The Song is You, Arthur Phillips

Music is the soundtrack to our lives. It's a cliché. We know that. But for many of us, it's very true. The right song can take you to a place and time you thought you'd forgotten and uncover memories long buried. It's certainly true for the protagonist in Arthur Phillips' The Song is You:  "Julian Donahue's generation were the pioneers of portable headphone music, and he began carrying with him everywhere the soundtrack to his days when he was fifteen." Julian, separated from his wife, becomes enamored of a talented young singer named Cait O'Dwyer after happening into a bar where she is singing one night. Cait is on the cusp of stardom while Julian has accepted where he is in life. He remembers the ambition of his youth but somewhere along the way he lost the desire to pursue it. Phillips slowly reveals the heart-breaking details leading to the breakdown of Julian's marriage. We learn about the relationship with his brother and their divergent memories of their father (where Julian gets his deep love of music).  All the while watching as Julian and Cait communicate (will they ever meet in person or won't they?), inching closer to each other, sharing bits and pieces of themselves and their lives with each other.

You don't need to share Julian's taste in music to understand the effect it has on him. The experience and wisdom won in life sometimes come at a heavy price, as Julian has painfully learned. Cait's youth, determination, and bright future full of possibility are a striking contrast to Julian's fractured marriage, deep pain, and successful mediocrity, and we understand their attraction to each other. Julian is entranced by the possibility he sees in her, and Cait needs Julian's wisdom and insight. Can they sense the futility in their desire? Perhaps, but it doesn't change the attraction. Add Julian's father, brother, and wife to the mix and the result is a funny, poignant story about possibility, chance, and consequence. This book is good. It's a well-told, engaging story that's a pleasure to read and satisfying, too.

Belgian Buttermilk Waffles with Glazed Bananas

Not my picture. We were too hungry to think of anything else but eating.

It's a snow day. School's out and the power is back on, so I hot meal sounded appetizing. We haven't had waffles for ages (trying to be more organized, I stored my waffle make some place very logical and then forgot where until just recently), so today seemed like the perfect time. After fighting with my husband over how to make waffles (he is the regular breakfast chef since I am not in any way, shape, or form a morning person), I headed to Epicurious to find a waffle recipe. I searched for "waffles," filtered results by "Quick & Easy," and then sorted by top rated. The winner, with 101 reviews:  Belgian Buttermilk Waffles with Glazed Bananas. I didn't have the buttermilk required for the batter, so I created a substitute by adding one tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk and let that sit for about five minutes. Other than that change, I followed the recipe. The batter was super easy to prepare and consisted mostly of ingredients I always have on hand - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, butter, eggs - and was ready in just a few minutes. I'm suspicious of anything but syrup on my waffles/ pancakes, but I made the glaze since it, too, was so easy to prepare (butter, bananas, maple syrup). The waffles were really good - light and tasty. We will definitely be making them again. I'm anxious to try them with real buttermilk next time. I thought the glaze was okay. My teen wouldn't even try it - he's a pancake/waffle purist, too. My husband, who has a sweet tooth, liked the glaze a little more but probably not enough that we would make it again.

Bulgur Tabouli

My quest for high cuisine continues. (That's joke.) Today's recipe comes from the back of a box of Arrowhead Mills Organic Bulgur Wheat. I bought the box because it's wheat and it's healthy, right? Beyond that, I know not of Bulgur wheat. Luckily, the recipe is easy enough:

1 cup Bulgur Wheat

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Dash of garlic powder

2 tomatoes, diced

3 cups chopped fresh parsley

4 green onions, chopped with tops

Pour boiling water over bulgur wheat and salt.  Cover bulgur wheat for 30 minutes and let sit. Stir next three ingredients into bulgur and chill for 2-3 hours. Add tomatoes, parsley, and green onions and gently toss before serving on a bed of lettuce.

Optional additions are: chopped mint; fresh sliced mushrooms; diced green peppers; sliced radishes; bean sprouts; and/or sliced hard-cooked eggs.

I've never served it on a bed of lettuce, preferring to eat it straight up. Also, I add what whatever I have leftover in my produce drawer, be it green peppers, cukes, whatever. This is so easy to make. It takes some time to prepare, but the active time is minimal. It's delicious and nutritious and tastes just as good after a few days in the refrigerator as it does on the first day.

Now, if only someone would tell me what I'm supposed to do with wheat germ.

Eat Pray Love

I feel like I'm repeating myself. Good book, disappointing movie.  In the book Eat Pray Love, author Liz Gilbert is honest and open about the collapse of her marriage, the depression that followed, and her attempt to find balance and meaning again in her life. Who hasn't read the book? It was passed from friend to friend to sister to mother and on and on after it came out. For good reason, too. Gilbert's voice in the memoir is fresh, funny, and vibrant. She is candid about her shortcomings, her failings, and her successes. Desperate to heal herself, she heads to Italy to find pleasure, India to find devotion, and Bali to find balance. (Oh, that we were all able to get a nice big book advance to create our own travel therapy!) Italy, India and Bali seemed to be magical places made just for spiritual and emotional restoration. I cheered Liz on her journey and wished her well.

The first problem of the movie is the difficulty in conveying to the audience Liz's emotional breakdown. In the book, you felt sorry for Liz and sympathized with what she was going through. In the film, this is done with a whole lot of voice-over. When Julia Roberts is on the bathroom floor crying at the start of the film, I felt nothing. Was that God speaking to her? I'm not sure, the moment passed by so quickly. Besides, God is just a stepping stone on the way to a better Liz. Whereas in the book you felt sadly sorry, in the film Liz's decision to leave her marriage seems selfish and shallow and her decisions impulsive and arbitrary. I had no sympathy for her and felt no reason to root for her as a character. What I felt mostly was apathetic about the whole thing.

One of the strengths of the book was Gilbert's ability to communicate the real changes she was experiencing externally and internally. By the time she arrived in India, the reader knew she was beginning her transformation and becoming stronger. In the movie, there is no evidence of change in Julia Roberts. She has the same simper and wilt when she arrives in Italy that she has in Bali. I don't think Julia Roberts is well-cast as Liz Gilbert, and I don't think Julia Roberts comes close to making herself believable in the role. She was nothing but Julia Roberts. There is no visible change in Julia/Liz until she falls in love in Bali and is ready to - wait for it - open her heart to love! BLECH! Sure, opening your heart to love is a great thing but certainly Liz's journey is about so much more than finding the right man. Rather, it's about finding the right way to live so she can be open to love. I was thoroughly disgusted at the end and glad it was over. It was long, too (harumph), and you feel every minute of it.

Was there anything I liked? Javier Bardem is handsome. Yes, I liked that. Also, Richard Jenkins as Richard from Texas has an affecting but brief scene as he discloses the mistakes he made in life. Sadly, the focus quickly returns to Julia/Liz and the emotion disappears as quickly as it comes.

Inception

Hey, Avatar!  This is storytelling!

Inception is fast-paced and thrilling but also thought-provoking and moving.  I don't want to say, well, anything about it.  It wasn't what I expected, and it was far better than I hoped.  When it was over, I was ready to start the movie over from the beginning.  I didn't start out a Leo fan, but it the past few years he's made me a believer.  Rent Inception.  I bet you watch it more than once.

Ipod Roulette

I know this was trendy a few years ago, but I think it's fascinating to learn what is on someone's Ipod.  It tells so much, so quickly about a person.  Or it can.  I open myself--and my Ipod--to you (don't judge me too harshly):

1. "March of the Witch Hunters," Wicked:  Original Broadway Soundtrack
2. "How You Remind Me," Nickleback
3. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid," The Offspring
4. "There Goes My Life," Kenny Chesney
5. "Come Away With Me," Norah Jones
6. "Beautiful Flower," India.Arie
7. "Hold Me Down," Gin Blossoms
8. "Over My Head," The Summer Obsession
9. "Turning Circles," Sally Dworsky from The Cutting Edge soundtrack
10. "Whenever You Come Around," Vince Gill

What?  No Manilow?  No Damien Rice?  No Gregorian Chant?  I don't know how representative this is and yes, I was tempted to cheat and redo the list, but I leave it as it is.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini

I loved The Kite Runner.  Thinking about parts of it still chokes me up.  It made me think about the meanings of friendship and character, loyalty and love.  I vividly remember sitting on my deck peacefully reading The Kite Runner and then sucking in my breath and bawling over what I had just read.  Luckily only my husband was witness to that full-on ugly cry moment.  I had to stop reading because: 1) the emotion was overwhelming, 2) I had to take a moment to absorb what I had just read and, lastly, 3) I had to explain to my husband, between hiccuping sobs, what the heck I was crying about.  (The movie adaptation was such a disappointment because it failed to convey the emotion that made the book so breathtaking.)  Halfway through The Kite Runner, I bought A Thousand Splendid Suns, ready to immerse myself again in a wonderful story.  Despite several starts, I hadn't made it past the second page.  I think it was the dedication "to the women of Afghanistan" that held me back.  I was worried Hosseini might be attempting An Important Book and that gave me pause.  In an effort to outsmart myself, I took this book and this book alone on a six-hour car trip.  I resisted for a few hours before boredom got the better of me.  It took a chapter or two before I was fully engaged, but once that happened it was lasting.

A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of Laila and Mariam, but also in truth it is the story of "the women of Afghanistan." The story begins in 1959 and continues through the recent history of that land, from Soviet invasion to Taliban rule to the present.  At times the story feels contrived and the ending is perhaps overly idealistic and idealized.  It's hard to fault Hosseini for this, though.  The love and affection he feels for Afghanistan is obvious on every page and is conveyed skillfully to the reader.  One of the most striking aspects of the book is his ability to make a changing Afghanistan come alive for the reader.  You'll feel that you've been there, that you've felt the heat, smelled the flowers and the aromas of the food, and experienced the anonymity found behind a burqa.  I recommend this book, but I recommend The Kite Runner more.

Christmas Wine

We had a fantastic wine on Christmas:  Baronne Nadine de Rothschild 2006 Chateau Malmaison Moulis.  My favorite wines are French reds, so my Christmas had to include at least one.  We almost always select wine based on what we are eating.  For Christmas I planned Chateaubriand with mushrooms (so good!), and Caroline at my lovely local wine store, Rick's Wine and Gourmet, recommended this wine.  I learned later it was ranked #84 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2009.  The tasting notes recommend holding this wine until after 2012. If what we had was not at its peak then holy smokes I need to get some more of this wine.  I better get a few bottles because I'm not sure I can let it sit for a whole year without touching at least one.

New Year's Eve Menu

I don't like to go out on New Year's Eve.  There are too many variables I can't control.  Sometimes we go to the neighbor's, but this year we decided on a quiet dinner at home.  Being New Year's Eve, I wanted something nice, but I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen all day and night, particularly since I was recovering from a cold that had me in bed most of the week after Christmas.  I "appropriated" a menu from a local restaurant and made a few small changes and alterations.  Here's the menu and then our adaptions:

FIRST

Bruschetta

 Grilled Italian bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil, served with a diced tomato, basil, and garlic medley

SECOND

Salade d 'Endives

Belgian endive tossed with walnuts, raisins, and gorgonzola cheese

THIRD

Raviolis au Quatre Fromage

Four cheese ravioli baked in creamy white Alfredo sauce

FOURTH

Soupe à l'Oignon

Traditional French Onion soup of beef broth with caramelized onions and croutons finished with cheese gratinee topping

FIFTH

Poulet Provencale

Breast of chicken sautéed with mushrooms and brandy cream sauce

SIXTH

Bomba de crème glacée

Classic vanilla and chocolate gelato separated by cherries and sliced almonds tossed in cinnamon, finished with a chocolate coating

The Bruschetta was easy.  I made it as an appetizer for Christmas and made another small batch for New Year's Eve.  It took just a few minutes to make.  We picked up a baguette at the grocery store and topped the Bruschetta with some Greek feta.  It was hard to limit ourselves to just a few pieces.

For the salad, I chopped some endive, topped with walnuts, craisins, and Gorgonzola, and dressed it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  The sweet craisins were a nice contrast to the bitterness of the endive.  I think it would have been better with a light vinaigrette.

Here, I screwed up and served the soup instead of the ravioli.  We ended up having two cream sauces in a row, but it was okay since neither of the sauces was overly rich.  Soup is easy since you can make it ahead of time.  I found the French Onion Soup recipe on my beloved Epicurious.  I followed some of the suggestions in the comments and used red wine instead of white, beef broth solely instead of beef and chicken, and added a dash of balsamic vinegar, thyme, and a bay leaf.  I should have used white wine and some chicken broth like the recipe said.  The substitutions made the soup heavier than I would have wished.  Another thing that marred it was the fact that we didn't serve it with bread or broiled cheese in the soup.  I know:  can you even call it French Onion Soup without doing that?  This was the low point of the meal, but still not bad.

I took the easy route and bought refrigerated four-cheese agnolotti and Alfredo sauce.  I felt a little guilty since Alfredo is SO easy to make, but I blame it on still being a little sick.  It actually tasted quite good.  The sauce was reminiscent of Stouffer's boil-in-a-bag Fettuccine Alfredo that I used to love back in the day, so I had pleasant associations with the taste (should old acquaintance be forgot?) even as I recognized its shortcomings.

We were starting to get full around this point.  Although we'd been careful about portion sizes, it was a lot of food.  We each had a full bowl of soup, which was a mistake.  Half as much would have better.  We still had a little room left for our main course.

I wanted Veal for the main course but couldn't find any in the grocery store at 3PM on New Year's Eve (poor planning on my part).  Chicken doesn't scream "special occasion" to me, but I really wasn't in the mood for a fillet or seafood so chicken it was.  The recipe I used was Chicken with Mustard and Tarragon Cream Sauce.  I used boneless chicken breasts and added mushrooms to the sauce.  We should have pounded or filleted the chicken, but that's a quibble.  I substituted whole milk for half of the whipping cream and used dried tarragon (again, being lazy).  The sauce was fantastic!  We will definitely make this again but with fresh tarragon next time.

Luckily, ice cream was for dessert because ice cream's not even like eating.  It just slides down your throat, so even if you're full it's okay.  I combined sliced almonds and cherry-soaked Craisins (a mistake--I meant to pick up dried cherries) in a jar, sprinkled cinnamon on top, covered, and shook well.  I tested an almond to see if I had enough cinnamon.  I served the mixture alongside a scoop each of Breyer's Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream and drizzled it all with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.  So delicious we had the same dessert every night for the next week.

We started the night with a white Burgunday, which paired well with the first courses, and then opened a vintage Champagne we bought at a wine dinner a few years ago.

All that food helped temper the effects of two bottles of wine.  It was an enjoyable way to end the year.  I think we've started a new tradition, too.