Sometimes when I'm down in the dumps, I try to escape musically. Lately though, after being blown away by Benjamin Scheuer's incredible Trump-era protest song "Lafayette Square," I've taken a trip down memory lane with Bob Dylan's protest and other songs from the 60's and 70's. That is great stuff, but it's definitely not uplifing. "Like a Rolling Stone" is one of my all-time favorite songs, but damn, that is one angry song.
After plowing through two seasons of Cobra Kai on Netflix, we were in a show hole. Brad wasn't ready for anything deep yet, so last night we vegged on the by-the-book rom-com Love, Guaranteed, even though one of the stars is Damon Wayans, Jr., who ruined pretty much every scene he appeared in as Coach in New Girl. The movie was about what you'd expect and only mildly entertaining. But there was a good running gag involving Coach's love interest driving around in a beat-up old car in which the sound system only played a cassette that was stuck on Tiffany's 1987 remake of "I Think We're Alone Now."
The song was originally released in 1967 by Tommy James and the Shondells and is a very early example of "bubblegum" music, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about it. But man is it catchy! Plus, it immediately recalled Umbrella Academy, a show about a dysfunctional family of superheroes that we also binged right before Cassie headed back to school. My favorite scene from both seasons was in the very first episode, where five of the Hargreeves siblings all dance, together but apart, to "I Think We're Alone Now," and each in a way befitting of their own personality:
I don't know why, but the joy watching that gives me is off the charts. That made me think to take a page out of Cassie's book and try some music therapy on myself. So I took a few hours and put together a playlist of songs that have no artistic or other redeeming value but are fun as hell and make me want to sing and dance around the kitchen while I'm making dinner. My "Music Therapy" playlist is here on Spotify and here on Tidal. You can also hear 30-second snippets from each of the songs below:
It's a mix of old and new-ish songs and you can make fun of me for some or all of the choices, but I don't care, they bring me joy and I'm in such a much better mood now that I can handle your scorn. If you're feeling more constructive, let me know if you have suggestions for songs to add.
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I saw this Thai coconut rice in the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated and decided to give it a try now that Cassie has gone back to school. They suggest serving it with stir-fries or grilled meat or fish, and topped with various things such as chopped toasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, fried shallots, and/or pickled chiles. But I used it as a base for Stir-Fried "Crack" Cabbage, which is plenty flavorful on its own. The coconut flavor is kinda subtle, so I thought it was a little lost paired with the strong flavors of the cabbage, but Mom said she's not sure she can ever have the cabbage again without the coconut rice. Either way, it's very tasty all on its own and definitely adds a lot to plain white rice, even if you may not want to be eating that much saturated fat very often (depending who you talk to).
Thai Coconut Rice
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated (Sept/Oct 2020)
Time: ~40 minutes (8 minutes active)
The original recipe calls for 1½ cups water and 1 cup of coconut milk, but I adjusted it to use ½ of a 13.5-ounce/400 ml can of coconut milk so you can make two batches from one can of coconut milk. There’s plenty of saturated fat in this rice even with the slightly reduced amount of coconut milk. I made this once in a saucepan, as called for in the original recipe, and once in a rice cooker. It worked fine in the rice cooker, though the machine seemed to have a little bit of trouble figuring out when the rice was done. Cook’s Illustrated suggests serving the rice topped with chopped toasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, fried shallots, and/or pickled chiles.
270 grams (1½ cups) jasmine rice
400 grams (scant 1¾ cups) water
200 grams (½ of a 13.5 ounce can/scant ⅞ cup) full-fat coconut milk, well-shaken and stirred before measuring
1 tablespoon (12 grams) white granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1. Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse under cold running water for 1 minute. Drain thoroughly, then transfer to a large saucepan (see note). Stir in the water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer (small bubbles rise from the bottom of the pot and occasionally break the surface). Cover and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 20 minutes.
2. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit, still covered, for 10 minutes. Using a silicone spatula, mix the rice gently but thoroughly. Serve promptly. Serves 4 to 6.
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