VOCAL MUSIC
Other than friends, the two things I miss most about San Francisco are the restaurant scene and Bay Area Cabaret. Our good friends, David and Sean, introduced us to that cabaret series. It’s held in the historic Venetian Room in the Fairmont Hotel, and we had the treat of seeing and hearing Chita Rivera, Judy Collins, Tommy Tune, Christine Ebersole, and others. Next month we get to see Ebersole and Patti Lupone in a new musical on Broadway entitled, War Paint.
This past week, Music Monday introduced us to the singing Callaway sisters, Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway. A delightful pair who have fun ribbing each other, they have separate careers, but occasionally team up to present Sibling Revelry. They did some humorous tunes, but also had us almost in tears with their rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” 
On Sunday, we enjoyed a rollicking performance by AMICCO (Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus and Orchestra) with the Three Tenors. These men were fun and talented and it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Lots of Italian arias including some old favorites like “O Sole Mio” and “Funicula, Funiculi.” The tenors also gave their version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
NEW RESIDENT
We have a new live-in resident. She’s been with us several weeks now and is low maintenance and even has her own box. She requires little; in fact, she can sit ignored, or she can be the source of new pleasures. Overall, she has added a new dimension to our lives. Her name is “Jewel” and while she spells it differently I think of her this way. She is the focus of a lot of the Chief Penguin’s time and attention and has given him a new project.
Jewel, or Joule, her official name, is not a puppy or kitten or even a parakeet, but rather the latest, hottest sous vide device. She comes with an iPhone app which means you can be sitting on your patio and get an alert that the water batch in which you’ve immersed her has now reached temperature. Sous vide, cooking food sealed in a vacuum bag immersed in water at a constant temperature, was introduced by chefs a few years ago and is now the trendy way to cook at home.
Several devices are on the market, and once my sister and then our son got them for Christmas, you know who here just had to have one. Being a gadget lover, he thinks we have the coolest one! 
Since Joule arrived, we (I say this loosely since it’s really the C.P.) have cooked spare ribs, grouper, shrimp, barbecued chicken, and even potatoes using her. One of the beauties of sous vide is that you can choose ahead of time the degree of doneness you want and the food item will never get cooked beyond that point. What you are actually selecting is the temperature at which the water is maintained. For shrimp, which are notoriously easy to overcook to a rubbery state, Joule is ideal. Just a few degrees difference in temperature, 139 F. or 140 or even 142, determines how soft or firm the shrimp are.
The time in the water bath varies from short (30 minutes for a vegetable) to long (12 to 24 hours) for ribs or steaks or chicken. You can season the item with herbs or barbecue sauce before bagging it. Once it’s in the bag in the water, you can ignore it. When the food comes out of the bag, finishing it (steak, for example) on a gas grill or even in the oven, will provide the attractive browning and finishing. Never again do you risk having barbecued chicken that is blackened on the outside, but not fully cooked on the inside. You might think I’d be jealous of Jewel, but I’m not. C.P. has taken on more of the cooking and the results are fabulous!
Credits: Callaway sisters (Ann & Liz) (www.paulinlondon.com) by Darren Bell; Joule ©JWFarrington
