What I Really Think

Our latest book club book was Little Bee, the story of a young Nigerian refugee and how her life affects and intertwines with a British couple. This one is hard. Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Did I enjoy it ... well, no. Here's the thing, the novel can be graphic and the subject matter is disturbing at best but the pace is good and it's not a difficult read. Fortunately (or unfortunately) Chris Cleave uses his words well and paints vivid pictures. His characters are well developed, flaws and all and I found myself amazed that a man could write women so well. So yeah, if you're looking for a quick-paced engaging book, pick up this one.

I found out two weeks ago that you can take out books from your libraries now (if they have the capabilities) for your Kindles. So immediately went online and searched through the available books (there aren't as many as I had hoped and so many had long waiting lists), but I found this one available. I really wanted anything available just to see how the whole "check-out" process worked.

I was excited to see The Swan Thieves because it's written by Elizabeth Kostova who also wrote The Historian which I thoroughly enjoyed (one of those blow off things and sit on the couch to read type books for me).

The Swan Thieves tells the story of a psychiatrist, his crazy artist patient and the women in the artist's life that help the psychiatrist figure out why the artist attacked a work of art in a museum and then subsequently won't speak. There, I think I gave a one-line summary without spoiling anything.

At first, I really enjoyed the book (maybe the first 30 - 40%) as the mystery does hook you but soon you figure out the few possibilities that could be the solution and then it just feels like the author is going through some mental masturbation as she writes. Seriously? How many times must she describe the artist's "thick curly hair" or his large hands (wink, wink) before we get the idea he's someone women would want to screw (well, not this one, personally I thought he was a bit of a self-centered ass). And maybe that's one of the problems is that the more I learned about the artist, the more I could care less whether or not the psychiatrist cured him. I had the same feeling about the psychiatrist - things with him felt improbable and the more I learned about him, the less I cared there too. Now that I'm writing this, I actually think perhaps the author just shouldn't be focusing on men as her protagonists because I'm not sure she can develop them fully (avoiding cliche and stereotypes), yet I did like some of the women characters.

Oh well. I've already finished my next book and that definitely grabbed and held me. I'll write about that shortly.

Today is the three year anniversary of the day I found that lump in my breast. I wrote a bit about it on The Amy Foundation Blog yesterday in case anyone would like to read it.

I'm also doing two walks over the next two Sundays. Nothing big, just 5ks but if anyone would like to donate, you can either go to Support Kim in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or to Walk for Diane for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer. The latter link is for The Amy Foundation for whom I now blog.

Thanks!

Okay, maybe it's me. Maybe I've just grown to cynical. Why does everything seem so cliche?

Okay, forget that. I didn't hate the book but I didn't like it either. I'm really ambivalent. A friend warned me last year (when I was supposed to read it for book club that the simeles would drive me crazy, "fingers stroking brass pots or picking up a glowing red pepper, like small children drawn to low-hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree." She was right about the quantity of these, it's as if the author made a list of simeles to use, and proud of her achievement decided to incorporate as many of them as possible into her story. Eventually they stopped distracting me.

What did distract me or bothered me more was the telling of the story from nine different view points, a chapter for each person involved in the cooking class. I have the same issue with A Game of Thrones (and it's one of the reasons I put it aside), just as I'm starting to relate, understand and maybe even like a character, I'm torn from that world and pushed into another.

********************************* SPOILER ALERT **********************************************

Then there are the cliches. The grieving widower whose wife of course died from breast cancer (saw that from the beginning), the wise-beyond-her-years teacher whose relationship with food and cooking is almost magical (reminded me of trying to be like "Like Water for Chocolate" in that regard and failing, the happily married couple, who of course, had troubles during there life and well it goes on. Not to mention poor Ian, who seemed an after-thought, thrown in so Antonia could have a nice happy ending.

Like I said though, maybe I'm overly cynical. It's an easy read and won't take much time, so check it out for yourself.

I like apples. I like chicken, so as I perused Weight Watchers recipes, looking for a simple but good weeknight dish, this seemed like a no brainer. I decided to make it last night because my Mom was staying with me so at least I knew I wouldn't just be making it for me (my daughter, Sammi, is the quickest to exclaim, "I don't like chicken!").

It's a bit of prep with the slicing of the onion and peeling and slicing of the apple, but made a little simpler because I used Perdue perfect portions (which actually are more like 4.75 oz per serving) so as not to have to worry about my chicken breast size. Weight Watchers says 20 minutes prep, and I think that's about right. The nice thing though, once the chicken and onions are cooked, you set it to simmer for 30 minutes which is plenty of time to make a nice side dish of rice or couscous and a salad to go with, set the table, and clean up your workspace.

I worry when making these dishes that there will be enough sauce to enjoy with the meat, but this had plenty, with enough apples to correspond with the chicken. So much so that Sammi even agreed to try it and liked it!

It's a great fall dish, one that I'm contemplating making again for the holidays!

Apple Braised Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces (again, I used Perdue Perfect Portions so came in at almost 5 ozs a piece)
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 large onion, sliced (I used two small ones, didn't have a large one)
• 2 medium apples, firm, cored and sliced - they're not kidding - use firm like granny smith otherwise 30 minutes will make them too soft. I also peeled mine.
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp table salt (I used kosher, I always use kosher salt)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (I used scant ginger and a bit of curry because my Mom has an aversion to ginger)
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Directions

Reduce stove temperature to low and add onion to skillet. Sauté, stirring often, until onion is tender and lightly browned. Stir in apples, cider, chicken broth, salt, ginger and chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken, onions and apples to a serving dish (I covered the dish with foil) to keep it warm).

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 to 3 tablespoons of pan juices. Combine cornstarch mixture with remaining pan juices, whisking constantly. Simmer for one minute. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. Yields 1 chicken breast and about 3/4 cup of apple-onion mixture per serving.

And it's 6 Weight Watchers PPV. Enjoy!

I think the title should say it all. But if you need more convincing here's the picture!

These were quite good and came together easily enough. The batter was very thick though which made distributing the chocolate chips at the end a bit difficult. I think next time, I may use mini-chocolate chips to get a better disbursement. Also, these were 4 PPV (points plus value) as described in Cooking Light at 20 servings for the pan, but I used my Perfect Brownie Pan which only allows for 18 servings, so that brought them into the 5 PPV range.

These will definitely be made again!

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Ingredients

5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I swirled the melted butter into the measuring cup so the peanut butter came out a little easier)
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
4 (0.75-ounce) peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped - This was one King Size Reeses package that contained 4 cups.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Combine peanut butter and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring well. Add peanut butter mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Scrape the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray (mine was 12x8), and arrange the peanut butter cups over batter. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes (it took mine 23 minutes and I've seen others say 24 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

I know, when you think of creamy, delicious macaroni and cheese, the first thing you reach for in the refrigerator is your ... butternut squash? No, well, maybe you should.

We saw this recipe on the cover of September's issue of Cooking Light and Sammi, a Mac & Cheese whore, requested it immediately on the weekly rotation for dinner. So last Sunday, I checked the ingredients and couldn't believe that it included butternut squash. What I couldn't believe even more was that Sammi was still game to try it.

And it was good!

The flavor of the squash really blends into the background and because you use sharp, flavorful white colored cheeses the squash actually makes the dish yellow so it looks like the stuff from the box.

A bit of prep work involved with peeling, chopping and cooking the squash (you may want to buy the already peeled kind in the market) and grating the cheeses but then you stick the casserole in the oven and can straighten up your kitchen so after dinner, it's a matter of just cleaning up the dishes.

I may try freezing this puppy to see how it holds up. If well, it's going on the Thanksgiving Day rotation too (heck, I can squeeze some veggies into all the nieces and nephews without them even knowing!).

Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt (I forgot this)
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 pound uncooked cavatappi (I used small shells - it's all I had in the house)
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (didn't bother)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

This came in at a whopping 10 PPV but I'd work out and do it again.