Caponata on panelle (easy flatbread)

Baked Butternut Falafel With Cucumber Yogurt

Baked ricotta with avocado, grilled tomatoes and chive oil

Also, I'm impressed w/ this young lady-

The Gouda Life

Puy Lentil Hummus That's the brown lentil, with sun-dried tomatoes!

Roasted Carrot-Cumin Hummus

Baked ricotta with avocado, grilled tomatoes and chive oil

Seems kinda brunchy, like on a day off. MMM...

Ginger-Cilantro Margaritas

serves 4 

I love cilantro in this margarita, but if you’re not one for cilantro (which is an absurd thought for me) you can use Thai basil (preferably) or regular basil. As well, I use a generous amount of ginger both in the syrup and the cocktail itself here. If you want it a touch less kicky, forgo adding the grated ginger into the cocktail. 

Ginger Simple Syrup
1/4 cup fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds
1/4 cup sugar, less if you prefer it tart
1 cup water

In a small sauce pot, add the three ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into heatproof jar and cool. 

6 sprigs cilantro plus extra leaves for garnish
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated fine
juice from 3 whole limes
4 oz white tequila
2 oz triple sec, optional
1 1/2 oz ginger syrup
2 cups still or sparkling water
ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker, add the cilantro and ginger and muddle a bit to bruise the cilantro leaves. Add the lime juice, tequila, triple sec (if using) 6 ice cubes and water. Taste and adjust any ingredients if needed (more syrup if it’s too tart, more lime if it’s too sweet) Shake and divide into glasses filled with ice and garnished with cilantro leaves. 

Suspended Coffee

This is such a cool idea.

The tradition with the suspended coffees started in Naples, but it has spread all over the world and in some places you can order not only a suspended coffee, but also a sandwitch or a whole meal.

Jim Lahey’s Pizza Bianca This is just a juicy flatbread, but when ya want a side, or a really thick bread for 'za, it sounds great!

Had a great slice yesterday w/ thin crust and sun-dried tomatoes!

Goat Cheese Spring Rolls with Asian Pear Salad

Goat Cheese & Chorizo Rolls!

Goat Cheese & Chorizo Rolls!

Thanks for Quasi at the Quackadero. It brings me back to my childhood. It sorta reminded me of Yellow Submarine, except even trippier. I'm surprised this was on Sesame Street ... Sesame Street did have some awesome stuff, but Quasi looks more like something they'd have shown on The Electric Company.

Here's an awesome one to check out. I don't remember seeing this one when I was younger but I wish I had. It reminds me a little of that Gumby episode where Gumby was going to the other planets, and he interrupted the kid playing piano on what appeared to be the surface of the moon/a moon, and the kid got angry at Gumby and started changing into something else, and it got really creepy really fast ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8hd3IjhVo

Grazianohmygod said:

I love Flo and Eddie! "Number one with a bullet!" Dirty Duck reminds me of Quasi at the Quackadero, a trippy 1970's cartoon by one of the early animators on Sesame Street. It took her years to hand-paint all of the glass cells, amounting to 10 minutes of weirdness. I was lucky enough to see it last year when the Library of Congress did a short film showing, but you can find it on youtube.

The movies of Cory McAbee are amazing. I cannot recommend them enough. His first feature length, The American Astronaut, is a black and white, sci-fi, western, musical with songs in the vein of Tom Waits on his album Bone Machine. It's weird, funny, and beautiful to look at. Interstellar traveller Samuel Curtis hops from planet to planet trading wares, winning dancing contests, and trying not to get killed by his old friend: Professor Hess. It's currently on Netflix for any of you streamers and the trailer is here.

John Battles said:

I just watched "Dirty Duck" a while back...I remember it coming out ,VERY briefly , in '75 OR EARLY '76. IT'S BASED ON THE CARTOON OF THE SAME NAME FROM NATIONAL LAMPOON.

The character is pretty different from the original cartoon, in that instead of a cranky old man - duck , this Dirty Duck is a naive young guy duck , who looks a little too much like Donald for Disney to not slap the Producrs with a lawsuit (They probably got off with a Cease and Desist order , hence  it's relative unavailability , today.). The whole movie reads like a bad Underground Comic , you know , too much blatant , but stylized , sex and drug imagery , and Bakshi could have done the animation with his dick , but , it's just psychedelic enough , in the post - psychedelic age , to work. The main selling point , here , is Flo and Eddie did the soundtrack music (With members of The Mothers.) and much of the voice - overs.

I love Flo and Eddie! "Number one with a bullet!" Dirty Duck reminds me of Quasi at the Quackadero, a trippy 1970's cartoon by one of the early animators on Sesame Street. It took her years to hand-paint all of the glass cells, amounting to 10 minutes of weirdness. I was lucky enough to see it last year when the Library of Congress did a short film showing, but you can find it on youtube.

The movies of Cory McAbee are amazing. I cannot recommend them enough. His first feature length, The American Astronaut, is a black and white, sci-fi, western, musical with songs in the vein of Tom Waits on his album Bone Machine. It's weird, funny, and beautiful to look at. Interstellar traveller Samuel Curtis hops from planet to planet trading wares, winning dancing contests, and trying not to get killed by his old friend: Professor Hess. It's currently on Netflix for any of you streamers and the trailer is here.

John Battles said:

I just watched "Dirty Duck" a while back...I remember it coming out ,VERY briefly , in '75 OR EARLY '76. IT'S BASED ON THE CARTOON OF THE SAME NAME FROM NATIONAL LAMPOON.

The character is pretty different from the original cartoon, in that instead of a cranky old man - duck , this Dirty Duck is a naive young guy duck , who looks a little too much like Donald for Disney to not slap the Producrs with a lawsuit (They probably got off with a Cease and Desist order , hence  it's relative unavailability , today.). The whole movie reads like a bad Underground Comic , you know , too much blatant , but stylized , sex and drug imagery , and Bakshi could have done the animation with his dick , but , it's just psychedelic enough , in the post - psychedelic age , to work. The main selling point , here , is Flo and Eddie did the soundtrack music (With members of The Mothers.) and much of the voice - overs.

Or maybe, when Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero went missing and everyone was afraid something bad had happened to him, and Tony yells "I can't find Pussy anywhere!" Not sure how intentional that was on the part of the writers, but it came out pretty funny ...

Or when he was talking to Uncle June about Jackie Junior being stupid, and how he almost drowned in the penguin exhibit, and Tony says "Jackie used to lay off all of Jackie Junior's problems on a learning disability but ... well ... stupidity WOULD be a learning disability."

Haven't seen much of Boardwalk Empire yet. Don't get it here. Might be getting some channels in May when my year-long special rate ends with my phone/internet/cable providers, and we work out a new deal. If I can, I'll have to check B.E. out. I miss my old Sopranoes DVDs, I loaned them out to a faraway family member. I only own up to season 4. I kinda thought it was downhill from there, though they had some great moments even near the end (like the Bobby Baccala hit at the toy store). I loved the first two seasons and most of the third. My favorite episode ever is still probably "College" (S1, Ep5) where T. and the rat are stalking each other out in the sticks in New England. That and maybe "Funhouse" at the end of season 2 where they take Big Pussy for the boatride. Unforgettable stuff.

John Battles said:

Hey , There ain't no such thing. A lot of this stuff , now , falls into folklore , and that's all right. I trust you've been watching "Boardwalk Empire" , best series since The Sopranos. It's hard to nail down the funniest Tony - ism . Maybe "How's Jamal Ginsberg , the Hassidic Homeboy?", or the way he srerenaded Uncle Junior with "South of The Border , Down Mexico Way" , as if he did'nt have a return flight ticket , himself.
B.B. Fultz said:

My parents were kids around that time too. But on the east coast (Jersey mostly). One of my Dad's older brothers was connected, and was part of somebody's crew way back when, and I have a couple uncles who are/were bookies. None of them were actually "in" the Mafia though. Think Mean Streets as opposed to Goodfellas. Mostly they were just street smart and knew how to make a buck. But growing up I knew people who knew people, so I heard a little here and there. My Dad used to run a restaurant in the old Italian neighborhood and do I know some of his more regular customers were connected. A (married in) uncles said he was friends with Gambino way back when, but people gossip a lot so who knows? My old man was tight lipped about all of that. One time when I was 9 or 10 maybe, I found an "Honorary Member of the Mafia" novelty plaque that someone had bought him. He kept it buried in a drawer under the cash register, but when I asked him about it he got pissed off.

Speaking of Jersey, Tony S. had some great lines didn't he? I remember the "Paul" Pot comment. I think it might have been the same season where he claimed he "never had penisary contact with her Volvo." But my favorite quote by T. will probably always be "Cunnilingus and psychiatry brought us to this."  Maybe just because he looked so sad when he said it.

 

 

 
John Battles said:

Wow, you know your shit !
It's true ,in the earlier Chicago Ganster era , there were rules you just did not break. Killing women or children being up there at the top. I knew about Moran just narrowly avoiding a seat at The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. My Parents lived in Chicago when Capone was still calling the shots (And I do mean shots.). They knew kids whose Dads were Gangsters , probably post - Capone , and they were known as family men , who only commited acts of violence against rival Gangsters . Does'nt mean they were wonderful people , but , they followed a code.    "We're Soldiers. Everybody else knows the risks involved. Hell is for the REALLY bad people , your Hitlers , your Idi Amins and your PAUL POTS.".  "T" .

Hey , There ain't no such thing. A lot of this stuff , now , falls into folklore , and that's all right. I trust you've been watching "Boardwalk Empire" , best series since The Sopranos. It's hard to nail down the funniest Tony - ism . Maybe "How's Jamal Ginsberg , the Hassidic Homeboy?", or the way he srerenaded Uncle Junior with "South of The Border , Down Mexico Way" , as if he did'nt have a return flight ticket , himself.
B.B. Fultz said:

My parents were kids around that time too. But on the east coast (Jersey mostly). One of my Dad's older brothers was connected, and was part of somebody's crew way back when, and I have a couple uncles who are/were bookies. None of them were actually "in" the Mafia though. Think Mean Streets as opposed to Goodfellas. Mostly they were just street smart and knew how to make a buck. But growing up I knew people who knew people, so I heard a little here and there. My Dad used to run a restaurant in the old Italian neighborhood and do I know some of his more regular customers were connected. A (married in) uncles said he was friends with Gambino way back when, but people gossip a lot so who knows? My old man was tight lipped about all of that. One time when I was 9 or 10 maybe, I found an "Honorary Member of the Mafia" novelty plaque that someone had bought him. He kept it buried in a drawer under the cash register, but when I asked him about it he got pissed off.

Speaking of Jersey, Tony S. had some great lines didn't he? I remember the "Paul" Pot comment. I think it might have been the same season where he claimed he "never had penisary contact with her Volvo." But my favorite quote by T. will probably always be "Cunnilingus and psychiatry brought us to this."  Maybe just because he looked so sad when he said it.

 

 

 
John Battles said:

Wow, you know your shit !
It's true ,in the earlier Chicago Ganster era , there were rules you just did not break. Killing women or children being up there at the top. I knew about Moran just narrowly avoiding a seat at The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. My Parents lived in Chicago when Capone was still calling the shots (And I do mean shots.). They knew kids whose Dads were Gangsters , probably post - Capone , and they were known as family men , who only commited acts of violence against rival Gangsters . Does'nt mean they were wonderful people , but , they followed a code.    "We're Soldiers. Everybody else knows the risks involved. Hell is for the REALLY bad people , your Hitlers , your Idi Amins and your PAUL POTS.".  "T" .

My parents were kids around that time too. But on the east coast (Jersey mostly). One of my Dad's older brothers was connected, and was part of somebody's crew way back when, and I have a couple uncles who are/were bookies. None of them were actually "in" the Mafia though. Think Mean Streets as opposed to Goodfellas. Mostly they were just street smart and knew how to make a buck. But growing up I knew people who knew people, so I heard a little here and there. My Dad used to run a restaurant in the old Italian neighborhood and do I know some of his more regular customers were connected. A (married in) uncles said he was friends with Gambino way back when, but people gossip a lot so who knows? My old man was tight lipped about all of that. One time when I was 9 or 10 maybe, I found an "Honorary Member of the Mafia" novelty plaque that someone had bought him. He kept it buried in a drawer under the cash register, but when I asked him about it he got pissed off.

Speaking of Jersey, Tony S. had some great lines didn't he? I remember the "Paul" Pot comment. I think it might have been the same season where he claimed he "never had penisary contact with her Volvo." But my favorite quote by T. will probably always be "Cunnilingus and psychiatry brought us to this."  Maybe just because he looked so sad when he said it.

 
John Battles said:

Wow, you know your shit !
It's true ,in the earlier Chicago Ganster era , there were rules you just did not break. Killing women or children being up there at the top. I knew about Moran just narrowly avoiding a seat at The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. My Parents lived in Chicago when Capone was still calling the shots (And I do mean shots.). They knew kids whose Dads were Gangsters , probably post - Capone , and they were known as family men , who only commited acts of violence against rival Gangsters . Does'nt mean they were wonderful people , but , they followed a code.    "We're Soldiers. Everybody else knows the risks involved. Hell is for the REALLY bad people , your Hitlers , your Idi Amins and your PAUL POTS.".  "T" .

Wow, you know your shit !
It's true ,in the earlier Chicago Ganster era , there were rules you just did not break. Killing women or children being up there at the top. I knew about Moran just narrowly avoiding a seat at The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. My Parents lived in Chicago when Capone was still calling the shots (And I do mean shots.). They knew kids whose Dads were Gangsters , probably post - Capone , and they were known as family men , who only commited acts of violence against rival Gangsters . Does'nt mean they were wonderful people , but , they followed a code.    "We're Soldiers. Everybody else knows the risks involved. Hell is for the REALLY bad people , your Hitlers , your Idi Amins and your PAUL POTS.".  "T" .

B.B. Fultz said:

I heard that somewhere about the X's popping up, but I never noticed the bowling score X's. That's pretty neat. As far as Gaffney (Karloff's character) -- since you asked, I'm 95% sure in my guess it was supposed to be Bugs Moran. Only because I'm 100% sure that O'Hara was supposed to be Dion O'Banion. The flower store assassination, when Guino comes back with the flower on his lapel, leaves no doubt on that part. Bugs Moran took over the north side after O'Banion was killed, and in the movie, Gaffney takes over the north side after O'Hara is killed, so it's strongly suggested Karloff is actually playing Moran. Karloff's character also "just misses" a massive massacre because he saw the cops pull up, or what he thought were cops. In real life, that's how Moran avoided the actual St. Valentine's Day massacre. Despite the bowling scene, Moran was never actually assassinated. What a lot of people don't know is, he was a north-sider yet Moran wasn't his real name. He was actually Polish, not Irish, but a lot of guys took Irish names back then so they could integrate into the large Irish community and be able to get a half-decent job. A lot of boxers back in the day took Irish surnames also.   

 

Yes, I heard they only released it for the reason you stated. Although I also heard that even then, the gov't wanted more concessions, so Howard Hughes fought them on it by using his money to get it shown in any town where it wasn't totally banned. Also in Europe. Capone was indeed a modern Robin Hood -- he did a lot for the Italian communities of Chicago and for people in general. He was ruthless against criminal adversaries but he generally tried to keep the peace and didn't like innocent people getting shot. The thing in the movie, where "three kiddies get hot lead poured in their little bellies" from Tony's thugs, was almost certainly a reference to "Mad Dog" Coll, who accidentally did pick off some kids in a shoot out, and who was condemned and executed by the mob soon after. The old mafia did not allow you to kill kids though you can't tell looking at Chicago now. But back then shooting a woman could get you into a lot of trouble. The mob movies mostly make them all out to be inhuman fiends (that movie about the Farmer I mentioned is a good example -- every mobster character in that was a sadistic psychopathic and either a rapist, a murderer, or an acid-thrower, or some combination of the three). I don't mind them slamming mobsters for the heinous shit they actually do, but it always bugged me that Hollywood turned them into such impossibly depraved and inhuman stereotypes. But I guess Hollywood always tries to put everyone in pigeonholes anyway.

 

What always struck me most about the two Tonys was how they end up as opposites. In the first Scarface, Tony is crazy and fearless with balls-of-steel, right up to the end where he's alone ... then he breaks down and can't think straight, and eventually flees (tries to) rather than fight. In the DePalma version, Tony is snowblind by the end and too dysfunctional to notice his place is being overrun, then too overwhelmed with grief when his sister dies to do anything, other than shoot the one guy that shot her. It's only when ChiChi (the last one standing) is killed outside the doors and Tony is totally alone that he stands up and takes the war to them. It always struck me as strange how similar the characters were in many ways, but how opposite they were at the end.

John Battles said:

Thanks. Well , the original was under close scrutiny from The U.S. Govt. The movie was meant to be a tell -all expose about Capone's actual career in crime , but  , The Govt. insisted the non - commital stance be dropped , and Capone , or , rather , the variation on his character , be portrayed as a shit - heel. The movie would'nt have been released , I've read , if they had'nt agreed to called it "Scarface - Shame of a Nation". They were afraid of Capone being portrayed as a Robin Hood thug , which he already was to a lot of people.

Was it Bugs Moran that was shot in the bowling alley? I remember it as Boris Karloff , playing the Irish crime boss....Was he supposed to be Moran? Every time someone was about to be whacked , you saw an "X" NEARBY. KARLOFF IS WRITING AN "X" on the Bowling scores. 

Freaked is absolutely amazing! I have shown it to sooo many people who have the exact same taste as me & they ALWAYS hate it! so weird...

Andy Climax said:

 Maybe not far out enough but Alex Winters 'Freaked' is an amazing piece of Schlock Horror nonsense

May or may not be classifiable as "Psychedelic" , but "All That Jazz", which I JUST SAW FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT WAS RELEASED , GOES IN AND OUT OF REALITY so frequently , with Bob Fosse's bizarre , vibrant , showbizzy , death fantasies threatening to overtake the action onscreen like Ken Russell was riding shotgun. If you were ever put off by this film because you thought it might resemble "A Chorus Line" or something , give it a go , anyway. Broadway is only the elevator door to several stations of HELL.     But , if you've ever had to hear Showtunes against your will , you already know that.

And Mary "Would you like to get your paws covered in honey?" Woronov and Jacqueline Bisset.

My copy is pretty awful , I got it at a dime store that was going out of business.....
 
dave said:

Scenes From The Class Struggle In Beverly Hills (Paul Bartel)

i DID FIND A COPY OF "LAKE OF DRACULA". IT'LL PROBABLY TAKE ME A WHILE TO WATCH IT , THOUGH. SOMETIMES , I'M TOO LAZY TO EVEN WATCH TELEVISION.