I See Dead People's Books

Sometimes I forget that people aside from Aaron may be interested in the neat things I come across on the internet. Thankfully, Aaron reminds me of this from time to time, and upon this occasion, I took action. Lately, I have been updating my LibraryThing library, which would explain why most of the "recent books from my library" are from my library circa 1992. In my updates and additions, I stumbled across quite the gem, a group called I See Dead People's Books. Users investigate famous readers' physical libraries and create a virtual library for them. Famous readers include Thomas Jefferson, e.e. cummings, Aaron Copland, C.S. Lewis, Emily Dickinson, Tupac Shakur, and Daniel Webster.

If you are a member of LibraryThing (free until 200 books in your library, then $10/year membership or $25 for life), you are even able to compare your library to the famous reader and see what overlaps there are. C.S. Lewis and I share 40 books while Tupac and I only share 3. Not only is "I See Dead People's Books" a unique way to see what influenced these politicians, thinkers, entertainers, and writers, but also another way to add a couple books to your own list to read. Perhaps you have a deep and abiding love for William Faulkner (ugh) and wish to see where he found his inspiration. Look no further than his library shelf!

Nooooooo!

Say it ain't so...Good Eats is ending! I do not doubt Alton Brown when he says good things are on the horizon; I just hope they will be available on my horizon. AB is the person who reminded me after college how fun cooking can be. He is also the person I used to lure Aaron into the kitchen, a true miracle from what I understand. Alton (yes, we are on a first name basis, though he may not know it yet) is the guy I go to when I want to make something new but am not sure what. I have yet to make a recipe of his that is not stellar and worth repeating, sharing, and/or feasting upon. I will miss Good Eats and be watching like a hawk to see when and how AB will show up next to demonstrate his knowledge, humor and culinary abilities.

30 Before 30: The Maltese Falcon

Do not be surprised if, upon opening The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, you begin to smell the pungent odor of cigarette smoke, fog begins rolling into your room, and everyone begins calling you "gorgeous" or "doll." This book seems to have been specially created for reproduction in film noir. A beautiful redhead steps into the smoke-filled San Francisco detective office of Sam Spade begging for his help...and so the story goes.

I chose this book as one of my "3 books from Top 100 list" tasks because I already owned it and I love a good detective story. It got onto my list by making the lists of Modern Library 100 Best Novels - The Board's List, Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels List, and Newsweek Top 100 Books - The Meta-List. So now you know half the places from which I have created my own list. Welcome to the inner sanctum!

The Maltese Falcon was a quick read with a rather straightforward writing style and plot line. At times the characters became slightly confusing because of the double-crosses and shifting "true" stories, but I never was lost while reading for longer than a couple paragraphs. I had already seen the movie, which helped create the scene and tone of the book (hence the smoke and fog), but the book does a fantastic job of conveying the mood of a moment through the dialog and descriptions of the people and scene. Sam Spade can go from being a heartthrob to a cad with a swift change of face or a harsh word.

Aside from owning the book and seeing the movie, there was another ulterior motive. Mythbusters. Or, to be more specific, Adam Savage's obsession with The Maltese Falcon. Click the link and watch the video - it is about 17 minutes long, but well-worth it. It is more an exploration of where curiosity can lead with a little mystery and crime of its own thrown in.

So, I am two books down and one to go to complete my goal of three books from my list by September. There are a couple of books I own that are also on my list, so I have a few to choose from. Since I have no idea which one I will choose, I cannot even leave you with a cliffhanger ending, which would have fit this post on The Maltese Falcon well. Hmm...whatever book it will be, it is bound to be mysterious...

30 Before 30: 6 Month Check In

It is so hard to believe that I am already 6 months into my 30 Before 30 List. I have accomplished a few things, but there is still a lot left to do. So, here is the list again with some updates on how things are going and my plans to accomplish these goals.

1. Make a layered cake from scratch
Happily accomplished and noted here

2. Read Bible, cover to cover
I started this about a month late, in mid-October, so I had to play catch-up. I got close to being on track, but am now about a month behind again. Currently reading about King David and his Psalms. Leviticus and Numbers were painful and are done with.

3. Make pad thai from scratch
I have made this a second time since the first experiment. There is still a lot of learning to do with this dish, but it is getting there. The last batch was too vinegary and astringent for me, and the tofu did not have good mouth feel.

4. Make a dinner calendar for a month's world of meals
I think I may do this for April. This is one I keep forgetting about; it's sneaky!

5. Go to the Biltmore Estate
There are plans in the works for this, but it is too early for details.

6. Go to the dermatologist for a skin cancer screening
This was one of the first things I wanted off my list, and am so happy to have done it. I love the dermatologist I found and she found no moles of concern. Yay!

7. *Personal Goal*
Done! Not much more left to be said about it than that.

8. Follow RunTex training and run in a 5K
I plan on starting the training later this month with hopes of getting through the training at a relaxed pace in May or June. I guess this means I should start looking for races to run in.

9. Lose at least 12 pounds
Yeah, this one is hard! Can I blame it on goals #1 and 3? I had a good workout schedule going, and then life got a little nuts and busy and all schedules flew out the window.

10. See an allergist/nutritionist about my food issues (OAS)
Honestly, this one is pretty low on the "must accomplish" scale. It is more for my own curiosity than anything else.

11. Have people over for dinner 6 times
Still sitting at one, though I have high hopes for the 5 other times. There has been a lot of food preparation at my place, but none of it for people coming over. I outsource my hospitality.

12. Pay for the order of the car behind me at the drive through
Not yet, but hopefully soon. Chick-fil-a and Wendy's, I am looking at you!

13. Go to the Outer Banks
I may try and do this in late spring or early summer on a weekend getaway jaunt. Maybe combine it with 21?

14. Reach 50 caches found with Geocaching
14 to go!

15. Get a pedicure
Once it is sandal weather, I am on it!

16. Make sangria
Why are so many of these warm-weather focused? It is like I wanted to load it all up to finish in the last 3 months.

17. Visit a state I have not been to
Plans are in the works for this one in cooperation with visiting Biltmore.

18. Master Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
Still not mastered. Actually, I have not even cracked open the book in months.

19. Bid soda a fond farewell
This may be a hard one to do. Not because I love soda, but because I do not have it that often and therefore it is kind of a treat when I get it. And, I really like Izze.

20. Go dairy-less (aside from yogurt) for a month and see how I feel
I think I may do this in conjunction with #4.

21. Have a girls' night
One of these days...

22. Eat at Lilly's Pizza
Accomplished, but barely. It was very busy, waited almost 2 hours for our takeout order. The pizza was pretty good, if a little salty due to the prosciutto.

23. Make homemade marshmallows
I forgot about this one! Hmm...maybe it will make an appearance at small group.

24. Roast and eat a beet
Almost every time I get groceries, I look at the beet and think, "Maybe next time."

25. Get a physical
I still need to, but I feel I have been poked and prodded enough lately that I do not wish to do so again so soon.

26. Make and eat a whole lobster
Step one is find out where to purchase a lobster, or if ordering online is best. Step two: Kill the lobster! All the rest will follow.

27. Make it through my Pilates DVD without breaking anything or passing out
I may amend this to be my Jillian Michaels DVD, as I like the physicality of it more. But we shall see.

28. Read 3 books from my compilation "100 Best Novels" list
I read A Christmas Carol, and am working on the other two right now. Possibly within a month of completing this goal.

29. Buy a whole nutmeg

Yes, this was my cop-out goal. Buying a whole nutmeg had been on my list of things to do for years, years I tell you! Glad to cross it off that mental list.

30. Watch 4 movies from my American Film Institute Top 100 movies list

I am halfway there after watching Shane and Duck Soup. Personally, I hope the next two are a little better. I'm looking at you, A Clockwork Orange.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

I know I am a month early, but I cannot keep this little gem of a recipe hidden for another month. Also, I probably will not remember to post about this recipe a month from now. Or it will come in July. Kind of makes you the reader wonder at all the things I have on my "to blog" list that have been left unpublished for a couple months. And, "to blog" sounds a lot like "to blathe" which also sounds like "true love."

Back to the recipe! I saw it online one day and thought it made for a tasty dinner and good bring to work food. Behold, Irish Beef Hand Pies. I have made these twice, once for Aaron and once for my small group, and both times they turned out fairly decent. The biggest issue I ran into was the store bought pie crust dough yielded thin and delicate pies, which created Irish Beef Fork Pies. Still good, just not as portable. What is great about this recipe is it gives you freezing directions, so you can make a batch, bake some, freeze some, and have pre-made dinner a week later when you are crazy busy and just as hungry.

Also great? Easily customizable. Add some shredded carrots, spicy sauces, BBQ sauce, or onions and make a whole new pie! A definite recipe winner, and one I will hold onto for a long time. No pun intended.

30 Before 30: Cake!

It was not a mistake that "make a layered cake from scratch" was goal #1 on my list. In fact, I knew the exact cake I was going to make when I wrote goal #1 down. I have had this recipe since 2003! The Austin American-Statesman published a recipe for a chocolate creme de menthe cake and I quickly commandeered the entire Food section and have kept it in my recipe binder ever since, waiting for the day when I had reason to make this three-layered cake of chocolate minty (hopefully) goodness.

That time came recently to the benefit of my small group as an apology to Weischedad for not bringing dessert the previous week. As he informed me, everyone has a spiritual gift. Mine is dessert; his is consumption. I was not living out my spiritual gift and therefore hindering his ability to live out his as well. With that word of wisdom and truth spoken into my life, I decided this would be the week I make a layered cake.

The cake itself is easy to make and actually similar to a recipe I have for sour cream chocolate cake. The frosting is a ganache, which was even easier to make - some heavy cream and a lot of semi-sweet chocolate. No, this is not a diet cake in any way, shape or form. The challenge for me came in the assembling of it. I am not known for my dexterity or balance, and both were needed when stacking and icing this cake. The three layers went on easily enough, and then came putting the ganache over the surface of the cake.

I was getting impatient. The ganache was cool, but not thickened enough to ice, or is it frost? But my desire to see the final product outweighed my patience. So I poured. And, as expected, ganache slid beautifully down the cake, coating it with a lovely layer of chocolate...and then onto the plate and then the counter. What was my reaction? Stick my hand under the ganache waterfall and catch it. But once I had a handful of chocolate, I was unsure how to relocate it to the cake. Yes, it was messy. I got into the swing of icing and filling in the cracks between layers. One final hurdle - the chocolate sprinkles. Thank goodness for sprinkles, for they cover a cake-full of irregularities. No one notices the chasm between layers when sprinkles are there to distract!

The cake, refrigerated and looking more like the Statesman's picture, safely made its way to small group where it was happily devoured by Weischedad and company. I did have a moment of panic when cutting and the knife did not quickly slide through. "Uh-oh," I thought, "Did I forget to take the parchment off the cake layers?!" No, it was only the Andes mints giving a little resistance. Everyone ate and said they liked it, and I was able to help a brother fulfill his Christian calling as a consumer of food.

Will I make a layered cake again? Absolutely. Will it be anytime soon? Nope.

A Sandwich for Saturday

I have kind of gone lax on cooking dinners lately. Do you ever get in those funks? It seems I am constantly cleaning pots and pans in my kitchen, only to turn around and get them dirty again for the next meal. And I have run low on ideas. I have plenty of things I would like to make, only none of them stand out from the pack. And so I have a bagel for dinner. Or popcorn. Or cereal. However, this weekend Aaron was over at my place and, after a day of geocaching and a laundry adventure, I felt he should have something better than whatever I can cobble together from my fridge. So, we made Cuban sandwiches.

If I had known how easy these were to make, I think I would have made these a lot earlier on in life. Some lunch meat, cheese, a pickle, mustard and a roll and you are good to go. I do not have a panini press, so I used two cast iron skillets to flatten and toast the sandwiches. From experience, I learned if you do it this way, it is best to flip the sandwiches midway through or bread not on the hot pan will get mushy, not crispy. Throw in a side of chips and a cool beverage and you have great quick eats. So good and quick Aaron and I had Cuban sandwiches again Sunday for lunch.

I am going to keep this sandwich in my back pocket for future quick and tasty dinners. Maybe next time I will try to recreate some beloved sandwiches from restaurants that are now far from home. Grilled Indigo from Blue Baker, anyone?