Two "Art" Books

Two weeks ago (give or take) I ventured to my recently discovered local library to stock up on three weeks worth of reads. I had a list, but all the book on my list were checked out. So what is a person to do when their post-it list of books is not at the library? Stand with glassed-over eyes in the middle of fiction row C-H and try and remember what other books were on the backup list, that's what. When memory failed me on that front, I wandered.

On this particular wandering, I came away with two books - one I looked for, one that looked good and was close by. One that I do not even care to finish, the other a sumptuous read. Let's get the no-so-good one out of the way - The Art Thief. It was mysterious and not the usual crime story. Had I looked at the Amazon reviews, though, I would have found a different book. I am about 200 pages in and could not tell you one of the characters' name, much less why they are in the story. The dialog is painful, the flow staccato. It is a book that I hoped would begin to flow and make sense, but it has stayed monotone and dull throughout. I shall return it today short of reading the final 120+ pages - a rarity for me, even with the most abysmal book.

Ah, but not everything is wasted time and words. Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most elegantly written novels I have read this year. The book is wrought from the author's imagining of the scenario surrounding Vermeer's creation of the work of art by the same name. The story follows, Griet, a young woman from low means who becomes a maid in the household of Vermeer. Through a series of circumstances, Griet is asked to pose for a painting, something that has far-reaching repercussions. The author, Tracy Chevalier, writes so beautifully, as evidenced in the opening paragraphs:

"I (Griet) was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when I heard voices outside our front door - a woman's, bright as polished brass, and a man's, low and dark like the wood of the table I was working on...I could hear rich carpets in their voices, books and pearls and fur...My mother's voice - a cooking pot, a flagon..."

Each character is fleshed out, but maintains an air of mystery, whether it be a quiet hope for revenge or a glimpse of generosity from an unlikely source. I am beginning to think I should have reread this book instead of slogging through The Art Thief. Excellently written, beautifully constructed novel of a unique and priceless painting.

Southern Flyer Diner

Through a series of events (some of them called flying), I ended up in Texas for Thanksgiving. Now before some of you post your "But why did you not call me to hang out?" let me explain that it was short trip to Texas and I will return to said state in about two weeks for a longer period of time so, you know, let me know if you want to grab coffee or something. Wait, scratch that, grab Chuy's or Rudy's or something.

Anyway, while in Texas, my parents took me on a tour of their new town which boasts numerous Victorian style homes. And I think we managed to see just about all of them. Naturally, looking at old houses creates quite an appetite and my dad suggested we eat at the local airport. Yes, I had my doubts, too. But it sounded intriguing and fairly safe as far as airport food goes. A little 50's-style diner called the Southern Flyer Diner.
When approaching a new dining experience, I find it best to go with what the place is known for. That way, if it really is below whatever standards I have for food, I know that a return trip is not necessary. And to me, 50's diner equal burger. Which is what I had. A hamburger, no cheese with fries and a Dr. Pepper. Oh, before I get into the details of the burger-eating experience, let me set the scene for you. All the waitresses where poodle skirts and saddle shoes; there is a jukebox and a shake/malt counter; the floor is black and white checkerboard; and you can see into the kitchen through the pass-through.
The burger came with the meat on the bottom bun and the top bun opened with pickle slices, onions, lettuce and tomato, I am guessing so that you can pick off what you do not want. The bun was freshly toasted and had that slight crisp that married well with the fresh-beef patty. Every flavor and texture complimented each other perfectly and stood out to just the right degree. The onion did not overpower the tomato, nor the pickle the meat. Tasty yummy burger.

But, the true shining star of the plate were the fries. Best fries I have ever eaten. They must batter them before they fry them because the had just that extra crunch that made them stand out. Perfectly salted and stayed crisp from first fry to last. All in all an A+ meal. Unfortunately, no room was left for a shake or malt, but I am sure the quality is similarly matched to the burger and fries.

So, if you are ever flying into Brenham Airport, or just stopping by to see Blue Bell Creamery, go down the meandering road to Southern Flyer Diner and let a girl in a poodle skirt get you a great burger and fries.

Uh-oh, she's gone granola!

At work, I take my lunch around 2 pm. Why? Because it makes the afternoon feel like it whizzes by. And that is a time I know everyone else will be in the office so I do not have to answer phones with food in my mouth - neither ladylike nor professional. However, I begin to feel the rumble of hunger around 11 am. For quite some time, I had been eating Kashi granola bars but eventually realized that, at almost a box a week, I was paying a pretty penny month-to-month for my late morning munch. But what was a girl to do?

Make granola bars, that's what. And who better to help me than everyone's favorite TV chef, Alton Brown! (What? He is not your favorite? Well, he should be.) In the particular episode the granola bar recipe is from, Alton decides that he can make his own cheaper and healthier versions of the granola bar, power bar, and Rice Krispie treat. Curious as to just how easy granola bar making could be, I tried it out. And, I must say, pretty easy.


The directions are simple, the most complicated thing being toasting the oats, nuts and wheat germ (which really is not that complicated - if you can turn an oven on and stir every 5 minutes or so, you'll be fine). The step in the process that I learned was most hazardous to my health is smooshing the granola mixture into the pan. Toasty warm, honey infused granola mixture adhering to hands is not a pleasant experience. My solution is putting a bit of wax paper on top of the granola after it has been dumped in the pan to compact it all together. It is still warm on my hands, but it opts to stick to the nerve-free paper rather than my skin.

Since making this a few times, I have begun to experiment with it a little. Different fruits mainly. If you go for dried apricots, make sure to cut them pretty small. Dried cherries and cranberries have been my staples, with some random raisins thrown in. I don't think I adhere to the dried fruit quantities listed in the recipe - I just toss a bunch of dried fruit in until I think it has enough. This last go round I added a tablespoon or so of peanut butter to the honey mixture which gave the granola a great honey and peanut butter sandwich taste and smell. The peanut butter also made the granola chewier, which I prefer. My next experiments will be with chocolate can it go in the granola bar without melting all over) and using different nuts instead of almonds.

Psst...Did you know?

It's autumn! I know, I know, you'd think with my post earlier today it was winter, but it's not...yet. And, having lived in an autumn-deprived state for so long, I am soaking it all up. The crisp air, the honking geese, the colors - it all makes for a wonderful fall. And I thought I would share some of my autumnal bliss with you.

The pictures are from various places around Raleigh, ranging from the parking lot outside my apartment to my office's parking lot to the school my church is at to the lake near Aaron's apartment.

Oh my goodness!

It is snowing! Outside my office window. Snow...falling to the ground. Like little flakes of heaven. I feel like I am in a snow globe. It's snowing!!

The Circus is leaving

I was reading my blogs over lunch and was shocked (shocked!) to see that Mother's Cookies was closing its doors. While I was never a huge fan of the Circus Animal cookies, others in my family (hi Emmalou!) bordered on obsessive with the cookies. It is hard to imagine a cookie aisle without the purple and red bannered bags stacked neatly on shelves. So if you, like my sister, love some Circus Animal cookies, go now and hoard before they are gone forever.

A Very Long Engagement

I am not a francophile, I promise. It's just that Amelie was so good, I felt like one good French movie starring Audrey Tautou deserved another. A Very Long Engagement is more somber and dramatic than Amelie, but just as good. Since it, like Amelie, is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Engagement has similar stylings and quirky-funny tones to it. Sure, it may be about a a fiancee's ongoing search to find her love who disappeared somewhere in the Somme during World War I. In the course of Mathilde's (Tautou) search for her fiancee Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), she learns of the fates, or supposed fates, of those Manech fought and was arrested alongside. There is romance (obviously), murder, mystery, tuba-playing and a vengeful woman. Tautou plays Mathilde wonderfully - mournful, hopeful, resolute, weak. While this film lacks some of the spunk of Amelie, A Very Long Engagement is a masterfully crafted film and well worth 2 hours or so of your time.

Washington, DC - Day 2: Things made of Stone

Day Two's goal was to see as much of DC as humanly possible on foot, and Aaron and I did pretty well at it. However, if you had spied in on us as we arose and left, you would have thought the day was a bust from the get-go. Why? Because we were running late. Late for our appointment with the Washington Monument. Neither of us had been up in the monument to see DC from its perch, and we were equally excited about the prospect. However, someone (that'd be me!) just had to eat breakfast, which tightened an already tight morning schedule. So, with about 15 minutes worth of walking to get to the Washington Monument and about 10 minutes to do it in, we were off. Now, it is good to note here that while the saying "Always wait 30 minutes after you eat before swimming" is not quite true, it should be true of walking at a high rate in an ever-increasing heat. Breakfast was phenomenal, but I had no intentions or desires to see it again. We ended up getting there with plenty of time to spare since there is still a line to wait in even with tickets. Was the rushed morning worth it? Absolutely the best thing all day. If you go to DC and do nothing else, do this.












Not only were there fantastic views of the entire mall and surrounding area, a floor below the observation area was a beautifully assembled gallery of the history of the Washington Monument. On the way down in the elevator, the park rangers slow the elevator down to show you some of the commemorative stones donated to the Washington Monument from many states and cities, as well as places like Alexandria and China. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen in a museum-type location.

After seeing the Mall from above, we set out to see it on foot. First up was the World War II Memorial, which had been built since the last time I was there. All in all, I am still not sure if I like it or not; it does not seem to convey the war like the Vietnam or Korean Memorials do. It is evenly spaced and well-placed, two things I doubt describes any war. Of course, if I were the designer, I would not have come up with anything better, I suppose.The memorial did not ask me to remember that time - those who fought, battles lost, lives changed - as much as asked me to walk around and try to find where the Texas pillar was. It lacked a bit of humanity, I suppose.One thing at the World War II Memorial that was very much human and an unexpected sighting was......Bob Dole! Yes, as we were leaving the area, there was a small crowd congregating in the path. As we passed by, I noticed pictures being taken enthusiastically next to this man in a suit. Upon closer inspection (more curious as to who would wear a suit in July at the Memorial) I saw that it was Bob Dole. That is him getting his picture taken with a sweaty bicyclist. The things politicians do to be among the people...

After my political star-struck moment was over, Aaron and I continued our journey on to the Vietnam, Lincoln, and Korean Memorials. I had seen all of these previously, but it is moving to be at, nonetheless. As we were walking to see the Lincoln Memorial, there was a small crowd listening to a gentleman in front of the Vietnam Memorial who was speaking about the creation, meaning behind, and people who visit that particular location. Again, phenomenal - surpassing the memorial itself, I think. He spoke with conviction, heart, humility, and great regard for those who fought and had loved ones in Vietnam. Lincoln Memorial was awesome as always - but hot. Being enclosed on three sides by rocks does not lend itself to a great breeze.

After lunch, we headed indoors to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. Natural History was okay. The most amusing part was being crushed trying to see the Hope Diamond. To some people, the phrase "wait your turn" has no meaning. The diamond is not going anywhere; it is not he elusive Loch Ness Monster. And yes, that was my foot.

But the Air and Space Museum, oh, how I love that place. While at times I had little to no idea what I was looking at, knowing that they were in the air or outer space at some point fascinates me. How do these rather heavy hunks of metal fly? There were rockets and planes and satellites, spacesuits and moon rocks. I think I could spend all day there. I would get a crick in my neck from looking up so much, but it would be well worth it.

Yes, that is Aaron's reflection. Now, if only I could remember what it is that he is making his reflection in. I believe it is a disc that has been sent up with unmanned space missions that has various languages and such on it. Aaron will probably remember better than me and thus, you can look to the comments for his correction of my bad information. (Update: It is called the Golden Record and is way cooler than how I described it above - thanks Aaron!)

All in all, a wonderful day in DC. We hung out with some of Aaron's friends, I almost died from cat dander suffocation, and everyone slept quite nicely. Which, as I later found out, was due since Aaron and I had walked approximately 6 miles on Saturday, and that is not including our roams around Smithsonians. Yup, we were tuckered out. Perfect weekend trip; can't wait to ride the rails again for another excursion. Savannah, anyone?

Amelie

I know this has happened to you - you watch a movie, love it to pieces, forget about it, and then years later think, "I should watch that movie again, I loved it so," only to be disappointed that it is not as good as you remembered. I originally watched Amelie my senior year of college with my roommate and her friend, after his prompting that it was a "must see." It was one of my first forays into foreign film, and I went in nervously (it is in French). After seeing it, I could not imagine it not being in French - the color, the sideways glances, the clothes, the story - it was all so beautiful, so light and lovely and mysterious - so...French! The music from the film is some of the most perfectly synchronized music in a movie I have heard. Lilting, airy, with a subtle tinge of sadness.

So, this weekend I thought it was time to see if the film was as good as I remembered. However, it was not as I remembered - it was vastly better. Beautiful is the only word I can think of right now to express the "feel" of this movie. It is a simple story - girl decides she wants to perform acts of kindness anonymously and, as a result of this, embarks on a quirky adventure to get to know and eventually meet a gentleman much like herself. Sure, the premise sounds like it would fit well into a romantic comedy and, while Amelie is both romantic and comedic, it is so much grander, brighter, and more heartfelt than 99% of romantic comedies. Even now after watching it, I think back to the scenes or the people in the movie and cannot help but smile. The film has a lovely tone and ambiance that fits perfectly with the plot, characters, music, location, and language of the movie. Amelie is a fantastic rainy day movie - one that you pop in when you want to watch a movie but do not know what. It is just happy.

(Note: While it is happy and such, it is also not your PG-13 romantic comedy; meaning there is some adult content to it. I would hate to recommend a movie and you be unexpectedly shocked by something of this nature. If you want to know the adult content details before renting/purchasing this movie, please click here.)

Washington, DC - Trains and The Mall

Finally, it is time I wrote about my trip to Washington, DC in late July. Yes, if I am only writing about this now, imagine what other things I have failed to talk about in the past month or so! It is a disgrace, I know, but fortunately, grace exists as does forgiveness and understanding...right?

Aaron lived in DC for the summer while he was an intern at the Cato Institute. Given that I had not been to DC since junior high and this was my only chance for a "vacation" over the summer, I snatched up the opportunity. In speaking to a friend at church, she reminded me of a method of travel oft forgot - trains! I researched a little, did some number crunching and discovered that, were I to purchase a train ticket to DC a month in advance before the ticket costs went up, it would be cheaper for me to get to DC by train than car. Hmm...riding on a train, where someone else has to worry about directions and I can read or driving my car, trying to convince myself I really am driving to DC and not Kentucky? The choice was simple. And a fun one, at that. I think the ride ended up being about an hour longer than a drive would take, but it was worth it.

Both reading and watching Virginia go by through the window of the train was a pleasant experience. The people on the train were quite diverse - I sat next to a school teacher; across from me sat two men in their 40s or 50s, brothers taking a vacation together (they were on my train coming back as well); families going to reunions; Marines going on weekend leave from Quantico.

Upon reaching DC, Aaron and I found one another and decided to walk around the National Mall before meeting some of his friends for desserts later that evening. It was a nice walk, but a little heavy given I was carrying my suitcase/backpack with me, and he carrying his computer bag. I think the views made the load worth it - DC at sunset, what a sight.



We were able to see the Capitol Building, White House, Jefferson Memorial, and a bunch of random statues (Pershing, Sherman, Hamilton) before dining on some creme brulee and s'mores cake. Our feet hurt, we probably did not smell like roses, and it was time to sleep. On the Metro we went and out it spat us near Aaron's attic for the summer. Yes, attic. Aaron and one of his longtime friends who was also in DC for an internship rented a lady's attic for the summer. An attic without central air, on the third floor of an antique house, complete with creaky floorboards, bugs and a bathroom that smelled like black mold would smell, I imagine. It was an experience, both for me in my short time there, and for Aaron over the summer. Everyone quickly fell asleep in their respective beds and air mattresses, gathering energy for the grand trek of DC tomorrow.

The Once and Future King

On my recent by-train trip to Washington, D.C. (details coming soon) I decided that The Jungle is not appropriate reading on a train. Watching people eat hamburgers while reading about how hamburgers were made at one time does not make for comfortable reading. So, I turned to my bookshelves for a remedy and I rediscovered a wonderful book, The Once and Future King.

I first was introduced to this book at the very beginning of 9th grade; it was the first book I read as a new high schooler at a new school. The book is actually comprised of four smaller books, and my class only read the first two - book one focused on King Arthur in his youth (think the adventures in The Sword in the Stone) and book two focused on Arthur's half-sister's family. I had always intended to finish the book, but would start and stop repeatedly over Christmas breaks.

This book is wonderful. I think it has about everything a person could want in a book - murder, politics, intrigue, fights, fantasy, sociology, history, romance, ethics, betrayal - it appeals to just about everyone, male or female, young or old. The story following Arthur as he goes from being Wart the kitchen boy to King Arthur of England. Merlyn teaches Wart about how different governments and societies work by transforming Arthur into an ant, badger, goose, fish and other creatures. In each society, he learns the pros and cons of most main types of societies - monarchical, democratic, dictatorship, communist, etc. Of course, Arthur does not see that Merlyn is teaching him these things; he only sees them as great adventures or school lessons.

As Arthur becomes king and begins building his Round Table, he is faced with the question of whether people who are raised in an "evil" culture are, by their nature, evil. Or can they be reshaped to do good? This is most clearly seen in his dealings with his half-sister and nephews, who were raised to be jealous, violent and possessive people. They are of the mind that "might makes right" while Arthur believes that power through force only leads to greater dissension. And so, he attempts to lead fairly and justly, as a husband, friend, diplomat and warrior. Does Arthur's ideal society work? Is he able to treat everyone equal and fair, without bias? I guess you will have to read the book. Sure, it may be a little long (about 650 pages), but the moment you finish, you will want to turn back to page one and begin it again.

Olympics are here!

...and I could not be happier. I have always loved watching the sports, no matter how mainstream or obscure. Thus far, I have watched: fencing, beach volleyball, soccer, swimming, beach volleyball, cycling road race, gymnastics, equestrian, and water polo. Favorite event so far this year? Far and away is swimming, because it looks like something anyone could do, but then I realize just how freakin' fast they are going. Speaking of...

Men's 4x100 relay. Holy. Moley. Did you see this? Please say you saw this. I stayed up until midnight watching it and rewatching it. I have never seen such a grand display of athleticism from so many people in such a short amount of time. Not only is it impressive that the U.S. won by a fingertip (literally), but then to hear via the announcers that, though the U.S. broke the world record (obliterate is more like it), so did the 2nd through 5th place teams. That is 20 men swimming faster than ever before. It is in these moments when I think the Olympic spirit shows in full force, because it is not solely about who took the gold; it is about a group of men or women pushing one another to new heights and lengths physically. In the words of Morgan Freeman on the Visa commercial - Go world.

Insectile Carnage!

This article had a coworker and me in stitches. While I respect those who choose to be vegans, this commentary on whether honey is vegan or not points out how ridiculous/difficult it can be to be a hard-line vegan. A sample paragraph...

"The hard-liners argue that beekeeping, like dairy farming, is cruel and exploitative. The bees are forced to construct their honeycombs in racks of removable trays, according to a design that standardizes the size of each hexagonal chamber. (Some say the more chaotic combs found in the wild are less vulnerable to parasitic mites.) Queens are imprisoned in certain parts of the hive, while colonies are split to increase production and sprinkled with prophylactic antibiotics. In the meantime, keepers control the animals by pumping their hives full of smoke, which masks the scent of their alarm pheromones and keeps them from defending their honey stores. And some say the bees aren't making the honey for us, so its removal from the hive could be construed as a form of theft. (Last year's animated feature, Bee Movie, imagined the legal implications of this idea.)"

When cakes go horribly wrong...

Click the picture below and prepare for uncontrollable laughter. A coworker of mine cried with laughter... My favorite cake? It was a tough decision, but I am going with the plaid wedding (?) cake. You'll know it when you see it, and then wish you hadn't.

Brand Loyalty - Kashi

As anyone who has been my cashier or bagger at the grocery store can attest, I like certain brands just a little more than others. Or a lot. Okay, okay, I obsessed with specific brands. And, as a natural progression of said loyalty, I wish to share one brand with you today - Kashi. Kashi is whole grain, organic (at times), all natural food company that makes a variety of products and are known for incorporating "7 Whole Grains" into everything they make. Here are some I have found and loved...

Breakfast

GOLEAN Crunch, in both Honey Almond Flax and Original were my go-to breakfast cereal when I was working in Austin. I would mix some in with yogurt and chow down while reading my work emails and sorting through the to-do's of the day. However, now my breakfast of choice is...




Cinnamon Harvest rocks. By far the best cinnamon cereal I have ever had. And I am not the only one who feels this way. They stay fairly sturdy in milk and do not disintegrate to mush like other shredded wheat cereals can do. The cinnamon flavor is not overpowering or overly sweet. Two spoons up!


Honorable mentions: Blueberry and Strawberry Flax waffles. These were buy one, get one free so I have been munching on them for Saturday breakfasts and they are delicious. I like the blueberry better (even though they lied to me) because there is a little tart that cuts through the syrup. The strawberry waffles are just a tad too sweet with syrup.

Snacks

I eat one of these granola bars for my snack every work day. I switch between the Peanut Peanut Butter and the Cherry Dark Chocolate. The Peanut is crunchier and heartier feeling than the Cherry. The Cherry, on the other hand, has huge dried cherries and mini dark chocolate chips. Should Kashi endeavor to make a Peanut Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar, I would be all over that.




Fire Roasted Vegetable crackers are the perfect compliment to hummus. The garlicy hummus plays well against the slight spice from the peppers in the cracker. They are also good with little slices of cheddar, or cheese in general. The Ranch is also great, but made to be eaten alone rather than with dip or a topper.





Country Cheddar is my new obsession. I love love these crackers. They are like Cheese Nips, only a bajillion times better. First off, they actually taste like cheese rather than taste like cheese flavoring. Second, they are flaky and light, not dense and greasy. Third, they have those seven whole grains Kashi manages to get into everything it touches. Fourth, they made a cracker into a cow on the box - what's not to love? Warning: Eater may be tempted to eat whole box and have a decreased desire to share.




I use the Stoneground 7 Grain as a "tray" for my tuna salad. It is not too flavorful, in fact it tastes rather earthy. But its grit and crunch is nice with the fish...or the chicken salad. Whatever.





Lunch/Dinner

I have a Kashi frozen dinner about one lunchtime a week. Usually toward the end of the week when I am too lazy to make a sandwich or ate all my leftovers. I have tried most of the dinners, and my favorites are: Chicken Florentine, Lemon Rosemary Chicken, and Pesto Pasta Primavera. The Black Bean Mango is also good, but it has a bit of a kick, so that is an occasional lunch for this gal.



The Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza is phenomenal. The roasted garlic sauce and crust make the pizza. Chewy but not rubbery; crisp without being crunchy. The chicken is seasoned with something good so it comes out in a bite beside the peppers and garlic. Also good reheated, which I think is the true test of a frozen pizza. Does it turn to a hockey puck upon reheating? The Mediterranean is also good, but not as yummy as the garlic chicken.


I tried the thin crust pizza, too, and it is not as good as the original crust pizzas. The toppings tended to slide off along with the cheese when I bit into a slice. The flavors were not as sharp, and the crust was too crunchy.

Dessert

Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookies. They are as big as a coaster and you only need one to be satisfied. The chocolate is not hard, but melts in your mouth. The cookie is chewy and hearty and does not fall to pieces after the first bite. These are a once in a blue moon treat for me, and since one cookie is all you need, they last quite some time. Which is a hard thing for cookies to do in my presence.


And, in case you were wondering what those 7 grains are exactly, here you go! They are: oats, hard red winter wheat, rye, barley, triticale, long grain brown rice and buckwheat. Don't you just feel healthier reading that? And to think that you can eat it and it not taste like cardboard or dirt. It is possible with Kashi!

Now, if only Kashi would start making doughnuts...

Rules for Family Reunions

Roland Martin came out with Roland's Rules for the Holidays - Summertime Edition today. While his rules may not all apply to your familial circumstances, I am willing to bet some of them will or you know someone whose family needs these rules. Happy Fourth of July! Eat some grilled meat! (But not hot dogs or hamburgers or portabello mushrooms - Roland says they don't count.)

Help the World and avoid work? Perfect!

I cannot remember how I came across this particular website, but I glad it came to me. It is Free Rice. The idea is that you match a word to its synonym and, for every answer you get correct, 20 grains of rice is donated to the UN World Food Program. The further into the game you get, the harder the words. It is the perfect game if you are on hold, as I am often finding myself these days, or need a mental break from whatever you may be doing that is unpleasant. So, learn a little vocab, play a little game, and earn a little rice for the UN!

Two for Six Dollars!

I had to go to the grocery store earlier this week to get a money order so I could get a NC license plate. Why? Because the DMV does not accept out of state checks, and Wells Fargo does not exist in North Carolina. Oh bother. After procuring my money order, I roamed a little, picked some things up that were on my list, and some that were not, as per usual. My best buys were two "two for six dollar" deals. Both guilty pleasures in their own right. First off...

Two lovely cartons of raspberries. If someone to look in my fridge right now, they must think me a berry-maniac. I have blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and cherries. All good and all something I could easily make myself sick on But back to the raspberries - how did they taste? Delicate and sweet and melt-in-your-mouth. Speaking of melting in your mouth...

Ice cream! North Carolina is sorely lacking a Blue Bell presence, so I have resorted to other brands. Haagen Dazs is the current front runner. While I wanted to get Mayan Chocolate and Sticky Toffee Pudding, both were unavailable, so I called for backups. Enter Cherry Vanilla and Caramel Cone. I have now tried both and are wonderful in their own way. The cherry is light and fruity with huge hunks of cherry. The caramel cone I was uncertain about given the presence of a bread product which can tend toward dry or mush. I am happy to report the chocolate coating protects the cone bits from mush and the caramel cuts through the creaminess of the ice cream well.

I like to think that the raspberries balance the ice cream intake. One bite of ice cream, one bite of berry. Two bites of ice cream, one bite of berry. Bite of ice cream, bite of ice cream, bite of ice cream...

Deceived by a berry!

I am currently eating lunch. The grocery store here has been running a special on blueberries (buy one get one free), so I have enjoyed approximately 1,000 blueberries in the past few weeks. Good alone, good with blueberry waffles, and good in salad with Brianna's poppy seed dressing. Back to the story...

Eating lunch. Popping blueberries in my mouth with abandon. Every now and then one of them has a little grit from the seeds, so I wondered how the seeds were arrayed in the berry. I bite one in half and I am shocked. Blueberries are not blue on the inside! They are albinos enshrouded in a robe of indigo! How has this blueberry lover gone 26 years and not known the true soul of the "blue"berry is white as lamb's wool?


I feel duped. My blueberry eating experience has lost its purity and innocence. Now I know the truth behind the berry.

Dracula

In my adventures in reading, I try to keep the genres changing so I do not fall into a rut and so I read things I might not normally. One of the more difficult genres for me to pick from is classics, not because I do not like classic novels, but because there are so many I want (or feel I should) read. Last week, I crossed another one off the list.

Dracula by Bram Stoker was a book I started reading online at my old job when I was on phone duty, but I did not finish it electronically. Before moving, I had a Half Price Bookstore gift card to use (no Half Price here - sadness!) and bought Dracula, among other things. I thought it would be much like Frankenstein in its build-up and execution, but it was less tense and foreboding. That is not to say there was not an element of darkness to it, only that it was infused with a hope from the characters.

Something I did not realize is that the book is epistolary. I thought it would make for a confusing read, jumping from character voice to character voice, but Stoker wrote each character with a distinctive voice and perspective, it was not difficult to follow in the least. The way each person is introduced and developed is smooth, with the exception of some of Lucy's suitors who seem like passing characters only to show up later in more significant roles. The novel never lags; each chapter is purposeful and moves the story forward, whether fully understood at the time or not.

The biggest "complaint" I have is that the story would have been so much cooler if I had not known the "punchline" already. It takes about half the book for the characters to figure out that (spoiler!) Dracula is the vampire. To have read the book before it was common cultural knowledge must have been surprising. However, since there is nothing I can do about knowing the twist, the method of "I know something you don't know" was employed when reading.

One of my tiffs with novels, classics especially, is that the end trails off. As a reader, I want the ends tied up, resolution to most of the major and minor questions and something that is not a "five years later..." scenario. Dracula wrapped everything up, not necessarily in a neat little bow, but the characters progressed in the short term and what each ended up doing suited them. They did not join up and become vampire hunters ala Ghostbusters. In fact, I would say that their lives returned to what they had (or were in the process of moving toward) before Dracula came into the picture.

Overall, Dracula was an excellent book. It kept me interested, did not bog me down with some of the writing styles many classic novels can do (sentence structure and verbiage), and was a lot of fun to read on top of it all. A book I would think about returning to on a rainy day...or a dark and stormy night.

On hold...

I am on hold with an insurance company right now. Been on hold for about 15 minutes now, which begs the question - when do you hang up? I need to speak with them, so if I hang up now, I will have to go through the holding again at some point. I feel like Phoebe on Friends - I will get the next available operator, but how long must I wait for him/her to become available?

After about 10 minutes, I begin to ask myself things like "Is my life, like this phone call, on hold? How long have I been on hold? Do I simply need to know the correct 'extension' for life fulfillment? Why can't people on hold choose what kind of music they like? What hold music would I be if I had to choose? What if I have been placed in an 'on hold' vortex where my phone call will never be answered and 'they" (you know...them) are sending me subliminal messages, reprogramming my mind to only eat Burger King or shop at TJMaxx?" Holding is dangerous.

(26 minutes and counting...)

***Update*** I hung up the phone at approximately 32 minutes. I am sure that, had I not hung up, I would still be on hold. It was a difficult decision, but I think it was the right one. Eventually, an alternate phone number was found that provided me with an actual human. But first I was put on hold...

Saturday in Raleigh

A Saturday or three ago, I went off on a grand adventure, the likes of which have never been seen. I roamed Raleigh. I know, I am such a sojourner. I had met a church friend for coffee at Third Place (fabulous cinnamon chocolate chip cookies) about a month in to me living here, and absolutely loved the coffee, shop, and area. It is in an area of Raleigh called Five Points (because five roads converge and one large and confusing intersection). There is the coffee shop, Lilly's Pizza (renowned throughout Raleigh), antique stores and NOFO at the Pig, a cafe/cute gift store. The store is a converted Piggly Wiggly and, in homage, they have cute pig sculptures around the parking lot...

Goal for NOFO: to eat on the patio there on a breezy sunny day and to buy something unique and fun at the store...or at least some fudge.

After wandering around there, I decided to see what was going on at the Farmer's Market. I wish I lived closer to the market, because I would go there for all my produce instead of the grocery store. It is nice to taste before you buy, talk with the people who grow and pick the food, and build a relationship with some vendors beyond "that will be $21.56."

When I went, there were tons and tons of strawberries. If one wished to, one could gorge oneself on strawberry samples. Come June it will be peach samples...mmm. There is always a great selection of veggies - from Vidalia onions to turnips to lettuce to peppers. I think the Farmer's Market is one of the few places where dirt on produce is a comforting sight.

Further down in the same produce building is a little garden/nursery where people can purchase decorative plants and trees and herbs. I looked for some basil, but it had already been sold out. Another day.

There are three buildings behind the main Farmer's Market area. One is where people can buy ready-made food - fried stuff and pulled pork type things, I believe. In the main building, there are vendors selling painting, crafts, candies, desserts (pies and cakes), parts of cows - I wish I had gotten a picture of the list - shanks and shoulders, butts and briskets. However, what brings me to this building every time is the vast selection of jams, jellies, preserves, sauces, dressings, and honey. Oh the honey. Clover, wildflower, with the comb, without the comb. It truly looks like nectar of the gods...

Also in the jam building are a few other selections, as can be seen below in example and on banners (fresh rabbit, anyone?). The cast iron items are huge and extremely heavy. Not sure who would want to get a loaf of bread out of an oven when the pan weighs as much as a 4-year-old child.



So far, the only things I have bought in the jam/honey area has been as gifts, so one of these days, I am going to stock up on some North Carolina preserves (think of a fruit and they jar it), sticky honey, and part of a cow.

The third "second level" building is a pork market.

I was wary entering here thinking I would come face to face with whole hogs hanging from hooks. (Alliteration is my friend!) Thankfully, all the whole hogs had sold by this point, or they are kind enough to house them behind the fridges. If you want anything that is from a pig - they are your people. Bacon, pork skin, loins, chops, and these, the closest thing to a whole pig they had...

It is a fun place to be whether you are looking to buy things or not. The vendors are kind and helpful both with what makes a good rutabaga and what produce is coming in and going out of season. All the food I have bought there has been top notch and perfectly ripened. In fact, one vendor even told Aaron and I when we went last summer to wait a day or two to eat a certain kind of peach because it needed to ripen a little more. They know what they are talking about and have oodles of proof to show and taste from.

For the curious who think if they visit they will miss out on the fresh Carolina food because there is no stove in the hotel room, fear not! There is a Farmer's Market restaurant across the street that serves food directly from the market. I have heard it is top notch. Or, if you are more interested in some seafood, how about the NC Seafood Restaurant?

Do you see why I want to live closer to the market? Fresh picked strawberries and seafood could quickly become a nightly dinner if I lived close.

It's a Miracle (Fruit)!

Just a quick little note/link today...still failing to find the balance between things I want to post on versus my post-work desire to vegetate or run errands. Vegetation is winning.

In one of my food blogs today, there was a link to a New York Times article about a berry called Miracle Fruit. Apparently eating the pulp of this cranberry-looking berry changes sour tastes to sweet tastes for about an hour. Thus, sugary things taste even more sugary and sour things taste like sugar. Like the setting of the article, I too think this would make for an awesome gathering of people, especially if it were people who were not that familiar with one another. Everyone experiencing something new tends to bond. And who doesn't want to pour Tabasco down your throat and feel what hot icing is like? Even though the berries are about $2 each, for an hour of altered food tasting is worth it, I think. It is like a drug trip for your taste buds!

Twisted and Oh So Good..

It was a slow and lazy Saturday afternoon about a month ago. I was relaxing on the couch, enjoying the offerings of full cable, watching Bobby Flay on "Throwdown." For those not in the know, Throwdown is a show wherein Flay is given an assignment to try and beat another chef/restaurateur at what they make best - hot dogs, cakes, Texas Chili, etc. On this particular show, Flay was challenged to make a better pretzel and dipping sauce that a place in Philly. Raise your hands if you knew Philly was known for its pretzels? Me either, but apparently this is the case. Bobby pulled of a surprise win and it got me thinking about my own pretzel-making experiences...

The first recollection of the pretzel creative process came my senior year in college with roomie Lisa and friend Brannen/on/an (I cannot remember how he spelled his name). I do not remember much more than me being the worst twister of the bunch. My ends would not stay together, my logs were too thin, the complications were numerous.

Next memory also has a little Lisa in it. At her wedding, her favors were cookie cutters tied to a little recipe book that had some of her and hubby's favorite foods (oatmeal cookies, possum and egg noodles some of the highlights). One of them was her recipe for pretzels. Now that I had a year or two of age on me, I thought I was mature enough to manage the twisting. Which I did (with Aaron's help) quite wonderfully. However, in the printing of the recipe, a critical step was left off. There was not baking the pretzels, so it was assumed by Aaron and I that after the dough was boiled, they were ready to eat. They were not. We tried boiling them longer, which made them more wet and spongy. Then we tried baking them but the damage had already been done. I later emailed Lisa and got the missing step, but always was a little leery that she had left another step off in a ploy to corner the market on her pretzels. Moral of the story, don't trust a Midwesterner with curly hair. (I love you, Lisa!)

Back to the Saturday...

Emboldened with a courage that can only come from a lack of anything else to do, I began looking for Lisa's pretzel recipe so I could make a batch. But wait...why make Lisa's when I could see if Bobby's was so good as to merit a Throwdown win? I checked out the recipe online and was happy to see I had all the needed ingredients, so to pretzel making I went. It is fairly simple to make...a lot like pizza dough. In fact, I bet it would make good pizza dough...or focaccia, mmm focaccia.

After letting the dough rise, it was time to test my twisting abilities. I did pretty well overall, with two or three casualties post-boiling that became cinnamon sugar pretzels. The boiling is where I veered from the recipe slightly. I used less baking soda in the water because I was almost out, and I did not see any adverse issues. I do not think the pretzels would have faired as well were it not for my use of a spider, which allowed me to remove the pretzels without breaking them. Popped them in the oven, waited patiently and look what came out...


Seriously. I mean, come on. You cannot get that at Auntie Anne's. The outside has a great crust, but not rubbery or dry (even after microwaving to reheat), the inside is dense, airy, salty with a little hint of sweetness. I wanted to eat them all.

And, if that were not enough, I had leftover cheese from an enchilada dinner so I made a version of the Queso Poblano sauce using chili powder and cayenne pepper instead of the poblano. I think it worked well - gave the sauce a nice orange hue, played well off the salty and hint of sweet of the pretzel. No wonder Bobby won this Throwdown. And, because the cinnamon sugar ones needed some dipping love, I made a quick glaze with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract - yummy!

Since that Saturday, I have made another batch or two, each as successful as the first. Even though the recipe makes 8, I was did make 12 once, but that was pushing it. The less dough you use, the thinner the pretzel, and who wants a skinny pretzel? In addition, the thinner pretzels make it a little harder in the boiling - more apt to come apart during and after boiling (think getting penne out of water with a spoon vs. getting spaghetti out).

When Aaron tasted one, he exclaimed, "This is by far the best thing you have made since you moved here." (So maybe that was not word-for-word what he said, but it is the general tone and feeling he emoted.) And, I would have to agree. The question now is: who would win in a Bobby's pretzel throwdown -me or Bobby?

Ice cream minus cream

I have an ongoing list of things I want to post about, but now that I have a job (yippee!) I no longer have 8+ hours in the day to blog at my leisure. So, until I get to those planned posts, I will write about a dessert you can buy ready-made at any grocery store - Haagen-Dazs!

I was read on Serious Eats about low-calorie ice cream (not for the low-cal part so much as the ice cream part) and saw Haagen-Dazs makes a chocolate sorbet, dairy-free frozen dessert. Generally speaking, I am not a gigantic fan of chocolate ice cream, but this is not chocolate ice cream, is it? It is sorbet, which means no dairy, which in turn means my tummy should like it more (silly lactose intolerance). But the only sorbets I have seen previous have been fruit-flavored, which is fine, but sometimes a person needs a pint of chocolate frozen goodness.

Cut to a few weeks later and Aaron and I decide to make burgers. At the grocery store, we gather all the needed items and make our way to the checkout. I cleverly veer toward the ice cream section "just to see" if the sorbet was there. Approximately 10 seconds later, I had my chocolate sorbet and Aaron had his pomegranate chip.

Burgers were great and it was time for dessert; the moment of truth. Will it taste like a watery, fake chocolate or like ice cream? Verdict: I don't need no stinkin' cream to have my chocolate frozen dessert. The texture is smooth, creamy (yeah, I don't know how they pull it off, either) with a great chocolate flavor. The chocolate does not taste sweet or syrupy, but a deep, rich flavor permeates the mouth. So now I have a great alternative to a "special" ice cream to get from time to time, and Haagen-Dazs continues to impress me with its flavors. (See also: Sticky Toffee Pudding and Mayan Chocolate)

And, for the curious, Pomegranate Chip is also a phenomenal ice cream - sweet, tart, a little bitter - mighty tasty.

My First Souffle

After I moved here and unpacked my belongings, I needed to test my kitchen out. See if the oven worked, figure out where would be best to do my cooking prep, and get used to the new locations of the fridge, knife drawer, and pantry. What better way to do this than to try and make a type of food never before attempted by me - souffle!

Watching people on TV make souffle, I thought it was going to be a disaster. Egg whites, an oven I am not accustomed to, all those stories of souffles falling. I chose to make Gritty Souffle (found in Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food: food x mixing + heat = baking) because I like Alton and his recipes, I got the cookbook for Christmas, and I had all the ingredients. The last reason is usually is the deciding factor. Some days, I will go to allrecipes.com and use their ingredient search in hopes of finding something I can make using, say, garlic, eggs, dried fruit, spinach, and bittersweet chocolate. Some days it is success, some days I go without. Hopefully the list I made would have resulted in a "without" day - garlic and chocolate? Not so much.

Back to the souffle. It is grits, but in a souffle. Or, if you want to make it sound a little more "high class" polenta souffle. It's French, it's Italian - it's Fritalian! The preparation of the souffle is close to Alton's recipe for Cheesy Souffle, but not quite. After making the grits, I was faced with a recipe step I was unfamiliar with - making egg foam (meringue, more or less). And, even though I added the cream of tartar with the egg whites at the beginning, and not after they got a little foamy, everything worked out just fine and fluffy egg whites were achieved.

Next most difficult task - folding the egg whites into the grits. It is important here to not stir, but fold, so that the egg foam does not deflate. I am not sure there is any way of knowing if I did this well or not until the souffle comes out of the oven and it is either a fluffy poof or a pancake. Waiting 45 minutes to find out was nerve-wracking. And, even after 45 minutes, the souffle could have fallen.

Thankfully, it did not and it turned out spectacular. Something it looks like was super hard. But it wasn't, it was rather simple.

It tasted pretty good, too. The garlic flavor really came out, and the garlic I used was not the best I have gotten and I used too much. I also did not have cheddar cheese (I cannot recall what cheese I used), so that would have better balanced the flavors. The best part of the whole thing is getting an "edge" piece because it has Parmesan cheese baked onto it (that is what Alton coated the sides with). Salty, crunchy, buttery, with airy souffle.