Good Cooking Begins at Home . . .

Recently I blogged about Molly Wizenberg, author of A HOMEMADE LIFE, and the pleasure I got our of reading her family stories and trying her recipes. Now JENNIFER FRAZER, a science writer who also loves cooking--or a cook who also loves science--has a terrific blog at http://homecookingwell.wordpress.com/ that she says is "about how your kitchen can enrich your life, your wallet, and your sense of humor."

Jennifer believes "good, home-cooked meals can be much healthier and tastier than what you’ll find in the frozen food aisle, the takeout box, or even many expensive, sit-down restaurants. The very same meal can often be made at home from scratch in 15-30 extra minutes using simple, widely available recipes and ingredients." After eleven years of cooking and experimenting, she wants to share the pleasures of her kitchen: recipes, meal planning, techniques, money-saving shortcuts, and nutrition tips. Frazer sauces her tales with a delightful measure of humor and I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in time, we see a book by her out there titled, as is her blog, HOME COOKING WELL!

The photos alone will have you drooling over your computer, heading for your own kitchen, and ditching the last of the frozen pizza in the trash! Happy eating--

Rosemary Carstens

http://www.carstenscommunications.com/

Dragon Tattoos, Murder, and Unique Characters . . .

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson. Knopf 2008. Translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland. A sensation across Europe with millions of copies sold! There are storytellers and then there are Master storytellers. Stieg Larsson clearly falls into the latter category in this first of the so-called Millennium Trilogy. It’s a thriller of depth and complexity sure to satisfy any fan of the genre, and Larsson, who died in 2004 of a heart attack after completing the last of the trilogy, has created a central character so unique in Lisbeth Salander that she will outshine other attempts at strong women protagonists far into the literary night.

When a young woman, Harriet Vanger, member of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden, disappears without a trace forty years ago, her uncle remains determined to discover what happened to her. Now in his eighties, he reaches an agreement with Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist down on his luck, to pursue new evidence under the guise of writing a family history. The Vanger family is a collection of particularly nasty characters with only a few redeemed ones thrown in, and as Blomkvist uncovers new answers to the decades-old mystery he becomes a target himself. Enter (not until page 259!) Ms. Salander, a 24-year-old, tattooed, antisocial research genius who can kick ass and take names when crossed. What a team! As plot and subplot unfold simultaneously, you will be carried along faster and faster until you cannot lay this book down—even at 645 pages, you’ll be sorry to see it end. And the good news is—there are two more to go in this fabulous series—The Girl Who Played with Fire in July 2009 and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest in fall 2009. Not to mention the film--

-- Rosemary Carstens

http://www.feastofbooks.com/

To view the trailer for this book and to read more about the author: http://www.stieglarsson.com/The-Girl-With-The-Dragon-Tattoo

Food & Wine Choices Made Easy . . . Drinks Matcher Widget

“Which wine tastes best with pork chops in a maple glaze? Does rosemary-marinated grilled halibut invite red or white wine? Are there also great food pairings for beer, spirits, cocktails, coffee, and tea?” – Natalie MacLean, New York, March 2009

These days entertaining at home is on the rise and the question of how to choose food and drinks that enhance one another and make for a truly enjoyable dining experience is one many of us struggle with. Natalie MacLean has made it her mission to ease the choices.

MacLean, publisher of North America’s largest wine e-newsletter, is always on the lookout for new ways to assist her readers in pairing food and drink combinations that will delight. As she puts it, “Chicken isn’t just chicken anymore: Now we eat it stuffed with pancetta and fresh herbs, rubbed with curry spices or sautéed in an orange balsamic sauce. We’re looking for more interesting flavors, both on the plate and in the glass—and we want them to work together.”

Natalie has come up with a very cool downloadable DRINKS MATCHER WIDGET (check it out in the upper right-hand corner of this blog) that can be added to your computer desktop, website, blog, or social media page (such as Facebook, MySpace, or iGoogle). Of course, what goes best with what is a matter of personal taste, but many of us are always on the hunt for that memorable combination of food and drink that will make our guests ooh and ahh, that we’ll want to repeat time and time again.

Whether you are a professional foodie or a sometime dabbler like me, you will enjoy surfing around Natalie’s site and exploring the thousands of inspirational, mouthwatering possibilities to be found there: http://www.nataliemaclean.com

Rosemary Carstens

http://www.carstenscommunications.com/

Twitter: @tweets2go