Catherine Moore

The GA Tech M Train music video

It's been more than a week since I last posted, and I have been way under the weather but finally starting to see (literally) the light at the end of the tunnel.  Though, my poor husband Dale is still struggling with a raging sinus infection and needing lots of TLC at present.   

I know that like me there are more than a few of you out there with children in college or nearly there, so I thought I might share this video that we have been getting quite a kick out of.  If you read my blog you know my youngest son Ian is a freshman at GA Tech. He's been working hard, finished his first semester with a 4.0, and we’re hoping that he is having some fun along the way. 

The video was produced and mixed by Brandon Swafford of Swaff Design, a GA Tech graduate and audio recording engineer.  Just to give you a little background, the M Train is what the engineering school majors call the management school.  Enjoy!

Tasting Notes

Greetings, hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.  I am back from the olive oil tasting on Olive Oil Tasters. This week we tasted some aristan oils from two small growers in Liguria and Amelia.  I learned a great deal and I want to pass it along in case you missed the tasting, and because a few of you out there will be joining me in Orvieto in a few months and this is one of the things we plan to experience.  The city of Oriveto is a hilltop town, and the surrounding countryside is brimming with wine and olive growers.  

The oils we tasted today are unfiltered, so while they do allow some time after "pressing" for sediment to sink, you might see a bit of sediment.  Do not shake the bottle of oil, as you really don't want the sediment to be disbursed.  The sediment is a biproduct that is to be discarded.  I thought it was interesting that these oils were not pressed, instead they extracted the oil via a centrifuge after removing the pits.  Pressing can bruise the olives and the pits can cause the oil to be bitter.  Of course there was some discussion from some of the other producers as the the proper method, some still favoring the stone press method, but the centrifuge method made a lot of sense to me.  

For purposes of cooking, these oils have a low smoke point, so while you might poach fish in them you would not want to fry fish in them.  They work best as a garnish or to finish dishes, such as drizzling it over a fish dish, or on bruschetta, vegatables, salads, soups or meats.  And, they are great for marinades.

This was my first experience with Ustream, and I loved it.  The two guest speakers today, the North American distributors for the Italian farmers, both spoke live via Ustream.  We could post questions and they were able to see them and respond, and we were able to see them live.  Both Farmstead Wines and Amelia are both based in British Columbia.  Ordinarily I think it might be cost prohibitive for Americans to purchase their products but they offered members of Olive Oil Tasters some special discounts and shipping.  Though it was a little pricier than I expected, I am really glad I decided to try this.  

I think there will be more tastings in the future, check in at Olive Oil Tasters for more information.

You Are Invited to an Olive Oil Tasting

 

As you know, I am teaching a workshop in Orvieto September 27 – October 3, 2009.   A visit to Italy is something to cherish and to celebrate, but why wait until September to begin?  In fact, why not start immediately through reading, cooking and getting acquainted with the language.   It can only serve to enhance the experience!

One of my favorite books on Italy is Under The Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes.  I read this book several years ago before my first visit to Italy and fell even more in love with all things Italian.  And, Frances Mayes gave me lots of ideas for celebrating the journey before I left the country through cooking.  As you may know, my paternal family members are first generation Italians, so extra virgin olive oil was a staple in our family home,  and while that has not changed over the years it is now better appreciated.   I learned the basics of growing, harvesting, and pressing olives and the many ways to use olive oils in the cuccina.    One of the things that I enjoyed most during my visit to Florence, was the winery we toured in the Siena countryside.  In addition to grapes, they also grew olives and produced olive oils.  I recently discovered that there is an actual art to tasting olive oils, as with wines.  Check out this video:  http://iloveoliveoil.ning.com/video/how-to-taste-olive-oil

That brings me to the reason I wrote in the first place.  I recently learned of an online forum for olive growers, chefs and people like myself who just love olive oil.  This weekend there will be an olive oil tasting at http://iloveoliveoil.ning.com.  Two Spanish oils will be discussed, both readily obtainable from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, so drop by at 3 p.m. (EST) and taste and comment on them. Sure, they're affordable and available to the masses. But are they any good? We’ll find out. 

A week from this Sunday, on the 18th, there will be another tasting, and two Italian olive oils will be up for discussion, Amelia Oil -- an oil that's produced in the little town of Amelia, in Italy's renowned Umbria region, and one from Farmstead Wines, Fenocchio Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.  Both distributors are based in British Columbia, but the olives are Italian in origin.  I am looking forward to trying both (if they arrive here in Peachtree City on time)! 

L* O * V * E

"Life is the flower for which love is the honey"

Victor Hugo

 

 

 

 

I have been waiting for someone to ask me, so what is The Bird & Bee Paperie anyway?   The short answer is to say that it’s a seasonal collection of images for creating paper dolls and other forget-me-nots .   The long answer is that I have been enamored with a couple little books in my library for some time, one being Michelle Lovric’s book How to Write Love Letters and the other Cynthia Hart’s A Victorian Book of Love, Forget-Me-Nots.   Now let me back up just a bit and explain that I love the dawning of a new year and the planning of new adventures.  Each year I chose an idea to explore.   This year I felt the times called for something pragmatic, with a focus on heart and home, in contrast to the excesses of the previous regime.   More practical mind you, but not without a word or two of French and not without some merriment.   This year my theme is simply L*O*V*E. The Birds & The Bees Kind of Love, love of our fellow man, it’s all about love.   All we need is love . . .

Cynthia Hart’s Victorian Book of Love, though long out of print, is still available in used book shops.  My copy bears a gold foil label from Victoria’s Secret London.  It’s a sweet little book and from time to time I pick it up and reread it because all my image collections have been influenced by the Victorians in one way or another.  Due in part to the fact that many of my illustrations evolve out of antique engravings, but also because I am drawn back to more innocent times.  The Victorians were sweet and sentimental, and they left behind a dazzling legacy of paper mementos, billets-doux (love letters), valentines and love tokens, sweet and sentimental cards and scraps exchanged with dear friends, lovers and beloveds.   Which makes we wonder what the future holds for those of us who love working with paper.   A recent article in our local newspaper predicted the end of printed books in the next 25 years.  Perhaps working with paper is a dying art too.  If so, possibly (hopefully), our paper dolls and handmade forget-me-nots will someday be treasured collectables.  In her book Cynthia Hart explains that in the Victorian era, those with a creative bent often referred to a Valentine Writer, little books of verse designed to inspire custom cards.  The Bird & Bee Paperie is akin to that in that it offers today’s paper artists tools to aid in the creation of paperdolls, handmade cards and other mementos.

Each of my collections is generally a theatre of sorts, within which a story unfolds.   So having finished my illustrations, the story took shape as I better acquainted myself with the new characters.  I definitely see Grand’Mere Oiseau as the leader, and Honey and Pumpkin as her fledges.  And, don’t you think the old Paris hotel would make a lovely place for a paper shop or paperie?  And you know how one thing leads to another, well now I am finding myself quite enamored of bees!  I am currently reading Holley Bishop’s book Robbing the Bees, and I absolutely adore it.   No doubt I will be posting more on this book soon.  But before I forget, I wanted to say that Michelle Lovric’s book How to Write Love Letters (also out of print) is a saucy little tome and well worth reading every titillating line.