Delicious Things to Cook in September, recipe from Bakers Royale.
Brownie Pies
Ingredients
Line bake sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 400/350 degrees F.
To make butter pastry: Place all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl stir to combine. Add in butter, using a pastry blender cut butter to pea size pellets and blend into the flour mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water over flour mixture; toss gently with a fork just until moist enough to hold together (if needed add an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons of cold water). Gather flour mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
via Better Homes and Garden special magazine issue: Chocolate ~ rich, dark, & decadent
From BuzzFeed's 30 Delicious Things to Cook in September, recipe from Bakers Royale.
Brownie Pies
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Butter Pastry (recipe follows)
- 6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
- Butter Pastry:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Line bake sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 400/350 degrees F.
- Prepare butter pastry. Let pastry stand at room temperature for 30 minutes until pliable. Position Rack to in lower third oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly flour surface and roll pastry out to an 1/8 inch thick. Fold pastry in half and transfer to a parchment lined bake sheet. Unfold pastry. Loosely fold and roll edges to form a rimmed crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes or light golden (crust will be a little raw inside).
- Meanwhile place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50 percent power (medium) about 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring frequently and until melted; set aside.
- Place egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar in mixer bowl and beat on medium to high speed until soft peaks from. Gradually add sugar and and salt and beat until egg whites are stiff and glossy. Add chocolate and nuts(if using) into beaten egg whites; fold until just combined.
- Remove pastry from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Spread chocolate filling over partially baked pastry. Bake about 10 minutes more until surface looks dry and slightly cracked (filling will be fudge inside). Remove from oven and place bake sheet on a cooling rack for at least 45 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner and shaved chocolate.
To make butter pastry: Place all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl stir to combine. Add in butter, using a pastry blender cut butter to pea size pellets and blend into the flour mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water over flour mixture; toss gently with a fork just until moist enough to hold together (if needed add an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons of cold water). Gather flour mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
via Better Homes and Garden special magazine issue: Chocolate ~ rich, dark, & decadent
Friday, September 27, 2013
Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho - It's Off From Work I Am
Today is a day off of work for me. Some time ago - I came across this list of "the 20 Greatest Songs About Work." Discuss.
When I used to work in retail - I often had to work on Friday evenings and would find myself driving to the store at 5:00, when a local radio station would have it's "5:00 Whistle" to signal the start of the weekend. The program would always include a little Loverboy, which should be on this list, too.
- Tennessee Ernie Ford - "Sixteen Tons"
- Sam Cooke - "Chain Gang"
- Bob Dylan - "Maggie's Farm"
- Lee Dorsey - "Working in the Coal Mine"
- Glen Campbell - "Wichita Lineman"
- Loretta Lynn - "One's on the Way"
- Rush - "Working Man"
- Randy Newman - "Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)"
- Johnny Paycheck - "Take This Job and Shove It"
- The Clash - "Career Opportunities"
- John Prine - "Fish and Whistle"
- Dolly Parton - "9 to 5"
- Bruce Springsteen - "Atlantic City"
- Utah Phillips - "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum"
- Dire Straits - "Money for Nothing"
- The Bangles - "Manic Monday"
- Uncle Tupelo - "Grindstone"
- Steve Earle - "Telephone Road"
- Robbie Fulks - "Let's Kill Saturday Night"
- Belle and Sebastian - "White Collar Boy"
When I used to work in retail - I often had to work on Friday evenings and would find myself driving to the store at 5:00, when a local radio station would have it's "5:00 Whistle" to signal the start of the weekend. The program would always include a little Loverboy, which should be on this list, too.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
It's possible I've come to understand why I feel a connection to the Smitten Kitchen. She understands (and embraces) the beauty of the Carvel Ice Cream Cake. However, it doesn't stop her from this great recipe. Hey, Mrs. BA how about this for a birthday cake this year?
Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
Here’s the recipe for sane people:
From SK: My only regrets in making this cake were to not have a cookie crumb base (it will be easier to remove slices from the cake pan), so I’ve included one here. I will definitely use it next time. I also wanted much more of the cookie crumb filling than I used (3/4 cup) and have increased it here. Finally, I was in a bit of a rush, but I encourage you to pre-fudge the hot fudge cake, i.e. put a little of the hot fudge on to cover the top, put it back in the freezer for 30 minutes, then — right as you’re about to serve it — put some warmer fudge over the top and sides. It will soften the frozen fudge but protect your top ice cream layer from wanting to melt off, as mine did. We found it charming, but you may not.
Sources: Chocolate and vanilla ice creams were fiddled with (just to reduce redundant steps when making them at the same time) from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, which should come with every ice cream maker, because it’s amazing. The cookie crumbs are adapted from Wayne Brachman’s Retro Desserts; they’ve previously appeared on this site as Homemade Oreos but I’ve further simplified the recipe here. The hot fudge sauce, previously on this site with a peppermint riff, is adapted from the late print Gourmet magazine. The whipped cream was from scratch but I seriously urge you to consider using a can because the whole whipping cream + piping bag + star tip, all for 12 measly dollops, is a bit of a stretch in the effort vs. reward spectrum, even by my maddened standards.
Serves: 12 to 16
Part 1: Make Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams
Yield: 1 quart of each, instructions merged to cut down on repeated processes
Part 2: Make Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
Yield: About 48 2 1/2-inch cookies, weighing about 96 ounces, which will be about double what you need. However, they are so delicious and keep well, it seems worth it to make a full batch. Scooped balls of dough can be frozen to bake off later. Extra cookies can be ground into crumbs for future cakes/cheesecake crusts/dessert toppings, or kept in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Chocolate Cookies
Part 3: Make Hot Fudge Sauce
Yield: 2 cups, likely double what you need, but nobody worth knowing would turn down extra hot fudge sauce.
Part 4: Finish the Cake!
Part 1 Instructions
Prepare chocolate cream: Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream.
Prepare vanilla cream: Heat 1 cup cream to a simmer. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the cream with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the cream. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour. After one hour, remove bean pod and stir in remaining 1 cup cream.
Make custard for both ice creams: Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan, then transfer to a spouted liquid measuring cup. Whisk together egg yolks, medium bowl. Slowly pour in warm milk/sugar/salt mixture, whisking constantly. Then mix yolk/milk mixture back into saucepan. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and …
For chocolate: Stir half of custard into chocolate cream until smooth, then stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
For vanilla: Stir the other half of the custard into vanilla cream, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Chill both mixtures in fridge overnight: You want them fully chilled before they go in an ice cream machine. You can hasten this along by stirring them over an ice bath but it should feel like ice water in coldness to the touch before you put it in your ice cream machine. Meanwhile, make or prepare you chocolate cookie crumbs. You will want them ready to form a cake base before you churn your ice cream.
Part 2 Instructions
Make cookies: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter chunks and blend until the mixture is powdery. Add egg and run machine until dough starts to clump and ball, about 30 seconds. Scoop cookies out onto baking sheets, giving them space as they will spread a lot (not that merged cookies will matter once you grind them up). Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Cookies will absolutely look underbaked, but don’t fret. Transfer baking sheets onto cooling racks and within two minutes, they will be firm enough to transfer to cooling racks. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Grind about half of your cookies in a food processor or blender until they’re just crumbs. You will want a total of 2 3/4 cups of them.
Make chocolate cookie crust: Mix 1 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (from about 6 ounces whole cookies, or about 12 of the homemade cookies) and melted butter together in a bowl and press evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4 to 3-inch sides. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
Churn chocolate ice cream, i.e. first cake layer: According to manufacturers directions. In most cases, ice cream is churned for 30 minutes then transferred to a container to finish in freezer. Instead, once it has been churned to the point of soft-serve ice cream, spread it over the chocolate crumb crust in the freezer. Spread as evenly as possible, but don’t overly fret about a smooth top. This can be “perfected” after the ice cream has hardened.
Chill chocolate ice cream layer: In freezer for 1 to 2 hours, until firm. Once firm, you can use an offset spatula to make it as smooth and even as possible.
Add cookie crumb filling: Wipe off any ice cream smudges that have climbed the springform's walls; this will keep the vanilla layer looking “clean.” Spread 1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (from a little shy of 6 ounces whole cookies, or 11 to 12 of homemade cookies) evenly over the firm chocolate ice cream layer. You can press these in a bit with a round of parchment or waxed paper, so they merge a little bit with the ice cream below.
Churn vanilla ice cream, i.e. second cake layer: According to manufacturers directions. Again, once it has been churned to the point of soft-serve ice cream, spread it over the chocolate crumb filling in the freezer. Try to spread it in as few motions as possible, pressing the ice cream to the edges with an offset spatula rather than pulling it back (i.e. and dragging the chocolate cookie crumbs from below into the pale ice cream). Again, don’t overly fret about a smooth top. This can be “perfected” after the ice cream has hardened/set in place.
Chill vanilla ice cream layer: In freezer for 1 to 2 hours, until firm. Once firm, you can use an offset spatula to make it as smooth and even as possible. Meanwhile, this is a great time to make the hot fudge sauce. If you’re taking a longer pause (i.e., you’ll do Part 3 tomorrow), press a circle of waxed or parchment paper against the vanilla ice cream overnight, so it doesn’t dry out or grow icy fuzz.
Part 3 Instructions
Make hot fudge sauce: Make hot fudge: In a 1 1/2 to 2-quart heavy saucepan, bring cream, syrup, sugar, cocoa, salt (if you’d like the salt to remain slightly textured, add it with the butter and extract at the end) and half the chocolate to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in remaining chocolate, butter and extract and stir until smooth. Cool the sauce to lukewarm before serving it so that it can thicken up.
Part 4 Instructions
“Pre-fudge” the cake: Once vanilla ice cream layer has firmed up in the freezer, with the springform sides still one, pour a puddle of lukewarm hot fudge sauce over the top and return the cake to the freezer for 30 minutes. This will help keep the final application of hot fudge from melting the top off the cake.
Meanwhile, make the whipped cream: Beat cream and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until it forms soft-to-firm peaks. Scoop into piping bag with star tip. Keep in fridge until needed.
Finish and serving the cake: Once the hot fudge has firmed up, remove the cake from the freezer. Carefully cut around the pan to loosen the cake from the springform sides before removing them. Transfer cake to serving platter. Pour more lukewarm (can be briefly rewarmed — but not too hot — in a microwave or on the stove if it has gotten too firm) around edges of cake, letting it dribble down a little.
Quickly decorate cake: Form 12 or so dollops of whipped cream around crown of cake. Top each with a cherry. Scatter quickly with sprinkles.
Serve! With extra hot fudge sauce. Keep leftovers, should any cake survive, in the freezer in an airtight container.
Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
Here’s the recipe for sane people:
- 2 pints or 1 quart chocolate ice cream
- 2 pints or 1 quart vanilla ice cream
- about 14 ounces chocolate cookies, ground (such as Oreos or wafers) or 2 3/4 cups ground cookies
- bottled hot fudge sauce
- canned whipped cream
- jarred maraschino cherries
From SK: My only regrets in making this cake were to not have a cookie crumb base (it will be easier to remove slices from the cake pan), so I’ve included one here. I will definitely use it next time. I also wanted much more of the cookie crumb filling than I used (3/4 cup) and have increased it here. Finally, I was in a bit of a rush, but I encourage you to pre-fudge the hot fudge cake, i.e. put a little of the hot fudge on to cover the top, put it back in the freezer for 30 minutes, then — right as you’re about to serve it — put some warmer fudge over the top and sides. It will soften the frozen fudge but protect your top ice cream layer from wanting to melt off, as mine did. We found it charming, but you may not.
Sources: Chocolate and vanilla ice creams were fiddled with (just to reduce redundant steps when making them at the same time) from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, which should come with every ice cream maker, because it’s amazing. The cookie crumbs are adapted from Wayne Brachman’s Retro Desserts; they’ve previously appeared on this site as Homemade Oreos but I’ve further simplified the recipe here. The hot fudge sauce, previously on this site with a peppermint riff, is adapted from the late print Gourmet magazine. The whipped cream was from scratch but I seriously urge you to consider using a can because the whole whipping cream + piping bag + star tip, all for 12 measly dollops, is a bit of a stretch in the effort vs. reward spectrum, even by my maddened standards.
Serves: 12 to 16
Part 1: Make Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams
Yield: 1 quart of each, instructions merged to cut down on repeated processes
- 4 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 split vanilla bean (for vanilla batch)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder and 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (for chocolate batch)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 10 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
Part 2: Make Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
Yield: About 48 2 1/2-inch cookies, weighing about 96 ounces, which will be about double what you need. However, they are so delicious and keep well, it seems worth it to make a full batch. Scooped balls of dough can be frozen to bake off later. Extra cookies can be ground into crumbs for future cakes/cheesecake crusts/dessert toppings, or kept in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Chocolate Cookies
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks), cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Part 3: Make Hot Fudge Sauce
Yield: 2 cups, likely double what you need, but nobody worth knowing would turn down extra hot fudge sauce.
- 2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup or golden syrup (honey should work as well, but I didn’t test it this time)
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ideally Dutch-processed
- Heaping 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or level 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or, about 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips), divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Part 4: Finish the Cake!
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Maraschino cherries
- Colored sprinkles
Part 1 Instructions
Prepare chocolate cream: Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream.
Prepare vanilla cream: Heat 1 cup cream to a simmer. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the cream with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the cream. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour. After one hour, remove bean pod and stir in remaining 1 cup cream.
Make custard for both ice creams: Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan, then transfer to a spouted liquid measuring cup. Whisk together egg yolks, medium bowl. Slowly pour in warm milk/sugar/salt mixture, whisking constantly. Then mix yolk/milk mixture back into saucepan. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and …
For chocolate: Stir half of custard into chocolate cream until smooth, then stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
For vanilla: Stir the other half of the custard into vanilla cream, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Chill both mixtures in fridge overnight: You want them fully chilled before they go in an ice cream machine. You can hasten this along by stirring them over an ice bath but it should feel like ice water in coldness to the touch before you put it in your ice cream machine. Meanwhile, make or prepare you chocolate cookie crumbs. You will want them ready to form a cake base before you churn your ice cream.
Part 2 Instructions
Make cookies: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter chunks and blend until the mixture is powdery. Add egg and run machine until dough starts to clump and ball, about 30 seconds. Scoop cookies out onto baking sheets, giving them space as they will spread a lot (not that merged cookies will matter once you grind them up). Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Cookies will absolutely look underbaked, but don’t fret. Transfer baking sheets onto cooling racks and within two minutes, they will be firm enough to transfer to cooling racks. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Grind about half of your cookies in a food processor or blender until they’re just crumbs. You will want a total of 2 3/4 cups of them.
Make chocolate cookie crust: Mix 1 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (from about 6 ounces whole cookies, or about 12 of the homemade cookies) and melted butter together in a bowl and press evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4 to 3-inch sides. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
Churn chocolate ice cream, i.e. first cake layer: According to manufacturers directions. In most cases, ice cream is churned for 30 minutes then transferred to a container to finish in freezer. Instead, once it has been churned to the point of soft-serve ice cream, spread it over the chocolate crumb crust in the freezer. Spread as evenly as possible, but don’t overly fret about a smooth top. This can be “perfected” after the ice cream has hardened.
Chill chocolate ice cream layer: In freezer for 1 to 2 hours, until firm. Once firm, you can use an offset spatula to make it as smooth and even as possible.
Add cookie crumb filling: Wipe off any ice cream smudges that have climbed the springform's walls; this will keep the vanilla layer looking “clean.” Spread 1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (from a little shy of 6 ounces whole cookies, or 11 to 12 of homemade cookies) evenly over the firm chocolate ice cream layer. You can press these in a bit with a round of parchment or waxed paper, so they merge a little bit with the ice cream below.
Churn vanilla ice cream, i.e. second cake layer: According to manufacturers directions. Again, once it has been churned to the point of soft-serve ice cream, spread it over the chocolate crumb filling in the freezer. Try to spread it in as few motions as possible, pressing the ice cream to the edges with an offset spatula rather than pulling it back (i.e. and dragging the chocolate cookie crumbs from below into the pale ice cream). Again, don’t overly fret about a smooth top. This can be “perfected” after the ice cream has hardened/set in place.
Chill vanilla ice cream layer: In freezer for 1 to 2 hours, until firm. Once firm, you can use an offset spatula to make it as smooth and even as possible. Meanwhile, this is a great time to make the hot fudge sauce. If you’re taking a longer pause (i.e., you’ll do Part 3 tomorrow), press a circle of waxed or parchment paper against the vanilla ice cream overnight, so it doesn’t dry out or grow icy fuzz.
Part 3 Instructions
Make hot fudge sauce: Make hot fudge: In a 1 1/2 to 2-quart heavy saucepan, bring cream, syrup, sugar, cocoa, salt (if you’d like the salt to remain slightly textured, add it with the butter and extract at the end) and half the chocolate to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in remaining chocolate, butter and extract and stir until smooth. Cool the sauce to lukewarm before serving it so that it can thicken up.
Part 4 Instructions
“Pre-fudge” the cake: Once vanilla ice cream layer has firmed up in the freezer, with the springform sides still one, pour a puddle of lukewarm hot fudge sauce over the top and return the cake to the freezer for 30 minutes. This will help keep the final application of hot fudge from melting the top off the cake.
Meanwhile, make the whipped cream: Beat cream and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until it forms soft-to-firm peaks. Scoop into piping bag with star tip. Keep in fridge until needed.
Finish and serving the cake: Once the hot fudge has firmed up, remove the cake from the freezer. Carefully cut around the pan to loosen the cake from the springform sides before removing them. Transfer cake to serving platter. Pour more lukewarm (can be briefly rewarmed — but not too hot — in a microwave or on the stove if it has gotten too firm) around edges of cake, letting it dribble down a little.
Quickly decorate cake: Form 12 or so dollops of whipped cream around crown of cake. Top each with a cherry. Scatter quickly with sprinkles.
Serve! With extra hot fudge sauce. Keep leftovers, should any cake survive, in the freezer in an airtight container.
Friday, September 20, 2013
The Music of Our Lives
Music, of course, plays a significant role for everyone. Much of the music we listen to and remember comes to us from a movie. When I used to buy albums (yes, I'm that old), cassettes (yes, them, too) and finally CDs - I would often purchase movie soundtracks. Even LBA and SoBA persuaded me to purchase the Cars soundtrack for my iPod.
Here's a list from BuzzFeed on "30 Great Music Moments in Movies." I've added links to videos where I could find them and included a note where the music has touched me in some way. Enjoy.
Here's a list from BuzzFeed on "30 Great Music Moments in Movies." I've added links to videos where I could find them and included a note where the music has touched me in some way. Enjoy.
Governor Gertrude Lang: Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think that he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.
- “Moon River” by Henry Mancini as featured in Breakfast At Tiffany’s - Andy Williams will forever remind me of my mother - there were many Andy Williams records in our house growing up.
- “Trouble” by Cat Stevens as featured in Harold And Maude - I've actually never seen this movie and am not familiar with the tune.
- “You Should Be Dancing” by Bee Gees as featured in Saturday Night Fever - I own this soundtrack, I may like the Bee Gees more than I should.
- “Old Time Rock N’ Roll” by Bob Seger as featured in Risky Business - because, sometimes you have to say, well, you know.
- “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry as featured in Back To The Future - "Chuck? Chuck! It's your cousin, Marvin. Marvin Berry! You know that new sound you're looking for?"
- “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds as featured in The Breakfast Club - A great song, but this song is the extent of my Simple Minds exposure - movie songs can do that.
- “Twist And Shout” by The Beatles as featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - "This is for Cameron, who doesn't think he saw anything fun today."
- “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” by Harry Belafonte as featured in Beetlejuice - I actually prefer the Belafonte number from the end of the movie. Harry is well represented on my iPod.
- “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel as featured in Say Anything… - "I told her I loved her and she gave me a pen." For musical declarations of love at the end of movies, this one ranks higher than Richard Gere's in Pretty Woman.
- “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith as featured in Dazed And Confused - another movie that I have not seen, but the song is one of Mrs. BA's favorites.
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen as featured in Wayne’s World - Just the other day, LBA, SoBA, and I were recreating this scene in the car.
- “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry as featured in Pulp Fiction - wow, two for Chuck on the same list. Not a fan of this movie however.
- “California Dreaming” by The Mamas And The Papas as featured in Chungking Express - for this genre of music - I think Good Morning Vietnam (a movie I was watching again just the other day) does a better job and am surprised there are no songs from that movie on that list.
- “Rollin’ With My Homies” by Coolio as featured in Clueless - not a big fan of this movie or of this genre of music.
- “I Say A Little Prayer” by Diana King as featured in My Best Friend’s Wedding - the sing along scene in the movie is great fun. Also a soundtrack that I own.
- “Where Is My Mind” by The Pixies as featured in Fight Club - If you can't talk about Fight Club, can you talk about the music in Fight Club?
- “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons as featured in 10 Things I Hate About You - a movie I've not seen, but the song is familiar to me (I have older siblings)
- “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John as featured in Almost Famous - another soundtrack in the Brave Astronaut collection, the scene on the plane is awesome.
- “Cosmic Dancer” by T. Rex as featured in Billy Elliot - another movie I missed and the song is not in my repertoire.
- “These Days” by Nico as featured in The Royal Tenenbaums - didn't see this one, either - and also begins to prove the point - miss the movie, you don't immediately know the song..
- “Just Like Honey” by The Jesus And Mary Chain as featured in Lost In Translation - three in a row.
- “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” by Nancy Sinatra as featured in Kill Bill Vol. 1 - four, I think it's a Tarantino thing - but evidently he knows how to pick music.
- “New Slang” by The Shins as featured in Garden State - I've not seen this movie, but I own the soundtrack.
- “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” by Beck as featured in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - also missed this and I'm not a fan of Beck, either.
- “Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco as featured in Adventureland - the closest I got to this movie was going to the actual Adventureland on Long Island.
- “Wait” by Alexi Murdoch as featured in Away We Go - and another.
- “California Dreamin” by Bobby Womack as featured in Fish Tank - two versions of California Dreamin'? really?
- “There Goes The Fear” by Doves as featured in (500) Days of Summer - wait, this one I saw.
- “Le Temps De L’Amour” by Francoise Hardy as featured in Moonrise Kingdom
- “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners as featured in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - I know this song, but not the movie.
- The above quoted, Mr. Holland's Opus
- The above cited, Good Morning Vietnam
- Sister Act
- The Big Chill
- Armageddon
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- Some of the Bond films, but definitely not all of them.
- The Graduate
- Holiday Inn
Monday, September 16, 2013
Everything's Better With Potato Chips
Potato chips are a staple at the launchpad. They appear in lunches, when we have sausage sandwiches at dinner, and are a must with most sandwiches (though LBA and SoBA usually get tortilla chips or pretzels - I'm trying to keep from infecting them with Mrs. BA and my addiction).
Then I saw this post - it's possible that I may have had to take a knee and wept with joy [from BuzzFeed]. I struggled with which recipe to post they all looked so good. I will point out that I am always on the lookout for good onion rings (they need to be thin sliced and lightly battered) and the one listed in the post might be a winner. I went with this one because it might make a good entry into a future bakeoff.
Chocolate-dipped Potato Chip Cookies
Yield: About 24 cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Then I saw this post - it's possible that I may have had to take a knee and wept with joy [from BuzzFeed]. I struggled with which recipe to post they all looked so good. I will point out that I am always on the lookout for good onion rings (they need to be thin sliced and lightly battered) and the one listed in the post might be a winner. I went with this one because it might make a good entry into a future bakeoff.
Chocolate-dipped Potato Chip Cookies
Yield: About 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup reduced fat potato chips, crushed fine (put them in a zippered plastic bag and roll them with a rolling pin to crush them
- 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped very fine
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (yes, really! Don't leave it out.)
- 8 tablespoons butter, cut into
- 8 pieces and slightly softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine potato chips, flour, pecans and salt in a bowl.
- Beat butter and both sugars in a mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Slowly add flour mixture until completely combined.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Flatten dough balls with your fingers until they are 1/4 inch thick.
- Bake for 5 minutes, rotate cookie sheet and bake for another 5 minutes, watching the cookies during the second 5 minutes to make sure they don't get too brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then cool completely on a rack.
- Melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Dip each cookie almost halfway in chocolate, place on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper and refrigerate until chocolate has hardened.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
12 Years Later - Never Forget
This past year, traveling home from a conference in Erie, PA, I had the opportunity to stop in Shanksville, PA and visited the Flight 93 Memorial. It was a very moving experience and I'm glad I stopped. Every year since I started this blog - I have posted something today, here's the list of the previous posts:
On this day, as I always say, stop - take a moment - remember. Remember the ones we lost, remember the ones who helped and gave all.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Butterscotch Popsicles
As some of you may recall, Mrs. BA has made Butterscotch Pudding for our neighbor on a few occasions. Maybe she can try these. From smitten kitchen.
Butterscotch Pudding Popsicles
No popsicle molds? You could any kind of tiny cup to mold them instead, but my favorite is a champagne flute for shape; you could even use those disposable plastic ones. When the mixture is halfway frozen, insert a popsicle stick and now no retro popsicle mold needs to come between you and Popsicle Week.
Ingredients
Combine the cream, brown sugar and butter in the bottom of a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more frequently as it reduces and thickens. You’ll know it’s done when it becomes a bit darker, more syrupy, and smells toasty.
Add cornstarch and slowly whisk in milk. Raise heat to medium. Cook mixture, stirring frequently, until it thickens slightly, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and sea salt. Taste mixture and adjust salt, if needed.
Cool mixture to lukewarm before pouring into popsicle molds. You can hasten this along by setting the pot or bowl with the butterscotch pudding batter in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, and stirring it for a few minutes.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze as manufacturer directs. If using makeshift molds, let popsicles freeze about halfway (30 to 60 minutes, depending on size) before inserting popsicle sticks, then freeze the rest of the way.
Butterscotch Pudding Popsicles
No popsicle molds? You could any kind of tiny cup to mold them instead, but my favorite is a champagne flute for shape; you could even use those disposable plastic ones. When the mixture is halfway frozen, insert a popsicle stick and now no retro popsicle mold needs to come between you and Popsicle Week.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or to taste (use less of a fine sea salt)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
Combine the cream, brown sugar and butter in the bottom of a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more frequently as it reduces and thickens. You’ll know it’s done when it becomes a bit darker, more syrupy, and smells toasty.
Add cornstarch and slowly whisk in milk. Raise heat to medium. Cook mixture, stirring frequently, until it thickens slightly, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and sea salt. Taste mixture and adjust salt, if needed.
Cool mixture to lukewarm before pouring into popsicle molds. You can hasten this along by setting the pot or bowl with the butterscotch pudding batter in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, and stirring it for a few minutes.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze as manufacturer directs. If using makeshift molds, let popsicles freeze about halfway (30 to 60 minutes, depending on size) before inserting popsicle sticks, then freeze the rest of the way.
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