New Release: My Father's Daughter

Sometime, in all of the flurry and confusion of the holidays, I won a book on Twitter from Grand Central (an imprint of Hachette). All I knew was that it was Gwyneth Paltrow's new book. I thought it was a memoir (because apparently I didn't bother to read the subtitle) and though I rarely read memoirs, I kind of love Gwynnie so I thought it would be okay. Imagine my surprise last week when the book arrived and I realized it was a cookbook -- My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness.

Though you may remember Gwyneth's macrobiotic phase, she has since returned to more normal dining choices, only avoiding red meat. But in this book, she not only celebrates the food that she makes for and with her children, Apple (who is one day younger than Z) and Moses, but she tells some of why she went macrobiotic during her father's fight against cancer (he passed away almost ten years ago). She tells many stories about cooking or eating with her father, her mother, her adopted family in Spain and her grandparents. It's very sweet and very down to earth. She offers some healthy alternatives for sweetener (ie. agave syrup) or bacon (turkey or duck bacon) but also allows for the more regularly accessible choices in her recipes. Since she doesn't eat red meat and Apple is vegetarian, she has mostly vegetable, seafood and poultry recipes. There are also some delicious looking breakfast and dessert recipes.

The photographs in this book are gorgeous and there are pictures for maybe a quarter of the recipes. There are also some beautiful family photos from her childhood and even some with her kids (though very few that show their faces). And Gwyneth isn't afraid to have less than glamorous photos in the book -- in one you even see a bra strap! That's my kind of gal.

I always like to make something from a cookbook before reviewing it to make sure that it's not a chef's cookbook. Last night, I chose to make Maple-Dijon Roasted Winter Vegetables to go with our steaks. I used carrot, sweet potato and butternut squash. They are cut into strips tossed with a dijon mustard/pure maple syrup/oil/salt/pepper mix and baked for a relatively short amount of time. This is what they looked like before baking. Just the colors were enough to raise my mood!

So how did they turn out? Absolutely delicious. I happen to strongly dislike dijon mustard (and I considered using mustard powder instead) but chose to go for the full flavor and I don't regret it. Z isn't a big fan of squash or sweet potato but he ate a good amount of both. The only thing was that I wished there had been a little more caramelization because those parts were super delish!

What else am I looking forward to making from this cookbook? There's a miso soup recipe that looks really simple and delicious. I always enjoy eating it when we're out but have never made it at home. I will definitely try the corn chowder and the polenta with fresh corn this summer. And the Spaniard in me has always wanted to make paella but I don't like most seafood so I'm very happy that she has a vegetable paella recipe. But probably the next thing I will make are Bruce Paltrow's World-Famous Pancakes. With a bit of sugar and buttermilk and an overnight set-up, I expect greatness. I am really so happy to have this book and I will read it regularly for the anecdotes as much as the recipes.

A little bit drooly,
K

"We Interrupt This Broadcast ..."

When I agreed to review the updated 10th Anniversary edition of We Interrupt This Broadcast by Joe Garner, I knew that it would be an emotional experience but I had no idea to what degree. This is a 200 page coffee-table book that documents 46 historical events through our tradition of late-breaking headlines on radio and television. The book has over 200 black and white photographs that document each story and a few pages of text that give background information and some short quotes. It is a very handsome book and the photos are well-chosen.

The real gem of this set are the three accompanying CDs, narrated by the well-known Bill Kurtis. He gives background and commentary for each event and then we hear original recordings from radio or television. Most of us have some of the famous quotes from these events in our social consciousness, perhaps without even knowing the specific incidents that inspired these statements. For example, "Oh, the humanity!" came from a broadcast as journalist Herb Morrison stood watching the unexpected explosion of the airship Hindenburg. As Morrison's voice cracks and he tells us that he can no longer continue speaking, we understand the intensity and unbelievable sadness of this disaster.

There are a few joyous occasions in this book such as the end of World War II, the moon landing and the fall of the Berlin Wall but unfortunately we are also asked to remember far too many assassinations, wars, and mechanical and natural disasters. Of course, most of these broadcasts are of a tragic nature because this was the type of event that needed to be communicated immediately to the American people. I will admit that I was not looking forward to listening to some events like the Kennedy and MLK Jr. assassinations and I stopped before the September 11 broadcasts. I am not yet ready to revisit that terrible day.

These are incredibly moving historical milestones and I will admit to choking up and even shedding some tears as I listened to the audio tracks. I am too young to have experienced most of them but of course I studied them in school. The first breaking news event that I can remember in my lifetime that is covered in this book is the shuttle Challenger explosion. I was in the 4th grade and, before our eyes, the celebration of the first school teacher in space turned into an unbelievable tragedy. I still remember the feelings of shock and sadness as I watched the deaths of those brave seven astronauts, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe. It was comforting, though, to hear the words of Ronald Reagan again, reminding us that in order to have progress, we must be prepared for setbacks.

We Interrupt This Broadcast would be a fantastic gift so keep it in mind for anyone with an interest in American history. The book and CDs are of the highest quality and the emotional experience is profound.

Experiencing our living history,
K


Buy We Interrupt This Broadcast with 3 CDs: The Events That Stopped Our Lives...from the Hindenburg Explosion to the Virginia Tech Shooting on Amazon or find it at your local library.

"I have my books and my poetry to protect me"

-- I Am a Rock, Simon and Garfunkel, 1965

I'm not a total celebrity hound -- well, maybe a little bit -- but I appreciate when I find out that there is more to a celebrity than their career. Apparently, Art Garfunkel is quite the reader -- and maybe just a bit OCD. Today, I found this site that catalogs every book that Art has read since June 1968, at the age of 26, shortly before the release of the first Simon and Garfunkel album. He even has a list of just his favorites. He seems to enjoy classics -- the type of books that would be on a "top books to read" list. His non-fiction tastes go mostly to philosophy and American history. Some of it is quite amusing, like the back-to-back reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Stephen Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell.

This is the first year that I am recording what I read. I wish I had started it earlier, even when I was a kid. I know what's on my shelves at home and I have a partial recollection of what I read as a kid but I have no record of all my many years of library use. I think I will encourage Z to keep a list when he starts reading chapter books. It will be fun to look back on when he's an adult. Do you keep a list of what you read and when?

Until next time,
K