We spent last Friday, Halloween, in Chicago. We went down for a double-header, Chicago Symphony in the afternoon, and David Byrne at night. And now it’s only Wednesday, but it feels like it’s already Friday. Maybe because of the time change Saturday night. Maybe because Jasper came on Monday this week, so that I could … [Read more…]
I’m still having this problem where I forget to photograph food. I think it’s partially because I feel like the pictures of, for example, a pan of scones from 2025 looks almost the same as the one from 2020. And also because it’s the time of year where it’s too dark to get a good … [Read more…]
By which I mean here I am living relatively comfortably, but each new headline is another horror. Trump just says this shit and people believe him. Yesterday I kept seeing pictures of the east wing of the Whitehouse being torn down for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago style ball room. Where were the preservationists? I heard a couple … [Read more…]
For pumpkin butter and all manner of things. Optimism is not really in my nature, but I’m trying. This morning Thursday morning I made a batch of pumpkin butter, which I hadn’t done in a year or two because the last batch turned into a tasty but non-spreadable lump, that I think was due to … [Read more…]
And various cooking adventures. The last full week of September, so like a week and a half ago(ish) we spent Thursday and Friday partially in Chicago. Thursday was Mark’s birthday and his present from me was go to Chicago, see Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me in the Studebaker Theater, and stay in a nice hotel. … [Read more…]
Since we’ve been back from TIFF, about two weeks now, we’ve entered into this seemingly endless string of hot sunny days with thankfully cool nights. It’s bright and blue skies and down to the 50s at night, but up to the 80s in the daytime, case in point the current temp is 81°, although that … [Read more…]
And back in Madison, nine days+ already. Saturday started with Glenrothan, about a Scottish family and their whiskey distilling business and the son who left and the one who stayed home. Verging on Hallmark Channel sappiness, but with great actors, Alan Cumming as the son who left and Brian Cox as the one who stayed, … [Read more…]
Friday we saw four movies and all of them were quite good, plus we ate delicious upscale Chinese at another Chef Zach recommendation, Sunny’s Chinese. The first movie of the day was The Christophers, directed by Stephen Soderburgh, about an aging artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) whose messy life seemed to me to be similar … [Read more…]
On Wednesday we had a leisurely morning. Coffee at the Balzac’s at the public library and then breakfast at the AirBNB, then went to see Ballad of a Small Player with Colin Farrell as a gambler with Tilda Swinton as a dowdy collection agency employee chasing him. Which was quite enjoyable, but a bit confusing. … [Read more…]
At Avenue Open Kitchen, We had big plates of eggs and bacon and toast; eggs and peameal bacon for me, and an omelette for Mark. I asked for an orange juice and it was almost a pint, 500ml, and definitely fresh squeezed, maybe not that moment but for sure that day. The potatoes were fresh … [Read more…]