Girl Detective

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.