Froi of the Exiles, by Melina Marchetta: Charyn't you glad it's got no froibles?

Froi of the Exiles, 

by Melina Marchetta

ARC from Candlewick, available 3/13/12

Three years have passed since Finnikin and Isaboe ended the Lumateran curse and exile and began rebuilding their country.  Now nearly 18, Froi has spent these years helping rebuild Lumatere and training with the Queen’s guard, both to mind his temper and to train to fulfill his promise to protect his queen.   Foreign relations are tense due to the long suspected role of Charyn in the Lumateran exile; to complicate matters, Charyn refugees are flooding the Lumateran valley on their border.  Fluent in Charnyite, Froi is given a secret mission infiltrate the desert country, impersonate a noble, and assassinate their king.  However, not even the trainings of the Guard could prepare him for what he discovers in the treacherous Charyn royal court.  Charyn has a curse of its own: no children have been born or even conceived in 18 years.  Charyn’s insane princess, Quintana, claims to be the only one to be able to break the curse.  However, Froi is strangely drawn to Quintana, who has become a victim of the curse, and to the Charnynite people, hesitating in his mission as his resolve to protect her and help Charyn find peace strengthens.  This wholly engrossing and beautifully constructed novel is filled with intrigue, dark humor, mystery, adventure, engaging new characters, and visits with old Lumateran friends.  More political thriller than pure fantasy, due to plot complexity and some sexual violence it is recommended to high school students and adults.   As a reader caveat, this novel ends on an excruciating cliffhanger! 

Hold your breath (or don’t is probably a wiser idea), because here comes a loooong review: 

Recipe 30: Greek Lemon, Chicken, and Orzo Soup (for the soul)

I'd like to preface this by saying, YES.  I KNOW.  I know I haven't done a book review in...oh...2012.  I've got four coming your way: Monte Cristo, Blood Red Road, and (SQUEE) Froi!  I'll get on that just as soon as I get over the heady rush of freedom being done with The Count of Monte Cristo has afforded me! As a quick reminder, February's Dinner Train book club book is Anne of Green Gables. 

This is all you need to
make this soup.
No joke.  Simple!

When I was in middle school, I really really really fell for the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.  You know, specifically the stories where pets/people/relationships die horrible, slow, tragic deaths.  I should be embarrassed, doubly so by the fact that I tended to dramatically and theatrically cry while reading them, but considering my bowl cut, braces, and giant red glasses, I've got larger middle school embarrassment traumas to fry.  But even now, fully aware of what a melodramatic nerd individual I was, I think we can all admit that everyone needs a dash of chicken soup every now and then.  Even you, vegetarians (I'm trying to do Veguary, but having a hard time - it's the SUPERBOWL for crying out loud!)  If you are feeling at all under the weather, eat. this. soup.  Seriously.  It's like all the vitamin C of sucking on a lemon, but way more enjoyable!  Plus, you get some chicken, some orzo, some espinaca, etc.  It's also sinfully easy to make, particularly if you have leftover chicken on hand.  It is so easy to make, I made it a few weeks ago when my throat decided to set itself, my eyeballs, and my sinuses on fire! 

You weren't seeing things.
MY EGGS WERE BLUE. 

I used the actual recipe requirements of orzo, but have made the same with egg noodles and other pastas, though the shorter the noodle the better.  The best part about this soup is that it makes a bunch.  I froze half, which means the next time I am sick I don't have to do anything besides defrost!  Bring it on, seasonal cold and flu!  This recipe comes from the New England Soup Factory.  I always add more spinach than necessary, because I love it.  Because I am in a life-long quest to become a loveable eccentric, I chose to use blue eggs.  YES.  BLUE.  You know you are excited by their existence too (they taste the same, but will excite you twice as much).  You can probably make it vegetarian by using vegetarian stock and tofu cubes.  I bet it would be tasty!  Because of the highly acidic brightness of this soup, I recommend serving with a nice whole grain bread to tone it down just a smidge.  

Yellow is my favorite color; this is my favorite chicken soup.
This bowl choice was totally premeditated.

Greek Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup

via The New England Soup Factory Cookbook

Serves about 6-8

Blue is GLOWING from his healthy dose of Vitamin C,
courtesy of this Greek Lemon, Chicken, and Orzo Soup!

Ingredients

10 cups chicken stock (2.5 qts)

1 cup orzo

4 eggs lightly beaten with a fork

2 lemons worth zest

3 lemons worth juice

1 cup coarsely chopped cooked chicken (about a pound)

1 16 oz bag fresh spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Bring your chicken stock to boil in your Le Creuset over high heat; you may cover slightly but leave the lid a bit open so it doesn't boil over.

2.  When the stock has reached a boil, add the orzo and cook it for approximately 5 minutes.

3.  Stirring constantly, drizzle in your beaten eggs and continue to stir the mix for at least thirty seconds after all eggs have been incorporated; the eggs will immediately cook into threads.

4.  Add lemon juice and zest, chicken, spinach, salt, and pepper.

5.  Once incorporated, remove from heat immediately and serve to your hungry and overtasked white blood cells.  Yummmmm.

Tidbits: I'd like to hear Maurice Sendak's thoughts on these Disney Princes (and more)

• It's a little embarrassing that I haven't gushed about Melina Marchetta in 2012.  It's almost February.  Clearly I'm letting myself go!  FEAR NOT.  An exciting review is in the works, but to tide you over until my next author-crush ramble, she's taken matters into her own hands and updated her website. 
  
• As this month is sponsored by The Count of Monte Cristo, revenge, and the letter J for January, I bring you my new fake nemesis:  Paul Scharner, professional "footballer" (soccer, Americans) and fan of the very book I have sworn to seek revenge upon!  Psshhh.  How could I NOT declare him my nemesis, with hair like this?  Paul and his dastardly football buddies are taking part in the actually highly admirable Premier League literacy drive to help English children learn to read good, and have picked their favorite children's and adult books.  In all seriousness though, I think anything to encourage literacy is high admirable.  Even if you have stupid hair and like The Count of Monte Cristo (150 pages to go before February...).  Thank you Chris for the heads up!  
  
• If you love Ezra Jack Keat's classic children's story, The Snowy Day, check out this NPR story.  I particularly love the photo series of the child that inspired the character Peter.  AND you can listen to Lavar Burton read it to you!  (Butterfly in the skkkkky...thanks to Julia for the heads up!)
  
• Enjoy this ridiculously comprehensive guide to literary tattoos over at Publisher's Weekly. 
  
• And also there, this run-down of movies based on books in the upcoming year.  I still fail to understand why Gatsby is going 3D. 
  
• Did you see Maurice Sendak, brilliant and begrudging mega-children's literature star on the Colbert Report?  (Part 1, Part 2) I would pay cash monies for a Colbert/Sendak picture book.  I especially loved the censorship campaign on the nudity in In the Night Kitchen.  If only censorship were normally that amusing!  If you're looking to get weepy, I recommend listening to the most recent Fresh Air interview with Sendak. 
  
• Annnnd finally, here is the greatest thing I've seen all day:  Disney princes do the cover of men's magazines.  I totally enjoy the related articles on the covers.  My favorite is totally this one:
  
  

Tidbits: 2 for 5 on the Printz, Panem is a pretty map?

• GUYS.  I gleefully report my excellent taste in books to you.  Since I've become lazy exclusive with my book reviews (only posting those that I love or hate), I am tickled to note that two of my favorite books of the year were named 2012 Printz Honor Books.  Plus, at work we totally just happened to have purchased a third.  2/5 personal reads and 3/5 titles at work is a darn good ratio, considering in certain years (I'm looking at you 2010) I've been rocking more of a 0/5 ratio.  But enough with me being an egomaniacal soothsayer.  The books this year either sound great, or are straight up great.   Perhaps if I ever finish Monte Cristo, I will pick up the other three!  If you want to know more about my two personal picks, here are the links to the reviews:
• The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater: The book I set out to hate but fell in love with instead.  
• Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey:  I retrospectively realize I haven't talked this one up enough, probably because I read it before leaving the country to speak Spanish for a month.  Do yourself a favor and read this gorgeous book.  Best sidekick of the year!  Same sleepy town on the brink of social changes vibes as to Kill a Mockinbird!  Hilarious and yet heartbreaking!  Get at it, team.  I like to think the Printz judges took my Printz dinner party advice...
• Look you guys, a map of Panem!  To me, it looks like the NBC Peacock and a hurricane map had a baby over North America.  Here is more about the process of creating the map.  

Dinner Train: The Count of Monte Cristo - Il Flottante

     Using my rudimentary and not at all dubious French translation skillz (honed in my undergrad years in Canada by listening to public service announcements at train stations) I knew I had a winner of a desert when flipping through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking desert section and discovering something called Il Flottante.  Loosely translated (using my aforementioned skillz), I deduced that this meant "The Floater."  Which obviously appetizingly means ISLAND.  And you know what is an island?  MONTE CRISTO.  My heart swelled two sizes when I realized it also had nothing in it to murder my allergic to dairy guests! 

     Now, I will caution you, this dish is delish.  But it is really two recipes in one, and you do need to leave yourself enough time to prepare the pralines, let them cool, and additionally to prepare your meringue, and to in turn let that cool.  It's an all day type of recipe, but well worth it.   The best way to describe it is as a French meringue flan.  A few other notes: I doubled the original praline recipe to meet the requirements of the desert.  I also did not use a souffle dish, because I don't have one, but the high sided casserole I used worked just fine.  An electric mixer, either hand or stand, is beyond necessary.  You will be beating eggs all day elsewise, and there are more fun things to beat, like, I dunno, your rugs if you are an extra in Aladdin.  Also, I do recommend pouring out the caramel and then using it as a garnish; I didn't because I thought it would end poorly for me with my notorious lack of motor skills.  I think it consequently became a bit soggy on the bottom.  Finally, good luck not sneaking bites of praline; you're a stronger person that I am! 

Il Flottante
(Translation: "The Floater")

via Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking

serves 6-8

Il Flottante, unreliably translated to mean "the floater."
Perhaps more appetizingly described as an island of flavor that melts in your mouth. 
Kind of like the opiates the Count enjoys, but sans the hallucinogens (sorry to disappoint).

Recipe(s):