(Dolen Perkins-Valdez, hardback). From the title you might think this is a book about the s-x word. It’s not. By a long shot. But the story, set in about 1852, is about a black slave woman, and her somewhat misguided “love” for her master. About the children she bore him, under the eagle eye of the master’s wife. But it’s all tied together with a yearly journey made to a place called Tawawa House, a rural inn of sorts in southern Ohio (a free State), that for some years allowed white slave owners to stay at the resort in rustic cottages with their black slaves, as couples. This place existed, according to the author’s afterword, and finally closed because some of the regulars (white couples who stayed in the main house) didn’t fancy this concubine business going on out in the woods. It’s about Lizzie’s relationships with the other slave women, about their desire to run to safety through the local underground, about them secretly meeting some free blacks, finding out more about abolition, and about the hardships all these black mistresses endured, and how little their lives were valued. A real stunning book. (I was sent this book as a perk from Harper Collins – because I had mentioned The Help. No strings attached – I could choose to mention this book, or not, here on my blog. I’m glad to because it’s a very good read.)
(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle, an excellent read); 
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition, eh); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition, good book); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition, very good read)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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It took about a nanosecond for me to decide to make this today – one of my all-time favorite recipes. My friend Norma who isn’t feeling all that great, asked for comfort food. I knew just the recipe. A kind of soup/stew thing I’ve been making for about 45 years (yikes) with ground beef, celery, onions, cabbage, kidney beans, garlic, cumin, chili powder, then served with a little mound of mashed potatoes in a soup bowl. Just the ticket I hope, for her to eat many little bowls of it, to give her strength. I make this several times a year, and don’t blog about it much because I already HAVE blogged about it. More than once, I think. But since I made it today, tasted it, and we’re having it for dinner, I just thought I’d share it. Again. This is such a simple recipe. Can be made in quantity. Freezes well. Even the mashed potatoes (freeze separately). And in today’s tough economy, it’s an inexpensive meal too. You can make it with ground turkey if you’d prefer, or eliminate the meat altogether. Very adaptable. Make it up and keep it in the refrigerator for days on end. Easy to heat up in the microwave, even with the mashed potatoes on top, scooped right out of the cold container, plopped on top.
If you want to read the first posting about this recipe and to print out the PDF recipe only, go to Cabbage Patch Stew.
See all that good stuff in that pot – the red kidney beans, tomato chunks, cabbage shreds, celery, mushrooms, onion, ground beef. Yummy is all I can say.
A year ago: Pumpkin Praline Custard (easy and VERY low cal)
Stacey Barck
said on March 15th, 2009:
Hi Carolyn! How coincidental you were inspired by cabbage today. The chef and owner of Manresa, David Kisch, was on the Food Network tonight going head to head with Iron Chef Bobby Flay. The secret ingredient they had to use was CABBAGE. The food both chefs prepared were amazing. And can you believe David Kisch won the competition? Russ and I enjoyed the show and reminiscing about when we all dined together at Manresa.
Hi Stacey – wow, Manresa. That was HOW many years ago we went there? Too many! We did have a really great dinner there, I recall. . . . Carolyn
Toni
said on March 15th, 2009:
This is the kind of comfort food my husband was good at putting together. The only difference is that he would use green chilies instead of chili powder. We lived in New Mexico and could get a tub of chopped green chili at the local supermarket. Here in San Diego, I always keep a couple of cans of green chili in the pantry, and when I’ve got the time and energy I go to a local bodega, buy some pasilla or ancho chilies, roast them in the oven, then peel, chop and store them in the freezer.
That’s a great idea to roast the peppers and store them in the freezer. I may have to try that. . . Carolyn T
Toni
said on March 15th, 2009:
P.S. – Love your reading list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m glad you took a look at my reading list. Reading is such an integral part of my life, so I enjoy sharing it. . . . Carolyn T
Melynda
said on March 16th, 2009:
This is just what I have been looking for! And the mashed potatoes in the bowl, yum.