Personal Librarian served with baked cod and a lemon/pea risotto

 Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray and served with baked cod and a lemon pea risotto 

This one was interesting and also a little flawed.  First, what I really liked was finding out about this remarkable woman in history that I knew nothing about!   Bella da Costa Greene was J.P. Morgan's personal librarian and ultimately one of the most powerful women in NYC during the early 1900's.  She handles his rare manuscripts, books, bibles and artwork and is given the power to buy at will under his name.  She builds out the Pierpont Morgan library  and is J.P. Morgan's constant companion.   I looked her up and all of this is true!   And, she was passing as white her whole life!    This is really the story of  how she got to this place of power, how she dealt with the difficulty emotionally of hiding her true self and  how she got comfortable with who she was.  Plus, she was able to go places and do things that few women could do.  She was fearless and powerful.   The history was fascinating.  Also, I  always like a book about books though at time this felt like it was more about art.  I also like that i've been to the Morgan library in NYC and it is pretty amazing. 

Where i struggled a little bit was with the writing style.  I really had a hard time connecting with Bella.  So much is said in a matter of fact way and the dialogue felt a little stilted.  I just didn't have an emotional reaction to any of it and that had me a bit bored.   I would still give this a solid 3.5 stars and recommend it especially if you are interested in this part of history.  

I could not figure out a food item!  I swear there is no food in this book.  If there is, i totally missed it.  I struggled with what to make.  Nothing really stood out as representing the library.  I knew it needed to by something New York related even though the book does take us to Italy for a brief moment. 

I finally landed on baked cod served on a lemon pea risotto.   Here is why...  i had the opportunity to live in the NY market for 2 years when i was in my 20's.  before that time , my experience with restaurants was minimum- diners or chains but no fine dining.  When  I lived outside of NY and worked in the city, I was exposed to fine dining for the first time.   Super fancy restaurants with foods i had never had before.   Back then it felt like all of the food was served vertical....  piled up on top of each other.   I decided to do a delicious baked cod https://www.kleinworthco.com/air-fryer-cod/.  Super easy in the air fryer .  I make risotto pretty often so this time i added some fresh english peas and some lemon zest.  It felt very spring like!  I would imagine that Bella was served this in a fancy restaurant!  Enjoy! 

Epistolary Novels #4 Love and Saffron served with Mussels in a Saffron sauce

Love and Saffron by Kim Fay and served with Mussels in a Saffron sauce. 

You know my love of the Epistolary Novel!  I've shared it many times.  This book checked every box for me.  It is letters between 2 women who become friends through the mail in the 60's.   Imogen lives on Camano Island in the PNW and writes a monthly column in a magazine.  Joan lives in LA and writes her a fan letter which starts the friendship.  Joan is young and still finding her voice as a writer and exploring food.  They discuss the foods of the PNW and of LA.  Joan introduces Imogen to Mexican food and new flavors and spices.  Within their letters, secrets are shared and dreams and heartbreak.  Imogen's husband is inspired by the food and the smells and that changes their relationship. Joan meets someone but is worried that society will not embrace her choice.   

I love all of the food talk.  Today I am so spoiled and have exposure to so many different foods and cultures but in the 60's and 70's that wasn't the case.  These women are learning and growing and exploring new experiences.  Oh how wonderful to explore for the first time!   Their curiosity and pleasure in the new experience is fun to read.   

This is a short novel and I read it in a day.  I went back and read parts again because i just wanted to soak in the food.   I will not share too much but i do recommend a box of tissues nearby when you read it.  

this is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me.  I just loved it and recommend it for anyone looking for a quick, lovely read on friendship and food.  

I knew i wanted to make mussels in saffron since that is what starts the friendship.  Mussels are super popular in the PNW and i have learned to love them during my 10 years.  I had never used saffron and realized the cost was probably one of the reasons!  $25 for a small container. 

I went with Martha Stewarts recipe because...  it's Martha Stewart! 

https://www.marthastewart.com/951456/steamed-mussels-wine-and-saffron?xsc=eml_msc_2012_11_26&om_rid=NlBBaI&om_mid=_BQs9hWB8vS8%24pV

OMG ,  so good!  I have plenty of saffron left so I plan to make this multiple times.  I only used just under a full lb of  mussels (I'm just one person) and her recipe calls for 3 lbs.  I went ahead and made the full amount of broth because i wanted extra broth.  Glad I did.  I had some sourdough bread I toasted and it was so perfect!  I almost ate all of it in one sitting!   

The Trees served with fried catfish, collard greens and hushpuppies

 The Trees by Percival Everett served with Fried Catfish, hushpuppies and Collard Greens.  

This book!  Not sure how to describe it- a mystery, a horror novel, a dark comedy.  I'm just not sure.  It leaves me a little speechless.  I'm going to say it is brilliant.  Here is how NPR described it- "It's a racial allegory grounded in history, shrouded in mystery, and dripping with blood. An incendiary device you don't want to put down."  I think that covers it.   

Back in December I was visiting with my sister in Sacramento and our friend Bill told me I had to read this book.  He said it was the best book he read in 2021.  In exchange, I told him to read my favorite book of 2021, Hamnet.  It took me a while to get this from the library and I knew nothing about it.  I started it and had to stop and look up the author.  I wasn't familiar with him.   Turns out he has published 30+ books and won so many awards that it would take a page to list them.   

The book starts with a brutal murder in Money Mississippi.   Next thing you know a 2nd murder, just like the first one , occurs and even has one of the same victims! (that victim disappeared from the first murder scene)   2 detectives are sent in from the MBI to support and it just gets weirder at that point.    The murders are connected to the lynching of Emmett Till.  I'm not sure I should say much else about the plot because it is better for you to go in unprepared.  I will say this, Everett is having a lot of fun with the total racist white characters.  Everything from the language (which was shocking at first and took a while to not flinch when I read it) to the names of the characters-  Red Jetty, Junior Junior, Hot Mama Yellow, Pinch Wheyface.   The only sane people in the book are the 2 black MBI detectives and the 1 female black FBI agent.    The book is disturbing and gets a bit weird BUT it also had me laughing out loud a few times.      It definitely has Quentin Tarantino vibes.  

As soon as I finished the novel, I went and read every review I could find  and then listened to 2 podcast where the author was interviewed.   I felt like I needed to know more!   I almost want to read it again because I read it so fast, I feel like I missed some stuff.   I'll leave you with this- Read it!  Be prepared to be disturbed and uncomfortable.  But be prepared to be impressed! I'm betting this will be in my top 10 for the year.  It is different from my normal reads and that makes me happy.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\

I knew I wanted to make catfish for this book.  It is mentioned several times in the story and seems to be the fish of choice in MIssissippi.  Took me a while to find catfish in Seattle but I did.  

I found a recipe to make it in the air fryer and you know how much i love my air fryer!  I gotta say that it was delicious!  Here is the link https://thisoldgal.com/air-fryer-southern-fried-catfish/

I have never made hushpuppies or collard greens.  The Collard greens were tough because most recipes have bacon in them.  I'm trying not to eat bacon these days so I had some changes and it turned out great!   

I had 2 bunches of collard greens.  I tore them up so they were smaller pieces.    Put a little bit of olive oil in a pan and sauteed 2 minced cloves of garlic and about a quarter of an onion diced up.  I added the collard greens for a few minutes and then covered all of this with vegetable broth.  Approximately 3 cups.  I reached a boil and then cut it down to a simmer.  I added in a few shakes of red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.  Covered the pot and let it simmer for ~1 hour.   it was so good!! 

Here is the link to the hushpuppies were delicious but I wish I had cut the recipe in half.  I had hushpuppies for days!! https://whiskitrealgud.com/homemade-hush-puppies-recipe/ 

Tokyo Ever After served with Salmon and cucumbers

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean served with Salmon with Scallions, Cucumber salad , edamame and a red bean dessert!

This book is fun.  This is like movie candy.  You know those superhero movies that it doesn't matter if you know what is happening, it's just fun to sit in the theater and enjoy the show?  That is this book.  It is a delightful quick read. Doesn't matter that is isn't realistic, it is just fun and a great read!    Princess Diary in Japan. 

In a nutshell, Izumi Tanaka, finds out that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan.   Izumi never knew her father and felt out of place in her small Northern CA town.  Once she discovers who her father is, he wants to meet her and she goes to Japan to explore this part of her family.  There is a very handsome body guard and 2 evil step cousins and 1 really fun cousin.   We get to experience all of the new stuff with Izumi and can't help but wonder if this is her new life or if it is too good to be true.  It's just a fun little fairytale but has a totally cool heroine at the center.  This book had a lot of humor in it and a sweet love story along with a sense of belonging.  

 I was interested originally because my niece has been living in Japan for 2 years and i so wanted to go visit her.  That didn't happen, Thanks a lot COVID, but someday we'll go together.    I gobbled this fun little book up in 2 days.  It also has a strong sense of place which is nice!   Book candy!  I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.  Totally fun read and highly recommended

I really wanted to make Dorayki which is like a red bean pancake.  She mentions it in the book.  But I couldn't find red bean paste anywhere!  I ended up using a couple of recipes from a Japanese cookbook I have and I found some red bean paste dumplings at Whole Foods.   The salmon was great!  The cucumber salad was pretty good but I made so much  that I had salad for days.   Ended up throwing out a bit!   Enjoy! 

The Book of Magic served with Tipsy Cake

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman served with Tipsy Cake  

I am a little sad to finish the Practical Magic Series.  I read the first book years ago and just finished book 4, the end of the series.   I loved all of these books as I adore almost everything Alice Hoffman writes.  

In the Book of Magic we pick up the story of the Owens women  bringing together 3 generations to finally break the curse that Maria Owens started.  The family has been cursed in love and over the years have tried to outrun it or to trick it.    On the first page we learn that Jett is hearing the death beetle and knows her time is up.   That event opens up the  family secrets .  We travel to Paris and London and meet up with their long lost brother Vincent.  It is there that Kylie goes to break  the curse and to save her one great love and Sally must do everything in her power to save her daughter.     I can't really tell more without giving away too much. 

I just love these characters.   In the beginning Sally was not a favorite but by the end I just loved her.  We get to see each woman and understand her special magic and her love.   I enjoy how we move from one character to the next all while tracking this story of the curse and what they are willing to do to break the curse.   I was sad to end the book and might just have to reread them next year.  I read them in the order they were published but would now be interested in reading them following the timeline of the story.  

I highly recommend this as the series finale.  I'm sure you could read it as a stand alone book but i think know what has come before is helpful.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I knew i was going to make a Tipsy Cake.  They talk about Tipsy cake all through the book.   It is made on birthdays and weddings and funerals.   I googled on line, Tipsy Cake, and actually got a recipe!  It appears that Costco published a recipe with the release of this book.  It sounded good so I made it.  It was good!  It was nice and chocolatey with a slight hint of Rum. https://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201710?pg=88#pg88

and as Franny says - "If you can't eat chcolate cake for breakfast, what is the point of being alive!"  Enjoy 

interior Chinatown served with Chinese Chicken salad and Egg Drop soup

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu served with Chinese Chicken salad and Egg Drop soup . 

This is an interesting read.  It didn't hit the mark for me but I'm glad I read it.  This is my book group selection for February and after our discussion, I feel a little more prepared to write a review. 

This is the story of Willis Wu, Generic Asian Man in Hollywood.  He is hardworking and hopes to move from Generic Asian Man to Kung Fu Guy.  Part of the story is written as a script and then part as his inner monologue.   He really brings up the question of how we have stereotypes for Asian people in movies and for some reason we still struggle to see them as "American" .   What does an American look like?  He is in a police procedural call Black & White which is where he meets "Ethnically ambiguous" girl.    This book is clever and really puts the view we have on race in the center of the conversation and does it in a creative way.  

I listened to this book on audio which might be why I struggled.  The narrator was great but in audio, you can't see that it is a script or when it goes off script but i just knew it was weird.  It was distracting for me from the story.  I wish I had actually read it.   I did like the glimpses into his family life and the living environment.  But half the time i wasn't sure if what i was hearing was real life or if it was the script.  Our book group discussion was good because there was a lot to cover here.  Everything from the

writing style, to our views of how hollywood portrays race to our thoughts on the individual characters.  I'm giving this 3 stars but it is probably closer to 3.5 because of the cleverness of the author. ⭐⭐⭐

I was all set to make Chinese Chicken salad because i'm been craving it and then i looked it up and...  it's not the least bit Chinese!  I was going to scratch it and come up with some more authentic but after talking to my bookgroup, this felt right.  In some ways this is a great example of something the average American probably thinks is Chinese and it is so off the mark.  It seems to fit that sterotype we have in our head.   I'm also made Eggdrop Soup  which does seem to be authentic http://www.windchimeschinese.com/windchimes-blog/2019/6/25/history-of-food-egg-drop-soup

The Chinese Chicken Salad is a combination of recipes from a dear friend and past attempts.  It turned out okay but I forgot the wonton chips which is really what makes it the best 

The Egg Drop soup is here https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/egg-drop-soup/comment-page-7/#comments

Taste by Stanley Tucci served with many things!

 Taste by Stanley Tucci served with a holiday cocktail and Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano. 

I picked this up because i kept seeing it on Bookstagram and I have a little crush on Stanley Tucci.  I also started watching his show on the BBC,  Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy.  He starts at the beginning with his childhood in NY and tied all of the stories to the recipes that  influenced his life.   I ended up listening to this on audibles because the author reads it but i also got the book so that i'd have the recipes.  I thought he did a nice job of bringing us, the reader, along with him on this adventure of food.  We hear about what he ate when he was a struggling young actor, what he ate with his parents and what he ate on sets and with his family.   My favorite parts were when he talked about his movies.  The Big Night is such a great food movie and Julie and Julia is one of my favorites with him.   And yes I loved the name dropping!  He sounds just as charming in real life as I would imagine! 

I was surprised when he shared his cancer and the treatment that followed.  Somehow i was unaware he had been through this journey.  I thought this showed real vulnerability and trust with us the reader.    I knew of his first wife passing but knew very little about his new wife.  Overall I finished this book feeling like I had an intimate view of his life and loves.  It is an easy read/listen to and one that will leave you hungry!  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

there were so many recipes to try!  I marked up the book with post-its marking each one that I thought would be great for this post.  In the end, i have made 2 of them and have plans for at least 1 more. 

Let's start with the Christmas Cocktail .  I love a cosmopolitan so this was perfect!  Just the right amount of sweet 

I decided to make the Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano because the way he describes it in the book makes it sound so easy and delicious.  I have no idea if I did it correctly.  I tried to find tiny zucchini but didn't have a lot of choices.  And i tried to cut the recipe in half since i am just 1 person so I'm worried I got some some of the proportions wrong.  I fried the zucchine as called for but when i mixed it in with the  pasta, pasta water and parmigiano, it seemed to disappear.  The taste was yummy but I might need to try again and fry the zucchini in advance.   

Either way, it was a delicious read and one i highly recommend.  

Enjoy! 

Miss Eliza's English Kitchen served with Air Fryer potatoes and brussel sprouts

Miss Eliza's English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs served with potatoes and brussel sprouts 

I haven't seen this one on bookstagram so wondering if I missed it when it was released or if folks in the US just haven't discovered it much.   I really enjoyed this novel based on the true story of Eliza Action who is credited with one of the first cook books aimed at the domestic reader.  She is also the first to list the ingredients separately and the first published recipe for brussel sprouts!  I had never heard of her so after reading the book, i did a little research. 

 

The book obviously takes a few liberties with what is known which is why it is a novel and not a biography.   Eliza is a poet and wants to get her second book of poetry published.  She the publisher sends her away with zero interest in poetry, he tells her to write a cook book and to come back when she is done.  At first she has no interest but shortly after this interaction, her father claims bankruptcy and must flee the country to get away from his debt collectors.  She decides to pursue the cook book and takes up cooking for the boarding house her mother must now run.  She hires a kitchen hand, Ann Kirby to help.  Ann has a natural ability in the kitchen and a great pallet.  The two of them try recipes and experiment all the while keeping notes on what works and what doesn't.  The author tells the story from the view of the two women flipping back and forth in chapters between each.  Ann comes from extreme poverty and her mother has lost her sense of reality and must go to asylum.  Her father is a drunk and barely able to take care of himself.   Throughout the book the women develop a friendship and we uncover secrets from both.  

I really loved the conversation on food in the book.  I'm 100% in on food in novels.   I liked the relationship between the 2 women and it was fun to know this is a real person.  I also was really curious about what her life would become 

As often happens when an author does 2 viewpoints in a book, I loved one of the storylines slightly more than the other one.  In this case I wanted more from Eliza and maybe less from Ann.  Ann's story was just so sad.  Anyone who knows anything about asylum's from that time period, knows it isn't going to end well.   Also,  I did find Eliza to almost be a bit manic when it came to cooking.  It was like she couldn't do anything but.  She was so obsessed with the recipes and I almost felt like the author was showing us a bit of obsessive compulsive behavior before such a thing was named.   

Overall this was a good story and one worth reading.  I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She makes a lot of food in the book.  A few things I would never eat or make like Eel.  ugh.  But she makes English potatoes so I made Air Fryer potatoes.   Also, when I looked her up and uncovered the brussel sprout fact, I knew i had to include brussel sprouts.  I choose a potato recipe I had tried before called Air Fryer Ranch Potatoes.  https://www.sustainablecooks.com/air-fryer-potatoes/  I added a little more salt then they called for and it was delicious!  for the Brussel Sprouts, I bought shredded one's at Trader Joes and put them in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil and a chopped up apple.  I let them brown up and then served them with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of hazelnuts.    that was the perfect dinner.  Enjoy 

 

Epistolary Novels #3 Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society served with Potato Pie

 

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows served with Potato Pie. 

Pretty sure I've written about my love for this book previously but i'm doing it again!  This is a comfort read for me.  You know how when you are flipping around the TV and you see one of your favorite movies is on and even though you've seen it a dozen times, you still watch it?  that how this book is.  I've read it almost yearly since I discovered it with my book group into 2009.   I picked it up this past week because life feels hard right now.  I'll admit that i didn't reread the entire thing but started it and will finish it this week.  

Since many folks have read it, I won't bore you with the details but it s a series of letters between a young author and the folks who live on Guernsey.  This is at the end of WW2 and Guernsey was help captive by the nazi's.  They were cut off from all of London, had very little food and lived in fear.  The war is now over and Juliet Ashton is trying to figure the subject for her next book.  The Society is the perfect topic.   

The letters are fun and lovely.  We meet all of the characters on Guernsey and members of the society and it is easy to fall in love with them.  We, the reader, know all along that Juliet's current boyfriend is not right for her and that there is a pig farmer on the island who is her soul mate.  This is the book I pick up when in  reading slump or feeling sad.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

just to touch on the movie quickly.  I like the Netflix movie and thought they captured the feeling of the book.  But as often happens, they just aren't able to capture all of the characters and details.  I felt like they cut a couple of small side stories that were okay to cut but i do wish they had gone a bit more with Sydney's story (Sydney and Isola have a lovely friendship in the book) 

I decided to make a Potato Pie.  And yes, I left the peels on them.  I couldn't find a perfect recipe so i used a bit of a combination.  I had 2 leeks in the fridge so I started there.  I sautéed them in some butter and sliced up 2 potatoes.  I used my mandolin and sliced them pretty thin.  From there I used a frozen deep dish pie shell.  I started with a layer of leeks and then a layer of potatoes.  I then added a layer of cheese.  I used cheddar and mozzarella.  Then another layer of leeks, potatoes , cheese ended with potatoes.  I couldn't fit all of the potatoes so it was probably 1.5 potatoes total. I also did salt and pepper on each layer.   I topped with more cheese a layer of pie crust.   From there I poured some chicken broth over the entire thing.  I was about 1.5 cups in total.   I put it on a cookie tray and in at 400 degree oven.  It baked for 50 minutes.  I put a pie crust cover over it for the first 30 so the crust wouldn't burn.   It turned out good.  I think next time i might try some different cheeses.  Maybe something a bit stronger.   enjoy

Himself served with Irish Soda Bread, Irish Cheese and a double chocolate stout

 Himself by Jess Kidd 

I picked up this book because I really liked her latest novel, Things in Jars.  https://veryhungryreader2017.blogspot.com/2021/12/things-in-jars-served-with-dessert-in.html

This one has some similarity to the her other book.  It is set in Ireland, ghost play a big part and there is a mystery to solve.  We start the book with a murder but we have no idea who the murderer is.  Jump forward 20+ years and Mahony arrives in a small irish town call Mulderrig.  It is town where he was born but placed in an orphanage when his mother disappeared.  He is there to figure out what happened to his mother.  He checks into a boarding house which is where we meet Mrs Cauley, a retired actress, who is determined to help him discover the truth. He sees ghost everywhere he goes and they play a critical part in the story. The town doesn't want him to dig into this disappearance and it is obvious his mother was a scandal no one wants to revisit.    There are a lot of characters in this book and sometimes i got them confused. The story does go back and forth in time so we learn a bit more about the story.  Overall it is full of great atmosphere and suspense.  I really like Jess Kidd's writing style and how she builds a story.   

My only criticism was some of the violence.  I'm a wimp and there is some graphic violence including the death of a dog that almost made me put the book down.  That was tough.  Oh, and there is this scene where the preachers house is now flooded and frogs take over.  I have a crazy fear of frogs so that was a nightmare for me!! 

But, I would still recommend this if you love a atmospheric story with suspense and some magic.  ⭐⭐⭐1/2

There is a lot of beer in the book but i wanted to make a good Irish Soda Bread.  I have never made Irish Soda bread so thought that would be fun.  The first one i made did not turn out well!  The actual recipe called for raisins or currents to be included but I wanted it to be savory and not sweet.  I added an irish cheddar.  I think the problem was that I didn't bake it long enough.  Sometimes it is hard to tell with a bread.  When I took it out, it didn't look great but the first slice was pretty tasty.  By the time I got 3 slices in, it was almost raw in the middle.  Uneatable.  Ended up throwing it out.  I waited a week, did some research on recipes and tried again.  This time the recipe was for cheddar and garlic so it worked much better.  It is pretty taste but a little bit dry.  Since i've never had Irish soda bread, not sure if that is normal.  I paired it with a butternut squash/apple soup which was delicious, some good irish cheese and a double chocolate stout.   OMG.  so good. 

Here is the recipe from Pinterest https://littlespicejar.com/garlic-irish-cheddar-chive-soda-bread/