Food Friday - Fall Fare

from Kris B.

As you read earlier in the week, for Tracey and me both, fall is a favorite season.  Though there are lots of wonderful things about this time of year, it also brings with it memories of tough times for both of us since she lost her mom and I lost my dad during the fall  So, we have both had our share of nostalgic moments recently, both those that bring tears and those that bring smiles.  Life is all about finding that balancebetween the tears and the smiles; that is where we find ourselves right now, trying to find and maintain that healthy balance.

On one of my visits back to check on my dad during the summer of 2014, my aunt, his sister, brought over some sweet potato biscuits for him as they were a favorite.  As he was offering me one at dinner that night, I realized that despite the breadaholic that I am, I had never had a sweet potato biscuit.  Being that I am a sweet potato lover as well as a breadaholic, I suspected that sweet potato biscuits would be a win-win for me.  I was right.  These things were amazing...if of course you like biscuits and sweet potatoes.

Last Thanksgiving, for the first time ever, I was not at home with my girls.  I went to Delaware over that week to begin the process of settling my dad's affairs.  Weber and I spent Thanksgiving with my aunt, the sweet potato biscuit maker, and my cousins...and a big batch of sweet potato biscuits!  I missed being at home, but I loved having the biscuits, both because they tasted good, and they reminded me of my dad.

I begged for the recipe and my aunt graciously shared it with me.  Now I can have them any time that Id like.  Well, maybe not any time, because that would be all the time! Lol.  As I was baking this batch, my daughter, Brooke,  and I were talking about our Thanksgiving menu for this year.  At my request the sweet potato biscuits are on it!

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 Cup sugar
3 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup shortening

Preheat oven to 425

I am going to share the instructions exactly how they were given to me.

"Mix the mashed sweet potatoes and sugar.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and cut in shortening.  Add dry ingredients to the sweet potato mixture.  I use both hands here and it gets kind of messy.  You might need to add flour in small amounts until the dough "feels right.'  I usually spray my hands with Pam and roll dough into balls about 1 1/2" in diameter.  Bake on a baking sheet for 12-15 minutes."

Any of you who have recipes that have been passed down from several generations will understand the part about "until the dough feels right."  Also, most biscuits are usually rolled and cut.  I have not tried that with these  because...well, because this is the way I want to remember them.  Also, this is easier; but, if you want to roll (and re-roll) and cut these, I suspect it will work just as well.

And here is my ah-ha moment of the day...Brooke and I were having a lovely conversation about lots of things while I was baking, something we both enjoy when we share our days off. In a manner that I'm sure felt totally random to hBrooke, I asked her where the term "baker's dozen" originated.  She is a trained pastry chef; she should know such things.  She didn't.  My question arose as I was putting the biscuits on the baking sheet.

When spaced using this fairly common layout on a standard baking sheet,  you end up with thirteen items.  I didn't take the time to research the real reason that we have a baker's dozen.  I'm sticking with my newly realized explanation because it makes sense to me. LOL!  

This same ridiculous way of thinking led my then six year old daughter to exclaim with total conviction, "Mama!  I know why Thanksgiving is always on Thursday...they both begin with TH.  That's why!"  Yep.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in our family....except that she was six when she had her great epiphany and I am 53.  


by Tracey G.

I am relatively new to the world of squash, lol. I'd say just the last 7 years or so, I discovered they're pretty yummy! As I kid I wouldn't even try them - maybe the name turned me off, I'm not sure. And it's not like they weren't around the house, my mom loved squash of all sorts, so it wasn't a stranger to me at all. And to be honest, it wasn't until about 10 years ago I discovered I loved sweet potatoes and still kick myself for not trying them sooner! But anyway, I am a big fan these days of pumpkin and butternut squash. This soup uses butternut and it's really yummy. I have been searching for a good squash soup/bisque recipe for awhile, I love the stuff and have never made it at home! So, this was the perfect excuse to try my hand at it. :-) I researched and this is kind of my own creation from a few recipes, it's simple and easy - and best of all, good!

When it came to the pureeing, I used my blender. Most recipes called for using food processor, but I didn't see why I couldn't just use my blender and buzz it up in almost one fell swoop. For today's recipe, I made a half batch of what I came up with, so I was able to get it all in the blender, but if I made the full batch, it would likely need to be done in two batches in it. I imagine my immersion blender could have been used too - I always forget about that thing! LOL

Here's the recipe (full batch), and I think it would be good with pumpkin as well...

Butternut Squash Bisque

3 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

1 c sliced carrots

1/2 c chopped shallots

1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

4 c chicken broth

1 1/4 c half and half

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

 1-2 tbsp chives, optional

Sour cream for garnish, optional

1) In a large bowl, toss the squash, carrots, apple and shallot in the olive oil until coated. Spread onto a large baking sheet in a single layer - if necessary you may need to use two so that they're in a single layer.

2) Bake at 400 for about an hour or until browned and tender, stirring a couple times. Cool slightly and place in a food processor, cover and process until almost smooth.

3) In a Dutch oven, add the pureed vegetables, broth, half and half, salt and cayenne, heat through - do not boil. If using, stir in chives. Garnish servings with sour cream if desired.

As I said above, I used my blender for the pureeing - I added the broth and vegetables and blended until smooth. I then transferred it to the pan and added the cream, salt and cayenne. Worked pretty well, and tasted darn good! :-D

Tuesday NOT in Texas - My Favorite Season

Favorite Season....hmmm...

by Tracey G.

For me, like Kris, I don't even have to think about my answer, it's immediately Fall/Autumn! In my brain, the word for favorite season is Fall, so it's an automatic response.

I don't remember when my love of Fall kicked in, likely when I was in school. I loved going back to school - because yes, I did like school, lol, but I also loved the fashions of Fall and getting new school clothes! And I'm also with Kris in the fact I love the foods, the shift to comfort foods and so forth. It's usually January though that I am craving the "fresh" flavors of Summer, lol. Which is a drag because there's really not a whole lot of good "fresh" stuff out there in my neck of the woods here in Michigan, lol. Well, aside from "fresh" snow, lol.

But mostly for me, Fall is emotional. So much good has happened to me in the Fall, in the past and it continues to do so. Some of my favorite memories are tied to this season, good times and good feelings. One of my favorites is riding all the trails with my high school boyfriend on his ATV when I was a teenager - we had so much fun, just getting lost on purpose for hours, riding around and enjoying the local woods and trails. Another is with my first fiancé (again I was a youngster, lol), and him teaching me how to use his bow. I only wanted to target shoot mind you, I left the actual deer hunting to him, lol, but I have that day in my head as vivid as if it were yesterday - right down to what I was wearing. When I see trees of a certain color and the sun is shining, plus the unique quality of fall light,and I am in that day. It was just a happy fun day and that's what I remember of it. They are just memories that have happy attached to them, and that's what shines on through. Yes the people involved factor in, lol, but mostly what I feel when I see the pretty leaves, is happy, so whoever created those feelings it matters not, only that they were created and now associated. :-) (although it does make me laugh that for some reason my "love life" has always been tied to the Fall, for good or ill, weird, but, honest and true) So, Fall, for the most part, to me, equals happy and good times.

It's my favorite time of year to head outdoors - find the trails in the woods, go for walks and just enjoy the pretty that's out there. I love living where I do, all the woods, lakes, trails - it's a beautiful place to be this time of year. I have happy memories of packing Harry up in his stroller and heading out for walks down by the cottage, that was regular thing to do, walk the loop between the cottage and lighthouse - and it's a pretty one too, half on the beach, half on the dirt road. ;-)

But, as with the good, there is also the bad, the bitter with the sweet. I've had a lot of loss in the Fall as well... My mom passed away November 1st, her stroke came on the 29th of October I believe (it's all still a blur). I've lost loves in the fall as well, not to physical death of course, but it's a loss all the same. Seems like most of my pets that have passed away, have passed away in the Fall.

So, there's a fine balance some days between the good happy, and, sadness of loss in the Fall, it can leave some days very bittersweet. But even that doesn't stop me from loving the season. I some days think of it as "My Time". ;-) I feel my best, I feel my strongest and I feel my most at home with me this time of year, so yep, it's definitely My Time!!! 

Monday NOT In Michigan - About the Fall

from Kris B.

One of the things that friends do for one another is look out for each other and do what they can to make things a little easier for one another.  If you are a regular reader here, you may have noticed that Friday's post was not posted until Monday.  This was because Tracey noticed that I had left the amount of pumpkin necessary for the pumpkin bread out of the recipe.  Duh!  Do to an email snafu of some kind, I did not get the message that she sent me telling me of my omission until this morning.  Thank you gmail.  I am thankful that she caught this!  I guess I really am still looking at the pumpkin as the bad guy from last week and suconsciously left it out.  It is definitely an integral player in pumpkin bread; not so much in Rice Krispioe treats.  Tracey had a kind of rough start to her week, so we are swapping our Monday and Tuesday posts so perhaps tomorrow you will hear about Tuesday in Michigan.  we are just trying to keep you all on your toes and ourselves from falling flat on our faces!  Happy Monday wherever you are!

This week's topic:

What is my favorite season of the year?

Usually when I am asked a question like this, "What is my favorite anything?, I circle around trying to avoid giving a definitive answer because I don't like to "put all of my eggs in one basket" as they say; however, I can give a straightforward answer to this one - fall!  Hands down.

The reason this is an easy answer is because there are so many aspects of autumn that speak to me.  First of all, I like that nature sheds many of its "frills" and only its naked beauty remains.  I like that we humans can add a few layers of clothing allowing us to hide, at least for a few months, our own extra "layers."  I like the hearty soups, stews, and chili that are traditionally cool weather meals.  And orange has been one of my favorite colors for as long as I can remembe... and there is certainly an abundance of orange everywhere that you turn during the fall.

I have been fortunate to have lived in many different places and to have witnessed the seasons in many different ways from the gorgeous fall colors of the leaves changing in New England to the yearlong season of something that is a cross between spring and summer while living in Hawaii.  In Texas, sadly we don't have a real fall.  We tend to go directly from summer to winter with maybe a few "fallish" days in between.  It is not unusual for us to have eighty degree temperatures one day and a debilitating ice storm the next.  OK.  It doesn't take much ice and snow to bring life to a standstill in Texas.  I know those of you up north just laugh at us.  The real reason that small amounts of ice and snow wreak havoc here is because we don't have enough street equipment to take care of our roads when things do get bad.  Personally,  I don't mind snow and ice, but I still definitely prefer the fall weather!

There are a few trees around here that will go through the process of their leaves changing and then falling, but the majority of them are green one day and brown and on the ground the next.  

It is the point when the trees are bare that I like best.  The shapes of the branches against the then unobstructed blue sky are beautiful.  I just like be their starkness.  There is something so real and honest about the trees in this state of being.

And then there is fall fashion.  Well, fashion may be a little overstated.  How about fall attire.  At heart, I am a jeans and sweatshirt kind of girl.  The baggier the sweatshirt the more comfortable I find it.  I am happiest in my sweats, with a fresh cup of coffee sitting in front of a fire, either inside or outside.  The good thing about the mild Texas weather is that we can enjoy being outside for much of the year in just a sweatshirt, no jacket needed.  Also, because I am a knitter, I have an ample supply of hand knit wool socks that I am looking forward to wearing again one of these days..

Due to the fact that I am kind of a lazy cook, I love one pot meals, like soups and stews and casseroles.  And if they can be made in the crockpot, even better.  Nothing says cool weather like a hearty pot of vegetable soup or chili.  And here is the southern twist on that pot of chili; it is best when served atop a big spoonful of garlic cheese grits.  Don't laugh until you try it!  In a pinch or if you are not that adventurous, Fritos can be substituted for the grits.

So now, a full month into fall 2015, what are things like here in Dallas?

The temperatures have cooled down.  Our afternoon highs are now only in the mid eighties and a few nights have dipped into the fifties.

The grass and the trees are still green.

The petunias in my front yard are still happily blooming.

One magnolia bloom has withered, 

but there is another on the way.

I have not yet made either a pot of chili or soup.

I have worn a sweatshirt exactly only one evening so far.

We have had no rain in a month or so.

We have turned off the A/C.

I'm ready for wool socks, boots, turtlenecks, and flannel sheets on my bed!

How about just a little bit of "real" fall, Texas!!!

Food Friday - Pumpkin Time!

from Kris B.

Last week's "bad guy," the pumpkin puree, is this week's star of the show.  Despite my admitted coffee addiction, I who am not one of those who spends nine months of the year waiting for Starbuck's to begin making pumpkin spice lattes, but I do spend a good part of the year waiting for fall so that I can make pumpkin bread.  There really is no reason that pumpkin bread can't be, as Cookie Monster says, "an anytime food," but I have always thought of it as a fall food, a fall food that I absolutely love.  In fact, I prefer pumpkin bread to pumpkin pie always.

This recipe is one that was passed downto me from my mother.  Perhaps I still associate pumpkin bread with fall because that is when my mom always made it.  When I was in college, she always sent me a loaf in my midterm care package.  I have no idea where my mom originally found the recipe.  She gave it to me on a handwritten recipe card with no reference as to where she had gotten it.  In all these years, I have never even tried another pumpkin bread recipe.  To my taste, this one is perfection.  And honestly, I have never tasted any pumpkin bread that beats this one.  I'm sure there are some tweaks that could be made perhaps to make it a bit healthier, but I don't think I am going to worry about that.  Some things deserve to stay the same; for me, this recipe is one of them.

INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 Cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup water
1 Cup pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

Sift flour into a large bowl.

(Sifters are another of those kitchen gadgets that are kind of fun to photograph.)

Mix in the remainder of the dry ingredients - sugar, salt,  baking soda, baking powder, and spices.

I failed to include the sugar in the photos of the ingredients.  Maybe this is my subconscious self telling me that if it is not included in the pictures then the calories from the sugar don't count.  Okay, I know.  Wishful thinking.  You can't blame a girl for trying!

In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients, oil, water, pumpkin and eggs.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients stirring until they are mixed well.  Add the vanilla.

Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan or pan(s) of choice. This recipe works well in mini loaf pans or muffin tins also.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove it from the pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.

As I was taking this week's photos, I kind of felt like a wedding photographer for food couples...

There is the couple that you know will never make it much beyond the honeymoon, if they even get that far...

I am lazy when it comes to washing dishes so it is always my goal to use as few vessels as possible when I cook.  Since this recipe uses 1/2 cup each of water and oil, it is "efficient" to measure them both into the same measuring cup.

And there is the couple that you know is made for each other.

What is it about eggs that makes them so darn photogenic?  Or is it just me that sees them that way?

Thanks for reading!

I have to say, this recipe has challenged me from the start - it's not that it's hard, it just seems like nothing went smoothly and it wasn't the recipe's fault, lol. I made it when I was in the midst of a horrible cold (and it's still lingering, though it's backed off a bit), and that just seemed make this become a week long project instead of a day, lol. I think I did each of the steps on a separate day for each! So, I want to say that although it's been the bane of my existence, it's NOT a difficult recipe at all, just don't do it when you're in a time crunch or dealing with an illness! LOL

So, I'm moving right on to the process of making these things - and let me tell you - they are yummy! Tasted like something I'd get in a restaurant, I was so surprised it was something I made! LOL I did end up with lots of filling leftover, no idea why, probably didn't get enough out of the dough as I should have, but oh well. I had plans on turning it into a soup, but never got the chance, the cold won that round, lol.

This was even a challenge for me in the photography department, because that cold had muddled my brain so much, it was a mess trying to get things in organized and not forgotten and so forth. So, since I did mess up so much in forgetting this or that, the ingredients for the most part became collages, lol. And the collages became a real necessity as I ended up with something like 23 photos total, which was a monumental task getting processed and ready for the post! I can say I'll be glad when this one is done and under my belt, I've had enough!! Ha ha ha! :-D Well, Kris and I did promise to keep it real, and well, this is as real as it gets, lol. 

So, let's start with the dough ingredients, and there are only 3 involved - eggs (there are 5 eggs in the dough, but I had a hard time wrangling 5 for the photo, so 3 won), olive oil and flour. 

Put 2 1/2 cups of flour in a large bowl (I used my mixer bowl because I used my dough hook and the Kitchenaid to make the dough), make a well and add the eggs and olive oil. Mix until it forms a ball, then turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. (again, I did my dough in my mixer so I didn't do the on-the-board-kneading)

Now, you let that sit and rest 30 minutes or so while you prepare the filling mixture.

The filling consists of fresh pumpkin, butter, shallot, fresh sage and whipping cream. Thyme is also used - but I forgot to get a shot of it because I didn't use it, as Harry doesn't really like the flavor, I do, but it was just as good without it, so you can include it or not in my opinion. 

In a large skillet you sauté the pumpkin and the shallot in the butter, until tender. Add the sage, thyme, salt and pepper (also not photographed, lol, forgot to get shots of the salt and pepper!) 

 Next, you move the pumpkin mixture to the food processor, and puree until smooth. Return it to the pan and add the whipping cream and bay leaf. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer uncovered until thickened. Another real moment I should have photographed - I stepped away from the stove for a minute or two to get some things for Harry and pretty soon I smelled burning pumpkin, lol. The whole bottom was black - but was totally savable as that was the only thing hurt - it made just a burnt layer on the bottom of the pan and the rest of the pumpkin mixture was fine! I was going to cry if I had to throw it away and start fresh, lol, after all the trouble I'd been having getting this one done! LOL

Back to the dough now... divide it into four portions - roll out one portion to 1/16-in. thickness. Keep the remaining dough portions covered until ready to use. After you've rolled it out, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling about 1-in. apart over half of the rolled out pasta sheet. Brush around filling with beaten egg, fold sheet over and press down to seal. 

Cut into squares with a pastry wheel.  I didn't have a pastry wheel, so I still cut into squares, but used the tines of a fork to seal, and it added a little decoration, lol. Repeat with rest of dough and filling.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook 1-2 minutes or until ravioli float to the top. Drain and keep them warm while you prepare the cream sauce. 

The sauce consists just of whipping cream, butter and sage. You bring the whipping cream to a boil and cook uncovered until reduced to about half. Add the butter and sage stir to combine,  and then spoon over ravioli to serve!

Pumpkin Ravioli

courtesy of: Taste of Home 

Dough:

2 1/2 to 3 c flour

5 eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

Filling:

1 small pie pumpkin (about 2 1/4 lbs), peeled and cut into 1-in. cubes

4 tsp chopped shallot

1/3 c butter cubed

2 tsp minced fresh sage

3/4 tsp minced fresh thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2/3 c heavy whipping cream

1 small bay leaf

1 egg, lightly beaten

Sauce:

1 c heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp butter

2 tsp minced fresh sage

1) Place 2 1/2 cups flour into a large bowl; make a well in the center. Beat the eggs and olive oil together; pour into the well. Stir together, forming a ball. Turn onto a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté pumpkin and shallot in butter until tender. Add the  sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Transfer to a food processor, process until blended. Return to the pan; stir in cream and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf.

3) Divide pasta dough into four portions; roll out one portion to 1/16-in. thickness. Keep remaining dough portions covered until ready to use. Working quickly, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling 1-in. apart over half of the pasta sheet. Brush around filling with egg. Fold sheet over and press down to seal. Cut into squares with pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

4) Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook 1-2 minutes or until ravioli float to the top and are tender. Drain and keep warm.

5) In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil; cook, uncovered, until reduced by half. Stir in butter and sage. Spoon over ravioli. Serve.  

Tuesday in Texas - And, A Few of My Favorite Books

from Kris B. 

"A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. to him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable - bewildering, even enigmatic. Philosophers and small children thus have an important faculty in common. You might say that throughout his life a philosopher remains as thin-skinned as a child." ~ Sophie's World p. 20

Tracey and I share a love of books so writing about a couple of our favorite books seemed like a good idea at the time.  As I sat down to write, the task seemed a little more difficult.  When I take a mental stroll through all of the books that I have read and that have impacted my thinking in some way or another, how can I narrow down the choices?   I started with the “long list.”  Once compiled, my first thought that the list with eclectic and weird.  Like the variety of music in my iTunes library, my list of favorite books makes me look a little like I have multiple personalities, a few of which are kind of strange!

Let me first start with what I don’t read.  With the exception of Walter Miller Jr.’s A Canticle for Leibowitz, which is a surprising favorite of mine, I do not enjoy much science fiction or fantasy.  I may be the only living person who has not read a single Harry Potter book.   I know; this makes me certifiably culturally illiterate.  I’ll have to live with that label.  I also don’t read vampire books or horror stories.  I guess that in addition to being culturally illiterate, I am also kind of a wimp!

All that said, I do enjoy a good piece of fiction, but I have to make a conscious effort to read it because my natural tendency is to gravitate toward non-fiction and poetry.  For this post however, I decided not to include anything from either of those genres.  Perhaps we can dedicate a future post to each of them.

I am a big fan of children’s literature.  Many of the books that are written for children speak volumes to us as adults.  One of my all-time favorites is the 1997 Newberry Award winner A View from Saturday, by E. L. Konigsburg.  It is the story of a middle school quiz bowl team the defies the odds to win their state championship.  Throughout the story, the characters encounter all kinds of differences in people - ethnicity, family structure, disabilities, age - and they realize that sharing such differences enriches their lives.  They also learn about the importance of community.  I’m not sure how many times I have read this book, but each time I do, it speaks to me in a fresh and meaningful way.

My absolute favorite piece of fiction is Sophie's World, by Norwegian author Jostein Gaardner.  Through the fictional life of Sophie Amumdsen and Alberto Knox, a philosopher,  Sophie's World chronicles the history of western philosophy.  At age fourteen, Sophie begins to receive a letter every day that poses some philosophical question.  Later in the day a package appears containing pages that offer insight into the day's questions.  Sophie's education in philosophy begins with ancient myths, and continues from Democritus through to Berkeley, at which point there is a plot and perspective shift.  It is hard to say too much about the story without giving away the plot.  Sophie's World is a book that, in my mind, is one that is to be experienced, not just read.  At the outset of the story, Alberto, the philosopher in the story, tells Sophie that philosophy is extremely relevant to life and that if we do not question and ponder our very existence we are not really living.  I can not help ponder my very existence as I read and thus become part of Sophie's world.

Sophie's World is a definitely a "heady" read; this is why I love it so much; I like books that make me think...a lot.  This affinity may be why I have a minor in philosophy.  LOL. That said, my head cannot always handle this kind of "headiness."  When I am looking for an easy read but also an engaging story, I am never disappointed by anything written by Jodi Piccoult.  She is a masterful storyteller who creates meaningful subtexts in her novels.

I am fortunate that I have a daughter who is a librarian and whose passion within that capacity is reader advisory.  She knows me very well as a person and as a reader; she also stays current with all that is going on in the literary world, something which I do not.  Therefore, she keeps a discerning eye out for books that I will enjoy and appreciate.  It is like having a personal shopper, but for books.  Her choices have always been perfect for me.  I do feel a bit spoiled, but since I don’t have as much time as I would like for reading, I am grateful for someone to do the vetting for me so that I am not investing precious time on something that I may not like or enjoy reading.

Monday in Michigan - These Are a Few of My Favorite....Books

by Tracey G.

I can't remember how long I've loved books - likely from the time I learned how to read. My mother ALWAYS had a book to read with her or by her side. She was always reading, I can't remember her without a book in hand when I was growing up, which made her losing 90% of her sight to macular degeneration that much sadder in her later years. But she did instill in me, through example, a love of books and reading. Her and I would go to our teeny little library at least once a week - if not more. We were on a first name basis with our Librarian, and I still remember her name!

 Books are so many things to me - entertainment, therapy, even avoidance therapy of a sort as I can lose myself in a book and have a respite from whatever troubles are plaguing me at the time if the book is good enough, if not, I'll sit and stare at the page, not seeing it or maybe reading the same sentence over and over again because it doesn't stick the first time because I can't concentrate. But, if the book is magical enough, I can totally get lost in it. 

So, that brings me to this week's topic, books and a handful of the ones we love - and for me, just a sampling of the ones I can get lost in. When talking with Kris I knew I had to have a limit of sorts because otherwise I could probably list books for days if given enough time, lol. I have favorites from childhood and adulthood. I could write about my childhood favorites alone, as I went on a quest well before Harry was born in collecting a favorite series of mine - and most of them had to come from used book stores online and so forth - but it was great fun and I still enjoy reading them just as much as I did when I was kid.

The first book that jumped out at me for this post, was F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". This is one I came to just recently - and can't believe I went so long without it, lol. And truth be told, I saw the movie first - and was amazed that I hadn't watched it sooner! Granted, the big draw was the beauty and spectacle of it - and Leonardo DiCaprio, lol. He, in my opinion is the perfect Jay Gatsby, I almost forgot it was him, almost. As soon as I was done watching it, I was given the book as a gift (one of the best gifts ever I must say), and I was once again amazed that a screen version had been so faithful to the book it was based on. I had no idea what a wonderfully romantic tragedy it was - and so engaging. It sucked me right into that world, that setting, that situation that Nick, Daisy, Jay and Tom found themselves in. Then there was the fact that the book was written in 1925 and is still relevant today, and it just romanticizes it even more for me. I fell in love with the character Jay Gatsby, his refusal to give up on the woman he fell in love with - and everything he does, from the time he meets her until he sees her again has been just to get to her and for her, in my opinion (there are many out there on his motives). It amazes me. His eternal hope - right to the end, is inspiring to me. He never lets go, never loses his faith.

 "We walked slowly down the steps. “I suppose Daisy’ll call too.” He looked at me anxiously, as if he hoped I’d corroborate this." - Nick Carraway in conversation with Gatsby.

Another book that will forever have a place in my heart and leave me with the ability to read it over and over and over again, is Stephen King's "The Stand". Now, this one I read years ago - but I was, even then, very late to the party, lol. It was one I'd put off reading because I didn't think it would interest me. Geesh, was I wrong!! I guess that should be the measure of a book for me - if I've put it off for one reason or another, especially because I didn't think it would interest me, that means I'll end up loving it, lol. It was so much more than just about a "super flu" - the whole dynamic of the situation and the logistics of navigating this "new" world, getting it back up and running etc, was fascinating to me. Things I didn't think of, like when they are in Boulder and trying to get the power up and running - and making sure things are turned off in the homes that are there and so forth. Then there's the whole ultimate battle of good and evil, lol. It's just one of those books that had so many angles for me, even romance. And what I liked about that romance was it wasn't knock-you-over-the-head-romance that ends up hijacking the plot, it was just enough to add another layer to it for me. This for me, was one of those books that when I stopped for the night I felt the urge to say goodnight to the characters, lol. 

I think one of the most surprising books I've read, and once again it was one I put off reading, is by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel". This book was written in such a unique way to me, the story is told and unfolds in a series of written letters. It's set in 1946, and the main character, Juliet starts up a correspondence with an inhabitant on the island of Guernsey, and it just blossoms from there. It deals with the people of the island, the German occupation of the island, the way they deal with that and so much more. This was a book that once I started reading it, I couldn't stop and I didn't want it to end - it was a great read. And I think it was the format of the letters that drew me in, in a way I didn't expect. I found myself wanting to know how the other person was going to respond, as if they were letters to me that I was waiting to get in the mail. I have since purchased this book for a couple friends because it's just something I think everyone should read, lol. But out of all those times - I never bought the book for myself! LOL That's on my to-do list one of these days, as it's one in the genre of historical fiction I most certainly need for my library!! 

Again, I could go on and on listing various books, but I felt I'd keep it reasonable with just a smattering of my favorites - decided upon in a way like a "word association" - the first ones that popped into my head :-)