I'm feeling truly cooking inspired after I found out that the woman at the Cameron Park Farmer's Market that is across from my wife's jewelry spot has a fantastic local cooking show. I knew Bao as the short quiet girlfriend of a talented videographer Dylan Overhouse who I knew because he came over to a house concert to film Andy Hughes, and she joined him. Here's a video they shot from our house.
So maybe that's why yesterday while driving for a haircut in Winona I picked this playlist to listen to, and it's great but it was so short I knew I could add a few more songs. Instead of putting them at the end, here are the new ones:
In the video Willi tells the story of Old Woman nickname from the great Utah Phillips.
Then let's cook Cornbread and Butter Beans with the Wiyos, or it mainly falling in love or making love on the kitchen table... ha. I bought the song in Apple music, but you can enjoy this 15 year old video.
And most of the cooking does happen in the kitchen, and I don't know if there is a lot of food being prepared in this great blues song. My favorite cover has always been Crooked Still sung by Aoife O'Donovan.
So how about a tongue in cheek song about making "Bread", yum, yum by the Billies to start it off.
Now the song that I immediately thought of when I said cooking... "Cooking with Honey" by Judy Collins... ha I so rarely reach for anything sweet to put in my cooking, but I definitely think this is one of my all time favorite songs of Judy's. (of course I found a fan's video WITH CATS... you can't go wrong with that, hang in there for the sweet wine late in the video)
Yes it is all about the JOY of Cooking... so here's Old Man Luedecke with a live cut of one I have from his "Hinterland" release.
Of course great cooking happens in so many local cafes that the best recap of it comes from the late legend Bill Staines, "Lone Star Hotel Cafe"... I'd love to meet Florence, and food does get mixed with love sometimes good and greasy.
Now let's get back to home grown vegetables, and not that stuff you buy in the store with Greg Brown's "Canned Goods" and a recording from the old Prairie Home Companion, love the accordion in the mix. I think the cover is heavy in the "Ball Jars" like he was trying to emphasize it... nice video for a song that's in my blood over the years of listening to it.
Food isn't always easy, especially when a spouse decides you need to be become a vegetarian. Steve Goodman laments in "Chicken Cordon Blues"... boy it moved from steak & potatoes to seaweed and sunflower seeds... yikes; woman let him eat MEAT!
Food for thought, anything should taste great in an "Ol Cook Pot" if the Henry Girls are singing in the kitchen. Dang these sisters should have been in my Sibling Harmony playlist. (noted for 2nd edition)
Finally the firs part of the treat I promised.. First.. truly watch and consider subscribing "Cooking with Bao" on LaCrosse Local and donating to the Independent Hmong Farmers who keep alive the tradition they brought from their homeland, and supply incredible quality fresh food within the LaCrosse area.
The video that got me hooked was learning how to do Hmong egg rolls, where Bao both grab me with her style of winging the measurements and her playfulness with the mayor of LaCrosse. Now that's not the shy woman I knew... clearly she's good on camera. I need and will watch more, though while I love to cook I'm typically not a huge fan of cooking shows. This one I can ask her later at the market if I have any questions, it's like listening to a friend tell me how to do it.
Here's the second helping of treat... Because you can't stop inspiration and at 3:30 in the morning I had three of the first four lines; I woke up and wrote this whole piece and revised it in the morning when I put a melody to it. This is NOT intended for a commercial, it's just joy from the experience.
From the farmer’s market,
To your kitchen table
Vegetables take the lead
Bao will show what’s able
Hand picked them just for you
Fresh as all can be
Radish, carrots, beets,
Even sugar snap peas
Hmong grown with pride and love
Cabbage and Potatoes,
Peppers, lettuce and more
Even cherry Tomatoes
Sit back and relax friend
She’s a sweet potato
Right from LaCrosse Local
Yes it’s Cooking with Bao
by Dave Schipper
(c) 2022 Rose Riversongs
Now I wrote the lyrics, put a melody to the first verse, next fixed the words in the following verses so they were singable, all without knowing how super fast this was... four verses sung five times in just slightly over a minute. Here's to Bao and farm to table vegetables, and to me maybe coming back and slowing it down a bit.. ha. Enjoy the first release we'll see how it goes.I did offer Dylan the instrumental track if he ever needed it for like an interlude piece... God the singing was more about documenting what it sounds like. Ha.
