NOTE: This post was originally published the day Blogger went to hell in a handbasket. I fixed something on it tonight, and now it's considered a new post. Not sure why, and I'm really annoyed that I can't fix it. You've already read it, probably. I'm still on hiatus, dammit. Nothin' to see here. (Unless there is?)
I have been obsessed with Parks and Recreation for weeks now, but other obsessions have taken precedence. Not so, this week.
The fact that this show was created by those who bring us The Office did not persuade me to try it right away. I don't know why, except that it was probably a timing thing, and we all know that I like to let shows gestate before I commit myself. This spring Parks has been garnering a metric ton of buzz, including an Entertainment Weekly cover, and I finally decided it was time.
Parks and Recreation follows Leslie Knope, an extremely enthusiastic and civic-minded Deputy-Head of the Pawnee, Indiana Parks and Recreation Department. Leslie, played with perfect naive/innocent pitch my Amy Poehler, has high aspirations for her life. Only in her mid-thirties, she wants to be the Head of the Parks Department and then climb the political ladder to eventually become President of the United States. This is how we know for sure that Parks and Rec is from the twisted minds if The Office... The only other character on television that optimistically delusional is/was the beloved Michael Scott.
Leslie is surrounded by a motley crew of small town characters, ranging from her uber-capitalist boss, Ron Swanson (the priceless Nick Offerman) to his moody, mono-syllabic assistant, April (Aubrey Plaza). Rounding out the cast is the creepy/awesome Tom (Aziz Ansari), Leslie's best friend Ann (Rashida Jones) and Ann's doofy ex-boyfriend Andy (Chris Pratt).
The rise of Parks oddly mirrors that of The Offce; the first season is mostly eh with flashes of the brilliance that emerges fully from minute one of season two.
Ah yes, the brilliance. The brilliance lies in the total believability of the characters, of the plot, of the setting. As a girl who grew up in (and still occasionally resides in) a small town, I defy anyone from similar circumstances to find non-realism in this show. Is it sometimes absurd? Sure. But so is life in a small town. So are small town politics. In fact, as a note to Parks writers, I submit this latest local headline as a potential future plot point: White Powder Scare at Clinton School. Make sure and read the final outcome.
And tell me there's not a half hour sitcom episode in that.
23 May 2011
20 May 2011
In Which There is Hiatus
It's big-time season-finales week, which means one thing for a lot of people who make television shows: hiatus.
The next two weeks are insane for me. Like, two-weddings-on-two-continents-within-six-days insane. I plan to do a lot of reading. But I do not plan on having the mental capacity to write about it coherently.
Also, I just started a new diet (ugh, I can't believe I just wrote that) and I need some time to get going before I completely re-vamp Menu Mayhem.
THUSLY, I hiat. Or something like that. When I come back there will be the new Monday Menu Mayhem I spoke of, at least three new book reviews (Providing I don't get hugely distracted by the Virgin Atlantic onboard entertainment... Hello, all of the movies I've been dying to see...), and I will be coherent once more. Maybe.
Have a glorious two weeks, friends, and enjoy the May/June transition.
The next two weeks are insane for me. Like, two-weddings-on-two-continents-within-six-days insane. I plan to do a lot of reading. But I do not plan on having the mental capacity to write about it coherently.
Also, I just started a new diet (ugh, I can't believe I just wrote that) and I need some time to get going before I completely re-vamp Menu Mayhem.
THUSLY, I hiat. Or something like that. When I come back there will be the new Monday Menu Mayhem I spoke of, at least three new book reviews (Providing I don't get hugely distracted by the Virgin Atlantic onboard entertainment... Hello, all of the movies I've been dying to see...), and I will be coherent once more. Maybe.
Have a glorious two weeks, friends, and enjoy the May/June transition.
17 May 2011
In Which I Review To Beguile A Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt
What else did I do this weekend?
I READ ANOTHER FREAKING BOOK.
This is very exciting for me. The calendar and work are closing in on me like... something that closes in on people and makes them panicky and claustrophobic. At this point in time, the most important thing for me is to seize the "ohmygodit'ssoquiet"moment when I can. It's good for me. It's good for Boy Scout. And more importantly, it's good for all of the people who have to interact with me on a daily basis.
Sunday there was quiet time. And it was very, very good. For everyone involved.
At any rate, I plowed through the third book in The Legend of the Four Soldiers series like nobody's business. Beguile picks up weeks after To Seduce a Sinner leaves off, with on-the-run-mistress Helen Fitzwilliam appearing on the doorstep of Castle Greaves with her two children and an assignment from Sinner's Melisande to be the new housekeeper. Greeting them not-so-jovially at the door of the decrepit manor is Alistair Munroe, leading naturalist, master of the domain, seriously mutilated former solider.
Aside from the dudes who were burned alive at Spinner's Falls, it could be argued that Alistair Munroe suffered the worst torture: the natives cut off two of his fingers, took out his eye, and carved up the side of his face. Beyond the understandable need to recuperate after such a traumatic event, Munroe has sequestered himself because his appearance tends to illicit obnoxious reactions from the faint-hearted ladies of the day.
Helen acknowledges that his scars are ugly, and it takes her a bit to get used to looking at him, but Alistair's looks are not the reason he is the Beast in this scenario. Alistair has also spent way too long by himself in his dirty castle, and he has the attitude of a rabid hippo. Fortunately he comes to terms with his new (and adamant) house guest and switches from "why won't you leave?" to "why can't I get you out of my head?" and "can we please make out?" fairly quickly.
The main conflict in the book is that Helen is on the run from her Sugar Daddy, the Duke of Lister. Lister is a rather possessive man who, while never acting outwardly violent, certainly has enough peripheral thoughts of strangling Helen to make him an alarming villain. Of course he comes for his children, of course he kidnaps them, of course Alistair has already grown into the role of father/protector and all but races off to fetch them from the bad man.
Ultimately this is beside the point. What we have here is another lovely, sexy romance between two adult people who face their hopes, dreams, and fears as best they can in order to be together. Could they stand to have a conversation or two more in life? Sure. But who can't? To Beguile a Beast is an excellent addition to the Four Soldiers series, and it has made me all the more intrigued for To Desire a Devil. I know who it's about (no, I'm not telling yet...), but I can't figure out how it's about that person. I guess it's time to go find out!
I READ ANOTHER FREAKING BOOK.
This is very exciting for me. The calendar and work are closing in on me like... something that closes in on people and makes them panicky and claustrophobic. At this point in time, the most important thing for me is to seize the "ohmygodit'ssoquiet"moment when I can. It's good for me. It's good for Boy Scout. And more importantly, it's good for all of the people who have to interact with me on a daily basis.
Sunday there was quiet time. And it was very, very good. For everyone involved.
At any rate, I plowed through the third book in The Legend of the Four Soldiers series like nobody's business. Beguile picks up weeks after To Seduce a Sinner leaves off, with on-the-run-mistress Helen Fitzwilliam appearing on the doorstep of Castle Greaves with her two children and an assignment from Sinner's Melisande to be the new housekeeper. Greeting them not-so-jovially at the door of the decrepit manor is Alistair Munroe, leading naturalist, master of the domain, seriously mutilated former solider.
Aside from the dudes who were burned alive at Spinner's Falls, it could be argued that Alistair Munroe suffered the worst torture: the natives cut off two of his fingers, took out his eye, and carved up the side of his face. Beyond the understandable need to recuperate after such a traumatic event, Munroe has sequestered himself because his appearance tends to illicit obnoxious reactions from the faint-hearted ladies of the day.
Helen acknowledges that his scars are ugly, and it takes her a bit to get used to looking at him, but Alistair's looks are not the reason he is the Beast in this scenario. Alistair has also spent way too long by himself in his dirty castle, and he has the attitude of a rabid hippo. Fortunately he comes to terms with his new (and adamant) house guest and switches from "why won't you leave?" to "why can't I get you out of my head?" and "can we please make out?" fairly quickly.
The main conflict in the book is that Helen is on the run from her Sugar Daddy, the Duke of Lister. Lister is a rather possessive man who, while never acting outwardly violent, certainly has enough peripheral thoughts of strangling Helen to make him an alarming villain. Of course he comes for his children, of course he kidnaps them, of course Alistair has already grown into the role of father/protector and all but races off to fetch them from the bad man.
Ultimately this is beside the point. What we have here is another lovely, sexy romance between two adult people who face their hopes, dreams, and fears as best they can in order to be together. Could they stand to have a conversation or two more in life? Sure. But who can't? To Beguile a Beast is an excellent addition to the Four Soldiers series, and it has made me all the more intrigued for To Desire a Devil. I know who it's about (no, I'm not telling yet...), but I can't figure out how it's about that person. I guess it's time to go find out!
16 May 2011
In Which Monday Menu Mayhem is Disappointed
Another weekend, another Nigella recipe.
A word about this: we've now been dissecting Nigella Kitchen since the beginning of the year. I don't know how you all feel about it, but I have been generally pleased with the experience. That said, it's coming up on June, and I'm running out of recipes that I want to make out of this book, in addition to the fact that I now have the Gwyneth Paltrow Bible, and Boy Scout regularly cooks from Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics. The next few weeks are pretty insane in the membrane, but I think that come June 1, we'll extend our Mayhem into other venues. Oh, Nigella's still on the... menu. We're just expanding the choices.
In the meantime, Sunday night meant the trial of My [Her] Mother's Prized Chicken. Photographic evidence:
Yes, there is chicken under there. As is a serving of white rice.
This recipe was actually a huge disappointment to be. When something is called Your Mother's Prized anything, you know it's got to be something special. At least, that's my interpretation of that title. What this boiled down to (har) was a poached chicken soup.
You brown a whole chicken, add vermouth, carrots, leeks, and celery, over it with herbs and cold water and simmer for 2 hours.
That's it.
So yeah, I should have known it would have been awfully boring (In fact, I did... I added a huge glug of white wine with the cold water), but somehow I expected it all to magically pull together. The healthy dose of mustard prescribed for serving in the recipe along with salt and pepper saved us from bland-hell, but ultimately I came to the conclusion that if I wanted chicken soup, my own made-up recipe was better. And as far as fancy, long-cook Sunday dinners go, there are a lot better ones out there.
As Boy Scout said, there was nothing wrong with this dish, but there was certainly nothing spectacular about it, either.
A word about this: we've now been dissecting Nigella Kitchen since the beginning of the year. I don't know how you all feel about it, but I have been generally pleased with the experience. That said, it's coming up on June, and I'm running out of recipes that I want to make out of this book, in addition to the fact that I now have the Gwyneth Paltrow Bible, and Boy Scout regularly cooks from Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics. The next few weeks are pretty insane in the membrane, but I think that come June 1, we'll extend our Mayhem into other venues. Oh, Nigella's still on the... menu. We're just expanding the choices.
In the meantime, Sunday night meant the trial of My [Her] Mother's Prized Chicken. Photographic evidence:
Yes, there is chicken under there. As is a serving of white rice.
This recipe was actually a huge disappointment to be. When something is called Your Mother's Prized anything, you know it's got to be something special. At least, that's my interpretation of that title. What this boiled down to (har) was a poached chicken soup.
You brown a whole chicken, add vermouth, carrots, leeks, and celery, over it with herbs and cold water and simmer for 2 hours.
That's it.
So yeah, I should have known it would have been awfully boring (In fact, I did... I added a huge glug of white wine with the cold water), but somehow I expected it all to magically pull together. The healthy dose of mustard prescribed for serving in the recipe along with salt and pepper saved us from bland-hell, but ultimately I came to the conclusion that if I wanted chicken soup, my own made-up recipe was better. And as far as fancy, long-cook Sunday dinners go, there are a lot better ones out there.
As Boy Scout said, there was nothing wrong with this dish, but there was certainly nothing spectacular about it, either.
10 May 2011
In Which I Review To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt.
So this seems to be the latest pattern of my life: I give a paperback to Wendy Pan, she reads it (maybe), and then goes and buys the rest of the series on Kindle without telling me.
And then she tells me how awesome it all is. Because the Kindle is such a secretive device (Sorry Dad! You brought it on yourself...), I can never tell what she's reading, and as a result I can never say "ohmygodisthatbookreallyexcellentortheworstthingever??"
Until it all comes out over dinner (or something), at which point I order the paperbacks from Amazon (Thank you, Amazon App), and then I get accused of being in possession of too many books.
Ha.
Devotees will remember that I recently read Elizabeth Hoyt's To Seduce a Sinner, which turned out to be the second book in the Legend of the Four Soldiers Series. It's that second book that Wendy Pan read in paperback, and the first, third, and fourth that now live in the Amazon cloud.
So obviously I had to buy them, because I remain unconvinced of the Kindle (or any digital reading device) as a full-time reading option. Personal opinion. Haters to the left. There's librarian in my DNA, dammit. I have to collect the books.
ANY. WAY.
To Taste Temptation is officially Book One in The Legend of the Four Soldiers Series. I know because it says so on the cover. It's the story of Samuel Hartley, former military, recently civilized American colonist, PTSD sufferer. Samuel and his regiment were viciously and brutally attacked and tortured on the frontier during the French and Indian War, and he has come to England on the pretext of expanding his Colonial import business, but with the grander idea of investigating the attack.
Part of his plan involves contacting the widowed sister of his murdered commanding officer, Lady Emmeline Gordon. Emmeline supplements her income by steering young women through society and helping them "come out" as it were, and Hartley just happens to have a rambunctious baby sister whose Colonial upbringing, combined with his insane wealth, is a dangerous (and new!) combination in the ton. And thusly Hartley and Emmeline are thrown together all the time.
Man oh man, do they have the hots for each other.
Let me start off by saying that this book flows so seamlessly into book two, that I'm very curious to find out what more can be said about our remaining two soldiers in books three and four. The mystery of the attack that is set up in this book is not solved until book two, but it is solved in book two. We also meet our book two hero and heroine, Emmeline's fiancé Lord Vale, and her best friend Melisande. What's very, very interesting to me is that there is no setup for the couple in this book. In fact, Melisande outright says in Temptation that Vale doesn't even know her name. I think I like this. If I had read To Taste Temptation first, it would have been surprising and intriguing to find these two paired in the sequel.
Emmeline and Hartley have a number of problems, both emotional and logistical, to overcome. She has a huge abandonment complex because of all of the people around her who died and left her to pick up the pieces. As a result she can be rather cold, and on more than one occasion is described as "prickly." Hartley has his PTSD to contend with, in addition to his general incomprehension of the world in which Emmeline lives.
Class is a huge part of this book, but what I like about Emmeline is that she never considers Samuel to be beneath her, which in London society in that time was a very real consideration. Her only concern is that they are different. So different, that it would be impossible for them to meld their lives. Samuel, on the other hand, acknowledges the differences, but like any true American, knows that they can be overcome.
I really like this book, and I really recommend it, preferably before you read To Seduce a Sinner. The characters were vivid (especially Emmeline and Samuel), the suspense... fine (way predictable, but I didn't care), and the romance top-notch. So go buy it. Or ask Wendy Pan and myself about any number of our lending options.
And then she tells me how awesome it all is. Because the Kindle is such a secretive device (Sorry Dad! You brought it on yourself...), I can never tell what she's reading, and as a result I can never say "ohmygodisthatbookreallyexcellentortheworstthingever??"
Until it all comes out over dinner (or something), at which point I order the paperbacks from Amazon (Thank you, Amazon App), and then I get accused of being in possession of too many books.
Ha.
Devotees will remember that I recently read Elizabeth Hoyt's To Seduce a Sinner, which turned out to be the second book in the Legend of the Four Soldiers Series. It's that second book that Wendy Pan read in paperback, and the first, third, and fourth that now live in the Amazon cloud.
So obviously I had to buy them, because I remain unconvinced of the Kindle (or any digital reading device) as a full-time reading option. Personal opinion. Haters to the left. There's librarian in my DNA, dammit. I have to collect the books.
ANY. WAY.
To Taste Temptation is officially Book One in The Legend of the Four Soldiers Series. I know because it says so on the cover. It's the story of Samuel Hartley, former military, recently civilized American colonist, PTSD sufferer. Samuel and his regiment were viciously and brutally attacked and tortured on the frontier during the French and Indian War, and he has come to England on the pretext of expanding his Colonial import business, but with the grander idea of investigating the attack.
Part of his plan involves contacting the widowed sister of his murdered commanding officer, Lady Emmeline Gordon. Emmeline supplements her income by steering young women through society and helping them "come out" as it were, and Hartley just happens to have a rambunctious baby sister whose Colonial upbringing, combined with his insane wealth, is a dangerous (and new!) combination in the ton. And thusly Hartley and Emmeline are thrown together all the time.
Man oh man, do they have the hots for each other.
Let me start off by saying that this book flows so seamlessly into book two, that I'm very curious to find out what more can be said about our remaining two soldiers in books three and four. The mystery of the attack that is set up in this book is not solved until book two, but it is solved in book two. We also meet our book two hero and heroine, Emmeline's fiancé Lord Vale, and her best friend Melisande. What's very, very interesting to me is that there is no setup for the couple in this book. In fact, Melisande outright says in Temptation that Vale doesn't even know her name. I think I like this. If I had read To Taste Temptation first, it would have been surprising and intriguing to find these two paired in the sequel.
Emmeline and Hartley have a number of problems, both emotional and logistical, to overcome. She has a huge abandonment complex because of all of the people around her who died and left her to pick up the pieces. As a result she can be rather cold, and on more than one occasion is described as "prickly." Hartley has his PTSD to contend with, in addition to his general incomprehension of the world in which Emmeline lives.
Class is a huge part of this book, but what I like about Emmeline is that she never considers Samuel to be beneath her, which in London society in that time was a very real consideration. Her only concern is that they are different. So different, that it would be impossible for them to meld their lives. Samuel, on the other hand, acknowledges the differences, but like any true American, knows that they can be overcome.
I really like this book, and I really recommend it, preferably before you read To Seduce a Sinner. The characters were vivid (especially Emmeline and Samuel), the suspense... fine (way predictable, but I didn't care), and the romance top-notch. So go buy it. Or ask Wendy Pan and myself about any number of our lending options.
9 May 2011
In Which Monday Menu Mayhem is Way Ahead of the Game
I made this recipe so long ago I might not be able to tell you everything I remember about it.
No, I'm just kidding.
(But I might not be)
Last week was Dinner with Granny and Granddad Jones Week, and since Granny is the one who bought me the wondrous book, I try to cook from it with them when I can. And thank goodness for the miraculous iPad. Without it, there would not be a picture of our glorious creation:
So this is the Mortadella and Mozzarella Frittata. I really wanted to make something springy and light-- it was not an awesome day weather-wise, but it's May, dammit! Time to stop slaving over a dutch oven and make a move toward easy and quick.
This was very easy and quick, too. Six eggs, chopped mortadella, chopped mozzarella, parsley, and a little bit of fresh parm, all thrown in the frying pan and then LEFT ALONE. I have to emphasize this, because I have a tendency to stir, and had to re-read those directions about twelve times in order to ensure that I wasn't supposed to do anything but stare at the pan.
After about 5 minutes you transfer your (oven-proof!) skillet to the broiler, and let the top finish cooking. Pop the frittata out of the pan and cut it like a cake. Serve alongside this plain green salad, made better with Gwyneth's Mustard Vinaigrette (already a favorite).
And there you have it. Simple. Elegant. Filling. I'm excited about it because it was delicious, but it also lends itself to any combination of meats, cheeses, and veggies, and you better believe there will be experimenting in the future.
No, I'm just kidding.
(But I might not be)
Last week was Dinner with Granny and Granddad Jones Week, and since Granny is the one who bought me the wondrous book, I try to cook from it with them when I can. And thank goodness for the miraculous iPad. Without it, there would not be a picture of our glorious creation:
So this is the Mortadella and Mozzarella Frittata. I really wanted to make something springy and light-- it was not an awesome day weather-wise, but it's May, dammit! Time to stop slaving over a dutch oven and make a move toward easy and quick.
This was very easy and quick, too. Six eggs, chopped mortadella, chopped mozzarella, parsley, and a little bit of fresh parm, all thrown in the frying pan and then LEFT ALONE. I have to emphasize this, because I have a tendency to stir, and had to re-read those directions about twelve times in order to ensure that I wasn't supposed to do anything but stare at the pan.
After about 5 minutes you transfer your (oven-proof!) skillet to the broiler, and let the top finish cooking. Pop the frittata out of the pan and cut it like a cake. Serve alongside this plain green salad, made better with Gwyneth's Mustard Vinaigrette (already a favorite).
And there you have it. Simple. Elegant. Filling. I'm excited about it because it was delicious, but it also lends itself to any combination of meats, cheeses, and veggies, and you better believe there will be experimenting in the future.
5 May 2011
In Which Thoroughly Obsessed Thursday Squees.
Do you know what a "squee" is?
No?
In reality it's probably close to what you're imagining. It's something like jumping up and down while making a noise akin to an "Eeeeee" and a squeal. Yes, it's obnoxious. But it's so full of enthusiasm that you can't help but find it infectious.
I have squeed quite a lot in the past twenty-four hours. You all know my favorite site, right? The SmartBitches site was an extremely powerful find for me in the winter of 2008/2009. I was contemplating my MLS (Still am! It's just far away!), and I was falling back in love with romance novels after a long and uncertain hiatus (Hello, nasty breakup. Thanks for momentarily ruining my thoughts on romance novels). SB (SmartBitch) Candy and SB Sarah were like a breath of fresh air. They wrote like I think. They were smart. They loved romance novels. And they were in no way ashamed of their love of a long-derided genre.
This week, SB Sarah was scheduled to speak at the Connecticut Library Association Conference, and I was scheduled to be there, except that the universe likes to laugh at me from time to time. OK. The universe likes to laugh at me a lot.
I woke up on Monday morning and read this article on Smart Bitches, and no joke, I nearly wept at my desk at work. WHY WAS I NOT THERE MEETING AND FANGIRL-ING AT SMART BITCH SARAH??? I went home and did not drink heavily (Because I'm trying not to do that during the week... much), but I seriously thought about it.
Cut to: last night. I'm visiting Granny and Granddad Jones for our (mostly) monthly get-together, and Granny starts talking to me about one of our mutual acquaintances (Relevant background: Granny and I worked at the same library for 10 years. She still works there. And so does this mutual friend), and how he left something for me. Something AWESOME. Like a copy of the Official SmartBitches Handbook, Beyond Heaving Bosoms: A Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels.
And inside was THIS:
In case you're wondering, that says:
"To Elizabeth [no, my real name is not Kate]- Happy reading- may we all live happily ever after with the heaving bosoms of good reading. SB Sarah PS- where were you?! :)"
So yeah. My obsession this week is all things SB Sarah and SmartBitches. Because honestly, there's nothing quite like a badass woman's kind and encouraging words to help you move forward in your quest to be a badass woman.
I sent a thank you email to Sarah (who I have emailed a couple of times regarding various issues/fun things re: the Bitchery), and she could not have been more gracious and kind. Are we paying close attention to her next local appearance so we can squee in person? Yes, yes we are.
No?
In reality it's probably close to what you're imagining. It's something like jumping up and down while making a noise akin to an "Eeeeee" and a squeal. Yes, it's obnoxious. But it's so full of enthusiasm that you can't help but find it infectious.
I have squeed quite a lot in the past twenty-four hours. You all know my favorite site, right? The SmartBitches site was an extremely powerful find for me in the winter of 2008/2009. I was contemplating my MLS (Still am! It's just far away!), and I was falling back in love with romance novels after a long and uncertain hiatus (Hello, nasty breakup. Thanks for momentarily ruining my thoughts on romance novels). SB (SmartBitch) Candy and SB Sarah were like a breath of fresh air. They wrote like I think. They were smart. They loved romance novels. And they were in no way ashamed of their love of a long-derided genre.
This week, SB Sarah was scheduled to speak at the Connecticut Library Association Conference, and I was scheduled to be there, except that the universe likes to laugh at me from time to time. OK. The universe likes to laugh at me a lot.
I woke up on Monday morning and read this article on Smart Bitches, and no joke, I nearly wept at my desk at work. WHY WAS I NOT THERE MEETING AND FANGIRL-ING AT SMART BITCH SARAH??? I went home and did not drink heavily (Because I'm trying not to do that during the week... much), but I seriously thought about it.
Cut to: last night. I'm visiting Granny and Granddad Jones for our (mostly) monthly get-together, and Granny starts talking to me about one of our mutual acquaintances (Relevant background: Granny and I worked at the same library for 10 years. She still works there. And so does this mutual friend), and how he left something for me. Something AWESOME. Like a copy of the Official SmartBitches Handbook, Beyond Heaving Bosoms: A Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels.
And inside was THIS:
In case you're wondering, that says:
"To Elizabeth [no, my real name is not Kate]- Happy reading- may we all live happily ever after with the heaving bosoms of good reading. SB Sarah PS- where were you?! :)"
So yeah. My obsession this week is all things SB Sarah and SmartBitches. Because honestly, there's nothing quite like a badass woman's kind and encouraging words to help you move forward in your quest to be a badass woman.
I sent a thank you email to Sarah (who I have emailed a couple of times regarding various issues/fun things re: the Bitchery), and she could not have been more gracious and kind. Are we paying close attention to her next local appearance so we can squee in person? Yes, yes we are.
2 May 2011
In Which Monday Menu Mayhem Makes Chorizo and Chickpea Stew
This is one I've been dying to make pretty much since I got the book.
First of all it uses bulgur wheat, which I have never worked with. And the first step calls to toast bits of angel hair pasta, which is then cooked with the wheat. I also have decided that two of my new favorite things are chorizo and chickpeas, so... yeah. That part's pretty self-explanatory. Behold:
Needless to say, this stew was incredibly filling. And with the presence of apricot pieces and cinnamon, it's a little bit... weird. Like, "I'm pretty unsure about these first couple of bites" weird. Boy Scout was seriously skeptical. But by the end of the meal he had announced that it was perfect, don't change a thing in the future, and I'm almost with him.
This Egyptian-inspired dish (taught to Nigella herself by an Egyptian friend) uses things in (what we would consider) unusual combination. You know, like cinnamon and apricots and chorizo and canned tomatoes. But it was delicious and wholesome. And it was quick and easy to make.
I think in the future I would omit the apricots, or at least, I wouldn't freak out if I made the dish and forgot them. They definitely added flavor, but the savory-spiciness was so good, it was almost jarring to have that extra bit of sweet, too. Definitely worth investigating.
Once again we have a dish that was probably better the next day (Boy Scout?), but once again it does perfectly well on day one.
Hooray for Monday!
First of all it uses bulgur wheat, which I have never worked with. And the first step calls to toast bits of angel hair pasta, which is then cooked with the wheat. I also have decided that two of my new favorite things are chorizo and chickpeas, so... yeah. That part's pretty self-explanatory. Behold:
Needless to say, this stew was incredibly filling. And with the presence of apricot pieces and cinnamon, it's a little bit... weird. Like, "I'm pretty unsure about these first couple of bites" weird. Boy Scout was seriously skeptical. But by the end of the meal he had announced that it was perfect, don't change a thing in the future, and I'm almost with him.
This Egyptian-inspired dish (taught to Nigella herself by an Egyptian friend) uses things in (what we would consider) unusual combination. You know, like cinnamon and apricots and chorizo and canned tomatoes. But it was delicious and wholesome. And it was quick and easy to make.
I think in the future I would omit the apricots, or at least, I wouldn't freak out if I made the dish and forgot them. They definitely added flavor, but the savory-spiciness was so good, it was almost jarring to have that extra bit of sweet, too. Definitely worth investigating.
Once again we have a dish that was probably better the next day (Boy Scout?), but once again it does perfectly well on day one.
Hooray for Monday!
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