Didn't Make It To The Finish Line

...but it was a great race.  Thanks so much for all my friends and family who read my novel on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award site and wrote reviews.  The odds were staggering (10,000: 1) but at least the book made it to the top 250!  Many thanks and love to all.  Your support is terrific and means the world to me.

For those of you who still want to read it, the link is here:
Just click on the link below for the free download on the Amazon site.

The Incident at Montebello  

Arthur's Heavenly Tomato Sauce

After months of grabbing quick meals, I've been dreaming of getting back into the kitchen and cooking up some of my favorite meals...which usually involve some form of pasta, fresh cheese, and thick, crusty bread.  So this weekend as I finished up my remaining projects for school, I had some free time, so I cooked for some friends.   Eggplant parmegiana, pasta with homemade sauce, a fresh green salad shot through with arugula, fresh crusty ciabatta bread.  Delicioso. 

My friends loved this sauce made from roasted tomatoes.  The taste is unbelievable.   Rich, savory, the flavor just bursts in your mouth.   You might never want to eat bottled again.   Serve it with some thick, crusty Italian bread, a salad, and some wine, and everyone will be happy.  Here's the recipe I adapted from one of my favorite food writers, Arthur Schwartz, who hosted a food radio program on WOR in New York for years.  

Roasted Tomatoes (And Sauce)
Adapted from Arthur Schwartz, The Food Maven
(Makes enough sauce for a pound of spaghetti or macaroni.)

5-6 medium very ripe tomatoes (about 2 lbs.)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup fruity olive oil
8-10 fresh basil leaves shredded or snipped
Kosher or table salt
dried or fresh spaghetti
grated Parmegiana or Asiago cheese

1.  Cut out the tomato cores with a small sharp knife.  Half tomatoes crosswise.  Coat bottom of a baking dish (Pyrex or disposable work well) with about 2 tbsp. of oil.  Arrange tomato halves, cut side up, in a pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Press minced garlic into each half; drizzle with olive oil.  Pour on any remaining oil.

2.  Place tomatoes in a preheated 375-degree oven and cook for 2 hours, basting them two or three times with the oil and the juices that collect in the pan.  When done, the tomatoes will have collapsed and some of the juices will have burned a little.  (This is good.)

3.  Cut tomatoes into small pieces and slide them into a pot.  Scrape burned bits into the pot to amalgamate into the sauce.  Heat as you cook the spaghetti.

4.  Drain the cooked spaghetti.  (I take it off the heat when it's a little al dente because it cooks a little when you add it to the sauce.)  Toss it into the sauce along with some shredded basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (I also add some dried oregano.)  Don't forget the red pepper flakes for everyone to add at the table if desired.

5.  Serve immediately with grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Note:  This freezes well.  It also stores well if you have leftovers.

Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before?

And yet...she lived thousands of years ago.  Taken with my new favorite lens...Canon 50 mm.

Another Expressive Face

 

Another Favorite Shot

 

I loved the expression on his face and the wisdom there.  

Favorite Shot of the Week

Easter Island, would you believe?  Not quite.  Taken with my newest toy--a 50 mm Canon lens.

Knocked Down? Well, It's Time to Get Up.

Sometime life sneaks up on us and gives us a kick in the pants.  Our dreams get derailed.  Our plans go up in smoke.  The unexpected happens.  So today, I'm happy to share you with some uplifting words from one of great minds at TED.  It's a 3 minute talk...and 3 minutes well spent.  Enjoy!

The Results Are In

Landscape Tuscany
Originally uploaded by enzo.tiberi

Thanks so much dear friends, for participating in the Pick A New Title for my novel survey. You’ve given me valuable information about which names spark the reader's interest. I realize that some of you wanted to judge the titles based on the plot, but my purpose at this point was to find out which titles had “grabbing” power. So without further delay, here they are. Drumroll, please.  

• 1. Mussolini’s Secret
• 2. The Incident at Capodichino 
• 3. Remembering Sofia.

Because of your comments, I will also be changing the name of the village in my novel to something other than Capodichino because of the difficulty remembering and pronouncing it. 

Again, many thanks!  You made a difficult task a lot of fun!

Favorite Shot of the Week--Welcome Home

This week I got a great tip on a fantastic lens at a seminar at B & H Photo in New York.  The instructor was describing lenses that cost thousands of dollars, but happened to mention that their 50 mm f/1.4 lens for $89.00 was one of the best deals Canon offers.  Of course, I promptly bought it.   This shot of Tiffany's doors was taken with my brand new lens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  What do you think?  Is there enough green in the doors?

Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Ganache

Now that I'm finished with school, I'm heading back into the kitchen.  How wonderful that the holidays give me an excuse to bake some wonderful treats.  Here's one that Alex and I baked last night that is absolutely decadent and delicious.  When Alex took his first bite, he could only say, "Oh my God.  Try this."  And so I did.  The chocolate was luscious and blended beautifully with the peanut butter.  The nuts add just the right amount of crunch.

I've modified the recipe a tiny bit from the Better Homes and Garden's Christmas Cookie recipe.  Instead of adding honey roasted peanuts and honey roasted peanut butter, I just used Skippy's Reduced Fat Super Crunch.


Ingredients:

1 2-layer devil's food cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanut butter OR Super Crunch peanut butter.
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 11.5 oz. package milk chocolate pieces (Ghiradelli's is my favorite.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the pan edges.  Lightly grease foil.  Set aside.
2.  In an extra-large bowl, combine dry cake mix, 1/3 cup melted butter, and egg.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is combined.  Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan.  Bake in oven for 12 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.
3.  In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup softened butter, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar and beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.  Beat in 2 tablespoons of whipping cream.  Stir in the chopped nuts (if adding separately).  Spread mixture evenly over cooked crust.  Place uncut bars in the refrigerator while preparing the chocolate ganache.
4.  For the ganache, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup whipping cream to just boiling over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate pieces.  Do not stir.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir until smooth.  Cool for 15 minutes.  Very gently pour ganache over uncut bars, lightly spreading it to the edges of the bars with a spatula.  Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until set.  Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan.  Cut into bars.  Makes 48 bars.

To Store:  Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; cover.  Store in a refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  To serve, thaw bars, if frozen.  Let refrigerator bars stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies.  December 2009.  Page 33.