when your heart is a creampuff
++ books to make you hungry
Hi-Hi,
We are traveling to a family wedding this week and I could not be more tickled! Of course I’m delighted for the beautiful couple, and what luck to witness a public display of devotion. A wedding is a bold act of hope that makes us all love the world a little bit more—we smile at our families, we hug our partners, we even love ourselves a smidge more. Yes, the couple carry one another’s heart in their heart but a wedding party? That’s a clown car of hearts all stuffed full as creampuffs.
In honor of love, here’s a tiny poem.
…
Hummingbird
For Tess, by Raymond CarverSuppose I say summer,
write the word “hummingbird,”
put it in an envelope,
take it down the hill
to the box. When you open
my letter you will recall
those days and how much,
just how much, I love you.
Oh, the repetition in the last two lines… how much, just how much… it makes my heart a little gooey.
…
Today I bring you something a little different. I was invited by Laura K Bray to participate in 5 on Five: A Monthly Bookish Link Party in which invitees share five books on a particular theme. This month the theme is 5 books that make you hungry. Of course I wanted to participate because… books and food? I’m in! And, of course I broke the rules because I’m me. I offer 6 books, 20 writing prompts, and 1 recipe.
read:
In a time when so many appetites are suppressed by GLP-1s (please click on this link for an informative view of pros and cons) I offer 6 books that celebrate hunger, and pleasure and food as medicine.
LOVE AND SAFFRON, by Kim Fay- I’ve thrust this book into so many hands! Insanely cozy. Insanely moving. This little novel of food and friendship blindsided me. Not cloying at all, so please don’t be turned away by the cover. I highly recommend! From the flap copy:
Creamy risotto alla Milanese. Mussels in a hot, buttery broth. Chicken spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Joan Bergstrom and Imogen Fortier understand the key to a savored life—delicious food. Young Joan is just discovering herself as a foodwriter in bustling Los Angeles, while experienced columnist Imogen is settled in her decades-long marriage on Camano Island outside Seattle. When Joan sends a fan letter to Imogen with an enclosed packet of saffron and a recipe, their journey of culinary exploration and soul-deep friendship begins as does their belief that food and love can sustain us during our darkest hours.
THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR, by Allegra Goodman. Jane Austen-esque, this novel is terrific. Sisters, Emily and Jess, both believe they’ve got this life thing handled. Emily, the elder sister, is CEO of a tech company whose stock is just about to enter the rarified air of billionaires. Jess, the younger sister, is a flighty Berkeley grad student in philosophy, working part-time work in an antique bookstore. Jess drifts through a brief affair, and then finds herself the lover of two men. THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR is a delicious novel about appetite, temptation, and love that lingers.
THE MISTRESS OF SPICES, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I read this book so long ago and still it has stuck with me. Tilo, proprietress of the Spice Bazaar in Oakland, California, is not the elderly Indian woman she appears to be. Trained as a mistress of spices, she evokes the magical powers of the spices of her homeland to help her customers. The magical realism may be just the escape we need in smoke season, a summer when people are dying from eating salad, and the news is just really this bad.
TASTE, My Life Through Food, by Stanley Tucci. I will admit that I think Mr. Tucci has taken an a extra serving of self-regard, but this memoir is tasty. Lot’s of delicious meals described. A few recipes and a cocktail thrown in.
LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER, by Stewart O’Nan. If you have not read this novella, please stop what you are doing and go pick it up. I adore this story of the last night at a Red Lobster restaurant. Even if you don’t love gloppy clam chowder and mediocre garlic toast, the book fits the bill because it makes us all hungry for humans like Manny, the manager of the restaurant, with his capacious and yearning heart. He cares for his customers, worries so much, and suffers from unrequited love for a waitress.
BLOOD, BONES, and BUTTER, by Gabrielle Hamilton. In the vein of Anthony Boudain, this is a memoir of a fabulously talented writer-cook, and also someone who isn’t afraid of a little conflict. Her writing about food is so vivid, you could become wild with hunger. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself running to your fridge to scarf down cold pizza.
🥳 If discussing books with sharp and lively readers over Zoom sounds like your kind of Sunday morning — upgrade to paid and grab a seat.
Mentor Book Group— in which we read memoirs, personal growth books, fiction and discuss what we might like to adopt in our own “work-in-progress” lives. THINGS I DON’T WANT TO KNOW, by Deborah Levy will be our August book, meeting on 30 August at 9a pacific time. Love to have you join us.
The r.w.e. book group selection for August is THE IRISH GOODBYE, by Beth Ann Fennelly. We will meet 16 August at 9a pacific time on zoom. And Beth Ann Fennelly will join us! Want to snag a seat?
I’d love to get to know you better:
write:
Wow! Make a big snack tray and head to your desk. Here are 20 food related prompts for you!
Have you ever wanted to spit something into your napkin? What was it? Where were you?
What is your favorite cooking smell? How far back does it take you? Whose kitchen are you in?
What food did you despise as a kid? How do you feel about it now?
A meal you ate solo? Why do you remember it?
Write about a comfort food that got you through a break-up, a lost job, some real hardship. Does it still hold that power?
Do you lick the beaters for the cake batter?
Table manners? Do you have any? Does someone close to you have atrocious table manners? How did you learn? How did they not learn?
What did you love to watch your mother/father/auntie/grandpa cook?
Food cooked with love vs. food cooked with obligation… who made either meal for you and could you taste the difference?
Write about a food that reminds you of someone you used to love.
Write about a meal where the food was an escape from conversation.
Write about a meal where the conversation was more important than the food.
Did food cause tension when you were growing up? Why?
What do you always buy too much of at the grocery store?
When you are home alone, what do you make for yourself?
Describe your grandmother’s kitchen.
Brown bag or lunchbox? How did you carry your lunch to school? Did you buy hot lunch? Get free or reduced hot lunch? Who made your lunch?
Write about a dish you wish you knew how to make?
Write about an outdated food that is now in vogue again. Was it something you ate in your childhood?
Describe the last meal… whatever this means to you.
…
Tell me, please, how did it go?
eat:
I know I mentioned creampuffs up top, and in a world that made any sense, I’d have a recipe here for creampuffs, but honestly, who would really make one? In case you are raising your hand, well here’s a recipe for a creampuff cake over at Bon Appétit. I apologize if it is paywalled, I couldn’t figure out how to gift it to you. (If you make it, please send me a picture!)
…
Instead I’m sharing this recipe from the archives. So delicious, and really so much better for you than a creampuff cake.
Pasta w/Zucchini, Corn, Tomato, Ricotta and Herbs
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 lbs zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)
2-3 ears of corn, slice kernels from the cob
One basket of sungold cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic
1 pound ziti or other dry pasta
8 ounces ricotta, about 1 cup. Absolutely find the best you can, Bellwether Farms is my favorite brand
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Generous handful of fresh herbs, including but not limited to: parsley, tarragon, mint, oregano, basil, thyme, chopped
½ c Marcona almonds, chopped
Put a large pot of water on to boil and salt it liberally!
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, reduce heat to keep from browning. Add zucchini, and sungold tomatoes, season generously with salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until zucchini is soft, and the tomato skins have burst about 10 minutes. Add corn to pan and turn off heat.
Meanwhile, combine the chopped herbs, one clove of minced garlic, lemon zest, and chopped almonds in a bowl
Cook pasta per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon juice, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for 1 minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately. Pasta waits for no one!
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Stanley
Thanks for being here with me.
Tell your people you love them, and take care of your skin!
PS:
In case you missed it, here are a couple recent posts:
Thank you for joining the fun today. I’m so excited about trying out some of your writing prompts and I needed the recipe because our zucchini plant is going crazy. (How can one plant produce so mucho fruit?) I second you on Blood, Bones & Butter. Read the Tucci and agree with your comments as well. The rest are going on my TBR.
Now I'm hungry for that pasta and a creampuff!