Novel Eats » spinach

Asparagus Pesto

Samantha — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:57:27 +0000

For the past eight years, I have loathed buying too many groceries at once because of how heavy they can get to carry. When you’re a full-time pedestrian it’s hard to realistically shop at places like Costco or Sam’s Club. If it makes sense, you’ll have your own little push cart, often known as a [...] Related posts:

Collard Greens and Spinach with Blood Orange Olive Oil

Samantha — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:08:21 +0000

Last month, Matt and I went to California and Oregon to visit family and friends for a much needed two-week vacation. We often wait months and months, me saving up vacation days at work, before going away for an extended amount of time. By the time our vacation has arrived we’re both about to go [...] Related posts:

Miso Soup

Samantha — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:39:27 +0000

I'm not a big fan of winters here in the North East. Unless it snows, it seems kind of pointless to me to have it dip down well below freezing every day, and the process of bundling up is time-consuming. So you can well imagine that I'm so glad that Spring is here. We still get a few chilly days now and then, which means that hot soups are still in season. No related posts.

Vegan Enchiladas

Samantha — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:36:07 +0000

If I were to list my favorite foods, Mexican would likely not make it. This is an unfortunate dilemma for my marriage, however, as it tops my husband's list of favorite foods. If it were up to him we would eat burritos every day or at least every week. When he says, "What do you feel like having? We could have Mexican," I usually respond with "I don't really feel like Mexican." "But you never want Mexican." "Because it's not one of my favorite cuisines." "You suck." "You suck." "That's it. I want a divorce." "Whatever you want, dear. I'm here to make you happy." "Fine." "Fine." Okay, well, maybe not exactly like that, but it does come close sometimes. No related posts.

The Mosaic Crimes – Creamy Italian White Bean Soup

Samantha — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:02:36 +0000

"Here you are, Messere!" The host's voice took his mind off his worries. The man placed a wooden platter in front of him, containing slices of dark bread soaked in a reddish slop. On top were two slabs of cheese with a thick, moldy rind. "And here is some wine, true nectar of Saint Dennis!" he exclaimed, setting down a moist earthenware jug. "Dionysus," Dante muttered. "Saint Dionysus?" "No, Dionysus the god." "By God, Messere, you are right; the other was Saint Damian." The prior dismissed him with a nod and looked around for a spoon. He resigned himself to using his fingers, and after having rolled up his sleeves, scooped up and swallowed a dripping mouthful. Not so bad, aside from the mold on the cheese, and not too different from what the kitchens of the Priors' Palazzo dished out, he thought as he fell upon the wine.

-The Mosaic Crimes by Giulio Leoni, Anne Milano Appel

There are some books which sound good in the description, but wind up being disappointing to me. Sad to say, this is one of those. I typically enjoy reading books that are along the lines of The Last Cato, The Da Vinci Code, or Labyrinth. They are not exactly what I would call fine literature, but they are entertaining and keep me on the edge of my seat. This book, centered around Dante Alighieri and his quest to solve a handful of mysterious crimes, never swept me into the story. Dante was portrayed not as a hero, but more as a self-centered jerk and in the end did little that was impressive. The only real impressive thing was how often he managed to be in a tavern and seem to only subsist on wine. The above quote is the only mention of food in the entire book (at least that I recall). Related posts: