– by Neil White (on my Kindle) – a really, really interesting book. It’s a memoir about the year the author spent in prison in Louisiana. About his sanctimonious attitude when he arrived there (he was convicted of kiting checks trying to keep his publishing business afloat) and what he learns during his year. But as much as it’s about his life as a prisoner, it’s more about the other residents of the prison – the last remaining lepers (Hansen’s Disease) who are provided for in the facility. Neil White is quite a character and I wondered more than once if he was ever going to “get it,” that he was greedy and egotistical. The book wasn’t published for about 10 years after his release, so at least he didn’t profit immediately by telling tales. The epilogue was so sad – listing the deaths of many of the leprosy patients and some of the inmates he came to call friends. One person at amazon commented that it was not worth reading because the author profited from his incarceration, and that he didn’t appear to have redeemed himself. I disagree – I think he did. If he didn’t, then he knows how to spin a good yarn. I choose to believe he learned a whole lot about himself and where his life took a (wrong) left turn, and that he’s trying to atone for his failings by publishing the book. You decide.
- by P.D. James (on my Kindle) – if I hadn’t read about this book in the Los Angeles Times a week or so ago I’d never have pursued this book. It’s nothing even close to her wealth of books of the mystery genre. But yes, it IS a mystery (not something I normally read) but it takes place about 5 years after Pride and Prejudice leaves off. That was the hook for me. An entertaining read and a way to keep in touch with all the lovable (and not-so) characters from Jane Austen’s classic. It’s not a page-turner in the true mystery-murder style, but it’s fun to read.
– by Judith Ryan Hendricks – I picked up this book at a lending library I use now and then. I have to laugh, though – the collection of books (probably numbering about 350 or so) is divided by paperback and hardback. And then by color. COLOR? I find that so ludicrous. But anyway, the title caught my eye. It’s definitely a novel, about a youngish woman who’s been a baker and a chef, but who is suddenly single. It’s about her struggle to find herself, to find a new rhythm of life. In the telling of the journey some recipes are included (baked goods, including bread-bread), which are available on the 
– by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) – most everyone who reads blogs knows about Ree – the Pioneer Woman, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She’s always entertaining, whimsical and enjoyable to read. A couple of years ago she wrote a memoir of her romance with Ladd, her now husband. I can’t count how many times, as I was reading this, that I was LOLing (Laughing Out Loud). She is such a witty writer and knows how to tell a story. Even though I know she married Ladd and has since had 4 children, I was caught up in her story from the first page. I wrote it up in more detail on
– (on my Kindle) Michael Tucker (from L.A. Law some years ago) and his wife, on a whim almost, buy a home in Umbria. An old, old, old house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, I think, and a nice terrace (where a lot of living goes on in Italian homes and families). It’s the story of the purchase itself, the friends they meet, the neighbors, how Michael finds the best butcher(s), bakers and candlestick makers. It made me long for another trip to Italy, actually. They enlarge the home, although they’re not there for most of the construction. It’s a similar tale to Frances Mayes’ books and Peter Mayle’s books too, but it’s different. Tucker is a TV star; his wife’s a stage actress. They live on some higher plane than I do, for sure, with lots of friends with connections. But it’s a cute story and I enjoyed it clear to the end.
(Stacy Schiff); 
; and 
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The first time I had posole was my first visit to Santa Fe, New Mexico. That was about about 20 years ago, I’d guess. It was a culinary tour, and the guide packed in 4 days of day and night eating, shopping, museums, tours and more food. It was heavenly fun. The food was out of this world. If you’ve ever had a food epiphany, then you can relate to what I felt on that trip. I realized I was truly enamored with Southwestern food.
I’d never even heard of posole (poh-so-leh) until that trip, and hence learned that traditionally it’s a pork and hominy stew, typical of that region. Likely you can find it in Texas too, probably Arizona as well. In the stores there you can buy posole mixes (yes, I bought one). Hominy isn’t something I buy at all – I bet I’ve only purchased it a couple of times in my life (canned). But hominy is a requirement for this recipe. However, I didn’t have any. What to do? I used garbanzo beans instead. Not exactly authentic, but close.
In my repertoire of recipes I found one for posole made with chicken, so it at least gave me the formation of this recipe since chicken was what I had defrosting for the evening meal. The soup came together in rapid order – maybe not quite 30 minutes, but almost.
The recipe I was reading suggested you add a can of enchilada sauce. Well, I didn’t have that either. So I made my own. Well, actually, I just added the ingredients to the soup. Then I added in my own tweaking here and there (chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, some powdered cocoa), and now I’ve got a new soup recipe for my collection. This soup was fantastic if I do say so myself.
Now, I will say, I used Penzey’s turkey soup base concentrate for this recipe. And, if you read my blog piece a few days ago, you know that I’m a huge fan of Penzey’s soup bases. And once again, it provided a delicious depth of character to what was a relatively simple soup. The spinach is added in at the last and is barely cooked. I used baby spinach, which made the bites manageable. If you buy regular spinach, you’d best chop it up a little.
Chicken Posole, New Mexican Style
Recipe: My own recipe with inspiration from a couple of internet recipes
Servings: 5
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, no skin, no bone, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole onion — peeled, diced
1 1/2 whole red bell peppers — trimmed, cubed
3 cloves garlic
3 cups water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate — preferably Penzey’s soup base
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chipotle chile canned in adobo — minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
14 1/2 ounces garbanzo beans, canned — drained, or hominy
10 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano — crushed
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces spinach leaves — baby spinach if possible
1 cup corn — fresh, or canned & drained
1. In a large nonstick skillet or soup pot add the raw chicken cubes with the 2 tablespoons of water. Cover, but stir frequently and cook until most of the water is gone. Remove lid and increase heat and cook until chicken pieces are lightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. Into the same pan add the olive oil, then add the onion. Saute until onion has begun to wilt, then add the red bell pepper pieces. Stir a bit and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue stirring for one minute.
3. Add the flour to the chicken pieces and toss until the chicken has absorbed nearly all the flour.
4. Add the water and bouillon concentrate (or use chicken stock in lieu of the water and concentrate/granules) and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, then add the cocoa powder, chile powder, tomato sauce and oregano. Add the canned corn and bring to simmer again. Add the chicken pieces that have been set aside along with the cream. Bring to a simmer again, then add all the spinach leaves and stir in until they’re all covered in soup.
Per Serving: 466 Calories; 17g Fat (32.3% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 116mg Cholesterol; 1019mg Sodium.
elizabeth
said on September 22nd, 2008:
Sounds great! I have too many frozen chicken breasts from costco in the freezer. This recipe will be a good use for them. I just made some tortilla soup and this soup will be next.
Do you add the chipolte along with the tomato sauce, chili pwdr, etc. ? I will probably have to throw in a little cilantro too.
I’ve been using the knorr chic cubes for my soups, but ordered some of the penzeys chic soup base, can’t wait to use it!
Thanks for your blog posts!
Elizabeth – I did add the chipotle right along with the other stuff. BUT, when I opened the can of chipotles a couple of weeks ago, I carefully minced and sliced it up with a big chef’s knife until it was mostly mush. Then I scooped small little blobs of it onto a foil lined tray. Stuck that in the freezer. Once frozen I removed the little chunks and put them in a plastic bag (double layer), so when I need some chipotle, I just reach in the bag for one or two “pieces.” If you freeze the whole chiles, you’ll end up with larger chunks of chipotle in your soup. Those might overwhelm some eaters. I took a photo of the chipotles that way and have forgotten to write up the post about it. Thanks for reminding me! And absolutely, have some cilantro with it too. Since it had spinach, I thought it might compete. We had the leftovers for dinner tonight and it was just as good as the first time. Hope you love the Penzey’s soup base as much as I do. I made another soup two days ago (chicken chili) which I’ll post sometime in the next week or two. Glad you’re enjoying my blog. Thanks for commenting. I really appreciate it when I know there are people out there reading. . . . Carolyn T
J. LeNoir
said on October 5th, 2009:
Being a native of NM and the southern region (though I’m not naive with Northern NM), I must say that there is a completely different cooking style between the North and the South. Quite frankly, I prefer the southern style of Mexican food over the North. No comparison whatsoever between the regions. I also must say that “chile” in the north is bland and sweet, and “chile” in the south is warm to hot, garlic, onion, oregano, and no sweet! Taste for yourself, however, nothern “Mexican” food is tex, newmex, mex, and the real thing is southern New Mexico!