December 10, 2010

Been force-feeding myself Christmas music to get into a decent Christmas mood. The phrasing in this classic is impeccable.



This one by Frank Sinatra was on a Starbucks album last year. I had never heard it before and it is now one of my favorites.

January 24, 2010

Football and lots of Chicken in the fridge. Therefore,
Chicken Burritos and White Chili.

The recipe for the White Chili :
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1Red Pepper
1 large can white kidney beans (cannellini), undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
Heat oil and saute chicken and onion 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove chicken and cover to keep warm.
Add garlic to pan and cook 2 minutes or until onions begin to brown.
Stir in spices and broth and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Stir in cooked chicken and beans.
Simmer until tender. Serve garnished with Monterey Jack cheese.



I rooted for them even though I'm a Giants fan.
One thing I'm glad about is: I don't have to hear
that J E T S Jets - Jets - Jets Cheer for a while.



Real good read. His stage work was impressive.
Turned down Maggio in From Here to Eternity
to do a Tennessee Williams role. Also, played in Rhinoceros
with Zero Mostel.



The Bing Crosby book is full of good stuff like:

"The mordent—a fast wavering from one note to another and back, a fleeting undulation that suggests a mournful cry—was a vestige of the Byzantine influence that dominated European music in the Middle Ages. That influence vanished from most of Europe but endured in the plaintive folk music of Scotland and Ireland, owing to their economic and geographical isolation from the modernizing impact of the Reformation and Renaissance. A 1950s edition of Chambers's Encyclopaedia defines the mordent as a "certain oscillation or catch in the voice as it comes to rest momentarily upon a sustained sound" and goes on to qualify it as a basic attribute of "crooning." Among young Celtic singers of the twenty-first century, the mordent-heavy approach is known as sean nós, or old style, but it was new to Americans in the 1920s, when Dennis Harrigan's great-grandson pinned the mordent to popular music like a red rose."

January 23, 2010

I still have to get Barry Ritholtz' Bailout Nation.
His Big Picture Blog is required daily reading.
I prefer this cover. His site compared covers with the following:



Library run resulted in two more books in
the queue. The recent near- collapse of the US economy
is something we all need to educate ourselves about.



Also saw this, cites a great quote about R.E. Lee at Appomattox from U.S Grant's memoir: "I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse."

Author Interview is interesting.



Just got it, looks good, a big book.



I know this will be worth the time.



Swan song last night was must-see TV. This link won't last long.
Guy went out with a lot of class.



RIP Jean Simmons. I love this song. She was excellent
in Spartacus.

January 17, 2010

Picked this one up. Author Interview.
You got to love a book with lines like this
one: "Artie was five-eight and slim but he had
balls the size of a pregnant Mack Truck..."



Read about this one, it should be good.



On order from the Queens Library.
They send you an e-mail when it is ready.



24 starts tonight. The only show I watch.
NY is the setting but it was mostly filmed
elsewhere.



Lots of football. Games have been unwatchable.
My team The Giants aren't in it, but Chili Dogs are
on the menu. I have , in the past, bought ready made
Chili but I wasn't impressed. Also, the sodium levels
were astronomical. Here's a quick recipe:

1/2 pound Ground Chuck
1 can Red Kidney Beans
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Cocoa
1 Red Pepper
1 onion
3 cloves Garlic
9 mushrooms
1/2 cup Brandy
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.