Wonderful + Marvelous

This post is even better with music. Please sit back, while still reading of course, and enjoy Ella Fitzgerald singing 'S Wonderful.

+++++++

The other day I was driving the Bug doing errands. It's amazing how much more fun the mundane becomes when you have the right music playing. I forgot that I had switched all my CDs and had a whole new playlist.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong were great singers individually, but when they sang together, it was double the wonderful. The CD Our Love Is Here To Stay: Ella & Louis Sing Gershwin is just marvelous.

Because they are singing George and Ira Gershwin classics, the songs that we hear in so many movies, listening to it feels like your own personal soundtrack.  Driving to the supermarket, suddenly feels like a transitional scene in the movie that is my life leading up to something exciting.

Did anything exciting actually happen? Well, no, but the music made me smile and put me in a good mood.

The first time that I remember hearing these Ella and Louis duets was when I was in Paris, so the music brings me right back to that trip. So do these pictures.

The song 'S Wonderful made me think about wonderful and marvelous things, so I decided to write another roundup post with things that I've been enjoying and thinking about.

+++ Intriguing +++

~ Have you ever heard of glamping? It's a combination of glamorous and camping. So if you want to go camping, but don't want to get anywhere near roughing it, then you can glamp. I've never camped. Nor am I dying to particularly. But glamping sounds kind of fun. 

~ I was talking to a co-worker about food. No surprise there. But we were talking about flavors of things. I love gingerbread. She was saying that she didn't like that type of flavor. Nor does she like chai tea, coffee cake, spice cake, or anything with those types of flavors. I had never really thought about the idea of a genre of flavors. But what she said makes sense.

Do you have a certain family of flavors that you particularly like or dislike?

+++ Reading +++

I recently read two books that I really enjoyed. Learning how people built businesses that are now icons is inspiring. 

~ Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy, by Isadore Sharp
~ Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh


Currently I'm reading and enjoying:

~ Kinfolk Magazine, Volume Two
~ Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America, by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

+++ Watching +++

Today I'm picking up some more movies from the library. Cannot wait to see them!

I loved three out of four movies that I watched recently. Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer, wasn't quite my cup of chai, but it was interesting. Here are the others below.

~ Lilies of the Field
~ Look Both Ways
~ Amreeka

I also want to see The Artist. Have any of you seen it yet? Do you think it will win Best Picture Oscar? I'm looking forward to watching next week and finding out.

Have a wonderfully marvelous weekend! : )



Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
 Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

Wonderful + Marvelous

Whitney Houston: I Remember When

In November 1981, 18-year-old Whitney Houston was on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. Go to page number 41 of 72 slides of the cover archives.

As a model was how I first remembered seeing her. There weren't too many black models, but she was a regular and I always looked forward to seeing her. She was so pretty and wore great clothes and make-up.

At the end of one of the issues, I remember reading that she was leaving modeling to pursue a career in singing. At the time it seemed odd. Could she actually sing? I wondered. Well, I figured if she could sing, then I'd eventually hear about her again.

Well, she could! The next big moment I remember about her is hearing that she was going to marry Bobby Brown. It seemed so unlikely, so I figured that either he was not who I thought he was or she was not who I thought she was. I guess it was a little of both.

But I guess we really never know celebrities. We see them from afar. We admire them. We enjoy their performances and how they make us feel. Whitney Houston brought a lot of joy to my life.

Remember her in Waiting to Exhale? There had been recent talk about a sequel. I was so excited to hear that and looking forward to it. My mind is spinning thinking about her being gone. How can this be? So much music. So many songs.

RIP Whitney.



Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

Whitney Houston: I Remember When

Subway Stories: Kenmore + More

For the past several years, the subway and bus station at Kenmore have not been fun to navigate. I dreaded going there.

But it finally appears to be complete. I had to wait for the bus the other day and the weather wasn't bad, so I took a few pictures with my phone. My bus arrived on time too!

Since I haven't written about my adventures on the T in a while, I decided to combine them all into one. The next story is a quick one, but really made me think.

I was reading and leaning against the door on the Braintree train going home. A woman who was sitting next to me was reading something and suddenly let out an audible gasp. I don't remember, but I must have looked at her and given a strange look.

When she got up to leave the train, she turned to me and said that it was an article she was reading. She looked sad and was shaking her head as she spoke. "There's no respect. No way to live with dignity anymore."

It was such a loaded statement and so without any hope. She was walking out the door, so I couldn't counter with anything more positive and try to cheer her up. So I just shook my head along with her in agreement. I wonder what she was reading.

+++++

The last story is about natural hair, which I've written about here before.

I was sitting on a bench at South Station waiting for my train to go home. A black woman around my age walked toward me, smiled and asked if she could sit next to me. I smiled back and said, "Of course."

She told me that she loved my hair and that she was natural too, but nobody can tell, because she flat irons it. She didn't want to straighten, but said that when she wore her hair in its natural state nobody would speak to her at work. I was shocked! I told her that I haven't had any negative reaction to my hair, but I guess it depends where you work.

We talked about all the time and money we wasted relaxing our hair and how we both wished that we had gone natural sooner. We talked about how so many young women are going natural now and all the beautiful hair styles.

The train arrived and she said it had been nice talking to me. She walked toward a seat and sat down. I was having a great time talking and got on the same train. But didn't want to seem stalkerish and continue the conversation if she didn't want to. So I sat down across from her and read my book. When I got off the train, I caught her eye, smiled, and wished her a good night.



Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

Subway Stories: Kenmore + More

World Nutella Day: Almond White Chocolate Chip Scones with Nutella

The sun is shining. Our own local New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl.

But most importantly, it's World Nutella Day! Happiness, joy, and sweetness to all! Thank you to Sara and Michelle for creating this wonderful annual event!

For my recipe, I kept it simple. Scones are one of my favorite things to bake, eat, and  teach. So I made a few modifications to my basic recipe. Almond extract adds a nice flavor. I'm attempting to vary the types of flours that I use, so I tried spelt, which is rich in nutrients. Obviously Nutella is not a health food, but there are ways to use it, so you don't have to feel quite so guilty while indulging.

These scones were a great breakfast treat this morning. They are quick and easy. I just barely had enough Nutella left for today. I have to start buying larger jars! But boy did I enjoy eating the last bit straight from the jar. Oh yes I did!

Maybe you'll try this recipe for breakfast tomorrow? What a great way to happy-up your Monday!

Almond White Chocolate Chip Scones with Nutella
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup Smart Balance (butter or margarine)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take out baking sheet and dust with a little flour. Use your hands to spread the flour over the sheet. Set aside.

Partially melt the Smart Balance. Place in a large bowl then combine with brown sugar, flavored extracts, and egg. Add salt, baking powder, and Spelt flour. Stir well then add rice milk and the all-purpose flour. Stir until combined.

Stir in white chocolate chips. Use your hands to form a ball from the mixture and place onto baking sheet. All the flour may not be completely combined. Pour excess flour onto the ball.

Use your hands to continue forming the dough. Add a small amount of additional flour if dough is too sticky to work with easily. Press dough down into a circle. Cut into 8 pieces by cutting in half vertically and horizontally. Then cut those pieces in half. You can also get 8 scones by separating dough into two pieces and forming into two circles. Cut each in half vertically and horizontally.

Important: Separate pieces from each other on the baking sheet. Especially in the center. Scones will rise and spread out and may not bake evenly if they are too close together.

Alternate Shape Methods: 

SCONE ROUNDS: Spread out dough using your hands and use a circle cookie cutter or an upside down glass to cut out scone rounds. Makes 8-10 scones.

MINI SCONES: Separate dough into two balls. Form each into a circle by pressing down and stretching. Cut dough into 8 pieces by cutting in half vertically and horizontally. Then cut those pieces in half. Makes 16 mini scones.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes depending upon how hot your stove is. Scones should be lightly browned. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Spread Nutella over the tops of scones. Eat. Enjoy!


Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

World Nutella Day: Almond White Chocolate Chip Scones with Nutella

A New Favorite Quote + What's On The Menu

" Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes."   ~ Maggie Kuhn

I just saw this quote on a blog and now it's one of my favorites. I've also just added Maggie Kuhn's autobiography, No Stone Unturned, to my list of books to read. As the founder of the Gray Panthers, I'm sure she had a lot to say.

According to the website, she said that by the year 2020, the year of perfect vision, the old will outnumber the young. Quite a statement and something to think about. 2020 is so close and 20/20 is perfect vision. Or at least the vision that most of us strive for.

2011 was filled with a lot of turmoil. A lot of it based on us finding out the truth about many things. Lies aren't sturdy and don't give us solid footing. We can't make things better until we know the truth. Until we can see clearly. Maybe by 2020, we will get there and see more clearly. Hopefully that will bring more peace too.

Thinking about the rights of older Americans, it makes me think about a post that I just read. Not only does it have gorgeous pictures and delicious recipes, but there are some interesting points made and questions posed. Here's an edited excerpt below:

"I’m curious about what wisdom you have to share. What have you done for yourself to strengthen who you are and where you’re going? ... If you could go back in time and offer your younger self at least one piece of wisdom, what would it be?"

How would you answer these questions? Here are a few things that I came up with.

• Write more. Really. Write more.
• Be more brave and self-confident. 
• While you're at college, enjoy more of the arts available on campus. 
• Consider joining your high school and college newspapers. 
• Consider being a journalism, marketing, or communications major.
• Try and work part-time during high school and save the money for travel. In general, save more money for travel. Travel! Really. You have wanderlust like you wouldn't believe!
• Even though you are thin now with absolutely no effort, it will not last. You need to develop a solid exercise routine now, so you won't have to in your 40s.
• Keep considering not going to law school. Really. The loans are truly horrible and you already have nagging feeling about it.
• You'll be okay, but listen to your father and don't buy the car until Spring. He's right. You will get into an accident.
• Don't worry so much. Oh, and you really are pretty cute.

+++++

Quite a list. And doing one or two things would have changed a bunch of other things as well. And some things seem kind of contradictory. The whole time travel and Sliding Doors thing has always fascinated me.

What one thing that I could have changed would have changed everything? I don't know. And actually the way things are now, I wouldn't want everything to be different. Some. But certainly not all.  Not even most.

Well, what's done is done. All any of us can do is work with what we've got now.

As I mentioned before, one thing that I'm working on is building a new menu of healthier dishes. I've added a separate Menu Page to this blog where I'm keeping track of my experiments and getting inspired.

The picture above is a Mixed Greens Pesto Tart with Pears + Cheese. I made it for the second time today. The first time I used manchego cheese. This time I used feta cheese, used four small pears instead of two, added cardamom, a bit of chopped onions, and my own homemade lemon pepper seasoning instead of Trader Joe's brand.

Since I was sick and drinking a ton of honey lemon tea over the past couple of weeks, I've been saving the lemon rinds. I zested a bunch of them. Microwave the zest for a couple of minutes. Let it cool. Chop it up.  Grind the zest in coffee grinder combined with whole black peppercorns. Pour ground lemon zest and pepper in a spice jar with some salt. Ta da! Easy and cheaper lemon pepper.

I still don't have a real written recipe for the tart, but I used Stop & Shop's brand of frozen puffed pastry and topped it with a mixed greens pesto that I made using greens instead of basil. Since I'm trying to incorporate more greens in my diet, I was thinking of new ways to use them. I love pesto, which is mostly made from basil.

Trader Joe's has a Southern Greens Blend made of mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, and spinach, that is already cut and cleaned. I still wash it again, then dried it and filled up most of the blender with it. Blend with walnuts, grapeseed oil, chopped garlic, and parmesan cheese for 10-15 minutes or until liquid and looks like pesto. Not sure if I used anything else. The recipe is still in development. After you spread some pesto onto the puff pastry, add the other ingredients mentioned above and back at about 425 degrees for half an hour.

It tastes much better this time than the first and was a nice Saturday brunch. Enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow is World Nutella Day and I still have to come up with a recipe. Wish me luck!



Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

A New Favorite Quote + What's On The Menu

Soul Train Memories

I remember watching Soul Train Saturday mornings when I was a kid. Such great music. Wonderful memories. News of the death of Don Cornelius really hit home. That he took his own life and was so distraught breaks my heart.

As usual, On Point had a great show today discussing the music, the show, and that certain time in history.

The Soul Train line lives on and is such a fun way to dance. I think the last time I was in one was at a wedding. Wouldn't it be fun if people started doing flash mob Soul Train lines as living tributes to him?

Searching YouTube, I found some great videos.


Don Cornelius even danced the line at one point, which I never knew.


The bittersweet of life.


Enjoy the videos.






Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

Soul Train Memories

Breaking Boston Bakery News: Crumbs Bake Shop

This morning as I was walking down Federal Street, I noticed something different. A new storefront. Holy cupcake! 

Boston will soon have its own Crumbs Bake Shop! I whipped out my phone and took a few pictures. Then the door opened. Cue dramatic music. Dunt dunt daaaah!

Out walked a young man. I asked him if he knew when the bakery would be opening. He did not. But in a voice from the 1940's, he said, "By the looks of things sweetheart, it will be soon. Very, very soon."

Okay, his voice wasn't from the 1940's and he didn't call me sweetheart, but the rest is true. : )

Could Crumbs be open in time for Valentine's Day? Wouldn't that be lovely?

I sent an email inquiring about the opening day, but didn't hear back. So I called the store and was told that they didn't know when the Boston store would be opening. Hmmmm. The mystery continues.

Time will tell. I walk by this place every day, so I will be on this story like frosting on cake!

It's funny how things happen. If my life were a movie or novel, there was some foreshadow. Last summer, I mentioned Crumbs briefly in a post that I wrote about the food issue of Brandeis Magazine.

That's all the bakery news that I have for you now. If I'm lucky, my next report will have me wiping frosting from fingers!

Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2012. All rights reserved.
This Post’s Link
Subscribe to blog posts. Follow me on Twitter. Join me on Facebook.

Pin It

Breaking Boston Bakery News: Crumbs Bake Shop