Review + Author's Recipe: Family Affair

I've known Lee Woodruff for years through a cyber-friendship. We recently met "in real life" at a signing event for this new book. I'm thrilled that Lee agreed to provide a recipe for my book review, and to a quick interview that I've included at the bottom of this post.

Review: Those We Love Most

by Lee Woodruff

The blink of an eye. That saying may be a cliché, but as we learned from the news about Boston last week, it truly takes just a brief moment to change everything. And the ripples from a tragic event can shake the foundations of even the closest relationships.
When I hear about those awful events, and about the people that sometimes cause them, I think of the families, and how they must be coping - or not coping - with the aftermath.

Tragedy and family are at the core of this touching book, an examination of how we react and move on when all that we know is challenged.
One quick and painful mistake sends shockwaves through Maura Corrigan's family, shattering her carefully constructed façade of a perfect life.
The effects of that single event open a Pandora's box of secrets for Maura, her husband Pete, and even her parents, as they all struggle to recover from their grief and pain.
Far from a "heavy" tragic tale, though, Those We Love Most examines the struggles that families face, the way we knit our relationships back together after a roadblock knocks us apart, and how, in the end, we can emerge individually stronger and, perhaps, closer than before.
Woodruff is an unfortunate authority on this topic, having been through her own well-documented and difficult tragedies. But she writes with warmth and humor, offering the comfort of a close friend who holds your hand in dark hours, and makes you laugh when you truly need it.
Those We Love Most is now available in paperback from Hyperion/Voice.

Recipe: Lee Woodruff's Asparagus Artichoke Salad

My thanks to Lee Woodruff for providing this accompaniment to Those We Love Most. She says this is a spring salad recipe one could find on the Corrigan table at a family gathering. It is also a preferred one for Lee and her sisters.
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 12 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 large shallot, sliced thin (can sub a few thin slices of red onion or some sliced spring onion)
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 pounds thick asparagus, rinsed, tough ends broken off and discarded (or saved for stock). Note: Thick asparagus spears are easier than thin to roast or grill without becoming too dry or over-cooked.
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 15-ounce jar of good quality marinated artichoke hearts, quartered or cut in half (depending on the size of the artichokes)
METHOD
Soak the sliced shallots in the lemon juice as you get ready to make the rest of the salad. To roast the asparagus, preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the asparagus spears with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and salt them well. Place in a single layer in a foil-lined roasting pan, and cook for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fork-tender. To grill the asparagus, prepare your charcoal or gas grill for high direct heat. Coat the asparagus with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill them until nicely charred and fork tender, between 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the oven or grill and cut into bite-sized pieces. Put the asparagus and all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine. Add as much of the marinating liquid from the jarred artichokes as you like. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Yield: Serve 6-8 as a side dish.

An Interview with Lee Woodruff



Cathrine White Photography

Read Eat Think: You've written non-fiction before; did you have any reservations or concerns about moving into fiction?

Lee Woodruff: Not at all. This is exactly what I have always wanted to do - make up stories. And while writing fiction was more challenging than non-fiction, it was incredibly enjoyable for me to make up a story, create dialogue, and get the characters to play well together.

RET: Even though this book is fiction, it's usually the case that authors find their best stories in reality. What events or characters in your own life wove themselves into this book?

LW: Most authors I know use their own lives and experiences in some way to inform their writing. The premise of the book, that a teenager inadvertently hits a child while driving a car, is something that happened a few towns over in real life. I received a phone call that the child's parents, whom I didn't know, wanted to speak to me about his injuries as I had been through a traumatic brain injury with my husband. I never ended up talking to them but the phone call about the accident stayed with me. I thought about all the people that one random act would affect and then I began writing.

Some of the scenes in the hospital, the familiarity with loss and grieving...I drew on my own experiences for that.

RET: You've received a lot of praise for Those We Love Most. What is it like to read incredible quotes about your work like those you've received from Harlan Coben, Sue Monk Kidd, and Alice Hoffman?

LW: It's pretty freaking humbling. I'm still pinching myself.

RET: Tell me about your writing process - do you have a particular time of day that you like to write, or a particular place? Do you listen to music?

LW: Boy, do I wish I had a routine! Some day...

I can't wait to write every single day. Or almost. I think every writer needs to take sabbaticals where the creativity whip isn't at your back. Right now, with kids at home and a day job, I describe my non-existent writing routine as “writing in the margins of my life.” 

Most of this book and the one before it were written largely on planes and in hotel rooms. That’s my best place to write with no distraction. Having more of this time will be one of the bright sides of being an empty nester in a few years. I used to write with soap operas on in the background for company, believe it or not, but now after four kids my most blissful noise is..... silence.

RET: What are your favorite books?

LW: My MOST favorite of all time, and I wrote a blog about re-reading it 20 years later, is Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. I loved Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, and Map of the World by Jane Hamilton. I love anything by Nora Ephron and David Sedaris. I have so many that I've started a list.

Review + Recipe: It's All Clear Now

Review: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood,
& the Prison of Belief

by Lawrence Wright

After spending a (very) long night watching the Oscars, I thought it would be appropriate to review a book about Hollywood-centric religion, namely Scientology. I actually had to think about whether and how I would review it, though, because the book's non-stop litany of how Scientology's leaders attack anyone who speaks against them is chilling, and makes one quite paranoid.

Oh well. According to the author, there are only 25,000 of them left, so here goes.
First, let's get the credentials out of the way. Lawrence Wright is a Pulitzer Prize winner, the author of many other books, and a meticulous reporter for The New Yorker who had this book vetted by a veritable army of lawyers. He even tries, where called for, to be very fair and to present both sides. But the facts aren't pretty, and should give anyone pause.
Let's be clear (pardon the pun), this is country that celebrates its craziness and righteously defends its right to whatever religion one wants to join. And many of those religions have started out in odd, and in some cases unbelievable, ways.
But Scientology's founding and early days are beyond the pale. Consider that L. Ron Hubbard (L. is for Lafayette) began as an "explorer," a man who wanted to find fame and glory, or to invent it if need be. His first "glorious adventure" was prescient: a strange expedition that was underfunded and over-promised by Hubbard, with the participants calling it "the worst and most unpleasant" trip they had ever been on.
And then consider that Hubbard started his writing career in pulp fiction, churning out lurid and amazing stories full of aliens, zombies, and overlords. Sound familiar?
By the middle of Going Clear, a not-very-flattering portrait of Hubbard is in place. He is a bully, a misogynist, a dreamer, and a man full of hubris. He has obsessions – with women, with drugs, with reaching a "higher plane," and he begins to believe in his own omnipotence.
He could have been just another overblown and under-accomplished man if he had appeared at any other time in history. But the post-war generation of the '50s and '60s was in search of meaning and many weren't finding it in the usual religions. Hubbard's ideas and beliefs sounded just "out there" enough to be true. After all, it was all supposed to be based on science, with a dash of psychotherapy thrown in for good measure.
The shock for me is how big the Church of Scientology once was, since its initial extensive reach occurred before or during my early childhood. For example, in 1963 the FDA seized all E-Meters, instruments critical to "reading" subjects and helping them on their path to unblocking their minds and becoming "Clear" (hence the title).
In 1967, the IRS removed the Church's tax exemption, and many countries banned the religion and refused entry to Hubbard and his followers.
But the most shocking (and well-cataloged) point in the book for me was the revelation of Operation Snow White, which saw as many as 5,000 Scientologists placed in governmental agencies in countries around the world in the '70s. That includes the IRS, the Justice, Labor and Treasury Departments, the DEA, and more in the United States. The idea was to affect any decisions that would adversely impact the Church, and to also try to "take over" a country that the Church, and Hubbard, could run. And then there are the many documented cases of the Church suing anyone and everyone who tried to thwart their goals.
In its earliest days, Hubbard wanted to target Hollywood, where he saw the richest and most vulnerable pickings. By using his network's influence, and the lack of confidence in many of Hollywood's citizens, the Church was able to manipulate many to believe that its teachings could change their careers and their lives. The Church's leaders would go to extreme lengths to keep its stars happy, and under the Church's control.
It's telling to me that more attention was paid by the general public to the Church and its oddities after Hollywood's big names became involved than when all of the thousands of other nameless people became so wrapped up in it – often suffering loss, pain, and degradation in the process. Thus is the way of our Paris Hilton world, I suppose, but it's galling.
Before this review gets too long, because I could talk about the book all day, let me just say that it is well-written, well-researched, and endlessly fascinating. It's really the last part of Wright's title that had me so enthralled: "The Prison of Belief." As we all search for meaning in the world, it can be far too easy to be trapped by what we seek, rather than to be happy with what we find.

Recipe: A Clear Winner

I don't know about you, but all of this talk of existentialism has me jonesing for a drink. One of my favorite drinks is a fabulous punch full of crazy ingredients. Hmmm, a not-so-subtle complement to a crazy group that packs a punch, no? Sip slowly, or it will go to your head.
1 10-oz package of frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
1 cup fresh lime juice
bunch of mint
1 cup water
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup Pernod
3/4 cup sugar
10 ounces of ginger ale
Drain raspberries and mash gently through a sieve or colander to get 1/2 cup juice. Stir all liquids together with sugar until the sugar dissolves and then chill. Add ginger ale before serving in tall glasses with raspberries added. Use mint as desired.

Review + Recipe: End of Times

Review: The Age of Miracles

by Karen Thompson Walker
Entering your teens can be an earth-shattering experience for any girl, usually including a brick-hard belief that the world is going to end if something does, or does not, happen the way it should. Everything is drama and high emotion.
Imagine if that coming-of-age is played out at a time when the world really is moving to a close.
In The Age of Miracles, a young girl named Julia begins a normal Saturday with her family, until the news emerges that the Earth has begun to slow down. At first the movement is small, barely noticeable, just adding 56 minutes to the usual 24-hour day. But as the planet slows more and more each day, bigger changes occur. Birds fall from the sky, crops begin to fail, insomnia strikes as the hours of daylight shift and slow. Morning becomes night and night becomes noon. Gravity pulls and pushes the human body in unhealthy ways. And there is absolutely nothing that can be done to stop it.
At first, there is a faction of "normals" who want to, who need to, retain a sense of normalcy despite the reality that is right in front of them. Eventually though, even they must give in to the inevitable. After all, how do you stick to a schedule when the clock (and the government) tells you to go to school as the sun goes down? Why bother with your job or paying bills as you watch all the plants wither around you? Does that "normal" life make sense when nothing will ever be the same?
In this crazy, tilting world, Julia's personal life mirrors the larger events surrounding her, with a constant moving landscape of parental problems, boy issues, and raging hormones.
Julia finds it difficult to keep her footing on the shifting ground of her life, and that's without the grander scale of problems created by the Earth's slowing movement.
Walker does a deft job of juggling the larger picture of a descent into the end of time, and the smaller, but no less important, details of a young girl just at the start of her adult life. At the end, this isn't a sad tale, but rather a bittersweet look at the time in our lives where one chapter is ending and another very different one is beginning.

Recipe: My Last Best Meal

So let's say the planet is spinning out of control – or slowing down to a dead stop. What would be your last best meal? This is game often played on Top Chef, and I notice that the most common ingredient is calories. Lots and lots of calories. And why not, right? So here is my recipe for the one dish that I try to eat only once a year: Macaroni and Cheese. Makes 4 servings, unless the world is ending. If that is the case, just get a big spoon and dig right in. Portion control will be the least of your concerns.
1 pound macaroni
4 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup diced onion
4 Tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream (see why I try not to eat this?)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 cups very sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup breadcrumbs
Cook pasta according to instructions and then set aside to cool. In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and then add onion. Lightly season with salt and cook until onion is translucent. Add flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, but don't let it brown. Whisk in milk and cream slowly to create a creamy consistency. Bring mixture to a simmer, add bay leaf and cloves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Turn off heat and remove bay leaf. Stir in
1 1/2 cups of cheddar and the Swiss cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then stir in the cooked macaroni. Spoon into 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheddar, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Review + Recipe: A Fun Trip to Crazy Town

Review: Let's Pretend This Never Happened

by Jenny Lawson

First, let me apologize. I'll tell you why later.

Okay, now on to the review.

If you like to snort your drink through your nose, this book is for you. If you ever wondered if your family is nuts, this book will provide the answer. And if you are looking for a new best friend, you're about to meet her. 

Oh yeah, Let's Pretend can do all of that and more. It's like the ginsu knife of the book world. So now how much would you pay? 

I entered Jenny Lawson World about a year ago, mainly through a chance Google search for "giant metal chicken" (don't ask, I don't remember why). The first five search results all pointed me to The Bloggess, where I spent about 10 hours straight reading every blog post from Jenny Lawson, including the one about Beyonce, a giant metal chicken. Beyonce is now so popular that she has her own Facebook page. Click here for proof.

Jenny herself is quite an online sensation, with 3 million or more visitors to The Bloggess every month and god knows how many thousands of Twitter followers.

In the last year, I have decided that Jenny and I are best friends ... she just doesn't know it yet. I've laughed when she told me about her latest purchases, I've rolled my eyes when her long-suffering husband Victor just didn't understand, and I've shed tears of sadness and laughter (sometimes at the same time) over her struggles with real life. If that isn't a best friend, what is?

In Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny touches on some of her famous blog topics, but then out-ginsus herself (what? it's a word) with tales of her childhood, a taxidermy-obsessed dad, meeting her saint of a husband, and how she deals with depression. Caught you with that last one, right? Yes, Jenny is totally upfront with every aspect of who she is, and that's what makes her so damn likable.

I promise that at some point during this book you really will either spit something out of your mouth laughing or you will read bits to someone so many times that they will ask you to stop. The book is that funny.

And, handily, it will provide you with a big yardstick by which to measure your own family's nuttiness factor.

Once you've finished the book (and it won't take long), don't despair. You have years and years of Bloggess posts to catch up on, and many many characters to meet. Like Juanita, or Ermione Granger, or Copernicus-the-Homicidal Monkey, or the adorable Hunter S. Tomcat, or Hamlet Von Schnitzel (see cover of book).

You can also see how Jenny's stalking of Nathan Fillion and Wil Wheaton went. Or you can buy some of her products, like notebooks that say "People To Kill." Who wouldn't want that?

Now back to the apology - I am sorry that you are about to spend WAAAAY too much time on the computer. It's all my fault ... or Jenny's.

See? Real friends share the blame.

Recipe: Tomato Jam

So you know how I like to give you a recipe inspired by the reviewed book? For a macabre joke, I could have gone with schnitzel, but no. This one is perfect. Mainly because when I first served this to a friend she said "Tomatoes and jam? That's crazy talk." Exactly. Tomato jam is spicy and sweet, just like Jenny. Serve it with goat cheese and crackers (cause that's how we roll in the South), on hamburgers, or on a grilled cheese. Can it or refrigerate it, depending on your time. Oh, in the photo the tomato jam is center row on the right.

3 pounds of tomatoes

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2-3 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons pectin

Chop up the tomatoes (other than the core and stem, of course). Combine them with all ingredients except pectin in a big pot. Put the heat on medium-high and let it all come to a slow boil, stirring it every few minutes. Then turn the heat down to simmer and let it cook for about 2.5 hours. It will start to thicken as it cooks. Be sure to stir it occasionally so it won't stick. You can read Jenny's blog during this part.

After 2.5 hours, check the consistency and add pectin if you need to thicken it. Can the jam in jars (find instructions online), put it in Tupperware in the fridge, or serve it as soon as it cools. Makes a good gift, too. Want to preserve more food? Buy this book.

Review + Recipe: Paris in Springtime

Review: The Paris Wife
by Paula McLain
Celebrity is a curious thing. Despite what even the most grounded celebrity says, fame changes people.
In his early days, Ernest Hemingway was like any other struggling writer. He had talent, spirit, and enthusiasm, but he needed a lucky break. Paula McLain takes on the story of Hemingway as he teetered on the edge between anonymity and notoriety, and as he embarked on his first marriage to Hadley Richardson. A woman eight years older than Hemingway, Hadley offers both inspiration and solace to the struggling journalist.
After their wedding, Hemingway and Hadley begin the springtime of their life together in Paris, where tout le monde seems to be drawn in the early 1920s. They are swept up in a Jazz Age whirl with luminaries like F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein. There was little money, but a lot of alcohol and parties.
McLain's book focuses on Hadley's side of the story, as she struggles to keep up with the many moods of Hemingway. He is drawn to adventure, to grabbing life's brass ring, and to never slowing down. But Hadley has to deal with the realities of living, of loneliness, of motherhood, and of being a wife.
Hemingway moves among the luminaries of Paris, but when he returns home to Hadley it's also a thump back down to reality, and that's not necessarily where he yearns to be. As Hemingway begins to find success with his writing, Hadley faces the failure of their marriage.
This is a bittersweet book that focuses on the changing relationship between an ordinary husband and wife when the husband develops an extraordinary talent. A page-turner to the very end – even when you know what's coming.

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Tarts
Hadley Richardson finds life with Hemingway to be both sweet and sour, so I thought these lemon curd tarts would be the perfect accompaniment to The Paris Wife.
Prepared tart shells, any size
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 Tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter
Prepare tart shells as instructed on the package. You can use mini-tarts or normal-sized tart shells. Cool shells while continuing with recipe. Put gelatin in small saucepan. Sprinkle with the cold water. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until thick. Stir into the gelatin mixture. Heat to just boiling over low heat, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, and butter. Pour lemon mixture into shells. Refrigerate for one hour and then serve.

Review + Recipe: A Fat Lot of Good

Review: Extra Virginity, The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

by Tom Mueller
When I was a kid, margarine was all the rage and butter was seen as an evil fat. I remember my mother never wanted us to eat margarine, but stuck to butter because it had ingredients that were natural and could be pronounced without a dictionary.
Our idea of "healthy fats" has changed dramatically since those days, with olive oil the clear winner. Given that olive oil is literally a pressed fruit juice and the only oil made from fruit rather than seeds, it is a natural choice that offers vital nutrients, particularly when the oil is "extra virgin."
However, Tom Mueller says, we've been duped with oils of "dubious virginity." It seems virginity is a fluid thing (sorry).
For thousands of years, olive trees have been a symbol of peace and olive oils have been used for religious observances, fuel, food, and for beauty products. In fact, 7,000-year-old petroglyphs have shown men wearing garlands of olive branches.
Olive oil has a rich history and new modern oil-making techniques have provided the best and healthiest oil in history. But there's a fly in the ointment. Sixty billion (with a B) Euros are made each year from selling counterfeit or adulterated Italian foods – and olive oil is one of the most frequently adulterated foods in the European Union.
For example, for 20 years Spain has produced more olive oil than Italy, but it has shipped that oil to Italy to be packaged as "100% Italian," which is illegal. Worse than that, Mueller says, an estimated 98% of olive oil sold in Italy as extra virgin is not actually that top-grade oil. And those beneficial, healthful components of olive oil are only found in the extra virgin variety.
What has happened is that, like with any other valuable product, people have found a way to take the more expensive top-grade product and cut it with lower-grade olive oil, or even seed oils, allowing them to sell it as extra virgin when in fact it may contain hardly any olive oil at all. That cheap oil has flooded the market, choking out the traditional and legitimate, and often family-owned, oil makers.
Groups such as the EU and the International Olive Council have tried to enforce rules that protect extra virgin oils, but pressure from huge oil conglomerates and traders have forced them to back down.
Reading about the oils that are sold throughout the world – and in most of our grocery stores – as healthful olive oils will make you sick to your stomach. Some of the oils are "deodorized" with chemicals such as hexane, as well as toxins and known carcinogens. Those oils are also often used in pizza, pasta sauce, and snack foods. Oils that have words on them like "pure" or "light" actually have been revealed to have all of the health benefits, and the olive oil itself, processed right out of it.
It's a legal fraud that has been allowed to happen because we've all been conditioned to accept the taste of the inferior oil as the higher grade olive oil. Even top chefs with Michelin stars can't recognize the difference between the two. The economic crisis around the globe has only added to the pressure to keep olive oil prices very low.
Mueller takes us on a fascinating educational journey through the world of olive oil, while also putting a very human face on the crisis as he writes about small family businesses that believe in offering an artisanal and healthful product, but who are being squeezed out of the business.
As consumers become more interested in where their food comes from and how it's made, one can only hope that they'll begin asking about the origins and composition of the olive oil they buy. After all, a new appreciation for craft spurned a renaissance for brewers, wine makers, cheese makers, and more. Let's hope this oil education does the same for the families around the world who are crafting true extra virginity.
(2011 - W.W. Norton)

Recipe: Olive Oil Crackers
After reading Extra Virginity, you may despair of ever finding true extra virgin olive oil anywhere in the U.S. (I can tell you that I will never again use some of the bigger, more well-known brands). Once you do find it (try olio2go.com), you can either have a taste testing party as described in the book – with lots of slurping and strange noises – or you can make this recipe. I vote for making the recipe, but giving your oil a taste is a good idea. Mueller says that there are three attributes of a good-quality oil – a pepper bite, bitterness, and fruitiness.
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (you can used oils infused with other flavorings, too)
Whisk together the flours and salt. Add the water and olive oil. Using your hands, mix and knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth but still a bit sticky, adding water as needed. Roll the dough into a ball and then cut it into 12 pieces. Rub each piece with olive oil, also rolling it into a ball. Put all pieces on a plate and cover with a dishtowel. Let dough rest for about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Once the dough is ready, roll the dough into a long flat strip using a rolling pin until it is thin enough for a cracker. You can cut the dough into any shape you like with a pizza cutter. Put the pieces of dough onto a cookie sheet that has a thin layer of cornmeal on it. Stick a fork into the cracker pieces several times. And now you can lightly brush each one with olive oil and sprinkle with any number of toppings (salt, herbs, Parmesan, whatever you like). Bake until the crackers are a golden colored – the timing will vary based on the thickness of your crackers. Be sure to let them cool thoroughly because that is what makes them crispy.

Review and Recipe: A Gourmand's Life

Review: White Truffles in Winter

by N.M. Kelby
Auguste Escoffier was a small man with large appetites – for food, for women, and for life. He transformed French cuisine, making it more accessible for everyday gourmands and giving chefs a level of respect they had never had before.
In the late 1800s, Escoffier worked at London's Savoy with Cesar Ritz, turning the restaurant into the "it" destination for European nobility. He also created timeless recipes in honor of the stars of the day, some of whom were linked romantically with Escoffier. His dishes are still recognized today, like Melba toast and Peach Melba, named for Australian singer Nellie Melba.
Escoffier and Ritz rose to worldwide prominence in their own partnership, opening the Ritz in Paris and the Carlton in London, both of which immediately found success.
During his time in London, Escoffier lived apart from his long-suffering wife, the poet Delphine Daffis, who knew of his dalliances but looked the other way. Author N.M. Kelby offers a fictional account of the winter of Escoffier's life, when Delphine begs him to create a dish in her honor so that the world will know that she existed and that her husband loved her. After all, his lovers like Melba and the actress Sarah Bernhardt were honored many times with Escoffier's recipes.
Delphine enlists the help of a servant girl named Sabine to convince her husband to do this one simple thing. However, Escoffier contends, it isn't simple at all, that his love for Delphine can't be captured by a list of ingredients. And he is completely overwhelmed with the task of writing his life's story, The Complete Escoffier: A Memory in Meals.
As Delphine declines in health, her need for a dish from Escoffier becomes more desperate and she places orders for exotic ingredients from local grocers to tempt him. Escoffier and Sabine deal with the overwhelming food delivered to their door and, as they cook together, he retreats more and more into his memories of the past, where his moods and his deepest emotions were embodied in flavor and seasoning.
Kelby's writing captures the sensual nature of food and the euphoria brought on by that one perfect dish. She describes the cooking process and the sensory overload of fresh ingredients in a way that is unique and evocative. Consider this passage when Escoffier feeds caviar to Sarah Bernhardt:
"From the darkest beluga to the golden almas, creamy and subtle, to the osetra, with its hint of walnuts and cream, to the small gray eggs of the sevruga, with its overwhelming flavor of the sea, Escoffier fed Sarah a universe of moons."
Proving that love and longing can be expressed through food.

Recipe: Truffle Fries
Here is the deal: Truffles are the "fruiting body" of an underground mushroom. Otherwise known as a fungus. The most charitable word I can use for a truffle's taste is "pungent." While I know they are highly prized in haute cuisine, they are not my favorite thing. I prefer truffle oil – mainly because it contains no truffle at all but is just a flavored olive oil. Trust me, though, if you sprinkle truffle oil over french fries, you'll be transported into heaven just as quickly as if you were sharing lobsters with Escoffier.
Here's the basic recipe: Cook fries the way you like them. This can be homemade fries that you've baked, or store-bought fries that you fry in oil. But they should be crispy on the outside. Put the hot fries in a bowl and quickly toss with sea salt and 1 Tablespoon of truffle oil. Eat them all quickly. Whether you share them or not is up to you.

Buon Appetito

I'm heading to Italy with my husband in May for an early celebration of our wedding anniversary. There is something about the Italians' appreciation for life – a little more laid-back, more in-the-moment – that appeals to me. But don't be fooled; there's plenty of hard work in Italy, too.

That also applies to their approach to food and cooking. Rustic Italian Food, published last November and written by chef Marc Vetri, is an homage to true Italian cuisine, with its attention to fresh and local ingredients, traditionally prepared. And some patience is required.
I am not known for my patience, but when it comes to cooking, there are some things that are worth the time investment.
For example, I love to bake bread. It's one of the few things that I will slow down for. The bread chapter in this book does not disappoint, and has me planning a fun Saturday with my arms covered in flour, making Blueberry Schiacciata or Fig and Chestnut Bread.
For some reason, though, the two things I do not have any patience for at all is making pie crust (see my "recipe" here) or for making pasta. Just not gonna do it. So I will blithely skip over the chapter about making your own pasta here, ignoring the collective gasp from Italian foodies.
Instead, I'll move on to the sauce recipes that seem stunningly simple from the ingredient list, but require time to perfect. Some recipes take hours and hours to cook and complete, but they pay off in the end with plenty of flavor and depth.
Slow-cooking meats makes them tender and flavorful. Vetri includes several strong recipes here that also make the pay-off worthwhile. And he doesn't disappoint in dessert chapter, either, particularly because he includes a stellar take on rice pudding, one of my favorites.
Nothing that's worth having comes easy, whether it's a trip to Italy or a traditional ragu. You just have to pick your battles and decide what's worth working for (the perfect loaf of bread) and what isn't (boring noodle-making).

Review + Author Recipe: Love and History

Review: Dreams of Joy

by Lisa See
One of my first reviews for this blog was for Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (click here). And the first books I read by See were her mysteries, including Flower Net, The Interior, and Dragon Bones, all of which are amazing.
Whether set in ancient eras or in more modern times, See's books have one thing in common – the stories center around family and relationships.
Dreams of Joy continues on those themes, picking up immediately where the book Shanghai Girls ended. Joy has just learned that her family is not what it seems, that her mother Pearl is actually her aunt and that her aunt May is her true mother. Distraught, she runs away from her Los Angeles Chinatown home to Shanghai to find her birth father, a famous artist named Z.G. Li.
But there's a complicating factor. The China that sisters Pearl and May knew as young women has changed dramatically, with Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China solidifying their power. Like some in the '50s, Joy has an idealistic notion of Communism, seeing it as a solution to corrupt capitalism and the only way to achieve balance between rich and poor.
As she reunites with Z.G. in Shanghai, her naivete keeps her from seeing the implied threat in the order that sends her artist father to Green Dragon Village, a collective in Anhwei province where he must teach art to the peasants. Just 250 miles from Shanghai, the village is like another world, with no cars, electricity, plumbing or phones.
As Joy and Z.G. settle into the village, Pearl takes the dangerous step of following Joy to Shanghai. With travel within China restricted, she must wait in the city for Joy's return, while trying to blend in and not attract notice from the authorities.
Joy and Z.G. travel to Peking for an art exhibit, even meeting Mao himself who chooses Z.G.'s painting of Joy for a propaganda poster that is soon showcased all over China – reminiscent of Z.G.'s early "beautiful girl" paintings of May and Pearl.
Returning to Shanghai, Joy and Z.G. are confronted by Pearl, who wants to return to America with the woman she raised as her own daughter. Joy refuses and insists on returning to Green Dragon Village just as Mao institutes the disastrous Great Leap Forward, a program designed to make China overtake the West in agriculture and steel production in just a few years. Bizarre ideas that are forced on the country – such as planting six times the normal amount of wheat in a field or sowing the ground with glass as a "nutrient" – lead to famine, widespread disease and death.
A disillusioned Joy, who is now married and has a baby, sends a desperate message to Pearl and Z.G., who race to save her before she becomes yet another statistic of the starvation and deprivation that grip China.
Dreams of Joy is a gripping account of a convulsive period in Chinese history, but again it is also a touching story of the love between mothers and daughters, and of sacrifices of the heart.
(2011 – Random House)

Recipe: Lisa See's Curried Tomato Beef
My sincere thanks to Lisa See for providing this recipe. She wrote all of the following copy:
"Food is memory, and many of my memories are linked to food. This recipe has grown and evolved over three generations in my family. My grandfather used to own a restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown called Dragon’s Den. It was only the seventh family-style Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles. Back in 1936, when Dragon’s Den opened, this dish – minus the curry and the noodles – cost just twenty-five cents. The restaurant had closed by the time I was born, but I can remember my grandfather making a version of the Dragon’s Den tomato beef at home.
"Tomato beef is a uniquely Chinese-American dish – symbolic in many ways of the 'melting pot.' 'Mein' means noodles in Cantonese, but beef and tomatoes are not typical Chinese ingredients. But in the past, if you were Chinese and lucky enough to own your own restaurant, you put together ingredients you thought would please your American customers. That’s how American tomatoes and beef came to be thrown together with Chinese noodles. For a time tomato beef lo mein and curried tomato beef lo mein could be found on every menu in Chinese-American restaurants and cafés, such as the Golden Dragon Café. Now you can’t even find tomato beef in Chinese restaurants! No one asks for it, orders it, or remembers it. So this truly is a taste of the past, specifically 1950s Chinese America. There is no right or wrong way to make this dish. It’s all about your personal taste and whether you like more vinegar or sugar."
1 lb. flank steak – cut into ¼" strips against the grain
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2-3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium to large onion – cut into 1"squares
1 green bell pepper – chopped into 1" squares
4 roma tomatoes – quartered
1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
4-6 Tbsp. white vinegar
1-3 teaspoons white sugar
Cilantro – loosely chopped
1 lb pasta
Mix ingredients for marinade (soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and cornstarch) and add sliced beef. Let marinate for 20 minutes.
Put oil in a wok (or frying pan) over high heat. When oil is hot and smoking, add the beef and stir fry until browned but not fully cooked. Add the onion and bell pepper. After they’ve cooked for a while (but are still crisp), add the curry powder, vinegar, and sugar. Add tomatoes and cook until just heated through. (You don’t want the vegetables to lose their shape. They should remain whole and crisp.) Taste for flavor. The sauce should be strong, because it will be toned down by the noodles (or rice).
Meanwhile, in a separate pot, heat water and cook the noodles of your choice according to package instructions. When done, drain the noodles and put them on a platter. Pour the curried tomato on top of noodles, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve.
• For the more health conscious, you can substitute chicken for the beef. My dad fries boneless, skinless chicken thighs until they’re done enough to cut them up easily. Then he adds them back to the wok after the onion and bell pepper to cook a bit more.
• Some people like to add the noodles to the wok and toss them with the other ingredients. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with cilantro.

Review and Recipe: A Tangled Mystery

Review: Believing the Lie
by Elizabeth George
Mysteries are like Gordian knots that must be picked apart to separate lies from truth, fact from fiction, and clues from red herrings. Add in a dysfunctional family that has its own reasons for concealing the truth, and you have a situation primed to frustrate even the best of detectives.
Inspector Thomas Lynley is one of the very best, but he's just emerging from the worst time of his life ― the murder of his wife. Still grieving, Lynley is easily convinced to do a favor for his superior, which involves traveling to Cumbria to determine if the death of Ian Fairclough was murder or an accident. Ian's father, Bernard, isn't clear about why he feels the need to have Ian's death investigated after the coroner has already proclaimed it an accident, but he is very clear that he wants Lynley to keep his inquiry under wraps.
Lynley's usual partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, is left in London to help with research while Lynley travels with his friends, forensic scientist Simon St. James and his wife Deborah. They have their hands full with the Fairclough family, encountering deceit, child pornography, racism, blackmail, and more. But murder? The jury's still out on that one.
It's no secret that I count Elizabeth George as one of my favorite authors. But I would be telling a lie if I said this was her best work. George is at her best with characters; in fact, I'm not sure I can name another author today who breathes as much life into each person. That doesn't waver at all in Believing a Lie, but if you haven't read her earlier books in the Lynley series, you may not understand each side subplot as well as someone who has lived with the characters for years, as I have. And there are so many people to follow in the book that the central mystery is sometimes obscured.
Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to read this book after so long without a George novel in my hands. But others in the Lynley series have more compelling mysteries and draw you deeper into the lives and minds of Lynley and Havers, who are fantastic protagonists.
If you are a George fan and have read all of the previous 16 books, you'll be entertained. If you've never read one of her books, start at the beginning with A Great Deliverance. You'll thank me for getting you hooked on an amazing series.

Recipe: Savory Rock Scones
Rocks and stones are at the center of Ian Fairclough's mysterious death, and what better way to accompany a British story than with scones?
5 cups all-purpose flour
3 sticks butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 cup cubed ham
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With your fingers, mix flour, butter, sugar, cayenne, salt, and baking powder until you have a coarse meal batter. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to mix with your fingers very gently until there are no dry parts of the batter and everything is well combined. Scoop dough out and form into rough rounds on an ungreased baking sheet, until you have 12 scones.  Bake 25 minutes.

Review and Recipe: Almost Great

Review: Catherine the Great
by Robert K. Massie
The current Queen of England celebrates her 60th anniversary on the British throne this year, achieving a milestone that very few women can claim. In fact, through history there are only a handful of women who ruled independently at all, much less for decades.
Among those would be Victoria (Queen of England for 63 years), Jeanne of Brabant (ruling for 50 years), Elizabeth I (Queen of England for 44 years), and of course Catherine II, who ruled Russia for an astounding 34 years.
Catherine the Great wasn't the first woman to rule Russia ― there were three women before her who held that honor ― but she was the last, the longest-ruling, and arguably one of the greatest of the rulers, male or female.
Robert Massie knows his Russian history. He is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Peter the Great, and also wrote Nicholas and Alexandra and The Romanovs. His insights into Russian politics, class systems, and history serve him well in Catherine the Great.
But this is no dry and dusty history book. Catherine comes to life on the pages (particularly in the first half of the book), putting aside the regalia and pomp to show a woman who was intelligent, bold, and ahead of her time. Her canny sense of strategy and the ability to take chances led her from her fairly rural upbringing as part of minor German royalty into a marriage with the heir to the Russian throne.
Handpicked by Empress Elizabeth, a strong female ruler in her own right, to marry Elizabeth's nephew Peter, Sophia Augusta Fredericka seized the chance for a new life, changing her name, her religion, her language, and her provincial views.
Unfortunately, Catherine found herself tied to a husband that was considered slow at best, and psychotic at worst. Peter was barely literate, childlike in his love of soldiers and military uniforms, and could be cruel when crossed. He also had no clue what was expected of him in fathering an heir early on, and later when he did understand the particulars, showed no inclination toward Catherine.
After nine long years, and in desperation to ensure there would be another heir, Empress Elizabeth pushed Catherine toward other lovers. Despite her upbringing, Catherine again saw opportunity and logic in the idea, and was soon pregnant.
Astonishingly, there was little complaint from the Russian aristocracy that seemed to not only have known of the deception but turned a blind eye to the lovers that both Catherine and Peter took.
After Elizabeth's death, Peter began to show his true colors to the world, displaying a love for Germany that sparked an about-face for Russia in the Seven Years' War, a move that was far too abrupt for most Russians. Peter was quickly ousted (and then strangled) to make way for Catherine to take the throne. Many thought she would merely hold the throne for her young son Paul, but Catherine had other ideas.
Having given herself an Enlightened education, and eagerly corresponded with great thinkers and writers of the day throughout Europe, Catherine made bold moves to change what she saw as backward thinking in Russia. Early on, she pushed through new laws to transform Russian politics and developed the Nakaz, a more modern law code.
And here is where the book begins to bog down a little. After painting such a vivid picture of a strong and vibrant woman, Massie gets mired more in the laws and political world of Russia, and moves the focus off of Catherine herself in a few chapters. But overall, this is a good read about a great woman.

Recipe: Russian Rye Bread
I've never been hugely fond of rye seeds, but this mellower version of rye bread is, well, great.
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
another 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups rye flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
To make a starter, dissolve yeast in bowl with 2/3 cup water. Leave for five minutes and then add 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour until it makes a thick batter. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 2 hours. To make the dough, mix remaining flour with the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour the starter in. Also add half of the remaining water. Mix dough well, stirring in the rest of the water until you have a sticky dough. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and begin to knead. It will take about 10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Put the dough into a clean bowl and cover it with a towel. Allow it to rise until doubled, which will take about an hour. Punch it down and let it rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 2 pieces and form each into a long loaf that's about 12 inches long. Put them both on a lightly floured baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes. Then cut about 4 long slashes across the loaves at equal lengths. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until they've doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once the loaves have risen, bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Review and Recipe: Cold and Hot

Review: The Snowman
by Jo Nesbo
This Norwegian author has been compared to Stieg Larsson, but I think he has a style that is very much his own. The central character of his series of novels is an alcoholic, but immensely talented, Oslo detective named Harry Hole. Fighting his own inner demons has given Harry a better insight into the mind of the criminals he chases, but it makes his superiors wonder if he's worth the trouble.
In this fifth novel in the series, the scene is set for a spine-chilling mystery: deep snow, the dark depths of winter, and an innocent character transformed into a menacing harbinger of doom. Snowmen appear at the scene of several horrific killings, with twisted additions like a victim's scarf tied around a snowman's neck.
Harry is puzzled by the lack of initial evidence at each scene and has a hard time determining any links between the victims. He also has a new partner that seems too good to be true. Pressure from his superiors to solve the crimes almost leads Harry to name the wrong killer, while some clues point to a member of the police force. Harry begins to wonder who he can trust and even questions his own instincts as he gets closer to the truth.
Nesbo's tales are dark and twisty and should come with a warning label to avoid reading them before bed. I should have avoided reading it during the holiday season, too, because I almost came unglued as I was driving one night and my car's headlights landed on a large blow-up snowman looming in front of my car.
One last warning: Don't start this book unless you have plenty of time set aside to read it straight through.
(2011 - Knopf Doubleday)

Recipe: Hot Chocolate
I think this drink is the only accompaniment that will do any justice to The Snowman. First of all, you're going to need something to warm you as you are reading the book. It won't be the descriptions of cold Norwegian nights that will get you, but icy spine-tingling suspense. Secondly, you'll need all the comfort that this drink can provide.
1 cup of milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce baking chocolate
1 cup whipping cream
Heat milk in saucepan over low heat. When it is just warm, whisk in sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and vanilla. Once that is well combined, add the baking chocolate and continue to stir. As soon as the chocolate has melted and the cocoa is hot, remove the saucepan. As it cools, beat the whipping cream with a mixer until peaks form. Then fold the cream into the hot chocolate and serve.

Review and Recipe

Review: A Toast to Bargain Wines
In this holiday season, many will be giving (and receiving) bottles of wine. They are the perfect hostess gift when you're attending parties. Buying wine can also be an expensive proposition, and for those of us who are not sommeliers, finding an inexpensive but tasty wine can be a chore. According to author George Taber, though, even the Queen of England serves inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc and basic Bordeaux to the majority of her guests.
Taber gives a fascinating history of the wine business in this book, including some Embarrassing Moments in Wine History (the title of the first chapter), and a look at the ups and downs of the global wine business. The wine business has shifted dramatically in recent years, refocusing away from the its traditional home in France and moving into new territories across the U.S. and in Chile, New Zealand, and Argentina, with a lot of booms and busts along the way.
He also describes the movers and shakers who have changed the wine industry, including Tim Hanni, one of the first two Americans to be recognized as a Master of Wine. Included in this book is Hanni's Taste Sensitivity Assessment that helps determine the types of wine that you may like. According to the test, I am "Sensitive," and therefore more adventurous with my choices. True.
A Toast also describes how historic and traditional vineyards are faring today, and examines the newer upstart companies like Australia's Yellow Tail. Rumor has it that owner John Casella based the taste of his wine on Coke so the American drinker would take to it. He says he actually just wanted to create a "friendly wine."
Now that's just the first half of the book. The second half gets to the heart of the matter, with Taber's guide to the very best buys in wine. He offers the advice to experiment and find the wine that best suits your tastes, rather than fretting over whether you're drinking the "right" wine.
His easy-to-use lists are classified by varietal, and then are separated into his favorite bargains and his splurges. Even the splurges come in under $25, though, so there's nothing here that should break the bank. Taber also offers suggestions of food pairings to help even the most novice wine drinker.
When I finish reading most books, they go onto my shelves in the living room. This book, however, is now stored with my cookbooks, ready to be referenced at a moment's notice. I've already used its handy guide to stock up for the holidays. Salut! (2011 - Scribner)

Recipe: Red Wine Cake
Years ago, the office where I worked had spectacular pot-lucks for the holidays, and a friend brought this cake. Within seconds, every crumb was gone and she was passing around the recipe. It's incredibly moist, with just a hint of the taste of wine. I love the taste of chocolate with a glass of red wine, so this recipe makes a perfect pairing.
2 sticks of softened butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups red wine
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and then butter and flour a bundt pan. In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between. Add the vanilla and beat for another minute or two. Add the cocoa, baking soda and salt, mixing them well into the batter. Then alternate the red wine and the flour, adding half of each at a time and mixing well in between additions. Spoon into the bundt pan, being sure to distribute the batter evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out of the cake cleanly. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a plate. You can serve it warm with ice cream, or allow it to cool and serve it with whipped cream.

Review and (Author) Recipe

Review: Explosive Eighteen

I like books that feature smart and sassy women. Being a smart-sassy (say it fast and you'll know what I mean) person myself, I like whip-crack humor and strong character. Anyone who thinks Jane Austen was writing quaint drawing-room love stories, for example, should go back and re-read Pride and Prejudice, which features some of the best sarcasm in literature.

Add a good dose of humor to that mix, and you've got a winning combination.
Enter Stephanie Plum, the protagonist of Janet Evanovich's uber-popular "numbered" series. In One for the Money (the first in the series, obviously), Stephanie appears as a down-on-her-luck Jersey girl who takes a job at her cousin's bail bonds office.
Her experience for the job of bounty hunter includes the ability to wear her hair big, to eat any amount of cake and pizza at the drop of a hat, and a knack for attracting all kinds of trouble. A perfect resume.

Through the series, Stephanie has also had her "man issues," alternating between childhood crush Joe Morelli and tall, dark, and handsome Ranger.

The 18th book in the series (!) features a slightly more seasoned Stephanie. She knows how to use a taser now, when she remembers to charge it. And she has the bounty hunting routine down pat, although that doesn't always mean things go according to plan.

The book opens with Stephanie returning from a Hawaiian holiday of sorts. The initial mystery is who she was in Hawaii with, and why both Ranger and Morelli are sporting wounds from a fight. The troubles just keep multiplying as the bail bonds office deals with construction delays and a slight rat problem, Stephanie's partner (and former 'ho') Lula finds herself in love with a fugitive after drinking a strange potion, and Stephanie ends up rooming with her hated enemy Joyce Barnhardt.

But the central mystery is about a photo that was slipped into Stephanie's bag on the flight from Hawaii. The man that originally had the photo is dead, and now Stephanie is being followed by two fake FBI agents and one very real thug with a knife and a weird accent.

This is a fun romp in a series that feels far from old-hat. The same ingredients are there, but this brew just gets richer with time.

I'm also very interested in seeing how this plays out on film, with One for the Money debuting in theaters in early 2012. I'll have to get over the fact that Katherine Heigl plays Stephanie. I always wanted the role to go to Debi Mazar, one of my favorite NY-Jersey Girls. (2011 - Random House).

Recipe from Janet Evanovich:
Helen's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

My sincere thanks to Janet Evanovich for sharing this recipe. And it's the perfect accompaniment to Explosive Eighteen for two reasons. First, it's a recipe for a cake often made by Stephanie Plum's mom Helen, an expert at bribing people with food. Second, it's the type of treat that should be gobbled down quickly, just like any Plum book. Read Evanovich's own instructions below if you don't believe me.

3 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 Tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice

5 Tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar

Unsweetened slices of pineapple

Melt the butter in a nine-inch pie plate. Dump brown sugar into the plate and mash with a fork until it's all mixed with the melted butter and covers the bottom of the plate. Arrange pineapple slices on bottom of plate in a single layer. Mix eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, and pineapple juice by hand in a small bowl until smooth. Pour mixture over pineapple slices. Bake in a 350-degree oven until a pick comes out clean (maybe 30-45 min.). Remove cake from oven and set on rack for a couple minutes. Put cake plate over the hot cake in the pie plate and CAREFULLY but quickly turn the pie plate upside down. Remove pie plate and let cake cool to room temperature. Pineapple slices should be on top! (If you let the cake cool in the pie plate, you'll NEVER get it out). When cool, spread lots of globs of whipped cream on it...the real stuff, none of that fake stuff in a can! Eat too much. (Recipe courtesy of Janet Evanovich)

Review and Recipe: Postmistress

I recently lost my grandfather, and at his funeral I saw an honor guard perform a military funeral for the first time. It was incredibly moving and a fitting tribute to his service during WWII. He was a Marine who fought in every single major battle in the Pacific except Guadalcanal. 
So when I was choosing a book to review this week, I chose one that really brought home the early days of that war, when the Americans thought that staying out of conflict was the best plan and many believed that what was happening in Europe had nothing to do with the U.S. But it also shows how the Europeans were trying to cope on their own with the frightening reality of war, and how some Americans did what was right, rather than what was easiest.

Review: The Postmistress
by Sarah Blake
Iris James is the postmistress for the small town of Franklin, on the Massachusetts coast. Frankie Bard is an American working with Edward R. Murrow in London, broadcasting the war to the Americans who have yet to join it.
Iris and Frankie each deliver news, some of which others do not want to hear. They are across an ocean from each other, but they both believe that America must help the Europeans before it's too late. And they both are carrying secrets.
Iris learns more than she should about the townspeople because their whole lives pass through her hands. She watches everyone, but does nothing to intervene...until the day she slips a letter into her pocket instead of delivering it. Iris believes she did it for the right reasons, but did she?
Iris, like everyone in her small town, listens to Frankie on the radio, but she doesn't like her voice, "that undercurrent that always seemed to run through it that she held the truth in her hand and everyone better damn well take a look."
Frankie is a person who is known for her touch with the common man, and her knack for listening to others tell their stories. She crosses paths with Dr. Will Fitch, who has left Franklin to try to help after he hears one of Frankie's stories. They share a frightening evening in a subway station during the bombing of the city, and they argue about their reasons for being there. He thinks it's to be a part of real life and to be necessary to what's needed. But is he escaping from his own life? Frankie thinks they are there to fight and to force a change.
They leave the subway tunnel with the argument unresolved, and Will asks Frankie to mail a letter home to his wife, Emma. As Frankie watches him walk away, Will is hit by a cab and killed.
Her last conversation with Will spurs her to desperate acts, like heading straight to the action in France.
Frankie finds her true voice when she begins to ride a train across Europe and records the stories of Jewish families on board who are trying desperately to escape before the Nazis arrive. They are frantic to reconnect with their families and friends and see Frankie as their one chance. She feels it is her duty to record all the stories she can so that the ordinary and the everyday lives are remembered as being just as important as the famous and infamous.
She rides the train for two weeks, back and forth from France to Berlin, without a clear plan or purpose other than to record every thing she hears, every snippet of every life so it won't disappear and be forgotten, just as the war is being forgotten at home.
She realizes that she is collecting instead of reporting, and she is being battered by wave after wave of people and their voices. She returns exhausted to the U.S., heading for the coastal town of Franklin, where Emma still waits for a word from Will. Frankie begins to deliver her news, first of the Jews and their plight, then of the coming war, and finally the news that Emma does not want to hear. And Frankie's actions change Iris's resolve to deliver her own letter. (2010 - Penguin Group)

Recipe: Sausage Gravy
This recipe reminds me of all the times that I visited my grandparents when I was a child. We would lie in big iron beds upstairs and could smell the sausage cooking each morning. We could barely wait for my grandfather to call to us to let us know that the biscuits and gravy were done.
1 lb. of sausage
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the sausage in a frying pan on medium hit, crumbling it into bits as it cooks. Stir in flour until it is incorporated into the sausage. Then slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly, to create a thick gravy. Season as needed to your taste. Serve over hot biscuits.