Review & Weekend Cooking: The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook

End of term is over, and thanks to one last six hour push yesterday, all is graded an in.  Thank.  Goodness.  I'm completely and utterly exhausted, which is perfect for sinking into many a good book today. 

In the meantime, I wanted to get back in the game with a little Weekend Cooking post and book review.  I managed to get my hands on a copy of The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook.  Yes, it's "unofficial," but with a couple of long months ahead of us as we painfully wait for season three, it still is pretty fun to check out the recipes that just might be cooked up for our famous Downton clan.

Set up in a pretty classic fashion, this cookbook is minus the glossy pictures we expect today.  In the post-Edwardian era, the cooking was an interestingly sauced bunch of meats and "veg," with puddings and pastries for dessert and tea.   The contents of the book are separated into two parts: Part 1, "Dining With the Crawleys"; and Part 2, "Sustenance for the Staff".  From there, the book is separated into twelve chapters--eight for the Crawleys and three for the staff.

One of the things that I found nice about this cookbook is that it breaks its chapters into the courses in the meal that you might have with the Crawleys (yes, I picture being there).  We open with Hors d'Oeuvres, soup and fish.  Then it moves to entrees, meat course, game and salads, vegetables, and then desserts.  You'll find plenty of things like oysters, ducks, and roasts galore, with fancy wine and mushroom sauces.  The desserts are also somewhat familiar, with chocolate mousses, cakes, and eclairs, but also contains an Apple Charlotte and Bakewell Tart recipe to remind us of another era.    Tea Time wraps up the Crawleys' section, with delightful scones, curds, and finger sandwiches that seem fairly simple and straightforward to make.

The staff doesn't seem to eat that poorly, but maybe a bit less sauced.  Their food feels a bit more like standard "Toad in a Hole," "Bangers and Mash," and "Bubble and Squeak".  As Americans, if you're not an Anglophile, these terms might make the food sound creepy and a bit frightening, but really it's just basic things like sausages and potatoes.

I really enjoyed the range of recipes in this cookbook and the whimsy of tying it to Downton Abbey and our favorite characters.  Honestly, this is more of a classic British food cookbook, but adds that nostalgic look at a time and show we have all been captivated by.  I've thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on trying out some of the soups in particular. 

Now, can we get back to the show at some point!?!  I'll be keeping my eye out for these glorious foods the next time the Crawleys or staff have a bit of a sit down.

Weekend Cooking is a great, weekly post run by Beth Fish Reads.  There are some really great food-related posts there.  Stop by to check out other great posts from this weekend.

Sunday Blatherings & Weekend Cooking

Happy fall!  Yes, I think it's really and truly here.  My air conditioning finally has pretty much stopped running and I'm about ready to switch it over to the heating part of central air.  Nice.  October is just a great month.  Other than my hectic life at work, I can't think of a single thing I don't love about this last part of the year. 

Heading into the weekend I noticed that I had picked up a bit of a cold, so I'm taking it easy and catching up on grading I have to finish before I leave for Michigan this next week.  I'm also cooking up a nice pot of turkey and wild rice soup.  Yum! 

Speaking of cooking, I have been playing around with cake recipes after picking up an amazing cake cookbook called Cake Boy by Eric Lanlard and a bit of a gift from my mother, the cookbook Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.  Growing up, we always made our baked good from scratch.  In fact, most of our recipes came from a little community cookbook of my grandmother's from the 1960s (which contained recipes from the early 1930s on).  I cherish that cookbook, but I love looking at other recipes that redo classics or share an updated version. 

Cake Boy is this amazing little cookbook that has a British/French flair.  Most of his cakes are "sponges" and are smothered in frosting.  There are amazing tart recipes, one of which is a wicked looking Bakewell Tart that I'm dying to try my hand at.  There are cheesecakes, cookies, and madeleines, all with detailed recipes and quite a few glorious pictures to go with the recipes.  In fact, last weekend I made a nice, chocolate sponge.  It was very brownie-like in its depth of chocolate flavor, and simply amazing.  Honestly, if I was going to recommend a cookbook, this would be the one.  You really have to check this out. (Here is a link to Cake Boy boutique in London.)

The second cookbook I've tried out is Vintage Cakes, which I got as a gift.  The pictures make "vintage" sound like it equates messy in some way, as some of the pictures feature cakes served on boards with frosting kind of running all over.  In their defense, it was mainly the Texas Sheetcake recipe, but I thought it was a pretty messy looking picture that I didn't think represented "vintage" in the way I pictured.  The recipes in this cookbook though are really nostalgic.  The Honey Bee Cake was one that I remember and I really want to try out, along with the Harvey Wallbanger.  There is a nice variety of cakes here and I really do love it.  Just look at that sweet cover!  Doesn't that speak for itself?

That's my weekend.  Maybe I'll post my turkey soup on another day?  For today, I thought I'd share a bit of cake magic.  Now, I'm off to eat a bowl of soup, although this post is making me wish I had a piece of cake!

Weekend Cooking is a great, weekly post run by Beth Fish Reads.  There are some really great food-related posts there.  Stop by to check out other great posts from this weekend.

Review: Sweet Macarons--Delectable French Confections for Every Day

In the world of sweet confections, macarons surely rank up there with some of the world's prettiest creations--at least in my humble opinion.  If you've ever walked into a sweet shop with a glass showcase filled with colorful macarons, there just doesn't seem to be anything better.  Their vibrant colors, intricate flavors, and gentle sweetness come together to make a delightful dessert.  Besides, they can make you wish yourself in Paris with nothing more than a bite!

In Sweet Macrons, I really appreciated the amount of time and space spent to explaining the issues that come up with macarons.  These can be tricky little cookies, that I have yet to really master.  Although I've only attempted them twice, both times my cookies spread out on the baking sheet and I had a bit of a mess on my hands.  After reading through the suggestions at the beginning of the book, Mercotte explains that part of my problem had to do with not separating my egg whites early enough for them to sit out.  Once you've measured your egg whites, almond meal, and sugar, it seems like you can really get to the heart of macaron making, which opens up a bevy of beautiful desserts.

There is a nice variety of recipes in this little cookbook to keep every taste happy.  I loved the fruit ones, with flavors like citrus and kaffir lime, and mango and passionfruit.  There are also some of the standards, such as chocolate and salted caramel.  Regardless of difficulty or time, this cookbook has a nice and simple outline for their recipes, with pretty pictures to help you see your end goal. 

Now, it's time for me to try to tackle these little beauties again!

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based off of a review e-copy from Netgalley.

Sunday Blatherings & Weekend Cooking

With the start of a new term, comes that ever-needed brief reprieve from the grading that haunts me.  Honestly, I have to say thank goodness for that, because I have been so burned out that it has frightened me a little.  I'm talking epic burnout that I usually don't experience until about April.  Thankfully, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I'm looking forward to those five days off to check out for awhile. 

Nothing new is really going on in my world.  I've just been relaxing this weekend, doing a little cooking and cleaning, and reading more than I have in quite awhile.  Although I'm having a bit of downtime this weekend, I did review a couple of cookbooks that I received from Netgalley, The Sweet Life and I Love Meatballs!  Digital cookbooks are really great once you get used to using a device like the iPad when you're cooking.  In a lot of ways, it has completely changed the way I cook and gather recipes!

The Sweet Life: Diabetes Without Boundaries is a great cookbook by Top Chef runner up Sam Talbot (although I kind of thought he should have won).  As with many health oriented cookbooks, Sam's cookbook encourages healthy eating that doesn't require you to give up flavor, taste, and enjoyment.  Many of his recipes center on foods that are high on energy and low on refined products, all in an effort to keep blood sugar levels steady and energy high.  Many of his recipes feature low-fat proteins like eggs and fish, but also utilize nuts, legumes, and beans; all of which will keep your body fueled and running properly all day long.  One of the recipes I'm dying to try out is his "Soft-Cooked Eggs with Yellow Squash and Broccoli Rabe Pesto."  Because I'm not very imaginative on how to include more vegetables in my day, and especially not in breakfast, this recipe sounds really interesting and delicious!  Although the recipes are aimed at demonstrating how to eat well with diabetes, he does still have foods that we might consider quick sugar burners, such as fruits and breads.  These foods though are used in small portions and are mixed with other foods that are on the low end of the glycemic index.

Much of the recipes in The Sweet Life draw on flavor profiles from around the globe, which we know add great flavor without the fat and sugar.  He has everything from Asian flavors like Ponzu and lemongrass, to south of the border tacos and grilling.  (The "Lemon Chicken with Lemongrass and Love"--love being this amazing marinade of basil, parsley, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar--sounds amazing!)  Regardless of whether you have diabetes or not, I found his recipes to be so smart and unlike anything I'd seen before, that I know I'll be trying them out in an ongoing effort to eat healthy, eat fresher, and eat at home.

I Love Meatballs by Rich Rodgers is a nice look at all the ways that meatballs can be incorporated into various meals, and at all their varieties.  Obviously, meatballs can be eaten with pasta, but they can also serve as a nice protein to add to soups, as a nice appetizer, as a base in a sandwich, or as the main protein to a meal with sides.  The thing I most liked about this cookbook, to be honest, were the guidelines and suggestions at the beginning of the book.  I've cooked a lot of different types of meatballs, to freeze for quick meals and such, but have run into issues with meatballs that fell apart, dried out, or didn't cook all the way through.  The introduction really gives some great tips on binders, cooking, and preserving that will help me the next time I cook up a batch of meatballs.

Although I've cooked a lot of different types of  meatballs, I really want to try out some of the Asian meatball recipes in his cookbook, such as the "Braised Vietnamese Meatballs in Caramel Sauce."  The caramel bit freaked me out a bit, but once you read the recipe it all makes sense.  They are these great pork, ginger, garlic, and rice masterpieces, dipped in a sweet and sour type sauce of sugar, broth, shallots, lemongrass, ginger, chilies, and cilantro that sounds really good.  Who knows, I might have to try this one out of my family one night over Thanksgiving break. (Speaking of which, this cookbook even has a recipe for "Turkey Meatball Subs with Cranberry-Chipotle Mayonnaise" that is very Thanksgiving-ish.)

There are lots of different versions to the meatball that I find interesting and really enjoy in this cookbook.  You can eat a nice Greek-style meatball with a yogurt sauce, a Spanish tapas version with sherry sauce, a nice Asian-infused meatball with a sweet & sour sauce, or a simple escarole and meatball soup.  Whether you only like meatballs with your spaghetti or have fully embraced the meatball as a protein that can stand on its own, you really should check out the amazing variety of recipes this cookbook has to offer.  I can't wait to try some of these out!

Well, that's all for my great weekend.  I'm off to read the afternoon away before I have to hop online for my classes I teach there.  Hopefully you're eating well, reading well, and resting well!  Have a great weekend! 

For more weekend cooking, go to Beth Fish Reads.  You'll find all sorts of great food-related posts and recipes!

Library Loot

As I'm trying to take in the summer, I took a  little time out to go on a hike with one of my awesome work friends and her kids.  Let me just say that I thought I was going to DIE along the first half of that trail.  It made me so mad that I struggled so hard with that stinking trail!  (Evidence again that I need to shed some pounds, ASAP!)  Once we all got warmed up though, we made it up to the top of the trail and the lake that is up there.  Of course, it was really pretty and so nice and temperate up that high.  It was just a really nice afternoon to spend with great friends in a beautiful place.  Why don't I take advantage of these mountains more often?

I also stopped by the library this week and just spent some time looking around.  A lot of the time I zip in and zip out, having put everything on hold through my online account.  This time, I spent some time and ended up in the cookbook section.  I love that we can check out cookbooks, especially since my own cookbook shelves are completely full and I have no more room to buy more.  Yea, I'll have to figure out a way to make more room--eventually. 

Needless to say, I've had some nice "endish" of summer outings and can feel work screaming down my neck.  I've actually worked a lot this summer and am even in the process of putting things together.  I'll never be completely ready, but ready or not, it's coming.

Here's what I picked up on my outing to the library:

 

As a Janeite, I had to check this one out.  It's a pretty cerebral book, with essay-like chapters about Jane Austen and her influence, so we'll see what the book has to share!

 

This one might be a problem.  I reserved this months ago, thinking I'd finish the first book.  Nope.  It didn't happen.  Now I better get reading so I don't have to return this!  (Knowing me, that's not going to happen.)

 

I've actually checked this cookbook out before.  Tana Ramsay is the famous Chef Ramsay's wife, so I was curious about what she could cook.  This cookbook ended up being really fabulous, with great recipes that feel pretty accessible.  Plus, she has a great recipe for Eton Mess, which I've been looking for after eating it in England back in June.  I checked her cookbook out again so I can decide if I should bite the bullet and buy my own copy or at least use it for my own try at Eton Mess!

 

I actually thought this was a slow cooker cookbook.  Yes, I know it says "pressure cooker" in large orange letters on the cover, but I didn't really register that.  All I know is that the recipes inside were really diverse and caught my attention.  Maybe I'll have to dig out my small pressure cooker and give these a try.

 

I really can not say enough about this little gem.  When I picked it up, I thought it was just too heavy.  It's not a great book for actually cooking from, since it's so small in size yet thick.  You couldn't possibly prop this open to cook from, but I have to say that the recipes and pictures are AMAZING.  There are variations of types of desserts, which is intriguing.  Overall though, I had to bring this one home because it was so pretty!

As you can see, I'll probably be doing a bit of cooking.  That's always good, right?

*Library Loot is a meme hosted by Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire from The Captive Reader.  Join us, and share what you've picked up from one of our many great libraries!

Sunday Blatherings

This has been a crazy, but good week.  I'm heading into the end of term madness, to coincide with all the March Madness that's ongoing.  I brought home a stack of papers to grade that is nearly 1 ft. tall!  It's horrifying, and it all has to be in this week.

As mentioned, it's also March Madness and my brackets are doing fantastic right now!  As a huge KU fan, I'm a little nervous and excited today, knowing they'll be playing later this evening.  The games have been really good this year and I can't pull myself away from the television.  Also, Utah rarely has teams that make it past the first round, so it's pretty exciting to see BYU getting so much recognition and moving on to the Sweet Sixteen.  It's been a great college basketball season, and I'm a very happy fan!  By the way, I'm not sure why everyone is always so surprised that I like college ball?  Do I really come across as such an anti-sport fan???

Yesterday I had my cousin and his wife over for dinner and to watch the games last night.  I cooked up a crock pot of pulled pork for sandwiches, which turned out amazing and were SO easy that I'll definitely be trying them again!  I also cooked up Trisha Yearwood's recipe for Hot Corn Dip from her most recent cookbook, Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood that I checked out from the library.  Talk about addicting!  The ingredients kind of grossed me out, but once it all came together it was so good.  I think that I might add olives and chopped onions, and maybe cut one of the can of green chilies, but overall it was an amazing dip!  It was a great dip to dive into while we watched the game.  Not the healthiest, but I don't plan on eating it every day.

Well, that's my week and a look ahead at what is going to be a pretty tough week ahead.  I don't know how much reading I'll squeeze in, or even how much blogging I'll get around to this week, so I'm looking forward to next weekend already.  Actually, I'm looking forward to Spring Break even more, but that's still three weeks away.  For this week, at least I have some leftovers to carry me into a busy week!

How was your week and what are you looking forward to in the coming weeks?

Sunday Blatherings: Library Loot & Oscar Madness

After devouring four books last weekend, I went through a type of drought this week.  In the classes I teach at school and online, they're all reading such different things that I found myself coming home and just wanting to watch TV each night!  My juniors just started reading Les Miserables, my Popular Fiction students just finished Hunger Games, my AP students at school are in the middle of studying poetry, and in my online classes they're studying Canterbury Tales and Hamlet.  As you can see, I feel like I'm all over the board! 

Thankfully, I have a lot of books I'm interested in escaping into on my own time.  I'm still in the middle of reading twelve different books.  Yes, I'm a little crazy, but for some reason I tend to bounce around when I read.  Once something gets far enough into the story or grabs me, then I push the others aside to finish the book.  This weekend, I hope to finish Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning.  I'd heard so much buzz online about the latest release, Shadowfever, that I thought I'd give the series a try. 

Today, however, I dropped into the library and just wandered around a bit.  I haven't done that in so long!  There is something so relaxing about looking through shelves and shelves of books.  Usually, I put books on hold and then run in, check them out, and run out again, managing my entire library account online.  It was nice to have a moment to spare to take a look around.  In fact, I ended up picking up a stack of cookbooks, since all these snowstorms put me in the mood for some nice home cooked meals.  Here's what I picked up:

Art Smith was Oprah Winfrey's chef and also appeared on Top Chef Masters 1.  His food had a lot of heart and won over the judges for quite awhile.  I'm eager to flip through and try out some of the recipes in this cookbook, since I was raised on good "home" cooking like he features in his cookbook.

 
Considering we have a fresh layer of snow on the ground today, nothing sounds better than a hearty bowl of soup.  I actually happen to really love soup and think that it makes for a great meal that I can divvy up for lunches throughout the week.  This is a small cookbook, but the pictures and variations make it pretty appealing.  In fact, I'm going to take a look at this one to possibly purchase it for my own collection.

I'm starting to see a trend here!  Could I be in a "home cooking" mindset right now?  This particular cookbook by country singer Trisha Yearwood is actually the second that she has put out.  I was given her first cookbook for Christmas last year and really love it.  This second cookbook seems to have a much larger dessert section, which is fine with me!  I'm also trying to decide if I should get her second cookbook to go with the first one.  Decisions.  Decisions.

Now I can take a look and whip up something great for the Oscars!  I usually have people over to watch the Oscars, but this year it didn't work out that way.   I'm okay throwing my own Oscar soiree though.  I can put on my pj's and watch all the red carpet madness, thankful that I'm not in a constricting dress (although I love seeing what they're wearing).  My hope is that Colin Firth wins a much-deserved Oscar for King's Speech!

What are you reading this weekend, and will you be watching the Oscars? 

*Library Loot is a meme hosted by Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire from The Captive Reader.  Join us, and share what you've picked up from one of our many great libraries!

A Book Obsession of Mine...Cookbooks

When I moved into my new home this last fall, one of the trickiest things I had to place was my cookbook collection. For years, I have collected beautiful or useful cookbooks, ones that my mom and grandma used, and ones that were hot off the press and exciting! Today, I have to house my cookbooks on their own bookshelf, and as you'll see, there's a little room for growth, but only because I've stopped myself from buying any more...for the moment!

I've always loved to cook, but wouldn't dream of putting on airs and saying I'm a great cook. I can cook though. Having grown up in a farming community, where we raised most of what went on the table, I will say that I can cook just about any meat and potato combination out there. When my best friend (who admittedly can't cook) is hankering for a "down home" meal, she buys all the fixings for a roast, whether beef, chicken, or pork, and I can pretty much cook those in my sleep.


Over the last five to ten years, as I've lived in other places around the country, and met friends from around the globe, my tastes changed. Today, I like to try my hand at spicy dishes, such as with curries and stir frying. In general, I've learned to really love looking at cookbooks and thinking about what I might make. To tickle these fancies with cooking, I have also subscribed to (way too many) food magazines, which I like to test out recipes from on the weekend.


During my Spring Break, I made Elie Krieger's "Roasted Tomato & Black Bean Soup" in one pot, while I simmered down a huge pot of "Green Soup" in another. Both were an attempt to put up some healthy options for work nights when I'm starving and don't want to cook, and so far they've been pretty decent choices (although the green soup can create intestinal effects that might make you choose not to eat is as a lunch option at work).


One cookbook I recently, finally, received from the library, was Giada de Laurentiis' new cookbook Giada at Home. She has beautiful recipes, with lots of twists on recipes you already kind of know. I'm intrigued by her "Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti" which basically includes a bit of lemon juice in with the stock, and broken spaghetti noodles. She also uses a lot of vegetable purees, which I love. Giada is an Italian cook who loves to include fruits and vegetables to her meals, and many of the recipes she includes, feel very user friendly.

I also own one of her previous cookbooks, Everyday Italian, which is where I got one of my family's favorite pasta recipes...that I tweaked a little. The idea was to take a little sliced yellow squash and zucchini, saute in a little olive oil with fresh garlic, and toss with bowtie pasta. It's so yummy, you wouldn't believe it. Well, I branched out from there and included red pepper slices and red pepper flakes in the saute, and sometimes a handful of fresh mushrooms, switching the pasta shape to a nice penne. Your bowl of simple pasta can turn into this amazing veggie dish, accented with beautiful pasta.

Let me take that recipe a step farther though. Last year I discovered that our local grocery store carried a wonderful roasted vegetable medley in their deli section. One night, after a particularly challenging day at work, I brought that medley home, boiled up some ziti, drained it, and threw in those wonderful roasted vegetables, sprinkled it with a bit of fresh Parmesan, and voila! It's now one of my favorite dishes. It's not necessarily Giada's exact recipe, but I've transformed it over time, and can't get enough!


While not really a review of another cookbook, I couldn't help sharing some of the inspiration and joy I've gotten out of cookbooks. They are glorious to flip through, and I think I always have two or three checked out at a time from my local library. In a time when we're all trying to save our waist lines and checkbooks, what could be better than a little inspiration from a few great cookbooks, thanks to the local library?!?

Do you also like to collect cookbooks? Please tell me I'm not the only one that flips through cookbooks for fun! What are some of your favorites?

Review & REVOLUTION: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

I've had Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook sitting in my kitchen for several weeks, cooking from it, and waiting for my own copy to arrive on my doorstep. The recipes are simple, easy to cook, and full of flavor and basic, healthy properties to fill our tummies with home cooked...REAL food. After watching his show last week, and having my own thoughts on cooking and health, I had to post a review of his cookbook and plan to help change the way we all eat.

Jamie's newest cookbook is really great. I had to say that I was sold when I saw the expansive, simple recipes for a variety of curries. He had pasta dishes, salads, vegetables, meat dishes, and just good, basic food. These foods aren't new to many of us, but they are brought back into our attention, and the varieties of ways you might tweak these recipes into new, fun dishes for every day of the week is a nice addition.

Let me give a bit of background on Jamie Oliver, and his appeal to me, personally. One of the first years the Food Network started on TV, we also started watching. Jamie Oliver was a regular on the network, sometimes not on during regular hours, but you could always catch him, or record him as I did. There was something about his passion about food and cooking that really drew me in, and I was hooked. To date, I've cooked more recipes inspired by or introduced to me by Jamie Oliver than any other chef (and I actually really like his nemesis Gordon Ramsay as well...ha, ha). His approach to food is natural, multi-cultural, and exciting. I have his TV show DVDs and cookbooks, and though I don't always like everything he cooks (some of those fish dishes I still can't sell myself on), I do love his passion.

Let's segway to the documentary Food, Inc. that came out on DVD last year. Appropriately so, I was scared of what I saw, and deep down knew that the message of that DVD was true and very real. The basic premise of the film is that too many of are relying on processed, prepackaged foods that are full of chemicals and additives. Also, our meat and dairy have chemicals and antibiotics in them, as a result of producing these products as quickly and efficiently as possible. In essence, we've gotten away from our ownership of our own food.

Why does this all matter to me? Well, in 1998, my father passed away from breast cancer, and thanks to a pancreatic tumor of my own, I was put on a cancer study that revealed I carried a number of cancer genes. Here's what I've learned. Weight isn't 100% of the issue. Health is. I've always tried, as desperately as I can, to eat healthy meals. I'm not a fanatic, but know that I have to try. After seeing Food, Inc., however, I did change the types of foods I put into my shopping cart. I already knew that harmful chemicals could set off the cancer producing portion of my genes, but hadn't thought about the foods and materials I came in contact with that are doing just that. I now eat a lot of organic foods, whole grains as much as possible, and have included much more fruits and vegetables in my meals and cooking. More importantly, I have changed my thinking about food and health. I'm definitely not perfect, but a shift in the way I look at food has taken place. Weight is my next big hurtle to tackle, but food seems to be top of the list for good health in the present.

*Soap box removed from the room, and back to ground level.*

All right. I'll stop waxing long in my testimony to good foods, cooked in our own homes. Even if you don't enjoy cooking, there are amazing cookbooks that can help break you in with easy recipes and beautiful pictures to see what you're cooking. Jamie Oliver's most recent cookbook is one, but as also highlighted here previously, are: Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave, and So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week.


I also have to say that Anticancer, A New Way of Life, changed the way I think about health and food forever. It's no longer about my waist size, and more about extending my life with greater vitality. If you're interested in a more scientific background on how food turns off and on those cancer genes, I think this book is a must.

My final plea. As a huge Jamie Oliver fan, and lover of his cause, I would ask that you visit his web site to sign the pledge for healthier foods in our schools. I don't have children, but if I did, I would want the school fixing my child more than chicken nuggets and pizza. Join his food revolution to impact the health and vitality of all our children!

Watch Jamie's show every Friday night on ABC, and don't forget to sign his petition.

Library Loot -- 5/14

How the weeks continue to pass on by! I've wanted to read more than I have this week, but have just seemed to bounce from one thing to another. Also, since I leave on June 3rd to spend two months in Hawaii, I've been trying to winnow out my reading pile from the library so that I can return everything and empty my account. Talk about hard! Having said that though, tonight I went in to pick up a few DVDs I had reserved, and noticed their book sale. I was really fortunate, and found a copy of a great little cookbook in the "Luscious" series, Luscious Berry Desserts. For 10 cents, I got the cutest cookbook full of great things like: lemon cake with raspberry curd, raspberry truffle tart, and strawberry hazelnut crisp. The pictures are great, and in reading through the recipes, I can see that it will be very easy to make many of them.

So, for my library loot for this week (hosted by Eva and Alessandra ), I not only returned quite a few books (in the hopes that I can check them out once I get to Hawaii), but I also checked out a few. I forgot that I had Evermore (The Immortals), by Alyson Noel, on hold. It came in yesterday, so I'll see if I can't get it read before I leave!

Besides a stack of DVDs to watch (Into the West, etc.), I checked out the O, The Oprah Magazine Cookbook because of the great pictures and innovative recipes I noticed in it. To be quite honest though, I think I'm checking out DVDs and cookbooks because I can't stand the thought of not checking SOMETHING out while I'm there! :)

Anyway, that's it for my haul for this week. I really can't be loading myself up too much. I already have a nice stack of novels sitting at my mom's place, that I've let accumulate for each of my trips. I'm almost finished with several of the books that I'm reading, so I'll return soon. Mahalo!

"Naturally Thin" by Real Housewives of NYC's Bethenny Frenkel

Yes, I love the "Housewives" show on BRAVO, but actually have a sample of Bethenny's book on my Kindle. She is so to the point as a person, that I actually think I'd like her ideas on food. I've also heard she offers great recipes for things like "guilt-free" cupcakes. Who doesn't need that? If I buy the rest of the book, I'll be sure to review! :)

Late Library Loot

I actually headed to the library last week and returned a few things, picked up a few things, and all that jazz, but since I've been sick...yes, ongoing still this week...I haven't felt up to posting or had time. Midterms are due today, and yes, I'm behind with those as well. So why am I posting?!? Well, after grading all evening last night, I felt like I wanted just 15 minutes to make a post. Sigh... Isn't it funny that posting a little something becomes my break? :)


Anyway, I picked up a really cute book called How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbaleister. I'd read about this little book on someone else's blog and put it on hold at the library. Who knows when I can read it, but I have it sitting in my room, cheerfully waiting on me.


I also couldn't resist this yummy looking cookbook that was set up on the non-fiction viewing shelves. The cookbook Osteria is supposed to mean some small Italian tavern. All I know is that this beautiful bowl of pasta looked amazing, and if I had the time to spend cooking it up, I'd love to try my hand at it! Honestly, I just love cookbooks. They're so great. The added bonus to them is that I don't have to buy cookbooks for my favorite chefs. I can check out their cookbooks, and if I really do like them...THEN I can make a purchase.

Well, I really must be off to do midterms. *Sigh* Until later...adios!

Still 33...So Still "Good Things" For Me...For Now

As always, my TBG (to be graded) pile is threatening to invade downtown Salt Lake like some modern day Godzilla! What do I care at this point? I'm tired and want to go to bed tonight. (YAWN...) Maybe if I go to bed right now, I can get up early and go in to work early. Pshaw...as if. :)

Okay, well I did manage over the last week to finish Good Things by Mia King. I stumbled across her novel this summer when I did a little research on Hawaiian authors. Interestingly enough, her novel isn't even remotely flavored with the culture or aspects of Hawaii, but is set in Seattle and a small town named Jacob's Point.


I actually really enjoyed the book, as it blended cooking (recipes in the back) with the struggles of a 40 year old single woman struggling to start over after losing her job as a Martha Stewart figure of Seattle. It has it's typical adult themes (not a PG book), but they didn't feel central to the novel. For a debut novel, I think that Mia King managed to write in a style and with a voice that is really admirable. Her writing style is clean and clear, and somehow felt refreshing and light to the discerning eye. The happy ending made me happy too. Right now, along with many of us, I just wanted a happy ending. :)

I haven't yet begun Dracula, and don't even have a copy yet, but will be starting it soon. Hope to be discussing it soon! Adios...

I Live...Therefore I Am?

I live! Yes, I survived this past week, and I can now dread those days ahead that lead to the next two parent-teacher conferences. The crazy part about these conferences is that they completely wipe you out! After that long Wednesday, which included a pretty basic threat that since I'm in the "3 Year" group of hires at my school, that I am due to be cut when the high school splits into the new one. Between the stress of now knowing my life can be thrown back into chaos again by a move to a school that's almost twice as far from my home, and the stress of the 13 hour day we'd all had, I just was left a wet noodle for the rest of this past week. Oh, and let me top it off with me staying up until 2 a.m. on the following night so that I could finish grading AP response papers to hand back on Friday. Sigh... Tonight? Well, I'm alive and kicking. :) My good friends Jessica and Irene came last night to spend the night, and then to head to Women's Conference tonight. It was a lot of fun laughing and visiting with them, and Sari and I tortured them with a re-broadcasting of the Presidential Debates last night. :) I can't wait to vote this year!!!


As for other news...I did a bit of shopping today and bought some new clothes. I kept thinking I'd wait to buy clothes for when I lost weight, but who am I kidding? That will take a miracle! Oh...and guess what? My doctor's office sent me a letter on Thursday to tell me that not only does my blood work show a horrid lack of basic vitamins, but that my vitamin D was "very low." When I was at the docs office, she had asked me if I get enough sun. Hello...I spent my summer in HAWAII. Need I say more about sunshine? I still have the tan marks to show for it, so this news was pretty frustrating. I was on the phone with my mom at the time, and I just started cussing. Yes, not the best reaction, but I was tired and SO ANGRY considering how fanatic I've been about eating like a freaking health nut...oatmeal and flax meal, fiber one bars, organic fruit, salads, quinoa, soups, etc. All I heard on the other end was the clickety-click of my mom's work keyboard as she searched google for Vitamin D deficiencies. Guess what they call it? Rickets! :)


That made me laugh though, so I guess that's good. No, I don't think I have rickets (my legs are still relatively straight), but we did read a bit about how pancreatic issues can lead to this deficiency. Who knows. Maybe all this is a good thing, as I now can have a few more answers for all the hideous fatigue I've had since this summer. I joked with Sari that I probably would have been just as well off if I filled my diet with things like nachos, tater tots, cheeseburgers, oreos, and more! Well, if my "rickets" get the better of me, I'll let you all know! :) Besides, maybe rickets will keep me from buying these beautiful Jimmy Choos that I've been daydreaming about...yes...I know I'm a walking cliche of single women everywhere...


Having griped about my exhausting week, rickety health (ha, ha...), and limited budget for random shopping,...I have little to share in the way of reading. I honestly DIDN'T read. I got through the Prologue and "The Knight's Tale" in Canterbury Tales, but that's about it. Let me report on a few things that I checked out this week. First off, the last installment of "Lost in Austen" was on this week. Pious Janeites are slamming it all over the place, but I happened to really enjoy the escape. I'm not really sure why Jane Austen fans are so uptight about the "purity" of the story. It's not as if readers can't tell the difference between the original and a modern, fantasy version of it! Nevertheless, the four part series is over now, and I happened to find it pretty fun and relaxing to watch.

I also have been rewatching the PBS House Series as of late. About a month ago I watched "1900's House," and currently, I'm rewatching "Manor House."


If you haven't seen any of these series, and you like history or reality television, then you might enjoy these as much as I do. They take a family or groups of people and have them live the lifestyle of a certain era. In Manor House, they are living the Edwardian period (early 1900s), and all the social hob snobbery that the time period entailed. They are all really interesting social experiments, and really show how desperate we are as human beings to gain status, often at the expense of someone else.

Well, to end my randomness this week, I thought I would plug a book that I did get a chance to check out of our local library here, and that I think is sweet, quaint, and makes me want to pick up a book and read for days, The Book Lover's Cookbook.


In this beautiful little cookbook, the authors have compiled food references from various novels and poems, and included recipes for the foods mentioned. Scattered throughout, you also find lovely little quotes on the power of reading, writing, and books. It's really beautiful, and it just made me want to bake some scones and sit down in a comfy chair with a good book in hand to while away the hours. It may not be a story to tell, but if you enjoy cooking AND reading, then this little cookbook is at least fun to flip through.

This brings me to the end of my ramblings. I suppose I'll take my ricket-ridden self to bed and see if I can't lose myself in a good book before nodding off! Right now I have about six books that I just can't seem to get into, but would like one of them to grab me so that I could snuggle down and enjoy. I suppose that getting off of here would help, so until next time, Adieu! Oh, and if you should try those recipes...good eating!

Oh...a new Coach bag that once again makes me wish I had millions so that I could buy this at random!