bob dylan - maggie's farm (1965 newport)

Another El Greco

Trying to remember my Art History...was El Greco the one assumed to be myopic, thus his elongated figures? My niece is in Spain this week and will be in Toledo. I hope I get an El Greco post card!

Moving Day

My son, daughter-in-law and grandson moved into their
new house today. Seems far too quiet in here tonight
without someone here. Youngest son is working.

I am happy for my oldest son and his family. They bought
a beautiful new home and are so thrilled to be there.
They've been staying in the guest room here--my daughter's
old room. Although the room is large and it has a bathroom,
it was hard for them to be in there with the baby and their
two cats.

We've been juggling things for the two months (man, they flew
by) that they have been here. Their cats are declawed,
my two cats hate any other cats (and they are not declawed
so they had an unfair advantage) , Molly loves everybody,
including cats, but is so big we didn't let her interact
with the other cats or the baby (she would not intentionally
hurt them but would--husband has a black eye this morning--
Molly swiped him with her paw in the night), so this evening,
Molly is roaming freely around the house again and doesn't
know what to do with herself. We've largely kept her confined
in our bedroom, which is the size of many one-bedroom
apartments I've been in, so I don't feel she's been too
traumatized from the experience.

She's driving me nuts right now getting into everything,
but she'll settle down.

Looks like it may rain again. We were under drought
conditions for a number of months, but it's done nothing
but rain for weeks and weeks. I think we're under
a flood advisory tonight.

Would cook but it will only by hubby and me, so I think
I'll have leftovers. I cooked a wonderful butter chicken
over the weekend, and I think that's what I'll have.

I'll share the recipe. It was quite good. Had a Riesling
with it, which really brought out the flavors of the Indian spices.

Recipe:

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsps cumin
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ground coriander
Dash of cayene pepper
2 tsps grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsps butter
1 cup frozen peas
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
olive oil
cilantro

Rice:

1 cup basmati rice
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp curry powder


Ok...trying to remember what I did...hmmmm...

Wash and dry the chicken. Cut into large pieces. In a bowl,
mix together the spices and olive oil. Blend well.
Coat the chicken in the marinade and let it sit for an hour or
so (depends on how many glasses of Riesling you have prior
to cooking). Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken
and cook until lightly browned.

After starting chicken (or before), bring 1 3/4 cups
of chicken stock, curry, and just a tad of kosher salt
to a boil. Add the basmati slowly and bring to a boil.
Cover it and turn down to a simmer. Cook for about
15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't
stick.

After chicken browns lightly and has cooked for about
10 minutes, push it to the sides of the pan and add the
butter to the center of the pan. When it's melted, add
the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until
the onions are translucent. Then mix everything
together and add the tomato paste and the diced
tomatoes. Stir thoroughly until blended together.

Let simmer for 5-8 minutes. Taste test to see if salt,
pepper and seasonings agree with your tastebuds.
If not, add more.

While that simmers, place frozen peas in a colander
and run hot water over them until nearly thawed.

Drain well.

Add peas to chicken mixture and stir. Add heavy cream
being careful not to let the mixture boil. Stir well.

Cook for 5 more minutes (or longer if you've had more
Riesling and think you want to wait a little while
to eat, or think perhaps you'll never eat again, you'll
just keep drinking Riesling or Merlot or Cab or whatever
wine you enjoy while you cook).

While the mixture cooks down, chop about 1/2 cup
fresh cilantro.

Add to mixture just before serving.

Serve over basmati rice with poppadoms or nan bread.

Yummy.

Hell, that was a lot of work typing that in. I think I need
to go pour a glass of wine and eat my leftovers.

Sans Sun

I wish it would just go ahead and rain if it's going
to be this dark.

Head's still not right or I'd do something. Anything.
Maybe lots of things. Maybe just one. Maybe something
I would enjoy. Maybe something I would regret. Maybe
things which change other things, at least for a little
while. Maybe I would do this:

A load of clothes, mop a floor,
rake some leaves out of the garden beds, dust
some furniture, take Molly for a walk, take a shower,
read more of To Kill A Mockingbird (it's my read-every-
other-year-or-so favorite book), do a crossword puzzle,
fold some clothes, clean the kitchen.

Something. Anything. I need to do something.

Cooked myself a wonderful omelet this morning:

Cage-free organic eggs (way too pricey and probably
not any better for you but I buy into the scheme).
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
Couple of splashes of hot sauce
Cremini mushrooms
Spinach
Chopped scallions
Cilantro
Grated smoked gouda cheese

It was good. I am filled, sated, empty.

I need to do something. Anything. But this.

Hillary Comes to the Mad City

That's right, folks. She's only the second presidential
hopeful to ever come here--the other was Strom
Thurmond in 1948 (yikes--Strom Thurmond! creepy!).

So, I have tickets but can't decide if I want to go
or not. I don't like to be in crowds unless I have a drink
in my hand (concerts, for example, don't bother me
because I can imbibe). It's the panic thing and the social
situations thing.

No one I know wants to go anyway, so I'd have to go alone.
Which doesn't bother me too terribly much. I do lots of things
alone.

I think it would be interesting to hear what she has to say,
but I can't hear her say what she has to say on tv. I've
been paying attention. The Bosnia thing was a major
blunder, but I guess it could have been worse. Still,
is she so sleep-deprived/stressed out/worn out that she
honestly thought she was telling the truth?

I am more interested in the plans for healthcare reform
and the economy. But, I probably won't go. I'll just
watch the news tonight to see what she had to say.

Been very busy here helping with Isaac as my son and his wife
prepare to move into their new place. I know they're excited
and I'm excited for them.

I have a yard full of blooming things and I love it! But I have tons
of work to do out there too. It's brrrr here today, so I don't think
I'll go out there and work. That's another reason I probably
won't go see Hillary--I don't feel like standing outside in a long line
for several hours in the cold.

Day # 4 of the headache that won't quit. All on the left side of my head.
Damn allergies and sinus stuff. My ear hurts so much it wakes
me up, but it's a little better today. Annoying headachey stuff.

Elaine Paige- Memory Live (London 2000)

Thanks to LKD who brought this back to me...I remember when I saw Cats and how this song stayed with me for months and months...been such a long time ago...

Touch me/it's so easy to leave me/all alone with the memory/of our days in the sun

If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is...