Listening to: New Sensation – INXS

Back in the days of cable, I saw this episode of Iconoclasts on Sundance Channel with Michael Stipe and Mario Batali. They are both kind of interesting on their own, but together in conversation as good friends, they are really fascinating. They talked about food and music, of course, but also about friendship, photography and their careers. It was an episode that really endeared me to the Iconoclast series.

In the interview, Michael Stipe talked about the first time he ate at one of Mario’s restaurants Babbo in New York. He said he was surprised that they were playing PJ Harvey – loud PJ Harvey – as a backdrop for a very elegant restaurant. So, while we were in New York, for the first night away for the two of us together since 2007, it was the perfect time to check it out. Who knows when the next date night will be, so I post this here to revisit.

Stipe was right. Music is as important to the Babbo experience as the wine list. I loved it. We heard INXS’s album Kick and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On both in their entirety while we ate. It was great that they played entire albums from start to finish, not just a disk changer on random. Albums used to be played this way – like a mix tape prepared by the artist to be heard in a certain order – and it really did give the meal a chronology. So good. It’s not too loud and you can still have a great conversation.

When you get there, they bring you marinated chickpeas. We tried this wine and liked it a good bit and it was pretty affordable, so I took this with my phone to remember the name.

I had the prosciutto San Daniele “Riserva” with Black Pepper “Fett’unta” to start which comes with little pomegranate seeds on the prosciutto. It’s one of those perfect flavor combinations that would never occur to me.  For dinner, I had the Pumpkin “Lune” ravioli with Sage and Amaretti. { I’m copying these names from the menu.} I can’t remember everything my husband ate because I was practically passing out from the butter sauce incredibleness that was on my plate, but I know he started with the Grilled Octopus with “Borlotti Marinati” and Spicy Limoncello Vinaigrette and said it was the best thing he’s ever eaten. Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Orange Sauce and Hazelnut Gelato for dessert and it’s pretty much perfection.

Man, I gotta go get something to eat.

Listening to: my daughter sing Sponge Bob’s Best Day Ever

My husband has started making croutons to go with soup this winter. He uses Mark Bittman’s recipe from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. They are heaven in your mouth. I highly recommend pairing them with tomato basil soup from Soup Lady Jennifer Burchett which you can buy at Wine + Market at lunch time.  I love her blog, http://www.eatwellathome.blogspot.com/, too.

What’s your favorite soup recipe?

Listening to: Song For You - Alexi Murdoch

Fluffy snow has been falling here and it’s been great to watch people react to it, stop and notice how pretty it is.  I’ve had a series of long, long work days and I’m finding very little time for tea, but trying to remind myself to breathe. I miss snow days – real ones – without obligations or dinging PDAs.

I have succumbed to the LoseIt App now for the phone.  It’s an effective tool for me solely because I’m too lazy, or too disinterested is more to the point, to cheat it. I would rather not eat than have to take time to text and find the food to enter it in. Between the work and the LoseIt and such, I’m in search of a psychological sugar fix.

This has lead me to food photography. I’m still experimenting with photographing food and trying to figure it out. I had so much fun shooting at Wine + Market, I would love to give it a whirl again. The light in my house is so warm {in both lights and paint colors} that it’s hard to get those cool blue, bright tones that look so flattering to food, but I am inspired lately by the beautiful work of Aran Goyoaga on her website and her blog, Canelle-et-Vanille.

photos by Aran Goyoaga.

Beeeea-utiful. I found her through an enchanting blog called Mockingbird that is becoming a fast favorite. But trust me, don’t browse her pix on an empty stomach.

Also sweet is the Alexi Murdoch song above, but if you need something more campy, this Drew Danburry video is kind of adorable and ridiculous and perfect for a Valentine’s day mix. My daughter gets a huge kick out of it for some reason.

Minutes after walking into Andrea Sims and Krim Boughalem’s Wine + Market last Saturday, I approached them to ask if I could come back and take photographs and they were so gracious to me. I didn’t beg, but I would have had they said no.

It is a peaceful and inspiring place.  The wine is unique and affordable and the food…I’m still dreaming about the heart-shaped nutella sugar cookie from yesterday. They have cheeses, bread, meats, and vegetables from local farmers.

As my daughter would say, “they have all the fun things.”

It feels like a vacation just to walk in. Customers take their time and get into long conversations. W + M has food and wine, but it also has this incredible aesthetic punctuated by Andrea’s mural and style.

One of the first things I said in my gush-fest about how great it is to Krim was that I loved the mural and he was quick to tell me that his wife Andrea painted it.  She is a master painter as well. {For inquiries into Andrea Sims residential and commercial murals, you can email her at: asmural@gmail.com.} I love that they have collaborated on every element of the business.

Every item there has been thoughtfully selected, even the music.

Did I mention they have coffee? All the fun things, I tell you.

Wine tastings are held every Friday from 5:00-7:00 pm EST.  My photos don’t do it justice. It really is even more beautiful in person. Check them out!

Wine + Market is located at 486 West Second Street, Lexington, Kentucky { here on the corner of West Second and Jefferson}. Join their Facebook Group Wine + Market for updates and hours.

I read Julie & Julia when the book was first published and, it seems odd to say, but the movie is better. Go figure.  I always enjoy Nora Ephron. In her world, everyone has built-in bookshelves {as God intended} and porches, wainscoting and bright kitchens. The film is a photographer’s dream. I kept reaching for my camera. Loved the aerial shot of paper lanterns in the wedding scene and the almost low aperture way the wedding is filmed with the creamy clothes and faces in the foreground, blurred out green in the background. And the curb-side shots of Parisian shops… I could go on and on. It is beautiful to watch.

There’s a scene when Julie, taking complaint calls from victims and citizens affected by 9-11,  cries through a phone call at work.  I found myself nodding, like old ladies in church. I may have even said “um hum” out loud in the theater. Once home, she makes this chocolate pie. That is exactly how I feel about writing here or taking photographs.  I know that the dark topics must be addressed. Problems must be solved. Stories must be heard. But, being a listener of sad and difficult things things can leave the listener…well…depressed. The stress builds and builds until you just have to go home, and pick up a wisk or a camera or a musical instrument or whatever it is for you that helps you remember to notice beauty. I’ve had to explain so many times how or why I would ever write here or take photos.  Lawyers don’t do that.  Lawyers who are also mothers really don’t do that. Who do you think you are?  But that scene, as she folds layers of chocolate into the pie pan, is the best explanation of that impulse. Creating is breathing.

Nora and I have been imaginary friends for years. {See, prior Ode} She just doesn’t know. She has long been my Julia.  I can’t count how many times during my first year of law school or during bar exam study or during my sleepless, stressful maternity leave, I would watch one of her movies and remember -the world can be a magical place and this will pass.

Over the years, she has reminded me to twirl with my daughter, write letters to the guy I would marry, hang twinkle lights, embrace turtlenecks and fall festivals and the mini-essay.  But what I love most about Nora is how she reminds us to pause for ourselves and our relationships: for dinners with friends or cuddling up to watch old movies.

Thank you Nora for your contribution.

My favorite thing is seeing the two of them together, my father and my husband, laughing hysterically, usually over a glass of red wine. So, this little column from Dottie & John about chilled reds for summer seemed appropriate today.

Cheers to you and to my father-in-law who has my love, too, as we laugh hysterically over cold Miller Lite.

**for more of Dottie & John, read their memoir Love By The Glass, one of my all-time favorite love stories.

In the book, she mentions a Dirty Three album called Whatever You Love, You Are . It was the phrase that led her create her wildly successful blog Orangette and the book too, I suppose.

It has me thinking about this question of what I love. I’m working on a list which, after my family, is quickly followed by the almond macaroon cookie I had at Magee’s on Saturday that was pass-out amazing. But then again, the question isn’t who you love or what nouns you love, but what en general you love. Hmmm.

What do you love?
And, in turn, who are you?

It’s like a fortune cookie game. If only they were almond macaroon fortune cookies.

Honolulu Skillet Beans

Serves: 4
Time: 25 min.

This recipe, adapted from the Moosewood Collective, is particularly nice at this time of year, when some days the weather promises summer is approaching, but the cold isn’t quite gone either.

If you’re not familiar with the magic that is hoisin sauce, prepare thyself for sweet-and-sour heaven. If it’s not near the soy sauce at your grocery store (and it probably is), it is worth schlepping down to a nearby Asian food market (which will have more varieties than the grocery anyway).

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (16oz.) cans of pinto beans (or red, kidney, or cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup (or tomato paste)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced (or 16 oz. can, diced)

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. In the meantime, stir the hoisin sauce, ketchup, mustard, and soy sauce together in a large bowl.
2. When the oil is hot, sauté the garlic for about a minute. Then add the beans and pineapple, stirring for about a minute, and finally add the sauce from the bowl.
3. Turn the heat down to low, cover for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent beans from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Pineapple, Spinach, and Avocado Salad
Serves: 4
Time: 10 min.

Refreshing, light, packed with vitamins, this makes a perfect springtime salad. Using fresh pineapple here means an extra five minutes peeling, coring, and chopping it yourself, but if you’re used to the canned yellow-white stuff, the sweetness and soft texture of fresh pineapple will be worth your while. If your supermarket sells freshly chopped pineapples in the produce section and you’re willing to shell out a little extra, all the better.

For the salad:
3 oz. spinach, loosely packed
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into large dice
1 1-inch ring pineapple, chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 carrot, peeled then shaved with peeler
2 handfuls crushed walnuts
2 oz. grated farmer’s cheese (or Swiss) (optional)

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Taste for seasoning before adding to the salad.

I am re-stocking inspiration. I know you are much more interesting than me. I would love to see you, to hear you — your voices, your stories, your photos. Blogging can feel like a bit of a solo enterprise at times. Leave me a comment or link about what is exciting or inspiring to you these days.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to post more in April.

In the meantime, here’s a potpourri post to give you something to snack on:

Books

I’m still working through this insightful book, Thomas Moore’s insightful A Life At Work

Moore writes, “A life work is a multicolored, tattered quilt. It is not simple, monochromatic, one-size-fits-all template that you simply adjust to. It may have gaps and holes and incomplete sections. It may not even feel like a life work, especially when you are in the middle of it. There may come a time when you can look back and see the sense in all the parts and glimpse a true life work, but even then it may be full of holes made by a long history of struggles.”

He says that your life work doesn’t have to fit into one job description. It appears in different aspects of your life and you don’t have to choose just one. Amen.

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Films:

Looking forward to seeing the Sundance Festival darling, 500 Days of Summer

and Spike Jonze’s take on Where The Wild Things Are.
Both look like movies with good soundtracks, too.

…this preview gets me with the boats, the sunflare, the sense that -as I have always felt- children understand the tension and the balance of it all. It reminds me of the Children’s Defense Fund motto, “Dear Lord be good to me. The sea is so wide and my boat is so small.”
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Music
This week, my husband is teaching Pride & Prejudice, {which makes this English major nostalgic about being a student} so I’ve been listening to this soundtrack from the most recent film adaptation. It’s really, really good for writing, cooking, editing photos, whatever you happen to be doing. Here’s a link to my favorite song:

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Food

Speaking of my husband {who has a passion for cooking} I’ve asked him to share a few of his quick-veggie-simple recipes here and asked him if I could videotape demonstrations of how to prepare the food and he agreed and said, “let’s call it Plate Worthy.” Love it. A new Plate Worthy series coming this Spring!

Can’t get enough of Intelligensia Coffee which tastes amazing and also cuts out the middle-man putting money directly into the hands of the growers. I found mine at Fresh Market, but I know it’s available elsewhere.

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For those of you who have written that you want more essays, thank you so very much. I am working in that direction. I didn’t realize how much I need that outlet until now.