Fennel

Last night I made Potato-Fennel soup. Fennel is a wonderful thing. I used to be intimidated by it, but no longer. This soup is really yummy, easy to make and extremely healthy.

Potato Fennel Soup with Browned Onions

1 tbsp butter or oil

4 cups thinly sliced onions

2 tsp salt

4 medium potatoes, sliced into thin pieces 1 to 2 inches long (don't bother peeling!)

1 cup freshly minced fennel bulb

4 cups water

white pepper to taste

Melt butter (or heat oil) in large pot. Add onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are very very soft, and lightly browned (15 - 20 minutes).add potatoes, another 1/2 tsp salt and minced fennel. Sauté over medium heat for another 5 minutes, then add water. Partially cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender (10 - 15 minutes.) Taste for seasoning, and adjust if required.

Flesh and the Devil

Is that not the greatest movie title ever? Greta Garbo was BEAUTIFUL! Didn't I know this? Linda took me to see this silent film courtesy of Tod and it was really, really good. Of course, the organist at the Castro made a huge difference. It's pretty amazing that a film made in 1926 is still good today.

Hugh

Whenever I see Hugh's art in public, I feel famous by association. My brother, Mike, saw one of his Black Crowes Fillmore posters for sale on eBay for $125. Woo hoo! See more of Hugh at http://www.hughillustration.com/

My Birthday

It's always my favorite day of the year, but this year it really sneaked up on me. I did, however, manage to gather a few folks at Hobson's Choice on Haight Street for rum punch and salmon skewers.

Here's the early crowd.

Jose

I went to see Jose Gonzalez perform at Bimbo's last night. It was a spur of the moment thing and I'm glad I went. Bimbo's is an old-fashioned place with lots of black leather and red velvet and it's a great place to see a show. Jose was very good. If he had a bit of stage presence or chatted with the audience a little, he could be great.

He closed his set with an incredible version of Mezzanine's "Teardrop." See one that someone else recorded here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9f9yEUr8Es&feature=related

Sunday

I'm in the mood today for a list, so here are some of my favorite Sunday things:

1. Yoga at 11 a.m. http://yogatreesf.com/
2. KFOG's Acoustic Sunrise. Five hours of mellow, Sunday morning music. http://www.kfog.com/shows/acoustic.asp
3. A nonfat, decaf latte at my favorite coffee shop on Hayes Street.
4. The New York Times. Yes, the WHOLE thing.
5. A walk with Gin in the Panhandle.

Grateful

This year I enjoyed a yummy, home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner with Margaret, B.Z. and Margaret's mom and Dad. Max amused himself most of the afternoon while Aiden napped.

I am thankful this year for many things _ my irreplaceable family, my intelligent, generous and kind friends and my health - which I lost for a time and got back again.