What I’m reading – Page 2

Spinach and Feta Lasagna wins over chicken

The chicken was tender and good but the hands-down favorite at last night’s dinner was The Grit Restaurant’s lasagna so I decided I would share the recipe here so everyone else could make it too! Today was our day to eat leftovers and my husband and son both ate the leftover lasagna, which I had planned on taking for lunch tomorrow-that’s how good it was. I was really incredulous since they are the big meat eaters!! Now I will be combing through this cookbook looking for other delicious recipes to tantalize them.

Spinach and Feta Lasagna

6 ozs lasagna noodles, freshly cooked
4 quarts water
1/2 block firm tofu, crumbled
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 cups Grit Marina (I used two jars of organic sauce-no time to make the sauce, this time.)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley, oregano, and basil

Preheat oven to 350. Oil a 9 x 13 in.baking dish.
Boil lasagna noodles in water until barely tender; Drain and seperate the noodles, set aside.
Combine tofu, soy sauce, mustard, pepper, feta cheese and spinach in a large mixing bowl.
Lightly coat bottom of prepared pan with marina sauce. Cover the sauce with layer of noodles, running the long way. Spread 1/2 of spinach-feta mixture, 1/3 of the marina sauce, and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Cover with second layer of noodles and on up, repeating but this time put the noodles crossways (so you have to cut them to make them fit). Cover with a third layer running the longway and top with remaining marina. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsely mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until well browned on top. Cool slightly before serving.

I do usually make my own sauce when I make other lasagnas but this time since I was preparing another meal practically with the chicken/roast potato combination from Jamie Oliver, I just didn’t have the time. I also used fresh parsley mix on top and I did not have any dry mustard so I just squirted in some stone-ground mustard from my refrigerator-it worked out fine. I never preheat my oven until I’m almost finished with a recipe-it just doesn’t make sense to have it on for the 30 minutes or so it takes me to make a recipe. Viola-it was easy to put together and even easier to eat!
Our evening with friends was great even though it was snowstorming outside. We were toasty warm inside with our wine, food and holiday music playing. Our Christmas entertaining is off to a fantastic start. Through the weekend I did manage some reading; I finished Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay and stared the Everafter by Amy Huntley, which I am fascinated by! I need to review Sarah’s Key as well as A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce.

Buy The Grit cookbook at their website-you won’t be disappointed!!

I am an IndieBound affiliate and some of my links will take you there. I’ve earned nothing as of yet from this association but one can always have hope.

In other news-we have a two hour school delay so I wll be sleeping in and reading in my toasty bed. I may pad down to the kitchen and whip up some German Pancakes for my children if I feel up to it. I would love it if they would just cancel the whole day-it is FREEZING out there!

Next week’s topic-fresh bread!

What's Cookin'

What a lazy Saturday I’ve had. Somedays you just want to curl up and stay inside. Today was one of those days except we started out with ice skating at 9:00, had a brunch date with some distant cousins in town and had to do a little Christmas shopping for school families. I did get to spend the afternoon home and somehow I lost my bag with my book in it for the entire afternoon so I didn’t exit to my room to read like I often do on a lazy Saturday. I ended up knitting (and napping) to some sappy tv Christmas movie my daughter was half watching as she played around the family room. While I’m sad about not reading-I’m reading Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay-it was nice just to hang loose. The book is very good but not an easy read so taking a break was okay except I have a sappy Christmas book to read for book club Monday night.-gotta get going on that one also and I’m having trouble mixing the two.

This is what I’m making right now to feed my family tomorrow. Lazy but prepared is my motto.

Morroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup

1 T. olive oil
1 med. sized yellow onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
3 small garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 cup dried lentils, picked over and rinsed
One 14.5-oz can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped (I just used diced)
1 1/2 cups slow-cooked or one 15.5-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 tsp. harissa sauce, to taste, plus more to serve
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, cover, and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, tumeric, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom, stirring to coat the vegetables.

2. Transfer the onion mixture to a 4- to 6- quart slow cooker, add the lentils, tomatoes, chickpeas and stock, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

3. About 10 minutes before serving add the lemon juice and harissa and season with salt and pepper. A small bowl of harissa may be placed on the table for those who want to add more. (I’m not adding the harissa-a spicy chili mixture as it will make it too spicy for my children) if you want the harissa sauce recipe leave me a comment and I will get it to you.

This serves 6 and I’m hoping for leftovers so I can take it for lunch a few days this week.
Rewritten from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker .
This is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Happy Cooking and Reading!

November ReCap

Turkey Lamp from Just Because you don’t need it blog

November is gone and December has rolled in on an icy wind. We have some white stuff floating in the air just to prove winter is here. Time to hunker down by the fire or at least wrap yourself in a large blanket and read the day away. I prefer to stay in bed with the electric blanket turned to high.
I have several books lined up to read in December but first let’s finish off November.

I read eight books for personal reading.

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
2. Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy
3. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
4. My Abandoment by Peter Rock
5. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
6. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
7. Evangeline Mudd and the Golden-Haired Apes of the Ikkinasti Jungle by David Elliot
8. A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

I haven’t reviewed them all but they were all very good. I think my favorites were #2, # 4, #5 and #6. I enjoyed reading the classically wonderful Fahrenheit 451 but I didn’t love it and the story started to drag for me. The message is an all-important one though. One of my challenges (451) finished in November and sadly I failed-I read four out of five titles. I didn’t finish my quota but thankfully they are not coming to cut out my tongue or chase me down by helicopter for not finishing. The last book I was to read for this challenge got left behind by accident at my brother’s home. Ooopsie! I did get to read several classics though-and for me that was a win so all is not lost.

I’m going to read at least this many in December to finish off other challenges and just because I want to. I like reading-what can I say…
Thank you November…I have much to be thankful for, my blessings surround me.

Happy December!!

Seriously Selling Books

(My organic, buy-local hero, Alice Waters)

One of my dear friends is the brains behind our (now 2nd) annual Christmas Bazaar. Last year she made me make chocolate covered pretzel sticks and cookies. This year she asked if I would be in charge of a used book sale as part of the bazaar. Well, that is right up my alley so it took about two seconds to say yes.

So here I’ve been for the last three hours, selling books at rock-bottom prices. We are a church filled with readers so the book selection is stellar-really! I have a stack right next to me of excellent titles I just couldn’t pass up. Two are cookbooks: Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Remolif Shere with a preface by Alice Waters and illustrated by Wayne Thiebaud. I’m buying it because I trust Ms Waters so much but also because it has recipes like Nutmeg Geranium Ice Cream, Langues De Chat and an entire chapter on just chocolate.
The other cookbook is a spiral-bound book called Screen Cuisine with a really silly illustration on the front. I couldn’t find an image of it and I don’t have a fancy phone to snap a picture to share. I happened to browse through it and discovered it was published by the National Film Society. The list of recipes arefrom a cornucopia of famous people such as Rosemary Clooney’s Viennese Goulash, Newman’s Own Marinated Steak, Carol Burnett’s Fresh Peach Souffle and Dean Martin’s “Dean’s Chix Dish.” Wow-this is a classic. After each recipe is their “signature.” I have to buy it just for the amusement. Only at a church bazaar could you find two such amazing recipe books. My husband, of course, rolled his eyes at the amount of books I brought home! You can’t beat 50 cents a book.

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking. She reviewed The Wine Trials; 2011-a fantastic book about blind taste testing a variety of wines and their rankings. I know it is a useful book because I have the first edition-2008. My thoughtful husband gave it to me as a birthday and I still use it. A gift that keeps on giving! Even though I haven’t tried all the wines in my version I’d love to take a look at this newer version. Thanks Beth Fish for a great reveiw!

400

Posting tonight on my continued effort to blog everyday in November I will have written 400 posts. I’m feeling good about that-I love writing and sharing but I try not to get too crazy/obsessed about it because it is just a hobby. But 400 posts is cool.

Parent’s Weekend has just begun and we’ve been to a Wine and Cheese party with a steel drum band playing away, we went to a great little diner for dinner (I had the Sunshine Salad) and we watched an improv troupe do their funny thing. Tomorrow there are many events planned but for awhile we are just going to relax at the hotel. No bed bugs so far. Woo hoo!

I am on page 98 of My Abandonment by Peter Rock, which is told from a 13-year-old’s point-of-view. It is well-written and I’m fascinated enough to keep reading along because I keep thinking there is going to be a major revelation-that and the writing is good. I am enoying the character, Caroline but I’m not sure how I feel about her dad. I think his intentions are good but feel like his fear of the outside world is shutting out choices for Caroline. I do enjoy how well the author can speak through a young female character.

Watch this video of Peter Rock discussing how the story, My Abandonment, came to be.

***My baking experience this morning (see yesterday’s post) was great. I was up early and my friend, Barb, and I made wheat bread, sweet bread, blueberry muffins, iced some scones and rolled some sugar cookies in pink sprinkles. It was a really fun two hours, spent working, baking and talking. We did sit and have some Chai tea and scones before my family picked me up. What more can you hope for when spending time with long-time friends? It was a quick but blissful visit.

Cheers to 400 posts-even if I’m just at the party myself!!

Oberlin, Ohio

(The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies)

     We’re on the road again, headed to our first college Parent’s Weekend for daughter, Kaylee. Last Spring we spent time in Oberlin for a quick weekend initial visit and we loved this little town. It has a book store, knitting store and great little restaurant within walking distance of the campus. And the campus is beautiful and very eco-friendly. I’m listening to the train whistle outside of Chicago, in a small town called Hobart, where one of my closest friends live.

     Early in the morning I’m going to get up and help her make bread at her bakery, Marilyn’s and by 8:00 we’ll be heading to Oberlin-a mere four (or so) hours away. I have a guest teacher doing my job tomorrow-so all day I will feel a little like I’m playing hookey! I finished rereading Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins on the drive and start My Abandonment by Peter Rock as I crawl between the sheets. Happy Reading everyone!

Weekend Update

What a glorious day we had yesterday! The weather was beautiful. My daughter decided to rake in order to have a pile of leaves to jump into, over and over again. My dad used to rake up piles for me to jump into so I got up out of our hammock, where I had been reading Slaughterhouse 5-my book club book for tonight, and helped her rake. Feel the joy…

Then she had to change clothes to match the leaves…

When the sun started to disappear we headed inside and we made Shrimp Pad Thai from her Around the World Cookbook. It was yummy and everyone loved having it for dinner!

Oh, and here she is on Saturday after we put together her “Ladybug Girl” Halloween costume!

Reading-wise I’m almost finished with Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. I can’t wait to get back to Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. I need to post about The Sorceress by Michael Scott.

I’m almost finished with the hat I’m knitting for my husband-I just learned how to knit with circular needles and I love it! Oh, and we went to a fantastic concert on Saturday (just by chance when friends called and offered us free tixs) featuring Pieta Brown (daughter of Greg Brown) and

Brandi Carlisle-it was part of our local symphony’s pop night! It was pretty rockin’!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend as well!

Around the World Cookbook

by Abigail Johnson Dodge

DK Publishing

(2008)

     My daughter brought this great wire-bound book home from her school library. She even renewed it last week but we still haven’t had a chance to make anything from it. We have had several important house guests though and they have all perused this cookbook. My mother-in-law and my mother both think it would make a fantastic Christmas gift for their various granchildren. My mother-in-law wants to have a copy of it for herself to use when grandchildren are there.
     My friend V copied down a brussell sprout recipe from it and generally liked the cookbook but was taken aback how Africa (the Continent) is lumped together with The Middle East and the Mediterranean. We could understand this mixture if just North Africa’s cuisine was part of this group but the entire African continent is too diverse to add entirely to one group. Oh, and Africa only has one recipe including in this entire section and it is one brought by the Dutch Settlers-as if the African people never made anything themselves before, during or after the Dutch invaded. Note to publisher: Give Africa a little more space next time because as V said “It’s like people of color (from Africa) don’t really cook or matter!” It is always a startling experience to view a piece of art from another’s eyes. Other than this faux pas we like the cookbook.
     Inside the book there are pages of kitchen rules, ingredients lists, kitchen tools and vocabulary. Each section begins with a photo and information about the country, Asia starts the book off and has it’s own large section with such delicious recipes miso soup, bok choy stir-fry and Vietnamese lettuce rolls. I was impressed with how many meatless selections there were throughout the book. Besides the already mentioned countries, others included are India, Indonesia and Australia and Rusia and Northern Europe, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean and U.S. and Canada. There are also sections on finger food, cheeses and flatbreads from around the world. I have to say there are several recipes in each section that I want to try.
Overall a solid A rating.
     Today as we drive across part of Iowa to a regional Cross Country meet she plans to pick several recipes that she and I can make tomorrow. I have my heart set on a few, like the Canadian Butter Tarts with maple butter! Oh, Canada!
Click for Abby Dodge’s website. This post is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Happy Cooking!!

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Bogged Down, Down…

Image courtesy of (Cross Fire)cfednutrition.wordpress.com

Do you ever get stuck while reading one book? I’m stuck reading The Sorceress; The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. This is the third in the series and I am enjoying the story-I just haven’t had lots of extra time to read so this is what I’ve been reading since the beginning of October. My only extra time has been reading in bed but by I’ve been getting to bed so late I’m falling asleep after only one chapter! I feel a little bad for this book and it’s not even the books fault! My dreams have been more exciting as I’ve dreamed about the twins, Perenelle and Nicholas, Williams Shakespeare and the Saracen Knight! It does make for some crazy dreaming!!

When I began this book I thought it was the conclusion (no idea why…) and then I heard the other day that the fourth one, The Necromancer, is out and when I checked out Michael Scott’s website I see it is actually a series of six! I’ve got a ways to go. In September I did finish two other series; Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson. I can still feel good about that but for now I’m going to have to read every spare minute now that the play and all my dear out-of-town visitors are gone!

In a week and a half I need to have finished Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five for my bookclub. I need to read three books to finish up my Fahrenheit 451 challenge and read a book to prepare for an author’s guest post coming in November! Can it all be done? Yes, if I can just get past The Sorceress! I’m anxious to get to my lunch time to see if Perenelle (The Sorceress) makes it off of Alcatrez Island with Scatty’s and Joan of Arc’s help! Finishing this book will give me another tally on my Reading From My Own Shelves Book Challenge! Another good thing! Cheer me on as I climb out of the rut…

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A Busy Week in Review

I’ve been trying to spruce up my blog the last few weeks by changing colors and backgrounds but nothing seemed to fit. While jogging from one blog to another one day I discovered The Eagle’s Aerial Perspective blog and my eye caught a little blurb about button-making and viola, after lots of magic wand waving, she created a beautiful banner for me! Doesn’t it look lovely! Beyond that I’m pretty happy with my white background and varied color scheme as I’m not a fancy girl. Tell me what you think!

I finished Shiver last night and loved it-it made me ache for young love and for all those moments I see my husband doing his quirky things that make me so giddy. For instance recently he’s been needing cheater glasses to read-he hates this-but I ADORE it as he reads next to me at night. Something about those glasses makes me happy and Shiver brought out tons of good raw emotion. More on that later when I review it and now I need to find me a copy of Linger-second in the Mercy Falls series. I still need to write about One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, which was really good, and several new picture books burning a hole in my library bag.

I am reading hippie chick by Joseph Monninger while I wait for teenage son to finish Mockingjay-but I agree with JuJu of Tales of Whimsy who left me a comment acknowledging that starting it means ending it so I’m not racing to read it but am aware of its presence in the bedroom next door, right on the nightstand, sitting closed. It will call to me soon enough.

I did make the Cheeca Sauce I posted about yesterday but otherwise did not cook much this weekend. We had a wedding reception to attend and I had a ton of homework to do after my first week of school. I’ve finished my lesson plans for the week and some charts for positive behavior-I’m ready to roll for my second full week of teaching.

What about you…what made your week exciting? Mine is having that new banner to enjoy! Thank you to The Golden Eagle at Eagle’s Aerial Perspective. Happy Monday everyone…