Gregg Barnes' Follies Costumes

I saw the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies last night. What a treat!
The staging, especially the moving "ghost girls" as set pieces, was masterful. The voices and talent were stellar.

Jan Maxwell as Phyllis (from folliesbroadway.com)

However, Gregg Barnes' costuming was easily my favorite aspect of the show.

(from centertheatregroup.org)

(from playbillvault.com)

Each piece was a spectacle, with the pieces de resistance being the astounding showgirl costumes in the Loveland number.

Beautiful Girls (from centertheatregroup.org/follies)

Barnes is a creative genius, having drawn from the best elements of Follies costume history without, believe it or not, going completely overboard.

Completely overboard. (from haremofpeacocks.blogspot.com)

Here's an in-depth article on Gregg Barnes and the costuming for Follies.
Follies costumers in general have been incredibly creative, from those costuming the famous Ziegfeld girls of the early 20th century:

Ziegfeld Girls (from splendidred.typepad.com)

Louise Brooks as a Ziegfeld Girl (from artdecoblog.blogspot.com)

to Erte:

Erte's Twilight (from www.thehipcircle.com)

I know what I'm going to be for Halloween this year... I'd better start doing some crunches!

Frito Pie

I first had Frito Pie at the Woolworth's in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which was famous for possibly being the birthplace of this awesome dish. Sadly, the Woolworth's is long gone, but then again, so am I from New Mexico, so I guess we're even.

This is my super-easy version I make ALL THE TIME. It's great for large parties, because I can just leave the meat on the stovetop or in a crockpot on low heat with all the toppings nearby and people can help themselves.

Ingredients:

Fritos (if you want to be totally authentic, get the little snack bags and serve the pie directly in the bag.)
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 1/2 cups Kick-Ass Red Chile Sauce

Toppings:
sweet onion, chopped
tomato, chopped
extra-sharp cheddar, grated
cilantro, chopped
Mexican crema (you can swap in creme fraiche, as I did here)

Brown the beef over medium-high heat, about 7 minutes. Ground sirloin is not as fatty as regular ground beef, so often there will be little to drain off. If there is fat in the pan you want to get rid of, scoot all the meat to one end of the pan then tip it so the fat separates out. Use a clean dry paper towel to wick up the fat.
Add the chile sauce and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer until there is almost no liquid left in the pan, approximately 10 minutes.

To assemble:
Fritos first, then meat, then whatever you want on top.

Serves 4 polite eaters, 3 hungry ones, 2 beasts.

Rosemary's Baby

I came up with this cocktail over the weekend when I decided to experiment with the bourbon.
A custom cream reduction tames the big kick.
(Thanks to JR for coming up with the name. All I had was "off-the-hook bourbon cocktail.")

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
4 oz. OJ
1 Tbs Rosemary, vanilla, & black pepper-infused cream
fresh rosemary, rinsed & patted dry

Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add OJ and cream and shake to blend.
Add bourbon and swirl or stir to mix in.
Pour into old-fashioned with light ice.
Garnish with rosemary.
Be prepared to repeat this cycle several times if you share this with others. Be prepared to do it at least once more if you're drinkin' solo (ya boozer).

If you're less lazy than me, a bit of orange peel would be a nice addition to the garnish.

Glazed Berry Pie

Boysenberry season is here, and since I can actually get them at our tiny farmers' market, I take advantage. Boysenberries are hard to find, and are usually only available at farmers' markets that are geographically close to the growers. The season is extremely short, and because boysens are fragile, they don't travel or store well. If you find some, use them within a few days or they will crap out on you.

I've loved boysens since I was a kid; a visit to my grandparents in Anaheim always meant at least one trip to Knott's Berry Farm for fried chicken and boysenberry pie at the creatively-named Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. I'm pretty sure that riding the mini-train out front with my grandpa is what started my lifelong love of train travel, and my grandmother's patience while I rode Montezuma's Revenge 10,000 times enabled my penchant for thrill-seeking and roller-coasting. I can only imagine how many dish towels she knitted while I rode until I made myself hurl.

A couple of years ago, I found a recipe for Boysenberry-Strawberry Glazed Pie in the Los Angeles Times. I made some adaptations to it, and now we have it at least once per season.
If boysenberries aren't available, you can swap in blackberries.

Ingredients:

1 basket boysenberries, rinsed & divided
1/2 basket blackberries, rinsed & divided (not shown because they were a late addition when I realized I didn't have enough boysens)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
Pinch salt
1 basket strawberries, rinsed (slice the large ones)
1 Oreo cookie crust
Rosemary, vanilla, & black pepper-infused cream, optional

Crush 3/4 cup boysens & 1/4 cup blackberries into the bottom of a small saucepan (I use the bottom of a measuring cup to avoid scratching my non-stick surface). Add the water and cook over low heat long enough to soften the berries, around 2 minutes. Push the berry mix through a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl to extract the seeds then return the juices to the pan.

In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually pour this mix into the berry juices in the saucepan while whisking constantly to avoid clumps. Cook over medium-high heat, and continue to whisk until the sauce starts to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.

Work that wrist!

Place a layer of strawberries in the pie shell. I use the sliced ones in this layer. Scatter half of the remaining boysens and blacks on top of the strawberries. (In order to prevent the crust from getting soggy, I roll the berries around on a paper towel to soak up the rinse water beforehand.)

Top with a thin layer of sauce. Repeat with a second layer, adding the rest of the berries and sauce over the top. Use the back of a spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the top of the berries and to smooth out the top.

Chill pie at least 30 mins in the fridge before serving.
Serve topped with the infused cream, if using. You can also swap in creme fraiche or regular whipped cream.

I don't have a pie server.

Super-easy, no-bake yum!

Kick-Ass Red Chile Sauce

This sauce is one of my basics. It's a heavily-adapted version of a recipe I originally found in the Weekly Alibi several years ago.
I use it on everything: enchiladas, chilaquiles, burritos, and it is the key ingredient in my Frito Pie.
It's cheap, easy to make, and it freezes very well.


Ingredients:

12 dried red chiles (10 if you want to tone down the heat a bit)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs canola oil
3 cups chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian/vegan-friendly)
heaping 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

Rinse the chiles under warm water, removing the stems and as many of the seeds as possible while keeping the body of the chile intact. Place the chiles in a large bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 15-20 minutes to soften.

Gently stir the chiles a few times while they are softening; this helps release more of the seeds.

Using tongs, remove the chiles to a colander to drain. 

In a large saute pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent and soft, around 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more, stirring. Do not let the mix brown. Stir in the salt and spices, cooking 30 seconds. Adding the spices before the rest of the liquid brings out more of their flavor. Add everything else.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

If you don't need to use the sauce right away, let it cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. That way, you can puree it all at once rather than doing it in batches.
Puree the chile mix in a blender or a food processor until smooth.

The easiest way to transfer the sauce to a freezer bag is by pouring it into a baggie that's stuffed into a pint glass. It stays upright and there's no mess at the zipper.

One batch makes about 4 cups - enough for at least 3 dishes. Enjoy!

Rosemary, Vanilla & Black Pepper-Infused Cream

I came up with this reduction the other day while experimenting with bourbon-based cocktails. I made a few adjustments and came up with this improved version that I'll be using today in my Rosemary's Baby cocktail, but I also think it will be delicious on the Boysenberry-Strawberry Pie we're having for dessert tonight...

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
3 small sprigs fresh rosemary (approx 1/2 - 3/4 tsp)
3/4 tsp whole black peppercorns, divided
2 Tbl orange blossom honey

I use local &/or organic products whenever possible. When I travel, I always pick up some local products and specialties. They are usually inexpensive and also make great souvenirs. I bought these vanilla beans from La Maison du Cacao in Guadeloupe earlier this year.

Cocoa tree & pod

Split the bean down the middle, taking care not to cut it completely in half:

Add cream, bean, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, and rosemary to a small saucepan:

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides (to prevent scalding) until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the honey until completely incorporated.

Let cool 5-10 minutes then push through a fine mesh strainer into a glass or plastic container. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp peppercorns and refrigerate at least one hour before using.

Double-Berry Pancakes

After our trip to the farmers market yesterday we are berry-rich, so I have to find ways to use up blackberries, strawberries, blueberries (who knew those could even grow in SoCal??), and boysenberries. This morning I continued my catastrophizing of the kitchen by making double-berry pancakes. I adapted this recipe I originally found in Sunset magazine by adding a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to the batter and swapping in sliced strawberries for the raspberries. Sometimes I add a little lemon zest too.

It is a cleaning catastrophe because rather than using the one bowl I'd need for a pre-packaged pancake mix, this recipe uses a mixer and calls for 3 bowls (including the mixer bowl).

To keep the berries from breaking up in or discoloring the batter, add them manually after the batter has been ladled onto the griddle:

At least by using this easier and cleaner way of makin' bacon, my cooktop doesn't get grease-splattered and gross.

Et, voila! Brunch is served!

Joiner

I've resisted starting a blog because I tend to see the evolution of blogging kind of like tattoos: once the domain of the avant-garde and non-conforming, now everyone and his grandma has one.
That hasn't stopped me from continuing to get tattoos, however...
So, here I am, a joiner, and late to the party at that.
No matter, this blog is primarily for me: my own little personal clearinghouse of creativity.
I get mopey sometimes, inwardly bemoaning the fact that I don't have time to explore all the ideas I have, make all the stuff I want to make, or produce Great Works o' Art. I don't know when I adopted this as my working definition of "being creative" because it is, in fact, wrong.
Truly, I am creative every day, all the time, and I fail to give myself credit for it. But it's true. Just writing these few words, which did not previously exist, has been a creative act. That's exciting!
So, this blog is to help me remember all to the stuff I've done, do, and want to get around to doing, and to redefine "creativity" in a way that is more accurate.

Of course, I'm not special in any way by being creative. I believe everyone is constantly creative; it is the manifestations of that creativity that make us unique and special. I love to see how others wield their creativity, so I'll explore that here as well. In fact, it was a website I found yesterday that finally compelled me to be a joiner. Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction is composed of a group of people who appear to just like making stuff, from specialty spirits to t-shirts, and don't worry about cohesiveness of product or whatever. Before I became an Educated Professional, I used to do that too, under the name "Neo-Renaissance Bohemian Freaks." I made whatever I wanted, from glass art to bath products, and sold at art shows, on Ebay, and in a few shops. I loved it, but had no business sense, so it didn't work out.

Who knows? Maybe I'll start doing some of that again some day.
In the meantime, I'll be here, concocting.