Day Two Hundred and Thirty Six
The Stranger by Albert Camus Page: 117 Finished
The Woman Warrior, China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston Page:113
The Stranger was a quick and easy read. The bleakness and the heartlessness of the book may have been meant as an indictment of modern life but it seemed more to be a symptom than a diagnosis. I tend to think that beauty is the best indictment of ugliness not imitation.
Speaking of beauty, Maxine Hong Kingston has it. Not only does she describe it but it seems to me that she understands both how to show it and how to find it. She describes Chinese legend and folklore, tales and culture and whe is imaginative and creative with it. she also accepts American culture and is enriched by it. I think I’m a fan.
I’m sad that the more I post about food the more comments I get. Isn’t this supposed to be a book blog? Anyway, on the menu for this week is chili. My recipe is simple and developed from my mom’s recipe (too beany) and a recipe out of the Bride and Groom Cookbook (too complicated). The proportions are derived from the packaging sizes I find at the grocery store. One pound ground beef, one pound sausage, cooked together and drained. One onion finely chopped, one bell pepper also finely chopped sauteed together in a couple tablespoons olive oil (I use super cheap olive oil for anything that it is not a major ingredient of. Extra virgin is only necessary for things like pesto or salad dressing). Two 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes and one small can of tomato paste to thicken. Two cans (16oz?)of pinto beans (or whatever other beans you like and one large can of baked beans like Bush’s Baked Beans. A tablespoon of chili powder and salt to taste. Now here is the fun part, you can shake this up any way you want. In a hurry? don’t sautee the onions and the pepper and cook it on the stovetop for about an hour on medium high (stir often). Going to be gone all day? throw it all in the crockpot on low. Want to be extra penny pinching? Buy dry beans in bulk instead of the canned ones and soak them overnight; add brown sugar, a little pepper and some ketchup to compensate for the baked beans. Feeling extra gourmet? Add a few garlic cloves to the sauteeing onions and peppers and add some freshly chopped tomatoes to the canned ones. Serve it with grated cheese on top. With corn chips to dip. With cornbread and butter and honey. Over baked potatoes with melted cheese and steamed broccolli. With fry bread. This makes a small vat of chili that is meaty and filling and everyone should enjoy.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:09 pm
first!!
I figured I should say that since this will be a high traffic post.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I just want to say that I love that you used (coined?) the phrase “too beany”. That made my night, and possibly the whole rest of my day because it is after midnight.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I actually made chili last week (the weather is changing and I couldn’t wait for your recipe!:>P) so I just modified the recipe I had. (it was too complicated- and you know me, I hate complicated recipes). I always use dried beans in all my soups because I’m frugal (read cheap) and I also like the way they taste better than canned beans-When I make soups I tend to slow cook them on the stove or in the crock pot because I love the smell, and canned beans get too mushy.
I like the idea of using some sausage with the ground beef, and of adding some baked beans (maybe at the end)! I’ll definitely try that next time. Thanks for the recipe!
My new goal with meal planning is to have leftovers twice a week, which will give me more time to get creative and add some new recipes into the mix. So far, so good!
Have you ever subscribed to Cooks Illustrated magazine? I think it’s one you would like, lots of recipes, lots of reviews of products and they test all their recipes and improve on them. They’re America’s Test Kitchen if you’ve heard of that. They also have a magazine called Cook’s Country.
I promise, next time you review a book I’ve read I’ll comment! :>P
August 25th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Here’s a comment about the book. Sorry it was bleak and heartless, glad it was short.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:22 am
I’ll comment about why people leave so much feedback about food and not so much about books. Food is something we all consume and enjoy, so it’s very easy to relate. Yes, many of us read books, too; however, it’s difficult to comment on a book I haven’t read. That’s my personal reason. I read what you have to say about the books you read, and I decide from there whether I want to add them to my reading list or not. I guess what I’m really trying to say is, Don’t be so hard on yourself about low feedback on books. Keep the personal thoughts about them coming because we are reading them and are appreciative for your take on them. You’re just a super humanoid reader with whom the rest of us can’t keep up! You encourage me to read more even though I already read every day, so thanks!