Weekend Cooking: 6 Links for Food Lovers (#3)

Food over the last week has been all about comfort, because Mr. BFR was recovering from hernia surgery. For example, I made split pea soup, roast chicken, and a simple pasta dish.

On Valentine's Day, he wasn't ready to have a glass of champagne or to go out dinner, but I hated to let the day slip by completely unnoticed. Fortunately, I get the Smitten Kitchen email newsletter, and I found the perfect solution right there: Deb's incredible chocolate red wine cake: it's moist, rich, and insanely delicious, plus it comes together quickly. I left off the topping, but that marscapone cream looks awesome.

The photo is mine -- I always forget to pull out my camera when I'm enjoying my food.

Because this wasn't the week to try new recipes or check out a new cookbook or foodie show, I thought I'd share a half dozen links I've saved and thought you might have fun exploring.

• Make the Cheesy Bread That the French Nibble Nightly: I'm a big fan of Dorie Greenspan and her Washington Post column. Recently I spotted this recipe for a hearty quick bread, which seems to me to be an easy way to pretend I'm in Paris. Note too how many times the French sit down to eat and visit with friends and family. Sounds like heaven.
• Sugar, Explained: We're past the winter holidays and we're done celebrating Valentine's Day, but before we get too used to being without sweets, Easter will be upon us. Jelly beans, anyone? This article from Vox, complete with some easy to digest (ha!) graphics, may make you think twice before eating that chocolate bunny (or not).
• 7 of the Best Food Blogs for Eating on a Budget: Okay, so I'm not sure Huffington Post has truly unearthed the best of budget food blogs, but this list would be a great place to start if you're looking for recipes that won't empty your wallet. Although I was already familiar with three of the featured blogs, I was happy to add a couple more to my list.
• Why Isn't This Working? 5 Variables That Affect Recipe Timing: I almost always learn something new when I visit Serious Eats, and this article caught my attention. No huge surprises in this list, but I want to remember these points, especially when cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen.
• Jacques Pépin Says Following a Recipe Can Lead to Disaster: Master chef Jacques Pépin is no stranger to public television and the PBS Newshour. I love what he has to say about following recipes exactly and what happens when friends serve him a dish from one his cookbooks. The short piece ran last spring, and by clicking the link you can either watch a video or read the transcript.
• 11 Slow-Cooker Meals You Can Prep and Freeze Ahead of Time: The title of this article is slightly misleading, but the tips from Self Magazine for pre-prepping ingredients for slow-cooker meals could be a life-saver for busy cooks. I like the idea of cooking and freezing on the weekend so weekday meals can be put together quickly, when time is at a premium.

Hope you find at least one link that catches your eye. (Photo credit: Deb Lindsey / for The Washington Post.)

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Weekend Cooking: 6 Links for Food Lovers (#2)

Oh happy days that it's truly fall around here. The mountain is red and gold and russet, the skies are deep blue, and the apples are at their best. Still, it's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only few weeks away . . . and after that (Yikes!) Christmas, New Year's Eve, and a whole new calendar.

Today's Weekend Cooking post is brought to you by the mad saver (that would be me). As I wrote a few months ago, I often use Evernote to save links to websites I'm sure I'm going to revisit so I can try out some recipes or print out a few tips.

Ha! We all know how this ends. Good intentions and all that. Maybe I'll change my ways in 2017. (Don't laugh.)

The good news? Just because I don't remember to check out my saved links, doesn't mean you can't explore them for yourself. Enjoy.

• Have Your Cake and Pie Too with the Glorious "Piecaken": If House Beautiful says it's a thing, I guess it is. Yet, the thought of this layered dessert (three pies baked in a cake) has me cringing. I'm just saying no, even though some of the Instagram photos are pretty impressive.
• This 10-Minute Cookie Machine Is Going to Be a Baked Good Game Changer: My first thought was, Huh? But after I read about this Kickstarter project on Refinery 29, I began to change my mind. Although the gadget isn't for me, it would make an awesome gift for anyone living with restricted cooking facilities or maybe even physical limitations. Perfect for a college dorm!
• Grab-and-Go Quick Breakfast Recipes: Breakfast is one of my trouble spots. I get so tired of switching between oatmeal and eggs. Thank you Cooking Light for putting together these recipes. Despite the fact some of the meals don't look very "go" friendly, I see several I want to try.
• What's Up with the Cookbook Industry These Days?: Have tablets and Pinterest sent the printed cookbook into decline? The Los Angeles Times gives us the inside scoop on the state of the industry.
• An Archive of 3,000 Vintage Cookbooks Lets You Travel Back Through Culinary Time: Talking about cookbooks, check out this amazing site, which is a haven for cookbook lovers and food history buffs. The archive is maintained by the Open Culture Project and is freely available to the public. Discovery credit and many, many thanks go to Jill from Rhapsody in Books.
• How to "Wash" Your Cast-Iron Skillet: Do you use soap when you wash your un-enameled cast iron? I know cooks have strong feelings about the proper way to care for these workhorses of the kitchen, and the soap issue is a biggie. Here's what food magazine Bon Appetit has to say about it.

That's my link round-up for the the late fall season. I hope you don't get lost while checking out those 3,000 cookbooks!

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Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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Weekend Cooking: 6 Links for Food Lovers

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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Am I the only one who has multiple food-related Pinterest boards but rarely remembers to actually use them when it comes time to plan dinner? I'm sure I'm not. We all have good intentions when we pin that delicious-looking pie, beautiful salad, or perfectly decorated cake.

Even though I usually forget to use my boards, I have an additional problem. I save food-related articles to a special notebook in Evernote. I read the article and tell myself I need that advice or I must remember to make that recipe. Again, do I actually look at Evernote when I'm getting ready to make dinner or a snack? Of course, I don't.

Well, just because I don't remember to go back and use the information in my Evernote files doesn't mean you can't. So in the spirit of sharing, here are six articles I thought you might like to read. Maybe after I post the links here, I'll be more motivated to give some of the recipes a try.

• The Right Way to Freeze Basically Everything: We're coming into the big harvest months here in the Northern Hemisphere: From August through October, the markets are bursting with fruits and vegetables. I no longer do much (okay, any) canning, but I love my freezers. Here are some great tips from Bon Appetit magazine on the hows and whats of freezing. I particularly like the sections labeled "Keep in mind."
• 17 Boozy Popsicles to Enjoy This Summer: It's still plenty hot out, and because I don't have central air-conditioning, I'm always looking for good ways to cool down. Marie Claire has gathered up a bunch of recipes for delicious-sounding adult ice pops. Those bourbon and peach pops are calling to me! Now I just need to find my Popsicle molds.
• 21 Things to Cook in a Cast Iron Skillet on the Grill (or Over the Fire): Many years ago, I bought a whole box of cast-iron pans at a house auction. I love them and use them often, though not every day. This article from Kitchn caught my eye. I like the idea of taking my cast-iron out to the grill--anything to keep from heating up the kitchen this summer. The recipes cover the whole day, from breakfast to dessert.
• 18 Light Summer Dinners: I often visit the site Cookie + Kate and love this list of summer dinners that are pretty on the plate and easy on the cook. They are all vegetarian, most are vegan, and some are gluten free. Since I'm not a vegan, I could see adding leftover roasted chicken, an egg, or a bit of cheese to a couple of these meals, although they look pretty darn good just as they are.
• 17 Easy Make-Ahead Recipes You’ll Want to Bring Camping: Ignore that word camping if you wouldn't be caught dead in a tent or camper. Replace it with picnic, cookout in the park, tailgating, or even grilling on the back deck. Brit + Co. rounded up some awesome dishes that are made at home and heated up on the grill or fire: the shrimp dinner and breakfast sandwiches both look fantastic.
• 10 Super Healthy Smoothie Recipes: Every time one of you posts a smoothie recipe, I'm all: Yeah, I need to start making smoothies. Do I do it? No. But I did save this recent article from Runners World for protein-packed nutritious drinks. Banana ginger and strawberry-kiwi both sound refreshing. Maybe I really will make a smoothie this weekend . . . or soon.

Now that I've armed you with tips and tricks and recipes, I hope you--and I--will find a few new meals to try before the fall weather sets in.

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Reading in under an Hour: 5 Picks from around the Web

It's a holiday weekend in North America! Canada Day was Friday and U.S. Independence Day is today. I sure hope everyone is celebrating in whatever way makes them happy.

It's been a really long time since I posted some of the short pieces I've read during my lunch hour or while taking a quick break from work. Sometimes I include magazine articles and short stories, but today's Reading in under an Hour focuses on articles I found across the Internet.

Enjoy!

Personal Productivity:
8 Habits of Incredibly Interesting People (found on Entrepreneur Media)
This list is spot-on and earned a page in Bullet Journal.

Cultural Quirks:
Right for Men, Left for Women (found on Motherboard)
Ever wondered why we have gendered buttoning? I did.

The Brain:
The Enormous Power of the Unconscious Brain (found on the BBC)
That moment when I was in awe of a ten-year-old. Be sure to watch the videos.

Cool Career:
Interview with a Modern-Day Independent Mapmaker (found on the Atlantic)
Crap, why didn't I think of this 30 years ago? (I actually love my job, though.)

Something I Already Knew:
This Is What Happened to My Brain When I Spent More Time in Nature (found on Fast Company)
I'm pretty outdoorsy so, there weren't many surprises for me, but if you need incentive, here it is.

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Reading in under an Hour: 3 Shorts from Around the World

Lunchtime is reading time for many of us. I used to spend my midday break with my current print/eBook or my audiobook, but lately I've gotten more pleasure out of shorter pieces.

Each day I pick a story or an article I can start and finish before I turn back to my computer for an afternoon of editing. I've been sampling all kinds of works: short stories, essays, articles, and poems.

Here's a look at three stories I read this week. Can't wait to read more in each collection.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Per Petterson's novels. Before his longer works made him famous, Petterson published ten stories collected in Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes (Graywolf Press) about a young boy living outside of Olso in the early 1960s. These elegantly written shorts view big issues from the perspective of a child's mind. "Like a Tiger in a Cage": After seeing a photograph of his mother from before he was born, Arvid Jansen is startled by the changes in her brought about from the passing of time. He doesn't want to get older, thinking six and a half years are enough, but he can't figure out how to stop time . . . or can he?

He held his hands to his face as if to keep his skin in place and for many nights he lay clutching his body, feeling time sweeping through it like little explosions. . . . But nothing helped, and with every pop he felt himself getting older. (p. 44)

Kevin Barry's Dark Lies the Island is another winning collection from Graywolf Press. Focusing on what the Minneapolis Star Tribune called "marginalized figures," Barry explores his native Ireland with a brilliant combination of humor and darkness. "The Girls and the Dogs": Our unnamed narrator, on the run after selling a bad batch of crack, ends up at the home of an old acquaintance. Evan has two sets of children from two sisters, and all are living under the same roof. Things start off well enough, but when Evan makes our hero an offer he shouldn't have refused, our man finds himself in a tight spot.

Yes it started like that—the trouble—it started as a soft kind of coaxing. Sly comments from Suze and sly comments from Evan the Head. And I got worried when the winter stretched on, the weeks threw down their great length, the weeks were made of sleet and wind, and it became February—a hard month. (p. 138)

Joanna Luloff's The Beach at Galle Road (Algonquin Books) is a collection of interlinked stories that bring the effects of the twenty-five-year-long Sri Lankan civil war down to the individual level. Luloff, a native American, spent almost two years in Sri Lanka as a Peace Corps worker, giving her a firsthand view of the country at war. "Ghost Neighbors": After the war has taken her family and dashed her dreams of becoming a teacher, Nilanthi returns to her childhood home, where people from her past offer unwelcome and questionable help. Overwhelmed with how life must be now, Nilanthi becomes silent, talking only to her ghosts. One of them gives her a way out; will Nilanthi listen?

The lye is still under the bucket by the well. Drink some and we can dance here together in circles until we are dizzy with spinning. (p. 232)

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3 Short Pieces: Reading in under an Hour 2

Lunchtime is reading time for many of us. I used to spend my midday break with my current print/eBook or my audiobook, but lately I've gotten more pleasure out of shorter pieces.

Each day I pick a story or an article that I can start and finish before I turn back to my computer for an afternoon of editing. I've been sampling many kinds of short pieces, such as short stories, essays, magazine articles, and poems.

Here's a look at some of the shorts I've recently read.

Coming out next month, Find the Good (Algonquin, 2015, 9781616201678) is a wonderful collection of essays by Heather Lende, the obituary writer for the town of Haines, Alaska (population ~2,000). In "The Good News," Lende notes that one of her occupational hazards is thinking about what life has to teach us. After years of focusing her journalism on the dead, she's already come up with her own deathbed bit of wisdom: "Find the good." She has taken this advice so much to heart that her editor teases her about it. But because, unlike most obit writers, Lende is summing up the lives of people she knows, she is always looking for the positive. I love the casual, conversational tone of her writing and wholeheartedly recommend the collection.

Writing obituaries is my way of transcending bad news. It has taught me the value of intentionally trying to find the good in people and situations, and that practice--and I do believe that finding the good can be practiced--has made my life more meaningful. (p. 3)

I absolutely loved this February 25, 2015, article from Esquire magazine by Josh Ozersky: "Inside the Shop of the Last Great American Watchmaker." I was drawn to the story for a couple of reasons. First, the Roland G. Murphy Watch Company is located in my state of Pennsylvania and, second, my grandfather was trained as a watchmaker in pre-revolution Russia, so I've always had a thing for timepieces. Unlike the more popular and more status-bearing watches, a Murphy is made by hand with consideration for accuracy and quality. I think we should all embrace the watchmaker's philosophy:

Murphy doesn't build watches for himself or his buyer. He builds for an ideal: that things should always be better than what's necessary.

John McPhee's recent piece in the May 3, 2015, issue of The New Yorker, "On Writing: Frame of Reference" gave me a lot to think about. The central theme has to do with inserting cultural references in our writing, but of course, being conscious of our audience is important in many contexts. As an editor, I'm always aware of what McPhee calls dating a piece. His examples involve groups of famous people, but when editing, I have to check the provenience of much more, such as clothing labels, songs, and cars. There is truly no quicker way to age yourself than to make a reference to the pop culture of your youth; your younger friends won't be able to hide their complete lack of comprehension. Oops. Whether you're writing a book review, a novel, or a tweet, you won't want to miss McPhee's advice.

The last thing I would ever suggest to young writers is that they consciously try to write for the ages. . . . We should just be hoping that our pieces aren’t obsolete before the editor sees them. If you look for allusions and images that have some durability, your choices will stabilize your piece of writing.

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Reading in under an Hour 1

Lunchtime is reading time for many of us. I used to spend my midday break with my current print/eBook or my audiobook, but lately I've gotten more pleasure out of shorter pieces.

Each day I pick a story or an article that I can start and finish before I turn back to my computer for an afternoon of editing. I've been sampling many kinds of short pieces, such as short stories, essays, magazine articles, and poems.

Here's a look at some of the shorts I've read lately.

From Diane Cook's Man v. Nature (Harper, 2014, 9780062333100): "Moving On" is about a very young woman whose husband died from a unnamed disease. In this future world, widows and widowers are not allowed to live alone; instead, they are taken to shelters, where they are taught to forget the dead while they wait for someone to choose to marry them (kind of like adoption). It's a strange reality, and the story makes you think about freedom, love, loneliness, and grief. My understanding is that most of the stories in Man v. Nature are equally dark, but I'm intrigued enough to read more.

In bed I imagine my husband lying beside me. . . . I have to picture him dissolving into the air like in a science-fiction movie, vaporized to another planet, grainy muted, then gone. The sheet holds his shape for a moment before deflating to the bed. I practice not feeling a thing.

The February 23, 2015 issue of The New Yorker had a great personal history piece by Mary Norris, comma queen and copyeditor extraordinaire. In "Holy Writ" Norris talks about how she came to work for the magazine, ending up in the editing department. I love her description of the job that has also been my own career (though I've never edited for a magazine). Perhaps it's an essay only an editor can love, but I can relate to Norris's zigzagging path that led her to become the wielder of a red pencil. She also talks about her interactions with some well-known authors. Read it for yourself by following the link.

One of the things I like about my job is that it draws on the entire person: not just your knowledge of grammar and punctuation and usage and foreign languages and literature but also your experience of travel, gardening, shipping, singing, plumbing, Catholicism, Midwesternism, mozzarella, the A train, New Jersey. And in turn it feeds you more experience.

Although Katherine Hall Page has written a popular and award-winning mystery series (more than twenty books long), I have never read any of her Faith Fairchild novels. Her 2014 collection Small Plates (William Morrow, 9780062310798) contains short mystery stories, and the one I read featured Faith helping a woman who was a member of her husband's congregation. "The Ghost of Winthrop" was a light read that was as much about the characters as it was about the mystery. Despite the word ghost in the title, this is not a scary story, though it does involve a death and an inheritance. I'm looking forward to more lunchtime Faith Fairchild stories.

There was another reason for [Prudence Winthrop's] ashen color and the way the woman's hands were gripping the edge of the pew--so hard her knuckles were deathly white. It wasn't grief. It was fear. . . . And Faith intended to find out why.

Finally, I am on a never-ending quest to declutter my house and found an article at Becoming Minimalist with some good advice. There were several methods outlined in "10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home" that I might be able to adopt. While I don't think I'll use any of these ideas exactly as they are described, I can see how some of them could be adapted to my needs. For example, I like the Four-Box Method, which entails categorizing each item as trash, give away, keep, or relocate. There are a couple of suggestions for clearing out your closet, if that's one of your goals. Click on the link to see if any of the decluttering tricks speak to you.

I'm considering making Reading in under an Hour a sporadic feature. Let me know what you think.

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