Sorry was out of Commission for a While

I am sorry I haven't written. I spent a little time at Yale-New Haven Hospital and was just released today. I have not forgotten about you folks online. I like to keep you up to date with what I am doing as well as see what you are up to. The one thing I can say I did was catchup on watching the food network. I love seeing the chefs in action and the meals they come up with. It also reminds me of other items I should try which my mother never made in her kitchen.  If I didn't tell you before I am definately a recipe hound.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Cassandra

Press Release for Finian’s Rainbow at the Ivoryton Playhouse

July 23, 2010

Take a magic pot of gold, add a leprechaun, a dreamer, and a colorful cast of characters and you have -

Finian’s Rainbow

At The Ivoryton Playhouse

Ivoryton:    Here is where you should head this summer to warm your soul with infectious song, exuberant dancing, jokes both lovably corny and unexpectedly fresh, and of course the satisfying pairing of boy meets girl (as well as leprechaun meets human!)

Finian’s Rainbow (Book by E.Y Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg and music by Burton Lane) was first produced on Broadway in 1947. It ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed with Fred Astaire, Petula Clark and Tommy Steele. A recent Broadway revival was very well received by the press – the NY Times called it “a welcome picker upper” with “beautiful music and memorable songs” 

  

In this whimsical, magical, still contemporary fable-with-a social-conscience, Finian McLonergan (Bruce Connelly*), his daughter Sharon (Kathleen Mulready*), followed by a leprechaun named Og (Michael Nathanson*), travel from Glocca Morra, Ireland to Rainbow Valley in the mythical state of Missitucky, USA. Finian has "borrowed" Og's crock of gold to plant in the soil near Fort Knox so it will grow and make him rich. But Og wants it back, for without it all the Glocca Morra leprechauns will lose their magic powers and the crock of gold, which grants wishes, will turn to dross.

     A highly original story unfolds, at once magical and all too real, filled with a strange and delightful cast of characters including Susan (Tessa Grunwald), who is mute and “talks’ by dancing; Senator Rawkins (Larry Lewis), an old Southern bigot whose world turns upside down; and Woody (John Rochette*), the All American boy who can charm the birds from the trees and Sharon into his arms!

The show is filled with irresistible music Old Devil Moon, How are things in Glocca Morra?, Look to the Rainbow and the timely When the Idle Poor become the Idle Rich

Finian’s Rainbow is directed by Julia Kiley, musical direction by John DeNicola with a set design by Tony Andrea, lights by Tate Burmeister and costumes by Pam Puente.

Finian’s Rainbow  opens on August 11 and runs thru September 5 for 4 weeks. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $38 for adults, $33 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org  (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

Members of the press are welcome at any performance.

Please call ahead for tickets.

*member of Actors Equity

Challenges in the Kitchen

I love to cook in the kitchen, whether it is from a recipe or something I created myself. I usually share with you the recipes I create from recipes, but I have decided to also share with you the recipes I create myself. Up until this point I hadn't been writing them down but I am going to start. Maybe I will create recipes like some of my favorite chefs: Jamie Oliver, Giada De Laurenttis, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Julia Child and others. What would really be interesting to see is what I can create in my kitchen considering I live an apartment and have a plain old electric stove. Challenges are always fun.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

I hope to hear about the fun you have in the kitchen.

Cassandra

Chicken Baked With Honey and Soy Sauce and a Banana Split

I notice that many people find it easiest often when they go grocery shopping to buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.  My boyfriend and I did this a couple of times and then I decided to make one for myself. It was easy. There was hardly any worked involved. Most of the time was spent with the chicken roasting in the oven for about an hour. The chicken I made was twice as juicy as the chicken from the supermarket -- why? Because my chicken wasn't be tortured sitting under the horrible heat lights drying out.  

Last night I fixed my boyfriend a luscious  chicken feast.  I made Chicken Baked with Honey and Soy Sauce. The recipe called for a 3 lb chicken but I had bought a roaster because it was on sale and doubled the cooking times. Here is my tasty bird. It has to be just as good as Bree Van de Kamp's from Desperate Housewives.

The lovely recipe I followed was in Jeff Smith's cookbook The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines China Greece Rome. 

And if I am going to mention a recipe I am definitely suppling the recipe for you to enjoy. It is on page 232 of the book.

 And even though this ice cream is not Chinese, what better to finish off with dessert than Haagan Daaz Banana Split ice cream.

This ice cream is so mouth watering.

Their are real cherries in the ice cream, and the hot fudge really gives it that extra flavor. Why make a banana split when you can buy one? But then, I almost love ice cream as much as I enjoy tea. My favorite tea is Tazo Awake.

I would love to hear about recipes my readers think I should try along with other foods that you love.  I love to get in the kitchen and make something scrumptious.  Hope to hear form you soon.

Cassandra

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at the Ivoryton Playhouse

This image is courtesy of the Ivoryton Playhouse on Facebook.

Tonight is opening night for the play Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at the Ivoryton Playhouse.  If you love such oldies as  Peggy Sue, That'll be the Day, Rave On, Chantilly Lace and Johnny B Goode you will be dancing in the aisles when you leave this show.  It traces the last three years of Buddy Holly's life up until his last concert. The play is both interactive and fun.

This show last I heard was sold out before it opened. It is running from July 7th to August 1. Both Saturday, July 10th and Sunday, July 11th are sold out. Saturday, July 17th was almost sold out last I heard and for all I know could be sold out even now.

This show is a local show and was directed by Jacqueline Hubbard.  Gregg Hammer makes his Ivoryton debut as Buddy Holly. Robert W. Schultz Jr  is the Big Bopper, and if you loved him in The Full Monty (which was performed last year at the playhouse in which he played the character Dave) you will love his antics as the Bopper.

Image courtesy of The Ivoryton Playhouse.

All the performers are outstanding, they have lots of energy and they definitely project it to the audience.  I wasn't kidding about dancing in the aisles either, this show is as great as going to see the musical Mamma Mia!. People go back time and time again to see that show, and this show rates just as high. This is a show worth seeing more than once. You can not miss purchasing a ticket to see this show, take my word for it.

Another thing, stay cool,
until next time,

Cassandra

Happy 4th of July

Here is a salad I made recently. It is Greek Pasta Salad with Feta and Chicken and it is a recipe by Robin Miller.
Here is the recipe for which I have also linked it to the Food Network where this recipe is posted. (Although this recipe came from the CD Kitchen).

GREEK PASTA SALAD WITH FETA AND CHICKEN RECIPE                                       Serves/Makes:   8

Submitted by: jlows

Ready in: 30-60 minutes   recipe difficulty 3/5 Difficulty:   3 (1=easiest :: hardest=5)

12 ounces ditalini or other pasta	1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth	salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil	1 pound cooked cubed chicken
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar	1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced	¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard	½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

 Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a small bowl, whisk together broth, oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Add diced chicken, green pepper, and mint.

Drain pasta and add to bowl with dressing and chicken. Toss to combine. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with feta cheese just before serving.

My boyfriend loved this recipe but he wanted the feta to be in the salad. The fresh mint, although wonderful did not last very long sliced.  The pasta I used was hard to eat with the other items in the salad.

I made this salad once again but made a few changes that gave this salad a absolutely wonderful flavor. 

1. I used elbow macaroni because it is easy to eat in a macaroni salad with other items (That is what my mother uses) for which I also used 16 oz instead of 12 oz.

2. I added sun dried tomatoes with their liquid which I chopped up a little smaller which about to about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup

3. I added dried parsley to the recipe and I negated the mint

4. I made twice as much dressing to keep the salad moist

5. I added container of herbed crumbled feta to the pasta salad at the very beginning.

Here is what it looked like...

It had more color, flavor and taste. It was a great hit at the 4th of July party too.

Stay cool on these hot days coming this week and Happy Independence Day!

Cassandra

Salsa and Strawberry Ice Cream

My boyfriend love's salsa. Recently he wanted me to make some. He remembered a friend of his made the best salsa, of course, he also remembered his friend would make it in a blender, and we don't happen to own a blender, But thankfully I was able to find a recipe....

Barbecue Salsa Dip 
4 large tomatoes coarsely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
½ teaspoon salt
½ red onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 green chiles, seeded and finely chopped
It’s really this simple. Mix together all the ingredient and stand for in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, give it a stir and enjoy!

Here is the link to the original recipe.

With that what could be better than Strawberry Haagan Daaz ice cream...

It is so sweet and so yummy. I love the strawberry chunks buried in their ice cream.

Talk about yummy in my tummy.

Until next time.

Cassandra