Thursday, November 9, 2023

How Simple the Joys at our Finger Tips


How bad can life be when you find a pack of little non-stick pans for which to fill with baked goods and in this case, meatloaf!  Any new take on an old favorite helps take the doldrums out of the cold weather months.  Mashed potatoes and greens came along for the perfect ride.

When is the appropriate time to take down Halloween decorations?  
Sister's snowy view in Colorado
My two favorite trees of the fall bike ride this year.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

I See Myself in You

Geese! 
Shrimp and Sausage with Peppers over Tortellini
Not a concise meal but a mixture of delicious members each contributing to make a flavor-packed plate of bites that provide the umami level of pizza but the heartiness of a home cooked dish. 
I might similarly describe my recent obsession, a band named Geese.  Of course I'm two years behind, I'm old!  They are from Brooklyn and magically provide whatever was lacking in my life.  Their music is new, yet familiar.  They are raw, not soft and squishy like so much I hear now.  They can be grotesque and crude at times but then precise and spacey in others.  They present this evolved sound that was possibly born out of a lifetime consumption of selective serotonin uptake inhibitors in the water supply.  It plays right in time with our racing ADHD brains.  They work very well as a band even though to watch them play, they could each be on their own planet and that would sound right too.  They are hard to describe but whatever they are doing, it's working.  So well that I've not been able to stop listening since I found them.  
Geese, An American Rock Band
I have often wondered what type of modern music for lack of a better term might come out of today's youth that could appeal to my slightly older pallet.  I could live another lifetime and not discover all the bounty of artists that already exist so it's not essential that a new band come along but it's always stunning when they do.  From the moment Cameron Winter delivers his guttural vocal acrobats, to the mystifyingly bewitching riffs coming out of Gus Green's guitar, all balanced by the rock solid bass of Dominic Degesu, you are transported to the home of your restless youth, complete with all the uneasy, unruly feels.  Max Bassin plays drums like I dream of living. His strength and restraint leaves me awestruck.  He goes to battle every song.  I could watch him all day long.  
Geese give me goosebumps!

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

I Been to Sugar Town, I Shook the Sugar Down

Dark Chocolate Chip and Walnut Brownies
It's hard to know where these things are born but I awoke one morning with the idea and vigor to bake up some sweet treats for no other reason than to follow my whim.  As if rich, chewy chocolate brownies could replace the lack of sun needed to keep a bright outlook.  It doesn't, but it sure helps.  
Banana Nut Bread
And since I had extra chocolate chips, flour, eggs and nuts, why not use up these overripe bananas for a soft comforting bread.  I could take some to work and share with the guys and gals.  It was satisfying to create and bake and felt good to give as we approached the giving season, even though I know a few of those fecks don't deserve one single nut the way they act and treat me and others many days.  Sugar helps swallow down all the bad medicine we must take on a daily basis.  




Egg and chorizo breakfast taco