Pink and Violet

Two Amazing Flowers in My Gardens just now.

 Pink ones!

 And Violet ones!

Late Summer Splendors

Asian Day Flower, Commelina communis 

Perplexed Tick-Trefoil, Desmodium perplexum (Detail of flower below)

Shiso, Perilla frutescens 

Knotweed, Polygonum pensylvanicum
alternate name: Pennsylvania Smartweed

Best Care Package EVER!

 Okay, I'm just gonna call it like I see it: BEST FRILLING CARE PACKAGE EVER!!!!! Can you guess where (which state) it came from?! HA! And Romeo is thrilled with his new boot. The minute I came in the door, he knew there was a treat in there for him, too. He's very intuitive that way. It was like Christmas in September...and each new item made my chest want to burst with thanksgiving for a very special friendship.

Recycling Moves Forward!

Got my Takoma Park food scraps recycling bucket today! First contributions? Onion and Carrot peels and ends, green bean ends and some sad moldy bread... The rules let you throw just about EVERYTHING into it. Very generous program with free biodegradable bags. (Yeah, I pay high taxes, but I live in a wonderful community full of wonderful services that benefit everyone who lives here regardless of their means. And I just think that's how people ought to live, as an intentional interdependent community--and not just because we go to the same church or synagogue or mosque or I happen to like you.)

And look at what all you can recycle!

Fruit and vegetable scraps (fresh or cooked)
Meat, fish, shellfish (including bones)
Dairy products (cheese, butter, ice cream, etc.)
Bread, pasta, rice, grains, cereal, baked goods, etc.
Nuts, beans, seeds (including shells/hulls)
Coffee grounds, filters, tea bags (no foil or foil-backed products)
Paper products (paper towels, napkins, & paper plates)
Pizza boxes (remove non-food items)
Chopsticks & popsicle sticks

WOW!

Caveat: No kleenex, styrofoam, diapers, pet shit or grease. I can live with that.

NSO with Pink Martini, et. al.

 Oh Children! What a night of fun was had by all! First of all, it is an amazing evening in the Capital of the United States. The weather was perfect, 72 with humidity around 60%, it doesn't get any better in mid-September. Next, any night at the Kennedy Center is a treat. But Combine the two as you stand on the patio near to the fountain on the banks of the Potomac River watching the sun set and burnishing the horse tail clouds a golden yellow to pinkish bronze as you watch the pleasure boats make lazy passes on the calm river's surface--and you know, if you don't just revel in this amazing life you have...I'm at a loss as to what else to say.

 With the stage thus set, you then enter the National Concert Hall and prepare for what can only be described as an experience. Just the fact that you are about to enjoy an internationally acclaimed symphony orchestra is worth the price of admission. Now, add to that this most amazing and eclectic jazz/fusion ensemble called Pink Martini from the hipster capital of the world, Portlandia. But wait, there's MORE---what's that you say? The Great-great-grandchildren of Maria and Georg van Trappe! More surprises still!? Stop! You're killing me! Soon to be revealed!

Highlights Little and Big: 


1) I bought a seat in the first level balcony for the first time. It was marvelous. With lots of audience participation, it was a great vantage point, AND it was an actual CHAIR with side arms! LIke I'm sitting in a comfortable chair at home, so not theater seating...I'm forever spoiled I fear. 

2) The evening included songs from Schubert to ABBA sung in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Farsi, Arabic, German, Japanese and Swedish! From Cuban love songs and Brazilian Samba to German Drinking songs and an impossible to characterize a cappella original written by the 18 year-old van Trappe prodigy, August (performed by him and his sisters). There were times the audience danced in the aisles and in the last number most formed giant conga lines and bounced all over the theater! All without the aid of alcohol, so far as I could tell. At one point the NSO conductor jumped into the crowd and started jitterbugging with some one in row 6!

3) The van Trappes--holy shit are they ADORABLE! Their harmonies are stunning and they are just beautiful. Three sisters: Amanda, Melanie and Sofia and their baby brother August. I know you're thinking of "The Sound of Music", right? Well the audience was, too. SO, imagine most everyone's surprise (it was nearly audible) when they first came out and August sported a toe-head blond gelled out hairdo worthy of any Japanese anime cartoon, complete with pink highlights and eye shadow!  

4) Surprises? How about NPR's London correspondent, Ari Shapiro, arriving in the second half to croon three numbers--and can that boy sing! A spicy latin number with Pink Martini's China Forbes, a sorrowful ballad of unrequited love from a 19th-century Cuban composer, and then a re-enactment of the "Get Happy/Happy Days are Here Again" 1962 duet between Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland sung again with China! China asked him which part he fancied playing, Barbara or Judy? Ari replied, "I've spent my entire life dreaming of being both of them!" complete with girlish heal kick to the utter delight of the audience! (Oh yah, "Family!").

5) There were THREE encores, and before the first one, Pink Martini's impresario, Thomas Lauderdale, gave homage to two things that have made Pink Martini possible: one, symphony orchestras like the NSO, and two, National Public Radio. Then, he referenced the recent interview with Scott Simon on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday--and then he turned to the wings and invited Scott Simon to join everyone on the stage! The first encore was a version of "The Lonely Goat Herder" with Scott performing the roll of yodeler! I'm still catching my breath. WHAT JOY!

Slumgullion

I love this because it's basically whatever you want it to be!  A stove-top stew made with meat, vegetables and pasta.  Mine includes ground meat (a mix of Pork, Veal and Beef), Carrots, Onions, Red Peppers, Green Beans, and canned Stewed Tomatoes.  The spices are up to you.  I was in a hurry with this one and so I just grabbed a packet of Ortega© Mild Taco Mix!  It gave it a quick direction, but honestly didn't make it taste like Tacos.

Slumgullion is sort of the equivalent of the Chinese Chop Suey (sink scraps).  From the middle English it derives from the roots, Slum = Slime, and Gullion = Cesspool.  (also the basis of the word "gully"). So let's face it, Slumgullion is a lot better than calling it Slime Cesspool!

Shredded Beef with Mushrooms

This is an easy meal that relies on timing.

First, wash and toss some New Potatoes in a little Olive Oil with six large fresh Garlic Cloves peeled and cut in half.  Place in a baking dish covered and bake at 350˚ for 60 minutes.

Next, peel and slice a good sized Onion into wedges from top to bottom and start sautéing with a little more Olive Oil.  Add the Shredded Beef.  Cook and brown.  Add 8 oz pkg of Button or Baby Portobello Mushrooms washed and sliced into disks top to bottom.  Cover and simmer for as long as the potatoes have to cook.

Lastly, set up a pot of Salted water and cut a head of Broccoli into spears.  Time it so you can blanch them at the very end.  I like my Broccoli bright and just on the edge of tender, about 2 minutes in the boiling water, but honestly I tell they're ready by the smell.  With a little practice, you will be able to, too.

Return to the Shredded Beef at the end and add in a pkg of Brown Gravy mix to take advantage of the juices--and you may need to add a little water as it cooks depending on tight the lid you're using is.

Sweet Italian Sausage Over Rotini

 Sauté a couple of links of Sweet Italian Sausage.  Hint, place in freezer for an hour before and then your can slice them like butter!  Add an 8 oz. pkg of Button Mushrooms washed and cut in half.  Add two small Zucchini cut down the middle and sliced into generous bite size bits.  When everything is basically cooked at a can of diced Tomatoes with Zesty Peppers (or two if you like tomatoes!) and bring to heat, no more cooking required.  Serve over pasts of choice.  I chose Rotini.

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Week ~ September 14th to September 20th

Today's Sermon

APPETITE

I eat these


wild red raspberries


still warm from the sun


and smelling faintly of jewelweed


in memory of my father



tucking the napkin


under his chin and bending


over an ironstone bowl


of the bright drupelets


awash in cream



my father


with the sigh of a man


who has seen all and been redeemed


said time after time


as he lifted his spoon



men kill for this.

~ Maxine Kumin, 1925 - 2014

Fish and Chips with a Twist!

Just fish (Tilapia) and chips with homemade coleslaw.  BUT no Catsup.  Instead Mango Chili Sauce!  Love this stuff.

Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms

 Cut up a couple of slices of Hardwood Smoked Bacon and cook.  Add one each 8 oz. pkg of sliced Button Mushrooms and sliced Baby Portobello Mushrooms.  Cover and let them cook down.  Add two pkg of frozen Creamed Spinach (thawed).  Mix and heat and then add one can of Campbell's condensed Cream of Onion Soup.

Serve over toasted bread bites.  I used a rustic olive loaf for a little more flavor.

Musing

What does one do after eating perhaps the finest slice of Quiche he's ever had? Why, he grabs a copy of "The Little Prince," and reads as much of it as he can before succumbing to a luxurious, indulgent nap. When awaking, he promises to himself to remember this when a tough day comes along...

Little Free Library Local Reach

Some of the now many other LFLibraries in my vicinity.

 I often regift books to this one.  It's in a great location, but lacks any sense of intentional support so far as I can see.

Little Free Library International

The movement to create local, autonomous venues for the free distribution of books and intellectual commerce has taken off around the world.  I love it!

 PAKISTAN

 VIETNAM

GHANA 

 ISRAEL

IRELAND 

 UKRAINE

 ITALY

QATAR 

AUSTRALIA 

COLOMBIA 

HONDURAS 

SOUTH KOREA

What I'm Listening To #119

An old CD that just ages so well.  Thank you Hal Ketchum--you did right good with this one!

New Quiche!

This week's quiche: Sweet Italian Sausage, caramelized onion, 5 kinds of sweet peppers, and Vermont Cheddar with Pepper Jack Cheeses. Two photos: Ingredients in pie shell before I added the eggs (5 eggs, 1/3 cup half & half and freshly ground black pepper), and one fresh from the oven about 15 minutes ago.

 Ingredients in the pie shell before the eggs are added.

 Fresh out of the oven!

Hot slice (after 15 minutes to let congeal).  Most amazing quiche I have ever made or eaten.

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Week ~ September 7th to September 13th

And no Memorials for a change.

Hello September

Third year that a calendar from the Warwick College Rowing Team has graced my kitchen wall.  These boys are not only generous with themselves but with proceeds from purchases, a percentage of which goes to Sports Allies which supports programs to help bullied, gay and depressed youth.

Labor Day Brunch

Classic BLT: with a little mayo on toasted rustic olive bread.  With Chi tea.