Girl Detective

I’ve written before about Mark Bittman’s book Food Matters, and have been cooking from it and using its ideas since I got it last year. I finally sat down and read it cover to cover. Bittman writes on many of the same aspects of food that Michael Pollan has in The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food: the problems with industrial farming, the epidemics of obesity and diabetes in the US, and the prevalance of fast and processed food products. From the introduction:

If I told you that a simple lifestyle choice could help you lose weight, reduce your risk of many long-term or chronic diseases, save you real money, and help stop global warming, I imagine you’d be intrigued. If I also told you that this change would be easier and more pleasant that any diet you’ve ever tried, would take less time and effort than your exercise routine, and would require no sacrifice, I would think you’d want to read more.

After a weight gain and health caution from his physician, Bittman developed what he calls simply “sane eating,” or the Food Matters approach. He chose a mostly vegan diet for breakfast, lunch and snacks, and a looser approach for dinner so he didn’t feel deprived. He stresses many times that this has worked for him, but to take your own life, habits and preferences into account. The approach he advocates is simple, and eminently adaptable. This is not a strict regime, or a punishment. Instead it’s an adjustment of your approach to cooking and eating that focuses almost entirely on what you can and should eat (lots of fruit and veggies, whole grains), what you should eat in moderation (dairy products and meat) and what you should avoid (overly processed artificial foods and industrially produced meat.)

While Pollan wrote “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” from In Defense of Food, Bittman not only takes you through why it’s important, but also puts it into practice with 77 easy-to-read and good-to-eat recipes. As Laura Miller at Salon noted when it came out, Food Matters is applied Pollan. Bittman is an experienced cook and recipe writer; he’s the author of the New York Times’ Minimalist column. The recipes are easy to follow, and he offers myriad variations and ideas. Throughout he has an upbeat, encouraging tone that urges new and experienced cooks to experiment and have fun. Here are two salad recipes that can be eaten for lunch or dinner, and have many variations.

Makes 4 servings. Time: About 24 minutes with cooked chickpeas.

This is more salad than sandwich. I make this open-faced, with the crunchy pita and spread nestled under a pile of greens. But you can easily deconstruct the dish and serve the pita (toasted or not) alonside for scooping up the hummus. Or if you have pocket pitas, smear the insides with the hummus and fill with the stuffed greens for a more portable lunch.

4 whole wheat pitas
2 cups drained cooked or canned chickpeas,some cooking liquid reserved (use water if canned)
1/2 cup tahini (with some of its oil) or more to taste.
2 cloves garlic, peeled or to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin or smoked paprika more or less, plus a sprinkling for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of one lemon, plus more as needed
6 cups lettuce or assorted salad greens, torn into pieces
Cucumber slices, tomato wedges, thinly sliced red onion, and/or black olives, for garnish
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or parsley leaves, for garnish

1. To toast the pitas if you like, heat the oven to 450F. Put them on a baking sheet and cook until just barely crunchy on both sides, about 15 minutes total.

2. Meanwhile make the hummus: Combine the chickpeas, tahini, garlic and 1/4 cup of the oil in a food processor with the spice and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Use the reserved bean liquid (or water) as necessary to get machine going. Puree, then add about half of the lemon juice, along with more tahini or salt if desired.

3. When the pita has cooled smear a layer of hummus on each and put on plates. (You’ll probably have some left over; the hummus will keep, refrigerated, for about a week. Eat it with raw begetables or on bread.) Put the lettuce in a bowl, sprinkle with some salt, pepper, and a pinch of the spice you used and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Toss well then pile on top of the pitas. Garnish and serve.

I further garnished the hummus salad with grated carrot and peeled, sliced orange with good results. Here, Bittman advises to use a little bit of bacon for flavoring, but the bulk of the meal is a filling, satisfying salad:

Makes 4 servings. Time: about 45 minutes.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 thick slices of bacon
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice from one orange
1 pound fresh spinach leaves

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast, turning occasionally, until crisp and brown outside and just tender inside, about 30 minutes. Remove and keep them on the pan until ready to use.

2. While the potatoes cook, put the bacon in a nonreactive skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cook, turning once or twice, until crisp. Drain on paper towels and pour off the fat, leaving any darkened bits behind in the pan. Put back on medium heat, and add the remaining oil to the pan. When it’s hot, add the bell pepper, onion, and ginger to the pan. Cook, stirring once or twice, until no longer raw, then stir in the cumin and the reserved bacon. Stir in the orange juice and turn off the heat. (The recipe can be made up to an hour or so ahead to this point. Gently warm the dressing again before proceeding.)

3. Put the spinach in a bowl large enough to comfortably toss the salad quickly. Add the sweet potatoes and the warm dressing and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

DC Comics decided to do for Batman what they did several years ago with Superman. They had a two-part story written by a comics great (Alan Moore) that ended the series running at the time, then started the titles again from 0. (Making comic-shop employees everywhere groan.) For Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, they tapped Neil Gaiman and artist Andy Kubert. Set at the funeral of the Batman, friends and foes take turns telling stories, as the reader tries to figure out what’s going on.

“Where am I?”

“You’re here. In Gotham.”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No, you aren’t dreaming.”

“This is Gotham. I mean, I know it’s Gotham. But…it’s strange. I know Gotham like I know myself.”

Typical of Gaiman, the story focuses on the power and relative truth of stories. Included in the Deluxe hardcover edition are 3 other Gaiman Batman-related stories. Kubert channels past masters as the appearance of Batman and the style of the stories changes. It’s a nice edition of a good tribute to a great character but better perhaps for fans of Batman than for fans just of Gaiman because of the comics backstories that inform it.

Whole lotta hyphens goin’ on in this cake title.

Cake-Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman was, I think, recommended online by my favorite local food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. The focus of the book is simple, easy-to-make cakes that are good to eat and nice to look at, so one can have cake at home all the time. I’m reminded of what Frances’ mom says to her in A Baby Sister for Frances:

You may be sure that there will always be plenty of chocolate cake around here.

The cake was indeed both simple to make and tasty to eat, especially when accompanied by coffee ice cream. The caramel made a crunchy top crust and good trio along with the roast-y bananas and chocolate cake.

I’ve only intermittently used my cake dish since I got it as a wedding present from my friend LP in 1998. It’s been out for a while now, and I like the idea of a cake on the counter at all times.

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake, serves 8

For the topping
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices
For the cake:
3⁄4 cup plus 2 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
6 Tbs. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
3⁄4 tsp. baking soda
1⁄4 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2⁄3 cup buttermilk

Make the topping:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch round nonstick pan and dust with flour.

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the brown sugar, turn the heat to low, and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the banana slices in concentric circles on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.
Make the cake

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the mixture is light and increased in volume, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, stir in 1⁄3 of the flour mixture. Stir in 1⁄2 of the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the batter on high speed for 30 seconds.

Pour the batter over the bananas, gently spreading it into an even layer.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for 5 minutes. Holding the pan and a plate together with oven mitts, immediately invert the hot cake onto the plate. If necessary, replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and serve warm, or serve at room temperature.
Make Ahead Tips
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper, or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

I’d not heard of the holiday film The Bishop’s Wife until I started researching DVDs this season. Cary Grant in a holiday film? I’m in, and there was but a short wait for it at the library because it is a lesser known holiday classic.

Grant shows up in a suit (natch) and seems to know everyone’s name. He’s particularly kind to Mrs. Brougham, the bishop’s wife of the title, played by Loretta Young. She’s sad at Christmas, as her husband, played by David Niven, is preoccupied with sucking up to his new, wealthy parishioners in order to finance a cathedral. Grant offers to be Niven’s assistant, then reveals to him that he’s an angel. This angel works in mysterious ways, but the end result is satisfying if not surprising, as Niven becomes aware of just how much he has neglected home and at work. Grant spreads charm wherever he goes, making friends and looking good in a suit, even while ice skating! It’s hard to imagine him and Niven in opposite roles, as happened in the early shooting of the film. This is sweet, frothy fun with a great trio of lead actors. A worthy addition to the holiday DVD roster.

It was remade in 1996 as The Preacher’s Wife, starring Denzel in Cary Grant’s role, and Whitney Houston as the wife.

Another recipe from Baked, this one a real winner, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, with cakey, soft pumpkin cookies sandwiched around cream-cheese filling.

As with all the Baked recipes I’ve tried, it required a little jiggering. The baking took 30 minutes instead of the 15 called for, and made 32, not 24 cookies, so I had to do 5 batches. But, as usual, the results were delicious. This recipe is a keeper.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling, Makes 12 whoopie pies.

* FOR THE PUMPKIN COOKIES

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon ground ginger
* 1 tablespoon ground cloves
* 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
* 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner’ sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)

5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Long recommended by online literary friends VT and Steph, I finally got around to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. My husband G. Grod read it recently and thought it good, not great. I was interested to see where I’d fall on the continuum.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world of ashes, a father and son follow The Road south, trying to outrun winter. They’re clad in rags, carrying knapsacks and pushing a shopping cart of their few prized and necessary possessions. They’re cautious and alone, hoping for other pilgrims like themselves, but mostly encountering thieves and cannibals.

They plodded on, thin and filthy as street addicts. Cowled in their blankets against the cold and their breath smoking, shuffling through the black and silky drifts. They were crossing the broad coastal plain where the secular winds drove them in howling clouds of ash to find shelter where they could. Houses or barns or under the bank of a roadside ditch with the blankets pulled over their heads. and the noon sky black as the cellars of hell. He held the boy against him, cold to the bone. Dont lose heart, he said. We’ll be all right. (177)

Utterly dark in tone and description, the characters yet carry within something that the man and boy refer to as the fire. The landscape is burned and ashen; the sun does not penetrate. Food is only to be found by scavenging scraps from the old, forgotten world. The relationship between the two, McCarthy’s dazzling, often-dizzying language, and the ever-present dread of starvation or worse–all kept me reading quickly through the book, and loath to put it down.

I felt it profound, moving, terrifying, and terrifically sad. I was impressed by McCarthy’s skill with words, the relentless momentum of the story, and by the empathy he generated with two characters, lightly sketched with a sure hand. Quite wonderful, I thought. I have no wish to see the movie; I think it could only diminish the experience of the book.

Yet another holiday classic that apparently passed me by, Miracle on 34th Street was another in my holiday DVD-buying binge. We shunned the colorized version for the original black and white. A kind, white-bearded man shows up at the Macy’s parade, and is conveniently recruited to replace the drunk Santa. He goes on to be the Macy’s store Santa, hired by single-mom Mrs. Walker.

Mrs. Walker lives at home with her daughter Susan (an 8yo Natalie Wood), in whom she instills her value for truth and proof. Both are suspicious of the old man, who claims to be Kris Kringle. But with the help of their fanciful neighbor, who fancies Mrs. Walker, they begin to come around. Santa is targeted by the mean-spirited company psychologist, and put on trial. You probably know the famous ending even if you haven’t seen the film, but it was a pleasure to see it in context. Sweet and fanciful, it’s deserving of its classic status, and was fun to watch with the family.

I love cupcakes. I love clever. This series of 100 celebrates the world of games/gaming. The link from Wil Wheaton’s blog urges you to go, and I’m glad I did. I was delighted several times, and I bet you will be, too.

Minnesota’s Hell’s Kitchen, that is. I tried a few of my favorites off the breakfast menu, out of the cookbook Damn Good Food by Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer, a gift from my aunt for Christmas.

Oatmeal, makes 4 cups

2 1/2 c. whole milk
1 c. steel-cut oats
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. rolled oats (not quick)
2/3 c. warm half and half
Brown Sugar
Berries

Heat water to simmer in saucepan over medium high. Pour milk into large bowl; place bowl over simmering water. Heat milk to simmer. Gradually stir in steel-cut oats and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Stir in rolled oats. Cook until all milk is absorbed, about 13 minutes. Just before serving, thin oatmeal to desired consistency with warm half and half. Top oatmeal with brown sugar, berries, and any remaining half and half.

Omer, who goes a little gonzo for the dairy fat, likes to add a dollop of sweet cream butter, too. I tried it and liked it. This takes more work than my usual recipe, in which I dump 1 c. steel cut oats, 3 c. water and 1 c. milk into my rice cooker and press “porridge” but it was richer and quite satisfying. Speaking of porridge:

Mahnomin Porridge, makes 4 servings

4 cups cooked wild rice
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, cracked
½ cup dried blueberries
¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Add cooked wild rice, hazelnuts, blueberries, Craisins, and maple syrup to a heavy, nonstick or enameled cast iron saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add heavy cream, and stirring continually, heat through, about 2 minutes. Ladle into bowls, and serve immediately.

I used pecans instead of hazelnuts. 3yo Guppy and 6yo Drake pronounced it yucky looking and refused to try it. G. Grod was unimpressed. Only I liked it, and I’m OK with that. These, however, everyone liked:

Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes, Makes 16 hotcakes

6 egg whites
9 egg yolks
â…“ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
â…“ cup all-purpose flour
Unsalted butter, melted (for the skillet)

Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment, and whisk on high speed until firm peaks form. Reduce the speed to low. Slowly add egg yolks, and then gradually add melted butter. Continue whisking on low speed until well incorporated. Stop the mixer, and add sugar, ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk on medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, and gradually add flour. Continue mixing for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer, and scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixer to medium speed, and mix for about 1 minute. Makes about 4 cups.

I find it best to refrigerate the batter for a few hours prior to making the hotcakes. This allows the melted butter to firm up slightly in the mix and keeps the batter from spreading out too thin on a hot griddle. Refrigerated in a covered container, this batter will keep safely for up to 3 days.

To cook hotcakes, heat a large skillet over medium high. Brush skillet with melted butter, and drop batter onto the hot skilled in ¼ cup portions. Leave about 2 inches between hotcakes to allow them to spread. Cook until bubbles appear and bottoms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip hotcakes, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet.

I garnish the cooked hotcakes with a handful of fresh blackberries, blueberries, and quartered strawberries, then dust with a vanilla powdered sugar, and serve with a side of peanut butter and warm maple syrup. You can adjust the quantities and ingredients to better suit your personal tastes. That’s what good cooking is all about.

These hardly needed butter and maple syrup, and were good even when I accidentally doubled the salt amount to convert to sea salt from kosher rather than halving it as I should have.

White Christmas was part of my recent holiday-dvd-buying binge, and I thought it would be a good New Year’s Eve movie. It was, as long as I could stay awake. I had to finish the last hour on New Year’s Night. It’s good, but has too many musical and dance numbers crammed in. Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby are a delight to listen to, Danny Kaye is occasionally funny, Vera-Ellen–whose physique is eerily Barbie-esque–is fun to watch dance. But the plot, about Crosby and Kaye putting on a show to benefit their old army general, drags on, and several of the Irving Berlin songs are duds. Not, of course, the title song, but the out-of-tune “Snow,” the weird one about the general, and all three (or four? argh.) renditions of “Sisters” could all have been cut to good effect. Mostly charming and funny, but next time I may skip some scenes.

At The Believer, Chris Batchelder writes:

the vivid surprises of child-rearing seem so similar to the vivid surprises of good literature.

(Link from The Morning News.)

and offers examples. Recently, I was reading The Very Busy Spider to 3yo Guppy, for what may have been the gazillionth time. As happened to Batchelder, though, my kid surprised me when I least expected I could be surprised.

In the book, a spider spins a web and a series of farm animals ask if she wants to do something else with them, e.g. Want to roll in the mud, said the pig? After I read one of those questions, Guppy said, “But spiders don’t do that.” It took me a moment to put together that not only was the spider ignoring the questions as she spun her web, but Guppy had just crystallized that what they were asking her to do weren’t things a spider could or would do, until the very end when the rooster asks if she wants to catch a pesky fly. I’d read this book hundreds of times, and Guppy’s statement revealed a whole new facet of the book to me.

The sequel to the late Stieg Larsson’s bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire (which I continually want to call “The Girl with Her Hair on Fire” because of the cover art, which has little or no connection to the novel) does that most wonderful of entertaining feats: it improves on the original.

Back again are journalist Mikael Blomkvist and solitary hacker Lisbeth Salander, who is more fascinating than in the first book as readers finally get an explanation for what she means when she refers to “All the Evil.” After being disappointed in Blomkvist at the end of the previous book, Salander travels the world, has some body modification done, solves a mystery and saves a few lives, all before the “real” action of the book begins.

Some suspension of disbelief is required, as there are any number of plot-friendly coincidences throughout the book. These don’t deter, though, from the pleasure of being back in the company of Salander, along with a new cast of supporting characters as a complicated mystery of prostitution, violence and murder unfolds then folds back in on itself.

A great deal of coffee is drunk, and much Billy’s Pan Pizza is eaten as Salander, Blomkvist and others work in parallel and intersecting lines to discover who shot three people in one night, and why. Amazingly, Larsson managed to keep at least four plots running at different paces, and in the end ties them together. My only complaint is that the ending is so abrupt it feels like Larsson left out the final chapter. I know things are likely to be followed up in the final book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. But is isn’t available stateside till May. I clearly understand now why sales from amazon.uk are so brisk, as the New York Times reported last month. I hardly want to wait months to find out what happens after the “end” of this book. Nonetheless, highly recommended as a thumping good read.

Reading now: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. On deck: History of Love by Nicole Krauss, both for Books and Bars.

A good book, a cup of coffee, a manageable to-do list, and Stella D’oro breakfast treats, courtesy of my kind mother-in-law, since I can’t find them anywhere out here.

I’m continuing to bake my way around Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito’s Baked: New Frontiers in Baking with their Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf. As you can see, I had some trouble with the loaves releasing from the pan, though I’d greased and floured the pans as instructed.

Tops and bottoms were easy to reunite, though, and the end result was both pretty to look at and almost scarily addictive. I found it impossible to have just one slice of this bread.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf, from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Makes 2 9×5x3-inch loaves, or 1 9 inch and 4 mini loaves

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour and 2 1/4 c. AP flour)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (a 15-ounce can)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (12 ounces) semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (I’d reduce this to 1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 9×5x3-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add sugar and whisk again.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time then the vanilla Fold the chocolate chips into the wet ingredients with rubber spatula.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to overmix the batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pans, and gently knock the bottom of the pan onto the countertop to even out the batter. Use a spatula to smooth the top.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick comes out clean, about 75 to 90 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting the loaf onto the rack to cool completely before serving. The loaf will keep for 3 days or more wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature.

My husband G. Grod’s mother grew up in SC, and he recently had a craving for fried chicken. I unearthed the can of Crisco and candy thermometer we bought the last time we made fried chicken , which was five years ago, I think.

To offset the hardly heart healthy Extra-Crunchy Fried Chicken from Cook’s Country, I got some purple cabbage and made Crunchy Cabbage Slaw from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking:

Extra-Crunchy Fried Chicken, from Cook’s Country

Keeping the oil at the correct temperature is essential to producing crunchy fried chicken that is neither too brown nor too greasy. Use a candy/deep-fry thermometer to check the temperature of the oil before you add the chicken (see related testing). If you cannot find a chicken that weighs 3 1/2 pounds or less, or if you don’t have a pan that is 11 inches in diameter, you will have to fry the chicken in two batches. Follow the recipe, frying the chicken four pieces at a time and keeping the first batch warm in a 200-degree oven while the second batch is cooking. If you want to produce a slightly healthier version of this recipe, you can remove the skin from the chicken before soaking it in the buttermilk. The chicken will be slightly less crunchy.

Serves 4
2 cups buttermilk plus 6 additional tablespoons
2 tablespoons table salt
1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 pieces, giblets discarded, wings & back reserved for stock
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4-5 cups vegetable shortening or peanut oil

1. Whisk together 2 cups buttermilk and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Add chicken pieces to bowl and stir to coat; cover bowl with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Don’t let chicken soak much longer or it will become too salty.)

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, thyme, pepper, and garlic powder together in large bowl. Add remaining 6 tablespoons buttermilk; with your fingers rub flour and buttermilk together until buttermilk is evenly incorporated into flour and mixture resembles coarse wet sand.

3. Working in batches of two, drop chicken pieces into flour mixture and turn to thoroughly coat, gently pressing flour mixture onto chicken. Shake excess flour from each piece of chicken and transfer to wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet.

4. Heat oil (it should measure 3/4 inch deep) in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with 11-inch diameter over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Place chicken pieces, skin-side down, in oil, cover, and fry until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove lid after 4 minutes and lift chicken pieces to check for even browning; rearrange if some pieces are browning faster than others. (At this point, oil should be about 300 degrees. Adjust burner, if necessary, to regulate temperature of oil.) Turn chicken pieces over and continue to fry, uncovered, until chicken pieces are deep golden brown on second side, 6 to 8 minutes longer. (At this point, to keep chicken from browning too quickly, adjust burner to maintain oil temperature of about 315 degrees.) Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate lined with paper towels; let stand for 5 minutes to drain. Serve.

Crunchy Slaw Salad from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks, serves 4-6

2 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
splash of heavy cream

1 extra-crisp apple, peeled and cored
1 big squeeze of lemon juice
1 small cabbage, pref. savoy
1 c. toasted walnuts

Whisk apple cider and lemon juice together in small bowl, season with salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil followed by cream. Set aside.

Shred apple on large holds of box grater, or use grater attachment on food processor, then put shreds in bowl of cold water with the squeeze of lemon; this will prevent browning. Cut cabbage into quarters and core each section, then cut into a very fine chiffonade. Just before serving, drain apples and toss with cabbage, walnuts and dressing in large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

I read 66 books, averaging a book and a half a week, almost 30 fewer than last year. I wasn’t reading less, but had a few doorstops–Infinite Jest and Shadow Country.

A few thoughts:

Best books I read this year: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleski, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Old Filth by Jane Gardam. These were the whole package–well written, moving, and complex. They made me think and feel.

Thumping good reads: Where’s Billie by Judith Yates Borger, Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Peter and Max by Bill Willingham. These books were devourable and flat-out fun to read, even if they had some decidedly not-fun elements.

D’oh: Fahrenheit 451 and Infinite Jest, for books I liked/loved so much I wish I’d read them earlier in life, so could be re-reading instead of reading for the first time.

Best graphic novels: Alan’s War by Emmanuel Guibert, Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley, T-Minus by Jim Ottaviani, Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and Dave Mazzuchelli.

Changed my life: Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey. I gave away my hair-straightening brushes, iron and products. I stopped using shampoo and a blow-dryer. I’ve fully embraced my curly hair, and am happier with my hair than I’ve been in my life.

Weird numbers that probably only I care about: New purchases I read, 32; Library books read, 24; Shelf sitters, 5; Re-reads, 5.

Hopes for the new year, 2010: as usual, read more from my shelf and less from the library and bookstores. I wanted to do a book-a-day challenge to start off the year, but the holidays got the best of me, plus I’m in the middle of Stieg Larsson’s Girl Who Played with Fire, and I’m NOT putting it down. So I may try for a fortnight of books/blogs in February.

I took 3yo Guppy with me to see Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated adaptation of Road Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and we had a fantastic time. It’s a clever fox versus mean farmers, and it turns into all out war. It’s a movie for kids that works for all ages, especially for fans of Wes Anderson, whose style is surprisingly well-suited to animation.

Clooney and Streep are charming in the voice leads, while Jason Schwartzman is hilarious as their sullen, weird son. There’s some violence and guns, so this is not for every kid, but those in the theater with us seemed to enjoy it immensely, and 3yo Guppy had no troubles.

My favorite part was how they substituted the word “cuss” for all other bad words: “What the cuss are you talking about?” “Cuss off!” From imdb’s trivia:

Throughout the film, the word “cuss” is used in place of actual cursing. When asked about its origin in a radio interview on “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, Wes Anderson said, “I don’t even remember. It think it was just to use the concept of profanity as a replacement for profanity itself. It turned out to be very versatile.” In keeping with this theme, one of the buildings seen in the film bears “CUSS” written as spray-painted graffiti.

Ignatius Macfarland: Frequenaut! by Paul Feig was recommended to me by a fellow Freaks and Geeks fan. Along with Judd Apatow, Feig was one of the show’s creators, and went on to direct episodes of several comedies, like Apatow’s Undeclared, Arrested Development, 30 Rock and The Office, all of which I like a great deal.

I like Feig’s work, so I was disappointed when I didn’t like Feig’s book.

Ignatius is a typically Feig-ian outcast. He’s twelve, has few friends, doesn’t connect with his parents and gets picked on at school. He fantasizes about alien abduction and space travel to get away from it all. When he and his friends build a spaceship, he gets his wish. Sort of. He’s transported to an alternate “frequency” of Earth, one that has a few other former members of his town, who also got caught in explosions. One of them is Karen, a badass goth girl, and another is Chester L. Arthur, a former English teacher with delusions of grandeur who has subjugated many of the strange-creature natives, taken over as “President” and tries to pass off other people from Earth’s best creations as his own. Iggy and Karen meet up with a race of flying intellectuals, then are caught in a race war while being chased by Arthur’s army. Throughout, Iggy provides commentary as well as story. It’s supposed to be funny, but instead I found it tiring.

My name is Ignatius MacFarland, and I am a Frequenaut.

Hmm. I guess it looks sort of weird to see it written down that way. I don’t mean it’s weird to see my name written down. I mean the word Frequenaut. It almost looks like it’s French. It’s not, though. At least not that I know of.

This is a young boy adventure, and it might appeal to young boys and people who were at some point young boys. It failed to connect with me, from its meandering plot to its end that wasn’t an ending, but instead a thin bridge to a sequel I don’t care to seek out. I wanted to like it, but couldn’t.

I watched It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time last night. Good, but almost unrelentingly sad right up till the admittedly satisfying ending . (I was reminded of when the friends of Friends tried to show it to Phoebe as an example of a movie with a happy ending.)

Instead, watch American Madness, a Capra film with some of the same banking and character motifs, or Shop Around the Corner, a better, IMO, Stewart holiday film.

ETA: At Mental Floss, 10 bits of trivia about It’s a Wonderful Life.

Death at a Funeral was my husband G. Grod’s pick, and I didn’t much care for it. The tone of black humor was never quite right, and jokes were used again and again, which felt to me like getting repeatedly hit over the head.

The redeeming factor was Alan Tudyk, along with Peter Dinklage the only Americans in the film, who was hilarious stoned.