I feel like one of those guest stars on "The Love Boat"

I was asked by fellow blogger Brit Fancy to take a stab at a guest blog post, and I ended up sending her what is now the first in a series of personal stories about the origins of Anglophilia. I would love for anyone reading here to check it out and, if you like what you see there, add her to your reading list. (I have been reading it for a little while now.)

If nothing else, you should head over to Brit Fancy to see her super cool layout! I am filled with website envy. You may have noticed that I have been tinkering with the layout over here (during which I ended up misspelling my blog title temporarily - WHOOPS!); it has got NOTHING on her! V.v. cool.

Finding a Winner

I am not really a picky eater overall, but I seriously dislike tomatoes. Cooked or raw, whole or diced, fresh or sun-dried, I just can't stomach them. I find something off-putting about the taste and the texture. I don't like it when they are in something; I end up picking them out or eating around them. Plus, I don't like the seeds or the juice touching my food. I realize that plenty of people like tomatoes, and I am an anomaly so I try not to get too over the top about it.

(Major pet peeve: when an adult doesn't enjoy eating something and refers to it as "disgusting". Well, it might be to you, but others may enjoy it, so saying it is "disgusting" is rude. If prompted to discuss something you don't like to eat, it is much better to say that you "don't care for it" or you "would prefer not to eat it". Saying something is "disgusting" makes you sound ridiculous, and you can end up insulting someone.)

So, despite this deep rooted preference for no tomatoes in my life, I actually do like both Heinz Ketchup and tomato sauce. I am extremely picky about my tomato sauces, especially on pasta. No hunks, not too garlicky, not too sweet or cheesy. For a long time, I was using Hunt's tomato sauce (just tomatoes completely pureed) and doctoring it up by adding red pepper and Italian spices. But it really wasn't "doing it" for me; the sauce was too bland and on the runny side, which meant I would get it all over me any time I had it for dinner.

However, thanks to a special that Star Market was running (and a recommendation from Sister K), I ended up picking up some Bertolli spaghetti sauce (I already liked their three cheese tortellini and their olive oil), and I *think* that I might have found my ideal sauce. I bought the Bertolli Vineyard Marinara with Burgundy Wine. There are very few chunks, but the sauce isn't runny like Hunt's. The flavor is fresh, but subtle, and the burgundy gives it a little bit of a kick, which I enjoy. (I prefer a savory to a sweet sauce.) It smelled really good when I was warming it up on the stove, and the color looked like fresh tomatoes (a rich red, rather than the orangey brown you can get in some jarred sauce.)

I ended up combining the sauce with some fettuccine (sadly, not homemade) the other night for dinner, adding just some sea salt, black pepper and shaved Wisconsin parmesan on top with a small salad for a delicious and filling meal. It may seem like such a small thing to be excited about, but I have been searching for a spaghetti sauce that meets my taste for years. When you find something you like, it is good to let other people know about it, and this sauce is something I really like.

How DOES she do it?

This past fall, I repainted my guest room (sometimes referred to as "The Detox", but I won't tell you who calls it that.) It is a small room (8'x12' at the most), and I had painted it a very light green when I moved in ten years ago. Very light green can get very dirty and faded even in a room that gets limited use, so I took down all the pictures, moved out the furniture, and gave the room a sprucing up. When I started to rehang the pictures, I thought I would try something different with the big wall.

So yesterday, inspired by Martha Stewart and Sister K, I hung up eight of my photographs in matching frames. What I didn't realize was how difficult it was going to be to get all the photos to line up (both horizontally and vertically) in two rows of four. Even though I had a tape measure and two levels, it took me nearly two hours to get the wall right. (I really don't want to think about the number of small nail holes in the wall that are under these pictures.) But I really do love this final effect. It just wasn't as easy as Martha made it look; but really, when is it EVER as easy as Martha makes it look???

"Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night"

My friend Diana passed along her copy of Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry for me to read. (The title comes from the poem by William Blake referenced in today's title.) I was really excited about this book when I started because the premise is right up my alley: American twins are left a flat in London that overlooks Highgate Cemetery by their mother's twin sister whose ghost is haunting said flat.
Good Things checklist:

London - check

cemetery - check

ghosts - check

handsome British neighbor who is doing PhD thesis on Victorian cemeteries and funerary customs (That's my PhD thesis, if I were going to actually write one.) - check

What's not to love? (Or so I thought.) When I first started reading the book, I DID love it. In fact, I was enjoying it so much that I felt the need to text message status updates to JR (who had already read the book). They are as follows:

* This book has me longing for London. SIGH
* I wish someone would leave me a flat in London above a man like "Robert Fanshaw".
* Exactly halfway. If Robert becomes a prat, don't tell me. I couldn't bear it. He loves Pre-Raphaelites.
* Page 230, just IDed and translated the subjunctive from the Latin. Haven't had to do that in 15 years. EEK!

It was getting late when I stopped texting her, but I continued to read until midnight. The following morning I sent her this email:

* I never want to meet anyone like the people in this book EVER. OMG.

Don't you just hate it when that happens? Wonderful premise, ideal location, and then main characters that you would like to punch in the nose? In the words of the immortal Kevin Kline, in his Academy-Award winning role in A Fish Called Wanda: DISAPPOINTED!!! (I am sure that other people feel differently about the characters than I do; I would love to hear an explanation of why they shouldn't all be in therapy for life. The characters, not the people who like them, that is.)

On the upshot, I now know that I definitely want to add Highgate Cemetery to my itinerary for my next trip to London, whenever that might be. Here is a photo of another lovely Victorian garden cemetery: Mount Auburn Cemetery

It's like a tonic; the kind without the gin

Yesterday, I was feeling rather disappointed and disheartened by the results of the senate election here in Massachusetts. (In case you haven't picked up on this, I am a true blue Democrat so Scott Brown's victory was a defeat of the worst kind.) Fortunately, JR and I had plans to go see Young Victoria at Kendall Square Cinema. (We were supposed to go another day, but had to reschedule.) It was funny how short a time it took, immersed in the world of 19th century English monarchy, for me to feel infinitely better. The costumes, the sets, the story was so removed from post-election blues 21st century New England winter.

I liked the film. It is a beautiful period piece. Unlike the film Elizabeth, this film is less about becoming a queen at a young age and more about the courtship between Victoria and Albert. It isn't particularly complicated, and, with a running time of less than two hours, it doesn't really delve too deeply into the politics of the time. Unfortunately, because of that, I think that it doesn't give the most accurate impression of either the people or events that it portrayed. JR and I had a mini history review while we were waiting in line for me to pay for my parking. If you want to watch a more historically accurate film about the young Queen Victoria, I would recommend the mini-series "Victoria and Albert" with Victoria Hamilton and Jonathan Firth in the leads. The historical inaccuracies didn't stop the film from being delightful, especially any time Emily Blunt showed up in a new frock. (Plus, I spied the cameo appearances by Princess Beatrice as one of Queen Victoria's [her real life great, great, great grandmother] ladies.)

For me, the best part of the film was Rupert Friend as Prince Albert. The more I see of him as an actor, the more I appreciate that there is real substance there, and he has the ability to handle both period and contemporary roles, which isn't easy (I am thinking of you, Winona Ryder.) From the reading I have done, Prince Albert seemed to be a very thoughtful and capable person with a lot of common sense, discipline, and good manners, and Rupert Friend conveyed all of that.

When I got home, I wanted to stick in that lovely period drama world, but knew that I needed a little bit of a reality dose, so I watched about a half hour of "Lost in Austen" before going to bed where I fell asleep promptly and had no troubling dreams and woke up on time. Clearly, a dose of British costume drama was just what I needed to beat back the wintertime blues.

Golden hour

I love watching the television and movie awards shows on television, and tonight's Golden Globes ceremony was no exception. It is wonderful to see the ladies in their gorgeous dresses and shoes and gems and the men decked out in their tuxedos. The glamour and appeal of Hollywood is never as evident it is during the awards' show season. It is also exciting to celebrate the wonderful films and television shows, and root for the performances that I enjoyed over the past year.

I was really excited that both "Glee" and my boy Robert Downey, Jr. took home awards. I was disappointed that Carey Mulligan didn't win for An Education, but I loved her sparkly headband, and Sally Hawkins looked awesome with her short haircut and her mod dress. (Also, boo hoo for "Little Dorrit".) Kate Winslet, who is by far my favorite actress (and has been so since she won my heart in Sense and Sensibility after punching me in the gut in Heavenly Creatures), looked absolutely stunning. I was also pleased that Up won for best animated feature and score (it was such a sweet film), although I really wanted the darker Coraline to take home the prize (and I can't believe that Coraline's score was overlooked - it was awesome!) [I have no opinion about Avatar. I am not interested in seeing it in the theater; maybe I will rent it when it comes out on dvd.]

However, I found myself growing irritated with the rush to get done that seemed to be coming from the audience, not the producers. (Maybe it was the alcohol.) You could hear this constant din during the presentations and the speeches, even though the presenters most likely had isolation microphones. In retrospect, I think that it is crummy that the celebrity audience at the Golden Globes wanted the show to be over and to get the hell out of there when all they are doing is giving themselves a pat on the back in fabulous clothes and eating and drinking free stuff. I can understand that they are interested in getting to the parties and what not, but as someone who enjoys the escapism of the awards shows, it would be nice if the audience felt like the participants actually "bought in" to being there.

I have to give props to George Clooney, who is organizing a big telethon for Haiti relief. He should have gotten a standing ovation from the crowd for that. I was pleased that a number of people mentioned the people of Haiti and were supporting the relief effort. (I gave some money to Jesuit Relief in the second collection at Mass today.) As much as I appreciate the escapism of the award shows, I would much rather see these folks throw their star power behind a good cause like the relief work. I hope that the telethon raises a lot of money. I know that many people in America are hurting right now financially, but, if there is one thing that we Americans are really good at, it is pitching in to help the less fortunate.

"O Oysters come and walk with us!"

So one of my goals for the new year (as I don't make "resolutions" per se) is to spend more time with friends. Another goal is to try new things. Last night, I was able to do both when I went out to The Independent in Union Square with PunkRockMom and the Niblet, and we all tried oysters on the half shell.

Even though I grew up in a family of oyster eaters, I cannot recall previously eating them. So when I saw that they had Connecticut bluepoint oysters as a special on the menu, I boldly ordered up some to try and persuaded PRM and N to join me. Shortly after I placed the order, I had a moment of doubt and considered canceling it.

When they were served, on ice with cocktail sauce and lemon, I put aside that squeamish feeling as I realized that it was too late to back out on this now. So I sucked up my courage and sucked down those oysters. And they were surprisingly good. They definitely weren't "fishy", which is what I was expecting. My mom says that they taste like the sea; I can see that, even though I added both lemon and cocktail sauce before my tasting. One thing that I didn't care for is the sand. There definitely was some grit in there.

N took his time before trying his, and I don't think that he will have another oyster anytime soon. I told him that I was impressed because I was having my first oyster at the same time he was and I am 25 years older than he is. He's a brave little trooper, even if he was making faces the whole time. :)

Clean plates all around!


Next up: steamers!