My Latest Read: Molly Wizenberg, How I Love Thee

I didn’t think it was possible to love Molly Wizenberg any more than I did before. But I do. I just finished her new book Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant,A Marriage. I couldn’t believe my luck getting it from the library so quickly. It was released on Tuesday with a waiting list of over forty people, but by Saturday it was wine. My guess is that the peeps at my library know a good book when they see it and bought multiple copies to keep up with the demand.

Anyway, Delancey is a memoir about the early years of Wizenbergs marriage during which she and her husband, Brandon, opened an upscale pizza restaurant called, well, Delancey. This is not just a book about the restaurant or food. It’s also about finding your way in the early stages of marriage and building a strong foundation on which your marriage can grow. I found myself rooting for Molly and Brandon and cheering at the end when Delancey finds its feet and is a rousing success. The food also sounds dee-lic-ous. It makes me want to jump on a plane to Seattle just to eat there. If anyone is looking for a quick, yummy read, this is it!

In other news, remember that book I published about a year ago? Well, it’s won an award. Last month

TheNever King won the Independent Publishers of New England award for Best Genre Fiction. I guess I should finally figure out how the market it now, huh?

I also ran (and sometimes walked) a 5k on Mother’s Day. After a serious ankle injury at the beginning of April and an adulthood of wanting to run a 5k and not doing it, this was a huge deal for me. I feel inspired to finally get in shape and joined my local Koko Fit Club. They are running a special deal for the summer and it looks like the program will provide the hand holding I need to kick start my fitness routine. According to their measurements I’ve already gained 1.2lbs of lean muscle – woo hoo! Although  I weigh more than when I started Koko (thanks to muscle weighing more than fat) I look smaller and my clothes are fitting better, so I’m going with it.

I’ve also been pinning recipes like mad to Pinterest. And I’ve fallen in love with Stitch Fix. I also have to say that the whole "Concious Uncoupling" thing has left a bad taste in my mouth regarding Gwyneth Paltrow. 

I’m back in the blogging groove so look for upcoming posts about the boatload of books I’m picking up from the library this afternoon, grill recipes now that nice weather has arrive in New England, my next fix from Stitch Fix and my trials and triumphs getting rid of the baby weight I’ve been carrying around for the last five years. Am I still allowed to call it baby weight given that my youngest will be six this year?

What have you been up to?

The Culinary Bibliophile is Back!

It 's been more than seven months since I last posted on this blog. I'm not sure what happened. My guess is that it was summer and we were outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. Then school started. Then the holiday season was in full swing. In any event I'm back. Why? Because I found that I actually missed writing. I surprised myself by enjoying writing this blog for the sake of writing it, whether or not anyone reads it (although I hope someone does!) So here I am. And here's a sprinkling of what's been going on for the past seven-ish months and lessons I've learned:

Ben turned five and is now officially registered for Kindergarten for the Fall. Time flies!

My Beef Brisket and Chicken Pot Pie are great things to make to deliver to a friend in need.

I have taken of the roll of Fellowship Chair at church. Basically this means I plan the social events like the Easter breakfast, holiday party, Lego night and various potlucks. I'm not sure how this happened , especially since I've lamented about how I take on too much, but being Fellowship Chair has fulfilled me in ways I couldn't have anticipated. I'm glad I said "yes" when asked.

That said, I've learned to say "no" more often. I don't go to every single meeting of the preschool parents association. I don't sign up to volunteer for every event at Jake's school (but I do still help out at our favorites.) I have put hanging out with friends and family as a priority - more often than not I say "yes" to these invites. My life is less stressed and much richer as a result.

The Scotsman has been traveling a lot more for work. I'm trying to be grateful that he has a good job rather than stressed about childcare and household logistics while he's away.

Jake is into soccer big time (both playing and watching). He's joined two leagues and loves to watch games on TV. The Scotsman even set him up with his own fantasy league for the English Premiership. It's been fun to watch him grow in and embrace the sport!

The Americans on FX is a great show. The Scotsman and I can't wait for the new season to start at the end of the month!

Sleep is the cure for whatever ails you. I am finally getting a good nights sleep fairly regularly and I feel so much better because of this. Who knew!?!?

Books I have read (by the way, these are not affiliate links - I'm just trying to make it a little easier for you to browse. You can also see what I've been reading on my Goodreads profile): What Alice Forgot, The Man Who Ate Everything, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and Reconstructing Amelia, among others.

The Scotsman can't hate pasta as much as he says he does. He's been regularly requesting my Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese lasagna, as recently as last night. There is hope! And I promise to post the recipe soon.

A snow storm, great neighbors and a bottle of wine are a fabulous combination.

I'm learning to embrace my slow cooker.

Doing everything the night before (making lunches, laying out clothes, etc) is the key to a better day.

So that's what's going on with me - what's been going on with you?

Reading Challenge: Success or Not Challenging Enough?

Library books are like buses. You wait and wait and not a single one comes along. Then three come at once. I’ve been on the waiting list for three ebooks at my library for well over a month. I received an email yesterday letting me know that all three were mine for the next twenty one days. I’m going to do my best to squish them all in as it makes me sad to return a library book without finishing it.

I worried about how the heck I was going to read three book in three books and then I noticed something odd on my Goodreads profile. It turns out that I’ve reached my “2013 Reading Challenge” goal of 25 books already. Given that I only joined the challenge in late January and didn’t record any of the books I read earlier that month, I must be averaging 1.3 books a week. Who knew? Certainly not me! Obviously I’m not challenging myself enough. I like a good challenge so I’m deciding what to do next. Up my Goodreads challenge to 75 books? Broaden my horizons by reading a genre I’ve never been crazy about (but what would be the fun in that?) Do something totally different?

Below is a list of the 25 books I read as part of the challenge with the star ratings I gave them on Goodreads. We have a quiet weekend ahead of us so I plan to spend lots of time in the kitchen. Recipes to come!

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen – 4 stars

Inferno by Dan Brown – 3.5 stars

Plenty: One Man, One Woman And A Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith – 4 stars

The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan – I chose not to rate this one.

I’ll Take What She Has by Samantha Wilde – 3 stars (read for one of my two in-person book clubs)

The Girls Guide To Love And Supper Clubs by Dana Bate – 4 stars (really cute with lots of yummy food)

The Racketeer by John Grisham – 3 stars (read for Goodreads bookclub)

The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb – 4 stars (the perfect grown-up ghost story)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – 4 stars

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks – 3 stars

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg – 4 stars

The Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke – 3 stars (sometimes I like a little fluff but this was not one of Fluke’s best)

Gods Lions: The Dark Ruin by John Lyman – 3 stars

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson – 5 stars

The Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke – 3 stars (ok, I’ve been reading a lot of fluff lately)

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen – 4 stars (my new favorite author)

Dead Anyway by Chris Knopf – 3 stars

The Devil’s Grin by Annelie Wendeberg – 3 stars

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche – 4 stars (read it for a Goodreads bookclub thinking I would hate it. I ended up rally liking it.)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling – 3 stars (read for in-person bookclub called The Gratuitous Bookclub)

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg – 4 stars

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – 3 stars

Deadly Pedigree by Jimmy Fox – 3 stars (won in a LibraryThing giveway)

Finding Camlann by Sean Pidgeon – 4 stars

Proof of Heave: A Neurosurgeons Journey Into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander – 4 stars

Inferno - Fire Up the Grill

May has been a busy month. I feel like I’ve always been on the go, whether it be to a soccer game, birthday party or church event. But I’m looking on the bright side; it all involves having fun with my family and the weather has finally turned. Summer is just around the corner!

In a decidedly non-outdoor activity, I finished Inferno, Dan Brown’s latest Robert Langdon Novel. It’s a good book and I enjoyed it. But I think I set my expectations too high. I loved The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. What I loved most about those books was the details of little known history and the insinuation that the worlds great leaders and artists have been protecting a precious secret, generation after generation. And I love that the premise could actually be true (or maybe it isn’t – but that’s part of the fun!).

While Inferno is based on Dante’s work of the same name, the plot and the “secret” are modern. I preferred the ancient of the previous books. This book is more of a modern day thriller. While Brown’s previous works take place in the present day, the plot is very much rooted in the past. With Inferno, not so much and I was a bit disappointed. However, if I had considered this a standalone book and not set myself up for a DaVinci Code Part II I would have been much happier. And it gets you thinking about the future of the human race (I’ll say no more so I don’t ruin it for you!) Think of it more as Nelson DeMille novel (BTW – I love DeMille.)

On a bloggy note: it has occurred to me that I don’t really add pictures to my posts. Would you like me to? Or do you not care either way?

I would be remise if I didn’t leave you with at least one recipe. Grilling season if finally here! Here’s a three step plan for an easy peasy (lemon squeezy, to quote Jake) week night dinner on the grill for four:

1.       Take 1 lb shelled and de-veined shrimp and toss it in ¼ cup soy says and 2 TBS honey. Thread onto kabob skewers. Add some veggies if you’re feeling fancy but don’t sweat it if you’re not – this is meant to be easy and quick.

2.       Throw some ears of corn on the grill and cook for 15 mins. 5 minutes before the corn is done but the shrimp on the grill and cook until pink.

3.       Heat up the below recipe for baked beans. You will have made a huge pot earlier in the week so that you can have super yummy leftovers throughout the week (they taste even better the next day). Or you can cook the them on the same day. Just start them an hour before the corn and shrimp. I recommend doubling the recipe.

Maple Baked Beans

3 15-oz cans baked beans (I use Bush’s Onion flavor – saves me chopping an onion to add)

1 TBS minced garlic

¾ cup maple syrup

2 TBS tomato paste

1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

1 TBS chili powder

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large pot (use a cast iron dutch oven and you can cook it on the grill!) Cook for about 45 minutes, until liquids reduce.

Book Review: Caleb's Crossing, A Recipe and Other Random Things

I am now over last week which I have named The Week of Great Insanity. It is (thankfully) over and I am back to normal after Wednesdays mini-meltdown. And my mom is coming this weekend which means lot of time cooking and doing crafty things with the boys. Yay!

As I mentioned in my last post, I did manage to get a little reading done during The Week of Great Insanity. I finished Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. I have been doing a lot of hemming and hawing about whether or not to review this book for ya’ll as my intention when I started this blog was only to review books I liked. My thinking was that it would be silly to waste space on the interwebs (not to mention your time) writing about books I was not fond of that I don’t recommend that you read. And my mom always told me not to say anything at all if I don’t have anything nice to say about something or someone, and that advice has kept me in good stead for the past 33 years.

Which leads me to the Caleb’s Crossing Conundrum. On one hand I really liked this book. On the other hand, I really didn’t like this book. I know it’s odd to have two very opposite feelings about the same book, but that’s just the way it is.  So, I thought I’d separate this review into the things I liked about this book and the things I didn’t like about this book and let you decide for yourself. I’m going to start with the things I liked because I’m a positive, glass-is-half-full kind of girl.

But first a very brief synopsis:  Bethia Mayfield lives in a small community of Puritans on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1660s. As a pre-teen she meets Caleb, the son of a Wampanoag Chieftain and develops a deep and enduring friendship with him that spans decades, geography and the cultural divide.

Things I liked:

Bethia. I loved, loved, loved Bethia. She is spunky and smart and not afraid to stand up for herself in an era when women were encouraged to do just the opposite. She is also compassionate, nurturing and kind hearted. Bethia rocks!

The fact that the story is rooted in history. There really was a Caleb Chessahahteaumuck of Martha’s Vineyard who was the first Native American to graduate from Harvard.  Very little is known about him and Brooks filled in the many pieces of his life with well-written and meticulously researched fiction. And Bethia’s last name of Mayfield is very similar to the surname of one of the first Puritan settlers of MV – Mayhew. I have a degree in history so this appealed my inner history buff (but a degree in history does not get you a job so I went to grad school for a more marketable skill, but that’s a story for another day.) That degree in history also means I am very critical of historical fiction, but I have no issues with what Brooks has done with Caleb’s Crossing.

The setting of Martha’s Vineyard and Cambridge, Massachusetts. I am always drawn to books that are set in a place I know and love. I lived one town over from Cambridge for seven years. I currently work one town over from Cambridge. My children were born in Cambridge and The Scotsman and I used to hang around in Cambridge a lot before the kids were born. As for Martha’s Vineyard, we visited this beautiful island for the first time three years ago. Despite the fact that I had never been there before, immediately after stepping off the ferry I felt completely at peace and had a sense that I’d “come home”. Odd and cheesy, I know, but that’s the way I felt and still feel every time I visit. We are fortunate to spend 10 days on MV every summer and if The Scotsman and I every win the lottery we’d like to buy our own house there and live there year round instead of renting someone else’s house for a tiny portion of the summer. Although I don’t think there are many techie jobs for The Scotsman on an island miles from anything, but if we won the lottery would that matter? But I digress…..

Things I didn’t like:

Certain attitudes were  shoved down my throat. I am well aware of the fact that men were considered to be better than woman in the 1660s and that the way Native Americans were treated was horrible, wrong, narrow-minded, etc. But I don’t need to be reminded of it on every single page. You know, in case I didn’t get it the first time it was explained.

Caleb was a very flat character. There was lot of room to develop him more.

There wasn’t much plot. The story just kind of plodded along. I said the same thing about The Peach Keeper, but the authors wonderful writing style kept me interested in the story and I gave it 4 stars without hesitation. The same thing can’t be said about Caleb’s Crossing. Yet I kept reading. Which makes me question how big a deal the lack of plot really was. Hmmm…..

Martha’s Vineyard is a beautiful island with a unique landscape. I feel the book would have benefited from making the island more of a “character” in the book. Or maybe I’m just biased because I love MV so much.

Spoiler Alert: a lot of characters you grow to like die. It’s a bit of a bummer.

So…..

I really don’t know how to rate this on Goodreads. I’d like to give it a 3.5 but Goodreads doesn’t allow you to give half stars so it going to have to be either a 3 or a 4. Until I decide it is marked as “Currently Reading” on my Goodreads profile. Is anyone as miffed as I am that amazon has purchased Goodreads? We’ve just become one giant focus group for amazon.

A few years ago I read another book by Geraldine Brooks: People of the Book. I liked that one much better.

Random Things That Have Little or Nothing To Do With The Book:

I discovered this blog by Susan Branch. Martha’s Vineyard is very much a character in this blog which is what drew me to it. But if MV isn’t your thing, this blog is full of wonderful craft ideas, yummy recipes and whimsical illustrations by Branch. Love it! I am also sure that her husband (who is pictured on her blog) is the guy on page 39 of The Black Dog Summer On the Vineyard Cookbook but I’m not sure how to leave a comment to that affect on her blog without seeming stalker-ish.

If anyone is looking for something to get me for Mothers Day (ahem, The Scotsman), I’d like this.

Did you know that Roald Dahl wrote a cookbook? I loved his books when I was a child and am in the midst of introducing them to Jake. And I love all things food and cooking. So how perfect is a cookbook by Roald Dahl?

And Finally, A Recipe…..

I’m the culinary bibliophile, right? So here’s one of my faves from The Black Dog Summer On the Vineyard Cookbook. It’s called Quahog Chowder in deference to the variety of clams abundant in New England, but any type of clams will do. This recipe is true to the chowder they serve in The Black Dog Tavern, which I am completely obsessed with. I will eat this steaming hot in 90 degree heat because it is that good. Hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Patriots Day (for those of you who live in Massachusetts and Maine)!

B.D. Quahog Chowder – Serves 8-10 (or just 2 if you’re making this for me and The Scotsman)

From The Black Dog Summer On The Vineyard Cookbook by Joseph Hall and Elaine Sullivan

2 oz salt pork, rind removed (I slice up 3 strips of normal bacon)

2 cups diced onion

1 cup diced celery

3 cups diced potato (I use Yukon Gold)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp black pepper

4 cups shelled quahogs (or any type of clam) with juice (about 6 lbs in the shell)

½ cup salted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ quarts light cream

Dice the salt pork (or slice the bacon) and sauté in a large pot until translucent.

Add the onions and celery and sauté for 5 minutes

Pour in about 1 ½ cups of juice from the clams and add the potatoes and seasonings.

Simmer the mixture until the potatoes are tender. This should take about 10 minutes.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. When it’s bubbling, add the flour and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Roughly chop the quahogs/clams, reserving any liquid.

When the potatoes are tender, add the clams to the large pot and simmer for 2 minutes.

Stir in the butter and flour mixture and continue simmering for another 5 minutes, stirring often. This is your chowder base.

In a separate saucepan (yes, you can yell at me about all the dirty dishes this is creating), scald the cream by heating it until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Do not boil.

Stir the hot cream into the chowder base, mix together and remove from the heat.

At The Black Dog they serve it topped with a dollop of butter and oyster crackers or crusty bread. YUM!!

Back On The Wagon

I have a confession to make: for the past few weeks dinner has been a big fail. Meal planning has fallen by the wayside. Dinner at the table – what’s that? And more take-out has been consumed than I’m willing to admit. This week, I’m determined to get back on the healthy family dinner wagon. Of course, I’ve picked an less than ideal week to start. We’re going away for the weekend which means grocery shopping will be done in rush before we leave tomorrow morning and I won’t be in the mood to prep meals for the week when we get home on Sunday night. But I’m going to try anyway. I’m starting with some easy standby meals and if all goes well I’ll get more ambitious in the kitchen next week.

In other news, last night I started A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by the lovely Molly Wizenberg of the Orangette blog. I was only able to read a few pages before falling asleep (see previous post on sleep deprivation) but I am already smitten with Molly.

I’ve also dipped my toe into the big, bad Twitterverse. I have been afraid of Twitter (irrational, I know) and am now trying to conquer my fear. Find me at @culinarybiblio for more food, book and mom stuff and/or @thebedwyrpress for my adventures self-publishing The Never King.

And now for what you’ve all been waiting for (yeah, right). My meal plan for the week. Wish me luck!

Monday: Pasta and salad. With sauce from a jar. Boring, I know, but both kids have swimming on Monday night (usually it’s only one) and I know we will be home late and boiling water and heating sauce will be all I will be able to manage.

Tuesday: Pork Chops in Apple Cider. This is a recipe I’m pretty sure my mom made up but it’s really, really simple, kid-friendly and yummy. Take boneless, center-cut pork chops (although truth be told, I’ve used bone-in) and brown them briefly in a skillet. Leave chops in skillet and fill skillet with apple cider (apple juice works too, in a pinch) until the cider level comes half way up the chops. Cook until chops are cooked through (about 10 minutes for boneless, but double check. Trichinosis is not fun!). Remove chops from cider and serve. If you really want to get fancy you can throw some sliced apples and onions in with the chops while they’re cooking.

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner –Omelets. The Scotsman is the omelet chef in our family so I’m delegating this dinner to him.

Thursday: Kids: French Bread Pizza Adults: Open-Face Caprese. The kids French bread pizza is pretty self explanatory – apply tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese to slices of French bread. Bake at 350® for 10 mins or until cheese in melty. I’m going to kick it up a notch for the adults with this recipe from Rachel Ray for an Open-Face Caprese . 

Friday: Homemade Hamburgers. I don’t have a particular recipe in mind at the moment. I’ll probably just wing it.

So there you have it. What are you cooking this week?

Before I Go To Sleep

I think it’s possible that I haven’t had a good nights sleep in almost exactly 7 years. In a couple of weeks my oldest, Jake, will turn 7. Not only will it be the seventh anniversary of the day I finally got to meet my precious little boy, it will also be the anniversary of the day I stopped sleeping well.

Jake has never been a good sleeper. When he was a baby he had acid reflux which was worse when he was lying down. Add this to your normal nocturnal infant feeding schedule and it makes for two very tired parents. After Jake outgrew the acid reflux he still didn’t sleep well. He gave up his nap completely at 18 months old and to this day wakes up in the middle of the night an crawls into bed with us. I know we could send him back to his own bed but we’re so tired we take the path of least resistance and let him stay.

My little one, Ben, was a much better sleeper as an infant. But now at the age of 4 we are starting to have sleep issues with him. He calls for us multiple times in the middle of the night deal for anything and everything – water, to but his blankets back on, a stuffed animal. I’m putting my thinking cap on as to how to deal with this. I’m leaning towards a sticker chart (earning stickers for sleeping through the night), but I’m open to other ideas.

So, I’ve spent the past few years sleep deprived. I think I may finally be used to it by now. It’s been so long since I’ve had a good nights sleep that I can’t remember what it feels like, but I wouldn’t change my munchkins for the world.

Last night was a tough night – Jake came in to our room at around midnight and Ben was up a lot with a nasty cough. But I can’t blame the boys for my zombie-like state today. I stayed up much later than I should have reading Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson. Christine Lucas has a rare and troubling memory problem. Each night when she goes to sleep, her mind erases her memory, not just of that day, but her whole life with the exception of her childhood. Each morning she wakes up thinking she is a much younger version of herself and has to learn the truth about her life (and the people in it), only to forget again upon falling asleep. The only way for her to survive is to trust those closest to her, but she is beginning to realize that they may not be telling her the whole truth.

I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so good that I finished it in one day. Especially one as long as this (495 pages.) Part of the reason for that is that I have two kids who keep me busy doing other things besides reading. But a large part is because I can't think of a book in recent memory (no pun intended) that was completely un-put-downable(really, that's a word).

Before I Go To Sleep was thrilling and well-written. You know that something is not right and that at least some of the characters are not who or what they seem to be, but you are kept guessing until the very end. Watson writes beautifully making it easy to get lost in the story. This book defines the term "page-turner". Check it out, but only if you know you can sleep in the next day!

How do you get through the day after a night of not-so-great sleep?

My Goodreads Obsession and The Peach Keeper

If you are an avid reader and have not yet wandered over to Goodreads.com – don’t. You will not be able to tear yourself away. If you are anything like me it will become a huge time-suck, far surpassing any other social media. Even – gasp – Facebook.

I discovered Goodreads last Spring while researching ways to promote The Never King. What I found was a social media network of book lovers like me who do nothing but talk about books. It’s Facebook for bibliophiles! So why I am poking around Goodreads when I should be doing a million other things? I have met (in the virtual sense) so many like-minded people with which to discuss favorite books, what I’m reading and what I should read next. Looking at the virtual bookshelves of friends (real, live ones) gives me interesting insights into their personalities I didn’t have before. It’s also the perfect place to catalog all the books I’d like to read, but haven’t yet. No more emails to myself when I read or hear about a book I’m interested in or taking a photo with my phone of a book cover in Costco so that I can remember to get the ebook either at the library or on amazon (yes, I really did that). Here’s what I’m reading (don’t laugh, we all need a bit of fluff now and then, right?). What are you reading?

One of the many benefits of Goodreads is discovering books you might not have read otherwise. I just read The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen as part of a “pen pals” read for one of the Goodreads groups I belong to. I was paired with a lovely woman from Australia. She chose The Peach Keeper for us. I probably never would have read it if she hadn’t.   

This the first book I've read by Sarah Addison Allen and what a wonderful introduction it was to her! A nice, light, feel good story about coming to terms with ghosts of the past (both figuratively and literally) and finding true happiness. The characters are well developed and you find yourself caring about them and how their various stories end. It’s a good read about the meaning of true friendship

. It’s basically chick lit, and the story and its eventual happy ending aren’t all that original. What makes this book is Allen’s writing – the story flows seamlessly. And of course, because I love being in the kitchen as much as I love reading, this book got me thinking about what I can make with peaches. It may be snowing up here in Boston but I’m thinking of nice, ripe summer peaches!

Berry Peach Cobbler with Sugared Almonds

From Cooking Light

Filling:

3 6-oz packages fresh blueberries (it’s winter – I won’t tell if you use frozen)

3 6-oz packages fresh blackberries (ditto on the frozen)

3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced (I’m jealous if you can find nice, fresh peaches this time of year. I’m using frozen)

2/3 cup sugar

2 ½ TBS cornstarch

3 TBS fresh lemon juice (I will tell if you try and use bottled)

1/8 tsp salt

Topping:

1 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

2 TBS cornstarch

½ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

6 TBS chilled butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup half and half

1/3 cup sliced almonds

3 TBS turbinado sugar (I have often used plain ‘ol brown sugar in place of this)

1 TBS egg white

Preheat the oven to 350®.

Prepare the filling by combining blueberries, blackberries and peaches in a 13x9 inch baking dish that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle the 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch, lemon juice and 1/9 teaspoon of salt over the fruit; toss gently to combine.

Prepare the topping by combining the flour, ¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with two knives until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the half and half and gently knead the dough until just moistened. Drop the dough by spoonfuls evenly over the top of the filling. Combine almonds, turbinado (or brown) sugar and egg white. Sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350® for 50 minutes or until the topping is browned. Serve with ice cream.

The Culinary Bibliophile - Who The Heck Am I?

I have blog envy. It seems as if everyone I know has a blog except for me. I’m not envious because it’s brought  them fame, fortune or technological skills that far surpass mine. No, I’m jealous because I am told that writing a blog is a great creative release and well, it’s fun.

So here’s my blog. Why did I call it The Culinary Bibliophile? In short because it popped into my brain and sounded good (at least to me). But it speaks to my two passion; food and books. And books that have to do with food (including cookbooks). So I imagine there will be posts about recipes I’ve tried, want to try and my ongoing quest to be more creative with family dinner, a la Dinner: A Love Story. Books will also make an appearance, including the recently released The Never King by George Tyson, published by my tiny publishing company The Bedwyr Press. My quest to promote this book could be the subject of a whole other blog, but one is enough for now.

A little more about me: I’m in my early thirties, married to a Scotsman and live in a suburb of Boston. I have two fabulous little boys, ages 7 and 4. I’m a banker by day and a publisher in my “spare time”. Now that my boys are older and thus a little more independent, I’m trying to get back into the activities I loved pre-kids but didn’t have much time for in baby and toddler years.  Namely reading more, experimenting in the kitchen more, and having more “experiences” that fit in with my passions, such as actually going to book club meetings (I have belonged to two for nearly 10 years, but my attendance has been spotty in the past few years), taking some cooking classes, and finally, FINALLY getting my house at least somewhat organized. Oh – and I want to run a 5k despite being completely out of shape as I write this. A friend wants me to run one with her 10 weeks from now. We’ll see. I’m sure all of these subjects will make an appearance in the blog, too.

So that’s me in a nutshell. I’ll be back soon with my latest kitchen experiment and my thoughts on what I’m currently reading. I’m also in need of some recipes with spinach as the main ingredient (I’ll explain later) so if anyone is reading this and has a great spinach recipe, let me know.