Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Happiness is Kirk Douglas and Silvana Mangano as Ulysses and Penelope in 1954's "Ulysses"

Mangano manages to get her share of screen time in the episode where the lonely witch Circe disguises herself as Ulysses' seductive wife.

The camera work of the blinding of Polyphemus is noteworthy for the way it makes the viewer use his imagination.

And a relatively young Anthony Quinn (age 39) takes one in the shoulder in the end.

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Happiness is the understanding of Pa in Little House on the Prairie

"There's nothing stricter than a reformed reprobate," says Pa reassuring Johnny Johnson's father about Mr. Edwards, in the episode "To See The World".

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Happiness is make-ahead Italian lentil loaf

Italian lentil loaf                                                        
                                                       

2 cups lentils
1 bay leaf
1 cup fine bulgur wheat
1 egg
1 T tomato paste
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1T extra virgin olive oil
4 oz rapini, blanched and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t ground fennel seed
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes, ground
1 t salt
1 t Hungarian paprika
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Ketchup or tomato sauce


1) Prepare the lentils by washing them. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a saucepan, add the lentils and bay leaf, return to a boil and cover. Simmer on lowest setting for about 45 minutes. When tender, drain and reserve both the lentils and the cooking liquid to cool. Discard the bay leaf.

2) Prepare the bulgur. Boil two cups of liquid made from the reserved lentil broth in a saucepan, add the bulgur, stir, cover and turn off the heat and let bulgur cook 15 minutes. Then uncover to cool.

3) Whisk an egg in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the tomato paste, onion, olive oil, rapini, garlic, black pepper, fennel, red pepper, salt and paprika.

4) Using a large silicone spatula, stir in the cheese, bulgur and lentils, finishing with the bread crumbs.

5) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

6) Grease two glass bread pans with Crisco.

7) Press the lentil mixture into the bread pans and bake about 40 minutes. The loaves are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

8) At this point paint the loaves with some tomato sauce or ketchup and bake 5 minutes more.

9) Let the loaves cool on the stove top until cool to the touch. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for serving the next day with more ketchup or tomato sauce and a side salad. The loaves slice evenly and cleanly and servings can be easily reheated in the microwave on a plate and kept warm in the oven as you prepare the salad.

Serves at least six.     

Friday, May 31, 2019

Happiness is the ARGO Corn Maiden image, vintage 1992

And of course there's a blog for that.

The image at left is of my own box, now finally empty.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Monday, May 27, 2019

Happiness is "quick" rustic loaves in the Chicago Metallic French Bread Pan

2 t yeast
1.5 c lukewarm water
dash sugar
2 t salt, generously rounded
.25 c rye flour
.25 c white whole wheat flour
3 c unbleached all purpose flour
splash olive oil


1) whisk water yeast and sugar in mixer bowl and let stand five minutes
2) add flour a little at a time starting with the rye and whole wheat and mix, using a silicone spatula to incorporate if needed, and add the salt when you still have one cup left to go
3) when you have one half cup left to go, add a generous splash of olive oil 
4) use spatula to turn out onto a floured board and knead-in the flour (dough will be sticky to start, so flour your hands also)
5) divide into two equal parts and roll out lengths to fit your pan
6) place in pan covered loosely with a clean damp dish towel to rise in a warm spot, about one hour
7) bake at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes on the middle level
8) allow to cool thoroughly on a rack before slicing  

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Happiness is when the birdie does a self portrait on the window of your car

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Birdie.

There's an artist in everyone, sometimes just bursting forth.

As quickly as the one hit wonder struck, it was gone, never to be heard from again.

Monday, May 13, 2019

Happiness is lavender oil for anxiety

Have never tried it internally, but externally it's great!


Professor Hans Peter-Volz said doctors are too quick to dish out benzodiazepines and other drugs to patients with anxiety. ...

Professor Volz claimed lavender oil capsules have been shown to be as strong as commonly used anti-anxiety medications. ...

Professor Volz is the medical director of the Hospital for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine in Schloss, Germany.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Happiness is odds made even

The fox, the ape, and the bumble bee,
Were still at odds, being but three;
Until the goose came out of door,
And staid the odds by adding four.

-- William Shakespeare, Loves Labours Lost, Act III, Scene 1

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Happiness is an Omaha Steaks Filet Mignon Burger on the grill

About $5 a pop for 5.3 oz. of delicious, tender beef with a whopping 16g of saturated fat per burger, a full day's allocation of dangerous, heart-clogging lard if you have coronary artery disease, or want to get it.

Still, a nice gift for that occasional transgression of the rules.

I washed it down with a head of broccoli!

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Hail bounteous May . . .

 
Hail! bounteous May, that dost inspire
Mirth and youth, and warm desire;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.

-- John Milton (1608-1674)

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

It's May Day! Time for "Springtime for Hitler and Germany"!

Springtime for Hitler and Germany

Mel Brooks, who won an Oscar for his 1967 film The Producers, will be 93 in June.


Friday, April 26, 2019

Happiness is a good deed

How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 5 Scene 1

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Happiness is John Gay's chosen epitaph

 
 
 Life is a jest, and all things show it,
I thought so once, and now I know it.

-- John Gay (1685 – 1732)

Friday, April 19, 2019

Happiness is a sweet song

 
 
 Thy songs are sweeter to mine ear,
Than to the thirsty cattle rivers clear,
Or winter porridge to the lab'ring youth,
Or bunns and sugar to the damsel's tooth.

-- John Gay (1685-1732)