by Sam Tackeff | Jan 13, 2014 | Books, Books in 2014
If we’re going to discuss life resolutions, as one is wont to do around this time of year, I’d say that one of my top resolutions in life right now is simply to laugh more. Deep belly laughter is shockingly restorative, and as adults, we do much too little of it.
The first three books I read this year were written by people who are funny for a living. Now, I should say that reading memoirs by people who are funny for a living is not the same as reading/watching/listening to their comedic work. These books were all funny, certainly, but they were also moving, thought provoking, and introspective. In some sections they were painful, dark, and sad. In each, the most fascinating parts were the stories from childhood, anecdotes about family, first jobs, awkward relationships, and weird career trajectories. Two of them featured bedwetting as a prominent plot point (Rob, Sarah). One, puberty quite early (Tina), another, quite late (Sarah). All three featured excessive body hair. The low points, I think, for all three books, were the bits about present day or recent history, specifically revolving around their current shows, or how they got the book deal, or what may be up next – these sections all felt like weird filler, without the passage of time necessary for true introspection.
Each had moments that I’ll continue to think about for quite some time – Rob Delaney’s honest discourse about both his depression and alcoholism, Tina Fey’s thoughts about management style, with examples of both her own, and Lorne Michaels’, and Sarah Silverman, on the absurdity of sexism in censorship.
I quite enjoyed all three.
#1. Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. by Rob Delaney
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published November 5th 2013 by Spiegel & Grau
Listened to audiobook – Random House Audio
#2. Bossypants by Tina Fey
Paperback, 275 pages
First published January 3rd, 2012 by Back Bay Books
Read paperback, as well as listened on audio read by author
#3. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published April 20th 2010 by HarperCollins
Listened to audiobook, read by author
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 10, 2014 | Books
There are stacks of books at my bedside, hundreds on my to-read list. Books invade the living room and every empty surface in this house. And yet somehow last year I read less books in total than any year in my adult life. So I sat down last week and wrote a list of books I’d like to fall into in the next few months to make sure that I consume an adequate amount of literary prose this year. Some are on my shelves, and have been gathering dust for years, others I’ll take out of the library, some will be downloaded onto the phone to take with me on the go. I have a few on the list that I’ll be listening to as audiobooks – perfect for my thirty minute walk commutes.
Certainly the genres aren’t covered here, but I tried to go as broadly as I could stand. A few I’ve read chapters of here and there, others I’ve skimmed, but most are new to me – now excuse me, I must go off and read.
Classic: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Philosophy: Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
Current Fiction: The Circle by Dave Eggers, The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Food Memoir: Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin, Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of my Appetites by Kate Christensen
Crime: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Children’s Fiction: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
Humor: Bossypants by Tina Fey
History: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Audiobook: Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Of course I don’t count cookbooks – they get read from cover to cover, but get their own category. Currently I’m deep in Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison, and Modernist Cuisine at Home.
Addendum, other book lists of note: for the past several years I’ve been ticking my way through the BBC Big Read List – I reckon it’ll take me the next five years or so to get through. I’m also enthused about the No Obligation Reading List over at the Knicknackery – if you are looking for some heavy hitting fiction that will keep you through the winter, and a few great non-fiction options, that’s the place to look.
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 5, 2014 | Meal Planning
Yesterday I popped into Trader Joe’s to do the bulk of my shopping, and they were out of coconut milk. I much prefer their light coconut milk to other varieties – it has zero additives, which for that matter, why is it that every brand of coconut milk at Whole Foods must contain guar gum? Because they were out, I decided that I’d just push my shopping trip to the next morning, thinking that they’d have restocked by then.
Alas, the scene at Trader Joe’s today was grim. Already a day behind on my grocery shopping, and after a late morning start, I turned into the parking lot to a five minute line to find a parking space. Ah, Sunday shopping, how you delight me! There were more people in the store than a downtown Manhattan Trader Joe’s at 5pm, and incidentally, the trucks had failed to arrive because of the snow storm, and the shelves were barren. There was no coconut milk. There was also no chicken. Nor canned tomatoes, cucumbers….
After several hours, and another two stores, I came home with very little on my main shopping list, so my week of braises and stews (that I really only have time to cook on the weekend) was foiled, and I had to scrap my meal plan completely. This is what I’ve come up with to replace it, but I’m feeling a little bit non-committal – gone are the Moroccan cardamom and apricot laced braises, the Thai fish curry, and the chili I was planning. At least we have enough cabbage in the house to last us a week.
Week of December 28th–
Saturday: originally we had planned to go out on Friday night, but because of the storm, we pushed back our date night to Saturday. And then Saturday came around, and neither of us felt like leaving the house, so we had salads, chicken soup, and a bowl of fruit.
Sunday: this was supposed to be a warm beef braise, but after my shopping debacle, I opted to make Kapuska (braised cabbage with lamb) – a mish-mash of a recipe I have for the traditional Turkish dish, and another for Marcella Hazan’s smothered cabbage. (Inspired by this.)
Monday: roasted pork tenderloin with apples, garlic cauliflower mash. I steam the cauliflower and garlic, and then make a puree with my immersion blender. You could probably trick someone into thinking it was a potato puree, but I love it for what it is!
Tuesday: Whole Foods hot bar. Yep, I’m weak. After two false starts shopping this weekend, and leaving with only vegetables and no real protein options, I’m guessing that I’m going to be tired and cranky on Tuesday and want seven little tastes of hot bar instead of a lovingly home cooked meal. Plus, their zucchini with tomatoes and garlic is always a winner.
Wednesday: mini burgers, roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries with aioli. The Cottage restaurant in Wellesley has this absurdly good paprika aioli, that I can’t come close to replicating. But I can try.
Thursday: seared scallops with Brussels sprouts and pancetta. This might be a different type of fish. Or it might not be fish at all. Or it might be something totally different. Are we seeing a theme here?
Friday: Out!
While I didn’t have the ingredients to make my braises, I did get a head start on the week of breakfasts, and baked a big frittata. Looking forward to a low key Monday to ease us back into the five day work week. Happy new year everyone!
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 28, 2013 | Meal Planning
I’ve developed an odd fascination with Anthony Bourdain’s wife Ottavia, specifically because of her obsession with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. She’s a tiny Italian who can pack a punch with the best of them, what’s not to love? She’s persistent and dedicated – trains five days a week, and doesn’t smoke or drink. Somehow this level of discipline seems to be the antithesis of Bourdain’s scripted lifestyle of excess – maybe she balances him out. (Or maybe I shouldn’t believe what I see on tv.)
I’ve long been tempted to take up martial arts. When I was in elementary school, my best friend’s father was a black belt in multiple disciplines, had a 7th degree in his main practice, and was a Shihan Sensei. He was also a Greek Orthodox priest. Between these things, he had seemingly infinite power in the universe. My first attempt at martial arts was bittersweet – after a glorious morning spent tumbling on mats and learning new grappling skills, I woke up the next morning unable to move – it’s been nearly a decade, but I think I may be ready to try again. (This actually happened to me when I first tried CrossFit. My muscles just don’t adapt quickly to new movements!) My one major obstacle is my bad vision, but I finally broke down this year and acquired a new prescription of contact lenses for my athletic pursuits – so I have no excuse but to go and DO!
–––
This week I’ve been writing lists of books I’d like to read, lists of things I’d like to write about, financial goals, health goals, things I’d like to eat in the winter – finally today came around and I realized that I didn’t have the one list that I need to get through the week: my meal plan. While I’m waiting on a few new cookbooks in the mail, I decided to stick with my standby culinary crush Jamie Oliver, and catch up on some of his 15 minute meal series on the DVR – the influence for many of the meals this week.
Week of December 28nd
Saturday: Southern Indian seafood soup. With fresh crab, fresh curry leaves (which I pick up at a local market called Russo’s), a multitude of spices, and coconut milk. I had a little bit of extra tomato sauce that needed to be used up, so that went in the pot as well. (Cinnamon buns for dessert!)
Sunday: Beef stroganoff, fluffy rice, red onion and parsley pickle. We watched this on Jamie’s 15 minute meals, and it’s slightly more exotic than the Hamburger Helper variety. I have some sierra cut steaks defrosting from my freezer, and I may igloo cooler sous vide them before sticking them in the grill pan.
Monday: 5 spice duck salad, with pomegranate, mango, lime and gem lettuce. Whole Foods only has smoked breasts and whole duck, so I might have to make a quick trip to get myself a breast or a leg for this dish. (Incidentally, a woman at the store told me to buy the whole duck because I’d be “the talk of the town; just like going to culinary school”. I have no idea what she meant by that one.)
Tuesday: New Year’s Eve! Japanese food – likely takeout. Four or five years ago we were invited to our friend Gary’s house, and his wife cooked a Japanese feast with fresh soba and yuzu that was so very memorable. We made wishes for the new year, and celebrated joyously. We’re not really the types to go out and party on New Year’s Eve, but Japanese takeout is one of our mutual favorite things ever!
Wednesday: Roasted white fish, tomatoes, and leeks. There’s sure to be some bacon in there too, and lots of herby freshness – mint, parsley, whatever else is left in the fridge.
Thursday: Avocado, pancetta and pine nut salad, with crispy grilled chicken thighs.
Friday: Out? Although, possibly in, given that we’ll be eating takeout on Wednesday. I’m still debating a Whole30 for the month of January, which limits what I can eat out of the house – at minimum we are going to be committing to five home cooked meals a week, and a fairly clean diet.
What are your New Year’s Eve plans?
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 22, 2013 | Meal Planning
Starting my week without a meal plan around here is bad news bears – even worse when I make my grocery trips while hungry. I’ll invariably end up spending double or even triple the amount of food during the week, and end up with things I really don’t need. Don’t shop while hungry folks. Just don’t do it.
In an attempt to re-enforce good habits before the new year, here’s my meal plan! This week I’m doing a fair amount of cooking inspired by Mel Joulwan’s new cookbook “Well Fed 2“: bold global flavors, lots of fun spice mixes, and some basic condiments like her olive oil mayo on the docket.
Week of December 22nd
Saturday: merguez burgers with moroccan carrots and spinach salad. Carrots are a confirmed favorite vegetable around here, so I’ve been picking up a few pounds of them each week at the store. Trader Joe’s has a new bag of “carrots of many colors” which make for much more colorful meals!
Sunday: turkey + cranberry balls with potato pancakes, brussels sprouts with pancetta. (I’ve strayed from Sunday night fish night because I’m less enthused about the market not having a fresh catch.) I like the idea of the festive holiday flavors in this meal!
Monday: deconstructed gyro salad (p. 126) (the cookbook recipe is slightly different). Adding it to the “Greek” rotation in addition to one of my favorites: Andie’s lemony chicken gyros.
Tuesday: I was considering duck and mash, but there was a request for Mexican Christmas foods… tamales/enchiladas/etc. so I’m going to see what I can do.
Wednesday: Chinese + a movie (Jewish Christmas!) I think it’s going to be American Hustle.
Thursday: deli tuna salad (p. 118) on salad/melts. Everyone likes a good tuna recipe! This one uses fancy oil packed, which if you ask me, is the best way to go.
Friday: out! Likely Japanese takeout, or our regular date night restaurant.
Saturday: piña colada chicken (p. 96). I’ve long been a fan of the American Chinese restaurant polynesian flavors – and cooking this stuff at home is far superior.
And that’s a wrap! What are you eating this week in between holiday feasting?
–– Sam
