by Christina Waters | Dec 16, 2007 | Home, Movies |
The exact youthful energy, yearning innocence and reckless abandon that Baby Boomers brought to the world-altering ’60s is packed into Across the Universe, Julie (Frida, The Lion King) Taymor’s deceptively complex romp through the dawning of the age of counter-cultural awakening.
Ambitiously rife with imagination and spunk, the film takes Boomers on a magical mystery tour through the soundtrack of their coming of age.
That would be the Beatles, whose songs are re-awakened by the young cast who sing their way through a slender tale of boys and girls, hippies and wannabes, worlds colliding and tripping into the psychedelic fantastic. For any viewer old enough to remember all the lyrics, this film will more than reward its overly-long (and sometimes hokey) feast of sights and sounds.
Joe Alexander is brilliant as Max (above left), whose sister Lucy (in the sky with …played by Evan Rachel Wood) falls in love with a young Liverpudlian Jude (Jim Sturgess, above right). (more…)
by Christina Waters | Dec 15, 2007 | Home |
by Christina Waters | Dec 11, 2007 | Home |
Hot and spicy — perfect for chilly winter afternoons — are the pungently-scented tea creations from Malabar Trading Company. The Santa Cruz-based company specializes in exotic tea blends and kits, such as the handsomely packaged “Traditional Malabar Chai.” Armed with step by step instructions from Malabar’s founding culinary guide, Annaliese Keller (who gave us many delicious dining experiences at her Café Emmanuelle in days gone by), I simmered the blend of black pepper, cardomom, cloves and ginger (probably others too) in milk, and then added teaspoons of Assam black tea. Simmered a bit longer and then enjoyed the sort of sensory experience that the goddess Kali probably savors before taking on the souls of those with questionable karma.
Annaliese tells me that her chais, as well as other teas and tisanes, are available at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College on Saturdays. “I also do a brisk internet business,” she says, pointing to the downloadable catalog on the website.
Special for the holidays, Malabar Trading Company has packaged a unique blend of mulling spices and vanilla bean — sounds like a very old-fashioned idea to add to wine or apple cider. Can you say “wassail? The chai sets run around $8 and make 32 servings. Aromatic stocking stuffer from a homegrown culinary artisan.
by Christina Waters | Dec 11, 2007 | Holidays, Home |
Already enjoying a cult following among local winemakers, Au Midi in Aptos has planned a splendid New Year’s Dinner menu. Chef Muriel Loubiere will begin with Champagne and oysters, followed by seared foie gras and peaches. Then comes a first course of organic chicken breast with morels and white wine, followed by salad in hazelnut vinaigrette and crispy goat cheese. The entree of sand dabs wrapped in butter lettuce sets up the palate for a triumphant chocolate Bûche de Noël adorned with chestnuts and pears.
Au Midi’s gala Reveillon dinner, served from 7pm to 11pm on the 31st —available by reservation only — is priced at $90 per person (not including tax and gratuity). Move swiftly to make your plans to dine out the old year a la francaise, at Au Midi, located at 7960 Soquel Drive in Aptos (behind the Aptos Cinema). Call 831/685-2600 for reservations.
by Christina Waters | Dec 11, 2007 | Home |
The Farm & Garden folks have come up with another one of those mouth-watering cookbooks — Fresh from the Farm & Garden: Volume 2 — just in time for holiday gift giving. (You think they planned that?)
Available at Capitola Book Cafe, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, and also through the UCSC Center for Agroecology directly ($20, with some proceeds going toward the work of the Friends of the F&G, contact Joni at 459-3240, or jonitann@ucsc.edu), the tempting recipes, over 200 of them, will have you spending quality time in the kitchen during the coming new year.
Naturally the focus of this great new cookbook is local, seasonal, organic produce and how to turn it all into memorable dining.
You wanted local gift ideas. Here’s another one. Go check it out.
by Christina Waters | Dec 11, 2007 | Holidays, Home |
Some people go shopping, I get baking. Immediately after Thanksgiving I lay in a supply of pastry flour, candied citron, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cranberries, oatmeal, raisins, oranges and spices — oh, and butter and eggs. And then I retrieve my vanilla-stained copy of the Sunset Magazine from four years ago — the one with a few dozen award-winning Christmas cookie recipes. This is my template. I have embellished each recipe over the years, adding twice the amount of spices, plus coriander and white pepper, to the Pfeffernusse recipe. Stepping up the amount of grated orange peel, and substituted almonds for coconut in the cranberry-orange recipe. You get the idea.
Then – for two weekends – I bake. (more…)
