MYDOLS AT THE WHITNEY JULY 12

There’s wonder to be found through the garden gates this summer during the Garden Family Hootenanny, 3-5 p.m. Sunday, July 12, 2009 at The Whitney. Seeds of music will be sown in the beautiful gardens of the historic restaurant with live performances by the Mydols and Cello-Bella!, a Music Together demonstration, and plenty of fun for children of all ages. As parents dig into food and drink at the outdoor cafe, kids will discover bubbles, games and crafts blooming along the garden path.
A “hootenanny” is defined as a social gathering or informal concert featuring folk singing and dancing.The Garden Family Hootenanny is the latest in a series of Hootenanny concerts and CDs organized by April Boyle, lead singer of the Mydols, to celebrate music both children and parents can enjoy.

Since 2001, Detroit Family Hootenannies have brought together talented musicians to jam with full audience participation. Acts have included Dan Miller, Pas/Cal, The Sirens, Loretta Lucas, Jawbone and Liz Mitchell. The concerts gave rise to two critically-acclaimed compilation CDs, Detroit Family Hootenanny: Detroit Folks Playing Old and New Music for Kids in 2006, and Holiday Hootenanny in 2007.

This year’s entertainment includes all-mom band the Mydols, who entice kids to join in on songs like Run Crazy Baby and Three is a Magic Number. Cello-Bella! will play family faves like On the Good Ship Lollipop and You’ve Got a Friend in Me on cello and acoustic guitar.
Parents and children can join Melissa Regan and Merrily Gechter exploring rhythm instruments, songs, chants and dance during a joyful, energetic demonstration of the Music Together classes they conduct in Birmingham, Plymouth and Canton.

The Whitney will provide garden fare, cocktails and mocktails for purchase.
The Garden Family Hootenanny is sponsored by ecostore USA, provider of eco-friendly cleaners, bath, body and baby care items at www.ecostoreusa.com.
The Garden Family Hootenanny will take place at The Whitney Restaurant, 4421 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 48201, www.thewhitney.com. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for parents; free for children 12 and under. Call Emily Driscoll to reserve your spot at
(313) 832-5700. For more information, visit www.thefamilyhoot.com.
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HOME SWEET HOME!

We arrived home from Alaska this morning at 5:30 AM.  Check out video from our trip at www.alaskan-vacation.blogspot.com/

CHEF MICHAEL SMITH

Check out my interview with Chef Michael Smith and try his recipes:


Prince Edward Island Smoked Salmon with Pasta and Simple Lemon Dill Cream Cheese Sauce

This is one of the most popular dishes on my table. Our friends love its bright, familiar flavours and we love how easy it is to make. You can toss steaming, wet, just cooked pasta with melting cream cheese to form an incredibly smooth luxurious sauce. The smoked salmon adds extravagance balanced by other familiar flavours: dill, lemon, onion, mustard and capers. A five star dish for sharing!

Serves four

1 lb penne or your favourite shaped pasta like bowties, long pastas like spaghetti don’t work as well
1 cup room temperature cream cheese
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 heaping spoonful of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers
8 ounces smoked salmon, or more
sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Season it liberally with salt until tastes like a day at the beach on Prince Edward Island. As the pasta cooks it will absorb the salted water and become properly seasoned. Cook al dente, until the pasta is cooked through but still pleasantly chewy.

Scoop out some of the starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta but not quite all the way. Leave it a bit wet. Toss the pasta back into the pot along with a splash or two of the reserved water, perhaps a half-cup or so in total then immediately add the rest of the ingredients. While the pasta is still steaming hot it will easily melt the cream cheese and form a rich creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.




Simply Steamed Island Blue Mussels with Three Different Flavours

Mussels are super simple to cook and travel with their own built-in sauce base. They’re easy to steam and when you do, they release a flavourful broth that many connoisseurs swear is the best part. That broth can be flavoured any way you care too so mussels are also a great ingredient to free style with.

Serves four

Five to six pounds of mussels, rinsed well with lots of cold running water
Choose 1 of the following three flavouring groups:

• A 12 ounce bottle of your favourite local beer, a sliced onion, a tablespoon of butter

• 1 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of curry powder

• 1 cup of whatever wine you’re drinking, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of butter

Wash the mussels very well and discard any that are open and wont close with a bit of gentle finger pressure.

Pour the liquid and other aromatic ingredients of your choice into a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the mussels and cover with the lid. Shake the pot occasionally and cook until all the mussels have opened, ten minutes or so.

Spoon out the mussels into a serving bowl. Strain the remaining liquid to remove any broken shell or lingering sand in it. Serve with the mussels and lots of bread for soaking up the flavourful juice!


Organic Prince Edward Island Field Greens with Apple Vinaigrette & Pumpkin Seeds

A simple greens salad is both healthy and tasty. When you toss it yourself with local organic greens and a homemade dressing it can also be a powerful way to support sustainable food choices.

Serves four

Four handfuls of local, organic field greens
1/2 cup of toasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of canola oil
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of local honey
1 teaspoon of any mustard
salt and pepper to taste

In a festive salad bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey and mustard until they form a smooth dressing. Toss the greens in the dressing until evenly and lightly coated. Sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds and any other of your favourite locally and seasonally inspired salad garnishes!

WILLIE AND ME

Willie and I got our picture taken for a newspaper article that should be out soon.

The photo was taken by John Stormzand

A MESSAGE FROM EARTH ANGELS FOUNDER KAREN SCHWOBO

As we strive at Earth Angels Relief to make an impact on the homeless community I can't help but think of the words of a man who touched everyone's heart in some way and broke down the barriers of what is different among us and brought us closer to being one. Through his own suffering he found a way to make a difference with the power of his words and the gift of his talent. These lyrics speak so directly to the difference we are looking to acheive for the homeless community, I felt strongly to share them. It is our mission to be able to provide a back pack to every homeless person that needs one. It is our goal to have 1,000 back packs by July 24th. Together we can do this!

As you read these lyrics, please look into your own heart and your closet, talk to your freinds, your neighbors, your church, your co-workers, your children's school. And above all, please, look in the mirror, together we can make a difference.

As a fifteen year old teenager, I myself followed the wind with no where to go. I was one of the lucky ones.
Let us all start with the "Man (or women!) in the Mirror" and together we can make a change.

"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change)
(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
(Washed-Out Dream)
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me
(Starting With Me!)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Ooh!)
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)

BACKPACKS FOR HUMANITY

Teri, Karen and I went to SOCH today. (South Oakland Citizens for the Homeless) We dropped off 20 backpacks this week. Last year they only got 15 backpacks all year. Our goal, so that every person that need one will get one, is 80. Please go to www.earthangelsrelief.com and find out how you can help!

I'm looking forward to my interview today with Chef Michael Smith, Host of Food Network's Chef Abroad and Chef at Home, about a few quick and savory meal ideas for the family dinner menu this summer. Many of the dishes were inspired by Chef Michael's home in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada where he also serves as a culinary ambassador.

A few summers ago my family vacationed on PEI. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world!