Josh Groban at the Apple Store

Very randomly my parents and I went to see Josh Groban perform at the Apple store last night. It was actually a really good concert, even though I'm not a particularly big fan. The theater in the Apple store is a very small space so it was an intimate concert, and Josh Groban was actually really good at relating to the audience. He sang a few songs from his new album, and he sounded great. I particularly enjoyed the last one because it was in Italian!

Happy First Night of Hanukkah!

Christmas Backdrops

 - 

 Christmas 2009 - TA 3

Christmas 2010 - Cupcake shop

New Yorker cover

Chaos and Classicism at the Guggenheim

Today my dad and I went to see Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936 at the Guggenheim Museum. Exhibited mostly in the spiraling halls of the Guggenheim, it presented art from three European countries in the time between the two World Wars. While artists were recovering from the  trauma of World War I, they looked to classical ideals and reinvented them in an attempt to re-establish order amidst chaos. However, as fascist regimes took power in Italy and Germany, art fell more and more under the control of the dictatorships, and artists were limited to presenting only fascist propaganda and political ideals by the time the mid-1930s rolled around, bringing with it the start of World War II.

Some images from the exhibit:

Picasso - combines classical Roman ideals and visual elements

Balthus - seemingly a happy street seen, but at closer glance, everyone looks slightly tense and permanently frozen. Very disconcerting scene.

This one, from the last room of the exhibit called "The Dark Side of Classicism," encompasses all of Hitler's master race ideals, and actually hung in his living room. *Shudder.*

The exhibit is on view until January 9th - check it out if you can! You also get a free audioguide at the Guggenheim which I thought contributed a lot to the exhibit. Click here to go to the really cool exhibition website.

Old School Subway Car Sighting

Yesterday I was waiting on the uptown platform of the Broadway-Lafayette station when this very old subway pulled into the station on the downtown side. Everyone took out their cell phones and tried to photograph it before it left. I couldn't get great pictures but you can get the idea. It was so cool! The seats looked like they were leather or pleather, or some kind of cushioned material that wasn't just hard plastic. There were normal passengers on it, but I'm still not entirely sure it wasn't a special train ride. Either way, I've never seen anything like it in my 22 years of subway riding!

Christmas Can-Can

This is worth taking 3 minutes to watch. Trust me.

Thanksgiving

This classy little card was found at each place at my aunt and uncle's Thanksgiving table...perhaps it can start to give you a sense of our own little version of a crazy family gathering.

Please note that the smiley face is holding a glass of red wine.

Parade Preview

Thanksgiving Disasters, via NYTimes.com

Your Thanksgiving won't be as bad as the guy who fought someone in the process of robbing his car on the Upper West Side...I promise.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/its-thanksgiving-were-doomed/

Get Your Thanksgiving Pants Ready!

Why be uncomfortable on a holiday that revolves around food?

Harry Potter Cast Learns to Speak American

So glad I grew up in the Harry Potter generation.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Back to the Blog

I seem to follow a pattern of blogging for a few months and then stopping completely...and then starting again...and stopping again. But I'm starting again (again) and this time I'm going to try to keep up with it. Let's see how that goes.

To get back in the swing of this, I'll share some pretty autumn pictures I've taken recently:

West Broadway

East Hampton

Also, a word about Glee. It's been pretty bad lately, but I liked last week's Gwenyth Paltrow episode. Watch these two clips and tell me if there's anything she can't do.

Strawberry Bread

Yummy - followed this recipe exactly and it turned out great!

Recipe:
2 eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh diced strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 4″ loaf pan.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until the evenly yellow (but not frothy). Stir in the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and stir until evenly mixed. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until there are no longer traces of flour. Gently fold in the strawberries, then pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the bread and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Vassar Graduation

I became a Vassar College graduate exactly one week ago...and it's still sinking in! Here are some highlights from graduation. It was a beautiful day; rain was predicted but never came. It was warm but there was cloud cover, which was nice for us in our big black robes, and the sun broke through the clouds a few times during the ceremony. It was held on a hill on campus that overlooks a lake, so it was a really beautiful setting.

Lisa Kudrow, Vassar Class of '85, was our commencement speaker. Her speech was really interesting - if you feel like watching it, go here and fast forward to around 78 minutes in.

Meryl Streep (class of '74) is on the Board of Trustees, so she was also in attendance. She's sitting on the far right in this photo, with the blue drape over her shoulders. Click on the photo to make it bigger and check out her awesome heels!

Senior class marching to the hill.

My Italian professors in their academic garb.

Ty, future Vassar student, class of 2031!

Ty's picture even made it onto the Vassar website, since he looked so dashing in his Vassar t-shirt - go to http://commencement.vassar.edu/ and click on picture #27!

Gabrielle's Lemon Squares

Okay, I'll admit it - the main reason I wanted to try this recipe is because it has my name in the title. But aside from that, who doesn't love lemon squares? I decided to make them this afternoon as an early birthday treat. It was the first time I've ever made lemon squares and they were delicious!

Gabrielle’s Lemon Squares

from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman

Makes: 12-16

Time: About 1 hour

These two-step squares are sweet-tart and moist. Be sure not to overbake them; they’re done when the edges are firming up and the middle is still a bit soft. Rotate the pan if they appear to be baking unevenly.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus a little for the pan

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

Pinch salt

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 eggs

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon baking soda

Grated or minced zest of 1 lemon

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Heat the oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter with ¼ cup of the sugar and the salt. Stir in the cup of flour. This mixture will be quite dry; press into the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes, no longer; it should just be turning golden. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
3. Beat together the eggs, lemon juice, and remaining sugar until lightened and thick; add the remaining flour, the baking soda, and the lemon zest. Pour over the crust and bake until firm on the edges but still a little soft in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool, then dust with sifted confectioners’ sugar. Cut into squares and serve. Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

Sicilia!

This June I'm going to Sicily for 10 days with my mom, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Chris, on a tour with a Sicilian heritage group called Arba Sicula. I'll probably be the only person under 50 on the trip, but that's fine by me - I'm going to the motherland! Sicily is one of the only places in Italy I didn't get to see when I was studying abroad in Fall 2008, and I've been dying to go pretty much since I knew my mother's side of the family was Sicilian. (So, 1996?)

On the trip, we're almost circling the island of Sicily. We'll be visiting Palermo, Cefalù, Marsala, Agrigento, Siracusa, Catania, Messina, and Taormina, in addition to smaller places en route or on day trips. Since I don't know where any of these places are either (except for Palermo), I made a google map marking all the places we'll be visiting:


View Sicily Trip June 2010 in a larger map

Non vedo l'ora - I can't wait!

Chocolate Chip Scones

Last night my housemate and I baked chocolate chip scones from a Martha Stewart recipe that we adapted. We made the recipe, Fast Raspberry Scones, with blackberries on Saturday, and tried it last night with chocolate chips. They were delicious! Here's our adapted version:

Chocolate Chip Scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk (we used milk with lemon juice to make buttermilk)

1 large egg yolk

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and mush together. (We used our hands because the recipe called for a food processor, which we don't have.) In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk. Slowly pour buttermilk mixture into larger bowl, mixing until dough just comes together.

Knead in chocolate chips. Transfer to flat surface. Gather and pat dough into a 1-inch thick square and cut or pull apart into 2-inch pieces. Place pieces about 2 inches apart on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets and sprinkle tops with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let scones cool slightly on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 20.

The Final Countdown

Today is May 3rd, which means I turn 22 in 10 days, and graduate in 20 days. Commence freakout. Or, commence senioritis. (Or more accurately, a little of both.)

On Wednesday we had spring convocation, the ceremony that marks the end of the academic year, when juniors officially become seniors (and get to ring the bell on top of Main building - see this post from last May) and seniors officially become alumni/e. But of course, that's all symbolic because we haven't even finished classes yet, let alone final papers and exams. We did, nevertheless, get to dress up in our graduation robes and march into the Vassar Chapel, and listen to some people make speeches.

The absolute best part of convocation was the speaker from the Alumni Association of Vassar College, a graduate from the class of 1995 who founded Peanut Butter & Co., a peanut butter company with exotic flavors such as White Chocolate Wonderful and Dark Chocolate Dreams, that even has a sandwich shop in Greenwich Village. The speaker, Lee Zalben, was funny and encouraging, and here's the best part: we all got free peanut butter! They handed out jars of Smooth Operator, Crunch Time, and White Chocolate Wonderful, and there was enough that each senior could take two. So now our house has eight jars of peanut butter, in addition to the jar of Skippy that was already open in the fridge. (Yummy.)

Nothing like a little peanut butter to soften the shock of becoming an alum...

Classes end tomorrow, and I'll be done with everything by May 12th. It's a crazy two weeks ahead (jazz dance performance tonight, tap performance Wednesday night, then final papers galore) but the weather is beautiful and it'll be senior week before I know it, so I'll try to enjoy every moment. All too soon I'll be an alum for real...ahh!!!

Choir Concert Webcast

This is late notice - I meant to post this a few days ago and then forgot - but if you're sitting in front of your computer around 3pm today you should watch the webcast of my choir concert at http://music.vassar.edu/concerts/webcast/index.html. We're performing Handel's Israel and Egypt, a baroque piece about the Passover story. It's really cool, and we're singing with an orchestra too. Catch a bit of it if you can!

Blossoms, Class Ring, and Dante

It's spring at Vassar too! I took these photos last week when the trees were covered in blossoms - unfortunately they've already fallen and green leaves are sprouting where the blossoms used to be.

I also got my Vassar class ring in the mail today!

This is my high school class ring:

...But I don't wear it that often. Sometimes I wear it if I'm wearing something red and it matches (I chose a red stone because red and black were PPAS's school colors) but I love that the Vassar ring is so simple, elegant, and understated. I'm also glad it arrived more than a month before graduation so I can enjoy wearing it facing towards me; once you graduate you turn it to face outward.

Isn't it pretty?

In other news, I finished memorizing the entire Canto III of Dante's Inferno this afternoon! The professor of my Italian seminar on the Inferno gave us the option of memorizing and performing a canto (the equivalent of a chapter in poem form) in Italian in lieu of writing a final paper, which sounds easy, but is actually quite a challenge. The canto I chose is 136 lines long. I still have to perfect it and cement it into my mind, but I have about a month in which to do that. I'm so happy I finally got through it all; when I was halfway through, the end seemed so far away! But I guess that can be said about a lot of things. People tell me that now I'll remember this canto for the rest of my life. I don't know if that's true, but if you want me to recite it the next time you see me, I'd be more than happy to oblige! Or you can request just a line or two if listening to 136 lines of medieval Italian seems a little overwhelming.

And another side note - did anyone watch Glee last night? My housemate and I both did presentations in our art history seminar today, so we didn't watch it last night, but we're watching it tonight and are very excited...

Spring and Baking

It's spring!

I've baked a lot in the past week, but I've been slacking on photographing my creations. Nevertheless, you should try out these recipes:

KALE CHIPS:
Yes, that's right, kale chips. Just kale leaves tossed with salt and olive oil and baked in the oven. So good you won't be able to stop eating them, even if you're not normally inclined to eat kale by the fistfuls. Trust me on this one.

QUINOA MUFFINS:
I doctored up this recipe to experiment with healthy substitutes in baking. I used skim milk instead of whole, applesauce instead of vegetable oil (same amount), whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, half a mashed banana instead of an egg, and cut the brown sugar to 1/2 cup. They turned out really well! They're dense and chewy, and great as breakfast with a cup of coffee.

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES:
I baked these with a friend for the espresso break during our weekly Italian seminar. They turned out really well for what they are, but I'm not that crazy about shortbread, so I'm not sure I'd make them again. Don't get me wrong, they were delicious - espresso, chocolate, butter, how could you go wrong? - but I think I prefer a more doughy, chewy cookie.



And a few recipes I want to try soon...

Strawberry Bread

Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins

Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

Let me know if you make any of these, or anything else, and then give me the recipe!

More of The Little Prince

Yes, I know, it's been a while. I should write a long entry about my spring break service trip to New Orleans, but for now, I'll just write a quick update on my Little Prince collection!

You might remember my collection of The Little Prince books in different languages. (See this post for photos.) I recently got two new copies, bumping my collection up to 21 languages! When my parents went to Lancaster, PA in February they bought me a copy in Pennsylvania Dutch (yes, that's right) and my friend Carly, who was traveling around Brazil for the past two months, bought me a copy in Brazilian Portugese. (A different edition, with a slightly different title, is published in Portugal.)

Pennsylvania Dutch

Brazilian Portugese

I'm hoping to be able to buy myself a copy in a new language this year - we'll see where my travels take me! And if you happen to travel to a country that speaks a language I don't have a copy of, keep your eyes open for bookstores and a book with a little boy standing on a gray planet.