The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

How Glorious Would that Be?

March 31, 2010

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. And that would be an understatement on my part, because it was a really very fine show all 'round. Especially with the appearance of one of my favorite singers of all time, Brandi Carlile. Let me just say. The woman has got a voice that will take you to the river and back, and I'm not joking. And when she sang my favorite song, well, it was all I could do to contain myself. It's called "The Story" and it begins like this:

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...

When Brandi sings, I'm right there with her. Same with Lesley Gore and a song called "Glitter in the Air" by a woman named "Pink." And then there are the ones where you just listen. "Louie, Louie" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music.

I've got 'em, you've got 'em, everyone has 'em — they're songs that mean something deep to you for one reason or another, and when you hear 'em you just stop mixing the brownies and stand there and let the words and the music lift you up and carry you wherever on God's green earth they will. Now, not every song does this to people, and not all of my songs are going to do it to you, or yours to me, but you'd think the ideal for a singer or musician is for their song to be the one that does it to the most people at once, and how glorious would that be? (Especially if we were all on trampolines.)

It's the soundtrack of your life. Always playing, updated regularly. Crank it up, Baby.

Ham Pie
Well, it's Holy Week, and I imagine one or more of you will be having a ham dinner somewhere along the way. Here's a fine recipe for ham pie, a good way to use up some of the leftovers and still come out looking like a top-notch cook. Serve it with cherry pie for a lovely post-Easter lunch.

2 cups diced ham

3 cups flour

3 T sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c. shortening

1/8 c. milk

1 lb. sweet sausage

2 lbs. ricotta

1 small ball Mozzarella, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup grated cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley

4 raw eggs (additional)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix flour and sugar together. Make a well in the center, add 3 eggs, shortening and milk, mixing until dough is easy to handle. Divide in half; roll out one portion and fit into 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover other half until later.

Boil sausage 8 minutes and cut into small pieces. Mix sausage with remainder of ingredients and spread in crust. Roll out remaining dough and fit on top of mixture. Seal edges; cut slit in top. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 until crust is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Brush top with a mixture of 1 well-beaten egg and 1 T milk.

Enjoy!

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