Updates on Books, Beer, Cider

I’ve been able to get in bit of reading lately. But I have to say, the book I am anxiously awaiting is Diana Gabaldon’s last book in her Outlander series.

When I find a series of books I like and it’s one that has been out a while, I feel very fortunate. Why is that, you may ask? Well, when I picked up a second hand copy of Outlander and proceeded to get involved with the characters, I was happy to see there were already 4 books published in the series. Jamie, Claire and Dougal were like real people to me by book 4 (earlier, if truth be told) and I was quite invested in their stories and outcome. Now there is one more book to end the story line.



The title is WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD, the eighth and final book in this epic series. It's scheduled out in March. Can’t wait!

Also waiting on George R.R. Martin to follow up on book five, Dance with Dragons, in his Fire and Ice series. Martin is evidently working on several books to make this story line complete. I want to know more about Daenerys and her dragons.

Have you read book 5? Wow, what an ending scene for her! I shall say no more………..He has left us hanging on so many story lines……..



Are there series you like reading and anticipate the next book being released?

Lately I finished Vanished: The Sixty-year Search for the Men of World War II which is about (as you may guess) a salvage mission for the remains of a group stationed in the Pacific Theater. It’s non-fiction, published by Riverhead Books, and a well told story. Actually, it’s several stories deftly woven in a sequence spanning a sixty year period. Good book, I will look for more by this author.

Also finished Dance with Dragons and I know I have mentioned Toast by Nigel Slater. Didn’t I? Maybe I mentioned that already.

Lastly.......the exploration of new ciders and ales may well have come to an end for me.

Fox Barrel Cider

I did not care for the pear cider (here below) and so now I know to stick with ciders I like. Bulmers, Strongbow and an occasional Woodchuck. Pear cider did not do it for me.



Also, this Banana Bread Beer was actually loaded into the shopping cart, put back out again, loaded again several times. It was $2.99 a bottle (cheaper by the six or 4 pack) but it seemed worth a shot.



Yeaaaaahhh...I am happy we have markets which allow you to mix up your purchases by the single bottle. It's awful to purchase a 6 pack of something to discover after a few sips that you actually loathe the taste.

The banana bread beer was not awful. But it was not remarkable either. Hardly any carbonation and it reminded you of a cream soda. The terrible thing there is, you can tip it back too quickly and thus...have a bigger buzz than planned (or expected) in no time.

So, I shall be sticking with my favorites from here on until I get an adventurous spark again.

What have you all been reading and imbibing lately? Hope all is well in your world.

Donna Hay's Baked Fish with Tomatoes is always In Season (in Florida)

When I lived in Pennsylvania and Michigan we had clearly defined seasons for fruits and vegetables. We looked forward to the time of year when strawberries were freshest and juiciest and when tomatoes ripened naturally in the garden. Living in Florida has certainly broadened the time frames for me to grow or purchase fresh produce.

The theme this week at I ♥ Cooking Club is In Season. There are always lemons around here...cherry tomatoes are in abundance most of time too. And of course, living close to the Gulf fish is always fresh (at least it is at Southern Seafood market).

This is my adapted version of Donna Hay’s baked fish with tomatoes.




She placed hers in a roasting pan and I altered it a bit. Just slightly. I baked the fish in a foil packet; using a foil packet allows for an easy cleanup. Now I never hear complaints about ease in cleaning up!

For this version I opted for fat white grouper fillets. The thin lemon slices made it pretty and very citrusy in taste.

Baked Fish Fillets with Tomatoes

1 ½ cups (350g) cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
⅓ cup (80ml) olive oil
4 firm white fish fillets, such as snapper or grouper
lemon juice
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Layer lemon slices on the fish. Just look at that nice firm fish. It's one of our favorites, always consistent in texture and quality.



After the lemon, gently distribute the tomatoes and garlic on the fish. Drizzle with half of the oil and then gently fold up foil to make a packet.



Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with a green salad.



The Donna Hay theme next week is Are You Calling Me A Tart?. That should be good! Much thanks to the ladies at IHCC for hosting and organizing these events so very well. I always have fun, so thank you :-)

Rural Walkabout on a Rainy Day

On vacation we did very laid back activities. Here is a pictorial of one of those days....a lazy country ride through Georgia on a drizzling gray day.

Cotton field in the rain



Hay in the fields




Come in if you dare.....



Industry.......



Cedar Grove Cemetery



Cows near Cedar Grove Cemetery



Back to Florida....the Planters Exchange in Havana



Enjoyed lunch at a local joint...love the sign.



Next up will be posts starring Donna Hay recipes and a Weekend Wine Review.

Hope all is well in your world!

Guy Fawkes Day

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...



Some Events:

Guy Fawkes Kissimmee Florida
Million Mask March - Washington DC
Timeout London
St Paul, Minnesota

Java Rub for a Smoked Brisket - A great start to vacation!

Vacations are so nice. It’s exceedingly pleasurable being away from the daily grind of work, the rigid time set of the alarm clock, traffic being thick as molasses and dodging texting motorists on the interstate………never mind being out of earshot of office gossip and politics. deep sigh
(I am now recapping the events of that vacation)

What I miss the most has to be second breakfast. When the weather was nice ( which was often) we enjoyed over-easy eggs, grits, smoked bacon, toast and fried tomato slices while dining on the patio. No schedule, no rushing. But that wasn’t the only meal I fell in love with recently.

During week one of our vacation we tried smoking a brisket on the grill. It was the first time we did this as my first brisket was roasted in the oven. I love brisket!



Steve Raichlen has a good Java rub recipe which can be used for steak, pork or chicken. So far we have made use of it twice – once with a brisket and then a pork shoulder roast (more on it later). If you have ever smoked a large roast before you know the preparation on the front side is fairly fuss free. You measure out the ingredients for your rub and if desired, place it onto the meat and let sit for 12 hours or so. If you let it sit a bit prior to grilling/smoking it’s better.

Here is the recipe for a good rub that isn’t spicy.

Java BBQ Rub

6 tablespoons ground coffee
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

And here is what you’ll do with it…and a good cut of brisket.

Mix the ingredients in a container and stir or whisk until blended. The brown sugar can be stubborn sometimes and you will need to break it up with your fingers.

Now rub a good portion of this onto the brisket (or whatever cut meat you like). Save the rest of this rub in an airtight container for another time. It stores well.

Ready to get the grill set up? Doug uses charcoal and has these little charcoal baskets which fit smoothly on both sides of the grill. Using the charcoal chimney he gets a good amount of charcoal lit and while it’s burning, he sets the prepared brisket in a large aluminum pan.



For a smoky flavor you can use hickory, cherry, pecan or apple wood chunks or chips. Soak the chips for half hour and chunks for 2 hours.

Once the coals are ready carefully dump them into the side baskets so you are cooking using indirect heat. Doug tossed some soaked apple chips over the charcoal. Now close the lid.

See the smoke pouring out? The aroma will drive you mad...



Keeping the heat at a steady 300 degrees Fahrenheit requires you to get more charcoal burning to place in the baskets at one hour intervals. It’s not a hard and fast rule, that one hour, but you need to watch the temperature and gauge when to fill that chimney and start more charcoal burning. Also adjust the temperature using the top and bottom vents. I know nothing of this – these are the grill master’s instructions.

Baste the brisket with the pan juices.....



A 3 pound brisket took roughly 3 ½ hours to smoke.



This is a great way to spend the day at home if you have a good book you want to get into or perhaps some yard work. I didn’t do any yard work……but I read quite a bit.

Coming up are some wine reviews, rural walkabout photos and Donna hay recipes.

A Good Year: The Food 'n Flix Roundup

Bonjour! I feel I should address you in French since this movie and book transported you to Provence. Would that it were that easy.....write about it and ...poof! You are there.

While I enjoy reading about France and seeing some great scenery shots of Provence in movies (or anywhere in France), this was not a great movie. From the comments you will see mixed reviews but overall, you did have the scenes of France, not to mention Russell Crowe, and a few glasses of wine here and there. Weighing out the book vs the movie, oh..the book wins hands down.

Without further ado, here is the round up for Food 'n Flix - A Good Year.

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla made Civit de Canard. Check out her post HERE



She writes: "What a delicious foray into life in Provence! While the wine flows freely and the scenery makes me want to buy a one-way ticket to France, food doesn't have a starring role in the movie. Wine, yes. Food, not so much." But Camilla sure found some inspiration by preparing a fabulous dish which took 3 days to make!


Heather at Girlichef made Roasted Green Beans w/ Pistou: Click HERE to see her post.



Heather writes: "What was I inspired to make after watching A Good Year? I went with something simple, and perhaps the most evocative of Provence (in my mind): Pistou. Pistou is a simple Provençal sauce made of basil, garlic, and olive oil at its core.


Debra of Eliot's Eats prepared a mouth watering dish of Herbed Olives. Check out her post HERE



Debra writes, "I was not going to make croissants, wild boar pressed in its own blood or chewy asparagus. But Tina did mention that in the book Fanny brings Max a plate of simple olives and a glass of wine with her menu. This recipe is based on one from Dorie Greenspan from Around My French Table so I think it is apropos as well."

I agree!

Elizabeth of The Law Student's Cookbook prepared a great looking Salad Nicoise. Check out her post HERE.



Elizabeth says, "his inspiration came from a part in the movie where Max was helping as a waiter at a French restaurant. An American tourist orders a salad “nee-swa-zay” with low-cal ranch dressing and some bacon bits sprinkled on top. Max then gets indignant and makes some remarks about fast food.

I decided to make the Salad Nee-Swa-Zay for that American tourist – though she probably still will hate it because I just couldn’t do ranch dressing on this salad."


Caroline of Caroline Makes...prepared Pissaladiere. Check out her post HERE.



Caroline writes, "I decided to cook something from Provence in honour of this film. Pissaladière is a Provencal tart made using puff pastry and topped with slow cooked onions, olives, anchovies and herbs."


Deb from Kahakai Kitchen made a very original dish Baked Wine and Spice Grapes with Gingersnaps. Check it out HERE



Deb writes, "There is plenty of wine and French food to be had in the movie but nothing really stood out to me to make. Finally, I was going to go with a classic Eggplant Provencal but while standing in a very long line at the grocery store, I happened to thumb through the current copy of Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine and came across a recipe for Wintry Spiced Grapes. It had wine (ruby port wine) and grapes and I decided it was the wine-inspired dish I wanted to make."


Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz prepared Lemon Lavender Avocado Loaf and Cupcakes. Check out her post HERE



Evelyne says, "There is lots of talk about wine and food in the movie but nothing for me really stood out. What did stand out was a “situation” that occurred twice in the movie: the cleaning lady chases away scorpions with fresh lavender to save the terrified visitors. So I looked it up online and indeed lavender is a scorpion repellant. Who knew!"


Finally, I prepared a Pissaladiere which you can check out HERE. Caroline and I must have been thinking the same thing when watching the movie.



Thanks to all who participated and if I left anyone out please contact me!

Next month's host at Food 'n Flix is Evelyne at Cheap Ethic Eatz and the movie is Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe.