By Its Cover is a series of posts wherein I read a book based solely on my love of the cover. No reading the jacket, no checking reviews! Based on the true story of Judge Joseph Crater, a New York Supreme Court judge who one summer night in 1930 gets into a cab and is never seen again. At the time his disappearance created a media firestorm and to this day, nobody knows what happened to him. In Ariel Lawhon’s book Crater’s story belongs to his wife Stella, their maid Maria and Ritzi, Crater’s rumoured showgirl mistress, all of whom have…
Pudding&Mess Posts
It’s a perfect time right now to make this delicious homemade Italian liqueur. It requires several weeks of sitting in a dark cupboard at which point the last remaining drab, wet days of spring should have walked out the door, kindly leaving it open so the warm summer air can waft right in. Limoncello weather. It’s ridiculously easy to make although you will need to purchase a large jar of some kind if you don’t already have one. I purchased a gallon size Mason ball jar for $20 from World Market which was the perfect size. You’ll also need 15…
Assuming you paid attention in history class, you’ll be aware of the shared (albeit rather ugly) past of England and Australia. There are lingering similarities between the two cultures, certain words for example or a whiff of a biting humour. There are differences too, of course, the main one being the weather. Yep, the Aussies definitely got the better deal there. They’ve been coming out with some really great TV shows, too. Here are three of my favourites. ~Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries This may be set in 1920’s Melbourne but Miss Phryne Fisher cares not a jot for the social…
Sweet and sticky caramelised onions are a flavor workhorse, lending a mighty punch to anything you add them to. Toss them into salads, frittatas, pastas, quiches, you name it. Caramelised onions are a perfect example of cooking alchemy and just like regular onions which have the grace and freedom to move in all sorts of circles, caramelised onions are also happy to mingle with a variety of ingredients, ratcheting up flavours a notch or two. If you cook up a batch at the weekend you can have them hanging around for anything that might be in need of just a…
~Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders I imagined this to be a long dense novel, one which I would have to slog my way through while convincing myself I was enjoying it. So I was a little surprised to find it to be a mere 330 pages or so, many of which have very little in the way of writing on them, which makes it a surprisingly quick read for such a literary novel. It is breathtakingly original and while — strange — once you get into it, it is both poignant and wildly funny. I love books which take a…
The world of American TV and film is very different to its British counterpart. Popular American soaps revolve around the glamour of the rich and powerful. Even dramas geared for the teen and pre-teen crowd are awash in affluent kids with deep pockets…and seemingly deeper wardrobes. Based on the never ending parade of expensive outfits dressing stunningly gorgeous girls, these wardrobes must surely have, a Narnia-style hidden door in the back that leads into a department store. If, on the other hand, you’ve spent any time with British TV you will be familiar with the fact that it can be…
~Inspector Morse If ever there was an icon in the annals of British mysteries, it would be Inspector Morse. It has been almost three decades since the late, great John Thaw brought this character to life and in the process created someone beloved enough to create not one but two spin off shows. Gone, but most definitely not forgotten. Inspector Morse is nothing if not a crotchety old bugger. He’s low on patience and high on scorn, has a penchant for classic cars and crosswords and can’t stand the sight of blood — which makes things a touch awkward come murder scene…
Mirepoix is a fancy French word for a rather humble mixture of carrots, celery and onion. Like chicken stock, it’s a great thing to have on hand as it serves as the foundation for a myriad of soups and stews. I often cut up lots in one go and then freeze it in containers. When I’m ready to make soup, I can pull out a container of mirepoix, one of chicken stock and I’m halfway to dinner with very little on-the-day effort. There is one issue with freezing it. When you thaw it out it will give off a lot…
I stumbled upon this Penguin Random House post recently, lured in of course, by the desire to see if their list in any way echoes my own. Not that I have a real, written down list of such books, but there is one floating endlessly around in my head. I’ll be adding these books to this list. ++War and Peace Leo Tolstoy Ah, yes, War and Peace. Surely this book wears the crown as the classic book that everyone has been meaning to read. The granddaddy of the must-read nobility. How many people floating around in the universe have had…
By Its Cover is a series of posts wherein I read a book based solely on my love of the cover. No reading the jacket, no checking reviews! Just look at that cover. It cracks me up every time I see it. If those boys aren’t English then I’m the Queen of Sheba! I found this book in a used bookstore drawn instantly by those rascally faces and the title that seemed so appropriate. This just had to be a novel set in England. And indeed it is — Birmingham of the 1970’s. It is framed by opening and closing pages…