. After reading No Angel (see below) I couldn’t wait to start the 2nd book. A friend said to me that she liked #2 better than the first one, and I think I agree. It carries on the saga of this gentrified family in the publishing business in WWII era England. There are wartime injuries, even deaths as the family spreads out some (France and America), but it’s still about the London-based core family group that get themselves into trouble at several junctures. Loved this one. Do read them in order, though.
. No, not that Homer, but Homer, the blind cat. It’s a charming, funny, sweet, riveting book that any animal lover should read. We haven’t owned cats for decades, but I enjoy reading about them even if I don’t have one. Homer was a tiny kitten when found, with a dangerous eye infection. The vet who saved him had to remove his eyes, so the little kitten never knew sight. He’s adopted by a patient gal who is a writer already, and I can imagine that little Homer almost wrote the book himself. He’s very brave, willing to take risks – she almost loses him once. If you love animals, you’ve got to read this. I found it at Costco, but it’s also cheap at Amazon in paperback.
by Sarah McCoy. A really really interesting story. About WWII but told from the side of loyal German Hitler-loving citizens. The kind of local people who could be your neighbors, who were very nationalistic and truly believed Hitler was leading them to a better future. I’ve never read anything with a German perspective. The book isn’t political. In a way it’s a type of chick lit (which is why I didn’t suggest my DH read it) as it’s got a moderate amount of romance in it. The entire book is enveloped in the story of the family, who live in Garmisch (a place I’ve visited twice), who own a bakery. Mostly it’s about one of the bakery owner’s daughters. One daughter goes to a 
– by Erik Larson (hard copy) – wow, what a book. In all the literary fiction I’ve read about Nazi Germany, I’d never read that much about what it was like living in Berlin leading up to Hitler’s demonic rampages. This biography is about America’s ambassador to Germany from 1933-37, William Dodd. An academician, Dodd was probably unsuited to the job, yet he brought a kind of humility and clarity to the unrest. Accompanied by his wife and two adult children, they assimilated into the gay life of diplomacy. Dodd was not liked by his counterparts at home, yet he had the ear and appointment specifically because of Roosevelt, but only after 5 other career diplomats turned down the job. Dodd took his position very seriously, hoping that he’d make time to write a book he had worked on for much of his life (a detailed history of the American South). With no internet, no commercial jets and little but old fashioned typewriters or often written by hand, communiques sailed back and forth in diplomatic pouches. Dodd originally was lenient with Hitler, wanting to believe the hype Hitler broadcast. In time, though, he came to realize that Hitler had an insidious master plan. Dodd’s vivacious and beautiful daughter dated all manner of diplomats, Nazis and Russians, and very few Americans. She leaned left. Very far left, to the point of socialism. She had affairs – very inappropriate ones (says me), which undermined her father’s role (yet he seemed oblivious). This book is a real picture of the day to day life back then, well written, well researched and riveting. The Ambassador never did finish his book. But this book – well, everyone should read it. Erik Larson is the famous author of 
– by Willa Cather (on my Kindle) – what a joy to read. I’ve been a big fan of Cather’s writing most of my adult life, although I’ve not read all of her books. She had such a gift of words – such an ability to write a liquid picture – a conjurer of time and place that just doesn’t happen anymore in today’s writing world. The story revolves around a young girl (yes, it’s a coming of age novel) the daughter of a minister in the Midwest who has a musical gift. Her mentors help her to go to Chicago to study. Thea, the heroine here, is a very serious and studious young woman and not given to joy in life. She struggles with loneliness, yet seems to have no ability to reach out of her box to find friends or companionship. As with any young person who moves to a new place for work or study, there is that soulful pull from “home.” Does she give in? I’m not telling. A very good read.
– by Penny Vincenzi (hard copy from the library) – when two friends of mine recommended this book I knew I needed to read it. It’s not new (2004), but it is part of a trilogy by this English author. And I just refused to pay the very high Kindle price so that’s why I visited my local library and found it on the shelf. Vincenzi writes about the day-to-day lives of English gentry, and since I’m addicted to Downton Abbey these days, it sounded like a natural to read this book. It chronicles the lives of this particular family including marriages, births, affairs and chicanery, with their lovely home as the surround, the life style of the then-rich-and-famous, formal dinners. See? Downton Abbey. The difference is that there’s not much in this book about the servants, the below-stairs family. It takes place during the same pre-WWI era (1910′s). Prominent in the story is the book publishing business the family maintains (and with difficulty during the war years run by the two women left at home). Now I need to find the next in the series. If you enjoy family sagas, this one is a gem.
(Stacy Schiff); 
; and 
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Let me explain what you’re seeing in this photo. Obviously, those are mashed potatoes on the bottom (with a bit of Italian parsley stirred into them before serving). Pork tenderloin slices have been spice-rubbed, left to marinate for awhile, then seared and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile (beforehand) you will have made the two sauces – on the left (on top of the pork slice) you can see the salsa verde (green) – and on the right is the ancho chili sauce (a deep red-brown color and not hot). And some big sprigs of Italian parsley for garnish. The recipe came from a cooking class with Tarla Fallgatter. I don’t want you to get intimidated by the long list of ingredients – it’s not all that complicated to make, really. I don’t kid you, do I?
Since I like Mexican food in general, I enjoy these kinds of sauces. The salsa verde is green from tomatillos, green chiles and cilantro. First, you roast the poblano chiles (also called pasilla, although they really aren’t pasilla chiles) under the broiler just until the skin is charred – if you cook it further the flesh of the chile will disintegrate into nothing. And don’t make this but an hour or two before serving – it separates after it sits awhile. You could re-puree it, I suppose. Just have everything ready to go ahead of time and blend the sauce near to serving time.
The ancho chile sauce is really easy to make – you soak the dried anchos (they’re dried poblano chiles) for for an hour or so, seed and stem them, then whiz them up in the blender with roasted, fresh poblano chiles, some red wine vinegar, honey and lastly a bit of cream to soften the heat.
The pork is allowed to sit for awhile with a spice rub on it before you sear it quickly on top of the stove, then the tenderloin is roasted for about 20 minutes in the oven. Done. Delicious. Make some mashed potatoes to serve it on, and serve it. Do note that this entrée is very low in calories and fat – the recipe below doesn’t include the mashed potatoes, however.
Pork Tenderloin, Salsa Verde & Ancho Chile Sauce
Recipe By: Tarla Fallgatter recipe, 5/2011
Serving Size: 6
NOTES: The recipe doesn’t include how to make a batch of mashed potatoes – I prefer Yukon gold (about 5) – and just add in some buttermilk, butter, S&P and about 2 T chopped Italian parsley.
2 small pork tenderloins
1 tablespoon olive oil
SPICE RUB:
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander — whole
1 tablespoon dried rosemary — crushed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
SALSA VERDE (makes about 2 cups):
2 large Anaheim chili peppers — or poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 pound tomatillos — husked, rinsed, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 large scallions — chopped
1/2 large poblano pepper — stemmed and seeded (this one is not roasted)
1 large garlic clove — peeled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice — (optional) taste to see if you need it
ANCHO CHILE SAUCE (makes about 1 1/2 cups):
2 cups hot water — VERY hot
3 whole dried ancho peppers — stemmed, seeded, torn into pieces
3 large poblano peppers — roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1. Mix up the herbs and spices for the SPICE RUB in a small bowl. Sprinkle about 2 T. of the rub over the meat (cover all the surfaces) and set aside for 30 minutes at room temp. You won’t use all of the spice rub – make less if you don’t want any left over.
2. Preheat the roasting pan/baking sheet you’ll use for the meat in a 400° oven.
3. Heat a large saute pan (large enough to hold the pork) over medium-high heat. Add the oil and wait until the oil shimmers. Add pork and sear the meat on all sides until brown. Place the meat on the roasting pan (or use the saute pan if it can withstand the oven heat) and insert a meat thermometer into the middle of the meat. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meat reaches 150°. Remove from oven, place meat on a cutting board and cover loosely with foil for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
4. To serve, smear mashed potatoes on the bottom of HEATED plates, place 2-3 pork tenderloin slices on top, then scoop each sauce over the meat – on separate parts, not overlapping).
5. SALSA VERDE: An hour or so before serving, make the sauce. Combine tomatillos, chicken stock, scallions, poblano chile and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture is reduced to about 1 2/3 cups, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a blender, add the Anaheim chiles, cilentro and cream. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and add lime juice if desired. Taste it first to see if the mixture needs the lime juice. Set aside for about an hour at the most.
6. ANCHO CHILE SAUCE: In a flat type bowl or pie plate pour the very hot water over the dried chiles. Let stand for 5-30 minutes, until the chiles are soft. Drain, but reserve the liquid. Place the drained chiles, 1/2 cup of the reserved soaking liquid, the chopped poblano chiles, cream, honey and vinegar in a blender. Puree until smooth, adding more soaking liquid (one tablespoon at a time) if the sauce is too thick. Taste it and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Per Serving: 285 Calories; 15g Fat (45.5% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 80mg Cholesterol; 953mg Sodium.
Two years ago: Grilled Flatbread with Lamb and Feta
Three years ago: Frosty Strawberry Squares (a frozen strawberry dessert)
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