Peace Like a River

I have no idea what the #@@%#^& Blogger is doing to my posts, but I'm gonna try this one more time...

The other day in the "break room" at work, (really the library where we keep the children's books we use in literature units) I wanted to do something other than sit and stare at my unappetizing ramen. There is a shelf of books that other employees bring in when they're done reading. It's quite an odd selection; everything from Harry Potter to recipes of Provincial France. I randomly selected a book to read called Peace Like a River.

(source)

I am so enjoying it! I've only read the first few chapters but I can't wait to read more. I just love the way the author uses language. He cracks me up with the narrator's self-effacing humor ("I'm happy to say [no brain damage] surfaced until I entered tenth grade and signed up for Plane Geometry") and I even love the chapter titles (Beauteous Are My Cakes Indeed, Peeking at Eternity).

I actually can't read it at work because I get too sucked in by it and then forget the time. Darn work getting in the way.

Another book I just learned about sounds intriguing as well, but for very different reasons. The book is about the musicians on the Titanic who continued to play even while it was sinking.

(source)

I know the movie romanticised it, but it just seems so noble and kind for them to stay and continue playing.

I couldn't find a clip with it, but I love it when the lead musician says, "Gentlemen, it's been an honor playing with you tonight." Makes me want to weep.

Too bad it's such a long wait on Netflix right now. I totally want to see it again.

Any books you'd recommend? I'm always looking for new titles!

Vampires and Cocoa Puffs (or Why I Don't Have Any Kitty Pictures Today)

I left poor Bella on the forest floor in the rain, where she didn't care whether she lived or died. I had to, otherwise I'd read the whole book until my eyes bleed. It's not that I think the Twilight series is the best literature ever written, it's just that the books have an addictive quality. My co-workers tend to disagree, although it's a pretty even split at last count. I'm currently on the second in the series, New Moon. And I have to limit myself to a chapter a day during the week, otherwise I'll end up neglecting everything else, like kids needing help with homework, laundry, basic grooming.

I figured that I'd stop at chapter 3 yesterday, and jump into the new book my brother got for me for Christmas. I'd read Killing Yourself to Live and liked it, although I think his writing can be a bit contrived at times, as if he's trying too hard to look like he's not the type who's trying too hard. (Did that even make sense?) This book is similar in that respect, but it's still funny because I actually know most of the references he mentions. For example, he talks about why women won't ever find someone who will satisfy them since they all want men to be like Lloyd Dobbler:

(Sigh.... I love you, Lloyd.)

Of course, I got sucked into this book, too. Instead of helping with dinner, I took a hot bath and read while I munched on Skittles® bubble gum. (Yup, they have gum now. It's so yummy. Not that I'd actually buy it for myself, mind you. I had bought it for the boys, but the other day Ralph found some gum on the bottom of his shoe from walking around in the house and he knows I'm the only one who gives the boys gum. I figured it was best to lay low for a while.)

Anyway, I was thoroughly enjoying reading references to Seinfeld and When Harry Met Sally and feeling very witty because I could scoff along with Chuck at all the inanities of human interactions. I started to realize, though, that I was becoming one of the very people he was pointing and laughing at, someone who feels they are better than others because they know all about current pop culture but feel themselves above that sort of stuff. Chuck himself for all intents and purposes says the same about himself. (He makes his point much better, though, even using a Sim character as a literary tool.)

Sheesh. I should just stick to vampires.

The sad thing is that I really don't have the time to read much during the week, because I get sucked in and lose track of time. I think I'm going to have to force myself to read only when the boys are reading for homework, which they hate, by the way. I set the timer for 25 minutes (the required time) and all they can do is keep watching the clock. Come by the house sometime in the afternoon and more often than not you'll hear me saying something like, "If you ask me one more time if the time is up I'm adding an extra five minutes."

Reading as punishment! The horror! Luckily, the boys are fairly satisfied with graphic novels, and are currently reading one about Warcraft and another about Artemus Fowl. I'm just sad that they think reading is such a chore. Hopefully my obsession will rub off on them someday....

Yeah, right.

Image sources here

Fried Green Tomatillos

I just finished reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. It's one of my favorite movies and I can't believe I had never read the book. There are recipes at the back of the book, and I decided to try my hand at the main dish.

The book itself says just to use green tomatoes and corn meal, with enough bacon drippings to fry them with. I also found another recipe online that says to use milk, flour, and eggs as well. I tried them both ways, and I think I like the plain corn meal best, as it lets the flavor of the tomatoes come through better.

I got tomatillos, since those are the only kind of "green" tomatoes I could find. I'm not sure if those are what people in the South use or if they use unripe tomatoes (as I saw mentioned on one site).


Tomatillos come in little pods, which is why I couldn't find them at first, since they don't look at all like tomatoes. Mine above look pretty filthy because they had been sitting in the fridge for awhile, and the papery outside got a little soggy. Here's what they looked like "unwrapped":




They look a bit different than regular tomatoes on the inside:


They are nice and tangy, and even a bit tart.

Here's my station where I dipped them in milk, then flour, then egg, then corn meal. (Again, just dipping them in corn meal is the best, I think.) Then it was into the frying pan with some good ol' bacon grease. Hey, I wanted to be authentic, y'all.



While they're not much to look at when they are done, they are quite delicious!


If you want to be healthier, you can cook them in olive oil, and I'm sure they will taste just as good. And while the bacon grease didn't exactly make for the healthiest meal, this was good for my Discretionary Eating Challenge, since they weren't made with processed or refined foods and they didn't have any sugar or caffeine :) (I was also happy that the tomatillos were grown locally.) I did cheat, however, on the Seconds Only When Hungry, since I pretty much stuffed myself.