Everyone who was twelve or thirteen when Thriller came out, bought a sequined glove or tried to learn the choreography to Beat It should go see This Is It in Imax, or on some other gigantic, amazing, screen with mind bending sound. He is amazing. It made me miss, and adore him. Also loved, loved the guitarist, the dancers, all of it. It was extremely well done and respectful.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Something fun because I haven't posted anything here in basically an eternity. I've good reason though: been focused really hard on the novel and poetry manuscript. Have made significant progress on the poetry manuscript though I am now at the point of second-guessing every poem in it, thinking its language is not up to muster. The novel is going well because I am just sticking with forging ahead. When I look back and start nit-picking, I get problems; if I just keep a forward momentum of revision, life is much better.
Writing
I am not as young as I used to be.
I can’t write poetry in the heat.
Or in the dark, or when I wake up
from a dream. I can’t remember my dreams
or straighten my back for at least twenty minutes
upon waking, and I need my slippers
and a cup of coffee with just the right amount of cream
and several hours in a day free
but with a deadline of someplace to go later
(preferably someplace I don’t really want to go
but know that if I do will have a good time)
in order to even think about writing.
I used to need a special pen
and a good pad, and the right
window seat at the coffee shop
and maybe to find some money on the ground
but now I just need a perfect psychology
all my great ideas at once, a hummingbird
in my window and the bees of the world
to be thriving; I just need religions to see
that violence is the opposite of love and love
is the meaning of life; I need the sum
of my regrets to whisper away in the wind,
and the security of knowing the world will go on, regardless...
...in order to write even one line.
I’m not as young as I used to be.
I won’t write down just anything anymore.
Writing
I am not as young as I used to be.
I can’t write poetry in the heat.
Or in the dark, or when I wake up
from a dream. I can’t remember my dreams
or straighten my back for at least twenty minutes
upon waking, and I need my slippers
and a cup of coffee with just the right amount of cream
and several hours in a day free
but with a deadline of someplace to go later
(preferably someplace I don’t really want to go
but know that if I do will have a good time)
in order to even think about writing.
I used to need a special pen
and a good pad, and the right
window seat at the coffee shop
and maybe to find some money on the ground
but now I just need a perfect psychology
all my great ideas at once, a hummingbird
in my window and the bees of the world
to be thriving; I just need religions to see
that violence is the opposite of love and love
is the meaning of life; I need the sum
of my regrets to whisper away in the wind,
and the security of knowing the world will go on, regardless...
...in order to write even one line.
I’m not as young as I used to be.
I won’t write down just anything anymore.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
First Rainstorm of the Year
Last night I was awakened by thunder.
"Really?" I said, "Thunder?"
We haven't had a thunderstorm in years, and rain is pretty scarce around these parts. So even though it was 4:30 am, I kept myself up in bed for a minute, listening, hopefully, for rain sounds and the occasional earthly grumble -one, thankfully this time, not accompanied by tremors. I kept my eyes closed though, not wanting to fully awaken, worried I might not be able to fall back to sleep.
In just a few moments, the sky growled (not that cracking thunder of the East Coast, but a more clearing of the throat kind of booming) and great plops of rain fell. Instantly I could smell the hot asphalt cooling, the trees releasing (especially the eucalyptus bright with scent), and the freshness of water in the air. And then I saw flashing behind my eyelids.
"I better go back to sleep" I thought. "I'm seeing things."
But I was not: the far horizon was lit up with thick steely white lines of lightning starting from the low scuds and connecting somewhere, it seemed to me, just at the coastline. I couldn't miss this.
So I sat for a moment looking out my windows at the ghostly black sky - brighter than you'd think it would be, for the clouds were reflecting all the yellowish street lamp light. I had an eerie feeling and then, snap snap snap! In the distance three thick veins of electricity touched down inspiring sounds of amazement from my lips.
I grabbed my camera and decided, though I have no recourse to keep the lens open for long exposure (damn digital do-it-yourself cameras!) that I would film the horizon and maybe catch one of these white hot flashes to share with you - and I did. I also managed to see two bats playfully flying by my window while I watched in that sweet silence of night when all is sleeping - but they are far too dark and wily to be caught on tape.
Last night I was awakened by thunder.
"Really?" I said, "Thunder?"
We haven't had a thunderstorm in years, and rain is pretty scarce around these parts. So even though it was 4:30 am, I kept myself up in bed for a minute, listening, hopefully, for rain sounds and the occasional earthly grumble -one, thankfully this time, not accompanied by tremors. I kept my eyes closed though, not wanting to fully awaken, worried I might not be able to fall back to sleep.
In just a few moments, the sky growled (not that cracking thunder of the East Coast, but a more clearing of the throat kind of booming) and great plops of rain fell. Instantly I could smell the hot asphalt cooling, the trees releasing (especially the eucalyptus bright with scent), and the freshness of water in the air. And then I saw flashing behind my eyelids.
"I better go back to sleep" I thought. "I'm seeing things."
But I was not: the far horizon was lit up with thick steely white lines of lightning starting from the low scuds and connecting somewhere, it seemed to me, just at the coastline. I couldn't miss this.
So I sat for a moment looking out my windows at the ghostly black sky - brighter than you'd think it would be, for the clouds were reflecting all the yellowish street lamp light. I had an eerie feeling and then, snap snap snap! In the distance three thick veins of electricity touched down inspiring sounds of amazement from my lips.
I grabbed my camera and decided, though I have no recourse to keep the lens open for long exposure (damn digital do-it-yourself cameras!) that I would film the horizon and maybe catch one of these white hot flashes to share with you - and I did. I also managed to see two bats playfully flying by my window while I watched in that sweet silence of night when all is sleeping - but they are far too dark and wily to be caught on tape.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Chicken & Dumplings and Cupcakes
So my pal Jen gave me this recipe for Chicken & Dumplings which she got from a newspaper I think, which she then slightly modified, which I then used as a basis for making the dish for my pal's birthday with my own slight modifications. And let me tell you: this was the yummiest thing I have ever eaten, and nary a kernel of corn was left when we finished eating. I won't even mention the cupcakes: my first try at scratch cakes came out fab (here's the recipe, and it was relatively easy, and definitely delicious - be sure to use a very high quality chocolate for the frosting. It makes all the difference)...but first...
Given this was my first attempt at chicken and dumplings, I was not expecting anything spectacular. I thought it would just be a nice delicious doughy treat for a lazy Labor Day afternoon. It was that and then some. The dumplings were so moist and tender (like the inside of the best bagel you've ever eaten); the vegetables were al dente, the chicken fell apart in your mouth, and the liquid, well, transcendental.
Because I made some critical modifications to the recipe, I decided I better write it up so I don't forget. So I will list the original recipe WITH my modifications below.
CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS
From Jay Foster, Farmer Brown, San Francisco (with modifications by me!)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar (this is the key to the dumplings' flavor! I used a medium brown)
2 tablespoons butter, softened (unsalted)
2/3 cup milk
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used three it was perfect for three people)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 pinches salt and 25 twists fresh pepper to season meat before browning
1 large onion, pulverized
3 cups chicken stock (can take four! Mmmm - this should be your own, homemade stock if possible, note below)
2 stalks celery, 2-3 carrots, and one large potato cut into 1/4 inch pieces (as evenly as possible so it will all cook at the same rate)
1 ear of fresh sweet corn in season, cut from cob (if it's not summer and you can't get this, leave it out!)
2 whole peppercorns
Dumplings: Sift flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and blend with fingers until evenly distributed. Add milk. Mix well with a spoon or your hands. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into diamond shapes, about ½ by 1 inch, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. One at a time, tuck one corner of diamond toward the center, and using your palm, roll dough into a torpedo shape (like you are making a tiny croissant). Set aside for at least 30 minutes - this process allows the dough to rest so it will yield slightly fluffier dumps. If it sits out longer than this that's fine, just not shorter. Course, don't leave it out for an hour as you know what starts happening to dough left out (dries out!).
Cut your chicken breast into one inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, deep pan on medium-high heat (I used a four quart deep saute pan with cover and it all fit JUST RIGHT - a bigger pan (deeper, not wider) will allow you to use more liquid). Add the chicken and let it get just browned on all sides (about 1 minute) and as the pan is still quite hot (not crazy though, don't burn stuff!), add the pulverized onion and peppercorns and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring some to ensure it doesn't burn or stick.
Add your vegetables (except corn), and 3-4 cups chicken stock - enough to completely cover chicken and vegetables. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes (at a medium simmer - not a rough boil - so vegetables are cooked, but not falling apart and some of the liquid reduces but not too much).
Drop dumplings into the pan to cover the top (with the recipe above I had a few left over because I did not want to crowd the pan - I basically just covered the top of liquid with edge to edge dumplings - which is why using a deep saute pan is great because there is more surface area than a deep sauce pan or soup pot which usually have a narrower diameter). COVER the pan and cook on low (turn your heat way down so that there is still the tiniest bubbling going on - a barely noticeable blip kind of simmering) for 15 minutes until dumplings are tender and cooked through. They will firm up the longer they cook, so don’t simmer them for too long. Be sure when you cover the pan that your dumplings are NOT touching the cover. If they are, just knock them lower into the liquid with a spoon. Just to look at them, you know the dumplings are done when the dough starts to look like your fingers if you've been in a swimming pool too long - 15 minutes at the incredibly low simmer is the right timing.
Now, take your corn and distribute it into your serving bowls - yes, raw! Sweet corn in season is so delicious it requires very little cooking. Adding it to a bowl just prior to pouring hot liquid over it will cook it just enough to soften a bit, yet maintain some crunch and that blast of sweet flavor. This added such a wonderful texture and sweetness to the dish I will be sad when cooking this in winter without it!
Put your dumplings over the corn and SERVE!!!!
Since the recipe has so many steps, what worked best for me is getting everything ready before any cooking began - cutting and seasoning chicken, preparing vegetables, pulverizing onion, setting aside dumps, thawing frozen stock, etc. This makes it less likely that I will burn or overcook something.
Now, a note about chicken stock: whenever a recipe calls for it and I use my own, the dish is infinitely more tasty. I know some folks shy away from making their own stock but I tell you it is easy. If I can do it, you can too. If you are planning to make fried chicken, or a roasted chicken, you can do that, then save all the bones and discarded bits for making a nice stock. And is there anything in the world that makes you feel better than getting more meals out of your meals??? Here's the recipe for the best one I ever made, which is the stock I used in the aforementioned dumplings, which is, I am sure, part of the reason why they were so. damn. good.
Chicken stock
This stock was made from the carcass and remnants of a roasted Soul Food Farms chicken I picked up at the farmer's market. It is important to note how I prepared the chicken for roasting so you understand some of the flavors hidden in the stock.
First, I rubbed the chicken skin with salted farmer's market butter and salt and pepper. I use a lot of pepper because I truly believe in it's power as the perfect spice. Then I stuffed the chicken with FENNEL. Fresh fennel, roughly chopped, was jam-packed into the chicken. Then, I saved the fennel bulb and placed it under the chicken during roasting, so the flavors would be infused. I truly believe fennel was the key here.
After I ate the roasted chicken meal, I threw the carcass, skin, bones, fat - anything NOT consumed - into a large soup pot with rough-smashed elephant garlic and rough-torn dill, and added 3-4 table spoons of salt, 50-75 twists of fresh black pepper, and about 8 cups of filtered water. Then I just cooked it on an easy rolling boil until the 8 cups turned to 6. You can reduce more, but remember the more you reduce the saltier the business gets. So if you taste after a while and it still seems bland, don't add more salt, just keep reducing. When finished cooking, strain through a fine strainer, distribute stock into freezer-safe tupperware, freeze and use within two months.
So my pal Jen gave me this recipe for Chicken & Dumplings which she got from a newspaper I think, which she then slightly modified, which I then used as a basis for making the dish for my pal's birthday with my own slight modifications. And let me tell you: this was the yummiest thing I have ever eaten, and nary a kernel of corn was left when we finished eating. I won't even mention the cupcakes: my first try at scratch cakes came out fab (here's the recipe, and it was relatively easy, and definitely delicious - be sure to use a very high quality chocolate for the frosting. It makes all the difference)...but first...
Given this was my first attempt at chicken and dumplings, I was not expecting anything spectacular. I thought it would just be a nice delicious doughy treat for a lazy Labor Day afternoon. It was that and then some. The dumplings were so moist and tender (like the inside of the best bagel you've ever eaten); the vegetables were al dente, the chicken fell apart in your mouth, and the liquid, well, transcendental.
Because I made some critical modifications to the recipe, I decided I better write it up so I don't forget. So I will list the original recipe WITH my modifications below.
CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS
From Jay Foster, Farmer Brown, San Francisco (with modifications by me!)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar (this is the key to the dumplings' flavor! I used a medium brown)
2 tablespoons butter, softened (unsalted)
2/3 cup milk
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used three it was perfect for three people)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 pinches salt and 25 twists fresh pepper to season meat before browning
1 large onion, pulverized
3 cups chicken stock (can take four! Mmmm - this should be your own, homemade stock if possible, note below)
2 stalks celery, 2-3 carrots, and one large potato cut into 1/4 inch pieces (as evenly as possible so it will all cook at the same rate)
1 ear of fresh sweet corn in season, cut from cob (if it's not summer and you can't get this, leave it out!)
2 whole peppercorns
Dumplings: Sift flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and blend with fingers until evenly distributed. Add milk. Mix well with a spoon or your hands. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into diamond shapes, about ½ by 1 inch, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. One at a time, tuck one corner of diamond toward the center, and using your palm, roll dough into a torpedo shape (like you are making a tiny croissant). Set aside for at least 30 minutes - this process allows the dough to rest so it will yield slightly fluffier dumps. If it sits out longer than this that's fine, just not shorter. Course, don't leave it out for an hour as you know what starts happening to dough left out (dries out!).
Cut your chicken breast into one inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, deep pan on medium-high heat (I used a four quart deep saute pan with cover and it all fit JUST RIGHT - a bigger pan (deeper, not wider) will allow you to use more liquid). Add the chicken and let it get just browned on all sides (about 1 minute) and as the pan is still quite hot (not crazy though, don't burn stuff!), add the pulverized onion and peppercorns and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring some to ensure it doesn't burn or stick.
Add your vegetables (except corn), and 3-4 cups chicken stock - enough to completely cover chicken and vegetables. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes (at a medium simmer - not a rough boil - so vegetables are cooked, but not falling apart and some of the liquid reduces but not too much).
Drop dumplings into the pan to cover the top (with the recipe above I had a few left over because I did not want to crowd the pan - I basically just covered the top of liquid with edge to edge dumplings - which is why using a deep saute pan is great because there is more surface area than a deep sauce pan or soup pot which usually have a narrower diameter). COVER the pan and cook on low (turn your heat way down so that there is still the tiniest bubbling going on - a barely noticeable blip kind of simmering) for 15 minutes until dumplings are tender and cooked through. They will firm up the longer they cook, so don’t simmer them for too long. Be sure when you cover the pan that your dumplings are NOT touching the cover. If they are, just knock them lower into the liquid with a spoon. Just to look at them, you know the dumplings are done when the dough starts to look like your fingers if you've been in a swimming pool too long - 15 minutes at the incredibly low simmer is the right timing.
Now, take your corn and distribute it into your serving bowls - yes, raw! Sweet corn in season is so delicious it requires very little cooking. Adding it to a bowl just prior to pouring hot liquid over it will cook it just enough to soften a bit, yet maintain some crunch and that blast of sweet flavor. This added such a wonderful texture and sweetness to the dish I will be sad when cooking this in winter without it!
Put your dumplings over the corn and SERVE!!!!
Since the recipe has so many steps, what worked best for me is getting everything ready before any cooking began - cutting and seasoning chicken, preparing vegetables, pulverizing onion, setting aside dumps, thawing frozen stock, etc. This makes it less likely that I will burn or overcook something.
Now, a note about chicken stock: whenever a recipe calls for it and I use my own, the dish is infinitely more tasty. I know some folks shy away from making their own stock but I tell you it is easy. If I can do it, you can too. If you are planning to make fried chicken, or a roasted chicken, you can do that, then save all the bones and discarded bits for making a nice stock. And is there anything in the world that makes you feel better than getting more meals out of your meals??? Here's the recipe for the best one I ever made, which is the stock I used in the aforementioned dumplings, which is, I am sure, part of the reason why they were so. damn. good.
Chicken stock
This stock was made from the carcass and remnants of a roasted Soul Food Farms chicken I picked up at the farmer's market. It is important to note how I prepared the chicken for roasting so you understand some of the flavors hidden in the stock.
First, I rubbed the chicken skin with salted farmer's market butter and salt and pepper. I use a lot of pepper because I truly believe in it's power as the perfect spice. Then I stuffed the chicken with FENNEL. Fresh fennel, roughly chopped, was jam-packed into the chicken. Then, I saved the fennel bulb and placed it under the chicken during roasting, so the flavors would be infused. I truly believe fennel was the key here.
After I ate the roasted chicken meal, I threw the carcass, skin, bones, fat - anything NOT consumed - into a large soup pot with rough-smashed elephant garlic and rough-torn dill, and added 3-4 table spoons of salt, 50-75 twists of fresh black pepper, and about 8 cups of filtered water. Then I just cooked it on an easy rolling boil until the 8 cups turned to 6. You can reduce more, but remember the more you reduce the saltier the business gets. So if you taste after a while and it still seems bland, don't add more salt, just keep reducing. When finished cooking, strain through a fine strainer, distribute stock into freezer-safe tupperware, freeze and use within two months.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Finished ProductMy first go at screen printing resulted in about 10 blank cards I made with this two-color print on the front - thanks to my ongoing muse, Kit Pit. The next project is TBA; I am taking a week off to think about it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Another Terrific Cup from Ed
A definite perk of being friend's with Sheri is that her hubs is a coffee...I want to say maverick, geek, aficionado, but none of those is quite right. He's just the kind of guy who gets into things, and he knows more about coffee than anyone I have ever met.
At any rate, he's got a leetel home roaster so he can teach himself the tricks of the trade, and he roasts a mean, mean bean. Of course, something has to happen to all those roasted beans, so peeps like me get to taste amazing, magical coffee.
Now, I am not coffee fancy-pants. I just like drinking the stuff. But, Ed's coffee isn't just some fresh beans (though they are, and fresh beans are....mmmmm) it's a science in which he tests various degrees of roasting and picks the one that brings out the best flavors in the particular bean. And after three offerings...I have to say he has done it again! Three for three Ed!!!
This cup is light and airy on the tongue (which is good and bad: good because it doesn't bog you down and make you feel like you only want to drink water for the rest of the day; bad because you want to drink like 18 cups of it in a row) - a perfect summer coffee for those fog-soaked mornings and sunburnt afternoons.
If you are interested in coffee, go over to Ed's blog Coffee is Food, and also stay in touch with This Joy + Ride a terrific online magazine of poetry, photography, art, and well, yes: coffee. They have seasonal coffee offerings and if you play your cards right maybe one day, you'll get some beans! (I also have some poems up over there, if you care to).
A definite perk of being friend's with Sheri is that her hubs is a coffee...I want to say maverick, geek, aficionado, but none of those is quite right. He's just the kind of guy who gets into things, and he knows more about coffee than anyone I have ever met.
At any rate, he's got a leetel home roaster so he can teach himself the tricks of the trade, and he roasts a mean, mean bean. Of course, something has to happen to all those roasted beans, so peeps like me get to taste amazing, magical coffee.
Now, I am not coffee fancy-pants. I just like drinking the stuff. But, Ed's coffee isn't just some fresh beans (though they are, and fresh beans are....mmmmm) it's a science in which he tests various degrees of roasting and picks the one that brings out the best flavors in the particular bean. And after three offerings...I have to say he has done it again! Three for three Ed!!!
This cup is light and airy on the tongue (which is good and bad: good because it doesn't bog you down and make you feel like you only want to drink water for the rest of the day; bad because you want to drink like 18 cups of it in a row) - a perfect summer coffee for those fog-soaked mornings and sunburnt afternoons.
If you are interested in coffee, go over to Ed's blog Coffee is Food, and also stay in touch with This Joy + Ride a terrific online magazine of poetry, photography, art, and well, yes: coffee. They have seasonal coffee offerings and if you play your cards right maybe one day, you'll get some beans! (I also have some poems up over there, if you care to).
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