Another recipe…

Hi, folks! Here’s another recipe that just came in:

SPINACH EMPANADAS (makes approximately 60 mini empanadas)

(From Better Homes & Gardens, a recipe submitted by Anne Mitchell of Hickory, North Carolina)

For pastry:

2 8oz pkgs cream cheese (softened)    3/4 cup butter or margarine (softened)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour                   1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter/margarine with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in flour and salt. Knead dough lightly by hand. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

For filling:

1/4 cup finely chopped onion               3 cloves garlic (minced)

4-5 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled, reserve 1 tablespoon drippings)

1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)

1 8oz container cottage cheese             1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg                1 egg (beaten)

In a medium skillet, cook onion and garlic in reserved bacon drippings for 3-4 minutes or until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in crumbled bacon, spinach, cottage cheese, pepper and nutmeg. Let cool.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry until it is 1/8″ thick. Using a 3″ biscuit cutter, cut out as many pastry circles as possible. Place 1 teaspoon filling on one half of each circle. Moisten edges of circles with egg and fold other half of circles over the filling. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Gently seal edges of empanadas with tines of a fork. Brush with egg. Use tines of a fork to prick a small vent in each. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the empanadas are golden. (May be served with salsa.)

 

Trust me, these little nuggets are tasty!! Happy cooking!

Dorothy

Journeying Back To Yourself

I wasn’t in the market for a book of meditations when I stumbled across Melody Beattie’s Journey to the Heart on Dorothy’s shelves this past summer, but once picking it up, I knew I had to take it home.

This softly colored paperback book provides 365 meditations that are each short enough to read while your tea steeps in cup (probably faster). The title of many of the meditations often read as affirmations unto themselves, and are supported by the one or two summary sentences that close each entry. The essays in between lovingly encourage you to change your perspective, be gentle with yourself, and realign with a more peaceful energy than what typically assaults us during the bustle of our daily lives.

The meditations are dated, but use a perpetual calendar instead of being updated each year. Unlike some “devotionals” in which each month’s teachings build upon those of the previous month(s), Beattie’s essays are not dependent upon you following a set chronology. What this means is that you can start the book at any point in the year and read along for the 364 days that follow — and then pass the book on to a friend or family member who needs a lift.

I’ve followed this book for enough weeks now to know that each meditation provides a touchpoint of comfort and reassurance — whether you find it on any given day in the title, the summary thoughts, or the essay. It feels too hoakey to say the meditations make you feel like you’ve been hugged, but they do come pretty darn close.

The book makes a wonderful gift for a girlfriend, mother, daughter, sister, aunt…and yourself. It’s a lovely way to “be there” on a daily basis for that loved one who is going through a tough time; it’s the kind of gift that, even years after you’ve given it to someone, they’ll remember who gave it to them and how much comfort it brought them.

A Foodie Heaven

Well, my foodie friends, it’s official: Our Food & Friends Club is a smash hit! Woohoo!!!

We had our first get-together last night and I must say, I was impressed at the culinary talents gathered in one room. From Jan’s “Curried Apple Soup” to Todd’s “Key Lime Pie”, every morsel was simply divine. One could almost hear the collective moans of joy stemming from our taste buds. Ahem. Perhaps I should move on before I get carried away with more cryptic descriptions…

I’ve promised to post available recipes from our get-togethers, so here goes:

CURRIED APPLE SOUP (4-6 servings)

(Inspired by the recipe from “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” by Mollie Katzen)

1 stick butter                                  1 cup chopped onion

6 apples (cut into chunks)        3 cups water

1 cup half-and-half                       3/4 teaspoon curry powder

Melt butter in a pot and saute the onions. Add apple chunks and water. Bring to a boil. Cook until apples are tender. Puree mixture. Add half-and-half and curry powder. Puree again. Serve hot.

BACON QUESADILLAS

(Modified from a web recipe)

2 6″ flour tortillas                         1/4 cup Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese

1 green onion (sliced)                 4 slices cooked bacon (crumbled)

Cilantro to taste                            1 1/2 tablespoons Jack Daniels barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients (except tortillas), spread onto one-half of each tortilla round. Fold over, bake on greased cooking sheet for 8-10 minutes, until brown and crisp.

ORANGE-CAULIFLOWER SALAD

(Courtesy of Cooks.com)

2 11oz cans mandarin orange segments (drained)

2 cups uncooked cauliflowerets          1/4 cup chopped green pepper

2 cups bite sized pieces spinach (approximately 2 oz)

1/4 cup French salad dressing             Lettuce cups

Toss mandarin orange segments with cauliflowerets, green pepper, spinach and salad dressing. Serve in lettuce cups.

ARTICHOKE HEARTS & MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

(Sue’s family recipe)

1 cup plain artichoke hearts     1 cup sliced mushrooms

Olive oil                                             Bread crumbs

1 tablespoon minced garlic      Salt & pepper to taste

Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain artichoke hearts. Quarter half, leave the other half whole. Place artichoke hearts and mushrooms in a casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil all over, season with salt & pepper (Sue uses sea salt and lemon pepper). Add minced garlic. Toss to combine. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top, finish with pats of butter. Bake for approximately one hour.

POPATOES AU GRATIN (8 servings)

(From “New Lessons in Gourmet Cooking” by Libby Hillman)

4 tablespoons butter                   2 large onions (very thinly sliced)

6 potatoes (sliced thin)              6 oz Swiss or Gruyere cheese (grated or sliced)

2-3 teaspoons salt                        1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4 cups sweet cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pieces of some of the butter on the bottom of a shallow baking dish, cover with some of the sliced onions, potatoes and swiss cheese. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Continue layering with butter, onions, potatoes and cheese until done. Pour sweet cream all over. Cover and bake for one hour. Uncover. Bake for another 30 minutes until the top is browned.

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI

(This is a web recipe that is meant to imitate Olive Garden’s “Chicken con Broccoli” dish. A click on a search engine pulled up several. Since I do not know exactly which one was used, I will leave it up to the reader to find their own to try.)

KEY LIME PIE

(Printed on Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice bottle)

1 9″ graham cracker pie crust   1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks                                        1/2 cup Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Top with freshly whipped cream (or meringue) and garnish with lime slices before serving.

That’s all I have for now. I will update this post as soon as I receive more recipes.

Until next time,

Dorothy

Culinary Creativity

If you’ve ever watched Bravo’s “Top Chef” or the Food Network’s “Iron Chef” and “Iron Chef America,” you may–like me–have been mystified by these chefs’ ability to improvise. Especially when they often don’t know until two minutes before they start cooking what their principal ingredient is, or what ingredients the contest kitchen will have on hand. I always wonder where they learned that cauliflower can be cooked with pine nuts and lime juice, or that molasses and raspberries can be ingredients in the same dish, or that mustard greens and prosciutto can go together, or…

You get the idea.

If you want to acquire these same improvisational skills, you could go to a culinary institute or work your way through Julia Child’s cookbooks, the Moosewood cookbooks, and The Joy of Cooking to gradually learn…a recipe at a time…what ingredients work with what other ingredients.

Or you could take a shortcut.

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg is just that shortcut. It’s a 374-page guide to ingredients, herbs, spices, sauces, and seasonings and how to use them in combination in order to draw out the best they have to offer. The authors’ premise is that with the ever-increasing availability of ingredients from around the globe — no longer just in specialty gourmet shops and higher-end markets (like Whole Foods) but also in the average grocery store — cooking is now about flavor and maximizing flavor affinities. Their goal was to create a new kind of cookbook that abandons the recipe format and instead encourages us to play in the kitchen and create new recipes, whether they’re for simple side dishes that give the humble sweet potato a new way to shine or complex entrees that have us working with truffles and pheasant.

The authors worked with chefs from dozens of restaurants to create lists of complementary ingredients. The lists show you which combinations go well (plain type) and which go really well (bold type) with each other. For example, cranberries can be cooked in recipes that also include cognac, hazelnuts, goat cheese, or dark chocolate; they go best with apples, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or honey. For some ingredients, more complex flavor affinities are suggested, such as honeydew melon with figs, mint, and prosciutto, or smoked salmon with dill, horseradish, lemon juice, and sour cream. In addition to the lists are sidebars of suggested dishes (like pan-roasted trout with almonds, brown butter, and haricots verts) and scads of chef’s tips about ingredients, cooking techniques, and more.

At $35, this hardcover book is an investment but is well worth every penny if you’re a foodie or just someone who wants more inspiration in the kitchen. It’s an ideal gift for that foodie friend who is always tweaking at recipes but hasn’t yet found the confidence to create recipes from scratch.

Independent spirit continues…

My husband cringed at my last blog post. He said it made me sound bitter and angry. I almost said: “Your point being…?” Because I felt I was justifiably “bitter and angry”. I’ve calmed down since, folks. My mom always told me I have my paternal grandmother’s temperament: I am incapable of staying angry for long. And she’s right. I’ll rant and rave and scream and stomp and once the steam dissipates, I’m ready to move on. In this case, instead of dwelling on the practices of big box stores that I cannot change, I’m ready to further improve our products and services and serve our customers the best we can. I’d like to share some of the items already on my agenda:

FOOD & FRIENDS CLUB – This has been my baby from day one. I’ve had it on my to-do list before the store even opened! Yet the timing never seemed right and it was constantly simmering in the back burner with a threat of fizzing out in the bottom of the pan. I’m proud to say we finally rolled it out last month and to date has signed up 15 members. We will be having our first get-together this month. Woo-hoo!!!

KIDS’ BIRTHDAY CLUB – Some of you may remember us recording the birth date of your children during our first several months of business with the intention of enrolling them into our Birthday Club. Well, the intention was there alright, but hind sight tells us that we should have waited until we got our feet wet with the day-to-day operations of the store. The learning curve was so steep during our first year that the Birthday Club was pushed aside. But now we’re ready! Kids’ ages twelve and under are welcome to enroll, and we will send out a birthday postcard with a special offer just for them!

HOLIDAY BOOK FAIR – We are hosting our first ever Holiday Book Fair at the Scinto Towers on December 2nd and 3rd. The idea is to help make holiday gift-giving easier for the hundreds (thousands?) of folks who work at the corporate park by bringing books and gifts to them. 10% of the proceeds from full-priced books sold will benefit a local charity of Mr. Scinto’s choice. We hope to host book fairs and offer the same services at other locations next year.

SUPPORT FELLOW INDEPENDENTS – I plan to step up our efforts on supporting fellow independent businesses by doing cross-promotions and bringing them to the attention of our customers. (I will be highlighting some of them on the next blog entry.)

KIDS’ BOOK REVIEWS – A fellow independent bookseller in Maine has been very successful implementing this fabulous idea: provide kids the opportunity to submit book reviews. How simple and brilliant is that? Not only would that motivate kids to read, it will also get them excited about writing a review and having their peers see it. I’ve put the bug in the ears of some of the local teachers and hope to roll it out the beginning of the new year.

GIFT ITEMS – I plan to source out more quality and value gift items to add to the store’s inventory in order to continue to make the store a one-stop gift shopping destination.

Other ideas and plans are in the works. In the mean time, I have reinstated some of my staff’s hours as we’re hurled towards the holiday season at warp speed. (At least it feels that way!) More holiday items will be arriving in the next few weeks so stop by and see us! We’re always happy to see you.

Love, Dorothy

Catching up

Hi, all! Sincere apologies for the absence of a month and a half. If you’ve been to the store lately, you may have noticed yours truly has been the only one manning the store 98% of the time. That’s due to the difficult decision of reducing my staff’s hours to cut costs. As a result, back room work gets piled up and everything else takes to the back burner, at least for now.

I don’t have to remind you that it has been an extremely challenging year for the majority of us. Lost jobs, cut wages, reduced sales. I’m certainly not going to whip out my violin and tell you how hard it has been for our store. But I would like to speak up about the latest atrocity that is making me sick to my stomach: the price war of the behemoths.

Unless you have chosen to bypass some of the major news sources lately, you must have heard about the ridiculous price war between Wal Mart, Amazon, Target and now Sears. They have decided to take a steep loss on some of the hottest books coming out in November, sell them at rock bottom prices online, just to lure consumers to their sites hoping that they would buy more expensive items. (Apparently they are so BIG, they can afford the loss.) What disgusts me is that none of these companies sell books as their primary source of profit. Yet, the negative impact this act is going to have on independent booksellers who cannot afford to match the same markdown is detrimental.

Not only that, they have seriously devalued the art of writing and publishing in general. We are speaking of works by giants such as Barbara Kingsolver, Stephen King and John Grisham, to name just a few. The authors are just as disgusted and the publishers are laughing all the way to the bank.

In our short two and a half years of existence, we’ve had a number of people walked through our door and asked us point blank to match Barnes & Noble or Amazon’s prices. And every single time I have graciously smiled and apologized, but no, I cannot. And that is the truth. They then turned around and walked away.  Not once did I in turn ask them: Would someone at one of the other stores have spent as much time researching what they’re looking for? Is Amazon going to host a community event/author signing in their neighborhood anytime soon? Do they provide a cozy corner for you to sit and linger? Do the people who work at any of the other places know your family, your children, your book needs as much as I do? Do they even care? Would they walk into a Wal Mart and ask them to match Amazon’s prices?

Speaking of Wal Mart, have you heard of Walmart’s Project Impact? If your neighborhood Walmart has yet to upgrade, it will be soon. It’s part of Project Impact. Their goal is to make themselves bigger, better, and yes, according to the news article, to crush their competition. If you are content with getting all your things from very narrow sources, then so be it. But I dread the time when all the independents are gone and the few remaining giants start to dictate higher prices and limit choices.

In light of the current economic situation, we are all trying to be  frugal and exercise caution with our expenditures. I cannot fault anyone for trying to get the best prices possible. While we may not be able to offer the same discounts, there are far more things we can offer that a big box store can’t. We are live, in person, ready and willing to help. We are all ears when you can’t wait to discuss the life-altering book you just finished between laundry and car-pooling. We are poised to take on the challenge when all you could remember about the book you’re looking for is the magnificent shade of blue on the cover. We will carefully help give thought to what’s appropriate for that newborn/pre-schooler/tween/young adult/retiree you’re shopping for. Asking us to match big box store prices is essentially another way of telling us what makes an independent business special has no value.

I’m a local resident with a local business, I pay local (and federal) taxes, and most of my money are spent locally as well. I’m thankful for the customers who believe in the independent spirit as much as I do. Not a day goes by without one of them thanking us for being here, encouraging us to hang on. And we plan to. But with such an unlevel playing field, our future is uncertain. In the mean time, when you walk through our doors, we will still greet you with a warm smile and talk to you about the latest reads. And yes, about junior’s ball game, grandma’s surgery, Fido’s flea treatment, and your brand new haircut. Simply because we care.

Dorothy

Catching My Breath after “Catching Fire”

Title: The Hunger Games & Catching Fire (Book 1 and 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult and up

Reviewed by: Dorothy

There I was at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston among fellow independent booksellers exactly a year ago, shaking hands with Dennis Lehane, chatting with Irene Pepperberg, laughing at Jeanne Birdsall’s jokes…but the big buzz among the crowd at the weekend convention had nothing to do with the many award-winning authors who were present, and everything to do with a new young adult book called “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.

“I couldn’t stop reading it!” Piped one bookseller. “I stayed up all night to finish it!” Chimed another. “I made sure I got the audio version so I could listen to it on the drive here!” Added a third excitedly. And it went on. Yes, I have heard of Suzanne Collins, most notably for her pre-teen series, The Underland Chronicles; and yes, I knew she has a new book coming out, but I’ll be darn if I knew anything about it. “So……what’s The Hunger Games all about?” I asked sheepishly at the lunch banquet, trying not to sound too much like the only ignorant fool who hadn’t touched what’s apparently the hottest book to surface in a long time. “It’s about a dystopian society where kids are sent to participate in The Hunger Games every year and only one survives!” Offered someone at the table. “Isn’t that Battle Royale?” I asked, trying hard not to roll my eyes at the idea of yet another recycled plot. “Sort of, but not really…” Someone else tried to explain, but I’ve already tuned her out. I set my standards higher than usual when it comes to a rehashed idea, and I wasn’t ready to be convinced. Until Suzanne Collins took to the speaker stand.

Suzanne eloquently spoke of the book and where the idea came about (not from Battle Royale but from picturing gladiators at a coliseum). By the time she was finished, I was willing to give the book a shot. And when I did, boy was I hooked. Stephenie Meyers said: “I was so obsessed with this book I had to take it with me out to dinner and hide it under the edge of the table so I wouldn’t have to stop reading. The story kept me up for several nights in a row, because even after I was finished, I just lay in bed wide awake thinking about it…The Hunger Games is amazing.” That was EXACTLY how I felt.

In the dystopian society of Panem, a shining Capitol is surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. The protagonist is sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who ends up in the games and has to use her wits and will to survive.

Is it a new idea? No. But it’s well written, fast paced, and extremely engaging. Do I care for the hint of romance within the plot? No. But it does its part and not overwhelming enough to turn off an anti-romance novel critic like me. Many parents cringed at the plot when I tried to hand sell the book to their teens, and I had to assure them that it’s not a book of gore.

Here we are, a year later, and “Catching Fire”, book 2 of the trilogy was just released this month with much anticipation. I picked it up with reservation, for fear that the second book will not be able to match the thrill of the first book. I’m happy to report: Oh baby! It was just as good!! If you had been in the store last week, you would have most likely seen me standing at the counter reading, unable to put the book down!

From what I understand, a movie is already in the works. If you or your teen has yet to read this series, don’t wait. As my fellow booksellers knew long before I did: it’s awesome!!!

Dorothy

Love Us Just The Way We Are

Had you come by the store this past Monday (08/17/09), you would have been shocked to see that we were closed. It wasn’t a major holiday, and a crippling blizzard is still months away (we hope), so what was the occasion, you ask?

Well, my staff and I decided to take a road trip to visit a handful of fellow independent bookstores in Connecticut. Being two-years young, we wanted to check out what the seasoned pros are doing, what their stores look like, and what we could learn from them. What an eye-opening experience it was!

From a 50-year-old oldie but goodie that’s still going strong at Washington Depot, to the industry favorite with beautiful custom shelving in Madison, we drove miles, observed, and compared notes. How are the books merchandised? What gift items do they carry? Are the booksellers friendly and knowledgeable? Do they have ample parking? We left no stones unturned.

A scrumptious lunch at G.W. Restaurant (amazing food!) and ten hours later, we arrived back in Shelton exhausted but…..how shall I describe it….”comforted”, perhaps? After hours of discussing, debating, and analyzing of copious notes, we came to the realization that all independent stores bring something different to the table. One isn’t necessarily “better” than another. We’re all just, well, different.

When we got out of the vehicle, we couldn’t help but go up to the windows of our store and peered in, looking at it as if we’re seeing it for the first time. And what a beautiful store it was. Our store is spacious, bright, cozy, well laid out, tastefully decorated, and staffed with a wonderful crew. Certain things will always be improved upon as time  goes on, but we don’t need to be like someone else. We are proud to be who we are and we hope you love us just the way we are. (Someone cue the Billy Joel song, please!)

Dorothy

Something Missing by Matthew Dicks

Title: “Something Missing”

Author: Matthew Dicks

Reviewed by: Dorothy Sim-Broder

A thief with OCD tendencies, what’s not to like? Martin Railsback is just such a character in Matthew Dicks’ debut novel, “Something Missing.”

Martin considers himself a successful thief for taking only items that will go unnoticed by the homeowners: a roll of toilet paper, a bottle of ketchup, an extra bottle of wine. Sure, there’s also the occasional piece of china or earring (always singular), but only after months of meticulous observations and documentation to make sure that the items will not be missed.

All goes well until one day while at a client’s house, Martin comes across potential trouble for the homeowners that he alone could avert. Martin decides to intervene, even if that means breaking many of his neurotic rules.

A perfect summer read, the first half of the book is spent introducing readers to Martin and his quirky ways, which drags a little and could be redundant at times. But once the character is established and his adventures begin, it’s all rollicking good fun from there.

Martin is likable and you can’t help but root for him. The plot is clever and refreshing, it’s no wonder film rights have already been optioned.

Author Matthew Dicks made an appearance at the bookstore on Sunday, August 2nd. We have a couple of autographed copies of the book left in the store, so pick one up while you can!

Dorothy

“Crazy Love” by Leslie Morgan Steiner

Title: “Crazy Love”, a memoir

Author: Leslie Morgan Steiner

Reviewed by: Dorothy

Remember the scene in a movie where the character on screen was walking down a dark, deserted alley, and you just know something bad was going to happen? How many times have you either yelled out: “Don’t go there, you moron!” or sighed at the oh-so-obvious impending doom? Or if it was a beloved character, cringed and even looked away? All from the safety and comfort of our sofa/seat.

More often than not, the same rings true in real life. Some scenarios just seem oh-so-obvious, at least to bystanders. But try being the one immersed in that particular scenario or predicament, and suddenly it’s not so obvious anymore.

Leslie Morgan Steiner was only 22 when she met a handsome and charming Ivy League graduate on the subway and fell in love. Little did she know that she was about to embark on a terrifying chapter of her life: She married him and was violently abused for four devastating years.

In her memoir, “Crazy Love,” Leslie takes us into her head as she reveals her inner thoughts, of how an intelligent, well educated young woman ended up being the one to walk down the dark, deserted alley. (Cue the eerie background music.)

Even while reading it, I found myself wanting to shout at the book: “No!!!! Don’t go back!! Why aren’t you leaving him?!!” As if it were that easy. Leslie does a good job describing her thoughts, her rationale at the time of why she stayed, her justifications of his violence.

Born and raised in a prominent and well-to-do family, Leslie made no apologies in appreciating the good life. Judging by some of the reviews posted on the internet, some readers scoffed at her rich girl upbringing, as if one must be poor to be a true victim. I tend to think that if anything, her background drives home the fact that domestic violence does not discriminate.

Leslie will be at the bookstore this Sunday, July 12th, at 2:00pm for a reading and discussion. Her story will help us all understand that even when escape seemed the obvious solution to outsiders, the reality was more a life and death struggle for survival.

Dorothy