Lunedi Lunacy

I will admit that at one time I had this this little gem in my collection of cookbooks.  I honestly don't recall if I ever use any of the recipes in it but I know it did disappear on to the table at some charity book sale more than a decade ago.  As I recall I purchased it more as a remind of the way things use to be than the way I intended things to be.  Now when I say "the way things use to be" I don't mean in my mother's kitchen.  Her's was a fairly rigid English meat, boiled potatoes, over-boiled veg menu.  Exotic was using mustard when making a grilled cheesed sandwich.  Canned soup was made for eating as soup not as some sort of sauce, peanut butter was for toast and jello was cubed and served as desert. And miniature marshmallows?  they were not to be seen in Isabella's kitchen.

However that does not mean I escaped the delightful dishes which "will astound your guests" and that could be made from Kraft miniature marshmallows, velveeta cheese, peanut butter or jello.  There was never a church supper or pot luck that did not include some culinary treasure that Bruce Marsh had introduced us to on the commercial break of the Kraft Music Hall or between periods of Saturday Night Hockey. 

The other day I was reminded of those church suppers and pot-lucks when a FB friend posted a truly frightening recipe from the 1950s involving frozen waffles, ham, mushroom soup and probably, I really couldn't bring myself to finish reading it, miniature marshmallows.  And it also brought to mind a William Bolcom song that my friend Ron use to quote when we'd plan pot-lucks in later years.  Unfortunately I couldn't find a really good video of that Boclom-artist par excellence Joan Morris however this version by the lovely lady at Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en gives us both the aural and visual delights of Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise.

And just to tease and tantalize your palate I thought I'd include these two pictures to show you young folk what you missed by not living in those heady days of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Yes Virginia they really did make jello salads with marshmallows and mayonnaise; and as for that second picture I'm not sure what it is suppose to be but the ad guaranteed that it would impress my husband's boss and get him his promotion.

October 20 - 1943: The cargo vessel Sinfra is attacked by Allied aircraft at Souda Bay, Crete, and sunk. 2,098 Italian prisoners of war drown with it.

Lunedy Lunacy

Last Wednesday I posted a video of the Vesuvius Ensemble and the story of the marriage of the Guarracino.  As I mentioned the first story-song of this not particularly attractive fish dates from the 1700s and was probably intended as a way of teaching the names of the creatures in the waters of Southern Italy.

Here's an inspired piece of lunacy by Michelangelo Fornaro based on the original song.  He mixes live and stop action to tell the tale of little fish with big amourous aspirations and the trouble it causes in the deep.

And, like the narrator, when it's finished I feel out of breath and in need of a drink.

September 22 - 1910: The Duke of York's Picture House opens in Brighton, now the oldest continually operating cinema in Britain.

Lunedi Lunacy

As the theme the next few days will be the performances at the Pfingstfestspeile here's a few musical jokes to start the week.

June 16 -1961: Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union.

Lunedi Lunacy

To celebrate the close of the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee here's a little something in G Major by the Mini Horn section!

Many thanks to my old friend Charlie who sent me this.


13 August - 1521: Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.

Lunedi Lunacy

This one has been floating around the ether the past few days but just in case you missed it and in the spirit of sharing for the season and the tradition of presenting Messiah at Christmas I give you: The Silent Monks singing Handel.



It appears that this routine has been taken up by several choral groups and become as seasonal favorite. There are four or five versions on YouTube - unfortunately the video by the Monks of St Francis de la Sissies (The Portland Gay Men's Chorus) is not of the best quality though their introduction is inspired lunacy.

With thanks, as always, to Cathy.

13 decembre - San Giovanni della Croce