Recipe: Maria's "chinese" rice

a colourful list of ingredients

There is nothing better than chatting about recipes in a spacious balcony by the sea, over pumpkin-seed breadsticks with cheese and olives... (get the picture?)

This past summer, I was at my friend Maria's balcony, reminiscing about all things and nothing.  Inevitably, the discussion came to the subject of recipes. Maria, being a bigger foodie than I am, immediately offered me (thanks dear!) this recipe which, she humbly informed me, was asked in all the potluck dinners she went - if ever there was an indicator of a success recipe, I bet this one is!

Pardonable lies, by J. Winspear

Among my discoveries this year, this is one that I think will enjoy during my hectic times ahead. Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mysteries have all the ingredients to make for a wonderful reading, without asking for too much effort.  Great for the beach, perfect for chilly nights by the fire...

My friend Anna introduced me to these novels and by introducing I mean she handed me 6 logs all at once. If there was ever a danger of overindulging, this would have been it - but no.  Little by little I will savour these books, starting (obviously) with the third book in the series.  I found Maisie to be an Agatha Christie reincarnation - and I mean the real Agatha, not one of the characters she wrote about.  Maisie is a girl of humble beginnings who, by virtue alone, manages to climb high up the ladder,  make herself useful as a nurse during the 1st World War and excel afterwards when we find her in 1929's London as a psychologist and investigator.  Her insight into the harshness of the war, the difficulty to adjust to "normal" life by many of those implicated in it, make Maisie the ideal person to go to lengths in order to solve a mystery.

I've got your number, by S. Kinsella

I'M BACK! after a long, a very long absence to be honest, I'm back. Following a series of exams where the studying took up my entire life (to be a bit melodramatic, but maybe not so far from the truth), I'm back to my "normal" lifestyle, where I read literature again... I must admit I've missed it, and I've missed the interaction with the blogosphere too much for my own good. I promise it won't happen again!

I have devoured a number of books to date, but I'll start with one of the lighter ones, perfect for summer reading: I've got your number, by Sophie Kinsella.

Kinsella is famous for her Shopaholic series, depicting the adventures of a seemingly clueless girl, trying to get through a number of surprises... This book follows in practically the same footsteps, minus the financial disasters!

Poppy has lost her engagement ring and tries to figure out what to do, when she also gets her mobile phone snatched!  Yes, slightly over-the-top beginning, but attention-drawing nevertheless.  What I like about Kinsella's writing is that, while it is seriously unlikely any of the situations described could ever happen - if they did, I would probably react the same way.  So when Poppy finds another phone in a dustbin and speaks with the owner of it, she does agree to help out with the situation at hand (would I sing and dance in front of strangers? probably not...)

The Classics Club - Crime and Punishment, by F. Dostoyevsky

I read Crime and Punishment by F. Dostoyevsky in a readalong organised by  Unputdownables over a period of three months.  This is, in my opinion, the best way to read such a chunk of classic Russian literature - in a rythme that is manageable, with lots of individual perspectives heard on a plot written in a remarkable style and taking place in an era and a society that are mostly foreign to us.  

And yes, Dickens writes about similar circumstances but I find his writing style more "understandable".  Also, the British reality is perhaps nearer my vision of past history in Europe.  In any case, the fact that several people read this at the same time, with different translations (also a great way to learn different aspects of life depending on the translator's sources) and different annotations shedding light to background information, really proved helpful and made such a great book easy to read as well.

Recipe: risotto with chicken and peppers

Today's recipe is my utlimate comfort food:  not only it in devouring it, but also in making it.  The constant, brainless activity of stirring the rice is just so relaxing for me, it's perfect for a evening, when I cannot even think straight anymore.  It's good to know that there are recipes for just such occasions... 
As with most things, it is essential that you have everything ready before you start.  You can thus enjoy the whole process ...

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell

I bought The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell in a book fair for peanuts (I'm not ashamed of my purchasing criteria...).  What a great bargain!  I would never have thought it would prove to be such a good book, and how I would not only enjoy reading it, but thinking about it and about the plot in particular.  You see, I'm always interested in the background work that goes into a book.  I can almost always tell whether an author has carried out serious research for it, which means that this is a subject of interest.  I'm the scholarly type, so obviously I went and researched myself afterwards...

The point in question:  how easy it was up to the early 20th century to have a woman committed to  a psychiatric institution.  

"A man used to be able to admit his daughter or wife to an asylum with just a signature from a GP"