capogiro gelato

Hey guys, have you seen this article?  National Geographic put together a list of the top ten places to get ice cream across the globe and Capogiro in Philly came in as #1!  Crazy, right?  Have any of you been here?  I think we need to take a fieldtrip asap to try the best ice cream in the WORLD.

They have cafes on S. 13th, S. 20th, East Passyunk and University City, where their gelato is handmade each day with local ingredients (think Amish grass-fed cow milk).

Let's go!!!

planning for November

We had our monthly meeting this past Sunday at Sabrina's (the only food place that can make a 1 hour wait in the cold totally worth it!).  It was a shame that not everyone who wanted to come could make it, but we had a nice little group nonetheless! 

We talked briefly about what we'll do for the November meeting.  Right now we are thinking of having the get together at my apartment (it is roomy enough for a bunch of us), and we will do a potluck!  Everyone can plan on bringing something they would enjoy sharing :) (keep in mind we do have one gluten-allergy member).  It also seems like Sunday afternoons will work well for people, so we will probably stick to that format.

Maybe we can get a tally of what people are bringing through comments on this post, so we don't have any overlapping.  I know my mom (Carol) already volunteered to bring her ebelskiver pan.

Check out the members page for a few new bios.  Contact me if you want to add yours!

Getting to Know Carol - the Garden

One of my objectives in joining this group is to get to know everyone one better, so I thought I would start by sharing something about myself.

When I introduced myself, I mentioned that one of my passions is designing gardens. The one I love the best is the 120' x 8' irregularly shaped bed that I put in at the back of our house 12 years ago. It was intended to be a more cultivated variation of the meadow behind the bed and there was virtually nothing but a mound of dirt when I first started.

It is designed so that something is always blooming from April until the first hard frost. I also focused on flowers that are loved by birds and butterflies, so that in the hot days of July, birds are cooling themselves in the birdbath and by early August there are clouds of butterflies and hummingbirds that sometimes dart up to look at us on the deck. This is what it looks like in July. Unfortunately, after we moved in, I found that the part of the meadow that backs up to the bed is zealously mowed by the homeowners association in accord with suburban sensibilities, so the backdrop for the garden looks more like a scruffy piece of lawn instead of a beautiful changing meadow. However, you can see that there is still some nice meadow beyond that which is only mowed once a year. This is only the middle section of the garden - there is a magnolia tree at one end and a butterfly bush at the other.

So what have I learned from gardening that I have used in the rest of my life?

First, don't be afraid to fail. Experimentation is key to developing a successful garden. I can't tell you how many times I have rearranged and discarded plants when they didn't turn out quite the way I wanted.

Second, not all plants like all locations, so don't waste time trying to make it survive if you have given it a good try. I have had plants that did wonderfully in one garden (think scabiosa, daphne) and refused to survive in another location. I usually give it about 2 years before I throw the towel in. Sometimes the weather might be the cause, but that's not likely two years in a row.

Third, gardens change over time so you have to be flexible with your vision. That nice little plant that was so perfect in 1999, can become an overwhelming monster by 2009. Right now, I am reworking the garden in the picture, because the butterfly bush blew over in a hurricane (they are very shallow rooted) and then gave birth to hundreds of baby butterfly bushes (not a good thing) , the mass of luxuriant fragrant scotch broom grew into 6' tall, leggy trees and a number of pretty purple plants just disappeared.

Some other time I will talk about the Barngarden, where I grow veges, fruits and herbs.

The Philadelphia Orchestra: A Tribute to Nationalism

Sunday, October 9th, 2011 marked the second and final performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2011 Free Neighborhood Concert Series. Sponsored by Wells Fargo Company, this event was part of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s commitment to transforming the Philadelphia waterfront into a world class destination for recreational, cultural, and commercial activities for the residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Ashely, Katie, and I attended as one of the first WI Philly events and I wanted to share my concert review notes with everyone. It was a great kickoff event and we look forward to doing more cultural and educational activities and expanding our group!

Lead by assistant conductor Cristian Marcelaru, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s set list consisted of a number of pieces paying homage to the tradition of nationalism in music. From late Romantic era international composers such as Dvoark and Elgar all the way to modern American composers (and Philadelphia natives) such as Aaron Copland and Jennifer Higdon, the songs resonated with appreciation and reverence for each composer’s homeland and culture. Considering the Delaware River Waterfront Coporation’s own appreciation and reverence for the city of Philadelphia, the selected songs served as a patriotic soundtrack to a city and world class orchestra deserving of a night of pride and respect for one’s heritage.

The concert exploded with a rendition of J.S. Smith’s “The Star Spangled Banner” that was more than worthy of fireworks, with a notable opening performance by the string section. From “The Star Spangled Banner”, they orchestra dove right into American Composer Samuel Barber’s “Commando March” (1943) with the same uninterrupted excitement and force that Beethoven’s 5th symphony drives the audience from Movement III to movement IV. The brass section carried the patriotic melody that was written for the “new soldier” of World War II while the drums beat to a march-like rhythm lending the piece its title. The bows of the string section pulsated to the strict rhythm, making the performers look more like soldiers marching in line with their rifles pointing towards the sky than musicians.

Assistant conductor Cristian Marcelaru introduced the next piece by comparing the similarity of Barber’s “Commando March” to Copland’s “Four Dance Episodes from the Ballet Rodeo” (1942) as “two great pieces by two great American composers.” While Barber’s composition evoked memories of the World War II soldier, Copland’s piece elucidated references to the Great American West. Certainly some of the melodic motives from “Movement I, Buckaroo Holiday” have been inextricably connected to the idea of the American cowboy. The orchestra playfully passed these melodic ideas back and forth between the different sections of the orchestra -- from the strings to the brass section and back, with occasional interjections of the woodwinds. The orchestra skillfully executed pregnant pauses in the piece as well as bursting changes in dynamics towards fortissimo.

The second movement, “Coral Nocturne”, started off much more like traditional ballet music -- a complete contrast from the bursting fortissimo and playful melodic lines of the first movement. The slow tempo and piano dynamic were carried by the gentle strings while the woodwinds carried the ambiance over barely audible bass notes in the background. It sounded like the traditional 6 beats per measure expected of a Nocturne. After an abrupt forte part with some dissonance which seemingly marked the transition into the third movement “Saturday Night Waltz”, the orchestra returned to the gentle strings with the woodwinds dominating. Just as I was whisked away to a simpler place and time, a helicopter flew over Pennslanding reminding me of my true place in history -- but it was an interesting juxtaposition hearing the sounds of the early 20th century collide with the 21st century. The string section and woodwinds played exceptionally well and with great depth of feeling.

The final movement “Hoedown” again presented a stark contrast between the previous two slower movements. It appeared louder, quick-paced, with melodic motives that conjure up images of a hoedown and rhythmic motives indicative of a horse galloping. The passing of phrases between different instruments from the first movement returned and alternated between moments of full orchestra involvement. Any time the movement seemed to stray from the “hoedown” theme, it abruptly returned. The final movement seemed to add the piano and xylophone for a truly full orchestral feeling.

Again, just as I found myself acquainted with the mid 20th century, the orchestra took us back in time with Friedrich Kreisler’s “Liebesleid” and “Liebesfreud” (Love’s Sorrow and Love’s Joy) -- two pieces composed for solo violin and orchestra in the first decade of the 20th century. These pieces are usually played as a series of three songs with “Schon Rosmarin” (Lovely Rosemary) but the concert presented only “Liebesleid” and “Liebesfreud” with violinist Leila Josefowicz performing as the soloist accompanied by the orchestra. The pieces reminded of Schumann’s song cycle, Dichterliebe (A poet’s love) with it’s contrasting moods between the highs and lows of such a powerful emotion. Josefowicz’s violin cried sorrowfully during “Liebesleid” and she exerted great control over the staccato notes and a high level of precision during the pianissimo parts. The solo violin played a dominating role over the orchestra’s light accompaniment in the piece. “Liebesfreud” invited more accompaniment from the orchestra and a series of “chromatic walkdowns” on the violin that left a hard working Josefowicz looking relieved with a smile on her face at the finish. The two pieces seemed to be a tribute to music from the Romantic Era in Vienna without even knowing that the three songs together share the title “Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen” (Old Viennese Melodies).

In lieu of the third song from Old Viennese Melodies, the solo violin plus orchestra portion ended with Massenet’s “Meditation” -- a beautiful piece demonstrating Josefowicz’s smoothness and tremolo abilities on the violin. At the end, one of her fellow violin players from the orchestra shook her hand for a job well done. For me personally, this was perhaps one of the most moving pieces as the voilin stirred a number of emotions as it wandered into the higher register of its range.

The next song, “Fanfare Ritmico” was produced in 1999 by Philadelphia native Jennifer Higdon. While the orchestra played an compelling rendition of the song, the placement was a bit odd on the setlist. The invigorating drum entrance of the piece violently snapped me out of the lull created by the three former violin and orchestra pieces -- but perhaps this was the intention of the orchestra to make sure that the audience would be awake for the finale! The whole piece reminded me of a summer thunder storm -- the drums were like great rumbles of thunder, the sudden orchestral dissonances were like strikes of lightning, the triangles or chimes were reminiscent of chimes blowing in the wind during a storm, and the high keys played on the piano were like drops of rain. The bells sounding while the strings played agitated melodies seemed to be a warning to “take cover” during the storm. The orchestra moved towards a climax which was followed by horns and more dramatic sounds from the orchestra. This piece involved instruments that were not used in the previous songs -- shakers, chimes, bells, etc -- even if one did not know that the piece was composed in 1999, the sound was unmistakeably modern. The orchestra worked incredibly hard for this piece and I could see the bass players smiling and chatting amongst themselves when it was finished. In fact, the whole orchestra seemed invigorated at the finale … ready to close out the evening with rejuvenated energy.

Cristian Marcelaru introduced the next composition as “dedicated to the memory of those who make freedom possible” a fitting introduction for a piece that was written for composer Edward Elgar’s friend, Augustus Jaegar, who inspired him to continue composing despite adversity. With the breeze blowing over the Delaware River and after the beautiful introduction by the conductor, Elgar’s “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations felt like a song played at the ending credits of an inspirational movie. The orchestra captured the beauty and eloquence of the piece and really personified the inspiration that it aimed to convey. Enigma is a set of a theme and its fourteen variations written for orchestra, each theme designed to create an intimate portrait of one of Elgar’s friends. As menitoned, “Nimrod” was the Variation IX deidcated to Augustus Jaegar. Even though the piece isn’t nationalistic in the sense of honoring one’s country, to me it represented nationalism because it was a dedication to Elgar’s close friends and fellow citizens.

The orchestra ended their scheduled program with Dvorak’s “Sympony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 (From the New World)” Movment IV. Sitting by the water, I couldn’t help but think of Jaws and sharks approaching at the onset of the first few notes of the movement -- but the melody quickly developed into a proclamation of triumph. The main theme returned several times throughout the movement sometimes sounding deflated but certainly not defeated. In the end the theme returned in its full glory and the movement modulated to the Major mode and ended victorious. Overall, it was an excellent performance of the IV movement of a spectacular piece that was written in the United States but still contained tunes reminiscent of Dvorak’s homeland, Bohemia.

John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” erupted into a delightful encore that had the audience clapping along followed by a standing ovation -- a most fitting end to a melange of compositions connected by their appreciation of nationalism. It was an excellent performance by the orchestra, a wonderful tribute to the city of Philadelphia, and a definitive step towards transforming the Philadelphia Waterfront into a cultural center of the East coast.

women in film

I thought that this article about how women are portrayed in film was really funny but also really interesting to think about.  What is it about these stereotypes that make movies sell, and maybe even more interesting- make women want to go and see them?

Some of my favorite chick flick movies are When Harry Met Sally (girl graduates, doesn't understand men, makes friends with man even though he says men and women can't be friends, are friends for many years, ends up falling for him even though she admits in the last scene that she hates him... and loves him), You've Got Mail (woman runs small-time bookshop but is about to go under, successful male who runs large book conglomerate comes into life, they accidentally date online without knowing that they are rivals, oops!), Amelie (socially inept girl falls for socially inept guy, will she learn to overcome her ineptness and love?), Becoming Jane (successful authoress (Jane Austen) falls for bad boy with no money, they try to make it work, they wuss out... repeat, he marries someone else, she never does.......... I could go on but I won't.

So what I'm getting at is that while I love a good girly movie, the next time I really enjoy a chick flick I'm going to try to figure out why.

New Yorker article, via Cup of Joe

Immune Boosting Recipes

Last week my immune system was struggling. The combination of an unrelenting schedule and indecisive weather (Mother Nature - summer or fall? Please pick one!) left me battling the onset of a cold. My fatigue was at an all time high and I needed energy.

I turned to my Secrets of Self Healing Book by Maoshing Ni which bases its advice and remedies on eastern medicine. What I resonate with is preventing ailments before needing western medicine intervention. So I found two recipes in the Low Immune Function section that I was willing to try.

Some of the ingredients aren't mainstream (ahem..goji berries and seaweed I'm talking to you) but between Sue's Produce and Whole Foods, I was able to find everything.

In my experience, both the trail mix and the soup boosted my energy, stopped the runny nose, and cleared my congestion. I plan on making a few batches of the soup and freezing for the coming months so it's easily accessible when I feel a cold approaching. Or even for the days (or weeks) I'm feeling sluggish.

Immunity-Boosting Trail Mix

Combine dried blueberries, goji berries, Brazil nuts, and pine nuts.

I added about 4-8 oz of each ingredient however, the ratio is flexible so create your own balance. I kept the trail mix in the fridge to keep it away from the humidity and the leftover nuts in the freezer to keep them from going stale.

Please Note: Some people may experience a bitter taste in the mouth after consuming certain brands of pine nuts. You might want to do some research before selecting your brand.

Immune Soup

10 shiitake mushrooms (soaked first if using dried)

1/2 C seaweed (any kind)

1 head of cabbage

2 squash (any type)

2 carrots

10 slices of ginger

3 sprigs of oregano

1 onion

6 C chicken stock

Soak mushrooms if using dried. Slice the mushrooms, chop the cabbage, and dice the squash, carrots, and onion. Combine all ingredients in a deep stock pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil uncovered for 30 minutes. Eat at least 1 large bowl every day.

Note: Try not to get caught up in the exact measurements and sizes (how long of a sprig of oregano?) but incorporate what you have.

All recipes taken from Secrets of Self-Healing by Maoshing Ni

recipe: jalapeño cornbread

I want to share a really good cornbread recipe I made the other week with you guys.

After a bit of a disastrous cornbread experience (sorry again Katie, we owe you cornbread), where tablespoons of baking powder were substituted for teaspoons, I was left with a big cornbread craving.

I don't often take much notice of the recipes on the back of bags, but we got this new cornmeal from Whole Foods (Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Corn Meal) and fresh jalapenos from my Mom's garden and some cheddar that needed using up, so it was perfect!

It turned out so good, moist, a bit fiery but not too much, and just made us want to keep going back for more.  I tried to get a good photo of it, but by the time I realized I should get an image, we just had a line of cornbread left.

Jalapeño Cornbread

1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. oil or butter
1 cup white flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tbsp. butter or oil (I used olive oil)
1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2-4 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped

(tsp =  teaspoon, tbsp = tablespoon, don't mix them up!)

Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare an 8" square pan using 1 tbsp. oil or butter (I used butter).

Sauté the chopped onion in the oil until just limp, about five minutes.  Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl, blending well.  Separately beat together the eggs, milk and 3 tbsp. oil or butter (I used extra virgin olive oil).

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients beating until just moistened.  Stir in the onions, 1 cup of the cheese and the jalapeños.  Pour into the prepared pan and top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until crusty brown on the top.

Try not to eat it in one day.

Maybe.

P.S. Are there any good recipes you have tried recently???

P.P.S. I'm going to Wilmington First Friday tonight and then the free Philadelphia Orchestra Concert (and hopefully the Hawthorn Yoga event) on Sunday.  Anyone else coming?