Tribute to Bobby Short, Makin' Candy 3/22/05

Bobby Short, elegant cabaret singer extraordinaire, 9/15/24-3/21/05.

• Three to Get Ready: Dave Brubeck Quartet (just to get ready)
  Bobby Short sings Cole Porter--a delovely combination
  
• So Near and Yet So Far
  
• Rap Tap on Wood
  
• Do I Love You
  
• You've Got that Thing
  
• Let's Fly Away
  
• Pilot Me (French lyrics by Rene Pujol)
  
• Can Can
  
• Katie Went to Haiti
  
• Weren't We Fools
  
• C'est Magnifique
  
• How's Your Romance
  
• I've Got You on My Mind
  
• Hot House Rose
  
• I Hate You Darling
  
• At Long Last Love
  
• I'm in Love Again
  
• I Concentrate on You
  
• You're the Top
  
• Just One of Those Things
  
• You Don't Know Paree
  
• Why Don't We Try Staying Home
  
• How Could We Be Wrong
  
• You Do Something to Me
  
• You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
  
• What is This Thing Called Love
  
• By Candlelight
  
• Why Shouldn't I
  
• In the Still of the Night
  

The Ides of Makin' Candy, 3/15/05

Last-minute but excellent tracks from the stacks...

• Cote des Neiges: Stars
  
• Deep #8: Nice Nice
  
• Swimming to the Other Side: The Amidons
  
• Skokian: Tyrone Downie
  
• The Machine is Edible, Not Digestible: Kevin Brennan
  
• Cats Claws: Justin Case
  
• Calistan: Frank Black
  
• I Want that Man: Deborah Harry
  
• When Doves Cry: Prince
  
• Standards: The Jam
  
• Spellbound: Siouxsie & the Banshees
  
• What Do I Do Now: Sleeper
  
• Rasputin: Boney M
  
• Shame, Shame, Shame: Bryan Ferry
  
• Up the Hill Backwards: David Bowie
  
• Slow Emotion Replay: The The
  
• Precious: The Pretenders
  
• Mess: Ben Folds Five
  
• Been So Long: St. Etienne
  
• Why Didn't My Parents Buy me a Casio?: Micromars
  
• Cemetry Gates: The Smiths
  
• Makes No Sense: Husker Du
  
• Feeling Sad & Lonely: Bush
  
• 1979: Smashing Pumpkins
  
• Riding: Thick Pigeon
  
• Keeping Track of Time: Club 8
  
• Handle with Care: Traveling Wilburys
  
• In Limbo: Radiohead
  
• Springtime: Able
  
• Her Mellowness: Orange Cake Mix
  
• Follow the Sound: Mascott
  
• Meditation: Sinatra & Jobim
  

Makin' Candy setlist, 3/8/05

Cracklin' sweet. 3 tracks are sung by movie stars.

• Warm Tears: Alsace
  
• Comin' Around: Juliette and the Licks
  
• You'd Better Get Yourself Together, Baby: Gigolo Aunts
• IMpossible: Figurine
  
• Hotwax: Beck
  
• roamin' round: Supersuckers
  
• Ballad of Maxwell Demon: Shudder to Think (Velvet Goldmine s/t)
  
• I've Got the Password to Your Shell Account: Barcelona
  
• Clip Clap: Kahimi Karie
  
• Vari-Speed: hollAnd
  
• Daniel: Elton John
  
• Sure Shot: Beastie Boys
  
• Wild About You: Worryin' Kind
  
• Boxes of Tide: Wilma
  
• Hey, I'm Gonna Be Your Girl: The Donnas
  
• Ideal Woman: William Shatner
  
• A New Career in a New Town: David Bowie
  
• Coming Back: Kleenex Girl Wonder
  
• Bi-pet: Lali Puna
  
• La Cucaracha: Kumbia Kings
  
• The Dark of the Matinee: Franz Ferdinand
  
• Gleason Rocket: Godzuki
  
• Want More: Bob Marley
  
• She: The Sundays
  
• I'd Be So Pleased: The Hi Fives
  
• Blue Eyed Pop: The Sugar Cubes
  
• Kiss Me Only with Your Eyes: Future Bible Heroes
  
• Walk it Down: Talking Heads
  
• OK pour plus jamais: Isabelle Adjani
  
• bbvu (give me give me): 800 cherries
  
• Pachysandra/Sunday Driver: Gordon Stone
  
• St. Elmo's Fire (Snow): Uilab
  
• Keito: Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder
  

A trend of no patterns

I like to sew my own clothes, but I'm no tailor. Just like I can't play the piano without sheet music, I need a sewing pattern if I want to make anything wearable. But WHERE are the cool patterns? I apologize for naming names but companies like McCall & Butterick seem to generally come up with soccer-mom type clothes that are just not the fresh & fly fashions I'm looking for. I'm seeking stuff that's kind of out there, super-chic, unique and yet still a regular sewing pattern in regular sizes with regular directions.

So far the best big commercial companies seem to be Vogue and Burda. I like Vogue patterns because some of them (especially the vintage stuff) have a lot of nice detail like pockets and linings, etc. Burda is European and so not your average JC Penney's outfits--they're a little wacky.

But what else? Is there some enterprising Bust reader out there who's started her own company producing bitchin' brand-new/retro clothing patterns? Cuz there should be. I'll keep looking into it and post any findings here.

Another outlet seems to be vintage patterns. For example, Groovy Juice has some pages of "Women's 70s Patterns" for sale. I also saw some authentic-looking 70s patterns at Deb's Recycled Sewing Patterns. An online store called Mrs. Cleaver's Kitchen has retro patterns for a tunic and pants, palazzo pants & maxi skirt, and a peasant blouse & apron. (This site is worth checking out just for the bizarre descriptions of when June Cleaver would wear each item.)

You may have noticed I appear to love the 70s. That's because those are the sunny bicentennial days of my childhood. From my point of view, everything was good and nice in the 70s. So now I'm hoping 70s fashion can take me back... way back.

Linkin Up

Some links & info that people have sent me or that I've found. Posting here for safekeeping.

www.freecycle.org: How to give stuff to others instead of just junking it
www.michalapetri.com: Michala Petri, recorder virtuoso. I am going through a phase of wishing I myself was a recorder virtuoso, so Michala is my idol.
casio wk-3000: I played one of these recently--76 key electronic keyboard. Saving my pennies now.
surprising quote: According to this USC site, "Dr. Appleby is also completing his research on methamphetamine use and risky sex among men who have sex with men as part of a state funded grant."
Charivari: Not bad musical group. Keyword: Jupiter
Alan Hovhaness: Composer I've never heard of before... now seeking Hovhaness works.
Keeping cats indoors: Just amassing info to support an ongoing household debate about whether our beloved cats should be allowed out into a world of cars, fences, fisher cats, and Log knows what else.

Justified & Ancient Grains: Quinoa Salad

Here's an easy quinoa thing I invented.

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
kalamata olives, stoned (I mean take the pits out)
1 T capers (or more if you love capers)
handful of parsley, chopped
1 small can great northern beans
1 red onion, chopped fine
1 red pepper (either a fresh one or pre-roasted type)
oil & vinegar dressing (homemade or commercial)

Assembly
Boil the water in a saucepan and add quinoa. Cover, turn the heat down to medium (or whatever is a good simmer heat on your stove) and cook for 20 minutes. Check for doneness (all water should be absorbed) and cook a bit more if needed. Once quinoa is done, pour the lemon juice over it while still hot, and stir in some olive oil. Let cool.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients by combining the olives, capers, parsley, beans and onion in a large bowl. If you are using pre-roasted red pepper, slice it up and add that too (pimentos will also do). If you're starting with a fresh pepper, roast it up first. I like to do this by cutting the pepper in half and coring it, then sticking it in the toaster oven at about 400˚ until the skin starts to really blacken and even puff up a bit. (May take about 20 minutes, may also need to crank the heat.) Once the pepper is looking roasted, pop the pieces in a brown paper bag for 5 minutes while it cools. (There is some kitchen wisdom that this will make it easier to peel.) Then, carefully scrape the skin from the flesh with a knife. Do not yield to the temptation to rinse the burnt pieces of skin off the pepper, as you will also be washing away flavor. Just take your time and scrape everything off. Then chop & add to the bowl.

Finally, dump the cooled quinoa in the bowl and mix everything together. Season the salad with your favorite combo of oil & vinegar dressing. Add salt & pepper to taste. This is a refreshing summer side-dish, an easy potluck choice, or a nice pre-made lunch to take to work.

Optional: If you'll be eating this soon, adding some chopped cucumber can also be yummy. (But after a day or two the cucumber will begin to deliquesce in a disturbing way, so don't wait to consume!)

Makin' Candy loves HST, 2/22/05

This show dedicated to Hunter S. Thompson, one of my heroes. Not sure if he'd actually LIKE this music, but I just must shout out somehow. Cheers, Doc.

• Dance of Death: John Fahey (Zabriskie Point s/t)
  
• Heart Beat, Big Meat: Pink Floyd (Zabriskie Point s/t)
  
• Summertime: Janis Joplin
  
• Drug Test: Yo La Tengo
  
• What is Life: George Harrison
  
• Well All Right: Blind Faith
  
• Jiving Sister Fanny: Rolling Stones
  
• Wild Bill Jones: Bad Livers
  
• Clampdown: The Clash
  
• Jesus Built My Hotrod: Ministry
  
• It Was (Wars of Armageddon): Tal Ross
  
• Wheels: Flying Burrito Brothers
  
• Coconut Boogaloo: Martin Medeski & Wood
  
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: The Carter Family
  
• Wild Tyme: Jefferson Airplane
  
• Girl from the North Country: Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash
  
• Slick Tricks & Bright Lights: Archers of Loaf
  
• Marijuana Cigarette: Cat Mother
  
• 5D (Fifth Dimension): The Byrds
  
• "Fear & Loathing" clip: Johnny Depp
  
• Expecting to Fly: Buffalo Springfield
  
• Golden Hours: Brian Eno
  
• Mushroom Clouds: Love
  
• To Lay Me Down: Jerry Garcia
  
• [unknown]: Johnny Cash
  
• Story of My Life: Velvet Underground
  
• Salt of the Earth: Rolling Stones
  
• A Simple Desultory Phillipic (or How I wsa Robert McNamara'd into Submission): Simon & Garfunkel
  
• Moanin' at Midnight: Howlin' Wolf
  
• Crumblin' Land: Pink Floyd (Zabriskie Point s/t)
  

Of Lambs & Nightshades: Moussaka

I modified a Frugal Gourmet recipe for moussaka, a Greek culinary classic, to come up with something a little faster, although there is still some whisking involved.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
chopped parsley
dash cinnamon
1 t oregano
1/2 c. red wine
1+ cup tomato sauce (any kind will do)
parmesan cheese
1 eggplant
salt
olive oil
2 eggs
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 c milk
dash nutmeg

Assemble ingredients as follows
In a saucepan, saute onion in some olive oil until glassy. Add ground lamb, parsley, cinnamon and oregano and brown together. Then add red wine to deglaze (i.e. help dissolve any delicious crud from bottom of pan). Add tomato sauce and cook together on low heat for at least half an hour (try a heat diffuser underneath to avoid burning). Towards end of cooking, add a generous handful of parmesan cheese and mix together.

Meanwhile, wash the eggplant (don't peel it) and slice it in 1/4-inch disks. Arrange them in layers in a colander and sprinkle salt over each layer. Leave in the sink for half an hour or more. Heat oven to 425˚. Rinse the slices and dry them with a cloth towel (paper towels are OK if you have a lot of them). Place slices on an oiled cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 15 minutes per side, or until tender and somewhat browned. Set aside and turn oven down to 350˚.

With meat sauce & eggplant slices in a warm holding pattern, start the topping by melting the butter in a saucepan and whisking it together with the flour once melted. It should form a crumbly paste. Then pour in the milk a little at a time and whisk together (this bit-by-bit method helps avoid lumps). Cook until mixture has somewhat thickened. Add dash of nutmeg, salt, and handful of parmesan cheese, and stir in. In a separate bowl, beat together 2 eggs. Take milk mixture off heat and pour a bit into the eggs (not too much at once, or the eggs might scramble in the bowl). Beat together. Then, pour egg mixture into milk mixture and return to heat. Here's where you need to have a steady whisking hand for about 10 minutes. The idea is to cook the topping until it becomes nice and thick (almost like frosting), but not clumpy or overcooked. You may want to remove the pan from the heat periodically as you whisk, to avoid overheating the bottom too much. One chef's trick for testing doneness is to try to drizzle some of the mixture off the end of the whisk onto the surface of the rest of the mixture. When you notice that the drizzle sits on the surface for a moment before disappearing, you're getting close. The mixture should become smooth and paste-y in a few minutes. Take it off the heat.

Now it's time to put everything together. Divide the eggplant slices in half and place half in the bottom of a glass baking dish (a 9x9 square or 8x10 rectangle are good approximate sizes). Pour all of meat sauce over the eggplant, then layer on the rest of the eggplant slices. Pour the topping over the top layer and smooth it out with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle top with more parmesan cheese. Put in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until the top is browned and the lower layers are happily bubbling. Cut as if lasagna and serve!

Makin' Love Candy, 2/15/05

Be they passionate, bizarre, mournful, noisy, cute, songs about love are frickin' everywhere. Here's a slice, home-slice.

• My Love Is You: David Byrne
  
• Love Hurts (but Not That Much): Didi & Dexter
  
• I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby: Barry White
  
• Looking for Love: The Cars
  
• Love Thing: Spice Girls
  
• Lifted by Love: kd lang
  
• Sentimental Love: The Elevator Drops
  
• Will to Love: Neil Young & Crazy Horse
  
• I Don't Want Your Love: Duran Duran
  
• What the Snowman Learned About Love: Stars
  
• Modern Love: David Bowie
  
• I Love You: King Biscuit Time
  
• It's Love: You Bet!
  
• What is Love?: Howard Jones
  
• Love Is: Amy Correia
  
• I Dig Love: George Harrison
  
• Some Kinda Love: Velvet Underground
  
• With My Love: The Shades
  
• True Love Travels on a Gravel Road: The Afghan Whigs
  
• Fools in Love: Joe Jackson
  
• Easy to Love: Harry Connick, Jr.
  
• 10 Commandments of Love: Bob Marley & the Wailers
  
• I'm in Love Again: Bobby Short
  
• Love is Teasin': The Chieftains with Marianne Faithfull
  
• We Laughed at Love: Anita O'Day
  
• (I Love You) for Sentimental Reasons: Nat "King" Cole Trio
  
• You Are Love: Frank Sinatra
  
• True Love: Dean Martin
  

Great 80's! Makin' Candy 2/8/05

One of my favorite themes this week, the eighties, helped along by some new $1 albums from the discount rack. (Can you believe Corey Hart's "First Offense" for just a buck?)

• 1984: Van Halen
  
• Sunglasses at Night: Corey Hart
  
• 2 Tribes: Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  
• I Go Crazy: Flesh for Lulu
  
• Sledgehammer: Peter Gabriel
  
• Kiss Me Deadly: Lita Ford
  
• Only You & I: Psychedelic Furs
  
• Cool it Now: New Edition
  
• Vienna Calling: Falco
  
• New Song: Howard Jones
  
• They Don't Know: Tracy Ullman
  
• Rebel Yell: Billy Idol
  
• Mickey: Toni Basil
  
• I Feel For You: Chaka Kahn
  
• Destination Unknown: Missing Persons
  
• Breakdancin': Irene Cara
  
• Our Lips are Sealed: Go Go's
  
• Miami Vice: Jan Hammer
  
• Axel F: Harold Faltermeier
  
• Opening Theme: Crocodile Dundee s/t
  
• Gold: Spandau Ballet
  
• My Bag: Lloyd Cole
  
• The Limits We Set: The Beat
  Here follows a Makin' Candy patented cool-down, chill-out period
  
• Extrication Love Song: Hot Tuna
  
• More than This: Roxy Music
  
• Oh to Be in Love: Kate Bush
  
• Still Crazy After All these Years: Paul Simon
  
• Here We Go Again: Ray Charles
  
• The River of No Return: Marilyn Monroe
  

Makin' Candy, 2/1/05

In honor of the start of Black History Month, music with lots of soul.

• St. Thomas: Sonny Rollins
  
• Feelin' Good: Tal Ross
  
• I am that I am: Peter Tosh
  
• Keep Your Worries: Guru feat. Angie Stone
  
• Love or Confusion: Jimi Hendrix
  
• Freak of the Week: Funkadelic
  
• Sai: Kanda Bongo Man
  
• Hold Everything: Robert Lockwood, Jr.
  
• Superfly: Curtis Mayfield
  
• Beautiful Woman: Toots & the Maytals
  
• Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll): Funkadelic
  
• Love of My Life: Erykah Badu
  
• Too High: Stevie Wonder
  
• Heygana: Ali Farka Toure
  
• (All I Wanna Do Is) Lay Around and Love on You: Ray Charles
  
• My Mind is Ramblin': Howling Wolf
  
• Yield Not to Tempatation: Aretha Franklin
  
• You're A Sweetheart: Dinah Washington
  
• Dancing Shoes: Bob Marley & the Wailers
  
• Mhondoro: Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited
  
• Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans: Billie Holiday
  
• Confession: Shirley Horn
  
• Dream a Little Dream: Ella & Basie
  
• 13 (Death March): Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery
  
• Warm Valley: Johnny Hodges
  
• My Song: Hadda Brooks
  
• Early Ev'ry Midnite: Roberta Flack
  

Makin' Candy, the Haggis edition 1/25/05

It's Robbie Burns' birthday again and this show is a celebration of all things Scottish, including some tunes and poems from the great bard himself. A recipe for haggis was also given out.

• Doin' Quite Alright: Spirit of the West
  
• Bagpipe Tunes from the Northeast of Scotland
  
• The Stool of Repentance/The Nuptial Knot: Thistledown
  
• Roamin' in the Gloamin': Sir Harry Lauder
  
• Flowers of Edinburth: The Berkeley Scottish Players
  
• Looly, Looly: Archie Fisher
  
• Comin' Thru the Rye (song) /Gone are the Joys of the Morning (song) /To a Mousie (poem): Robbie Burns
  
• The First House in Connaught/The Copper Plate Reel: played on the Uilleann pipes
  
• French Lessons: Metrovavan
  
• I Think I'm Paranoid: Garbage
  
• Envoys: Life without Buildings
  
• Pandora: The Cocteau Twins
  
• Regrets: Eurythmics
  
• Favour: The Wake
  
• 1000 Stars: Big Country
  
• Ghost Rider: Paul Haig
  A small whisky set follows...
  
• Jigging Medley: The Rankin Family
  
• What's the Use of Getting Sober: Joe Jackson
  
• Athens Queen: Stan Rogers
  
• Winter Whisky: The Gloucester Hornpipe & Clog Society
  
• Hills of Glenshee: Shenandoah
  
• Silver Tassie: McBain's Scottish Dance Band
  
• Medley Selection: Macnish Distillery Pipe Band
  
• The Haggis: Capercaillie
  

Where the Candy is Blue, Makin' Candy 1/18/05

This show turned out to be a bluegrass, folk & mountain music special, with a few other things thrown in for good measure.

• You Don't Love God if You Don't Love Your Neighbor: Rhonda Vincent
  
• Dialog Box: David Byrne
  
• We Can Be Together: Jefferson Airplane (Spencer Dryden tribute)
  
• My Daddy Played the Fiddle (Like I Don't)/Golden Slippers: Joel Mabus
  
• Yo Se de Una Mujer: Barbarito Diaz
  
• High Germany: Margaret Christl
  
• A Great Big Sea: Bram Morrison
  
• Careless Love: John Koerner
  
• How Mountain Girls Can Love: New River Boys
  
• Duncan: Paul Simon
  
• A Guelder Rose on the Hill (Russian folk song): Anatoly Poletayev (bayan)
  
• The Lass Doon on the Quay: High Level Ranters
  
• Rocky Road: from the Red Herring Coffee House Fall Folk Festival, Urbana, IL 1969
  
• The Thrill is Gone: Grateful Dawg s/t
  
• Lickered Up; The Danville Junction Boys
  
• Song for David: Rosalie Sorrels
  
• The Deck of Cards: The Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society
  
• The Mountain: Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
  
• Hard Hearted: Bottle Hill
  
• The First Time: Cilla Fisher & Artie Tresize
  
• Bank Robber: Hot Tuna
  
• Bittersweet & Blue: Paul Penfield
  
• Old Blues: Guy & Joe
  
• Man of Constant Sorrow: Tony Furtado feat. Tim O'Brien
  
• Truck Driving Woman: Si Kahn
  
• New Boots: Mark Henley
  
• Little Cabin: Donnelly & Gerardi
  
• Pretty Boy Floyd: Arlo Guthrie
  
• Sledd Ridin': Mike Aldridge & "Old Dog"
  
• Owl Feather: John Hartford with Mike Compton
  
• Reels: Boy in the Gap/The Banshee/Music in the Glen: Barde
  
• Going Home: Jane Voss
  

Makin' Candy, 1/11/05

Just throwin' together a little of excellent everything in the sweet mix.

• Union of the Snake: Duran Duran
  
• batteries (can't help me now): Figurine
  
• Il ne Rentre pas ce Soir: Eddy Mitchell
  
• Just What I Needed: The Cars
  
• Minority: Green Day
  
• Secrets: Mission of Burma
  
• Black Steel: Tricky
  
• Mixed Bizness (remix, DJ Me DJ You): Beck
  
• Ah Ndiya: Oumou Sangau
  
• Less Cities More Moving People: The Fixx
  
• Padidadidub: Armchair
  
• Mandalay Cow: Maria Napoleon
  
• Elusive Time: Celeste
  
• Chal Chameli Bagh: Krodhi s/t
  
• Harry Lime Theme (Third Man s/t): Toni Sulzbock (zither)
  
• 74th Highlander's Quickstep/ The Barren Rocks of Aden: Thistledown
  
• I Knew You Would Go: Aden
  
• Mambo Guajiro: Rene Touzet (Bottle Rocket s/t)
  
• Jazz in the Present Tense: The Solsonics
  
• Fee: Phish
  
• Midnight Poppies/Crooked Birds: Medeski Martin & Wood
  
• This World (is Closing in On Me): Chris Carpenter
  
• Quiet Nights & Quiet Stars: Sinatra & Jobim
  
• Patchwork Quilt: Tom Baehr (standard dulcimer)
  
• Snow on High Ground: Nightnoise
  
• An Uncommonly Fine Life: Joaquin Leviano
  
• Edge of Memory: Dreamchaser
  
• Andante from the "Trout" Quintet: Schubert
  

Makin' Candy again! 1/4/05

All Professor Kitty's favorites on a special day.

• Crawlspace: The Beastie Boys
  
• Here Comes Your Man: The Pixies
  
• I Walk the Earth: King Biscuit Time
  
• I Wanna Be A Cowboy: Boys Don't Cry
  
• Hyperballad: Bjork
  
• Rudie Can't Fail: The Clash
  
• Little Bones: The Tragically Hip
  
• Why I Write Such Good Songs: Kleenex Girl Wonder
  
• The Only Man in Town: Moose
  
• Beds are Burning: Midnight Oil
  
• Trying Your Luck: The Strokes
  
• Jacking the Ball: The Sea & Cake
  
• Mirror in the Bathroom: English Beat
  
• Panda Riot: Our Hour
  
• I Didn't Mean to Turn You On: Robert Palmer
  
• Love Crown: Godzuki
  
• Electric Avenue: Eddie Grant
  
• Terror: Stockholm Monsters
  
• No Rain: Blind Melon
  
• Saint Behind the Glass: Los Lobos
  
• My Radio (AM Mix): Stars
  
• Cross Bones Style: Cat Power
  
• If You Want Me To Stay: Red Hot Chili Peppers
  
• Some Girls are Bigger than Others: The Smiths
  
• This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody): Talking Heads
  
• Daily Sisyphus: Paloma
  
• Primary: The Cure
  
• The Casio Fight Song: David Shouse & the Bloodthirsty Lovers
  
• Foram Koten: hollAnd
  

Bookstore Gift Certificates are the Bomb

Spent some time yesterday in a local bookstore looking for the best way to spend a $50 gift certificate. (First rule of gift certificates: must spend right away.) Here's what I ended up with:

Llewellyn's 2005 Herbal Almanac

What sold me on this one was the "Herbs for Beauty" section that includes recipes for making your own shampoo, moisturizers, scrubs, plus a chapter on growing your own loofahs. Of COURSE I want to grow my own loofahs, thank you!

The Natural Remedy Bible, revised & updated, by Michael Tierra and John Lust

This is a fat little mass market in which you can look up ailments like "aging," "hepatitis," and "sweating hands" and find info on symptoms, causes & treatments. Also has chapters on diet & exercise, 20 popular herbs, and hydrotherapy.

Wintersigns in the Snow and Springsigns, both by Gerald Cox

These are 2 adorable little books for people who like to run around in the woods and observe tree silhouettes, animal tracks, and bird behavior. They're full of drawings and the text is handwritten so it seems like you're reading somebody else's personal nature notes. Cutie!

Putting Food By, 4th edition, newly revised, by Janet Greene, Ruth Hertzberg & Beatrice Vaughan

This is a classic first published by the Stephen Greene Press in 1973. I have a theory that next summer I'm going to have a garden full of vegetables (besides loofahs) that I'll can, freeze & dry for winter use, like a truly sustainable Vermonter. I read the first couple chapters and these people are SERIOUS about getting things thoroughly sterilized, using only the best and cleanest ingredients, and making sure every step of the process is done correctly and hygienically. Otherwise, you could die from botulism. Ack!

Makin' Candy, 12/28/04

One of my favorite formats, the ALL 80s SHOW. So many good songs from 1984 and thereabouts. Look for the soundtrack chunk below, and listen in next time for Professor Kitty's trenchant commentary...

• 1984: Van Halen
  
• She's a Beauty: The Tubes
  
• Modern Love: David Bowie
  
• Heart & Soul: Huey Lewis & the News
  
• Back on the Chain Gang: The Pretenders
  
• Hold Me Now: The Thompson Twins
  
• Don't Let Go: Wang Chung
  
• Burnin' down the House: Talking Heads
  
• Catch Me I'm Falling: Real Life
  
• Heat of the Moment: Asia
  
• Ban the Game/Safety Dance: Men without Hats
  
• St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion): John Parr
  
• To Live and Die in L.A.: Wang Chung
  
• Pretty in Pink: Psychedelic Furs
  
• If You Were Here: The Thompson Twins
  
• Relax: Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  
• I Want the One I Can't Have: The Smiths
  
• Hong Kong Garden: Siouxsie & the Banshees
  
• Blasphemous Rumors: Depeche Mode
  
• King of Pain: The Police
  
• What's Love Got to Do with It?: Tina Turner
  
• Africa: Toto
  
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This): Eurythmics
  
• Everything She Wants (remix): WHAM
  
• Live to Tell (maxi-single): Madonna
  
• Human: Human League
  
• Smooth Operator: Sade
  

Makin' Candy Winter Solstice edition, 12/21/04

This turned into kinda a Christmas show because I grew up with a lot of great Christmas music and it seems to fit the time of year for me... But whatever your faith or belief, celebrate the longest night of the year and the return of the sun!

• Christmas is Coming: Vince Guaraldi Trio (A Charlie Brown Christmas s/t)
  
• Go Tell it On the Mountain: Harry Simeone Chorale
  
• The Holly & the Ivy: Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields
  
• Christmas Song: Nat "King" Cole
  
• Christmas Present: Andy Williams
  
• Kling, Glockchen, Klingelingeling: [unknown German singers]
  
• Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod): Luciano Pavarotti
  
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: Galliard Brass Ensemble
  
• What Noise on Earth: Ensemble Choral du Bout du Monde
  
• Russische Vesper: Ivan Rebroff
  
• I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm: Ella Fitzgerald
  
• Nutty Jingle Bells: Al Hirt
  
• A Marshmallow World: Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin live on the Dean Martin Christmas Show, 12/21/67
  
• Once in Royal David's City: Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields
  
• Boar's Head Carol
  
• Sleigh Ride: Midnight String Quartet
  
• Chicken Foot: The Christmas Revels
  
• Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer: Elmo & Patsy
  
• Do They Know it Christmas?: Band Aid
  
• Baby, It's Cold Out there: Dean Martin
  
• Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!: Dean Martin
  
• Winter Wonderland: Dean Martin
  
• I'll be Home for Christmas: Bing Crosby
  
• What Child is This: Vince Guaraldi Trio (A Charlie Brown Christmas s/t)
  
• Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, The Nutcracker: P.I. Tchaikovsky
  
• Christmas at Sea (medley): Ensemble Choral du Bout du Monde
  
• Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming: John Fahey (guitar)
  
• Un Flambeau, Jeanette Isabella: Jean-Paul Kreder Choir
  
• Happy Christmas: Oscar Lopez
  
• Dancing Day: University of Vermont Choral Union
  
• Synge We to This Mery Cumpane: The Boston Camerata
  
• Der Engel Sprach zu den Hirten: Heinrich Schutz
  
• Christmas Concerto: Arcangelo Corelli
  
• Sinfonia from Christmas Oratorio: J.S. Bach
  

Another in a series of strange dreams

In my dream, I was looking for LPs by Wentzle Ruml, perhaps as a gift, and I went to About Music in the now-burned Wilder Building in Brattleboro, VT. The guy at the store said that, even though tons of water from the firemen's efforts had ruined most of the stock, his Wentzle Ruml albums were still in super shape, because they were just great product. I looked through them--one was a shiny black box-type album, the kind that holds 2 or 3 records that are oddly numbered so that when you stack them on one of those tall-spindle record players the sides will play in the right order. I seem to recall that the talented W.R. was on the cover in a sort of stylized embossed design, just him at the piano caught in simple lines like he was live at Montreux or something. A bit of an odd dream seeing as 1. I think About Music is closed now, 2. I am not aware of Wentzle Ruml having any sort of musical career. I enjoy imagining it though.

Sweet & Sticky Jazz times, 12/7/04

A smooooth show this time, peeps.

• Kathy's Waltz: Dave Brubeck
  
• Blue Skies: Ella Fitzgerald
  
• Night & Day: Django Reinhardt
  
• The Touch of Your Lips: Zoot Sims
  
• You're A Sweetheart: Dinah Washington
  
• 5400 North: Roy Eldridge
  
• The Giddybug Gallop: Johnny Hodges
  
• Soul Blues: Yusef Lateef
  
• Early in the Morning: Jeanne Trevor
  
• Similau: Johan Jones Quartet
  
• First Valve Blues: Malik McBee Moffett
  
• Now's the Time: Charlie Parker
  
• Nowhere with Love: Harry Connick, Jr.
  
• Royal Garden Blues: Duke Ellington
  
• Down by the Sycamore Tree: Stan Getz
  
• Lullaby of Birdland: Lionel Hampton
  
• Happy-Go-Lucky Local aka "Night Train": Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery
  
• Please Send Me Someone to Love: Count Basie & Joe Williams
  
• Ain't Misbehavin': Ella & Count Basie
  
• Meditation: Al Hirt
  
• You Don't Know what Love is: Sonny Rollins
  
• A Fine Romance: Dave Brubeck
  
• Last Night When we Were Young: Kenny Burrell
  
• For All we Know: Billie Holiday
  
• Strength & Sanity: Booker Little
  
• Late Date: Ben Webster Quintet
  
• Flying Home: Lionel Hampton
  

Makin' Candy setlist, 12/1/04

The latest tender morsels of radio sweetness!

• What the Snowman Learned About Love: Stars
  
• Web Front: Archers of Loaf
  
• Rusholme Ruffians: The Smiths
  
• Stove/Smother: Sloan
  
• Freeborne: Land of Diana
  
• Fairy Dust: Joe Jackson Band
  
• The Day After the Revolution
  
• Dream Sweet Dreams: Aztec Camera
  
• Alyda: Yo La Tengo
  
• Knock on Wood: Ware River Club
  
• Free Fall: Saloon
  
• Gutter Rock: Martin Rev
  
• Tonite: Go-Go's
  
• Over & Done With: The Proclaimers
  
• All Lifestyles: The Beastie Boys
  
• Veridis Quo: Daft Punk
  
• Top of the World: Shonen Knife (covering The Carpenters)
  
• Wicked Funk: Kwanzaa Posse
  
• Little Black Egg: The Bourbons
  
• Firedoor: Ani Difranco
  
• Noites Cariocas: Conjunto Epoca de Ouro
  
• A Taste of Honey: Martin Denny (exotic moog!)
  
• Dance in the Moon: Lydia Kavina (theremin); Friedrich Wikkens (composer)
  
• Snake Flute Blues: Norma Tanega & Brian Ransom
  
• At the End of the Evening: Night Noise
  
• Misteriou Joiau: La Chorale du Bout du Monde
  

A small cache of links for future use

How to make your own fonts

www.mozartproject.org

letters of Mozart on-line

some info on how the French nobility worked

Great Saxe

My low-grade interest in the Marechal de Saxe, who lived from 1696-1750, has suddenly flared up into a fever of web-searching. I found the following brief tidbits at an infoplease entry for Saxe:

Saxe, Maurice, comte de, marshal of France, one of the greatest generals of his age. He was the illegitimate son of August II of Poland and Saxony. When very young he entered the Saxon army, and in 1720 he went into French service. In 1726 he obtained leave to make good his claim to the duchy of Courland, but in 1727 the attempt failed. He fought under the duke of Berwick in the War of the Polish Succession. In the War of the Austrian Succession, he led the successful attack on Prague (1741) and later, after becoming (1744) marshal, made his reputation by victories at Fontenoy (1745) and Raucoux (1746) and by the capture of Maastricht (1748). In recognition of his services Louis XV gave him life tenure of the castle of Chambord and (1747) the title of marshal general. His Mes Rêveries (1757) is a remarkable work on the art of war. Maurice de Saxe was notorious for his amorous exploits and for his tragic liaison with Adrienne Lecouvreur. Among his descendants was George Sand. L. H. Thornton has translated (1944) Mes Rêveries.

Other searches reveal titillating mentions of Saxe in the memoirs of Casanova, check out these 2 e-book pages: casanova 1, casanova 2.

Apparently his mistress, the actress Lecouvreur, was poisoned by a rival named Bouillon. Later, an opera was written about her. And how cool is the George Sand connection?

Makin' Candy setlist, 11/23/04

Here's what played last week--just 2 hours of sticky sweet goods.

• Lifted by Love: kd lang
  
• Moves Like You: Cath Carroll
  
• At Seventeen: Janis Ian
  
• My Jeanette: Squirtgun
  
• Snik Snak Skaduliak: Go Nuts
  
• Cryin' Cryin' Cryin': Bomb Bassets
  
• How to Survive a Broken Heart: Ben Lee
  
• Lover's Lane: Squirrel Nut Zippers
  
• Pacifics: Digable Planets
  
• Plena for My Grundle: Garage a Trois
  
• Desaparecido: Manu Chao
  
• Which of Us is the Fool: Robert Palmer
  
• Consumption: Bill Horowitz
  
• Midnight Blues: Leftover Salmon feat. Del & Ronnie McCoury
  
• It Must Be Love: Madness
  
• Der Komissar (German version): Falco
  
• Sentimental Love: Elevator Drops
  
• Big Country: Big Country
  
• Hey: Disappear Fear
  
• Cosmic Slop: Axiom Funk
  
• Let Forever Be: Chemical Brothers
  
• Clever Gretel: told by Danny Kaye
  
• Shaker Hill: The Jazz Mandolin Project
  
• Green Peach Blues: Lew London
  
• Caught: Anna Domino
  
• Eggs & Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson): Tom Waits
  
• Fadista Louco: Antonio Mourao
  
• There's Always One You Can't Forget (music of Charlie Chaplin: Thomas Beckman (cello) & Johannes Cernota (piano)
  

Gilfeather turnip soup with sea-legs

I invented this based on a bitchin' soup I tasted a couple years ago at the 4 Columns Inn in Newfane, VT. My ad hoc recipe, featuring the legendary Gilfeather Turnip (check this link for word on a movie about this heirloom vegetable, that's how much we love it in Vermont:
http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php?story=2004062809212420). I bought the turnip at the local Farmer's Market on Saturday and it really was as big as my head. Turns out I could only fit about half of it in my largest soup pot.

Take:
1 chopped onion
1 T olive oil or butter
1 box chicken broth
4 cups cubed Gilfeather turnip
2 cups cubed potato (I used a waxy one to add more texture to the soup)
1 cup cubed yellow carrot (found this at Walker Farm, the light color means the soup has carrot sweetness but not carrot color)
1 bay leaf
1 6 oz. can of lump crab meat (or fresh if you can get it)
salt to taste

Saute the onion in the butter or oil until it starts to look glassy. Then add the broth, root vegetables and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or until turnip pieces are soft (the potato and carrot may not be so soft, that's OK). The soup pot I used was larger than my (electric) stove element, so I used a heat disperser to keep everything cookin' and avoid burning food to the bottom of the pan. (This technique also works really well for brown rice.)

Allow the soup to cool (perhaps overnight in the fridge). To finish soup, mash up the root chunks with a masher or slotted spoon. Bring back to a simmer and add water for desired consistency. Add the crab meat and stir in so it starts to break up and flavor the whole soup. Marry flavors by simmering everything for another 10 minutes or so, then salt & serve! For someone who isn't a huge fan of vegetable tastes, I thought this soup was pretty delicious!

Makin' Candy Setlist, 11/16/04

Here's the radio info for this week. Mixin' candy like toffee loves lace.

• My Radio (AM Mix): Stars
  
• Mouthpiece: Shellac
  
• Speak Our Minds: Innocence Mission
  
• Je Veux Plus te Voir (I Don't Want You Anymore): Linda Thompson
  
• In Limbo: Radiohead
  
• Pachysandra: Gordon Stone
  
• No Aloha: The Breeders
  
• Harbor coat: REM
  
• Who's My Baby: Natacha Atlas with Niara Scarlett
  
• Down Boys: The Cars
  
• No Melody: Kleenex Girl Wonder
  
• 12 Halfs: E*vax & Supersprite
  
• War Party: Eddie Grant
  
• Civilization: David Byrne
  
• Through with June: The Vestrymen
  
• Hombre Secreto: The Plugz (Repo Man s/t)
  
• Bring My Car I Feel to Smash It: The Sea & Cake
  
• Wedding Coat: Appalachian Death Ride
  
• The Bomb: Herbie Hancock
  
• Perfect Angel: Jimmy Ryan
  
• You're My Meat: Joe Jackson
  
• Eat That Chicken: Charles Mingus
  
• Freedom: House Martins
  
• Angry Anymore: Ani diFranco
  
• I Scare Myself: Thomas Dolby
  
• 12-24-2011: Anubian Lights
  
• Valley in the Clouds: David Arkenstone
  
• Bushman's Samba: Lullatone
  

Makin' Candy setlist, 11/9/04

Check out the strings of rants and useful information at www.ibrattleboro.com... it has been making me feel if not better, at least in like company regarding this election fiasco. I have also been enjoying www.sorryeverybody.com, though I contest that the "red" states have gotten ripped off even more than the blue states (either through fraud or, worse, being brain-washed by vituperative talk radio, etc.) so I hate to see those "blues" pulling back and pointing fingers. That's just what THEY want us to do. We gots to work together, man. Anyway, here's the list:

• Faith: George Michael
  
• The Phone Call: Memphis
  
• Equal Rights: Peter Tosh
  
• Dreamin': The Photon Band
  
• Watchin' the Detectives: Elvis Costello
  
• Don't change Your Plans: Ben Folds Five
  
• Mom's Sound System: Buckminster Fuzeboard
  
• Feeling Sad & Lonely: Bush (a 60's garage-rock band)
  
• I Like em Big and Stupid: Julie Brown
  
• Limbo: Throwing Muses
  
• I Wish You Would: Bowie
  
• Waltz #2: Elliot Smith
  
• Bullroarer: Midnight Oil
  
• The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now): David Byrne
  
• Time to Build: Beastie Boys
  
• Nobody told Me: John Lennon
  
• Terror: The Stockholm Monsters
  
• Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity: Isao Tomita (and Holst)
  
• See the Girl: Psychopaths
  
• The Man's Too Strong: Dire Straits
  
• Band of Gold: Afghan Whigs
  
• Radio Free: Smiley Bob Project
  
• Now You're Gone: Counts
  
• Hearts and Bones: Paul Simon
  
• Take Your Clothes off when You Dance: Frank Zappa
  
• Early Ev'ry Midnite: Roberta Flack
  
• You're Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning: Sammy Davis Jr.
  

Makin' Candy setlist, 11/2/04

This show was a dee-luxe Beastie Boys special edition... as DJ Pockets pointed out, good music for election night, especially if you're angry. I must add that the new "To the Five Boroughs" CD is really starting to rock my world. Thanks y'all.

• Sabrosa
  
• Body Movin'
  
• Right Right Now Now
  
• Brass Monkey
  
• Lighten Up
  
• I Don't Know
  
• Shake Your Rump
  
• Sure Shot
  
• Groove Holmes
  
• Time to Build
  
• Rhymin' and Stealin'
  
• Negotiation Limerick File (The 41 Small Star Mix)
  
• Shadrach
  
• Alright Hear This
  
• Now Get Busy
  
• Fight for your Right
  
• Root Down (Free Zone Mix)
  
• Alive
  
• Sounds of Science
  
• Drinkin' Wine
  
• Crawlspace
  
• Brand New
  
• Hey Ladies
  
• Paul Revere
  
• 20 Questions
  
• Sabotage
  
• Intergalactic
  
• Egg Man
  
• An Open Letter to NYC
  
• Gratitude
  
• Transitions
  
• Benny & the Jets
  
• Boddhisatva Vow
  
• We Got The

The least of it

Of the many, many loud and ANGRY and apologetic (to the rest of the world) things I have to say about what happened in this country in the past 24 hours, here's just one: Bush was not RE-elected. This is not a RE-election win. This is the FIRST time he's been elected. And THAT is even worse. WHO elected this person after everything that's gone down in the past 4 years? What are we going to do for the NEXT 4 years? I feel like Lewis Black today in that I can't help SHOUTING.

Makin' Candy Setlist, 10/26/04

Radio show details finally available after a weekend spent moving house. Tribute to John Peel and tiny Hallowe'en set included in this show...

• Fool's Gold: Stone Roses
  
• My Guru: Kalanji & Ananji
  
• How Long Can This Go On: Kitty Craft
  
• Eve of Destruction: Buzzo
  
• Eardrum Buzz: Wire
  
• Frontier: Dead Can Dance
  This next chunk dedicated to John Peel, BBC DJ 1967-2004
  
• Is She Weird: Pixies, recorded on the John Peel show, 6/11/90
  
• Transmission: Joy Division
  
• There is a Light that Never Goes Out: The Smiths
  
• (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais: The Clash
  
• Badhead: Blur
  
• clip of Mr. Peel opining on Grand Rapids... here endeth the John Peel tribute
  
• Goodbye: The Universe
  
• David's Last Summer: Pulp
  
• Spin: Death of a Salesman
  
• Out of Myself: Arco
  
• Brackish Boy: Frank Black
  
• (She's a) Universal Emptiness: Swans
  Halloween trio:
  
• I'm a Vampire: Future Bible Heroes
  
• Scary Monsters: David Bowie
  
• Great Pumpkin Waltz: Vince Guaraldi
  
• Action at a Distance: Matmos
  
• Bushman's Samba: Lullatone
  
• Acknowledgment from A Love Supreme: John Coltrane
  
• Playford Tunes: Maddy Prior
  
• Time on My Hands: Ben Webster