(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); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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Lately I’ve been on a roll with salsas. There’s no question, I enjoy salsa of most varieties – except canned and ready-made grocery store types. We have one independent market near us, Pacific Ranch Market, which makes fabulous homemade salsa every day. Usually we rely on theirs – it’s so good – and already prepared.
But this time, we were going out for the evening on a Duffy Boat. You know of these things? Cute little electric-powered boats that hold oh, 8-12 people mostly. The driver sits in the rear seat and everybody else kind of sits around the edges. This one had clear plastic windows, but the cool evening breeze flowed in the front as we maneuvered all around Newport Harbor for two hours. From the picture at the right, you can see Cherrie and Joan, as we were cruisin’ and talkin’. We had lots of fun. My DH drove the boat most of the time – as he was the most experienced on the water, since he’s owned a sailboat since he was 7. There were eight of us – I may have mentioned this group before – we call ourselves the HGG – Healthy Gourmet Group. Initially we were eating really, truly, healthy food, but the group decided to think this again – so we try to choose lower-fat ingredients if we can. If we can’t, well, so be it. But we still call ourselves HGG anyway.
I was the front-man on this – I made the arrangements – so I suggested we bring heavy appetizers or finger food. The menu came together so fast I couldn’t believe it. Cherrie said she’d make some wraps (both turkey and ham). Joan would bring skewers of fresh fruit. I’d make some other kind of hearty appetizer, and Sue would bring dessert (brownies with Chambord in them) and coffee. Each couple brought a bottle of wine (one white, three reds). We tootled around the harbor for two hours, ate good food, drank good wine, and had hilarious fun talking.
Going through my appetizer repertoire (that I haven’t already blogged about, that is) I spotted this recipe for avocado and shrimp salsa. Very hearty. And absolutely delicious. I have no recollection where this recipe came from, but I’ve altered so much over the years that it no longer resembles the original version anyway. So it’s as good as “my” recipe. And note, there’s not a single bit of oil or fat in this except what little natural fat there is in some foods, provided by Mother Nature.
Shrimp & Avocado Salsa
Recipe: my own concoction
Servings: 12
1 pound shrimp — not canned, peeled, deveined, cooked
2 whole poblano chiles — broiled, peeled (also called pasilla)
2 bunches green onions — minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro — minced
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 pounds canned tomatoes — diced
1 cup fresh tomatoes — chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chipotle chile canned in adobo — minced
2 ears corn on the cob — removed, raw
2 whole avocados — chopped
salt — to taste
garlic salt — to taste, or one fresh garlic clove minced
1. Roast the poblano chiles: cut them in half, core them, remove seeds, lay flat on a broiling pan skin side up, then broil for about 5-8 minutes until the skin is crinkly black. Remove, cool, then easily slip the skin off. Roughly chop the chiles in small pieces. Watch carefully while broiling or it will completely dry up the chile flesh – that you don’t want!
2. Do not use canned shrimp in this dish. Cook and devein the shrimp and chop into medium-sized pieces. You want to be able to see the shrimp pieces.
3. In a large non-metallic bowl combine the shrimp, poblano chiles, onions, cilantro, lime juice, red wine vinegar, both tomatoes, oregano (may need more), chipotle chiles, avocados, corn and both salts. Taste for seasonings (add more wine vinegar or lime juice if desired). Chill for 8-24 hours before serving with tortilla chips.
Per Serving: 129 Calories; 6g Fat (39.9% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 58mg Cholesterol; 179mg Sodium.
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Sophie
said on September 16th, 2008:
We would like to feature your shrimp and avocado salsa on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks
You can view our blog here:
blog.keyingredient.com/