I was in Boston this February and visited the Institute of Contemporary Art. I fell in love with the art of Mark Bradford and wanted to share. Bradford uses found materials—peeling movie posters, homemade flyers, salvaged plywood, even the endpapers used to perm black hair—to create his vibrant, textured compositions. This gives me goosebumps.
When I moved away for university, my mom gave me a stack of cookbooks. I left them in the box, tucked them in the corner and didn't pay any attention to them because I wasn't planning on doing very much cooking at all. I was living in a big city and there was so much to see and do. I got a job as a waitress at a trendy café and became friends with the chef that worked there, a wonderful woman named Julia. When it wasn't busy, I'd tuck away into the back and watch her cook while she told me about her life back home in Columbia. I always thought she should write a book because her story was so tragic and yet uplifting at the same time. Every once in a while she'd scribble down a few recipes and stuff them into my purse and in no time, it was filled with crumpled up post-it notes with hand-written little gems. One day, I came into the café and she had prepared my favorite dish for lunch- penne sorentino (a tuna and black olive pasta dish.) I watched as she continued to dance around the kitchen, singing and asking me about my studies and I realized at that moment that she reminded me of someone I knew. My mother.
In the months that followed, we spent an hour everyday cooking together. I chopped and washed and took detailed notes because I loved her dishes and I wanted to re-create them at home. In fact, I couldn't wait. I’d find myself dashing home, digging out the cookbooks my mother had given me and frantically searching for recipes that caught my eye. Why had I never looked at them before? They were full of colorful photographs and detailed recipes and I couldn't wait to start replicating them. I opened one of the books one night and saw an inscription.
"I know you're going to love cooking. Have fun. Love mom."
I started asking my mother for the recipes of some of my favorite meals. "No need for measuring cups and spoons," she'd say, " just add what you think you'll like " and so, I started doing just that. I stopped measuring every little thing and simply adjusted the ingredients to suit my taste. Sometimes, the dishes didn't turn out very well, but other times, I imagined they tasted better than the original. From that point on, cookbooks became a basic guideline or just a source of inspiration for me.
I came into the cafe one day, eagerly wanting to share a recipe with Julia, but she hadn’t come into work. I never saw her again. I don't know what happened or where she went but I think of her every now and then. I look at the little post-it note with her hand written words: penne sorentino, and I smile. It's still one of my favorite dishes to prepare and also one of the few that I don’t modify at all. I don't omit or substitute anything. Not one thing.
This was the recipe I wanted to share with her that day. It was the first time I remember devising a recipe from scratch-an entire meal that I had based on my own specific tastes using fresh and accessible ingredients. Of course you should adjust it too. Start with a touch of spice and add more if you like. It's an easy and hearty one-pot meal. I think Julia would have liked it.
I have to say that spontaneous art by kids is a favourite of mine . While I was out of town last, my daughter wanted to Skype with me after completing a new watercolour. She titled it 'The Horse and The Bird', inspired by horses (which she loves) and the anticipation of Spring (birds). I was listening to her explain the painting and I was so inspired by her freedom and excitement around it. I told her it looked like the horse wanted to dance with the bird but the bird was reluclant. She giggled.
I was in San Francisco in January and saw this bus shelter poster. I loved the design and title "nurturing creative minds, one spray can at a time". Once I got back to the hotel, I googled what it was all about. "The Where Art Lives Graffiti program promotes the value of caring for public space and creating public art for the community." Check it out.
Kara is leaving for the south of France in two days. I’ve given her a list of products to pick up for me (thanks to this post, I’ve sort of become obsessed with French pharmacy beauty finds.) What I really wish she could bring back however are: baguettes, semi-soft unripened cheese, wine and champagne, madeleine’s and pain au chocolat. Years ago, my in-laws did an in- depth tour of France and they said one of their favorite things to do was sit in the park, drinking wine and eating bread, cheese and chocolate. They’d watch people pass by on their bicycles and couples swooning over afternoon coffee. It’s the way I’ve always pictured France. Doesn’t that sound perfect? I’ve been dreaming of doing that very thing ever since they described their amazing adventure. My mother-in-law is heading back there in a couple of weeks and I was doing some online research for her on new restaurants to try and new places to visit. A food and wine tour of France might just be my ultimate dream. I sort of wish she’d take me with her. I am her only favorite daughter-in-law after all. I was inspired and hungry after reading the delicious menus and decided to experiment by making a rustic fish soup with lots of crusty bread to soak up every last bit!
I hope Kara has an amazing trip. I hope she drinks lots of champagne, eats deliciously rich French food, has time for cheesy poses in front of famous landmarks and buys fashionable pieces to accent her wardrobe. In the meantime, here is the recipe for the soup. It’s so easy and flavorful and your children will eat it! Mine did.
kara