Left Behind
I get terribly lonely when Gentleman Caller is out of town. This always surprises me, because I covet quiet time and enjoy being alone. Unlimited quiet time, however, gets lonely. I prefer to be the one to take trips, not to be the one left behind. I'm pretending to be on vacation, which means I'm going to sleep in the guest room and use tiny bottles of shampoo and a mini tube of toothpaste. I spent the day cleaning the house, watching tv and reading Russian literature (Virgin Soil by Ivan Turgenev). I also made a curtain out of old CDs; I hung it on the porch. Feeling a need to stand up and move around, I made another batch of banana bread, currently baking in the oven.
Here's an off-subject question for you: What's your favorite book? Like some people who stare into a closet full of clothes and despair of having nothing to wear, I look at my rather-lengthy booklist and find nothing that looks particularly interesting. I go through reading phases and add copious titles to my booklist according to my current phase. I have lots of suggestions for books about economics, the media, voluntary simplicity, utopian societies, Russian literature, politics (or, rather anti-politics) and food; however, I'm currently not in any of those phases. On Blue Grilled Cheese's suggestion, I bought The Awakening to take to the beach, but am accepting nominations for titles to be added to the book list.
P.S. 6:45ish, Banana Bread Results
Banana Bread #6, Polka Dot Banana Bread
Recipe source unknown. This banana bread uses an equal amount of whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour, as well as an equal amount of melted butter and plain nonfat yogurt. Also mini chocolate chips star as the "polka dots." I omitted the nuts. This recipe made a rather small loaf with big banana flavor. It is really moist with evenly distributed chocolate chips adding little gooey pockets to the moist banana bread. The use of whole-wheat flour doesn't significantly alter the flavor, but does make it a bit healthier, as does the use of nonfat plain yogurt. There isn't much sugar, but the chocolate chips sweeten it nicely. This is a good banana bread. The best? Probably not.
Comments
I suggest *The Bridge on the Drina* by Ivo Andric. It's excellent -- it's a historical novel about the bridge on the Drina in Bosnia, and how it is important to the town where it's located.
I'm making an Amaretto Irish Cream cheesecake for tomorrow's Irish-themed potluck. I fear it will not have the amaretto or Irish cream taste for which I hope so much.
Posted by: Red Momo | March 16, 2006 06:41 PM
The library has a copy of The Bridge on the Drina, so I'll check it out when I return Virgin Soil. Book review to follow. Thanks for the suggestion.
Maybe you should take a hint from Blue Grilled Cheese and double the amount of alcohol called for in the recipe. We were to add 1 T. of bourbon to the brownies we made. I was out of bourbon (too many Wild Turkey nights to make it through the long cold winter), so we subbed (and doubled) Kahlua. Good brownies.
Posted by: blue artichoke | March 16, 2006 06:57 PM
always double the alcohol!
Remember the book "The Secret Life of Bees" also... I liked that one... and anything by Sedaris of course... sadly, as I mentioned earlier, most of the books I read now are for kids... Gotta keep up with them! :)
Posted by: Blue Grilled Cheese | March 16, 2006 10:32 PM
I ended up almost doubling the alcohol. Perhaps 1.5x the alcohol. The directions were not very good -- too high a temperature, resulting in a too-brown edge. Also, cracks, and the topping did not adequately cover the top of the cheesecake. I imagine the author is too covetous and won't share, but knowing his/her ruse I can definitely make changes if the cheesecake is "almost there."
Posted by: Anonymous | March 17, 2006 08:21 AM
Since it is both St. Patrick's Day and the season of Lent, I must recommend the novel "Trinity" by Leon Uris. It gave me a much better understanding of the Protestant/Catholic and social/political strife in Ireland.
Posted by: Purple Fried Okra | March 17, 2006 12:46 PM
I recently read the Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Very surreal, but recommended. Fathers and Sons by Turgenev was good, also. I just started Andersonville by McKinley Kantor. It came highly recommended by a good friend who's opinion I trust. It's excellent so far, but it's a hefty tome (like The Brothers Karamazov).
Posted by: aqua melted butter | March 17, 2006 05:20 PM
Thanks for all the reading recommendations. I read *Master and Margarita* in college and reread it last summer. I've also read *Father and Sons* and *The Brothers Karamazov* and really enjoyed all three of those books. Seems like we might have a similar taste in books; I'll check out Andersonville. Thanks!
Posted by: blue artichoke | March 17, 2006 06:23 PM
*Master and Margarita* was good. I wish I hadn't bought one of the used copies for that book. Probably the only book in CORE that I really enjoyed.
Does our alma mater have a gourmand name?
Posted by: Red Momo | March 17, 2006 06:53 PM
Have you read Holes by Louis Sachar? It's not my favorite book, but I really liked it. It's a kids' book.
Posted by: black cake | March 17, 2006 08:11 PM
I think I also liked *Fountain and Tomb* by Naguib Mahfouz, at least I hung on to it lo these many years. It's still on my bookshelf, but I haven't reread it outside of an academic setting. Might give that one another go, too.
Posted by: blue artichoke | March 18, 2006 12:03 AM
Oh, yeah. What about *The da Vinci Code*? I'm thinking about getting it on CD to listen to on the airport shuttle. I've heard mixed reviews and am wary of excessively hyped books (and movies, too). So what say you, you mighty readers? Yay or nay?
Posted by: blue artichoke | March 18, 2006 12:06 AM
Yay... But I think I told you that already... in person... between tornadoes...
Posted by: Blue Grilled Cheese | March 19, 2006 12:43 AM
NAY! (in re: DaVinci Code -- it's some nasty drool). It's funny (?) that a blog focussed on food should get so many responses to the one posting about books. My two cents: Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. The major flaw is that every book you read thereafter will seem weak and soul-less.
Posted by: red meat | March 20, 2006 07:36 AM
I recommend Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere." It's 1000% charming. I still haven't read The DaVinci Code, because of school and work, but it's on my list.
Posted by: Cranberry Wasabi | March 21, 2006 06:14 AM