Cookbook Challenge Wrap-Up

I joined Cynni's Cookbook Challenge back in October with hopes of cooking out of some never used cookbooks on my own shelves. I challenged myself to prepare one recipe from different cookbooks and ended up preparing eleven recipes in all--one or more from each of the five cookbook. Needless to say this was a very successful challenge for me. Here's a recap of the cookbooks and recipes I prepared over the last few weeks:

Butternut Shotglass Soup

First up was the delightfully artistic cookbook, Autumn by Susan Branch. I was delighted by how many readers who visited my post were already familiar with this author's books. Even more exciting, Susan Branch herself came by and left a lovely comment on the post. This was a huge thrill for me. I made two soup recipes from this cookbook--Butternut Shotglass Soup and Tomato Soup. I've even made the Tomato Soup three times since then.

Tomato Soup

Saffron Pilaf and Moghul Shrimp
in Cream Sauce and other sides

The second cookbook I pulled from my shelves was Indian Regional Cooking by Julie Sahini from which I prepared four recipes. I made Saffron Pilaf [Zaffron Pulao], Moghul Shrimp in Cream Sauce [Moghul Jheenga], Orange-Cinnamon Basmati Pilaf [Naarangi Pulao] and Chicken Korma [Murgh Korma]. All of the recipes were wonderful--I am especially fond of the rice dishes and will definitely make them again. I also plan to try even more recipes from this cookbook.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

Next, I grabbed The Pumpkin Cookbook edited by Nicola Hill from which I made Pumpkin-Cornmeal Griddle Cakes and Pumpkin, Chickpea and Banana Curry. The griddle cakes were just okay to my liking, but I loved the authentic Indian flavor of the curry dish. I posted the recipe in the review of the cookbook HERE and highly recommend you give it a try if you like Indian food--with or without the banana.

Apple Puff Pancake 

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I prepared a delicious Apple Puff Pancake from the cookbook Holiday Baking by Sara Perry. I adore this cookbook that includes a diverse collection of traditional and modern recipes for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve and Day. I look forward to trying so many more recipes from this cookbook in the future. I highly recommend this one.

Beef Rouladen and Spätzle

Finally, I cooked two recipes from The German Cookery by Elizabeth Schuler. This is an old-fashioned style cookbook with very simple recipe instructions for authentic German dishes. I bought it so I could learn to cook some home style recipes that my German grandmother prepared for so many family meals during my childhood. I made Beef Rouladen [Rinderrouladen] and Spätzle. While the recipes I tried weren't quite like my Oma's, it sure felt comforting to prepare a meal of which I think my Oma would have been proud.


So I met the challenge of the Creative Croissant that required 3-5 recipes and then some! Since I made eleven recipes, I actually finished at the Swedish Chef level!

I hope you've been inspired to pull a rarely used cookbook off your shelves and start cooking from it!

Thanks, Cynni, for a fun and inspiring challenge! :)

German Cookery by Elizabeth Schuler [Cookbook]

Welcome to yet another cookbook challenge post! The Cookbook Challenge was created by Cynni at She Likes Bento to encourage participants to cook from cookbooks we've had on our shelves for ages but from which we've not yet cooked. I chose five such cookbooks from my shelves and have reviewed them over the last couple of weekends. All of the cookbooks I chose for the challenge are unfortunately no longer in print. Until this one! German Cookery by Elizabeth Schuler is amazingly still available in print! This was a big surprise to me since it was originally published in 1955, revised in 1968 and then more recently published in 1983. Not that recent!

Why I bought this cookbook:
German Cookery is one among a handful of my very first cookbooks that I bought in the first few years of living on my own, fresh out of college. I was 22 years old when I moved into my own apartment. I had very limited cooking experience but a whole lot of ambition. The greatest influences on my passion for cooking have always been my mother and my maternal grandmother. When it comes to German cooking, however, all of my influence comes from my grandmother, or Oma as I called her. She and my Opa had a large kitchen garden that provided fresh herbs and vegetables for many spring and summer meals and I have to admit the most memorable meals from my childhood were definitely eaten at their table--in their cozy kitchen or sprawled out on a large wooden picnic table beneath the shade of the maple tree in their yard. My maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1920s when they were just teenagers, separated by a year or two. Upon arriving in New York Harbor, my Oma found work as the live-in cook for a physician and his family. Clearly, cooking has always been her greatest passion and skill. Well, sewing as well, but unfortunately I didn't inherit that one. Needless to say, I purchased German Cookery in hopes of learning how to cook some of my favorite German dishes growing up. My Oma was actually still alive at that time, but already her enthusiasm for cooking had greatly dwindled, as did her memory, so even though I asked for instructions on how to cook my favorites, she had already forgotten most of it. So if you have family members from older generations still alive, ask them for their recipes NOW. Don't wait, because once they're gone.. they're gone forever. I learned this the hard way.

About this cookbook:
According to the introduction in German Cookery, this little cookbook was originally published in Germany as Mein Kochbuch, or My Cookbook, where it has been 'enormously popular.' Based on the style of the recipe instructions, it's pretty obvious this cookbook has been around for a long time. It's still is quite archaic and unfortunately, I don't think it hasn't been revised much as it lacks details that I think today's cooks depend on. You'll see what I mean in the recipes I share below.

Although I'm not an expert on German cooking, the recipes in this cookbook appear to be authentic German recipes. The ingredients and methods of preparation are familiar to me from the many years I spent on extended visits with my German grandparents, watching my Oma prepare family meals and desserts. Recipes in the cookbook are categorized by courses--Egg Dishes, Sandwiches, Appetizers, Soups, Fish, Poultry, Meat, Dumplings, Potatoes, Vegetables, Salads, Sauces, Luncheon Dishes and Other Specialties, Desserts and Sweets, Yeast Baking, Deep Fat Baking, Cakes, Tarts and Christmas Cakes and Candies. I love how certain foods get entire chapters dedicated to them such as dumplings, potatoes--even yeast baking and deep fat baking have separate chapters. Serious baking takes place in a German kitchens--especially during the Christmas season. There's a special chapter just for those treats as well.

I made two recipes from German Cookery for dinner one night this week, both of which turned out okay. Of course, I'm comparing these recipes and my own cooking skills to my Oma's and honestly... I don't think anything can compare. She set the bar pretty high. While my all time favorite meal of my Oma's was her Sauerbrauten with softball sized Potato dumplings or Gekochte Kartoffelklousse, I didn't attempt them this time. Instead, I chose to make my second favorite German beef dish, Beef Rouladen or Rindrrouladen with Spätzle, which are homemade egg dumplings or noodles. I served these two dishes with a simple side dish of sauteed Savoy cabbage with sweet onions.

Beef Rouladen with Spätzle
and sauteed cabbage

Beef Rouladen {Rinderrouladen} 
4 thin slices of beef
salt and pepper
4 slices bacon
1 onion
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup water extra flour
2 tablespoons cream
salt and pepper
paprika
2 tablespoons beef stock

Pound beef slices and rub with salt and pepper. Cut up bacon, chop onion and parsley and mix all with mustard. Spread this on beef slices and roll up tightly. Tie with string. Dip rolls in flour and fry in butter to brown all sides. Add water and stew for 30 minutes. When water has evaporated, turn rolls once again. Remove, untie and place on hot platter. To "Bratensatz"* in pan, add flour, cream, seasonings and beef stock to make gravy. Pour over meat.
       Serves 4.

*I believe "Bratensatz" means to deglaze the browned bits in the pan to make a gravy.

Making homemade spätzle for the first time! 

Spätzle 
4 cups flour
3 eggs
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt

Prepare firm dough from the flour, eggs, water and salt. Beat until it comes easily away from the sides of the bowl. Form dumplings and cook in boiling salted water. Skim them out, dip in cold water and serve on a hot platter. Spätzle may also be browned lightly in butter before serving. A favorite accompaniment to meat and vegetables.
      Serves 4.

It would have been nice if the instructions for the spätzle had a bit more detail on the consistency of the dough. I had no idea if my dough was too wet or dense enough, so I didn't adjust. My family ate everything and there were no leftovers, so I guess it was successful. I made a few notes on what I might do differently next time, particularly with the Rouladen, but it was pretty good for a first attempt. No where near as good as Oma's, but good enough.

I plan to try a few more of the recipes, although I'll likely look online for similar recipes and then tweak the ones from this cookbook as I go along. I'd love to make the big potato dumplings with roast beef and gravy over the winter. I'm curious to see my family will love the Gekochte Kartoffelklosse as much as I did when I was a kid.

I'd give German Cookery 3 out of 5 stars on goodreads for "I liked it."

GRADE: C+

To take a peak inside German Cookery by Elizabeth Schuler, visit the cookbook's amazon page on the following link and then click on the image to Look Inside:

http://www.amazon.com/German-Cookery-Classic-Cookbook-Series/dp/0517506637/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354320380&sr=8-1&keywords=german+cookery

Have you ever had German food before? What's your favorite dish or dessert? 

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The Cookbook Challenge runs through the end of November, so if you'd like to join in, visit Cynni's sign up post HERE. Hope to see you cooking from a much neglected cookbook on your shelves soon!

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Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

In Death Series Reading Challenge: November 2012

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE and join the fun!

Did you read any In Death series books this month?

I started reading Promises In Death very early in the month and was LOVING it. It's the one in which one of the NYPSD's own female detectives is murdered in the basement of her apartment building, likely by someone she knows. She also happens to be a recent serious love interest of one of the long term characters on Eve's team. So there's a strong personal component to this one, which is making the mystery shrouding her murder even more compelling. I put it down only because I had some other books that I really wanted to read to fulfill book clubs, read alongs on reading challenges, but hope to pick it back up in December!

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS: Link up any In Death posts you made this month here. If you made a post on your blog, whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and leave it in the comments below so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily. You can also just use the link to your goodreads or other virtual bookshelf as well.

BOOK REVIEW:
None this month.

SERIES DISCUSSION:

The five most popular genre shelf labels for the In Death series on goodreads are mystery, romance, crime, suspense and romantic suspense. I've often been conflicted about under what genre this series falls. Originally thinking it was romantic suspense, I've finally decided on crime fiction. Mystery would work, too, since each book focuses on a murder mystery, but I think crime fiction is more indicative of the police procedural aspects that dominate a large part of the books.

Under what genre (or subgenre) do YOU classify the In Death series?

REVIEW: Fever Moon by Karen Marie Moning

Fever Moon is a graphic novel story from Karen Marie Moning's popular urban fantasy Fever series featuring Mackayla "Mac" Lane. Fever Moon is basically a short story that takes place during the events of Shadowfever, which is the fifth and last book in the Fever series. There is a new spin off series, however, The Dani O'Malley series that starts with the newly released novel, Iced.

Fever Moon was written with the fans of the Fever series in mind, and I do believe those are the readers who will enjoy this novel the most. The author does provide some background information in the series in the first few pages of the graphic novel, but it's really difficult to set the stage of the world building and character development that has already taken place in five full length fantasy novels in just a few pages of a graphic novel. Hence, I'm not really sure if someone who hasn't read the series and picks up this graphic novel will really get what's going on in the Fever world. Maybe it's not critical, anyway, as the plot for this story is not necessarily complex.

The villain in Fever Moon is The Fear Dorcha, a being who was created when the Unseelie King was experimenting in creating his own Soul Song--the power to create immortal life. The Fear Dorcha is a faceless being who steals parts of people's faces in order to create his own face. Once he has completed his created face from all the pieces of his victims, the victims die. Mac races to find the Dorcha and figure out a way to stop him from finishing his face before the last victim is claimed so she can save the lives of these innocent people, among them some of her friends. I thought the conflict was resolved a little too easily and actually ends rather open-ended. Perhaps things will be re-visited in future books in the Dani O'Malley series.

The illustrations in Fever Moon are vividly detailed and effectively evoke the tone and setting of the Fever series very well. I think I prefer the images of the characters that I already had in my head after reading the series than the ones portrayed by the illustrators of the book, but I suppose that's normal. I thought Mac was drawn excessively voluptuous and Barbie-doll like, but perhaps I just visualize her as more wholesome for my own preferences.

Overall, Fever Moon is an okay read. Fans of the Fever series will likely love it because it's a fun, unique way to visit Dublin AWC, or After the Wall Crashes, giving a graphic glimpse of their favorite characters--Mac, Jerricho, Dani and plenty of others including the Seelie Prince Velvet, Dreamy Eyed Guy and Ryodan. Everyone else will likely think is just okay.

I give Fever Moon 2.5 out of 5 stars.

GRADE: C-

Holiday Baking by Sara Perry

Here I am once again, about to rave about a cookbook from my shelves that is no longer available in print, although it looks like you may be able to buy a new copy through the author's website at http://saraperry.com/main.html. Holiday Baking is available as a Kindle edition and you can also buy it used from several sellers on amazon.com. Or look for it at used bookstores or your local library. I assure you this one is worth the trouble of hunting down for your collection.

I bought my copy of Holiday Baking [Chronicle Books, 2005] on impulse back in 2005 while helping out at the Scholastic Book Fair at my daughters' elementary school. I fell in love with the cookbook the moment I picked it up. First of all, I have a special fondness for holiday themed cookbooks and cooking magazines. Both my maternal grandmother and mother always baked a wide variety of cookies and breads for the Christmas season for their own families and to give as gifts to friends and relatives, so I've developed the same inclination. Secondly, I love the diversity of holiday goodness that's celebrated in this cookbook. There are chapters for each Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa and New Year's Day. Finally, the recipes are fun to read and all are very appealing. I quite honestly want to try them all! There isn't a photo for every recipe, but there are quite a few mouth watering photos.

Want a peak inside Holiday Baking by Sara Perry?
Visit the cookbook's page on amazon and click on the cookbook image where it says Click to LOOK INSIDE.

Holiday Baking is one of the cookbooks from which I chose to cook for the Cookbook Challenge hosted by Cynni at She Likes Bento. The purpose of the challenge is to encourage participants to cook from cookbooks that we've owned for a long time, but have never cooked a recipe from them. Holiday Baking was one such cookbook for me until just this morning, although I do habitually pull it off the shelf this time of year and look through it for holiday inspiration.

The recipe I chose to cook is for a breakfast pancake with apples baked in a large cast iron skillet. It can also be served as a dessert or late night snack. I just love the title for this one:

It's-Thanksgiving-Morning-but-They-Still-Deserve-Something-Special Apple Puff Pancake.

There is a dessert version of the recipe in the cookbook called It's-Nighttime-and-They're-Still-Hungry Apple Pastry with Calvados and Golden Raisins.

I just made this recipe this morning after freezing my butt (mostly my toes!) off on a thirty-four mile bike ride, so I'm calling it It's-Thanksgiving-Weekend-and-I-Still-Need-Something-Special-to-Warm-Me-Up Apple Puff Pancake.

No matter what you call it.. know you can call it DELICIOUS!

Warming up with Apple Puff Pancake
from Holiday Baking by Sara Perry

It's-Thanksgiving-Morning-but-They-Still-Deserve-Something-Special Apple Puff Pancake

2 teaspoons unsalted butter 
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
pinch of ground nutmeg 
4 medium to large Granny Smith apples, 
        peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices 
1 cup all purpose flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 teaspoons salt 
2 eggs, at room temperature 
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 
powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a heavy, 10-inch ovenproof or cast-iron skillet with the butter and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the apples and toss to coat. Transfer the apples to the skillet and set aside. Portions of the apples may be higher than the side of the skillet.

3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt until blended. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then add the milk and whisk until blended. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until blended and smooth.

4. Pour the batter over the apples. Using the skillet's handle, give the skillet an easy back-and-forth shake to settle the ingredients. If you wish, you can level the top with a spatula. Some apples will remain only partially submerged.

5. Bake until the batter is golden, the protruding apples are tinged and golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into 6 to 8 wedges, and serve.

This was my first time making a puff pancake in a skillet like this. I've seen recipes for similar pancakes, sometimes called A Dutch Baby and always wanted to try it. Now I finally did and it won't be the last time I do. It's a festive and delicious and very easy! The texture is a bit like the cross between a regular pancake and maybe bread pudding. Cakey but a bit spongy at the same time. Very flavorful. It really hit the spot today and helped defrost my poor frozen body after this morning's bike ride. My husband even came back for seconds which says a lot as he's not the biggest fan of pancakes for breakfast. My older daughter had hers with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and was in heaven. My youngest passed.. she's been such a picky eater lately. >_<

There are way too many recipes in Holiday Baking that I'd like to make--definitely too many to list. If I had to choose just a few, however, at the top of my list is The Ultimate Dinner's Guest Gingerbread [Thanksgiving], Apricot Nut or Cardamom Pistachio Rugelach [Hanukkah], Jerusalem Olive Oil Cake with Orange Marmalade and Almonds [Hanukkah], Stir-Up Fruitcake [Christmas], Saint Lucia's Saffron Crown [Christmas], Buckingham Palace Shortbread [Boxing Day], Apricot Jam and Coconut Squares [Kwanzaa], and Bloody Mary and Baked Mushroom Omelet [New Year's]. Yes, that's my abbreviated list.

I give Holiday Baking by Sara Perry 5 out of 5 stars.

GRADE: A

Do you do a lot of baking for the holidays? 

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The Cookbook Challenge runs through the end of November, so if you'd like to join in, visit Cynni's sign up post HERE. Hope to see you cooking from a much neglected cookbook on your shelves soon!

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Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

Where In the World Are You Reading? Reading Companions

Where In the World Are You Reading? is a monthly book meme created and hosted by the lovely Trish [Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity], Lisa [Books, Lists, Life] and Kelly [The Written Word], which encourages readers to share their reading habits through different monthly prompts.

This month's theme for Where In the World Are You Reading? is reading companions. My cats are without a question my most loyal reading companions. I honestly think they've come to associate books with snuggling.

The feline reading companions in the photos below are two different cats.. Mona and Gigi, who are sister and brother. We have two other cats who also curl up on my lap when I read, but they are more interested in napping on my lap than the books I'm reading. ;)

"These are the things she likes to sit and hold. 

Maybe if I lay near or on top of it, she'll hold me, too," ... think the cats.

"Read out loud to me, mama."
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

"Is this a book about kitties, mama?"
OR
"Pay attention to ME!"
Web Of Lies by Jennifer Estep

"Looking for your book? I haven't seen it."
Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep

"Nap first. Read later."
Cold Magic by Kate Elliot

Obviously very swoon worthy.
Saving Grace by Julie Garwood 

Sometimes my daughters and I read side by side together. Every once in a while we read the same books so we can chat about them, but that hasn't happened since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. My oldest and I tossed around the idea of read Les Miserables together over the summer, but we never got around to it. Just recently we joked that we should both just read the sparks notes and then see the film together. We laughed.. but you know.. I'm thinking we might just do that.

Daughter and I both on Chapter 10!
Creation in Death by J.D. Robb
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Once in a while, on the weekends, my husband is my reading companion. He watches footy [soccer] and I snuggle up next to him with my latest read. This usually leads to a nap for me. At least until a goal is scored.. then I'm woken up quite abruptly by the "NOoooo!" "What the heck was that?" or the "YESSSS! What a goal!"

My favorite reading companion.
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz
[I actually took this photo myself--
reaching out with my iphone!]

Who are YOUR reading companions?

To read other Reading Companion posts by fellow readers, visit the link up at Kelly's blog HERE. You can also catch some Where In the World Are You Reading? news on twitter with the hash tag #wwread.

Join us next month for Where In The World Are You Reading? when the monthly theme is Holiday Escape. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my home to yours... 

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving

spent in the company of loved ones

in a warm home

with delicious, wholesome food on your table

prepared with love. 

xo

The Pumpkin Cookbook edited by Nicola Hill

Once again I am showcasing a cookbook that is out of print! So sorry, folks, but since I chose to cook from this cookbook for the Cookbook Challenge, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. The Cookbook Challenge hosted by Cynni from She Likes Bento was created to encourage participants to cook from cookbooks that we've owned for a long time but have never cooked from in the past. This adorable little cookbook dedicated entirely to pumpkin recipes has been on my bookshelf for years. I bought The Pumpkin Cookbook [published by Hamlyn, 1996] several years ago from my local Williams-Sonoma during a clearance sale shortly after Halloween, probably in the late 1990s. I just love pumpkins and even have two other cookbooks dedicated to these classic symbols of autumn.

I prepared two recipes from The Pumpkin Cookbook recently. First I made Pumpkin Griddle Cakes that came out just okay. They're a cornmeal based griddle cake or pancake, which I thought would be amazing since I also love cornbread, but in fact, these griddle cakes were very plain. The pumpkin flavor was barely noticeable and it didn't have much other flavor either, even after I added a bit extra cinnamon and nutmeg. They weren't a complete waste, however, since there were no leftovers. But I still won't make them again.

Pumpkin Griddle Cakes

The second recipe I made was a Pumpkin, Chickpea and Banana Curry that caught my eye. If you haven't figured out already from the recipes I've posted on my blog over the years, two foods that I love are pumpkin and curry. So to see these two ingredients together in one recipe, I knew I just had to try it. I wasn't sure how this recipe would go over with my family--my husband isn't a fan of any kind of squash or sweet potato (gasp!) and I imagined everyone objecting to bananas in a savory dish. I decided to halve the recipe just in case it did turn out to be a bad idea, but it turns out the dish was very, very good. The depth of the curry flavor was just right and it tasted quite authentic for an Indian dish. If you're freaked out by bananas in a savory dish, you can leave them out. However, why not give it a try? You might just like it! I was impressed with this dish and would definitely make it again--especially as an entree for vegetarian friends.

I give The Pumpkin Cookbook 3.5 out of 5 stars. Nice variety of recipes, but I think you can find so many more amazing pumpkin recipes in other places these days.

GRADE: B

Pumpkin, Chickpea and Banana Curry

Pumpkin, Chickpea and Banana Curry
adapted from The Pumpkin Cookbook edited by Nicola Hill

2 tablespoons coconut oil (or other vegetable oil), divided
1 small onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated or minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 lb. pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tablespoons hot (or mild) curry paste
2 ripe tomatoes
1 small red chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1 14 oz. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 slightly under ripe banana
1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan until hot and add onion, garlic, ginger and spices, cooking until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, chili pepper, salt and stock (or water) and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 5-10 minutes.
3. Toss the chopped pumpkin with the curry paste in a bowl.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet until hot and add the pumpkin. Fry for 5 minutes or until golden.
5. Add the pumpkin to the simmering tomato and spice mixture. Add the chickpeas, sprinkle with garam masala, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. (Poke it with a fork or the tip of a knife).
6. Peel and slice the banana into chunks. Add to the pumpkin mixture and cook for a few minutes more until the banana is heated through.
7. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and serve.

Another Indian feast at home!

I served this pumpkin curry with two other Indian dishes--Orange-Cinnamon Basmati Pilaf [Naarangi Pulao] and Moghul Chicken Korma [Murgh Korma], both recipes prepared from Indiana Regional Classics by Julie Sahni that I reviewed a few weeks ago HERE. I also served it with some left over samosa filling from a few days ago when we made homemade samosas at our last girl scout meeting. Yum!

Cookbook Challenge Update
Here's a review of the recipes I've cooked so far for the Cookbook Challenge.

From Autumn by Susan Branch:
Butternut Shotglass Soup 
Tomato Soup

From Indian Regional Classics by Julie Sahini:
Saffron Pilaf 
Moghul Shrimp in Cream Sauce 
Orange-Cinnamon Basmati Pilaf 
Moghul Chicken Korma

From The Pumpkin Cookbook edited by Nicola Hill:
Pumpkin Griddle Cakes 
Pumpkin, Chickpea and Banana Curry

I signed up for the Creative Croissant Level of 3-5 recipes, which I've already surpassed having made 8 recipes already. However, I did want to cook from five different cookbooks, so I'm still going to try to get to the other two cookbooks before the end of the month. Wish me luck!

The Cookbook Challenge runs through the end of November, so if you'd like to join in, visit Cynni's sign up post HERE. Hope to see you cooking from a much neglected cookbook on your shelves soon!

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Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

Library Loot LIX

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas

I had to re-loot Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas since my last library loot post and this time I read and returned it before the short 14-day loan period ran up. This contemporary romance series by Ms. Kleypas has some elements of magic in them and a component of "the magic" in this particular book involves a ghost from the past who interacts with the male lead. I'm not usually a fan of ghosts in books--especially in romance, but this one worked wonderfully.

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz

My online book club finally decided on This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz for our November book today after we had to hold a tie breaker poll. Right away I started searching the online catalogs for the several local libraries I haunt and all of them had holds lists! Thankfully the last library on my list had a copy available so I zoomed over there as soon as I could to get it. It's only a 7-day loan, though, so I need to read it asap!

Fever Moon by Karen Marie Moning

While looking for This is How You Lose Her on the new release shelf, I was so excited to have spotted Fever Moon by Karen Marie Moning. Fever Moon is a graphic novel from the Fever series, which I loved. Fever Moon reviews some of the key plot points from the Fever books, but is otherwise a new story Mac and Barrons story that takes place after the events of Shadowfever and before the most recent book in the Fever series, Iced. I can't wait to read it! Then I'll be ready to read Iced, which I hear is fantastic.


What are YOU reading from your library [or bookshelves] right now?

Anna Karenina Read-Along: Part Two

Note: If you've already read Anna Karenina, please feel free to join in this Read-Along discussion. However, please refrain from discussing any particulars past Part Two of the novel at this point so as not to spoil anything for the first time readers. Thanks!

Part Two of Anna Karenina delves deeper into the novel's primary theme of family relations. The story arcs expand as relationships fall apart and others show signs of strengthening. Characters are further developed as they struggle with relationships with family, friends and lovers, as well as their own personal inner turmoils.

CAUTION: This is a Read-Along discussion post so you can expect spoilers from the first two parts of the novel. Read at your own risk!

Discussion questions for Part Two of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy:

1. Kitty's health has deteriorated as a result of her heartbreak and so she travels to a health spa in Germany with her parents in hopes of reviving her health. It is here that Kitty befriends the young woman Varenka whose actions and beliefs Kitty admires tremendously. What is it about Varenka that has Kitty so enamored? At one point Kitty says she will never marry. Why do you think she says this? 

2. Anna and Vronsky consummate their affair in this section. Do you think what they share is love? And if not, what do you think it is that they share? 

3. Tolstoy writes to great length and detail about the steeplechase. Did you get the sense that these passages foreshadow events among the characters? If so, what? 

4. What are your overall impressions of the book after reading Part Two? Are you enjoying the story? Do you like Tolstoy's writing? 

My responses to the discussion questions:

1. When Kitty sees Varenka tending to others, particularly those who are ill or less fortunate, simply out of the goodness of her heart, Kitty begins to realize that being a good, caring, charitable person provides a lot of purpose and even happiness to one's life. She soon realizes it can also backfire as it did in the case of the artist Petrov, but I still think she learned a valuable lesson from Varenka. I think Kitty's claim that she'll never marry is more a defense mechanism than anything else. It's her way of protecting herself from any future heartache or humiliation. Eventually, I hope she realizes she can have both in her life--happiness from being a good person to others and happiness in marriage.

2. I sadly don't think what Anna and Vronsky share is true love. They clearly share an undeniable attraction and passion for each other, but it mostly feels like they are using each other to fill a void in their lives, and quite unsuccessfully at that.

3. At first I was wondering why Tolstoy wrote so much detail about the steeplechase until I started to realize that Frou-Frou's [Vronsky's horse] behavior and temperament matched that of Anna regarding her relationship with Vronsky. Both want the ultimate prize--Frou-Frou to win the steeplechase and Anna to have a loving and passionate marriage--but both are also rather skittish and reckless. Ultimately, Vronsky makes a rash, careless move that brings down his horse in the steeplechase. I have the feeling he's going to do the same regarding Anna.

4. I'm still enjoying reading this book, but realizing it is definitely more a tragedy than it is a love story. I think all of the families and relationships are a mess and whose futures look rather glum. I do, however, have hope that Levin and Kitty will be the exception and their story will be one with a true happily ever after ending. We shall see.. there are still over 600 pages to go! Tolstoy's writing is exquisite, despite being rather long winded. He articulates characters' inner struggles and emotional tones very, very well, but sometimes I wish he'd just spit it out instead of describing these things in a long roundabout kind of way.

Next week: Part Three of Anna Karenina!

It's not too late to join us in the Read-Along. Fay from Blog A Book, Etc. and I are also moderating an Anna Karenina Read-Along Group on goodreads. Anyone is welcome to join at any time--just send a request to join on goodreads. We'd love your company!