from the Barefoot ContessaAnother amazing homemade delicacy from Astrid – creamy, salty Ricotta. The recipe comes from Ina Garten and is far easier than you might imagine.
It puts the store bought stuff to shame and will impress any guests or family.
by Johannes NyholmFurther proof that toddlers are tiny drunks without the alcohol comes from this adorably funny short film.
This is just a portion of the short “Las Palmas” directed by the handsome puppet making Swede, Johannes Nyholm.
Thank you, Brandon for the link.
Stellar ActorI heart Max Von Sydow. I was recently reminded of this while looking at photos of him for a rock poster I was working on. He’s dignified, wise, but has a humorous glint in his eye.
His career, which began with the fruitful partnership with Ingmar Bergman, is wildly varied and extremely interesting.
On my personal list of Von Sydow viewing if you’re planning a marathon?:
Wild Strawberries, Through A Glass Darkly, The Exorcist, Three Days of the Condor, Death Watch (actually I have never seen this but am interested to learn it’s a sci-fi film by Bertrand Tavernier and it’s not readily available – making it even more intreguing), Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Strange Brew, Dreamscape, Dune, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Intacto.
Phew, what an awesome man!
from Michelle PalmThank you, thank you, Jessica. If any broad can class up a Jello Shot, it’s her and she did so with these Birthday Bourbon Smash Jelly Shots.
The recipe comes from Jelly Shot Test Kitchen, an entire site dedicated to boozing up the jiggly dessert by Michelle Palm – who has a book coming out soon. (Note that Jessica substituted strawberry juice for the cranberry.)
Shaun claimed he tasted peanut butter, and before we could roll our eyes at him, I realized he was right! They are like pb&j for adults… or at least adults that partake in jello shots.
My mom sent me this photo of myself as a little girl on my birthday. I love that I would totally dress and accessorize the same today. A love for excessive costume jewelry never fades away.
The Best in Men’s StyleI really couldn’t love a blog more than I do Street Etiquette. Bloggers Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs, who are a mere 20 years old (!) and totally hunky, organize their thoughtful, stylish entries buy article of clothing such as berets, corduroy, jean jackets, chambray, and my own personal current love, jungle boots.
They present suggested ways to wear each item and bits of history, shopping guides and inspiration. Their photography is gorgeous, they have distinct character that lots of style blogs lack, and I like me some clothing and accessories close ups like nothing else.
This is a great example of engrossing and thorough blogging that is near perfect in it’s execution and usability. I’ve been raving about it to anyone that will listen since discovering it a couple days ago.
While I’ve always said I’d never like working in menswear, because it would be sooo boooring, I have to admit, thanks to stellar dapper gents like these, I am becoming more and more intrigued with the details of slacks, ties and buttons downs.
Part the reason for my new passion is that I now have a son who I get to dress for at least the next five odd years (if Jim refuses to roll up his pants and nix the socks, fine but Van can’t if he can’t talk!) and part of the reason is that since I no longer get to get dressed up for work, I am starting to live vicariously through Jim.
I’ve even asked if I can pick outfits for him and am bugging him to add neckties to the daily rotation. Street Etiquette is sure to inspire some looks I will be coaxing him to try.
Click here for the rest of Street Etiquette
from Simply RecipesI sometimes forget how easy it is to make a pie (well, with a pre-made crust at least) and with this Blackberry Pie from Simply Recipes, it’s easy to make it delicious as well.
Lemon zest, cinnamon, and almond extract add character to the flavor. Of course, this is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla.
directed by Bertrand Tavernier (1981)If nihilists believed in heroes then Lucien, the small town sheriff in Coup de Torchon could be the man for them. He comes by way of Jim Thompson, darkest noirest extraordinaire and his novel, Pop. 1280. That book is set in 1917 Texas but the movie is cleverly moved to 1930s West French Africa, Senegal.
I haven’t read the book to compare it to (though it’s definitely making my list), but I think director Bertrand Tavernier has captured the weird, almost surreal darkness of Thompson’s work most effectively on film. (P.S. – other notable adaptations: Serie Noir, After Dark My Sweet).
To say Lucien is disrespected is an understatement. He’s called ass licker and turd more than by name, he is kicked by other policemen, pushed around by the local pimps, mocked by his own wife – and for good reason. As a policemen he never arrests anyone and ignores crime as much as possible, even when own mistress is being abused publicly.
He seems to initially be a gentle and simple sort who detests violence and has more respect for natives than most. Which is why you are almost on his side when he begins to take action against the “trash” of the city by committing righteous murder.
But, as the film progresses and his motives become less about justice than his selfishness, any semblance of morality is blown. Played with just right amount of pathos and underlying insanity by Philippe Noiret, the sheriff, if I had to imagine him cast today, could be pulled off by a bitter little Patton Oswald and his unassuming baby face.
Scrounging around in the mud of human depravity with him are his scheming wife played by the always amazing Stephane Audran, her “brother”/secret lover – a half witted brute (I’d cast John C Rielly in my remake), his mistress, Rose, a piece of amoral work with a naive lust for violence and chaos played by the also always amazing Isabelle Huppert.
The cast is astounding, turning almost cartoonish physical comedy into something dimensional. Not that it’s cartoonish due to sloppy film making, quite the opposite, Tavernier manages the tough balance of darkest comedy only to reveal something very sinister.
The totally bizarre alternate ending, featuring dancing man apes, is worth a look on the Criterion Collection release. The only way this low profile masterpiece could have better is if it had stayed in.
Click here for the rest of Coup de Torchon
by Haruki Murakami (1993)Murakami’s short story collection The Elephant Vanishes opens with what would become the first chapter of The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, a book that consumed and mesmerized me like only few great novels can. I tried to repeat that spell with his other works, but only came as close with Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
After finishing the second story, I was worried that this would be another miss for me and Murakami – though a miss from him is still guaranteed to be more curious and interesting than many authors’ best so I kept reading.
I was finally drawn in completely by the story Sleep, a subtly creepy story of a woman who lives two lives when she suddenly no longer sleeps. It’s a masterful study of inexplicable fears come to life, fears that sit dormant below the surface of the toil and small joys of everyday living.
Other notable favorites are Barn Burning, Family Affair, TV People, The Dancing Dwarf, and The Last Lawn of the Afternoon. Of course, every reader will have their own opinions depending on their tolerance for the bizarre surrealism that peppers his writing with such dark grace.
The best stories here have his hallmark gift for mood. You feel the people and places in essence if not in detail and are transported to strange territories that are both very near and very far from our own lives.
