Category Archives: food

the night we stood up Richard Strauss

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Yesterday, we had planned a girls night; this consisted of dinner & opera.

Dinner was to be at 6pm, at L’Albatros. This was to allow ourselves a good 2 hours of gal talk before going to see Ariadne Auf Naxos.

Well, at least we thought 2 hours would be enough.

Maybe I should tell you my thoughts on L’Albatros first. I’ve been there waaaay too many times, imo. Everytime has been a disaster. The food was always, always, mind-bogglingly good. But the service has always been atrocious. Not the bread guys; they never left you bread-less. But the other serve staff. If you could get them to come to take your drink/food order. Then, when they finally did, if you asked them any questions about the food, I was prepared to be met w/ a blank stare. I even asked if she would go ask in the kitchen about what something was.

I ordered a goat-cheese tart once, & it came w/ something on the side that wasn’t on the menu. It looked like what I know as athāṇũ. When I asked her to check in the kitchen what it was, she seemed shocked. Not surprisingly, I never did see her again. No response to my inquiry. What if a vegetarian who’s never seen that stuff before had asked, or someone w/ food allergies; b/c of their dietary restrictions? Should I mention that it was a random Thursday happy hour, & the restaurant was pretty empty?

The food & drinks were always great there though, so everytime someone suggested it, I would just heave a sigh (silently), & be prepared for the atrocious service.

Weeeellll…. This time was different! We had the most delightful server, Tiffany. She was AMAZING. She knew everything there was to know, & was so incredibly sweet to us. Not b/c it was her job, but she really was just sweet, & kind, & nice, & smiley. Just a breath of fresh air. She would appear at the exact right moment w/ the exact right thing to say or ask! It was like she was in our heads!

She completely changed my view of L’Albatros, & I now can’t wait til the next time I go there!

Well, by the time we were done w/ dinner, we were no where near done talking. We don’t get a chance to get together as much now as before. Stupid lives got in the way.

We also made the mistake of eying the dessert menu.

By the time we were done w/ dessert, it was 7:50 pm. We took a vote & decided to ditch the opera in favor of martinis & wine elsewhere. Elsewhere ended up being The Bistro.

Now, just a few words about my thoughts on The Bistro before I ever stepped foot in there…..

1. Naming a bistro “The Bistro” is akin to naming your dog, “Dog”. Really? You guys want me to think you’re going to have a creative atmosphere & cuisine, but you can’t be bothered to come up w/ a name?

2. I had high hopes despite the name, b/c it used to be Sage, one of the most delish bistros I’d ever discovered. It didn’t get a lot of traffic, unfortunately, & closed.

So, we went to The Bistro (wow, that even feels weird saying that!). & I can’t comment on the food, b/c we only went there to sit at the bar & continue our chats.

But, of the 3 martinis I tried, I didn’t like a single one! They were horrible. The all had awesome names. I wish I could remember their names! I had some sort of a pear martini, I think, w/ some ginger syrup. But it really shoulda been called a pear-ginger syrup w/ some vodka. B/c it was too sweet, & I just couldn’t drink it. I tried my friend’s Smashing Pumpkin (for obvs reasons), but didn’t like that either.

So, I asked for ole faithful, an espresso martini. I’ve never had a bad espresso martini until that night. Ugh.

Anyway, this post was really supposed to be about bathtubs, but as you can see, I got off track.

But, I do think I’ll try to take more pics when I’m out of food & stuff, so I can share the experience here too. Also, so that I can remember it more; for my own benefit!

kindness of strangers

Posted on by yllwdaisies

I google a lot. No, seriously, a LOT. Well, I call it googling, but I often use the Yahoo! search engine; b/c I do love Yahoo! So, googling for me is more of a verb that means doing an online search.

Anyway, I once posted about a TaxCut software problem I had & the solution to said prob. I check my stats, ppl, & I know that at least 80 ppl came to that post having searched for an answer to that same prob. & I know I helped them. But no comment from them. No, “hey dude, thanks!” or “good lookin out”. Nothin.

So, I’d like to do a post to thank 2 complete strangers.

I am 5’2″. This means that I have to look through racks & racks for “petite” or “short” on pants/jeans. I often do my jeans shopping at TJ Maxx/Marshalls, so I’m lucky to find maybe a pair or two each time I go. Sometimes I find a pair that I love, but only they’re too long.

So, I googled “how to hem jeans”, & found this post by Dacia Ray. It’s the most fantastic tutorial b/c you don’t have to cut off the hem. Her thinking is that you pay for the stitching, esp at the hem, so she shows us how to do it w/ retaining the original hem.

Here’s what I accomplished while watching Ocean’s Thirteen last Sat. (ignore my unmanicured nails)…

pic 057

A couple of years ago, I wanted to make lamb curry. I’ve never even had it before, but I heard it was fantastic. So, I googled it, & found this recipe by a 2nd gen Indian gal in London. She named her blog for the 30 min train ride route she takes to & from work.

I love how both these ladies show us how to do it, w/ pictures each step of the way, which I think helps tremendously!

Anyway, I love the internet. I love how close it brings all of us, & what we all can learn from each other. Esp the simple things.

drunken food post

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Ok, so whilst on the internet today, I saw this:

w/out the dark choc on the left, w/ on the right

w/out the dark choc on the left, w/ on the right

It’s Drunken Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly Squares with Dark Chocolate. Yeah. The pic links to the recipe.

While we’re talkin alcohol & food together, I should mention one of my dear friends. She makes the most amazing rum cake. You should know this before I go into one of my Real-life conversations.

We’re at Lucky’s, a bit early to meet friends for Sunday Brunch. We went earlier to stop at the farmer’s market prior to Brunch. So, while ordering coffee to sip until the other gals got there…..

moi: you know I had some Jamaican coffee recently, it was de-li-cious! I wonder if they have any here?

mon amie: Jamaican coffee? Does it have rum in it?

moi: [giggling] no, it’s just imported from there.

mon amie: oh… cause if it had rum in it, I’d probably like it too.

I do love my friends. They make me smile.

btw, the Jamaican coffee I had was from Arabica (I think that’s a national chain) & it was called “Jamaican Me Crazy”. heehee.

more on my cravings

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Well, I’ve been craving ice cream all week. I’ll take it in any form, really. I musta mentioned milkshakes like 5 times in the last week. Then, this week’s PhotoFriday challenge is Cold, & someone who must hate me submitted this pic.

I’m not a fan of sprinkles, but man-o-man. A choco-dipped waffle cone with really rich, creamy ice cream inside on a hot day? (it’s getting all melty, so it’s gotta be a hot day)

They’re killin me here!

snowed in

Posted on by yllwdaisies

So, I’m kinda bummed. Was really excited about going to a pre-show party tonight for Red {an orchestra}. My good friend & I had gotten tics to this Cool Cleveland party before the show. It was an open bar w/ appetizers catered by another friend of ours (who owns Gypsy Beans & does the yummiest catering). So, we were pretty psyched* about it.

Red {an orchestra} was doing a night of movie music….

BERNARD HERRMANN: MORE THAN THE MOVIES | 3.8.08

Red’s sixth season comes to an exciting conclusion with a concert featuring the music of film composer Bernard Herrmann, whose scores for classic films of Alfred Hitchcock–Vertigo, North By Northwest and Psycho–are unmatched in their distinctive style. His style as a film composer, keen psychological atmospheres made with simple means, was formed in his concert music. His early pieces in the manner of his idol, Arnold Schoenberg, matured as he worked in radio and then Hollywood, his ambition remaining high, even as his film music eclipsed all other efforts. In this unique program, film clips featuring Herrmann’s Hollywood music mingle with a suite from Psycho, and work from his time in the 1930s at CBS Radio. The highlight of the program is a group of excerpts from his unproduced opera, Wuthering Heights, perhaps the greatest unknown opera in the history of American music.

Sounds cool, huh? I KNOW! I was really looking forward to it, but just hoping now that they may reschedule. I mean, they’ve all been rehearsing for this show for a few weeks, I’m sure.

So, they were planning on doing a bunch of pieces that composer Bernard Herrmann did for Alfred Hitchcock’s movies, but they were going to do excerpts from an unproduced piece too?!?!?! Seriously?!

They HAVE to reschedule!

Oh, did I mention the reason everything’s cancelled? B/c of the winter storm. We were so ready to brave it. I went out there to my car. The snow drifts are 3 to 4 feet, I made it to the garage w/ the help of my trusty snow shovel. Then I opened the garage door……

Yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen. No way my Corolla’s makin it out of the garage. So, I call my girl to see what it’s like where she is, cause I can make it to the end of the street w/ my snow shovel. She gets outside, & makes it as far as the end of the street….

No more.

Dude, you’ve gotta give us credit for tryin though. So, we’re on the phone figuring out that this is just not gonna happen for us tonight, & go back into our respective homes. I get upstairs & turn on the news, & see that in some counties, the police are actually fining/ticketing ppl who are out on the street if it’s not an emergency!

*do ppl still say psyched?

jena conviction overturned

Posted on by yllwdaisies

I know you guys all have the Jena situation alive in your heads. I’m sure you all were as pleased as I when we heard that the state appeals court overturned the felony conviction for Mychal Bell.

He was tried as an adult originally even though he was just 16 when the assault happened. I’m not sure what will happen next; that’ll be determined this week. Likely, he’ll be re-tried as a juvenile (which is what shoula happened in the 1st place). It’s not like re-trying him will cost more money in court/legal fees. Oh wait, yes it will.

It sucks that all this happened; & that it took so long for anything to happen. I think everyone who’s signed the petition (see previous post), & all the ppl who’ve traveled down there, or blogged about it, or even just brought it up & talked about it have helped bring about some change. It makes me re-affirm my faith in our ppl.

Here’s something I’m not too sure about… Maybe you’ve all heard that there’s going to be a rally in Jena, LA this coming Thursday. Expected numbers are anywhere from 5,000 to 35,000 ppl to attend.

One of those ppl is Al Sharpton. Y’all know Rev. Al, right? Here’s the thing, all the ppl on the side of the Jena 6 believe that Al’s coming to help them. But I believe that Al only does things that help HIMSELF. I don’t think he’s doing this (or has done anything else) out of the goodness of his own heart. I think he’s his own publicity machine. I think he only cares about what this situation can do for him.

There are thousands of others that are leaving their work behind & paying their own way to go to Jena. Rev. Al’s doing it as part of his work, & will def collect from it.

I guess it’s all whatever though. I mean, he will bring publicity to it all; he won’t be ignored, that’s for sure. So, I guess this situation can use all the ppl (self-serving or not) it can get.

at a loss

Posted on by yllwdaisies

You know how there are some ppl in this world that have a talent so profound, it just stops you? Like, you hear Pavarotti start singing, you can feel yourself gasp?

It’s been a year & 2 months since I posted about his pancreatic cancer. You can read all the posts I’ve written about him all together by clicking here. You don’t have to click to read the posts, but I am very fond of the pics I put up to accompany the posts. I picked out older photos of him that I thought showed a lot of who he was beyond a maestro.

So, there’s not much to say; I’m sure you all have heard by now that he’s passed on. Instead, I’m going to post a bunch of things he’s said over his 71 years.

  • Above all, I am an opera singer. This is how people will remember me.

  • Am I afraid of high notes? Of course I am afraid. What sane man is not?

  • At the age of 4. I jump on the table. I am a little tenor. And I begin to sing, La Donna e Mobile.

  • Children should be given the chance to play instruments, to sing.

  • Every Italian play football. The first gift they give you when you are 3 is a ball.

  • For me, music making is the most joyful activity possible, the most perfect expression of any emotion.

  • For an Italian, being honored in America was a big privilege.

  • I am open to everything.

  • I am proud to be a messenger of peace for the United Nations.

  • I haven’t seen the Elton John, but I have seen Rent on many occasions.

  • I made 12 duets. It was such a pleasure to know these people from the inside, not from the cover of an album.

  • I smoke cigar in the summertime. Probably in three months, 10 cigar.

  • I want to reach as many people as possible with the message of music, of wonderful opera.

  • I would like to raise money for the kids from the world. To do that, the only way, it was to call pop singer. If you call pop singer, you can sell the ticket.

  • If children are not introduced to music at an early age, I believe something fundamental is actually being taken from them.

  • If you see me once, you cannot confuse me with another.

  • If you want to do something really bad to me, you invite at your home, and put one record of mine. And my digestion will be finished before begin.

  • In opera, as with any performing art, to be in great demand and to command high fees you must be good of course, but you must also be famous. The two are different things.

  • Learning music by reading about it is like making love by mail.

  • People have a right to criticize.

  • Sometime to be called Pavarotti is not always an advantage.

  • Why should be elite, music? Excuse me. Music must be for everybody.

  • We just baptized my daughter, and we have 300 people in the church. When we are going to be married, we will be alone.

  • With the piano, at the age of 18, I was already singing for $1, $2 a performance.

  • You don’t need any brains to listen to music.

  • No regrets, no regrets.

  • If music is central to a person’s life, it can be something very special and life-affirming.

  • I am a very superstitious person.[When he performs, Pavarotti wants nails strewn all over the stage, and won't tolerate the color purple. In former times, priests wore purple, and artists couldn't perform during the season of Lent. So, purple, to an Italian, to an artist, means no eating, no money, no work, no women.]

  • Olive oil is so incredibly healthy — as a digestive. I love it and I use it despite the fact that it’s the most caloric thing in the world.

  • I am not a boiled potato — I am a fried potato.

  • I have lost twice 85 pounds. Can you imagine? Twice.

  • Despite the fact that I was born under the sign of Libra [balance], I am a person who calculates little and dreams a lot. With the grandissimi advantages and the grandissimi disadvantages. But, the advantages are 90% and the disadvantages, 10%. So it’s worth living as a dreamer.

  • I love Ballo [Un Ballo in Maschera -- The Masked Ball, a Verdi opera] for many reasons …. The tenor character Riccaredo is a good man who is deeply in love with his friend’s wife. I sympathize with him, not because I have ever been in love with a friend’s wife, thank God, but because I know how pwerful love can be and how it can make a man do things that he knows are wrong.

  • I know one second before if is not going well. Absolutely. I feel it.

  • Teaching I think is the most difficult thing. Teaching is more difficult than singing. ….. Why? Because you have to transfer a thought from your brain to the brain of the other person and the throat of the other person. [2005 - This was when Pavarotti announced that he was retiring from performing, & was now going to teach for free.] I’m going to teach for free. I don’t want to teach people just because they pay me. I want to teach people who really are good. I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.”

    • why’s it gotta be good?!?

    Posted on by yllwdaisies

    You know that saying “With a name like Smucker’s, it’s gotta be good”? What’s that supposed to mean? If it weren’t for the jams/jellies, I never would’ve heard the name Smuckers, & then if I did hear it, I wouldn’t think, “Oh WOW, that’s gotta be good!”

    I mean, I can understand if it was “With a name like Heaven, it’s gotta be good”.
    Or, “a name like Angel…”.
    Or, “Superhero…”

    Or, “Pope…”. Oh, wait … no that wouldn’t necessarily mean it’s “good”. That may just mean that it’s tolerant of what they choose to be tolerant of.

    boys are punks

    Posted on by yllwdaisies

    In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that one of the things I had to do was make sure my brother ate healthy. I mean, he really doesn’t eat healthy. He’s a teenage boy & he’s got super fast metabolism, so he eats whatever he wants & it doesn’t really show on him. Anyway, I’ve cooked for him before & he ate everything I made. I mean, ate it, took seconds & liked what I cooked.

    Well, with my parents gone, he wouldn’t eat anything. I mean, barely anything at all. PLUS, he would announce every day that he was losing weight; he lost about 10 lbs. while they were away. This was just great; exactly what I need. For my parents to put me in charge of their only son (the one who’s gonna carry on their family name); & have them return to find him all skin & bones. Fantastic.

    I don’t want y’all to think I can’t cook, cause I can. Remember, he ate whatever I made before they left on their trip. Also, for Mr. T’s b-day, he asked me to make him lamb, & I made this delicious braised lamb with apples. It was amazing. So, it’s not that my food isn’t delicious, cause it is.

    My brother’s just a punk. Further evidence that boys are punks.

    Ernesto, fun new toys, & my hair

    Posted on by yllwdaisies

    Ok, so here’s the thing. I’ve got lots to tell. Today’s Friday, which means PhotoFriday, but I’ll just have to post a PhotoFriday pic sometime this weekend.

    I got my new laptop. It’s cool, & new, & just the greatest thing EV-A. I love it. I haven’t named it yet, & am taking suggestions. I am leaning towards naming it a boy’s name. We name all nice things girls’ names, but not boy’s. Like ships, cars, all that stuff. So, I’m leaning towards a boy’s name. And we all remember how sexy a name I thought Ernesto was when that hurricane was comin round. Oh, wait, did I not share all that w/ y’all? Yeah, I just looked through my emails & saw that I didn’t. I’d just emailed my thoughts on the rainy season, & Ernesto w/ my girls. I’m not gonna post what everyone had to say about Ernesto here. Eh, what the hey, I might as well. Here’s what my girls had to say in response to one of my emails I sent around where, at the end I mention how sexy Ernesto sounds.

    Now that I’m thinking about sexy Ernesto, I’ve forgotten about the cold and rain. Oh the things he could do to me. Excuse me for a bit. :D haha
    –sparks

    Ernesto does sound sexy…Everytime I hear a newsperson say it (or everytime I read it) I think of a swarthy, dark, tall, handsome man with chocolate brown eyes and wavy black hair. Very Harlequin romance picture in my head. Unfortunately, like most sexy men, he will do a lot of damage. :-)
    –urban cowgirl

    So, anyway, I want to name my laptop a boy’s name. Not Ernesto. Maybe something equally ‘cabana-boy’-like; def something exotic & unusual. Any thoughts? Keep in mind that he’s very powerful (my laptop, not Ernesto or any assorted cabana-boy). He’s got a hundred gig memory so I can store all my junk (ie pics, music, & videos), & a centrino duo processor. I have no idea what that’s for, but both of my sisters said I need it to do what I do, so it’s what I have now. So, again, we’re lookin for a name! Please help.

    And, last night, I drove down to Akron with my dad & BOUGHT A CAR!!! Yes, a brand, spankin new car. A new car that’s currently sittin pretty in my driveway right now, b/c I can’t drive it until I go see Nikolina tomorrow & get it added onto my insurance. It’s black. BUT, it’s not just black. It’s black w/ teeny-tiny flecks/specks of blue & purple mixed into the black paint, so it looks really metallic & sharp! I love it! It’s a 2007 Corolla LE, & it’s got a 6-disc changer.

    Do I need a 6-disc changer? No. I really don’t. I explained to the car-dude that what I really need is a single disc player that plays both audio cds & mp3 cds. But he said that’s just not available on my car model. Whatev. I’ll deal w/ what I’ve got.

    And, even more NEWS!!! I’m going rock-climbing in AZ for my beautiful, cute little (well, she’s not so little anymore really) niece’s birthday. I can’t wait to go! I leave next week & will be there for a week. Ok, more later. Can I just say that I’m really very excited about everything.

    Oh, & there’s some mediocre news too…
    I got my hairs all cut last weekend. I went in & asked for just an inch off at most. I told the chickee that I wanted to keep my length, but I really the split ends cut off. And I wasn’t delusional, I knew I had split ends that needed to go. I missed a hair cut appointment entirely in b/t now & my last cut. PLUS, I’d done some serious damage to my hair by straightening it during this really humid summer. So, I told her to do what she had to, but no more than an inch off the length. Well, she cut it, it looked a little short, but I thought it was just me not being used to having my hair cut. I just had it pulled back after b/c I was going straight to go work out & shower after that. After all that, I let my hair down. And was shocked. SHOCKED! I showed my sister (who’s visiting home from school), & she confirmed that the chickee had to have taken at least 2 or 3 inches off.

    I was pretty pissed. I’m still a little irratated. I mean, it still looks cute. (Seriously, I don’t know how, w/ a face like this, any hair wouldn’t look cute). But I was pissed that I was told one thing & something else was done. You know? I don’t like being lied to. I feel betrayed. It wouldn’t be so bad if I knew what was gonna happen.

    You know, it’s like when you eat something salty when you’re expecting something sweet. Or, a few weekends ago, me & my 2 sisters went to Trader Joe’s & I found a bag of the salted pb-filled pretzel nuggets I love. They’re usually out, but someone had picked up a bag, & then dropped it off in the frozen food aisle cause they prob decided against it. So, in the car, on the way to our next shopping destination, I asked my sis to open the bag of pretzels so we could have some. She put one in her mouth, & was grossed out cause there was something gooey inside. She didn’t know they were filled w/ pb. It’s like that.

    Anyway, my hair was like that. If I knew she was going to cut off that much, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much. Just let me know.