Louisa Edwards's Blog, page 26

What I'm Reading Now

I'm doing that bad thing where I've started multiple books at the same time. There's just so much out there I want to read, though! Here's my current list.

[image error] Don't Try This at Home, edited by Kim Witherspoon
This is an amazing and eye-opening compendium of disaster stories from the kitchens of some of today's top chefs, from Ferran Adria to Jamie Oliver to Anthony Bourdain. Every chef has a night where things go wrong, and in this book, the chefs relive those experiences and what they learned from t

Save the Contemporary Does Category!

I don't know about most romance readers, but aside from society-approved books like Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice, the first romances I ever read were categories. Whenever my grandma came to visit, I'd sneak them out of her suitcase, take them to my room and read them ny flashlight on the floor of my closet. I was about ten, and yes, I was literally in the closet with my love of romance novels.

Thank the good Lord, things are different now. We can come out of the closet. We no longer have to hi

Summer Desserts

Here are a couple of quick ideas for desserts starring summer fruits!

Strawberries with Creme Anglaise

Here in Ohio, the local strawberry season only lasts about three weeks (it feels like five minutes!) but the berries are so good, it's no hardship to use them in every possible dish for that entire month. We've made strawberry jam, strawberry liqueur, strawberry-rhubarb compote, strawberry shortcake, and a fabulous vanilla cake with mascarpone and sherried berries. But sometimes the simplest prep

Online Bookstore Communities

How much do readers really engage in the many online communities and forums currently being offered by Amazon, Borders, and B&N? All three sites present unique opportunities for chatting with other readers and connecting with big-name authors. There's so much going on out there: I, personally, couldn't stay away from B&N.com's current Center Stage forum, where Suzanne Brockmann is hanging out on the boards for an entire week, gabbing and answering questions about her Troubleshooters and just gen

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

Disclaimer: I haven't read this book. In fact, I've never read any of Mr. Metltzer's books. However, The Book of Lies may well be the first, entirely due to the below video.

New Obsessions

Louisa's Current Obsessions

Kitchen gadget: My new meat grinder attachment for my stand mixer. Oh, wow, is that thing fun! A little gross (okay, a lot gross) but fun. And the meat is noticeably more tender and less dry. My friend and kitchen co-conspirator, Meg, and I made a terrine of pork and veal last week, which is a whole other blog post (with video!) and we ground all our own meat for the stuffing.

Cocktail: Tom Collins. Add 2 oz. of gin (I like Tanqueray), 1 oz. of simple syrup, and the jui

Buffalo Barbecue

Stinger's so happy--he figured out he can have red meat in a healthy way by ordering buffalo meat off the internet! I came home from RWA to a freezer full of ribeyes, filets, and of course, our favorite: ribs.

Before I'd even unpacked, I was in the kitchen whipping up my family's favorite bbq sauce. This recipe is adapted from the one in Helen Corbitt's famous, now out-of-print, compendium of Texas cookery. Corbitt, herself, was not a native Texan; she was born in New York! A fact which shocked m

Bite Me! by Melissa Francis

Finally! The much anticipated debut YA novel by Melissa Francis is out today. Run right out and buy a copy for every teen girl you know!

AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire—as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend—whom she's still totally in love with, by the way—is now her stepbrother. A former classmate—who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire—is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of hu

First Review for CStH, and a Contest!

Two exciting bits of online fun: my first ever review for Can't Stand the Heat was posted at Crystal Reviews, and I'm running a contest for a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble!

First, the review. It's lovely! And spoiler-free, for which I thank the reviewer. Favorite pull quote: "Snappy, exciting, adventurous, and totally unexpected." Win!

And second, for all my loyal blog readers out there, a chance to win some money for books. Because even though you can't buy Can't Stand the Heat yet (unless yo

Say Goodbye to RWA 09

Why does it always take me a week to get back into the swing of normal life after conference? This time it's at least partly that I have (much-loved, but still) company at my house for the next two weeks. And did my husband go grocery shopping even once the week I was gone? No. That was partly my fault--I left him too well supplied. I even made casseroles for him to eat! Chicken Hash from James Beard and Mark Bittman's Eggplant Parmesan. I know. I'm such a Susie Homemaker, I kill me. But I hadn'