Thursday, December 6, 2012
I've Been Tagged!
Over at his blog, Nuyorican Obituary, writer R. Narvaez (author of Roachkiller and other stories) is participating in The Next Best Thing blog tour. Read what he had to say here. And tune in next week for my answers. (Also, there's an interview with Narvaez coming soon to Kattomic Energy.
Labels:
Next Big Thing,
R. Narvaez,
Roachkiller
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Find me Under the Tuscan Gun
Yes, I've just been added to the team writing about all things Tuscan for the terrific website Under the Tuscan Gun. My first post isn't up yet but if you love food, and love Italian food, and love Tuscan food in particular, you owe it to yourself to visit this site often. Uup now, Wendy Hector's review of Stir: Mixing it up in the Italian Tradition by Boston chef Barbara Lynch.
Labels:
Barbara Lynch,
Stir,
Tuscn food,
Under the Tuscan Gun,
Wendy Hector
Freebie Fiction Sample
This story is from 12 Nights of Christmas, available here and here in your choice of e-formats for the bargain price of 99 cents. Whatever happened to the "cents" sign on a keyboard? Was it never on a computer keyboard or was it lost in the transition from typewriters to computers? I miss the cents sign.
Four Birds Calling
Reg could see the
two birds out of the corner of his eye. They were looking at him and giggling,
being none too subtle about it.
He knew what they
were thinking.
Is it him?
Could it be?
The resemblance
really was quite striking. He had the same blond mop-top, the same bedroom
eyes, the same succulent lower lip.
He even styled his
wardrobe after Thomas, the photographer his doppelganger had played in Blow-Up. The white pants and powder-blue
shirt rolled up to the elbows. It was a good look for him.
The shirt matched
his eyes.
And eyes are the
windows of the soul.
Reg never looked
birds in the eye though; he always focused on their lips. Eventually they’d
notice and ask, “What?”
He’d always say,
“You have the most beautiful lips.”
It worked a treat,
that line.
Is it him?
Could it be?
He glanced over at
the girls and flashed his second-best smile at them, which was enough to make
the fat one blush but the spotty one looked back at him boldly and licked her
lips while making intense eye contact.
Well hello, Reg thought.
Labels:
12 Nights of Christmas,
Kray Brothers,
Mary Quant
More Frenchy Christmas-ness
I love this card--the Eiffel Tower draped in a garland with a Joyeux Noel greeting. You can find it on Etsy. a package of ten will run you $17.50 plus postage, which is not cheap, but purchasing the cards will make you a patron of the arts!
Labels:
Eiffel Tower,
Etsy,
Joyeux Noel,
patron of the arts
Monday, December 3, 2012
Woo Hoo--the Sapphires has been nominated....
Congratulations to everyone who worked on The Sapphires, a real-life Dreamgirls tale about an Australian girl group that entertained the troops in the Viet Nam war. It's been nominated in multiple categories for the Australian Academy of Cinema Awards. I was part of the development team on the script (based on a play by the son of one of the real-life songstresses) and could not be more proud of the movie. See the article here on Deadline Hollywood.
Labels:
Deadline Hollywood.,
Dreamgirls,
the Sapphires
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Best of the Holiday Gift Guides
I love gift guides. That's why I decided to put together my own. (And wish lists, I love them too.) This is the time of year when every site and magazine/newspaper is putting together a gift guide and looking them over will give you some ideas on what to give that family member who's so hard to please.
Over at Wired Magazine, the Geek Dad list is up and it's got everything from game system point cards to iPhone cases to links to other parts of the list. See it here.
Over at Ain't It Cool News, Quint's three-part holiday gift guide is up, with offerings running the gamut from inexpensive to pricey (like that box set of Dark Shadows episodes that comes in a casket-shaped box).
Real Simple has a multi-part gift guide that splits off into gifts for women, men and children, for foodies and gadget-lovers.
Engadget's list is all about eReaders, a guide to the best of what's available right now. SlashGear has a list of "oddities" that would make great stocking stuffers. Gizmodo has put together a witty list divided up into categories like "For your sainted mother" and "Holiday Gifts for Ryan Gosling, Idris Elba and Other Guys You Love." Then there's ESPN's guide.
InStyle Magazine has a guide that's not just for the girly-girl or the fashionista. Included are sections for kids, "upgrades for men," gifts for "9-5 friends" and gifts under $25. You have to love a list that includes Nail polish for pets ($8.95); a python printed sleep set ($220 for both pieces); and customizable headphones ($179).
The Kattomic Energy 2012 Gift Guide will be back tomorrow with gifts for your favorite foodies.
Over at Wired Magazine, the Geek Dad list is up and it's got everything from game system point cards to iPhone cases to links to other parts of the list. See it here.
Over at Ain't It Cool News, Quint's three-part holiday gift guide is up, with offerings running the gamut from inexpensive to pricey (like that box set of Dark Shadows episodes that comes in a casket-shaped box).
Real Simple has a multi-part gift guide that splits off into gifts for women, men and children, for foodies and gadget-lovers.
Engadget's list is all about eReaders, a guide to the best of what's available right now. SlashGear has a list of "oddities" that would make great stocking stuffers. Gizmodo has put together a witty list divided up into categories like "For your sainted mother" and "Holiday Gifts for Ryan Gosling, Idris Elba and Other Guys You Love." Then there's ESPN's guide.
InStyle Magazine has a guide that's not just for the girly-girl or the fashionista. Included are sections for kids, "upgrades for men," gifts for "9-5 friends" and gifts under $25. You have to love a list that includes Nail polish for pets ($8.95); a python printed sleep set ($220 for both pieces); and customizable headphones ($179).
The Kattomic Energy 2012 Gift Guide will be back tomorrow with gifts for your favorite foodies.
Labels:
Engadget,
ESPN,
Geek Dad,
Gizmodo,
Idris Elba,
In Style,
Real Simple,
Ryan Gosling,
Wired
Nightfalls is available
You can buy it here as an ebook for $2.99; the print version will be available soon. Twenty-nine writers, half a dozen genres, one good cause.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
The Best Geek Gift for a Foodie EVER!
This may be the best novelty chocolate item ever made. By rights, this should have gone into the Foodie section of the gift guide but it is so cool it needs a post all to itself. You can buy a chocolate replica of Han Solo in the carbonite slab. You can buy it from Think Geek. It costs $11.99 for one 4.5 ounce bar.
Labels:
chocolate,
Han Solo in carbonite,
Star Wars,
Think Geek
Kattomic Energy 2012 Gift Guide--Part 2
One of the labels I assign myself is that of "feminist" and I'm not ashamed to identify with my sisters. But my feminist credo is, "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people," and as I've gotten older, I don't feel that the term "feminist" is particularly inclusive, even when men proudly claim it. (My father was a feminist by trade, an Army lawyer who fought for civil rights and women's rights before it was actually fashionable.) So I prefer to think of myself as a "humanist" and define that term as someone who cares about his/her fellow human beings. This part of the gift guide will focus on gifts for people who want gifts that matter. With the occasional feminist t-shirt thrown in.
Gifts for people who have everything they want or need to give on behalf of people who live in want and need:
Heifer International. Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. Who doesn't think that's a good idea? You've probably seen their gift catalogue; filled with suggested donations in every price range, from a flock of chickens or ducks for $20 to a gift ark ($5000) that provides mating pairs of many different animals. This year the catalogue includes items like "a gift of women's empowerment" (helping women become self-sufficient and more efficient at producing food) for $1000 (or $100 a share); a gift of a healthy home for $50 (construction materials to make shelter safer); a gift of clean water ($300 for water purification equipment) and "the gift of transformation" which provides herds of heifers, llamas and goats, flocks of sheep and chickens, a pen of pigs, a school of fish, a gaggle of geese and the training to take care of the animls. (Price tag is $25,000.)
Gifts for people who have everything they want or need to give on behalf of people who live in want and need:
Heifer International |
Heifer International. Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. Who doesn't think that's a good idea? You've probably seen their gift catalogue; filled with suggested donations in every price range, from a flock of chickens or ducks for $20 to a gift ark ($5000) that provides mating pairs of many different animals. This year the catalogue includes items like "a gift of women's empowerment" (helping women become self-sufficient and more efficient at producing food) for $1000 (or $100 a share); a gift of a healthy home for $50 (construction materials to make shelter safer); a gift of clean water ($300 for water purification equipment) and "the gift of transformation" which provides herds of heifers, llamas and goats, flocks of sheep and chickens, a pen of pigs, a school of fish, a gaggle of geese and the training to take care of the animls. (Price tag is $25,000.)
Kattomic Energy's Holiday Gift Guide--Part Une
Joyeux Noel everyone. In the first part of the2012 Kattomic Energy Gift Guide, the focus is on Francophiles.
Books: French cooking began, at least for most American cooks, with Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Snag the 50th anniversary edition for $24 at your favorite bookstore. Find it at Amazon here. David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris (subtitled "Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City") is a great introduction to the food culture of the French capital. (There is a right and a wrong way to work your way around a cheese plate.) You can buy it new for $23 or used for as little as $5. (I often use the "buy used" option from Amazon's sellers and most of the books I've purchased arrive looking brand new.)
All of the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks are wonderful and her Barefoot in Paris is one of those cookbooks that's as fun to look at as it is to read. It's just a beautiful book and the recipe for pear clafoutie is to die for. Available for under $20 in both print and ebook.
If you're frustrated that you can't order anything from Amazon France unless you're actually in France, check out French Books Online, a source for French language books in many genres as well as audiobooks, some of them bilingual. Authors in their policiers (crime thriller) section include Pierre Simenon (fils de Georges), Jean Amilia, Brigitte Auber, and Tonino Benacquista.
Chocolat is everybody's favorite French movie starring Johnny Depp. Buy the novel by Joanne Harris it's based on.
Movies: The French invented the term "film noir" so as you might expect, they also perfected the art. The 1943 film Le Corbeau (the Raven) is arguably the best example of the genre. There's a fabulous Criterion Collection edition available, but it's pricey ($70) and according to Amazon, they only have four left in stock.
Paris Je T'Aime is a cinematic love letter to the city, and stocking stuffer priced at under $8.
Books: French cooking began, at least for most American cooks, with Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Snag the 50th anniversary edition for $24 at your favorite bookstore. Find it at Amazon here. David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris (subtitled "Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City") is a great introduction to the food culture of the French capital. (There is a right and a wrong way to work your way around a cheese plate.) You can buy it new for $23 or used for as little as $5. (I often use the "buy used" option from Amazon's sellers and most of the books I've purchased arrive looking brand new.)
All of the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks are wonderful and her Barefoot in Paris is one of those cookbooks that's as fun to look at as it is to read. It's just a beautiful book and the recipe for pear clafoutie is to die for. Available for under $20 in both print and ebook.
If you're frustrated that you can't order anything from Amazon France unless you're actually in France, check out French Books Online, a source for French language books in many genres as well as audiobooks, some of them bilingual. Authors in their policiers (crime thriller) section include Pierre Simenon (fils de Georges), Jean Amilia, Brigitte Auber, and Tonino Benacquista.
Chocolat is everybody's favorite French movie starring Johnny Depp. Buy the novel by Joanne Harris it's based on.
Movies: The French invented the term "film noir" so as you might expect, they also perfected the art. The 1943 film Le Corbeau (the Raven) is arguably the best example of the genre. There's a fabulous Criterion Collection edition available, but it's pricey ($70) and according to Amazon, they only have four left in stock.
Paris Je T'Aime is a cinematic love letter to the city, and stocking stuffer priced at under $8.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Paul Bishop Photograph--November Rain in Paris
Photo by Paul Bishop |
Labels:
Eiffel Tower,
November Rain in Paris,
Paul Bishop
Time to weed out that TBR pile?
If you're in Los Angeles, you can donate books to Books For People, who will sell them and use the proceeds to fund charities serving homeless children. And they PICK UP your books. (They also accept DVDs, CDs, and records. Any books they can't sell, they donate to local libraries. Check them out.
Because not everyone is going to be home for the holidays
There are men and women serving on behalf of me and every other American in places that are inhospitable and downright hostile. Some of these soldiers are stationed far from a PX (post exchange) and some of them can't afford even little luxuries. Military Connections is a non-profit organization that sends care packages (more than 600 a month) to soldiers stationed overseas. They're now putting together Christmas stockings. They have a wish-list of items from unopened, unexpired OTC meds like Tums and Tylenol to packages of athletic socks and AT&T calling cards to extra Christmas cards they can send. You can also sponsor a soldier or marine's stocking for a $10 donation and include a note or a picture. Giving a little could mean a lot.
For more information, check out the Military Connections website here.
For more information, check out the Military Connections website here.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Cityscape: Richmond, Virginia
I lived in Richmond my last two years in high school and during the summers I went to college. It's a very scenic city and there are things about it I miss, like the James River. This is a view of downtown from the James. All those rocks were really enticing. I've sunbathed on them. And every year, some kid gets stranded and has to be rescued. My parents' house was only two blocks from the river, we could always hear the helicopters flying back and forth. Some summers it was like the Fall of Saigon out there.
Labels:
cityscape,
fall of Saigon,
Richmond virginia
Monday, November 26, 2012
Another reason to embrace your inner Frenchwoman...
Seems the French village of Bugarach is going to survive the Mayan apocalypse. Who knew?
More about Christmas cards...
From papercards.com |
PaperCards.com has Christmas cards divided up into 43 different categories (Pop Up, Patriotic, Disney, Nature, Spanish-language, Animal) and you can buy single cards or batches. They have cards with African-American angels, Madonnas and Santa. Oddly, they have only four Hanukkah cards available.
If you're looking for one of a kind humorous greeting cards for the season, Snafu Designs can hook you up. I'm partial to their "Fleas Navidad" card. Tiny Prints cards are on sale all this week (Why have Cyber Monday when you can have Cyberweek?) Check them out for something different in personalized cards.
Fleas Navidad |
Twinkie Lovers! The Daily Meal is looking out for you...
I get the Daily Meal newsletter every day and it's a must-read for me. (I get a lot of newsletters every day and sometimes find myself just deleting them unread from my In-box, but that fate never befalls The Daily Meal.) This morning they have a home-made Twinkie recipe for those who are worried about the demise of that iconic lunch-box treat. Check it out http://www.thedailymeal.com/homemade-twinkies-recipe
Saturday, November 24, 2012
The best religious Christmas card ever
"Kissing the Face of God" by Morgan Weistling |
He painted "Kissing the Face of God" in 2001 and it's become one of his most popular images. The first time I saw it, I was struck by the sweetness and youth of his Mary. (I'm not sure, but I think his daughter might have been the model.) At any rate, the painting has so much reality and love that it really humanizes the Christmas story.
My mother was an artist and I've seen a lot of Madonna and Child paintings in my day (I loved Fra Filippo Lippi's "Adoration of the Magi" when I was a child because I liked saying "Fra Filippo Lippi.) I think this painting stands up to the best of them.
"Adoration of the Magi" |
The Kattomic Energy Christmas Card Buying Guide
Cardinal in snow, photo by Rob Tomlinson |
In my
parents' generation, sending out Christmas cards was a big deal and a
husband/wife project. My parents never put together one of those awful
Christmas letters (and in fact mocked their relatives and friends who did send
them out) but the sending of the cards was a project that consumed at least one
night in the pre-holiday run-up.
They'd
divide up the writing chores although my father's handwriting was barely
legible--I was the only one in the family who could read it--and my mother had
art school handwriting that was as precise and readable as machine print. They
had different signatures depending on who the card's recipient was,
"Mickey and Tom" for their friends, "Mildred and Parrish"
for his relatives, and so forth.
They always
bought special Christmas stamps to use on their cards and they had two
different kinds of cards--some kind of religious theme for the relatives, more
general holiday cards for their Jewish friends and colleagues. They probably
sent out a hundred cards a year and got at least as many in return. The cards
were displayed over the mantle and on top of the bookcases and gave the house a
really festive air.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Fiction Friday: G. Wells Taylor's "Memory Lane:"
I'm a huge fan of Canadian horror writer G. Wells Taylor (whose vampire novel Bent Steeple is one of the best of the genre). He writes creepy, character-based stories that run the gamut from post-apocalyptic urban fantasy/noir (his Wildclown series) to his variant on the zombie apocalypse (The Variant Effect) to this tale of psychological horror featuring a couple of memorable human monsters. You can read my review on Amazon here, and while you're there, pick up a copy of the novella for $1.99.
Labels:
Bent Steeple,
G. Wells Taylor,
Memory Lane,
Variant Effect
How to shop for the holidays without losing your mind
The official
Kattomic Energy gift guide will be published in the next few weeks but since
today, Black Friday, is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season,
here is a preview.
GETTING MUGGED
The truth
is, if you're over 21, you probably have all the mugs you need. You've got the
one emblazoned with your college logo and the one you got from your bank when
you opened a savings account. You have the mug you received as a premium when
you donated money to your local NPR station. And if you work in a large company,
you have a mug with your company's brand
and corporate slogan plastered all over it.
In the
unlikely event you know someone who could use a few more mugs, there are a lot
of cool mugs out there.
For people
who love words, there are scrabble letter mugs. These are nice and simple, graphically pleasing mugs that cost $13 each. You can find them in a lot of catalogues or here. For a dollar less, you can get the officially sanctioned by Scrabble "Scrabble Tile Mug." Find it here.
For the activist/reader, there's the Banned Books Mugs ($12.95). Inscribed with the names of banned books (from To Kill a Mockingbird to Ulysses, they're perfect for serving coffee after a book club meeting. Buy them here at the Unemployed Philosopher's Guild where the motto is, "The unexamined gift is not worth giving."
Unemployed Philosopher's Guild also carries a 12-ounce mug featuring the opening lines of some of the great works of English/American literature. Buy it here.
Zazzle shops feature a variety of Shakespeare-themed mugs from simple black quotes on white mug to more decorate designs. My brother, a criminal lawyer, has a whole set of "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" mugs in his office. You can buy one of your own for $16 each here. To look at Zazzle's full range of Shakespeare quote mugs, start here.
Cafe Press has a large selection of mugs featuring images of writers and famous quotes. check them out here. They also have silly mugs like the one that says, "Are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in English class." Which I think is funny but I'm not sure I'd want a mug with that on it.
And that's the thing about mugs with funny sayings or quotes with profanity (even of teh S*it Happens variety). What seems funny as you click on the "go to shopping cart" or hand over actual money to an actual perso in a card store, may not be hilarious on Christmas morning.
So beware of impulse buys based on whimsy. Don't be the one to give your dad the Duct Tape mug ($14.95), which comes twith a duct tape tie. (Yes, although the mug just looks like it's made of duct tape, the tie reallly is made of actual duct tape.)
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
It's Thanksgiving: Bring on the Corn Pudding
Photo by Patrick Hajzler |
I pretty much never met a corn dish I didn't love and I still have a fondness for corn somthered in melted cheddar cheese with red pepper flakes, a staple of my college diet.
If you'd like to add a little pizazz to your vegetable sides this holiday, why not try corn in its most quintessential southern form?
CORN PUDDING
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2 cups cooked corn kernels
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup flour
4 tsp. granulated sugar
4 eggs
4 cups non-fat milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
dash salt
Prep a baking dish with non-stick spray.
Combine flour, salt, seasonings and sugar.
Add corn and melted gutter.
Add the eggs to the milk and stir.
Add the egg/milk mixture to the dry mixture and pour into the baking pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until pudding is firm.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
It's Thanksgiving--let the celebration of carbs begin
Photo by Vangelis Thomaidin |
Unlike 99 percent of southern households, we did not have green bean casserole at the holiday. My mother made green beans with bacon and dried red pepper the way God intended us to eat green beans. (I actually prefer crisp steamed green beans these days but when I'm at HomeTown Buffet, I almost always get some of their Southern-style string beans because they do them right.)
One of the dishes that was always on our Thanksgiving table was grated sweet potato pudding. (One of my aunts always brought the candied yams with the orange juice and the crushed cornflakes and the marshmallows but she always took home most of the dish. The sweet potato pudding dish, though, would be scraped clean.)
Here's the recipe:
GRATED SWEET POTATO PUDDING
4 raw sweet potatoes, peeled and grated (do not use yams)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can use molasses)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. dried orange peel (or rind of a fresh orange)
dash salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs.
Combine all ingredients.
Pour into a baking dish prepped with non-stick spray.
Bake until firm (about 50 minutes).
Enjoy.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Gratuitous Cat Cuteness
Because it's Sunday and I'm working and easily distracted by Orange Cat who is guarding the manuscript I'm reading. And besides, isn't the Internet all about cat pictures?
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Coming Soon--the Kattomic Energy 2012 Gift Guide
Photo by Klaus Post |
Most Specific Cookie Cutter Design Ever!
I have a lot of cookie cutters. My collection goes way beyond angels and deer for Christmas. (I have cookie cutters in the shape of two kinds of sharks and a whole Jurassic Park of dinosaurs.) But I do not have THIS cookie cutter, which depicts the skyline of Omaha, Nebraska.
It's made of copper and costs $14.95. And I just have to wonder--was this a custom order that just got added to the mix or is there a rage for cookie cityscapes I don't know about? You can buy it here on a site called Kitchen Collectibles. (Which is located in Omaha, so that would explain the cookie cutter.)
It's made of copper and costs $14.95. And I just have to wonder--was this a custom order that just got added to the mix or is there a rage for cookie cityscapes I don't know about? You can buy it here on a site called Kitchen Collectibles. (Which is located in Omaha, so that would explain the cookie cutter.)
Labels:
Cookie Cutters,
Jurassic Park,
Kitchen Gifts,
skyline of omaha
Kitchen Mixtape--You can never have too many food blogs
I spend way (WAY) too much time reading about food. Yes, I am familiar with the term "food porn," and this time of year, I cannot resist carrying home the fat issues of Food and Wine and Martha Stewart's Living and every holiday-themed issue of what I always think of as "my mother's magazines." (Family Circle, Woman's Day, Woman's World.) It's not that I think I'm going to find a new way to make cranberry sauce, but I enjoy reading how other people put together the traditional feasts.
I particularly like food blogs that have a theme, so when I ran across Kitchen Mixtape, I was intrigued. On the site, chefs talk about music and there are "record" reviews as well as restaurant reviews. The design is clean and a little "industrial." If you like food and you like music, check it out.
I particularly like food blogs that have a theme, so when I ran across Kitchen Mixtape, I was intrigued. On the site, chefs talk about music and there are "record" reviews as well as restaurant reviews. The design is clean and a little "industrial." If you like food and you like music, check it out.
John McCain is an old fart
I've been head down in deadlines this week so I'm just now catching up on some of the news. And am just now processing the idea of Senator John McCain saying that he didn't think Susan Rice, our ambassador to the UN was "very bright." It's way too easy to go, "John, really? Compared to who?" but honest to God, has he even seen her Wikipedia entry? This woman has been over-achieving since she was a kid and she's only 48 now, which in terms of a political career is just getting started. What on earth could have persuaded the man who picked Sarah Palin as his running mate to gratuitously slam a woman so accomplished? Is it sexism, racism, or just plain cluelessness?
Labels:
Johm McCain,
Susan Rice,
UN Ambassador
Friday, November 16, 2012
Hurricane Sandy victims still need your help.
I saw this badge on a site called That Skinny Chick Can Bake, where the afore-mentioned Skinny Chick is rallying support for victims of Hurricane Sandy. They still need help. Here's where you can go to find out what you can do. Skinny Chick didn't want a link-back but I hope she doesn't mind a shout-out.
Friday Food Rant and a Recipe
I'm currently acting as a consultant on a cookbook for diabetics. The research has been fun and in going through my own files of recipes, I've been reminded of old favorites I haven't made in awhile. (Keema! I love keema!) But what it's also brought home to me is just how many recipes still use highly processed ingredients. (Let's not even talk about my mother's cook books from the 60s, which were full of recipes that required "Accent" and were either filled with mayonnaise, which I despise, or bacon, which I adore but don't eat.)
Seriously, who eats "whipped topping" when they can have luscious real whipped cream? And yet, every other pie recipe I've run across requires a tub of Cool Whip.
And speaking of whipped cream--here's a recipe my mother called "Corsetiere's Despair." It could not be simpler or more decadent.
Seriously, who eats "whipped topping" when they can have luscious real whipped cream? And yet, every other pie recipe I've run across requires a tub of Cool Whip.
And speaking of whipped cream--here's a recipe my mother called "Corsetiere's Despair." It could not be simpler or more decadent.
Mickey Tomlinson's Corsetiere's Despair
1 pound red and white striped peppermint candy (My mother used Brach's starlight mints)
1 quart unsweetened whipped cream
1/2 tsp. salt
3 drops red food coloring
Pulverize the candy in a blender or food processor, leaving about half the pieces coarsely chopped and reducing the rest to powder.
Fold the powdered candy, the salt and about half the coarser pieces into the whipped cream.
Place the mixture in a serving bowl.
Drop the food coloring on top of the mixture and using a knife, slash through the whipped cream to create swirls of red.
Sprinkle the rest of the coarser pieces of peppermint over the mixture.
Cover and freeze until firm.
My mother served this with dark chocolate wafers.
Labels:
Peppermint desserts,
peppermint recipes
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Sample the National Book Award Winners and Nominees
The votes are in and the 2012 National Book Award winners have been announced.
Louise Erdrich has won for her novel The Round House; Katherine Boo has won for her book about the "undercity" of Mumbai. Poet David Ferry won for his collection, Bewilderment; and William Alexander won the Young People's Literature award for Goblin Secrets, published under the late, great Margaret K. McElderry's imprint.
You can read all the details here, where you'll also find links to everyone's work.
Louise Erdrich has won for her novel The Round House; Katherine Boo has won for her book about the "undercity" of Mumbai. Poet David Ferry won for his collection, Bewilderment; and William Alexander won the Young People's Literature award for Goblin Secrets, published under the late, great Margaret K. McElderry's imprint.
You can read all the details here, where you'll also find links to everyone's work.
Is it too late to get a fake ID?
As I was reading a college comedy this a.m. that featured hijinks involving a fake ID, I had a pang of regret. I never had a fake ID. Never really needed one. I never developed a taste for beer (although Dos Equis' Buena Nocha seasonal brew is pretty damn tasty and unfortunately no longer imported to the US) and if I had a taste for the favorite cocktail of Duke undergrads (Southern Comfort and 7-Up) the ingredients were readily available in the dorm pantry. Even with a fake ID I'm not sure I could have carried "over 21" off. (The last time I was carded, I was out with my brother having Mexican food. I was 33. It was a bright moment and now a faded memory.) I wish I'd gotten a fake ID now. It feels like a rite of passage I missed out on. If I'd known I would end up writing dark fiction for fun and profit, I would definitely have bought one.
Which reminds me.
My mother was one of the most strait-laced people I've ever known. She could be a little school-marmy about it, but she was raised to be a proper Southern woman and despite some strenuous efforts at achieving escape velocity from the remnants of her upbringing, she remained ladylike to her dying day. (She would have been horrified when I chased an orderly out of her room the night before she died, telling him if he came back I would kill him. Seriously, it was two in the morning and he was there to take her vital signs, even though she was already in a coma and would die two hours later. I am not a polite Southern lady despite my mother's best efforts.)
But the point is... my mother probably never did a dishonest thing in her life, much less a criminal thing.
The last year I lived at home, my sister was in college and my brother was in his last year of law school. Our mother's best friend had been diagnosed with a really nasty, fast-moving kind of cancer. She was on heavy-duty pain meds and they weren't helping the nausea from the chemo. My mother came up with the idea of buying marijuana and sending it to her but wondered aloud at the dinner table where she might find such a product. Without hesitation we all spoke up with suggestions about where marijuana could be bought and then stopped as she gave us the evil eye.
"So I've heard," I added, which was true. I've never smoked pot in my life.
"Mailing marijuana is a felony," my brother added, which I thought was a nice bit of deflection.
My sister got up to get more iced tea.
In the end, she didn't buy the weed.
And in the end--and this is true--her friend went into remission and was ultimately declared cancer free after joining a church run by a charismatic young preacher.
My mother died two years later of lung cancer; her friend is still alive.
Life is funny and unpredictable.
Next time I'll get the fake ID.
Which reminds me.
My mother was one of the most strait-laced people I've ever known. She could be a little school-marmy about it, but she was raised to be a proper Southern woman and despite some strenuous efforts at achieving escape velocity from the remnants of her upbringing, she remained ladylike to her dying day. (She would have been horrified when I chased an orderly out of her room the night before she died, telling him if he came back I would kill him. Seriously, it was two in the morning and he was there to take her vital signs, even though she was already in a coma and would die two hours later. I am not a polite Southern lady despite my mother's best efforts.)
But the point is... my mother probably never did a dishonest thing in her life, much less a criminal thing.
The last year I lived at home, my sister was in college and my brother was in his last year of law school. Our mother's best friend had been diagnosed with a really nasty, fast-moving kind of cancer. She was on heavy-duty pain meds and they weren't helping the nausea from the chemo. My mother came up with the idea of buying marijuana and sending it to her but wondered aloud at the dinner table where she might find such a product. Without hesitation we all spoke up with suggestions about where marijuana could be bought and then stopped as she gave us the evil eye.
"So I've heard," I added, which was true. I've never smoked pot in my life.
"Mailing marijuana is a felony," my brother added, which I thought was a nice bit of deflection.
My sister got up to get more iced tea.
In the end, she didn't buy the weed.
And in the end--and this is true--her friend went into remission and was ultimately declared cancer free after joining a church run by a charismatic young preacher.
My mother died two years later of lung cancer; her friend is still alive.
Life is funny and unpredictable.
Next time I'll get the fake ID.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Nightfalls anthology
The Nightfalls anthology is in its final editing cycle and it's a terrific group of stories. The anthology will be priced at $3.99 (a bargain for 29 stories), with all proceeds going to Para Los Ninos, an organization that helps at-risk kids and their parents succeed in education and in life.
The cover design is by Joy Sillesen of Indie Author Services, who donated her work to the project, She will also be designing both the ebook and the print version. The stories range from speculative fiction to horror to humor with side trips to science fiction and noir-flavored lit fic.
Everybody I asked to participate in this anthology said yes, and then they gave me wonderful stories (and one poem). It's been a pleasure to work with everyone and I hope to do it again soon. More details to come, but just to whet your appetite--here's the TOC:
Acapulcolypse
Thomas Pluck
Some Say the
World Will End in Fire
Sidney Anne Harrison
Forward is
Where the Croissantwich Is
Chris Rhatigan
Somebody
Brave
Kat Laurange
Our Lady
Dale Phillips
Greene Day
Nigel Bird
Isabel
Megan McCord
The Memory
Keeper
Sandra Seamans
Bon Appétit
Barb Goffman
Déjà vu
Christopher Grant
It's Not the
End of the World
Matthew C. Funk
A Sound as
of Trumpets
Berkeley Hunt
Supper Time
Col Bury
Blackened
Dellani Oakes
The End of
Everything
AJ Hayes
Last Shift
Steven Luna
Into the
Night
Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw
Blackout
Richard Godwin
Amidst
Encircling Gloom
Scott J Laurange
Devotee
G. Wells Taylor
Princess
Soda and the Bubblegum Knight
R. C. Barnes
The Last
Wave
Kaye George
The Dogs on
Main Street Howl
Allen Leverone
Call the Folks
Alex Keir
The Knitted
Gaol Born Sow Monkey
Peter Mark May
Crossfade
Christian Dabnor
The Tasting
Jesse James Freeman
The Annas
Patricia Abbott
Night Train
to Mundo Fine
Jimmy Callaway Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Children's Book Relief
If you're like me, you have a whole bookcase full of books you've read and will probably never read again. Maybe you cull them every once in awhile, sending them to live at your local library, or donating them to your nearest thrift store, or just leaving them on buses and on benches like a friend of mine does. Maybe all you really need is a good reason for cleaning off those shelves.
Now you have one.
Urban Librarians Unite is hosting a fund drive to benefit children affected by Hurricane Sandy. They're looking for donations of used and new children's books and new activity books and coloring books (with crayons) for children.
Now you have one.
Urban Librarians Unite is hosting a fund drive to benefit children affected by Hurricane Sandy. They're looking for donations of used and new children's books and new activity books and coloring books (with crayons) for children.
Labels:
Hurricane Sandy,
Urban Librarians Unite
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Europe's Top Cop is ... a woman!
Mirielle Balestrazzi |
I love that the number of "first" females is rapidly dwindling and believe that soon the whole notion of some jobs being beyond the reach of women will seem as quaint and old fashioned as sarsaparilla.
Labels:
Interpol,
Mirielle Balestrazzi,
sarsaparilla
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