Currently reading The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. I just can’t seem to put it down. Perfect pre-Halloween reading.

I have been practicing Chinese cuisine with the help of my new cookbook “Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking” by Fuchsia Dunlop. So far every recipe has been quite easy to manage and the results have been great.

The ladies of Kiss & Tell like to listen to records

On Saturday we ran into Clark Warner and his wife Liz Copeland at breakfast.  I finally met their adorable baby. A few hours later radio goddess and new mother Liz Copeland opened up the festival with a really lovely set of what she defines as baby listening music.  Melodies from Air and Brian Eno and other ethereal treasures consumed our ears, as ravers of all ages started to show up for the first day of the festival.  Other highlights of my day were killer sets from Nikola Baytala and Steve Bug.

Clark Warner and his baby in protective ear gear or maybe he is listening to death metal?

an adorable Lolita raver

more candy ravers

At night we threw the Detroit version of House n Home (my flyer).  I finally had a chance to meet the lovely DJ Cassy.  Here is the fist shot I took of her.  She was all smiles during her amazing set. I wish more DJs smiled when I photographed them.

Photos by Seze Devres

For the past two years my favorite food podcast has been the Splendid Table.  Even if you are not a big foodie the host Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s laugh and amazing personality is enough to keep your interest.  And every week she has the fabulous Jane and Michael Stern talk about their Road Food adventures.  You can download to her very informative podcast here.   She is not to be missed!

Happy birthday to Fannie Merritt Farmer (23 March 1857 – 15 January 1915).  She is know for writing one of the first cookbooks with precise measurements, her basic recipes are still my favorite.

Fannie Farmer’s Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
pinch Cayenne
2 cups Elbow Macaroni dried
2 tblspoons Butter
2 tblspoons Flour
1 1/4 cups Milk heated
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese grated
1 1/2 cups Buttered Bread Crumbs

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
3. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown – about 2 minutes.
4. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more..
6. Stir in cup grated Cheddar cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
7. Remove from the heat
8. Butter a 1 -quart casserole.
9. Put the cooked macaroni into the casserole, pour the cheese sauce over it, and mix gently with a fork.
10. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top and spread the crumbs over the cheese.
11. Bake, uncovered, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

I had a chance to view Coraline in true 3D at the most lovely movie theater in New York The Ziegfeld. Coraline is far better and darker than most children’s films.  The visuals were completely inspiring and I can’t wait to see it again and again.

from the original book by Neil Gaiman

Coraline and her kitty venture down the rabbit hole.

The mouse circus performance was my favorite part.

This movie looks like it is going to be really good.

watch the trailer

 

Based on a true story, EVERLASTING MOMENTS follows the story of Maria (Maria Heiskanen), who is married to an alcoholic and womanizing dockworker (Mikael Persbrandt). Her husband leaves the worries of family responsibilities entirely to Maria. Her situation is desperate until she meets a camera shop owner (Jesper Christensen) who encourages her to start taking and developing photographs. She soon begins to see the world in new ways that threaten her already perilous situation.

this is so lovely it might make you cry with happiness