If you don't know me, you should know that I love to cook. If I had the patience to take decent pictures I'd probably be a food blogger by now. Growing up, my parents were insistent on sit down meals every night. I've learned a lot about cooking from them as well as the importance of sitting down to enjoy a meal and conversation. Looking back, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Often, I would be sent to choose a dinner appropriate CD from my parents collection to play while we ate. Because of this, certain recipes I have borrowed from my parents come with vivid memories of listening to specific albums. For instance, there is one veal dish that we make in the winter that tastes best when George Winston's December album is playing. There are many more like that, but recently there has been one that is overwhelmingly perfect, and both the dish and the music were of my choosing and perfect for sharing with you.
"Kiss Me In The Kitchen" - Good Lovelies
Broccoli and shrimp with the Good Lovelies is the epitome of perfection. This is one of the easiest recipes I know, so of course that means I make it often and usually it's likely that I have the ingredients on hand. Similar to how Good Lovelies is what I go to when I want maximum enjoyment and something easy to listen to. I originally saw this recipe from my long time favorite food blogger, Molly Wizenberg of Orangette, who linked to the Wednesday Chef, who borrowed the recipe from Melissa Clark, author and New York Times food columnist. I've been making this one for a while now and it's a wonderful and healthy stand by that you can make in a half hour easily. You just have to like the delectable combination of broccoli and shrimp. Find the recipe here.
| Photo Credit: The Wednesday Chef |
I've been looking for dinner appropriate albums of my own ever since I moved on from my parents outdated standbys. While a few albums come to mind, the Good Lovelies have been my favorite meal time music to play as of late. Their three part harmonies are supremely rich and warm. It's cutesy at times--usually with a bit of sass--and steadfastly romantic at others ("Every Little Thing"). It can be played in the background, but only after you've listened to it at least five times over first. While they consistently win awards for best roots music, they give you a little jazz, rag time, folk, and an old timey sound that I have yet to hear another band replicate so flawlessly. I spent a lot of time with their 2008 debut album, but I think this new one is even better suited to dinner time. It's not just because of "Kiss Me in the Kitchen" either, although there are more than a few mentions of food, kitchens, and cooking throughout the album. Let The Rain Fall can make you smile, sing, laugh, and cry. I've done all of that with this album, but now I just like to play it as much as possible all the way through, and the best way to do that is when I take some time to make something delicious and savor both the meal and the music. It's one of the few times during the day that I'm not trying to do five things at once. Making the meal is stress free and then sitting down and enjoying it with some equally delectable music makes everything so easy. Thankfully all it really takes to make my day is a simple recipe and some good music that I can listen to endlessly, hopefully this suggested combination can do the same for you.
"Old Highway" - Good Lovelies
The entire album is an absolute joy, choosing only two songs was difficult because it's really all that good. You can stream more of it at the Good Lovelies' website. It's one of my favorite albums of the year so I highly suggest making the purchase.
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