Welcome to the Bistro!

​And, another fine week it has been!  Finally the rain has subsided and I’ve been able to get some winter yard work done. The wind has been ferocious at times around my house and being surrounded by woods means lots and lots of branches need to be picked up on a regular basis. If I wait until Spring it is a daunting task. So, when the temperature was nearing 50 the pups and I rolled out the wheel barrow and piled it high. Some branches were so big that they needed to be pulled to the compost pile. It took half a day but it was good to be outdoors in the fresh air. The birds got fed, one of Pico’s favorite jobs to do with me, and bird baths cleaned and refilled. Then we headed to town for a brisk walk-about. Needless to say everyone slept well that night. With the warmer weather I’ve had to change the horse’s heavy blankets to light sheets. If they sweat and the blanket gets wet it is very unhealthy and potentially dangerous if it gets suddenly cold again. I’m sure that they’ll need to be changed back as the forecast is calling for freezing temps in the next couple of days. Niki and Pico wear “coats” too so I sometimes “dress” four furry buds in a day. Very happily I must say. 

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Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of attending a Gallery Talk and Tour at the DIA as a guest of my good friend Roz Sell. (Thanks to her my art “learning curve” has been on the up rise.)  The topic was Bitter/Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate, the first exhibit ever to engage all the 5 senses. Led by Yao-Fen You, Associate Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, it is history of these beverages. Each of the 3 was first available as medications from apothecaries then exported, from their individual homelands, as extremely profitable crops. Coffee, known for it’s jolt and actually a fruit, originated from Ethiopia and was banned by Frederick the Great because of it’s high cost and the Catholic Church as it was considered a sinful stimulant.  Chocolate, from the cacao bean, was a product of the Americas and is allied  with love and its sweetness. Think Valentine’s Day… Tea, from Asia,  is associated with hospitality. Embraced by the English who started the tradition of High Tea, the original Happy Hour sans the Happy, only polite conversation centered on philosophy and literature was allowed. No gossip please!  Elaborate tea, coffee and hot coco sets were the bulk of the displays. The porcelain industry grew in leaps and bounds as ceramic kept them hot for a longer period of time. My favorite is the set below from the French company Sevres.

Sharon and crew have some awesome Chalk Board Features Per Se.  As a starter there is Shrimp Tempura: Lightly Battered Gulf Shrimp Served with Asian Slaw and Ponzu Sauce; a Vegetarian Grilled Cheese full of Fontina, Blue and Cheddar Cheeses, Sliced Pears and Carmelized Onions Accompanied with House made Celery Salt Fries; Lake Superior Perch, Sautéed and Presented with Brown Rice Pilaf, Brussels Sprouts & Shallot-Chive Butter; “Modern” Spaghetti & Meatballs – Turkey, Walnut and Mushroom Meatballs over Spaghetti Tossed with Leek and Portobello Mushrooms in a White Wine – Chicken “Sauce” and lastly “Poor Man’s Lobster” Saltimbocca – Medallions of Monkfish Topped with Prosciutto and Fontina, Sage Butter Sauce and Root Vegetable Mashers. YUM!!!
 
WE WISH YOU MANY MILLION DOLLAR DAYS!!
 
XO,
 
Mary, Niki, Pico, Z and Picasso
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