Monday, December 17, 2012

Online Music Essentials

Image representing Grooveshark as depicted in ...

Image via CrunchBase

The following are websites that are brilliant online sources for music enjoyment:

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Three Brilliant Holiday Music Events In Calgary December 2012

Mozart's Birthplace (Photo credit: bflickr)

No NHL, no problem. Calgary still has plenty to offer. Here are three musical events to consider to enhance the spirit of the season:

1. Bowfire! The Ultimate String Sensation:

"Bowfire’s all-star lineup of virtuosic fiddlers delivers a mix of Celtic, rock, bluegrass, country, classical music and Christmas favourites. Add in beautiful vocals, electric step and tap dancing, lights, costumes and sets, and you’ve got one fast-paced spectacle for the senses. Get ready for a Ho Ho Ho Down as they join forces with your CPO for a concert experience unlike any other!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012 – 7:30pm"

2. Calgary Jazz Orchestra

"A Perfectly Frank Christmas" December 23rd 2012 Tickets here"

“Sound is the same as a painter’s palette. Our goal when performing is to paint incredible pictures with the variety of colours that we have at our disposal. To create an acoustic picture is art for the moment – the music is more emotional and resonates with the audience.”

-Johnny Summers, Director, Calgary Jazz Orchestra

3. Blue Arch Strings: "Music For A Winter Afternoon"

Music from Mozart, Vivaldi and more.

December 9th 2012 at 3PM

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Quest: In Search Of The Best Things To Do In Calgary

Chinook arch over the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Quest: To find an easy way to search for events going on in and around Calgary
{Under construction; thus, bookmark and check back often}

Where to look: There are so many places on the internet to find various events and what's happening in Calgary, but the information is very scattered.

*Here then is a quick snapshot of where you should be clicking to find everything from popular events to the hidden gems of our fine city, with a penchant for events that appeal more for adults:

Festivals

Gastronomy

City Palate

Markets

Movies/Shows/Plays

Globe Cinema (CalgaryMovies.com)

Music

Cool Science

Telus Spark Science Centre - Adults Only

Highlight: May 9, 2013: The Amazing Human Body

Sports

Other Useful Links

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe Quest: Emeril Lagasse Plus Options

Emeril Lagasse (Photo credit: Lord Mariser)

I love Chicken Liver Pâté and I'm on a quest to find the quintessential recipe:

Option 1:

Chicken Liver Pate: Terrine de Foies de Volaille Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Recipes : Food Network: "Ingredients
1 pound fresh chicken livers, cleaned
1 cup milk
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons green peppercorns, drained
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
French bread croutons or toast, accompaniment
French cornichons, optional accompaniment"

Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-liver-pate-terrine-de-foies-de-volaille-recipe/index.html

Option 2:

Food & Wine:

This silky-smooth pâté is inexpensive and simple to make. The chicken livers are briefly simmered in water with aromatics before they're blended with butter in a food processor. If you have the opportunity to choose, shop for paler chicken livers; they tend to have a mellower, richer flavor than deep-red ones.

Link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-liver-pate-march-2007

Option 3:

Gastronomy Blog:

1 pound chicken livers
Coarse salt and finely ground pepper
3/4 cup best-quality olive oil, divided, more as needed
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons brandy or Cognac
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons capers (preferably salt-packed), rinsed and drained
1 lemon, zest finely grated, and 1 tablespoon juice
16 slices toasted bread

Link: http://gastronomyblog.com/2010/03/12/chicken-liver-pate/

Option 4

Not Quite Nigella:

Adapted from A Cook’s Guide by Donna Hay

Makes approximately two cups of pâté

1.5 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 small onion, diced
350g/12 ozs chicken livers
1/4 cup (60ml) brandy
125g cold butter, extra, chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) cream
salt and black pepper
80g (3 ozs) butter
Bread and cornichons to serve

Buyer’s tip: buy chicken livers as fresh as possible. They should be glossy and moist and avoid using the dark patches(you can trim them off). Buy these at a chicken speciality store.

Link: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/07/07/chicken-liver-pate/

Option 5:

Ooh, Look...

makes approx 3 cups

Ingredients

500g chicken livers, trimmed, sinew removed

3/4 cup (185ml) milk

1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil

2 brown onions, chopped

2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 bacon rashers, rind removed, chopped

1 tblsp thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

2 tblsp brandy or Grand Marniner

1 1/2 tblsp balsamic vinegar

170g chilled cultured unsalted butter, chopped, plus 80g melted, cooled

Method

1. Place chicken livers in bowl, cover with milk and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and bacon, and cook, stirring, for 12 minutes until the onion caramelises. Mix in thyme, then add brandy (or Grand Marnier) and 1 tablespoon of water, stirring to deglaze the pan. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Wipe pan clean and return to high heat with remaining oil. Drain chicken livers and pat dry with paper towel, then cook for 2-3 minutes each side until browned and slightly crusty but still pink inside. Add to the bowl with the onion mixture and season well with salt and pepper.

4. Return pan to heat, splash with vinegar to deglaze the pan again. Then scrape the juices into the bowl with the livers. Puree mixture very finely in blender or food processor with the chilled, chopped butter. For an extra-silky texture use a spatula or spoon to force the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl.

5. Smooth the pate into four 180ml ceramic pots or a 750ml dish. Pour a thin film of melted butter on top to seal, then top with a thyme sprig. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve with crusty bread.

recipe adapted from delicious (March 2010)

Link: http://ooh-look.blogspot.ca/2011/01/best-ever-chicken-liver-pate.html

» The Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits – A Guided Tour :zenhabits

Kanji zen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

» The Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits – A Guided Tour :zenhabits:

Blog worth checking out:

Excerpt:

"While some of you have been following Zen Habits since its early days (beginning of 2007), many of you are fairly new readers.

To help you through the fairly overwhelming archives, I’ve compiled a beginner’s guide. Kind of a Quick Start guide.

First, a note: Please don’t try to go through this all at once. There are days and days worth of reading here. I’ve just organized that so that you can go to the stuff you want to learn about first.
Take it in small chunks.

Where do you start when you have a thousand posts to read through? You start with the best, or at least the most popular.

So here they are:
The All-Time Most Popular Posts on Zen Habits"