Scarlet Santana is never happier than when creating fabulous fashions for women of all shapes and sizes. Now, after years of hard work, she finally has the chance to live her dream and study under the hottest designer in New York. To raise money for her move, Scarlet opens an after-hours sewing school in a local record shop, teaching a type-A working mom whose rigid parenting style is causing her family to unravel and an enigmatic seamstress with a mysterious past.
But as stitches give way to secrets and classmates become friends, the women realize an important truth: There is no single pattern for a good life. Happiness is always a custom fit.
I read Kathy Cano-Murillo last summer when I read her book Waking Up In The Land Of Glitter . At the time I enjoyed her fun style of writing with a flair for the humorous.
Scarlet is a wonderful character and her determination to sew (despite her families efforts to help her move on to another career and her two degrees in engineering) is a good lesson in sticking to what you believe about yourself, no matter what. Her friends are a hoot and I enjoyed the diversity among them. I like the fact that the women were not all cookie cutter cut outs of one another but that they all brought a little something different to the story.
I found the book to be a light, quick read and a break from my normal routine as of late… I am not a crafty person although I like to pretend I am… and reading about someone who has a real heart and talent for a craft such as sewing was fun. Scarlett’s passion is inspiring! The play of words, referring to the “patterns” in our own life are fun and through provoking.
Amazon Rating
The “how to’s” at the end of the book are fun… and after a read like this, I am inspired to try my hand at “Little Victories Pages”…. maybe. 😛
Thanks to publisher Hachette Book Group, I am able to offer a giveaway (USA and Canada) for a book bundle including copies of Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing and Waking Up in the Land of Glitter.
Leave me a comment here letting me know what craft you are either good at or wish you were…. and I will enter you in this giveaway
For a second chance to win – subscribe to my blog or let me know if you already have (upper right hand side bar) and let me know in a separate comment here and I will give you a second entry.
I will choose a winner on March 17th using Random.org.
The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include Miss Scarlet’s School Of Patternless Sewing
I received this book for review from Hachette Book Group
Late in the summer of 1877, a flock of purple-and-white hoopoes suddenly appears over the town of Constanta on the Black Sea, and Eleonora Cohen is ushered into the world by a mysterious pair of Tartar midwives who arrive just minutes before her birth. “They had read the signs, they said: a sea of horses, a conference of birds, the North Star in alignment with the moon. It was a prophecy that their last king had given on his deathwatch.” But joy is mixed with tragedy, for Eleonora’s mother dies soon after the birth.
Raised by her doting father, Yakob, a carpet merchant, and her stern, resentful stepmother, Ruxandra, Eleonora spends her early years daydreaming and doing housework—until the moment she teaches herself to read, and her father recognizes that she is an extraordinarily gifted child, a prodigy.
When Yakob sets off by boat for Stamboul on business, eight-year-old Eleonora, unable to bear the separation, stows away in one of his trunks. On the shores of the Bosporus, in the house of her father’s business partner, Moncef Bey, a new life awaits. Books, backgammon, beautiful dresses and shoes, markets swarming with color and life—the imperial capital overflows with elegance, and mystery. For in the narrow streets of Stamboul—a city at the crossroads of the world—intrigue and gossip are currency, and people are not always what they seem. Eleonora’s tutor, an American minister and educator, may be a spy. The kindly though elusive Moncef Bey has a past history of secret societies and political maneuvering. And what is to be made of the eccentric, charming Sultan Abdulhamid II himself, beleaguered by friend and foe alike as his unwieldy, multiethnic empire crumbles?
A book that arrives wrapped like this... what could be inside?
I do not normally give the synopsis you can read on line word for word like that, but I thought it was written so well and covered the basics of the book that I knew I could not do it justice trying to write my own. And oh a little historical fiction fix! Just what I needed! 😀 As if the beautiful packaging this book arrived in wasn’t enough – I need not worry, the beauty of this book was not only package deep – but deep within the words themselves came beauty.
Breathtaking and imaginative.. visually fulfilling… the descriptions of the time the place… and even Eleonora. Eleonora is not like the other children, brilliant in mind, logic, and figuring out facts, she is something to be marveled at and feared as she is different and there is no hiding her abilities. I enjoyed getting to know this character and how the story vined around her.
This book brought forth memories of wonderful stories from my child hood, there was something about the descriptive pages that brought images to mind much as I think I would remember them as a child – big and powerful and oh so real. I can not recall a book even bringing memories like these out of me before this one.
I felt for most of the book I was in the story and I held on tight as though putting it down would break the charm… always a fan of unique writing that breaks out of the traditional cookie cutter book molds, I have to say I enjoyed this book thoroughly. While the ending was not quite as strong as I would have hoped and imagined it would be after being carried through the majority of the pages as though I was on a magic carpet ride – I still am left feeling a sense of….
satisfaction.
I am excited to see that this author, Michael David Lucas comes up with next.
Here are a few others that are posting their thoughts on this book on the tour:
“What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?” the killer muses to himself early in the narrative. “Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?” Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him from the bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the Napa Valley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of their lives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discover his identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think they’ve got the case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloody denouement that even the most discerning reader won’t see coming.
In a word…
“oh-oh.”
I have always wanted to try this series but as in most LARGE series, if I didn’t grab on to the reads from the get go, I tend to look at the large amount of books i would have to catch up on to be current and then decide I don’t want to commit. In this case, I found this audio on sale at audible.com for $4, and thought why not give it a try.
Well… I will tell you right now why not…
Because Sheila, what if you like it? What is the whole Woman’s Murder Club turns out to be an awesome series? What is you enjoy the characters and the mystery and figuring it out like you are part of the club? What are you going to do then? Huh? Huh? Huh?
(I am pretty cruel to myself…)
Well…. since that IS what happened. And I DID really enjoy this read. I guess I am going to have to move on to the next in the series… 2nd Chance.
Honestly, this surprises me as I have not always liked some of Patterson’s older works… but here I am thinking Lindsey is awesome and the rest of the women in the club too! What do you get when you have a Homicide Inspector (Lindsey), a medical examiner (Claire), an assistant D.A. (Jill), and a reporter (Cindy)? You get an awesome kick butt group of women who are tough and protective of their friendship, will share a bottle of wine along with lunch, and go to bat for one another in the blink of a well made up eye.
The crimes… newly weds are being murdered – and the evidence is closing in on a well-known author who not only writes murder mysteries, but appears to have written this one as well! As Lindsey works with her partner Chris (on duty and off), the pieces come together shockingly fast… but is it too fast? Is it all just a little too simple?
I enjoyed Lindsey as the main character and I really liked puzzling out the “who did it” and loved that in the end – even though I thought I knew, I didn’t know… and that was a bonus “ooh!!!!” to the read.
Yes, I joke as much as the next person about James Patterson’s short chapters, but this sweet 20,000 chapter book…. (kidding, it was more like 112), was a huge enjoyment for the mystery lover in me.
In this fourth memoir by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Frederich Buechner, we as readers are led through the authors library that he refers to as the “Magic Kingdom.” This library serves as the gateway to Buechner’s mind and heart as he recaps how his life was shaped by those within it – family, friends, mentors… from the moments of great joy, to the depths of the events that still seem to reach out and grab a part of him such as the suicide of his father.
I had mentioned earlier this year that I used to read a lot more Christian fiction and Christian genre reads. Last year when I was looking through my books that I had read in 2010 I seen a noticeable decline in this type of read from previous years. I had decided to make it a point in 2011 to actively seek out Christian authors I had not read and work at finding my niche for this genre once again. This is what brought me to this book.
When Amy from My Friend Amy wrote a post about doing a read a long for The Eyes Of The Heart, I jumped at the chance to experience this author who has written many incredible books, none of which I have read.
Thus begins my journey into Buechner…
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”
Ephesians 1:18
For a person who enjoys seeing beyond the cover of my books that I store in my own library, this book was a visual treat fro the mind. I love how the book opens with Frederick Buechner describing this library saying that when people enter this room he expects them to tremble with excitement, but few of them do as they do not know or care enough about books to have any idea as to what they are seeing. Buechner then goes on to describe the collections he holds within this room from his early childhood reads, to many first publishing’s such as A Christmas Carol from 1843. (I mention this one as I am a collector of the different writings/editions of A Christmas Carol and this book alone would have caused me to tremble with excitement.)
I thought the book to be a brilliant look into this authors deepest soul from where he wavers, to where he is strong. I like the thought of pulling up the people from our past, those who have passed on, and asking them the questions that lay on many of our hearts…. what is out there? Who is waiting?
I wish I could do this book justice when I describe it as breathtaking… when Buechner speaks of his grandson coming into the world, and grasping on how soon he feels he himself will leave it – I was teary eyed. I admit I have never really been moved by poetry, but to me this book read in parts like a poem that I much savored and took my time reading through passages again.
My only wish is that I had read some of his earlier works so as to have a better picture of who this man was before he became who he is in this book. Beautifully written, deeply detailed, this is a book I will keep in my “Magic Kingdom” for years to come. This will not be my last adventure in reading with Frederick Buechner.
Marlo is normally a quiet, peaceful town. Yet recently a website has popped up called Listentoyourself and it contains residents of Marlo’s most private conversations… conversations that were held in the privacy of their homes with people they trusted. Soon accusations are flying and the local police force has its hands full trying to sort it all out.
Damien Underwood has been a journalist most of his life. He has been the creator of the Marlo Sentinal’s crossword puzzle until as of recent he has been offered a chance to do a bit of reporting as well. Damien along with his best friend Police Officer Frank Merrit are surprised by the sudden popularity of this website that is ripping the town apart.
And Damien has his own home to be concerned with as well, his wife Kay is struggling to fit in with the Cheer Mom’s, his daughter Jenna, normally sweet and easy-going has become sullen and in trouble at school for hitting another girl, his son Hunter is spending too much time in his room on the computer and Damien is concerned with what he may be looking at.
What is happening in Marlo?
This is the first Rene Gutteridge book I have experienced. A few weeks back, Hannah at Wordlily celebrated a whole week of Rene Gutteridge and I was curious….
As “the power of words” is the theme of this post, Hannah used the power of her words to influence me to give this author that I honestly do not think I have ever heard of, a try. I am so glad that I did. And now I am going to use the power of my words to tell you why. 😀
LISTEN is a book surrounded all around the one question. How responsible are we for our words when we think no one is listening? What author Rene Gutteridge shows through this book is something I have always believed, words are powerful tools. Words can lift someone up and they can tear someone down.
In Marlo, neighbor literally turns against neighbor. While the website Listentoyourself does not mention names – the conversations written out for all to see is word for word of what was said. People are hurt, in some cases they wrongfully believe some of the writing is about them, even more so, they decide who said it and react to it.
I really enjoyed that while the website is much of this book, it is not the only storyline that Rene Gutteridge has weaved within the pages regarding the power of words. While Damien is working the website angle, his wife Kay is involved in the words that people say about each other – gossip. As she tries to fit in with the Cheer Moms and they point the finger at one mom in particular Kay becomes part of the vicious circle of spreading words that hurt. And a third story line comes in with Jenna and the mean girls (oh wow – they are MEAN) at school.
Every Monday evening I am in a small group that meets and discusses a study that we are doing and last night we touched on the subject of the power of words. I smiled as it reminded me of this book.
While the book is not without flaws, there were a couple unresolved items and I was left with a few questions, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a book I did not want to put down and enjoyed the reminder of the power of words, as well as the power of truly listening. I will most definitely read more of Rene Gutterridge.
Robert “Yummy” Sandifer was a real person. He was born in 1983 and lived in the Roseland area of Chicago. He received his nickname “yummy” because he loved his sweets.
Yummy, at just eleven years old, became a poster child for youth gang related violence. A series of tragic events led to his appearance of the cover of TIME magazine in September 1994.
Eventually….
this same series of events…
also led to his death.
I am not a big reader of graphic novels, but occasionally one will catch my eye, much like this one did. Based on the true story of Robert “Yummy’s” life, this story is told with a fictional character Roger, who tells the story through his eyes of how Yummy became initiated into a gang called the Black Disciples, how we killed a girl, and how eventually he was killed as well.
When I think of a story like this – I do not think of it as a graphic novel. But it is. And in this case, it works. Following Yummy’s story through the pictures was much like there and illustrator Randy DeBurke creates emotion and feeling through his illustrations of Yummy as well as the extended family and the gang members. Author G. Neri writes with great feeling as well and together – this book won in the Cybils.
Yummy’s dad was in prison for drug possession. Yummy’s mom was in and out of jail – 42 times on convictions for drug use and prostitution. Yummy was left in the care of his grandmother who at times had up to twenty of her grandchildren staying with her. It was easy for Yummy to sneak out to the troubled streets of Chicago for days at a time and not even be noticed as missing.
What is frightening about what I have just described is that this is a common occurrence in many areas of our world. Kids looking for a play – for a way – to belong. I have seen this when I have traveled to Honduras – the gangs are even greater and more dangerous now then when I went for the first time in 2004. Currently they have 14 murders a day in the main city of Tegucigalpa. But I am not taking only of a third world country problem…. no… this is all too common in the Unites States as well. New York, California, Florida, and of course Chicago – Yummy’s area, just to name a few.
What I did not know is that the laws at the time of this book were that young criminals would go to Juvenile Facilities and then be out once they turned 21… this is why gangs liked to recruit young kids to do the crime, as if they were caught – it was not a life sentence. The fact that the gangs found this “loop-hole” in the system floors me… who thinks this way?
What is apparent in this book is that Yummy is a kid that wants to belong. Unfortunately he finds that acceptance through the gangs. As you read through this book you will see Yummy as this tough mean-spirited kid trying to make an impression…. and at other times you can find him in front of the tv with his teddy bear.
Who was the real Yummy? In and out of trouble for years, he was desensitized from authority. What can be done about these gang crimes and especially saving the young ones like Yummy?
Photo out of Time Magazine
While this book was an emotional read, I am so glad I did read it. I finished this book on Friday and have not been able to stop thinking about it. When you look at all the circumstances that played into Yummy’s life… all the pieces that were missing in his life (love, family stability, a safe home, a positive adult influence, security…) Honestly? It makes me want to hug my kids and tell them how much I love them.
David Wheaton is on his death bed. From his boat in the Pacific Ocean, he shares his life memories – hopes and regrets with his daughter Emma who has come to be with him these last days. Having had 9 wives and eleven children, David has had quite a life. As an actor, there is one role he had always hoped to play and now regrets deeply he never had the chance to do so – and that was the role of King David. Emma’s husband had struggled writing a play for David Wheaton to create the much coveted role for him.
While Emma works to gather the family for David’s final moments on earth,as readers we see the parallels between the two David’s – in some cases even hitting a little close to home for the Wheaton family.
Luke 24:22: Certain women made us astonished
I read this book as our first read of 2011 with the Faith N Fiction group. Madelaine L’ Engle is most known for her work with children’s books, probably mostly known for writing A Wrinkle In Time (a book I have never read).
I thought this would be a book I could read within a couple of days and be done in plenty of time for our discussion that started in early February. This turned out not to be the case. I spent much time getting to know the characters as tends to happen for me when a book is loaded with characters such as this. I back track and try to capture who each person is as they are introduced. That fact, as well as just a busy time of life caused me to pop in late to the discuss points of what was an interesting read.
A theme that was brought up that I personally enjoyed was how as David recalls his marriages (all eight of them!) as they often reflected the life and wives of the Biblical David. You could almost hear the whispers of the Biblical David’s wives coming from between the lines. Written with a witty and lyrical pen, I found L’Engle’s writing to be just what I would have expected from a family such as David’s who was deeply embedded in the arts of acting, producing, and such.
If anything, I found, as well as a few in our group discussion that the parallels between the two David’s became a bit much. Not so much the parallel itself, but the fact that the author had a habit of pointing out that this was a parallel with things like “…. much like the David of the Bible….” I prefer to figure these things out for myself more than feeling like I am led by the hand through a read.
Another part of our group discussion was a heavier topic in the book that I do not wish to give away but unfortunately is a topic that is all to real for many of us. Some felt it was tiring to constantly see this come up, while other found it as I mentioned here – something that is real. (Hope I was not too cryptic here but trying hard not to give anything away.) 😀
A well-rounded read that covered many topics. David has really had the life and Certain Women, being told in a reflective manner is a brilliant way to write this particular story.
I found the book descriptive and while more work to read than I had planned for, I am glad I had the opportunity to read and discuss this book.
For me personally I recall the part where David (Wheaton) reflects on how badly he has screwed it all up and how he wishes he could change the way he handled many things in his life. David in The Bible also lived with much regret, and this reminds me of how God used those of us who are broke, damaged, vessels and fills us up. A reminder, that we all are human – we are going to screw this thing up, and God will still be able to use is if we only let Him.
Please stop by and see what the other Faith N Fiction Participants have to say:
Vera and her older brother Will live in a futuristic world where Water is the new money. As the kids help their father take care of their ill mother the search for water is a daily task and forever on their minds. Vera’s friend Kai and his dad have a rare wealth due to Kai’s dad being a water driller. When Kai fails to show up one day, Vera and Will discover that Kai has been abducted.
The search for their friend will take them beyond their republic of Illinowa and through the republic of Minnesota and Canada. As they travel they are befriended by pirates and at one point even taken hostage by terrorists. Eventually making their way to Bluewater, the area that has the monopoly on the water desalinization process. This is where they find Kai and his father and a whole world of trouble beyond what they could have ever imagined.
Water Wars was a fast read of dystopian fiction that hits on a topic all too close to home. With talks of real life water shortages in the world’s future I found this book to be a look into a possible reality which for me, hit real close to the scary mark. I could picture the people fighting for water and the look of them from the lack of it. I really had to take a long hard look at my own water waste in my life (Ie… running the water to hot before stepping into the shower… letting a faucet run while I grab the phone or take out the garbage…)
I have to talk cover: Awesome awesomeness!!! I love it! Very eye catching.
Cameron Stracher writes a novel that I think will appeal to YA readers who don’t dive too deeply into the read and discover the lack of character development or the conflict details. I felt as though this book left something to be desired in the middle but in the end pulls together a good finale.
Just because this book did not fit me, doesn’t mean it will not fit someone else. I have an additional advanced copy of this book for someone who would like to give it a try. Let me know in the comments if you would be interested in reading this book and I will choose one commenter at the end of the week using random.org to mail this to.
16th-century Prague, Wishnia’s outstanding debut convincingly transforms a Jewish sexton and his rabbinic mentor into a plausible pair of sleuths. Just before the start of Passover, the discovery of the bloody corpse of Gerta Janek, a blond girl, maybe seven years old, inside the store of Jacob Federn, a Jewish businessman, triggers the inevitable revival of the blood libel and threat of mass retribution against the entire Jewish community. Benyamin Ben-Akiva, the newly arrived shammes, has three days to prove that someone other than Federn is guilty of Gerta’s brutal murder. He faces opposition from his own people, but manages to win the respect and support of the legendary Rabbi Loew, who helps him gain access to the body so that a rudimentary examination can be done, though many Gentiles are offended by the very notion.
I love reading about different cultures and that is what initially drew me to this book. That, a little historical fiction and I do love a good mystery.
Highly detailed and full of 16th century imagery – this part of the book I really enjoyed as author Kenneth Wishnia truly has a way with words. And speaking of words… on the flip of that this is a book that would be a delight for those who love learning languages as the Hebrew, German, and Yiddish words are used throughout. For me – it started to feel a bit like work to stop and roll the words through my mind, however I can see me going back and reading this book again when I have more time to really spend time in the language of it. (*There is a glossary for the words in the back of the book). The Fifth Servant opens up to many colorful characters and much of the book is seen through Benyamin Ben Akiva eyes and as such is a witness to the hideous murder. This book reminds me strongly of another that I have read but for the life of me I can not seem to put my finger on that tile.
While maybe not so historically correct – I did like the way women were portrayed in the book as strong and capable. That was refreshing for someone who like me enjoys reading about strong women.
There were parts that I did not enjoy – at times it felt like the religious/political aspect of the book became more important than the mystery itself and the plot felt lost for a time until suddenly the ending pulled me back into the story.
Final thoughts… there was more to this book then I originally anticipated but still I found it to be a good read. Due to my own procrastination I started this book later than I should have and feel I could have spent more time in it, working through some of the details. This is one I will probably pick up again soon and spend a bit more time with it.
Olive is a big woman… she is big boned, big faced… and a big presence in the lives that surrounds hers. A retired math teacher in Crosby Maine… Olive bowls people over like a bowling ball heading for a strike. She is abrupt, judgmental, and not the person you stop in announced for a chat or a cup of coffee.
Yet in this series of short stories by Elizabeth Strout, Olive plays a part in every one… sometimes large, and sometimes she is merely acknowledged by another character or by a hand wave…. and as the stories unfold around Olive’s home town…. we get a glimpse of who Olive may really be.
♦ ♦ ♦
Hmmmm…. I still find myself trying to sort out my thoughts about this book. I am not a fan of short stories. I prefer really digging in and getting to know characters and plot lines and the short snippets have never really done it for me. Yet, as part of a reading project with my book club, I hand-picked this title out of a list of book options.
Why?
I believe I chose it because something about the synopsis, and yes even a series of stories around one character intrigued me. It was like a puzzle I wanted to solve and envisioned that was what author Elizabeth Strout was going to do – create a series of story pieces that in the end were a whole. I have always been a fan of unique tales, original writing styles… I prefer the breaking of the molds….
As I read this book I found myself at first confused. The stories seemed choppy… little glimpses – but of what. A bit of Olive here…. a bit of Olive there…. many characters were introduced and in times it was their story that held the chapter, their tale of – well, tragic life mostly…. and yet, somewhere there was still Olive.
It took me more than a few chapters to get the flow of the book and even then…. I am not sure if I truly did or I just became used to the way this book was put together. What I felt we were seeing was not the whole story – and for that I give Elizabeth Strout much credit. I dislike a book that spells it out for me, preferring to have something to figure out while I read. I believe this was Elizabeth’s goal – to give the reader a glimpse – but left much to the imagination. Who was Olive – really? This complicated woman, this woman who for most of book I did not even really like…. but I did want to figure her out.
There are moments when Olive (with help from our author) speaks so beautifully – so deeply that I am left with words that I want to post somewhere as reminders…. one such phrase came out of the short story ‘Starving”:
When Olive is confronted with an anorexic girl, Nina, this conversation takes place:
Olive finished the donut, wiped the sugar from her fingers, sat back and said, “You’re starving.”
The girl didn’t move, only said, “Uh… duh.”
“I’m starving too,” Olive said. “Why do you think I eat everything in sight?”
“You’re not starving,” Nina says with disgust.
“Sure I am. We all are.”
“Wow,” Nina said, Heavy.”
Moments like that in the book caused me to see a bit behind their thin veil that covered the real Olive.
In the end… I can’t say I felt I really knew Olive Kitterling, but I think I had an idea. Elizabeth Strout does write a compelling story and I give her a ton of credit as while at times I found this book difficult to read and follow, I can imagine that writing such a multi layered book, folding one chapter into another had to be pretty complicated in itself and Elizabeth Strout does a fine job doing so in a writing style that gave me pause – in a good, thought-provoking way.
*If you read this book – do make time to read the interview in the back of the book with Elizabeth Strout and Olive Kitteridge. It is hilarious and I think it will give you some additional insight to Olive.
Amazon Rating
Bookies Review:
As I mentioned before – this was a bonus review for my book club and it was to be centered around the food that makes up this book. Let me just say – if you are going to do a potluck around the food in a book – this one would be an excellent choice… the book is literally filled with food… my group came up with: Beef stew, hot bread, olive cheeseballs, funeral meatballs, seafood stuffed mushrooms (the ones Olive gets sick on in the book), homemade butterscotch sauce (where Olive winds up getting all over her towards the end of the book), carrot soup and a lovely red wine)
Our thoughts on the book were that Olive was a hard woman who seemed to keep a wall of protection around herself as some people tend to do when they don’t want people to see them too closely. This led to a good discussion of people like that in our own lives and how we handle them. We all felt that author Elizabeth Strout did a good job of giving us clues to Olive without spelling it out for us… we were left to come up with our own opinion of who this woman was.
Overall we came up with a slightly below average rating for the book. We found this book to be more work than entertaining to read. While we appreciated the good writing, we really never found a true connection to Olive.
For those that wish… I am posting a few of our recipes from last night that were wonderful compliments to the book:
Olive-Cheese Balls
Olive Cheese balls
– 2 cups (@ 8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese – 1 1/4 cups flour – 1/2 cup margarine, melted – 36-48 small pimento-stuffed green olives
Mix cheese and flour, add in margarine. Work dough with hands, if necessary. Mold @ 1 tsp dough around each olive, shape into ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until set – 15-20 minutes. Best served warm.
Carrot Soup
Carrot Soup
– 1 large sweet onion, cleaned and chopped – 1/4 cup margarine – @ 1 1/2 lbs carrots, cleaned and chopped – 1 large white (russet) potato, cleaned and sliced – 1 large sweet potato, cleaned and sliced – 32 oz chicken broth – ginger – rosemary – savory – marjoram – pepper – chili powder – garlic – Emeril’s original Essence – 12 oz V-8 juice – 4 oz cream cheese, cubed – 1 handful shredded sharp cheddar cheese
In Dutch oven on cook top, melt margarine, add onion. Cook til tender (5 minutes or so). Add carrots, potatoes, chicken broth, and spices. (Use whatever spices appeal to you.) Heat to boil, cook til vegetables are all tender (20 minutes or so). Remove from heat. Use immersion blender (or let cool some and use regular blender) to puree vegetables to desired consistency. Return to heat, add V-8 juice and cheeses, stirring til well-blended. Could serve now. I had to juggle errands, so I put the soup in my crock pot and left it on low for a couple of hours. This may have caused the flavors to blend more.
The couch comes into view again. Kerry Monroe is drinking a tumbler of brown stuff- the whiskey she was offering earlier, Olive suspects- and while Kerry’s lipstick remains bright, her cheekbones and jawline still impressively proportioned, it’s as though inside her black clothes her joints have become loosened. Her crossed leg swings, a foot bobs, some inner wobbliness is there. “Nice service, Marlene,” Kerry says, leaning forward to pick up a meatball with a toothpick. “Really nice service; you’ve done him proud.” And Olive nods, because she would like Marlene to be comforted by this.
Marlene’s Funeral Meatballs
Funeral Meatballs
2 pounds ground beef
1 c. evaporated milk
2 c. bread crumbs
onion, minced to taste
1 tsp. seasoned salt
sauce:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbsp. catsup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix hamburger, evaporated milk, bread crumbs, onion & seasoned salt. Shape into meatballs. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients; bring to a boil. Pour over meatballs. Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes more.
Downstairs she went, into the white basement. Stepping into the little closet of a bathroom, she flicked on the light, and saw in the mirror that across her blue cotton blouse was a long and prominent strip of sticky dark butterscotch sauce. A small feeling of distress took hold. They had seen this and not told her. She had become the old lady her Aunt Ora had been, when years ago she and Henry would take the old lady out for a drive, stopping some nights to get an ice cream, and Olive had watched as Aunt Ora had spilled melted ice cream down her front; she had felt repulsion at the sight of it. In fact, she was glad when Ora died, and Olive didn’t have to continue to witness the pathetic sight.
Butterscotch Sauce
Butterscotch Sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. half & half
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
3 Tbsp. butter
Combine all ingredients together in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until boiling. Simmer 3-4 minutes. Let cool then serve over ice cream.
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