by kathilipp | Jul 5, 2010 | Uncategorized |
I’m in the middle of writing a food book and am loving reading about other food adventures. Here are my top five foodie books. Nothing better in the summer than reading about other people cooking – except eating other people’s cooking.
1. Animal Vegetable Miracle – A Year of Food Live by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is one of the most well-respected fiction writers in the US. (Being a writer I’m suppose to swoon at her books but after reading The Poisonwood Bible, I decided I like my fiction a little more peppy…) However, it is this, her non-fiction turn, sharing her year of eating locally, that has really changed my life.
From turkey husbandry to her disgruntled children begging for fresh fruit, I love their commitment to supporting local farmers and creating a life they want to live. If it weren’t for this book, our back patio would not look like a miniature version of green acres.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the recipes that family members have contributed using their local foods. You can check out the recipes here.
2. Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet by Alisa Smith
OK – so I may be slightly addicted to books about local eating. This time, it’s a pair of Canadian writers who, let’s just say, are a little bit more on the fringe of the local eating movement.
It’s been about a year and a half since I read the book, but I loved the aspect of having to to work with your partner in changing the way you eat – inevitably, one person is going to be more reluctant about the changes than the other – and that’s where the drama begins.
3. The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander
The best way to describe this book is how The New Your Times Book Reviewed summed it up : “Gardening as extreme sport. . . . ”
Since Roger and I have become almost full-time gardeners this year I can identify with the authors trials and tribulations when it comes to having a crop of tomatoes that gets completely out of hand.
4. Tender at the Bone : Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
I am a sucker for anything by Ruth Reichl. She has held every possible position in the book industry. (Line cook to food reviewer for The New York Time, to editor of Gourmet.) Here is the memoir of her growing up and her food adventures with a mom who had a more that liberal use of the term “good” when it came to iffy looking/smelling food.
5. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
Ruth is all grown up and is now the food reviewer for The New York Times. Because Ruth wants to review the way that a resturaunt would treat you or me going in (not the most famous reviewer in the world) she works with a New York costumer to disguise herself. Her cast of characters – and her handling of the sometimes overworked NY food scene, make for some hilarious reading.
Now it’s your turn – tell me the food memoirs you love – I need to refresh my summer book bag!
by kathilipp | Jun 28, 2010 | Uncategorized |
I never realized how often I said this particular phrase until after I had taught at a weekend retreat.
Everything that could have gone wrong, did.
There was infighting in the group, the facility was overrun with spiders, and the woman who was suppose to assist me with one of the worship exercises decided she knew how to do it better than I did and created an entirely new session. (Without bothering to inform me.)
When I got back the evaluation forms from the committee, one of the questions that was asked was, “What did you take away from the weekend?” Lot’s of women wrote down spiritual insights that they gathered from the event, but the number one answer was “It’s All Good”.
I guess I say it a lot.
So when I saw this mug on vacation in Oregon, I knew I must posses it.
It has been a hard month. Roger’s step-father passed away, his step-mother ended up in hospital in Utah (they live in Georgia) and I have to say, this oil spill thing has had a remarkably saddening effect on me.
However, there is a lot of good stuff going on.
- I really like the guy I’m married to
- I’m going to see Wicked tomorrow in San Fransisco
- I get to write for a living
- God keeps loving me despite a lot of reasons He could choose otherwise
- Northern California strawberries
And because I want you to spend a little time thinking about what’s all good in your life, post something by Wednesday night at 9:00 CA time that’s good in your world and I’ll enter you to win a $5 gift card to Starbucks (because Starbucks? That’s all good…)
by kathilipp | Jun 27, 2010 | Uncategorized |
It must seem like the only thing I am doing this summer is reading books (and come to think of it, that wouldn’t be such a bad way to spend a summer…) We have had two family emergencies and a business trip in the past three weeks bringing us to seven different states. Blogging has had to take a back seat to life.
However, with long car/plane trips, I have had plenty of opportunities to read, so here is this week’s recommended reading:
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is the memoir of a woman who, at 43, discovers that her husband is leaving her for a man he found on a gay dating website days before a car crash that sends her back to her childhood home to be cared for. The problem – Rhonda hasn’t been part of her Mennonite community for a while and suffers the inevitable culture clash that comes with any of us going to our parent’s homes.
Why I loved it: She comes from a German background, not too different that some of the foods and customs of my mom’s family. I could identify with some of the culture (and food) that my mom grew up with. My all-time favorite cookbook is 
the More-with-Less Cookbook compiled by the Mennonite church- it was a great peek into the people who are behind the cooking.
Even if you have no connection with the Mennonite church, you will be able to identify with her list of “Shame Based” lunch items and the universal embarrassment of patents when you are an adult.
It’s a beautiful, funny and wry book that I highly recommend. (Oh, and if you can find a copy – the cookbook rocks, too.)
by kathilipp | Jun 20, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Summertime is the chance for me to get some reading done – reading that isn’t about topics I’m writing about, but just things I am interested in all for selfish me. Each Monday I will be sharing what I’m reading this summer.
Plus, I would love to hear your recommendations this summer – we may not have the same taste in books, but other of my reader may just love what you love!
Book Recommendation – Orange is the New Black
It may seem a little weird that I’m recommending a book about a women doing a year in jail for a 10 year-old drug charge.
But I have to tell you – this is a very compelling, can’t-put-it-down read.
Here is the books description from Booklist:
Just graduated from Smith College, Kerman made the mistake of getting involved with the wrong woman and agreeing to deliver a large cash payment for an international drug ring. Years later, the consequences catch up with her in the form of an indictment on conspiracy drug-smuggling and money-laundering charges. Kerman pleads guilty and is sentenced to 15 months in a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. Entering prison in 2004—more than 10 years after her crime—Kerman finds herself submerged in the unique and sometimes overwhelming culture of prison, where kindness can come in the form of sharing toiletries, and an insult in the cafeteria can lead to an enduring enmity. Kerman quickly learns the rules—asking about the length of one’s prison stay is expected, but never ask about the crime that led to it—and carves a niche for herself even as she witnesses the way the prison system fails those who are condemned to it, many of them nonviolent drug offenders. An absorbing, meditative look at life behind bars. –Kristine Huntley
Prison is something I have only had a brief brush with – I had a male friend from college who was in prison and I had the opportunity to visit him once – so this was a topic I had no familiarity with. but once I started reading this book, I was presented with a world I never knew about – and it challenged some of my thoughts about our prisoners in the US and our prison system.
by kathilipp | Jun 9, 2010 | Uncategorized |
As I mentioned before, it has been a crazy couple of weeks.
Three MAJOR writing deadlines, Roger’s all-day birthday celebration, Kimber’s graduation and graduation party (which meant MAJOR housecleaning before her dad’s side of the family came over…) and then a death in the family (he was 97 and had a great life, so while sad, it’s also a celebration of a great life) which required a quick trip to Atlanta for a week.
Like I said, a busy week.
So in years past, if this week had happened, all my plants in the back garden would have died a long, withering death.
But, instead, because my husband installed a drip system, we are downright…
LUSH
by kathilipp | Jun 6, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Roger and I have had a very busy week. After Kimber graduated from High School, we boarded a plane for Atlanta to stay with Roger’s mom.
Dean – Roger’s step-dad, was almost 98 years old and had a life of ministry and travel and love that most of us can only imagine. So while we are sad, we are rejoicing as well.
Roger and I have been with each other 24/7 and that has lead to some mischief.
Not only have we been eating entirely too much, (Chick-fil-a! Cracker Barrell! Dunkin’ Donuts!) we have started to make up words. (Lupper – the forth meal we end up eating everyday whole here.)
And now Pre- Laugh – any time you are watching a movie or TV show for the second (or more) time, and you start giggling before the scene even comes up because you KNOW what is coming up.
Here are a few things that make me pre-laugh:
You know the scene where Princess Fiona starts singing like a Disney Princess to a bluebird and the bird mirrors her sounds until it explodes.
Big Pre-laugh. Huge.
It is inconceivable how anticipating one word can make me pre-laugh so hard I cry. (And if you’ve seen the movie, you know what word I mean.)
The Show How I Met Your Mother just makes me laugh, but nothing gets me more than the Canadian Pop-Star Robin Sparkles singing, “Let’s go to the Mall” Classic
We could use some pre-laughs around here. Tell me, what makes you pre-laugh.
by kathilipp | May 30, 2010 | Because Sometime? I'm Just All Shallow - You Know? |
If you have not watched the first episode of So You Think You Can Dance this season go over and check the promo for it here.
Yes. Right now.
I’ll wait.
Amazing. Right?
I have to say I was an Idol drop off this year. (Not that I missed Paula, but it just wasn’t must-see TV for us.) We are cutting back on a lot of things – TIVO, cable, etc. But SYTYCD is going to be appointment TV for us.
You see, I’ve had quite an aversion to dance in my life. Oh I took the requisite Modern Dance class in Junior High. But, since I have become a Christian, the amount of bad worship dance I have been exposed to in my life is staggering. (Why is it that in order to lead worship in song you have to be gifted, but anyone who wants to dance can hop onstage whenever the spirit moves them?)
That is, until Easter, 2005. That is when I saw dance in the church done really, really well.
I was attending a church in Elk Grove and there were two young women (high school? college age?) who danced with two long pieces of fabric. At the end of the dance, they turned those two pieces of fabric into a cross.
I still get chills when I think of it.
That is often how I feel when I am watching SYTYCD.
There are dances that move me to tears. They are so beautifully (or sometimes comically) telling a story that it makes my brain think and feel in new ways. In our media-saturated life, it is rare that something can stand out, stand up and scream, “Look at me! Pay attention to me!”
So, so long Bachelorette. No rose for you.
Housewives from Jersey? I don’t need the drama.
Idol? I no longer worship you.
But today? We dance.
by kathilipp | May 25, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Isn’t it adorable?
It won’t be out until January 1st, 2011. Which makes me sad becuase I want to put it on my book shelf. (Something I love about my books? You can totally spot them from across a crowded CVS.)
I really, really love it.
I mean, I really do.
And how much do I LOVE her glasses that are just like mine?
Swoon.
OK – glory moment over. Back to writing the next book.
by kathilipp | May 24, 2010 | Me, Uncategorized |
Everyday, Jake the puggle (our pug/beagle mix) needs to be walked. (We live in a townhouse, and Jake is afraid of the back yard, so all official business must be accomplished on walks.) And between Roger and I, Jake gets walked, over two miles, every single day.
I walk him most mornings, and I have to tell you, generally, I really enjoy it. He is a happy dog, and except for the frequent “SQUIRREL” moments, he is pretty well behaved. I strap on my iPod, listen to a downloaded book, take a stroll in my complex, and generally enjoy my morning.
One of the drawbacks however (and trust me, I’m trying to be discreet here,) is that Jake does his business early in his walks. I, being a responsible dog owner, clean up after my dog and get to carry that little blue baggie for the rest of the .9 miles.
Here is where I am having problems.
You see, I was still enjoying our walks, blue baggie and all, until two weeks ago.
For the past two weeks, I have been carrying that little bag as I pass by a white truck. The white truck has a sticker on it that says “No Heifers – Truck May Tip Over” (Very reminiscent of the “No Fat Chicks” stickers from a couple of decades ago.)
I have to say. That little sticker evokes a lot of thoughts for me. Here are the thoughts – in numerical order:
- That guy is a moron.
- Why is it, no matter what time of morning I pass by the truck, is it ALWAYS there. Does moron not have a job? Did he expend so much energy picking out that oh-so-clever sticker and affixing it to the window of his car that, besides making beer runs, that is all he can manage to accomplish in life?
- I hate carrying this blue baggie.
- I know where I could put this blue baggie and not have to carry it any futher.
Yes, I KNOW that is not what Jesus would want me to do. And I know that even HAVING that thought is not a good thing.
But really, can you blame me?
(I comfort myself by thinking that surly Beth Moore has had some blue baggie/white truck moments. But probably not.)
by kathilipp | May 23, 2010 | Uncategorized |
When I was sharing about my gardening adventures this year, mynew friend Merideth, told me about some raised beds she wanted to put into her yard. Since she is a military wife, the idea of a mobile garden is appealing to her:
“I live in Fort Lewis (WA) too. We have strawberries that we grow and rosemary. The person who lived in our house before planted them. We are reaping her harvest. However, I was asked about what I want for Mother’s Day. We saw a square foot garden at the local spring fair. We talked to the master gardeners and well they gave us the blueprints for the garden. It is a garden on legs. I will post pictures when it is built for me for Mother’s Day. We are planting; Corn, cucumbers, cantalopes, green beans, onions, carrots and watermealons. The corn and carrots will have to be grown in the ground, everthing else will go in the box.”
Being that I have a 4 year old I think it will be a great learning experience for her and us. It will be our 1st garden, the best thing about the garden is we can move with it!”
Here are the plans that Merideth found online.
http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/mg/resources/WheelChairEnabledRaisedBed-RS011-2010.pdf
Not only would these raised beds be portable if moving, they would have the advantage of being Wheel Chair Enabled and easier for children, the elderly and those with back problems. Love it.
I want to do this for my herbs next year. (Hey, we just got a drip system in this year. Baby steps. Baby steps.)
