Friday, November 23, 2012

ON GRATITUDE...AND ATTITUDE


  

 Because Thanksgiving has just passed and The Holidays have started in earnest, many of us are reflecting upon our lives, and what we are thankful for.

Gratitude is the tonic that makes our cups runneth over.

 Appreciation for what we receive or what we already have, whether material, emotional, or abstract, fills us up with joy, and spurs us to count our blessings.

 The concept of grateful thinking and positive psychology have  become buzzwords lately; these theories are studied by mental health professionals  and are also practiced by many people in their daily lives.

It is now widely believed that happiness begets more happiness, and that people with a positive outlook on life will reap benefits ranging from more meaningful emotional connections to better physical health.


Undoubtedly, you know people who are embarking upon a “Thirty Days Of Gratitude” quest, or maybe you have done it yourself, or are in the middle of it right now.  Keeping track of the many things both great and small that you are thankful for will only enhance your dancing and fill it with real joy.


So how can these ideas be applied to your dance practice?

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Trust me, you have many!

 When I was younger, I was surrounded by drama, both real and imagined. I was literally a starving artist, I routinely wanted things I couldn’t have-including men- and I had really bad taste in men.  The ones I always fell for made me cry pretty often.  I used to feel like I wasn’t pretty enough, smart enough or talented enough. I  just wasn’t good enough, period. And speaking of periods, these thoughts always intensified when I was PMS-ing!  

Through the wisdom of age, I now look back on these raging emotions I had, and I  call bullshit! When I see pictures of myself from that (fairly long) time period when I thought I was pudgy and unattractive, with a   despicable round baby face, I now realize I could’ve ruled the damn world…that is, if I knew then what I know now.  And believe me when I tell you that I  these days, I  just wish I had some of that baby-fat collagen  still left!

 Who is anyone- your family, frenemies, your dance teacher or even the media to tell you that you aren’t good enough?  That you aren't beautiful enough, or a good enough dancer?

 You are. Take your  gilded cup  and see it not just as half-full, but  as overflowing and enjoy the heck out of  it…And Dance Like You Mean It!


ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE
 As far as your dancing goes, instead of comparing yourself to others, measure your progress against your own achievements.

 Dancing and the joy you receive from it is not a competition. Even if you believe you are too young, too old, too heavy, will never be a professional or lack innate talent, you are still dancing!

 Yes, talent is a gift…but so is merely being able to dance.

 Many people do not have that luxury.

People who are injured or infirm can only dream of dancing. There are millions of women  who would love to dance that are currently living in countries where  dancing is against the law

Dance for them…as well as to make your own soul sing.



BEING SATISFIED WITH YOURSELF IS NOT BEING COMPLACENT
 There is a huge difference between being happy and being smug. If you love yourself, the best way to show it is by striving for greatness.

  In the world of dance, as with anywhere else, true satisfaction comes from a job well done, not from resting on your laurels, or skating by  while phoning in a performance.

Apply yourself to your dance practice and be the best you can possibly be. Be realistic about your goals and achievements and be thankful for them,  but keep challenging yourself.



BEING GRATEFUL MEANS GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
This is not merely good professional behavior; it is also a way of thanking your dance teachers, your mentors, your costume seamstress, or anyone else who has enabled you to dance.

Remember this also includes your spouse, family members or partner; if you are lucky, they are all 100% supportive of your dancing…let them know you realize that they care.

It doesn’t matter if you are a student, a hobbyist or a professional performer- many people have helped you along your dance journey, and by acknowledging this and letting them know you are grateful for the time, knowledge and support they have given you, 
 you’ll be filling up everyone’s cups!



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

A BELLYFUL FOR THANKSGIVING


   Seriously, I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week!

  So,  at this point in the year, I'm done with all  my national and international travel, and looking forward to spending The Holidays at home...which means I'm getting ready to cook!  I cook like a fiend, and I love  to make fabulous food, but I'm usually not around to be able to.  The following recipe for stuffing is  a re-post from last year: Enjoy!


This is  an adaptation of a recipe for a scrumptious, sweet; savory and very spicy holiday dressing that has been in my family for over half a century. I have been eating it for as long as I can remember, and making it myself for at least thirty years.

 My entire family are great cooks; it’s in our blood! My sisters Eddie, Cupcake and I even had a ridiculously popular food blog for a few years called “The Haphazard Gourmet”, named after a popular cook book my father, the late author Richard Gehman, wrote in 1966, when I was a tot.

One of the biggest ironies in my life is that though I love to cook, I almost never have the chance to, because I am constantly on the road.

 During the holidays, when I am home, I always  cook up a storm, and this dressing is one of the things I love to make. It is extremely work intensive, and has a boatload of ingredients…but I’m tellin’ you, all the labor is worth it! Since it’s so very close to Thanksgiving, and you might  already have your meal plans set, you  maybe  will want to save this to make for Christmas or New Year’s Eve…  or just have a  Thanksgiving “rehearsal”!

Something that this stuffing has taught me over the years, is that if you are great cook and make something this luscious…

 SOMEBODY ELSE WILL OFFER TO CLEAN UP THE KITCHEN FOR YOU!

A little history  on the dressing itself: my father was a famous writer,  a bohemian bon vivant, and an extraordinary cook, who absolutely adored making-and enjoying- extraordinary food. Actually, now that I think about, my father was not unlike Don Draper from "Mad Men"! Anyway, before I was born, he interviewed his friend Morton Thompson, also a very well-known writer and man-about-town, and apparently this stuffing originated with Morton Thompson. I’ve put a link to my father’s article, and the original recipe at the bottom of this post, if you want to look it up.

This Gehman family take on Morton Thompson's recipe makes a ton of dressing, enough to feed an army and last you, your family, friends and neighbors for a few days so you can halve the recipe if you don’t want lots of leftovers… but of course you will want them, cause this dressing is the damn bomb!

Before I go into the exact details, you need to know a couple of the most important parts of the recipe.

The first thing is that there was a reason my father’s book, and our family cooking blog, were both called “The Haphazard Gourmet”. It’s because we improvise freely in the kitchen… swirling around like a tornado in an apron, using crazy ingredients, adding or subtracting them, making do with whatever is around.

Just like improvisation in dancing or acting, it’s fun to improvise in the kitchen. Don’t be scared to cook according to your own taste, and don’t feel lost without specific measurements. I’m  just giving you a guideline… don't be afraid of to making substitutions or adding in some new elements. My own personal version of this is quite different than the original version, but they taste similar and they’re both divine.

The second thing you need to know is that while you are making the dressing, you need to brag loudly, obnoxiously and continuously, or it simply won’t turn out right.

Tell everyone within earshot that you are not only foxy, but also the best cook on earth and they’re blessed just to be in the same house as you, inhaling the same oxygen that you’re breathing.

Tell them they’ll be on their knees kissing your feet- just after they take their first bite! Let them know you are an immortal being with culinary gifts from the heavens above…then let THEM clean up your mess…and thank you profusely the whole time!

Once I was cooking for Thanksgiving with my neighbor, and he had a recipe for dressing he got off the Internet, which he wanted me to make.

“Are you kidding?” I cried, “I never use recipes, I always cook by instinct! You’re gonna LOVE this!”

He regarded me suspiciously, like I was a teenage shoplifter.

“Ok,” he said finally, “But if you fuck this up, I’m going to be really mad.”

“No problem!”, I sniffed indignantly.

The moment he tasted my stuffing, a strange look came over his face… the kind of pie-eyed expression guys get in romantic comedies when they realize they’re in love. He finally shook it off and came back to earth, and exclaimed loudly,

I will never doubt another word you say, as long as I am alive!”

Then he started cleaning the kitchen.


So: you will need a large frying pan with a cover, couple of small bowls, a couple of large bowls, aluminum foil, and two Pyrex or disposable aluminum baking pans.


INGREDIENTS:
Two boxes bread cubes or stuffing mix, of any type you prefer

Six stalks of celery- take off the strings

Two green peppers

Four large yellow onions

Six to ten fresh garlic cloves (or fresh mashed garlic from a jar)

A handful of loose white mushrooms

Two large apples (red or green, either is fine)

Two large oranges, or a medium sized can of Mandarin oranges

Two cans of sliced or chunk pineapple in plain water- not syrup

One large can sliced water chestnuts

One and a half giant handfuls of walnut halves or walnut pieces ** I have even thrown in pecans, and in some years added pre-made trail mix here as well. Like I said, improvise!

Two large containers of chicken or vegetable stock

Quarter pound stick of butter… if you don’t eat dairy, then eliminate this step, and just use more stock to keep the stuffing moist.

Four or five links of spicy Italian sausages- if you don’t like traditional pork sausage, chicken or turkey sausage is ok… and again, if you are a vegetarian, just eliminate the sausage altogether!


HERBS:
The herbs can be fresh or dried; it’s your call! Fresh is better though.

You’ll need rosemary, oregano, sage, marjoram and thyme… plus three or four large, whole bay leaves, and a small bunch of fresh parsley. The parsley must be fresh. Separate the leaves from the stems, and snip them up with a scissors.

If you’re using dried herbs, use a quite liberal pinch or about a very full teaspoon of each; for fresh herbs, then cut up a few leaves of each. I usually go heavy on the sage and rosemary for a more savory taste. Put these herbs into a bowl, mix them up, and set them aside for now.

SPICES:
I’ll say this again: I don’t measure when I cook, I do it mad scientist style!

 So, for the following spices, you’ll need a few very healthy shakes of each: salt, pepper, all spice, cinnamon, nut meg, curry powder, cumin seed, and cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, turmeric, and a small chunk of fresh ginger, which you’ve peeled and sliced.

If you’re scared to spice up your food the way I do, then measure out about a quarter teaspoon of each, and put them in another small bowl, making sure they’re mixed up. Set these aside, too.


DIRECTIONS:
Cut up or dice all ingredients- EVERYTHING!

 This is the time consuming, hellish part. I usually dice everything into small, thin pieces, but I have also made late-night, post-gig rushed versions of this dressing where I carelessly chopped the peppers, celery and onions into larger chunks… so, whatever you want to do is fine. I cut the parsley with a scissors- and at the same time, if I am using fresh herbs, I cut them, too. If you want, you can also used diced packaged onions, cause crying while cutting onions is the worst, but I usually just weep my way through this part of the process.

Skin the sausages, and either crumble them or cut them into thin pennies, then get ‘em into in a very large frying pan or skillet with a little blop or two of extra-virgin olive oil, and start cooking them. If you are making the veggie version of this stuffing, just eliminate this step and start sautéing the veggies. You want the sausages cooked through, and a little browned. When the sausages are almost done, throw in the diced onions, garlic, peppers and celery, parsley, and a few generous pats of butter and stir. You will need to stir this continuously! Take a few pinches of both the herb mixture and the spice mixture and throw them both in, according to your taste.

Have a glass of wine here if you drink… or if you want to be like my father, make it a scotch.

 Make sure you’ve been bragging to whomever is around! If no one’s at your house yet, send a few texts, tweet about it, or update your status on Facebook about the manna from heaven which you are creating. Do it… remember, you need to brag or it won’t turn out right! Then preheat your oven to 350.

When the veggies have almost cooked, throw in the apples, walnuts, mushrooms, oranges, and pineapple, with all the juice from the can. Drain the can of water chestnuts and throw those in too. At this point, you will probably need more of the herbs and spice mixtures- I know I always do! And while you’re at it, just start adding more pats of butter like a crazy person with a death wish! Stir it all up well. Turn down the heat, put a lid on the pan, and keep stirring it occasionally. Take a taste and figure out if you need to add more herbs and spice… I know I would! While you’re at it, throw in some more butter.

Divide your bread cubes up into two large bowls. Prepare according to the package, but use your chicken or vegetable stock instead of water to moisten it up. Mix it well, and then slowly start adding in the big mess of ingredients you’ve got in the frying pan.

When you’ve gotten the entire contents divided into the two big bowls, start mixing it all up. Mix it until you think you’ll get carpal tunnel!

Take a few pats of butter and grease your baking pans, yelling loudly that you’re about to put this divine creation in the oven, and soon everyone’s going to be hearing the angels sing. Divide the well-mixed dressing into the baking pans, then put a few more pats of butter on top, cover them with the foil tightly, and pop ‘em into the oven.

Let them bake about fifteen or twenty minutes, then take the foil off, and let them bake another ten or fifteen minutes so that the top gets browned and crunchy. By this time, you’re going to be beating people out of the kitchen like a lunatic, because the whole house will smell amazing. Have them make you a drink and tell them they need to start cleaning up…cause the gorgeous aroma from the dressing you created just enriched their sad, humdrum lives!

Take the baking pans out of the oven and keep them covered until you serve them. I usually make this the night before, and keep them in the refrigerator until serving, because it allows the flavors and spices to marry. You can heat them up on Thanksgiving Day (or whatever day falls after you make this unearthly creation) and it’ll be even more divine.

Bon Appetite, and Happy  Up-Coming Holidays!
XO Princess


A link to a reprint of the original recipe for this dressing…and for an incredible turkey recipe, too is here: “Morton Thompson’s Turkey” by Richard Gehman:


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

FUN WITH KEY WORDS PART TWELVE


Key Words are the words or phrases people type into search engines that directs them to various websites. Aside from the obvious ones (“belly dance”, “costumes”, “crafts”, etc.) I always get a huge kick at the random, downright ridiculous and often surreal things people from all over the world search for… that  somehow directs them to my blog!

 Here are a few choice recent keyword entries, copied exactly as they were typed in… enjoy!




FIGURE SKATING DRESS JAMES BOND

WHAT IS DANCER’S FOOT?

 HEDI LAMARR DROP DEAD GORGEOUS

TRIP TRIBE SEQUIN SHORT

PAKISTAN PASHTUN FARHANA PORN

FALSE NOSE

 HOW TO MAKE THEATRICAL LEGS=

 EXPLOSION DAZLING GLITTER

TIPSY TOES PANTYHOSE

ASSUIT GIRLS ACTION  MOVIES