Fleshly delights

Oh, boy! A most delicious odor is wafting in from my kitchen. I have dedicated this afternoon to making up two trays of lasagna, one to eat tonight and the other to freeze. The days of my herb garden are numbered so I thought it best to dump into the sauce large amounts of the remaining parsley, rosemary, basil and oregano. I'm not experienced in herb cultivation but it seems that the rosemary has gotten much stronger as it has matured. But the smell of fresh cut herbs is positively wondrous and the taste samples of the simmering tomato sauce are even wondrouser.

The lasagna recipe I use is an approximation of my mother's which I have tweaked over the years, most notably by using 2 parts Italian sausage to 1 part ground beef. If my daughters use this recipe, no doubt they will add their unique signature touches.

My book of the week is Miroslav Volf's Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. A culture stripped of grace....what a great phrase! He is one of those people whose love of life is positively infectious and I find my heart warmed by his generous spirit.

I have three way tie for CD of the week. First is Tony Bennett's Duets: An American Classic in which Tony and selected friends sing a wide variety of pop standards. My favorite number is Tony and Elvis Costello doing "Are You Havin' Any Fun?" which is just a rollicking performance accompanied by a big fat lush orchestra. My second CD of the week is These Days, a 4 disc set by Vince Gill who has got to be one of the most versatile performers out there. I have downloaded several songs. My favorite is "Some Things Never Get Old" with Emmylou Harris singing harmony. And if this isn't enough good music, I have recently discovered a very talented young Brit by the name of Jamie Cullum who has a great pop voice and plays a mean piano. OK, I know he may be old hat to my hipper more musically cognisant relations, but he's a delightful find and uses first class jazzy back up instrumentalists.