The truth: it was so obnoxious I couldn't finish it. Hard on the heels of Persuasion, this novel simply cannot hold a candle to Austen's beautiful writing style.
Simply put: anachronistic language, tired plot, and far too much scandal (and I mean dirty, nasty, horrible scandal). I skipped ahead and realized that the sister I liked best essentially steals her cousin's fiancé. Whether or not he liked the cousin is moot, it just can't go well.
So, I put the novel down after one hundred awful pages. I'm thoroughly looking forward to reading something else instead. Just what, I haven't decided yet. At any rate--I hope it's better!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Persuasion
I just finished reading Jane Austen's Persuasion. Truly an exquisitely written piece of literature.
The story was compelling and agonising and thrilling all at once. The characters were believable and personable; I believe that if I were Captain Wentworth, I would also be in love with the thrilling (in a quiet sort of way) Anne Elliot.
The only other Austen novel I've read has been Pride & Prejudice. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but now that I've seen so many film adaptations of it I simply can't bear to read it anymore. I hear the voices of actresses in my head, see the scenery someone else picked out, and it's not nearly as fun as the first time was. Persuasion captured that love-at-first-sight feeling I have when I read a novel I thoroughly loved.
Go! Read it! Now! And I hope you love it as I did.
The story was compelling and agonising and thrilling all at once. The characters were believable and personable; I believe that if I were Captain Wentworth, I would also be in love with the thrilling (in a quiet sort of way) Anne Elliot.
The only other Austen novel I've read has been Pride & Prejudice. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but now that I've seen so many film adaptations of it I simply can't bear to read it anymore. I hear the voices of actresses in my head, see the scenery someone else picked out, and it's not nearly as fun as the first time was. Persuasion captured that love-at-first-sight feeling I have when I read a novel I thoroughly loved.
Go! Read it! Now! And I hope you love it as I did.
A Wise Idea
Twice, in two days, I've been awakened in the early morning hours with a brilliant idea.
And twice, I've rolled back to bed, only to wake up and forget what on earth it was.
I think I need to keep a notepad and pen on the nightstand. It's just a good idea.
In other news, I've avoided the urge to spend $25 on books, when both will be available within a few months at the library. I can wait until then. If I can't, then I know I can borrow one of them from a friend. Hooray for making good decisions.
Ooh, and I found a great little store called Plato's Closet. It's a secondhand store that caters to the teen and twenty-something crowd, but if you're looking for jeans and aren't bigger than a size 12 or 14 you can likely find a pair in reasonable condition for less than $20. All their clothes are less than two years old and in reasonably good condition. I came away with two pairs of jeans that fit for $25. Certainly better than wearing my husban'ds way-too-big jeans. Or my high school jeans that fall off my hips--even with a belt. Hooray!
And twice, I've rolled back to bed, only to wake up and forget what on earth it was.
I think I need to keep a notepad and pen on the nightstand. It's just a good idea.
In other news, I've avoided the urge to spend $25 on books, when both will be available within a few months at the library. I can wait until then. If I can't, then I know I can borrow one of them from a friend. Hooray for making good decisions.
Ooh, and I found a great little store called Plato's Closet. It's a secondhand store that caters to the teen and twenty-something crowd, but if you're looking for jeans and aren't bigger than a size 12 or 14 you can likely find a pair in reasonable condition for less than $20. All their clothes are less than two years old and in reasonably good condition. I came away with two pairs of jeans that fit for $25. Certainly better than wearing my husban'ds way-too-big jeans. Or my high school jeans that fall off my hips--even with a belt. Hooray!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Brazilian Stroganoff
And now, a recipe for Brazilian Stroganoff, courtesy of a lovely woman from church who taught me to make it this afternoon.
Cube one or two chicken breasts, dice 1 green pepper, dice 1/2 an onion, and dice one decent-sized tomato. Throw the onion into a saucepan with some olive oil and cook over medium heat. Add the green pepper and tomato and cook for a few minutes to mix all those flavors. Add a chicken bouillon cube and the chicken (no water) and stir frequently until chicken is cooked. Add one or two cans of tomato sauce according to preference. Add a little bit of water (maybe 1/2 cup to 1 cup) and a big squirt of ketchup. Cover with a lid tilted to vent steam and cook on medium-low for maybe ten or fifteen minutes, until it's thickened up a little bit (but not a ton).
Remove from heat and immediately stir in four ounces (1/2 can) of Nestlé's Crema Media (table cream). Yeah, I'd never heard of it before, either. I'm hoping the Mexican food aisle has some to be found.
Serve over rice (appropriately seasoned with chicken broth instead of some of the water and grated vegetables). DIE FROM HAPPINESS.
I can't wait to make this meal at home!
INGREDIENTS LIST:
chicken
green pepper
onion
tomato
tomato sauce
chicken bouillon
crema media
Cube one or two chicken breasts, dice 1 green pepper, dice 1/2 an onion, and dice one decent-sized tomato. Throw the onion into a saucepan with some olive oil and cook over medium heat. Add the green pepper and tomato and cook for a few minutes to mix all those flavors. Add a chicken bouillon cube and the chicken (no water) and stir frequently until chicken is cooked. Add one or two cans of tomato sauce according to preference. Add a little bit of water (maybe 1/2 cup to 1 cup) and a big squirt of ketchup. Cover with a lid tilted to vent steam and cook on medium-low for maybe ten or fifteen minutes, until it's thickened up a little bit (but not a ton).
Remove from heat and immediately stir in four ounces (1/2 can) of Nestlé's Crema Media (table cream). Yeah, I'd never heard of it before, either. I'm hoping the Mexican food aisle has some to be found.
Serve over rice (appropriately seasoned with chicken broth instead of some of the water and grated vegetables). DIE FROM HAPPINESS.
I can't wait to make this meal at home!
INGREDIENTS LIST:
chicken
green pepper
onion
tomato
tomato sauce
chicken bouillon
crema media
Monday, October 8, 2007
Book Giveaway
Pop on over and visit one of my favorite reads in the blogosphere, Crystal at Biblical Womanhood.
She offers a marvelous read from the perspective of a young homemaker, just doing the best with what God gave her. Anyone looking for that little bit of inspiration in her day would appreciate Crystal.She's offering a great giveaway, a soon to be published book titled "Passionate Housewives" which is a book that looks like it will be finding its way to my bookshelf in short order. Why not visit her before the week is over? Her blog is delightful, and you may win something to boot!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Kitchen Update
Well, the one-day kitchen blitz didn't go as well as I had hoped. It ended up taking two days, due to circumstances beyond my control (read: a husband who wanted to go out and play). However, my dishes are all clean! And dinner was fantastic! My friends still like me! And the baby slept 11 hours straight last night!
Ahh, God is good.
In other news, last night after all the dishes were done (yay me!) I read The Classic Mediterranean Diet by Sarah Woodward. It's a beautiful book that was a joy to read. The first few pages focus on the typical foods of a Mediterranean diet, broken down into meat, vegetables, fruits, spices, legumes, etc. Following that, you've got a few pages of typical regional dishes (with beautiful pictures). Lastly, a whole lot of yummy-sounding recipes.
Reading it made me want to run to the kitchen and get cooking! Unfortunately, all of the recipes that I singled out required ingredients that don't usually live in my kitchen. Eggplant, red potatoes, and tahini. However, there were a few lovely pizza recipes in there that maybe I'll break out for tonight. I was wondering what I should make for dinner, and this may be just the thing.
Ahh, God is good.
In other news, last night after all the dishes were done (yay me!) I read The Classic Mediterranean Diet by Sarah Woodward. It's a beautiful book that was a joy to read. The first few pages focus on the typical foods of a Mediterranean diet, broken down into meat, vegetables, fruits, spices, legumes, etc. Following that, you've got a few pages of typical regional dishes (with beautiful pictures). Lastly, a whole lot of yummy-sounding recipes.
Reading it made me want to run to the kitchen and get cooking! Unfortunately, all of the recipes that I singled out required ingredients that don't usually live in my kitchen. Eggplant, red potatoes, and tahini. However, there were a few lovely pizza recipes in there that maybe I'll break out for tonight. I was wondering what I should make for dinner, and this may be just the thing.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Kitchen Musings
The best way to save money in the kitchen is to buy what you will eat, and then eat what you've purchased. This is a simple truth. If you purchase low-cost food, even better!
There is a slight problem with this philosophy in my home right now. The kitchen is a complete mess. It's chaos, pure and simple. Dishes are everywhere, and I simply can't seem to keep the kitchen table tidy.
The baby goes down for a nap in less than half an hour. My goals for today are as follows.
1) Get all the dishes done. As our dish drainer is small, this will likely require a towel on the counter. That's all right.
2) Clean out the fridge
3) Take out the trash
4) Sweep and mop
5) Clean off the table, shake out the tablecloth, wipe down the high chair
6) Decide on recipes for tomorrow night's dinner
Okay, so the last one is a bit of a reward. I love my cookbooks to death, and have such a fun time sifting through recipe after recipe.
Wish me luck! Tomorrow, we'll be tackling the laundry and the baking. As I prefer to buy ingredients instead of processed foods, this means that luxuries such as muffins, bread, and granola need to be created from scratch.
There is a slight problem with this philosophy in my home right now. The kitchen is a complete mess. It's chaos, pure and simple. Dishes are everywhere, and I simply can't seem to keep the kitchen table tidy.
The baby goes down for a nap in less than half an hour. My goals for today are as follows.
1) Get all the dishes done. As our dish drainer is small, this will likely require a towel on the counter. That's all right.
2) Clean out the fridge
3) Take out the trash
4) Sweep and mop
5) Clean off the table, shake out the tablecloth, wipe down the high chair
6) Decide on recipes for tomorrow night's dinner
Okay, so the last one is a bit of a reward. I love my cookbooks to death, and have such a fun time sifting through recipe after recipe.
Wish me luck! Tomorrow, we'll be tackling the laundry and the baking. As I prefer to buy ingredients instead of processed foods, this means that luxuries such as muffins, bread, and granola need to be created from scratch.
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