Post by janetcatbird on Dec 4, 2006 13:01:07 GMT -5
I guess the amoretto balls are a "family recipe" in that we're the only ones I know who make them, but Mama found it in some little regional cookbook back before she and Daddy got married. Since I don't have the recipe in front of me I can't give proportions, but grind up vanilla wafers and pecans really fine. Melt a ton of chocolate in a double boiler, stir in amoretto for flavor. Stir the chocolate/amoretto into the ground-up wafers until you get a thick paste sort of consistency. Scoop it out with a melon baller, roll it in your palms to get it roughly ball-shaped. Coat with sugar. My brother likes them fresh, but most of us agree that they need to age a few days. So we've made them on Thanksgiving Weekend the past couple years when I'm home for it and they'll be nice and ready. What's whiskey candy?
(On a side note, my father mixed up amoretto sours for us while we were making these. A couple of mouthfulls gave me a sour stomach, maybe I drank it too fast or something, but my tummy was burning for a while. I like the taste though. Actually, Daddy will stir amorettor or butterscotch schnapps into hot chocolate during the winter, and that's pretty tasty.)
OK, music lineup:
"There is No Rose" (Z Randall Stroope)--Not an especially memorable arrangment, but tuneful and just generally nice.
"Fum, Fum, Fum" (Part of The Seven Joys of Christmas, Kirke Mechem)--fast and syncopated. A booger to learn but fun once we know what we're doing.
"Entre Le Boeuf et L'ane Gris" (arr. Derek Holman)--I think my favorite, it's a simple, pretty French lullaby that we got to do some sound layering/dynamic contrasts with.
"Et in Terra Pax" (Joan Szymko)--This was the hard piece, nasty time signatures (7/8 to 9/8 to 3/4 and back again) and all the parts crossing. We should have had a couple more rehearsals to really work in the finesse aspects, but somehow we pulled it off during the performance and the acoustics of the sanctuary made it work. Yay! It's really cool when it's solid and secure.
All the combined choirs also did the Mack Wilberg arrangement of "Angels We Have Heard on High", which is a very gung-ho, jubilant piece. Unfortunately it changes keys every other page (including just after the big organ solo, when the women enter a cappella, gulp) but it was pretty much together and a great way to end the concert.
Today's the last day of class, and my history professor promised us a "suitably festive conclusion" --aka food. And the dorm is having movies/pajama jam tonight so that'll be quite fun. Later all, take care.
--Catbird
(On a side note, my father mixed up amoretto sours for us while we were making these. A couple of mouthfulls gave me a sour stomach, maybe I drank it too fast or something, but my tummy was burning for a while. I like the taste though. Actually, Daddy will stir amorettor or butterscotch schnapps into hot chocolate during the winter, and that's pretty tasty.)
OK, music lineup:
"There is No Rose" (Z Randall Stroope)--Not an especially memorable arrangment, but tuneful and just generally nice.
"Fum, Fum, Fum" (Part of The Seven Joys of Christmas, Kirke Mechem)--fast and syncopated. A booger to learn but fun once we know what we're doing.
"Entre Le Boeuf et L'ane Gris" (arr. Derek Holman)--I think my favorite, it's a simple, pretty French lullaby that we got to do some sound layering/dynamic contrasts with.
"Et in Terra Pax" (Joan Szymko)--This was the hard piece, nasty time signatures (7/8 to 9/8 to 3/4 and back again) and all the parts crossing. We should have had a couple more rehearsals to really work in the finesse aspects, but somehow we pulled it off during the performance and the acoustics of the sanctuary made it work. Yay! It's really cool when it's solid and secure.
All the combined choirs also did the Mack Wilberg arrangement of "Angels We Have Heard on High", which is a very gung-ho, jubilant piece. Unfortunately it changes keys every other page (including just after the big organ solo, when the women enter a cappella, gulp) but it was pretty much together and a great way to end the concert.
Today's the last day of class, and my history professor promised us a "suitably festive conclusion" --aka food. And the dorm is having movies/pajama jam tonight so that'll be quite fun. Later all, take care.
--Catbird
But, again, I can't help but laugh that this is her reaction to the news ;D
