Listen to this

Stan Getz. His playing is lyrical, easy, comfortable, happy, solemn, and I never, ever tire listening to the two albums that I have of his: Jazz Samba and The Essential. Something that I enjoy when listening to instrumental jazz, is knowing the lyrics (if applicable). For example, some of my favorite songs are, "Of Thee I Sing" and "All The Things You Are." I love following all the changes and hearing how he (or anyone) plays it with their own interpretation...but isn't that one of the great attributes of jazz? Seriously, get one of these and put it on while you're up on a sunny morning, relaxing in the afternoon, entertaining, messing around in the kitchen, or on your stroll to work.

BSO

Tuesday Catherine and I went to the Symphony together and had our hair blown way, way back. Burgos was guest conducting the Iberia Suite (loved it), Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 with Hilary Hahn (amazing), and Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade. The entire program start to finish was captivating and felt like an serious indulgence. I haven't heard a concert/performance like this in a long time and gosh did it give me an incredible high. During the Scheherazade I sat on the edge of my seat with my eyes wide and mouth open. Everything the orchestra played was crystal clear, the energy was high, the solo features were near perfection, and I'm getting goosebumps now as I'm recalling the memory of the night.

Lucky Me to be in Boston.

Not this past weekend, but the week before, we had the most beautiful weekend this year. No kidding! A high of 50 and clear sunny skies was the wish come true for every Bostonian. We went for a 6 1/2 mile walk and the whole city was smiling. We started at Symphony Hall (home), walked past Val Kilmer (Holy Cow Batman/Ice Man!), stopped by India Samraat for lunch, and headed north up Massachusetts Avenue all the way to Harvard Square. We stopped at Crema Cafe for a tea for me and an espresso for Michael. The square is always jammed packed with people, but it was even more so that Saturday. Michael suggested that we walk down JFK and then follow the Charles River all the way back past Boston University to Mass Ave and then home. We didn't realize how out of the way this route was, but we did it anyway. It couldn't have been a prettier day and we loved how many people were out walking, biking, running, or just hanging out. I felt super special and lucky getting to enjoy a day like that in a city like Boston.

Don't worry, I still heart Kansas City but I'm making more room for Bean Town.

Home Sweet Home

The longer I am in Boston, the more I'm feeling "at home." I am forever attached to Kansas City, but I do love coming home to my new home.

Eating In

Friday night Michael and I had his two freshman students from New England Conservatory over for a listening session and dinner. While the three of them listened and discussed styles of playing, I worked on dinner in the kitchen. On the menu was mesculan greens with Ina's fantastic mustard vinaigrette, Giada's rigatoni with vegetable bolognese (I omit the porcini mushrooms as I prefer the overall flavor of the dish without them) and finally, a lemon curd tart. Everything turned out amazingly well except for the tart. I am not sure where I went wrong, but the darn thing did not set and there was too much zest. I will say that the pastry crust turned out perfect. Michael improvised and we enjoyed our stash of Girl Scout cookies with Earl Grey tea all around.

I had a friend over last night and made a really tasty carrot-mushroom-barley stew with celery, onions, s&p, rosemary, and ginger. I know that the rule is not to make something for the first time when you're having company over, but I did it anyway. When Michael and I cook at home, we don't repeat recipes often unless it really knocks our socks off. There are so many great things to eat, why limit ourselves? Anyway, it was a bit of catastrophe in the making, but it turned out really well. We had our stew, a great bottle of wine, bread from High Rise, lemon bars, and watched "Up." What a great movie! I had a great time and welcome more and more and more.

High on High Rise

High Rise Bread Co. in Cambridge is a happy operation we discovered months ago. You walk in and it's packed with locals. To the right is an open air space where all the magical bread baking happens and to the left are beautiful displays of breads. There are crates of different wines and on the wall are a selective selection of liqueurs and preserves. There are four small tables at the perimeter and in the middle, long tables with benches for communal seating. I ordered a cup of carrot-potato-leek soup and a monterey jack grilled cheese on challah. My sandwich was incredibly light and very tasty. Michael got the pulled pork sandwich with Canadian cheddar, honey mustard, and coleslaw. Every time we go it's a great experience loaded with tons of charm and interesting folks.