Dance in Kansas City: Alvin Ailey

The first I saw the Alvin Ailey perform I was 9, we were living in New Jersey, and my mom took me to see Judith Jamison dance in Revelations. I wore my velvet coat and it was a Very Big Deal. I saw Revelations again last night and it was just as Big a Deal- just in a different way. Anything I would write about it sounds pretentious- suffice to say by the last dance, Move, Members, Move  the audience was literally dancing at their seats, clapping to the music, and shouting with joy. 

It was wonderful (and to the cute girl sitting next to me- you get up and dance if you want to. Don't let your silly boyfriend tell you what to do). 

Sunday Dinner: Carnitas

I saw this recipe for carnitas on one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. I knew right away it was the perfect Sunday supper- the cook time alone takes 3 hours. Like Smitten Kitchen lady says, the pork just takes a bath for three hours- she says it's a bath in a margarita because of the lime and salt. I say it's a bath in sunshine because of all that citrus-y vitamin D (in just a week and a half I'll be in sunny south Florida for Thanksgiving and I too will be taking a bath in vitamin D).

The soundtrack for the day was this, then this- I know I'm a little late to the party with Lana del Rey but I cannot get "Video Games" out of my head. Having it on a constant loop makes even standing in the Whole Foods deli section seem like a transcendent, melancholy experience. After all that lady music I needed a palate cleanser so I listened to my favorite Rolling Stones album.

You can pair these with whatever toppings you'd like- I chose avocado, pinto beans, and smoked jalapeno  peppers. Happy Sunday!

House Party, Part 2

Last Friday, the four apartments (and seven people) in my building held a progressive dinner party. It was so much fun and a huge success. I love having dinner parties, but they can be stressful- all that preparation, thought, time. Having just one course allowed everyone to really focus. 

We started at my apartment:

Since the theme was vaguely fall, I tried to keep everything kind of comforting and cozy. I made devils on horseback (this was my favorite, not just because it was delicious but also because the recipe I used is made by Martha Stewart and Joan Rivers, two ladies I love), deep fried olives, Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts, and radishes dipped in sea salt. For a cocktail I served what has become my house drink- Black Velvet. It's 1/2 Guinness and 1/2 champagne and delicious. Perfect with all the salty, fried, and fat. 

After cocktail hour, we all went upstairs to Sabine and Pauls for soup and salad. Sabines focus was pear- pear soup, salad with pear, and a delicious and WICKEDLY alcoholic pear punch. 

Her presentation was so pretty. 

Next, it was across the hall to Kelly and Michaels for the main course- comforting chicken pot pies.

Finally, we all dragged ourselves downstairs for dessert at Havis's. Havis went with a Southern theme- red velvet cake, banana caramel cake, and double chocolate cake served with planters punch. Some more friends joined us and the progressive dinner turned into a party.

Success! I can't wait to do this again- maybe in the spring. And can you imagine how wonderful it would be to have Thanksgiving this way? 

Opera in Kansas City

I'm lucky to have moved in (more or less) across the street from the gorgeous, new performing arts hall- the Kauffman Center. 

From some angles the building looks like it spontaneously sprang from the prairie.

Matt and I went to see the Lyric Opera perform "Cosi fan tutte" there on Saturday night. I love opera, but going to a performance is also a good excuse to get dressed, have a cocktail, and people watch. 

Most concertgoers had also taken the opportunity to get dressed up- I saw fur coats and stoles and even a couple of tuxedos.

The Kauffman Center is comprised of two performance halls with one giant central lobby. It's a million miles away from my old hometown orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra. The hall they play in, Severance Hall is much more formal than the Kauffman Center. It's hard to compare the two. I did notice that the Kauffman Center has a very good gift shop- there were actually some things I wanted to buy (anyone looking for a stocking stuffer for me, please see: miniature Beethoven bust). The gift shop at Severance  Hall was always a pet peeve of mine- a hole of unwanted kitsch is the first thing that greets you as you enter the hall from the parking garage. 

The opera was wonderful- it was set in the 1920's and I loved the sets and the costumes. The Kauffman Theatre has great acoustics and the most comfortable seats- this becomes important when sitting through a three hour opera! We had a fantastic night, and I can't wait to go back. 

Daylight Saving Sunday Supper

Daylight saving ended today and it got dark at 5. I feel as if I have jet lag and I'm a little bummed that I'll be walking home from work in the cold dark until March. Oh well. It's a good excuse for a comforting dinner. I made my very favorite roast chicken- I always use this recipe. Since I had sage and rosemary in the refrigerator, I subbed that for thyme. I roasted some brussels sprouts and made a little salad with radishes as well.

festive pink radish

I love any kind of roast especially when you're feeling sleepy and kind of lazy- I put the chicken in and the brussels sprouts a half hour later, which left me plenty of time to sit around and read about very important world events while everything roasted.  This was the soundtrack- the perfect album for a slightly melancholy Sunday.