Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings: December 2007

Monday, December 31, 2007

Books J's Read - 2010

Here I will compile a list of the books I read throughout the year. I will rate them on a scale of 0 to 5 - zero being horrible and five being wonderful. Perhaps this will be of interest to some of you. Or you can just see how much of a book nerd I am...

Fiction:
  1. Catch As Cat Can (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 10) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  2. Cat's Eyewitness (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 13) - Rita Mae Brown - 3 out of 5
  3. Cat On the Scent (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 7) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  4. Claws and Effect (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 9) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  5. Cooking Up Murder (Cooking Class Mysteries, 1) - Miranda Bliss - 3.5 out of 5
  6. Damsel Under Stress (Katie Chandler, 3) - Shanna Swedsen - 4 out of 5
  7. Dead Men Don't Get the Munchies (Cooking Class Mysteries, 3) - Miranda Bliss - 3.5 out of 5
  8. Don't Hex With Texas (Katie Chandler, 4) - Shanna Swedsen - 4 out of 5
  9. Dying for Dinner (Cooking Class Mysteries, 4) - Miranda Bliss - 3.5 out of 5
  10. Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, 1) - Shanna Swedsen - 4 out of 5
  11. Family Affair - Caprice Crane - 3 out of 5
  12. Hunger Point - Jillian Medoff - 3.5 out of 5
  13. Misery Loves Cabernet - Kim Gruenenfelder - 3 out of 5
  14. Murder At Monticello (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 3) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  15. Murder Has A Sweet Tooth (Cooking Class Mysteries, 5) - Miranda Bliss - 3.5 out of 5
  16. Murder On the Menu (Cooking Class Mysteries, 2) - Miranda Bliss - 3.5 out of 5
  17. Murder on the Prowl (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 6) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  18. Murder, She Meowed (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 5) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  19. Once Upon Stilettos (Katie Chandler, 2) - Shanna Swedsen
  20. Pawing Through the Past (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 8) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  21. Pay Dirt (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 4) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  22. Puss 'n Cahoot (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 15) - Rita Mae Brown - 3 out of 5
  23. Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes - 3 out of 5
  24. Rest in Pieces (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 2) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  25. Rich Again - Anna Maxted - 3 out of 5
  26. Santa Clawed (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 17) - Rita Mae Brown - 3.5 out of 5
  27. Sour Puss (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 14) - Rita Mae Brown - 3 out of 5
  28. The Accidental Virgin - Valerie Frankel - 1 out of 5
  29. The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund - Jill Kargman - 2 out of 5
  30. The Girl's Guide to Witchcraft - Mindy L. Klasky - 3 out of 5
  31. The Purrfect Murder (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 16) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  32. The Tail of the Tip Off (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 11) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
  33. The Ten Best Days of My Life - Adena Halpern - 4 out of 5
  34. Trophies - Heather Thomas - 4 out of 5
  35. Undead and Unwed (Queen Betsy, 1) - MaryJanice Davidson - 4 out of 5
  36. Whisker of Evil (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 12) - Rita Mae Brown - 3 out of 5
  37. Wish You Were Here (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, 1) - Rita Mae Brown - 4 out of 5
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Not Sure What To Call the First Entry

If anyone ends up reading my blog, I think they will come away with a few things. First, I love to cook, read, and rant. Secondly, I am not very creative with titles for things. When I was still in college, I would tend to name my papers something along the lines of "Whatever Class This Is Paper One", I usually got good grades, but the title had nothing to do with it. I better never write a book - nobody would spend $21.95 on a book called "Jennifer's Book One". Ha.

Anyways, I started this blog after browsing through many other food blogs, and decided that I would enjoy having a (mostly) food blog as well. I am a (dairy-free) vegetarian who eats mostly vegan so a tiny fraction of my recipes are not completely vegan. Hence why I called this blog Veg*n, as I understand this encompasses both vegetarians and vegans. I will try to make sure to denote whether it's vegetarian or vegan, though I'm sure most vegans out there are very careful to make sure they don't consume any animal products, so this shouldn't be too much of an issue. As I said, I love to cook, and I am always looking for advice, feedback, and other recipes, so this is my contribution - I hope you enjoy.

This blog will mostly consist of my various food adventures, but you may get a rant from time to time, as I am an environmentalist and peace mongerer, and with the current state of affairs, people like myself seem to have a never ending stream of things to rant about.

Now down to business, the food! Tonight I will be making Kung Pao Tofu, which is very good. I found a basic recipe and had to have my way with it so it ended up being essentially a template that I used to create my own recipe. This recipe is vegetarian, not vegan, as it has honey in it. I am sure that you could substitute something else for the honey. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this vegan and still have the same sweet and spicy flavor, let me know. I would like to work with other sweetners, but am not sure what has a similar flavor to honey.

I scaled this recipe so that there was more sauce, I'm not sure about anyone else, but most of the Asian recipes I have come across are very skimpy on the sauce, you generally have to make more than one batch anyway, so I went ahead and changed it for the entire recipe. The dish isn't the same if there isn't enough sauce to soak into the rice.

This is good as a leftover as well, I will be taking it to work for lunch this week.
















Kung Pao Tofu
1/2 block of tofu cut into small cubes
4 tsp. hot chili oil
honey (to taste)
4 tbsp. Mirin (Chinese Rice Wine)
3 tbsp. cornstarch
8 tbsp. shoyu
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. white vinegar
dash cayenne
1 tbsp. minced ginger (fresh or jarred)
1 clove garlic, minced
brocolli cooked (as much as you like)
snow peas (as much as you like)
onions diced (as much as you like)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Hot, cooked brown rice or other grain

Marinate tofu with half of the Mirin, cornstarch and hot chili oil, add 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce. Set in fridge to marinate for about a half hour.

Mix remaining rice wine, cornstarch, and soy sauce with a dash of cayenne, sugar, sesame oil, honey, vinegar and hot chili oil for the sauce.

Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Cook tofu until crisp. Remove from heat.

In a large skillet or wok heat olive oil, add garlic, onion, and ginger. Cook about one minute. Add brocolli and snow peas. Cook another minute. Add tofu and sauce and cook a few more minutes, heating through.

Serve over rice or other grain, I like to use brown rice, but you can be creative and use whatever you like.

Well, that's about all I have for today. Have a safe and happy New Years.
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Sunday, December 30, 2007

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Main Meals - Mexican, Southwestern, or Latin

Burgers
Burritos

Enchiladas

Flautas

Misc.

Quesadillas
Quesadilla de Melocotón y Verdura (Peach and Veggie Quesadillas)
Quesadillas de Frijole Negros, Pimiento, y Calabacín (Black Bean, Pepper, and Zucchini Quesadillas)
Quesadillas de Frijoles de Anasazi, Arroz Integral y Verdura (Anasazi Bean, Brown Rice, and Vegetable Quesadillas)
Quesadillas de Frijoles Negros Refritos y Arroz (Refried Black Bean and Rice Quesadilla)
Quesadillas de Frijoles Negros, Batata, y Seta (Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Mushroom Quesadillas)
Quesadillas de Seta Picante (Spicy Mushroom Quesadillas)
Queso-menos Quesadillas con las habas de Anasazi y la calabaza de Delicata (Cheese-less Quesadillas with Anasazi Beans and Delicata Squash)
Roasted Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas
Simple Roasted Veggie Quesadillas
Smashed Yam, Black Bean and Spinach Quesadillas
Spring Veggie Fusion Quesadillas
Squash and Bean Quesadillas

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Books J's Read - 2009

Here I will compile a list of the books I read throughout the year. I will rate them on a scale of 0 to 5 - zero being horrible and five being wonderful. Perhaps this will be of interest to some of you. Or you can just see how much of a book nerd I am...

Non-Fiction:
  1. A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain - 5 out of 5
  2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver - 3.5 out of 5
  3. Better Off - Eric Brende - 4 out of 5 stars
  4. Dishing with the Kitchen Virgin - Susan Reinhardt - 3 out of 5
  5. Doing Nothing - Tom Lutz - 3 out of 5
  6. Don't Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs - Edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman - 3 out of 5
  7. Epicurean Simplicity - Stephanie Mills - 4 out of 5 stars
  8. Fork It Over - Alan Richman - 3.5 out of 5
  9. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany - Bill Buford - 4 out of 5
  10. How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto - Tom Hodgkinson - 5 out of 5
  11. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan - 3.5 out of 5
  12. Insatiable - Gael Greene - 3.5 out of 5
  13. It Must Have Been Something I Ate - Jeffrey Steingarten - 5 out of 5
  14. Plenty - Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon - 3.5 out of 5
  15. Radical Simplicity - Jim Merkel - 4 out of 5
  16. Service Included – Phoebe Damrosch - 3 out of 5
  17. Simple Prosperity - David Wann - 3 out of 5
  18. Stuff White People Like - Christian Lander - 4.5 out of 5
  19. Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn - Hannah Holmes - 5 out of 5
  20. Such A Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster - 3.5 out of 5
  21. Taming the Tiger Within - Thich Naht Hanh - 3.5 out of 5
  22. The End of Food - Paul Roberts - 3 out of 5
  23. The Places That Scare You - Pema Chodron - 5 out of 5
  24. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry - Kathleen Flinn - 3.5 out of 5
  25. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell - 4 out of 5
  26. The Ungarnished Truth - Ellie Matthews - 4 out of 5
  27. Trail of Crumbs - Kim Sunee - 5 out of 5
  28. Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School - Katherine Darling - 4.5 out of 5
  29. Understanding Our Mind - Thich Nhat Hanh - 4 out of 5
  30. Quarterlife Crisis - Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner - 2 out of 5

Fiction:

  1. 20 Times A Lady - Karyn Bosnak - 0 out of 5
  2. 21 Steps to Happiness - F.G. Gerson - 1 out of 5
  3. 32AA - Michelle Cunnah - 0.5 out of 5
  4. A Bad Bride's Tale - Polly Williams - 1 out of 5
  5. A Clean Slate - Laura Caldwell - 1 out of 5
  6. Addition - Toni Jordan - 4.5 out of 5
  7. A Hopeless Romantic - Harriet Evans - 3.5 out of 5
  8. Always the Bridesmaid - Whitney Lyles - 2.5 out of 5
  9. A Little Change of Face - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 0.5 out of 5
  10. A Model Summer - Paulina Porzikova - 0 out of 5
  11. Angels - Marian Keyes - 3 out of 5
  12. An Offer You Can't Refuse - Jill Mansell - 1 out of 5
  13. An Uncommon Degree of Popularity - Kathleen Gilles Seidel - 3 out of 5
  14. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon - 3.5 out of 5
  15. A Total Waste of Makeup - Kim Gruenenfelder - 2 out of 5
  16. Ask Again Later - Jill A. Davis - 1 out of 5
  17. Babe in Toyland - Eugenie Seifer Olson - 2 out of 5
  18. Baby Needs A New Pair of Shoes - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 1 out of 5
  19. Baby Proof - Emily Giffin - 3.5 out of 5
  20. Bachelorette #1 - Jennifer O'Connell - 0 out of 5
    Balancing in High Heels - Eileen Rendahl - 1 out of 5
  21. Because She Can - Birdie Clark - 2 out of 5
  22. Behaving Like Adults - Anna Maxted - 4 out of 5
  23. Being Committed - Anna Maxted - 4 out of 5
  24. Better Than Chocolate - Susan Waggoner - 4.5 out of 5
  25. Beyond the Blonde - Kathleen Flynn-Hui - 2 out of 5
  26. Black Olives - Martha Tod Dunham - 3.5 out of 5
  27. Bergdorf Blondes - Plum Sykes - 1 out of 5
  28. Burning the Map - Laura Caldwell - 1 out of 5
  29. But Inside I'm Screaming - Elizabeth Flock - 3.5 out of 5
  30. Celebutantes - Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper - 0.5 out of 5
  31. Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger - 1 out of 5
  32. Cocktails for Three - Madeleine Wickham - 1.5 out of 5
  33. Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs - 3.5 out of 5
  34. Company - Max Barry - 4 out of 5
  35. Confessions of a Beauty Addict - Nadine Haobsh - 2 out of 5
  36. Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend - Jennifer Crusie - 1 out of 5
  37. Confessions of a Serial Dater - Michelle Cunnah - 2 out of 5
  38. Conversations with the Fat Girl - Liza Palmer - 2.5 out of 5
  39. Cooking for Harry - Kay-Marie James - 1 out of 5
  40. Cooking for Mr. Right - Susan Volland - 3 out of 5
  41. Cover Girl Confidential - Beverly Bartlett - 0 out of 5
  42. Crossing the Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 0 out of 5
  43. Diary of a Mad Bride - Laura Wolf - 1.5 out of 5
  44. Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead - Saralee Roseberg - 2.5 out of 5
  45. Does She or Doesn't She? - Alisa Kwitney - 0 out of 5
  46. Dress Rehearsal - Jennifer O'Connell - 1 out of 5
  47. Eating Crow - Jay Rayner - 3.5 out of 5
  48. Engaging Men - Lynda Curnyn - 3 out of 5
  49. Everything She Thought She Wanted - Elizabeth Buchan - 3.5 out of 5
  50. Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger - 1 out of 5
  51. Ex and the Single Girl - Lani Diane Rich - 2.5 out of 5
  52. Falling out of Fashion - Karen Yampolsky - 1 out of 5
  53. Fifteen Minutes of Shame - Lisa Daily - 2.5 out of 5
  54. Fishbowl - Sarah Mlynowski - 2 out of 5
  55. Five Things I Can't Live Without - Holly Shumas - 2 out of 5
  56. Four Wives - Wendy Walker - 1 out of 5
  57. Forget About It - Caprice Crane - 1.5 out of 5
  58. Frenemies - Megan Crane - 2 out of 5
  59. Full of It - Wendy French - 2 out of 5
  60. Getting Married - Theresa Alan - 2.5 out of 5
  61. Getting Over It - Anna Maxted - 2 out of 5
  62. Girl Cook - Hannah McCouch - 3 out of 5
  63. Girl's Who Gossip - Theresa Alan - 4 out of 5
  64. Glamour - Louise Bagshawe - 0 out of 5
  65. Goodbye Jimmy Choo - Annie Sanders - 3.5 out of 5
  66. Hand-Me-Down - Lee Nichols - 0 out of 5
  67. Hedge Fund Wives - Tatiana Bocompagni - 1 out of 5
  68. Here Comes the Bride - Whitney Lyles - 2 out of 5
  69. Here Kitty, Kitty - Jardine Libaire - 1 out of 5
  70. How (not) To Have A Perfect Wedding - Arliss Ryan - 3.5 out of 5
  71. How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls - Zoey Dean - 1 out of 5
  72. How Was It For You? - Carmen Reid - 1.5 out of 5
  73. I Do, But I Don't - Cara Lockwood - 0.5 out of 5
  74. If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend - Alison Pace - 3 out of 5
  75. I'm With Stupid - Elaine Szewczyk - 2 out of 5
  76. It's My Wedding Too - Sharon Naylor - 1.5 out of 5
  77. It's Not My Wedding (But I'm in Charge) - Sharon Naylor - 2 out of 5
  78. I Went to Vassar For This? - Claudia Carroll - 2 out of 5
  79. Jack With A Twist - Brenda Janowitz - 2 out of 5
  80. Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single - Heather McElhatton - 2 out of 5
  81. Jumble Pie - Melanie Lynn Hauser - 3 out of 5
  82. Last Bite: A Novel of Culinary Romance - Nancy Verde Barr - 3 out of 5
  83. Life a la Mode - Linda Lenhoff - 0.5 out of 5
  84. Life on the Refrigerator Door - Alice Kuipers - 5 out of 5
  85. Little White Lies - Gemma Townley - 0.5 out of 5
  86. Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin - 2 out of 5
  87. Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him - Danielle Ganek - 3 out of 5
  88. Marriage By Design - Lynn Michaels - 3 out of 5
  89. Me vs Me - Sarah Mlynowski - 3.5 out of 5
  90. Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell - 3.5 out of 5
  91. Miss Bubbles Steals the Show - Melanie Murray - 1 out of 5
  92. Miss Independent - Elisa Adams - 0 out of 5
  93. Miss Invisible - Laura Jensen Walker - 0.5 out of 5
  94. Mrs. Perfect - Jane Porter - 2.5 out of 5
  95. Nadia Knows Best - Jill Mansell - 4 out of 5
  96. Name & Address Withheld - Jane Sigaloff - 1 out of 5
  97. Nearlyweds - Beth Kendrick - 2 out of 5
  98. Nine Wives - Dan Elish - 2.5 out of 5
  99. Not Quite A Bride - Kirsten Sawyer - 1 out of 5
  100. Notes from the Backseat - Jody Gehrman - 3.5 out of 5
  101. Notting Hell - Rachel Johnson - 2 out of 5
  102. Once Upon A Nervous Breakdown - Patrick Sanchez - 4 out of 5
  103. One Fifth Avenue - Candace Bushnell - 1 out of 5
  104. Out on a Limb - Lynne Barrett-Lee - 2 out of 5
  105. Paris Hangover - Kirsten Lobe - 1 out of 5
  106. Personal Days - Ed Park - 4 out of 5
  107. Pink Slip Party - Cara Lockwood - 0.5 out of 5
  108. Playing James - Sara Mason - 3 out of 5
  109. Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld - 4 out of 5
  110. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched - Meg Cabot - 0.5 out of 5
  111. Queen of Babble in the Big City - Meg Cabot - 0.5 out of 5
  112. Questions To Ask Before Marrying - Melissa Senate - 3 out of 5
  113. Remind Me Again Why I Need A Man - Claudia Carroll - 3 out of 5
  114. Room for Improvement - Stacey Ballis - 4 out of 5
  115. Romantically Challenged - Beth Orsoff - 2 out of 5
  116. Schooled - Anisha Lakhani - 4 out of 5
  117. Scot on the Rocks - Brenda Janowitz - 1 out of 5
  118. Second Chance - Jane Green - 4 out of 5
  119. Secrets of My Hollywood Life - Jen Calonita - 1 out of 5
  120. Secrets of the Tsil Cafe - Thomas Fox Averill - 4 out of 5
  121. Second Thyme Around - Katie Fforde - 3 out of 5
  122. Shoe Addicts Anonymous - Beth Harbison - 1 out of 5
  123. Secret Society Girl - Diana Peterfreund - 2.5 out of 5
  124. See Jane Date - Melissa Senate - 2 out of 5
  125. She's Got Issues - Stephanie Lessing - 2 out of 5
  126. Sights Unseen - Kaye Gibbons - 2 out of 5
  127. Slacker Girl - Alexandra Koslow - 3 out of 5
  128. Slightly Engaged - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
  129. Slightly Married - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
  130. Slightly Settled - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
  131. Slightly Suburban - Wendy Markham - 1 out of 5
  132. Slim Chance - Jackie Rose - 1 out of 5
  133. Smart Girls Like Me - Diane Vadino - 2.5 out of 5
  134. Something Blue - Emily Giffin - 3.5 out of 5
  135. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin - 4 out of 5
  136. So Much for My Happy Ending - Kyra Davis - 3.5 out of 5
  137. Something Good - Fiona Gibson - 3 out of 5
  138. Stupid and Contagious - Caprice Crane - 2.5 out of 5
  139. Swapping Lives - Jane Green - 4 out of 5
  140. Technical Hitch - Jane Sigaloff - 1 out of 5
  141. Temporary Insanity - Leslie Carroll - 2 out of 5
  142. Testing Kate - Whitney Gaskell - 1 out of 5
  143. The Best Day of Someone Else's Life - Kerry Reichs - 1 out of 5
  144. The Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand - 3.5 out of 5
  145. The Chocolate Lovers' Club - Carole Matthews - 2 out of 5
  146. The Cinderella Pact - Sarah Strohmeyer - 3.5 out of 5
  147. The Debutante Divorcee - Plum Sykes - 0 out of 5
  148. The Devil in the Junior League - Linda Francis Lee - 1 out of 5
  149. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger - 1 out of 5
  150. The Ex-Debutante - Linda Francis Lee - 1 out of 5
  151. The Family Fortune - Laurie Horowitz - 2 out of 5
  152. The Food of Love - Anthony Capella - 2.5 out of 5
  153. The Flawless Skin of Ugly People - Doug Crandell - 4 out of 5
  154. The Girl's Best Friend - Elizabeth Young - 3 out of 5
  155. The Go-To Girl - Louise Bagshawe - 2 out of 5
  156. The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death - Laurie Notaro - 4.5 out of 5
  157. The Last Chinese Chef - Nicole Mones - 4.5 out of 5
  158. The Little Lady Agency - Hester Browne - 1 out of 5
  159. The Makeup Girl - Andrea Semple - 0.5 out of 5
  160. The Mating Rituals of the North American WASP - Laura Lipton - 0 out of 5
  161. The Night I Got Lucky - Laura Caldwell - 0.5 out of 5
  162. The Other Side of the Story - Marian Keyes - 2 out of 5
  163. The Perfect Fit: Fat Free Dreams Just Don't Taste the Same - Louise Kean - 3 out of 5
  164. The Pre-Nup - Beth Kendrick - 0.5 out of 5
  165. The Real Real - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus - 1 out of 5
  166. The Right Address - Carrie Karasyov - 0 out of 5
  167. The Romancipation of Maggie Hunter - Jane Sigaloff - 3 out of 5
  168. The Thin Pink Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - 0 out of 5
  169. The Trophy Wives Club - Kristin Billerbeck - 0 out of 5
  170. The Smart One - Ellen Meister - 4 out of 5
  171. The Spare Wife - Alex Witchel - 2.5 out of 5
  172. The Starter Marriage - Kate Harrison - 1.5 out of 5
  173. The Twins of TriBeCa - Rachel Pine - 3 out of 5
  174. The Waitress - Melissa Nathan - 1 out of 5
  175. The Year of Living Famously - Laura Caldwell - 2.5 out of 5
  176. Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris - 4.5 out of 5
  177. There Is A (slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell - Laurie Notaro - 3.5 out of 5
  178. This Year's Model - Carol Alt - 2 out of 5
  179. Three Wishes - Liane Moriarty - 3 out of 5
  180. Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella - 3.5 out of 5
  181. Upside Down and Inside Out - Monica McInerney - 1 out of 5
  182. Un-Bridaled - Eileen Rendahl - 1.5 out of 5
  183. Wake Up, Sir! - Jonathan Ames - 4 out of 5
  184. What Goes Around - Alexandra Carew - 2 out of 5
  185. What I Really Want to Do is Direct - Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout - 1 out of 5
  186. Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? - Melissa Senate - 1 out of 5
  187. Why Not? - Shari Low - 2 out of 5
  188. Wife Goes On - Leslie Lehr - 1 out of 5
  189. Wolves in Chic Clothing - Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman - 0.5 out of 5
  190. Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough - Isabel Sharpe - 0.5 out of 5
  191. You Could Do Better - Stephanie Lehmann - 0.5 out of 5
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J's Recommended Reads

As I have stated many times, we all have our biases, mine will be pretty clear based on the following book recommendations. I read a lot, it is probably my favorite past-time. And since I'm a "super nerd", most of what I read is non-fiction. What follows is a list (that is, of course, not all inclusive), of the books that I have read that have been the most influential, informative, or enjoyable to me. If any of you read (or have read) any of these books, please do let me know what you thought of them. This list will be updated anytime I read something I feel is worth adding.

Non-Fiction

  1. A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain
  2. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations - Clive Ponting (The editor for this book was horrible, long paragraphs, poor sentence structure, etc., but it is a very good book nonetheless.)
  3. A Return to Common Sense - John Ikerd
  4. American Facists: The Christian Right and the War on America - Chris Hedges
  5. An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire - Arundhati Roy
  6. Better Off - Eric Brende
  7. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - Jared Diamond
  8. Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures of Politics of Local Foods - Gary Paul Nabhan
  9. Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins
  10. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - William McDonough & Michael Braungart
  11. Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future - Mark Hertsgaard
  12. Epicurean Simplicity - Stephanie Mills
  13. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health - Marion Nestle
  14. Food Wars: The Battle for Mouths, Minds, and Markets - Tim Lang & Michael Heasman
  15. Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire - John Pilger
  16. Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World - Alan Weisman
  17. Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age - Michael H. Shuman
  18. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker, and apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany - Bill Buford
  19. How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto - Tom Hodgkinson
  20. In Praise of Slowness: Challenge the Cult of Speed - Carl Honore
  21. It Must Have Been Something I Ate - Jeffrey Steingarten
  22. People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present - Howard Zinn
  23. Perilous Power: The Middle East & U.S. Foreign Policy: Dialogues on Terror, Democracy, War, and Justice - Noam Chomsky and Gilbert Achcar
  24. Permaculture - Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability - David Holmgren
  25. Radical Simplicity - Jim Merkel
  26. Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism - Marion Nestle
  27. Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply - Vandana Shiva
  28. Stuff White People Like - Christian Lander
  29. Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System - Raj Patel
  30. Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn - Hannah Holmes
  31. Terrorism and the Constitution: Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security - James X. Dempsey and David Cole
  32. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World - Michael Pollan
  33. The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power - Joel Bakan
  34. The Edible Container Garden – Michael Guerra
  35. The Empty Tank: Oil, Gas, Hot Air, and the Coming Global Financial Catastrophe - Jeremy Leggett
  36. The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot - Naomi Wolf
  37. The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update - Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, and Jorgen Randers
  38. The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century - James Howard Kunstler
  39. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - Michael Pollan
  40. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
  41. The Party's Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Societies - Richard Heinberg
  42. The Places That Scare You - Pema Chodron
  43. The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
  44. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - Naomi Klein
  45. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference - Malcolm Gladwell
  46. The Ungarnished Truth - Ellie Matthews
  47. Trail of Crumbs - Kim Sunee
  48. Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School - Katherine Darling
  49. Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky - Noam Chomsky
  50. Undertanding Our Mind - Thich Nhat Hanh
  51. War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning - Chris Hedges
  52. What to Eat - Marion Nestle


Fiction

  1. 1984 - George Orwell
  2. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
  3. Addition - Toni Jordan
  4. Baby Proof - Emily Giffin
  5. Behaving Like Adults - Anna Maxted
  6. Being Committed - Anna Maxted
  7. Better Than Chocolate - Susan Waggoner
  8. Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs
  9. Company - Max Barry
  10. Eating Crow - Jay Rayner
  11. Ecotopia Emerging - Ernest Callenbach
  12. Eleanor Rigby: A Novel - Douglas Coupland
  13. Everything She Thought She Wanted - Elizabeth Buchan
  14. Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates - Tom Robbins
  15. Girl's Who Gossip - Theresa Alan
  16. How (not) To Have A Perfect Wedding - Arliss Ryan
  17. Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit - Daniel Quinn
  18. Life on the Refrigerator Door - Alice Kuipers
  19. Me vs Me - Sarah Mlynowski
  20. Microserfs - Douglas Coupland
  21. Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell
  22. Nadia Knows Best - Jill Mansell
  23. Notes from the Backseat - Jody Gehrman
  24. Once Upon A Nervous Breakdown - Patrick Sanchez
  25. Personal Days - Ed Park
  26. Room for Improvement - Stacey Ballis
  27. Schooled - Anisha Lakhani
  28. Second Chance - Jane Green
  29. Secrets of the Tsil Cafe - Thomas Fox Averill
  30. Something Blue - Emily Giffin
  31. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
  32. Swapping Lives - Jane Green
  33. The Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand
  34. The Cinderella Pact - Sarah Strohmeyer
  35. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
  36. The Flawless Skin of Ugly People - Doug Crandell
  37. The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death - Laurie Notaro
  38. The Last Chinese Chef - Nicole Mones
  39. The Smart One - Ellen Meister
  40. The Ten Best Days of My Life - Adena Halpern
  41. Then We Came To the End - Joshua Ferris
  42. There Is A (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going To Hell - Laurie Notaro
  43. Trophies - Heather Thomas
  44. Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella
  45. Wake Up, Sir! - Jonathan Ames
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Brunch Sauces

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Brunch - Mexican, Southwestern, or Latin

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Brunch - Misc.

Brunch - Misc.

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Recipe Index

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