(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 was 2001, and watching Oprah one afternoon, she just went bonkers over a recipe for white sangria. Having only had red sangria to that point in my life, and hearing Oprah rave about it, I decided I had to try it. It is credited to a restaurant in New York City called Pipa. I had to go out and buy a great many of the special ingredients in this beverage – well, only three of them actually – since I had some of them on hand already. I remember my dear hubby saying to me “what’s all THIS for?” I think I was entertaining a group of women, and thought this would be a nice change.
This has now become my go-to recipe for white sangria. It’s just so refreshing. And EASY. You do need a few pieces of fruit (apple, peach, lemon, orange), and you need all the liqueur stuff. They were not bottles I had kept on hand (now I do). But the original bottles I bought back in 2001 I still have, although they’re all getting low. Drinking this sangria, you can’t quite figure out what’s in it. It would take a really good taster and sniffer to figure it out without some help. I have changed the recipe slightly since I started making it years ago – the fruit usually gets thrown out afterwards, so I use less peach and less apple. And sometimes I add more 7-up. You can use your own discretion about this – if it tastes too strong to you, just add a bit more 7-up. I always use Diet 7-up for this since there is already enough sugar in it, to my taste.
Even living in a large suburban city, I had to go to several stores (including a liquor-only one) to find a couple of the liqueurs. But perhaps you’ll be lucky and find everything you need in one location. Once you have them on hand, you won’t need to replace them for a long time; unless you start drinking this every week . . . So, you’ll need Grand Marnier, Peach Pucker schnapps (tart flavored, sort of), Peach Schnapps, apricot brandy, Amaretto and Chambord.
White Sangria
Recipe: adapted from Pipa Restaurant, NYC (via Oprah Magazine, July 2001)
Servings: 8
1/2 Granny Smith apple — sliced in thin wedges
1/2 fresh peach — sliced in thin wedges
1 lemon — sliced in thin wedges
1 orange — sliced in thin wedges
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier — or other kind of orange liqueur
2 tablespoons Peach Pucker schnapps
2 tablespoons peach schnapps
2 tablespoons apricot brandy
2 tablespoons Amaretto
1 tablespoon Chambord
12 ounces lemon-lime soda — or can use sugar-free
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 quart white wine
1. Slice all the fruit thinly and if using large fruit, cut pieces in half. This may be done a little ahead of time and placed in a plastic bag with the cinnamon stick. Be sure the apple slices are covered in fruit juice, so they don’t turn brown.
2. Place all sliced fruit in a large pitcher. Pour everything over the fruit except the wine and 7-up and stir gently. Allow to sit for 20 minutes.
3. Just before serving, add chilled wine and 7-up and stir gently. Pour sangria into large, chilled wine glasses and add pieces of fruit. Add ice if you prefer (I do).
Per Serving (assumes you consume all the fruit, which almost nobody does): 177 Calories; trace Fat (1.4% calories from fat); trace Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 12mg Sodium.
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