That is why I really want to alter what goes on here. The universe has finally delivered me to a place where books, text, and theory (really?? I have grown to appreciate and want to explore more theory!?) happily consume my daily life. I have a husband who happily and, dare I say, bravely receives battalions of constant critiques of culture, art and society that I bandy about in hopes that people will view Child Lit as more than CHILD Lit. Stress-packed but happy times. And I feel this needs to translate into something more. Yes, if I go down the PhD route, I can let it blossom there. But something more, something me, something of myself and my passions.  So yes, I have slowed down on the blogging, because I am re-imagining it now. Nothing startlingly different, but… just more focused. That’s the word. Focused.

I know I have said this once a year I think, that I will be adding new features or changing the site etc. But maybe this time I’m serious. I want to focus more on the lit. Not just ChildLit, but yes there should more of that. We’ll see. I’m trying to combine my pleasures with other pursuits more seamlessly. The husband and his ever growing obsession with spices, for example.  That is how the Cardamom Orange Cake came about by the way: the husband tinkering with spices.  Can you imagine your cozy two-bedroom apartment infiltrated by the warm but stifling aroma of cardamom, clove, cumin, coriander, curry leaves… anise, mustard seed, chili, fennel… just all and sundry into stunning concoctions? Let me tell you, no matter how many windows and doors are open, the scents will live on for days… and days… and days.

G’s own madras mix

*I apologize to any and all peers, professors, and persons of acquaintance if I have smelled unknowingly like an Indian market in Madras. I assure you I have bathed innumerably, to no avail perhaps.*

One particular afternoon I considered the Cardamom. A pivotal spice to many dishes, but a particular favorite. Especially in Pakistani/Indian foods where the pods intermingle with the sauces and curries and hide just enough so you bite down and BLEGH! That punch in the face, mouth, tongue, brain! Who can handle eating cardamom?? Except… if you remove the seeds from the pods, as Mr. G did, and grind that separately, the taste, while still strongly distinct, settles more like a pat on the arm than an uppercut.

As wafts of cardamom circled around my head, I considered its possibilities… and saw the pile of Cara Cara navel oranges I recently bought (I vow to you Cara Caras are the best orange. My favorite orange. They may not be cuties but their flavor is unmatched in my opinion).  Shortly thereafter I found a recipe worth trying.

I also have to say my openness to the Cardamom is in part due to one of my professors, who recently proclaimed to me her own fondness for the less-than-respected spice, at least in this region of the world. Foods from the Middle East and South Asia are replete with cardamomish dishes, but it ain’t a big hit here. Thus the kindling for the quest was supplied, and G’s experimenting lit the fire.

I couldn’t possibly claim ownership of the recipe which I found on the Five and Spice Blog. I did make a few changes here and there though, including:

• Using half wheat, and half white flour (all purpose)
• Adding a little extra cardamom the second time I made it, just to up the ante a bit (not more than 1.5 tsp)
• Using regular low fat yogurt instead of greek (just because that’s what I had. I think the cake turned out super moist)
• Adding the juice of half a Cara Cara orange along with the zest. About 3 tbsp I would wager.

I have an obsession with strong flavors. I don’t need subtleties all the time. Plus the first time I made it, I didn’t feel the orange held up to the cardamom, so I added the juice the second time. Depending on the size of your orange, you might add the juice of all of it. It was heavenly I will say. Just delightful.

The recipe calls for a mini loaf pan, but I used a cake pan once and cupcake pan the other time. No complaints.  Just keep in mind that cupcake tins will call for shorter baking time, so keep an eye on them (30 min mark thereabouts). Do try it, and let me know what you think!

The plan is to do more LiterEature blogs at this point, and over the summer redesign the blog entirely. We’ll see. For the moment I will go back to reading the zillion books and articles on my agenda, and coming up with some conference paper proposals… nerdy academic life. So wonderful.

My most trusted recourse is sugar of course. La Dulce! Give me some sweet stuff and make me sane! Ok, sugar is not known to calm anyone down—in fact it has been giving me slight headaches lately (try to stifle that groan of horror)—but in decent doses it does distract me enough to resist succumbing to an overzealous heart breaking through my ribs. So… a decent dose… in the form of something nourishing, sustaining… tasty… made by Elves… Lembas Bread!

Ah, perhaps I don’t have any elves’ culinary feats at my disposal, but I do have the ability to search the internet and a strong desire for buttery sweets.  I also had a ChildLit discussion forum last week on J.R.R. Tolkien and his works so the need to bake was two-fold! So a little scavenging a bit of whippering up something fun and boom! Lembas Bread at your service to nourish you through any difficulty or pressure.

Perhaps you noticed this is not in line with my usual Litereature 101 posts.  I haven’t had the opportunity of late to reread The Hobbit or LOTR so I won’t go into ramblings about what I love, like, question, wonder about, and all that jazz. Instead, I’ll first direct you to a small recap of our discussion on the SDSU ChildLit Blog, where you can peruse my questionings about the nature of a linguistic aesthetic and what that means for literature, for fantasy, for writers everywhere. Next I will tell you that if you haven’t read Tolkien’s works, then do it. And if you have, then read them again. These are texts that deserve constant examination, the flourish under the eye of scrutiny and reward the reader with new discoveries. Case in point: my friend Z pointed out (during her yearly reread) the “Best contortionist feat in Middle-Earth: ‘Yrch!’ said Legolas, falling into his own tongue.” (How does one cite a Facebook post by the way? Modern times require such considerations).

Lastly I will say that I did read through Tolkien’s Letters (as you’ll have learned while reading the SDSU blog post of course) and among the many bits of information gleaned from it, one of my favorite aspects was seeing the earnest development of Lord of the Rings as it transpired as a simple sequel into something deeper, darker, dealing with death and mortality, the morality of a civilization, the heroics and failings of the hero, the all encompassing importance of forgiveness and pity. Ennobling the ignoble and vice versa. The reflections of two Great Wars intertwining into the text… It’s a worthwhile read and truly exposes the wonderful, witty, and sometimes biting nature of the philologist extraordinaire.

I’m currently beginning my own explorations on the roles of maps and narratives in Children’s Lit, of their effects on character (and reader) identity, on their many disguises and semblances, and Tolkien will certainly be considered during this exploration. More on that when I have something to share. The idea only blossomed today.

But enough of that, onto the (sugary butter cookie) Lembas Bread!

The idea of the cookie I found at Candy Bar Cupcakes. Feel free to flip back to her site for precise instructions on the cutting, folding and designing of Lembas Bread.

For the dough itself I adapted a few different rolled dough recipes into my own, as follows:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plus 4 tsp butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 white
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• Zest of one orange
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  In a large bowl blend the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in the eggs vanilla and orange zest, beating in until fully incorporated. Slowly work in the flour, baking powder, and salt. I tend to do this first with a spoon and then by hand to form it into one large ball of malleable but firm dough.

Cover it and let it chill for an hour at least. You could chill it over night but if you’re craving the cookie now, why would you do that?

On a clean surface, spread out some flour and with a rolling pin roll out the dough slowly and evenly until it reaches between ¼ to ½ inch width. You might need to flour the rolling pin a bit to keep it from sticking. Follow the  cutting and design instructions from Candy Bar Cupcakes, bunching up and rolling out excess dough as you cut out the shapes.

On an ungreased cookie sheet bake the folded cookie leaves for 6-10 minutes. They should reach a pale golden color, the edges browning considerably more. No more than 10 minutes in my opinion.

Remove, let cool completely and sprinkle with some powdered sugar! Voila! A treat fit for an elf!

This particular book has been on my agenda for months. I’ve read tons of books in the past few months, but I desired to craft this one into something tasty simply because it takes place in Morocco. Hence a chance to delve into Moroccan flavors! Something new for everyone. And yet, upon completing The Scorpions of Zahir by Christine Brodien-Jones, I had a deflated sense of excitement. I couldn’t quite pin it down; certainly there was mention of the aromatic marketplaces, and phyllo-wrapped chicken with almonds and spicy roasted plums. But, the title should indicate there were some unpleasantries as well. Like a plethora of scorpions. And an abandoned soul in the desert feasting on fried purple locusts. *sigh* Nevertheless,I fought against the insects to bring you this new post. Please enjoy. With a side of spotted lizard if you desire (I assure you, I do not). (FYI scroll to the bottom if you just want the recipes)

Observations:

Oh how I yearend for the epic adventure within the wildly vibrant cover of this book. I’ve read up some lately on some of the best novel covers of the past year, and some choices I agree with (some I most assuredly do not) but for a middle grade novel, this definitely won a few points for me. The bold aqua green bordering, the rich desert backdrop, and an unusual girl at the center of everything. One must never judge a book by its cover, I wholeheartedly agree, but this cover made me dream tantalizing treks and mystical happenings. Had I known the big blue orb at the top was not the moon but rather a PLANET (evidently careening towards Earth magically) I might have entered with a few more misgivings. Still, the cover caught my eye and the synopsis reeled me in: an archaeologist’s daughter with a penchant for unbridled enthusiasm and speaking out without reigning her energy, who craves for desert sands and a chance to uncover tombs and forgotten civilizations, who stumbles upon a mythical tribe and a sacred city, a city overrun by scorpions now (ok I could do without insects)… how could I resist?

And overall, I would say for a child this is a truly exciting adventure. There’s enough real science (from astronomy to wild chemical pursuits) to balance out the huge leap of faith in visualizing a rogue planet inextricably linked to an azure stone on earth, so much so that the removal of said stone from its rightful place could rock the planet off course and onto a path heading to Earth. Right. You heard me. Plus it features intense pursuits through desert and city, rocking casbahs and palaces, friendly Moroccan folk and not-so-friendly “Westerners”. At the heart is a well-meaning young girl who learns that adventure comes with responsibility, and the value of family and friendship ranks higher than having the last word. Zagora Pym occasionally gets on my nerves–I just wish she would think before she speaks!–but I can relate to her desire for mystery-solving and adventures across the world. I like reading about a female protagonist interested in the world, interested in history and empowered female identity at such a young age.

Review:

Positive observations aside, I have some issues with this books though. Primarily one. No, two. The first being that if you’re going to type Marrakech in Arabic, make darned sure you spell it correctly. I sat for a good few minutes wondering why ym Arabic skills were failing me before figuring out that the publishers made a slight snafu. I understand Arabic script is not your forte and many letters might look similar to you, but keep in mind that some of us can see your glaring mistake.

Onto the actual critique, I was floored by how strongly this book reeked of Imperialism. I glimpsed it initially upon her first interaction with a “traditional” Moroccan man with a “cinnamon-brown face” and a basket of figs, along with a front tooth “rimmed in gold”. Fine, she can have an “authentic” encounter… in fact, let her start off being completely enamoured with the foreignness of the country as most travelers are. I’m okay with that. Mostly. As long as it dissipates into something real and equal. But then she becomes excited about all the mysterious-sounding Arabic words her father is teaching her (casbah, medina, etc). It never lets up, and I have to wonder about the author’s perspective at this point. Brodien-Jones’ bio at the end mentions how a journey to Morocco with her family inspired her wondrous feelings about the country (and her blog includes much detail). So what I take is that, despite interacting with people, despite spending time there, she leaves only with the idea that it is wild and mysterious and begs for discovery by Westerners.

Perhaps I’m being harsh. Admittedly, I can’t help but overly criticize anything I read or watch now. However, it is not lost on me that ALL the people Zagora meets (even the inevitable Azimuth tribe’s queen and princess) are either downtrodden, poor, desert nomads, or just otherwise lesser than herself. She of course does not outwardly perceive them as such, but the descriptions tell all. Zagora ends up being the savior in some ways, the one with “desert vision” who fulfills the hieroglyphic prophecy of returning to the stone to its rightful place and restoring the Azimuth tribe. She befriends many children along the way, children who contribute and make a difference in the final battles but remain second fiddle to her. This is glaringly clear when Mina, the Azimuth princess and street-smart desert rogue, concedes her initial jealousy for Zagora, ” ‘I was angry at you, Zagora, because you have desert sight and you are Sentinel of the Stone—and I wanted these things for myself. But I see now that my path is different. As long as you have the stone…, I must follow and protect you” (333-4). Touching words, and reflective of the maturation all children (and adults) must go through, but I would be annoyed too if a random white girl with no Moroccan heritage or lineage just randomly attains the title of Sentinel by universal forces that be. It just doesn’t sit well with me.

But I appreciate the candid nature of this storytelling, no matter how unintended it is; one can read truth in the colorful splatters of paint, no matter how integrated they seem, no matter how randomly scattered they appear to be. Some colors will always appear more prominently, some shades will inevitably get deference from the artist. My curiosity lies in wondering when a Zagora won’t end up being THAT special, but instead just special enough to know who to help instead of being the savior. When does that happen?

Ok that was a rambling, and I apologize. It was a cute story, with some creative twists and turns. Certainly has some flaws to iron out, but the casbah descriptions were beautiful (it’s clear where Brodien-Jones’ rapture with Morocco resides) and the number of characters all had distinct personalities as well as a fair amount of depth. And it ends with a girl feeling empowered by her female heritage as a smart, determined, gifted girl. So, onto the food.

Food:

I was actually recommended a dish by one of my professors involving a delicious blend of couscous, dates, almonds and spices… but the husband refuses to eat anything with dates as a dinner item and I don’t see myself eating couscous for dessert so… eventually, eventually. Nevertheless, I took this opportunity to just try some new spices mostly, and I thought about some of the food that would be readily at hand for an adventurer (nothing fancy, primarily just staples, easy to make and going to represent and appeal to a young person). Zagora strikes me as adventurous in her pursuits and her eating habits, but she also would crave something warm, homely and nurturing. After which she can explore into wilder territory, aromatic, pungent, sweet and fresh. I decided to cook two dishes (both for the book and beacuase I wanted to): Moroccan Couscous (or in my case, quinoa) and Spinach and Chickpea Stew.First up: Moroccan Couscous (or Quinoa)

Ingredients

• 1 cup couscous (I used quinoa for this, because I had it in store)
  
• 2 cups of water/chicken/veggie broth (I used 4 tbsp vegetable broth powder for 2 cups of water)
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 tbsp ginger powder
  
• 1 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1 tsp turmeric
  
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
  
• salt to your preference (I started with scant 1 tsp)
  
• raisins and shredded carrots to mix in
  
• wedge of lime
  

In a large pot, bring the water/broth to a slow boil and add all the spices and the olive oil to it (alternatively, cook your couscous as directed by whatever the packaging says, adding all the spices). Let it slowly cook and once all the water is gone, remove from heat. Stir in the carrots and raisins, and squeeze some fresh lime on top. Cover it for a few minutes to let the steam plump up the raisins and you’re good to go. You may want to garnish with some cilantro but that’s up to you. I made this with quinoa instead of couscous as mentioned, and I think couscous would be better personally. I don’t always favor the quinoa taste, but all the other spiced flavors blend so well, it does feel like something I’ve never cooked before. And quite honestly, how much easier can that be??

Second batter up: Spinach and Chickpea Stew

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, thoroughly rinsed and drained
  
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
  
• 3/4 tbsp cumin powder
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
  
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
  
• 4 dried red chilies
  
• Salt to your preference (start with 1/2 or 1 tsp)
  
• 3 cups fresh spinach
  
• 2-3 tomatoes, pureed
  
• 1/2 cup water (if needed)
  
• 1/2 tsp mint (optional)
  

In a large pan of some sort, heat up 3-4 tbsp olive oil to medium. Add the onions and sauté for a good 10 minutes, so they begin to turn melty and translucent. Add the cumin, cinnamon stick, coriander, salt and red chilies, mixing in thoroughly. In a separate smaller pan begin sautéing the spinach so it can wilt and cook down a tad before adding to the mix. With the spinach going separately, add the tomato puree, chickpeas and water if needed to nearly cover the beans, reduce the heat to low and cover so the tomatoes can simmer. Once the oil begins to separate from the tomato/water you can add the spinach and increase the temp to medium-low, stirring to allow the spinach to full incorporate all the flavors. It’s done once the water has reduced the sauce to the consistency you like. Sprinkle a little mint on top if you like that added zest (but if you don’t like mint, feel free to leave out).This is kind of all sorts of awesome served atop the couscous, but can also be had with plain rice or roti/bread of your wish.

Now that 2013 is well upon us, I do want to move forward afresh and new, focusing on upcoming recipes and exploits, but I would also like to recap the last few months with a sampling of the goings on down here in San Diego. Admittedly I fell off the virtual map because of academic commitments and personal events that elicited monumental distraction and required a steely grasp on focus–occasionally the hand does slip from sweaty beads of nerves and anxiety, but so it goes. Amidst all that, I did remind myself to cook well, eat well, and try to live well. I wonder why that has to be such a struggle; for something that brings so much harmony, it is painfully difficult to maintain isn’t it?? Don’t digress, Alya! The point is, I did some fun little concoctions, culminating in a swirly cake of fruitastic proportions. So for now, let me hearken back to those simpler times, when the raw pulse of 2013 did not beat upon my weathered head with demands for more work, more stress, more pursuits, more projects, and hopefully more accomplishments!

First up… Achari Bhaingan (Eggplant in Pickling Spices). I made this for the husband upon his return from his eastward sojourn (back from Maryland!), having found an exciting and enticing recipe on eCurry. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of Indian/Pakistani pickled blends, but this dish looked so fabulous and I do love me my eggplant, so I gave it a go. Husband was pleased. I even impressed myself.

Sometimes you crave a little sweet and spicy, right? Well if you’re me, you might venture more sweet than spicy, but I found a wonderful balance that was also super simple: Hot Masala sweet potatoes (or yams?). I had a masala pasta sauce by Dave’s Gourmet that inspired this.  Simply roasted a sweet potato in the oven (after pricking it all over with a fork) for about an hour, while in a frying pan sauteed some green peppers and added the sauce and teaspoon of garam masala for added zing.

And lastly on our journey through experiments past we reach the pinnacle of the year: a light, fluffy Cara Cara orange cake roll filled with plum jam-infused cream cheese filling. The sweetest way to end the year, which is how we indeed celebrated New Year’s Eve (along with some bubbly Martinelli’s Cider of course). I do have a recipe for this: I might post it later or you can email/leave a comment and request it. I just have to find my notes and write it up.  For now, imagine that heavenly combination of light cake and sweet creamy goodness melting in your own mouth… Gah. I wish I had more.

And so… I googled. Naturally. And sure enough came across a recipe that was easy (and easily adaptable) and which I already had all the ingredients. Don’t be alarmed by the … well, the blues and greens. Trust me, this cake is all chocolate by the end of it. If you like richer or sweeter cakes, you might not go for this. But it turned out perfect for me, fluffy but with the right amount of density to lend a rich factor, not overly sweet but that can be adjusted to your liking. And best of all, not a scant hint of spinach whatsoever. I might try just a berry mixture or something next time, just for kicks. But for now, if you or someone you love won’t eat his or her veggies, you might as well try this. No harm. And Really, it soothed my soul.Ingredients

Dry:

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Wet:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips or melting chocolate (I used semisweet chips)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Secret Puree:

• 1 cup fresh spinach, firmly packed
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F, and prepare your cake or cupcake tins by lightly greasing them.

First, let’s take care of the secret ingredients. Bring a pot of water to a slow boil (a “barely boil” if you will) and toss in both the spinach and blueberries. Let them boil for 4-5 minutes max, and then drain. Next, add them to a blender or food processor and puree away. You may want to add a 1-3 tbsp of the boiled water to it, to ensure the spinach and berries are COMPLETELY blended. You don’t want to find a leafy green in your cake later on. Oh, the distaste. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together (yes, the sugar is listed as a wet ingredient. Deal with it). In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate chips together (or you can melt them in the microwave, that works too). Once thoroughly liquefied, pour that into another bowl, combining with the remaining wet ingredients as well as the puree.

Slowly pour this velvety batter into the dry mixture, and stir until fully combined. With all the chocolate and vanilla, you won’t notice the spinach, trust me.

Pour into your preferred baking pan, and bake for about 25 minutes (I’d start checking around 22 min, especially if you’re baking cupcakes).

Remove from the oven, let cool a bit, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. I read that you don’t want to sample these kinds of cakes while warm, because the smell of spinach might be lingering. Once cooled down, it’s sweet and fluffy, and perfectly delectable with a dollop of cream of a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar. Or, have it on the side for dinner. Like a chocolate salad! I see no problem with that.

Cover credit: Random House (US)

Well, this is a slight departure. An entire series? A full trilogy? Would that not make my post even more verbose, bordering on the edge of interminable? On another day, another life, another fork of time’s limitless pathways, yes there could be a danger of reviewing an entire series, but not so today! The reason is a bit pathetic really: I read all three books about two to three months ago, while still residing a lifetime away in Maryland. My memory of them individually lacks monumental detail.  So then why bother? Why keep these books hanging on tenterhooks instead of moving on to more recently consumed literatura? If you must know (and naturally you must, else this blog would be quite meaningless to you as a reader), I just loved the food descriptions. I also thoroughly enjoyed the novels, but I marveled at Tamora Pierce’s use of food in these books. So read on, folks, read on.

Observations:

My love of Young Adult fiction obviously started when I was myself a young adult, but it didn’t really blossom until a few years ago I guess (a lot of few years, to be fair), far past my young adulthood. Late bloomer? mayhaps. Just thank J.K. Rowling that I did rediscover it, and all its wonderful glory. So I never read anything by Tamora Pierce. But in the past six years or so, I heard her name quite often… so when I saw that I could rent her books directly to my Kindle from my local library, I figured now was the right time to delve. I began with one of her other series (Protector of the Small) which I thought was very endearing and well developed. I also read her short stories. And then I came across this one… for those familiar with her works, you’ll know I’m going horribly out of order of her publication dates as well as her world timeline/mythology. It’s a beautiful thing to see an author so dedicated to make stories all within the same universe, just centered around different people, different time periods, all connected by heritage or experience somehow though…

Besides the point. So I know I have missed some major series, but such is life. I fell upon dear Beka Cooper…

Her doggedness (oh, no pun intended I swear) in wanting to become a “Dog” (an elite guard/police figure) is realistically captured from the events of her childhood–painful and necessary motivators–to her well developed need to care for her family (who slowly grow seemingly not to need her) and the luckless and defenseless around. Pierce focuses on heroines in different walks of life, of all demeanors, in each of her stories, to bring about a rich telling of female empowerment and ultimate psychological dominance. I loved that Beka Cooper is painfully shy, unless/until she has her uniform on and ready for duty. I can (sadly?) relate to that very strongly, so maybe I could glean some inspiration from her? The first two book in particular I felt painted the portrait of a young woman coming of age, able to make and recover from mistakes, battling her insecurities and discomfort with her own skills and success. The third one takes a slight departure; there are too many early changes in her character (for someone so dedicated to knowing her heart and who she cares about and how she will let them care for her, a sudden unhappy engagement to start doesn’t ring true at all, and the effortless way it just goes away, even less so). But the third also introduced my favorite character, Farmer Cape. A fitting name to cultivate the visage of country innocence and undeveloped knowledge that belies the depth of his talents. So it’s a give and take.

Oh but to the point, that which lingers, sweet and pervasive. There are so many references and experiences of food and feasting in these novels! Makes my heart swell, and my tummy rumble. Pierce uses food very distinctly to distinguish the varying cultures in her universe; treats that evoke the restraint of Eastern Asian cultures, the earthiness of African cultures, and the homeliness of the more European, for example. I wish I had the books with me to refer to particular scenes for you. My pathetic explanation now does no justice to her accurate research. I was sincerely curious on numerous occasions to know what many of the dishes tasted like (but not all!). Oh you’ll just have to read them to see… trust me, the overall experience is well worth it. Despite particular fantastical elements of the world, the story is grounded in a single girl’s life lessons and coming of age.

Review:

Let’s keep this short. I already mentioned my favoritism lies with the first and second, while the third lagged in a few areas. Nevertheless, the entire tale is worth discovering. There are times while reading a novel that I cringe at the predictability of the plot–this is not one of those times, because while there is very little to no difficulty in ascertaining who the culprits are of each tale, where lies the truth and the lie, the fun is in experiencing it through Beka’s eyes. The stories are in Journal format, which could have been daunting and tiresome but are carried out well. There’s enough to keep the story going, and enough to make it feel plausible and not weighted down by a simple rehashing of details. Because of Beka’s battles with handling attention (mostly good), the fun lies in her honest dictating, her lack of artifice. Oh but I go off of memory. Shame shame.

Food:One scene, in Book 2 (Bloodhound) has stuck in my hungry brain, satisfying my sweet tooth at every turn of thought. Beka is being courted by a charmer named Dale who treats her to some delights during some street festival of sorts. Images of something akin to a Renaissance Faire come to mind, very much a European ambience at least. I can see the colors, the spectacles, and the food she feasted on: fried dough. What? That sounds… heavy and greasy, until you learn it’s coated in cinnamon, nutmeg, and drizzlings of honey. It may include currants or nuts, or simply be fluffy in itself… And when Dale is delicately feeding her these dough “knots” it hits you: doughnuts. Obviously.

I have been thinking about this for months, but now with graduate school it took ages for me to put together the ingredients and the time to whip this up, but I did. To… marginally good results. I used recipe #2 from this site (mostly because it was so basic and simple) to make my dough (though I mixed wheat and white flour, fyi, and cut the recipe in half–what would I do with so much otherwise??), and then created a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar to roll my “knots” in. I actually added raisins as well to some, for a little variance and possibly to summon an older, authentic essence.

The results were middle ground: initially they really melted in my mouth, and were absolutely delightful with some tea. However, I saved them for my family who visited two days later, and obviously by then they lost their luster. Fried dough by any name should only be savored immediately. Lesson learned.

I have no sufficiently eaten enough bread to last me until the end of the year. But oh, thank you Tamora, it was worth it.

So I purposely set myself to write this up for you, because my lovely little eggplant dish which I may have raved about at an earlier time has been pouting at me with forlorn eyes, wishing to be shared, desperate for worldwide web attention. I do have a Litereature post brewing in the works (Oh if I had a cauldron! I could actually brew something! Halloween approacheth, and there are plenty of awesome witchy stories…. alas, another lifetime perhaps. Unless you want to buy me a cauldron?). It helps that I am now working, at least for the semester, within the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at school, and will be limitlessly exposed to all sorts of kids/Young Adult books! I dream of all the food/book connections I could come up with…Ok I digress. Life is good. I still need a sofa or something, but life is good. And busy. Anyone who knows me knows that the biggest problem I am currently having (as I have always had) is actually voicing my thoughts, speaking up, giving presentations, anything verbal at all. Hecks, if I could write a script for someone to recite, that would be better. But even then I’d want to run out of the room and hide in a broom closet lest I see people’s reactions to my work. *Sigh* How do I even blog? I don’t know. But those panic attacks and anxious trembling episodes aside, I am enjoying where I am, and I feel like it will be a profitable venture both for my academic nourishment and my gourmet growth (I am loving all the farmers markets!).

This dish was one of the first I made, along with the Habanero Tofu Salad, and I was ridiculously surprised at how succulent the eggplant turned out. I’ve been having some difficulty learning to manage an electric stove versus my former gas stove, but as long as I keep an eye on it, then the heat management isn’t too much of an issue. Thus I’ve had to cut back on multitasking, a tragic loss for me in the kitchen, where you might otherwise see me flying in a blur between sink, stove, and cabinet. That’s okay, I generally like to live life at a slow and tranquil pace, why not apply that to my kitchen doings?

But I digress. And I haven’t the time to…

Ingredients

• 2 long (Chinese) Eggplants
• ½ inch ginger, grated (1 tsp ginger paste)
• 1/4 inch ginger, thinly sliced/slivered
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• salt, as needed
• Coriander leaves

Eggplant Marinade:

• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce (I used the same Vietnamese brand that makes Sri Racha sauce)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1-1 ½ tsp Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• drizzle of honey (about 1 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp lemon vinegar (or rice vinegar if you can’t find this, plus a tiny squeeze of lemon)

In two separate bowls, mix the marinade and sauce ingredients and set both aside. Rinse the eggplants, and chop them into 1 ½ – 2 inch slivers (Cut in half length wise, the cut the two halves lengthwise, and chop into long wedges. Make sense?)

Sprinkle the eggplant with a little salt on all sides, and then mix into the marinade, setting aside to slice the other veggies. Now, I don’t have a wok which would be ideal (as it attains an extremely high temperature) so these directions are all with a large frying pan, using Extra Light Olive Oil. Heat the pan on high and add 2 tbsp of oil. While heating up, add the ginger paste and mix thoroughly. Once it started to really sizzle, add the eggplant and stir fry for 8 minutes on high. Next, throw in the onions, peppers, and the slivered ginger, and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Make sure to mix frequently so nothing burns.

At this point reduce the heat to medium (bordering on medium-low), cover the pan, and let the vegetables steam a little for 5 minutes, after which you remove the lid and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Your veggies should all have been cooked down to a nice moist texture, but not completely degraded. To get a slight crisp on the outside, turn the heat up to high one last time and fry for 5-8 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.

Now, take the sauce you mixed earlier, give it a good stir again, and pour into the pan, tossing carefully to ensure everything gets a nice tangy coating. Add some coriander leaves for garnish and a fresh taste, and voila! Jamaican Stir Fried Eggplant! is turned out to be one of the softest eggplant dishes I’ve made in a long while. Might be the use of the Chinese eggplants, a different variety from the usual fatty large round ones I usually find.

Ok my rant of the day is done, I can move on now having relieved my mind of that. I’m sure there are San Diegans who will revolt to this assessment but I speak with my eyes and my nerves. I know you aren’t all bad, just … a lot of you. But I’m done.

As you can see, I’ve set up the home base now, and am actually acclimating myself to the experience of graduate school at this moment (meaning I’m sitting outside with my laptop counting down the minutes until my next class commences while looking ruefully at my Literary Theory text and worrying about when I have to decide between writing a thesis or developing a portfolio). It’s only the first day! Yikes!

So instead, I return to my beloved baby, my comfort, my responsibility and my joy and am writing up this blog post for you all. It’s been a bit of a culture shock moving here, I won’t lie, and if it weren’t for the awesome program and all its promises, and the cool breeze that juuuust hit me as a blessing amidst the sun-spitting heat, I’d high-tail it back to MD, back into my uber-sheltered cocoon. But life is unfolding in an exquisite array of colors, the myriad of which I will enjoy witnessing. And despite feeling a bit out of place and more than a little overwhelmed, the husband and I are carving out the paths (least-trafficky ones at that) which lead to good living and of course good food. Case in point, organic markets and farmers markets abound here. In fact, if I wanted to drive, I could come across at least four farmers markets every day within a 30 minute radius of my home. Naturally I’ll stick to the one closest to home but the existence of such possibilities warms me. So for the first week I scoured food sources ad nauseum, and came across gorgeous produce like the largest and softest okra I had ever seen as well as the silkiest super firm tofu my eyes and mouth ever tasted. Not to mention the freshly ground and richly aromatic spices at my fingertips. And the SPICIEST jam ever. Good stuff. I’m happy.And that’s how the upcoming recipes arose: from a distinct need to break in my kitchen (just please don’t make me dwell on the demotion to an electric stove top–my one greatest sadness!) and get my proverbial feet wet with the goodies I picked up.

So for Round One, I bring you the Sweet Habanero Tofu Salad!

Ingredients

• 1 box extra firm tofu, cubed (I used Morinaga silken tofu, so good!)
• 3 tbsp Light Sodium Soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp Strawberry Habanero Jam (bought at the farmers market. I’ve had spicy jams before but this was the first one that actually made my mouth steam up. Amazing! Can be found at Grandmas Favorites. The site doesn’t look updated but she told me she uses it so people can contact her. Feel free to order!)
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Romaine Salad chopped
• 1/2 bartlett pear, very thinly sliced
• toasted ramen noodles

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 generous tsp Strawberry Habanero Jam
• 1/4 tsp Lemon Vinegar (or rice vinegar if you can’t find this)
• Fresh ground black pepper (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Combine the soy sauce, jam, and 2 tbsp EVOO in a bowl. Spread the cubed tofu in a lightly greased (with olive oil spray) pan and then pour the mixture on top, lightly tossing so all is coated but the tofu doesn’t break.

Bake for about 30 minutes, tossing once or twice to make sure all sides become golden and hopefully slightly crisp. (I took mine out a little earlier than preferred because I had to run out for a moment)

Combine the dressing ingredients and set aside. In a large serving bowl, layer the salad, pears and baked tofu. Drizzle the dressing all around, sprinkling black pepper on top. Lastly garnish with the toasted noodles and serve!

The olive oil tames the habanero heat quite a bit, just leaving the spice factor without too much fire. I recommend trying this with any kind of spicy jam you can find.