Rat-tat-tat-atouille

As you know from previous posts, the foodie of the crew works at a local arts center that offers amazing classes and equally amazing exhibits.

One such exhibit opens this Sunday, September 19th...BRAD HOWE: Art in
Motion An Exhibition of Moving Masterpieces. Even though I consider myself to be a creative sort, my work is prosaic compared to some of the work I have the good fortune to see each week at the center. Although indeed hokey, it is none-the-less functional, unless you count the sweater on which I am still working (and will post an update soon). Anyway, the exhibit that opens Sunday showcases the artist's mobiles....I am very anxious to see it.

Alexander Calder (1928 – 1976), considered the father of the mobile – he was an artist with some engineering training – has crafted some of the most highly recognized mobiles and a very famous example, Ghosts, hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As a matter of fact if you look down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from the main Museum steps, one can see two other Calders…the statue of William Penn that sits atop of Philadelphia’s City Hall was sculpted by his grandfather, Alexander Milne Calder. The Swann Fountain in Logan Circle is the work of his father, Alexander Stirling Calder.


We had dinner at the foodie's house and she made ratatouille…a French word meaning to “mix up.” She roasted eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions and mushrooms, diced them up and threw them in a huge (and lovely) Le Creuset pot with tomatoes, herb de provence, olive oil and garlic and simmered the mixture for 15 minutes. She served the melodious mixture over pasta with fresh basil and a slice of mozzarella. We also had a salad and, of
course, wine that, along with the “Italian Summer” cocktail (gin, ruby-red grapefruit juice, ginger syrup, fresh lime, a splash of tonic, and basil) we had before dinner were responsible for the stitches I dropped when I tried to knit...I should have known better.

As always, a delightful time…will post mobile photos after the exhibit.

Mobile image from bradhowe.com

Meatloaf 101 (Almost)

Tuesday was the first day of school in Swarthmore. I saw families taking the required photos of backpack clad children sporting new clothes and somewhat apprehensive and forlorn faces, waiting to welcome the trustworthy yellow school bus. A memory indeed! Well, now that summer is over, our Tuesday night dinners have resumed (hooray!), and I decided to serve meatloaf using the Martha Stewart’s recipe. It is chock full of vegetables and herbs and quite yummy, especially the next day on a sandwich with some mustard and cheese. This is Martha’s Mom, Mrs Kostyra’s recipe that has been Marthaized, I think.

We have already discussed the fact that Martha is one of my idols, and although, I am truly amazed by her domestic prowess, I don’t think she has an exclusive on originality or taste. Considering this, I often call upon my audacious instincts (such that they are) and resist following Martha’s instructions exactly (don’t tell her; she may harm me - God knows what skills she picked up in the pokey), so I am going to give it to you a bit customized, “a fairly good thing”, if you will. Also, I used about one-half of everything and the version below reflects those adjustments.

Almost Martha’s Meatloaf

Ingredients
Serves 4-6 (depending on how hungry everyone is and if you are serving men hearty eaters)
3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
1/3 pound each ground beef, pork and veal
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into eighths
3 or 6 or 9 cloves of garlic (one can never use too much garlic)
2 stalks celery, cut into tiny pieces
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 large eggs
½ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Glaze Mixture
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon rosemary

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place all meatloaf ingredients in a bowl using hands to mix well.

Shape into a loaf and place in a pan. Bake for 30 minutes then brush glaze mixture on and bake for 30 minutes more or until meat thermometer reads 160°. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

This really is a yummy recipe. I served it with red potatoes mashed with sour cream, and an arugula and orange salad.

School Bus image from Google images.

City of Angels

Sorry that I have not posted in a little while, dear readers, I was in Los Angeles this past week, and I have to say that I totally understand why some people gravitate west! Truly beautiful!

My work colleague and I spent the day we arrived in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The Pacific coastline is as beautiful as it is contradictory with the convergence of crashing waves and the still but echoing mountains. We walked along the beach where we saw the hippest lifeguard stands eVeR and we stopped and got a latte at the local Starbucks …some things are just plain reliable!
We had a reservation to visit the Getty Villa where we were captivated by the most beautiful gardens, murals, and architecture…simply amazing. I felt like I was back in Italy and with good reason because The Getty Villa is a museum dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. We headed back to downtown Los Angeles where we passed the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Swarthmore Avenue and I was reminded that the Swarthmore Avenue with which I am more familiar is not nearly as sexy as this intersection with its clay roofs, palm trees, and mountain backdrop.

We had dinner at Ciudad, the Downtown LA restaurant of chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Food Network’s "Too Hot Tamales". We feasted, tapas style, on "seductive and authentic" dishes from South America, Central America, Cuba, Spain, and Portugal. I had a potato and beet soup, a spinach empanada, and a fried peach and field green salad…oh, and a Mo-Tini, (Mojito-Martini) that knocked me on my ass!

On Monday night, it was off to Dodger Stadium where the Dodgers were playing the Phillies! The Phillies lost, but we had a blast eating our Dodger Dogs, drinking local beer and participating in the beach ball antics that are popular, but somewhat disruptive, at Dodger Stadium. The Dodger pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, had a no-hitter going into the 6th inning, until a wayward beach ball floated onto the field…this not only stopped play, but some think the pitcher lost his groove because Shane got a hit immediately following the beach ball incident. Sorry Hiroki

Although I returned with a nasty cold, I also returned with some wonderful photos, great memories, and one more baseball stadium checked off my list! A delightful way to mix business with pleasure!

Yarnophile

I had never heard or used the term “yarnophile” (maybe this will become one of those new dictionary words we see pop up from time-to-time like "defriend") until I became acquainted with - through DailyCandy.com - a newly-formed Portland, Maine-based company called Quince & Co. When I say new, I mean new! In July, two knitwear designers and an owner of a spinning mill, got together and decided to create a company with a focus on spinning American wool from sheep that roam in Montana and Wyoming and using earth-friendly techniques and labor.

The owners, Pam, Carrie and Bob, who admittedly I don’t know personally but refer to familiarly because their story is a rather inspiring adventure, are, respectively, a knitter/writer, a knitter/photographer and a business owner/historic building rescuer. All of the lovely wool and wool-blend yarns offered at Quince & Co. are spun in a New England mill allowing the trio to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by sourcing (as much as possible) and spinning wool locally…love hearing good stories about responsible commercial citizens, don't you?!

In addition to beautifully photographed yarns offered in nature-inspired colors such as twig, egret, and chanterelle, the site offers lovely and airy patterns that any knitter would happily want to wear and make for their loved ones…in their words, they like “projects that are utilitarian and friendly—the sweater you reach for when you pour a cup of tea or grab the dog’s leash for a walk. But we also like the precious, labor-of-love, little jewel of a knitted accessory, too—a cabled mitt, a dainty lace kerchief—you know the kind of thing.”

You can visit their charming website at Quince & Co and, with autumn just a short 25 days away, begin to think about purchasing some beautiful, American-spun yarn for your fall and winter projects. We’ll avoid any conversation about my knitting project(s) right now…..I am still committed to having a hand-knit (by me) sweater to wear this fall…I promise. Anyway, I've never been to Portland, but it looks like a delightful part of the world and I will certainly stop in to say hi if I am ever lucky enough to visit.


Photo from Quince & Co.

Text me, text me, say that you'll text me!

OMG…I thought it would a really fun (not to mention an exercise in persistence) to write a post using text lingo. 404, but I think you will figure it out because GMTA and we are doing this FYA! BION, you might be good at deciphering this stuff, and GF, once you do, it may be FMTYEWTK! BTW, WIBN if we could all would talk F2F, 121 if you will, OTOH, sometimes there is NADT I have to say to some people. Although I could say, 831 to my BF, oh but wait…NM!

If this is TMI then, YBS the next time you get a cryptic txt from a BFF, BWTHDIK! @TEOTD, this is how kids communicate 2day and if the AITR start to do the same, we may see them ROTFL. ?FY, RU totally confused yet? STW if you need help!

Anyway, FWIW this is NFM but, DQMOT, IC the efficiency of it all! IAE, IG2G…W/B if you’d like to add your .02! I’m exhausted!

BRB, GB, TTFN, <3, TTYL,
KOPO

Image from Google Images.