Cooking With Ideas

A Second Book in a Series; Secret, Book & Scone Society #2

As you know, I was enthusiastic about the first book in this series. Indeed, I was so enthusiastic that I immediately purchased and read the second volume in the series. It took me some time to write this. And it took even longer forit to be posted as I am a bit ahead of myself in creating blog posts. Neither delay should be read as indicative of my views!

Written by Ellery Adams, this second book in the series is entitled The Whispered Word - and is well worth the read. As you may recall from my initial review of volume 1 in the series (entitled The Secret, Book and Scone SocIety reviewed here in case you need a more lengthy refresher) the characters here are a group of women, each struggling with trusting others due to painful secrets from their past. One survived her particular trauma through immersing herself in the healing power of books. She owns a bookstore and prescribes (as it were) books to those who come to her in pain. Another Creates “comfort scones” which take seriously the baker’s intuitions about those for whom she creates them - and are truly comforting. Together these two - and another frIend - discoverone another and re-learn how to trust and care for others. 

Series entry 2 takes up a young woman who arrives on the scene at the end of book one, pursuing her secrets and finding a way for her to remake her life. Like the other women’s secrets, we are reminded of the hard things about life - both the mistakes we make & their negative impact on others (both strangers and those we love) and the awful thing some people perpetrate upon others. What healing is and how one finds it can seem like an unduly heavy or didactic theme, and yet Adams accomplishes this in a fairly light but meaningful way and also is straightforward about the many moral/ethical dilemmas we face each day. One side theme which does appear here is the ways creativity can emerge from pain - and on the rare occasion help one move past it. 

I know I have not said much over there about plot or setting - and Adams offers some nuances here that are of interest. What has been memorable for me in this book and it’s predecessor is something more abstract and, perhaps, more important. I’m not sure anyone else would find these books as useful as I do - but I do recommend giving them a try if you are in need of a comfort scone or bibliotherapy or a group of allies who help you move forward. 

Feminism & Food on the Web

Another theme that snuck into Cooking with Ideas brings together several F words: feminism and food. As we know, there is a whole literature on women and food -- focused, e.g., on food history and women's relationship to it. And, there are many ways that the phenomena are connected (click here to get a sense of past explorations here on Cooking with Ideas connecting feminism and food either very directly or more  indirectly). And yet, there is more. 

A bit of a stroll around the web unearthed (is that a weird metaphor for googling around? it somehow makes it seem more intentional and more grounded -- and yet. . . ). In any case, I came across a few places (again a weird metaphor?) that you may wish to visit. 

First: the feminist kitchen. Don't you just love the name? Subtitled "musings on women and food," the blog is written by Addie Broyles who has a connection to the Austin American-Statesman and founded the blog in 2010 and more recently compiled and edited a cookbook. This may be the only blog I ever recommend that has a manifesto (click here to read it). It doesn't seem highly active, and hte book club/film series seems deceased, but hey. Have a look. And really: with the name "the feminist kitchen," well, its worth a look. 

Second: you may wish to venture out to this site. This is the site for Render - a print magazine and blog with a mission. The mission: to "smash oppressive systems in the food industry." And yes, while this sounds very Sublimation Nation part of Cooking with Ideas, the magazine is definitely and explicitly feminist. It is also, alas, gone - but you can review the archives here. And I think you will find it worthwhile. I did. 

Third, there is a Ms. Magazine blog piece from 2013 which is entitled "The Feminisphere: Foodies and Food Politics." It is available here if you are interested. It starts off with a few (three) short interviews with bloggers related to the aforementioned theme and then ends with a list of relevant blogs. Sister Vegan is the first interview -- and a very intriguing read (including a book the author did based, I assume on the blog itself.) While some of what appears in this piece are items long gone from the blogosphere (in the sense of there no longer being contributions), others are still with us. Hurrah. More on food and feminism. 

Overall: I have one huge (and I mean huge) complaint/query -- why are so many of these dead and why can I not find more on feminism and food. Is it that blogs are a dying species or is it my search techniques or do you have a better explanation? Help! Of course, I am grateful to those that continue teaching and entertaining us and pushing the edge; thank you Sister Vegan. And, oh readers, any suggestions welcome!

More FLX Food on the Web

(thanks to styleblueprint.com for the visual)

FLX food (when did we all start using this short hand for the Finger Lakes?) is both real -- we can encounter it IRL! and a presence on the web. There are guidebooks and restaurant links and much much more. And, sometimes, when away from the region as I have been on and off for years, the virtual presence mattes to -- there are no smells, both there are sights and words that make me think of hime in a peculiarly wonderful and occasionally painful way. Right at the edge of loneliness and nostalgia and hope, the visual FLX and food sustains me right now. I confess, I even re-read my own entries occasionally to remind me that you can go home again. I have done it before, when I spent a fellowship year in Harrisburg and then when I spent some time in Chicago and now, I am going to do it again after time away for a too-long but short-term posting in North Carolina. 

So, when I googled around for some blogging or other links to review here, I did come across some. And, as I have said before, I do have to clean up some of the links on the sides of the blog. For those who either live or visit the Finger Lakes, here are a few places to read. For those missing him, these are worth a gander (when did that become an odd word for check it out, peruse, whatever?):

First; this link is from Zomato and basically gets you to some of the Finger Lakes web content focused on food: top finger lakes food bloggers. I have no idea (right now) how to use Zomato so Cooking with Ideas does not appear - but I will be checking it out! I think this very blog ought to be listed with them as both a food blogger and foodie blogger! It involves signing in and for some peculiar reason. . . well, you get my drift! (If you are interested in the restaurant reviews here -- and there are many -- you can find them by checking out the various relevant categories on the side bar!)  

Second: A new link to be added to the side bar featuring food related blogs and links in the Finger Lakes is for The Braless Gourmet. Turns out I even know the bloggers -- but have not known the blog! It is The Braless Gourmet, which is also associated with a new place in Geneva, NY called Locavore. (You can find information on the Locavore Store at the website!) The blog includes book reviews, Geneva NY spotlight matters, and much more. Hurrah! 

And, of course, you can still check out Edible Finger Lakes and more on line for your virtual dining delight.  

Murder on the Menu on the Web

Sometimes one of the wonders of the web is to discover that one's odd predilections are shared by others. (And no, I did not mean what you may be thinking). Instead, I mean folks on the web who share, for example, by fondness for connection food to books, most especially food and murder mysteries. I have loved a number of blogs related to this for years, including Mystery Lover's Kitchen where a variety of my faves blog, including Cleo Coyle. So, when I began thinking about updating Cooking with Ideas in terms of the blogosphere (do we still call it that?) and the web more broadly, I asked myself about "murder on the menu" (as the relevant portion of this site is called). 

I did come across a few things that are potentially of interest. These include various lists of relevant blogs and of related murder mysteries. 

For lists of relevant murder mysteries, besides Cooking with Ideas, you might explore book riot's vibes on what they call culinary murder mysteries. (I love that way to refer to them. It somehow feels uplifting.) Anyway, for a list, click here. I can guarantee that there are a few there I have not discussed with you since there are a few I have never heard of! Hurrah. More reading for everyone. 

And, then, there is this list of 10 cozy mystery blogs. While I was devastated not to find Cooking with Ideas on the list (hah!), bit thrilled to find the aforementioned Mystery Lover  Kitchen. I was also thrilled to find I did find a bit new that focuses on "murder on the menu." These include:

Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder by Kim Davis. Why I like about the blog is that it truly foregrounds the links between murder mysteries and food. everything eventually leads to recipes. Surprise! 

I also like the name of A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery -- perhaps because I am fond (oddly since I am not a huge tea drinker) of mysteries featuring tea. (Yes, I mean Laura Childs, though that is not directly related to the blog itself.) 

Finally, the Cozy Mystery List Blog offers lists of cozy mysteries buy topic. And yes, they include culinary mysteries in their options. Here's their list for A-D from 2007. Old but . . . perhaps still useful? 

I feel like there is hope of more unexplored territory for "Murder on the Menu," and that is important as I was getting to the point where too many seemed. . . .well, not good enough. . . and there are only so many series one can read. Adventures in culinary mysteries remain! 

Any suggestions? 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you make with potatoes and leeks?

In my youth, both scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin came in boxes. They had various powders and sort of dehydrated potato slices. I loved them. I am not entirely sure I even knew that they could be made with "real" potatoes. I am not even truly sure I knew that there were any other kinds of potatoes besides what we now call russet potatoes and which knew as baking or baked potatoes. 

In any case, I have since learned that potatoes are a vegetable. And, I have been known to make scalloped potatoes. With the Beef Wellington described earlier on the blog, served at Christmas, I made and served an au gratin made of potatoes and leeks and gruyere cheese. It was amazing. And here's how to make it: 

Option 1: Just click here and follow the directions. Today there is no other option. So, click away. Having said that, perhaps you care what else I have to say? 

A few comments: (A) Use your mandolin. Trust me. Mine was a gift many years ago and it is one of my happiest kitchen gadgets. I don't like to use it too much as I am actually quite proud of my knife skills, but in this case, use it. (B) Use Yukon gold potatoes as per the recipe. It actually matters. I have got a lot of potatoes from our CSA and for some reason they take ages to cook. Having said that, I could not find Yukon golds in Wegmans (have I said I am a tad disappointed in Wegs these days?!?!?) and used what they called "butter potatoes." They worked. (C) I used medium gruyere. 

This is not only terrific  but it goes well with Beef Wellington and it makes great - dare I say spectacular - left overs.