Geeky Cat Miusings

Earlier this year I decided that I should expand my repertoire of recipes so that I could cook beyond my standard fare of Moroccan chickpea soup and scambled eggs. I do not enjoy eating the same things everyday and I find that not only do I need a variety of foods, but also, a variety of cuisines. I found this resolution was a bit difficult to keep for many months, given my lifestyle, but I felt a renewed commitment to my goal after watching Julia and Julie on the big screen one day late this summer. I did not want to become anything like Julie - I could not imagine how her husband could stand the ordeal she put him through. But my goal was very modest in comparison to her devotion: I decided I would try a new recipe every week. I understood that I needed to make this commitment elastic to accomodate my lifestyle. So I allowed myself to skip a week and do two dishes the next week if it was necessary.

Happily, I have been able to dedicate myself to this fun experiement since August and made the following recipes. Many of them can be found online at one of my favourite gourmet websites, Epicurious.

Butternut squash soup with lemongrass chilli mint - excellent mixture of tastes and very warming
Caramel popcorn with chipotle - yummily addictive
Morrocan Quinoa Butternut Squash - Wonderful!
Mashed Sweet potato with lavender, lime, and cilantro - gorgeous
lavender rice pudding - I absolutely love this
lavender blueberry muffins - needed more lavender. I love lavender, can you tell?
leek, chive, gruyere turnover - very tasty
Thai Jasmine Rice with tempeh - good dish - I’m looking to expand my collection of tempeh recipes since it is supposed to be good for health
Curried Millet, Shiitake, and Corn Salad Restey - very nice
Spanish White Beans with Spinach - okay
Curried Potato and Leek Soup with Spinach - yummy and didn’t need too much richness
Black Bean and Roasted Tomato Soup - good
Whipped Chipotle Sweet Potatoes - yummy and spicy
Red Lentil Soup with Spiced Oil - red lentils are always a winner
Provençal Bok Choy - nice
Braised Turnips with Poppy-Seed Bread Crumbs - A winner

I would like to do at least 52 new recipes, so I have a way to go. Bon Appétit til then!

Last week I attended the Rendezvous With Madness film festival for the first time. The festival, which shows films relating to mental illness and addiction, has been running for 17 years. When I saw they animation round up I could not resist going, even though it meant taking time off work to go see it.

Amongst the line up of short animated films included two directed by Chris Landreth, Ryan and The Spine. Chris Landreth was present to discuss the creation of his films and provided the audience with insight into the artwork and his use of ‘psychological realism’. I found Chris Landreth an excellent speaker. I was hoping to get a chance to ask him about the meaning of certain animation quirks, such as the strips of character’s forehead flapping around.

Ryan is an animated tribute to Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. Thirty years ago, at the National Film Board of Canada, Ryan produced some of the most influential animated films of his time.

You can watch Ryan online: http://www.nfb.ca/film/ryan/

I also hope you get a chance to watch The Spine.

Italians often celebrate Joe’s name day, in honour of St. Joseph. They get together and have pastries with coffee, maybe even giving gifts. Joe isn’t the only name day, however. Diana has a name day because there is a St. Diana. There is some dispute as to when to actually celebrate the name day. Here is what I found:
* January 4th is celebrated in the Czech Republic in honor of the name Diana.
* January 29th is celebrated in Sweden in honor of the name Diana.
* February 24th is celebrated in Latvia in honor of the name Diana.
* June 9th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of Bl. Diana.
* July 1st is celebrated in Slovakia in honor of the name Diana.
* August 13th is celebrated in Lithuania and Poland in honor of the name Diana.
* September 18th is celebrated in Hungary in honor of the name Diana.
* September 23rd is celebrated in Estonia in honor of the name Diana.
* September 26th is celebrated in Latvia in honor of the name Diana.

And another site states that the date is June 10—in honor of St. Diana of Andalò of Bologna.

So which day should I celebrate my name day? Should I mark my calendar and celebrate all those dates, because one can never have enough celebration!

Here is the great landmark of Paris, the Eiffel Tower. It looks both strong and airy at the same time. It looks like it is made of steel, but it is made of puddle iron.

As I approached the tower I noticed a very long line up for purchasing tickets to go up by elevator. There are five elevators from the ground to the second floor: one in the East pillar, one in the West pillar, one in the North pillar, one private elevator in the South pillar for the “Jules Verne” restaurant and one goods elevator in the South pillar.

The ticket line for stair climbers was much shorter, so I took the stairs. It is not a difficult climb but it can be a bit nerve racking if you’re afraid of heights.

This is what it would have been like if I took the elevator:

Look at this 1900 ascent of the elevator of the Eiffel Tower:

This double-decker type of elevator was in use until 1900:

The first platform (57 m) offers a 360 degree view of Paris. There are plaques indicating key points of interest in the view. Here you can see Montmartre on the top right corner:

The tower is close to the Seine and you can see the boats go up and down the Rive Droite and Rive Gauche. There are 37 bridges over the River Seine just within Paris.

There are many folks selling typical Eiffel souvenirs near the tower, but farther afield, an Eiffel Grater can be found:

Excellent for adding a “je ne sais pas” to every meal!

Nigel Kennedy plays Vivaldi - Winter

There are so many ways to get ready for Paris, aside from packing pretty blouses, sleek skirts, and kitten-heel shoes. Here is how I am preparing for my journey.

Listen French music or at least songs with “Paris” in the title:
“Getto le braccia attorno a Parigi” or more commonly known as “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” by Morrissey from “Years of Refusal”
“Oh, Paris” from the recently released “The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele”
“A Paris” by Po.Lo. from the album “Paris Fetiche - The French Classic Rendez-Vous”

Read travel, history and cultural books of Paris.
Bloom’s Literary Guide to Paris: It takes you on a literary tour of the city, examining it as a setting in various works of literature, and as it has served as an influence for various authors. Reading the book enhances the experience of walking through the streets where Proust, Faubert, Wilde, Balzac, and Hugo loved, lived and died. If you have time to read fiction set in Paris, you deserve a box of macarons for your efforts.

Watch DVDs on any topic related to Paris.
There are many videos worth watching but I started with the impressionists: Morisot, Pissarro, Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Degas. Knowing more about the impressionist movement and the painter’s lives will enhance my appreciation of their art at the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Orangerie and other galleries. I was planning to watch other art videos as well as French movies, but I ran out of time so I’ll have to wait until I get back. The French film festival in Toronto was a start. Wouldn`t it be great to watch a French film in Paris!

Learn the language.
Learn to speak French. Or, if you are in a hurry because you didn’t plan your trip two years in advance, learn important, everyday phrases. For example, “On n’apprend pas aux vieux singes à faire des grimaces, which translates as “You cannot teach old monkeys to make faces“`can be handy when you are trying to buy bread in the boulangerie.

“Rien ne sert d’être vivant s’il faut qu’on travaille“ which translates as “Being alive serves no purpose if you have to work. I can picture myself sitting at a cafe, drinking un espresso and whispering that phrase while gazing into the distance, my shopping bags by my heels. Then I`ll be brought back down to earth by a philosopher who says, “Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux: l’ennui, le vice et le besoin“ (Work delivers us from three great evils: boredom, vice and want - Voltaire).

à bientôt

I used to have issues with the box of aluminum foil: It would always come flying out of the box when I pulled on it. Someone has discovered little tabs on the sides of the aluminum foil box/ that keeps it from rolling out of it’s container. Knowledge is power.

Are you tired of eating sad, soggy sandwiches. Hate dragging that squashed sandwich out of your bookbag? The latest scoop is that adding potato chips to your sandwich is the way to make it crunchey and full of flavor. This is one secret the foodies have successfully kept from me. But now I know.

I will be staying in Le Marais district of Paris. Le Marais means ‘the marsh’ but not to worry, I won’t be sleeping in any marshy conditions. The marshland was cleared in the 12th century by the Knights Templar and it looks pretty clean and civilized now. In fact, there is an Italian Cafe close to the apartment I’ll be staying at.

More information that the foodies I hang out with insist I must know: Macarons, what are they? Dating back to the 18th century, the macaron is a traditional French pastry, made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar and has a round meringue-like domes with a flat base. They are filled with a cream or ganache. Macarons are not to be confused with macaroons. Macaroons are dense cookies made either with coconut or with a coarse almond paste.

Neko Case’s third fully solo album of original material, Middle Cyclone, was released on March 3, 2009. Middle Cyclone debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts in its first week of release. She has a great voice. Here is what is said about her:

“Her voice is a force of nature.” - THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

“She has one of those huge, powerful voices that pulls you in and swirls you around — kind of like a tornado. Her new album, Middle Cyclone, is full of songs with meteorological references: storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and cyclones.” NPR

What she has to say:

“I just really dig feeling subservient to nature,” she says. “It brings me a peace and calm. Kind of like a Faustian thing, I think, where you want the devil’s minion to tell you, ‘You know, Faust, I could tell you what the meaning of life is, but your human brain is so tiny, you just wouldn’t get it.’ So that’s kind of what weather is like for me, I think: that reminder that should make you feel cruddy about yourself, but you just go, ‘You know what, you’re right, I feel so much better”.

Here is animated video set to “People Got a Lotta Nerve”. I like the way that it can be interpted in many ways.

I had such a fabulous trip to the beautiful and majestic Arizona.

I seem to be fascinated with cactus. It is a hardy plant, well adapted to the very dry climates, but can still be seen in snowy environments. They can be served up for dinner as cactus fries with prickly pear sauce.

Please have a look at some of my photos

Notable epicurean delights I have had of late:
Popcorn Tea - not really recommended but it does remind one of popcorn, in a slightly off way.
Panetone Tea - lovely, and it really does remind me of the fruity type of panetone with its citrusy and vanilla tones.
Polenta Budino - a delicious and delectable dessert. I’ll happily have your portion if you don’t like polenta (you know who you are!).
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage and Amaretti - yes, that is a dessert sprinkled on the pasta entree - a fascinating combination and totally divine.

I am making good progress on visiting all the cafes on my best of list. I’ll update you later.

Happy Feasting!