Friday odds and ends.

It's Friday, and I'm ready for the week to be over. I never, ever get cabin fever, and I think I've got cabin fever. All week I wandered around grumpy, started about twenty books, and couldn't get through any of them. My need to develop some other hobby that isn't reading is becoming more apparent--but the sad fact remains that when I don't feel like reading, I don't feel like doing anything.

But that is neither here nor there. There were some high points during the week. When my New York magazine arrived (a gift from my sister--thanks Sis; I LOVE it!) I was pleased to find that they had noted on their final-page "approval matrix" that "Jonny Lee Miller as a hubba-hubba Mr. Knightley in Masterpiece Theatre's Emma" falls in the region of both highbrow and brilliant. Hubba hubba, indeed; can't wait for Sunday night's final installment.

In keeping with that theme, one of the books I didn't finish this week was the collection A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen. Some of the essays were intros that people had previously written for Austen's novels (which aren't real fun to read, separated from the novels) and some were just a bit scholarly. But I did enjoy a line from Martin Amis's essay:

"The first challenge you face when writing about Pride and Prejudice is to get through your first sentence without saying, 'it is a truty universally acknowledged...' With that accomplished (with that out of the way), you can move on to more testing questions." (p. 83.)

In other news, I read a kids' book titled Olivia Kidney, by Ellen Potter, that I had read about somewhere and thought my niece might like. I started out liking it, but then it got kind of weird. Like scary weird. I don't know that I'll want to pass this on to her. So I wondered...have any of you read this book? Even though it weirded me out, would a kid like it? Reading this book just reminded me why I was always vaguely nervous in the kids' half of the library: I have no idea what kids like, or why.

And that's all she wrote. Have a good weekend, everyone. My plans? Well, they're exciting. I'm thinking about trying to make an artichoke dip to have while watching the Super Bowl. I have never made anything with artichokes, but I am hungry for artichoke dip. Wish me luck!

Comments

[lesbrarian]

In the grocery store I always look wistfully as the artichokes. I would have no idea what to do with one if I brought it into my home. If you figure anything out, let me know.

I am going to try a jambalaya. The recipe is in a cookbook that I purchased (!) and is also right here, on the best website ever: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/crockpot-jambalaya-recipe.html

I too have suffered from a dissatisfying reading experience lately. Well, that's not entirely true: yesterday I "read" a book, by which I mean I looked at the pictures and tried to puzzle out the meanings of the words. It's not my fault they didn't offer Latin at my high school! Despite my comprehension problems, I recommend Olivia: The Essential Latin Edition, by Ian Falconer.

I do however have something like thirty books checked out, most of which are fantasy; surely something in that pile can make me happy this weekend.

[Citizen Reader]

Lesbrarian,
I'm thinking I will wuss out and find a recipe that calls for canned artichokes. They have canned artichokes, don't they? The few times I've had artichoke dip it's been because other people were nice enough to make it. I'm all on my own now!

I wish you luck with your reading weekend too. You will be pleased to note that if I EVER finish listening to "The Age of Innocence" on CD, the next book on tape I'm trying is Kostova's The Historian, just for you!

[lesbrarian]

Hooray! Just try a few chapters of the Kostova, that's all I ask.

The way I look at artichokes in the store is the way that Newland Archer looks at whatsername. So close, but so far apart.

If you can get canned artichokes (surely they exist...?) to work, tell me how you did it.

[lesbrarian]

Did you know that Martin Scorcese (sp?) considers his most violent film ever to be The Age of Innocence?

I happen to agree with the man. I [heart] Edith Wharton-- and of all the Edith Wharton I [heart], I [heart] Ethan Frome the very most. That's one of my stranded-on-an-island books/.

[laura]

Canned artichokes do exist, and sometimes you can also find them frozen. If you buy canned, be sure to check what they're packed in, as it can affect the flavor of your dish.

Also, "when I don't feel like reading, I don't feel like doing anything"? That. That is the story of my life.

[katharine]

I have the easiest and yummiest recipe for artichoke and cheese dip that I will promptly send to you when I get home today. You use the canned kind and just drain them and chop them up, super simple. I hear you about the midwinter malaise it starts to affect everything even your beloved reading. Take a winter walk and have a nice cup of cocoa, that is my reading doctor advice :)

[Citizen Reader]

Lesbrarian,
Well, our opposites record continues. I hate Newland Archer, I hate Madame Olenska, and mostly, I hate Edith Wharton. :) It was really a mistake to try it, because I remember hating the movie too, although I thought that was more an issue of me not being a Scorcese fan. I've never found him subtle, let's put it that way. I will keep you posted about adventures in artichoke dip.

Laura,
Thanks for the tip! I did see one recipe that said "packed in water," so that's good info. Glad to hear someone else out there is at a loss when not reading!

Katharine,
You're a sweetie. I just took a walk and look forward to the recipe, so I liked your prescription, reading doctor.

[Rachael]

Mmm, artichoke dip. Definitely don't be afraid of the canned. Better is the jarred Italian seasoned ones, if you're not afraid of flava. I'm getting a new dog this weekend--he's being delivered to my door tomorrow afternoon, and he is CUTE. But all greyhounds are cute...

I'm not doing anything to celebrate the Superbowl, but I'll be making a "Tunnel of Fudge" cake from the new "All Cakes Considered" cookbook, reading for an RA class I'm taking (Joyce Saricks, through ALA, awesomeness), and trying to get myself excited about any of the 23 books I have checked out right now. I think I need a vacation to give myself time to feel excited about any book right now.

PS Ethan Frome is a brilliant but bleak book. I read it in high school and probably didn't get it, but then reread it about a year ago and was struck absolutely dumb by both how beautiful and bleak it was. Wharton could really tell a story.

[katharine]

as promised...

1 lb shredded mozzarella
1 c grated parmesan
1 c mayo
1 c (8.5 oz) artichoke hearts drained and chopped
2 tbsp minced onions

mix ingredients and bake in 8x8 baking dish at 350 for 20-30 mins
broil for few minutes at end if you want a crispy top and really who doesn't want one
serve with crackers/vegtables/bread

[Marmota]

I love this recipe:
16 oz soft tofu, 2 cups parmesan cheese, 1 cup light mayo, 14 oz canned or jarred artichoke hearts, 20 oz frozen spinach (thawed & drained) and 3 cloves garlic minced. Mix all and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. If you don't tell people it has tofu they will never know, and it's healthier than most dips.

I loved "Age of Innocence" for the writing. I thought that Wharton was like Picasso in the way she could invoke a mood or convey a thought in a few words. I LOVED that Newland was "sincerly but placidly" in love. It is depressing, and he isn't the most sympathetic character, but the writing just sings.

[sherry]

Canned artichokes are the way to go!

My super bowl plan is to go see the most unfootball-like movie that's on my list. Looks like "The Young Victoria" it is.

[Jessica]

You guys are cracking me up! It's easy to forget that artichokes aren't as common in other parts of the country.

Get a steamer basket and put it in a pot. Fill the pot with water up to the bottom of the steamer basket. Take an artichoke or two and cut off the toughest part of the stems, then stand them in the steamer basket. Put a lid on it and simmer the water for about 40 minutes, until the leaves start falling off. Take out the artichokes with tongs. Then you're gonna dip the non-pointy parts of the leaves in some melted butter or aioli, and scrape off the soft part with your teeth. When you get to the almost-translucent leaves in the center, you can pull them all off in one bunch and bite into them. Then scrape out the scary spines and eat the "heart", the part right above the stem. Mmm good.

Maybe cooking should be your non-reading hobby! I started out so backward in the kitchen that I couldn't even figure out how to use a can opener; I burned instant mashed potatoes; and I mixed mac 'n' cheese without draining the noodles first. (Mac 'n' soup). Now there's nothing I like better than to cook all day with an audio book going.

As for kids' books, it depends on what ages they are, but they usually like gross and silly stuff. The trouble is, if they're already big readers, you'll inevitably get them something they've already read, and if they're not, it's almost impossible to get their interest. Olivia Kidney looks awesome, though - I want to read them! Anything with a goat on the cover can't be wrong.

[Laura]

I agree with Sherry - I saw An Education tonight. It was a good movie!

[Citizen Reader]

Katharine, Marmota,
Thank you for the recipes! I made yours, Katharine (figuring I'd best start simpler) and it was FABO. It's going in the recipe file fer sure.

Sherry,
How was "The Young Victoria"? I've been wanting to see it!

Laura,
Same question--"An Education" is the one for which Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay, right?

Jessica,
And thank YOU for the artichoke tips. (Although, unlike Lesbrarian, I don't think I've ever seen fresh ones in my grocery store, or else I'm not looking.) I do like cooking and baking but I tend to be more utilitarian about it than artistic, which means we end up with a lot of casseroles and meat loafs. I'm not sure what a "steamer basket" looks like! (But I appreciated the tips nonetheless. Can I take it that steaming them in something like a rice cooker might also work?)

I know kids enjoy gross (as do I) but "Olivia Kidney" was kind of ghost story creepy, and my niece is a little sensitive, so I just didn't know. But I'll be interested to hear what you think of it, if you read it!

[Jessica]

A steamer basket is a metal contraption with a flat bottom and a rounded top, made of overlapping metal flaps that fold out like a flower. The flaps are perforated with holes for the steam. There's a peg in the middle with a loop on it so you can pull it out of the pot again, and little feet on the bottom. It looks sort of like a UFO. You should be able to find one in the Kitchen Crap aisle of the supermarket. They're about $5. You can use it to steam corn on the cob and other vegetables, too.

I'm not sure about steaming an artichoke in a rice cooker, though it's a cool idea. I've never tried it. Fresh artichokes are expensive, though, and considering the way my rice cooker gets things crispy around the edges I would hesitate to make the experiment.

[Bookie]

I went home to New Orleans for the superbowl, we won! and thats all I can remember.