Julia London's Blog, page 16

This is No Way to Run Winter…Or Is it?

Hate to fall back on a cliche, but I’m chatting about the weather today, specifically the fact that on Sunday my daughter put on her bikini and laid out in the sun on our deck for half the afternoon. The high the last few days here in good ‘ole SC has averaged 78. We actually hit 80 yesterday.

Isn’t it January? According to the calendar, yes. (Given that Mayan thing, though, I’m not really sure who we’re trusting on that score.) But here in the crazy state of South Carolina, we’re–as usual–leading the charge to protest winter. Rebelliousness comes naturally to us. (Remember Fort Sumter? You would, trust me, if you lived here.) So we’ve decided we won’t be participating in that most bitter of seasons this year. We’re too busy playing golf, walking the dog and frolicking on the beach. If you’re freezing your ass off in Jersey or Minnesota, sorry. Give us a few months, when the temps hit 95, and you can gloat right back.

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Late blog post–and good news!

Hey gang: Sorry for the late post–I just got home from the car repair shop where I’ve been since leaving the house at 6:30 am (to be there when they opened). UGH! I hate car problems–they make me feel so stupid because I know ZILCH about cars. Good news–problem can be fixed. Bad news–it cost about 800 bucks to fix it. Arrrgh.

But now the really good news–the DH has a conference this spring in Arizona and I’m going with him! Yay! It’s at a very swanky resort–double yay! And, since we’ll be out in that part of the country, we’re combining the trip with a visit to Las Vegas (where I’ve never been!)–so triple yay! But the really good news is that while we’re in Vegas we’re going to see a show–Donny and Marie! (for those who didn’t already know, Donny is the first boy I ever loved). AND…we scored FRONT ROW SEATS!!!! I’m so excited!

So–what is exciting you today? Any car woes? Seen any good shows lately? Who’s the first boy you ever loved?? xox Jacquie–and again, sorry for the late post!

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Book Review: Barefoot Contessa FOOLPROOF by Ina Garten

 

Foolproof Cover

With reasonable confidence, I can claim to be a good cook. There are any number of things I can whip up and make taste pretty good without video instructions or consulting a book, notes or calling Mom.

But sometimes, it’s a joy to consult with a pro.

So, for those who struggle or can’t even boil water or simply appreciate delicious food, Ina Garten, my friends, is the answer to your next great meal.

Foolproof is a collection of recipes that have been tested, over and over, by Ina and her staff. She’s done the research, made the mistakes (though I can’t imagine the elegant Ina ever so much as sprinkling an extra gram of salt in anything). She’s modified, changed ingredients, shifted timelines. All you have to do is follow the instructions.

She has brief, but wonderful tips for shopping and entertaining, as well as a great technique I’ve used myself for years when preparing a complicated meal–writing down a timeline for each step. She tells you exactly which brands she uses for the crucial ingredients and, most importantly, where you can get them. The meat of the book, though, is the recipes, which are golden.

(The pictures below are my own. Trust me, Ina has a professional photographer for the book who makes the food look as good as it tastes.)

I made the 1770 House Meatloaf several days ago and have been eating it for lunch ever since.Instead of a tomato-based sauce, it’s served with a garlic sauce that I would lick off the floor if any spilled.

1770 Meatloaf

My neighbors came to a holiday gathering where they devoured and praised the Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta (and since I’m the first stop on the progressive party, they usually just grab a wine glass and beg me to pour, not getting hungry until a glass a half later when they’re at somebody else’s house.) I’ve also made the Crispy English Potatoes, Mustard-Marinated Flank Steak and Amelia’s Jambalaya. With a sister who lives in Baton Rouge, I thought I’d tried every jambalaya known to man, but this one has its own character while saying faithful to the traditional high notes.

Last night was Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken, which my family loved so much, I can rely on leftovers tonight.

Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken

There are several recipes using pretty pricey ingredients: leg of lamb, veal chops, lobster. Ordinarily, I’d be leery of these dishes, as if they go wrong, you’ve just blown 30-40 bucks on meat and now you’ve gotta call Domino’s Pizza.

But I’m putting my trust in Ina.

Next up: Four-Hour Lamb with French Flageolets and Salted Caramel Brownies. Yum!

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When Good Meatloaf Goes Bad

A few weeks ago, I made a turkey meatloaf that actually made my husband, David, says, “This is probably the best thing you’ve ever made.” Please note that my husband’s a much better cook than I am.  This was high praise indeed coming from him.

And because I am now a stay-at-home full –time writer who doesn’t get a lot of social interaction during the day, I latched onto this like a barnacle on a particularly pathetic ship.  It was almost as bad as the time I got super-flattered when David complimented me on the new fabric softener I bought. (That’s when I knew it was time to join a book club,  because that’s just sad.)

So because I wanted to repeat the meat loaf success, I tried to make it again last week.  I don’t know what happened, but the result was a seething gelatinous mass of orange disappointment.   I didn’t know you could turn turkey orange without using actual oranges.

This is a pattern with me. I find a recipe.  I make the dish and it turns out well (or extremely mediocre).  I try to repeat the process, following the recipe exactly the same way, and the result is completely different.  Clearly, any success I have in the kitchen is rooted in blind stinking luck.

So, from now on, I am only trying recipes once, and then I’m moving on.  I will be like a prima donna who refuses to perform the same song twice, only with more orange results.  The good news is that David and the kids won’t have to tell me if a dish turns out badly, because they’ll never see it again!  The bad news is I might actually stumble into a recipe that works really well, but I will never enjoy it again.  Unless David cooks it.

So have you ever had a recipe go horribly awry?  What is your “hit or miss” rate when it comes to cooking?

 

 

Just in case you want to try the turkey meatloaf recipe, here it is.  In the hands of a responsible cook, I’m sure it will turn out well.

2 pounds ground turkey

1 cup salsa

2 eggs slightly beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup shredded Colby and cheddar cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ tablespoon oregano

½ tablespoon basil

½ tablespoon onion powder

½ tablespoon garlic powder

(Makes two loaf pan sized meatloafs)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Ground turkey is sort of stringy and hard-to-manage by hand, so I mix mine in a standing mixer. Mix the meat with the salsa and then the cheeses until thoroughly combined. Slowly add bread crumbs. If you think your mixture is getting too dry, add a bit more salsa. Add spices and let the mix blend.

Separate the mixture into halves and mold them into two loaf pans. Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top of the loaves. Bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes – until the internal temperature of the meat reads at a safe level as determined by your kitchen thermometer.

 

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Totally Addicted

So we’ve established that I’m easily seduced by television.  Whether it’s the high notes (or not) of American Idol, the enticing cooking on Top Chef, the drama of Revenge or the period awesomeness (is that a word?) of Downton Abbey, I’m in.

The latest addition to my almost to long to admit out loud (or online) list of must-see TV?  Love it or List it.   Now in part, I’ll confess, I started watching because we were house hunting and I thought it might be useful (yeah, that’ll do for a reason).  But after two episodes I was totally and completely sucked in.  I just have to tune in to see what catastrophe is looming for Hillary and what houses David has picked for the lucky couple.

For those of you that haven’t seen it (HGTV), the premise is simple.  A house-owning couple are in dire straits.  One of them wants to move out of their current home and find a place that’s bigger, nicer, more open-concept, whatever.  The other one, clinging to memories and the good life, wants to stay put.  Enter Hillary (a decorator) and David (a realtor).  

The couple has to present Hillary with a list (and budget) of must-haves to stay. And David with a list (and budget) of must-haves for a new house.  Then the two of them get to work.  Usually with some calamity involving the basement (the show is filmed in Canada and they all have basements) and a house that just simply does not suit the couples needs.  (Never fear the third house is always the charm).

Once Hillary has worked her magic (and she’s really good – if a bit grumpy) and David has found the perfect house (usually over budget – this is reality TV after all), the couple must choose—Love it (meaning stay put) or List It (put the house on the market and move on).   We like to try and pre guess which way it’s going to go.  I was on a roll, but recently have been wrong three times running.

All a lot of fun.  And I also learn a lot about remodeling – Hillary style.  Not to mention what houses are going for somewhere in Canada.  If you haven’t watched it—do, but I warn you it’s addictive.

Do you watch HGTV?  Which shows?  If not, are you a Food Network fan?  Let’s talk Chopped!

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After New Year’s Blues? Are you Feeling them yet? By Jennifer St. Giles

The Holidays and all of their fun are over.  You have exhausted all of your energy in making sure everyone had a wonderful time either by hosting parties for family or friends, or searching and searching for that perfect gift to mail out just in time, or by doing a little something special with your kids while they were out of school.

Winter is starting to settle in.  The skies are gray, not sunny and suddenly you are not sunny either.

Guess what?  That’s normal and you are human so give yourself some slack, but don’t dwell in the post-joy let down until it becomes depression.  Go ahead and give yourself a time to be comatose and do whatever lets you feel like a DCD, a decadent comatose diva—lay in bed and read until your bones hurt, be a couch potato by re-watching a marathon of your favorite show, or pull the covers over your head and sleep until your eyes won’t shut anymore.  Indulge yourself.

Once you have done that then pull out your notepad and make four categories.  Label one FIRE.  Under FIRE you write down all of the things that will have dire consequences if you do not get them done ASAP.  Sure everything will seem like it is just that. but it is not.  For example: Pay that speeding ticket because if you don’t and you forget to go to court they will put a warrant out for your arrest. Don’t ask how I know this, and LOL, no, I did not get a speeding ticket over the holidays.  Once you have your FIRE LIST then number each item on it from 1 to 10 according to priority.   One being the most imperative, Ten being the least.

Next, go all the way to the last category and label that one FUTURE .  Under FUTURE write down all of the things you want to have done within a six month time period.  If you want to have cleaned under your refrigerator by then write that.  If you want to have a book written, put that down.  If you want to lose five pounds, write that.  Then you guessed it, prioritize them from 1 to 10.

Finally, the two middle categories often end up being a Free for all, but we will try to bring chaos to the madness.  Label category two FAST and category three FURIOUS.  Under FAST, write down all of the quick items that it only takes a few minutes to do that you always manage to put off and never get done.  Be sure to look at your Future list and include fast things that will help you reach that six month goal as well.

Under the FURIOUS category, write all of the jobs that require a lot of work to get done.  But wait, you’re not done.  Each of these big jobs must have a bullet point beneath them or bullet points that break the job into small parts.  If it is only a job that you can do, then make that bullet point be a daily bite-sized chunk of the big job.  For example, if you want to write a book then a bite-sized chunk would be: Write two pages.  IF the job is one that can be shared with others, like spring clean the house. then that bullet point must have room for a helper to assist with the job.  For example:  Employ _____ to scrub the baseboards.  Employ ______ to clean and organize the linen closet.

Put this list on the refrigerator where you have to see it every day and everyone else has to see it too. LOL.  You may or may not get everything done that you want to do in six months.  But at least you will have a daily reminder and you will hopefully have help in accomplishing what you want to do.  And best of all, once you have a plan for the future, a bite-sized plan that others can help you with, the blues somehow become blue skies.

Now that I’ve dished out all of this advice, it’s time to live it.  Off to make my list of FIRE, FAST, FURIOUS, FUTURE.

Do you have a plan for success?  Please come and share it with the whinesisters.

And if you are looking for a book or books to indulge yourself in then I invite you to check out all of the Whine Sisters.  They are fabulous writers and I’d love for you to try my books as well.  I write different genres under different names.  Jennifer St. Giles, Jennifer Saints, and JL Saint.

January 9 and 10th, I will be giving away free on Amazon and great book.  My beloved The Mistress of Trevelyan, I hope you take the opportunity to grab this goodie for yourself and to tell your friends about it.  Information can be found at Freepartay.com.

Happy Reading and Enjoy!

Jennifer St. Giles

Remember every day to Dream, Believe, Create, Inspire, Love, Heal and you will Succeed.

Happy New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

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Going Yonanas!

My mom gave me the neatest gift for Christmas. 

It’s called Yonanas. I looked at the box and said, “It makes frozen yogurt? Cool!” I love frozen yogurt. But no. Even cooler, my friends. It turns frozen fruit into a frozen yogurt like concoction without any added sugar, fat, or calories! HUH?

Yes. You put in an overripe frozen banana and any other frozen fruit (or two frozen bananas) and it churns out a dessert that is a lot like frozen yogurt, but it’s all just frozen fruit. Amazing! Don’t like bananas? You can make a sorbet-like dessert by just putting in two of your favorite frozen fruits that are not bananas. But it is the addition of the banana (and I love bananas) that makes it seem creamy and fro-yo like. Healthy dessert, voila.

Strawberry-banana and peach-banana

The recipe book that comes with it gives all kinds of ideas. Peanut butter Yonanas (just add some PB), pumpkin pie Yonanas (just add some pumpkin and sprinkle on some ginger snap crumbs), and cookies and cream (add two chocolate sandwich cookies). My preference is for strawberry banana Yonanas with a few toppings to sprinkle on (just like I’m at the frozen yogurt place).

It doesn’t come out exactly as it shows on the box, but it’s pretty smooth and yummy. It helps to stir it around once you get in the bowl. You really want the bananas to be in that mushy, overripe state before freezing for the best sweetness and texture.

Too fun. And healthy! I’m really happy about it because the husband and I have recently given up anything with refined flour or sugar. For the most part. It’s not a diet, but an effort to eat better as a lifestyle choice. Lean proteins, fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Diet cookbooks and new diet plans are all at the top of the books bestseller lists this week, so I know we’re not alone.

Have you ever heard of Yonanas? What’s your favorite new gadget? Are you working on eating better? Do you have a favorite diet, like Weight Watchers?  

 

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Release Me

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Weekend Reading: Wolf Hall

I’ve had Hilary Mantel’s books on my TBR pile for some time, and I’m finally going for it. I’m starting WOLF HALL, to be followed by BRING UP THE BODIES if I like WOLF HALL. I love the Tudors, and reading about Henry VIII, so I think I’m going to love it.

From Barnes and Noble:

WINNER OF THE 2009 MAN BOOKER PRIZE WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is “a darkly brilliant reimagining of life under Henry VIII. . . . Magnificent.” (The Boston Globe).

What are you reading? What was the best book you read in 2012? 

 

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Resolution Time

[image error]   With 2013 just beginning, I know everyone is rushing around, making resolutions and promising to be 1)better, 2)healthier, 3)wiser, 4)nicer, etc. in the New Year. I think planning and thinking about how this new year could be better is a good thing. . . But, I’ll admit, I’ve just never been good with choosing specific resolutions and carrying them out.

In the past, I’ve gone for the ‘lose weight’, ‘write before my deadline’, ‘eat healthier’ and all sorts of good ones. Sometimes, I keep them up. Sometimes, I don’t.

So, for 2013, I’m making two simple resolutions — to write more and to move more. I think they’re pretty plain and simple? I need to pick up my writing pace, to work on projects not currently under deadline and to focus more on writing than on so much of the social stuff….LOL… And since I’m referring to 2012 as the ‘year of increased pain and little sleep’, I know I just need to move more. Whether it’s walking or getting to the warm water pool more often, I need to do it!

How about you? Do you make a whole list of resolutions hoping to accomplish some of them? Or do you carefully choose one or two? Want to share them with us? No matter which (or if you don’t do the whole making-resolutions thing at all), I hope your 2013 is happy and healthy and filled with all sorts of good things for you and yours!

 

Happy New Year!

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