Radioactive by Imagine Dragons is my pick for the day. Not only is the music bad-ass, the muppets in the video are AWESOME. I like the beat it has, but the words are cool as well. But seriously, its the vid that has me coming back again and again to watch. 😉
**no muppets were harmed in the making of the video.
***today’s selection in no way has anything to do with St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Although this song would be good to have a beer with when listening. 🙂 While wearing green or something. Or maybe drinking green beer, umm cause, well, you know, radioactive and shit. You know, glowing green = bad. 😉
To that end, I found a compilation of 80s love songs. Yeah, I know it probably dates me… but no one did or does love songs like those songster of yesteryear. So listen to the music as you finish out the post and let the notes carry you to a far, far better place. 😉 Journey, Foreigner and more.
Enjoy!
Nothing says Valentine’s Day like candy and flowers. Bet you didn’t know you could combine those two things. I’ve put a recipe for candied roses down below. But don’t limit yourself to roses. There are lots of edible flowers and a veritable rainbow can be had depending on which bloom you choose.
Sugared Rose Petals and Rose Sugar
Roses first came to the West from Persia in 1240 by way of French Crusaders. The first known cultivated rose is Rosa gallica var. officinalis, also known as the apothecary rose. I use the petals for various things: potpourri, bath fizzies, bath salts, rose water, and cooking. The petals are lovely in salads, but what I really like to do is candy them and make rose sugar.
Sugared Rose Petal Ingredients and Supplies
-pasteurized egg white beaten with a little water (if you’re concerned about using raw eggs, -you can use simple syrup or prepared meringue powder)
-Granulated sugar
-Fragrant rose petals, well rinsed and patted dry
-A small watercolor brush
Rose Sugar Ingredients and Supplies
-Fragrant organic rose petals, well rinsed and patted dry
-Sugar
-A clean, pretty jar, such as a Ball Kilner rubber-sealed jar
To Make Sugared Rose Petals
1. Make sure your rose petals are organic (pesticide free). Remove the bottom white tip of each rose petal and discard; the tips have a bitter flavor. Assemble your supplies.
2. Paint both sides of each rose petal with the egg wash, simple syrup, or prepared meringue powder.
3. Sprinkle the prepared petals in sugar on both sides
4. Set on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and let dry overnight. If you use simple syrup, the petals won’t hold their shape as well as they do with the egg wash
5. Use your candied petals as edible decorations for cakes, puddings, candies, cookies, and pastries. If you don’t plan to use them right away, store sugared petals in a freezer.
To Make Rose Sugar
1. Make sure your rose petals are organic (pesticide free). Remove the bottom white tip of each rose petal and discard. Sprinkle sugar on the bottom of the jar and sprinkle a layer of rose petals over it. Layer more sugar and rose petals until the jar is filled. Store in a cool, dark place (such as your pantry or cupboard or “close roome”) for several weeks. When you open up the jar you’ll be met with a rosy perfume. You can remove the petals before using.
2. Use your Rose Sugar to flavor pastries, cookies, and confections or sprinkled over their tops. Stir the rose-infused sugar into tea, lemonade, or anything you’d like to give a slight rosy flavor. It’s particularly nice sprinkled on top of scones and shortbread.
***
As you listen to love songs and eat delicious things, remember… today is about love. And love is about giving to others. So don’t forget to spread and share the love. Not just today, but everyday.
Up on the playlist for today is The Neighborhood’s Sweater Weather. It’s got a kinda cool sound- all easy and loose. The perfect song to chase away the cold and bring in the warm. After all, it is sweater weather. 😉
Trans-Siberian Orchestra did the video to this synchronizing 75,000 lights to this song. Couldn’t think of a better musical tribute for bringing in the week of Christmas with this special music.
Justin Timberlake, y’all. Yes, yes I know. I’m sure some of you have strong feelings about my selection for this Music Monday. Don’t care. Not a me problem. He’s been on my mind lately. Not just because he has a new album out, but also because he’s been mentioned in a trilogy I was reading. Like worlds converging, yo.
See, I didn’t use to like JT. Not at all. I had relegated him to the corner of laughable boy band personas with lip syncing capabilities, pretty boy looks and easy docility. In other words, I wrote him off. Completely.
Then one night as I was on the way to the forum. No, not really. I just always wanted to say that. It was one night. But it wasn’t on the way to the forum. It was as I was hanging out watching HBO in my bedroom that JT came on in his FUTURE SEX/LOVE tour badness. He took over the screen. And he gave a helluva performance. Which made me rethink things about him. No, I still don’t think he has a great voice. But it’s passable. What he does have is the ability to perform and put on a show and entertain us. And that’s a talent. It takes skill. Charisma. He has it. He’ll never be a great singer. But he is a good performer.
So here are a few JT selections. Two from that concert I saw on HBO and one from his latest album. Enjoy!
Thought I’d do a throwback day with some disco. Fall is my favorite season, the weather makes me wanna dance. But not as much as disco makes me want to dance. So in honor of disco, I am doing a BeeGees tribute.
You know, I don’t think disco gets enough credit. It’s often overlooked. But I think it’s an important bridge from then to now.
First up is Grease. Need I say more?
Next up is Stayin Alive. See, the second iconic disco movie after Grease is Saturday Night Fever. Seriously.
And last is Jive Talking. It’s not least. There are a ton more I wanted to include, but I only have so much room, ya know? Normally three is that limit. So this ultimately cool song is the third to be featured.
It’s that time again. Gonna go back to the 80s this time. Here are some tunes that make me happy. It’s a huge mash up of artists and styles. A real reflection of what I listened to, what I liked and what still makes me smile.
First up is some Judas Priest. Yeah, that’s right. The song I chose is You Got Another Thing Coming. Funny story. Not from the 80s but from the 90s. A cover band in Branson, Missouri played this song for me and started off an evening I have never forgotten. It involved a guy with one leg who had one brother named Daryl and another brother named Daryl- I kid you not… it’s how he introduced them, some cops, a local party house and memories that have lasted. Those of you who went with me, a group of 20-something law students, got an eye opening experience that night. It was AWESOME! lol
Next up is some Run DMC. I have never, not ever, subscribed to the theory that one type/genre of music is better than another. I like and listen to EVERYTHING. And this includes rap music. I liked it when it begin, when it went through growing pains and I still like it today. What’s not to like- it’s got beat, heart and speaks to the underdog, oppression and telling a story. Well, at the least, the best raps do. And the best rappers? Well, they can turn it on it’s head. And combine some Aerosmith as well. Run DMC was all that and a bag a chips. I got two selections. One is Walk this Way featuring Aerosmith. The other is pure 80s DMC, Can You Rock It Like This. I gotta say… I had a HARD time choosing the second selection.
Now the next artist blew up the 80s. And the 90s and the new millennium. Madonna. Need I say more? I remember my head cheerleader brought her record back from New York. It was totally bootlegged. The sound was terrible. But the music? The music was incredible. And thus, my love affair with the pop diva herself was born. Lots of selections from her. The one I selected is a different kind of groove. All the more sensual for the understated quality. It’s a naughty song. But then again, I’m a naughty girl who writes naughty stories. So I guess, Madonna’s Where Life Begins, is exactly where I was to end this Music Monday. Although, her entire Erotica album ROCKS!
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I am torn between a Spain trip only in southern Spain or a Spain trip that includes southern Spain--not as in-depth-- and Barcelona. I can't decide. What would you do? OMG, I can't decide and I don't have a lot of time in which to make the choice. Ack!!!! ... See MoreSee Less
Roses first came to the West from Persia in 1240 by way of French Crusaders. The first known cultivated rose is Rosa gallica var. officinalis, also known as the apothecary rose. I use the petals for various things: potpourri, bath fizzies, bath salts, rose water, and cooking. The petals are lovely in salads, but what I really like to do is candy them and make rose sugar.
