I have said that there is no upside to an extended Minnesota winter. I am about to have a fit when it continues to snow, sleet, and icy rain into April. But I now know that attitude is everything, and I must adjust mine – a “tune-up,” so to speak. My one salvation is books.
Now, as in my childhood, I seek books to move me from long winter days to stories of adventure and wonder. When I was young, I preferred the “Boxcar Children.” Gertrude Chandler Warner was my favorite author. I dreamed of living in a boxcar and cooking outside. (I prefer a warm home and a stove today, but that comes with age.) My fifth-grade teacher Jo Ellen Bailey liked to tell the story of me reading on the playground, pushing dodgeballs out of my way, never looking up from my book.
I am in two book clubs right now, and thinking of starting another. The first is a group of like-minded friends who gather monthly for a soup supper and good reads. We rotate houses, and the hosts are excellent cooks. The recipes are adventurous and usually tied to the book theme. It is my turn to host in April. We’re reading Joe Hill’s “The Fireman,” so I think a firehouse chili might be on the menu. Maybe a flaming dessert if I feel risky. The second book club is a community of readers from the Annandale area. We meet at the Thayer Hotel once a month, order drinks and dinner, and spend an hour or so discussing the book selected that month. This is open to the public, so we never know how many will attend. It’s a fun way to meet new people in the area. I want to start a daytime book club at the new bistro in Annandale. Maybe classics or romance novels, as I haven’t read many of those.
It breaks my heart when I meet someone who doesn’t like to read because I get so much out of the world of reading. I seek out all kinds of books. My Kindle has more than 500 unread books in my library. Books form my ideas, thoughts, imagination, education, vocabulary, empathy, and more. If you want to break my heart, tell me I have to live in a world without books. I will tell you it can’t be done.
Hugs and Peace, Sandy
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
Firehouse Chili
2 Tablespoons canola oil
4 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans (28 ounces each) stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
In a Dutch oven, heat canola oil over medium heat. Brown beef in batches, crumbling meat, until no longer pink; drain and set aside. Add onions and green pepper; cook until tender. Return meat to Dutch oven. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until flavors are blended, about 1-1/2 hours.
Sweet and Savory Cream Cheese Toasts
1 8-ounce French-bread baguette
Olive oil
8 ounces soft fresh cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup honey
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until toasted. Set aside.
Spread cream cheese on each slice of warm bread. Return to oven and bake until cheese softens, about 2 minutes. Set aside on sheet. Heat honey in small saucepan over medium heat until warm, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle toasts with walnuts, then thyme. Drizzle with honey and serve.
Bananas Foster
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 1/2 Tablespoons rum
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, rum, vanilla, and cinnamon; bring to a low boil.
Place bananas and walnuts in the pan. Cook until bananas have softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.