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READING RIGHT NOWThe Help (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 a town in Mississippi, I think it is. In the 1950’s. We’re not talking during slavery, but in much more recent history. VERY interesting read.

JUST FINISHED: The Moonflower Vine: A Novel by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition). The author died in 1999, but she left a legacy, beloved by many. The story of a rural small-town family in Missouri – the parents and their 4 daughters. A book that many readers think was a pivotal read in their lives, or one they re-read, even when they’re not people who re-read books. It’s a sweet story, although the family surely does have its share of troubles.

FINISHED: Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); Bound: A Novel by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)

IN THE POWDER ROOM: Our guest half-bath has a little table with a pile of books that I change every now and then. They’re books that might pique someone’s interest even if for a very short read. The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy; Sara Midda’s South of France: A Sketchbook; Spain…A Culinary Road Trip (Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); Other People’s Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See; (edited by Bill Shapiro); Monet’s Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet (by Joyes); The Trouble with Poetry: And Other Poems (Billy Collins).

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Tasting Spoons

My blog's namesake - small engraved sterling silver tea spoons that I use to taste as I'm cooking.

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cardoon raw

The actors in this three-act play:
DH [Dear Husband] and Carolyn [his wife]

Scene One
[Couple talking together in the car.]
[DH] “What are we having for dinner tonight, honey?
[Carolyn] “The leftover pork tenderloin.
[DH] “Oh good, I loved that. With that good sauce? What else?
[Carolyn] “Cardoons.
[DH, with alarmed voice] “WHAT? Car what?
[Carolyn] “Car-DOONS. They’re also called Car-dohn too.
[Fade out.]

Scene Two
[A few hours later in the couple’s kitchen. Carolyn is standing by a cutting board with an odd looking green celery-like thing on the board and a big knife, along with a vegetable peeler. She moves to the sink to wash the big green thing.]
[DH] “What’s that?
[Carolyn] “Cardoon.
[DH] “Huh? Car-what? What’s that?
[Carolyn, with definite exasperation in her voice] “Honey, we had this conversation a few hours ago. I told you. It’s a vegetable.
[DH] “It looks like celery.
[Carolyn] “It does, but it’s actually a thistle, uhm, part of the thistle family like artichokes, but it looks like overgrown celery.
[DH] “So, what are you going to do with it?
[Carolyn] “I’m removing all the fibrous strings on it, cutting it up and putting it in acidulated water so it won’t turn brown, then I’m simmering it for awhile. Then I’m going to toss it with a vinaigrette dressing. Supposedly it tastes kind of like artichoke hearts, but it’s kind of tough so I have to cook it awhile.
[DH] “Okay. Like artichoke hearts? Hmm. That sounds good.
[Fade out.]

Scene Three
[It's nightime now and DH is standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes and Carolyn brings the dishes from the dining room table to the sink to be washed. She also brings the bowl of green stuff that kind of looks like a gray celery salad to the sink.]
[Carolyn] “Do you want any more of the cardoons? [awkward pause] Will you eat any of these tomorrow as leftovers?
[DH after long pause] “Uh, no.
[Carolyn] “Me, either.
[Fade out as DH throws bowl full of gray cardoons down the garbage disposal.]
The end

Posted in Veggies/sides, on November 8th, 2008.

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  1. Sue

    said on November 10th, 2008:

    I enjoyed the “cardoons” story. I have had a similar conversation with my own DH over broccoli rabe. Broccoli what? Broccoli rabe. You get the rest of the conversation!

    Sue – glad you got a laugh out of my little play. But now, I like broccoli rabe. As long as it’s fresh (not bitter) and it’s cooked just right. But I can understand why some people wouldn’t like it. . . . Carolyn T

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