Saturday, August 27, 2011

Irene Shmirene

Tune of the moment: "Singing In The Rain"....oh so cliched but apt. Hurricane Irene is on it's way to NYC and with the current rainfall and imminent showeroonios, one simply has to rewatch this amazing piece of art. The whole movie is superb, but just this clip does the trick (oh how I lust after you, Gene):




Of course one "Singing In the Rain" post leads to another....Ladies and gentlemen and Irene, the sublime Morecambe and Wise :)





I haven't blogged in ages and was told off for being so fairweather. My sincerest apologies bloggees! I have been eating a whole variety of things recently-the good (roast carrot soup and seasonal roast corn), the bad (Christopher Elbow birthday truffles) and the ugly (ugly as in ugly delicious-pap from "Madiba's", raw ice cream from "Rob & Anna's").


I received an awesome shout out from this new blog written by a funky, feisty, fantabulous fellow musician. And such a generous holla made me feel bad about not writing more. Truth be told, life has gotten very busy since graduating from school. My day job has, surprisingly, kept me tied up reading, deciphering and sending emails. I book train tickets and plane tickets. I draw up itineraries and write gently nagging emails to people-who knew there was an art to being pushy? I love it! I have also been gigging a fair amount in the city-lucky and grateful-and am going to be recording my first album at the end of September. 


Things are good and my eating habits have been (mostly) good. Here are some of the "hits".



Roast Carrot Soup

1. Roast a tray-full of baby carrots for about 45 minutes (tossed in olive oil, minced fresh ginger, ground cumin, salt & pepper)
2. Throw the roasted carrots into a soup pot, top with boiled water, and boil for about 10 minutes or so.
3. Let the soup cool for a bit, then use a hand blender to blend to your desired consistency.
4. Top with chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and chopped pickled ginger (works SO well).

Note: thanks to my older, wiser sister, I've grown to believe that roasting almost all vegetables (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, red peppers) is the best way to make flavourful soups.


I FINALLY made it to Madiba's in Brooklyn. I was in the middle of an "improvised jazz" course and, for obvious reasons, in dire need of some homegrown fare. Madiba's pap and tomato side sorted me out-I inhaled the dish while listening to strains of Freshlyground and glancing at Miriam Makeba record covers.


I also finally got to the Williamsburg "Smorgasburg" Saturday market. I'd been hankering after Rob & Anna's (say it fast and you get....raw bananas) banana soft serve. They take frozen bananas and feed them through a pressurized machine (the same one that churns out nut butters). The result? A banana soft serve that is the same consistency as dairy soft serve. Except, this one is completely raw and guilt-free! I had mine topped with peanut butter/agave sauce. It. Was. Amazeballs.

Another reason to venture to the Smorgasburg market is to visit People's Pops. I've written about them before but, due to the summer weather we've been having (you hear that, Irene?! You're not welcome!!!), I have eaten my body weight in popsicles as of late. I've also  been able to introduce visitors and friends to their deliciousness-nectarine/basil, apricot/jasmine, blackberry/rose, the flavour pairings are genius and know no bounds. So, this last pic is summer in a popsicle shell. Go away, Irene. You're lame and you drive me to eat copious amounts of pasta and chocolate (seperately, of course, because that would be a truly UGLY combination).

My cousin eating a People's Pops popsicle.