Genre Cookshop

View from My Studio Window

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

--Helen Keller

************************************************************

Philadelphia got 28.5 inches of snow this past weekend. My neighborhood "only" got somewhere about 22. It's the biggest snowstorm since 1995, when the twins were toddlers and the banks of snow were way over their heads! They toddled along sidewalks with high walls for a few weeks, probably wondering what kind of strange, mutable, new world they had come into.

Labels: home, winter

uncanny in death,
the little owl's clenched talons-
more bunny than bird

*****************************************************

My neighbor called me over today to see a little dead screech owl he had found and asked me to take its picture. Hiroshi has a particular tenderness for owls, and even helps band saw-whits at a certain time of year. He told me this little fellow had most likely been gotten by a cousin, the Great Horned Owl, who often eats only the heads of its victims. Nature red in tooth and claw indeed!

Haiku for this week's Haiku Bones theme of uncanny.

Labels: birds, haiku, haiku bones, neighborhood, winter

christmas lights are gone
and the wolf moon comes calling,
singing in the trees

Labels: haiku, haiku bones, neighborhood, winter

...but delicious!
Inspired by my friend Lynne Campbell mentioning it on Facebook last week, I cooked up some Dahi Machi last night. That is a Bengali style fish in velvety yogurt sauce. Or as it shall forever be known in my houshold "The fish-dish. The Indian fish-dish!" (Don't ask.)

Like many Indian recipes it calls for much measuring of spices, blending of spices, rubbing or browning of spices and the dicing of many vegetables. This dish also necessitated a session with the blender at one point. The actual cookery involved was not complicated...just a lot of little steps. The result was fantastic, and well worth it. Youngest son H did mention that he thought there was "a little too much flavor" but I noticed he had second helpings so it could not have been that big a problem for him. His tender young taste buds soon adapted.

It was one of those times in the kitchen when I was really enjoying the adventure of a new recipe, feeling the flow and the joy of the work. Rare of late.

There are many recipes for Dahi Machi out there. I used this one (click here), and a few tweaks and substitutions with which I will not bore you, as I am sure you'll have your own ideas on what to do. I suggest serving the fish-dish with rice, spinach, naan and chutney. And don't worry about too much flavor. Just say "Yes, please!"

Labels: cooking, family, food, home, recipes

the author's voice
reading from her new novel-
incandescent calm

(Went to hear friend Elizabeth Kostova reading from her new novel, The Swan Thieves, last night. Absolutely wonderful!!!)

Labels: haiku, haiku bones, Philadelphia, writing

BIRTH DAY TIMES TWO
Or even three or more: it was also the birth of new parents, and grandparents, and uncles! My babies turned 16 today. Hard to believe, yet all so real at the same time. Happy birthday my lovely boys!

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!


-William Wordsworth (From Ode: Intimations of Immortality)

Labels: babies, boys, family, poetry

It's time for another Friend Friday, because I have several dear friends with big events coming up. I am delighted that all three of these are in Philadelphia and environs so I can attend! Here they are, in order of their occurance:



My friend and neighbor Fay Stanford has a solo show on at Villanova University. The opening reception is tonight, so come on down and bask in the marvelous glow of Fay's unique and amusing woodcuts.
Marvel and Mayhem
January 8-February 19, 2010
Villanova University Art Gallery

Reception to meet the artist
Friday, January 15, 5-7 pm
Connelly Center, second floor
Villanova University
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085
(610)519-4612
For directions just click here!

Image above: Birthday Boy, Woodcut, 2009, Fay Stanford



Friend and fellow autism mom Katharine Beals will be discussing her new book, Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World: Strategies for Helping Bright, Quirky, Socially Awkward Children to Thrive at Home and at School, this coming Tuesday evening (January 19th) from 7:00 to 8:00 at the Penn book store.

The book discusses unsocial/socially awkward children, analytical children, and children on the autistic spectrum, reveals current trends in today's schools that pose challenges for these children, and helps parents nurture and advocate for their children.

January 19, 2010
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Penn Bookstore
3601 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-7595



Last but not least, my old friend Elizabeth Kostova will be in town to do a reading at The Free Library of Philadelphia next Thursday the 21st. Her newest book, The Swan Thieves was just released on Tuesday, so this is a hot off the presses opportunity (I got my copy today and can't wait to crack it open!)

Elizabeth Kostova | The Swan Thieves: A Novel
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 7:30PM
Central Library
1901 Vine Street, 19103
FREE, no tickets required.
For Info: 215-567-4341

Labels: art, books, exhibitions, Friend Friday, friends, Philadelphia Art World

Through a glass, brightly
Charmed by the slightly distorted world (well, kitchen) seen through the bottom of my water glass I decided to record it for posterity!

When I was a child, I spake as a child,
I understood as a child, I thought as a child:
but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see as through a glass, darkly;
but in future, face to face:
now I know in part; but in future shall I know fully...


First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, verse 11)

Labels: food, home

cheerful, drunk, beggar
lifts his hat to all, uncaring
who gives or doesn't

**********************************

I took this shot yesterday in Philadelphia (I was parked across the street from him, waiting for someone.) This fellow was doing a roaring trade: seemed like every fifth person stopped and handed him something. I think his cheerful insouciance added to his appeal. Made me think of that great Sherlock Holmes story about the beggar The Man with the Twisted Lip.

Submitted to Sepia Scenes and also One Single Impression

Labels: city life, haiku, Philadelphia

That trembling moment
before the snow slides down-
holding my breath

*******************************

My neighbor Hiroshi's garden is a work of art, even in winter. I wrote this for Haiku Bones, the new weekly haiku meme created by my brother Bruce and myself. This week's prompt is tremble. Feel free to join in the fun, you bloggers!

Labels: garden, haiku, haiku bones, neighborhood, winter