Swamplandia!

I heard about this book when the author, Karen Russell, came to a local bookstore for a signing.  I put the book on my "to read" list and I just got around to reading it!  The book was very different than what I remembered the description to be - but it was very interesting.

Ava Bigtree, 13, comes from a family of Alligator Wrestlers - and has their own theme park, Swamplandia!  Tragedy strikes when Hilola, Ava's mother, dies from ovarian cancer, Grandpa Sawtooth, suffering from dementia/Alzheimer's goes into a nursing home, and tourist numbers steadily decline, and then disappear altogether.  Kiwi, Ava's 18-year-old brother, and self proclaimed genius, runs away to the mainland to get a job and make money to revamp Swamplandia!.  He gets a job at a rival theme park - The World of Darkness - and enrolls in GED classes to pave his way to Harvard. 

Meanwhile, Ava's father, Chief Bigtree, also flees to the mainland to seek investors for Swamplandia!  This leaves Ava and her 16 year old sister Ossie alone to take care of the 98 "Seths" (alligators).  Ava's world continues to fall apart when Ossie becomes obsessed with the afterlife and falls in love with the ghost of Louis Thanksgiving, a 17-year-old canal dredger from the 1930s.  Ossie runs away to marry Louis, and Ava goes after her to save the only member of the family she can.  By saving one, she feels she can slowly but surely put Swamplandia! back on the map and open the park once more to hundreds and thousands of tourists.

The story follows Kiwi's adventures and learning experiences on the Mainland - and his attempts to fit in with the other employees of The World.  And, it follows Ava as she teams up with The Bird Man to find Ossie before she departs this life for an eternity with her dear Louis.

Alligators, ghosts, teen age stupidity, money troubles, crazy family members, and a little bit of history - this book has it all.  Like I said, I thought this book would be about the theme park itself, and Ava's attempts to save it - or her taking it over as an adult.  But this book is more about the individual family members' attempts to save Swamplandia! or themselves as their world crumbles around them.  Even though each of them go their own way, the Chief, Kiwi, Ava, and Ossie find the way back to their family.

Rosemary, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Mint and Cilantro

The spring after Austin and I got married, I decided I was going to be Susie Homemaker and grow herbs from seeds.  I planted them, tended them, and then we left on vacation for a week.  And they died.  So, the next spring, we were in our house, and I decided since we were more settled, I would try to grow herbs again.  I bought and painted little pots, I planted them, tended them, and then we left on vacation for a week.  And they died.  Same song, different verse.

**I apparently did not get the green thumb genes - good thing my brother got them, as he farms :)

This year, being older, wiser, and lazier, I bought herb plants.  Best decision I ever made!!!  Take a look:

Sorry it's not a big picture - I took it with my iPhone.  That's mint in the front that's completely taken over!  The first thing I made was pizza sauce from scratch and i used fresh oregano - It was AMAZING!  And my house smelled like a real pizza place!  I've used rosemary a good bit - and a few weeks ago, I made an herb crusted pork chop that was to die for! 

I also made homemade pesto from the basil!  Then, I used what I needed and froze the rest of if in ice cube trays.  When it was completely frozen, I bagged it, tagged it, and put it back in the freezer for later!

The Internet has been a great resource for finding recipes using fresh herbs - I'd never cooked with them before, and always substituted or left them out when they were called for in a recipe.  One night, we had breakfast for dinner, and I found this egg dish I wanted to try - It was so good!  It's easy, but added an elegant touch to our waffles and bacon. 

Herbed Baked Eggs: (Ina Garten)

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Directions

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.**Or in our case, WAFFLES!!!!

I went to my parents' house this weekend and my dad (via my uncle) sent me home with some sweet corn.  Yumm-o!!!  So, I'm going to cream it and put it up tonight - I LOVE CREAM CORN!  Especially when it's put up fresh.  I also brought back some of my grandmother's tomatoes, but those are going in BLTs tonight for supper...  I love summer eating!!!!!!

How Does Our Garden Grow?

When we first bought the house, Austin was most excited about starting a garden.  Before we even got the furniture in the house, he and his dad were at Home Depot buying supplies to build a raised bed for his garden.  As much grief as I've given him about it, I actually enjoy the garden too - I guess it's my love of cooking.  It's really rewarding to put food on the table that we've grown.  My dad and I had a garden when I was little, but I never expected to love it so much now.

Last year's garden produced some, but we ran into a few kinks - squash borers, not enough time to tend to it, poor soil, etc.  But this year, we've gotten so much out of it already - especially squash, zucchini, and cucumbers.  The tomatoes are just starting to turn - so I'm expecting those to just overwhelm me in a few days.  Austin will be gone the majority of the summer, and I can't eat as much as the garden is producing, so I'm freezing a lot of it to use later.  I just got through grating 3 zucchini to use in suppers later on.  Tonight, I thought I'd share some of my favorite recipes using fresh produce from our garden!

Green Tomatoes!

The easiest, and least labor intensive, is a cucumber, tomato and Italian dressing salad.  And that's exactly what it is!  Peel and slice the cucumber, and slice some tomatoes.  We usually have cherry or grape, so I just halve or quarter them.  Then, pour some Italian Dressing over it, and stir together.  We also add Parmesan cheese if we have it in the fridge.  We've also added pimentos.  This makes such a light and refreshing salad, and gets better as it sits and melds together!

Lots and Lots of Cucumbers!

Austin loves to man the grill, and I'm more than happy to whip something up for him to cook!  (Plus, it's less clean up in the kitchen for me!!)  We love to grill squash and zucchini - it's a weekly staple around here.  I just slice them up, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Tony's - and then hand it off to Austin.  I don't know how long he cooks it, but it comes off tender and juicy, with amazing grill marks.  :)

Another one of my favorites, but takes considerably more time, is Paula Deen's Squash and Zucchini Cakes.

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini
• 3 medium yellow squash
• 1 cup toasted bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1/3 cup minced Vidalia onion
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 jar store-bought marinara sauce

Directions

Grate zucchini and squash with a fine grater. Press between paper towels to remove excess moisture.

In a medium bowl, combine grated zucchini and squash and next 7 ingredients. Shape mixture into 2-inch patties, pressing together firmly.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook squash and zucchini cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

**I don't use the entire stick of butter, at least all at once.  It makes the cakes soggy.  I also don't use the Marinara as a dipping sauce, but to each his own.

This is actually what I was shredding the zucchini tonight for.  We love these, but seem to only make them in the summer.  It's like a vegetable crab cake.  If I have frozen zucchini in the freezer, I'll always have the ingredients!!!!

Next up, we'll have some bell peppers ready, and then hopefully, the watermelon I have out there will mature without something happening to it!  I also started an herb garden, but the wonderful things I've made from that will have to wait until another post!!!!

May Books

Like I said in my last post, I've been on a bit of a reading tear lately :)  After I trudged through Catfish Alley, I've really flown through the last few!  First, I picked up Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil when we were in Savannah.  It's set in Savannah, and the book was in every tourist trap shop, antiques store, and art gallery we went to.  So, in pure Katie fashion, I just had to have it!!

The narrator leaves his hectic New York City life and temporarily settles down in Savannah.  He immerses himself in the culture and strives to get to know the city.  Of course, he meets several "characters" along the way - and I do mean characters!  There's The Lady Chablis, the transexual entertainer, Jim Williams, the eccentric antiques dealer, Danny, the pot smoking trouble maker, Minerva the voodoo priestess, and a whole host of others that make this story what it is.  While John is in Savannah, Jim Williams is accused of murdering Danny, and several trials ensue.  The murder mystery, combined with Southern Hospitality and eccentric characters, makes this book a great read! 

I wish that I had read this book before going to Savannah, because it does give history of the city, architecture, and people, that would have been nice to know before going.  The magic and majesty of the city comes through the pages, and the parties, gatherings, and nightlife are written in amazing detail!  The characters were my favorite part - they're so crazy and wacky.  This book makes we want to live in Savannah even more!!!

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The next book I picked up was John Grisham's new-ish "The Litigators".  I absolutely love John Grisham, and I eagerly await every new book that comes out.  But to tell you the truth, I haven't been impressed with his latest novels.  Especially The Confession - I didn't even finish it - I was so depressed and it was so slow - Oh My Gosh - It was awful!  But anyway, from the first pages, I knew this book was going somewhere!  And boy was I right!

David Zinc is sick of his job - he's a very little fish in a very large law firm - stuck in his cubicle going over document after document about other people's money.  One day, he goes into work, turns right back around, and goes to a bar.  He drinks Pearl Harbors with a 90 year old woman, gets very drunk, and in a weird series of events, goes to work at the law firm of Finley and Figg - ambulance chasers with ambition, but little luck. 

The day David joins the "boutique firm" Wally Figg delves into litigation aimed at a cholesterol drug -- Krayoxx.  He joins big tort firms around the country, invests thousands of dollars the firm doesn't have, in the hopes of striking it big when the settlement comes in.  The story follows the case, and Figg, Finley, and now Zinc's disastrous attempts to strike it rich.  I won't spoil it for you - because the twists and turns make it good, but it's quite painful, and comical, to read as these lawyers go up against the big boys to win this case.
Meanwhile, David finds a huge litigation case on his own.  A little boy, hospitalized for lead poisoning, needs care his parents cannot provide.  David seeks out the makers of the "Nasty Fangs" the boy played with and works to get money for the family.

Grisham really goes back to the kind of writing he does well with this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I even found a new cocktail  - the Pearl Harbor (Pineapple Juice, Midori, and Vodka)!!!

Also - have you been watching "the Firm" on NBC?  It started coming on in March - and was not renewed for next season, but it's FANTASTIC!!  It picks up on the McDeere family 10 years after the book, and Mitch gets involved with yet another firm and another sticky situation.  Austin and I record a couple of weeks at a time because we can't just watch one episode - it's too suspenseful!  So, if you're looking for something to watch this summer when nothing's on, I highly recommend it!!! 

katie

The Piano Teacher

I'm sorry it's been such a long time!!  May completely flew by - Austin and I vacationed in Savannah for a week, and then it was back to work, trying to play catch-up.  While we were in Savannah, I finished The Piano Teacher, by Janice Lee.  The story is told from the perspective of a young English woman whose much older husband works in Hong Kong, and she moves there to be with him.  The time frame is after the second World War.  She becomes the piano teacher to a young Chinese girl, whose father (Mr. Chen) is very influential in politics and business.  Claire is fascinated by the culture, and also becomes fascinated by the Chen's chauffeur, Will.

The book also tells Will's story, before the war, and during the war, in Hong Kong.  He finds himself in the company of the mysterious Trudy Liang, who thinks she is invincible to the horrors the war will bring.  Ultimately, the book is a story of love, politics, and war, and lives that intertwine in incredible ways. 

I really enjoyed the book, but the whole plotline of the story is a little lost in the details in the book - details of life in Hong Kong, for the natives as well as the English transplants.  However, those are the parts that I really enjoyed - learning about that culture - it is not a time that is written about often.  Lee paints a very vivid picture of the markets, the tea parties held by the English ladies, the towns and people's habits.  I am crazy about this type of writing, especially when  it's done well, and transports you to another time and place.

Next up - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - and then The Litigators by John Grisham.  I'm actually on a reading roll - I guess because all of my shows are over for the season :(.   I'm also in the middle of Made to Crave, a book about desiring God instead of earthly things - namely food.  My sister-in-law Emily recommended it to me at Christmas, and it's been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to pick it up!! 

Happy Reading!
katie