We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
That's my rule for myself, and Jocko and Echo Charles agree. Wish I could stick by my rules 100% - but I do with my workouts. Paperwork, maybe not so much.
Boxing Day is the traditional day to tip your helpers of the past year. Besides househeld help like Butler, Ladies' Maids, cook, sucllery maids, Housemaids, footmen, doormen, etc., best to include the early morning Dunkin Donuts crew, the garbagemen, postman, and other people who routinely make your life go better. At 5:30 AM on Christmas Eve, en route to my gym, I noticed the Dunkin tip jar filled with $10 bills. You bet, because everybody depends on them.
I like that quote from a reader from somewhere: Beethoven tells you about himself, Mozart tells you about human nature, and Bach tells you about the universe. That's a paraphrase.
We've been posting too many menus. OK, Christmas Eve here, after church, is usually poached salmon with yoghurt/dill sauce. I like that sauce more than I like salmon. Christmas Eve is sposta be a "fasting" thing.
Christmas morning? I make breakfast for Mrs. BD: Scrambled eggs with good caviar on top, and a stinky French cheese. We aren't much into the presents thing, but I do put the caviar in her stocking. Yum.
Christmas Day with some family? Made it easy for us: Spiral ham, roast carrots, roast brussel sprouts, mashed taters, and Grandma's Corn Pudding. Then a Santa cake.
1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
1:28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
1:29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
1:30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
1:31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
1:32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
1:34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
1:35 The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
1:36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
1:38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Mrs. BD is a big fan of live music. She loves opera and chamber music. Yes, she also loves the NYC Ballet. Yes, she loves New York. So do I.
As with church, I find feeling confined in a seat difficult. ADHD? Who knows. I am restless. Most of us know Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, but it is interesting to watch the 10-12 musicians. Instead of getting a wall of sound from a recording, it's easier to watch each musician making a sound.
I understand why chamber music was meant to be performed in a room where you can move your chair, maybe talk with somebody, have a cocktail - and not in Alice Tully Hall. You can barely hear the harpsichord in an auditorium.
Regarding brains, how does the bass fiddle guy remember every note to play for 6 Bach concerti? Or everybody else on the music team? It is complicated music.
Nice cozy place, not too interesting food. Pub food, really. Nice to see places with ribeyes, but I tend to go for the mussels. I can make ribeyes at home.
Around the HQ, we stick with the un-Yankee, Southern Italian/Sicilian Christmas Eve fast, which means seafood. In past years, I have had the real 7 Fishes with fried baccala, steamed mussels, scungilli, etc etc. A wonderful fish feast which it would be a stretch to term "fasting." The Catholics are very clever with their concept of fasting.
The best-known Sicilian Primi is Pasta Con Sardi - pasta with anchovies (ie small sardines) - what I term Pasta With Minnows aka Pasta with Bait.
What is an "anchovy"? Never, ever use those tinned brown over-salted anchovies that they put on cheap pizzas. Disgusting stuff, cat food for a cat you hate. If you can't get fresh anchovies (they are white) at your local fish market, use the canned white anchovies in olive oil. Tasty. Good Italian markets have good fresh or oiled white anchovy filets.
Here's the recipe. Yes, to be authentic it needs the breadcrumbs. And here's another Vigilia favorite: Fried Baccala Balls. I've also had these with mashed potato in the cod mix to hold it all together. Nothing is more delicious.
Traditionally, you have to have Struffoli for dessert even though I find it inedible.
Truth is, in recent years we just make poached salmon with yogurt-dill sauce, to be ready to serve at room temp. after getting home from church.
This humble little critter is usually seen on the trunks of older trees, picking through the bark. You would never see them through foliage in summertime, but in winter they are all over the US.
I am not equating those things, just noting the overlaps of hedonistic celebrations in history. I took the photo above at a lively Christmas party we attended last Saturday. Sheesh. Like college these days, good male to female ratio.
You can blame the Romans for blending the celebration of Christ's birth with the hedonism and rule-less Saturnalia. Then you can blame the pre-Christian northern Europeans for mixing up their paganism too.
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The best-known Sicilian Primi is Pasta Con Sardi - pasta with anchovies (ie small sardines) - what I term Pasta With Minnows aka Pasta with Bait.
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This humble little critter is usually seen on the trunks of older trees, picking through the bark. You would never see them through foliage in summertime, but in winter they are all over the US.