Tuesday, December 11, 2018

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY...


The Mavericks....Back in My Arms Again...they never left!!


I’ve just been enjoying a video clip of the eclectic US band, “The Mavericks” performing their 1998 huge hit single “Dance the Night Away”.   

The joyful clip was filmed in a supermarket, trumpets a-blaring, guitars a-twanging and drums a-beating; shoppers tripping the light fantastic, dancing up a storm up along the aisles - wriggling their rumps as they hoof it.  Be-bopping, doing the Shimmy-Shimmy-Shake like it never went out of Vogue.  Such fun!  Let’s face it!  We could do with a bit more fun and laughter – a lot more - these days.

I’m a long-time fan of “The Mavericks”, and have a couple of their CDS among my vast and varied collection.  

Next time I visit IGA, our major supermarket up here on the hill, I might just bust a few of moves to get the joint hopping as I Cha-Cha around the green-grocery section.  The ladies in that department already acknowledge the fact I’m a bit of a fruit loop, so they won’t take any notice. Knowing them, they’ll swing their heels and join me in the Mashed Potato. 

Maybe Neville, the boss butcher, is prepared to do The Chicken.   

As we only get a fleeting glimpse of his side-kick, Sir Loin nowadays because, even though he hasn’t given up his knighthood, Sir Loin has hung up his knives, and taken up a pick, a hoe and a shovel - “Hoe” as in garden tool - Neville might step up to the chopping block in his stead..  

Sir Loin, aka Nathan, the butcher, is elsewhere doing the Hully Gully down in the gully, 

Neville, even though we crack a few jokes between each other, many jokes, probably would chuck a wobbly, ordering me to stop mincing about and rack off if I ask him to do The Chicken with me.  It’s worth a try, though!

On the top side, I’m not sensitive about some things.  I can handle a rib or two. I enjoy a good belly laugh.

To increase the interest and attention in my performance, I’ll appear as mutton dressed up as lamb.  After which, I’ll shake a leg, Twist around, and then make a rapid escape...before I’m carted away to be served up as chopped liver to the authorities or an institution.

Of course, you do realise I’m writing this tongue in cheek.  I won’t be sticking my neck out by making more of a fool of myself than I usually do. 

Doing the Jitterbug up and down the supermarket aisles with James would be a lark, if I didn’t break something in the meantime...including, a bone or two of my own - and, if my complaining hips allowed me to be hip!  

Perhaps I should stick to Hand-Jiving.  It was always good fun.  And, you can be seated while doing it, which is a plus....when the hips refuse to be hip!

I Rockabilly, too, if I happen to stumble into him when I’m out on The Stroll I undertake every other day down along the Madison Line.  He likes a bit of Boogie Woogie, but he can be a bit of a Jerk at times. 

He Struts his stuff, and was doing so the day I saw the Bunny Hop. Alarmed, I watched the Fox Trot after it. 

I was trying to Hitch-Hike on the day in question, but I had to put that in Limbo while I applied the mechanisms of Loco-Motion. 

It was as if a Time Warp had come into play!  I morphed into the Running Man. 

Grabbing The Lawnmower, I turned on The Sprinkler in The Cabbage Patch, disturbing The Worm as I did so. 

However, I succeeded in chasing the fox away.  Off to the barn it danced!  Fortunately, The Pony didn't escape when the gate was left open. He wasn't thirsty so he didn't drink any of the water in the dam.

I loved to dance, and did so very often. 

Being not Hip these present days, I can barely Hop, which is fortunate, in one way.  If I attempted to do the above moves in the supermarket, with a Quick Step or three, they’d Hustle me out the front or back door - Two Steps at a time! 

Oh, well!  It’s a Rap!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Pre-heat oven 230C. Line baking tray with foil; grease lightly; put 2 chicken breasts in tray. In bowl, whisk 1/2c sweet chilli sauce, 2tbs soy sauce, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1tbs grated ginger, juice of 1 lime, and 1tsp sriracha, or to taste. Pour half of the sauce over chicken; bake 20-25mins.  Thinly slice ½ a red capsicum and ½ a yellow, 1 carrot and ½ Continental cucumber. Cut chicken into strips.  Evenly spread veggies between lettuce wraps; top with chicken; then chopped peanuts, chopped coriander and more sauce.

Left-over Roast Beef Wraps: Beat 450g cream cheese, 3-1/2tbs horseradish and 3tbs Dijon mustard together in until well blended. Spread a thin layer of the mixture over 12 soft tortillas. Arrange fresh spinach leaves evenly over the tortillas. Place two slices of thinly sliced roast beef over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with grated cheddar. Starting at one end, gently roll up each tortilla into a tight tube. Wrap with foil or cling film to keep wraps tight; store in fridge.

Boogie Woogie Mashed Potato: Place 6 garlic cloves on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle with 1tsp olive oil. Wrap foil around garlic. Bake at 218C, 15-20mins, until softened. Cool 10-15mins. Boil 1-1.2kg scrubbed red potatoes until tender.  Drain; transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze softened garlic into potatoes. Add 125g softened cream cheese, 1/2c cubed butter, 1/2c milk, 1/2tsp each salt and pepper. Mash potatoes until combined. Stir in about 113g Stilton cheese, 6 cooked and crumbled bacon rashers and 2tbs finely chopped parsley. Sprinkle with remaining parsley before serving.

Bacon Jalapeño Twists: Preheat oven 190C. Line 2 baking trays with paper. Gently roll out 1 thawed sheet of puff pastry, adding about 1-inch/2.5cm on each side. Spread 55g cream cheese across puff pastry. Sprinkle 1 diced jalapeño over cream cheese; press in gently so it sticks. Cut into 12 strips. Lay a slice of bacon on top of each pastry strip. Twist together each strip; put on prepared trays. Place 6 twists on each tray. Brush twists with barbecue sauce; sprinkle a little shredded cheddar or Parmesan over each one. Bake, 35-40mins until bacon is crispy. 




30 comments:

  1. I've greatly enjoyed the video with 'the Mavericks' band performance at the supermarket.
    Your food display is always a delight to the eye. Lettuce ad mash potatoes are a constant in my daily menu.

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    1. G'day, DUTA....it's such a happy video clip...a fun song, too. We need more such emotions and actions in this crazy world of ours.

      Lettuce is featuring prominently in my lunch today...a salad...it's summer here...too hot to be spending time over a hot stove. :)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  2. Dancing down the aisles would certainly be good for a laugh. In fact, i was once in a store and as a gentleman and i tried to maneuver ours shopping carts around each other, i jokingly said, "Shall we dance?" and he took my hands and we waltzed right there for a moment, It was funny, we both laughed, and then went on with our shopping.

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    1. You beat me to it, messymimi...I was on my way over to your blog...when your post just appeared!! :)

      I've done similar to what you describe you did. Last year a fellow shopper, one of the supermarket assistants and I started singing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA"! Every time we see each other we still laugh about our spontaneous performance...caring not what others thought of us when we performed as a trio! :)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  3. This was a fun read, I think you got every single dance move in there, except the cha-cha. I'm doing a lot less dancing these days too, not that I ever knew how, but bopping around was fun until I started bumping into walls and furniture at every move. This place is just too small for such shenanigans. So I'm sitting a lot and boy do the hips let me know it when I finally get up and they say "ouch, sit back down! we don't wanna move anymore".

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    1. Hey there, River....I got the cha-cha in there...slipped it into the fruit and vegetables! :)

      That's when hand-jiving comes in handy...when sitting in front of the computer watching music videos on YouTube! lol

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  4. It is too hot to coerce my aching bones into dancing.
    I did enjoy your prose though.

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    1. Hey, EC...same here re my aching bones and dancing...but I still dance in my mind - if there is such a way of doing so! :)

      Thanks for coming by...take good care...and stay as cool as you can. :)

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  5. Anonymous12:42 AM

    I like that you know about Running Man. I posted about him some years ago. Really weird. I will listen to The Mavericks's clip in my Youtube viewing time.

    After such exotic food for a couple of days, a chicken lettuce wrap sounds perfect.

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    1. Hey there, Andrew...there is much I know about...but I keep most of it under my hat...and the rest buried in the deep, dark depth of my mind...and the rest, I don't know anything about at all! :)

      Thanks for coming by. I hope you enjoy The Mavericks... :)

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    2. Anonymous5:16 PM

      I did and of course I know the song, but I hadn't seen the clip.

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  6. Such happiness is needed in crowded supermarkets. I think dancing (carefully) is also warrented on some days. That food does look good.

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    1. Hey Tabor...happiness is needed everywhere...the more the merrier these days, I reckon!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  7. I had completely forgotten about the mashed potato, do you remember the limbo? those were the days, so much more carefree than now. I think I can manage a dance or two from my computer chair, not willing to risk an injury to any decrepit part of my body. ha. but I can dream of those days. Those bacon twists look so perfect. my grocery store would not allow dancing because the aisles are too clogged up with people; we only have one full service grocery in so many miles and it can barely accomodate everyone in this area.

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    1. Hey, Linda. I certainly do remember the Limbo....I even won a Limbo competition back around 1962!! No wonder my hips are out of joint these days! lol

      They were wonderful, carefree days...cherished, happy memories.

      Our main supermarket up here on the mountain is quite roomy enough to trip a light fantastic or two!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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    2. It was a sad day when my hip hop days came to their final moments some twelve years back. My Rosemary was a vibrant person on the dance floor, her eyes always on me. I often wondered what she was thinking but would never be critical of my performance. No not the limbo, it caused Far too many injuries.

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  8. A merry Christmas from VEST and son Chris and moggies Ginger and Minnie.
    Here’s the link to the video - https://www.dropbox.com/s/2w73rbjcd1m2jnc/joyeux-noel.mp4?dl=0

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    1. Hey Vest....in reply to your two above posts....dancing is so good for one's spirit, I reckon. Who cares it matters not if we're of the calibre of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, Cyd Charise etc., etc., et al...as long as we enjoy/ed ourselves while doing so! :)

      A very Merry Christmas to you, Chris, Ginger and Minnie...from me and my two moggies, Remy and Shama. Take good care. :)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  9. Dancing is so much fun when I used to dance, and doesn't some music just make you want to but you can't.
    Don't recall the Mavericks.

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    1. Yes! Yes! Yes, Margaret...some music is impossible to ignore...and that's the beauty and joy of it! :)

      The Mavericks' music is uplifting, fun....

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  10. I still think that I can dance; my family thinks differently.

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    1. Don't worry what others say or think, Arleen....keep dancing...keep enjoying yourself! Dance and make everyone watch!! They'll soon want to join in! :)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  11. I love dancing, or at least moving to the music!
    This song from “The Mavericks” - “Dance the Night Away” just makes you want to move, and it makes you feel so happy, well it does me :)

    Love your recipes especially the Chicken Lettuce Wraps

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hi, Jan....Yes, I agree. This song is lively, bright and wonderfully joyful...and one can't help but to bop along to it! :)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  12. Lee, I really have no idea how you manage to think these up. You amaze me.

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    1. Hey Graham....I keep admitting, freely, I'm a little - maybe not just a little bit - insane! lol (Incurable!)

      My mind works in mysterious ways! Thanks for coming by. :)

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  13. Very cleverly written. You have enough creative energy to make up for whatever dance moves you don't do anymore. My wife used to clog but that might be a reason her knee troubles her so now. Not even sure we could do a Richard Simmons video now. Maybe line dancing. Someday.

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    1. Hey there, Dave. My mind works in mysterious ways...it's best not to question why or how? ;)

      My cranky hips won't allow me to do the moves I once could do...but they don't stop my spirit being stirred by music. :)

      I wonder if Richard Simmons has run out of his short, shorts yet?

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  14. We saw The Mavericks years ago in concert. I hadn't heard them before but immediately became a fan.
    Have a holly, jolly week:)

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    1. Hi Sandra....they would've been so great to see live....I love their music. It is full of life. I bet the audience were bopping along to them.

      Thanks for your good wishes...same back to you...and thanks for coming by. :)

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