Monday Update: A Soggy Weekend

Monday morning and the sun is finally shining again on Sanibel. It was a chilly, soggy weekend. Yesterday, for the first time ever here, I didn't even venture outside our front door! We picked up about four inches of rain Saturday night and Sunday, and it was still only 48 degrees when I woke up this morning. My beach walk won't happen until this afternoon... fingers crossed it hits 60.


Finished this week//

Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line 

by Michael Gibney, narrated by Fred Berman

5 hours and 42 minutes

source: audiobook borrowed from the library via Overdrive

This book reminded me how much I like foodie nonfiction... which I have sadly neglected over the past year or two.  It's one of those "day in the life" kind of books, reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain. In fact, I learned afterward he'd blurbed the book:

“A terrific nuts-and-bolts account of the real business of cooking as told from the trenches. No nonsense. This is what it takes.”

Sous Chef  was unusual (and a little odd) in that it's told in the second person. Audiobook narrator Fred Berman effectively conveyed the resulting tension and drama. I could feel the pressure mount as the evening progressed!

The fast-paced narrative kept me walking more briskly and maybe even a bit longer... always a plus. What foodie nonfiction have you enjoyed recently?

Current reading//

A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression

by Jane Ziegelman,  Andy Coe

More foodie nonfiction... chalk it up to a case of perfect timing! I had just finished Sous Chef  when Lisa asked if I'd heard of this book. The author's 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement  was a hit with my book cub several years ago, but I was unfamiliar with this title. The description sounded interesting and I was able to download the audiobook instantly via hoopla from my library. Further investigation showed an ebook available through the county library system (oddly separate from our Sanibel Library) so I went to the closest branch signed up for yet another  library card. You can never have too many options, right? I've read and listened to a quarter of A Square Meal  so far... an interesting history.

Grand Hotel by Vicki Baum

My bookmark is still in this classic, but it only moved ten or twenty pages last week. I like the book well enough, but don't feel especially compelled to pick it up... if that makes any sense. I do plan to stick with it though.


Set aside for now//

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

I have every intention of returning to this book. After reading the first four chapters, I'm quite sure it will be a good one. But it's long and my daughter is bringing me her copy of The Great Believers on Friday... which I'm dying to read. My plan is to finish the other two books already underway, then start The Great Believers.


In the kitchen//

I've been in the mood for new recipes lately and tried a few last week:

First up was Kung Pao Beef from I Wash You Dry. It's made with ground beef (which I rarely eat) and the entire dinner can be on the table in twenty minutes... so convenient. The recipe calls for diced red pepper, but I added some peas, too - more veggies and more color. My husband and I liked it well enough to eat again (a quick dinner is always a welcome addition to my repertoire!) but our daughter wouldn't even try it. Maybe ground chicken or turkey next time...

Next was a Blackened Salmon with Avocado Goddess Sauce from Half Baked Harvest. My husband doesn't like avocados and I didn't have one on hand anyway, so I just roasted the salmon with garlic and spices. We has leftover roasted potatoes and I also served steamed broccoli. The blackened salmon was good, but next time I'll make it with  the avocado sauce!

For lunches we had Lentil Greek Salad with Dill Sauce from Pinch of Yum. I learned that I'm not a big fan of cold lentils. This would be good with shredded rotisserie chicken or tuna though.

Overall, a mixed bag in the kitchen last week.


Looking ahead//

Our oldest daughter arrives on Friday for a long weekend. We'll celebrate her birthday early next week. I probably won't have an update while she's here, but will post my review of the new RBG biography later this week.


How was your week? What are you reading?

A Monday Update: January 21, 2019

This photo was NOT taken today. This morning there's a blanket draped over my lap, the heat is on, and a second mug of steaming coffee is warming my fingers... and I'm still in Sanibel! The sun is shining, so I'm not complaining, but I feel bad for my friends and family in central NY where the wind chill is hovering around twenty below zero this morning!

It's been a good week here on the island - morning walks listening to RBG, a few bike rides (still on my old beach cruiser) and we picked up my sister-in-law at the airport on Wednesday. She's staying with my father-in-law for a few weeks, so there's even more family around.

Finished this week//

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life 

by Jane Sherron De Hart

I've read other books about RBG and this is, by far, the most comprehensive and complex - probably not for the reader with just a passing interest. Even as a read/listen combination, it took me nearly three weeks to finish. The audio version was excellent. It helped pull me through drier, more complex sections. Suzanne Toren was the perfect choice to narrate. I have much  more to say about the book, so look for a full review in a week or so.


Current reading//

Grand Hotel

by Vicki Baum

My "classic in translation" for 2019's Back to the Classics challenge, I didn't spend much time with this book last week. But that's more a reflection of the all-consuming nature of the RBG biography than on my level of interest or enjoyment here.

The Power of One

by Bryce Courtenay

This is the January selection for my book club back in NY. Obviously I won't be there for the meeting, but the book is very highly rated, was already on my radar, AND the recommending member said it was her favorite book of 2018. It's over 500 pages, so I used an audible credit to make it a read/listen combination. Just started last night, but so far I think it's going to be a winner!


On the blog//

Top Ten Tuesday: 2018 Author Discoveries


In the kitchen//

Remember that new recipe for lentil soup I had in the slow cooker last week? Well, it was really good! We gave half of it to my FIL to take home, so we had enough left for just one lunch. All three of us wanted it again, so I've already made a second batch.

In an effort to use up the miso I bought for the Maple and Miso Sheet-Pan Salmon, I decided to try the New York Times  Miso Chicken recipe. It was good enough to make again, but I much prefer their Roasted Chicken Provençal... a family favorite! I'm looking for more recipes that use miso if you have a favorite to share.

I'm still loving Whole Foods, too. Last week I came across a recipe for a Lentil Greek Salad with Dill Sauce that called for black (?!) lentils. I'd never heard of black lentils before but, sure enough, there they were on the shelf at Whole Foods. Guess what we're having for lunch this week?



Hope all is well in your part of the world. Did you get hit by Winter Storm Harper? What are you reading this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: 2018 Author Discoveries

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It's been months since my last TTT post, but this week's topic, New-to-Me Authors I Read In 2018, caught my eye. Since half the books I read last year were by "new" authors, I though it would be fun to take a look at my favorites. Interestingly, they were all women.

2018 Author Discoveries: Fiction

Min Jin Lee - Pachinko  and  Free Food for Millionaires

Joan Silber - Improvement

Sarah Winman - Tin Man

Claire Fuller  - Swimming Lessons

Rebecca Kauffman - The Gunners

2018 Author Discoveries: Nonfiction

Nina Willner 

Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall

Debby Irving - Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race

Kory Stamper - Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries

Kate Moore - The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

Kelly Corrigan - Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say

Click here for more of today's Top Ten Tuesday posts.

Sanibel Sunday: January 13, 2019

Almost noon... an early three-mile beach walk, lentil soup in the slow cooker (a new recipe), and blueberry ricotta cake in the oven. My father-in-law will be over for dinner a little later, but I'm hoping to slip in some reading time once I finish this blog post. Another Sanibel Sunday...


Finished last week//

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

This book has made the rounds. Care mailed it to me last summer. It's been with me on vacation to Maine and Massachusetts, to NYC visiting my daughters, and now it's here in Florida, where I finally got around to reading it!

It's about a family living on New York City's Upper West Side and their daily lives... friends, neighbors, his ex, house guests, meals, activities, etc. Though not a lot actually happens. The 50-something husband, Graham, seems fairly normal but his second, much younger, wife Audra is a hoot. She basically has no filter and will talk to anybody about anything. Their son (around twelve) has Asperger's Syndrome and is currently fixated on origami.

 The book is funny, yet insightful, loving, and painfully real. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and Heiny's writing. Here are a few of the passages I marked:

"You didn't know then that having a child with special needs would seep into every part of your life, like rain through topsoil." 

"Life forced you to cope. Life wore down all your sharp corners with its tedious grinding on, the grinding that seemed to take forever but was actually as quick as a brushfire." 

"I'm beginning to believe... that there is just too much love loose in the world. Too much love with nowhere to go." 

"He would do it because that was what you did when you loved someone. You kept pushing until you broke on through to the other side, as Jim Morrison may have said. Only Morrison didn't add that on the other side, you found another obstacle and had to keep pushing. Forever."

A solid 4-star read. Thanks, Care!


Current reading//

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart

I'm slowly working my way through this very comprehensive biography... listening to the audiobook on my morning walk and reading the (heavy) hardcover in the afternoon. My respect for RBG increases with every page!

Grand Hotel by Vicki Baum

I bought this book last month in NYC. It's difficult to find NYRB Classics anywhere else and I was tempted to stock up, but limited myself to just one. This is my "in translation" selection for the Back to the Classics Challenge and is off to a strong start.



In the kitchen//

Three new recipes to share this week:

• A delicious Chicken Tortellini Soup from How Sweet Eats (a new-to-me website) was creamier than other tortellini soups I've tried. 
• French Grated Carrot Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette from Once Upon a Chef was a quick and easy side. We recently enjoyed a similar salad in a restaurant and I wanted to duplicate it.
• Slow Cooker Orange Chicken from Averie Cooks (another new-to-me website) was the big winner this week. I'll make it again soon on a night my FIL is here for dinner.

Also this week, we visited the new Whole Foods in Fort Myers - twice! The produce was the best we've seen down here... I'm used to Wegmans quality. Their chicken and lamb was also outstanding. I may not make it over there every week, but I sure will try.


How was your week? What are you reading?

Weekly Update: Back in Florida!

We're back! After spending the holidays in cold, snowy upstate New York, we're finally back in sunny Sanibel... arrived late Friday afternoon. It was wonderful to spend so much time with the family, but I sure did miss this. Let the winter season begin!



Current reading//

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

A fun, off-beat family drama. I started reading this right after Christmas and planned to finish before the end of the year... but you know how that goes. All the preparation, the packing,and then days in the car. It was a pleasure to finally pick it up again yesterday afternoon!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart

This book was a Christmas present from my daughter. It's long and fairly dense, so I decided to use an audible credit and make it a read/listen combination. Very good so far... RBG is an inspiration!


Up next//

I'll leave this blank for now... RBG will take at least another week to finish. Who knows what I'll be in the mood for after that. Maybe a classic?


In the kitchen//

We usually have my father-in-law over for dinner on Sundays and yesterday I decided to try something new - Maple and Miso Sheet-Pan Salmon from The New York Times. We grilled it instead of roasting on a sheet pan... and served broccoli and mashed sweet potatoes on the side. Delicious!

A new Whole Foods opened in Fort Myers in November. It was SO busy the first few weeks, we thought we'd wait until January to check it out. Today is the day... I'll let you know how it goes.


The week ahead//

It always takes a few days to settle back into our Sanibel routine and this week we have a few extra tasks. The clothes dryer needs to be replaced - ugh. I was also promised a replacement for my old beach cruiser (bicycle)... maybe I'll have a photo for you next week.

I hope your 2019 is off to a good start. Have you finished your first book of the year? What are you reading this week?

First Book of the Year: 2019

Happy New Year! For the sixth year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Year 6.  I LOVE First book so much.  This tradition for me goes further back than the 6 years I have opened up to the reading world here on Book Journey.  I am THRILLED to be doing it again and thank you to those who have messaged me to ask if I will be doing it again.The answer  

Of course we are doing it.
My life has changed a bit – I may not be blogging as steady as I used to and I have moved to a more diverse site where I can share other things beyond books – check me out at I Guess I Am Doing This (also a work in process… but I am not giving up ;P ) 

Here is what First Book is.  The first book of the New Year should be:
A.  A coveted book that you have wanted to read but have just not found the time.
B.  A delicious favorite… one you have read before, but crave to read again.
C.  Really whatever you want it to – it is after all YOUR First Book Of the year. 

Make it AWESOME.

This year I have selected Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart...
"...fifteen years in work, written with the cooperation of Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself and based on many interviews with the justice, her husband, her children, her friends, and her associates."

The book was a Christmas present from my daughter. I also used an audible credit to make it a read/listen combination... at 750+pages and just over 24 hours, this may take a while!

Have you chosen your First Book of the Year?

First Book of the Year 2018
First Book of the Year 2017
First Book of the Year 2016