Hi! My name is Margot. My blog is about the things I love to do. That could be what I'm reading, places we visit, my family, food, or whatever else is happening. I hope you'll stay and visit a while.
Contact me by email: margot (DOT) peck (AT) gmail (DOT) com.
Currently Reading
Persepolis
Work Song
My Book Rating System
A = Exellent Book . . . .
B = Very good story . . .
C = Good/Average. . . . .
D = Poor . . . . . . . . . . .
F = So poor I couldn’t finish it
Here is Northern California I saw my first bit of corn at the Farmer’s Market last weekend. The big harvest can’t be too far behind. My husband picked up some at the grocery store but it’s not the same thing to us. I’m ready for the real thing.
I’ve always been a cook who takes the husks off and puts the ears in boiling water. Forty-some years, that’s the way I’ve always done it. But now, I’ve been hearing about different ways of fixing the corn. I’ve decided I’d like to experiment. So here’s what we did with the corn my husband bought: we grilled it!
Since this is our first time, I’m not sure we did it the “right” way. Here’s what we tried. First, we carefully pulled back the husks and took off all the silks. Then we put the husks back on and soaked the ears in water. After about fifteen minutes we put them on the grill at medium heat.
At first I thought the wet ears of corn were going to put out the fire but they didn’t. (We were using a charcoal grill.) The corn gradually began to heat up and started roasting. Using tongs we turned the ears of corn over several times so they cooked on all sides. Some of the husks started to burn on the edges but we kept turning them. It took about twenty minutes for our corn to cook.
We let them cool down for just a few minutes and then we dug in. We pulled back the husks and put on the butter. Well, not that much butter as you see in the photo above. My husband used a little salt but I didn’t think it needed it.
I thought the taste of grilled corn was very different. It was crisp and crunchy. My mouth was filled with a multitude of tastes. It was almost like popcorn but at the same time it was moist and creamy. My mouth loved every bite.
That was our first experiment. I would like to try something different next time. I’d like to try the corn on the grill without the husks. What do you think? What’s your method of cooking corn-on-the-cob? What other ways would you suggest? Do you put something else besides butter on your corn?
Talking about food is a regular feature on my blog and others as well. Visit Beth Fish Reads for other bloggers who are participating in Weekend Cooking.
My Synopsis: Two sisters, Rachel and Sara, share the same father. Rachel’s mother is the first wife and Sara’s mother is his second wife. There are two more wives and numerous children. There is no divorce. They all live in the same house. This is a polygamist’s family.
Rachel and Sara’s family are a part of a secret polygamist community in Utah. Rachel and Sara are both fifteen-years-old and are actually considered spinsters since they should have been married at thirteen.
Their father takes the girls to a meeting with the prophet who will decide who it is they will marry. The prophet decides that Sara will become the fifth wife of her fifty-year-old uncle. The prophet tells them he has sixteen proposals of marriage for the beautiful Rachel so he will have to pray further about it.
The book revolves around the events in Rachel and Sara’s lives. As soon as the girls are home from the meeting, their father severely beats Rachel. She must be a slut to tempt so many men into proposing marriage.
From this point on in the story the girls begin to question the faith and way of life they’ve been taught is the only right way. Sara is the first to closely examine everything she knows. Rachel continues to cling to the faith she has blindly followed in spite of everything that happens to her.
Everything changes, however, when Rachel’s future husband is announced. Violence erupts and the girls decide they must escape or be trapped in that community forever.
My Evaluation: This is one of those books people may not want to read because of the subject matter, but they should read it. That’s what I told myself.
I became very angry on behalf of the young girls and the women in the story. Forced marriages of children, bigamy, rape, violence, mental and psychological abuse – it’s all a part of the lives of the females in this story. Unfortunately, this is not a made up story but one based on real life. The good thing is that the book is very well written. It is a heart-wrencher but I’m glad I read it.
About the author: Claire Avery is a pseudonym for the writing team of two sisters. Mari Hilburn, an attorney, and Michelle Poche, a screenwriter. The two were raised in a cult-like environment that is a story all it’s own. Their childhood was unusual but nothing like the forced marriages in the polygamist group in the book. For an account of their lives and more information about them, visit their website here.
I’m honored to be a part of the blog tour for Hidden Wives. If you’d like to see the other stops on the tour, visit TLC Book Tours. To purchase a copy, visit Hidden Wiveson Amazon. (I’m an Amazon Associate.)
GIVEAWAY: I liked this book so much I’d like to give away my copy of the book plus one from the authors. Please leave a comment indicating your interest. I’ll hold this open for a week. (US and Canada only.)
That’s twocopies of the book. Giveaway closes August 5.
I thought you might like to see a trailer for the book. It’s a short discussion by the two authors.
1. doppelganger: Tricia looked from her customers to the doppelganger in front of her. Doppleganger is an apparition or a double of a living person.
2. flog: “She was little more than a pest to most of the shop owners, always trying to flog her junk.” Flog according to the literal definition means to beat with a stick. My guess is the author meant it figuratively.
This big word was part of the instructions for using the dictionary on my new Kindle.
3. sesquipedalian: Never fear a sesquipedalian word again–simply look it up and keep reading.
Sesquipedalian means a word that is multi-syllabic or characterized by long words. It can also mean long-winded. I’m sure glad Kathy didn’t call this meme the Sesquipedalian Words Wednesday.
Wondrous Words Wednesday is sponsored by the resolute (admirably purposeful) Kathy at Bermuda Onion’s Weblog.
Laurel McBane is the pastry chef at Vows, the wedding planning company she co-owns with her three best friends. The four friends have been close since childhood. In fact, one of their favorite childhood games was playing Wedding Day. Now, as adults, they manage to execute perfect weddings for a growing group of clients.
I’ve already met two of the four friends. In Vision In White I met Mac, the photographer. In Bed of Roses I met Emma. Savor The Moment is Laurel’s story.
Laurel has a passion for food. She’s responsible for the lavish wedding cakes and other pastries at each of the weddings, anniversaries, and other exclusive events. Here’s Laurel’s take on food:
Laurel understood the need to feed, the desire –even the passion– to put food in front of someone and urge them to eat. It was life and comfort, authority and satisfaction. And if you’d prepared that food with your own hands, your own skills, it was, in a very real way, love.
Her contribution to the business was as important as all the other parts. Laurel does it well and her career is soaring.
The only touchy part of Laurel’s life is the modern dating ritual. It’s left Laurel disenchanted and she’s declared a moratorium on dating and sex for herself.
For most of Laurel’s life she’s been secretly in love with the brother of one of her partners but she’s never done anything about it. He treats her like one of his sisters. But after a couple of confrontations, they agree to date for thirty days. Only dating. No sex. You’ll have to read the book to see if they make it.
I’m loving this series. I’ve always loved the author for the characters she creates. With four books in a series it’s given Ms. Roberts plenty of room to explore and expand on all of the characters. Each one of the characters has flaws and each one is unique. All four women, all four men as well as other assorted characters appear in all four books.
There are other things I like about a Nora Roberts’ story. Her dialogue can’t be beat, but more than that, I love how her stories go deep. In this book we see how friendship is so multi-layered. The friends literally form a family. This is a romance novel but it’s not fluffy or silly. It’s solid.
If you are a lover of modern romances, this is a series not to be missed. The fourth book will be published in November. I am so looking forward to that one.
Check your local library or you can also find them at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)
I was enticed into reading this story by Teddy Rose who read and reviewed it for last week’s Short Story Monday. It was posted at The New Yorker website and I was caught up in the story by the end of the first page.
Foster is the story, told in the first person, of a young Irish girl who is taken to stay indefinitely with her mother’s sister and husband. There is no packing of clothes. She is driven to their home in the country and given over into their care.
Both the aunt and uncle are caring, loving people. They do not speak negatively to the girl but from their actions the reader knows that the child arrived dirty, in rags, and with head lice.
There are no other children in the home but she is taken to sleep in a child’s bedroom that is filled with trains on the wallpaper. She’s dressed in pants and shirts her size from a dresser in the room.
The girl helps her aunt with chores around the house and occasionally outside in the barn. For her uncle she fetches the mail in the box at the end of the long drive. But her uncle makes it fun by asking her to run. He times her and encourages her when she runs faster than the day before.
By observing life at her aunt’s and uncle’s she becomes aware of all that is wrong with her own family. She dreads the day when she will have to go back home.
Teddy Rose predicted I’d like this story. She was right; I did. For anyone who loves children, this story will cause your heart to twist for this little girl. If you’d like to also read Foster, you can find the story here.
Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.
Since April I’ve been following the growth of grapes here in Sonoma County, California. Actuallty, I’ve been following one particular field of grapes. It’s become a Favorite Place.
I’ve been gone for a month so I was surprised at how much they have grown. The picture of the vine above was taken in March of this year. Here’s how it looks now:
They are filling out so much that the mountains are no longer visible. The leaves are expanding and the grapes are filling out nicely.
Here’s a close-up shot. See the grapes growing all along the bottom?
We are learning that every vineyard has it’s own style of holding the grape vines up off the ground. They do it by using a variety of trellises. This method you see above is called vertical. The posts hold several wires and the grape vines are placed in between those wires. It makes the plant look very flat.
This trellis is called Lyre. There is still the use of wires but the plant can spread a quite a bit more in between the u-shaped trellis.
Here is a very old plant that has no trellis at all. (The wires you see are the drip-lines for watering the vines.) Some of these old vines can be decades old. Isn’t it beautiful?
I hope you’ll join me again in a couple of weeks when I’ll show you another Favorite Place. Feel free to join in and share some of your Favorite Places. Leave a link in the comments and we’ll come visit you.
I think of myself as a savvy shopper of fresh vegetables and fruits. After all, I tell myself, I’ve grown most of these items. I should be able to tell when a tomato will have that perfect “from-the-garden” taste. But, I’ve been wrong. I also find the farmers market full of vegetables and fruits that I’ve never tried before.
Just last Sunday I purchased a tomato that tasted as bland as the ones I buy at the grocery store in January. I also have some little green and yellow squashes I’ve never cooked before.
What did I do? I did what I always do when I have questions: I ask what books could help me find the answers. I found a huge array of resources. Fortunately, there are many people around the world who are a part of the “Eat Local” and “Slow Food” movement. It’s helped spawn a wide number of new books. Let me show you a few.
The author guides shoppers through the market, sharing tips on selection and storage as well as advice from the farmers themselves. Readers can turn peak-season produce into delicious eating year-round. This very useful cookbook is a celebration of market bounty with luscious color photographs. Among the 75 tempting dishes are Fingerling Potato Salad With Fennel, White Peaches in Raspberry Wine Sauce, Apple and Dried Cherry Crisp, Radicchio With Raisins and Pine Nuts, and Penne With Broccoli. Sauce. Each delicious soup, salad, entree and dessert makes the most of the season’s best.
This cookbook makes an occasion out of the season itself. . . In many ways, this cookbook is also a theology of food. It reminds us with every page the meaning and place of food in our lives. (Farmer’s Independent Weekly)
An essential kitchen companion for all of us who love to get our food from our own backyard, local CSA or farmers market–and always need new ideas. This is a book I will turn to over and over again. They’ve put the recipes in the most organized, easy-to-use cookbook I’ve seen. (Catherine Walthers, author)
I love this cookbook. It not only contains a diverse variety of recipes, but it is chock-full of information about using fresh, local, and seasonal foods. (B. Smith, lifestyle expert)
In this new book, Emeril Lagasse continues his lifelong commitment to using fresh, local ingredients in his restaurants and home kitchen. He has spent the past thirty years building close relationships with farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. Farm to Fork is his guide to help you explore the great local bounty through fifteen flavorful chapters—sweet summer in “The Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash,” juicy “Berries, Figs, and Melons,” sublime naturally raised meats in “Out on the Range,” fresh catch in “Fresh Off the Dock,” and home canning tips from “Home Economics: Preserving the Harvest.”
Fill your basket with the ripest ingredients from every season at the markets (or your backyard garden) and dig into delicious recipes such as Sweet Potato Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter, Cheesy Creole Tomato Pie, Honey-Brined Pork Chops with Nectarine Chutney, Watermelon Rind Crisp Sweet Pickles, and Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp. Even learn how to make your own cheese and pasta at home. Emeril shares his love for fresh from-the-fields foods—and the heritage of the artisans who bring them to the table.
There are so many more books to choose from. These are the three I’ve narrowed my shopping to. I’d love to know of resources you have used. Please share in the comments section.
(I did all my shopping at the Amazon.com store. Product descriptions of the books came from Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate.)
Talking about food is a regular feature on my blog and others as well. Visit Beth Fish Reads for other bloggers who are participating in Weekend Cooking.
Here is Northern California I saw my first bit of corn at the Farmer’s Market last weekend. The big harvest can’t be too far behind. My husband picked up some at the grocery store but it’s not the same thing to us. I’m ready for the real thing.
Since this is our first time, I’m not sure we did it the “right” way. Here’s what we tried. First, we carefully pulled back the husks and took off all the silks. Then we put the husks back on and soaked the ears in water. After about fifteen minutes we put them on the grill at medium heat.
We let them cool down for just a few minutes and then we dug in. We pulled back the husks and put on the butter. Well, not that much butter as you see in the photo above. My husband used a little salt but I didn’t think it needed it.
on Amazon. (I’m an Amazon Associate.)
NORTHERN CALLIFORNIA