Our book this month is The Husband's Secret, a novel by Liane Moriarty. This novel is set in Australia and centers around the life of Cecilia Fitzpatrick, a mother and wife, who finds an envelope that is not to be opened until her husband's death. However, when Cecilia finds the letter her husband is still alive..... This book is a fun and interesting read that will keep you reading until the last page.
My look incorporated a white blouse, leather skirt and leopard print flats with dark sunglasses to mimic the intrigue and mystery of the book. I love this envelope shaped mint clutch from J Crew, and I used it in the shoot to create a pop of color as well as the look of opening an envelope. See more of our looks on our blog Looks by Lovelies.
Food, Comida, Cibo, Nourriture, Futter, Pagkain, Kostin... so many different ways to label food. Whatever you call it, I have a passion for it, and I am honored to be your Delicious Reads food contributor.
I am Chanel, a mommy to FOUR boys, an admirer to my husband, a lover of travel, an avid reader, and a critic of food. Good food makes me SWOON! I "try" (keyword try) to always feed my family food that is healthy, made from scratch, organic, and local. But, we all know how unrealistic that goal is. I am the first to admit that I will cut corners, which is more often than I would like to confess. About three years ago I learned that one of my favorite restaurants was offering monthly cooking classes. Without hesitation, I quickly signed up. (Shout out to COMMUNAL!) I loved that their chefs prepared the food properly, their menu changed seasonally, and they used fresh ingredients from local farms. After one year of instruction, I began to dreaming up recipes instead of counting sheep, it's all I could think about, and I knew that I needed more. During my last class, I inquired to my cooking instructor what my options were to further my skills, yet still work around my desire to be a stay-at-home mother. The result was this, I hired a nanny one-day-a-week to become an intern at their sister restaurant, P712. After 7 months of learning proper cooking technique, practicing my knife skills (I still managed to stab my finger, and slice off the tip of my thumbnail, which did not end up in the food, Phew!) I noticed a HUGE improvement in my cooking. Just ask my husband. It was well worth the time and money. I then became pregnant with #4 and the smell and taste of food became deplorable. I retired my internship at the pizzaria, took a MAJOR food hiatus, and had a baby. Thankfully, I am now back in the kitchen, back to cooking classes, and sharing some of my knowledge on this blog.
First things first, a well stocked kitchen is so important when cooking! Can I tell you the two most important items in my kitchen? A high quality chef's knife, and good salt. Please don't use my recipes with table salt. It will not give you the same result. That is my advice for my first post. Good Knife + Good Salt = Better Cooking.
This month’s book club book,The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty, is set in Australia. What is more Australian that a BBQ? (Well, besides Vegemite, yuck!) I have your perfect side dish to go with your next outdoor family shindig. A healthy and delicious quinoa and spinach salad!
Let's get started!!!
Quinoa can be cooked in a rice cooker, or in a pot on the stove. Combine dry quinoa with water and salt. In this recipe I did half red quinoa and half white quinoa, but it really doesn’t matter what kind and combination you use. It cooks similar to how rice would, in water and salt until all of the water has been absorbed. It only takes about 15-20 minutes over medium heat to cook on the stove. Fluff with a fork. Super fast and easy.
While the quinoa is cooking, I roast my red pepper. This is my favorite way to roast a red pepper. You can do this on a gas range or in a BBQ grill. The key is to char the entire outside of the pepper. Then I place the burnt pepper immediately into a sealed Ziploc bag for 15 minutes. This allows the pepper to steam and this also makes the skin easy to peel off. Dice this into small pieces.
Roast the pine nuts.
The rest of the recipe is just assembling the other salad ingredients while the hot ingredients cool.
This simple lemon vinaigrette is a staple in my house. We put it on almost every salad, making some minor adjustments depending on the dish.
First, combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Using a Microplane or a zester, zest the lemon (be sure to NOT remove the pith, or white rind, with your zester), add the zest and juice of the lemon to the vinegar mixture. Shake and allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes. Then stir in the oil. Doing this allows your vinegar to take on all of the flavors evenly, and the oil is toning all of the flavors so it isn’t too strong.
*If you want a stronger taste of vinegar in your dressing, then add less oil (like 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup).
In a large bowl, gently fold in the veggies, herbs, spinach, cheese, and pine nuts to the quinoa. For this salad, start with only adding 1/4 of the vinaigrette, taste and then add a bit more dressing until it is to your liking. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Viola!
Here's how it looks all dished up!
I paired this recipe up with overnight brined BBQ chicken and homemade pita bread. Feel free to leave me any questions in the comments section.
Summer Quinoa Spinach Salad
By Chanel Watts
Serves: 8-10 people Time: 45 min.
For the Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water
1 tsp kosher salt
For the Salad:
Bunch of spinach, thinly sliced
2 Handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, cut in half and sliced
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1/2 cup roasted pine nuts
1 cup feta cheese
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
For the Dressing:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey or sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup olive oil
Directions:
Rinse quinoa, and then place in a saucepan over the stove top with water and salt (or cook in a rice cooker). Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to med-low. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then fluff with a fork. Let cool in serving bowl, stirring occasionally. While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the veggies and toppings. Set aside. Combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, zest and juice of lemon, salt, and pepper. Shake vinegar mixture and allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes, and then stir in the oil. In the bowl holding the cooled quinoa, gently fold in the veggies, herbs, spinach, cheese, and pine nuts. Start with only adding 1/4 of the vinaigrette, taste, and then add a bit more until it is to your liking. If needed, season with more salt and pepper.
... and that folks is this month’s Delicious Dish!
Love, Chanel
Oh, and I almost forgot. What are some of your favorite food blogs? I am on the lookout for some new ones, please comment below!
Happy Memorial Day! Today we honor all those who have served or are currently serving for our county and freedom. Today especially, we send you and your families our sincere gratitude.
At Delicious Reads we've read some amazing and inspiring books over the years (2013 Picks, 2012 Picks, 2011 Picks, 2010 Picks, 2009 Picks). Many of these books explore various perspectives of people who have fought for their beliefs. Today I'd like to highlight four of them.
One of my all-time favorite books--and I've read a ton--is Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand.
"Unbroken"is the epic story of WWII hero and survivor, Louis Zamperini (mild spoiler alert for the rest of the paragraph). As a young man Louis competed in the Berlin Olympics right before WWII broke out. He served as a bombardier until his plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean where his resilient spirit and positive attitude fueled his fight to survive. After an unimaginable 47 days, Louis made it to shore and was immediately captured as a POW by the Japanese Navy. He endured unthinkable atrocities, specifically at the hand of one of Douglas MacArthur's 40 Most Wanted War Criminals, a man known as The Bird. Louis Zamperini's attitude about everything he went through is one of the most courageous and inspiring things I've ever come across.
"Unbroken"is mesmerizing, humbling and life-changing. Everyone should read this book. It will make you see the world differently.
I'm so excited that Unbroken is being turned into a movie scheduled for release at the end of the 2014! Angelina Jolie is directing the Coen Brother's adaptation of the book. Tom Brokaw sat down with Angelina and Louis last month to discuss:
Another book we read this year also took place during WWII and was just released as a major motion picture. "Monument's Men," by Robert M. Edsel is the story of special forces chosen to locate, protect and preserve cultural artifacts during WWII. This story focuses on six men and their quest to preserve artwork from the Nazis.
Last year I moderated our discussion of a book that became very dear to me, "Between Shades of Gray," by Ruta Sepetes (not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Grey)...
This book is an amazing story about a brave Lithuanian girl named Lina. She and her mother and brother are separated from her father and forced under Stalin's orders to work in the coldest camp in Siberia. Lina documents their harrowing 6500 mile journey with secret artwork that she tries smuggle to her father's camp to let him know they are still alive. The book is based on the experiences of the author's family which made it even more chilling.
The Book Thief has a very different twist of perspective--it is narrated by Death. It's the story of a young foster girl named Liesel in Nazi Germany who decides to steal books as part of her quest. She shares these books with the Jewish man who is hiding in her basement. It's a captivating and touching story that will leave its mark on your heart. It has also been made into a major motion picture:
To all those who have served or are currently serving in the military and their families--a sincere thank you. Thank you for being so courageous and nobel. We honor and remember you today.
We all love books and stories that take us away to new worlds or introduce us to characters that become our friends. These characters and stories often envelop our thoughts long after we finish a novel. Sometimes, even years after reading a book, part of the story will come back to us and we'll smile because once you read a book, it becomes part of your story.
I've always thought that the authors behind these amazing books are superheroes with crazy creativity superpowers. Who are these people? And how do they come us with this stuff? Butterbeer. Clockwork angels. Ingesting metals and using their powers. Wings that look like petals. A game where the winner is the only one that survives. A playing card that give you a message. Death as a narrator. Who knew?
Welcome to our new series, AUTHOR STALKER, where I (Delicious Reads Contributor, Robin) meet our favorite authors face-to-face, learn behind-the-scenes info on how their story came to be, and get to know them beyond their superhero writing skills.
What do you get when you cross fairy tales and science fiction? You get the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. This amazing author of Cinder, Scarlet, and newly released Cress is one we need to keep an eye on.
Photo Source
Marissa Meyer, with a streak of red in her dark hair (see below), recently came to the Orem, Utah Barnes & Noble and I got to see first hand how she comes up with her stories. Her inspiration for Cinder (picture an android Cinderella racing from the ball and losing her foot instead of her glass slipper) came when she entered a contest that asked her to pick two prompts from a list of ten and write a short story. Marissa chose to write a story that was 1.) set in the future and 2.) had a fairy-tale character. Her story was a sci-fi version of Puss in Boots. Ironically, out of only two entries in the contest (hers and one other), she lost. But soon after, the idea for Cinder was born.
Marissa Meyer (front) at her Book Signing of Cress in Orem 2014 with Robin (Me), Kelly, Kellie, Jennifer, and Julia
Another thing I learned about Marissa is that she doesn't just write stories, she tells them too! I recorded her telling a gruesome version of Little Red Riding Hood.
And flashback to two years ago when Marissa Meyer came to Utah on the Fierce Reads Tour 2012, I still remember hearing the excitement in Marissa's voice as she discussed Cinder, her first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. I may have been bias because I won a copy of the book there, but after hearing all the authors speak, Cinder was the book I wanted to read most.
Delicious Reads Members at Fierce Reads Book Tour 2012 with
Authors Emmy Laybourne, Anna Banks, Libba Bray, Leigh Bardugo, Marissa Meyer (far right)
Marissa's next book in the Lunar Chronicles series will be called Winter. Now that we have met the sci-fi versions of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, Winter will introduce us to Snow White. Anyone have any guesses on how Marissa will bring her into the story and who the seven dwarfs will be?
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Walt Disney: An American Original
AUTHOR: Bob Thomas
PUBLISHER: Disney Editions
NUMBER OF PAGES: 384
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1994
GENRE: Biography
BOOK SUMMARY: A biography of the American legend, Walt Disney, chronicling the failures, successes, relationships and experiences that shaped this fascinating man.
Star Review: 3.7 /5 Stars
Angie, who moderated this book club meeting, came up with a fun way to discuss this book. She divided up the group into 4 groups, by giving each book club member a pair of "Mickey ear" clips themed to a certain land in Disneyland - Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, or Tomorrowland.
Each group was given a time period of Walt's life, and were asked to come up with some discussion questions/topics for the whole group to discuss. Then we all got back together and went through the questions.
The first group was given the time period of Walt's childhood and earlier years. One thing that we discussed
was his relationship with his father, Elias Disney. His father was a very strict and stern man, who made his children work very hard, and did not shy away from corporal punishment. Was he abusive, or is part of our perception of him due to generational differences? What impact did his father have on how Walt would deal with things later in his life? They both had to deal with a large amount of failures, but they did so in different ways.
The second group was given "the war years" - what happened to Walt and his studio during WWII. In 1941 Walt received a call telling him that 500 army soldiers would be moving into his new studio building, and that they needed to remove the film equipment to make room to install gear for repairing trucks and anti-aircraft guns. They stored ammunition in the employee parking sheds. About 1/3 of Walt's artists were drafted into the war. The studio made many instructional cartoons for the government, as well as designing more than 1,400 military insignia. The studio lost a lot of money on the government work that they did, and got even deeper into debt. The interesting thing to discuss was Walt's attitude toward all of this. He is quoted as saying "I had to do it. Those kids grew up on Mickey Mouse. I owed it to 'em." He had a surprisingly good attitude toward it, and wanted to do his part to help the country.
The third group was given Walt's adult years. We had an interesting discussion on the relationship between Walt and his brother Roy. They were very different - Walt was the creative dreamer, and Roy was often the one who dealt with the practical issues, and helped keep the company running. They often had disagreements about things, but were also quick to forgive, which is something we really admired about them. Some members said they wished that the book had been able to include more about Walt's family life.
The last group was given the topic of Walt's legacy. We discussed what we thought Walt would think of the company now - including the Disney Channel, the theme parks, cost of food at the parks, the direction of the animation department, Pixar, commercialization, straight to video sequels, etc. Of course it is a mixed bag, but we did think he would love the attention to detail and storytelling that Pixar brought back into the movies. We also went around the room, and everyone shared their favorite Disney movie, and told of a way that Disney impacted their childhood or adult life. It was really fun to hear about funny childhood memories, Disney park engagements, and to realize what a large impact Walt Disney has had on us all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
We were sad to learn that Bob Thomas died very recently, just in March of this year. He was an American Hollywood film industry reporter and biographer. He covered a record 66 Oscar ceremonies as a reporter, and interviewed many of the industry's biggest stars. He was the author of nearly 3 dozen books, including biographies of Walt Disney, Abbott and Costello, Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn,Joan Crawford, Marlon Brando and Liberace, among others.
Let's continue with our Disney book club meeting by learning a little more about Walt shall we?
DID YOU KNOW...
That Walt was the original voice behind Mickey Mouse?
While mostly known for his skills as an animator, director and producer, Disney also tried his hand at voice acting. From Mickey’s inception in 1928, all the way to 1947, the mouse’s voice was provided by Disney before being turned over to English voice actor Jimmy MacDonald. Disney loved the character so much that he returned to the studio in 1955 to voice Mickey Mouse shorts for his company’s television show The Mickey Mouse Club.
Getting ready to discuss the book
Our members love any excuse to dress up and take photos so we set up a simple iPhone photo booth and props table to make everyone's selfie dreams come true! ;)
Angie was the PERFECT Snow White, she even had the dreamy fairytale princess look down!
Enjoy scrolling through some of our members photos and giggling along with us.
We tried to recreate how we felt when we saw Disneyland for the first time!
#nailedit
Angie handed out folded pieces of paper to everyone in the room and told us that she'd handmade four sets of adorable mickey ears, one for each land at Disney (Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland), and that the four random winners would each get a pair to wear and take home.
Once all the papers we handed out we were told we could all open them to see who had won.
What happened next was priceless.
As each person opened their papers, people started yelling out with excited voices, "I WON, I WON!"
We quickly started to notice that there were more far more than four winners and that's right when Angie stood up and declared in grand "Oprah fashion,"
"YOU get a pair and YOU get a pair..." to each person in the room!
EVERYONE won a pair of the special Mickey ears!!
You can see Kitch modeling a pair of Adventureland ears below.
After each of us got our ears and put them on, we broke up into our different lands and were asked to each come up with 2-3 discussion questions based on different times of Walt's life.
Our group got the time of Walt's life that occurred during WWII.
DID YOU KNOW:
Not only did a young Disney attempt to help America on the field of battle, but he also helped several federal agencies throughout his career with animation. He created training films for the US military, propaganda films urging Americans to pay their taxes, and multiple anti-Hitler shorts meant to boost US morale at home. Disney also helped the State Department improve relations with South America by making a 1941 goodwill tour (featuring a specially made movie entitled Saludos Amigos), and later aided NASA by developing documentaries about the space program.
Walt received more Academy Awards and nominations than any other person in history!
Between 1932 and 1969, Disney won 22 Academy Awards and was nominated 59 times. Included amongst this trove of Oscars are three awards created specifically for him — one for creating Mickey Mouse, another recognizing his contribution of music in the field of animation, and a specially made prize honoring Snow White and the Seven Dwarves that featured a traditional statuette, and seven miniature versions alongside of it.
After our lengthy discussion (because let's face it, who wouldn't want to talk about all things Disney related for hours?) Angie had one more surprise for us...
...A special toast to Walt.
"If visitors came to lunch, they were ushered into Walt's conference room at noon. He served them an aperitif of V-8 juice which surprised some of his international guests who expected something stronger. Walt's secretary often warned visitors that if Walt offered them a glass of "tomato juice" they had best accept it."
Angie with our V8 tomato juice shots for our special toast to Walt
Angie thanked Walt for his vision, his determination to follow his dreams and for being a kid at heart which has allowed millions of people around the world to do the same. Each of us raised our glasses to Walt and recalled our memories of Disneyland or our favorite Disney movie.
Thank you Walt for giving us all memories to last a lifetime and for a lifetime of memories for generations to come.
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.JPG "Snow white, mickey mouse, bambie, Minnie mouse, dumbo")
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