About Kathy and the Next Generation

Kathy Borich credits her love of cooking to her Italian/French grandmother, “who raised me among the powdered lace of drying pasta and the warm earth of a backyard tomato garden.” Her passion for the movies began with Saturday matinees on dreary Chicago Saturdays, along with the tingling thrill of 3D horror movies in darkened aisles, not to mention the Von Lee theatre in Bloomington, Indiana, where she first fell in love with Ingmar Bergman, James Bond, and her husband Gary, not necessarily in that order.

Kathy next spent twenty-two years in her English classroom luring reluctant readers to the joys of Voltaire, Dickens, and Chaucer by spicing up the dry pages of literature with authentic cuisine. Her students discovered Candide along with handmade crepes whipped up in predawn darkness and nibbled their way through Jane Eyre with Victorian teas featuring oven-fresh scones and jam tarts.

This proved so effective with her students that Kathy decided to try this approach with the classic mystery novels she loved, eventually writing Appetite for Murder: A Mystery Lover’s Cookbook (Virtualbookworm.com Publishing ISBN 1-58939-499-2). In this tantalizing slant on cooking and crime, readers relive their favorite detective fiction and then whip up the food that caught the culprit.

Now Kathy takes that same passion to another field for the ultimate Cinema Cuisine Connection. Her reviews of current, classic and crime film in DifferentDrummer.cc offer a fresh insight peppered with deep knowledge of classic literature, irreverent humor, and skepticism of the film establishment. Kathy will help you discover that gem of a movie not showered with media attention or reinforce your gut instinct that the critic's choice is a bomb. You may find her at odds with effusive elites and sneering critics alike, you may not always agree with her, but you will always enjoy her fresh approach to film fare.

And speaking of fresh fare, get ready to relive your film experience in the recipes that follow each review. Kathy chooses a signature dish from each film and presents easy to follow directions to recreate it for a cozy meal at home or for that special dinner party. Enjoy a midnight delectable when you return from the cinema, or pop in authentic appetizers with your DVD.

Appreciate the tart piquancy of lemon meringue pie as you see it as a mirror to Clint Eastwood’s soul in Million Dollar Baby. Find out why mobster wives might have had such complicated recipes in our wonderful “Leave the Gun. Take the Cannoli Recipe,” or two secret ingredients for Italian Sunday Gravy, one from a Godfather gumba and the other from my mother.

Or enjoy the exotic spice of an updated version of curried mutton as you learn how it is the key to solving one of Sherlock Holmes’ most famous cases.

The Peanut Gallery

The Peanut Gallery was how Buffalo Bob, a character from that 1950s Howdy Doody television show, referred to studio audience of children. I have since found out that the term goes back to vaudeville and was a nickname for the cheapest seats in the theatre, whose occupants were most likely to heckle those on stage, often throwing peanuts at the performers. Phrases like “no comments from the peanut gallery,” or “quiet in the peanut gallery,” still echo from my childhood.

Our Texas Peanut Gallery of critics is anything but quiet, though, and we welcome their comments – after the show, of course.

Gram, (middle in the back row) is a sports fanatic. Right now the 19 year old is a pitcher known for his fastball and his dramatic windup on the mound. His film judgments are as hard and swift as his pitches, too.

Weston, (left in the back row) loves to observe life. The 17 year old has a wry sense of humor, and whether he has his nose buried in a book, or is dribbling on the basketball court, he is on top of the situation. Like his famous lefty basketball layups, Weston’s movie tips will score points with readers.

Emmett (right in the back row) loves history and piano. The 16-year-old also does a pretty good soft shoe, too, once earning 7 dollars dancing on a corner near Broadway in New York City. Like his music and dance, he brings balance and harmony to his reviews.

Ava (left in front row) devours life fearlessly. The 14-year-old has an insatiable zest for life and brings the same passion and clarity to her reviews as she does her to gymnastics, singing, and Rodeo “Mutton Busting.” Not much gets past this once petite fireball.

Jack (right in front row) , currently 13, is never at a loss for words. Several years ago, after he woke up from a mid movie nap, Jack began commenting on the action without a pause –a legacy from his maternal great grandfather, Jack Griffey. The middle school crowd will get the lowdown from Jack.

Different Drummer: Movie Reviews for Film-Loving Foodies

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Appetite for Murder: A Mystery Lover’s Cookbook

Also available here

by Kathy Borich

A tantalizing slant on cooking and crime. Relive your favorite classic detective stories and then whip up the food that caught the culprit.

Austin Mysteries

Rainey Street “Drownings:” The Austin Smiley Face Killer Connection and Recent Updates 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 More Bodies: 12 in the Last 22 Months

"Look, you don't have to go to law school to figure out there's something very, very wrong at Lady Bird Lake," Nancy Grace says in the episode's opening of her “Austin Serial Killer Fears” episode. She even derides the police who refer to the events as “unfortunate incidents.” Yes, she is a bit over the top, and some of her guests are so called experts not really familiar with the Austin area or the specific cases, but she does have a point.

Move along everyone. There’s nothing to see here. That seems to be the escalating nonchalance citizens are getting from the Austin Police Department regarding the 12 bodies that have been found in or very near Ladybird Lake in Austin Texas in the past 22 months. The last three - one February 6th , another April 9th, and a third on April 13th have not even been identified.

Different Drummer herself has noticed the weak city response in terms of safety measures as she and her husband ride past the Rainey Area near Lady Bird Lake. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. What good are some pallid lights and a split rail fence if there are big gaps with only a sign to warn those of danger? Certainly, someone drunk, as may or may not be the case, probably would or could not read it.

Update: They are beginning to install electricty along the path for better lightning as of April 2024

February 6, 2024

“A body was found Monday, Feb. 6, 2024, in a Texas lake, the same site where other deceased individuals have been discovered in recent months, authorities said.

“At least five people have been found dead at the lake, which is a portion of the Colorado River running through downtown Austin, since last year.” –Louis Casiano, Fox News

The body is that of a woman, which differs from the previous drownings, all of which were men around age 30. As usual, the police are mum and saying there are no signs of foul play, but what else is new? –DD

Different Drummer will keep you informed as further details emerge. Below is the area where the recent body was found.

More details and pictures at the SmileyFace Connection link Sunday, April 21.

In 2023 alone, five bodies have been found in in Lady Bird Lake, and according to local reports, as many as eight in the past 10 months.

Different Drummer and her husband Gary have been biking this trail around the lake for decades. They live in the thick of it, on a quaint tree-lined street across the river from the glittering Austin Skyline.

Follow our two Cycling Sleuths chronicle where their path crosses those who did not return home to their loved ones.

Earlier Posts

Second Post

Smiley Face Connection: February 2024 Update: Another Body Found

The Serpent’s Tooth: A Texas Mystery

Austin is now the trendy number one city, but back in the eighties it was more laid back – not so many skyscrapers and urban hipsters. Just outside of town, you'd be likely to run into old cowboys, ranch hands, and a diamondback or two. And just maybe – an accidental death not as accidental as it seems…

Complete with Texas Recipes for the Oktoberfest Dinner where all is revealed.

Chapter One

An Illustrated Introduction to Classical Horsemanship: Concepts and Skills from A to Z
by Gary Borich

A comprehensive resource in a succinct alphabetical format that brings the beginning rider through every aspect of learning to train and ride for show and trail.

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