Bruuuuuuuuce (kind of)

Shout out to Evvie for discovering Hangin' on E Street, a great combination of artists ranging from Tegan and Sara to Wyclef who are covering Bruce Springsteen songs. I love, love, love this quote from Josh Ritter: "If you haven’t found Bruce Springsteen yet, you will find a point in your life when his music will be enormously important to you."

Movie Review: Rachel Getting Married

Last night, when I should have been cleaning my apartment or packing for my NYC weekend, I watched Rachel Getting Married. And although it made for a late Thursday night (post 10:30!), I’m glad that I did. The story of a 20-something’s homecoming trip, it’s one of the more captivating and authentic movies that I have seen in a while. So authentic that it’s actually pretty hard to watch at some points. But the unexpected moments of happiness, coupled with an investment that you make in the characters pretty early on in the movie, make you keep going.

I read somewhere that director Jonathan Demme wanted to get all of his favorite people (who didn’t know each other at all) together for this movie. His careful, wise choice of actors comes across on screen. It seems like almost every scene has more than 2 people acting at the same time, but the movie manages to avoid the typical choreography that you see with other movies (e.g. The Family Stone) that feature large groups of people. Somehow, the actors successfully pull off the awkward, angry, emotional, tense, fun moments that we have all faced as we revisit home.

I believe the tagline was “This isn’t your family. But this is your family.” That just sums it up beautifully. Award: Golden Globe

::also, kudos for featuring the lead singer of TV on the Radio, America’s best underground band (according to Howard Wolfson)::

Don’t Judge a Book…

This site honoring/archiving book covers is simply fantastic. Complete with font identification nonetheless! If you need inspiration for your next memo or PowerPoint (or if you just want to kill some time), make sure to check it out. Some really beautiful stuff.

Look at Those Smiles

About a week and a half ago (I know, I know, it’s been a busy week), I hosted a small dinner party at my place with the fine ladies in the picture above. And Pete, who was a great sport. Good conversation, Neko Case albums and moderately-priced wine were in full supply. I made the recipes below, which a) turned out pretty well b) would be very easy to replicate for a large or small gathering.

If you are making anything here, may I also offer the following tips:
1. This menu would have been perfect for a weekday dinner party. You can make almost everything (sans roasted vegetables and black bean brownies) beforehand, then wrap it in aluminum foil and then throw it in the oven when you get home from work.

2. The key to the lasagna is using fresh spinach (as opposed to the frozen-block-kind) and sautéing fresh garlic and onions to mix with the ricotta.

3. Yes, the black bean recipe really is that easy. It’s not that great for leftovers though…

BRUSCHETTA
Here, I just used part of the Italian boaf of bread, some Trader Joe’s Bruschetta sauce and mozzerella cheese. Toast the bread, heat the bruschetta sauce in a small pan, then put the sauce on the toast and add the cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes and you are good to go!

SPINACH LASAGNA
Ingredients:
20 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups fresh spinach
3 cups ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.

4. Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, and pepper in a bowl. Add cooled onion mixture. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

5. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. 6. Repeat layering 2 times.

6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving

ROASTED VEGETABLES
Chop up a myriad of vegetables (I used eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red onion) and toss with olive oil, butter and Italian seasoning. Then bake in the 350 degree oven for as long as you bake the lasagna.

FAMOUS LAROSAS SALAD

GARLIC BREAD
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (15- by 3 1/2-inch) loaf Italian bread

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mash garlic to a paste. Stir together butter, oil, and garlic paste in a bowl until smooth, then stir in parsley.
3. Without cutting completely through bottom, cut bread diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife, then spread garlic butter between slices.
4. Wrap loaf in foil and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Open foil and bake 5 minutes more.
-Bread can be spread with garlic butter 8 hours ahead and chilled, wrapped in foil. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking-

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES
Ingredients:
1 box of Brownie Mix (I like Trader Joe’s Truffle Brownie Mix)
1 can of black beans
½ bag of Heath toffee chips (you could also use walnuts, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, whatever)

Preparation:
1. Using a food chopper or a food processor, puree the black beans.

2. Add the brownie mix and stir with a wooden spoon. Don’t add anything else that the brownie recipe calls for (eggs, oil, butter, etc.). Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.

3. Bake according to the brownie package instructions (usually 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes). I served these with cut strawberries and whipped cream. So good! And vegan!

Riding the Rails

When I was in high school, my father and I boarded a train in Maysville, KY, and headed to Washington, DC, by rail. If I remember right, the trip was supposed to take 12 hours one-way. It ended up taking double that: 24. BUT, I honestly have nothing but good memories about the train ride itself. It was a beautiful ride that took some routes that are only accessible by train. We also saw small towns that I don’t think I would have seen otherwise. The food was better than any airplane food that I had eaten and I loved the “entertainment” options: reading while periodically looking out of the window; walking about and stretching my legs; and taking a nap in my oversized chair. It was just my style.

In our era of rushed, uncomfortable travel, I was excited when I saw this piece in the Times about a writer who traveled across country by trying out Amtrak. It’s a good, objective article that explores rail travel from a bunch of different angles. And it will undoubtedly make you want to take 4 days off of work to tour the country the old-fashioned way. Just keep in mind, it may turn out to be 8 days.