Adamo - En Blue Jeans Et Blouson De Cuir

Oh, I've loved this song for quite some time now. It goes way back to the 1960's.  I remember my older sister, Carmen owned a copy of this Adamo album and we played it over and over and over again.

Born Salvatore Adamo, but known simply as Adamo, is an Italian-Belgian singer composer who had commercial success during the 1960's and 1970's. "Sans toi, ma mie" was Adamo's first hit. He had numerous hits that followed among them; "Tombe la neige", "Vous permettez Monsieur", "Mes mains sur tes hanches" and another one of my favourites "Inch'Allah".

Adamo has sold over 100 million copies of his recordings worldwide. He mostly performs in French but he also sings in German, Italian and Spanish.

En Blue Jeans Et Blousson De Cuir was released as a single in 1961. It later appeared on his album entitled Adamo released in 1964.

En Blue Jeans Et Blouson De Cuir

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu vas rejoindre les copains

Si tu n'vois pas qu'est c'qu'ils vont dire

Quand tu les verras demain

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu te crois en liberté

On ne pourrait te contredire

Ça blesserait ta dignité

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu taquines tous les jupons

Vise-moi donc ça quelle allure !

T'as une affiche au pantalon !

Tu n'es pas mauvais garçon

Un p'tit rien te fait rougir

Vas profites de la leçon

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

Tes blue jeans, ton blouson d'cuir

Tu les prends pour bouclier

Contre une vie qu'tu voudrais fuir

Parce qu'elle t'oblige à t'humilier

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu taquines les jupons

Vise-moi donc ça quelle allure !

T'as une affiche au pantalon !

Tu n'es pas mauvais garçon

Un p'tit rien te fait rougir

Vas profites de la leçon

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

http://www.adamosalvatore.com/

Valbert

Valbert is one of Québec's finest artisanal cheeses produced by La Fromagerie Lehmann located in Hébertville in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Québec.

Valbert is a non-pasteurized cow-milk cheese with a firm, semi-cooked, pressed paste. Valbert is a large mountain style 6 KG cylindrical wheel that is aged a minimum of 6 months. The brushed rind has a golden-pink hue with the name Valbert embedded in its rind. The firm, cream coloured paste has small crevices that develop as it ages.

The Valbert I selected is aged 12 months. It has a chewy texture with a wonderful nutty, buttery flavour and quite a pronounced lingering fruity taste. It paired nicely with a white Riesling.

Valbert, received its name in homage of the Swiss hamlet the Lehmann family is originally from, located in the foothills of the Jura mountains.

Jacob and Marie Lehmann and their children arrived in Lac-St-Jean and started farming in 1983. The area's cool climate, the high quality grasslands due to the fertile soil and the Lehmann's passion for the love of the land all play an important role in the distinguished cheeses produced at La Fromagerie Lehmann.

The Lehmann's selected the Brown Swiss cow for their farm, as this breed is distinguished for its ability to transform grass and hay in one of the richest milk. For generations, the Brown Swiss has also made its mark in the production of high quality cheese.

From when they young and even today, the Lehmann children Sem, Isaban and Léa have all been involved. Whether it's caring for the animals and pastures, helping with the milk and cheese production to the marketing duties, every member of the family plays an important role to achieve a delicious and acclaimed product. 

Kénogami (a soft washed rind cheese), Pikauba (a semi-firm pressed paste cheese) and Valbert are all award winning artisanal cheeses produced by La Fromagerie Lehmann.

 According to Jacob Lehmann;

“Since the land is so precious, we must take care of it. We do not use GMOs, pesticides or chemical fertilizer. We count on a large variety of forage plants to provide a healthy diet of hay for our animals in the summer and grains in the winter.”

“At “Fromagerie Lehmann”, our entirely artisan production is based on a balance between the plants, the animals and the humans in creating a natural-flavoured, durable product.”

“Artisan products …. a philosophy, a way of life.”

Jacob Lehmann of Fromagerie Lehmann was the laureate of Le Renaud Cyr 2012. A recognition of his savoir-faire and contribution to Quebec's artisanal produce and cuisine.

Source:

http://fromagesduquebec.qc.ca

Brenda Boykin - Hard Swing Travellin’ Man

Brenda Boykin is an American singer who earned her reputation in the San Francisco Bay area as an excellent interpreter of jazz and blues material from big bands, old blues bands and honky-tonk artists.

According to blues historian Lee Hildebrand "Brenda Boykin has the most authentic and most inventive female jump blues vocal stylist of her generation". Brenda calls it “Bourbon and Cornbread,” the musical mixture of jazzy sweetness and down-home sass.

Enjoy this up-tempo jazzy swing number "Hard Swing Travellin’ Man" by one of today’s finest jazz singer Brenda Boykin.

"Hard Swing Travellin’ Man" appears on Brenda Boykin's album 'Chocolate & Chili' released in 2008 on Chinchin Records.

http://www.myspace.com/brendaboykin

Roaring Forties Blue

Roaring Forties Blue is a mild pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese produced by King Island Dairy in Australia.  King Island is located in Southern Australia south of Melbourne in the Bass Strait above the north-west tip of Tasmania.

 

The cheese is named after the notorious Roaring Forties gales which bring winds of more than 100 km per hour to King Island, which is located on the 40 degrees latitude.

The Island's dairy herds graze on lush, dense pastures and their rich diet is supplemented with kelp that gets washed up after heavy storms. King Island cows have become renowned for producing the purest, sweetest, creamiest milk which is the secret behind the fine dairy products and award-winning cheeses produced by the King Island Dairy.

King Island Dairy's head cheesemaker is Swiss-born Ueli Berger, who studied cheese-making in Switzerland for three years before moving to Australia. He's been head of the cheese making team at King Island Dairy since 1998.

 

Roaring Forties Blue is a rind-less cheese that has matured in a dark blue coloured wax coating. The wax covering cuts off the oxygen supply to the cheese while maturing to promote a sweet fruity flavour. The wax coating also helps in retaining the cheese's moisture which creates a lovely buttery smooth texture.

Roaring Forties Blue is a rich flavourful blue veined cheese with a sweet presence of honey, slightly nutty flavour and a great creamy aftertaste.

Roaring Forties Blue pairs nicely with an Australian Shiraz wine.

King Island Dairy suggests serving Roaring 40's Blue with maple syrup spiced dates, fresh pears and sliced fruit bread. (To prepare dates; cut 12 dates in half, remove pips, combine dates with a tablespoon of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spices and let stand for a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.)

http://kingislanddairy.com.au

View The King Island Dairy Story - The Island, The People, The Dairy...

Preston Singletary

Preston Singletary is a Native American glass artist who masterly combines traditional Northwest coast Tlingit themes in his modern dynamic glass works.

 

Preston Singletary grew up in the Pacific Northwest. In 1982, Preston started working at a Seattle, Washington glass blowing studio as a night watchman, but his interest in the art of glass eventually saw him joining one of the studio's production teams. He learned the art of glass blowing working with artists in the Seatle area, including Benjamin Moore and Dante Marioni. As a student and assistant, Preston initially focused on mastering the techniques of the European tradition.

 

It was when Preston began to experiment using designs from his Tlingit cultural heritage that his work began to take on a new purpose and direction. Over time, his skill with the material of glass and traditional form line design has strengthened and evolved, positioning him as a highly influential contemporary indigenous artist.

Today, Preston Singletary’s artworks are found in museum collections from The British Museum in London, UK, The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY to the Handelsbanken in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

I love how Preston Singletary's works of glass, revolutionizes the belief that Native artists are only best when traditional materials are used.

Photo source:

http://www.prestonsingletary.com/

Le Cornebique

Le Cornebique is a soft delicate little farmer’s goat-milk cheese produced by La Chèvrerie Mathurin located in Ste-Sophie d'Halifax in the Centre-du-Québec region overlooking the Appalachians.

Le Cornebique is shaped in the form of a small log (8 cm long and 4.5 cm wide) with a cream coloured natural rind. The white coloured paste is chalky in the centre but extremely creamy along the inner rim.

Le Cornebique is a young pasteurised chèvre, matured for only 14 days. It has a mild to medium goat milk flavour with a more intense creamy nutty finish. Delectable!

La Chèvrerie Mathurin is operated by Chantal Mathieu and her partner Raphaël Morin. The Mathurin farm is comprised of a herd of over 100 goats which most are Alpine breeds and a few are mixed with Nubian or LaMancha breeds. La Chèvrerie Mathurin also produces bottled non-homogenised pasteurised goat milk, yogurt, and fresh goat-milk & feta cheeses.

http://www.chevremathurin.com

The Blackout AllStars - I Like It

I remember hearing I Like It by The Blackout AllStars for the first time in 1994. Let me tell you, it was so infectious. For days, all I would sing was "Stomp your feet if you like my beat, Clap your hands if you want some more... I like it, I like it, I like it like that". 

'I Like It' has remained one of my all-time favourite tunes. The version I most enjoy, is this Bobby D'Ambrosio Club Mix that runs 7 minutes. This is an excellent rhythmic version, that just gets you up dancing and stomping your feet to the beat.

The Blackout Allstars was a Latin super-group that was formed to record "I Like It', for the title theme song of the comedy-drama film "I Like It Like That" released in 1994.

The Blackout All-Stars' line-up consisted of musicians; Tito Puente and Sheila E. (percussions), Grover Washington Jr. (sax), Ray Barretto (congas), Paquito D'Rivera (clarinet & sax), Dave Valentin (flute) and Tito Nieves on vocals.

When doing my research on this song, I learned that 'I Like It' is a cover version of a 1967 boogaloo hit "I Like It Like That (A Mi Me Gusta Asi)" by Pete Rodriguez.  A great new discovery! I Like It. I Like It.

L'Hercule de Charlevoix

L'Hercule de Charlevoix is a firm, washed rind, non-pasteurized cow-milk cheese. This large artisanal mountain-style 12 kg (26.5 lbs) wheel is produced by La Laiterie Charlevoix, located in Baie-St.-Paul in Québec's Charlevoix region.

L'Hercule de Charlevoix has a firm, cooked paste and is aged anywhere from 8 to 24 months.  The washed rind has a golden pinkish hue and the smooth paste is dark yellow. The texture is firm and slightly granular and becomes creamy in the mouth. L'Hercule is very flavourful with notes of nuts and butter then developing into a more fruity finish on the tongue.

Opt for the older 24 months aged L'Hercule, its sharper taste and more complex flavours are quite a delight. L'Hercule pairs nicely with a white French Chablis or Riesling.

L'Hercule de Charlevoix was named after Baie-St.-Paul native Jean-Baptiste Grenon. In 1759, Grenon had been captured by General Wolfe's troops and was quickly released due to the fact that they were unable to overcome the powerful physical strength of this man, who was known as Hercule du Nord.

The milk used to produce L'Hercule de Charlevoix comes from the milk of a herd of Jersey cows from the neighbouring Stessi Farm located less than a kilometer from the dairy.

La Laiterie Charlevoix was founded in 1948, it has been owned and operated by the Labbé family for four generations. The successful Charlevoix dairy recently won an award in sustainable development for two major environmental projects they have incorporated on their premises; an innovative water treatment process and the conversion of whey into energy.

La Laiterie Charlevoix also produces cheddars, a fondue, Le Fleurmier de Charlevoix and now they produce 2 cheeses made exclusively with the milk of the Canadienne breed of cows; L'Origine de Charlevoix and Le 1608. Le 1608 of La Laiterie Charlevoix will be one of Quebec's first cheese to receive Quebec's AS (Appellation de Spécificité), a Designation of Specificity - for cheese made with the milk of the Canadienne breed of cow.

http://www.fromagescharlevoix.com

Joan Osborne – Shake Your Hips

American singer-songwriter Joan Osborne sure kicks ass in this excellent rendition of Shake Your Hips. This song was written and originally recorded by blues musician Slim Harpo in 1966. The Rolling Stones also recorded a great version of this song on their 1972 album Exile on Main Street.

Joan Osborne has been recording albums covering many musical genres, since 1991. Shake Your Hips is taken from Joan's seventh studio album Bring It On Home, an excellent collection of vintage blues, R&B and soul songs. Bring It On Home is nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award - Best Blues Album.

www.joanosborne.com/

Neufchâtel

Why not offer cheese to your Valentine this year?

You can't go wrong with a cute heart shaped French cheese, good crusty bread and your favourite bottle of wine.

 

Neufchâtel - Coeur de Bray is a soft bloomy rind, cow’s milk cheese from the Pays de Bray located in the French region of Normandie. Neufchâtel received its AOC (Appelation d'Origine Controlée) designation in 1969.

Neufchâtel is believed to be one of France's oldest cheeses dating back to the Middle Ages. 

The white edible moldy rind of Neufchâtel is dry and velvety. The lightly pressed, uncooked, cream coloured pâte is firm yet supple and slightly grainy. After an affinage of 8 to 10 weeks, the mold starts flavouring the cheese leaving a pleasant mushroom aroma and a salty sharper flavour.

The popular shape for Neufchâtel cheese is the heart, but the AOC allows it to be made in six different sizes and forms of either briquette, cylindrical or square.

Neufchâtel pairs well with a nice Bordeaux red such as a Pomerol - Château Treytins.

 

 

Neufchâtel can be found as a farmer, industrial and artisanal cheese. Here is a list of the official AOC Neufchâtel producers in the France's Normandie region.

There are other heart-shaped cheeses that can be served on Valentine’s Day, such as the Coeur du Berry a lovely French goat-milk cheese.