Dianne Nicolini's Blog |
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Barney Dooley's Irish Soda Bread
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Mar 15 2012 3:08PM
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For St. Patrick's Day, I want to share with you (again this year) my grandfather's recipe for Irish Soda Bread. Papa Dooley was a fireman in Oakland for decades, he served in WWI, and had a wicked sense of humor. I make this bread every year and it's a favorite with my family and, through my daughter Monica, a new favorite of the George Washington University Women's Water Polo Team. Here goes:
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups raisins
2 T carraway seeds
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 stick of butter
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir in carraway seeds and raisins. Cut in the butter. (Butter should be room temp or colder). Set aside. Combine the beaten egg with the buttermilk and baking soda and pour this mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork. Turn out the batter onto a floured surface and knead briefly. Form into a ball and place into a greased iron skillet. Cut a shallow cross into the the center of the batter with a knife. This will keep the devil away! Bake in the oven at 375 degress for one hour or until the top is a golden brown. (Check after 45 minutes). Cool and enjoy! |
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Dianne's Cranberry Sauce
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Nov 23 2011 12:05PM
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Although I do have fond memories of the straight-out-of-the-can cranberry sauce we used to have at Thanksgiving when I was a kid, (sorry Mom) this stuff is so easy to make and is delish on everything from turkey to toast! Thanks to the kids' Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Moore. She made this with her students every year, minus the Grand Marnier ; )
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
the zest of one small orange
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Add the rest of the ingrediants. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Classical Stamp of Approval
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Sep 26 2011 11:28AM
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The U.S. Post Office is asking for suggestions from the public about whom should be honored with a postage stamp. In an effort to get more people to use good old-fashioned mail, they have begun including living persons for consideration. They're looking for "American or American-related subjects who have made enduring contributions to the United States". I nominate MTT! Send your ideas via Facebook here.
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The Next Time You're in Moscow...
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Aug 29 2011 1:49PM
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Thanks to Jack in San Anselmo, we got a sneak peek at the newly-restored Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. The site of so many important musical premieres over the years, the Bolshoi lives on!
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The Big Show on Wagner's home turf
by Hoyt Smith
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posted Aug 19 2011 8:26AM
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For Wagner fans it is "Mecca". The Bayreuth Festival in Germany is underway and yesterday's Wall Street Journal featured a fascinating look at what it's like to sit among the faithful in Wagner's personal theater and take in the show. Interesting read. - Hoyt  |
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My Pal Ludwig
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Aug 16 2011 11:33AM
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In a weird sort of way, I feel like I know Beethoven. He's been such an important part of my life for more than 30 years of being a classical radio announcer. I find that I get my feelings hurt when people talk about his having been somewhat, shall we say, difficult as a person. While I will allow that this may have been true, he had just cause for crankiness. The greatest composer who ever lived is afflicted by deafness? The irony is lost on no one. I don't love all his music (some of his Piano Sonatas seem heavy-handed to me) but the big statements, the finale to 5th symphony, the slow movement of the Emperor Concerto, the Ode to Joy. These pieces almost stop being music and go beyond into something I can't even name. This past May, I visited Beethoven's grave in Vienna for the first time. His monument was one of many belonging to great composers but his was the only one that made me tear up. Beethoven is #1. It's a great day.
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Kennedy Rants Against Soulless Bach
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Aug 15 2011 3:05PM
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We like to call him the Bad Boy of Classical Music but he's hardly a boy any longer. 54 year-old Nigel Kennedy is stirring things up again with a diatribe against modern interpretations of his beloved Bach which he says might be technically proficient but lacking in passion.
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Tuba Toothpaste
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Aug 3 2011 12:21PM
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The other day we played the Tuba Concerto of Ralph Vaughan Williams on KDFC. This prompted an email from DIck Robinson of Walnut Creek who sent along this funny poem by John Updike which appeared in the NY Times some years ago. Updike was tickled by the announcement that a tubist named Roger Bobo was to perform at Carnegie Hall:
Recital
Eskimos in Manitoba,
Barracudas off Aruba,
Cock an ear when Roger Bobo
Starts to solo on the tuba.
Men of every station--Pooh-Bah,
Nabob, bozo, toff and hobo--
Cry in unison, "Indubi-
Tably there is simply nobo-
Dy who oompahs on the tubo,
Solo, quite like Roger Bobo!"
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SF Good for Bikes?
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Jul 25 2011 4:02PM
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USA Today has published a list of the Ten Best Cities for urban cycling and there's our own SF right at the top! Riding along the Embarcadero is fun and through Golden Gate Park is lovely but what about all the hills? Personally I think SF is a better walking city than biking city. And as a regular BART commuter, I think it's too bad that they don't allow bikes during the commute hours. After all, shouldn't we encourage folks to leave their cars at home? I understand that when it's really crowded, a bike in a car is a drag but perhaps there could be a bike-designated car with special accomodations like fewer seats. See what other cities make the list.
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Chanticleer Goes to the Movies
by Dianne Nicolini
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posted Jun 3 2011 3:10PM
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Our own "Orchestra of Voices", Chanticleer, is featured on the soundtrack of the new, critically-acclaimed film The Tree of Life. Director Terence Malick (Days of Heaven, The New World, The Thin Red Line) makes a movie once a millenium, or so it seems. His latest stars Brad Pitt as a 1950's Dad and it just won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Read more.
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