Recent revisiting of classic games = things I now belatedly know about Capitalism. 1. Monopoly In trying to help a fellow player with property and funds against a third stronger player, both of us were having excess resources eaten by Chance and Community Chest options as the bank double taxed both of us to death. Meanwhile, we were getting knocked by the Park...
Buttery spiced shortbread. Recipe and food porn from the April Saveur. Buttery spiced shortbread. Recipe and food porn from the April Saveur. ...
Alas, my taste memory of Carbonara is a superfatted concoction. Yes, one with copious amounts of thickening cream. Maybe halfway to a goopy cafeteria Alfredo. Perhaps studded also with invisible onions and peas. Needless to say, I havn't had any Carbonara in a while. Thus, the far simpler recipe featured in this month's Saveur - spaghetti in an emulsion of egg yolk, parmesan,...
Il Conformista (1970) combines Italian aesthetics, French New Wave innovation, and the dread of German Expressionism as an intoxicating visual metaphor for Plato's Cave. "I'm going to build a life that's normal," admits Marcello, the mysterious stoic who marries into mediocre, but Bernardo Bertolucci's film, paradoxically lush and spare, reveals a complex parallel between subconscious trauma and Fascist logic. Vincent Canby's review in...
The 1967 coming of age story falls down once the Benjamin Braddock's upper middle class claustrophobia wears off, but the beginning of Mike Nichols social farce is both funnier, wittier, and less crass than any imaginable modern take on "cougars" - see Matt Damon's scene in Ocean's Whatever. While it's hard to imagine any young college graduate as naive as Ben, Dustin Hoffman,...
Orson Welles' 1942 film is both a portrait of the automobile revolution at the turn of the century, as well as a specific indictment of American aristocracy within the epic scope of fast paced modernization, yet the film also manages to capture a certain wistfulness for the luxury of a bygone time. "The magnificence of the Ambersons began in 1873. Their splendor lasted...
Served with asparagus, this dish was super easy and fast. Again my measurements are fairly inexact, but making fish this way is fairly forgiving. People horrified by mayonnaise in general can go suck a carrot stick. thick cut halibut fillet, about 4 servings 1 tbsp butter 2 cloves of very finely minced or pressed garlic, sauteed with 1 tsp of water if you...
I have a real fondness for the faux turkish delight produced by Liberty Orchards. As a young girl the drive between Los Angeles and San Jose, scored by Diana Ross, was always punctuated by a stop at a charmingly painted farm-stand with a mid century diner next door and a miniature train running in the yard. They might actually have been separate locations,...
This rustic dish is what I make when I need something warm and soothing in my stomach. No need to be finicky with the knife skills. Just do some hectic chopping and then idly read a book while your soup simmers. The long cooking time is what makes this dish thick, no pureeing or extra dish-washing required. 2 tbsp butter 1 onion, of...
My wonderful bottle of Marston's San Pasqual Salad Dressing is now officially empty. Below is the concoction which hurts that craving monster, but if you're ever in Pasadena, pick up several bottles of the real thing. 2/3 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup flax seed oil 1.5 generous tbsp white sugar 1/4 red onion, diced very fine 1 clove garlic, minced 3 dashes Worchestershire...
These double cooked, spicy, vinegary chicken wings were a hit at a recent baby shower. The concoction was inspired by the recent Saveur article on the subject, but modified according to the recipe in this book. The result is a monstrosity of inexact proportions but below is my work in progress. 2 lbs chicken wings, separated drums and "wing" sans wing tips 2...
Martha Stewart's online recipe results in a very dense but moist cake with a super rich glaze. The SO prefers the Peanut Butter cupcakes because they are more like a snack, whereas these sweet cupcakes should really be reserved for a luxurious dessert. *picture from the Martha Stewart website. ...
I feel a little sheepish admitting this, but I didn't know diddly about Stanwyck until recently. My knowledge of golden age cinema screenstresses included those Hepburn(s), Garland beauties with a passing nod to Veronica Lake's blond waves and the musical singing/dancing doyennes. Then comes Stanwyck in The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire with her square shouldered stomp and awkward nose - every...
Playtime is Jacques Tati's fourth film, a charismatic commentary on the baffling social practices of Utopian modernism, but ultimately representative of a much less stifled confusion than in Gilliam's Brazil. Beautiful composition and whimsically shrewd juxtaposition illuminate the director's great practice of human observation. Great french style and utterly, utterly charming. Perhaps one of my top ten all time favorite films. Playtime is...
Intended for making lotion, a task for which this new KitchenAid gadget is dreadfully overpowered, I pureed some roasted root vegetables this morning and am delighted with the results. At first, I started at the lowest setting to break up the veg and then I cranked it up to level 9, the highest setting, and finished with wonderful soup. Complaints about how immersion...
