Recipe 25: Two Corn Grits

When one is drowning in corn and okra at the height of corn and okra season, one does not hesitate when one invites one's little siblings over for a Bon Appetit recipe dinner of New Orleans Shrimp, Okra, and Tomato Saute.  (And no, the Queen's fake twitter account is not writing this post, but hey girl hey, let's be friends?)  SO I DID.  And the little turds complained their way through the meal, which I thought was perfectly delish, and believe you will too.

New Orleans Shrimp, Okra, and Tomato Saute with
Two Corn Grits and a dose of sibling shame.

Goldibrownlocks and Brother Bear whined about spice.  They whined about it being shrimp.  They wined about dinner being served hot.  They dined, and they dashed.  I'm not going to pretend like it was a hugely time consuming meal to prepare, but it was hot, and I was bothered! (Clearly...) I, however, truly enjoyed this meal, and think you will find the grits recipe a great way to rid yourself creatively of some ears of corn when you hit the "I am sick of corn on the cob" wall I was reaching, six ears of corn in one week later.  Also, it is TRES easy, as they say in the Big Easy.  So, though it is a month late, enjoy (you can easily use frozen corn instead of fresh). 

Two Corn Grits
(adapted from Glorious Grits: America's Favorite Comfort Food, published by - you guessed it - Southern Living!)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter (if salted, taste before adding more later)

2 medium ears of corn (or 1 1/2 cups frozen, thawed kernels)

3 cups water

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup stone-ground grits

2 Tbsp scallions/green onions

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions
1.  Melt butter in your small Le Creuset/Dutch Oven over medium, stirring to coat the pot.
2.  Add corn to the pot, and saute for approximately two to three minutes; just saute, don't brown it.  Remove from the pot and set aside.
3.  Add water and salt to pot, and bring to a boil.
4.  Whisk in your grits, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Occasionally whisk to prevent clumps and burning on the bottom, as you simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the grits begin to thicken and grow softer.  You may need to add more water!
5.  Stir in corn and scallions, season with sugar, pepper, and any additional salt if you think it needs some.
6.  Serve under some spicy Cajun food and watch your whimpy siblings sweat, eventually make a disgrace of a peanut butter sandwich because they can't handle grown up food.

I think it only fitting to include this shameful image of Brother Bear making a peanut butter sandwich. With a spoon.   Which was obviously a better choice than the image at the top of the page.  If you are six. 

Shame sandwich.

Case of the Terribles: Library Toilet Paper Goes Corporate

Man, public library funds are really in the toilet at the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library in New York, where they will soon be selling advertising space...on toilet paper.  

I think the moral of the story here is that if you're going to go and...you know...at the library, pay some taxes so that they can buy you TP without car crash lawyer ads staring at you while you're...you know. 
Even if it is a soy based ink. 

Boy 21, by Matthew Quick: Spaceball

Boy 21
by Matthew Quick
Little, Brown and Company: Boston, 2012.
ISBN: 978-0-316-12797-4

Basketball is more than a sport to introverted Finley and his girlfriend Erin.  It has always provided an escape from their racially segregated and mafia ruled Philadelphia neighborhood, and the hardships in their daily lives.  When Finn's coach asks him for his help and discretion with a new student arriving for their senior year, Finn doesn't hesitate.  Boy 21, as the new kid is calling himself, believes he is an alien.  He arrives under sad circumstances, so traumatized that the former basketball prodigy can now no longer even pick up a basketball.  Despite the threat that Boy 21 poses to his starting point guard position, the boys are drawn to each other; Finn also knows about terrible truths you can't bear to voice.  This mesmerizing novel is much more than a simple sports story.  Compelling characters face their personal demons and find strength in friendship to heal and move forward.  The dialogue is excellent and the description rich.  This novel is a coup d'etat by Quick: reluctant male teenage readers will rip through this smart and well written novel before they can put it down.  Strongly recommended for libraries serving teens grades 9-12, but younger readers looking to read up may enjoy it as well. 

Book Talk Hook: The beginning of chapter 9, plus a brief summary, or some choice Boy 21 moments (some listed below)...I am so excited to add this one to my book talk stable!

Liar and Spy, by Rebecca Stead: Is one who spies and lies a spiar?

Liar and Spy
by Rebecca Stead
Wendy Lamb Books (Random House), 2012

ISBN:

9780385737432

Review Copy from NetGalley

Seventh grade is shaping up to be a difficult year for Georges (pronounced George).  After his architect father loses his job, he and his parents must sell their house and move to a nearby apartment in Brooklyn.  His mom is absent a lot, working double shifts as a nurse.  These are things Georges understands, but doesn't like.  He's also saddened that his former best friend has grown apart and now sits at the cool table without him, and frustrated to find himself being bullied at school.  Things start looking up when the move provides Georges with a new opportunity: someone has posted a sign in the building basement for a meeting of something called The Spy Club.  He meets outgoing fourth-grade home-schooled candy addict, Candy, and her furtive, dog-walking twelve year-old brother, Safer.  As Safer takes Georges under his and begins to indoctrinate him into the world of in-building espionage, a friendship begins to develop.   Soon, they are on the hunt to find the truth about a mysterious, suitcase toting man who wears only black.  This story about truth, friendship, and confidence is as simple and realistic as it is heartening.  While there are some difficult life events covered and revealed in the surprise ending (financial trouble, betrayal, bullying, and coping with sick parents), all are well addressed by the characters.  It is strongly recommended for school and public libraries serving students grades 4-7. 

I really enjoyed reading this (despite my NetGalley copy at times being formatted in size four font - what's up with that?); it's been a while since I've picked up a chapter book primarily housed in the Children's Department of your local library/bookstore.  If you haven't read Rebecca Stead's extraordinary When You Reach Me,  you should rectify that immediately.  Liar and Spy is another wonderful example of something I noticed about Stead's writing while reading the previous title, other than that I enjoyed them both.  Stead never ever talks down to her readers (who are presumably largely comprised of kids aged 9-13), nor does she dumb down difficult life problems that other writers gloss over for a similar audience.  She treats them and her child characters with the same respect as she does adults.  Stead writes wonderfully normal kids, who experience the same sadness, frustration, excitement, and life challenges as her readers, and she does it in a way that refrains from preaching.  Keep it up, Rebecca Stead!

Dinner Train Book Club: Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

One book, two beers, two menus, and one hand model.

It's time for confessions! 
1)  I read this book in April.  I know I enjoyed it, I know it moved me, I know I thought it was a stunningly crafted book, and I know I honestly can't quite remember much of my other thoughts about it, a fact exacerbated by confession number two. 
2)  I read it in the midst of training for a half marathon, which meant I had no desire to stand and cook anything after running for two hours.  I also knew that this book was sufficiently depressing so as to not want to make any sort of cheeky, cute, or quirky German sounding dish.  SO I CHEATED.  I treated my fellow book clubber, aka, the one and only PopTart, to some good old fashioned German-style tidbits and brewskis at Jacob Wirth's, a Euro-pub that has been a Boston establishment since 1868.  Fun fact: my grandfather, who worked in a POW camp for German soldiers in New Hampshire somewhere, used to frequent Jacob Wirth's during his med school days.  But I digress.  I normally have pretty good recall for conversations and the interesting tidbits that surface.  However, someone mismapped her training run the morning of book club, which wound up being a full half instead of the scheduled training ten miles.  This mean that one beer became the equivalent of many, despite the brats and schnitzel.  Consequently, the conversation details are...fuzzy.  Self high-five. 
3)  While I'm baring my soul, I'll also take the opportunity to confess something truly naughty: I gave up on Moby Dick for July without even looking at it, and I don't even feel bad about it in the slightest.  I've read a ton of stuff I enjoyed, instead of slogging through one million pages of a crazy dude chasing a whale that obvi doesn't want to be caught because he's heard of the term blubber, and who can blame him?  In short, it was an informed decision to break my New Years Resolve!

Confession time over.  I will now attempt to briefly summarize the few things I remember about Slaughterhouse-Five, but will leave the actual summary to others, because hello, there are nothing BUT summaries of this book all over the internet (here is one, here is another, here is one for you high school and college cheaters out there).  Reflections, followed by food all the way at the bottom: