September 28 , 2007: From Cooking to Outrage

Hello Friends,

          The best of my father’s television show from 1969-1971 has recently been released on a two-disc, four-hour dvd, and it is fantastic. I wrote an article about it for my friend Eric Alterman’s column at Mediamatters.org

I’m appearing at The New Yorker Festival this year, talking with my friend Hendrik Hertzberg. Here are the details.

I hope I see some of you at the Festival.

I’ve been enjoying a little time off with my family—only a weekend show here and there—and it’s been so wonderful. I lost my feel for cooking over the summer, as I was moving around too much, and it was just too hot to think about being in the kitchen, but I’ve gotten back into it. My favorite cookbooks right now are Nigella Lawson’s ‘Feast’ and a Williams-Sonoma book on braises and stews. I also have my perennial standby, "Joy of Cooking", at the ready. I like finding a recipe and then ‘adapting’ it to my needs and peculiarities. For instance, Nigella Lawson’s recipe for roast chicken is unbelievable, but if you add some cut-up onions and sweet potatoes to the cooking pan, and then serve them as a sort of chunky mash with the chicken—well, we just have to call that Mrs. L’s Roast Chicken and Mash, with Many Thanks to Nigella Lawson.

From cooking to outrage: I am horrified that Robert Gates has asked Congress for another $190 billion for the Iraq War, but President Bush wants to cut the Children’s Health Insurance program. What’s wrong with THIS picture? When is somebody going to ask for $190 billion so that EVERY child has health insurance? And while we’re on the subject, the government’s classification of ‘poor’ is a family of four who earns less than $20,650. Are you kidding me? A family of four is supposed to live on $1720 a month? Has anyone in Congress been to a grocery store or a gas station lately? Have they personally gone to buy school clothes for their kids? Do they all send their staffs to do these things and not bother to look at the receipts? Outrage gives way to complete disgust.

And so, with disgust and outrage, but also hope and inspiration, sweet potatoes and onions, I leave you with
         
        love from Mrs. L

               

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