October's music videos

#4  Madonna, "Lucky Star"



Golly, early Madonna! Where has that funky, messy girl gone to?

Pumpkin Time!

Yesterday I got the crazy notion to make pumpkin soup, but not from a reipe, oh no, just something out of my own head. Turned out okay, actually. I call it Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup.

 

1 15-oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix--be careful!)
1 15-oz can black beans (or 1 c. dried black beans)
1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely
4 Tbsp. butter
1 poblano pepper, fresh, or 2-4 pieces dried poblano pepper, chopped
cayenne to taste
1 c. plain yogurt

 

I chopped the onion while melting 3 Tbsp. butter in a large saute pan. Then sauteed the onion, added can of beans (Note: next time I think I'll use no more than 1/c cooked beans to preserve the cheerful seasonal color of the pumpkin better) and the chopped poblano. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and the beans seem heated through. Take off heat but leave in pan.

 

I then used my blue Le Creuset pan to cook the pumpkin with the last Tbsp. of butter on low until it was heated through. In future, I might use a fresh pumpkin, but I didn't want to fuss with it yesterday since I was only experimenting. While it cooks, stir cayenne into bean mixture 1/4 tsp at a time, to taste; be careful, because it will get hotter as it ages.

 

When the pumpkin is ready, add the beans to it, and whisk in the yogurt. Heat slowly on low or warm, covered, checking every couple of minutes to whisk everything together and keep it from burning. Serve with crusty French bread or hearty grainy crackers.

 

I added the yogurt to make the soup creamier, because I didn't want to blend everything. If I hadn't put the beans in, I would indeed have simply blended it all smooth. The poblano added a smoky flavor, nice with the pumpkin's sweetness, while the cayenne gave it a little kick. Pumpkin is so incredibly healthy--full of fiber, A, C, etc--but I get tired of making pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread, as much as I love them both. This is lower in calories and higher in fiber.

In the last two weeks, I also played around with these dishes:

• Chicken Breasts stuffed with goat cheese, red peppers, and green olives
• Carrot Soup (my favorite! out of Moosewood Cookbook)
• Sausages and Peppers
• Tuna Steaks with Mango Salsa (Epicurious recipe)
• One-Bowl Browning (recipe inside box of Baker's Baking Chocolate)

October's music videos

#3  Steve Earle, "Guitar Town"

October's music videos

#2  The Police, "Every Breath You Take"



Creepy. A tribute to black and white.

October's music videos

Last week I saw Raul Malo in concert with a friend who was not familiar with him. To get her up to speed, I sent along videos of The Mavericks and Malo solo in concert... which reminded me about music videos of the past. The original music video is indeed a thing of the past, now that MTV and CTV and BET are more about "original programming" than music.
In the spirit of my nostalgia about my yout', I'm going to send along music videos for your (and my) enjoyment.

#1: Michael Jackson, "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough"



'Nuff said.

If I were in Paris... Friday, October 8, 2010

If I were in Paris today... how would I spend my day? Well, it's Friday, so I might, just might, give les archives a pass and do a little sightseeing, a little shopping.

Since it is autumn already in Paris, I might want to go and get myself some hot chocolate at Angelina's. On the Rue de Rivoli, across from the Tuileries, Angelina's serves the best (THE BEST) hot chocolate in Paris. Thick, rich, real l'Africain which must be diluted with cream. If you think, oh, no, too fattening! you are not thinking like a Parisian. Enjoy one cup and then take a looooooong walk through the Tuileries and along the Seine, n'est-ce pas? Pleasure in many forms.

Probably, being me, I would have stopped in to Galignari's, one of my favorite bookstores, right next door to Angelina's, and bought a new book or magazine to pass the time with while I drank my l'Africain. Galignari's is where I saw Karl Lagerfeld, big as life and fully tricked out, with his "assistant." Aside from that, an excellent site for finding new English-language books, great guides to obscure Paris, or glossy fashion or house magazines from all countries (my guilty pleasure).

Today I would probably also take myself back along the Rue de Rivoli to the Musee des Arts Decoratif (1st arr.) for their current exhibits, "Jewelry Art Deco and the Avant Garde" or "Le Belle Epoque de Jules Cheret: l'affiche au decor." The website is: http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/accueil-710/une-715/english-439/exhibitions/current-events. This poster is one of Cheret's most famous, being Bernhardt herself advertising rice powder.

I might go along to the Centre Culturel Irlandais (5th arr.) to see one of several exhibits they have right now on Irish artists, including an exhibit of work by the sculptress Vivienne Roche, on "The Geometry of Water." Her work, focused on the sea and the beach, sounds fascinating, and it is actually very illuminating to see artists from non-French countries exhibitied in Paris. Here is the site: http://www.centreculturelirlandais.com/modules/movie/scenes/home/index.php?fuseAction=art. Below is one of Roche's scupltures: none of the ones in Paris are this grand in scale, I think. I don't look at sculpture enough: I mostly do the painting and photography route, but my trips to the Musee Zadkine for example, convinced me that I should spend more time looking at 3-D art as well.

Having walked back along the Seine to the 5th, I would probably search through a few stalls of les bookinistes (or bouquinistes), perhaps finding something delightful in an old print or used book, then sit myself down at a cafe that has a fabulous view of Notre Dame for a glass of wine or an expresso. Watch the sun set, the sky turn dark (well before 6 pm), and then wrap myself in my warm coat to hurry home on the Metro.

Tomorrow, I would head back to les archives, to Tolbiac in particular, not for research, but to hear Alain Baraton, the head gardener at Versailles, talk about the potager of Louis XIV. Ooh la la! I have visited le potager, which is open to the public but no on the grounds of the famous chateau: one must search a little bit to find this vegetable garden of the Sun King. And it is worth it! Louis loved his vegetables--artichokes, asparagus, etc., but not the common potato--and had then served in delectable variety. I have also eaten at the restaurant nearby that specializes in dishes made from the vegetables and fruits grown in this garden, all gourmet fare. The talk is free, from 11 am-12 noon, and could be followed by a delightful lunch at one of the many Asian restaurants in the vicinity of Tolbiac.

Below, a view of le potager.

 Happy Friday!

Buy a House? Moi?

Yes, I am indeed thinking about buying a house. I have been on and off since I moved to Big D, but am still uncertain whether it is here in the Metroplex where I will buy or, instead, move toward buying or building where I hope to retire. (A long time from now!)

I have always been a renter. When I graduated from college and moved to NYC, it was obvious that renting was the way to go. Barely. Both places I rented there were small and old, walk-ups. Hey, I was in book publishing, right?

Again, I rented all through grad school, in the small midwestern towns where I studied. The best one was the second floor of a frame house in a tiny near-by town. The first floor was a real estate office--closed at night and weekends. These were the first years I lived alone.

Since moving to Big D, I've lived near My U in a series of four different apartments. When I didn't have tenure, there was no way I could afford a house. Now... I am conflicted. Part of me would like to buy a house, especially since values are good here and rates are loooooow. Part of me says, why add hassle to my life, which is what a house brings along: yard hassles, plumbing hassles, decorating hassles, ownership hassles.

For the last couple of months, I have been looking into the house sitchew here in town. I have also been discovering my profile was a looker-buyer. For example, I do not want to live in a condo or townhouse: I actually want a house with a yard. But... a relatively small yard that I plan to transform by xeriscaping it. No grass, no mowing. Check!

Also, I do not want to commute a long way via highway. Ugh--not in this town! Which means neighborhoods that are not too far and where I can get to My U quickly by surface streets.

Three bedrooms and two baths seems a good size: my bedroom, guest bedroom, office. And yes, bath for me and one for guests. And one bath with a tub.

Mature trees that shade the roof... or room for solar panels.

A back screen/enclosed porch... or room to build one.

Good flow, which is something one knows only when seen/felt in a house.

So I am looking at houses online and, once narrowed down, seeing them in person. Mostly for reference. And reading a book on buying your first house...

Alernatively, I am very interested in modular houses, specifically those made by Rocio Romero, fabulously stunning pre-fab houses. I like the LVL series, which is a 3-bedroom, slightly larger house. I LOVE IT. Here's the link: http://www.rocioromero.com/LVseries/LVL

This would of course require buying a lot, levelling it, and adding plumbing, electrics, and various other things beyond the $42.5K kit and shipping prices (from MO). Right now, this is my dream house.