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.