In 1947 Sister Mary Joseph Praise,a young nun, leaves the state of Kerala for a missionary post in Yemen. While traveling by sea to her destination with another nun, a terrible illness falls upon many on the ship as well as on her travel mate. When Sister Mary Joseph searches out the assistance of the doctor on the ship she finds that he as well is gravely ill. Sister Mary Joseph Praise works hard to bring his fever down and saves the life of the English Doctor Thomas Stone.
When the boat docks, Thomas asks Mary is she would like to join him to serve in Ethiopia as a nurse. Mary declines having her own destiny, but destiny turns on her and eventually she finds herself not only in Ethiopia but working with Thomas Stone.
Seven years pass and Sister Mary Joseph Praise is found to be pregnant, much to the surprise of everyone including Thomas who has worked with her seven days a week all of these years and has never seen her with anyone, let alone the fact hat she is a nun! During childbirth, Mary dies – but leaves the legacy of identical twin brothers Shiva and Marion.
This is their story, as narrated by Marion.
This 600+ page read was intimidating. In fact I took one look at the book and thought, “my book club is going to kill me.” This was a bonus review our group was doing which means that in addition to our usual monthly read, a smaller group of us had agreed to take on a couple additional reads the last two months and cook to the books theme. This book being the second of these reviews, the first was last month with Olive Kitteridge.
As I prepared to read this book I had heard from several sources that the book started slow – but do not worry,as it would pick up and was so worth it. I was fully ready to drag through the first 100 or so pages, and then I started reading and found it not to drag at all – but instead pull. This book pulled me from page to page as I lapped up the scenes, the situations and the sheer awe of everything that happened to Sister Mary Joseph and then to heart of the story – the boys Shiva and Marion.
I soaked up every word, jotting down words I was not familiar with, marking down the pages where I found food references for our review. As I read I pulled in images from two other books that took my breath away – Slumdog Millionaire and The Kite Runner….. I easily found that this book deserved a seat next to these smart deep reads on my shelf.
I could not get this book in me fast enough. It followed me everywhere so I could grab a couple of pages here and there. I wish I would have had someone take pictures of all the places it has been and all the places I have read, including the two times I fell asleep with it.
In the end, I was sad, but satisfied. I had that rare feeling I get when I know I have just read something amazing. profound, and that will stay with me, close to my heart for a long long time.
If you have not read Cutting For Stone I highly recommend you give yourself a treat by doing so.
As I mentioned above this book was a review for our book club. We have completed a bonus read the past two months to really focus on the food as well as the book and this book turned out to be a delight not only for the senses, but for our taste buds too. As we gathered around a counter filled with Doro Wot (an Ethiopian Spicy Chicken dish), Chicken Curry, Ethiopian Fruit salad, substitute Injera bread, two kinds of iab, lentil curry, dabo kola, and warm coke. 😀
The girls agreed – this was probably the best book/food review we have ever done. The food was divine! The spices exploded on our tongue and the iab is actually used in Ethiopia as a follow up dish to the spicy foods to cool your palate. As we dined on our delicious treats we discussed a book that had impressed us all. The characters were real, we had different opinions on who was our favorite character, and found that all the characters carries some sort of baggage from the past that affected who they were today… we pondered over that a bit, finding it fascinating how peoples past can control who they are today…
This book made for a wonderful discussion read. We found Shiva to be a brilliant introvert, so deep thinking that at times words were useless to him and somewhat – beneath him. His remark about saying all women were beautiful showed he seen people differently than most of us do. He liked the way women were put together and he liked what women could do… that said, while he spent time with many women, we found that he lacked any real relationship skills and did not seek out anything beyond the immediate.
Marion on the other hand had a deep compassion. His emotions ran high either when he was wearing his heart on his sleeve or when he was storming out of a building fists clenched to his sides.
Of course we came with recipes…. and here are the foods of Cutting For Stone:
Doro Wot
Doro Wot
2 packages of chicken strips 2 sticks on unsalted butter (I used salted as that is what I had) 1 onion chopped 3 tablespoons fresh garlic 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon cloves cayenne pepper black pepper 1/4 cup sweet white wine (I used what I had on hand) (the recipe called for a cinnamon stick during the simmer process but that scared me so I didnt add it) 8 hard boiled eggs 2 bottles of chili sauce (found by the BBQ sauce in stores)
Melt the butter in your skillet and add the chopped onion, garlic,and ginger…. let simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Then add the cloves, 3 tablespoons of Cayenne pepper, the wine, and the chili sauce, continue to simmer.
Hard boil the eggs, cool, peal, and set aside.
In a separate pan put a little water in it and lightly cook the chicken pieces on each side and then add to the skillet with the sauce mixture. Put cover over over wot and let simmer cook for 30 – 45 minutes. 10 minutes before completion of cooking, take off lid, roughly chop eggs and place them into mixture.
Finish cooking ans serve 🙂
* I substituted Chili sauce when i could not find berbere ( a red chili spice blend used in many Ethiopian foods).
Red Lentil CurryRed lentil Curry
INGREDIENTS: 1 cup red lentils 1/2 large onion, diced 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon curry paste 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon ginger root, minced 1/2 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
DIRECTIONS: You have scaled this recipe’s ingredients to yield a new amount (4). The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield (8). 1. Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get “scummy”), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary). 2. While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil. 3. While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. 4. Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready. 5. When the lentils are tender drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don’t want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base into the lentils and serve immediately.
Combine all the cut up fruit. Add the banana at the last minute
Chicken Curry
Chicken Curry
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
salt to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.
Iab is a white curd cheese very much like the Greek feta. Special herbs are added (and sometimes chopped vegetables) which give it its characteristically acid taste. Since the cheese used in Ethiopia is not available here, this recipe is an attempt to simulate Iab. In a 1-quart bowl: Combine cottage cheese or farmer cheese, yogurt, grated lemon rind, salad herbs, chopped parsley, salt black pepper.
The mixture should be moist enough to spoon but dry enough to stay firm when served. Drain off excess liquid.
Dabo Kolo
Dabo Kolo (I sprinkled the sugar on top)
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup oil
Procedure
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Add water slowly to create a stiff dough.
Knead on a lightly floured board for about 5 minutes. (To knead, flatten the dough, fold in half. Then turn the dough about one-quarter turn, and fold again. Keep turning and folding the dough.)
Pull off pieces of dough to fit on the palm of the hand.
Press or roll out (using a rolling pin) into a strip about ½-inch thick on a floured countertop.
Cut the strip into squares ½-inch by ½-inch.
Cook in a frying pan on medium heat until light brown in color on all sides.
Good morning! “Wot’s up?” Couldn’t resist – we had bonus book club night at my home last night and I made Wot, a spicy chicken dish which is popular in Ethiopia. This was for our review of Cutting For Stone…. which… with a little luck, will be posted yet today 😀
In the mean time….. the good news is, this past week has been weather in the high 30’s to mid 40’s…. for Minnesota this time of year that is practically a heat wave! In my excitement for spring, I went out last weekend and bought these super cute sandals:
Are they not just awesome?
The bad news is…. this is our current weather forecast:
* Timing and location: a winter storm is affecting the Brainerd
lakes region… Saint Croix River Valley… and an area from
Hayward to Phillips tonight. The storm will produce heavy snow
across these areas… with the heaviest snow expected to fall
overnight until mid morning Wednesday.
* Snow accumulations: 10 to 14 inches of snow is expected by
late Wednesday afternoon.
* Main impact: heavy snow combined with northeast winds of 15 to
30 mph could cause power outages due to downed trees and power
lines.
Precautionary/preparedness actions…
A Winter Storm Warning means heavy snow will occur. Expect
extremely slippery and dangerous snow-covered roads. If you must
travel… exercise extreme caution and allow extra time to reach
your destination. Let someone know your travel Route and expected
arrival time. Have a working cell phone in case you become
stranded. Keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle… including a
flashlight… food… and water.
Don’t worry – I have changed my shoes. 😛 Off to work to see what is happening. I am going to guess most people are snowed in… I live by a major highway and have four-wheel drive so I am usually ok to get where I need to go.
If you have real spring where you live… please tell me about it. I need green” stories. 😀
Jimmy has always been a little special. As a baby he was not developing as quickly as he should and after an incident where he was left in the tub and almost drowned while his mother took a phone call, he has a fear of water to boot.
Now at fourteen Jimmy lives with his dad and step mom who both love him dearly. He spends time with his Grandparents where his grandpa challenges him to do things he never thought he could like climbing a pole with a safety harness in the back yard, much to Jimmy’s delight and his Grandmother and Step mom’s fury.
Jimmy knows he is different, how could he not when his cousin constantly calls him retard, and kids at school tease him…. but Jimmy is smarter than they all realize, able to do things like work in his dads office, and even testifying in court.
It is really hard to explain this audio. On one hand, I loved this story. The sweet southern narration of the author Robert Whitlow himself was wonderful. Jimmy’s story of moving beyond what was expected of him time and again it is heart warming. Jimmy’s heart is so pure and he always wants to do whats right, including being saved in church, and wanting the same for his Grandpa – so bad that he makes deals with Grandpa to get him to go to church.
Jimmy also has a knack of seeing things he calls “watchers” Angel like people who show up in different situations, some times to help, some times to observe…. Jimmy takes great comfort in them but tells only a few people he trusts about them. I wish they would have developed this part of the read more as while they touch on the watchers a little bit, but they are sprinkled through most of the book so maybe that is all the author wanted us to have…. not a real idea about them but a glimpse.
Really my only complaint is that as the audio went on it seemed like it was crisis after crisis and that took away a bit of the :real” feel for me. The audio is 4 hours and 45 minutes and in that time there are five major plots within the story that Jimmy has to go through. After so much in such a short audio it felt to be too much.
If you can overlook that, I would HIGHLY recommend this in book format or audio. The story really was good, and in the end… well, I can’t imagine you can walk away without taking a little piece of Jimmy with you.
I frequent my library a lot these days. We have been having internet “opportunities” at home so many times after work, Laptop and I (who by the way I have named Lazareth due to his dying and coming back to life many times now…) wander over to the local library where I can catch up on emails, visit blogs, and respond to comments.
Lately though… I have discovered a trend at my library that has me typing with clenched teeth and a little bit of smoke coming out of my ears…. enough to give that nice BBQ grill scent……
Teens talk talk TALKING at my library. Now I am not an angry person… I think for the most part I am pretty easy-going, but seriously…. I want to say,
“HELLO….. It’s called a LIBRARY!”
Yesterday I went in to find a quiet corner to do a bit of work and that was just not to be found. All the great tables were taken, and believe me this is not a complaint, as I am proud that our library is well used…. it is the teenage hang out part that has me riled up…. not book reading teens, but hang out teens.
As I sat trying to get my work done and wondering if it was worth it for me to truck up to the front counter and say something only to get the “wrath of teens” when I returned with the “Book Authorities”… I decided just to wait it out and of course, this blog post was forming in my mind.
Question to you, if you do use your library – and I hope you do, is it still a sanctuary of quietness, or has it become acceptable to use the library as a social hang out? Honestly, I think I could have had it just as quiet if I had went to a coffee shop and typed over the sound of the whooshing espresso machines and caffeinated chatter people. 😛
I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited. You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.
My week was busier than I thought and my reading suffered. I am surprised as I thought I would have a great reading week but this was not the case. I have a couple audio about to end so I can add whats next here – but other than that…. the books I am posting here are the same I said I would read the last week with one bonus exception:
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life — and one of her coworkers checks out. Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea. Sookie keeps to herself and doesn’t date much because of her “disability” to read minds. When she meets Bill, Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking. He’s the type of guy she’s waited for all of her life, but he has a disability, too–he’s a vampire with a bad reputation. When one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, she fears she’s next.
Ok… seriously – don’t ask! I want to try these books… I don’t know why. I have never seen the HBO series true Blood. This audio was on the sale pile at audible.com s here I go…. don’t even say that I don’t try new things 😀 LOL
Samantha’s husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany’s, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money.
To meet her mortgage payments, Sam decides to take in boarders. The first is an older woman who offers sage advice and sorely needed comfort; the second, a maladjusted student, is not quite so helpful. A new friend, King, an untraditional man, suggests that Samantha get out, get going, get work. But her real work is this: In order to emerge from grief and the past, she has to learn how to make her own happiness. In order to really see people, she has to look within her heart. And in order to know who she is, she has to remember—and reclaim—the person she used to be, long before she became someone else in an effort to save her marriage. Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself.
Yup – onward with Berg. 😀
This one was on my list last week and I am half way through with review due for discussion Tuesday evening. This book needs to be my focus over the next couple of days – so far I am really liking it. Some said it was slow in the beginning but I did not think so at all. Really interesting!
This one is also from last weeks reading list and will go “live” right after I finish up Cutting For Stone. 😀 Cant wait!
And this one… *sigh* should have already been read but has not. This is the Wordshaker read and for those of you who are participating this time around I am so sorry I am late on putting out discussion questions etc… I am just behind. Period. Trust me, it’s not you, its me… and I hope to bring us all up to speed soon.
That is the weeks plan…. The audio will be started this week and new audio is always exciting to me… I have two that will finish in the next couple days for review and a third that should be pretty close to being done if not this week than for sure early next week – depends on the car time 🙂
I hope you all have awesome books for me to drool over! 😛 Please add your own Monday Where Are You Reading post to the link below and I hope to stop by and see what you are reading! 😀
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I am working on putting together a group of bloggers in the area that would be interested in being notified when there are opportunities to connect as a group. Last year a group of us went to the Twin Cities Book festival and really had a great time. It was a lot of fun meeting fellow book bloggers and hanging out together.
Below you will find a form to fill out to let me know if you are interested in being notified when such book group opportunities come up. Some ideas for get togethers may be:
Book Festivals
Summer Meet Up
A Fall Book Blogger retreat Weekend
As part of the group you would be welcome to submit suggestions if you hear of anything coming up that may be of interest to the book bloggers in the area.
I have about a 14 minute window here before I need to shower, pick up Chance, get to Church, sell Banquet Tickets for all three services… then I am going to come home and attempt to make this:
Crock pot pizza pasta. If it works, I will share the recipe next Saturday for Weekend Cooking. If it doesn’t… we will pretend this never happened. 😛
The Dewey Read-A-Thon is coming April 9th. This 24 hour read-a-thon is a wonderful event and I plan to participate as much as I can. I do have a charity auction I need to participate in on that day but a book will be going with me 🙂 I have participated in the last 4 of these read a thons and they are a BLAST! Not only is there reading but there are mini challenges, prizes, cheerleaders (yes – this event even comes with cheerleaders!)
I really can not say enough positive about this. Go over to the Dewey Read A Thon website, check it out and sign yourself up for fun! 😀
This morning I posted about the beauty and the taste or real sour cream vs. lite and fat-free sour cream. Since that post…. all I can do is think about the chicken nachos I had a couple of days ago….. mouth-watering…. want more….
So…. I thought I would bring all of you to my level of CRAVING here and share with you the recipe that I LOVE LOVE LOVE for Chicken Nachos.
Not my picture - wish I had a picture of mine - there is more cheese, more sour cream and a lot more chicken 🙂
You will need:
a bag of tortilla chips
3 – 5 cups of cooked and shredded chicken breast (the amount depends on the size you are making)
shredded cheddar cheese (as much as you like)
chopped Roman tomato (as much as you like)
chopped onion
fresh chopped cilantro
salsa
heated re fried beans (optional)
REAL sour cream (you can substitute for lighter if you wish)
jalapeno (optional)
Guacamole (optional)
black olives (optional)
Preheat over to 300 (if you are making smaller portions can be heated in microwave)
Layer your tortilla chips in the bottom of a baking pan. Take your shredded chicken and mix in a little taco seasoning to taste and then sprinkle with fingers across the top of the chips. If you are using the refried beans, while they are still warm, spoon then over the chips and chicken placing dollops here and there. Now comes the fun part. Sprinkle on the onion, cilantro to taste, dollop salsa here and there, and then sprinkle over the top of all with the cheese.
Heat in oven/microwave until cheese is melted and gooey. Watch closely as you do not wish to burn the cheese or the chips. It only takes a few minutes in the oven and even less in the microwave.
Once out of the oven add the jalapeno, guacamole (dollops on top), sour cream ( generous dollops again over the top), and olives. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
This is so great for a fun get together with friends or a movie night snack.
They were known as the “dreamy Heaney sisters”, all young and beautiful. Kitty who is said to be a Rita Haywood look-alike is sure that her boyfriend Jillian has left her an engagement ring at the jewelry store before shipping out to fight in WWII. After all he hinted about her going to the store after he had gone to pick up a little something he left for her! Louise is in love with Michael who is leaving on the same day as Jillian to fight in the war but he will be on the European front, where Jillian will be in the Pacific. Both sisters pine for their men but while Louise is getting pages and pages of letters form Michael filled with romance and love, Kitty finds Jillian’s letters to be lacking in that department and feels more like a pen pal then a possible fiance.
When Kitty goes to pick up the mysterious package at the jewelery store, what she finds makes her rethink everything she thought she knew, and find an inner independence that she never knew she possessed and make sacrifices, she could never have imagined.
Now this is the Elizabeth Berg I have come to know and love. Recently I had listened to a couple of her reads that left me a little flat, but as my goal is to read through all of her works (come what may) in 2011… I have continued on and so far I am enjoying the journey.
Dream When You Are Feeling Blue is a story from the 1940’s and it is almost sad in some ways to see how much we have changed. In these times, girls usually did not move out of their parents homes until they were married. The three sisters (there is a third sister named Tish who is quite the handful) share a room in their strongly Irish home. As I listened to this on audio it was fun to hear the thick accents of both the parents. What struck me is how strong knit this family was, come what may – they were in it together and the sisters as well as the three brothers, all listened to and respected their parents.
When the sisters start going to the USO dances, Louise and Kitty mainly to keep an eye on their younger and wilder sister Tish, they are shocked when they see someone actually kissing out in the open. So different from what happens today.
Another part of the book that spoke to me was the deep sacrifices they made as a family and really that is the theme of the book. The girls sacrifice their boyfriends to the war and hope that they will return to them whole. The family sacrifices by all doing their part to make ends meet, the girls getting jobs, Kitty even working in a factory that her parents find not fitting for a girl, but she wants to do her part for the war efforts and they are proud of that. The food is rationed, some days there is no meat available and many of the meals sound like they had to choke them down as they were made from only what they had. It made me think of how privileged my own life has been having never have gone without anything I needed like food or comforts of home.
I think from this review you can see this book made an impression on me. From what I have read of Elizabeth Berg so far, this is her at her best. While the book is about the events surrounding WWII, it is mostly about what is happening on the home front and the letters that the girls write to the men fighting in the war.
The ending shocked me…. and yes, there was a few tears shed.
I feel like I am sleeping soooo much lately. I used to stay up until midnight (and after) almost nightly and be up by 6 no problem and do it again. As of the past month seems like I can not stay up past ten without drifting off and then I am sleeping to 6:30 unless I make myself get up to get things done.
Enough of that…. today I want to talk about sour cream. I know, right?
I try ( emphasis on TRY) to eat healthy and make healthier food choices when I am at the grocery store. As a standard, I will purchase for our household the light sour cream and if it is just for me, I buy the fat-free. Apparently it has been a long LONG time since I have had Real full fat sour cream.
As I mentioned yesterday, Thursday evening I went with my cousins to a restaurant called Poncho and Lefty’s. It is a nice place to eat in Baxter Minnesota and one of my favorite things to get there is the chicken nacho’s. You can get a half order which is still HUGE and I share it with my cousin Cheryl. This week, I brought the leftovers home for Al and ummm…. well, they never got to him. 😳
At home as I am picking through the to go container I am marveling at the texture and taste of the sour cream and thinking, “what is with this sour cream, does it come from magic cows?” Yes. It was that good.
Then it dawned on me…. its REAL sour cream and not the stuff I eat that is a sour cream IMPOSTOR, tasteless and nowhere near as creamy, fluffy…..
Oh…. I am not sure I can go back to the stuff in the frig. 😛
Chicken Nachos - SOOOO GOOD!
Ok… for Alyce’s wonderful Saturday Snapshot I have to (I HAVE TO) use a picture from last weekend and I apologize to my frequent visitors that have already seen these pictures but I am still going a little “Whoa…. can’t believe I did that!” 😀 For those of you that have not been here and are thinking WHAT IS SHE DOING AND WHY? AND WHILE WE ARE AT IT WHY IS SHE WEARING A YELLOW PROM DRESS THAT MAKES HER LOOK LIKE BO PEEP? You are welcome to click here to read about the Polar Plunge.
You can also go to Alyce’s website and feel free to link to your own Saturday Snapshot.
There is no turning back now...
I am in!
Today promises laundry to fold, a large tub to store (LONG STORY), a trip to the library, a possible (POSSIBLE) drive to the bike trail with my hiking boots to scope out what is happening and when will the snow go away, more Floor Hockey recruiting, steaks and potatoes for dinner, and helping at church tonight sell Missions Banquet tickets for the service tonight and all three tomorrow, and I have to start making a dent in Cutting For Stone.
Book Journey 