Mildred Pierce

So I´ve just finished watching the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce with the redoubtable Kate Winslet. I think she deserved an Emmy for eyebrow work alone - formidable.

In terms of the series itself, the main theme is the relationship between Mildred and her daughter Veda. Veda is a narcissistic nightmare and Mildred a self-sacrificing enabler. I liked the fact that they managed to convey every character´s flaws. It´s clear that Mildred is controlling and judgemental, Veda is spoiled and a manipulative snob (young actress Morgan Turner is astonishing in her ability to irritate), Monty is weak and irresponsible, Burt is a philanderer but a pretty good guy - throw them all together and you get a heck of an American potboiler.

And I loved the sets. I was convinced they´d found some little Spanish Revival bungalow in California somewhere - but it turns out they built the interiors themselves.

They found most of the locations back on Long Island of all places, since much has been lost in California. I have to say they did a remarkable job evoking the time and the place.

One of the nice things about the miniseries format is that they have time to show you quiet moments to reveal character without steaming ahead through the plot. I think the Director Todd Haynes did a remarkable job of creating a woman´s world in the Depression, and on the ideas of wealth, work and class in America. There´s great use of glass and reflection to great advantage (Saul Leiter´s photography was an inspiration). I thought that was a masterful metaphor for how we observe/present something. Are you seeing through the character or projecting a preconceived image onto them? Are they reflecting what you want to see? A very interesting choice for being observed/judged.

Source

Source

Is it credible that Veda becomes a successful opera singer in a matter of months? Could Mildred possibly be so blind to her daughter´s character for so long? Debatable, but it´s all in the original novel by James M. Caine (The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity (1943).

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I´ve got a serious case of kitchen envy.

For more on the production design click here.

Vetiver Swirl

Manly soap. Made with green tea and clay with a charcoal swirl. Frangranced with vetiver, sage and lime.

I´m a Romantic - who knew?

I´ve just discovered the delightful blog A Bloomsbury Life and taken her quiz. I associate ¨Romantic¨ with Marianne Dashwood - those people make me tired. But I´m down with most of the items listed. So guilty as charged.

Mostly, she had me at the photos.

And this entry about writing a speech made me laugh. Procrastinators unite! Though I´m slightly concerned she´s going to have a dust problem with her newly black shelves, they do look fab.

So are you a Romantic?

Dried tomatoes

For those of you who actually have delicious homegrown tomatoes (unlike yours truly) and are wondering what to do with them. . .

I used the instructions here, at Nancy Baggett´s blog. Of course it would be much more environmentally friendly to use a solar oven. I couldn´t find paste tomatoes, only the normal kind. And I got a little carried away taking the guts out - I could have left a little more of the flesh.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Tip: Use a light hand when adding the salt. As the tomatoes dehydrate, the salt concentrates and can easily become overpowering.

Tip: Double the recipe if desired.

6 to 8 3- to 4-inch diameter vine-ripened summer tomatoes
Sea salt for seasoning
Olive oil or corn oil for drizzling and packing

Preheat the oven to 275-degrees F. Wash the tomatoes well; pat dry. Core and slice in half lengthwise. Scrape out and discard seeds from the interior of each half. Lay the tomatoes, cut side up and slightly separated, on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle the tomato halves with salt. Drizzle them lightly with oil.

Place in the middle of the oven. Dry for 5 to 7 hours, or until the tomatoes look shrunken and are the consistency of soft, very moist dried apricots. If the tomatoes appear to be burning at the edges at any point, reduce the oven temperature 25 to 50 degrees F and continue. Larger tomatoes will take longer than the small ones to dry out. Set aside to cool.

Lightly pack the tomatoes in very clean glass jars. If you wish, drizzle a bit of oil over the tomatoes to prevent them from drying out. Keep in mind that olive oil will solidify but corn oil will remain fluid during refrigeration. Close the jars with non-reactive lids. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze up to one year.

6 to 8 tomatoes will yield 2 4 to 6-ounce jars.

Drizzled with some good olive oil and slow roasted for about 6 hours.

Excellent tossed in a salad or with some pasta and fresh grated cheese!

More old kitchens

Happened across this article about the discovery of an old kitchen in a huge old house. Check out that stove.

And discovered another historical re-enaction on Youtube - A Tudor Christmas Feast. The same cast as the Victorian Farm and Edwardian farm, this time in a Tudor Manor. Gorgeous old house, old kitchen, old recipes - oh my! In four parts of about 15 minutes each.

**Warning to vegetarians - contains skinning, boning and carving of various dead animals.