Thank you!!

This morning I got some news that absolutely made my day! I won a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks in a competition run by Kitchen Mage! I never win anything, so as you can imagine I am very very happy to be the winner of a cookbook full of absolutely delicious recipes. As someone who is new to blogging, it is really nice to know that there are kind and friendly people out there in the big and scary world of the internet, So thank you very much Beth and Ree!

Spellbinder

Today is my dog Molly's 8th birthday - happy birthday Molly!

Her pedigree name is Brierbay Spellbinder, which I think is pretty fitting, since she was born the day before halloween and she has my entire family wrapped around her little finger!

Gosh, eight years has gone by quickly! I was in year seven the year we got her, now I am in my second year of university.  I remember going to visit her and her siblings when she was so small she could fit into the palm of my hand, and they did that tiny puppy thing of coughing when they were happy - now she looks like this:

Happy Birthday Molly! I can't wait to see you again!

I Used to be a Werewolf, but I'm Alright Now-ooooooooooooooooo

Tonight I am going to a party dressed up as a person who drowned - what time of year could it be other than halloween? I love any excuse to dress up - I always have fancy dress birthday parties - so of course I think halloween parties are great fun.  I have decided to put together a playlist of spooky music that you could play at a party, or you could just listen to yourself and get in the halloween mood!

Julia's Spooky Halloween Playlist

There is a mix here of songs with scary stories, songs about mythical creatures, and songs that are just a bit creepy!

Tam Lin - Medieval Baebes

What better way to start a halloween playlist than with a song about halloween? Medieval Baebes do a great line in creepy songs, but most of them are in old english.

Howl - Florence + The Machine
Werewolves?


Blood Red Sky - Seth Lakeman
Seth Lakeman is a veritable gold mine of dark tales, especially on the Poor Mans Heaven album.


Spaceman - The Killers
I don't really think I need to explain why I put this on the playlist - it's about a spaceman.


Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
Of course this had to be on here


Bad Things - Jace Everett
Aside from the fact that this is the theme tune to True Blood, it is also a spooky song


Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
Modern-day witches


Dirt Room - Blue October
Quite possibly the most disturbing song I have ever heard


Freak Out - My Brightest Diamond
Ghostly and spooky


Invasion - Eisley
oooh things taking over people


The Humans are Dead - Flight of the Conchords
It isn't scary, but it is about robots taking over the world


Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
More werewolves


How Death Comes
Ok, this is just plain creepy. Listen too it through headphones and you will know what I mean.

Artist of the Week - Sigur Rós

Another busy week - midterm followed by a paper which made my mind go completely blank every time I thought about writing it! A little time off before my next paper, and after that I can relax properly for a while.
I watched the film Ondine recently, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a lot of the music was by either Lisa Hannigan (aka the lady that used to sing with Damien Rice) or Sigur Rós, two artists that I really like. In fact, I won't give anything away, but Sigur Rós actually play a part in the story. In light of that, here is my artist of the week.


Artist of the Week - Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós are an Icelandic post-rock group, with, according to their wikipedia entry "melodic, classical, and minimalist elements". Basically this just means that they sound a bit strange and don't follow traditional pop song forms.  The bands innovative use of instruments, for example bowed guitar, combined with lead singer Jónsi Birgisson's remarkable voice make Sigur Rós' music instantly recognisable. The band consists of Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, Georg "Goggi" Hólm, Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson and Orri Páll Dýrason.  They sing in Icelandic, English and Vonlenska, aka Hopelandic - a language made up by the band members. The first time I came across Sigur Rós was, similarly to many other people, when I heard their song "Hoppípolla" on some trailer or other.  If you live in the UK, it is very likely that you have heard that song before too - it is used widely in television and film trailers and adverts.  I saw them live a couple of years ago in Alexandra Palace, and it was a magical experience. They have so far released 7 albums and one film, Heima:

aren't Icelandic accents just so adorable?!

I would strongly encourage anyone to watch this, even if they don't know Sigur Rós' music at all.  The visuals are absolutely stunning and incredibly haunting, and it may sound weird but I thought the editing was brilliant.  It made me want to go to Iceland even more than I already did!

So, onto the music - here are some of my favourite tracks by Sigur Rós (it is so hard to choose, so I ended up with a lot): I know they are long, but please do try to listen to them!

of course, I couldn't get away with missing out Hoppípolla:

Gong

I love the guitar on this song

Ágætis byrjun

This is Icelandic for "an alright start". This song always reminds me of the sun coming out after the rain - it always makes me smile

Sæglópur

And this is the rain. The song title is Icelandic for "lost at sea".

All Alright

This was the song featured in Ondine

Í Gær

One of their earliest tracks, this was reissued on their Hvarf/Heim album. This is the one in the trailer for Heima.

Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur

In a completely different mood, this is from their latest album "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" (With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly)

Íllgresi

Very calm and beautiful

Von

I love the instrumentation on this track

Just to point out - they have some tracks for free download on their site: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/media/index.php

Hale and Hearty

I finally found beef short-ribs in a supermarket! I've been wanting to cook with them for ages, since they are the perfect meat for slow-cooking, and are just generally very tasty.  I got a bit overexcited and ended up buying 6, which is enough to last me for almost a week, so there will be another short-rib recipe coming up soon, I expect.

Hearty Beef Short-rib Stew
serves 3-4
1 onion
2 small turnips
2 carrots
about 400g chestnut or other mild mushrooms
3 or 4 beef short-ribs
flour
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 star anise

Let's start by preparing some vegetables:

an onion

chopped!

turnips

chopped!

carrots

diced really fine because I don't like cooked carrot!

mushrooms

sliced!

now for the meat:

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm... look at that marbling - this is going to be yummy!

season the short-ribs with salt and pepper

then coat them in flour.

Heat some butter and oil (this stops the butter from burning) in a pan and seal the meat

when they are nice and brown, remove them to a plate

it's at this point I really wish I had one of those le creuset pans

You will be left with all of this yummy stuff!

throw in all the vegetables

don't be like me and throw them all over the cooker.

stir them around in the nice tasty stuff, and let them cook down for a couple of minutes

it's at this point that if I had some red wine, I would put in some of that and some beef stock, but I didn't, so I just added 4 cups (just under a litre) of beef stock

once again, don't be like me and pour half of it on the counter.

then add chili flakes and nutmeg. If I had star anise, I would also throw one in at this point. The spices just add an extra warmth and depth of flavour, they are not at all overpowering.

now, add the beef back in, bring to the boil, then cover and cook over a very low heat (i.e. not even a simmer) for 2 and a half hours. If you want the gravy to be thicker, then at the end throw in a spoonful of flour and boil through for a couple of minutes.

and there we have it! I served mine with mashed potato and kale. The meat was moist and tender, the veggies were melt-in-the mouth and the mushrooms were meaty and flavourful - yum!

Music to Play Very Loudly - Part 2!

Here's part 2 of my playlist of songs to play loudly (part one can be found here). This time it's all about blasting classical music so you feel surrounded by the music, and hear how every instrument or voice meshes together perfectly, plus all of the crescendos and diminuendos and all those little details you just don't notice when you play it quietly! I really do encourage you to try listening to the pieces - you never know, you might find something you like!

Classical


Tristan Und Isolde - Isolde's Liebestod - Richard Wagner

The epic build up to when you finally finally finally hear the resolution of the Tristan chord, then he takes it all back again - I can't explain it adequately, so I will let Stephen Fry do it for me:

plus, it's fun to watch two men getting all worked up about Wagner!






Song for Athene - John Tavener

This never fails to send shivers up my spine - especially at the climax of the piece (around 4:20 onwards). Unfortunately I couldn't find my favourite version of this piece - this one is a little dull - so if you can get your hands on it, the version by The Sixteen on the album Ikon is in my opinion the definitive one.

I just looked up the story of this song, and it turns out it was composed in memory of a teenager who was killed in an accident - from now on it will move me even more than it already did.


The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams

It is so hard to choose just one Vaughan Williams piece, but of course it has to be The Lark Ascending. I adore british pastoral music because it reminds me of, well, the british countryside! Rolling hills, green fields, hawthorn hedges and drystone walls... Lovely. I am terribly picky about how this should sound - every violin virtuoso worth their salt has recorded a version of this, but I really don't like them. The reason this piece works is because all the instruments come together to make the sound, not because some famous violinist is making the orchestra wait around while they draw out every note. This is my favourite version, by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

oh, and if you want to hear what a lark ascending really sounds like, click here.


Lux Aurumque - Eric Whitacre

When you turn this up, you really do get the impression of being surrounded by golden light - gorgeous!



Peter Grimes - Four Sea Interludes - Dawn - Benjamin Britten

When I listen to this, I really get the feeling of movement and the potential power and danger of the sea.  It really sets the tone for the rest of opera, this feeling of anticipation and something slightly ominous in the background.



Dido and Aeneas - Overture and When I am Laid in Earth - Henry Purcell

I love the whole opera, but especially these two tracks - I couldn't possibly choose between them!
First, the overture: once again, I am incredibly picky about how this must sound - the most important thing is that it isn't too slow after the initial stately introduction! Obviously there are so many different versions of it - not just the interpretations, but the instruments used can be completely different. I personally like the ones which are performed on baroque instruments, and they need to have adequate bass.

This aria, When I am Laid in Earth, is probably Purcell's most famous piece, and it's not hard to see why - it is genius! Dido's part seems to be continuously descending, as the ground bass unrelentingly grinds on, leading her to her inevitable death - such a great composer!

Music to Play Very Loudly - Part 1!

Now, I'm not necessarily an advocate of blasting music through headphones - it damages your ears, and if you are in public it can be incredibly annoying for other people - but there are some tunes which sometimes deserve to be turned up to 11.  I usually keep my ipod turned way down, but by turning it up a little one can hear how all the individual parts of the music magically come together to form that piece that you love.
If you continue to read this blog, you will come to learn that I am a great fan of making playlists, so today I decided to come up with a playlist of some of the music that cries out to me to play it loudly!
A lot of the stuff I end up blasting through my headphones is classical, so I have split the playlist into two sections - popular (I can find no other way of classifying these tracks!) and classical. Popular today - Classical will come tomorrow!

Popular
(I'm leaving out the obvious ones, and party-pleasers e.g. 80's power ballads. Much as I love them, I'm going for ones you may not have thought of here)


Sound Of A Drum - Seth Lakeman

I've mentioned this in a previous post, but it really is one of my favourite songs of all time.  The bass, oh man, the bass! Some day soon I'm going to break the woofers in my car because I play this so much with the bass turned way up.  Turn the volume right up for the beginning - I promise you, you won't regret it (unless you have crappy speakers) - it never fails to send shivers up my spine!

This Charming Man - The Smiths

weirdly upbeat for The Smiths, this song will never cease to make me dance around like a lunatic - love the guitar line, Johnny Marr!



Big Love (live) - Fleetwood Mac

I loooooooooooove Fleetwood Mac, and I would do *anything* to see them live. Sadly, this is the closest I've been to being at a concert of theirs.  This live version is from one of their "Best Of" albums, and Lindsay Buckingham's guitar playing is unbelievable! However, one time I played it for one of my friends and they asked me if the cd was skipping! These are the perils of playing music too quietly, so make sure you turn it up to get the full effect of the remarkable guitar playing!



Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I don't usually like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs that much, but this song won me over - it's great fun, funky and kind of sinister!



Neighborhood 3 (Power Out) - Arcade Fire

You can only get the full force of this band if you see them live, but you can get a taste of it by turning this up!


Golden Brown - The Stranglers
The accompaniment to this song is so simple, but so affective - I have to hear it properly!



Sæglópur - Sigur Rós

When I went to see Sigur Rós, they made it rain in front of the stage during this song, so now I always think of a sudden rainstorm when I hear this.  Turning it up really helps you appreciate how dense the fabric of this song is.


Mirrorball - Elbow

I get lost in the repeating backing tune of this song, and the orchestration is just swoon-worthy! Elbow at their best!


Do you Love Me? - The Contours

Cue: me dancing around my room like a nutter




I could go on and on and on, but I think you probably get the picture! What songs do you have to play loudly? Or are you more sensible about you hearing than I am?

Oh, and one last thing:

Pure cheese - I just had to!

Back soon with part 2!

Artist of the Week - Rufus Wainwright

Midterms are over for the week - just one more next week, and a couple of papers to write, then I am out of the woods! I know I have been neglecting cookery for a while, I will endeavour to post something yummy later this week! Before that though, I will have a couple of music-related posts, since that is one of the things (along with stuffing my face with chocolate and imbibing large doses of caffeine) that has helped me to get through the last couple of weeks. Here we go then - this week's featured artist:

Rufus Wainwright

Ok, we all know Rufus Wainwright - even if you don't know him by name, it is pretty likely that you have heard his music - most probably his version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". I'm not sure I know a single person that doesn't like Rufus Wainwright's music at least a little bit, and I think that really says something about the beauty and accessibility of his songs.
Hailing originally from New York and Montreal, and member of a ridiculously musical family - younger sister Martha (whom he often collaborates with, and who's music I also love), father Loudon and mother Kate McGarrigle - Rufus has so far released 8 cds, as well as various songs for films such as Brokeback Mountain, Moulin Rouge and The History Boys. Last year saw the premiere of his opera "Prima Donna" at the Manchester International Festival.
It is very hard for me to pick only a few songs as my favourites, but here goes anyway (a lot of them ended up being from his first album - I guess it's my favourite!):

April Fools
Fun fact - the women in the video are all opera characters who die for love - Mimi from La Boheme, Carmen, Tosca, Madame Butterfly and Gilda from Rigoletto - can you figure out which is which?  Also, is it just me or is Madame Butterfly played by Martha Wainwright?


Beauty Mark
Supposedly about his mother
http://hypem.com/track/1023437/Rufus+Wainwright+-+Beauty+Mark

Foolish Love
One of his many songs about unrequited love

can't seem to find a decent version of this, which really is a shame since it beautifully shows off his gorgeous voice!

Greek Song
http://www.jango.com/stations/263101390/tunein?song_id=97683

Who Are You New York?
From his latest album
Rufus Wainwright – Who Are You New York?

What do you think of Rufus Wainwright? Favourite songs? Am I wrong to think that everyone likes him? Do leave a comment :)

Just What I Needed to Perk Me Up

The weekend and the first half of this week have been and will be pretty nightmareish - lots and lots of revision, along with the usual weekly assignments.  I have two midterms this week, one tomorrow, and one on Wednesday - so you can imagine that earlier today I was in a bit of a state.  Just as well then that I decided to check my mailbox, because inside it I found this:

and inside that, I found this:

Hooray! Finally! Just what I need to get me up and at 'em and dancing around the room

My Thanksgiving Dinner

I don't really celebrate thanksgiving - we don't have it in England, as I have repeatedly had to tell people here - but I figured that a 3-day weekend was something to celebrate, so I made a vaguely festive meal - steak with hassleback potatoes and peas! I also made "Pumpkin Pie in a Pan" from this recipe, but I won't go into that in detail, since it wasn't my recipe.
I'm going to focus in this post on the potatoes.  In the spirit of full disclosure, they didn't turn out exactly as planned - I think the oven needed to be hotter, but since I was cooking the pie at the same time, I couldn't crank up the heat. They were still good though, so I'm going to share the recipe

Hassleback Potatoes


hassleback potatoes are basically roast potatoes, but they are cut open to help them cook so you don't have to par-boil them.

Start off with some potatoes, as many as you think you can eat.  Longer, more oval shaped ones are ideal, but I could only find round ones, and they work just the same.  You want them to be relatively small, whatever shape they are.  No need to peel them if they look like the ones in the picture, just wash them and chop off any gnarly bits.
Now for the hassleback part:

slice into the potatoes, almost all the way through, but NOT all the way (it is surprisingly difficult, so don't be surprised if it takes a couple of tries to get it right).

Put them in a roasting tin and drizzle them with olive oil. As you can see, I had some trouble slicing the potatoes, and ended chopping off the ends of a few of them!

Then sprinkle with salt, and put them in the oven at about 400F for around half an hour, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

et voila!

As I said earlier, I had mine with steak and peas

Yum! I love meat.