February 9, 2016
"Sonata on Independence"
Today is the 25th anniversary of the day Lithuanians voted to secede from the Soviet Union.
Shrove Tuesday
February 8, 2016
February 7, 2016
It's "World Cepelinas Day"
Are you cooking Cepelinai today? We're not, but it's a nice day to revisit the recipe:
The last time Mr. Irene and I had Cepelinai was when we visited Grand Duke's Restaurant:
The last time Mr. Irene and I had Cepelinai was when we visited Grand Duke's Restaurant:
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February 6, 2016
A Winter Knit
February 5, 2016
The Bay Window, from the Outside
Suburban Chicago, June 1962. The bay window stirs up many memories.
My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, was 65 years old in 1962.
February 4, 2016
Related by Marriage: Flowers for the Guest
Vilnius, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1983. Relatives greet Mr. Irene's Dad upon his arrival in Lithuania. Dad's brother, Stacey, stands on the left.
February 3, 2016
Related by Marriage: In-Laws
Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, June 27, 1959. Mr. Irene's Dad and Wally's brother relax before attending Martha and Wally's wedding.
February 2, 2016
It's not a day to be outside.
Door County, Wisconsin, August 1979. Stay close to the woodpile and keep your predictions to yourself.
"The Ex-Husband Sweater"
Oh, gee whiz. It's a twist on the sweater curse (namely, the "rescue mission mechanism "):
The rational explanation of the sweater curse is that a handmade sweater is typically thick, elastic, and clingy: it suggests that the woman who is making it wants to surround its recipient and enclose him. To be presented with such a garment is a signal to a man that its maker has serious plans for him. If he is not ready for this, the gift will embarrass him and may frighten him away. (The same phenomenon, according to one of my informants, has been observed in relationships between two women.) It has been claimed that knitting a deliberate mistake into the sweater will break the curse, but according to one of my friends this doesn’t usually work. Knitters would therefore be well advised to wait until after the wedding to start any such project—especially since it is also believed by some that a sweater made for a husband both warns off other women and keeps him safe at home.
February 1, 2016
January 31, 2016
She has two escorts, in Three Takes
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Verona, Wisconsin, January 30, 2016. A doe came by yesterday with two young bucks. I doubt this is our Mama and her twins because those youngsters did not have antlers last week. Perhaps these are last year's offspring.
January 30, 2016
Stormy Reunion
Verona, Wisconsin, February 1, 2015. I think of February as the month during which the worst snowstorms arrive.
Weekend Coffee
Suburban Chicago, 1979. Dad and Mom are guests for coffee. I see a box of slides on the coffee table. It could be a long afternoon.
January 29, 2016
Domestic Self-Expression
In communist-era "identical[ ] apartments [designed] to 'put an end to any individualistic inclinations, which were considered as a threat on the ‘new man’ who was not to be encouraged into having opinions of his own'."
I could spend hours looking at stuff like this.
ADDED: On which floor would you be most comfortable? I'd choose the nine-floor apartment (although I bet that portrait of Jesus wasn't on display in 1967). The first-floor flat comes in second for me; I like it because you can see the herring-bone parquet.
I could spend hours looking at stuff like this.
ADDED: On which floor would you be most comfortable? I'd choose the nine-floor apartment (although I bet that portrait of Jesus wasn't on display in 1967). The first-floor flat comes in second for me; I like it because you can see the herring-bone parquet.
Some dance in the modern style.
Chicago, Illinois, August 1975. Guests at an anniversary party hit the dance floor. I believe this event took place at "JC's."
This was a time when women often wore wigs and floor-length dresses to parties.
Happy Call
Suburban Chicago, January 1977. Mom does not seem to be engaged here in a work-related call. The throw pillow features Lithuanian motifs; the mother of my friend Ron made it for Mom (Ron's Mom also made the best Cepelinai I've tasted). The watercolor is by Murinas.
Here's the pillow today:
If you don't like it, then consider a Russian proverb: "In taste and colors, there are no friends." That's what I tell a friend each time I start (another) beige sweater.
January 28, 2016
Related by Marriage: Taking the Stage
Chicago, Illinois, July 1980. Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin performs at the Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival.
(Check out the hairstyle of the fellow on the left, wearing the blue vest. Rod Stewartish!)
January 27, 2016
The Life Box (Part 28)
I used to sew many of clothes. It seemed like everyone sewed in the 1970s. It was easy to find fashionable patterns, and there was a fabric store in nearly every shopping mall. Mom and I sewed the ensembles we wore during our European vacation, and I later sewed the garments I packed for my trip to Stuttgart. I think I sewed every bridesmaid gown I wore. Oh golly, I once even sewed a swimsuit.
I saved many of the sewing patterns I used. I was looking today for the pattern for my senior-prom dress, but I could not find it. It was a wraparound halter dress that I made in a silver fabric. I intended to show the pattern to Mom because I wondered if she'd now think the dress was too risqué. It didn't seem daring in 1975 or 1976. (This is not the pattern, but it is very close to it.)
I did find several other patterns from that era, so I wonder if I didn't lend the wraparound halter-dress pattern to someone. I recall I went through a "Cossack phase" during which I sewed many billowy blouses and dresses. I still have those patterns. Here's one:
I made a grey blouse out of the pattern, and I sewed a pink and grey bias-plaid, A-line skirt to match.
I even wore that outfit to a school dance:
Suburban Chicago, January 1975. Dad catches me before the party.
I saved many of the sewing patterns I used. I was looking today for the pattern for my senior-prom dress, but I could not find it. It was a wraparound halter dress that I made in a silver fabric. I intended to show the pattern to Mom because I wondered if she'd now think the dress was too risqué. It didn't seem daring in 1975 or 1976. (This is not the pattern, but it is very close to it.)
I did find several other patterns from that era, so I wonder if I didn't lend the wraparound halter-dress pattern to someone. I recall I went through a "Cossack phase" during which I sewed many billowy blouses and dresses. I still have those patterns. Here's one:
I made a grey blouse out of the pattern, and I sewed a pink and grey bias-plaid, A-line skirt to match.
I even wore that outfit to a school dance:
Suburban Chicago, January 1975. Dad catches me before the party.
Federalism contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Said Putin:
Putin was particularly critical of Lenin’s concept of a federative state with its entities having the right to secede, saying it has heavily contributed to the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. He added that Lenin was wrong in a dispute with Joseph Stalin, who advocated a unitary state model.(P.S. Stalin is back in fashion.)
January 26, 2016
Visitors
Verona, Wisconsin, January 2016. The fox still visits the yard (we assume the fox is a female).
This morning a bald eagle flew over the backyard, but I didn't get a good snapshot. I'd never seen an eagle here. The only time I've spotted one in this area was a few weeks ago. It was near the road in a cornfield (for locals: on PD near M, across the street from the golf course) nibbling on a deer carcass. I was driving and said to myself, "Oh, look. Someone has put one of those bald eagle carvings in the field." And then the eagle moved.
Related by Marriage: Too young for cake.
Suburban Chicago, January 1960. Mr. Irene's maternal Grandfather Stanley, his maternal Aunt Martha, and his Mom celebrate Mr. Irene's first birthday. There's a plate of Košeliena on the table: icky! That's one of the few foods I won't eat (the others are: poppy seed roll, grapefruit, and coconut. I also hate gin.)
January 25, 2016
We wake up after a late-afternoon nap.
A Closer Look (Part 59)
Southwestern Lithuania, about 1912. This is Mr. Irene's Great-Grandfather Jacob.
Here's the original post.
January 24, 2016
January 23, 2016
The German Minister's Villa
Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1926 or 1927. This is the villa occupied by the German Minister (here's the doggie). The American Consul to Lithuania wrote:
[September 19, 1926] "At the top of the so-called green hill, where there is a fine view of Kovno, we saw the home of the German minister. It is a detachable wooden house brought from Germany. As there is a great scarcity of apartments here and it is only now that a start has been made in erecting modern and sanitary buildings, the Germans solved their housing problem in a very practical manner—they brought their house with them."
[Otober 25,
1926] "At noon, I returned the German minister's call and this afternoon
he [Minister Moraht] and Mrs. Moraht called on us. They are pleasant people and
we hope to see much of them."
[October 30,
1926] "From [there], we went to the German Minister's house, which is also
on the 'green hill.' It is small and has an unfinished appearance inside because
the walls are not papered. The walls and ceilings are of wood painted a dark
brown, but there may be rooms with more cheerful colors. Mrs. Moraht said that
they have ordered another room which will be sent from Germany in pieces and
set up by German workmen who will come for that purpose."
Thanks to the Consul's granddaughter for making this photo and narrative available to us.
January 22, 2016
Rex squeals with delight at the end of play.
Verona, Wisconsin, April 2011. Baci and Rex enjoyed some one-on-one play before Poppy joined the household.
January 21, 2016
Happy Anniversary!
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New Glarus, Wisconsin, August 22, 2015. My Toronto Cousin and Toronto Al today celebrate a wedding anniversary. We love you guys!
January 20, 2016
National Cheese Lovers Day
It's "National Cheese Lovers Day:" another made-up "holiday." Every day is cheese-lovers day around here. Coincidentally, we're having Macaroni and Cheese for dinner.
Here's our favorite recipe for Macaroni and Cheese. We like the recipe because it doesn't call for precooking the pasta or making a white sauce. It's a recipe we adapted from this one.
Here's our favorite recipe for Macaroni and Cheese. We like the recipe because it doesn't call for precooking the pasta or making a white sauce. It's a recipe we adapted from this one.
Easy Macaroni and Cheese
1
tablespoon butter
6
ounces sharp Cheddar cheese (do not used
aged Cheddar because it is too oily, and it will separate)
3
ounces Colby cheese
1
ounce Gruyère cheese
1
ounce Emmentaler or Swiss cheese
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/16 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt (use more or less, depending on
how salty the cheese is)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup full-fat cottage cheese
4
ounces Velvetta cheese, diced into chunks
8 ounces elbow pasta or medium shells pasta, uncooked
4
ounces reserved cheese mixture (see below)
Additional 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Use the 1
tablespoon butter to grease an 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
In
the workbowl of a food processor with the grating disk in place, grate the
Cheddar, Colby, Gruyère, Emmentaler, and Grand Cru® cheeses. Transfer grated cheeses to a large bowl. Mix
cheeses together and set aside 4 ounces (1 cup) for the topping.
(There is no need to wash the workbowl
yet.)
In another large bowl, combine the milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, paprika, salt, and pepper.
In the food processor, with the metal blade in place, purée the cottage cheese and the Velvetta cheese cubes. Transfer the puréed mixture to the bowl with the milk and seasonings. Using a wire whisk, stir the mixture well until the cottage cheese and Velvetta are thoroughly incorporated into the milk.
In another large bowl, combine the milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, paprika, salt, and pepper.
In the food processor, with the metal blade in place, purée the cottage cheese and the Velvetta cheese cubes. Transfer the puréed mixture to the bowl with the milk and seasonings. Using a wire whisk, stir the mixture well until the cottage cheese and Velvetta are thoroughly incorporated into the milk.
Add the
grated cheeses to the milk mixture and whisk again. Stir the uncooked pasta into the
mixture. (Can be prepared ahead to this
point; cover and
refrigerate.)
Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 35 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Uncover the baking dish and stir the mixture. Sprinkle the mixture with the remaining 4 ounces (1 cup) grated cheeses. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter evenly over the cheese. Return the baking dish, now uncovered, to the oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbly. Remove from oven and let casserole rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
ADDED: Do not use packaged, pre-shredded cheeses. Pre-shredded cheeses contain coatings (stabilizers and starches) that affect the texture and taste of this dish.
Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 35 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Uncover the baking dish and stir the mixture. Sprinkle the mixture with the remaining 4 ounces (1 cup) grated cheeses. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter evenly over the cheese. Return the baking dish, now uncovered, to the oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbly. Remove from oven and let casserole rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
ADDED: Do not use packaged, pre-shredded cheeses. Pre-shredded cheeses contain coatings (stabilizers and starches) that affect the texture and taste of this dish.
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