Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Recommendations please

I am now freaking out the the movement I feel today isn't as strong as what I felt yesterday. Oh, lordy, I know way too much about cord accidents. And I am also freaking out that my weight gain seems to have exploded with 2 pounds in 2 days (water retention or real weight????).

In the spirit of distracting my negative thoughts, I am looking for good novels. Old, new, whatever. I like all sorts of books, from eclectic genres. I have loved sci-fi, biographies, humourists, travelogues, romantic fiction, fantasy... Basically anything with a good, plot-driven narrative. Long descriptive passages bore me. Sorry that I am an MTV reader, in some respects.

My ultimate favourites are the Jane Austin novels. Romance and happy endings. That's the kind of thing that I go for.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled freak out.



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Tonight's distraction:

Marinara/Nepoletana Sauce - a la my kitchen

1/4 cup of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic sliced in half
1 Whole Yellow Onion -- chopped fine
1 cup dry white wine

1 L pureed fresh tomatoes, skin removed, seeded
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup Fresh Parsley -- finely chopped
1 cup Fresh Basil -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 Teaspoon thyme


1. Place garlic, onion, and olive oil in large sauce pan.
2. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is soft and lightly browned.
3. Add dry white wine. Reduce by half ( one to two minutes).
4. Add tomatoes and butter
5. Add basil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste).
6. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until thickened approximately 20 to 30 minutes.


I have combined several recipes here, so hope it turns out!!! I never follow recipes properly, so it is always a bit of a crap shoot in my kitchen. I will, however, warn you if this recipe sucks.

6 comments:

Kim Tracy Prince said...

If you like Jane Austen you might like Edith Wharton. Have you read her? (I can't guarantee happy endings, however.)

A wonderful novel I read last year was "The Time Traveler's Wife."

Also good for distractions = Harry Potter Series.

Catherine said...

OK...a bit less intellectual...but Nora Roberts always keeps me interested. I have a few I could send you.

Emma's Mum said...

Thank you for all of your comments on my blog. I really appreciate your inspiration - I need it! I am really trying to enjoy each day and be positive. I hope you are able to do the same....yes distractions are good. I am sure I have tons of book ideas for you, but of course, I can't think of ONE right now! I will think about it for a minute and get back to you. Thanks again for being there....I am taking your advice - NO MORE GOOGLE!

kate said...

When pregnant i like Dickens, and P. G. Woodhouse, and Agatha Christie. And Jane Austin, but you've already done that. Oh, and i *love* the Mrs. Murphy mysteries by Rita Mae Brown. Being a cat lover you might enjoy them too.

Anonymous said...

Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg - oh my gosh she is SOOOOOOO good

baby has a nice, slippery cord and is just getting used to freaking you out, like he/she will do for the rest of your life!

do you know boy or girl?

lorem ipsum said...

Okay - ready? For Christmas last year my husband gave me 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts. It's as big as two bricks and I didn't think I'd like it. But I can never refuse a book given to me as a gift, and once I started I couldn't put it down. It's an autobiographical(!) combination travelogue/adventure/drama story about a prison escapee who flees to India and tries to go straight. I know, sounds weird, but supposedly they're making a movie with Johnny Depp as the lead!