Because I Don't Make Food That Tastes Bad

2013-05-19

What I Want to Cook

Carrots.

Running with Tweezers’ Zucchini Carpaccio

New York Times’ Roasted Carrots and Scallions with Thyme and Hazelnut

Edible Perspective’s Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame Dipping Sauce

Country singer George Jones died this past week. You’d be hard-pressed to find a singer today that, like George, actually lived the life they sang about. His hard living and tumultuous relationships with women permeated the songs throughout his long career. The headline on the New York Times obituary read, “His Life was a Country Song.” So true.

Two of my favorite touch on his love of the drink.

2013-04-21

Songs about snack cakes

Strange - Galaxie 500

Name one other song where they sing about Twinkies and I’ll give you a Twinkie.

2013-04-09

Death of a Pineapple Princess

I know the all the words to this song by heart.

We’ll settle down in a bamboo hut

And he will be my own little coconut

Then we’ll be beachcombin’ royalty

On wicky-wicky wacky Waikiki

RIP Annette Funicello.

2013-03-25

What I Want to Cook

Gnocchi Board.

Mark Bitman’s Beet Gnocchi with Olive and Garlic

Martha Stewart’s Cheese, Leek and Herb Souffle Casserole

Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaroon Tart

2013-02-13

Sinners Gonna Sin

American Spoon Sour Cherries.

The Lenten Fast begins and once again, the Widdis family will go 40 days without candy, but like all good sinners, we cheat*.

Food 52’s Chocolate-Orange Madeleine Cookies

Dessert for Breakfast’s Cafe au Lait Tart

Matt Bites’ Tart Cherry Hand Pies

*If it has milk, eggs, butter, flour and real sugar, it’s not candy…or that’s what I tell myself.

2013-01-31

Songs about food (or drink)

I’m not a fan of rum and coke (or working for the Yankee dollar), but I do love the Andrews Sisters.

Patty Andrews, the last of the Andrews Sisters, died yesterday at 94.

I’ve always loved their harmonies and especially their collaborations with Bing Crosby on songs like “Pistol Packin’ Mama” and “Don’t Fence Me In”. I could take or leave “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Rum and Coca Cola” just seemed wrong.

Last night, I found myself humming “Rum and Coca Cola” as I mixed my rum drink of choice, a Dark and Stormy; a Gosling’s ginger beer with a squeeze of lime and a dash of Gosling’s Dark Rum. It is a such an infectious tune and the Andrews Sisters sing it with such a light-hearted tone that I thought, “Did they really know what they were singing about?”

The original version was by a Calypso singer named Lord Invader from Trinidad who was actually lamenting young Trinidadian women selling themselves to U.S. soldiers stationed there during World War II. The Andrews Sisters claim that the lyrics just went over their heads when they first recorded it. Uh-huh.

I found this blog, The Rum and Coca Cola Reader, that exhaustively explores the origins of the song. It was banned in a few states and embroiled in a copyright lawsuit among other interesting facts. In addition, the blog author embedded nearly 30 versions of the tune including a Coke-commissioned version by Golden Earrings of “Radar Love” fame and a version by ska legend Prince Buster.

After listening to this song a dozen or more times and me, always a prey to the power of suggestion, I’ll be fixing myself another Dark and Stormy soon. Sadly, “Drinkin’ Rum and Ginger Beer, Both mother and daugher, workin’ for the Yankee dollar”, just isn’t that catchy. So you can have your rum and coca cola (and your Yankee dollar), I’ll have my rum and ginger beer.