stir stir stir

The first time I saw this scene from Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America, I kept waiting for the dramatic reason why Robert De Niro was taking forever to stir his coffee.  (No, it's not a Guinness Book record like the YouTube spoof claims or even 8 hours long, but it was certainly long enough.)  The spoon circled round and round and the suspense built and the questions formed -- did he think it was poisoned?  Was he going to fling it in someone's face?  Was he stalling for time or was it just really hot coffee?

It turned out that De Niro a/k/a Noodles' stirring was a bit of a control thing and not overly integral to the plot, but as an hours-long epic film, the movie had room for expansive coffee and character moments.  Lately my own favorite espresso blend to stir and stir is Ferrara's Café Espresso, originating from NYC's century-old Ferrara Café, a can of which somehow ended up in Chicago for me to buy on sale for $4.99.  I haven't even been using an espresso machine but instead am making big 10 ounce cups with a Melitta drip cone and filter -- it's smooth enough for that method, yet also a nice morning or late afternoon eye-opener.

marching into fall

Halloween pumpkins are for sale at the Farmers' Market, leaves are turning, days are shorter and for the most part cooler -- unless you're experiencing a spell of Indian summer.  But it's definitely fall and that always makes me think of the chapter in Little Women where Jo sneaks up to the attic to enjoy some russet apples and a good read:

...wrapped up in a comforter on an old three-legged sofa by the sunny window. This was Jo's favorite refuge, and here she loved to retire with half a dozen russets and a nice book, to enjoy the quiet and the society of a pet rat who lived near by and didn't mind her a particle.

I think finding some kind of refuge, attic or otherwise, to read or reread Little Women with a cup of hot cider might be equally nice, or even boosting the taste of the cider by dropping in a bag of Bigelow Apple Cider tea.  I don't totally care for this flavor of Bigelow just brewed on its own, but when added to real hot apple cider or even the powdered mix form it takes on a whole other citrusy-spicy dimension.  Not interested in the March sisters or maybe that's a bit too girly a tale?  Perhaps a better choice would be Geraldine Brooks' wonderful Pulitzer Prize winning novel March, which follows Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy's beloved yet absent father through his Civil War odyssey while serving as a chaplain for the Union side.  Not an apple fan?  Try Harney & Sons Cranberry Autumn Black Tea instead, a strong cranberry-orange blend that conjures up thoughts of New England and Mr. March drinking tea and discussing the universe -- or coffee vs. tea -- with his good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson.