Lazy Sunday…with occasional stirring

Today is pretty close to the epitome of my perfect “lazy” autumn Sunday. You must understand me a little to know why I put the word lazy in quotes. I don’t quite know how to sit around and do absolutely nothing. It’s just not in me, sorry.  That is why I may never master the fine art of meditation.

Today we woke up bright and early in our typical fashion (just try to do anything else with a 10-month old in the house) and headed out to grab a quick breakfast and then hit Whole Foods to do our preliminary Thanksgiving dinner shopping…buying all the stuff that won’t go bad between now and then (cheese, rice, nuts, apples, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips) and staring longingly at the lovely produce that I hope will still be just as lovely in a couple of days when I return to pick it up (Brussel sprouts, haricot verts, carrots, wild mushrooms). 

Later, after MrMango went to work. The baby and I went to book club to discuss “Tinkers” by Paul Harding (review forthcoming) …while I sipped on a gingerbread latte and the baby drank milk and snacked on Cheerios…though he did keep trying to get ahold of my latte.

Now we are home where the baby has been napping for a couple of hours and I have been making rice pudding…stirring the warm milk occasionally…the smell of cardamom wafting through the house.   I have green lentils soaking in a bowl on the counter beside a stick of butter softening on a plate….just waiting for me to cook dinner and bake that cranberry bundt cake recipe I’ve had my eye on. 

Odd idea of a “lazy” day, hmmm?

Review: Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes

Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Whenever I go to the library, I browse the NEW shelf for any food-related books.  Whether they are works of fiction, memoirs, or  cookbooks, no food book is overlooked.  Some I flip through quickly and put right back since they just don’t appeal to me.  But many take a trip home with me…Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard is one of those that won such an all expenses paid trip.   At first, I was a bit turned off by the cover since it looked like a pure chick lit book…however the synopsis looked promising.  

The book turned out to be a cute memoir about an American who meets and falls in love with a man in Paris. She moves to Paris to live with him and eagerly dives into her new life.    

As I made my way down the street, a man shoved a strawberry in my path.  “Mademoiselle, goute, goute” (taste, taste), he said, trying to catch my eye.  This was not the French I learned in high school.   It was loud and fast and filled with the guttural click of Arabic. “Ca va, princesse?”  He handed me a slice of melon, broke open a pod of sweet peas.  I knew it was ridiculous, but after two years in England, it felt so good to hear this caressing tone of voice, to smile and lower my eyes, even if the guy was just trying to sell me a tomato.

Bard soon learns of the cultural differences of life in Paris vs. the United States.  She wonders why her husband and other Parisians don’t have a go-getter attitude and just settle for the status quo, but meanwhile she flounders while searching for the perfect job.

The book takes place over a time period of 8 years…from when Bard meets her future husband, Gwendal, up to a few years after they’re married.  Food is an integral part of the story.  Bard tells of the first meal that she shared with Gwendal.  Each chapter has 2-3 recipes at the end for dishes inspired by the events she has written about in that chapter.

Lunch in Paris was a quick & easy read.   It is a good escapist read for anyone who fantasizes about spending their days browsing in Parisian markets and cooking up dishes with their finds.      If you are looking for a hard-core foodie read, this may not be the best selection for you.  I wouldn’t say that I learned anything new about food from this book, but I did enjoy reading the recipes she included with each chapter.  I was tempted to cook a few but will be returning the book to the library tomorrow and haven’t had a chance to cook any of the recipes yet!  I just may have to take out the book from the library again to get a chance to try out some of the recipes.

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Lunch @ Kristin’s

Kristin’s

349 Washington St.

Braintree, MA 02184

781-843-2022

website: http://kristinsbraintree.com/

Kristin’s in Braintree serves breakfast and lunch 7 days a week (Monday-Friday 6:30 AM - 2 PM; weekends 7 AM – 1:30 PM). Up until last month, I had only ever had breakfast at Kristin’s.  Their breakfast menu is a lot more extensive and interesting than their lunch menu. The breakfast menu contains a ton of creative pancake and french toast options listed on their board, homemade corn beef hash, assorted eggs Benedict selections…and so on…I’ve found that the most interesting choices are usually on the Daily Special Board.

 The lunch menu is mostly made up  of your standard salads and sandwiches: ham & cheese, club sandwiches, chicken salad, BLT etc. …so it never really jumped out at me as place I just had to try for lunch. I am someone who typically likes a little adventure in her menus.

Well, we were in the neighborhood recently and decided to stop in for lunch. I ordered the Ultimate Turkey sandwich ($5.25).  The sandwich had a thick layer of roasted turkey (not cold cuts…the real stuff),  cranberry sauce,  stuffing and mayo. It comes with a pickle and chips which you can swap out for fries for $1. I opted for the fries.  The sandwich was very good and the perfect size for lunch at a price that is hard to beat. I love a good Thanksgiving-style turkey sandwich and this is one of the better ones that I’ve had in the area.

Kristin’s is relatively small so sometimes there is a bit of a wait on weekend mornings for breakfast.  They are family friendly and have several menu options geared specifically to kids (I’m looking at you, M&M pancakes) There is a small parking lot behind Kristin’s, but if it is full you have a fair chance of finding street parking on the side street.

Garlic-Jalapeno Shrimp

Anytime we go to a Spanish restaurant, we always order the garlic shrimp tapas.  These succulent little bites come in olive oil that has become infused with the flavor of the garlic and herbs the shrimp was sautéed in.

When I saw this recipe from Martha Stewart for garlic-jalapeno shrimp it seemed to be just our thing. While these shrimp aren’t Spanish cuisine, they are similar in many ways to the shrimp tapas we enjoy so much.

The garlic shrimp turned out to be an ideal weeknight dinner — quick & easy…allowing us to spend more of that precious limited evening time together as a family.  I served it with a simple, colorful salad and a crusty loaf of bread I had baked the day before. Perfection!  Okay, it would have been more perfect with a glass of wine, but unfortunately, our wine rack isn’t very well stocked these days.

These would also make a great appetizer course.

Garlic-Jalapeno Shrimp

(From Martha Stewart Living May 2010)

• 20 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno (stem, ribs, and seeds removed), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Toss together shrimp, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Marinate in refrigerator for 45 minutes.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove shrimp from marinade, and add to skillet; cook through, about 2 minutes per side.

Pasta with Turkey Sausage Ragu

“Hmmm, should I cook this or not”–these were the words that shot through my mind when I read this recipe in a copy of Clean Eating magazine.  The pasta with kale, turkey sausage sounded fabulous to me. However, I knew MrMango might not be too keen on having kale in his pasta. He is fine with decorative kale adding some autumn color in the planter on our patio, but in his dinner, perhaps not so much.

Well, I forged ahead and made it.  I adapted the recipe by using fettucine instead of parpadelle and reduced the amount of kale (as a pre-emptive strike against complaints from the hubster).

My husband liked the pasta in general but there was a little pile of kale on the side of his plate at the end of the meal. He said “next time use spinach instead”.  I liked the kale though. So maybe next time we can compromise and have half kale and half spinach.

Turkey Sausage Ragu

(adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)

Serves: 4

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 8 ounces spicy italian turkey sausage, casings discarded
• 1/4 tsp chile flakes
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, torn
• 1 large bunch fresh kale, cleaned, stems discarded, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces whole wheat fettucine
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for garnish

1. Add 1 tbsp oil, onion and thyme to a medium pot over medium heat.  Stir to coat, cover and cook until onion is softened and just beginning to color, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  Uncover pot, add sausage, chile flakes and garlic, and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Off the heat, carefully deglaze by adding wine.  Return to heat and reduce for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, oregano, and kale.  Stir well, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove cover and continue coking until sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, 10 minutes.  Stir in additional 1 tbsp oil plus vinegar.  Season with salt and black pepper.
2. When sauce is almost finished cooking, add pasta to large pot filled with boiling salted water and cook until al dente, following package directions.  Drain well and immediately toss with tomato sauce to coat.  Then serve with parmesan cheese shavings.

Greek Orzo Salad

 I am always on the lookout for tasty salads to serve alongside our meals. We eat a lot of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern fare, so when I spotted a recipe on Epicurious for a Greek salad with orzo, I had to try it out.

Technically, this salad is not a true “Greek Salad” since authentic Greek salads don’t contain lettuce or vinegar.  But, this is definitely a tasty spin on a Greek salad. So, if you are having a Greek Salad purist over for dinner, you may want to call this something else…how about Mediterranean Orzo Salad?? 

I altered this recipe from one on Epicurious.com since theirs actually had you assemble the recipe in mason jars.  I didn’t see the point of me making it in mason jars just to dump it out immediately onto the plate… The salad is fairly simple to make and looks so colorful on the dinner table.

My husband really enjoys this salad but ends up pushing most of the orzo to the side of his plate, since he is not a big orzo fan (what is there NOT to like about orzo???…odd duck). 

This recipe makes enough to serve 4 as a main course or a crowd as a side dish.

Greek Orzo Salad

• 3/4 cup orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large tomato, diced (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored, and diced (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, slivered
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano
• 2 to 3 cups coarsely chopped romaine
• 1/2 pound feta, crumbled (1 cup)
• 4 to 8 peperoncini

1. Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well.
2. Toss black-eyed peas, tomato, and parsley with vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Marinate, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toss together orzo, remaining tablespoon oil, cucumber, olives, onion, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
4. Combine orzo mixture and black-eyed pea mixture in a large bowl
5. Make a bed of romaine lettuce on a serving plate.  Spoon the orzo-black-eyed pea mixture on top of lettuce.  Top with feta crumbles and peperoncini.

Review: The Book

The Book by M. Clifford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Steps to freak yourself out:

1.  
   1. Buy a Kindle or other e-book device.
   2. Purchase and download the novel The Book by M. Clifford.
   3. Consider yourself freaked out.

One of my book clubs selected the novel “The Book” as our monthly suggestion. I had never heard of this book until fellow bookclubber Joanie added it to her to-read list on goodreads. It sounded like just the sort of book I would enjoy reading (think dystopian novel where books are controlled by “the man”). 

“The Book” is a self-published novel that was release earlier this year. It is set in the United States in the  not too distant future at a time when everyone has an e-reader called “The Book”.  The Book is distributed and automatically updated by The Publishing House.  All books are read in electronic form as paper books are illegal due to environmental laws that have banned the use of paper. 

The lead character, Holden Clifford loves to read. He looks forward to his ride home from work where he can take out his Book and continue reading.  Holden has never read from anything other than The Book.  When he stumbles across a single paper page from “The Catcher in the Rye”,  Holden discovers that the text of his favorite novel is not the same in The Book as when it was originally published.  This leads Holden down the path of figuring out why the contents of The Book were altered and just how many other works have been changed from their original version. 

I highly enjoyed this book.  M. Clifford did an excellent job evoking a nation where what people read and think is highly censored and controlled.  It reminded me of some of my favorite dystopian reads such as Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury’s Farenheit 451.  If you were a fan of these classic dystopian novels I recommend that you read “The Book”.  I also recommend this book if you love the act of cracking open a book and flipping through the pages…smelling that book scent.   “The Book” will force you to think about how much we can trust what we read in an electronic medium.

For more information check out the novel’s website: www.dontreadthebook.com

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Double-Mango Cake

When I was pregnant with my son B I had mango juice practically ever morning. Something about it soothed my stomach and comforted me. I like to think that it was B driving that flavor preference…but even if it wasn’t he had some very mango-flavored mornings during his gestation.

I decided to make this mango cake by taking a standard lemon/orange/lime pound cake recipe and swapping the citrus juice out for mango nectar. I also added some chopped dried mango for an additional touch of mango. The dried mango speckled throughout the cake turned out to be moist bites of mango…next time I will add more dried mango into the batter.

The cake bakes for an hour and 30 minutes and then should cool completely (for an hour or two) before glazing it.  The cake is topped with a glaze containing mango nectar and sprinkled with more dried mango. Resutling in…..mango perfection!

Double-Mango Cake

CAKE

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mango nectar
• 3/4 cups chopped dried mango (about 4 ounces)

GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 to 6 teaspoons mango nectar

 DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. 
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 1 1/4 cups butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the eggs with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.
4. Beat on high speed for 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
5. On low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk and 1/2 cup mango nectar.
6. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the chopped mango for topping the cake. Stir the remaining chopped mango into the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 20 minutes in pan.
8. Remove cake from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
9. In small bowl, mix powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Using whisk, mix in mango nectar, 1 teaspoon at a time, until smooth and consistency of thick syrup.  Drizzle glaze over top of cake; spread with spatula or back of spoon, letting some glaze drizzle down side of cake.  Sprinkle reserved mangos on top of cake.

5 Random Facts About Me

I realized that when I started this blog I just dove right in without any sort of introductory post.  I started this blog as both a way to track my reading and the recipes that I made and enjoyed. I read so many books and I cook so many recipes that sometimes I simply lose track. I start to forget what a particular book was about or I forget which recipes I cooked or where I got them from.

So, as a means of a little bit of “getting to know me” exercise, here are 5 random facts about moi:

1. I am what some might call a Masshole. Well, mostly because I was born and raised in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have never lived anywhere else.  Though, I wouldn’t call myself a masshole since I tend to think I am a pretty decent human being. (aside from the occasional snark attack)
2. I don’t eat pork (for the most part).  I was never much of a pork chop fan, just ask my mom. When she used to serve pork chops for dinner and force me to eat them, the only way I could get through was to put a big pile of apple sauce on my plate and cut the pork chop up into tiny pieces and eat each tiny piece buried in a spoonful of apple sauce…So, when I married my husband, who is muslim and doesn’t eat pork, I felt it was the right thing to do to “cease and desist” from eating pork.  I do occasionally miss having a ham steak for breakfast, but I get by. Also, I am not a total extremist about it, if I am served a dish that has pork in it, such as risotto with sausage in it, I will eat around the pork product if I can…resulting in a little pile of pork on the side of my plate.
3. Recovered blockhead.  yes, yes, it is a blight in my past…I was once an avid (some might say rabid) New Kids on the Block fan. I had pin-ups all over my wall, attended a bunch of concerts and met them a ton of times.  I actually met several lifelong friends due to being a fan of NKs. We bonded over the boys, but beyond that we developed lasting friendships.
4. My To-Read shelf is out of control!!  And not just my virtual shelf on sites like goodreads.  In my bedroom, the shelf of unread books is overloaded. There are currently around 150 books on that shelf. Some of the books have been on the shelf for over 5 years. I think I need to buckle down and read my way through all those books!
5. I witnessed the tearing of the pope pic.  Back in college (Fall of ’92) , two of my friends and I took the bus down from Boston to NYC for the day with the intention of getting in the stand-by line for Saturday Night Live.  The musician performing that night was Sinead O’Connor and my one friend was a huge fan of hers.  well, we got into the taping and that was the show where Sinead tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II while performing her 2nd song of the evening, an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s War.

The tearing of the Pope...

The studio audience was stunned into silence.  It was so unreal.  The tearing of the photo made the live showing of SNL but since that one time, anytime they’ve shown a repeat of the show, they use the recording of her performance from the rehearsal.   Also on a cool sidenote, my friends and I got to meet Dana Carvey and the late, great Phil Hartman after the show.

Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes

 She cooks you sweet potato,  you don’t like aubergine
She knows to boil the kettle when you hum bars from Grease
She senses you are lonely but still she can’t be sure
And so she stands and waits, stands anticipating

- “Sweet Potato” by Sia

Sia is one of the most played artists on my iTunes. So, yes, I listen to quite a bit of her music. Whenever I see sweet potatoes I always start singing this song in my head.

I am a sweet potato fan, just like I am a Sia fan.  MrMango thinks sweet potatoes are okay…not his favorite, but prepared the right way…he will eat them. I tried these oven roasted herbed sweet potatoes from a recipe I tore out of Gourmet. The thickly sliced sweet potatoes are tossed with olive oil, fresh thyme, garlic, coarse salt, and red pepper flakes. They were super easy to prepare and had a nice flavor profile with the sweetness of the potato, the saltiness, the savoriness of the herbs, and the kick of spice from the red pepper flakes.  

Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes

(from Gourmet magazine)

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves, plus 6 thyme sprigs for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss.
3. Arrange potato slices in single layer on heavyweight rimmed baking sheet or in 13×9-inch baking dish.
4. Place on top rack of oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with thyme sprigs.