You Say Snuggie, I Say Slanket

Today is National Pigs-In-A-Blanket Day (thenibble.com).

Shake, Shake, Shake...

On Friday, The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles will be meeting up for Cocktails in Historic Places™  at the  Los Feliz landmark, the Tam O’Shanter pub and restaurant. 

When: Friday, April 24, 6 to 8 p.m. 

Where: The Tam O'Shanter, 6608 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Why: Mary Pickford, Fatty Arbuckle, and Walt Disney used to have lunch there. 

How: Art Deco Society Members and non-members are welcome to attend the no-host bar event; no RSVP is required, but you can confirm on the the ADSLA’s Facebook page.

Also, check out the society’s other upcoming events, including the May 16 Avalon Ball on Catalina Island and the August 8 Miracle Mile walking tour.

Streep As Julia Child: Delicious!

Meryl Streep stars as the doyenne of celebrity chefs, Julia Child, in an upcoming film based on a book — Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.

Amy Adams, who co-starred with Streep in Doubt, plays Julie Powell, a blogger who set out to make every recipe in Child’s enduring classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which led to the aforementioned book and movie deal.

It just goes to show that, like Julie and Julia, you can make a living doing something you love. Or at least you can make a chicken dance on your kitchen counter before you broil the hell out it.*

Voilá: dinner and a show.

*By “you” I mean “me.”

Dumpster Diving in the Nuclear Age

This etching was discovered in a trash can near Park La Brea more than 50 years ago, and now it hangs the dining room of advertising production managers Vivian Green and Truda Kinniburgh.

Little Boatyard, Venice is one of numerous etchings by Lionel Barrymore, who’s remembered more often as the cheerless, bank-run-inducing Henry F. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life than as an artist with an affection for boats, docks and ports.

Here’s how Viv’s mom found it. Toward the end of World War II, she came to California to take care of her younger brother, an army major and development engineer. Viv’s mom had a lot of wartime experience herself, having worked on The Manhattan Project and at a facility in Downey, which was later revealed to have had a nuclear reactor. In the evenings after work, brother and sister would unwind by going for long walks around Miracle Mile, looking at the trees and houses. Viv’s mom especially loved Wednesdays because that was the night when neighbors put out their trash for Thursday collection. During one of those Wednesday night strolls, Viv’s mom found Little Boatyard, Venice.

Speaking of Barrymores... Drew Barrymore had a great interview with NPR’s Terry Gross regarding her portrayal as Little Edie Beale in HBO’s Grey Gardens. To hear it, download the podcast from iTunes: NPR 04-14-2009 Fresh Air or listen to it here.

Grrr...animals

It’s time to celebrate — according to thenibble.com, today marks the birthday of animal crackers. The concept of cookies shaped like animals originated in England (then known as “biscuits”), and were adopted by circus maestro P.T. Barnum in 1902. The now-famous Barnum’s box, which resembles a caged train car and topped with a length of string, was designed by an unsung hero of graphic design so that the boxes could be hung on Christmas trees.* In 1948, Barnum’s Animals became known as Barnum’s Animals Crackers.

A few more facts:

• In 1930, the Marx Brothers starred in the film Animal Crackers, which was adapted from the 1928 play of the same name.

* Shirley Temple sang Animal Crackers in My Soup in the 1935 charmer, Curly Top. The song was used by numerous makers of animal crackers to promote their cookies. 

• In last week’s episode of the Food Network competition, Chopped, chef Sandy Davis won after preparing animal cracker soup for dessert.

• Cadbury’s animal biscuits, which are dipped in chocolate and packaged in a tin, are available at Mel & Rose.**

• Rumor has it that Kellogg purchased the original Mother’s recipe, and will be re-launching the cookies in May. 

• Meanwhile, Keebler makes pink and white frosted animal cookies.***

• Nabisco offers an iced animal cookie with a distinct, lemony taste. (My sister and her entire family think the Nabisco Classics Iced Animal Cookies are delicious. “Everyone comments how they don't taste as waxy and I can vouch that it is a whole lot easier to eat a whole bag of these than I would ever have done with Mother’s.”

* They’re a gift, they’re an ornament, and they’re edible, which means Barnum’s Animals Crackers are the perfect food.

** My birthday is coming up. 

***Am I the only one troubled by the strange, yellow-grey cast of what should be white cookies featured on the Keebler bag?

Now Hear This

Perhaps you’ve had a friend and neighbor like this, who plants sunflowers that grow as tall as a building, who’s hidden a big, white rabbit named Zeus or a male pot plant from the landlord, who’s entertained as Pocahontas or brunette Barbie at kiddie parties hosted by crazed, piñata-bashing moms, who’s swept glass out of your car seat after some loser has smashed in a window, and who predicts marvelous fortune from the grounds left in a cup of Greek coffee. 

This friend might seem to be at a remove from the vagaries of a world unstable enough for our President to liken our country’s economic foundation to a pile of sand. 

Then again, this friend might be quietly making sense of it all, drafting lines like a whisky-voiced Emily Dickinson gone subversive under the glare of too much sun. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m fortunate enough to have such a friend, the indie blues singer/songwriter Michelle Fontaine, and I hope you’ll visit her mySpace page to hear Corporate Cowboy and other recordings.

Best Meets Worst

Today isn’t just Easter. It’s also National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.* Here’s a way to combine both celebrations: a grilled cheese and peeps sandwich. Otherwise known as “Cakes & Mivens,” this intoxicating combination was conceived by Bryan Beecher and Crystal Carlsberg, and was a winner in the 2008 National Grilled Cheese Invitational. 

Cakes & Mivens is considered to be a dessert sandwich.

*In fact, all of April is glorious -- it’s National Grilled Cheese Month. 

**Click here for info on this year’s National Grilled Cheese Invitational, taking place in downtown Los Angeles on April 25. 

See the cheesy art featured above at commercial-archive.com