A review of "Tamales" [8]

Tamales by Daniel Hoyer
(Gibbs Smith, ISBN 978-1-4236-0319-1)

I love tamales. Take me to a Mexican restaurant and I am scanning the menu, looking for my tamales. But if your only tamale experience is the offerings of the local eating place, well then I think you experience is very limited. A pork..maybe a chicken...tamale, but that is it. Delicious...but sometimes we want more. Different fillings...different sauces, all wrapped in a delicious masa corn filling, steamed to lovely doneness. So I realize, to find that variety, I must strike out on my own and how happy was I to have receive a book for Christmas that will become my guide!

Every tamale has three basic parts. First, there is the corn exterior, made with a thick corn batter, the masa, and Mr. Hoyer thoroughly explains a couple of different techniques in making it. He explains what equipment you will need and what ingredients, all very well illustrated with beautiful photographs. We then go on to fillings and the variety offered in this book is impressive. Yes, a spicy pork is included but there are also beef, chicken, shrimp and a very nice variety of vegetarian options like Sweet Corn, Poblano Chile and Cheese, Black Eyed Peas and Mushroom, Roasted Peppers and Poblano Chile Tamales. Included in the book is also a whole chapter of sauces for your tamales from a quick Salsa Verde to a rather complicated but doable Oaxaca Style Black Mole.

Finally, there is a chapter on sweet tamales, made with a sweet masa and with fillings like Mexican Chocolate and Almond and Pineapple and Coconut. On my, that sounds tasty. Who knew?

Now, I have not made any of the recipes in this book yet but it looks like a very good tamale guide from what I can see. It is very clearly written and very informative about the whole subject. It is full of great photographs, not only of the finished product but of some techniques as well, helpful for we novices in things like tamale folding. And the variety of recipes is impressive.

I am off in search of a few chiles and some corn husk wrappers and I will soon be steaming me some tamales!

Any experienced tamales makers out there?
Any favorite recipes, any helpful hints?
Don't be shy, speak up before I screw them up and break my heart in disappointment. ;-)

This is my contribution this week to Weekend Cooking. Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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J.D.Salinger 1919-2010

No doubt you may have read the news. Another one of the cultural icons of my youth, J.D Salinger, has died, having passed away this Wednesday at his New Hampshire home. He was 91.

Some of you may have been surprised that he was still alive. He had not published anything in many, many years, was rarely seen in public and had become quite the recluse. And, if any number of the stories about his personal life are true, was a rather strange man. A man that wanted his publisher to remove his photograph from the book jacket of his very famous novel because he was sick of looking at himself. A writer who had not published anything since 1965, having told a reporter once that "There is a marvelous peace in not publishing. Publishing is a terrible invasion of my privacy. I love to write for myself and my own pleasure." Still, I think fans can be forgiven for almost being overcome with the thought that the rumor that he has been writing all these years and has stacks of unpublished material that his estate may someday now let see the light of day may, in fact, be true.

Of course, Salinger is most famous for his novel, the coming of age story of Holden Caulfield, 'Catcher in the Rye'. And while I read it and most likely enjoyed it, it will not be for Catcher that I remember Salinger. No, I was all about the Glass family, the major subject of his writing, explored in 'Franny and Zooey' and 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters' and in several of the stories in 'Nine Stories'. Which along with his one novel, 'Catcher in the Rye" is pretty much the total sum of everything he published. To quote an article today in the L.A.Times,

"For all that "The Catcher in the Rye" made him famous, "Franny and Zooey" is Salinger's masterpiece, an evocation of loss and longing within the bonds of family. Composed of two novellas, it introduces the youngest members of the Glass family, about whom Salinger would devote more than half of his published work.

The Glasses are a New York creation, theatrical but also intellectual, middle class but bohemian at the same time. They talk and fight like immigrants, but they pursue esoteric pursuits, most notably Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, like members of the leisured elite.

In a sense, this was reflective of Salinger's experience; growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the son of a Scotch-Irish mother and a wealthy Jewish father, he had a foot in several worlds. Yet more to the point, the Glasses offered Salinger a wide lens through which to look at the intersection of mystical and secular culture, at the satisfactions of the spirit and of the flesh."

If you aspire to be a serial killer, of course, you must have your copy of 'Catcher in the Rye' on hand, but I think if you really want to understand Salinger and read his best work, get your hands on a copy of 'Franny and Zooey'. If you have never read it, I think you have a great pleasure ahead of you.

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a review of "The Various Haunts of Men" [7]

The Various Haunts of Men- A Simon Serrailler Mystery
(The Overlook Press, ISBN 978-1-58567-876-1)

Angela Randall, a solitary, middle-aged woman, disappears one day while on her morning run and largely go unmissed. Her boss goes to the police after several days, to report that she has not shown up for work, but there is no sign of anything criminal, so the police do not seem to think it is worthy of much investigation. There is one oddly, that it appears she had purchased a number of very expensive gifts for some unknown man, but that too prove a dead in and the police shortly move on to more important matters. Except there is something about the case that DS Freya Graffham can not let go.

Freya is new to the force in Lafferton, a rather charmingly portrayed cathedral town, having moved there from London after her divorce, looking for a new start in her personal life and in her career in the police department. She has a sense that there is something more going on with the disappearance, but she is not successful in convincing her superiors, including Inspector Simon Serrailler, until a second...and then a third...woman disappears. Then it is impossible to ignore the fact that there is some terrible evil going on in their quiet town.

This is the first in what is now a four book series, and while it is called a "Simon Serrailler Mystery", in fact Simon plays a rather minor role in this book. Freya, and the charming DC Nathan Coates, are at the center of this story. In fact, Simon's sister, Dr. Cat Deerborn plays a larger role than he does, since several of the missing people have ties to her medical practice. Most of what we come to know about Simon in this first installment in the series comes from what his sister and brother in law and parents reveal rather than directly from Simon's role. This is a very character heavy book...which is just up my alley...so I can only assume that the smaller role of Simon in this book is intentional. An intention that becomes clearer, I think, with the surprising ending to the story. What happens in this story will not end with the last page of the book but will continue to form our view of the interesting, and not totally likable, character of Simon Serrailler.

We see the events play out from several points of views, through the eyes of the victims, the police and even the killer. There are a number of storylines going on, and even though my sister-in-law though a few loose ends were left hanging, I thought the author did a fine job of tying it all together. The identity and motive of the killer, when finally revealed, may not be a total surprise, but without question the ending is truly shocking. And in my opinion, quite excellent.

This is an intelligent, very well written, police procedural and I know that, without question, I will be checking out the other three books in the series. An engrossing, very entertaining read that I would give a strong recommendation to.

My thanks to the free county library system for this one.

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Wordless Wednesday...Foggy Tree

...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Bandit is a Traveling Fool.

Of course, I mean fool in the nicest way, 'cause Bandy is nobody's fool.



Here he is in his little travel bag, ready to go wherever you want to take him.

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If You Think Your Library is Small....

...check out this one in the village of Westbury-sub-Mendip in England. Seems the village was going to lose both it's public phone box and it's library around the same time, so someone got the fine idea to combine the two. Take a book...leave a book.

Villagers... can use the library around the clock, selecting books, DVDs and CDs.

Users simply stock it with a book they have read, swapping it for one they have not.

"It's really taken off. The books are constantly changing," said parish councillor Bob Dolby.

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Musing Monday...Climbing Back on The Blogland Horse.

Perhaps a few of you notice my absence on my blog this week....perhaps not. :-)
Afraid I was under the weather, yes again, and not really up to writing a review or reading yours. Or actually turning on my computer, which accounts for the hundreds of unread e-mails and the almost countless Google Reader entries. I may have to clear my Reader and start from scratch. But today the fury has calmed down, so let's see if we can get back in the blogland swing....sounds like a country dance!...and check out this weeks question from Rebecca at Just One More Page.

Where do you keep any books borrowed from friends or the library? Do they live with your own collection, or do you keep them separate? Do you monitor them in anyway.

I am not as organized person as I wish I was. I try, usually for about a week at New Years to bring order to my pile of confusion, with little success. So in my dreams, I would have my books all organized. A neat stack here of reading or next to be read. A neat stack of library books, in order due back. In reality, you have seen the pictures of the piles. But books from the library, a resource I have have only started using again in recent months, I try to keep better control of. Because I am cheap and hate to pay the fines.

For me the key is limit the number. I actually try to keep the number of books I have out at any one time to two, maybe three max. Then, even I can remember where they are and pretty much when they are due. Right now, I have two by the front door and one, not yet finished, on my bedside table. This question was, in fact, very helpful, because it reminded me to renew online the one due tomorrow so I can finish the other and return them all together.

The problem is many of the books I want, I find have to be placed on hold and received from other branches. Then there is no way of knowing when the book will come in. I might have several on hold and get none...then they all arrive the same day and I am above my anti-confusion level of three. In that case I find it safest, fine wise, to leave the pile on the dining room table, where they can't be missed or lost. Read one, replace it there. A grand plan...unless you actually want to use the table to eat it.
Do I monitor them in any way? Oh, I wish that I could. Some sort of implant or electronic device. It would have saved me from several terrible library book incidents in my checked past.

Borrowing from others is another matter. I don't do it often...and I don't really like to do it. I take the responsibility of having another's book too seriously. I am afraid of damaging it or losing it. I have to read it at once and return it as soon as possible.

Oddly, it seems not everyone has such issues with books they might borrow. :-)

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Wordless Wednesday...Vancouver, B.C.

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If it's Tuesday...It's Bandit.

Wee Bandit looks very contemplative here I think.

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...and here he is all about the smile!

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Musing Monday...Don't Get Between Me and My Book!

I am a bit late today with my musing, but the niece was home for a surprise holiday weekend visit, she and Bandit, and I had to see them off at the airport. But now, let's check out this weeks questions from Rebecca at Just One More Page.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading around people.

When is it inappropriate to read in front of others? Is it ever appropriate?

Is it inappropriate to read in front of others? What? I think it is inappropriate for other people to be around when I am trying to read! Ok, may be that is a bit extreme. But it is inappropriate for them, strangers especially, to disturb me!
"Are you reading?"
"What are you reading?"
"Is it a good book? I don't reading many books."
Oh really? What a surprise. ;-)
Yes, there might be a few situations where it is not appropriate to bring a book. A wedding, especially you own...your prom....a funeral, certainly your own...high tea with the Queen.

But there are so many when it is appropriate, even a necessity, especially for ones mental sanity. In other answers, the issue of waiting rooms came up. Now of course, if you are alone, a book is a requirement. Unless something really entertaining is happen in the waiting room, perhaps some other interpersonal interactions you might not be able to avoid hearing. Not that you are trying...no. Actually, a book is still needed then, so you can pretend to be reading and not listening. I find that makes people more talkative.
Now if you are with someone else, unless some sort of emotional support is required, you should each have a book. If emotional support is required, ok, put the book away for now. Sometimes that is the price to pay to appear to be a civilized person.

But how about a social gathering of some sort? Well, I guess it depends. If everyone is interacting...like a party sort of thing, I guess some people might be offended if you take out a book. Even if they are dull or boring.
But say it is a more relaxed gathering. Maybe in a situation where others, even if 'with you' are doing their own think too. For example, I was at my bro and sil's yesterday. The bro was on the computer, the sil and niece watching football. If I had thought to bring a book, I think that would be totally appropriate. If everyone was sitting there talking, yes, I guess you could not get away with that.
Like maybe it is not appropriate to take out a book when we were actually eating dinner.

Bottom line, I can't think of a time when you are alone when it is not appropriate to be reading. Certainly any situation that requires waiting. And, in fact, it is darn rude of other people to interrupt your reading at such times. If someone else starts talking to you I find it best to pretend you are so engrossed in your book that you don't hear them. They usually stop after a little while. When with others, the degree of appropriateness is determined by how much you can get away with.
Maybe by how small the book is. If you had a tiny book you could fit in your palm the possibilities would be endless...

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Weekend Cooking...How's Yours Drink? [6]

How's Your Drink? Cocktails, Culture and the Art of Drinking Well by Eric Felten
(Agate Publishing, ISBN 978-1-57284-101-7)

Now let me just say right up front, I am not a big drinker. Really!
Yes, I have been known to enjoy a nice dark beer (oh, do not get me started on the vile, watery liquid sold by Budweiser) or a glass of wine with dinner or even a fruity cocktail on a summer day. Maybe two. And I always thought it would be nice to have a signature drink, a classic cocktail you could fall back and order when the opportunity calls.

But more than the actual alcohol, I find the whole culture of alcohol fascinating. Maybe it was growing up in a bar, probably being in the bar that my parents own every day from the time they bought it when I was 6, until the time I graduated from college and my mom sold it. All the variety of bottles behind the beautiful mahogany bar, different colors, different shapes- a variety of different glasses, shakers, strainers..that long skinny spoon used to get an olive or cherry out of the jar. I have toured beer breweries (Budweiser...beautiful, historic brewery...watery beer made with RICE!) and whiskey distilleries in several countries, and I find them very interesting. The history, the technique, the whole interplay of our culture and alcohol is intriguing, and now I have found the perfect book to feed that interest!

In How's Your Drink, Mr. Felten takes us on a charming tour of the history of the cocktail, from the questionable origin of that name, up to the present day, and my personal pet peeve, the misuse of the term martini to name every mess poured into a martini glass. Gin, arguably vodka, and vermouth, historically a dash of bitters, shake with ice...martini.

"Thus we have Martinis and Vodka Martinis, but what of the dizzying variety of pretenders that have usurped hat cocktail honorific in recent years? The distinguishing characteristics of the modern bar has been the surfeit of "Martini" that aren't Martinis-those candy-colored cocktails with labels like "Raspberry Martini" or Apple-tini" that fill out the the inevitable "Martini List. For the purist, it's bad enough that a drink of vodka and vermouth is referred to as a Martini. But one doesn't have to be a stickler to realize that a drink of vodka, sweet liqueur, and fruit juice is not a Martini."

Oh, Mr. Felten, you are my hero! Let's start a petition, pass a law!!

But the joy does not end there. Felten takes us on a tour through the history of the last several hundred years, tracking the origins of any number of classic drinks and the role those cocktails have played in our culture, in politics, in the military, in film and, very interestingly, in literature. Any number of people make an appearance in the stories he shares, from Teddy Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth, James Bond (and let it be known, he drank many more interesting things than that always mentioned stirred martini), John Updike (who he claims killed the Old Fashioned), to Dickens and my personal favorite, Lucy the chimp.

"You don't have to be a nuclear scientist to enjoy a G&T (gin and tonic). When Lucy the chimpanzee was famously learning sign language, she picked up a few other human habits as well. Jane Goodall recounted her experience meeting Lucy in the book ; 'I watched, amazed, as she opened the refrigerator and various cupboards, found bottles and a glass, then poured herself a gin and tonic' Lucy 'took the drink to the TV' and after a little channel surfing, turned off the set, 'as though in disgust.' Lucy had taste in drinks and entertainment."

There are many recipes of classic cocktails, along with their often fascinating histories, and other related stories, like the story of a New England merchant who made his fortune shipping ice in ships from the frozen ponds of his home to ports as far away as Calcutta...really.

Bottom line, Mr. Felten believes that how we drink and what we drink speaks to who we are and how we want to be seen by the world. And he offers himself as a guide through this world, with great trivia, great stories, definitive recipes and any number of amusing and serious anecdotes.

"Let's resolve to avoid tedium at the cocktail hour and recognize that in some ways, drink choices are like that of wardrobe...To know the what, the when, and the where of cocktails, we need to know more than just what's tasty- the culture, the business, and even the politics of liquor. The more we know about drinks, heir origins, their literature, and their lore, the better equipped we are to clothe ourselves in the right cocktail. How's Your Drink? is devoted to enjoying these social lubricants, and enjoying them with style."

Mr. Felten, who also writes a column in the Wall Street Journal, has written a delightful, entertaining guide to this important aspect of our culture, maybe best enjoyed with a Dark and Stormy or a Dubonnet Cocktail, straight up or on the rocks. Because you know we Americans love our ice.

This is my contribution this week to Weekend Cooking. Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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a review of "Trial by Fire" [5]

Trial by Fire- A Novel of Suspense by J.A.Jance
(Simon and Schuster, ISBN 978-1-4165-6380-8)

"She awakened to the sound of roaring flames and to searing heat and lung-chocking smoke. Maybe she was already dead and this was hell, but why would she go to hell? What had she done to deserve that? Just then a scorched beam fell across her leg nad she felt the horrifying pain of burning flesh- her burning flesh. That's when she knew she wasn't dead. She was still alive. And on fire."

Ali Reynolds, a well to do widow, has returned to her hometown of Sedona, Arizona to be near her parents and her grown son and his wife. She has no need to take a job, but when the sheriff asks her, based on her background as a journalist, to temporarily take on the media coordinator job for his department, she accepts. And very soon is wondering why. She finds herself resented on all side, in the middle of a department shakeup. Then things really heat up, quite literally. She is called to the scene of an ongoing fire involving two houses under construction. Because it is a suspected case of eco-terrorism, the feds are called in, and when a very badly burned woman is rescued from one of the houses, it also become a case of attempted murder. If they only had some idea who the woman is, if she herself had any idea who she was, why she was in that house and who wants her dead.

Because of the federal involvement, the sheriff assigns Ali to the hospital where the burn victims was taken, to handle the press and see if she can uncover any information to help identify the woman. There she meets Sister Anselm, an elderly nun who is a nurse and patient advocate for very serious cases, earning her the media name of the Angel of Death....and someone with an interesting story of her own. Someone wants her patient dead, but Sister Anselm and Ali are going to do their best to discover what is really going on.

There are a number of things I liked about this book...and a few I did not. Let's take the negative first. Some aspects of the plot required some suspension of disbelief. As an example, a lengthy stake out in the visitors waiting room involving a red wig and pink pants suit...not so believable for me. The ending just a bit too easy and pat. But on the positive side, there is a lot to recommend this book. The book is well written, the story entertaining if not extremely memorable. And there are a number of very good and likable characters, including Ali's houseman/assistant/majordomo Leland Brooks, her injured Iraq veteran daughter-in-law and the very smart and capable Ali herself. This is the fifth in this series, a series which is only one of several Jance has written, and if these characters are going to make a reappearance, I would be interested in checking out any future installments.

Some good characters and an entertaining story overcome some issues I have with this book and would have me give it a slightly qualified recommendation.

My thanks to the Amazon Vine program for this book.

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Wordless Wednesday- Sunset over Galway Bay

Sunset over Galway Bay, Cashel, Co. Galway, Ireland

...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Bandit Tuesday! And a Very Special Day!

Yes Bandit, I know. Every Bandit Tuesday is a very special day.

But today is also, I humbly admit, my birthday. Yes, several decades ago, in a raging snowstorm, a wee caite made her appearance on planet earth.

And thank you Bandit. I got your card. Cute puppy on the cover, but not as cute as another doggie I know...a delightful doggie named BANDIT!

Wake up Bandit! You need to bake me a cake.

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Musing Monday...Books, Books, Drowning in a Sea of Books.

Let's check out today's Monday Musing question from Just One More Page

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about tidy bookshelves.
Are your bookshelves strictly books only? Or have knick-knacks invaded? Do your shelves also shelve DVDs? Photos? Why not snap a photo – I’m sure we all like to spy on other’s shelves!

In my dreams, my shelves are neat and tidy, decorated with a few decorative items. This picture above, taken awhile ago and posted here before, comes closest to what I mean. But of course, time does not stand still. Which means, it went downhill from here. But first, yes, I have a few items on my bookshelves, besides books.

There are CD, in their own tidy little cubbyholes. Actually, since they are all on my iPod, I should just box them away, but nothing else will fit so nicely in those shelves. So they stay.

Then there are the wee lighthouses. I try to get one of each lighthouse I have visited. But I am starting to realize this might get out of hand too, so we will see about that. Maybe they need their own spot. Where that would be, I know not. A bigger house?

Then there is my favorite orange bowl and Book Clock.

From there, it is all downhill, neatness, organization wise. There is the top of the stairs pile.

There is the next to the bookcase pile. Which is next to the double shelved shelves, as you might notice.
There is the "I used to be somewhere else and now I am here" pile.

...and, of course, my favorite...the next to my chair pile.


There are, in fact, some other shelves, some other piles. But I think I have exposed enough for today. I am beyond the tidiness I desire. When I build that new bookcase upstairs, maybe I will share.