Whazzup!

Taught my Central Market “Thai One On With Sara Hickman” cooking class last week…on my birthday!…and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had the privelage to enjoy. Paul, the chef, and all the volunteers, were exceptional people…”I need a bowl,” I’d say, and BLING! It was in my hand. All the prep work was done that afternoon where I was invited to oversee the cutting, dicing, primping, pre-arranging of all the food for forty guests. My portions were pre-measured, and that is what I shared with the audience as I sauteed and boiled and chopped and bruised (yes, I bruised the lemongrass…it breaks the cells and releases the pungent, lemony smell! You do so with the back side of a large, heavy knife.)

Everyone enjoyed the five course Thai meal….we served Mint and Chicken Salad, Lemongrass Soup, Pad Thai with Shrimp, Pineapple Rice in a Pineapple Boat and Fried Bananas with Caramel/Chocolate drizzle for dessert (including a dollop of whip creme, of course!) I do hope you will join my next class…not sure when, but I plan to have a 50’s dress up party and share the secrets of how to create five stunning casseroles! Or maybe my delicious homemade Meatloaf….The unusual thing about this class, by the way, is that you leave with the recipes (which I drew little handmade pictures all over) and you get to hear me sing in between my cooking segments. Voila! Such joy! Anyhoo, a great big SWAK to Central Market for being such a dream come true, and for having a stellar group of human beings to work with. If they ran our government, we would not have such a deficit, ah…but that is my own delusional thinking, no?

I have watched “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” with Lance. I forgot what an a mind-blowing experience Juliette Binoche is. This is a great date night film.

Since I last wrote, I have also been to D.C. and stayed with the loving Long family, performed at the Barns at Wolftrap (where I lost my way but found my footing through the graciousness of the audience), performed at One World Theatre (which I would like to call home…may I call it home? Not since Caravan of Dreams have I felt such an affinity for a performance venue), played in the snow, seen my brother, Carlton and his wife, Celeste; gone to reunion group, written a new song with my new friend, Shelley Long; recorded the song at Bradley Kopp’s studio…the song is called “Open Up To Me” and we are recording it for a children’s cancer cd; flown to Dallas to sing at Joseph Leavell’s birthday party, where I sang two more new songs, one rather silly, and one I truly love called “When God Created You”….worked on more music for the television show, “Super Pal Universe”, that is in the works…a reality based show for 8-13 year olds about a band of kids who work on creating music and all that entails…Plus their involvement in community service, what they are interested in, what they like to talk about, what kind of snacks they want to create and share with other kids, their clubhouse (which will be the Gibson showroom, done up as a garage band/clubhouse hang out…)

Ok! Tonight I sing, solo, at Central Market, and Friday the entire family, Eddy (keys), Kristin (vocals), Teresa (booking agent) and I head to the Virgin Islands for some shows and R&R. So happy spring break everybody!