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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
So the weekend came and went even though it is Memorial Day today, I am still going to call it a work day. We somewhat celebrated our time off Saturday and Sunday, so we will continue to catch up on items that require our attention this coming week.
Saturday I had an AMAZING voice lesson with my teacher. We worked through certain scales and then proceeded to continue working with my aria of a century. I do not know if I mentioned before but Depuis le jour by Charpetier from the opera Louise has been the scariest aria for me since my FIRST voice teacher gave it to me my sophomore year in college. He was a wonderful man but everytime he told me to stop using my “little girl” sound I STILL kept doing it. He gave me no instruction how to obtain a soaring sound that brought abour full sound.
Fast forward 10 years and BAM! I have acheived freedom in my upper range, to reach notedlike I have never reached them before. Here at my 6th voice teacher and I have someone who explains things to me like he knows me inside and out. When I do not achieve a sound he tells to work on, he tries a different technique and explains it to me differently. He has even told me now that he feels that my voice is learning my NEW technique and feeling at home with it. By the grace of God I was able to sing a very HIGH note with light sound, for effect of course, and increasing sound by using my diaphragm and correct breathe control. I felt so free and so giddy at the same time. I look forward starting my work with the rest of my arias.
After this marvelous voice lesson, I mentioned to Ryan that I really wished to lounge in the sun somewhere near water. A friend of ours had mentioned that a park near our house called Lake Lansing park had a great area to lay out and soak some rays while people enjoyed swimming in the lake. That sounded like a great plan to me. We took our towels and a change of clothes and immediately picked up a spot on the grasss among the hoards of people. Ryan suprisingly ventured into the lake while I read my book for a little and then just relaxed and stared at the sky. How great is that?
So relaxing! I hope you get to do this later on today!
On that note, make sure you stay hydrated. I leave you with a simple BUT DELICIOUS beverage that will make you want to preapre it all the time. I made a totally new meal today which I will feature in the next couple of days accomopanied by this delicious spritzer that I found on a beautiful blog called The Daily Raw Cafe. Terilynn featured a recipe from Raw Food Celebrations cookbook called thai basil tea, but I changed it a tad bit by adding my own twist to it.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Before you shake your head and realize that this is made with Thai Basil leaves, let me tell you that I was as skeptical like you. I have only used basil for cooking or maybe in salads, but as a beverage? It was so refreshing and so completely different than anything I have ever had.
Basil has many benefits and aids in digestion and upset stomach. This herb also has a nice serving of magnesium, iron, vitamin K and many others. This is just another great excuse to get your greens on! Whoop whoop! I made a whole pitcher of it and we finished it by the end of the day. Ryan liked it alot!! Make it for YOUR Memorial Day or any day in this hot summer and you are sure to be cooled off!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Thai Basil Spritzer
makes 8-10 servings
slightly adapted from Raw Food Celebrations
6 cups water
4 cups loosely packed Thai basil leaves (approximately 32 leaves)
4 key limes, juiced
4 Tbsp agave nectar
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh peeled ginger
ICE
2 cups seltzer water
Combine water and basil in a blender. Process until basil is mostly liquefied and blended.
Strain the mixture through a sieve in a separate bowl.
Add basil water to a glass and add the lime juice, agave nectar and ginger.
Blend until well-combined. Add the seltzer water and serve over ice.
Note: This is not a super sweet beverage but should have only a slight sweetness but otherwise, the sweetener can be adjusted to taste. The original recipe called for 1/4 tsp of stevia.
