Of Books and Boys

Friday, January 16, 2015

Recipe Fiasco Friday - Mozzarella Tortilla Stack

I'm thinking about starting a new feature on the blog - Recipe Fiasco Friday! One of my goals for 2015 is to spend more time in the kitchen. I've mentioned before that I'm not terribly comfortable in a kitchen. I love to bake, but that is about the extent of it. As for meals, even though I enjoy trying new things, they often seem to fumble in my hands. It is like handing two individuals a violin and asking them to play. One might screech and whine, while the other, more accomplished individual, can make that instrument sing. Well, I'm the screech and whine individual in the kitchen. The same recipe in the hands of someone with natural skills would turn out fine, but for me ... well, it turns out to be a fiasco.

Thus, I offer up the first new recipe I have tried in the new year. When I saw it on Facebook, it looked so amazing, I just had to try it. Since it is demonstrated with a simple three minute video, I mistook that to mean that it is an easy recipe (and for someone else, it probably is). Here is the video for the easy, peasy Mozzarella Tortilla Stack (offered up by Dairygoodness.ca):

Here is the recipe, for those accomplished individuals who can make it sing:

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt & pepper
2 C peeled, shredded sweet potato
1/2 C chopped cilantro
6 large tortillas
2 tomatoes, diced
3 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat, onion, and spices. Add sweet potatoes; cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cilantro. Stack tortilla with 1/5 of the meat, tomatoes, cheese five times. Add final tortilla and top with remaining cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Broil the last 2 minutes, if desired. Serve with sour cream.

I forgot to take a photo before we started eating, but here is one which shows half of my completed product:

First of all, I bought too large a sweet potato (ended up wasting one third of it) and perhaps shredded more than two cups (so hard to judge just by looking at shredded ingredients). The meat and potato mixture never really blended well enough to provide even spreading of the mixture (resulting in bites of just sweet potato or just meat or just big chunks of cilantro, since I never managed to neatly chop them into tiny pieces like on the video).

The biggest mistake was that I simply didn't spread the ingredients evenly enough or flat enough over the top of the tortillas (indeed, I should have made sure I selected the largest tortilla for the bottom of the stack and should have pressed it all out to a thinner layer after placing the second tortilla on). Thus, instead of ending up with a nice layered cake-like appearance, mine had the appearance of a wobbling volcano, with ingredients falling off the sides before I could lay the next tortilla atop it all. Groan. Perhaps if it had been evenly spread and all nice and flat, as in the video, it wouldn't have burned the edges of the tortillas. It would have been easier to eat, as well, since mine turned out to be about 2-1/2 inches tall.

The only blessing in all of this is that it still tasted delicious. My husband was skeptical about the sweet potato, but ended up saying that he would eat this dish again, if I were willing to put in all the prep work the recipe took (it may have seemed like more than it really was, since we were both in the kitchen at the same time - him making the boys his amazing organic mashed potatoes and fish sticks - and thus my shredding and dicing and chopping took up space and time). Whether or not I am willing to try again is the real question. But, hey, knock yourselves out and try this recipe. Then, send me a photo of your attempt and gloat over your expertise in the kitchen. I can take it.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Book Review: The Walk

This was a book my mother mentioned to me well over a year ago and encouraged me to read. I must have a thing for reading books about people going on walking journeys. Who knows ... maybe there's a walking journey in my future someday (I'm tired after my two miles a day. I doubt I could log 25 like this main character.)

I still preferred The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but this was also an enjoyable read. I'm pretty sure I will stick with it through the whole series. There are five books in the series and my library has every one. Several reviewers on Amazon felt hoodwinked into paying for five installments for a story which could have been told in one. If my library didn't have these books available, I probably wouldn't be willing to part with money to continue the story ... but since they do, I'll keep going.

Within six brief weeks, Alan Christoffersen loses his job, his home, and his wife (the love of his life). He is shattered. Looking at a map, he selects the farthest point away from where he is (Seattle, WA) and decides to start off on a walking journey to Key West, Florida (having been there before, I can attest that it is a worthy destination). As the blurb on the back cover of the audio version proclaims: "The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life - and inspire yours."

It was, indeed, an inspiring read. I will now seek out the second of the series, a book called Miles to Go. It was interesting to note that the biographical information on the back cover offers up the author's mailing address. I've not seen that often. It might be fun to send him a letter of appreciation and see if I receive a response (another thing I've not experienced often). Thankfully, my library has all five books in audio form, so I can continue to walk while I listen to the story of Alan Christoffersen's walk.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Book Review: The Story Hour

You know how it feels when you get to the end of a really good book and you think to yourself, "I can't wait to find another book by this skilled author?" Well, I had that feeling way back in 2009 when I read Thrity Umrigar's The Weight of Heaven. I loved that book and felt that passion for finding another book by Umrigar. However, somehow time intervened and I never got around to another one ... until now. Why, oh why, did I wait so long?

In The Story Hour, Umrigar tells the tale of two women: one an African-American professional and the other a lowly Indian shop girl. Maggie is a psychologist who is called upon to meet with this young Indian woman, Lakshmi, who has just attempted suicide. She was selected to go to this woman because Maggie is married to an Indian man, Sudhir. Hoping this commonality, of both sharing Indian husbands, will form a bond to open up a dialogue, Maggie attempts to break through Lakshmi's silence and discover what would cause her to get to the point of not wanting to live.

At first, it seems like Lakshmi's trouble is just the standard isolation of culture shock and trouble adapting. Maggie begins to allow Lakshmi deeper into her life as she unravels the story of Lakshmi's loveless marriage. She even begins to develop a more intimate friendship with her than she normally would in a client-doctor relationship. As the two come closer, secrets are divulged which tear at the very fabric of their lives and their friendship.

The novel touches on so many worthwhile themes. The question of arranged marriages and the damage such situations can bring. The idea of cultural barriers. The importance of love and forgiveness. The value of friendship. This is a novel I will think about for a long time to come. The two women wormed their way into my heart and it is as if they are real people for me. I felt their deepest desires and dreams. I ached when their hearts ached. I cried as I approached the climax of the plot progression. And now, I cannot wait to find another book by this fabulous author. She has such skill for weaving characters together and causing them to confront their innermost conflicts. I will not let another six years go by.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Book Review: Little Mercies

The first time I put myself on the hold list for this book, I didn't manage to get around to reading it. There were other books needing to be read and it just kept getting pushed to the back burner, until I had to simply return it without reading it (ever had that happen to you??). After returning it, I placed my name on the hold list again. This time, after a bit of a slow start, I finished the book.

The key inciting incident doesn't occur until fifty or so pages into the book. I think this is why I found it hard to get into. I had read the fly page, which immediately sucked me in, but the book itself took a bit longer to get around to the heart of the problem. Once I reached that point, I didn't want to put the book down.

Social worker Ellen Moore has seen some pretty horrendous things in her job. At the beginning we are introduced to her character and to some of these tragedies. We are also introduced to a fragile little girl, Jenny. As the story progresses, Ellen finds herself in a world of trouble when a moment of distraction leads to her own crucible. Eventually, Ellen's world intersects with Jenny's and the conflict grows in intensity.

The book explores the range of emotions we feel as mothers, the traumas children can and do face sometimes in this fallen world, the overwhelming cry for justice, and the power of love. It was a bit tricky getting used to the dueling viewpoints (Ellen's told in first person present tense and Jenny's told in third person past tense), but effective nonetheless. I was a bit surprised that the ending turned out to be so tidy and clean. I'm glad I didn't give up around page 30 when temptation struck to set it aside. It was a sad, but worthwhile tale, proving that even in the toughest situations we must keep our eyes open for life's little mercies.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Short Story Review: Shopaholic on Honeymoon

Sophie Kinsella decided to offer up something for free for her fans of the Shopaholic book series. She has written a short story to fill in some of the gaps between Shopaholic Ties the Knot and Shopaholic & Sister. The story, called "Shopaholic on Honeymoon," gives the briefest of vignettes from their honeymoon adventure.

I'm with other reviewers who felt that this was just too brief. While it is consistent in flavor with the novels and the character of Becky Bloomwood, it fails to offer a wider scope of story. It presents a typical scene of Becky purchasing more souvenirs than they really need, her flighty tendency to jump at new ideas (like becoming an artist simply because she sees students drawing at easels), and conflict developing between Becky and her new husband, Luke, but leaves the reader a bit dissatisfied. I couldn't believe Luke just caved to Becky's grand scheme, rather than compromise. Becky's self-absorption just overshadowed any satisfying amount of story line. Instead of being an endearing character, the brevity led to casting her in a merely negative light.

I almost wish Kinsella would try again and give us a full telling of the honeymoon, with the introduction of some significant conflict or plot device to drive the story. As it was, this short story was more a character sketch which painted Becky in the worst possible shades. Still, how can one argue with a free dose of Becky Bloomwood Brandon?? I'm on the hold list for Shopaholic to the Stars and wishing I could obtain it from my library in audio form (will have to settle for the physical book).

Monday, January 5, 2015

Book Review: Alice Alone

This was a hastily chosen selection. I had completed my previous audio book and knew I needed something new to start while exercising the next morning. But, when I arrived at the library, it was about twenty minutes to closing time. Thus, I didn't have much time. I merely perused the shelves, starting with the A's and this was the first selection which sounded mildly interesting.

Alice Alone is about a woman who finds herself facing an empty nest. The last of her three children has just departed for Birmingham and Alice recognizes a deep lack within her life. She no longer has the focus of her children to divert her attentions. She no longer loves her husband (cannot even fathom what the attraction was to begin with) and the thought of facing another several decades alone with him scares her. Thus, she embarks upon a journey to discover what she really wants out of life and where she belongs.

The narration was quite well done. Amanda Brookfield has produced an excellent character study. The reader is really able to get inside the mind of Alice and face the obstacles and setbacks she encounters. Moreover, I never found myself bored with the tale. It is absorbing and engaging. Still, I squirmed at the bits of infidelity and had to be careful about allowing my boys to overhear much of it if they entered the room while I walked.

Overall, I did enjoy the tale. Even though I am a full decade away from facing any sort of empty nest, it is a prospect I can imagine is fairly daunting. The road Alice selected was believable and her introspection quite genuine. It only has 2 widely-mixed reviews on Amazon (despite being published in the early 90's). If I were to rank it, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Favorite Reads of 2014

2014 was a stellar year for reading. I've never read this many books before in one year's time. I don't think I'll ever repeat this number again. Since my mother begs for a post where I list all the books from the year's reading, here is my list (with links to reviews) of all the books I consumed in 2014 (Although some of the favorites are listed as HR [Highly Recommended], I have picked two others, as well, to come up with my top ten for the year):