Who Do You Love?

It's about that time again -- the time for candy hearts with goofy messages, chocolates, flowers, dining out -- or dining in, and much more.

So I ask you again...

(Tomorrow: Vintage Valentines!)

In the Kitchen! (Recipes below!)

NOTE: At Chopsticks and String, check out "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Wally Lamb!

Now, I love cooking, and usually I'm very content to spend my Sundays that way. But Rick was returning from his trade show last Sunday (a week ago) and I had plenty to do before I picked him up. Finish wrapping some Christmas and birthday presents (I know -- but they're almost done). Start getting my creative Valentine's Day act together. Hit the gym. It wouldn't kill me to pick up the house or take down another tree.

Cooking something elaborate wasn't in my plan.

Recently I wrote about my experience making Julia's Bouef Bourgouginon (I really should look that up -- I don't think I've ever spelled it right!). That experience resulted in a fabulous dinner -- one that probably took five hours to do! (Granted, it was my first time; still...)

Well, about two years ago, I posted a recipe from that treasured collections of recipes called "Mom's Recipe Book." She loved to cook too!

This was for a mock version -- and one that takes a heck of a lot less time.

Having learned a couple of tricks from Julia, I revamped the recipe -- it's still easy and fast, but I think a little better than mom's original (though that's even faster). I'm posting both recipes below -- first the original, then my knock off!

Mama Zean's Fake Beef Burgundy

1-2 pounds of stewing beef -- put in casserole.
1 package of sliced or button mushrooms

Separately, whisk together: 1 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix (I recommend using less; it's a tad salty)
1 c. wine

Toss it together and bake for two hours (and you can go more) at 350. Serve over noodles (or, I suppose, Julia's recommended potatoes!).

Jeanie's Phony Beef Burgundy

Season 1-2 pounds of stewing beef with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil over medium high heat till a tad "crusty" (this was a Julia trick!)

Put beef in casserole with 1 package of sliced or button mushrooms.

In skillet, soften 1-2 onions (depending on size) and a couple of carrots in olive oil. Add to beef/mushrooms. (This was a riff on Julia, too.)

Separately, whisk together: 1 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix (or less)
1 c. wine
lots of thyme (I kicked in some herbs de Provence, too.)

(Note: I got wicked and used more wine, and I didn't have the packaged soup, so I put in the liquid from a can of Campbell's onion soup -- about half the can. This presented a problem and I had to add some cornstarch when it came out of the oven to thicken it up; still good -- but next time, I'll stick to the recipe quantities!) Toss it together and bake for two hours (and you can go more) at 350. I served it over whole wheat noodles -- just because.

If I Was...

Relyn recently posted this fun fill-in-the-blank meme! I hadn't seen this one -- feel free to share your answers on your blog, too! (By the way, these are my answers at this moment in time -- you neverknow what they'll be tomorrow!)

If I Was...

a color, teal

a verb, content

a day, Sunday

a TV show, Masterpiece (this was hard, because I equally love "The Next Food Network Star"

a taste, sweet and tart (like lemon bars!)

an emotion, joyful

a month, September

a flower, a tulip

a holiday, Christmas

a movie, Julie and Julia (this week)

an article of clothing, a fleecy shirt

a book, A Gift from the Sea

a car, a Toyota wagon (I'd like to think it was a faulty accelerator that totaled that car, but I fear the faulty accelerator was me.)

a piece of furniture, my antique kitchen chest

a scent, citrus

an instrument, harp

a store, Trader Joe's

a shoe, tennies

a fruit, blueberries

a song, Summertime

a tree, an autumn red maple

a planet, Jupiter

a tool, a paintbrush

What about you?

A Monster Everyone Loved!

Note: If you haven't entered my One World, One Heart drawing, it's down a couple of posts here! And, there's a look at Jacqueline Winspear's newest Maisie Dobbs book on Chopsticks and String!

Not everyone likes Mel Brooks, but he's one of my favorites. So many of his movies just make me laugh -- they're the kind of thing you want to watch if you're really depressed, because they are so silly, how can you stay gloomy?

Some of my favorite memories involve Mel Brooks movies -- I remember watching "The Producers" with my cousins on my aunt's TV at the lake and later, going with the same cousins to see "Blazing Saddles" at the tiny movie theatre in Gaylord.

"Young Frankenstein" was a favorite, too. Gene Wilder, who seems to be in Brooks' repertory company co-wrote the script and starred.

Brooks directed and the film pulled in over-the-top performances from Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeleine Kahn, Kenneth Mars and Teri Garr -- most of whom had been in one or more other Brooks films.

So, when the musical came to East Lansing, I had to go see it!

Now this can be dangerous business. If you read Chopsticks and String, you may remember my "White Christmas" experience, in which the musical violated my sense of the deeply loved movie. (Which didn't mean it wasn't good -- it just took plot liberties that bothered me.)

So, I was a tad nervous, despite good reports from others who'd seen the production.

(Side note -- remember when they used to make movies from Broadway musicals instead of Broadway musicals from movies? "Sound of Music," "My Fair Lady," "King and I," "Oklahoma!," "Oliver." Now you can go to Broadway and see things like "The Producers," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Mary Poppins" and "Legally Blonde." Just interesting...)

Anyway, Gypsy gave Rick and I tickets for "Young Frankenstein" -- and mighty good seats, too.

Walk in and you see this drop, setting the stage for something spooky.

Here's a closer view -- take a good look.

And this was the opening of the movie!

So far, authentic!

And then, POW! Lights flash! (Note to anyone with epilepsy or seizure disorder -- serious use of strobes and flashing lights.) The play begins!

The company we saw had three leads from the Broadway cast (which closed early, due in part to the recession and declining Broadway attendance a year or two ago). Roger Bart, who played Frankenstein, was also in the play and movie of "The Producers."

The fellow who played Igor (pronounced Eye-Gore) was terrific, too. He was also in the original cast.

Well, as the play unfolded, both Rick and I were delighted. "This is the most fun I've had in the theatre since I can't remember when," he said. I agreed. The lighting, technical elements of the production were perfect, and if I had to quibble (and I suspect this was the sound system), sometimes the lyrics in the chorus numbers were a little difficult to pick up -- but it was easy enough to follow anyway.

And if you like tap dancing, homage to Fred Astaire, and great style, the "Puttin' on the Ritz" number puts the movie to shame! For that matter, so does "Roll in the Hay" (below), just a quick scene in the film, and several other moments, too.

The next night, Rick and I watched the movie (which Gypsy kindly gave to Rick with his ticket). And it was good.

Was it as good as I remembered it? Did I laugh as hard? Did I enjoy it as much as the play?

Nope.

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time, a little girl lived in a house on a hill with her big, furry dog.

She loved to play in the snow.

She'd eat snowballs and make her own snow cones.

She'd sit on snowbanks and suck on icicles.

Winter made her very happy.

That was then. This is now. Well, at least February is the shortest month of the year!

That said, it's a grand time for reading. Visit my other blog, Chopsticks and String, for a look at the most recent of Jacqueline Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs" books, "Among the Mad."

One World, One Heart!

Ride the Magic Carpet! Hop aboard the your favorite mode of cyber transportation and take part in this year's "One World, One Heart" worldwide blog drawing!

It's easy to participate -- if you like what I am offering below, leave a comment here. Comments close at 11:59 p.m. on February 14. On February 15, I'll draw the winner!

But it's not just me -- bloggers worldwide are participating, so please click on the icon above and it should take you to Lisa Swifka's blog, the "mother ship" and clearing house of "One World" participants! You'll see on her side bar hundreds of bloggers who are offering giveaways! (On that page, you'll also find the rules; you may begin a drawing up to February 8.)

Lisa strongly encourages you must have a blog to participate, though that's up to the discretion of the person giving away the item. I still haven't decided! BUT, you must leave the comment with your blog ID or another method of contacting you, so that should you win, you can be contacted! (Entries must be made in the comments of this post and one per person, please!)

And now, take a journey along with me...

And when you need a little rest, have a cup of tea!

This collaged tea box comes with mint tea, but you could use it to store bits of ephemera or all the charms and buttons, ribbons and shells we seem to collect!

The colors are metallic copper with collaged stamps, travellers and even a word or two!

Do enter! Then hurry over to Lisa's for more fabulous drawings!

Time for a Gypsy Post!

Look at those bright eyes. He's always looking, anticipating your every move, in hopes it might be toward the tin of kitty treats...

Or toward the bowl, waiting to be filled with Fancy Feast...

Or toward the special, magic cat dancer toy!

Sometimes he doesn't see the treats if you toss them too quickly or too far. Yet another characteristic the Gyp and I share. Friday I had my eyes checked and it's bifocal time. (Though they said I should wear my dollar store readers for the computer still; something about the monitor height.)

The doc also said "You must have a hell of a time driving at night!" (which I do) and they reminded me that I was on the very edge of needing to wear glasses when taking the driving test.

Now, it's not that I didn't know this was coming. All summer, driving to and from the lake, I was finding it harder to play the alphabet game, unable to read the smaller print at high speeds from greater distances. (Trust me, playing the alphabet game isn't as bad as texting, but it can be addictive.) If I hadn't remembered that the "Z" comes from those median signs that say "authorized vehicles only," I wouldn't ever get that letter, because they're now too tiny to see at 70 miles and hour.

But wait, there's more. My dentist (aka Dr. Mengele -- so named for the glint he gets in his eyes when he talks about crowns and other expensive procedures and an uncanny ability to inflict "discomfort") -- and whose Mercedes I'm sure I am contributing to -- suggests I get a crown in the near future. The very near future.

Now, you all know my feeling about crowns. They belong on the top of the head, not inside it.

And I'm wishing I'd socked more into my health care spending account.

Meanwhile, the Gypster needs a physical and his teeth cleaned. We share much in common -- we both seem to have sinus issues and crave love and attention. He likes to be pet; rub my back and you have a friend for life.

Well, we haven't started looking like each other yet! (Apart from wearing the hand painted silk scarves...) I wonder if I'd look good as a redhead...

NOTE: I share my feelings on a new book, Jacqueline Winspear's "Among the Mad" (the most recent in the "Maisie Dobbs" series) over at Chopsticks and String!

Cold and Lonesome!

It's cold here in Lansing this week! And I mean bone-chilling cold, and the mercury is headed down. I suppose I shouldn't complain -- our winter hasn't been all that bad compared to last year.

But Rick is in Texas at a trade show, and while I'd rather not be at a trade show, I would rather be someplace a tad warmer than here!

But apart from that, it's not all that bad a week. At my Weight Watchers meeting I hit a 14 pound loss -- not even half of my goal, but an excellent beginning. More to the point, I can pull down my jeans without unbuttoning or unzipping them. That's good motivation!

I'm almost through with the Christmas cards! Those should be done by the weekend. Then I can start working on taking down the trees. Well, a couple little ones are down, but you really can't avoid the holiday spirit here.

And I can see "bottom" on the art table! I have a couple of projects I want to get going on, so that's good motivation, too.

Now if I could just warm up!

Discovering Frank

I had known about Frank Lloyd Wright and his work for a long while before that early autumn evening when he became a "real" person to me. I'd long admired his work -- his use of integrating light, nature, the land into his designs. His reputation included being persnickety, so convinced his style and design was correct, he would at times rearrange the furniture in one of the home he had designed because he didn't think the homeowner's version contributed to the elegance of his design. I hated that character trait, yet admired his guts and conviction.

Rick lives in one of the 1960s homes built in the style of Wright's work and has tried to keep consistent with that feeling.

But it wasn't until an unexpected evening several years ago that included video and ice cream that I would learn more about this man.

A number of years ago, Ken Burns produced a remarkably short special (for him -- only four hours) about the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright. The film was to be one of the centerpiece of PBS' November sweeps period (yes, no matter what anyone tells you, at PBS ratings matter).

Several Frank Lloyd Wright houses remain in the Lansing area, and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to feature one of these as our program guide cover. So, I asked Michael Maurer Smith (whose blog is here and whose website is here) to photograph the home of Don and Mary Lou Schaberg in Okemos. (The photos in this post are not by Mike, but found at various sites online including wikipedia and some real estate sites.)

The Schaberg's home was from Wright's Usonian period in the 1950s, homes designed for the "typical American family." While now the market price could top a million, back then the homes were for middle income people. Schaberg, who was in the lumber business, was a fine partner for the eccentric architect and his supervisors, having a genuine eye for beauty. (Wikipedia talks about the Schaberg house here.)

Well, Mike came back with some splendid images, having enjoyed a lovely time with the Schabergs. We planned on our cover and that was that!

But one day -- before even PBS stations had seen a preview of the program -- Don called me and said he had received a copy from Ken and wondered if I would like to come preview it, with Rick of course, and with Mike and Kate. We'd have some ice cream, he promised.

Well, we were delighted and excited, and the evening didn't disappoint. The house itself was beautiful, with an open floor plan, astounding light, beautiful use of wood, stained glass and organic elements and the built-in features Wright was associated with. (The pool came later!)

We watched part of the documentary, including that which featured Don and Mary Lou's home movies during the building of their home. We then toured the tower Don had designed and built on their grounds (Don's office) and enjoyed our ice cream.

The Schabergs were delightful people and the evening was warm and congenial. During our talk, I learned Don was an old Lansingite and after he had revealed his high school, I asked him if he had ever known my mother or her sisters. I was thrilled when he remembered them all, particularly my aunt Grace, who was his age and with whom he hung about in school.

In fact, he said, he had a movie camera back then and he would shoot movies that Gracie and other friends wrote, using the homes of the various parents. "I'm sure I still have them," he said. And, when we made our farewells, he said he would try to find them.

Not long after, I received another call from Don. Would I like to come for ice cream and see the movie of my aunt Grace?, he asked. Well, yeah. (Below is Gracie with my uncle, Martin, 1951)

To see the woman whom I knew as a mom-figure come to life on the screen as a sixteen year-old girl was truly jarring and wonderful. The face, the expressions were there, but in the form of a young woman, playing a role (the devious maid!) with all the aplomb and sassiness I would recognize in this dear funny woman who would, like my mother, die far too young. (Grace, about 1975)

Not long after that, the Schabergs would give me a copy of that film, which I would share with Mama K's husband David and his two sisters, Patty and Mutty. It remains one of our treasures.

Frank Lloyd Wright -- he was as eccentric, Don said, as all the stories Ken Burns and countless others told about him. And as brilliant. Certainly one bit of proof was their own home and their own memories.

Wright's life was turbulent and marked by many loves and great tragedy. To learn about the novel "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan, which I recently finished, visit Chopsticks and String.

Let's Go to the Movies

There was a time when I went to the movies all the time. My friend Suzanne and I would keep meticulous records of all the films we had seen on index cards. (She still does, though I'm not sure if the cards remain or have gone high tech.) I had a respectable library of film criticism books, biographies, pictorials and more. And I read them. Classic, contemporary, you name it.

That was then, this is now. I don't know what changed. I'd like to say the budget, but truth be told, back then we were all seriously poor when it came to discretionary funds for entertainment. Yet we made going to the movies a priority.

And face it, the theatres were worth going to back then, too. Beautiful old buildings with elegant lobbies, elaborate carvings framing the screen and sculpture resting in nooks carved into the hallways.

And every theatre had a concession stand with any candy you might want, fragrant popcorn, and it was all fairly inexpensive.

When I was a kid, the big draw was the concession stand. It was such fun to have so many treats from which to choose. They were all so colorful!

Every now and then I get that, even now. I've written about Jackson's Michigan Theatre before. Last week we had another in our WKAR Night at the Michigan series. We were welcomed in style.

I love meeting the people who come to the theatre. Many of them tell me they don't have television sets (choice or necessity) and they love our free presentations on the big screen. They're all ages -- parents bring their children; some come with their oxygen tanks and walkers. Even bad weather hasn't kept people away.

(FYI, if you miss a program you're following on PBS, chances are likely you can catch it on the computer at PBS.org -- visit the "watch video" tab and you'll see many programs, including my favorite, "Masterpiece," are available on demand.)

Our host at the Michigan is George (on the left), one of the most jovial and enthusiastic fellows you'll ever know. He works hard at combining free events like ours with paying movies (for a mere four or five dollars), interesting classic film series (famous pairs is this year's monthly Sunday theme), and second-run movie house staples like "Rocky Horror" and kids films.

(That's Dennis with him on the right. Dennis is the tech guy and one of the two projectionists I've been fortunate enough to work with there.)

Our showing last week was Joshua Bell and friends "Live From Lincoln Center" in a delightfully informal and versatile concert.

The thing I really loved about this is that the theater patrons watching on the big screen were so enthralled, they clapped after the various selections. Well-deserved clapping, I might add!

It enchants me that this is how people always used to go to the movies. The entire experience made it special. The detail was incredible -- there was always a ladies lounge with a soft sofa and enough mirrors so everyone had room to primp. (This Michigan has its original signs.)

Even when the economy was terrible and the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, people could come to the movies (and get their piece of depression glass or Hall China! -- that doesn't happen now!) and sit in a place of quiet, elegant splendor, wrapped in a glimmering shawl of gilt, deep red, cherubs, and elegant lamps.

And the balconies were always special.

For the child, it was the "spot on high" where we could see everything and feel very grand and very small at the same time. For the adolescent, the spot to fire spitwads on unsusupecting patrons below (until asked to leave!). And for the young romantic -- well, there was no more romantic spot to hold hands, steal a kiss, or make time!

Iron gates were elegant barriers. No stanchions here!

And long hallways offered entry to the many aisles. You could wait till the movie ended and patrons left -- or you could slip in anytime and stay as long as you liked to see it over and over again.

These days there are options at the concession stand I didn't have as a child.

(At the Michigan, even beer and wine are offered!)

But the feeling is the same. And believe me, it's a far cry from lining up with the hoards at the multiplex!