Greetings from Brooklyn, New York - I am thrilled to announce the arrival of Sylvie Lila Potter, Libby and David's beautiful daughter and our granddaugher. She was born on Friday, October 17, 2008 at 12:39 PM weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces and measuring 19 inches. Libby and Sylvie are doing so well together - Sylvie seems to know exactly what to do and Libby is pretty relaxed. I arrived at NYU Medical Center late Friday afternoon and have been enjoying being with my new sweet granddaughter. They came home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon and were so happy to be home in Brooklyn.
It was good to settle in today and I made my Lamb Stew with Cippoline Onions for dinner. Please see earlier posts for that recipe - it is such comfort food. Tomorrow will probably be Roast Chicken - always a favorite of Libby's.
Needless to say, I haven't been reading much since I got here. I am reading Jack Kornfield's A Path With Heart for our now weekly study group. I will miss that this week and perhaps next week but want to keep up with the chapters we're reading. We discussed the first chapter last Thursday. It really does build on the material covered in A New Earth but with a very different tone and perspective.
I'm not prepared to include our ususal features but I will include a Quote of the Week:'
Henry David Thoreau
"Every child begins the world again"
Thank you to Sylvie and Jacob for beginning our world again.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Susan
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Saturday Morning Walkers - October 12, 2008
Hi everyone,
It sure was good to reunite with my Saturday Morning Walkers yesterday - it was an unusual rainy day here in Boulder, so we just enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Breadworks and caught up a bit with Chris, Barb, Mary, Andrea, Laila and Christie.
I'm pleased to let you know that our A New Earth Study Group completed the final chapter of Eckhard Tolle's book this past week. We will continue to meet and will start working on Jack Kornfield's A Path With Heart. Even if you're not meeting with us on Thursday mornings, I would really encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and read along with us. I'm considering setting up a separate blog for our study group discussions and invite anyone to participate. I'll keep you posted on that.
Book Report:
I finished Peony by Pearl S. Buck - just an ok read for me - it was an interesting storyline based on true events involving a Jewish community in 19th century China.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peony is set in the 1850s in the city of Kaifeng, in the province of Henan, which was historically a center for Jews. The novel follows Peony, a Chinese bondmaid of the prominent Jewish family of Ezra ben Israel, and shows through her eyes how the Jewish community was regarded in Kaifeng at a time when most of the Jews had come to think of themselves as Chinese. The novel contains a hidden love and shows the importance of duty along with the challenges of life. This novel is one that follows the guidelines of Buck's work. The setting is China, religion is involved, and there is an interracial couple (David and Kulien).
Chris is loving listening to Isabel Allende's second memoir, Sum of All Days.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In this deeply revealing second memoir, after Paula, novelist Allende (The House of Spirits) utilizes her family and the complex network of their relationships as the linchpin of the narrative. While weaving in her candid opinions on love and marriage, friendship, drug addiction, the writing life and religious fanaticism, Allende continues to work through the grief over her daughter's death. In these years without you I have learned to manage sadness, making it my ally. Little by little your absence and other losses in my life are turning into a sweet nostalgia. And though Allende's insight is keen, her prose polished and her language hypnotic, it's the stories of her close-knit family that move the memoir forward. We lived as a tribe, Chilean style; we were almost always together. While much of the story is infused with melancholy, her world is by no means without humor, mirth and wisdom. She celebrates friends' triumphs and exploits their foibles, including the odyssey of the boobs, without taking herself too seriously. This is a book to savor.
Mary read the classic The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Amazon.com Review
The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett's classic tale of murder in Manhattan, became the popular movie series with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and both the movies and the novel continue to captivate new generations of fans.
Nick and Nora Charles, accompanied by their schnauzer, Asta, are lounging in their suite at the Normandie in New York City for the Christmas holiday, enjoying the prerogatives of wealth: meals delivered at any hour, theater openings, taxi rides at dawn, rubbing elbows with the gangster element in speakeasies. They should be annoyingly affected, but they charm. Mad about each other, sardonic, observant, kind to those in need, and cool in a fight, Nick and Nora are graceful together, and their home life provides a sanctuary from the rough world of gangsters, hoodlums, and police investigations into which Nick is immediately plunged.
A lawyer-friend asks Nick to help find a killer and reintroduces him to the family of Richard Wynant, a more-than-eccentric inventor who disappeared from society 10 years before. His former wife, the lush and manipulative Mimi, has remarried a European fortune hunter who turns out to be a vindictive former associate of her first husband and is bent on the ruin of Wynant's family fortune. Wynant's children, Dorothy and Gilbert, seem to have inherited the family aversion to straight talk. Dorothy, who has matured into a beautiful young woman, has a crush on Nick, and so, in a hero-worshipping way, does mama's boy Gilbert. Nick and Nora respond kindly to their neediness as Nick tries to make sense of misinformation, false identities, far-fetched alibis, and, at the center of the confusion, the mystery of The Thin Man, Richard Wynant. Is he mad? Is he a killer? Or is he really an eccentric inventor protecting his discovery from intellectual theft?
The dialogue is spare, the locales lively, and Nick, the narrator, shows us the players as they are, while giving away little of his own thoughts. No one is telling the whole truth, but Nick remains mostly patient as he doggedly tries to backtrack the lies. Hammett's New York is a cross between Damon Runyon and Scott Fitzgerald--more glamorous than real, but compelling when visited in the company of these two charmers. The lives of the rich and famous don't get any better than this! --Barbara Schlieper
Laila is lukewarm about Byron Katie's Loving What Is - she compared her approach to Eckhard Tolle's A New Earth but found it much more confusing. I know that Oprah has interviewed Katie but I haven't listened to those interviews yet.
Amazon.com Review
Remember the phrase "question authority"? Loving What Is is a workbook on questioning authority--but in this case, what is in question is the authority of our own fundamental beliefs about our relationships.
Known simply as "The Work," Byron Katie's methods are clean and straightforward. The basis is a series of four questions addressed to your own lists of written assumptions. Whether you're angry with your boss, frustrated with your teen's behavior, or appalled at the state of the world's environment, Katie suggests you write down your most honest thoughts on the matter, and then begin the examination. Starting with, "Is it true?" and continuing with explorations of "Who would you be without that thought?" this method allows you to get through unhelpful preconceptions and find peace. An integral part of the process is "turning the thought around," and at first this can seem like you're simply blaming yourself for everything. Push a little harder, and you'll find a very responsible acceptance of reality, beyond questions of fault and blame.
The book is filled with examples of folks applying The Work to a variety of life situations, and reading other's examples gets the idea across pretty clearly; chances are you'll find your own frustrations echoed on the pages a few times. Many chapters are divided into specific topics, such as couples, money, addictions, and self-judgments, with one chapter devoted to exploring the method with children.
Website of the Week - NPR's Planet Money - http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/ - several NPR correspondents have put together an excellent website dealing with our current financial situation.
Podcast of the Week - This American Life's podcast featuring the NPR correspondents from Planet Money - actually in two parts - a very clear discussion of our current financial situation - do check them both out
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=355
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=365
Vocabulary Word of the Week - actually two words this week coming out of our discussion at our A New Earth study group - we had a very lively discussion about whether or not when you accept a situation, does that imply that you condone. For example, can you accept that mistreatment of children goes on in the world without condoning it?
Acceptance - Wikipedia gives the "spiritual" interpretation that I think Eckhard Tolle and other spiritual thinkers intend with its use:
Acceptance, in spirituality, mindfulness, and human psychology, usually refers to the experience of a situation without an intention to change that situation. Indeed, acceptance is often suggested when a situation is both disliked and unchangeable, or when change may be possible only at great cost or risk. Acceptance may imply only a lack of outward, behavioral attempts at possible change, but the word is also used more specifically for a felt or hypothesized cognitive or emotional state. Thus someone may decide to take no action against a situation and yet be said to have not accepted it.
Because the dictionary definition includes the concept of approval, it is important to note that in the psychospiritual use of the term infers non-judgmental Acceptance.
Acceptance is contrasted with resistance, but that term has strong political and psychoanalytic connotations not applicable in many contexts. By groups and by individuals, acceptance can be of various events and conditions in the world; individuals may also accept elements of their own thoughts, feelings, and personal histories. For example, psychotherapeutic treatment of a person with depression or anxiety could involve fostering acceptance either for whatever personal circumstances may give rise to those feelings or for the feelings themselves. (Psychotherapy could also involve lessening an individual's acceptance of various situations.)
Notions of acceptance are prominent in many faiths and meditation practices. For example, Buddhism's first noble truth, "All life is suffering", invites people to accept that suffering is a natural part of life. The term "Kabbalah" means literally acceptance.
Condoning -
con·done (kn-dn)
tr.v. con·doned, con·don·ing, con·dones
To overlook, forgive, or disregard (an offense) without protest or censure
Cooking and Dining Report:
From cooking blog Wednesday's Chef, Barbara Fairchild's (Bon Appetit) Spicy Roast Chicken - really quick and easy for a busy weeknight - quite delicious!
Spicy Roast Chicken
Serves 4
24 ounces whole cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups), stemmed
1/4 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 1/4 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided (or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, and none for garnish)
4 bone-in chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon marjoram in a large bowl to combine.
2. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken, arranging the tomatoes in a single layer on the sheet around the chicken. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are blistered, about 35 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to plates. Spoon the tomatoes and juices over the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon marjoram and serve.
From Mark Bittman of the New York Times a Free-form Apple Tart - a perfect dessert for a chilly autumn night! http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/recipe-of-the-day-free-form-apple-or-pear-tart/
Quote of the Week - from Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart
"This very moment is the perfect teacher..... the most precious opportunity presents itself when you think you can't handle whatever is happening."
It sure was good to reunite with my Saturday Morning Walkers yesterday - it was an unusual rainy day here in Boulder, so we just enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Breadworks and caught up a bit with Chris, Barb, Mary, Andrea, Laila and Christie.
I'm pleased to let you know that our A New Earth Study Group completed the final chapter of Eckhard Tolle's book this past week. We will continue to meet and will start working on Jack Kornfield's A Path With Heart. Even if you're not meeting with us on Thursday mornings, I would really encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and read along with us. I'm considering setting up a separate blog for our study group discussions and invite anyone to participate. I'll keep you posted on that.
Book Report:
I finished Peony by Pearl S. Buck - just an ok read for me - it was an interesting storyline based on true events involving a Jewish community in 19th century China.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peony is set in the 1850s in the city of Kaifeng, in the province of Henan, which was historically a center for Jews. The novel follows Peony, a Chinese bondmaid of the prominent Jewish family of Ezra ben Israel, and shows through her eyes how the Jewish community was regarded in Kaifeng at a time when most of the Jews had come to think of themselves as Chinese. The novel contains a hidden love and shows the importance of duty along with the challenges of life. This novel is one that follows the guidelines of Buck's work. The setting is China, religion is involved, and there is an interracial couple (David and Kulien).
Chris is loving listening to Isabel Allende's second memoir, Sum of All Days.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In this deeply revealing second memoir, after Paula, novelist Allende (The House of Spirits) utilizes her family and the complex network of their relationships as the linchpin of the narrative. While weaving in her candid opinions on love and marriage, friendship, drug addiction, the writing life and religious fanaticism, Allende continues to work through the grief over her daughter's death. In these years without you I have learned to manage sadness, making it my ally. Little by little your absence and other losses in my life are turning into a sweet nostalgia. And though Allende's insight is keen, her prose polished and her language hypnotic, it's the stories of her close-knit family that move the memoir forward. We lived as a tribe, Chilean style; we were almost always together. While much of the story is infused with melancholy, her world is by no means without humor, mirth and wisdom. She celebrates friends' triumphs and exploits their foibles, including the odyssey of the boobs, without taking herself too seriously. This is a book to savor.
Mary read the classic The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Amazon.com Review
The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett's classic tale of murder in Manhattan, became the popular movie series with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and both the movies and the novel continue to captivate new generations of fans.
Nick and Nora Charles, accompanied by their schnauzer, Asta, are lounging in their suite at the Normandie in New York City for the Christmas holiday, enjoying the prerogatives of wealth: meals delivered at any hour, theater openings, taxi rides at dawn, rubbing elbows with the gangster element in speakeasies. They should be annoyingly affected, but they charm. Mad about each other, sardonic, observant, kind to those in need, and cool in a fight, Nick and Nora are graceful together, and their home life provides a sanctuary from the rough world of gangsters, hoodlums, and police investigations into which Nick is immediately plunged.
A lawyer-friend asks Nick to help find a killer and reintroduces him to the family of Richard Wynant, a more-than-eccentric inventor who disappeared from society 10 years before. His former wife, the lush and manipulative Mimi, has remarried a European fortune hunter who turns out to be a vindictive former associate of her first husband and is bent on the ruin of Wynant's family fortune. Wynant's children, Dorothy and Gilbert, seem to have inherited the family aversion to straight talk. Dorothy, who has matured into a beautiful young woman, has a crush on Nick, and so, in a hero-worshipping way, does mama's boy Gilbert. Nick and Nora respond kindly to their neediness as Nick tries to make sense of misinformation, false identities, far-fetched alibis, and, at the center of the confusion, the mystery of The Thin Man, Richard Wynant. Is he mad? Is he a killer? Or is he really an eccentric inventor protecting his discovery from intellectual theft?
The dialogue is spare, the locales lively, and Nick, the narrator, shows us the players as they are, while giving away little of his own thoughts. No one is telling the whole truth, but Nick remains mostly patient as he doggedly tries to backtrack the lies. Hammett's New York is a cross between Damon Runyon and Scott Fitzgerald--more glamorous than real, but compelling when visited in the company of these two charmers. The lives of the rich and famous don't get any better than this! --Barbara Schlieper
Laila is lukewarm about Byron Katie's Loving What Is - she compared her approach to Eckhard Tolle's A New Earth but found it much more confusing. I know that Oprah has interviewed Katie but I haven't listened to those interviews yet.
Amazon.com Review
Remember the phrase "question authority"? Loving What Is is a workbook on questioning authority--but in this case, what is in question is the authority of our own fundamental beliefs about our relationships.
Known simply as "The Work," Byron Katie's methods are clean and straightforward. The basis is a series of four questions addressed to your own lists of written assumptions. Whether you're angry with your boss, frustrated with your teen's behavior, or appalled at the state of the world's environment, Katie suggests you write down your most honest thoughts on the matter, and then begin the examination. Starting with, "Is it true?" and continuing with explorations of "Who would you be without that thought?" this method allows you to get through unhelpful preconceptions and find peace. An integral part of the process is "turning the thought around," and at first this can seem like you're simply blaming yourself for everything. Push a little harder, and you'll find a very responsible acceptance of reality, beyond questions of fault and blame.
The book is filled with examples of folks applying The Work to a variety of life situations, and reading other's examples gets the idea across pretty clearly; chances are you'll find your own frustrations echoed on the pages a few times. Many chapters are divided into specific topics, such as couples, money, addictions, and self-judgments, with one chapter devoted to exploring the method with children.
Website of the Week - NPR's Planet Money - http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/ - several NPR correspondents have put together an excellent website dealing with our current financial situation.
Podcast of the Week - This American Life's podcast featuring the NPR correspondents from Planet Money - actually in two parts - a very clear discussion of our current financial situation - do check them both out
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=355
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=365
Vocabulary Word of the Week - actually two words this week coming out of our discussion at our A New Earth study group - we had a very lively discussion about whether or not when you accept a situation, does that imply that you condone. For example, can you accept that mistreatment of children goes on in the world without condoning it?
Acceptance - Wikipedia gives the "spiritual" interpretation that I think Eckhard Tolle and other spiritual thinkers intend with its use:
Acceptance, in spirituality, mindfulness, and human psychology, usually refers to the experience of a situation without an intention to change that situation. Indeed, acceptance is often suggested when a situation is both disliked and unchangeable, or when change may be possible only at great cost or risk. Acceptance may imply only a lack of outward, behavioral attempts at possible change, but the word is also used more specifically for a felt or hypothesized cognitive or emotional state. Thus someone may decide to take no action against a situation and yet be said to have not accepted it.
Because the dictionary definition includes the concept of approval, it is important to note that in the psychospiritual use of the term infers non-judgmental Acceptance.
Acceptance is contrasted with resistance, but that term has strong political and psychoanalytic connotations not applicable in many contexts. By groups and by individuals, acceptance can be of various events and conditions in the world; individuals may also accept elements of their own thoughts, feelings, and personal histories. For example, psychotherapeutic treatment of a person with depression or anxiety could involve fostering acceptance either for whatever personal circumstances may give rise to those feelings or for the feelings themselves. (Psychotherapy could also involve lessening an individual's acceptance of various situations.)
Notions of acceptance are prominent in many faiths and meditation practices. For example, Buddhism's first noble truth, "All life is suffering", invites people to accept that suffering is a natural part of life. The term "Kabbalah" means literally acceptance.
Condoning -
con·done (kn-dn)
tr.v. con·doned, con·don·ing, con·dones
To overlook, forgive, or disregard (an offense) without protest or censure
Cooking and Dining Report:
From cooking blog Wednesday's Chef, Barbara Fairchild's (Bon Appetit) Spicy Roast Chicken - really quick and easy for a busy weeknight - quite delicious!
Spicy Roast Chicken
Serves 4
24 ounces whole cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups), stemmed
1/4 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 1/4 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided (or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, and none for garnish)
4 bone-in chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon marjoram in a large bowl to combine.
2. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken, arranging the tomatoes in a single layer on the sheet around the chicken. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are blistered, about 35 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to plates. Spoon the tomatoes and juices over the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon marjoram and serve.
From Mark Bittman of the New York Times a Free-form Apple Tart - a perfect dessert for a chilly autumn night! http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/recipe-of-the-day-free-form-apple-or-pear-tart/
Quote of the Week - from Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart
"This very moment is the perfect teacher..... the most precious opportunity presents itself when you think you can't handle whatever is happening."
Saturday Morning Walkers - October 5, 2008
Hi everyone!
Just got back from Los Angeles. I arrived on Thursday and my first stop was lunch at The Little Flower Candy Shop and Cafe. I was warmly greeted by owner and Jexy's friend Christine Moore. Check out this review from Jonathan Gold from LA Weekly - http://www.laweekly.com/locations/little-flower-candy-company-cafe-238827/. I had a wonderful turkey sandwich and took home a few chocolate chip cookies. On Friday, after dropping Jacob and Tyler off at school, I headed back over for a fabulous almond croissant. Feeling quite satisfied after that, I was "forced" to sample a taste of a new creation that Christine had just taken out of the oven - it was a mini - Christmas Brioche with cranberries and pistachios - I left there quite full and with a sugar high but it was worth it. I then headed into Old Town Pasadena to pick up a few things at the new Whole Foods for our dinners on Friday and Saturday night - more about that later. Saturday, Joe, Jacob and I met Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Morry at the Skirball Cultural Center to hang out at the Noah's Ark exhibit. This was my second visit and it is still just as amazing to visit there.
I haven't finished a book this week but am enjoying Pearl S. Buck's book, Peony. I'll report on that next week.
Barbara Rowland has two recommendations - a book and a movie:
The book is a fictionalized memoir, What is the What by Dave Eggers
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war-the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath-of the 1980s and 90s. In this fictionalized memoir, Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) makes him an icon of globalization. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Valentino joins thousands of other "Lost Boys," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps: he recalls, for instance, being robbed, beaten and held captive in his Atlanta apartment. Eggers's limpid prose gives Valentino an unaffected, compelling voice and makes his narrative by turns harrowing, funny, bleak and lyrical. The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy, but also an emblematic saga of modernity-of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval.
The movie is Live and Become directed and written by Ra-du Mihaileanu
Review
LIVE AND BECOME **** Starring Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Moshe Agazai, Mosche Abebe and Sirak M. Sabahat. Directed and written by Ra-du Mihaileanu. Produced by Denis Carol, Marie Masmonteil and Radii Mihaileanu. A Menemsha release. Drama. Aramaic-, Hebrew- and French-language; subtitled. Not yet rated. Running time: 144 min. "Live and Become" received a rare standing ovation at the Telluride Film Festival, evidence of the emotional power of a remarkable journey of discovery. The film centers on the plight of Ethiopian Jews, called Falashas, forced to flee to Sudanese refugee camps for relief from persecution and famine. In 1984, "Operation Moses" begins the airlift of Falashas to Israel. A Christian woman in a refugee camp wants a better life for her nine-year-old son (Moshe Agazai). She orders him to pretend to be Jewish so he can be airlifted out. After a poignant silent glance with the boy's mother, a Falasha woman whose son has recently died takes the boy's hand as she boards the plane to Israel. She names him Schlomo and passes him off as her own son. But in Israel, the adopted mother dies. Agazai gives Schlomo a face full of sadness as he yearns for his mother back in Africa. Schlomo is mystified by life in Israel, which is radically different from anything he had ever known. He is adopted by a liberal Israeli couple, Yael (Yael Abecassis) and Yoram (Roschdy Zem), with two children. Yael becomes a fiery defender of Schlomo against the prejudices he faces as he begins a new life. Schlomo must create a new identity while facing hostility as a black immigrant and always fearing discovery as a non-Jew. His struggles are extremely affecting. In the distinctive cast, non-professionals seamlessly mix with accomplished actors while "Live and Become" builds to an unforgettable final image. --Ed Scheid, Box Office Magazine
Amanda Aaron posted a book that she liked on Facebook - Identical Strangers: A Memoir of wins Separated and Reunited by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernsein- I think I saw them interviewed last year when the hardback was released - it is a remarkable story.
From Publishers Weekly
In this transfixing memoir, Bernstein, a freelance writer, and Schein, a filmmaker, take turns recounting the story of how each woman, at age 35, discovered she had an identical twin sister, and the reunion that followed. Despite disparate upbringings, education and work experiences, the twins share matching wild hand gestures, allergies, speech patterns and a penchant for the same art movies. Louise Wise Services, the adoption agency, will reveal only that their biological mother was schizophrenic and unaware of who their father was. Records of the study the agency conducted about them are sealed, so the authors spearhead their own research project by poring over birth records, tracking down their birth mother's brother and interviewing researchers, who claim that twins raised apart are more similar than those raised together. Much of the book is devoted to fascinating stories of other twins and triplets who, when reunited as adults, are shocked by how much they have in common with one another. Bernstein and Schein's relationship becomes extremely close and also fraught with expectation. Once you find someone, Bernstein writes, you can't unfind her.
Website of the Week - Rae forwarded an email about this site - www.armyofwomen.org - this is a site focused on Dr. Susan Love's work to eliminate breast cancer entirely. Please do check it out and get involved!
Podcast of the Week - The Loh Life by Sandra Loh http://www.scpr.org/news/segments/segment.php?segment=loh_life. I found this one on Joe's list of podcasts that he listens to regularly - I haven't heard it yet myself - let's check it out this week
Vocaulary Word of the Week - suggested by Joe Rowland - taciturn
Etymology
From French taciturne or Latin taciturnus, from tacitus (“secret, tacit”).
Pronunciation
(RP) IPA: /ˈtæsɪtɜːn/
(US) IPA: /ˈtæsətɝːn/
Adjective
taciturn (comparative more taciturn, superlative most taciturn)
Silent; temperamentally untalkative; disinclined to speak.
The two sisters could hardly have been more different, one so boisterous and expressive, the other so taciturn and calm.
Synonyms
(silent): reticent, untalkative
Antonyms
(silent): garrulous, loquacious
Derived terms
tacit
tacitly
tacitness
taciturnity
taciturnly
[edit]Translations
[show ▼]untalkative, silent
Cooking and Dining Report:
Last night's dinner was Ina Garten's Parmesan Chicken Sticks (I left out the actual sticks) - http://www.recipezaar.com/208432\
Saturday night's dinner was Giada de Laurentiis' Lamb Stew with Cippoline Onions - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0.FOOD 9936 31642.00html?rsrc=search
Joe and I both love lamb; Jexy and Jack do not, so this was a perfect opportunity to make this dish.
Quote of the Week - It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.
Epicurus
To all my friends, have a wonderful week....
Love,
Susan
Just got back from Los Angeles. I arrived on Thursday and my first stop was lunch at The Little Flower Candy Shop and Cafe. I was warmly greeted by owner and Jexy's friend Christine Moore. Check out this review from Jonathan Gold from LA Weekly - http://www.laweekly.com/locations/little-flower-candy-company-cafe-238827/. I had a wonderful turkey sandwich and took home a few chocolate chip cookies. On Friday, after dropping Jacob and Tyler off at school, I headed back over for a fabulous almond croissant. Feeling quite satisfied after that, I was "forced" to sample a taste of a new creation that Christine had just taken out of the oven - it was a mini - Christmas Brioche with cranberries and pistachios - I left there quite full and with a sugar high but it was worth it. I then headed into Old Town Pasadena to pick up a few things at the new Whole Foods for our dinners on Friday and Saturday night - more about that later. Saturday, Joe, Jacob and I met Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Morry at the Skirball Cultural Center to hang out at the Noah's Ark exhibit. This was my second visit and it is still just as amazing to visit there.
I haven't finished a book this week but am enjoying Pearl S. Buck's book, Peony. I'll report on that next week.
Barbara Rowland has two recommendations - a book and a movie:
The book is a fictionalized memoir, What is the What by Dave Eggers
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war-the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath-of the 1980s and 90s. In this fictionalized memoir, Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) makes him an icon of globalization. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Valentino joins thousands of other "Lost Boys," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps: he recalls, for instance, being robbed, beaten and held captive in his Atlanta apartment. Eggers's limpid prose gives Valentino an unaffected, compelling voice and makes his narrative by turns harrowing, funny, bleak and lyrical. The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy, but also an emblematic saga of modernity-of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval.
The movie is Live and Become directed and written by Ra-du Mihaileanu
Review
LIVE AND BECOME **** Starring Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Moshe Agazai, Mosche Abebe and Sirak M. Sabahat. Directed and written by Ra-du Mihaileanu. Produced by Denis Carol, Marie Masmonteil and Radii Mihaileanu. A Menemsha release. Drama. Aramaic-, Hebrew- and French-language; subtitled. Not yet rated. Running time: 144 min. "Live and Become" received a rare standing ovation at the Telluride Film Festival, evidence of the emotional power of a remarkable journey of discovery. The film centers on the plight of Ethiopian Jews, called Falashas, forced to flee to Sudanese refugee camps for relief from persecution and famine. In 1984, "Operation Moses" begins the airlift of Falashas to Israel. A Christian woman in a refugee camp wants a better life for her nine-year-old son (Moshe Agazai). She orders him to pretend to be Jewish so he can be airlifted out. After a poignant silent glance with the boy's mother, a Falasha woman whose son has recently died takes the boy's hand as she boards the plane to Israel. She names him Schlomo and passes him off as her own son. But in Israel, the adopted mother dies. Agazai gives Schlomo a face full of sadness as he yearns for his mother back in Africa. Schlomo is mystified by life in Israel, which is radically different from anything he had ever known. He is adopted by a liberal Israeli couple, Yael (Yael Abecassis) and Yoram (Roschdy Zem), with two children. Yael becomes a fiery defender of Schlomo against the prejudices he faces as he begins a new life. Schlomo must create a new identity while facing hostility as a black immigrant and always fearing discovery as a non-Jew. His struggles are extremely affecting. In the distinctive cast, non-professionals seamlessly mix with accomplished actors while "Live and Become" builds to an unforgettable final image. --Ed Scheid, Box Office Magazine
Amanda Aaron posted a book that she liked on Facebook - Identical Strangers: A Memoir of wins Separated and Reunited by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernsein- I think I saw them interviewed last year when the hardback was released - it is a remarkable story.
From Publishers Weekly
In this transfixing memoir, Bernstein, a freelance writer, and Schein, a filmmaker, take turns recounting the story of how each woman, at age 35, discovered she had an identical twin sister, and the reunion that followed. Despite disparate upbringings, education and work experiences, the twins share matching wild hand gestures, allergies, speech patterns and a penchant for the same art movies. Louise Wise Services, the adoption agency, will reveal only that their biological mother was schizophrenic and unaware of who their father was. Records of the study the agency conducted about them are sealed, so the authors spearhead their own research project by poring over birth records, tracking down their birth mother's brother and interviewing researchers, who claim that twins raised apart are more similar than those raised together. Much of the book is devoted to fascinating stories of other twins and triplets who, when reunited as adults, are shocked by how much they have in common with one another. Bernstein and Schein's relationship becomes extremely close and also fraught with expectation. Once you find someone, Bernstein writes, you can't unfind her.
Website of the Week - Rae forwarded an email about this site - www.armyofwomen.org - this is a site focused on Dr. Susan Love's work to eliminate breast cancer entirely. Please do check it out and get involved!
Podcast of the Week - The Loh Life by Sandra Loh http://www.scpr.org/news/segments/segment.php?segment=loh_life. I found this one on Joe's list of podcasts that he listens to regularly - I haven't heard it yet myself - let's check it out this week
Vocaulary Word of the Week - suggested by Joe Rowland - taciturn
Etymology
From French taciturne or Latin taciturnus, from tacitus (“secret, tacit”).
Pronunciation
(RP) IPA: /ˈtæsɪtɜːn/
(US) IPA: /ˈtæsətɝːn/
Adjective
taciturn (comparative more taciturn, superlative most taciturn)
Silent; temperamentally untalkative; disinclined to speak.
The two sisters could hardly have been more different, one so boisterous and expressive, the other so taciturn and calm.
Synonyms
(silent): reticent, untalkative
Antonyms
(silent): garrulous, loquacious
Derived terms
tacit
tacitly
tacitness
taciturnity
taciturnly
[edit]Translations
[show ▼]untalkative, silent
Cooking and Dining Report:
Last night's dinner was Ina Garten's Parmesan Chicken Sticks (I left out the actual sticks) - http://www.recipezaar.com/208432\
Saturday night's dinner was Giada de Laurentiis' Lamb Stew with Cippoline Onions - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0.FOOD 9936 31642.00html?rsrc=search
Joe and I both love lamb; Jexy and Jack do not, so this was a perfect opportunity to make this dish.
Quote of the Week - It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.
Epicurus
To all my friends, have a wonderful week....
Love,
Susan
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday Morning Walkers - September 28, 2008
Hi everyone!
Wow - just got back from a wonderful weekend at the Literary Sojourn in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Janet, Chris, Rita, Judy, Cynthia and I spent the weekend at our fabulous condo - needless to say, we ate very well - check out some of the recipes and restaurant review below. Just three of us actually attended the Sojourn on Saturday - Janet, Judy and me. We completed a table of ten with 7 members of Barbara Lamm's book group. Thanks so much to Kathy F., Angela, Jeannie, Susan, Tony, Kathy H. and Barb for including us with your group. Once again, the event did not disappoint - overall the writers' presentations were excellent!
Here's just a bit on each of them:
Andrew Sean Greer (The Good Marriage) - focused on how he transformed what had been a short story into a novel.
Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge) - In talking about her journey to becoming a published author at 40 years old, "for a writer, nothing, no experience is ever wasted".
Nathaniel Philbrick (Mayflower) - was the only non-fiction writer - he is a former journalist with a passion for sailing and history. He described his style as "narrative non-fiction"
Manil Suri (The Age of Shiva) - a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland also came late to fiction writing and began it as a hobby. This book is the second in a trilogy. The first is The Death of Vishnu)
Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club) - she won the prize for the most entertaining presenter - she also talked about her journey to becoming a published writer.
Website/Blog of the Week - www.bookmooch.com - I've included this site before but it is worth reminding you about this really excellent book swapping site - I have posted books on this site and received many used books in excellent condition.
Podcast of the Week - NPR's Book Tour - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10448909
Vocabulary Word of the Week - contributed by Barb Lamm - eremitic
er·e·mite (âr-mt)
n.
A recluse or hermit, especially a religious recluse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English, from Late Latin ermta; see hermit.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ere·mitic (-mtk), ere·miti·cal adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj. 1. eremitic - of or relating to or befitting eremites or their practices of hermitic living; "eremitic austerities"
eremitical
cenobitic, cenobitical, coenobitic, coenobitical - of or relating to or befitting cenobites or their practices of communal living
2. eremitic - characterized by ascetic solitude; "the eremitic element in the life of a religious colony"; "his hermitic existence"
anchoritic, hermitic, hermitical, eremitical
unworldly - not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations; "was unworldly and did not greatly miss worldly rewards"- Sheldon Cheney
Cooking and Dining Report:
The Creekside Cafe and Grille in Steamboat Springs, Colorado - we had lunch here on Friday afternoon and breakfast on Sunday morning - both were wonderful meals that we enjoyed sitting outside next to the creek in downtown Steamboat - http://creekside-cafe.com/ - don't miss it on your next visit to Steamboat.
Friday night, before settling down for the DEBATE, we shared some wonderful appetizers and Judy's "best ever" chocolate whopper cookies. Here are a few of the recipes:
Janet's Chicken Satay from Tyler Florence on The Food Network - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html
Chris' Mussels in Marinara Sauce - just put the mussels in a saucepan with jarred Marinara Sauce, heat until mussels open - be sure to discard any that do not open - easy, wonderful treat!
Cynthia's original recipe - we named it Boatman Holiday Shrimp
1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp
10 slices proscuitto, cut into think strips
10 slices provolone
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup white wine
Sauté shallots and garlic in butter until soft, add wine.
Wrap shrimp in proscuitto slices and place in a row in a casserole dish. Top with provolone slices, add another row of wrapped shrimp and top with provolone.
Add sautéed garlic, shallot and wine mixture over the shrimp.
Bake at 350 F. for 1/2 hour or until shrimp is done and cheese is melted
Susan's Egg Pappardelle with Bagna Cauda, Wilted Radicchio and an Olive Oil Fried Egg from Los Angeles Chef, Nancy Silverton
Serves 4
For the pappardelle and bagna cauda:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
15 anchovy fillets
8 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
12 radicchio leaves, torn into small pieces
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces egg pappardelle
For finishing the dish:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
Parmesan cheese
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. To make the bagna cauda, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, anchovies and garlic and cook, breaking up the anchovies with a fork and stirring constantly, until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley, radicchio and lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Prepare the pasta by bringing a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add enough kosher salt until the water tastes salty and return to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
3. To finish the dish, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until the oil is almost smoking, about 2 minutes. Break 1 egg into a small bowl and pour into the skillet. When it just begins to set around the edges, break the second egg into the bowl and pour into the skillet. (By waiting a moment before adding the next egg, the eggs won’t stick together.) Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs. Cook until the edges are golden, the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
4. Use tongs to lift the pasta out of the water and transfer it quickly, while it’s dripping with water, to the skillet with the bagna cauda. Place the skillet over high heat. Toss the pasta to combine the ingredients and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
5. Using tongs, divide the pasta among 4 plates, twisting it into mounds. Grate a generous layer of cheese over each. Place an egg over the cheese. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and serve with more grated cheese and pepper.
Judy's Chocolate Whopper Cookies from Foster's Market in North Carolina - http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipes.php?recipe_id=35
Saturday night after Margaritas and snacks at the Rio, we headed home and enjoyed Rita's Artichoke Dip(need that recipe), Judy's quiche (thanks to Whole Foods) and leftovers from Friday.
Quote of the Week - When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes. - Desiderius Erasmus
I'm just home for a few days and heading out to LA on Thursday to help take care of Jacob while Jexy goes off to a work-related conference in Montreal. Have a great week!
Love,
Susan
Wow - just got back from a wonderful weekend at the Literary Sojourn in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Janet, Chris, Rita, Judy, Cynthia and I spent the weekend at our fabulous condo - needless to say, we ate very well - check out some of the recipes and restaurant review below. Just three of us actually attended the Sojourn on Saturday - Janet, Judy and me. We completed a table of ten with 7 members of Barbara Lamm's book group. Thanks so much to Kathy F., Angela, Jeannie, Susan, Tony, Kathy H. and Barb for including us with your group. Once again, the event did not disappoint - overall the writers' presentations were excellent!
Here's just a bit on each of them:
Andrew Sean Greer (The Good Marriage) - focused on how he transformed what had been a short story into a novel.
Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge) - In talking about her journey to becoming a published author at 40 years old, "for a writer, nothing, no experience is ever wasted".
Nathaniel Philbrick (Mayflower) - was the only non-fiction writer - he is a former journalist with a passion for sailing and history. He described his style as "narrative non-fiction"
Manil Suri (The Age of Shiva) - a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland also came late to fiction writing and began it as a hobby. This book is the second in a trilogy. The first is The Death of Vishnu)
Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club) - she won the prize for the most entertaining presenter - she also talked about her journey to becoming a published writer.
Website/Blog of the Week - www.bookmooch.com - I've included this site before but it is worth reminding you about this really excellent book swapping site - I have posted books on this site and received many used books in excellent condition.
Podcast of the Week - NPR's Book Tour - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10448909
Vocabulary Word of the Week - contributed by Barb Lamm - eremitic
er·e·mite (âr-mt)
n.
A recluse or hermit, especially a religious recluse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English, from Late Latin ermta; see hermit.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ere·mitic (-mtk), ere·miti·cal adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj. 1. eremitic - of or relating to or befitting eremites or their practices of hermitic living; "eremitic austerities"
eremitical
cenobitic, cenobitical, coenobitic, coenobitical - of or relating to or befitting cenobites or their practices of communal living
2. eremitic - characterized by ascetic solitude; "the eremitic element in the life of a religious colony"; "his hermitic existence"
anchoritic, hermitic, hermitical, eremitical
unworldly - not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations; "was unworldly and did not greatly miss worldly rewards"- Sheldon Cheney
Cooking and Dining Report:
The Creekside Cafe and Grille in Steamboat Springs, Colorado - we had lunch here on Friday afternoon and breakfast on Sunday morning - both were wonderful meals that we enjoyed sitting outside next to the creek in downtown Steamboat - http://creekside-cafe.com/ - don't miss it on your next visit to Steamboat.
Friday night, before settling down for the DEBATE, we shared some wonderful appetizers and Judy's "best ever" chocolate whopper cookies. Here are a few of the recipes:
Janet's Chicken Satay from Tyler Florence on The Food Network - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html
Chris' Mussels in Marinara Sauce - just put the mussels in a saucepan with jarred Marinara Sauce, heat until mussels open - be sure to discard any that do not open - easy, wonderful treat!
Cynthia's original recipe - we named it Boatman Holiday Shrimp
1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp
10 slices proscuitto, cut into think strips
10 slices provolone
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup white wine
Sauté shallots and garlic in butter until soft, add wine.
Wrap shrimp in proscuitto slices and place in a row in a casserole dish. Top with provolone slices, add another row of wrapped shrimp and top with provolone.
Add sautéed garlic, shallot and wine mixture over the shrimp.
Bake at 350 F. for 1/2 hour or until shrimp is done and cheese is melted
Susan's Egg Pappardelle with Bagna Cauda, Wilted Radicchio and an Olive Oil Fried Egg from Los Angeles Chef, Nancy Silverton
Serves 4
For the pappardelle and bagna cauda:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
15 anchovy fillets
8 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
12 radicchio leaves, torn into small pieces
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces egg pappardelle
For finishing the dish:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
Parmesan cheese
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. To make the bagna cauda, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, anchovies and garlic and cook, breaking up the anchovies with a fork and stirring constantly, until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley, radicchio and lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Prepare the pasta by bringing a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add enough kosher salt until the water tastes salty and return to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
3. To finish the dish, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until the oil is almost smoking, about 2 minutes. Break 1 egg into a small bowl and pour into the skillet. When it just begins to set around the edges, break the second egg into the bowl and pour into the skillet. (By waiting a moment before adding the next egg, the eggs won’t stick together.) Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs. Cook until the edges are golden, the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
4. Use tongs to lift the pasta out of the water and transfer it quickly, while it’s dripping with water, to the skillet with the bagna cauda. Place the skillet over high heat. Toss the pasta to combine the ingredients and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
5. Using tongs, divide the pasta among 4 plates, twisting it into mounds. Grate a generous layer of cheese over each. Place an egg over the cheese. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and serve with more grated cheese and pepper.
Judy's Chocolate Whopper Cookies from Foster's Market in North Carolina - http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipes.php?recipe_id=35
Saturday night after Margaritas and snacks at the Rio, we headed home and enjoyed Rita's Artichoke Dip(need that recipe), Judy's quiche (thanks to Whole Foods) and leftovers from Friday.
Quote of the Week - When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes. - Desiderius Erasmus
I'm just home for a few days and heading out to LA on Thursday to help take care of Jacob while Jexy goes off to a work-related conference in Montreal. Have a great week!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - September 21, 2008
Hi everyone!
Laila took Chris, Irma and me on a beautiful walk out at Teller Farm. We went to a new cafe out at 95th and Arapahoe - The Curiousity Cup - very nice with a great outdoor patio. Right next door is the Indulgence Bakery with some mighty fine looking treats.
Book Report:
I finished Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos - kind of Lifetime TV movie caliber - not great literature but somehow I was drawn in to the story. Not sure I'd recommend this one.
From Publishers Weekly
Cornelia Brown, heroine of de los Santos's bestselling Love Walked In, returns in a gracefully written if formulaic sophomore effort. Cornelia and her husband, Teo, move to suburban Philadelphia, where she finds it difficult to fit into the sorority-like atmosphere. Despite a bevy of domestic dramas (planning a family among them), Cornelia's first-person chapters are the quietest of the three points of view. Seemingly shallow and vicious, neighbor Piper shows her kinder side as she struggles through her best friend's fight against cancer. Though the extreme of Piper's two-facedness isn't convincing, her moments of sincerity invite genuine empathy. Cornelia also yields narrative time to Dev, a precocious teenager whose father is missing and whose mother develops a friendship with Cornelia. Dev's connection to the story is initially unclear, though he does grow close to Clare, a troubled teenager with an unconventional connection to Cornelia, and a late-breaking development grounds his role more firmly. Though each story line is a good read on its own, they don't always braid nicely, and while the predictable plot wanders into sappiness, the prose is polished and the suburban travails are familiar enough that fans of the women's fiction and higher-brow mommy lit will relate.
Jexy and her book group are reading the first in the Stephanie Meyer series - Twilight - apparently written for young adults, they are enjoying it.
Amazon.com Review
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat."
As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.
Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell
Website of the Week - http://www.rosengartenreport.com/ - for the best of everything related to food
Podcast of the Week - from NPR, Political Rewind - http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=94411892
Vocabulary Word of the Week - grace
We had quite a lively discussion of this word at our New Earth Study Group this week - Eckhard Tolle used it in the following way - "The initiation of the awakening process is an act of grace. You cannot make it happen nor can you prepare yourself for it or accumulate credits toward it...............Only the first awakening, the first glimpse of consciousness without thought, happens by grace, without any doing on your part"
Just a few definitions from ARDictionary.com
Definition: The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.
Definition: The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God, as distinguished from His justice; also, any benefits His mercy imparts; divine love or pardon; a state of acceptance with God; enjoyment of the divine favor.
Definition: Inherent excellence; any endowment or characteristic fitted to win favor or confer pleasure or benefit.
Definition: Beauty, physical, intellectual, or moral; loveliness; commonly, easy elegance of manners; perfection of form.
Cooking and Dining Report:
Mallomars - I grew up with these treats and got this recipe for a homemade versionthat was demo'd on The Today Show this week -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26775825/
I made a really simple roast butterflied (backbone removed) chicken this week flavoring it with prepared olive tapenade under the skin, a little olive oil, salt and pepper on the outside and in a 425 degree oven for about an hour.
Jack requested Spaghetti and Meatballs so, in spite of our warm weather, I just prepared a batch of Ina Garten's Real Meatballs and Spaghetti for dinner tonight. She uses veal, pork and beef and I think that is the secret to a really wonderful meatball. My kitchen smells divine! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html.
Quote of the Week -
“The winds of grace are always blowing; all we need to do is raise our sails.” Anonymous
Six members of our book group (Barbara Lamm and her book group will be there also) are heading out to Steamboat Springs this coming Friday for the Literary Sojourn. This is an annual event for us and I am looking forward to the weekend. I'll have a full report next week but check out the website for a preview of the authors we'll be meeting and hearing. www.literarysojourn.org
Have a great week!
Love,
Susan
Laila took Chris, Irma and me on a beautiful walk out at Teller Farm. We went to a new cafe out at 95th and Arapahoe - The Curiousity Cup - very nice with a great outdoor patio. Right next door is the Indulgence Bakery with some mighty fine looking treats.
Book Report:
I finished Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos - kind of Lifetime TV movie caliber - not great literature but somehow I was drawn in to the story. Not sure I'd recommend this one.
From Publishers Weekly
Cornelia Brown, heroine of de los Santos's bestselling Love Walked In, returns in a gracefully written if formulaic sophomore effort. Cornelia and her husband, Teo, move to suburban Philadelphia, where she finds it difficult to fit into the sorority-like atmosphere. Despite a bevy of domestic dramas (planning a family among them), Cornelia's first-person chapters are the quietest of the three points of view. Seemingly shallow and vicious, neighbor Piper shows her kinder side as she struggles through her best friend's fight against cancer. Though the extreme of Piper's two-facedness isn't convincing, her moments of sincerity invite genuine empathy. Cornelia also yields narrative time to Dev, a precocious teenager whose father is missing and whose mother develops a friendship with Cornelia. Dev's connection to the story is initially unclear, though he does grow close to Clare, a troubled teenager with an unconventional connection to Cornelia, and a late-breaking development grounds his role more firmly. Though each story line is a good read on its own, they don't always braid nicely, and while the predictable plot wanders into sappiness, the prose is polished and the suburban travails are familiar enough that fans of the women's fiction and higher-brow mommy lit will relate.
Jexy and her book group are reading the first in the Stephanie Meyer series - Twilight - apparently written for young adults, they are enjoying it.
Amazon.com Review
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat."
As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.
Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell
Website of the Week - http://www.rosengartenreport.com/ - for the best of everything related to food
Podcast of the Week - from NPR, Political Rewind - http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=94411892
Vocabulary Word of the Week - grace
We had quite a lively discussion of this word at our New Earth Study Group this week - Eckhard Tolle used it in the following way - "The initiation of the awakening process is an act of grace. You cannot make it happen nor can you prepare yourself for it or accumulate credits toward it...............Only the first awakening, the first glimpse of consciousness without thought, happens by grace, without any doing on your part"
Just a few definitions from ARDictionary.com
Definition: The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.
Definition: The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God, as distinguished from His justice; also, any benefits His mercy imparts; divine love or pardon; a state of acceptance with God; enjoyment of the divine favor.
Definition: Inherent excellence; any endowment or characteristic fitted to win favor or confer pleasure or benefit.
Definition: Beauty, physical, intellectual, or moral; loveliness; commonly, easy elegance of manners; perfection of form.
Cooking and Dining Report:
Mallomars - I grew up with these treats and got this recipe for a homemade versionthat was demo'd on The Today Show this week -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26775825/
I made a really simple roast butterflied (backbone removed) chicken this week flavoring it with prepared olive tapenade under the skin, a little olive oil, salt and pepper on the outside and in a 425 degree oven for about an hour.
Jack requested Spaghetti and Meatballs so, in spite of our warm weather, I just prepared a batch of Ina Garten's Real Meatballs and Spaghetti for dinner tonight. She uses veal, pork and beef and I think that is the secret to a really wonderful meatball. My kitchen smells divine! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html.
Quote of the Week -
“The winds of grace are always blowing; all we need to do is raise our sails.” Anonymous
Six members of our book group (Barbara Lamm and her book group will be there also) are heading out to Steamboat Springs this coming Friday for the Literary Sojourn. This is an annual event for us and I am looking forward to the weekend. I'll have a full report next week but check out the website for a preview of the authors we'll be meeting and hearing. www.literarysojourn.org
Have a great week!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - September 14, 2008
Hi everyone!
Hope you all had a good week. The Saturday Morning Walkers were just an intimate group of three yesterday - Andrea, Laila and I walked out at Walden Pond in Gunbarrel (yes, we have a Walden Pond here in Colorado!). It is a such a beautiful spot and the weather was spectacular. Coffee with bagels and lox at the Page 2. Nice way to spend the morning. Yesterday afternoon, I joined in the celebration for my sweet baby Helen's first birthday - Helen is one of the little girls that I take care of. She looked beautiful in her new pink dress and fancy silver party shoes.
Book Report:
Here's a recommendation from Libby - The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. This book came up as a possible choice at our book group last week. I may choose it for my turn in December. Libby liked it very much.
Praise for The 19th Wife
“This exquisite tour de force explores the dark roots of polygamy and its modern-day fruit in a renegade cult...Ebershoff (The Danish Girl) brilliantly blends a haunting fictional narrative by Ann Eliza Young, the real-life 19th “rebel” wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young, with the equally compelling contemporary narrative of fictional Jordan Scott, a 20-year-old gay man…With the topic of plural marriage and its shattering impact on women and powerless children in today's headlines, this novel is essential reading for anyone seeking understanding of the subject.”
–Publishers Weekly, Starred and “Pick of the Week”
I just started a book by Marisa de los Santos - Belong to Me - it is too soon to recommend it but I am optimistic and will let you know more next week.
Website of the Week: this site was recommended by Andrea and looks pretty cool, especially for those of us who want to keep our brains sharp as we "mature" - www.lumosity.com - check out this review of this "brain training" site from PC Magazine - http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=213934&s=25234&a=213919&po=10,00.asp
Podcast of the Week: this is a particular Diane Rehm show focusing on Sarah Palin and the media - Diane is able to give voice to this issue without all the anger and hysteria that often accompanies political coverage - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/09/04.php#21857 - listen to it right from your computer.
Vocabulary Word of the Week: luminous
Main Entry:
lu·mi·nous
Pronunciation:
\ˈlü-mə-nəs\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin luminosus, from lumin-, lumen
Date:
15th century
1 a: emitting or reflecting usually steady, suffused, or glowing light b: of or relating to light or to luminous flux2: bathed in or exposed to steady light3: clear , enlightening4: shining , illustrious
Cooking and Dining Report:
We had a very fine book group dinner at Janet's last week and I can share one of the recipes with you - she grilled a marinated flank steak which was so delicious - need that recipe! The one I do have is for Ina Garten's Potato-Fennel Gratin- a decadent side dish which was perfect with the steak - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/potato-fennel-gratin-recipe/index.html
A wonderful Vegetarian Chili from Jan -
Vegetable and Black Bean Chili
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant, pealed and cubed
1 cup onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
3 cups crushed canned tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup canned corn, drained
Add the oil to a large non-stick pan and heat over medium heat. Add the eggplant and the onion. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Stir in the pepper, zucchini, chili powder, and cumin. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the tomatoes (with juices), beans and corn. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Partially cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until thick. The longer the chili simmers the thicker it will get.
Here are a few recipes from my kitchen this week:
From Giada de Laurentiis, Conghile (small shell pasta) with Clams and Mussels - I like that this includes broccoli as part of the dish - it truly is a one-dish meal and very yummy!
From Epicurious.com, I made Marsala Poached Apricots - this was a part of the appetizer that I contributed to Janet's dinner - I simply combined 3 cups of water, 1 cup of imported sweet Marsala wine, 1/4 cup sugar, a few pieces of lemon peel, brought that to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add 2 cups of dried apricots (use the nice bright orange California or Mediterranean). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until fruit is just soft but not mushy, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fruit to a bowl. Boil the liquid until syrupy, about 5 minutes and pour syrup over the fruit. (Can be made a couple of days ahead. Cover; chill and bring to room temperature before serving) I drained the apricots and placed on a platter with carmelized walnuts, brie cheese, cambozola cheese, figs, quartered,
and slices of melon, and baguette slices.
From Sal Scognamillo of Patsy's Restaurant in NY, I took his recipe for Chicken Parmigiana and substituted veal - he did this on The Today Show - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26564102/
From Bon Appetit, Tortellini with Porcini Mushroom Sauce - for those of you who love Fettucine Alfredo or Carbonara, this is a lovely alternative - very simple to make yet elegant enough for company (Rae, you'll love this one!!) - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/TORTELLINI-WITH-PORCINI-MUSHROOM-SAUCE-243388?mbid=rss_epinr
From The Splendid Table, Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho - try this while you can still get lovely tomatoes!
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
From Latin Evolution by Jose Garces (Lake Isle Press, September 25, 2008). Copyright 2008 by Jose Garces. Used with permission of the publisher.
Yields 4 cup
4 large red heirloom tomatoes
2/3 English cucumber, seeded
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons diced day-old baguette, crust removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1. To make gazpacho: Core tomatoes. Dip tomatoes into boiling water for about 15 seconds then shock in ice water. Peel tomatoes.
2. In a blender, combine tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, and bread. Puree until smooth. While processing, slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. Gazpacho can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Quote of the Week from Storypeople.com - There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Susan
Hope you all had a good week. The Saturday Morning Walkers were just an intimate group of three yesterday - Andrea, Laila and I walked out at Walden Pond in Gunbarrel (yes, we have a Walden Pond here in Colorado!). It is a such a beautiful spot and the weather was spectacular. Coffee with bagels and lox at the Page 2. Nice way to spend the morning. Yesterday afternoon, I joined in the celebration for my sweet baby Helen's first birthday - Helen is one of the little girls that I take care of. She looked beautiful in her new pink dress and fancy silver party shoes.
Book Report:
Here's a recommendation from Libby - The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. This book came up as a possible choice at our book group last week. I may choose it for my turn in December. Libby liked it very much.
Praise for The 19th Wife
“This exquisite tour de force explores the dark roots of polygamy and its modern-day fruit in a renegade cult...Ebershoff (The Danish Girl) brilliantly blends a haunting fictional narrative by Ann Eliza Young, the real-life 19th “rebel” wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young, with the equally compelling contemporary narrative of fictional Jordan Scott, a 20-year-old gay man…With the topic of plural marriage and its shattering impact on women and powerless children in today's headlines, this novel is essential reading for anyone seeking understanding of the subject.”
–Publishers Weekly, Starred and “Pick of the Week”
I just started a book by Marisa de los Santos - Belong to Me - it is too soon to recommend it but I am optimistic and will let you know more next week.
Website of the Week: this site was recommended by Andrea and looks pretty cool, especially for those of us who want to keep our brains sharp as we "mature" - www.lumosity.com - check out this review of this "brain training" site from PC Magazine - http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=213934&s=25234&a=213919&po=10,00.asp
Podcast of the Week: this is a particular Diane Rehm show focusing on Sarah Palin and the media - Diane is able to give voice to this issue without all the anger and hysteria that often accompanies political coverage - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/09/04.php#21857 - listen to it right from your computer.
Vocabulary Word of the Week: luminous
Main Entry:
lu·mi·nous
Pronunciation:
\ˈlü-mə-nəs\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin luminosus, from lumin-, lumen
Date:
15th century
1 a: emitting or reflecting usually steady, suffused, or glowing light b: of or relating to light or to luminous flux2: bathed in or exposed to steady light
Cooking and Dining Report:
We had a very fine book group dinner at Janet's last week and I can share one of the recipes with you - she grilled a marinated flank steak which was so delicious - need that recipe! The one I do have is for Ina Garten's Potato-Fennel Gratin- a decadent side dish which was perfect with the steak - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/potato-fennel-gratin-recipe/index.html
A wonderful Vegetarian Chili from Jan -
Vegetable and Black Bean Chili
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant, pealed and cubed
1 cup onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
3 cups crushed canned tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup canned corn, drained
Add the oil to a large non-stick pan and heat over medium heat. Add the eggplant and the onion. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Stir in the pepper, zucchini, chili powder, and cumin. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the tomatoes (with juices), beans and corn. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Partially cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until thick. The longer the chili simmers the thicker it will get.
Here are a few recipes from my kitchen this week:
From Giada de Laurentiis, Conghile (small shell pasta) with Clams and Mussels - I like that this includes broccoli as part of the dish - it truly is a one-dish meal and very yummy!
From Epicurious.com, I made Marsala Poached Apricots - this was a part of the appetizer that I contributed to Janet's dinner - I simply combined 3 cups of water, 1 cup of imported sweet Marsala wine, 1/4 cup sugar, a few pieces of lemon peel, brought that to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add 2 cups of dried apricots (use the nice bright orange California or Mediterranean). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until fruit is just soft but not mushy, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fruit to a bowl. Boil the liquid until syrupy, about 5 minutes and pour syrup over the fruit. (Can be made a couple of days ahead. Cover; chill and bring to room temperature before serving) I drained the apricots and placed on a platter with carmelized walnuts, brie cheese, cambozola cheese, figs, quartered,
and slices of melon, and baguette slices.
From Sal Scognamillo of Patsy's Restaurant in NY, I took his recipe for Chicken Parmigiana and substituted veal - he did this on The Today Show - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26564102/
From Bon Appetit, Tortellini with Porcini Mushroom Sauce - for those of you who love Fettucine Alfredo or Carbonara, this is a lovely alternative - very simple to make yet elegant enough for company (Rae, you'll love this one!!) - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/TORTELLINI-WITH-PORCINI-MUSHROOM-SAUCE-243388?mbid=rss_epinr
From The Splendid Table, Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho - try this while you can still get lovely tomatoes!
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
From Latin Evolution by Jose Garces (Lake Isle Press, September 25, 2008). Copyright 2008 by Jose Garces. Used with permission of the publisher.
Yields 4 cup
4 large red heirloom tomatoes
2/3 English cucumber, seeded
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons diced day-old baguette, crust removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1. To make gazpacho: Core tomatoes. Dip tomatoes into boiling water for about 15 seconds then shock in ice water. Peel tomatoes.
2. In a blender, combine tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, and bread. Puree until smooth. While processing, slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. Gazpacho can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Quote of the Week from Storypeople.com - There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - September 8, 2008
Hi all!
Hope you had a good week. A good turnout of the Saturday Morning Walkers, including Mary, Christie, Jan, Andrea, Laila, Irma and I, had a nice brisk (meaning temperature) walk yesterday up to and around Viele Lake, finishing at our first of the month planning session at Caffe Sole.
Book Report:
Laila is reading How To Meditate by Lawrence Le Shan. Here is a review from SpiritSite.com.
"Lawrence LeShan, a clinical psychologist, has spent over thirty years working with cancer patients to promote healing and well-being. He is also a pioneer in exploring the therapeutic uses of meditation.Dr. LeShan has developed a profoundly new approach to psychotherapy which focuses on assisting an individual (often a cancer patient) to find a source of joy and meaning in his life, rather than focusing on neuroses. The question to ask, says Dr. LeShan, is not "what is wrong with me?" but "what is right within me? What brings me joy and a sense of purpose in my life?"
How to Meditate is one of the simplest, most straightforward books on mediation. Dr. LeShan takes the approach that mediation is not mysterious; nor is one form of meditation ideal for everyone. In his book, Dr. LeShan outlines a variety of meditation techniques, and encourages the reader to bring meditation into his or her life."
I have started and am really enjoying Pete Hamill's memoir, A Drinking Life. Jack finished this a few weeks ago and I included the review then. Just do a search on the blog for Pete Hamill. If you've read and enjoyed Snow in August, Forever, Downtown and North River, you will appreciate learning about Hamill's background growing up and living in New York.
Website of the Week: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/ - the BBC presents a language site - pretty cool!
Podcast of the Week: http://www.newyorker.com/online/podcasts/campaigntrail - from The New Yorker Magazine, a podcast covering the campaign trail
Vocabulary Word of the Week: securitization - this word came up when Jack and I were listening to the news this morning and the person being interviewed used the word "securitize" - we had a "discussion" about whether or not this was a real word or if he meant to say "secure" - I won't say who was right!
Securitization is a structured finance process, which involves pooling and repackaging of cash-flow producing financial assets into securities that are then sold to investors. The name "securitization" is derived from the fact that the form of financial instruments used to obtain funds from the investors are securities.
All assets can be securitized so long as they are associated with cash flow. Hence, the securities, which are the outcome of securitization processes, are termed asset-backed securities (ABS). From this perspective, securitization could also be defined as a financial processes leading to an emission of ABS.
Securitization often utilizes a special purpose vehicle (SPV), alternatively known as a special purpose entity (SPE) or special purpose company (SPC), in order to reduce the risk of bankruptcy and thereby obtain lower interest rates from potential lenders. A credit derivative is also generally used to change the credit quality of the underlying portfolio so that it will be acceptable to the final investors.
Securitization has evolved from tentative beginnings in the late 1970s to a vital funding source with an estimated total aggregate outstanding of $8.06 trillion (as of the end of 2005, by the Bond Market Association) and new issuance of $3.07 trillion in 2005 in the U.S. markets alone.[citation needed]
Cooking and Dining Report:
Boulder Restaurant Review - Jack and I had dinner last night at Mateo (owned by the same people as Radda). http://www.mateorestaurant.com/ We had been there once before right after it first opened several years ago. We like it then but somehow never got back there. They specialized in Provencal cuisine and the decor is a bit more elegant and upscale than Radda. We had a terrific dinner and the service was outstanding. Their menu seems to change monthly so everything is very seasonal and local.
We shared two appetizers - one was an Artisan Cheese Platter featuring Cambembert, English Stilton, a Chevre and a Delice de Bourgogne Triple Cream (my favorite!) and the other was Grilled Endive with Shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano. I liked that very much.
Jack had a sliced duck breast entree which was very tasty but a bit too rare for Jack - I thought it was just perfect!
I had a Colorado leg of lamb, slow-roasted and thinly sliced, served with tomatoes and potatoes in a Provencale style - a perfect dish for a cool night.
Dessert was over the top! We both had house-made tarts - Jack had a raspberry tart with vanilla bean ice cream and I had a bittersweet chocolate tart with chocolate hazelnut ice cream. The pastry on both was thin, light and flaky. Mine was one of the best desserts I've ever had!
We also tried a wine that was recommended and we enjoyed that very much - it was similar to a Cabernet Sauvigon but less sweet. It was called Chateau Beaumont from the Medoc region.
A couple of recipes from Susan's kitchen this past week:
From Mark Bitten from the New York Times, Grilled Halibut (I used Cod) with Remoulade - http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/recipe-of-the-day-grilled-halibut-with-remoulade/ - the cod is a more economical alternative and was very delicious - the sauce was a bit too hot for me - I would cut back on the cayenne just a bit. This is great because you can make the sauce well ahead and then just quickly grill or pan-fry the fish.
From Fine Cooking, Oven Fries - http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00225_rec01.asp - a little bit more work than opening the bag of frozen fries (that I usually do!) but well worth it. Next time I'll try it with sweet potatoes.
Quote of the Week: from writer, Anais Nin
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Have a terrific week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Hope you had a good week. A good turnout of the Saturday Morning Walkers, including Mary, Christie, Jan, Andrea, Laila, Irma and I, had a nice brisk (meaning temperature) walk yesterday up to and around Viele Lake, finishing at our first of the month planning session at Caffe Sole.
Book Report:
Laila is reading How To Meditate by Lawrence Le Shan. Here is a review from SpiritSite.com.
"Lawrence LeShan, a clinical psychologist, has spent over thirty years working with cancer patients to promote healing and well-being. He is also a pioneer in exploring the therapeutic uses of meditation.Dr. LeShan has developed a profoundly new approach to psychotherapy which focuses on assisting an individual (often a cancer patient) to find a source of joy and meaning in his life, rather than focusing on neuroses. The question to ask, says Dr. LeShan, is not "what is wrong with me?" but "what is right within me? What brings me joy and a sense of purpose in my life?"
How to Meditate is one of the simplest, most straightforward books on mediation. Dr. LeShan takes the approach that mediation is not mysterious; nor is one form of meditation ideal for everyone. In his book, Dr. LeShan outlines a variety of meditation techniques, and encourages the reader to bring meditation into his or her life."
I have started and am really enjoying Pete Hamill's memoir, A Drinking Life. Jack finished this a few weeks ago and I included the review then. Just do a search on the blog for Pete Hamill. If you've read and enjoyed Snow in August, Forever, Downtown and North River, you will appreciate learning about Hamill's background growing up and living in New York.
Website of the Week: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/ - the BBC presents a language site - pretty cool!
Podcast of the Week: http://www.newyorker.com/online/podcasts/campaigntrail - from The New Yorker Magazine, a podcast covering the campaign trail
Vocabulary Word of the Week: securitization - this word came up when Jack and I were listening to the news this morning and the person being interviewed used the word "securitize" - we had a "discussion" about whether or not this was a real word or if he meant to say "secure" - I won't say who was right!
Securitization is a structured finance process, which involves pooling and repackaging of cash-flow producing financial assets into securities that are then sold to investors. The name "securitization" is derived from the fact that the form of financial instruments used to obtain funds from the investors are securities.
All assets can be securitized so long as they are associated with cash flow. Hence, the securities, which are the outcome of securitization processes, are termed asset-backed securities (ABS). From this perspective, securitization could also be defined as a financial processes leading to an emission of ABS.
Securitization often utilizes a special purpose vehicle (SPV), alternatively known as a special purpose entity (SPE) or special purpose company (SPC), in order to reduce the risk of bankruptcy and thereby obtain lower interest rates from potential lenders. A credit derivative is also generally used to change the credit quality of the underlying portfolio so that it will be acceptable to the final investors.
Securitization has evolved from tentative beginnings in the late 1970s to a vital funding source with an estimated total aggregate outstanding of $8.06 trillion (as of the end of 2005, by the Bond Market Association) and new issuance of $3.07 trillion in 2005 in the U.S. markets alone.[citation needed]
Cooking and Dining Report:
Boulder Restaurant Review - Jack and I had dinner last night at Mateo (owned by the same people as Radda). http://www.mateorestaurant.com/ We had been there once before right after it first opened several years ago. We like it then but somehow never got back there. They specialized in Provencal cuisine and the decor is a bit more elegant and upscale than Radda. We had a terrific dinner and the service was outstanding. Their menu seems to change monthly so everything is very seasonal and local.
We shared two appetizers - one was an Artisan Cheese Platter featuring Cambembert, English Stilton, a Chevre and a Delice de Bourgogne Triple Cream (my favorite!) and the other was Grilled Endive with Shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano. I liked that very much.
Jack had a sliced duck breast entree which was very tasty but a bit too rare for Jack - I thought it was just perfect!
I had a Colorado leg of lamb, slow-roasted and thinly sliced, served with tomatoes and potatoes in a Provencale style - a perfect dish for a cool night.
Dessert was over the top! We both had house-made tarts - Jack had a raspberry tart with vanilla bean ice cream and I had a bittersweet chocolate tart with chocolate hazelnut ice cream. The pastry on both was thin, light and flaky. Mine was one of the best desserts I've ever had!
We also tried a wine that was recommended and we enjoyed that very much - it was similar to a Cabernet Sauvigon but less sweet. It was called Chateau Beaumont from the Medoc region.
A couple of recipes from Susan's kitchen this past week:
From Mark Bitten from the New York Times, Grilled Halibut (I used Cod) with Remoulade - http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/recipe-of-the-day-grilled-halibut-with-remoulade/ - the cod is a more economical alternative and was very delicious - the sauce was a bit too hot for me - I would cut back on the cayenne just a bit. This is great because you can make the sauce well ahead and then just quickly grill or pan-fry the fish.
From Fine Cooking, Oven Fries - http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00225_rec01.asp - a little bit more work than opening the bag of frozen fries (that I usually do!) but well worth it. Next time I'll try it with sweet potatoes.
Quote of the Week: from writer, Anais Nin
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Have a terrific week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Saturday Morning Walkers - September 1, 2008
Happy Labor Day!
Hope you all had a lovely and relaxing holiday weekend. We had quite a turnout on Saturday morning for our walk that Jan led around Twin Lakes in Gunbarrel - Mary, Andrea, Laila, Terri, Gaye, Barb and Me - Chris joined us for coffee at Page Two Cafe. Following that, Gaye and I joined Barb in the Voter Registration Drive being orchestrated by Dickie Lee Hullinghorst as part of her campaign for State Representative.
Barb is working tirelessly as Dickie Lee's campaign manager. This voter registration drive will continue throughout the month - I'm going to do it again next Saturday morning. Anyone care to join the effort?
Book Report:
I just finished The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta - he wrote Little Children (perhaps you saw the movie) - I highly recommend the book. It is eerily timely - do check it out!
From Booklist
As is evident from his previous novels Election (1998) and Little Children (2004), Perotta seems to enjoy putting characters with divergent belief systems together in a bag, as it were, and shaking it up. That is the technique he uses in his latest novel, to satiric effect. Ruth Ramsey, divorced, is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school; she believes in being honest with her students, telling them that some people "enjoy oral sex." She lands in hot water when an evangelical church, offended by her curriculum, forces the school board to include a section on abstinence. Tim Mason is the beloved soccer coach of Ruth's young daughter, Maggie. He is also a reformed stoner/loser and an entrenched member of the church that attacked Ruth. Things get interesting when Tim, in a moment of crisis, leads his team of girls in prayer, and Ruth publicly drags her daughter from the soccer field. Ironically, Ruth and Tim find they have more in common than they thought, and a shaky—at times humorous—interchange begins. Perotta focuses on the small, personal motives behind life's big shake-ups. A finely wrought novel that will be in demand.
Mary suggests Playing for Pizza by John Grisham - this is apparently a light-hearted departure from Grisham's usual legal thrillers.
Review
“Fans of John Grisham live for his legal thrillers, but now and then he serves up something unexpected. That’s exactly what he does, with great success, in Playing for Pizza.” —USA Today
“Enthralling.” —People
“Score another one for Grisham...This is a fish-out-of-water tale that perfectly suits his strengths as a storyteller.” —USA Today
“A light-hearted story of football, food and love.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Football in Italy? Who knew? Grisham means to have a sweet time with this story of a fallen NFL quarterback. And he does.” —Daily News (New York)
“Delightfully comic...a deeply satisfying story.” —The Boston Globe
“Charming...the author's love letter to Italy.” —Publishers Weekly
Terri enjoys and recommends James Patterson's Women Murder Club series.
Gaye just read and enjoyed Mercy by Jody Picoult - she's one of my favorite storytellers.
From Publishers Weekly
What could have been a competent, topical novel about a mercy killing becomes, in Picoult's (following Picture Perfect, 1995) hands, an inspired meditation on love. The setting is Wheelock, Mass., a slightly eccentric town where most of the residents are of Scottish descent, where weddings end in a blood vow, the name MacDonald is "painted on an alarming number of mailboxes" and police chief Cameron MacDonald doubles as clan chief and protector. On a seemingly ordinary day in Wheelock, Jamie MacDonald, a cousin of Cameron's, drives to the police station and announces: "My wife here, Maggie, is dead, and I'm the one who killed her." Cam finds himself saddled with a murder case and a conflict of interest: his cousin has given in to the pleas of his cancer-ravaged wife to kill her, and he's come to the clan chief to confess. But as police chief, Cam must also prosecute. On the same day, Cam's wife, Allie, the local florist, hires Mia, a violet-eyed beauty with a genius for flower arranging. Allie gets involved in Jamie's case, and Cam, who has spent his life in service to his community and his clan, falls in love with Mia and begins an affair that will bring his marriage to the breaking point and change it profoundly. Like Jamie, Allie is the marriage partner who loves more. "It's never fifty-fifty," says Jamie. As Jamie's court case proceeds, Picoult plumbs the emotional core of both marriages. The pace of the trial is slow, but Picoult pays loving attention to her central characters, fashioning a sensitive exploration of the balance of love.
Website of the Week - http://www.silobreaker.com/ - "Silobreaker is an online search service out of the UK for news and current events that delivers meaning and relevance beyond traditional search and aggregation engines. Its relational analysis and explanatory graphics provide users with unparalleled contextual insight into the news stories of the day.'
Podcast of the Week - check out www.itunes.com and search for DNC speeches for a podcast from the DNC with select speeches you may have missed last week.
Vocabulary Word of the Week - aggregation
Pronunciation:
\ˌa-gri-ˈgā-shən\
Function:
noun
Date:
1547
1: a group, body, or mass composed of many distinct parts or individuals
2: the collecting of units or parts into a mass or whole b: the condition of being so collected
— ag·gre·ga·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
Cooking and Dining Report
Here are a few more recipes from Susan's kitchen:
From Mark Bitten of the New York Times, Grilled Steak with Garlic (Fleica) - this recipe originated in Romania - I used Flank Steak but you could use skirt steak, strip or rib-eye. It is a very simple preparation.
http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/recipe-of-the-day-grilled-steak-with-garlic-fleica/
From Frog Hollow Farm, Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream - take advantage of luscious local peaches with this simple but elegant dessert.
http://www.froghollow.com/kitchen/peachesR3.cfm
This Plum Torte from The Splendid Table has become an annual treat at this time of the summer when Italian Prune Plums appear - unfortunately, we haven't seen any yet so I improvised and did it with peaches - pretty good! Do let me know if you happen to find them where you shop here in Colorado.
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/dessert_plum.html
From RecipeSource by way of Mark Bitten of the New York Times, Low Country Oyster Loaf - wow, this was terrific! One tip, I would let it sit for 10 minutes or so before slicing - I think it would hold together a bit better.
http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/seafood/oyster-loaf1.html
Quote of the Week: from a Barack Obama speech on February 5, 2008,
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
Have a great week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Hope you all had a lovely and relaxing holiday weekend. We had quite a turnout on Saturday morning for our walk that Jan led around Twin Lakes in Gunbarrel - Mary, Andrea, Laila, Terri, Gaye, Barb and Me - Chris joined us for coffee at Page Two Cafe. Following that, Gaye and I joined Barb in the Voter Registration Drive being orchestrated by Dickie Lee Hullinghorst as part of her campaign for State Representative.
Barb is working tirelessly as Dickie Lee's campaign manager. This voter registration drive will continue throughout the month - I'm going to do it again next Saturday morning. Anyone care to join the effort?
Book Report:
I just finished The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta - he wrote Little Children (perhaps you saw the movie) - I highly recommend the book. It is eerily timely - do check it out!
From Booklist
As is evident from his previous novels Election (1998) and Little Children (2004), Perotta seems to enjoy putting characters with divergent belief systems together in a bag, as it were, and shaking it up. That is the technique he uses in his latest novel, to satiric effect. Ruth Ramsey, divorced, is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school; she believes in being honest with her students, telling them that some people "enjoy oral sex." She lands in hot water when an evangelical church, offended by her curriculum, forces the school board to include a section on abstinence. Tim Mason is the beloved soccer coach of Ruth's young daughter, Maggie. He is also a reformed stoner/loser and an entrenched member of the church that attacked Ruth. Things get interesting when Tim, in a moment of crisis, leads his team of girls in prayer, and Ruth publicly drags her daughter from the soccer field. Ironically, Ruth and Tim find they have more in common than they thought, and a shaky—at times humorous—interchange begins. Perotta focuses on the small, personal motives behind life's big shake-ups. A finely wrought novel that will be in demand.
Mary suggests Playing for Pizza by John Grisham - this is apparently a light-hearted departure from Grisham's usual legal thrillers.
Review
“Fans of John Grisham live for his legal thrillers, but now and then he serves up something unexpected. That’s exactly what he does, with great success, in Playing for Pizza.” —USA Today
“Enthralling.” —People
“Score another one for Grisham...This is a fish-out-of-water tale that perfectly suits his strengths as a storyteller.” —USA Today
“A light-hearted story of football, food and love.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Football in Italy? Who knew? Grisham means to have a sweet time with this story of a fallen NFL quarterback. And he does.” —Daily News (New York)
“Delightfully comic...a deeply satisfying story.” —The Boston Globe
“Charming...the author's love letter to Italy.” —Publishers Weekly
Terri enjoys and recommends James Patterson's Women Murder Club series.
Gaye just read and enjoyed Mercy by Jody Picoult - she's one of my favorite storytellers.
From Publishers Weekly
What could have been a competent, topical novel about a mercy killing becomes, in Picoult's (following Picture Perfect, 1995) hands, an inspired meditation on love. The setting is Wheelock, Mass., a slightly eccentric town where most of the residents are of Scottish descent, where weddings end in a blood vow, the name MacDonald is "painted on an alarming number of mailboxes" and police chief Cameron MacDonald doubles as clan chief and protector. On a seemingly ordinary day in Wheelock, Jamie MacDonald, a cousin of Cameron's, drives to the police station and announces: "My wife here, Maggie, is dead, and I'm the one who killed her." Cam finds himself saddled with a murder case and a conflict of interest: his cousin has given in to the pleas of his cancer-ravaged wife to kill her, and he's come to the clan chief to confess. But as police chief, Cam must also prosecute. On the same day, Cam's wife, Allie, the local florist, hires Mia, a violet-eyed beauty with a genius for flower arranging. Allie gets involved in Jamie's case, and Cam, who has spent his life in service to his community and his clan, falls in love with Mia and begins an affair that will bring his marriage to the breaking point and change it profoundly. Like Jamie, Allie is the marriage partner who loves more. "It's never fifty-fifty," says Jamie. As Jamie's court case proceeds, Picoult plumbs the emotional core of both marriages. The pace of the trial is slow, but Picoult pays loving attention to her central characters, fashioning a sensitive exploration of the balance of love.
Website of the Week - http://www.silobreaker.com/ - "Silobreaker is an online search service out of the UK for news and current events that delivers meaning and relevance beyond traditional search and aggregation engines. Its relational analysis and explanatory graphics provide users with unparalleled contextual insight into the news stories of the day.'
Podcast of the Week - check out www.itunes.com and search for DNC speeches for a podcast from the DNC with select speeches you may have missed last week.
Vocabulary Word of the Week - aggregation
Pronunciation:
\ˌa-gri-ˈgā-shən\
Function:
noun
Date:
1547
1: a group, body, or mass composed of many distinct parts or individuals
2: the collecting of units or parts into a mass or whole b: the condition of being so collected
— ag·gre·ga·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
Cooking and Dining Report
Here are a few more recipes from Susan's kitchen:
From Mark Bitten of the New York Times, Grilled Steak with Garlic (Fleica) - this recipe originated in Romania - I used Flank Steak but you could use skirt steak, strip or rib-eye. It is a very simple preparation.
http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/recipe-of-the-day-grilled-steak-with-garlic-fleica/
From Frog Hollow Farm, Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream - take advantage of luscious local peaches with this simple but elegant dessert.
http://www.froghollow.com/kitchen/peachesR3.cfm
This Plum Torte from The Splendid Table has become an annual treat at this time of the summer when Italian Prune Plums appear - unfortunately, we haven't seen any yet so I improvised and did it with peaches - pretty good! Do let me know if you happen to find them where you shop here in Colorado.
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/dessert_plum.html
From RecipeSource by way of Mark Bitten of the New York Times, Low Country Oyster Loaf - wow, this was terrific! One tip, I would let it sit for 10 minutes or so before slicing - I think it would hold together a bit better.
http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/seafood/oyster-loaf1.html
Quote of the Week: from a Barack Obama speech on February 5, 2008,
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
Have a great week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - August 24, 2008
Hi everyone,
Jack and I got back last night from our visit with Jeff in Anchorage. We had a wonderful visit and it was good to be with Jeff and meet some of his friends. We had some great meals and will report on those below in the Cooking and Dining Report. I missed our Saturday morning walk but it sounds like Christie planned a nice Louisville walk and ended up with breakfast at the Huckleberry Cafe on Main Street.
Book Report: pretty slim this week - I'm reading The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield. I've mentioned this before, read bits and pieces and am finally making a point of reading it cover to cover. It is a fascinating study of Buddhist psychology that is the perfect follow-up to Eckhard Tolle's A New Earth.
Website of the Week - www.pensonfire.com - an online magazine of short fiction and poetry
Podcast of the Week - http://publicspeaker.quickanddirtytips.com/ - part of the wonderful quick and dirty tips series
Vocabulary Word of the Week - teacherage - we saw one of these in Girdwood, Alaska
teach·er·age
–noun a building serving as a combination school and living quarters, as on certain government reservations and in remote, sparsely settled areas.
Cooking and Dining Report:
Join us on a restaurant tour of Anchorage, Girdwood, and Talkeetna, Alaska:
Wednesday:
Breakfast at the Snow City Cafe in downtown Anchorage - terrific and busy place - great breakfasts - Jeff had Eggs Florentine, Jack had Blueberry Pancakes and I had my usual poached eggs, fruit and toast. www.snowcitycafe.com
Dinner at the Double Musky Inn in Girdwood - we had a wonderful dinner with Jeff's friends, Julia and Jon. Laila had recommended this restaurant and it exceeded our expectations. Girdwood is actually a ski resort town and the Double Musky is the perfect spot after a day of skiing. Of course, I would certainly skip the skiing and just go to dinner. We did ride the gondola to the top of the mountain and the view was breathtaking.
Jeff had crab-stuffed halibut, Jack had steak au poivre and I had a NY strip steak - everything was delicious! http://www.doublemuskyinn.com/framed.html
Thursday:After breakfast at the Downtown Deli near our hotel, we headed out for our road trip to Talkeetna - Gateway to Denali. This is a tiny, rustic little town that inspired the town in the television show, Northern Exposure.
We stopped at the Sheep Creek Lodge for lunch, just about 30 minutes outside of Talkeetna - Jeff had a roast beef sandwich with cream cheese horseradish and cheddar cheese and Jack and shared a great burger and a BLTA - avocado - yum!
We stayed at a fun little place called Main Street Suites http://www.talkeetnasuites.com/and ate dinner at the Wildflower Cafe just below our suite.
Jeff had an amazing Chef Salad which featured huge pieces of crabmeat, Jack had Chicken Alfredo with homemade and very fresh pasta and I had Baked-stuffed Halibut - outstanding!
http://www.talkeetnasuites.com/
Friday:
Before we left Talkeetna, we couldn't miss breakfast at The Roadhouse (another of Laila's recommendations) - fantastic breakfast - Jeff had Biscuits and Gravy, Jack had Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes and I had Scrambled Eggs with homefries and toast from their homemade bread.
Back in Anchorage, we had pizza at the Moose Tooth - in addition to our pizza, we all shared a very good Caesar Salad and tasted some of Jeff's Hungarian Mushroom Soup - really tasty!
Dinner on our last night was quite lovely. We went to Sacks Cafe and Restaurant, specializing in new American eclectic cuisine. Jeff saw several of his friends, a couple who work there and others who were also dining there.
We shared a beautiful appetizer - a platter with baked brie, served with marsala-poached apricots, candied walnuts, melon, apples and sliced baguettes - it was a gorgeous presentation and a really nice combination of flavors. Jack also had Alaska oysters
Jeff had the DUCK BREAST SALAD – pan seared – field greens, grape tomatoes, cambozola cheese, candied almonds, kahlua poached bartlett pears, cider dijon vinaigrette
Jack had the FILET OF BEEF – grilled – luv rub crust – mashed yellow potatoes, roasted portabello mushroom, grilled asparagus, rosemary port reduction, cambozola cheese
I had FRESH ALASKAN HALIBUT – oven roasted – fresh herb lemon crust, artichoke heart & caper relish, orzo pasta & spinach salad, roasted tomato crème, prosciutto wrapped asparagus
Everything was beautifully prepared and presented.
Well, that's our food tour of Anchorage/Girdwood/Talkeetna - if you ever get to Anchorage, be sure to try some of these spots and don't forget, Jeff works at the very popular Glacier Brewhouse - http://www.glacierbrewhouse.com/
Quote of the Week:
Food is so primal, so essential a part of our lives, often the mere sharing of recipes with strangers turns them into good friends. That's why I love this community. ~Jasmine Heiler, about recipezaar.com
Have a great week - enjoy watching the Convention!
Love,
Susan
Jack and I got back last night from our visit with Jeff in Anchorage. We had a wonderful visit and it was good to be with Jeff and meet some of his friends. We had some great meals and will report on those below in the Cooking and Dining Report. I missed our Saturday morning walk but it sounds like Christie planned a nice Louisville walk and ended up with breakfast at the Huckleberry Cafe on Main Street.
Book Report: pretty slim this week - I'm reading The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield. I've mentioned this before, read bits and pieces and am finally making a point of reading it cover to cover. It is a fascinating study of Buddhist psychology that is the perfect follow-up to Eckhard Tolle's A New Earth.
Website of the Week - www.pensonfire.com - an online magazine of short fiction and poetry
Podcast of the Week - http://publicspeaker.quickanddirtytips.com/ - part of the wonderful quick and dirty tips series
Vocabulary Word of the Week - teacherage - we saw one of these in Girdwood, Alaska
teach·er·age
–noun a building serving as a combination school and living quarters, as on certain government reservations and in remote, sparsely settled areas.
Cooking and Dining Report:
Join us on a restaurant tour of Anchorage, Girdwood, and Talkeetna, Alaska:
Wednesday:
Breakfast at the Snow City Cafe in downtown Anchorage - terrific and busy place - great breakfasts - Jeff had Eggs Florentine, Jack had Blueberry Pancakes and I had my usual poached eggs, fruit and toast. www.snowcitycafe.com
Dinner at the Double Musky Inn in Girdwood - we had a wonderful dinner with Jeff's friends, Julia and Jon. Laila had recommended this restaurant and it exceeded our expectations. Girdwood is actually a ski resort town and the Double Musky is the perfect spot after a day of skiing. Of course, I would certainly skip the skiing and just go to dinner. We did ride the gondola to the top of the mountain and the view was breathtaking.
Jeff had crab-stuffed halibut, Jack had steak au poivre and I had a NY strip steak - everything was delicious! http://www.doublemuskyinn.com/framed.html
Thursday:After breakfast at the Downtown Deli near our hotel, we headed out for our road trip to Talkeetna - Gateway to Denali. This is a tiny, rustic little town that inspired the town in the television show, Northern Exposure.
We stopped at the Sheep Creek Lodge for lunch, just about 30 minutes outside of Talkeetna - Jeff had a roast beef sandwich with cream cheese horseradish and cheddar cheese and Jack and shared a great burger and a BLTA - avocado - yum!
We stayed at a fun little place called Main Street Suites http://www.talkeetnasuites.com/and ate dinner at the Wildflower Cafe just below our suite.
Jeff had an amazing Chef Salad which featured huge pieces of crabmeat, Jack had Chicken Alfredo with homemade and very fresh pasta and I had Baked-stuffed Halibut - outstanding!
http://www.talkeetnasuites.com/
Friday:
Before we left Talkeetna, we couldn't miss breakfast at The Roadhouse (another of Laila's recommendations) - fantastic breakfast - Jeff had Biscuits and Gravy, Jack had Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes and I had Scrambled Eggs with homefries and toast from their homemade bread.
Back in Anchorage, we had pizza at the Moose Tooth - in addition to our pizza, we all shared a very good Caesar Salad and tasted some of Jeff's Hungarian Mushroom Soup - really tasty!
Dinner on our last night was quite lovely. We went to Sacks Cafe and Restaurant, specializing in new American eclectic cuisine. Jeff saw several of his friends, a couple who work there and others who were also dining there.
We shared a beautiful appetizer - a platter with baked brie, served with marsala-poached apricots, candied walnuts, melon, apples and sliced baguettes - it was a gorgeous presentation and a really nice combination of flavors. Jack also had Alaska oysters
Jeff had the DUCK BREAST SALAD – pan seared – field greens, grape tomatoes, cambozola cheese, candied almonds, kahlua poached bartlett pears, cider dijon vinaigrette
Jack had the FILET OF BEEF – grilled – luv rub crust – mashed yellow potatoes, roasted portabello mushroom, grilled asparagus, rosemary port reduction, cambozola cheese
I had FRESH ALASKAN HALIBUT – oven roasted – fresh herb lemon crust, artichoke heart & caper relish, orzo pasta & spinach salad, roasted tomato crème, prosciutto wrapped asparagus
Everything was beautifully prepared and presented.
Well, that's our food tour of Anchorage/Girdwood/Talkeetna - if you ever get to Anchorage, be sure to try some of these spots and don't forget, Jeff works at the very popular Glacier Brewhouse - http://www.glacierbrewhouse.com/
Quote of the Week:
Food is so primal, so essential a part of our lives, often the mere sharing of recipes with strangers turns them into good friends. That's why I love this community. ~Jasmine Heiler, about recipezaar.com
Have a great week - enjoy watching the Convention!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - August 18, 2008
Hi everyone!
It has been a whirlwind week for us - Jexy and Jacob arrived on Tuesday and are leaving tomorrow. You all know how much I will miss them but the good news is that we will be heading out to visit Jeff in Alaska this Tuesday. Looks like we're in for cool, rainy days - oh well!! Of course, we've just had a couple of rainy days here in Colorado - our Saturday morning walk was rained out but we still had a great turnout for coffee at the Page 2 Cafe in Gunbarrel - Andrea, Laila, Barb, Mary, Cass, Jan, me and Jexy.
Book Report:
Jexy is reading a book she is enjoying - The God of War by Marisa Silver.
From Publishers Weekly
An elegantly observed coming-of-age story steeped in poverty and violence, this novel by the author of No Direction Home offers a poignant and often heartbreaking account of Ares Ramirez. The year is 1978, and 12-year-old Ares has outgrown the cramped trailer in the California desert that he shares with his mother, Laurel, and six-year-old brother, Malcolm. Malcolm has profound developmental disabilities, but Laurel, out of a free-spirited and self-righteous view of motherhood, has only recently (and very reluctantly) allowed Malcolm to get treatment. A horrific childhood accident and encroaching adolescence, meanwhile, fill Ares with a potent and inarticulate anger. In the absence of any outlet for his preoccupation with violence, Ares falls into an uneasy friendship with Kevin, the troubled foster child of Malcolm's new speech therapist. Conflict with Laurel, her on-again-off-again boyfriend and a small community that will not accept Malcolm, drive Ares into Kevin's manipulative sway, and Ares will have to choose between protecting his family or embracing the violence building inside him. The characters are painted with compassion and unflinching honesty, and the climax is pithy and consequential. (Apr.)
Mandy A. listed a book on her Facebook bookshelf page which sounds good to me - More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss.
From Publishers Weekly
The third novel from the author of Chang and Eng and The Real McCoy is an often satiric page-turner that tracks a Long Island family crisis. Josh Goldin is a happily married TV airtime salesman with an eight-month-old son. When baby Zack is treated twice for mysterious and life-threatening symptoms, the head of a pediatric ICU, Dr. Darlene Stokes, tells Child Protective Services that she thinks Josh's wife, Dori, suffers from Munchausen syndrome, whereby the afflicted injure their children deliberately to draw attention to themselves. The Goldins' ensuing battle to keep Zack provides grist for public debate about issues ranging from parents' rights to race (Dr. Stokes is black, the Goldins Jewish). Strauss takes delight in skewering a world in which everything (news coverage, legal representation, hospital beds) is for sale, sometimes digressively, always amusingly. The stereotypes are intentionally heavy-handed: Josh's perceptions almost always register through race and class-related fear and disgust. But the heart of the story—the unraveling of Josh's life and the steady erosion of his faith that ignorance can be a virtue and happiness a choice—is riveting.
I started reading Ann Packer's newest novel, Song Without Words and I am disappointed to say that I have put it down and will not finish it - I loved her book, Dive From Clausen's Pier but this one just doesn't measure up for me.
Website of the Week: www.factcheck.org - "We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."
Podcast of the Week: Salon.com radio - http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/?source=rss
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Nonplussed - this was contributed by Barbara Rowland and is accompanied by this opinion column from the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-daum9-2008aug09,0,4695540.column
Cooking and Dining Report:
Janet made this wonderful corn chowder from Ina Garten on The Food Networkhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cheddar-corn-chowder-recipe/index.html
Jexy prepared dinner on Friday night and we loved these Calzone Rolls with Sausage, Basil and Tomatoes from Rachael Ray of the Food Networkhttp://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=880
We made this Heavenly Hazelnut Pound Cake, also from Rachael Ray - so easy and "heavenly" - how can you miss with Nutella and whipped cream?! And the pound cake is store bought.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/heavenly-hazelnut-pound-cake-recipe/index.html
I decided to try Julia Child's Roast Chicken recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. My intention was to follow it to the letter but after I defrosted my chicken, I realized that I had had it "butterflied" at the store, so right off the bat, I had to make modifications to Julia's technique. The result was a delicious chicken with a fantastic pan sauce to flavor it but the skin was not as crisp as it should have been. I will try it again with an intact whole chicken.
http://www.recipezaar.com/57199
This recipe for Prosciutto and Cheese Stuffed Lamb Tenderloin from my friend, Giada de Laurentiis was terrific but do note that I actually made it with Pork Tenderloin. Jack is not a lover of lamb. We loved it! I think it would also work well with beef tenderloin but that would certainly be much pricier. The pork is definitely more economical and was moist and flavorful.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/prosciutto-and-cheese-stuffed-lamb-tenderloin-recipe/index.html
Whew - I'm not cooking until we get back from Alaska!
Quote of the Week - from Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron - "The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new"
Love,
Susan
It has been a whirlwind week for us - Jexy and Jacob arrived on Tuesday and are leaving tomorrow. You all know how much I will miss them but the good news is that we will be heading out to visit Jeff in Alaska this Tuesday. Looks like we're in for cool, rainy days - oh well!! Of course, we've just had a couple of rainy days here in Colorado - our Saturday morning walk was rained out but we still had a great turnout for coffee at the Page 2 Cafe in Gunbarrel - Andrea, Laila, Barb, Mary, Cass, Jan, me and Jexy.
Book Report:
Jexy is reading a book she is enjoying - The God of War by Marisa Silver.
From Publishers Weekly
An elegantly observed coming-of-age story steeped in poverty and violence, this novel by the author of No Direction Home offers a poignant and often heartbreaking account of Ares Ramirez. The year is 1978, and 12-year-old Ares has outgrown the cramped trailer in the California desert that he shares with his mother, Laurel, and six-year-old brother, Malcolm. Malcolm has profound developmental disabilities, but Laurel, out of a free-spirited and self-righteous view of motherhood, has only recently (and very reluctantly) allowed Malcolm to get treatment. A horrific childhood accident and encroaching adolescence, meanwhile, fill Ares with a potent and inarticulate anger. In the absence of any outlet for his preoccupation with violence, Ares falls into an uneasy friendship with Kevin, the troubled foster child of Malcolm's new speech therapist. Conflict with Laurel, her on-again-off-again boyfriend and a small community that will not accept Malcolm, drive Ares into Kevin's manipulative sway, and Ares will have to choose between protecting his family or embracing the violence building inside him. The characters are painted with compassion and unflinching honesty, and the climax is pithy and consequential. (Apr.)
Mandy A. listed a book on her Facebook bookshelf page which sounds good to me - More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss.
From Publishers Weekly
The third novel from the author of Chang and Eng and The Real McCoy is an often satiric page-turner that tracks a Long Island family crisis. Josh Goldin is a happily married TV airtime salesman with an eight-month-old son. When baby Zack is treated twice for mysterious and life-threatening symptoms, the head of a pediatric ICU, Dr. Darlene Stokes, tells Child Protective Services that she thinks Josh's wife, Dori, suffers from Munchausen syndrome, whereby the afflicted injure their children deliberately to draw attention to themselves. The Goldins' ensuing battle to keep Zack provides grist for public debate about issues ranging from parents' rights to race (Dr. Stokes is black, the Goldins Jewish). Strauss takes delight in skewering a world in which everything (news coverage, legal representation, hospital beds) is for sale, sometimes digressively, always amusingly. The stereotypes are intentionally heavy-handed: Josh's perceptions almost always register through race and class-related fear and disgust. But the heart of the story—the unraveling of Josh's life and the steady erosion of his faith that ignorance can be a virtue and happiness a choice—is riveting.
I started reading Ann Packer's newest novel, Song Without Words and I am disappointed to say that I have put it down and will not finish it - I loved her book, Dive From Clausen's Pier but this one just doesn't measure up for me.
Website of the Week: www.factcheck.org - "We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."
Podcast of the Week: Salon.com radio - http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/?source=rss
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Nonplussed - this was contributed by Barbara Rowland and is accompanied by this opinion column from the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-daum9-2008aug09,0,4695540.column
Cooking and Dining Report:
Janet made this wonderful corn chowder from Ina Garten on The Food Networkhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cheddar-corn-chowder-recipe/index.html
Jexy prepared dinner on Friday night and we loved these Calzone Rolls with Sausage, Basil and Tomatoes from Rachael Ray of the Food Networkhttp://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=880
We made this Heavenly Hazelnut Pound Cake, also from Rachael Ray - so easy and "heavenly" - how can you miss with Nutella and whipped cream?! And the pound cake is store bought.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/heavenly-hazelnut-pound-cake-recipe/index.html
I decided to try Julia Child's Roast Chicken recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. My intention was to follow it to the letter but after I defrosted my chicken, I realized that I had had it "butterflied" at the store, so right off the bat, I had to make modifications to Julia's technique. The result was a delicious chicken with a fantastic pan sauce to flavor it but the skin was not as crisp as it should have been. I will try it again with an intact whole chicken.
http://www.recipezaar.com/57199
This recipe for Prosciutto and Cheese Stuffed Lamb Tenderloin from my friend, Giada de Laurentiis was terrific but do note that I actually made it with Pork Tenderloin. Jack is not a lover of lamb. We loved it! I think it would also work well with beef tenderloin but that would certainly be much pricier. The pork is definitely more economical and was moist and flavorful.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/prosciutto-and-cheese-stuffed-lamb-tenderloin-recipe/index.html
Whew - I'm not cooking until we get back from Alaska!
Quote of the Week - from Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron - "The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new"
Love,
Susan
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday Morning Walkers - August 10, 2008
Hi everyone!
We had a very lovely walk on Saturday up to Eben Fine Park and back to Pearl Street. Oh, yes, we started with a Labyrinth walk and smudging with Jan, Barb, Mary, Cass, Andrea, Irma and me. We ended up at the Paradise Cafe for breakfast and good talk.
For those of you who don't know, Irma is undergoing chemo right now for breast cancer. She is only 35 years old!!! Several of us have formed what we like to call "Team Irma" and are united to be her support group. Please keep her in your thoughts!
Book Report:
I just finished a wonderful book - My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme. It is the fascinating story of Julia and her husband, Paul's journey into the world of French cuisine. It is as delightful to read as it was to watch her for all those years on television. I must say that I've always been a bit intimidated by classic French cooking and have never even looked at her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I do plan to get a copy from the library and dabble a little bit.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. With Julia Child's death in 2004 at age 91, her grandnephew Prud'homme (The Cell Game) completed this playful memoir of the famous chef's first, formative sojourn in France with her new husband, Paul Child, in 1949. The couple met during WWII in Ceylon, working for the OSS, and soon after moved to Paris, where Paul worked for the U.S. Information Service. Child describes herself as a "rather loud and unserious Californian," 36, six-foot-two and without a word of French, while Paul was 10 years older, an urbane, well-traveled Bostonian. Startled to find the French amenable and the food delicious, Child enrolled at the Cordon Bleu and toiled with increasing zeal under the rigorous tutelage of éminence grise Chef Bugnard. "Jackdaw Julie," as Paul called her, collected every manner of culinary tool and perfected the recipes in her little kitchen on rue de l'Université ("Roo de Loo"). She went on to start an informal school with sister gourmandes Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, who were already at work on a French cookbook for American readers, although it took Child's know-how to transform the tome—after nine years, many title changes and three publishers—into the bestselling Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). This is a valuable record of gorgeous meals in bygone Parisian restaurants, and the secret arts of a culinary genius.
Another DVD recommendation from Jan - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - apparently pretty dark but Jan really liked it. Great cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei..
Amazon.com
Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is an exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding as brothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents’ jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffman’s steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from different vantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighty-three-year-old director Lumet (Serpico) employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If Devil feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasive work by an old master.
Website/Blog of the Week: http://www.blogher.com/ - a blog for women who blog!
Podcast of the Week: from The Diane Rehm Show on NPR - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/08/07.php#21837 - "As We Forgive" - "How a graduate film student stumbled upon her thesis topic on a church trip to Rwanda, told the ongoing story of reconciliation between killers and the families of genocide victims, and won a student Academy Award. Plus, a look at a new Rwandan report accusing top French officials of complicity in the 1994 genocide" - don't miss this - I would like to see this documentary shown in Boulder or Denver - does anyone have any thoughts about how to make that happen?
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Rankle
v. ran·kled, ran·kling, ran·kles
v.intr.
1. To cause persistent irritation or resentment.
2. To become sore or inflamed; fester.
v.tr.
To embitter; irritate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English ranclen, from Old French rancler, alteration of draoncler, from draoncle, festering sore, from Latin dracunculus, diminutive of drac, dracn-, serpent; see dragon.]
Word History: A persistent resentment, a festering sore, and a little snake are all coiled together in the history of the word rankle. "A little snake" is the sense of the Latin word dracunculus to which rankle can be traced, dracunculus being a diminutive of drac, "snake." The Latin word passed into Old French, as draoncle, having probably already developed the sense "festering sore," because some of these sores resembled little snakes in their shape or bite. The verb draoncler, "to fester," was then formed in Old French. The noun and verb developed alternate forms without the d-, and both were borrowed into Middle English, the noun rancle being recorded in a work written around 1190, the verb ranclen, in a work probably composed about 1300. Both words had literal senses having to do with festering sores. The noun is not recorded after the 16th century, but the verb went on to develop the figurative senses having to do with resentment and bitterness with which we are all too familiar.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
rankle
Verb
[-kling, -kled] to continue to cause resentment or bitterness [Old French draoncle
Cooking and Dining Report:
Chris had a very successful dinner party featuring London Broil with Cherry Balsamic Sauce from Eating Well Magazine - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cherry_london_broil.html
From Giada de Laurentiis, Chianti Marinated Beef Stew - Mikki and I loved this, Paul and Jack - not so much! This is definitely more of a winter meal! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chianti-marinated-beef-stew-recipe/index.html
From Fine Cooking, Shrimp Salad Rolls with Tarragon and Chives - a nice light summer dinner - would love to try with lobster!
Ingredients
Kosher salt
2 lb. large shrimp (31 to 40 per lb.), preferably easy-peel
3/4 cup finely chopped celery with leaves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
6 hot dog rolls, preferably New England-style split-top rolls
How to make
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until bright pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes.the water needn't return to a boil. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Shell the shrimp, devein if necessary, and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces.
In a large bowl, stir the celery, mayonnaise, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir in the shrimp and season to taste with more lemon, salt, and pepper.
Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high. Toast both outside surfaces of the rolls under the broiler, about 1 minute per side. Spoon the shrimp salad into the rolls, using about 2/3 cup per roll, and serve.
Variations
Make it a lobster roll: Substitute 1-1/2 lb. (4 cups) cooked lobster meat for the cooked shrimp.
From Fine Cooking, Linguine with Roasted Red Peppers, Tomatoes and Toasted Breadcrumbs - very tasty and also good for a warm summer night. http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/quick-italian-pasta-roasted-peppers-tomatoes.aspx?LangType=1033&ac=fp
From Giada de Laurentiis, Fregola with Clams and Mussels - out, out, outstanding!! This is a dish from Sardinia. Fregola are tiny balls of pasta, just a bit bigger than couscous. I wasn't confident that I would find it easily but I was pleasantly surprised to find it at the Oliv shop on Broadway, between Spruce and Pearl. It is right next door to the new spice shop I told you about last week. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_206806,00.html
Quote of the Week - from Julia Child in My Life in France:
"One of the secrets and pleasures, of cooking is to learn to correct something it it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear if it can't be fixed." Hmmm - think I can apply that to my life in general!
I'm very excited that Jexy and Jacob are arriving on Tuesday - we've got some fun stuff planned and good food to eat.
Hope you all have a great week ahead!
Love,
Susan
We had a very lovely walk on Saturday up to Eben Fine Park and back to Pearl Street. Oh, yes, we started with a Labyrinth walk and smudging with Jan, Barb, Mary, Cass, Andrea, Irma and me. We ended up at the Paradise Cafe for breakfast and good talk.
For those of you who don't know, Irma is undergoing chemo right now for breast cancer. She is only 35 years old!!! Several of us have formed what we like to call "Team Irma" and are united to be her support group. Please keep her in your thoughts!
Book Report:
I just finished a wonderful book - My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme. It is the fascinating story of Julia and her husband, Paul's journey into the world of French cuisine. It is as delightful to read as it was to watch her for all those years on television. I must say that I've always been a bit intimidated by classic French cooking and have never even looked at her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I do plan to get a copy from the library and dabble a little bit.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. With Julia Child's death in 2004 at age 91, her grandnephew Prud'homme (The Cell Game) completed this playful memoir of the famous chef's first, formative sojourn in France with her new husband, Paul Child, in 1949. The couple met during WWII in Ceylon, working for the OSS, and soon after moved to Paris, where Paul worked for the U.S. Information Service. Child describes herself as a "rather loud and unserious Californian," 36, six-foot-two and without a word of French, while Paul was 10 years older, an urbane, well-traveled Bostonian. Startled to find the French amenable and the food delicious, Child enrolled at the Cordon Bleu and toiled with increasing zeal under the rigorous tutelage of éminence grise Chef Bugnard. "Jackdaw Julie," as Paul called her, collected every manner of culinary tool and perfected the recipes in her little kitchen on rue de l'Université ("Roo de Loo"). She went on to start an informal school with sister gourmandes Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, who were already at work on a French cookbook for American readers, although it took Child's know-how to transform the tome—after nine years, many title changes and three publishers—into the bestselling Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). This is a valuable record of gorgeous meals in bygone Parisian restaurants, and the secret arts of a culinary genius.
Another DVD recommendation from Jan - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - apparently pretty dark but Jan really liked it. Great cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei..
Amazon.com
Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is an exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding as brothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents’ jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffman’s steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from different vantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighty-three-year-old director Lumet (Serpico) employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If Devil feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasive work by an old master.
Website/Blog of the Week: http://www.blogher.com/ - a blog for women who blog!
Podcast of the Week: from The Diane Rehm Show on NPR - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/08/07.php#21837 - "As We Forgive" - "How a graduate film student stumbled upon her thesis topic on a church trip to Rwanda, told the ongoing story of reconciliation between killers and the families of genocide victims, and won a student Academy Award. Plus, a look at a new Rwandan report accusing top French officials of complicity in the 1994 genocide" - don't miss this - I would like to see this documentary shown in Boulder or Denver - does anyone have any thoughts about how to make that happen?
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Rankle
v. ran·kled, ran·kling, ran·kles
v.intr.
1. To cause persistent irritation or resentment.
2. To become sore or inflamed; fester.
v.tr.
To embitter; irritate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English ranclen, from Old French rancler, alteration of draoncler, from draoncle, festering sore, from Latin dracunculus, diminutive of drac, dracn-, serpent; see dragon.]
Word History: A persistent resentment, a festering sore, and a little snake are all coiled together in the history of the word rankle. "A little snake" is the sense of the Latin word dracunculus to which rankle can be traced, dracunculus being a diminutive of drac, "snake." The Latin word passed into Old French, as draoncle, having probably already developed the sense "festering sore," because some of these sores resembled little snakes in their shape or bite. The verb draoncler, "to fester," was then formed in Old French. The noun and verb developed alternate forms without the d-, and both were borrowed into Middle English, the noun rancle being recorded in a work written around 1190, the verb ranclen, in a work probably composed about 1300. Both words had literal senses having to do with festering sores. The noun is not recorded after the 16th century, but the verb went on to develop the figurative senses having to do with resentment and bitterness with which we are all too familiar.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
rankle
Verb
[-kling, -kled] to continue to cause resentment or bitterness [Old French draoncle
Cooking and Dining Report:
Chris had a very successful dinner party featuring London Broil with Cherry Balsamic Sauce from Eating Well Magazine - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cherry_london_broil.html
From Giada de Laurentiis, Chianti Marinated Beef Stew - Mikki and I loved this, Paul and Jack - not so much! This is definitely more of a winter meal! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chianti-marinated-beef-stew-recipe/index.html
From Fine Cooking, Shrimp Salad Rolls with Tarragon and Chives - a nice light summer dinner - would love to try with lobster!
Ingredients
Kosher salt
2 lb. large shrimp (31 to 40 per lb.), preferably easy-peel
3/4 cup finely chopped celery with leaves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
6 hot dog rolls, preferably New England-style split-top rolls
How to make
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until bright pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes.the water needn't return to a boil. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Shell the shrimp, devein if necessary, and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces.
In a large bowl, stir the celery, mayonnaise, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir in the shrimp and season to taste with more lemon, salt, and pepper.
Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high. Toast both outside surfaces of the rolls under the broiler, about 1 minute per side. Spoon the shrimp salad into the rolls, using about 2/3 cup per roll, and serve.
Variations
Make it a lobster roll: Substitute 1-1/2 lb. (4 cups) cooked lobster meat for the cooked shrimp.
From Fine Cooking, Linguine with Roasted Red Peppers, Tomatoes and Toasted Breadcrumbs - very tasty and also good for a warm summer night. http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/quick-italian-pasta-roasted-peppers-tomatoes.aspx?LangType=1033&ac=fp
From Giada de Laurentiis, Fregola with Clams and Mussels - out, out, outstanding!! This is a dish from Sardinia. Fregola are tiny balls of pasta, just a bit bigger than couscous. I wasn't confident that I would find it easily but I was pleasantly surprised to find it at the Oliv shop on Broadway, between Spruce and Pearl. It is right next door to the new spice shop I told you about last week. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_206806,00.html
Quote of the Week - from Julia Child in My Life in France:
"One of the secrets and pleasures, of cooking is to learn to correct something it it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear if it can't be fixed." Hmmm - think I can apply that to my life in general!
I'm very excited that Jexy and Jacob are arriving on Tuesday - we've got some fun stuff planned and good food to eat.
Hope you all have a great week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - August 3, 2008
Hi everyone,
Well, the Saturday Morning Walkers did something wild and crazy this weekend. Instead of walking on Saturday morning, we walked on Sunday morning - whoooeee! Really shook things up! We headed out early this morning in an attempt to beat the heat and headed up a great trail in Shanahan Ridge up to the Mesa Trail and then back down. It was a bit challenging but we made it down and rewarded ourselves with breakfast at the Southside Walnut Cafe - yum! We had quite a turnout this morning - Barb, Cass, Chris, Christie, Mary, me and our special guest, Irma. Jan and Andrea joined us for breakfast. It was so good to be with everyone - it's been a while for me.
Book Report:
Jack just finished Pete Hamill's memoir, A Drinking Life. As I've mentioned before, Hamill is one of our favorite writers (Snow in August, Forever, Downtown and others). Jack loved the book and I will get to it one of these days.
From Publishers Weekly
Hamill's autobiography entails his long odyssey to sobriety. This is not a jeremiad condemning drink, however, but a thoughtful, funny, street-smart reflection on its consequences. To understand Hamill ( Loving Women ), one must know his immigrant parents: Anne, gentle and fair; Billy, one-legged and alcoholic. The first offspring of this union--Republicans in Belfast, Democrats in Brooklyn--Hamill has a special gift for relating the events of his childhood. He recreates a time extinct, a Brooklyn of trolley cars, Dodgers, pails of beer and pals like No Toes Nocera. He recalls such adventures as the Dodgers' 1941 pennant and viewing the liner Normandie lying on its side in the Hudson River. We partake in the glory of V-J day and learn what life in Hamill's neighborhood was centered on: "Part of being a man was to drink." Puberty hits him and booze helps him to overcome his sexual shyness. But Hamill's childhood ended early. After dropping out of high school he lived on his own, working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and drinking with his workmates. Wanting more, he studied art, soon meeting a nude model named Laura who was a lot different from the neighborhood girls, those "noble defenders of the holy hymen." And escape was always on Hamill's mind. First it was the Navy, then Mexico, but it was always the same--drinking nights which today he can't remember. There were fist-fights and jail time in Mexico and he learned that "drinking could be a huge fuck you to Authority." Back home with a job at the New York Post , he mastered his trade at the Page One bar every morning, drinking with other reporters. Much time was spent in saloons away from his wife and two daughters and he remembers the taunts of his childhood, "Your old man's an Irish drunk!" Then one New Year's Eve 20 years ago he noticed all the drunkenness and had his last vodka. When asked why, he said, "I have no talent for it." It may be the only talent Hamill lacks.
Cass read and loved Winter in Lisbon by Antonio Munoz Molina - she and her Spanish speaking book group read it in Spanish but it is available in English.
Had a bit of trouble finding a review but here is an excerpt of an article about the literature of democratic Spain
"El Invierno en Lisboa (1987, Winter in Lisbon) is Munoz Molina's second novel. The book's action takes place in two cities, San Sebastian and Lisbon. The narrator, a self-effacing voyeur following the events in the life of a young jazz musician, attempts to reconstruct in a halting monologue the strange existence of this antihero tortured by two unrelenting passions: his music and his love for a mysterious woman. The novel foregrounds issues of time and memory to undemine a model of simplistic coherence created by the narrative sequence. For this novel, Munoz Molina was awarded the 1987 Critics' Prize."
Jan has a couple of audiobook recommendations and a couple of DVD's to recommend:
The Audio Books are:
The Twelfth Card is a murder mystery by Jeffrey Deaver. This is part of series featuring police detective Lincoln Rhyme.
From Publishers Weekly
The popularity of Deaver's novels about quadriplegic police detective Lincoln Rhyme and his legwoman Amelia Sachs depends mightily on their personal stories (i.e., their romantic relationship, their struggles with depression and physical impairments) and the ingeniously twisted crimes they solve. Both elements have been served better in the past. While the plot is properly perplexing (why is a 16-year-old Harlem high schooler being stalked by a ruthless killer?), fans will be baffled by Deaver's decision to move series supporting player NYPD lieutenant Lon Sellitto closer to center stage, thus significantly limited Rhyme's presence in the story. Boutsikaris, an accomplished theater and film actor, and one of the better audio performers, provides a crisp narrative that moves the story quickly enough to build and maintain a fair amount of suspense, even through several lengthy plot recaps. He exhibits both versatility and imagination in finding the right voice for most of the characters, from the impatient, almost fussy Rhyme to the gruff and emotionally conflicted Sellitto.
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a novel by Lionel Shriver.
From Publishers Weekly
A number of fictional attempts have been made to portray what might lead a teenager to kill a number of schoolmates or teachers, Columbine style, but Shriver's is the most triumphantly accomplished by far. A gifted journalist as well as the author of seven novels, she brings to her story a keen understanding of the intricacies of marital and parental relationships as well as a narrative pace that is both compelling and thoughtful. Eva Khatchadourian is a smart, skeptical New Yorker whose impulsive marriage to Franklin, a much more conventional person, bears fruit, to her surprise and confessed disquiet, in baby Kevin. From the start Eva is ambivalent about him, never sure if she really wanted a child, and he is balefully hostile toward her; only good-old-boy Franklin, hoping for the best, manages to overlook his son's faults as he grows older, a largely silent, cynical, often malevolent child. The later birth of a sister who is his opposite in every way, deeply affectionate and fragile, does nothing to help, and Eva always suspects his role in an accident that befalls little Celia. The narrative, which leads with quickening and horrifying inevitability to the moment when Kevin massacres seven of his schoolmates and a teacher at his upstate New York high school, is told as a series of letters from Eva to an apparently estranged Franklin, after Kevin has been put in a prison for juvenile offenders. This seems a gimmicky way to tell the story, but is in fact surprisingly effective in its picture of an affectionate couple who are poles apart, and enables Shriver to pull off a huge and crushing shock far into her tale. It's a harrowing, psychologically astute, sometimes even darkly humorous novel, with a clear-eyed, hard-won ending and a tough-minded sense of the difficult, often painful human enterprise.
The DVD's are:
Rendition - very timely!
Amazon.com
Roger Ebert called it "perfect," and certainly the timing couldn't have been much better: Rendition was released just as the U.S. was debating anew the issue of "extraordinary rendition," a policy (begun under the Clinton administration, accelerated after September 11, 2001) of handing over suspected terrorists to countries that use torture as an interrogation tool. Alas, the movie only rarely fills in the outlines of a prototypical "issue movie," the kind of thing peopled by cardboard characters tracing the patterns of an important, indeed urgent, subject. The plot kicks into gear when an Egyptian-born man (Omar Metwally) is sent to an unnamed North African country where torture is practiced, with the CIA in approval. The film takes a Crash dive through how this affects various people: his pregnant American wife (Reese Witherspoon), the reluctant CIA agent (Jake Gyllenhaal) on the scene, a severe interrogator (Yigal Naor), all the way up to a U.S. terrorism honcho (Meryl Streep) willing to turn a blind eye to the unpleasantness if it stops a terrorist attack. Things spark briefly when Witherspoon enlists an old beau (Peter Sarsgaard) to plead her case with his boss, a U.S. Senator (Alan Arkin), but for the most part director Gavin Hood (Totsi) can't find a way to color in these line drawings, despite the formidable actors doing spirited work. The issue is fully and lucidly explained, but the movie doesn't come alive
Crash
Amazon.com
Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout
Website/Blog of the Week: George Peter's and Melanie Walker's blog, featuring a page about their work on the Grillo Center Meander and Meet Labyrinth - check out their other entries about the projects they're involved with. http://airworksstudio.blogspot.com/2008/04/meander-meet-labyrinth.html
Podcast of the Week: Meet the Press - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8132577/
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Gallimarfry
A hotchpotch, jumble or confused medley.
This word has been around since the sixteenth century, is still in use, but isn’t particularly common today. It’s one of those terms sometimes trotted out to give a literary feel to one’s writing, or spoken in a facetious tone for a quick laugh. Its origin is uncertain, though it could have come from the French galimafree, which might have referred to a kind of sauce or stew. Support for this comes from its earliest sense in English of a ragout or hash, to which the current meaning is obviously a figurative reference. “So now,” a writer lamented in 1579, “they have made our English tongue a gallimaufry, or hodgepodge of all other speeches”.
Cooking and Dining Report: I've got several really good recipes to share!
From Epicurious.com, Bacon Wrapped Cod - really a lovely preparation - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BACON-WRAPPED-COD-104533
From Epicurious.com, Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Cheese Salad - burrata cheese is hard to find so use a really good quality fresh mozzarella - this is a real splurge of a salad but well worth it. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/HEIRLOOM-TOMATO-AND-BURRATA-CHEESE-SALAD-235861
From Clydes Restaurant (one of our favorite places back in Maryland), their famous crab cakes - http://www.clydes.com/main/Food_and_Wine_Pop.cfm?Section=Recipe_Crab_Cakes - they definitely rival my old stand-by Camden Yard Crab Cakes.
I served these with Michael Chiarello's (The Food Network) Shaved Fennel Salad - excellent alternative to traditional coleslaw and a perfect accompaniment to the crab cakes - for 4 servings, just take two good size fennel bulbs, slice them very thin - it really helps to have a mandoline for this - combine with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon good quality extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, kosher or gray salt and pepper to taste.
A new shop to tell you about - The Savory Spice Shop just opened recently on Broadway between Spruce and Pearl on the west side of the street. I was very impressed with the amazing array of spices and seasonings. Do check it out! http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/whatsnew.html
Quote of the Week: from Eckhard Tolle's Inner Stillness -
"When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world"
If you've missed any posts, don't forget you can always go to my blogsite at http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/ I'm a bit behind in updating recent posts but will work on that this week.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Susan
Well, the Saturday Morning Walkers did something wild and crazy this weekend. Instead of walking on Saturday morning, we walked on Sunday morning - whoooeee! Really shook things up! We headed out early this morning in an attempt to beat the heat and headed up a great trail in Shanahan Ridge up to the Mesa Trail and then back down. It was a bit challenging but we made it down and rewarded ourselves with breakfast at the Southside Walnut Cafe - yum! We had quite a turnout this morning - Barb, Cass, Chris, Christie, Mary, me and our special guest, Irma. Jan and Andrea joined us for breakfast. It was so good to be with everyone - it's been a while for me.
Book Report:
Jack just finished Pete Hamill's memoir, A Drinking Life. As I've mentioned before, Hamill is one of our favorite writers (Snow in August, Forever, Downtown and others). Jack loved the book and I will get to it one of these days.
From Publishers Weekly
Hamill's autobiography entails his long odyssey to sobriety. This is not a jeremiad condemning drink, however, but a thoughtful, funny, street-smart reflection on its consequences. To understand Hamill ( Loving Women ), one must know his immigrant parents: Anne, gentle and fair; Billy, one-legged and alcoholic. The first offspring of this union--Republicans in Belfast, Democrats in Brooklyn--Hamill has a special gift for relating the events of his childhood. He recreates a time extinct, a Brooklyn of trolley cars, Dodgers, pails of beer and pals like No Toes Nocera. He recalls such adventures as the Dodgers' 1941 pennant and viewing the liner Normandie lying on its side in the Hudson River. We partake in the glory of V-J day and learn what life in Hamill's neighborhood was centered on: "Part of being a man was to drink." Puberty hits him and booze helps him to overcome his sexual shyness. But Hamill's childhood ended early. After dropping out of high school he lived on his own, working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and drinking with his workmates. Wanting more, he studied art, soon meeting a nude model named Laura who was a lot different from the neighborhood girls, those "noble defenders of the holy hymen." And escape was always on Hamill's mind. First it was the Navy, then Mexico, but it was always the same--drinking nights which today he can't remember. There were fist-fights and jail time in Mexico and he learned that "drinking could be a huge fuck you to Authority." Back home with a job at the New York Post , he mastered his trade at the Page One bar every morning, drinking with other reporters. Much time was spent in saloons away from his wife and two daughters and he remembers the taunts of his childhood, "Your old man's an Irish drunk!" Then one New Year's Eve 20 years ago he noticed all the drunkenness and had his last vodka. When asked why, he said, "I have no talent for it." It may be the only talent Hamill lacks.
Cass read and loved Winter in Lisbon by Antonio Munoz Molina - she and her Spanish speaking book group read it in Spanish but it is available in English.
Had a bit of trouble finding a review but here is an excerpt of an article about the literature of democratic Spain
"El Invierno en Lisboa (1987, Winter in Lisbon) is Munoz Molina's second novel. The book's action takes place in two cities, San Sebastian and Lisbon. The narrator, a self-effacing voyeur following the events in the life of a young jazz musician, attempts to reconstruct in a halting monologue the strange existence of this antihero tortured by two unrelenting passions: his music and his love for a mysterious woman. The novel foregrounds issues of time and memory to undemine a model of simplistic coherence created by the narrative sequence. For this novel, Munoz Molina was awarded the 1987 Critics' Prize."
Jan has a couple of audiobook recommendations and a couple of DVD's to recommend:
The Audio Books are:
The Twelfth Card is a murder mystery by Jeffrey Deaver. This is part of series featuring police detective Lincoln Rhyme.
From Publishers Weekly
The popularity of Deaver's novels about quadriplegic police detective Lincoln Rhyme and his legwoman Amelia Sachs depends mightily on their personal stories (i.e., their romantic relationship, their struggles with depression and physical impairments) and the ingeniously twisted crimes they solve. Both elements have been served better in the past. While the plot is properly perplexing (why is a 16-year-old Harlem high schooler being stalked by a ruthless killer?), fans will be baffled by Deaver's decision to move series supporting player NYPD lieutenant Lon Sellitto closer to center stage, thus significantly limited Rhyme's presence in the story. Boutsikaris, an accomplished theater and film actor, and one of the better audio performers, provides a crisp narrative that moves the story quickly enough to build and maintain a fair amount of suspense, even through several lengthy plot recaps. He exhibits both versatility and imagination in finding the right voice for most of the characters, from the impatient, almost fussy Rhyme to the gruff and emotionally conflicted Sellitto.
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a novel by Lionel Shriver.
From Publishers Weekly
A number of fictional attempts have been made to portray what might lead a teenager to kill a number of schoolmates or teachers, Columbine style, but Shriver's is the most triumphantly accomplished by far. A gifted journalist as well as the author of seven novels, she brings to her story a keen understanding of the intricacies of marital and parental relationships as well as a narrative pace that is both compelling and thoughtful. Eva Khatchadourian is a smart, skeptical New Yorker whose impulsive marriage to Franklin, a much more conventional person, bears fruit, to her surprise and confessed disquiet, in baby Kevin. From the start Eva is ambivalent about him, never sure if she really wanted a child, and he is balefully hostile toward her; only good-old-boy Franklin, hoping for the best, manages to overlook his son's faults as he grows older, a largely silent, cynical, often malevolent child. The later birth of a sister who is his opposite in every way, deeply affectionate and fragile, does nothing to help, and Eva always suspects his role in an accident that befalls little Celia. The narrative, which leads with quickening and horrifying inevitability to the moment when Kevin massacres seven of his schoolmates and a teacher at his upstate New York high school, is told as a series of letters from Eva to an apparently estranged Franklin, after Kevin has been put in a prison for juvenile offenders. This seems a gimmicky way to tell the story, but is in fact surprisingly effective in its picture of an affectionate couple who are poles apart, and enables Shriver to pull off a huge and crushing shock far into her tale. It's a harrowing, psychologically astute, sometimes even darkly humorous novel, with a clear-eyed, hard-won ending and a tough-minded sense of the difficult, often painful human enterprise.
The DVD's are:
Rendition - very timely!
Amazon.com
Roger Ebert called it "perfect," and certainly the timing couldn't have been much better: Rendition was released just as the U.S. was debating anew the issue of "extraordinary rendition," a policy (begun under the Clinton administration, accelerated after September 11, 2001) of handing over suspected terrorists to countries that use torture as an interrogation tool. Alas, the movie only rarely fills in the outlines of a prototypical "issue movie," the kind of thing peopled by cardboard characters tracing the patterns of an important, indeed urgent, subject. The plot kicks into gear when an Egyptian-born man (Omar Metwally) is sent to an unnamed North African country where torture is practiced, with the CIA in approval. The film takes a Crash dive through how this affects various people: his pregnant American wife (Reese Witherspoon), the reluctant CIA agent (Jake Gyllenhaal) on the scene, a severe interrogator (Yigal Naor), all the way up to a U.S. terrorism honcho (Meryl Streep) willing to turn a blind eye to the unpleasantness if it stops a terrorist attack. Things spark briefly when Witherspoon enlists an old beau (Peter Sarsgaard) to plead her case with his boss, a U.S. Senator (Alan Arkin), but for the most part director Gavin Hood (Totsi) can't find a way to color in these line drawings, despite the formidable actors doing spirited work. The issue is fully and lucidly explained, but the movie doesn't come alive
Crash
Amazon.com
Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout
Website/Blog of the Week: George Peter's and Melanie Walker's blog, featuring a page about their work on the Grillo Center Meander and Meet Labyrinth - check out their other entries about the projects they're involved with. http://airworksstudio.blogspot.com/2008/04/meander-meet-labyrinth.html
Podcast of the Week: Meet the Press - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8132577/
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Gallimarfry
A hotchpotch, jumble or confused medley.
This word has been around since the sixteenth century, is still in use, but isn’t particularly common today. It’s one of those terms sometimes trotted out to give a literary feel to one’s writing, or spoken in a facetious tone for a quick laugh. Its origin is uncertain, though it could have come from the French galimafree, which might have referred to a kind of sauce or stew. Support for this comes from its earliest sense in English of a ragout or hash, to which the current meaning is obviously a figurative reference. “So now,” a writer lamented in 1579, “they have made our English tongue a gallimaufry, or hodgepodge of all other speeches”.
Cooking and Dining Report: I've got several really good recipes to share!
From Epicurious.com, Bacon Wrapped Cod - really a lovely preparation - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BACON-WRAPPED-COD-104533
From Epicurious.com, Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Cheese Salad - burrata cheese is hard to find so use a really good quality fresh mozzarella - this is a real splurge of a salad but well worth it. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/HEIRLOOM-TOMATO-AND-BURRATA-CHEESE-SALAD-235861
From Clydes Restaurant (one of our favorite places back in Maryland), their famous crab cakes - http://www.clydes.com/main/Food_and_Wine_Pop.cfm?Section=Recipe_Crab_Cakes - they definitely rival my old stand-by Camden Yard Crab Cakes.
I served these with Michael Chiarello's (The Food Network) Shaved Fennel Salad - excellent alternative to traditional coleslaw and a perfect accompaniment to the crab cakes - for 4 servings, just take two good size fennel bulbs, slice them very thin - it really helps to have a mandoline for this - combine with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon good quality extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, kosher or gray salt and pepper to taste.
A new shop to tell you about - The Savory Spice Shop just opened recently on Broadway between Spruce and Pearl on the west side of the street. I was very impressed with the amazing array of spices and seasonings. Do check it out! http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/whatsnew.html
Quote of the Week: from Eckhard Tolle's Inner Stillness -
"When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world"
If you've missed any posts, don't forget you can always go to my blogsite at http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/ I'm a bit behind in updating recent posts but will work on that this week.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - July 20, 2008
Hi everyone!
I missed yesterday's walk but Cass, Barb, Mary and Christie walked out near Christie's house in Louisville - they met up with Jan at Dragonfly Cafe for coffee. Sorry I missed being with you but Jack and I went to a family gathering out in Woodland Park, CO, just east of Colorado Springs.
Book Report:
I am on the last pages of a book that I am just loving. It is a written and photographic journey into Jewish Cuba called An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba by Ruth Behar and Humberto Mayol. Behar was actually born in Cuba herself and with her family left for the United States shortly after Castro came into power in 1959. It is a fascinating look at how the Jewish culture has survived in Cuba under very difficult circumstances. Behar is actually an anthropologist who has focused her study on Jews in Cuba but this is a very personal story for her. It is quite a beautiful book with black and photography that expresses the emotions of the people she interviews throughout the book
From Publishers Weekly
A professor at the University of Michigan, Behar seeks a better understanding of her roots and of the Jewish experience in her native Cuba. Traversing the island, Behar becomes a confidante to myriad Jewish strangers. Through one-on-one interviews and black-and-white images taken by her photographer, Humberto Mayol, she uncovers the diasporic thread that connects Cuban Jews. Familial stories of wandering beginning in the 1920s tell of displaced Polish and German Jews—escapees from anti-Semitism and Auschwitz—opening mom-and-pop shops in La Habana Vieja, becoming peddlers, replacing Yiddish with Spanish and settling into Latino life only to be uprooted within decades. An estimated 16,500 Jews lived in Cuba in the late 1950s, when a mass exodus to Miami and New York took place—a reaction to Castro's budding communist revolution. This diligent recounting and pictorial collage of interviews with adolescents, the aging, the impoverished and the political by Behar preserves in memory the people and places that make up Cuba's Jewish story.
Website of the Week: http://www.globalgiving.com/index.html
Podcast of the Week: http://www.c-span.org/podcast/ - C-span Podcasts
Vocabulary Word of the Week: acculturation
ac·cul·tur·a·tion [uh-kuhl-chuh-rey-shuhn]
1. the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.
2. the result of this process.
Cooking and Dining Report:
As promised, I tried out a few recipes this week and repeated a favorite dessert recipe that Jack requested:
From Gourmet Magazine, Pasta Puttanesca - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PASTA-PUTTANESCA-242590 - this a spicy and hearty dish that is a favorite of ours.
Also from Gourmet Magazine, Porterhouse Steak with Pan-Seared Cherry Tomatoes - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PORTERHOUSE-STEAK-WITH-PAN-SEARED-CHERRY-TOMATOES-242859 - really beautiful presentation and absolutely delicious!
From Bon Appetit, Roasted Cod on Large Garlic Croutons - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ROASTED-COD-ON-LARGE-GARLIC-CROUTONS-242490 - kind of a seafood bruschetta but definitely a main course.
Also from Bon Appetit, Lemon-Almond Buttermilk Loaf with Balsamic Strawberries - great for a group and a wonderful blend of flavors - I would say that the lemon glaze on the top is optional.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/LEMON-ALMOND-BUTTERMILK-LOAF-WITH-BALSAMIC-STRAWBERRIES-101367
Quote of the Week: from Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, "Be Yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just Be."
That's it for now - have a great week - Jack and I are off for a weekend getaway to Steamboat this Friday!
Love,
Susan
I missed yesterday's walk but Cass, Barb, Mary and Christie walked out near Christie's house in Louisville - they met up with Jan at Dragonfly Cafe for coffee. Sorry I missed being with you but Jack and I went to a family gathering out in Woodland Park, CO, just east of Colorado Springs.
Book Report:
I am on the last pages of a book that I am just loving. It is a written and photographic journey into Jewish Cuba called An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba by Ruth Behar and Humberto Mayol. Behar was actually born in Cuba herself and with her family left for the United States shortly after Castro came into power in 1959. It is a fascinating look at how the Jewish culture has survived in Cuba under very difficult circumstances. Behar is actually an anthropologist who has focused her study on Jews in Cuba but this is a very personal story for her. It is quite a beautiful book with black and photography that expresses the emotions of the people she interviews throughout the book
From Publishers Weekly
A professor at the University of Michigan, Behar seeks a better understanding of her roots and of the Jewish experience in her native Cuba. Traversing the island, Behar becomes a confidante to myriad Jewish strangers. Through one-on-one interviews and black-and-white images taken by her photographer, Humberto Mayol, she uncovers the diasporic thread that connects Cuban Jews. Familial stories of wandering beginning in the 1920s tell of displaced Polish and German Jews—escapees from anti-Semitism and Auschwitz—opening mom-and-pop shops in La Habana Vieja, becoming peddlers, replacing Yiddish with Spanish and settling into Latino life only to be uprooted within decades. An estimated 16,500 Jews lived in Cuba in the late 1950s, when a mass exodus to Miami and New York took place—a reaction to Castro's budding communist revolution. This diligent recounting and pictorial collage of interviews with adolescents, the aging, the impoverished and the political by Behar preserves in memory the people and places that make up Cuba's Jewish story.
Website of the Week: http://www.globalgiving.com/index.html
Podcast of the Week: http://www.c-span.org/podcast/ - C-span Podcasts
Vocabulary Word of the Week: acculturation
ac·cul·tur·a·tion [uh-kuhl-chuh-rey-shuhn]
1. the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.
2. the result of this process.
Cooking and Dining Report:
As promised, I tried out a few recipes this week and repeated a favorite dessert recipe that Jack requested:
From Gourmet Magazine, Pasta Puttanesca - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PASTA-PUTTANESCA-242590 - this a spicy and hearty dish that is a favorite of ours.
Also from Gourmet Magazine, Porterhouse Steak with Pan-Seared Cherry Tomatoes - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PORTERHOUSE-STEAK-WITH-PAN-SEARED-CHERRY-TOMATOES-242859 - really beautiful presentation and absolutely delicious!
From Bon Appetit, Roasted Cod on Large Garlic Croutons - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ROASTED-COD-ON-LARGE-GARLIC-CROUTONS-242490 - kind of a seafood bruschetta but definitely a main course.
Also from Bon Appetit, Lemon-Almond Buttermilk Loaf with Balsamic Strawberries - great for a group and a wonderful blend of flavors - I would say that the lemon glaze on the top is optional.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/LEMON-ALMOND-BUTTERMILK-LOAF-WITH-BALSAMIC-STRAWBERRIES-101367
Quote of the Week: from Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, "Be Yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just Be."
That's it for now - have a great week - Jack and I are off for a weekend getaway to Steamboat this Friday!
Love,
Susan
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