Long time…no post

My apologies for completely disappearing for the past few months. A couple of things were going on that made my world a bit different than it had been.

1) I am currently four and a half months pregnant with my first child. The first few months were rough on me tummy-wise. I was also exhausted most of the time and just couldn’t find the energy to cook or post. I am feeling a lot better now and am starting to get my energy back.  I find out in about 10 days whether mini-mango is a girl or a boy.

2)  Our house has been undergoing renovations for the past few months. We tore out our old bathroom and kitchen and put in new ones. The kitchen remains where it always was but the bathroom moved to make way for a more logical location of a dining nook.  The work is still going on but at this point all that remains are finishing touches such as patching the ceiling, painting the kitchen and installing a hardwood floor in the dining area.  I cannot wait until it is done!!

Chipster-Topped Brownies

What would win in a baked goods battle between a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie? Hard to decide?  How about if you make a brownie topped with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough? That is exactly what this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie selection was. The recipe was selected by Beth of Supplicious and you can find it on her blog here.

I quite like these brownies, though the mister proclaimed that the cookie layer reigned supreme and proceeded to swipe the cookie layer off the top of my piece. The brownie layer is moist and rich, just the way I like my brownies. So, I wasn’t too upset when my husband stole my crispy cookie layer.

The recipe was easy to make although it did involve an extra bowl to mix the brownie layer and cookie layer separately. But, I burned a few calories washing out the bowl between layers… calories that I quickly consumed and then some eating these tasty little treats.

And here’s my dirty little secret: I didn’t realize that I was completely out of vanilla until I went to bake these, so I omitted it entirely. they still came out great. You couldn’t tell the vanilla was missing. Needless to say, the next day I picked up a new bottle of vanilla.

Deviled Eggs with Capers and Tarragon

Deviled eggs are one of my husband’s favorite small bites. I enjoy them myself as well, but I really like making them to have him call me “best wife ever”.   If making deviled eggs is all its takes maybe I will stop doing other things like cleaning the bathroom. heh. I wish.

So anyhow, I recently tried out a deviled egg recipe that appearred in Bon Appetit a few years ago. The recipe was super easy to execute and the result was impressive and flavorful. Thedeviled eggs with capers and tarragon were a perfect way to start a recent spring dinner.  I knew they were a hit since there weren’t any leftovers!

Deviled Eggs with Capers and Tarragon (from Bon Appetit March 2006)

INGREDIENTS

• 6 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced celery
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon minced drained capers
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• Sliced celery

DIRECTIONS

1. Shell eggs, then cut in half lengthwise. Transfer yolks to small bowl and mash with fork.
2. Mix in oil, mayonnaise, and mustard. Stir in minced celery, tarragon, capers, and shallot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Spoon yolk mixture into whites. Garnish each with celery slice. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover loosely and refrigerate.)

The White Darkness

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Sym, the main character in The White Darkness, is not your typical British teenager. For one thing, she is extremely knowledgeable about Antarctica. She is hearing-impaired, socially awkward and often teased by her classmates. She has inner conversations with Titus Oates, an explorer who died in Antarctica almost 100 years before.  One day Sym is whisked away on a surprise trip to Antarctica by her Uncle Victor (not a blood relative, just a family friend). The whole situation is definitely a little bizarre, since apparently Victor did not have Sym’s mother’s permission. From that point on, the reader knows that things just aren’t right. Sym’s adventure picks up as they join up with a tour group on their way to Antarctica. Victor is convinced that there is a hole in Antarctica that leads to a hidden world inside the Earth.

The White Darkness was obviously very well researched with lots of facts and information about Antarctica and the history of exploration there thrown into the text. The book is wonderfully written but I didn’t fall 100% in love with it. Part of it could be that I found the book to be a bit long. The prose could have been trimmed a bit to make it a more enjoyable read. I also found Sym’s naivete to be a bit grating. The reader clues into the situation way before Sym ever does and I felt like smacking some sense into her.

The White Darkness was awarded the Michael L. Printz Award in 2008.

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Construction Zone

I apologize that I have seriously slowed down on my cooking and posting. Our little house is undergoing some serious renovations and there is dust all over the place. It skeeves me out a little to cook in a house filled with a cloud of plaster dust.

We are in the process of removing a couple of poorly placed walls in our master bedroom to give us a little more space and to make the floor plan more “normal” (thinking ahead to whenever we sell the house). We’ve been able to live with some of the quirkiness since we first moved in 3 years ago but decided to finally do something about it. We are also altering the floor plan on the first floor, to change what was formerly our small TV room into a combo full bath & laundry room. I will be so glad when I don’t have to trudge to the laundromat anymore.

 We are changing what was formerly a full bath right off the kitchen into a breakfast nook to make our kitchen an eat-in one. We believe this will make the layout of the house more appealing to buyers when we eventaully put the house on the market…plus by moving the bathroom from where it currently is located we have a logical place to expand and add a family room in the future. 
I can’t wait until the dust settles and everything is done!

In the Forest

In the Forest: A Novel by Edna O’Brien
rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars

I’ve read quite a few Irish novels lately. In the Forest is my most recent read that falls into that category. This novel is based on a true story and is a creepy look into the mind of a killer. The killer in question is Michen O’Kane who we first meet as a young 10-year old boy in a small Irish town. Michen had a troubled home life full of domestic abuse and neglect.  Michen becomes known as The Kinderschreck after he steals a gun and shoots it in the general direction of two men.

The Kinderschreck. That’s what the German man called him when he stole the gun. Before that he was Michen, after a saint, and then Mich, his mother’s pet, and then Boy, when he went to the place, and then Child, when Father Damien had him helping with the flowers and the cruets in the sacristy, and then K, short for O’Kane, when his hoodlum times began.

Michen is sent to a juvenile detention center where he is tormented by the older boys and abused by a priest. He spends the next several years in and out of various detention centers and jails. Over time, Michen becomes a very troubled and mentally unstable young man. The residents of his small Irish village try to tolerate him at first but soon enough start to feel terrified of him.

The novel is told with alternating perspectives in each chapter. Some chapters are told from Michen’s point of view, some from his victims and other chapters from the various villagers whose paths Michen crosses. The prose was lyrical and the Michen chapters could be very difficult and disturbing reads at times. His mind became so twisted it was hard to tell what was real and what was dementia.

I recommend this book to those who enjoyed other books that let the reader delve into mind of a killer such as Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood or Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman.  In the Forest was included on the original list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.  I am slowly working my way through that list (I can’t resist tackling to-do lists)  At this rate I hope I don’t die until I am 120.  Must.finish.all.1001.books…

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Tartest Lemon Tart

Ah lemon. My husband was not excited that I was baking a lemon dessert again. But tough luck for him since this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was for the Tartest Lemon Tart. This tart is made with an sweet almond crust and a filling made from whole lemons. Not a bit of the lemons goes to waste, other than maybe the seeds.

In an attempt to reduce the bitterness, I blanched the lemon peels before blending them with the other ingredients to make the filling. The tart was easy to make with the most time consuming thing being the crust.

We haven’t tasted it just yet, but maybe I will sneak a piece tomorrow morning. Lemon Tart isn’t that far from a lemon danish. right????? 

This week’s  TWD recipe Tartest Lemon Tart was selected by Babette of Babette Feasts. She has the recipe posted on her blog here, so stop by and check it out.

Case Histories

Case Histories: A Novel by Kate Atkinson

 rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kate Atkinson writes distinct unforgettable novels. Case Historiesis the fourth novel by Atkinson that I’ve read. In this twist on a detective novel, Atkinson weaves together 3 different cold case mysteries–2 sisters whose baby sister went missing decades earlier, a man whose daughter was murdered by an unknown man, and a woman searching for her lost niece. Jackson Brodie is the private investigator working these cases.  He’s a bit of a loner with a life that is in shambles. He’s recently divorced and his 8-year old daughter dresses like Britney Spears.

Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, never felt at home in the south of England if it came to that. He had come here more or less by accident, following a girlfriend and staying for a wife.  For years, he had thought about moving back north, but he knew he never would. There was nothing there for him, just bad memories and a past he could never undo, and what was th point anyway when France was laid out on the other side of the channel like an exotic patchwork of sunflowers and grapevines and little cafes where he could sit all afternoon drinking a local wine and bitter espressos and smoking Gitanes, where everyone would say, Bonjour Jackson, except they would pronounce it “zhaksong”, and he would be happy. Which was exactly the opposite of what he felt now.

Though the subject matter was a bit dark, what with children going missing and people being murdered, the book was still laced with dry British humor.  I found myself silently chuckling a few times while reading Case Historieson the train. I didn’t really like Jackson at the beginning of the novel but grew to like him more as the story went on.

We discussed Case Histories in one of my book clubs and it led to a great discussion. We touched on topics such as sibling relationships, parent-child dynamics, and and how people gain closure and re-establish their lives after a tragic event.

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Toasted Almond Lemon Bars

As I’ve mentioned many times before, one of my favorite flavors/ingredients is almond.  These Toasted Almond Lemon Bars from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy sounded irresistible. They have ground toasted almonds in the crust and almond extract in the lemon filling.  This was a tasty twist on the classic lemon bar and a perfect spring treat.

This recipe was selected by Holly of Phenomenon as April’s Cookie Carnival  selection.   I continue my recent trend of being late to the party, by posting way past the deadline. But, better late than never, right?

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars

From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

Makes 1 dozen bars

“Everyone loves lemon bars.  I make mine extra special by adding toasted almonds to the shortbread crust.”

For the Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 20 Tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

For the Lemon Filling:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

To Toast the Almonds:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Before You Start:

Position a rack in the center of your oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 – inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.  Make a parchment “sling” by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil).  Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges.  You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan.  Spray the sling with the cooking spray.

To Make the Crust:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine.  Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.

2. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/4 inches up the sides.  (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling.  So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides – no cracks!).  Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights ( you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well).  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

To Make the Filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth.  Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk until smooth.  Add the lemon juice, and whisk to combine.

To Complete the Bars:

1. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

2. When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board.  Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2 – inch bars.  Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners’ sugar.

The bars keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.  For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks.  Do not unwrap before defrosting.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Slow Man

Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sixty-something Paul Rayment is a photographer who is hit by a car one day while out riding his bicycle.  The collision shatters his leg and the doctors amputate it near the knee. Paul refuses a prosthesis. He finds himself feeling hopeless and isolated.

A circumscribed life. What would Socrates say about that? May a life become so circumscribed that it is no longer worth living?  Men come out of prison, out of years of staring at the same blank wall, without gloom taking possession of their souls. What is so special about losing a limb? A giraffe that loses a leg will surely perish; but giraffes do not have the agencies of the modern state, embodied in Mrs. Putts, watching over their welfare.  Why should he not settle for a modestly circumscribed life in a city that is not inhospitable to the frail aged.

 Paul who used to pride himself on his independence now finds himself having to depend on others. Two people he develops relationships with are Marijana, his Croatian nurse, and Elizabeth Costello, an author who mysteriously shows up at his door one day. Paul proclaims his love for Marijana and Elizabeth tries to push him to take a hold of his life and do something.

Slow Man  is the third Coetzee novel that I have read…and that man can write!  All of his novels cause you to think about their central themes long after you put the book down.  Slow Man, like his other novels. has a darker set of  themes: loneliness, isolation from others (both emotional and physical), and hopelessness.  Paul is a stubborn man who refuses to try to rebuild his life…instead he just wallows in his own loneliness and laments over his fate. Paul’s plight caused me to think about making each day count and developping deep meaningful relationships with people. The book also has hints of meta-fiction, which is almost always a plus as far as I am concerned.

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