I’m joining Jain with my Edible Book Review at Food for Thought, where “pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera.”
I really wanted to like this book, but this one was marginal for me. I was totally pulled in by the cover art & title~ water, girl, boat, dogs and praise on the back cover. Also the fact that most of story takes place in Charleston, SC. I even googled before purchasing and found this from People: “Prepare to have your heart broken while laughing out loud at this breathtaking, scathingly sardonic novel.” It was a quick read that I pictured myself enjoying on a boat, at the lake and with my dogs. Instead, I found myself disappointed, with characters I found tiresome and not particularly likeable (except for the one dog remaining in this story and the comic stepfather figure.) I also thought the title of this book was misleading~ possibly an effort to follow in the catchy-title-footsteps of Girls in Trucks, the author’s first novel. Yes, there were men, but the two dogs in this book had minor parts in this story.
Hannah is eleven in the spring of 1985 when her father leaves on an ordinary fishing trip in the Charleston, South Carolina harbor, taking the family dog with him. A shrimp-boat captain finds the dog later, floating alone in the small aluminum boat, anxious and hungry. The boat, near some rocks four miles outside Charleston Harbor, was out of gas~ the engine, still in its lowest gear, with the typical supplies of water, Coke, beer, sunscreen, a net & pole, and unused life vest onboard.
Two decades later, Hannah is thirty-five with a successful business and a dedicated husband, in San Francisco. She’s left Charleston behind, but as a Daddy’s Girl, not the conviction that her father is alive somewhere and simply missing. Her path of self-destruction culminates one night when she finds herself drunkenly climbing up her own fire escape—with as one might guess, disastrous results.
Hannah finds herself returning home to her strong-willed mother, Daisy, and reluctantly greeted by her responsible, older brother Palmer. There, with her marriage, business, and life in shambles, she focuses on trying to piece together what really happened to her father.
Hannah believes her father is alive due to all her unanswered questions about her father’s disappearance:
“For instance, how does one fall off a boat on a calm spring evening? And why did no one see her father in the harbor? And why was he fishing on a Monday at twilight? And if he drowned, why was no body ever found? And finally, why, why was the dog still there?”
Hannah manages to estrange herself from her family with her relentless questions to her mother and stepfather and has only been home four times in almost twenty years, but says of Charleston:
“Who wouldn’t adore the beaches and a local accent so complex it allows a woman to simultaneously seduce and reprimand in one single word?”
The difference between Hannah and her older brother Palmer is obvious in their reactions to the police department’s findings on their dad’s disappearance:
“Palmer saw the police report as a gift. It was terrible, knowing his father was dead. Even now it gives Palmer a bruised feeling to think of it. Still, it was better than the waiting, and at least now the Legares could get on with their lives. But Hannah didn’t want to. Indeed, this is precisely what cause the ever-widening rift between them. Rather than viewing the evidence as the key to a door out of the nightmare of their father’s disappearance, Palmer’s sister saw it as an excuse to remain trapped there.”
Hannah’s stepfather, Will Dewitt is a comic figure who provides some funny moments in this story.
“There is but one word to describe Hannah’s stepfather: ‘loud.’ Loud voice, loud golf shirts and pants, loud stories, loud boiled-crab skin. When he enters a room, Hanna cannot stop herself from picturing a Kool-Aid commercial circa 1986–the large, wobbling pitcher of pink liquid breaking walls and wreaking havoc.”
Hannah, who still faults her mother for remarrying a year after her father’s disappearance has never fully accepted him:
“It would be hard for anyone to fill Buzz Legare’s shoes, but Will DeWitt stretches and soils them with his bunioned, swollen feet.”
DeWitt, from one of the oldest Charleston-society families and Hannah’s mother, Daisy, have certain ideas about new-money Charleston and old-money Charleston:
“Will studied period antiques for a few years in Europe and is therefore truly obsessed with keeping the house ‘authentic,’ while Daisy, if not as wealthy as Will, is as Old Charleston enough to have known not to refinish or overdecorate upon her arrival twenty-odd years ago. New curtains here, a velvet pillow there. That was it. Which, in the DeWitts’ opinion, is what separates the new people from decent non-Frogmore-stew-serving locals like themselves. For this reason, the ballroom, though grand, is adorned with tarnished mirrors. The piano in the music room is a bit out of tune.”
So with that for inspiration, I prepared Frogmore Stew, or Low Country Boil. We’ll pretend that it was prepared from leftovers from the boat. . . contrary to what DeWitt and Daisy believe, it is appropriate for an outdoor gathering or party :-) It’s easy to prepare~ a recipe is not really required, buy you can find one from Southern Living here for reference.
Palmer becomes a vet because of Tucker, the dog his father left behind.
“When Buzz disappeared, Tucker became Palmer’s dog. It was not a smooth transition; Tucker was highly distraught by the loss of his owner, and a year of horrible behavior followed, resulting in the destruction of upward of twenty-five shoes. After losing a pair of hand-me-down Ferragamos, Daisy even threatened to put the dog down, but seeing the expression on Palmer’s face, she silenced herself on the subject. Palmer patiently trained Tucker, taking him everywhere he could, including to football games and school.”
”Charleston is a dog town. There are dogs in cars, dogs tied up outside bars, dogs leashed to the legs of strollers. Dogs pace the backs of trucks, dogs surf the bows of boats, dogs roam the beaches, their college-student owners too distracted by beer and skin to notice their animals knocking over small children. No apologies necessary when this happens. In a dog town, the dogs win.”
Palmer’s vet tech/assistant, Jenny, has a tie to Hannah, thru her marriage to Hannah’s former high school boyfriend. Palmer is struggling Jenny’s office crying jags lately:
“She cries on birthdays, when she can’t find her keys, when it’s too cold out. It would be worth firing her over, but fortunately the one thing she doesn’t cry over is animal euthanasia. When it comes to pet killing, she’s a battle-ax.”
“When Palmer announced, at perhaps the most awkward DeWitt-Legare dinner to date, that he was a homosexual, it made her brother more human somehow. For no matter how loudly Daisy and DeWitt might voice their support of Palmer, proclaiming over and over and over– to Palmer, to other DeWitts, to friends at the Boat Club and at dinner parties– that there is nothing wrong with it, Palmer’s being gay finally brought him down to Hannah’s own flawed level.”
Palmer and Tom have Hannah over for dinner. Hannah observes:
“Palmer may not be into women, Hannah muses, but he definitely found Charleston’s best wife.”
Tom serves a Peach Crumble for dessert. I made Ina Garten’s Peach & Blueberry Crumble, recipe here.
“She had followed her instincts, and they had protected her. They still do. She feels almost lucky that she had a father who disappeared when she was eleven, because now, she can always sense when someone is going to take off. This has been an invaluable skill.”
“But things are almost always better anyway when there are fewer words, aren’t they? No words, and you can make what you want from it. Like when you tell someone you love them. If they say nothing, it might mean, I don’t love you. Or, I like you all right. But it could also mean something else. For example, I love you more than I can explain. That’s what Hannah’s always squeezed from it. That’s the nothing she’s listened for.”
“But what Hannah knows now is that she is gloriously and terminally faithful. She is someone who believes, even when others do not. If you’re a dog, that means waiting for days in a boat for your owner to come back out of the ocean. If you’re a woman, it might mean scaling a building to tell your husband you still love him whether he’s ready to hear you or not.”
All in all I wasn’t totally in the drink with this book. I got my patient husband/boat captain to help me find lake dogs willing to pose for a photo. I also got reacquainted with Frogmore Stew~ remembering how quick, satisfying, and what an easy clean-up it is for a party~ along with a new recipe that I can vary with different fruit this summer. I have read a lot of good books lately. Reading something that is average, only makes your 4 & 5 star books more exceptional by comparison.
Be sure to visit Food for Thought and see what everyone is reading & eating!
I’m joining Jain with my Edible Book Review at Food for Thought, where pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera.
If you are a fan of interior design or just love admiring beautiful rooms, this book is not to be missed. Full of beautifully photographed and designed rooms from fifteen amazing and well-known designers in the top of their field, this is a great reference book or simply a handsome coffee table book. Each designer shares their knowledge~ their approach to design and philosophy. There also is an interesting Q & A of Inspirations and Passions included with each designer~ that makes for fun insight and was my inspiration for sharing it for Food for Thought.
From the foreword written by Dominique Browning of House & Garden:
“Inspiration comes at odd moments, and not necessarily (and maybe hardly ever) when you are actually sitting down to do the hard work of designing. That is why creative people make those wonderful boards covered with photographs and postcard and bits of color and pages torn from magazines; they get a feeling when they see something, that will someday be meaningful to them. They just can’t predict how or when. They gather their inspirations, husbanding their resources–hoping to one day make the connection between a thing that moved them, and something that will move others.”
“Life is meant to be lived fully and enjoyed deeply, and our homes are the great backdrops upon which our lives unfold. They are where we begin and end each day. Any room in which we spend time should feed us, nurture us, and improve the quality of our lives. People are what bring rooms to life.”
Barclay Butera: “One thing I have learned is that good design isn’t something that comes from a store; it is the presentation of your lifestyle. That is when the right furnishings make all the difference.”
I love this room on the left with the blue & white mixed with the animal print. You can see more of his drool-worthy work, by clicking on his link/name above.
The above is an example of Diamond & Barata’s work. Their philosophy is below~
David Easton: “Accessing visual information, accessing any information is like detective work. You have to think beyond the face of what’s there. I’ve got more than 3,000 books in my library, and I’m constantly adding more.”
I would love to have a wall for books in my bedroom :-)
This is part of the Q & A section, following each designer~ not every designer included a favorite food. Noting that David Easton’s favorite food is macaroni & cheese, I went to a recipe that I’ve been wanting to try even though it’s more suited for cooler weather. . .
This recipe is so rich and full of cheesy-goodness. . .I put servings for two in small oven-to-table bakeware for us to pull out of the freezer from time to time. The recipe says it makes 6 to 8 servings, but like most of her recipes, I find it makes a lot more than that~ probably more around 12 servings.
Candice Olson: “My signature is to take serious design pieces and give them a sense of humor and personality by mixing them in an unconventional way.”
Onion, Bacon & Creme Fraiche Pizza, recipe courtesy Epicurious here.
I carmelized my onions in advance, rather than mixing them raw with the creme fraiche. My bacon was precooked too, so I just layered the creme fraiche, onions and bacon on top of my pizza dough.
“Looking through the lens is like looking through a small window–you have to choose what to focus the camera on. It’s the training of looking at things, and seeing things in isolation, and finding a controlled range of vision. When I pull back, all the views work together, but each is its own composition.”
Green Tea Ice Cream recipe, here.
I found this recipe in my googling from another blog~Cookbook Catchall. It was very informative with great directions and was surprisingly easy & fun ~ a novelty to make~ without an ice cream maker!
Just for fun, I thought I’d include a list of My Inspirations and Passions~
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Accessory~ Pillows
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Appetizer~ Sashimi Tuna & Oysters with pineapple wasabi at Cypress in Charleston
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Actor~ Morgan Freeman (I couldn’t choose one, so I went the Best Actor with the Best Voice :-)
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Book~ Outlander/series, Diana Gabaldon
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Car~ Mini Cooper Clubman/ “Hot Chocolate”
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Chair~ Adirondack
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Chef~ Tyler Florence
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Chocolate~ Green & Black’s Organic Bittersweet Chocolate with Currant and Hazelnut
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City~ Charleston, SC
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Color~ Apple Green
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Drink~ Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka with lemonade
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Flower~ Hydrangea
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Food~ Pesto Brie Fries at Crepe Cellar (or any Fries, really :-)
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Guilty Pleasure~ Taking a Nap
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Hobby~ Books/ Reading
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Hotel~ St. Regis, Dana Point
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Movie~ Sherlock Holmes (recently) & Mary Poppins (all time :-)
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Pet~ Chloe & Gracie, Bichons
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Restaurant~ Commander’s Palace
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Room in the house~ Porch
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Season~ Fall~ blankets, fires & an empty lake!
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Time of day~ Morning
So with that, I thought I’d make my version of Pesto Brie Fries~the Sweet Potato version. . .
No recipe really needed for these. . .I used a bag of frozen Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, baking til almost done. During last 5 minutes of cooking time, add Brie and drizzle with your favorite jarred Pesto.
Visit Food for Thought and see what everyone is reading & eating~
I’m also joining Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, stop in and see what’s being served :-)
Posted in Books, Decor, Food
Tagged an edible book review, Assouline, Bacon and Creme Fraiche Pizza, Barbara Barry, Barclay Butera, Candice Olson, David Easton, Epicurious, food for thought edible review, Green Tea Ice Cream, Ina Garten, Inspired Styles, literally cooking my book, Onion, Pesto Brie Fries, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Vincente Wolf
I’m joining Jain with my Edible Book Review at Food for Thought, where in her words, pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera.
In 1972, the town of DeClare, Oklahoma, was reeling from the murder of Gaylene Harjo and the disappearance of her baby, Nicky Jack. When the child’s pajama bottoms were found on the banks of a creek, Nicky Jack is presumed dead.
Nearly 30 years later, Dr. Mark Albright, aka Nicky Jack, returns to DeClare after learning of his adoption~ on a mission to find his birth mother. His shocking reappearance causes a stir in the town, as he tries to follow the shaky trail of evidence and decipher thirty-year-old clues regarding his mother’s murder. Secrets begin to emerge as the truth is revealed bit by bit~ in a story of a young girl’s dreams, and an act of desperate love.
The “domino boys” are a foursome that hang out at Teeve Harjo’s pool hall:
“The oldest of this foursome was Ron John O’Reily, who at eighty-two was developing Alzheimer’s; the grumpiest but undisputed leader of the pack was Lonnie Cruddup, who in temperament was much like his deceased sibling, Raymond. Johnny and Jackson Standingdeer, Cherokee brothers in their late fifties rounded out the group.”
“What does it mean, ‘shoot the moon’? ‘It means he’s gonna go for all the tricks. The whole kit and kaboodle’, Jackson said. ‘Kind of like getting married’, Lonnie explained.”
‘How’s that?’ Mark asked. ‘Well, say you find you a woman you just can’t get enough of. You want her so bad you can’t eat, can’t sleep. Now you know this is a woman who’s gonna keep your bed warm on cold nights, make you potato soup, when you’re sick. She’s gonna believe you even when you’re lying. Hell, she’s the only person in the world who’s gonna know what wanted that you never got, and what you got that you never wanted. But you know for certain there’s gonna be times when this woman is gonna make you miserable. She’s gonna bitch if you forget your anniversary. She’s gonna want to watch some crying movie on TV when there’s a ball game you wanna see. She’ll expect you to skip your poker game and keep her company when she’s feeling blue. In other words, she’s gonna be a pain in the ass some of the time. So, you gotta make a decision. What are gonna do? Walk away from her? Or go for it all. Give her up? Or shoot the moon.”
So with that convoluted explanation of Shooting the Moon, I took the potato soup reference & ran with it. . .my options were limited since most of the food references revolve around a character whose cooking is kindly described as “unusual”. In addition to Pumpkin squid bisque, his repertoire includes cold fish mousse and lima bean souffle :-)
After I pureed the ingredients, I decided for our tastes, it was too smooth, and wanted some potato “chunks”. I diced up probably a pound or so more, (I had a 5 lb. bag to start, so I had plenty left) and tossed them in to simmer. This soup has great flavor~ due to the roasted leeks, potatoes & the arugula. (I did not peel my potatoes, as it called for~) I’m sure the crispy shallots the recipe calls for to garnish it with would be great, I just didn’t go that route. Also, I couldn’t find creme fraiche at the lake. My Trader Joe’s carries it, but it was too far to go, so I just substituted sour cream. I would definitely make this soup again~it made a gracious plenty, and we shared it with my in-laws, since my mother-in-law loves potato soup.
I loved this quote describing how gossip spreads in DeClare upon Nicky Jack’s return:
“The story, on the loose now, raced through the community like an unbridled child. Rumors climbed over backyard fences, skipped from street to street, romped down the aisles of Walmart, tumbled through the Laudromat and cartwheeled through the park. Later, no one would give much thought to the path the news had traveled, but more than a few would be amazed at the speed with which the story sprinted past the city limits, jumped the river, galloped over eight counties and dashed across the state line.”
The Domino Boys consider the pool hall a “man’s refuge” and are quite put out when, after Teeve’s husband skips town, Teeve decides she’ll run it without selling beer or booking bets. The last straw however, is when she changes the sign to “Teeve’s Pool Hall and Tea Room”. She has to bribe them a Peanut Butter Pie, a new domino table and has to change her sign to read “Teeve’s Place”, since The Boys claim they can’t be seen frequenting a Tea room.
This pie is quick & easy~ but sweet, sweet, sweet. . .insulin shots may be required!
“He had come to this place in Oklahoma to find the mother who had let him go, the mother who had not loved him enough to keep him. Instead, he’d found the girl who had given up her dreams, but not her baby.”
Like the ingredients in Ina Garten’s Potato Soup, there is a little bit of everything in this book~ humor, colorful characters, mystery and romance.
Be sure to visit Food for Thought and see whatever is reading & eating!
****(Xanax, and Kleenex maybe required)
I’m joining Jain in with this edible book review at Food for Thought, where in her words, pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera. Books, Food & Photos, my three favorite things all in one place!
I HIGHLY recommend this book! Particularly so, if you are a dog lover and pet owner. Enzo is the narrator of this story. He is the best friend and confidant of Denny, his owner. In Enzo’s final hours, he looks back on his life, reminiscing– as Denny marries Eve, and has a daughter, Zoe.
Enzo:
I’ve always felt almost human. I’ve always known that there’s something about me that’s different than other dogs. Sure, I’m stuffed into a dog’s body, but that’s just a shell. It’s what’s inside that’s important. The soul. And my soul is very human.
The title of the book is explained by Denny’s philosophy about driving:
‘Drivers are afraid of the rain,’ Denny told us. ‘Rain amplifies your mistakes, and water on the track can make your car handle unpredictably. When something unpredictable happens you have to react to it; if you’re reacting at speed, you’re reacting too late. And so you should be afraid.’
Enzo applies Denny’s driving philosophy towards Eve:
I had always wanted to love Eve as Denny loved her, but I was afraid. She was my rain. She was my unpredictable element. She was my fear. But a racer should not be afraid of rain; a racer should embrace the rain.
Enzo:
I watch too much TV. When Denny goes away in the mornings, he turns it on for me, and it’s become a habit. He warned me not to watch all day, but I do. Fortunately, he knows I love cars, so he lets me watch a lot of Speed Channel. The classic races are the best, and I especially like Formula One. I like NASCAR, too, but I prefer it when they race on the road circuits.
I got the biggest kick out of Enzo’s other TV favorites…The Weather Channel: “It’s not about the weather; it’s about the world!” He watches Sesame Street with Zoe in hopes of teaching himself to read…When they move, he recognizes his new house as ‘craftsman-style’, from watching This Old House. (I’m afraid my dogs are suffering in their television education by comparison. I’m not sure what they are learning from watching American Idol, The Office, Survivor, and Weeds.)
Enzo’s observations about racing are many and this books uses racing as a metaphor for life, here are just a few:
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The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles–preferably of his own making–in order to triumph.
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There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.
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The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the others than it is to drive too hard and crash.
Enzo’s observations were so insightful:
People are always worried about what’s happening next. They often find it difficult to stand still, to occupy the now without worrying about the future.
And humorous:
Parking lots are weird places. People love their cars so much when they are moving, but they hurry away from them so quickly when they stop moving. People are loath to sit in a parked car for long. They are afraid someone might judge them for it, I think. The only people who sit in parked cars are police and stalkers, and sometimes taxi drivers on a break, but usually only when they’re eating. Whereas me, I can sit in a parked car for hours and nobody thinks to ask. Odd.
Enzo:
I tried to eat slowly, savoring each bite, but I was too hungry and swallowed them so quickly I barely got to taste them. What a shame to waste something so wonderful on a dog. Sometimes I hate what I am so much.
Enzo constantly laments his lack of opposable thumbs and his tongue that is “long and flat and loose” and therefore an ineffective tool to communicate with.
There were not a lot of food vignettes to choose from…just several observations from Enzo about how carefully Denny prepares Zoe’s lunch…
…And by contrast how Zoe’s grandparents (aka The Twins) do not.
There are a couple of incidents with pepperoncini and Eve’s clueless parents. I was outraged on Enzo’s behalf.
Enzo:
since that time…I have never accepted food from someone I didn’t fully trust.
It was the Zebra.
Enzo has a “zebra” moment…I can relate. My dogs have had their own zebra moments :-)
Enzo:
I suddenly realized. The zebra. It is not something outside of us. The zebra is something inside of us. Our fears. Our own self-destructive nature. The zebra is the worst part of us when we are face-to-face with our worst times. The demon is us!
The Zebra is everywhere :-)
Enzo learns from watching the National Geographic Channel that a dog’s next incarnation will be as a man. “Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready.”
Enzo:
Here’s why I will be a good person. Because I listen. I cannot speak, so I listen very well. I never interrupt, I never deflect the course of the conversation with a comment of my own.
I have to confess, even though I live in the heart of NASCAR country (Charlotte, NC), I am ambivalent towards racing. I do find it great ‘white noise’ for a Sunday afternoon nap. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the racing element to this book. My husband even read it after I finished for that reason.
An aside about the Xanax and Kleenex: A friend recommended and loaned me this book and I’m really glad I read it. But, it’s not something I tend to pick up at the bookstore, even though I’m a dog lover. I am a wimp when it comes to animal stories and shows. This book begins at the end of Enzo’s life and that, alone, starts the water works for me.
You will laugh and cry with Enzo and Denny. This book will make you want to take your dog for an extra walk, give him or her an extra cookie, and forgive them their “zebra moments”. I recommend you RACE to your bookstore or library and get this book :-)
This is my contribution to Foodie Friday this week.
I ran across this mix at Sur La Table and couldn’t pass it up!
Conflicting information and urban legends abound on the origin of Red Velvet Cake, but no one disputes its beautiful red color.
The package directions said it made 10 cupcakes, but I easily got 12 out of the box…
In addition to the box mix, you need 2 eggs, water, 2 sticks of butter (6 Tablespoons for the batter & 6 Tablespoons for the icing) and 8 oz. of cream cheese.
Of course, this is not my favorite kind of cupcake…
THIS is my favorite kind of cupcake…
Here’s hoping there is some sort of cupcake in your future this Valentine’s weekend…
Be sure to visit Designs by Gollum for other Foodie Friday Favorites!
