Mollie says she thinks she has made this pate "more than any other recipe in the book." If so, she and I have quite different ideas of what is a success. This was definitely not something I would make again. It is something one would make and serve for a party. I am glad I didn't do that at any of my many soirees...
For the recipe, I mixed cream cheese, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, a bit of minced onion, ground almonds and walnuts, lime juice, mustard, a bit of melted butter, dill, salt and pepper, baked it and then the idea was to garnish the whole thing, after extracting it from the loaf pan. Says Mollie, "The pate should emerge in one piece. If it breaks, you can easily mold it back together." I knew right then after reading this that it wouldn't unmold nicely and it didn't.
The garnish base is bland ricotta cheese spread all over the crumbly unstable load, after which one plays with nuts, olives radishes, cucumber slices and parsley to make it decorative (I guess). I admit I didn't do that since I hadn't made it for a group. Perhaps it might have been a bit more festive-looking at least. Mine looked like a salmon loaf, had only a mild, boring taste and it crumbled easily. I finally mixed the ricotta into the whole de-loafed shebang and tried a couple more times trying to convince myself it wasn't too bad. And it wasn't, but it wasn't that good either. I took some to the Wetzels and we never even tried it up there. I eventually threw too much in the garbage. I hate to do this, but....
So it goes when one is cooking one's way through a cookbook.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Least Sandpipers
Maria and I went to Ludington last Sunday and stopped by the best birding spot for shorebirds in that area, this being the sewage treatment plant. It actually isn't as bad as it sounds as the two lagoons are relatively odor-free (not so for the Muskegon Wastewater ponds). There are two ponds-lagoons in Ludington and also a lovely natural marsh just to the west.
We walked around the west lagoon and saw a few immature palm warblers and dozens of barn and tree swallows and thought that was it until we started back down the center dike which divided the two ponds. But then we noticed Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and got good looks at them as they leisurely poked about, their long, long yellow legs highlighted by the eastern sun. They didn't spook and were very cooperative. We did agonize some over which Yellowlegs they were, but finally decided we saw both. Still, this isn't as easy as it seems. Slowly, slowly, after hours in the field and hours perusing various field guides, one gets better. The bill of the Greater can be ever so slightly upturned, and we saw that on a couple of them. These are good-sized shorebirds and easier both to see and sort out than the smaller sandpipers, a group of shorebirds that the field guides call "peeps" and which belong to the genus Calidris.
Many shorebirds migrate through the middle of the continent this time of year from their breeding grounds in far northern Canada to their wintering grounds in the southern US or South America. So there is a window of time to see them as they migrate when they stop to feed and rest. Still, in September the peeps are in fall adult, juvenile or molting plumages which generally means they are all brownish-grey on top and whitish-brown below, similar in size and bill length, with about six to eight different species possible in Michigan. They all probe for food at the water's edge. Of course, as one becomes a more skilled birder, separating them out and identifying them becomes easier. At Muskegon, they spook if one approaches too closely.
BUT, at Ludington, they seemed not to mind human proximity, and we got excellent close-up views of the Least Sandpiper which happens to be the only small peep to NOT have black legs. We easily saw yellowish-green legs, and therefore could positively ID these birds as Least Sandpipers. We were able to slowly walk right on by a couple of them, at a distance of perhaps 6 feet. It is always a thrill to see a bird so well and so easily. The sky was blue with large white clouds; there was a cool breeze with just enough warmth from the sun and no annoying bugs (which is often an issue at Muskegon). A nice day to be outside looking for birds.
We also saw a Solitary Sandpiper, not quite so close, but good enough to see its eye-ring. As, as it flew off, Maria spotted the very distinctly black and white barred outer tail-feathers. Perfect!
Back home at their lake later that day and the next morning, we saw a Bald Eagle and Great Blue Heron, both flying about the lake. And, with a noisy clattering as it flew to the suet feeder, a Pileated Woodpecker showed up periodically. This bird is always amazing to see: it has an all-black back with broad shoulders, a ridiculously skinny neck and a showy head with the sides (cheeks) striped black and white, and with a bright red crest-crown. As the bird would maneuver on the tree, the early morning sun lit the red crest so that it almost seemed to glow! This bird is nearly twice the size of bluejays and the other woodpeckers so generally other birds do not approach too closely while the Pileateds feed. They do begin vocalizing though if the Pileateds take too long. Maria and Richard have a perfect setup for observing bird behavior, in addition, of course, to the simple pleasures of watching so many species come and go from their several feeders.
We walked around the west lagoon and saw a few immature palm warblers and dozens of barn and tree swallows and thought that was it until we started back down the center dike which divided the two ponds. But then we noticed Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and got good looks at them as they leisurely poked about, their long, long yellow legs highlighted by the eastern sun. They didn't spook and were very cooperative. We did agonize some over which Yellowlegs they were, but finally decided we saw both. Still, this isn't as easy as it seems. Slowly, slowly, after hours in the field and hours perusing various field guides, one gets better. The bill of the Greater can be ever so slightly upturned, and we saw that on a couple of them. These are good-sized shorebirds and easier both to see and sort out than the smaller sandpipers, a group of shorebirds that the field guides call "peeps" and which belong to the genus Calidris.
Many shorebirds migrate through the middle of the continent this time of year from their breeding grounds in far northern Canada to their wintering grounds in the southern US or South America. So there is a window of time to see them as they migrate when they stop to feed and rest. Still, in September the peeps are in fall adult, juvenile or molting plumages which generally means they are all brownish-grey on top and whitish-brown below, similar in size and bill length, with about six to eight different species possible in Michigan. They all probe for food at the water's edge. Of course, as one becomes a more skilled birder, separating them out and identifying them becomes easier. At Muskegon, they spook if one approaches too closely.
BUT, at Ludington, they seemed not to mind human proximity, and we got excellent close-up views of the Least Sandpiper which happens to be the only small peep to NOT have black legs. We easily saw yellowish-green legs, and therefore could positively ID these birds as Least Sandpipers. We were able to slowly walk right on by a couple of them, at a distance of perhaps 6 feet. It is always a thrill to see a bird so well and so easily. The sky was blue with large white clouds; there was a cool breeze with just enough warmth from the sun and no annoying bugs (which is often an issue at Muskegon). A nice day to be outside looking for birds.
We also saw a Solitary Sandpiper, not quite so close, but good enough to see its eye-ring. As, as it flew off, Maria spotted the very distinctly black and white barred outer tail-feathers. Perfect!
Back home at their lake later that day and the next morning, we saw a Bald Eagle and Great Blue Heron, both flying about the lake. And, with a noisy clattering as it flew to the suet feeder, a Pileated Woodpecker showed up periodically. This bird is always amazing to see: it has an all-black back with broad shoulders, a ridiculously skinny neck and a showy head with the sides (cheeks) striped black and white, and with a bright red crest-crown. As the bird would maneuver on the tree, the early morning sun lit the red crest so that it almost seemed to glow! This bird is nearly twice the size of bluejays and the other woodpeckers so generally other birds do not approach too closely while the Pileateds feed. They do begin vocalizing though if the Pileateds take too long. Maria and Richard have a perfect setup for observing bird behavior, in addition, of course, to the simple pleasures of watching so many species come and go from their several feeders.
Tree Swallows
Swallows can drive birders crazy but occasionally they do sit still and not swoop madly about. I stopped by the Muskegon Wastewater last Friday on my way to Townsend and discovered (I have no idea WHY) hundreds and hundreds of tree swallows hanging out in the middle of the road north of the east lagoon. Hundreds. I drove slowly and they would fly out of harm's way but only at the last minute. The "white tertial tips" of fall adults and juveniles were very evident.
A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei
A wonderful multigenerational novel: Three ABCs (American Born Chinese) sisters travel to China with their Mother, their aunt and their grandmother. They are not especially close to one another. The trip is an impulsive gesture and a gift from their Mother, who is the only one who really wishes to spend time with all of them. They go, but reluctantly, and their daily routines and relationships are briefly interrupted. The separate stories of all the women are told as they make their way to and through the "must sees" on a 2-week guided tour of China. It is a fluent novel and the characters are separate individuals, but also bound by history and genetics and an unpracticed, unspoken love.
I found it interesting that it seems anyone who is not white in America is perceived as not really belonging here, including these Asian girls who never lived in China and were born in America. There are so many new books currently being written by non-white authors. While these novels are often sobering, they also educate and enlighten us with their tales of very different lives in countries far removed from North America.
The author was born in New York and is a public school teacher. This is her first novel.
I found it interesting that it seems anyone who is not white in America is perceived as not really belonging here, including these Asian girls who never lived in China and were born in America. There are so many new books currently being written by non-white authors. While these novels are often sobering, they also educate and enlighten us with their tales of very different lives in countries far removed from North America.
The author was born in New York and is a public school teacher. This is her first novel.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Safe From the Neighbors by Steve Yarbrough
Luke May is the main character in this novel. He has a wife and twin daughters. The family lives in a small town in Mississippi where Luke is a high-school history teacher. As the novel begins, his daughters have just entered Ole Miss as freshmen. The threads of the story are events occurring in the present time and events which happened in the the early 60s, especially 1962, when James Meredith becomes the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in Oxford, Mississippi.
Luke's father was a somewhat reluctant racist, probably not uncommon in that time and place. His father's good friend and their neighbor was a man named Arlan. However, Arlan was more affluent, he had a sexy extroverted wife, and this friendship becomes complicated as sexual and racial tensions increase. Luke grows up not understanding much of what is going on, but begins to seriously question his father's involvement in the murder of Arlan's wife and his father's role in the riots surrounding James Meredith's enrollment when Arlan's daughter moves back to fill in as a French teacher in the school where Luke teaches. Luke's parents are still alive, although his Mother has Alzheimer's.
While this is a novel with the common modern themes of love and sex and angst of aging, the author also writes of the racial turbulence of the 60s, a theme that is currently being reprised, IMO, as the proposed site of a mosque in Manhattan is being vehemently and viciously opposed. I like the way some writers of fiction place their stories on a broader historical canvas, as does this author.
Luke's father was a somewhat reluctant racist, probably not uncommon in that time and place. His father's good friend and their neighbor was a man named Arlan. However, Arlan was more affluent, he had a sexy extroverted wife, and this friendship becomes complicated as sexual and racial tensions increase. Luke grows up not understanding much of what is going on, but begins to seriously question his father's involvement in the murder of Arlan's wife and his father's role in the riots surrounding James Meredith's enrollment when Arlan's daughter moves back to fill in as a French teacher in the school where Luke teaches. Luke's parents are still alive, although his Mother has Alzheimer's.
While this is a novel with the common modern themes of love and sex and angst of aging, the author also writes of the racial turbulence of the 60s, a theme that is currently being reprised, IMO, as the proposed site of a mosque in Manhattan is being vehemently and viciously opposed. I like the way some writers of fiction place their stories on a broader historical canvas, as does this author.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
Roger and Ginny Rosenblatt's grown, but still young, daughter Amy died very suddenly of a rare heart malfunction. She was at home on her treadmill and died nearly instantly. She left her husband, Harris, and three small children, Jessica, Sammy and Bubbies (James). Roger and Ginny move in and begin to help care for Harris and the grandchildren. This book covers the first year following Amy's death. It is a lovely, moving, unique book. Once grandparents, they now become parents along with Harris. Roger makes toast every morning for the kids, and he also has a Word for the Morning each day. He and Ginny braid their lives into those of the children and Harris. There are the everyday vignettes of life with three small kids, funny at times and poignant also, the moments of grief, the remembrances of Amy's life, the attentive goodness of family and friends and the knowledge that the constancy of love is a gift, both given and received.
Blindsided by Jim Cole
Subtitled: Surviving a Grizzly Attack and Still Loving the Great Bear.
Jim Cole survived TWO grizzly attacks, one in Glacier NP and one, far more serious, in Yellowstone NP. This book, however, is a paean to wilderness and the need to preserve it, for the sake of these great carnivores and for ourselves. He reiterates over and over how the bear is seldom at fault when a human is attacked. He feels both of his attacks happened because he surprised the bears. (NOTE: Make noise while hiking in bear country.)
He has hiked nearly 30,000 miles in Montana, Alaska and Wyoming, mostly because he absolutely loved these wild lands. For anyone who also has an ongoing love affair with our Western landscape, this book is worth reading. The land is under constant onslaught by trophy homes, and Jim Cole PLEADS with us to do what we can to preserve as much land as possible from development. The book is written well enough, but it is a bit disconcerting as the author mentions that he was criticized for getting too close to the bears or as he perhaps tries too hard to make the grizzly not a threat. I did wonder if there were more to the stories than he chose to tell. Still, he had a huge passion for these magnificent creatures and for the absolutely lovely National Parks that are their home.
So, the other day I was drinking coffee with Dave at JPs, and he mentioned the fatal grizzly attack that happened this summer in a Yellowstone campground. The man who was killed was in a tent, and a sow grizzly with cubs rampaged through the campground, also injuring two other campers in separate tents. (BTW, the victim was from Grand Rapids, Michigan. )
Not knowing the details, I went home and read about the attack on the Internet. It was odd, by all accounts. Food storage had been proper; the grizzly did not seem injured. I googled Jim Cole, the author of Blindsided, since I was curious how he would spin this attack which seemed to be at odds with his theories. And, weird! He had just died, been found dead in his bed, supposedly dying in his sleep. There was not much about what happened to him. He was not an old man. This was strange coming as it did just after the tragedy in Yellowstone and just after his book was published. I am still wondering what happened.
While I never questioned his love for the grizzly--the Great Bear--I personally would NEVER feel any ease sleeping in a tent in grizzly country. I have done this and was glad when morning came and I was still intact. I have hiked in Glacier NP and one always knows the possibility (very, very unlikely statistically, but still not the way I would like to end a hike or my life) of a grizz attack. I have seen grizzlies in Glacier twice, and both times they were far, far away and I was thrilled, both to see them and that they were a long way off.
I would recommend this book, though, as it is a heartfelt testimonial of the philosophy of: In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World. I suspect, Jim Cole was a controversial figure, eccentric and egocentric, but to have survived two separate attacks by grizzlies and then to be able to write so movingly about these experiences is pretty amazing.
Jim Cole survived TWO grizzly attacks, one in Glacier NP and one, far more serious, in Yellowstone NP. This book, however, is a paean to wilderness and the need to preserve it, for the sake of these great carnivores and for ourselves. He reiterates over and over how the bear is seldom at fault when a human is attacked. He feels both of his attacks happened because he surprised the bears. (NOTE: Make noise while hiking in bear country.)
He has hiked nearly 30,000 miles in Montana, Alaska and Wyoming, mostly because he absolutely loved these wild lands. For anyone who also has an ongoing love affair with our Western landscape, this book is worth reading. The land is under constant onslaught by trophy homes, and Jim Cole PLEADS with us to do what we can to preserve as much land as possible from development. The book is written well enough, but it is a bit disconcerting as the author mentions that he was criticized for getting too close to the bears or as he perhaps tries too hard to make the grizzly not a threat. I did wonder if there were more to the stories than he chose to tell. Still, he had a huge passion for these magnificent creatures and for the absolutely lovely National Parks that are their home.
So, the other day I was drinking coffee with Dave at JPs, and he mentioned the fatal grizzly attack that happened this summer in a Yellowstone campground. The man who was killed was in a tent, and a sow grizzly with cubs rampaged through the campground, also injuring two other campers in separate tents. (BTW, the victim was from Grand Rapids, Michigan. )
Not knowing the details, I went home and read about the attack on the Internet. It was odd, by all accounts. Food storage had been proper; the grizzly did not seem injured. I googled Jim Cole, the author of Blindsided, since I was curious how he would spin this attack which seemed to be at odds with his theories. And, weird! He had just died, been found dead in his bed, supposedly dying in his sleep. There was not much about what happened to him. He was not an old man. This was strange coming as it did just after the tragedy in Yellowstone and just after his book was published. I am still wondering what happened.
While I never questioned his love for the grizzly--the Great Bear--I personally would NEVER feel any ease sleeping in a tent in grizzly country. I have done this and was glad when morning came and I was still intact. I have hiked in Glacier NP and one always knows the possibility (very, very unlikely statistically, but still not the way I would like to end a hike or my life) of a grizz attack. I have seen grizzlies in Glacier twice, and both times they were far, far away and I was thrilled, both to see them and that they were a long way off.
I would recommend this book, though, as it is a heartfelt testimonial of the philosophy of: In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World. I suspect, Jim Cole was a controversial figure, eccentric and egocentric, but to have survived two separate attacks by grizzlies and then to be able to write so movingly about these experiences is pretty amazing.
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