July 6, 2008

The fourth and Frida

Saturday we went to the Frida Kahlo Show at the SFMOMA. This is my favorite picture of her
Happy Fourth of July!
Our Fourth feast
But first there was chopping....
Salad making
Pastry rolling...
Tossing of the strawberry and rhubarb....
Assembling of pie...
Ready to eat!

Fun weekend with friends and family. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.
We had family friends over for the fourth and I had the opportunity to make one of my favorite pies...strawberry rhubarb. I have been making pies since I was about 17 or 18,and I find it so relaxing and fun to make them. I'm always a bit puzzled why people get worked up with making pastry. It really isn't as hard as everyone makes it out to be. My favorite crust is a pate brisse, It is an all butter crust, no shortening. It always tastes like shortbread cookies. I found a strawberry rhubarb recipe in a cookbook that my brother in law gave me 20 years ago, called "The American Country Inn and Bed&Breakfast Cookbook." The recipe is from an inn in Wyoming. The reason I love it so much is that it has more rhubarb to strawberry ratio, so it is a bit more tart,which I love. Then I made my tried and true potato salad that I watched my mom and grandmother make many times. Basic and yummy. Since we aren't masters of the grill, we kept it simple and grilled some nice sausage and hot dogs. We managed to find brioche hot dog buns,and that made the hot dogs a bit more special. After dinner,we headed into the city,like we do every year, and watched the fireworks,at least we tried to watch the fireworks. The city by the bay was socked in with fog, so we saw nothing by flashing of some colors. Since this was a bit of a let down,we went back to Nicole and Pierre's apartment and hung out with their friends. They had a floor party and we roamed in and out of all the apartments. That was fun and entertaining. We did however get home very late!
Saturday we went to the MOMA to see the Frida Kahlo show. LOVED it!! She is my favorite female painter hands down. Her life is so interesting,and her style is so beautiful. Everyone in the Bay Area must go see this show. I walked out of there inspired. My dear husband treated me to three books, one on her clothing,one on her life and paintings,and last but not least, a cookbook written by Diego Rivera's daughter. All the recipes were from her memories of living with her father(Diego Rivera) and Frida. After leaving the show, of course we then had to have Mexican food. We went to Tacubaya in Berkeley Ca. This is the sister restaurant to Dona Tomas in Oakland that I have posted on before. Very fun filled day,and now this post is turning out to be epic. So, I'll sign off for today......

9 comments:

  1. frida is amazing! all that she overcame really evident in her work.

    your strawberry-rhubarb pie looks like perfection as does everything else you made.

    glad it was a good weekend - i've been wondering about those fires out there, but it seems like you're safe and sound.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lucky you to have an exhibition of Frida Kahlo. I've been interested in Frida since I saw a show here at the Whitechapel when I was a girl. And, like you, I'm impressed with the way she dressed - the colours, those pinks and greens, glorious. We had a large exhibition here at the Tate a couple of years ago. I was surprised and very taken by some of her later paintings which I had never seen before.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mmmm! I love straw/rhubarb pie!
    Too bad about the fireworks, but ooh and ahh for the art exhibit:) Happy Day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. i used to go to the academy of art, behind Moma, and miss ducking into the museum for a littl inpiration. Oh! Rhubarb pie!?? that is my fav....

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is the most beautiful picture
    of her, oh I would love to see her work in person!

    Thanks for your comment and visiting me -Valerie is exceptional!

    Looks like a wonderful weekend and great food. I too make my mothers potato salad just like she did and strawberry rhubarb pie-with homemade crust. It did take me a few years to get over crust fear but you are right it is a piece of cake...or should I say pie :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Elizabeth! I really want to see the Frida exhibit too! Love her style. Hey, I'm wearing a long skirt, peasant blouse, and big earrings today; sort of rockin the red-headed version of a Frida look...well, sort of.
    So fun meeting you in person at Whole Foods!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Elizabeth,

    Wonderful, wonderful post! Have done some digging about Frida and am especially intrigued. And your 4th of July food spread is rivaled by none!

    Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello, thought I would drop in for a visit after your comment on my blog. Frida is a favorite of mine too. I have a Mexican daughter-in-law so I have her perspective also. I saw on your "about" section that you are a stay-at-home mom. Fantastic! As a therapist and former stay-at-home mom (my children are grown), I have advocated for and seen the benefits to children with a stay-at-home parent. So good for you and your husband.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete