Food and drink inspired by classic and modern literary works.
If you've read Chocolat by Joanne Harris or seen the marvelous film version with Juliette Binoche, you're familiar with the magical French town of Lansquenet sous Tannes. It's a deceptively calm, quiet and simple place; yet there are always goings-on and drama in this place. It's too bad that it's a completely fictional place, but … Continue reading Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
My latest article for the Humanities Council talks about the history of pan de muerto, as well as the importance of food in our cultural commemorations of death and life, so give it a read at: https://nmhumanities.org/?blogId=2172
Though there is something to be said for the untraditional ghostly tale, for Halloween all I want is an old-fashioned ghost story and for classic ghost tales, you can't beat those of Susan Hill. I personally love any type of ghost story or haunted house tale and The Woman in Black fits the bill to … Continue reading The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
If I could go back in time, I would choose to live my life in Venice as a courtesan or as a Papal chef. Both of those professions seem to very romantic, though the reality is more difficult and disgusting than many fictional stories might indicate. Venice itself is an incredibly romantic, beautiful, decadent and … Continue reading Carnevale by Michelle Lovric
Go camping, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Uh, no, it wasn't. I had to sleep in the crappy orange tent under the leaky section on the side closest to where the trash bags were, and yes, yes, that WAS a bear that wandered into our camp site that night to forage in the … Continue reading Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
So yes, this is totally a chick-lit book. I admit it. I also admit that I rather enjoyed it. So go ahead and judge me, all you literary snobs. Oh wait, I'm the literary snob! I forgot! Anyway, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is totally a rip-off of Alice Hoffman's wonderful book Practical Magic, … Continue reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
So this was an unusual little read for me. I normally don't much care for what you might call "interactive" reading, although I did love the Griffin and Sabine books. If you enjoyed that series of graphic novels, you'll like this book, which is very much in that vein. The story itself is told epistolary … Continue reading Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason by Kristine Atkinson and Joyce Atkinson
The latest episode of my podcast "Cooking The Books" just dropped! We're talking (belatedly!) about Christmas in New Mexico, the importance of traditional holiday food, the author Rudolfo Anaya, and I interview the marvelous food marketer Eric Martinez of Los Foodies, so give it a listen, ya filthy animal! https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/The-Farolitos-of-Christmas-and-the-Seasonal-Happiness-of-Biscochitos-e1adp13 https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/The-Farolitos-of-Christmas-and-the-Seasonal-Happiness-of-Biscochitos-e1adp13
I am very pleased and proud to share this article I was asked to write on the cultural significance of biscochitos in New Mexican culture. It is the first (but hopefully not last!) article for which I got paid, and so I feel like a real, true writer now. 🙂 I hope you enjoy reading … Continue reading A Sweet and Spicy Memory: Biscochitos in New Mexico Culture
Episode 16 is a raunchy and hilarious discussion of Philip Roth's coming-of-age novel Portnoy's Complaint and one of modern literature's horniest and most neurotic young men, his mommy issues and his great love of "self-servicing," and this delectable apple-banana cake, so give it a listen at: https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/Portnoys-Complaint-and-the-Onanistic-Pleasures-of-Cream-Filled-Apple--Banana-Cake-evpb6a https://anchor.fm/cookingthebooks/episodes/Portnoys-Complaint-and-the-Onanistic-Pleasures-of-Cream-Filled-Apple--Banana-Cake-evpb6a
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