Hi everyone!
Jan planned a wonderful walk/hike on the Mesa Trail yesterday morning - the weather was beautiful, a bit more challenging than we've done in a while and a great turnout - Jan, Mary, Barb, Jackie, Andrea, Laila and me. Jackie wasn't able to join us for coffee at the newest Brewing Market at Baseline and Broadway but we got to welcome home Chris who joined us there with her granddaughter and my "girlfriend" Kinsale. What a cutie!
A reminder - as most of you know I will be camped out at the Grillo Center Labyrinth at the Boulder Creek Festival - I'm looking forward to seeing many of you there - I'd love to have you join me for a couple of hours or just stop by for a walk and visit. Let me know if you'd like to help out with a shift - I still have some openings in the afternoons.
Also, we plan to start constuction of the permanent labyrinth towards the end of the first week in June - we welcome your participation - there will be a fair amount of strenous work - if you know of any able-bodied young people (preferably over 16) who might like to contribute to this community project, please pass the word. Do come by for moral support and lend a hand in whatever way you can. I'll keep you updated on more details once the Creek Festival is over.
Book Report:
Susan finished Water From the Well by Anne Roiphe - I just loved it. It really brought to life the biblical stories of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah. Roiphe's perspective really revealed these characters in a way I'd never experienced before.
From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review.
As with Roiphe's well-received novels and nonfiction about women's lives, this creative examination of four biblical matriarchs ably reflects her continuing emphasis on the relationships between women and their children. Roiphe embroiders the terse accounts of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah in Genesis by using her own imagination and by drawing on prayer books, Talmud, midrash, the Zohar and several collections of legends. The result is a colorful, character-driven portrayal of the women, emphasizing their experiences with their husbands and their children. In each instance, Roiphe follows the biblical practice of depicting highly regarded ancestors with all their foibles and limitations. In Rebekah's deception in conspiring with favored son Jacob over his brother Esau, or Sarah's bitterness and mistreatment of Hagar, Roiphe identifies deep weaknesses and character flaws, but also offers inventive justifications for morally questionable behavior. In Rachel's long wait before becoming pregnant, Roiphe traces echoes of what happened earlier to Sarah and Rebekah. These women all experienced barrenness, neglect, death in childbirth and joy from children as "the staples of female life." Roiphe hopes that the stories she so beautifully retells can inspire us "to be decent people... [and to] better the world."
Update from Barb - we reported on Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien a couple of weeks ago. She did finish it and ended up liking it.
Website of the Week: Cook for the Cure - http://www.kitchenaid.com/content.jsp?sectionId=483 - yet another endeavor from the Komen Foundation to raise money for Breast Cancer - this is tempting!
Podcast of the Week: Democracy Now featuring Amy Goodman - http://www.democracynow.org/podcast_help.shtml#feeds
A new feature of the blog - Vocabulary Word of the Week (assuming I can come up with one!) I spent a good part of this week, groping for a word that I needed to describe something related to the book I was reading. Finally, came up with it and will share it with you here:
Archetype
An archetype is a generic, idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated. In psychology, an archetype is a model of a person, personality, or behavior. This article is about personality archetypes, as described in literature analysis and the study of the psyche.
In the analysis of personality, the term archetype is often broadly used to refer to
a stereotype—personality type observed multiple times, especially an oversimplification of such a type; or
an epitome—personality type exemplified, especially the "greatest" such example.
However, in a strict linguistic sense, an archetype is merely a defining example of a personality type. The accepted use of archetype is to refer to a generic version of a personality type. In this sense "mother figure" can be considered an archetype and instances can be found in various female characters with distinct (non-generic) personalities.
Archetypes have been present in mythology and literature for hundreds of years. The use of archetypes to analyze personality was advanced by Carl Jung early in the 20th century. The value in using archetypal characters in fiction derives from the fact that a large group of people are able to unconsciously recognize the archetype, and thus the motivations, behind the character's behavior.
Cooking and Food Report:
Book Group at Janet's is always outstanding - she is a fabulous cook! Here are some of her winner recipes:
Mixed Greens and Asparagus Salad - http://www.sacbee.com/recipes/v-print/story/148588.html
Roasted Fennel and Red Onion Salmon - http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1107180
Orzo Risotto - from the current issue of Bon Appetit - not online yet!
I helped out with the appetizer - Tapas of Almonds, Olives and Cheese - it is a lot to include here but I will enter it as a word document - let me know if you want me to send it as an attachment.
Restaurant review from Chris - a favorite restaurant in Cave Creek, Arizona - Tonto Bar and Grill - http://www.azeats.com/tonto/default.htm - try the corn chowder, green chili, field greens salad, great burger and the walleyed pike.
Restaurant note - there's a new cafe/restaurant in NOBO (North Broadway next Amante's) called Organic Orbit (not sure about that name). We just peeked in last night and checked out the menu. It is open for breakfast and lunch with a casual menu and for dinner it becomes a "fine dining" restaurant. Worth checking out! If anyone has already been there, let us know.
That's it for now - have a great week and do come visit at the Boulder Creek Festival this coming weekend. The Grillo Center Labyrinth really offers a great respite from the hustle-bustle of the Festival.
Love,
Susan
Susan Wadle
Grillo Center Labyrinth Parkwww.grillocenter.org
Check out my blog at http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/
Please note my new e-mail address is susanwadle@comcast.net
Phone 303-417-1098
Fax 303-417-1122
1765 Hawthorn Place
Boulder, CO 80304
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Saturday Morning Walkers - May 12, 2007
Hi everyone!
Mary, Christie, Andrea, Terri, Laila and I had a lovely, warm Saturday morning walk on a portion of the Coal Creek Trail in Louisville - amazing views! Four of us enjoyed coffee and treats at the Dragonfly Cafe on South Boulder Road in Louisville.
Book Report:
Terri just finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - we've already reviewed that book but it deserves another mention. Check out the review on http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Flower-Secret-Fan-Novel/dp/0812968069/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2575432-7104036?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179105593&sr=8-1
Jeff recommends - Salt - A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Los Angeles Times Book Review
Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur.
Susan read a fascinating book about our current political climate - Don't Think of an Elephant - Know Your Values and Frame the Debate by George Lakoff. It is a quick read but valuable and timely.
From Publishers Weekly
Lakoff, a cognitive scientist and linguist at Berkeley, believes he knows why conservatives have been so successful in recent years and how progressives like himself can beat them at their own game. This slim book presents a simple, accessible overview of his theory of "moral politics" and a call to action for Democrats mourning November’s election results. Lakoff’s persuasive argument focuses on two ideas: what he calls "framing," and the opposition of liberals’ and conservatives’ concepts of the family. Conservatives, he says, have easily framed tax cuts as "tax relief" because of widespread, preexisting views of taxes as burdensome, and liberals have had little success conveying the idea that taxes are a social responsibility. In Lakoff’s view, conservatives adhere to a "strict father" model of family, in contrast to liberals’ "nurturant parent" view, and he sees this difference as the key to understanding most of the two sides’ clashes. His writing is clear and succinct, and he illuminates his theories through easy-to-follow examples from current politics. Although the book has been updated since the election, many of its sections were originally written long beforehand, so some comments are outdated (at one point Lakoff wonders, for example, whether George Bush’s support of the gay marriage amendment will help him keep the White House). However, the process of regaining power may be a long one for Democrats, and Lakoff’s insights into how to deal with conservatives and appeal to the general public are bound to light a fire under many progressives.
Website of the Week - http://www.roomtoread.org/ - Terri, Cass and Barb went to an event at the Tattered Cover Friday night to hear former Microsoft executive, John Wood speak about the remarkable organization he founded to bring books and education to children living in poverty. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to go with them to hear him. Do check this out!
Podcast of the Week - Between the Lines - a book review podcast from PBS Atlanta http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=5183239
Cooking and Food:
Jack and I went out to dinner last night - we went to L'Absinthe, a French restaurant at the corner of Broadway and Canyon here in Boulder. We had an excellent meal - Jack had the lobster bisque and steak au poivre and I had a Caesar salad and mussels. We shared a flourless chocolate cake that was heavenly. We also enjoyed the piano accompaniment. I was a bit disapponted that it was as empty as it was - we had tried to get last minute reservations in several other places that were totally booked. Hopefully, they'll still be around next year! http://www.labsintheboulder.com/
I just made a fabulous lamb dish (a treat for myself while Jack is away - he doesn't like lamb). I enjoyed it for dinner tonight and will enjoy it all week! It is from The Splendid Table website - it is called Ninth-Night Lamb - http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/meat_lamb.html. Great with the roasted asparagus that Libby made last week - by the way, I had indicated that she roasted the asparagus at 425 degrees - it should be 475 degrees!
Mandy sent me another great recipe from Viola Cappodici - Mrs C's Bracciole - she loved it! I'll probably try it next week for Soprano Sunday:
MRS. C’S BRACCIOLE
“It’s never a bad time for bracciole.” --Mrs. C.
Ingredients
1 ½ lb. pork loin (ask butcher to butterfly it); can also use a flattened beef round steak
salt & pepper
garlic powder
dried parsley and basil
grated romano cheese
kitchen twine
Directions
Lay out the pork (or beef); salt and pepper generously. Sprinkle a healthy amount of garlic powder, parsley and basil. Sprinkle the romano cheese to cover. (“Don’t be stingy.”) Start at the narrow end and roll and tie up w/kitchen twine (go lengthwise first and knot, circle back widthwise and make a half hitch at intervals along the way; to finish, loop around lengthwise again and knot).
Place the tied bracciole in a stockpot pot; brown it in olive oil (5 min. or so) and sear on all sides. Remove meat from the pot and set aside. Make gravy in the stockpot (see Mrs. C’s gravy recipe). Put the pork back in the pot and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer partially covered, for 1 ½ hours, stirring every 10-15 min. Remove string, slice and serve with gravy.
That's it for now - enjoy this warm weather!
Love,
Susan
Susan Wadle
Grillo Center Labyrinth Park
http://www.grillocenter.org/
Check out my blog at http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/
Please note my new e-mail address is susanwadle@comcast.net
Phone 303-417-1098
Fax 303-417-1122
1765 Hawthorn Place
Boulder, CO 80304
Mary, Christie, Andrea, Terri, Laila and I had a lovely, warm Saturday morning walk on a portion of the Coal Creek Trail in Louisville - amazing views! Four of us enjoyed coffee and treats at the Dragonfly Cafe on South Boulder Road in Louisville.
Book Report:
Terri just finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - we've already reviewed that book but it deserves another mention. Check out the review on http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Flower-Secret-Fan-Novel/dp/0812968069/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2575432-7104036?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179105593&sr=8-1
Jeff recommends - Salt - A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Los Angeles Times Book Review
Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur.
Susan read a fascinating book about our current political climate - Don't Think of an Elephant - Know Your Values and Frame the Debate by George Lakoff. It is a quick read but valuable and timely.
From Publishers Weekly
Lakoff, a cognitive scientist and linguist at Berkeley, believes he knows why conservatives have been so successful in recent years and how progressives like himself can beat them at their own game. This slim book presents a simple, accessible overview of his theory of "moral politics" and a call to action for Democrats mourning November’s election results. Lakoff’s persuasive argument focuses on two ideas: what he calls "framing," and the opposition of liberals’ and conservatives’ concepts of the family. Conservatives, he says, have easily framed tax cuts as "tax relief" because of widespread, preexisting views of taxes as burdensome, and liberals have had little success conveying the idea that taxes are a social responsibility. In Lakoff’s view, conservatives adhere to a "strict father" model of family, in contrast to liberals’ "nurturant parent" view, and he sees this difference as the key to understanding most of the two sides’ clashes. His writing is clear and succinct, and he illuminates his theories through easy-to-follow examples from current politics. Although the book has been updated since the election, many of its sections were originally written long beforehand, so some comments are outdated (at one point Lakoff wonders, for example, whether George Bush’s support of the gay marriage amendment will help him keep the White House). However, the process of regaining power may be a long one for Democrats, and Lakoff’s insights into how to deal with conservatives and appeal to the general public are bound to light a fire under many progressives.
Website of the Week - http://www.roomtoread.org/ - Terri, Cass and Barb went to an event at the Tattered Cover Friday night to hear former Microsoft executive, John Wood speak about the remarkable organization he founded to bring books and education to children living in poverty. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to go with them to hear him. Do check this out!
Podcast of the Week - Between the Lines - a book review podcast from PBS Atlanta http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=5183239
Cooking and Food:
Jack and I went out to dinner last night - we went to L'Absinthe, a French restaurant at the corner of Broadway and Canyon here in Boulder. We had an excellent meal - Jack had the lobster bisque and steak au poivre and I had a Caesar salad and mussels. We shared a flourless chocolate cake that was heavenly. We also enjoyed the piano accompaniment. I was a bit disapponted that it was as empty as it was - we had tried to get last minute reservations in several other places that were totally booked. Hopefully, they'll still be around next year! http://www.labsintheboulder.com/
I just made a fabulous lamb dish (a treat for myself while Jack is away - he doesn't like lamb). I enjoyed it for dinner tonight and will enjoy it all week! It is from The Splendid Table website - it is called Ninth-Night Lamb - http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/meat_lamb.html. Great with the roasted asparagus that Libby made last week - by the way, I had indicated that she roasted the asparagus at 425 degrees - it should be 475 degrees!
Mandy sent me another great recipe from Viola Cappodici - Mrs C's Bracciole - she loved it! I'll probably try it next week for Soprano Sunday:
MRS. C’S BRACCIOLE
“It’s never a bad time for bracciole.” --Mrs. C.
Ingredients
1 ½ lb. pork loin (ask butcher to butterfly it); can also use a flattened beef round steak
salt & pepper
garlic powder
dried parsley and basil
grated romano cheese
kitchen twine
Directions
Lay out the pork (or beef); salt and pepper generously. Sprinkle a healthy amount of garlic powder, parsley and basil. Sprinkle the romano cheese to cover. (“Don’t be stingy.”) Start at the narrow end and roll and tie up w/kitchen twine (go lengthwise first and knot, circle back widthwise and make a half hitch at intervals along the way; to finish, loop around lengthwise again and knot).
Place the tied bracciole in a stockpot pot; brown it in olive oil (5 min. or so) and sear on all sides. Remove meat from the pot and set aside. Make gravy in the stockpot (see Mrs. C’s gravy recipe). Put the pork back in the pot and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer partially covered, for 1 ½ hours, stirring every 10-15 min. Remove string, slice and serve with gravy.
That's it for now - enjoy this warm weather!
Love,
Susan
Susan Wadle
Grillo Center Labyrinth Park
http://www.grillocenter.org/
Check out my blog at http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/
Please note my new e-mail address is susanwadle@comcast.net
Phone 303-417-1098
Fax 303-417-1122
1765 Hawthorn Place
Boulder, CO 80304
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