Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

From our family to yours, wishing you a joyous holiday season and a happy new year! 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Synopsis (partially from Amazon)

… an extraordinary new novel, set in both India and America, that expands the scope and range of one of our most dazzling storytellers: a tale of two brothers bound by tragedy, a fiercely brilliant woman haunted by her past, a country torn by revolution, and a love that lasts long past death.

Born just fifteen months apart, Subhash and Udayan Mitra are inseparable brothers, one often mistaken for the other in the Calcutta neighborhood where they grow up.  But they are also opposites, with gravely different futures ahead. It is the 1960s, and Udayan—charismatic and impulsive—finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty; he will give everything, risk all, for what he believes. Subhash, the dutiful son, does not share his brother’s political passion; he leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in a quiet, coastal corner of America.

But when Subhash learns what happened to his brother in the lowland outside their family’s home, he goes back to India, hoping to pick up the pieces of a shattered family, and to heal the wounds Udayan left behind—including those seared in the heart of his brother’s wife.

My Review:

Through multiple reviews, I cautiously added this to my reading list suppressing my desire to order the book, knowing that I should wait for a while to pick it up at an affordable price.  Much to my surprise, I was elated when I received this book as part of birthday gift from my dear husband.  He sneakily picked it up during our weekend away in Paris with my father in law, and hid it from me throughout the entire trip.  Love it!

I have nothing but a rave review and praise for this book, I finished it in just one week! Jhumpa Lahiri is the author of my favorite book, The Namesake.  Maybe a cliché for the daughter of two Indian immigrants, but who cares… I relate to it so well, it’s a close mirror image to how I feel, how my own life has progressed.  The Lowlands is not the same, of course, but it’s so beautifully written, I found myself reflecting on passages, saving pages of a couple of these passages that evoked meaning for me, well after I was through the chapter. I did also find myself thinking about my parents on a couple of different occasions.  Sometimes I thought about what my own parents experienced between the 60-70s when they were growing up in India… what were those times like?  In other instances, I began to understand the complexity of what it means to let a child experience mistakes, regrets or grief and how difficult that might be.  I don’t have children, so maybe it’s in my head, but I appreciated the perspective Lahiri gave me. 

My only minor complaint about the novel was the huge swaths of time that were missing between various chapters.  The novel continues fluidly each time, and you most certainly do not need to know the events in between to love the book, but on occasion I found myself wishing that the picture was more fruitfully colored.  Perhaps a purely selfish desire… just because I loved the book so much.  I’m not sure you can really call this a complaint, but that’s it. 

The Lowland is a must-read Lahiri novel.  If you haven’t read Lahiri before, I highly recommend her as an author and especially recommend The Lowland. Lahiri has received much well-deserved praise for this novel and many book awards, all a credit to her enchanting writing abilities.  

On my nightstand

Last time I posted, I indicated I was in the middle of two books, one for the London trip and one for book club.  I finished reading both and have posted reviews for Brick Lane and will be posting a review for The Orphan Master's Son soon.

During the Thanksgiving holidays I celebrated my birthday and received a lovely novel from my husband called The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.  I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it to anyone.  A review of this novel will be posted in a couple of days.    

So, currently I'm back to reading the Son by Philipp Seymour, which has been on my list for a while, about 15% of the way through this one and its beginning to pick up.  After that I will be reading a book called Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collignham, which I picked up while in London at the Foyles book store (scored a little first weekend of Christmas shopping discount!), very excited to get into this one.  It appears to be a history of curry, how it's evolved through the influences of other geographies.  Right up my alley! 

 

After these, I've not selected any novels.  Of course there are many on the list, but I'd like to pick something up for our upcoming trip to Egypt for the Christmas holidays.  Any recommendations? 

Happy Reading!

Brick Lane by Monica Ali Book Review

Synopsis from Amazon:

Still in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed man who is twenty years older. Away from the mud and heat of her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband. But unlike him she is practical and wise, and befriends a fellow Asian girl Razia, who helps her understand the strange ways of her adopted new British home.

Nazneen keeps in touch with her sister Hasina back in the village. But the rebellious Hasina has kicked against cultural tradition and run off in a 'love marriage' with the man of her dreams. When he suddenly turns violent, she is forced into the degrading job of garment girl in a cloth factory.

Confined in her flat by tradition and family duty, Nazneen also sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical Karim steps unexpectedly into her life. On a background of racial conflict and tension, they embark on a love affair that forces Nazneen finally to take control of her fate.

My Review:

I chose this book as a precursor to our London Trip over the Thanksgiving holidays.  I found it on a list somewhere on the internet (could not reproduce that link if I tried, perhaps part of the issue :P), but do not feel it was well suited for a first time London trip, mostly focused on the main city sights.  In fact, we did venture through Brick Lane one evening (as part of a Jack the Ripper tour) and were haggled by the bouncers, pushing us and offering discounts to eat in their restaurant.  Word of advice, don’t venture to Brick Lane in London without a restaurant recommendation, perhaps try something that doesn't have bouncers, go for the authentic experience … if there is one!

Back to the book and leaving behind the initial purpose for reading the book…. I still really struggled with this book.  It took a good 75% of the book to have any action; it wasn't until the very end I was compelled to keep reading to learn Nazneen’s choice.  There are large sections in the book that are letters written by Nazneen’s sister, Hasina in broken English.  As I reported previously, it was difficult to make my way through these passages.  At first it’s a nice touch, drawing you into the situation more, but after two letters or so of struggling to understand the real meaning, it’s insufferable.  Within the first extended section of Hasina’s letters, my progress through the book really slowed down.   

The book did have some highlights.  The style of writing Ali uses to describe the love relationship between Nazneen and Karim was unexpectedly beautiful.  The build up to their ‘union’ (so PC!), and the release of their hidden emotions (ugh, I’m terrible!) was poetically written without being cheeky (ha!) or slimy (it was an affair after all!).  I also really appreciated Ali’s development of Nazneen’s first daughter, Shahana, who reminded me of me. I was such a brat to my parents as a child and I wholly admit I had the ‘first child of immigrant parents’ syndrome (perhaps sometimes I still do :)), but I related to this young girl.  I wanted to hug her and tell her that while it sucks, it gets better and that she always had a confidant in me.  I’d like to think I would have sheltered her, protected her from making a regrettable choice.  On the other hand, who are we if we don’t learn from our mistakes and regrets? AH, life…

So, in all … well, shouldn't be a surprise, but I don’t recommend this book whether you are heading to London for the first time or are looking for a new book to read. It’s too slow and heavy for a light-hearted beach-read as well.  

Do you read books before going on vacation to prepare?  This is a relatively recent thing for me and so far I haven't chosen wisely.  How do you pick a book for an upcoming trip?  

On my nightstand...

Last I updated, my planned reads were The Favored Daughter by Fawzia Koofi, Brick Lane by Monica Ali, and The Son by Philipp Meyer.... so here's an update on where have I landed?

The Favored Daughter was the October book club read, I wrote a book review here.

I'm about half way through on this one.  Brick Lane is a book I chose for our upcoming London trip. While I'm not at all sure what makes this a good choice (provided on many online book lists) for a pre-read for a London trip, it's an interesting read, albeit slow.  There are lengthy portions that written in sub-par English from the perspective of the main character's sister who remains in Bangladesh (the main character is in London).  I don't understand why the author chose to use broken English for the sister, but not for the main character who has not managed to learn English despite living in London.  Maybe she did it to create a sense of the distance between them and provide a feeling of separation that can be difficult to achieve in writing.  Regardless, it makes it really difficult to get through these portions of the novel, and hence I find this a slow read.  To my surprise however, the novel has a lot of newer entertainment references that I was not expecting to find, I had the impression that this novel took place in the 1980's or so, but in fact it's more like the early 2000's.  The verdict is out as to whether or not I'll be recommending this one, I feel like I'm still waiting for something to happen... regardless, I intend to finish this novel and report on my thoughts.

The Son has taken a back seat (something always does with my planned reading!).  Instead The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson has been brought forward which was the chosen November read for book club. I'm almost 20% of the way through, and really struggling to get into it.  This novel won a Pulitzer prize and I first heard about it from a book review on NPR so I thought it was would be interesting and intriguing, but instead I'm finding it a bit dull and difficult to get into.  It will be interesting to see what my fellow book club members think, look for a review in the near future on this book too!

What's next?  Probably The Son will creep it's way back onto my list, but I'm also pretty sure my b-day will be bringing new books my way, can't wait to see which ones are coming my way! We'll also be choosing books for the next two months at the November book club meeting, so I'm looking forward to see what's next on our plate!

What interesting books are you reading?  Drop me a line and let me know what's new on your shelf.

Happy Reading!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Hallelujah, we have an oven!  It's been a long 8 months without an oven and I have to say, I will do my best never to go that long without an oven again!  Here in the Netherlands, these combination unit devices are more common than having a stand alone oven.  While I'm sure there are some higher end brands, the ones I've come across are crap and do not work as a microwave or an oven! I think the Dutch should throw caution to the wind on this one, sacrifice efficiency this time, and throw this combination microwave/oven idea out the window!

So, being a bit more tempered about this, after living for 2 years in Italy without a microwave and only an oven, I was at a loss when I first arrived in the Netherlands with this combination devices.  Cook fish on the stove-top? What?  Well, of course we adapted after a while, but baking things likes cakes, scones, brownies, roasted vegetables were all out the window, it was almost like a whole food group was gone! I'm happy it's back and here's my first recipe I'd like to share with my newly installed oven (credit goes to the hubs for that!).

This recipe is derived from this post, one of the few food blogs I follow regularly.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted 
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups of milk (I used full fat, but the original recipe indicates skim milk will work)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups of rolled oats
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter, if using salted butter leave this out)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves (not the original recipe calls for 1/8, but I like the clove flavor so I doubled it)
• 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I had pecans, the original recipe calls for walnuts)

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven (!) to 350 degrees F (or in my world, 175 degrees C).  Brush a light coating of melted butter onto your baking pan (muffin tin, mini loaf pan or regular loaf pan) or spray with cooking spray and set aside. 
2. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, pumpkin puree, sugar, skim milk, and eggs.  Use a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or use an immersion blender and mix on low to medium speed until the mixture is smooth and the lumps from the pumpkin puree are gone. 
3. Slowly add the rolled oats, baking powder, salt (if using unsalted butter), cinnamon, ginger, and ground cloves mixing well (by hand if not using a standing mixer, on low if using a standing mixer).  
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chopped nuts until thoroughly incorporated. 
5. Evenly divide the batter or spoon into the prepared pan and bake until lightly golden.  The muffins/loaves should be springy, about 30 minutes. 

(Not the greatest photo in the world, but a really hearty breakfast.  When it first came out of the oven, we topped it with butter and brown sugar - similar to how I normally eat my oatmeal.  I've been taking it to work now for breakfast or a snake and it's great as is, definitely feels healthy and not very sweet at all. If you want a sweeter treat, up the amount of granulated white sugar or add brown sugar to the mix).  

If you try it and find other variations you like, please drop a note and let me know!  

Buon Appetito!

The Favored Daughter by Fawzia Koofi Book Review

The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future by Fawzia Koofi

Read: September 2013
Source: Book Club Selection for October 2013, recommended by a member
Medium: iPhone and Kindle

The Favored Daughter is a true story and memoir of an Afghani woman, Fawzia Koofi, to surpass cultural expectations and become the first female Speaker of Parliament in Afghanistan (now running for President).

Format thoughts:  Each ‘chapter’ opens with a letter to Mrs. Koofi’s daughters followed by a chapter of real life events that embody a life lesson she often gives in each letter.  I didn't mind this format in the beginning, but towards the end, these letters no longer appeared to be genuine to me... I felt as if they were written for the book, rather than used retrospectively as if they were originally written for her daughters alone.  I’m not sure what the exact story is behind these letters, but this was my impression.  Regardless, these letters allowed Mrs. Koofi to set the scene for each dramatic event in her life that has played a role in the person she is today.  These letters, of course, lend a hand in explaining Mrs. Koofi visions for the future of Afghanistan.  Towards the end, I began to dislike the format.  There was quite a bit of repetition not only in the letters, but also in her desires to change Afghanistan.  The book became preachy in the last chapter, and in my opinion, it could have been wiped from the book. 

I found this book to be educational and inspiring and I recommend you spend the time to read this book. I found myself in disbelief that someone could live and survive in such circumstances.  Prior to reading this book, I had no appreciation for Afghanistan’s history, the multitude of wars and the lack of stability in the country for so many years.  If you gain nothing else from this book besides an understanding of the political history of Afghanistan beginning from the cold war, through 9-11 up to today, I think it’s completely worth the time.  At a minimum, Mrs. Koofi has shed light on the tumultuous history of Afghanistan, which provides a basic understanding of why change can be so difficult to achieve. 

I finished this book in a matter of a couple of weeks, and while I found some of the text lacking depth and a few open ended stories, I can’t say it influenced the draw to continue reading.  I was especially drawn in by Mrs. Koofi’s explanation of the clan-like family culture that seems integral to the way of life in Afghanistan.  It’s probably not something one can fully appreciate unless its inherent to your lifestyle, but it was eye-opening to learn of the strong bond of the Afghani family, whether immediate, by marriage, or otherwise!  This was immensely clear when Mrs. Koofi chose to run for Speaker of Parliament and had to rely on her extended family for support.   

This book was the October selection, but unfortunately I did not find any published questions for the meeting.  So, if you choose this book for your club, take some time to write some questions/discussion points (or take notes as your reading… if you do that!). 

Raghavan Iyer's Sliced Okra Soup (bathed in Buttermilk) from 660 Curries

I'm finally back in the kitchen, inspired by local ingredients and fellow friends helping me get back into the groove of things.  I'm definitely working my way back up the hill, but things are looking up.  This weekend was fantastic cooking-wise, I managed to get a number of recipes under my belt that I'm happy to be writing about.  I think I spent both Saturday and Sunday in the kitchen for a minimum of four hours each, but I am slowly beginning to feel normal in the kitchen again.

This recipe was one I decided on last minute on Saturday to accompany some roasted lamp chops I threw together (roasted in our brand new oven, more to come on that!) for dinner.  While I'm not sure it was the greatest pairing in the world, this was a delicious soup and fabulously simple to prepare and cook that I am inclined to make this a standard go-to 'open friends eyes to Indian food' recipe!

Note, I didn't plan well enough in advance to have buttermilk on hand.  Upon researching via the internet, I did find that a common replacement is one tablespoon of lemon juice for every cup of milk. Based on my research, the amount of time you should let the mixture sit is non-standard, I read anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes.  I ended up going with about 5 minutes, for good measure. Admittedly I have no idea what this recipe tastes like when buttermilk is used, but if you're looking for an healthy alternative, milk with lemon juice is a good one!

Ingredients:
1 pound okra (I used a frozen bag since good, fresh okra is available here.  These will little mini-okra which were cute, tasted the same as long okra)
4 cups buttermilk (or as per above, I used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for every cup of milk, let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes before using)
2 tablespoons of chickpea flour (also called Besan in Hindi, can be found in any Indian grocery store or perhaps try a Whole Foods type of store)
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of ground tumeric
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems (remove bulky stems)
12 medium-sized to large fresh curry leaves (as Raghavan advises in his book, there is no replacement for these leaves, if you don't have them just omit them.  Usually found in any Indian grocery store.  I only had dried leaves available when I made this soup)
2 tablespoons Ghee or melted butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (I just realized this recipe calls for fenugreek seeds and I used fennel, I will have to try this again!)

1. Trim the caps off the okra, and then cut the pods into 1 inch lengths.  Cut the pieces length wise.
2. Whisk the buttermilk/milk, chickpea flour, sugar, salt, cayenne, and turmeric together in a bowl, making sure the flour is completely incorporated with no lumps.  Then stir in the cilantro and curry leaves.                                        
3. Heat the ghee or melted butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the cumin and fennel seeds into the pan and cook until they sizzle, turn brown-ish, and are fragrant, about 10 seconds.  
4. Immediately add the okra and stir-fry until the slices blister in spots and acquire a light brown coloration on their skin, between 8 and 10 minutes.  
5. Pour in the spiced buttermilk/milk mixture and stir once or twice to deglaze the pan, releasing any browned bits of spices and okra.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the okra is fork tender and the curry has thickened slightly, 10 to 12 minutes.  The color of the liquid will change from a pale, cream color to a bright yellow as the soup thickens.  

I hope you try this recipe and if you do, let me know what you think about it!

Eet Smakelijk (equivalent of Buon Appetito in Italian)!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed Book Review

Here's another book club read that we discussed for in July.  I've been working on this review for a while, just never was complete enough to post it.

Image from amazon.com

Wild by Cheryl Strayed is about a woman's journey to find herself after a series of poor choices and the tragic death of her mother on the Pacific Coast Trail (from Southern California to Oregon). Find a more detailed review here.

Cheryl starts her journey as an inexperienced hiker, making novice mistakes, but forced by her self-imposed circumstances and surroundings, learns how to be an avid and and agile hiker.   To her surprise (and mine as well), she doesn't dwell on the life events she thought she would when she set out on this hike (her mother's death, her divorce, her drug abuse), but rather focuses on how to accomplish the tasks of the next day.  As hiking becomes more natural for her and she is reassured by her fellow PCT hikers, she finally begins to ponder life, her decisions in life, and its unfairness.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone.  Yes, this is a 'find yourself', true-life story and the author takes a literal and figurative journey in life, one where Cheryl Strand hopes to weed through and reflect on her recent past of poor decisions and emotional roller coasters.  The actuality of hiking the (PCT) trail that most avid hikers train for, without any preparation (including how to prepare her pack) is in itself the life experience that lends to the emotional and personal reflection Cheryl Strand hoped for when she set out on the journey.

There are portions of the book I found very moving and emotional for me.  It's difficult to put into words why these portions were so moving except that they were stories in which the reader finds Cheryl resolving the unsettled emotions of her wayward life before beginning this hike. I couldn't stop myself from checking out who Cheryl Strand is today and where life has led her.  Of course, as one may expect she is happy, writing (as she wanted to), and re-married with children.  I recently heard a podcast on NPR where she indicated that through the book she has found her sister (daughter of her father and another woman), someone she knew existed, but was never sure if she would ever be in contact with, I imagine the changes in her life as a result of writing this book are worthy of their own telling!

Update and On my nightstand

I've been neglecting this blog ... a little over a month since my last post, eek!  Life has been a little blah lately, food is especially depressing in the Netherlands.  Lately, I've had more than one experience where the food I purchase from the main grocery store chain doesn't taste like anything, the cheese, the bread, the grapes even... blah.  I've realized that much of my happiness centers around food, it's taste and quality are absolutely central to how my general attitude will be for the day, the week, the month!  I don't know where it came from, I think this need always been there, but I feel it here in the Netherlands more than anywhere else I've lived in (which isn't saying much, I've lived in three locations in three decades, Minnesota, Italy and the Netherlands).  Anyway, it's definitely impacting my desire to be creative in the kitchen which results in a lack of food recipes on this blog.  Not sure if and when that will change....

Well, onto books which has kept me plenty occupied lately.  I've become completely engrossed with trying to read as many books as possible. There are so many great reads that have come to my attention recently and with the weather changing to fall, curling up with a new book and mint tea is just the right thing for me! I've received so many great recommendations from my book club friends and NPR is always reviewing a new book, or three (!) that my reading list just keeps growing and growing.  We're lucky here in Eindhoven to have a book store with English books, but I still find myself gravitating towards reading on the kindle or the kindle app on my phone.  Sign of times changing or just circumstances necessitating change?

Well anyway, rather than writing full reviews of the books I last told you about, I've (very briefly) summarized my thoughts on them here.

The House of Spirits - I actually wrote a review of this one.  See my review here.

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New  America -  The Unwinding re-tells the tales of everyday and unusual (public figures, famous musicians, politicians) people in today's world through the economic downfall in 2009 (beginning in the 1970s through 2010-ish).   The book does not provide an analysis of these stories, George Packer leaves the reader to draw one's own conclusion.  Most, if not all stories do not end on an upbeat note, most are left in a state of despair with uncertain futures or in a spinning cycle of making poor or unwanted choices.  While I could not personally relate to these stories, I did find their perspective interesting.  I enjoyed learning about the housing crisis in Florida and also about Dean Price's quest to make fuel alternatives main stream. I found the story of Joe Biden's aide very depressing (also learned a lot about Joe Biden) and really wanted to shake him by the shoulders and wake him up from such a disappointing career.
This book is not a feel good book and I also never found myself reading it just before bed, it was a middle of the day read when I could squeeze it in (which is probably why it took so long to get through!).  Some story lines were especially dry and towards the end of the book I found myself reading it just to finish it.  While I think it's interesting and worthy of your time to be educated of the state of things, be aware that it's a slow read and not an enthralling read.

Half Broke Horses - Another novel by Jeanette Walls.  I picked up this book after reading The Glass Castle: A Memoir (which I previously reviewed here).  Half Broke Horses is a novel about the life of Jeanette Walls grandmother, Lily Casey.  Lily Casey's life centers around the South (Texas, Arizona) where life was hard, weather conditions were harsh, and making money was not easy.  This book is a decent and very quick read, but unlike The Glass Castle, it's not a stand alone brilliant novel.  I was interested in this book to understand Jeanette Walls' mother's upbringing, but this novel did not shed the light I was hoping it would bring.  Interesting novel, but I recommend The Glass Castle over this one.  

In the meantime between my last post and this post, I also read two more stories:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald) - Another book that came to my attention by a friend.  I was curious mostly because I love the movie.  As it turns out the short story is very different and less positive than the film.  In general a fun short story, one that has some interesting life lessons intertwined.  It's interesting to see that a three hour film could be generated from an ~20 page short story.

Those Who Save Us - A novel by Jeanna Blum about a daughter's journey to uncover her German mother's story during World War II.  This novel was another fast book club read, but I have to say I was conflicted with the book.  There were brilliant, eloquent quotes in this novel, but some of the writing was lacking depth and the same eloquence that other passages had.  The story line at times felt a little to convenient and forced.  On the other hand, I couldn't put the novel down, I read this book in less than a week, so there must have been something brilliant that kept me coming back.  The theme 'those who save us' is prevalent in the novel and each set of characters that interact play a role in saving each other.  In general I found this to be a good and fast read, but if you'v read World War II novels from the Germany perspective before, this one is probably not worth your time.

On my Nightstand:
I have started Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, but to be honest, it's not begging for my attention and has therefore taken a backseat on my reading list.  Recently, our book club has chosen next month's book and I've become completely engrossed in this one, The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future by Fawiza Koofi.  So, that brings me to my next topic, what's on my nightstand?

Besides The Favored Daughter, next up are Brick Lane by Monica Ali and The Son by Philipp Meyer.  I chose Brick Lane for our upcoming trip to London over the Thanksgiving holidays (no, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in the Netherlands, but we will have friends visiting for the holiday).  The Son has recently been reviewed by some book blogs (here's one)  and I recommended it to my husband who has been reading it.  My hope is that he will finish it and I can pick it up after him.

  
All images from amazon.com

Well, that's it for now, until next time... Happy Reading!

Baba Ghanouj Twisted

Living in Eindhoven means we are surrounded by more expats (typically from the U.S., but sometimes other areas) than Dutch on some occasions.  Large, global companies such as Philips, ASML, and Merck exist here sustaining the economy and much like Minneapolis, generate small spin off companies that ultimately bring people in like my husband to bring in knowledge/experiences that are typically unknown in the region.  One of Matthew's co-workers has been here for a slightly longer time, and while he lived in the U.S. for quite some time, he's originally Persian.  His wife, also an American has taken to Persian cooking, but what I love about her cooking is that it's a bit of a fusion with some of favorite ingredients incorporated (in this recipe sun-dried tomatoes and basil).  Anyway, we had them over for dinner one night and she brought some Baba Ghanouj to gobble before dinner and I fell in love with it.  I've adapted her recipe a bit to fit the ingredients I had, but it's such a great dip and as I've found this week, perfect for lunches.

Note, this recipe is not very prescriptive with respect to the ingredients, the key is getting good eggplant flavor, but then season it as you like.

Ingredients: 

2-3 medium sized eggplants (I prefer the dark purple kind - the flavor is richer as compared to the white/purple stripped kind)

olive oil (about 1/4 cup)

1 small white or yellow onion

1 tablespoon (approximately) of tahini (I used a small spoon I use for coffee - so, really it's an approximate and a taste measurement). 

2-3 cloves of roasted garlic (you can also use raw garlic, but it will be a bit more 'raw', similar to pesto)

3-5 sun dried tomatoes (make sure you know the salt content of these first; chop these a little bit to facilitate the blending process)

a handful of cilantro and/or parsley (note, I only used cilantro - use as much or as little as appeal to your taste buds)

a handful of basil (use as much or as little as appeal to your taste buds) 

Directions: 

1. Grill or broil the eggplant until the inner meat of the eggplant is very mushy and soft

   (My husband graciously grilled the eggplant for me.  While the coals were heating (mostly white, but not fully hot) he allowed the skin of the eggplants to char (but the meaty inside was still pretty firm), then I wrapped the eggplants (2 -3 per pack) in aluminum foil and he buried the wrapped whole eggplant in the coals as they continued to warm up.  This gave the eggplant a sort of campfire roasted flavor which I found delicious). 

2. Once the eggplant is cooked, unwrap from the aluminum foil and cut into thirds and place in the blender.  The eggplant will be difficult to handle as the foil and eggplant will be very hot, be careful!  The only reason to cut into thirds is to accommodate a smaller blender, if you have a larger one you may be able to skip this step. 

(Note, I left the skin on as I wanted to preserve the charred flavor.  Similar to hummus, if you want a smoother texture scrape out the cooked eggplant meat and leave the skin behind) 

3. In a blender, add the olive oil to the eggplant and blend until few clumps are present (it doesn't need to be completely smooth for this step).  

4.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the salt and blend until smooth. 

5. Taste the mixture and add salt to taste.  Blend to combine any additional salt added. 

6. Serve with bread, pita slices, crackers, or whatever else you like.

This is a photo of the leftovers for my lunch today, it's not very pretty.  If you want a smoother Baba Ghanouj use the full amount of olive oil the recipe calls for, this version shown in this photo contains less (I eye-balled it). 

Enjoy!!!

The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

image taken from amazon.com

Phew, what a book!

The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende follows three generations of intertwined families centered around Esteban Trueba, his family, his fortune, and his demise.  The book is narrated partially by Trueba, but mostly by his granddaughter, Alba who recounts her family history beginning from her great grandmother's, Clara, childhood.  The novel also intertwines the political upheaval of Chile (as many of Isabel Allende's books do) which plays a critical role in the lives of the Trueba family.

I have read many of Ms. Allende's books prior to this including, Daughter of Fortune and Portrait in Sepia.  This book caught my eye after watching the movie (with actresses Meryl Streep and Winona Ryder released in 1993) on Netflix.  I've enjoyed Ms. Allende's books, but since the story lines are similar and the writing style is consistent, I would recommend reading them between other books.

Isabel Allende's novels are complex, dark, usually about love and loss of love, almost always include a political event, and usually span generations of one family.  I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Ms. Allende's writing.  On the one hand, her text includes a richness that is emphasized with her choice of words and the manner and meaning she uses them in, but as a result I often find myself needing to read with a dictionary (maybe that suggests I'm lacking in vocabulary more than anything!).  Isabel Allende's novels are generally long (relatively speaking) as they transgress through multiple generations which allows the reader to become completely engulfed in the story line.

The House of Spirits is spiritual, but also real. Clara's (Alba's great grandmother) clairvoyance and ability to see the future sets the tone of the novel lifting it from reality to the unknown.  Eventually as Clara's importance to the story line fades and she herself ages, reality becomes more predominant, but the sense of spirituality remains in the novel as it eventually creeps it's way into Esteban Trueba (Clara's stubborn, head-strong husband) way of thinking.

The beauty with which Ms. Allende tells the stories of various intertwined lovers is also remarkable.  As soon as the lovers passion begins to soak in to your mind, a life event, tragedy, or social circumstance throws a bend in their pathway and it takes another turn, one unexpected or one you may not like.  The commonality of this experience is also striking, but I have to wonder if it's always so dramatic in real life?

Overall, I loved this novel and I would pick up another novel by Isabel Allende in a heart beat.  This book is completely different from the movie, but as a result one is not necessarily better than the other.  They simply are stories loosely similar based around the same set of events and ideas.   This novel is not a fast read, it does take some time to make your way through, but it's worth the time!

On my nightstand...

Update 12 August: Turns out the Ken Follett book sitting on my nightstand is the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, called World Without End, so this one will take a back seat until I purchase and read the former. Instead, I'm replacing this book with another book written by Jeanette Walls.  As part of book club, we read The Glass Castle (check out my review here).  She's written a book about her grandmother's life called, Half Broke Horses.  She calls this book a true-life novel ... I imagine she had to fill in some details while bringing the story together.  I also suspect some of the information is a retelling of her own mother's life experiences with her grandmother, Lily Casey.  

image taken from amazon.com

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Here's a quick review of books on my nightstand/in my iPhone/on my Kindle (geez... do I have enough ways to read a book?!) that I'm hoping to write about soon.

If you click on the image it should take you the amazon.com synopsis, where I also acquired these images from.  Just in case that doesn't work, I've added a link to the title in my discussion below.

 


The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende - I added this book to my list of reads after watching the movie on Netflix while we still lived in Italy and after reading Portrait in Sepia (during our trip home in between living in Italy and moving to the Netherlands) which is the sequel to Daughter of Fortune (which I also read, but well before our life in Italy - I remember it was a random Barnes and Nobel pick up in the discount section!). I'm almost through it, it's taken a lot longer than expected, but I have had some visitors in the last month.  In general I find Isabel Allende's books a very dense read and occasionally catch my mind wandering while reading her all too often run-on sentences.  Isabel Allende's books are jam packed with action, adventure, love and often cover generations of the family at the center of the book (all three primarily set  in Central America).  This book is completely different from the movie and really, both are great!  I can't wait to share my thoughts with you on this book.

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer - This book was randomly added to my current reading list when I mistook it for the July Eindhoven book club choice, ha!  This is an interesting read about the state of things in the U.S. (since the early 60s/70s to 2010), but there's not a lot of interpretation of the stories George Packer shares.  I think the stories themselves could be great discussion topics for a book club, if you're willing to get political.  Mostly for now (at least of what I'm willing to share at the moment) I've realized that this is not a book I want to read before I go to bed, it's not a comforting read.  Right now this book has taken a back seat to The House of Spirits, but I'm about 70% of the way through and I plan to finish it before adding anything else to this reading list.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - This is a book my mom set beside the door of the room my husband and I were staying in when we went home for the month between living in Italy and moving to the Netherlands as a slight nudge to read this book... it was very cute, I have to say.  Well, I brought it all the way over from the States, and now that I have heard enough about it and it has been recommended by others, it has made my current reading list.  TBD on  my initial thoughts on this one, I haven't even cracked a page!

Until the next book review...

Book Review - The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

I started writing this review a long time ago and didn't take the time to finish the review until just recently.  I'm still not sure if I will continue with book club reviews, but since this review was mostly complete, I decided to post it.
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Image from amazon.com

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls was the June 2013 book club choice we reviewed and it was a good discussion that was facilitated with questions I found online. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to review book club books and/or if I will write the reviews before or afterwards.  It could be an interesting comparison to write my review before and see what I think of it after the discussion with the club.  Food for thought for now, but for the time being an FYI for this blog.

SPOILER ALERT - Note, there is some discussion of some of the stories in this review that you may want to experience raw, hence I am labeling this a spoiler alert!

Synopsis - click here 

This book was heartbreaking, but the entire time I was rooting for Jeanette Walls.  Curiosity got the best of me and within the first story (a 3 year old cooking hot-dogs and setting her polyester dress on fire), I looked up Jeanette Walls and the creation of this book and quickly learned that Jeanette Walls was a successful journalist and now writes full time.  Despite this information, I found these stories unbelievably difficult to imagine, heartbreaking to read, but yet very brave for writing them and telling the world her story. 

Ms. Walls opens with a story of watching her mother and father sorting through trash bins in New York City from afar (I believe it was a taxi cab), ashamed of what she is observing.  Ms. Walls opens the novel with this story, but it’s not the shock value alone that gets you.  The story also serves to intrigue the reader to understand why her parents choose a lifestyle of homelessness and most importantly, why Ms. Walls appears to be living in drastically better circumstances than her own parents.  This stark contrast sucked me into this novel, that’s for sure.

Throughout the memoir, there are many difficult stories.  Eating out of the trash at school and dumpsters, a mother hiding and stealing food from her children, dire living conditions including no running water or electricity, coaxing your own mother to go to work so there’s enough money for the family, and so on.  But despite the desperate-ness of these stories, Jeanette Walls shows deep love and admiration (especially in her younger years) for her parents, especially her father.  The relationship Ms. Walls has with her father, being his favorite child, is the hardest thing to wrap your head around.  How can Ms. Walls love her father so much, but not have her most basic needs provided for?  Is it because she doesn't know any better, this is the hand life has dealt? After thinking and discussing with my book club, I think that Jeanette Walls’ father intended to be a good father, but he didn't have the knowledge.  Mr. Walls' upbringing was arguably worse than the one he provided for his own family.   

Another interesting point of discussion at book club was Jeanette's mother, Mary and whether she fulfilled her role as a mother.  We debated quite a bit in the group if she could be called a mother, some were on the fence while others were positive she had not fulfilled her duties as a mother.  I landed on the fence.  On one hand, her children's basic needs were clearly not taken care of and she let her children (especially Jeanette Walls) be in the middle of her messy relationship with her husband, Rex.  On the other hand, she was the one who was able to provide when Rex was drinking and gambling, albeit the children themselves had to convince her to go to work!  Mary also had a heavy hand in their love for reading (their father did too) and art, and I believe her children's success was heavily influenced by this environment she encouraged and provided.

I highly recommend reading this book, it's well written and it's such an interesting story that while I can't relate to it directly, provides another perspective on how life may be lived. I also think this is a great selection for a book club as there are so many topics and stories to discuss and the interpretation of them is bound to be different from person to person, thus generating interesting discussion and a fun book club event!

Raghavan Iyer Breast of Chicken with Tomato and Coconut Milk from 660 Curries

Well, it's been quite a long time since I've blogged.  I certainly intended to blog more frequently over the last month, but with completing out my job contract and visitors from the US, it's been very busy around here! It's been great fun, but even though I've been cooking the entire time I really haven't found much time to blog. I received a lovely cook-book, 600 Curries by Raghavan Iyer, from my sister-in-law who visited us in early July and have been exploring many recipes from this book over the last month.  This is the first of what I expect will be many recipes I blog about from this cook-book.  Cooking from this book is quickly becoming a favorite past time around here!

Breast of Chicken with Tomato and Coconut Milk
adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer 660 (p. 146)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of oil (I used peanut, the recipe calls for canola)
1 small onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced (I used a small yellow onion, the recipe calls for a red onion)
4 medium sized cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used a blender for this)
2 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2.5 inches long, 1 inch wide and 0.25 inch thick), julienned
1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons of English-Style Madras Curry Powder (don't let this stop you, this was very simple to make if you have a spice grinder and whole spices; it may be possible to mix the already ground spices as well, but I have not tried this)
1.5 teaspoon of coarse kosher or sea salt
0.25 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I actually used a lot more as I wanted a lot more broth, I used 8.5 fl oz)
1 large tomato, cored and fully chopped (I used 2 small ones and left out about 0.25 of the chopped tomatoes out - it felt like too much tomato and since it is added towards the end I didn't feel they would cook down enough)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (I used a small handful, this is not something I would measure measure out)

English-Style Madras Curry Powder

Place the following items in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and blend until the mixture is finely ground (like your other ground spices!)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds (I used black)
0.5 teaspoon whole clove (this was hard to measure, an approximate is fine and can also be adjusted to your taste)
0.5 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
5 to 7 dried red Thai or cayenne chilies, stems removed (to taste)

Once blended, add 1 teaspoon of ground tumeric to the mixture.

You will have leftover masala from this recipe.

Recipe:
1. Prepare all the ingredients (chop the tomatoes, grind the splice blend, cut the onion, garlic and ginger, etc.)
2. Preheat a wok over medium-high heat.  Add the oil and allow it to warm up.
3. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and stir-fry until they are light brown, about 5 minutes (yes, I used a timer)
4. Add the curry powder and mix with the vegetables.
5. Quickly thereafter, add the chicken and sear the meat on all sides (if possible, if not, sear on as many sides as possible)
6. Add salt to the mixture.
7. Add the coconut milk and allow it to come to a boil.  Turn down the heat and allow the chicken, vegetables, spices and coconut milk simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Remove the chicken pieces using a slotted spoon.  Leave as much of the ginger and other vegetables in the soupy mixture remaining as possible.

Chicken cooked and removed from wok

8. Add the tomatoes and cilantro (the recipe calls to do this after the sauce thickens, but I wanted the tomatoes to cook down a bit) to the soupy mixture.
9. Raise the heat to medium,  and allow the sauce to reduce until it thickens to your desired consistency.

Sauce thickening with tomato and cilantro included

10. Add the chicken back into the wok and serve over cooked white rice immediately.

Final product in the wok!

Final product with cooked white rice

This was a fabulous weeknight meal and a great way to use of the massive amount of chicken I had leftover from earlier this week.  To make this faster, prepare the spice blend ahead of time and if possible and chop the onion and garlic ahead of time (but only a night in advance, of course, if you chop everything the day of that is better).  Leave the garlic to a quick chop in a blender/food processor. I ended up doubling the recipe (used the the single serving of garlic and ginger though) to accommodate the amount of chicken, which is great for leftovers (hopefully my new colleagues don't mind the smell of Indian food!).

Hope you enjoy this new recipe! Cheers!

White Asparagus Risotto

I'm a believer in complete, full meals on the weekends.  While we haven't quite converted to actually eating at the dinner table, weekend meals for us, are usually complete, carefully prepared, and sometimes are a joint venture between my husband and I. This recipe is one I picked up living in Italy, but I actually cooked it in the oven.  As our apartment here doesn't have a proper oven, I've actually taken to making this back on the stove, as traditionally is done in the Italian way. We ate this for our Sunday meal and it was a nice treat.  Traditionally prepared risotto takes time... you must be patient with the rice and you must continuously stir the mixture, coaxing the rice to absorb the liquid, slowly but surely.  White asparagus are a Holland treat, these are a bit out of season as asparagus are a spring vegetable, but since the season is a bit late and it's still cool-ish here, they seemed appropriate to buy at the market.  This recipe can also be prepared and is much brighter with green asparagus or spring peas.

Ingredients: 

1L vegetable or chicken broth

20-30 white asparagus stalks, cut into bit sized pieces (green asparagus works for this recipe too)

2 cups of uncooked risotto rice

1 small shallot minced

1-2 tablespoons of butter

2/3 cup (up to 1 cup) of white wine (that you would drink)

1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan

salt and black pepper to taste

1. Prepare the vegetable or chicken broth, after it comes to a boil, keep it warm on your lowest setting on the stove. 
2. Melt the butter in a large saute pan.  Once the butter begins to sizzle, add the shallots and salt (be careful here depending upon how much salt is in the broth) and freshly ground pepper.  Saute until the shallots are translucent or beginning to brown, but not burned (3-5 minutes). 
3. Add the chopped asparagus and saute until fork tender (I like mine with a little crunch still there, so this didn't take more than 5-7 minutes).  
4. Once asparagus are cooked to your liking, remove from the pan and set aside. 
5. Add the risotto into the same pan and allow the 'raw' rice to cook for 1-2 minutes (no extra butter/oil is needed here) on medium-low heat. 
6. Add one ladle full of broth and allow the risotto to soak up the broth slowly (keep cooking on medium-low heat).  Once the broth is mostly absorbed by the risotto (when you push the risotto in the pan, liquid should slowly cover the spot where you pushed the rice away from, there should be very little to no liquid that the rice is swimming in). 
7. Add the wine and cook in the same manner as described in step 6. 
8. Once the wine has mostly cooked away (similar to as described in Step 6), repeat with the remaining broth, 1 ladle full at a time until the risotto rice is cooked al dente. 
9. Add the cooked asparagus and Parmesan and stir together with the risotto rice.  Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and black pepper for garnish. 

This is one of my favorite weekend meals, it's comforting and it's a great way to use fresh spring vegetables (yes, even in end June! ...).  If you give it a try, let me know what you think! 

The Silver Lining's Playbook by Matthew Quick Book Review

I'm starting something new, book reviews! I'm not sure how this will work out or if I will be able to keep up with it, but I'd like to give it a try.  Bear with me as it may be painful to watch/read from afar.  You will probably see changes, hopefully improving in content, but probably format as well as I begin to familiarize myself with various styles of writing book reviews.  By the way, if you have done this before and have any thoughts or suggestions, I would love your input. Drop me a comment and I'll find a way to get into contact with you.
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Pre-movie book cover
(Image taken from barnesandnoble.com)

Movie-Cover
(Image taken from goodreads.com)

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick is about the story of Pat Peoples journey after his release from a mental health facility and his quest to be reunited with his estranged wife, Nikki. 

This book is written from the perspective of a healing man, one who acknowledges he has had past issues with anger and kindness (lack thereof, to be clear), but also doesn't remember past events.  The writing style, while it may be an accurate representation of how someone in this situation may think, is overly simplistic (which makes the book a very easy read) and therefore childish.  I know that is harsh and I would like to clarify that it doesn't mean the book is a bad read, but it does make it a little more difficult to appreciate for the perspective it tries to convey (that of a person healing in a non-physical, but mental way).  On the other hand, maybe it's more realistic.... I don't know!

This book digs deep into how Pat Peoples must find a way to cope with his anger and be a person other people can enjoy being around.  Pat's sole reason for dealing with these issues is to be reunited with his wife and finally end, 'apart time.'  Everything Pat does centers around this one goal, his extreme exercise, his continuous and very conscious need to be kind towards others, his classic literature reading, his odd and complicated relationship with Tiffany (his best-friend's wife's sister, who also has her own set of issues to work through)... all to end 'apart time.'  In the mean time, his family and friends and us, the reader, see Pat transform.

The lesson of this story, which you are introduced to early in this book (so don't worry, this is not a give away!), is that there is a silver lining in everything.  The subtly of this lesson is in how Pat Peoples processes his perception of the silver lining as he becomes more aware of his past events and his present surroundings.  In the end, I did appreciate the book for providing perspective on mental health complexities in an approachable manner, despite the writing style.  It clearly establishes the origination of Pat's anger back to his father, which sustains the test of time through his mother's inability to fight (interesting word in this scenario, but by this I mean to be firm in her desires for her husband to be a different person) back.  Pat Peoples learns to accept himself, for everything he is ... which although is a bit of a cliche ending I appreciate since it chooses not to ignore the fragile state of his mind (that is to say, it's not magically fixed after release, his ability to acclimate to society takes work, every single day).

I do recommend you read this book, but let it be for pleasure.  Take the writing style with a grain of salt and appreciate the style for how it contributes to the mental state of Pat Peoples. If you decide to read it, I would like to hear your thoughts on how the author's writing style contributes or does not contribute to conveying the state of mind of someone dealing with their mental health.

Homemade Tomato Sauce - Italian Style

My all-time favorite recipe I picked up while living in Italy was a recipe for homemade tomato sauce.  Up until moving to Italy, tomato sauce for me was something that came out of a can or jar, a typical American approach.  As a result, dinners of spaghetti and meatballs, or pasta and red sauce were not my idea of a good meal.  After only a few short months in Italy, I came to the realization that tomato sauce was a staple in Italy and could be AMAZING, especially when made from scratch and even more especially when tomatoes were in season (August/early September). I originally started making tomato sauce, no matter what time of year, throwing cubed tomatoes in a pot (if you have a good, sharp knife it will go fast), allowing them to cook down with some olive oil, garlic and basil and then pouring the cooked sauce over al dente pasta or baked eggplant.  I would leave the skins on and seeds in and use our hand blender to combine everything together.  I still do this (with some variations – see recipe below), especially since there's a lack of storage space around here, but the one time we had the opportunity to make it the true Italian way was something I will never forget.  My husband and I joined his boss (at the time, anyway) who learned this from her former mother-in-law, an Italian. While she has passed away (the mother-in-law that is), her traditions have been passed on, albeit to a set of expats.  In this true Italian method of making homemade tomato sauce, we had cartons full of fresh, in-season tomatoes (ideally, you should use San Marzano’s), a huge cooking pot, a little gas burner, a de-seeder and de-skinner (electrically powered, although these are also manual as well), leaves of basil, copious amounts of coarse sea salt, and sterilized canning jars.  We started off by weeding out all the bad tomatoes and halving the good ones, throwing them into the huge pot sitting over the gas burner.  A handful or two of salt was thrown in and they were allowed to cook down until half or more of the water boiled off.  Next, the mixture was put through the de-seeder and de-skinner, and the final mixture was canned with a leaf or two of basil leaves.

The recipe to follow is the homemade tomato sauce I use on an almost weekly basis.  It's a good substitute once all the jars of the real stuff you made at the end of summer are finished.  This recipe serves as the base for seasoned sauces such as marinara, amatriciana ('spicy' Italian tomato sauce), or even simply roasted garlic and basil.  

Ingredients:

1 kilo tomato of tomatoes (use as much as you have, just be sure to accommodate the salt content)

Salt (course if available)

1. Chop tomatoes coarsely (approximately 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm in size) and put into a large stock pot.
2. Add a couple a couple of small handfuls of salt (it's better to go less than you think here because when you finish the sauce with whatever seasonings you want, you can add more salt)

Chopped tomatoes

 

Chopped tomatoes, coarse sea salt, just before cooking

3.Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the tomatoes to become soupy (very watery - that's ok!)

4. Turn the heat down to medium and stir occasionally to lift the goodness that collects at the bottom of the pot (if it's black or brown, you're burning the tomatoes and you don't want that, turn the heat down).  

5.  Cook until the sauce is half the amount of the chopped tomatoes (about 45 minutes).  Taste for salt and adjust as necessary. 

I typically season my tomato sauce by roasting garlic in a little bit of olive oil (heat olive oil, once warm, turn down to low and add the garlic - allow the garlic to roast in the oil, it will turn a golden brown), add the raw tomato sauce and basil and allow to cook together (low heat) until your pasta is ready.  

Buon Appetito!