end of the world fiction

Is it the end of the world?

Data from End of the world -- Fiction - Cedar Rapids Public Library-Metro Library Network

Data from American poetry -- African American authors - Cedar Rapids Public Library-Metro Library Network

We all need some Dark Roast Comedy

A good dark roast is the essence of breakfast, don't you think?

Today I am going to introduce a new menu item. Because sometimes life is pretty terrible. Perhaps it is the middle of February and in addition to being very cold and snowy, you are in the midst of an election. There are terrifying candidates running for the opposition and your hope for the first female president is getting a serious challenge.

What do you need? How about a dark and funny book! In this case the "Dark Roast Comedy" is Margaret Atwood's new novel The Heart Goes Last. This dystopian story commences in a near future of continuing wealth inequality and crumbling society. In the beginning, it was almost depressing but low and behold, the "solution" is a planned society. Using a twin cycle of imprisonment and freedom to fix all ills, what could possibly go wrong. Sound  a little bitter? You bet, but the comedy kick comes in with the addition of some interesting LIBIDO which really makes the story perk. If you haven't read Atwood before, be prepared for a high level of weirdness. Weirdness and wit, the perfect dark roast comedy.

Other menu options and what they mean:
Escape Fiction: Any book set in another time or situation so different than everyday it will help you escape the crushing reality that is your life.
Modern Love: Not necessarily contemporary. Modern love in this case refers to books that explore relationships in a more nuanced manner than traditional romance. Admit it, we all want to know how to get love right, right?
Narrative Nonfiction: This genre is so delicious and good for you too. Basically you read a real life story that is very compelling and educational. Best kind of nonfiction there is by the way.
Novels that take me back to social studies class: These are books that explore societal ills in a realistic way. This genre helps me to understand other's point of view and sometimes experience very dangerous situations in a safe way.
Transformative: Books that show a protagonist becoming someone new. Don't we all love a make over? These books are great in that they can inspire us to set goals and take chances.

and Culinary Adventures are just some bits about some experiences I have had with food.

Epic Series: 8 served

Do you like to read series fiction? I do too; especially epic series. I’d like to recommend some but could find no accepted definition of what makes an epic (fiction) series. Some people group fantasy series with epics and I can see their point. However, I believe some historical or contemporary fiction series which could also be described as epic, at least by my definition.   

Think "epic" and The Odyssey comes to mind.  The Odyssey is great story where lots of crazy stuff happens to Odysseus and his heroic qualities are tested. That is pretty much sums up what an epic is to me. Also that the world created by the author is distinctly different than my rather ordinary world.

So, here are eight of my favorite epic series. For each I will tell you about the heroic qualities, the crazy things that happen, the atmosphere and an indication of the level of fantasy because not everyone loves magical beings and such.

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Heroic Qualities?- Bright and brave children find a way to save the day despite the lack of trust given to them by adults.

What Crazy Things Happen?  Murder, torture, witchcraft, troll attacks, haunting, betrayal, explosions and even some snogging in year 4.

Atmosphere- Despite the fact that the world of Hogwarts is a dangerous place, the feeling is loveable and full of fun, like Christmas morning. 

Fantasy Quotient- Medium

Song of Fire and Ice series by George RR Martin

Heroic Qualities?-  Conflicting loyalties and the complexities of leadership make none of the characters all good or bad. 

What Crazy Things Happen?  Murder, torture, dragon attacks, betrayal, explosions and some major hooking up between various characters.

Atmosphere- Dark and fascinating. Kind of a primer for intrigue.

Fantasy Quotient- Low

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien

Heroic Qualities? The heroes are a small race of humble hobbits who by their very nature are the best suited for the quest at hand.

What Crazy Things Happen- Sorcery, orc attacks, haunting, betrayal, battles galore, the clash of egos and different races.

Atmosphere- Dark but starkly good verses evil.

Fantasy Quotient- High

The Millennium Series by Steig Larssen

Heroic Qualities?  A techie heroine  plays by her own rules. She possesses a code of honor that serves her well. Despite her diminutive size she is one bad ass who saves the day.

What Crazy Things Happen-Sexual assault, consensual sex and amazing computer hacking

Atmosphere- Dark with a cast of misogynistic villains and some sophisticated Swedish culture.

Fantasy Quotient- No fantasy here.

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

Heroic Qualities? Loyal, physically attractive and sexually adventurous leads. Most of the heroic characters can also time travel and try to avert large and small disasters that they know about from their perspective.

What Crazy Things Happen-Time travel, war, rape, lots of consensual sex, piracy.

Atmosphere- Enchantingly full of the details that make up marriage and family in an authentic historical context.

Fantasy Quotient- Low

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Heroic Qualities? Our heroes are experienced cattlemen who had worked as Texas Rangers. They know the land, the men and the cattle. Their hearts are a little less knowing.

What Crazy Things Happen- What can wrong on a cattle drive with a prostitute along? Lightening, snake bites, jealousy, drinking, gambling and fighting galore

Atmosphere- Despite the sadness in parts, the simplicity of the life and death decisions is reassuring.

Fantasy Quotient-Zero, word is there is a real life story behind the first novel.

Bridget Jones series by Helen Fielding

Heroic Qualities? The pressure of trying to be perfect mate is a quest that our bumbling disaster somehow gets right.

What Crazy Things Happen-Workplace dalliance, wardrobe malfunctions, online dating, weight gain and some of the other horrors that face a single woman.

Atmosphere- Romantic comedy, UK style

Fantasy Quotient- Zero

The Strain by Guillermo de Toro and Chuck Hogan

Heroic Qualities- Unlikely heroes use their specific knowledge to fight the horror.  Bravery and self-doubt abound.

What Crazy Things Happen- A plague of vampires is crazy enough, oh and rats, lots of rats.

Atmosphere- Darkly horrific in a post-apocalyptic manner

Fantasy Quotient- Medium, although there is the undead, this updated vampire story is told with a quasi-believable explanation.

A Book about Monarch Butterflies by a Favorite Author

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver is not a new book.  I am not sure how I missed it when it was originally published but  I just read it over my vacation. 
Similar in setting to Prodigal Summer, the story concerns the choices we make and encourages us to think about the future. A change in Monarch Butterfly migration is both the event that drives the plot, creating conflict and suspense and a magical element that helps to bring a spiritual tone to the book.
Ultimately Kingsolver's theme is one of environmental concern which is not surprising if you have read any of her other books. However, I found this one to be well balanced with a story of the transformation of the main character, Dellarobia. Initially portrayed as an unhappy wife and mother, she becomes the voice of reason.
I am very happy to have read this book and hope you enjoy it as well.

Twin reading magic: Outlander, Redshirts and Tortilla Curtain

I have a twin who often spontaneously reads the same books as I. It is even freakier when we are reading them simultaneously.   The first time this happened we found out we were both reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  This was at least 10 years ago long, long before the Startz TV series. Interestingly enough both of my daughters have gone on to read the series too now that they are adults.

The most recent case of this coincidental (or possibly magic) reading synchronicity

is Redshirts by John Scalzi which I highly recommend. It is a fun, playful and creative look at the boundaries of fiction and reality. Anyone who has seen the original Star Trek tv series should also get the reference. 

 I also recently read Tortilla Curtain by Boyle, T. Cor­aghes­san. I was talking to my twin and voila, she had read it a while back. This is a much more uncomfortable book but worth the time if you are interested in exploring the views of wealthy white people and illegal immigrants in the western part of the country. No spoilers here but I was hoping for a happier ending.

Are the kids alright?

Sometimes I randomly pick books with similar settings or themes. Recently I read two books that both explore the awfulness of institutions for children.  With the closing of the Iowa Juvenile Home being a hot topic in the local news, I find both of these books very enlightening.

The Panopticon is set in the UK and concerns a young woman with some serious behavioral and emotional disorders. The institution described is  designed to provide continuous supervision of inmates in a prison setting. The irony is that the kids in the story seem to do whatever they want so I guess that the message is that no one cares. The main character, Anais has a history of broken foster homes and dreams of escaping impending lifelong institutionalization.  She makes some progress but ultimately also is self destructive. It was an interesting read but the Scottish slang took some getting used to. I give this book a 3 out of 4 stars. It was interesting but not super original.

Good Kings, Bad Kings is set in Chicago and concerns the staff and residents of a care center for children with emotional, mental and physical disabilities.  I really can't say enough good about this book. First off, you come out of it with a whole new respect for those with a physical disability who are unlucky enough to be wards of the state. Second of all you can see how the privatization of formally State run institutions can go bad. This book really helps me have some perspective on the whole issue of the Iowa Juvenile Home and about nursing homes in general. In addition, the characters are extremely realistic and lovable.  Four out of four stars.

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgeway: a book review

 Here is one for those of us wishing to escape.

What is it about time travel- romance as a genre that I find so appealing? You get the suspense and emotional lift of the love story and the intellectual challenge of contemplating the logical challenges presented to the space time continuum. Plus you get to learn a little bit about history. In the tradition of "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, this book is a great addition to the genre.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This probably doesn't save us any money but we make and can our own homemade spaghetti sauce. Wendy has done it for years but last year I joined in with her and we decided to make it a yearly thing. My daughter Jaimie has also been part of this two year tradition (as well as Noah and Bret.)
It helps that Wendy has a really cool device called a Squeezo that looks like it's from the 1950's but does a terrific job of extracting all of the tomato and none of the seeds and skin.  Her Mother-in -Law, Elna is also wonderfully generous with her extra tomatoes because you can never have too many. This year we "put up" 30 quarts. We felt we were more organized than last year but still left the experience with many notes on how we could do this better next year (more tomatoes!).
Despite the quarts I took home, what I really gained was the memory of laughter between Wendy, Jaimie and I. We have an unique relationship since in some ways, Jaimie has two mothers.  Our teasing and clowning make this a day that is really about love so I thought I would write about it here.

If you are interested in making your own spaghetti sauce here is what we do:
Run the tomatoes through the Squeezo. If you don't have one, you can cook them and run them through a food mill. Your initial sauce will really be tomato juice. Turn it into sauce by adding tomato paste (Wendy recommends Contandina). You can cook it for as long as you want. Add plenty of seasoning to taste. This includes basil, oregano,  parsley and lots of salt. You can add whatever you like though, some years we have added some red wine. Trust me, this is better than you can buy.

Some Things Supernatural

I am not typically into paranormal fiction, yet somehow I just read 4 supernatural novels!  They were all enjoyable books. While reading, I began to wonder why is the supernatural so popular, both with readers and authors?
I consider myself an amateur reader. So without doing any research into the the appeal of this genre or theme, let's explore the magic in these four. I invite other readers to give me your take.

Book #1-

The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao

by Junot Díaz.

The story takes place in the 1980s. Oscar is an overweight, nerdy young man from the Dominican Republic growing up in New Jersey.  The idea of Fuku' (curse) begins with his grandfather's demise at the direction of El Jefe, continues with his mother's disastrous childhood and relationships and finally comes to bear on Oscar. These magical elements are mostly interpretive as Oscar seeks to make sense of his bad luck  and find love. I believe that Diaz included these mystical parts into the novel because as a story about a family who emigrates from the Dominican Republic to the United States the cultural beliefs are part of the story. What I loved about the novel was learning about DR history and culture from a very authentic sounding narrator. The superstitions included added to that idea of cultural transmission between generations.

Book #2

Sisterland :a novel

by Curtis Sittenfeld

This story is about twin sisters who are also psychic.  They can predict the future. Although this leads to some of the plot suspense in the novel, I think the author used their ESP as a  metaphor for the closeness the women experienced. I believe the story is really about what it is like being a twin. The sister's relationships with each other and others in the context of their twin-ness is wonderfully explored. Like Ying and Yang, twins commonly develop their personalities in contrast to each other. When the roles are reversed, interesting things happen. I think hearing that the novel contains some supernatural themes might draw those in who might not otherwise not choose this book.

Book #3

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

The main character is a teenage boy who seeks to make meaning out his grandfather's life and death. He finds an entire magical world that changes him from ordinary to extraordinary with it's unique challenges. The children in the story all have weird and somewhat magical talents. The story also includes time travel so definitely would appeal to those who like speculative fiction.  The supernatural powers of the characters are a device to explore the hidden talents in all of us and is saying that it is okay to be different. The best part of this book however has got to be the illustrations. About every 10 pages, the author includes a old real life photo that goes with the story.

Book #4

Second glance: a novel

Jodi Picoult.
Unlike other books I have read by this author, there is no ethical dilemma nor courtroom battle. The story involves a man whose fiance dies in a car crash and ends up wanting to die.  The story completely focuses on ghosts, dreams and daily supernatural occurrences . In this book Picoult is shouting "LOVE IS A MIRACLE!"  Despite the overkill on the main theme, the book delivers some history on our nation's eugenics movement of the 20s and 30s which fits nicely into the plot. There is some suspense and plenty of romance as well. 

So to sum up, looking at these four books, love, relationships and our own hidden talents are magical. Do you agree?

What makes a good summertime read?

My fantasy of reading this summer included getting lost in an epic novel. So far this hasn't come to pass. Here are some of the books that I have read so far this summer. They were all pretty good but I have not been carried away from the real world like I hoped.
If you have a recommendation... George RR Martin- esk, please pass it on.


Existence by David Brin
I had read Earth by Brin years back and thought this one looked similar. The genius of Brin is that he looks at the world today and predicts the near future. My criticism of this book was that it was just too much. The book carried about 6 different points of view.  I was about 1/3 of the way through before the plot really got going. Interspersed with the story are the quotes from the made up world that Brin is writing about. Interesting but the story was not compelling  to make the  work of reading it worthwhile. It took me over 6 weeks to read this. I think I finished it out of stubbornness.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
This would be for if you wanted a something light. Bray is a great YA author with a feminist bent. the story features teen beauty queens stranded on an island after their plane crashes. It is a satirical take on our beauty obsessed society and pro "girl power"in a junior high kind of way. It borders on farce but that is part of the fun. This book was completed by me in a 2 day period.

Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman
This tell-all about the worlds most secretive "religion" is actually quite good. I found myself trying to formulate the criteria needed for a new religion. Scientology has this in spades. Here is some of my math:

My first theory:

1 individual (charismatic + imaginative) seeking public = new religion

 My revised theory:

 1 individual (charismatic + imaginative + exploitative + paranoid)  seeking public (narcissistic) = Scientology

My only complaint is that like a lot of nonfiction I read, the details bogged me down. I loved the part where they started talking about Hollywood. It made me pick up a copy of People magazine to see how Katie Holmes is getting along! 

A Tale of Two Cheesecakes

Last weekend was Jaimie’s 20th birthday. We planned to celebrate it in Des Moines with Ellen and Wendy’s families. In addition Jared and Pete had also just celebrated their 20th birthdays as well. Makes you wonder what was going on in September 1992, doesn't it?

Obviously the occasion called for for some good food. My niece Gail generously invited everyone over to her new digs and planned to make lasagna. The ending to the meal called for  celebratory  desserts so Wendy and I planned to make a dessert for each of the birthday buddies.

I have always felt that cheesecakes traveled well and are pretty foolproof if you have a couple of days lead time. I asked Jaimie (my daughter) and Jared (her boyfriend) about what kind of cheesecake they wanted. Below are the recipes for Peanut Butter Cheesecake Minis and Pomegranate Cheesecake with my variations noted. So my cooking experience with two cheesecakes was very opposite, one was the easiest of recipes while the other was the hardest of recipes. While reading through the following recipes try to guess which one made me feel like I was living in the age of foolishness.While making the cheesecakes the following quote sprang to mind. It certainly remains true;

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Minis

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen (Serves:  12 cakes)

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

12 bite-size peanut butter cups

I added a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan.

To make crust, in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving. My last deviation was to decorate with chopped peanuts

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_29782_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html?oc=linkback

Pomegranate Cheesecake

I made two small deviations in this recipe, they are noted.

Yield: Makes 16 servings

Plan Ahead: the cheesecake needs to be chilled for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Filling:

• 4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat worked great)
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream (again, reduced fat worked great)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pomegranate Glaze:
• 1-16-ounce bottle pomegranate juice (usually found in the refrigerated section of juices)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (tutorial on de-seeding here)

Directions

1. For the crust: preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl beat butter on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar. Beat until combined. Add egg; beat well. Beat in flour until combined. Divide dough in half. Cover one portion and set it aside.
2. Remove the sides from a 10-inch springform pan and set aside. Spread first portion of dough on just the bottom of ungreased springform pan base, spreading dough to edges. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely. When cool, attach sides of pan. Press chilled dough onto the sides of the sprinform pan to a height of 1-3/4 inches, using a thin metal spatula, like an offset spatula, to spread dough.
3. For the filling: reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In an extra-large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the flour on low speed until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla all at once, beating on low speed just until combined. Mix in sour cream and lemon peel. Then, using a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently fold in pomegranate seeds (if you use the electric mixer for this part, the seeds will burst and stain the filling with the juice – and it won’t look as pretty). Here is where I first deviated, I left out the pomegranate seeds, thinking this would be hard to avoid if you don’t like the seeds.
4. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Here I added a little of the pomegranate glaze (see step 6). I just pourted in a spiral on top and cut through to create a swirl pattern. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 65 minutes or until edges are puffed and center jiggles slightly when gently shaken. Remove from oven. (It doesn’t matter if the cheesecake cracks on top since it will have a sour cream topping.)
5. For the topping: stir together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Spread sour cream mixture over top of baked cheesecake, spreading gently to the edges. Return to oven; bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan. Cool for 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan; cool completely. Cover; chill 4 hours or overnight.
6. For pomegranate glaze: in a medium saucepan bring pomegranate juice to boiling; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, until reduced to 1 cup (12 to 15 minutes). In a separate bowl, stir together brown sugar and cornstarch. Add to juice. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Transfer to a medium bowl; cover surface with clear plastic wrap. Cool to room temperature. Store, covered, in refrigerator until serving time.
7. When ready to serve, remove cheesecake and pomegranate glaze from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Spoon some sauce over top of cheesecake; pile remaining pomegranate seeds in center of cheesecake. To serve, slice cheesecake. Pass remaining sauce.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/12/sugar-rush-6-pomegranate-cheesecake.html

Speaking of Salad Recipes

I've gotten many compliments on this salad recipe. I've even gotten someone who doesn't eat many vegetables to rave about it. The combination of the cucumbers, strawberries and honey makes it sweet. 


Amanda's Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
Greens ( I prefer the "Herb Mix" you can buy at Walmart or the name brand Dole Herb Mix--1 package)
1 Cucumber
1 package of strawberries
Handful of sliced/slivered almonds
Cheese and garlic seasoned croutons

Homemade Honey Vinaigrette:
Olive Oil
Honey
Salad Vinegar ( I use Heinz) 
Any Mustard you have on hand
Salt and Pepper

I buy the herb mix because it has an assortment of greens mixed with pieces of fresh herbs. Usually you can taste cilantro, tarragon and parsley. Be sure to add some of these if you decide to use another lettuce. I wash and pour the greens into a big salad bowl. I chop the cucumber into coins and then cut those into fourths, like a pie piece. I add these to the salad. I then chop the strawberries--bigger chunks if you like them that way or smaller if you want. I toss them in and add the almonds. 

Now for the dressing. I mostly make this based on taste, but here is my best shot at proportioning. Put about 3 tablespoons of oil olive into a bowl. Then add the same amount of honey. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Then add 1 tablespoon of mustard and a shake of salt and pepper. The vinaigrette should be very sweet, so if it doesn't taste right add more honey and a another dash of vinegar.

I then toss the salad with this and add the croutons on top. This salad is best made fresh and doesn't keep well past the first day. If you are wanting it for leftovers, serve vinaigrette individually. Chopped honey crisp apples also go well in this salad (keep the skins on them). 

Proof that you can make a salad out of anything

This isn't really a recipe but more of a "chopped' style experience.

As you may know, I started my garden fairly early this year, with parts of it getting snowed on (almost 10 inches May 1st and 2nd) . My experiment with planting early has been a huge success. I expect to have at least one tomato by the fourth of July and am currently enjoying lettuce, spinach, green onions and cilantro.

Ellen's recommendation

Ellen enthusiastically recommended Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman when I saw her last week. I didn't remember hearing much about this book when it was published last year but found that my library had it so I checked it out.

The cover immediately drew me in, featuring an old style library date due slip.

The book is about a young girl growing in a trailer park. The story explores the boundaries to success for those coming from an impoverished background and the special challenges of being a poor female. It was a very quick read but one I will remember so I thought I'd recommend it to my other sisters.

Check out my books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18400552-jill-gray

News Flash

I heard about this book on NPR and just knew I wanted to read it. Despite the cover photo looking a little like a Beverly Lewis novel this should be a good read. Sandra Dallas is the author of the Persian Pickle Club which I believe we all read together several/many years ago. This new book is about the Mormon crossing of the country at Brigham Young's urging.

Other things I have read of note lately:
Stones in the River by Ursula Heigi (thanks Laurie for the recommendation!)
This was an interesting book on many levels. It took a bit of work to complete but helped me to understand how the average German was unable to prevent the rise of Nazism.

Driftless by David Rhodes (thanks Ellen!)
I actually listened to this book. Set in SW Wisconsin, this book really gives a good perspective on rural life but is really about how interconnected we all are. The characters are extremely lovable.

About Food: I tried an experiment with making tamales with a corn tortilla instead of using masa. They were moister and lighter but kind of fell apart. I am going to try the recipe again and wrap them differently. When I get a good batch, I will share my secrets.

Love to hear what you are reading!
Love,
Jill

Corn on the Cob

How to Prepare Fresh Corn on the Cob Without Those Pesky Corn Silks...


This could be a neat trick.  We can't get corn right out of the field in Arizona, so I'm counting on my Iowa connection to tell me if it tastes as good prepared this way.  I'm a little suspicious of the pink shirt...

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4&feature=youtu.be

Greeting from the Top O' the World

Well, perhaps not the top of the world, but at 8000 ft it is a fair sight higher than much of America.

Ed and I arrived at the cabin Wednesday evening, just in time to catch sight of a couple of elk in the falling twilight of a warm spring evening.  Fair temperatures turned chilly on Thursday as old man winter took a last swipe at the mountain before retreating to the northern peaks and what better way to cut through the chill than a hearty winter stew.

This is our stove top pork stew.  It's not unhealthy- the pork I use is a loin roast trimmed of fat, but it does have potatoes and carrots which contribute carbs.  Also, I use pork gravy from a jar that probably has more sodium than I would choose.  On the plus side it is one of those easy, hearty meals that nourishes the soul and in spite of ongoing modifications, it never fails to please.

I've tried both browning the pork in an all metal skillet and de-glazing the pan with wine, and browning it in the non-stick dutch oven before adding the other ingredients.  Both produce a nice stew and the differences aren't noticeable. The carrots were a latter addition that is quite favorable.  If you're rushing things, try steaming the carrots while you brown the pork.  The green bean are good either fresh or frozen.  The tomatoes are optional.  Its good both with and without and it is also good with a can of Rotel instead of the tomatoes.

This is a dish that can sit on the stove for an hour or more if necessary, so it is a good one for nights when you expect guests will show up late for dinner. Makes 4 hearty servings.

Skillet Pork Stew

1 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 C diced carrots
2 12 oz jars pork gravy.  Packages of pork gravy work too, but you may want to deglaze for skillet drippings if you use them
2 T ketchup
8 small unpeeled red potatoes, cut into fourths.
1 C fresh or frozen green beans
Optional, 1 14 oz can of chunky tomatoes, drained

 Brown the pork over medium high heat in a large skillet or dutch oven.  Reduce to medium and add onion and garlic, cooking until onions are translucent.  If you didn't use non-stick cookware, de-glaze the pan with 1/4 C red wine, stirring to remove browned bits.  Add carrots, gravy, ketchup, potatoes.  Cover and cook 20 minutes.  Stir in beans and tomatoes if using them.  Cook 5-10 minutes more, until vegetables are tender.

 Ed likes Chipotle Tabasco with it.  Biscuits are are also a good side.