Alan Rickman You Rock My World.

Alan Rickman is currently the it man of the moment for his brillant turn as Professor Severus Snape, the uber anti-hero of the Harry Potter series.  He's brillant in the movie and I'm thrilled to see Snape emerge as such a fan favorite.

Last week I posted a clip from a brief interview Mr. Rickman gave at NY premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.  An old and dear friend commented and left a link.  I followed the link and what I discovered there was more than worthy of a post of its own. 

Ladies, there is sexy, and there is sexy.  Feast your ears on this.

http://hennnypotter.tumblr.com/post/7808996289

Alan Rickman reads Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Saved By a Peach and Strawberry Crumble.

Writing is hard.  Coming up with fresh ideas, weaving random tidbits to into a cohesive whole, while injecting a healthy dose meaningful insight and wit.  Hard.

When I was in high school I had three dreams, singing, acting, and writing.  Scarred vocal chords killed my voice, convincing myself that acting was for beauty queens killed off acting, but the writing and I endured.  It doesn't matter what I'm writing about; my kids, last nights dinner, tropical deforestation, or the poor girl in FL who didn't wear underwear on picture day, I love it all.

I openly admit that my biggest shortcoming as a writer is that I often bite off more than I can chew.  A Big Idea pops into my head and the smashing peach and strawberry crumble I made over the weekend and should most definitely be blogging about waits nervously as I chase The Big Idea.  For a day and half I have wrestled with The Big Idea, but we remain at stalemate.  So today consistency wins and for now I will walk away from The Big Idea because frankly that Peach Strawberry Crumble was too damn good not to share. 

Peach and Strawberry Crumble

(No, I don't have a picture, so just imagine something really flippin' yummy.)

This recipe was inspired by the Peach and Raspberry Crumble created by that Doyenne of all things yummy, Joy the Baker.

This recipe fills a 9x13 inch baking pan.


10-12 medium ripe peaches, sliced with skin on
1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Generous pinch of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

1 gallon of vanilla ice cream

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.

Place sliced peaches and strawberries in the 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, oats, spices, and salt. Add the butter and toss the mixture together with your hands. Break the butter up into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of small pebbles and oat flakes. This should take 4-5 minutes. 

Toss about 2 cups of the crumble topping into the peach and strawberry mixture.  Mix lightly with your hands. Spread fruit evenly in the pan and top with the remaining crumble mixture. Bake until fruit is juicy and bubbling, and the top of the crumble is slightly browned and crisp, about 40-45  minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and serve with vanilla ice cream (don't even think about omitting the ice cream).  Note that you can serve this immediately or make ahead and reheat in the microwave.  

Eat This!! Heatwave Cooking, Part 1

It's about a billion degrees outside, and you've got to fix dinner.  Your wee ones will not warm to the idea of sandwiches for dinner or a main course salad, and in this weather grilling seems like the culinary equivalent of waterboarding.  So what does one cook for dinner in 100 degree heat? 

You will need one of these.

and one of these...

to whip up a batch of these...

Slow-Cooked Hoisin Pork Wraps with Peanut Slaw

From the Freaking Geniuses at The Kitchn

You will need;

1 batch of Slow-Cooked Hoisin Pork (recipe below)

1 batch of Peanut Slaw (recipe below)

10-12 tortillas

Note that this will serve at least 8 hungry people.

Slow Cooked Hoisin Pork

6 pounds pork butt, trimmed of thick fat

Salt and pepper
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large piece fresh ginger, about five inches long
1 bottle hoisin sauce (12-15 ounces)*

Rub the trimmed pork shoulder all over with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Put in the slow cooker (cut in pieces first, if necessary). Add the smashed garlic cloves, tucking them around the pork. Peel and grate the ginger and put it in too. Pour the hoisin sauce over everything. Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours or overnight.

When meat is cooked use two large forks to shred the meat and mix it with the sauce.  Also note, that washing dishes in the heat sucks almost as much as cooking in it so this little bugger uses ONE pot from start to finish.

Peanut Slaw

1 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 bunch green onions
1 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup light oil, like canola
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)

Shred the cabbage very finely.  Take care here and cut to create fine threads.  Trust me, it really makes a difference.  Then chop the threads into bite-size lengths. Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl. Chop the scallions, including the green and white parts. Toss the scallions and chopped cilantro with the cabbage, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness. 

Toss with the cabbage. Garnish with a few more peanuts and serve.

Now throw a little meat and a little slaw on your tortilla and wrap away. 

You're Welcome.

I Love You Snape....or is it Colonel Brandon?

So last night the Kingdom donned their 3D glasses and had their collective worlds rocked by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.  As posted here, the characters, books, and films of the Potter franchise hold a place in the Kingdom's hearts like no other.  Expectations were high...and they were met.

As if Alan Rickman's brilliant turn as Severus Snape wasn't enough reason to love him, yesterday I caught this little interview.  Leave it to the mature adult to deliver such an earnest and on point message about what it really takes to succeed in entertainment, or anything else for that matter...jump to the 1 min. 55 sec. mark, then show to your kids every time they want to blow off homework, piano practice, chores, etc.

P.S. - Rickman played the totally swoon-worthy Colonel Brandon in the 1995 film, Sense and Sensibility.  Watch it and see how many Harry Potter cast members appear with him in this film as well.

All I Ever Needed to Know About Motherhood I Learned at Hogwarts.

With the final installment of the Harry Potter film series opening this weekend I felt it only fitting to devote a post to this literary, cinematic, and pop culture phenomena.  My kids grew up with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and in a lot of ways, so did the Countess. 

On my daughters second birthday my son entered our lives.  The ensuing years were a blur of house hunting, relocating, working, not working, starting a business, and getting a home in order.  For the first time the Count and I were in separate camps, I as Mom and homemaker on Long Island, he as Dad and provider.  I was completely out of my comfort zone and often I longed to return to the career I loved.  I could generate millions in revenue but I couldn't keep the bathroom tidy, pick out a window treatment, or get my six year-old daughter to crack a smile.  The doubt creeped in.

One of the few places I found sure footing was in stories and story telling.  Much of my anxieties about the enormous responsibility of raising two children temporarily vanished in the voices and rhythms of the countless stories the three of us read together.  Every night as I cleaned up dinner I'd hear them splashing around in the tub, then Dad's voice ordering them to dry off and brush their teeth.  I'd wrap up whatever I was doing, knowing that two little voices chanting, "stories, stories, stories" was moments away.  Each night I would open a new book and read, eliciting gasps, laughter, and the magical questions that children always ask, and to which I magically seemed to have the answers. 

In August of 2009 the we began reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, and shortly after the Kingdom was rocked by the discovery of a tumor in my son's spinal column.  I suddenly found myself reading aloud in hospital beds, or while seated next to an MRI machine.  As terrifying as real life had become, we could all still take refuge in the simple pleasure of story time and melt into the magical world of Ms. Rowlings creation.  One by one, we read through every book in the series.  For long car rides we discovered the brilliantly done Harry Potter audiobook series, magnificently read by Jim Dale.  Trips to Cape Cod or the annual ski trip were now memorable not just for what we did when we got there, but which book we listened to en route.      

The joy that this series brought to my children and I impacted my parenting tremendously.  In Ms. Rowling's boundless imagination I discovered something that I could give my kids that was cooler than anything I could buy them in a store - myself.  I sing, dance, tell jokes, bake cookies, play board games, whip up favorite meals, play catch, bandage wounds and help with homework. I don't need batteries, a warranty, and I rarely need an upgrade. Even if a piece of me is broken, I still work. I run on hugs and smiles and can be recharged with a "please", "thank you" or "I love you".

I'm not a perfect Mom by any means, but I feel like I'm on the right track.  A sure sign of this can be found in my daughters plans for opening night of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.  She didn't even bother asking if we would attend since Dad and Son are away and it was a given that we would all go together.  She didn't ask to go to the mall, out to dinner, or beg to invite four girlfriends to sleep over.

"Mom can we just hang out and play board games?"

Her wish was granted, no magic wands necessary. 

Genius in the Blogosphere - How to Travel Like a Royal.

Waiting for the July 4th Fireworks to start, I shot this with my cell phone at Menauhant Rd, Falmouth, MA.

The Kingdom just returned from a wonderful vacation on Cape Cod, MA. 
As stated previously, travel in the Kingdom is no fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants operation.  We are a traveling people, by car and by plane, and there are a host of details to address before the journey is underway. 

Apartment Therapy recently posted a pre-departure list that is pretty darn close to perfect.  Tailor as needed (this list has a decidedly citified, apartment dweller perspective) and this list will take most of the nitty, gritty details out of your crowded brain so you can focus on having a great trip with family/friends/yourself.  Hopefully once there you'll experience a sunset as lovely as the one above.

7-10 DAYS BEFORE YOUR DEPARTURE:

• Launder favorite clothing and/or take it to the dry cleaner.
• Put in stop mail and newspaper delivery requests.
• Plan meals that will finish up the food in your refrigerator.
• Confirm pet sitting plans.
• Check your data and calling and roaming plans for your cell phone service and make sure you understand any potential additional charges and add international discount calling and message plans as needed.

THE WEEKEND BEFORE:

• Get out the suitcases.• Tell a trusted neighbor that you'll be away, when you'll be back and how you can be reached in case of emergency.• Make two copies of your passport/ID. One to keep separately when traveling and one to give to a friend - this info makes it easier to have it replaced at a consulate if necessary.• Return any books and videos to the library.• Make sure the fridge/freezer is stocked with basics that will not spoil so immediate shopping is not required when you return• Prepay bills that will come due while you are away.

THE DAY BEFORE:

• Copy all of your travel itinerary/hotel/car/sightseeing information and links into one email, with a clear subject line and send it to yourself - then, when traveling, you only need to search for one email on your phone/laptop to see all the pertinent info.
• Put timers on lights/radio.
• Empty the kitchen compost container.
• Move any wet laundry from the washer to the dryer.
• Move your car to the non-street sweeping side of the street or leave a key with a neighbor if that isn't possible.
• Pass along any food that might go bad while you are away.

THE MORNING OF YOUR TRIP:

• Water plants
• Close and lock windows, lower shades.
• Unplug the tv, computer and any kitchen electronics that won't be in use while you are away.
• Adjust the temperature control to the most efficient level.
• Remove all bedding to allow mattress to air out while you are away.
• Take out the trash.
• Turn OFF your alarm clock - your neighbors will thank you!

Here's to happy, restorative travels.

The Best Bookstore in Cape Cod - Perhaps the World

Day four on the Cape.  This place can really grow on a person.  Tonight I will visit the BEST children's bookstore on the Cape, perhaps in the universe, the Eight Cousins bookstore.  Fantastic selection, great staff, and steps away from the Black Dog, and the best ice cream in Falmouth at Ben and Bill's.

Tomorrow, the beach.

Hittin' the Road. Yes, Men are TOTALLY Different.

Bright and early tomorrow morning the Kingdom hits the road on our first vacation of summer.  We are headed off to Cape Cod for a few days of fun and relaxation with our extended family. 

While I'm away I'm going to read this.......

I am also going to force my husband to relax a little because he flippin' needs it.

I freely admit that I love vacationing but HATE packing.  Packing up my family is an all day affair.  In part because my kids do some of their own packing which extends the process exponentially, and because my husband waits 'till the last possible second to pack because he uses the time I've designated for packing to get his haircut, change the oil in the car, paint the back steps, etc.  This leads to a pre-vacation dust up that happens with such predictability that it has been dubbed, "the pre-vacation throw down".

Today my husband worked for a 1/2 day.  He's been working long hours lately and decided to start his vacation a half day early.  As I fully expected (see above) he maddeningly used the other half a day to purchase sneakers, which he has needed for weeks, get a haircut, and take the car to the car wash, which I have asked him to clean for weeks.

He's a hard worker, I know this, as does every boss he's ever had.  But I must ask the question, what do men do during their lunch hours?  When I worked full time I did every imaginable errand during my lunch hour, and NYC (where I worked and my husband still does) is an errand runners paradise.  Gift shop, toy store, post office, tailor, nail salon, hardware store, library, and drug store, all within walking distance.  I must stifle the urge to scream when he looks at me like I'm crazy for even suggesting that he/we might more time for fun stuff on the weekend if he tackles some of his errands during the week.  It must be a girl thing.

Anyone with suggestions for stuff to see/visit/eat on Cape Cod, give a holla!