BIG update.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks--maybe more like 3 or 4 weeks. I know because the house used to be sparkling clean and now it is...not. And I don't know exactly when it is going to remedy itself. I was sort of hoping that upon my return from San Francisco, Nathan would have pulled his "I didn't clean, the house is just so easy to keep perfect when you're not here to mess it up" like he did when I returned from France, but alas, Nathan had finals and was too busy to "not clean." Anyways, a few weeks ago I performed in San Francisco with Khambatta Dance Company. We split a show with Scott Wells and Dancers (we were the first half, they were the second) and it was a great time despite the lack of sleep and the loss of voice.

First we left SUPER early from Seattle--I can never go to sleep properly when I know I have to be up by 4:00am--and arrived in San Fran by 8:00am. The six of us squeezed in a rental car (eric curled up on the floor of the back seat) and drove to Berkley to meet up with Scott Wells and go to breakfast at the Homemade Cafe. Huevos Rancheros--yes please! We were all staying at different places all over the city, so Scott drove us around a little bit before dropping us off at our various locations.

The view from Twin Peaks--what a pretty city! Recently read Travels with Charlie by Steinbeck and he described San Francisco as being Grecian. With the water, the rolling mountains, and the white buildings, I can kind of see it. It definitely feels different from Seattle. Pretty much all of Seattle is neighborhood-y like Berkley is, while SF is much more urban and concentrated. It has all this great Victorian architecture, which I love of course because I love all things old, particularly buildings. The climate is also completely different. Much drier and, well, California-like. There were some fantastic flowers blooming while we were there, none of which I knew.

Meredith, Scott Wells, Rachel, and Eric

Golden Gate Baby!

 Then Scott dropped me off at the home of two of his company members in a charming town house in the Mission district. I had a very comfortable futon in the living room.

They have pretty much the most perfect artist's apartment. Crammed full of lots of stuff, but all of it interesting. Beautiful art on the walls and wonderful architectural details like a sweet little marble fireplace. Also, clawfoot tub and great deck off the back. >love<

So after dropping off my luggage, I grabbed a couple of tacos (the Mission is the latin district after all) and was off to tech rehearsal at the theater. I had to take the bus, which I'm used to of course, but its a little different in SF. Fortunately, everyone was very helpful and the bus system there is significantly easier to manage and understand than the one here. The only tricky part was that the back doors of the bus are sometimes triggered by stepping down on the stairs, and sometimes you have to press on the doors to get them to open. In Seattle we just have to yell "back door" up to the driver and hopefully he or she hears you and lets you off! Very sophisticated. Anyways, to the theater, and then rehearsal from 6-11pm after waking up at 4. It was a marathon. Mostly a marathon of trying to keep my eyes open. Fortunately, the next day I had some time to sleep in. Unfortunately I woke up at 7:30. Why? Who knows. I walked around the mission a bit, did some grocery shopping, had breakfast, and then took a nap until rehearsal in the afternoon. That night we had our first show, and the premier of our new piece, Rush,  which should have been called Rough on that particular night, but the other two pieces went alright. Scott Wells and Dancers presented two really entertaining and delightful works, one doing Parkor work on big gymnast mats and forms, and the other using balls of all sizes--rolling on them, tossing them, juggling, etc. They will be bringing this piece "Ballistic" and another I haven't seen to Seattle next weekend when we do another joint performance in the Seattle International Dance Festival.

Back to San Francisco, the Saturday and Sunday night performances went better. I started losing my voice on Saturday afternoon and couldn't talk at all by Sunday, which was unfortunate because we had a little free time and I had arranged to meet up with Dave and Jane. We still got together for some delicious brunch at Starbelly Restaurant, and Dave and Jane took me around to see some sights!

Chilequiles at Starbelly YUM

Dave got a delicious looking pork sandwhich

Driving down the super famous switchback street!

It was very nice to catch up with them, even if I couldn't be as social as I liked. We ended up going to see the movie Bridesmaids because my voice was shot and we were tired of driving around. There were funny moments, but I didn't think it was hilarious as I had been hearing from everyone. To each his own I suppose. 

Also, there was Carnival happening on the street where I was staying. They had a huge parade Sunday that I watched for about an hour. 

Many Latin American countries were represented with a float and dancers following. I think these dancers were representing Cuba. I watched for about an hour.

Monday we had another super early morning flight back to Seattle, and then I was unexpectedly called into work. I was also scheduled to work on my birthday, but fortunately got that covered. Unfortunately I was not feeling up to doing Karaoke like I had planned. : ( I was pretty bummed, but Nathan and I made the best of it and used a gift certificate to a fancy restaurant we had been saving for a special occasion! 

Outside Wild Ginger. Happy to be dressed all fancy, sad to be wearing my coat in June...

Wild Ginger is an Asian fusion restaurant and Satay bar. We got to try lots of yummy things. First we got some fancy cocktails and satay. The satay (that means on a stick!) all came with fantastic sauces, sweet pickled cucumbers and this extremely sticky cube of rice that we quite enjoyed.

Nathan gazes lovingly at the delicious spread!

 Then we got two more entrees and another appetizer. In this one meal we had chicken, beef, scallops, duck, pork, and a completely vegetarian dish. I think that's a record. The duck tasted similar to the carnitas nathan makes and I have blogged about, except less greasy and still super tender. The other entree was Seven Spice Beef or something like that and it was amazing.

Full Bellies!

Thanks to Sherrie Kossoudji for the great meal!

The night after my birthday we were joined by a few friends at a Madonna/Lady Gaga themed dance party in Fremont. Nathan got me tickets to see a band we like perform in Ballard that we went to see last week, so my birthday week was filled with lots of celebration. Going to the concert, we discovered how great Ballard is; an area we haven't really explored yet for some reason. Hopefully we'll get there again soon and I'll take some pictures!

Birthday fun over and back to the grind! I've been preparing for a lot of shows lately.  For instance last night I danced in a thong for a room full of people. Don't worry--it's not what you think. It's the Seattle International Dance Festival! I was part of a collaboration with a Japanese choreographer that was put together this past week. 

Here I am in "costume:"

creeeeeepy

I can't really get into the details of this piece, but lets just say I think maybe strange Japanese art is not for me. Also, I have showered three times and I still feel like I'm covered in chalk dust. Yuck yuck yuck. I have just finished reading Black Like Me which is a really fascinating and important book about a white journalist in the fifties who traveled around the South in black face and writes about the discrimination he encounters. I couldn't help but think of the scenes where he writes about applying (and then removing) his black makeup in the mirror. Except it would be White Like Me. We also compared my frantic scrubbing to an "Out damned spot" moment, to which Nathan cunningly remarked, "having trouble removing your white guilt?" Oh, Nathan, how I love thee.

 Ok, house cleaning time...

Busy bee

I've been a busy bee and haven't been keeping up to date with this whole "blogging" thing. Here's whats up (in brief).

Full Tilt! It's next weekend, Fri and Sat May 20th and 21st at 7 and again at 9 at Velocity dance center. Got it? Here's the poster:

The Bankas are arriving wednesday and staying the weekend so they will get to see the show! We are oh-so excited to see them and can't wait to show them our new home! I never realized there was so much to see and do in seattle until I started listing everything they should do while they are here. It's going to be a busy week!

Then the next week I'm off to San Francisco to perform with Khambatta Dance Company. More about that later, but pretty much between the two shows, its been rehearsals, classes, and work non-stop--not to mention a dose of spring cleaning I'm trying to squeeze in! As you can probably guess, crafting and cooking have been low on the priority list, although Nathan made me roast chicken and his super delicious pulled pork this week and I helped by making salads to go with. And my salads are so good, even Nathan eats them! 

Hope to do a real update soon! But I've got to be on a bus at 8:30 tomorrow morning, which is pretty early as saturdays go. 

Boost, Soup, Planned Parenthood

So--here's what's new. Just finished a multiweek run with BOOST Dance Festival and I think all our performances went well, which is fairly miraculous, although my body is feeling some bruises! We had some great press, and my picture was in the Seattle Times!! Even though I'm itty bitty and in the back, it still counts. Here is the link to the Seattle Times review: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2014583296_boost24.html

This is the picture that was in the paper. Here's another picture:

In this one I'm right in the middle.

Here is the review from the blog SeattleDances, which I think is more informed and in depth than the Seattle Times review: http://seattledances.blogspot.com/2011/03/boost-dance-festival-puts-local-artists.html#more

Also, I never got a chance to post about this, but we went to a lovely party hosted by Hannah a few weeks back. She had been wanting to try out a soup recipe, and share it with some friends. 

Hannah chops in her lovely sun-filled kitchen

Yummy soda bread contributed by Elyse

There was a great view of the city out the window but the picture didn't capture it.

SUPER DELICIOUS Fig and Endive Salad 

*Fig and Endive Salad*
(Serves 4)

Salad:
10 dried Calimyrna figs
0.5 cup orange juice
3 heads of Belgian endive, rinsed and drained
2 ounces chèvre or other mild goat cheese, crumbled
0.5 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Dressing:
0.5 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
0.25 teaspoon salt
0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the figs and orange juice to a boil and cook on high heat for 1 minute. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, remove from the heat, and set aside to plump, 10 to 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside. Cut the heads of endive lengthwise into halves and remove the cores. Chop the leaves into 1-inch pieces. When the figs are soft and plump, cut them into quarters.

Arrange the endive on a large platter and top it with the figs, chevre, and walnuts. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Ben serves up soup

*Tuscan Bean Soup*

(Serves 6-8; yields 8.5 cups)

2 cups diced onions

1 cup peeled and diced carrots

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tablespoon olive oil

15 large fresh sage leaves

6 cups cooked pinto, Roman, or small red or white beans*

3 to 4 cups vegetable stock, bean-cooking liquid, or water

salt and pepper to taste

*equivalent to three 15- or 16-ounce cans, undrained

In a soup pot, cook the onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil on medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Stack the sage leaves and cut them crosswise into thin strips. Stir the sage into the vegetables. Add the cooked beans and 3 cups of stock, bean-cooking liquid, or water. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until simmering, 5 to 10 minutes.

Carefully ladle about 3 cups of the soup into a blender and purée until smooth. Stir the purée back into the soup. If you wish, add more stock or water for a less thick consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently reheat the soup and serve hot.

Thanks to Hannah for the recipes!

I also attended a rally for Planned Parenthood a few weekends ago. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be really inspiring. 

Planned Parenthood provides invaluable services for low cost all over the country, including cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, contraception and safe sex education, and family planning. For many low-income women it is their only access to medical care. It provides all of these services without judgement or religious/political motives. Planned Parenthood stands to lose all of it's federal funding, which would be a travesty to the millions of people who rely on their services, but also to our budget, since for every dollar we spend on preventative services, we save four.  SO, if you would like to sign the petition and stand with Planned Parenthood as I have, here is the link:

http://www.istandwithplannedparenthood.org/

I hope you sign it. I don't want to get too political here, but having the right to decide what happens in your life and your body is a basic human right, and one that I think we certainly strive for in a country that is founded on the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. 

Busyness! And tacos...

Sorry that I have not posted recently! I have been busy preparing for my show--my Seattle debut is TONIGHT! followed by Saturday and Sunday. This is the concert:

I am in Pablo Cornejo's piece. Should be awesome. In additional dance news, last saturday I auditioned for FULL TILT which is a concert in May. I was super excited about the three choreographers I auditioned for (and the two that I didn't) because I liked all the material I saw, and that is unusual. Usually there is at least something that just isn't my style, but this one I was just feeling like I wanted to be in EVERY PIECE. Which is good, because this morning I found out that I was cast in the three I auditioned for, and one of the choreographers asked me to be in an additional piece of hers for BOOST Dance Festival in March. Phew. So I'm very excited, but anticipating that I will be very busy for the next 4 months. But that's what I wanted. 

Ok, but so you have something to cook, I am posting what Nathan made me for dinner last night:

YUM CARNITAS TACOS!

The recipe is from the amazing food website Serious Eats. Here is the science behind it all, since it was part of their "food lab" 

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-food-lab-how-to-make-crisp-and-juicy-carnitas-without-a-bucket-of-lard.html

ANd here is the recipe:

Carnitas can be prepared through step 3 up to three days in advance. Pork can be crisped up straight from the refrigerator. You can lower the heat in your salsa verde by removing the seeds from the jalapeños, or omitting them entirely before simmering.

INGREDIENTS

serves 4 - 6, active time 45 minutes, total time 4 1/2 hours

• 2 medium onions
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 pounds boneless pork butt (shoulder), rind removed, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• 1 medium orange
• 6 cloves garlic, split in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into three or four pieces
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 medium tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and split in half
• 2 jalapeño peppers, split in half lengthwise, stem removed
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta
• 24 corn tortillas

PROCEDURES

1. 1
   Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 275 degrees. Cut one onion into fine dice and combine with cilantro. Refrigerate until needed. Split remaining onion into quarters. Set aside. Season pork chunks with 1 tablespoon salt and place in a 9 by 13 glass casserole dish. The pork should fill the dish with no spaces. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice over pork. Nestle squeezed orange pieces into casserole. Add 2 onion quarters, 4 cloves garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to casserole. Nestle everything into an even layer. Pour vegetable oil over surface. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook until pork is fork tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
2. 2
   Set large fine-meshed strainer 1 quart liquid measure or bowl. Using tongs, remove orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves from pork. Transfer pork and liquid to strainer. Let drain for 10 minutes. Transfer pork back to casserole. You should end up with about 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Using a flat spoon or de-fatter, skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer remaining liquid to medium saucepot.
   
3. 3
   Add tomatillos, remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and jalapeños to saucepot with strained pork liquid. Add water until it is about 1-inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Blend salsa with hand blender or in a stand-up blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. 4
   To serve: Place casserole dish with pork 4-inches under a high broiler and broil until brown and crisp on surface, about 6 minutes. Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again for 6 more minutes until crisp. Tent with foil to keep warm.
   
5. 5
   Meanwhile, heat tortillas. Preheat an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water. Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer tortilla to a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
6. 6
   To eat, stack two tortillas on top of each other. Add two to three tablespoons carnitas mixture to center. Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and queso fresco. Serve with lime wedges.