I read In the Woods because it was chosen as a book club book. I had high hopes for it, as it was an Edgar Award finalist. Indeed, the book had a lot of potential, but I very disappointed in it.
The Story:In The Woods consists of two parallel mysteries, both centered around Detective Rob Ryan. The first was when he was a young boy – Ryan was found with bloody shoes, clutching a tree. He had no recollection of what happened to the two friends he was with; they simply disappeared.
Now fast-forward 20 years. Ryan is assigned as the detective of a present-day murder, back in his home town. Working the case brings back memories for the detective, enough memories to leave him unsettled, but he never remembers what happened the day his friends disappeared.
Praise: The first thing I was struck with when reading In The Woods was that it is really beautifully written. The descriptions are outstanding. It’s rare that I find a mystery that uses such imagery.
As the book progressed, I also grew very attached to the two plot-lines, very curious to find out what happened to Ryan as a child and whether (and how) the two mysteries would come together.
However… this never happened. The mystery of Ryan’s childhood was never solved. While I realize that not every book can / should wrap up everything, I felt like I put up with Ryan’s annoying personality (he’s whiny and naïve) to find out what happened. Instead, one of the two mysteries is left unsolved, and Ryan ends up going backwards in life – alone, no friends, and actually went backward in his career. Clearly Ryan was having a hard time, given the circumstances, but he was just not likable. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t feel sympathetic for him.
To Sum Up: What could have been a great book ended up being just so-so. It had a lot of potential but I was just disappointed and irritated at the end of it.
This sweet Indonesian Ginger Chicken works for a weeknight dinner because it takes just 10 minutes of prep and then is pretty much hands-off cooking. Serve over rice with a side of your favorite vegetable for a complete meal.
I love meals that are quick to prepare and this is one of them. The cook time is a little longer than I usually like for a weeknight, but the key to this one is to make the marinade and marinade the chicken the night before. Then it’s just a matter of popping into the oven and preparing any side dishes the night of.
Indonesian Ginger Chicken takes only 5-10 minutes to actually prepare – making the sauce. I’ve made it multiple times and marinated it for anywhere from only a couple hours to overnight. It came out great every time. The sauce is sweet. This chicken is moist. I’d love to try this as a marinade and sauce for grilled chicken cutlets this summer.
Yesterday, I received the latest issue of Fine Cooking, so of course, first thing this morning, I was browsing for something new to try. I decided to make a version of Quinoa & Avocado Salad with Dried Fruit, Toasted Almonds & Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette, with the ingredients I had on hand – barley and fresh clementines instead of quinoa and dried fruit. I will definitely be going back to try this recipe with the quinoa and dried fruit in the future.
The “salad” was light and fresh with just a hint of lemon. It would be prefect for a summer picnic, but it is a dish I will keep around all year.
Barley & Avocado Salad with Clementines, Almonds
& Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette
Adapted from Fine Cooking No. 103, p. 47
Serves 3-4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked barley
1 avocado, diced or cubed (whatever your desired size)
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, diced
1 clementine, pealed & segmented
1 lemon
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. paprika
Note: You can cook the barley during the day. Prepare the vinaigrette and remaining ingredients just prior to serving.
Cook the Barley: Rinse the barley. Combine 4 cups of water and 1 cup of the rinsed barley in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for about 30 minutes. Drain any remaining water. Rinse with cool water and drain again. Set aside.
Make the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the zest of the lemon and 1 Tbs. of lemon juice. Stir in olive oil, cumin, coriander, and paprika.
Finish by tossing barley, vinaigrette, scallions, avocado, and clementine sections.
Chicken Scaloppini Saltimbocca is a lighter pasta dish that is delicious year round. Lean chicken breasts, salty proscuitto, and fresh sage are sauteed before being added to spaghetti and tossed in a light Marsala wine sauce. Serve with a side salad or some crusty French bread for a satisfying meal.
I’m the type of person that can eat pasta all year round. Maybe it’s my Italian roots, but pasta is never off the table as a dinner option. While pasta with meat sauce (my lazy version of bolognese) is the most common pasta I make because it’s super easy and doesn’t require a lot of handson time (essential for weeknight cooking), I do love to experiment with other recipes.
This recipe is a long-time family favorite of ours. It is a bit lighter than the tomato-based sauces I favor, making it perfect for any time of the year. In fact, I make it most frequently during the summer when my garden is producing more sage than I know what to do with. This recipe cooks up fairly quick, is forgiving in the quantities of ingredients used, and is bright with flavor. It also scales really well, when we are entertaining and need to feed a crowd. Besides, a little leftovers never hurt – they never last long in my house.
Tip: Preserve Summer Sage
This particular recipe does well with fresh or frozen sage. When my herbs are overflowing in the summer (or maybe you just didn’t finish the package you had bought for another recipe), I trim the plants back and freeze the sage leaves to be used in this recipe and others (i.e. these Blood Orange Sage Vodka Sodas).
To freeze, place sage – cleaned with stems removed – in a single layer on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 24-48 hours. Transfer to an airtight freezer bag and store in the freezer until further use.
To use, remove sage from freezer. Chop when still frozen. Use in recipe as directed (still frozen or defrosted are both fine.)
Chicken Scaloppini Saltimbocca is a lighter pasta dish that is delicious year round. Lean chicken breasts, salty proscuitto, and fresh sage are sauteed before being added to spaghetti and tossed in a light Marsala wine sauce. Serve with a side salad or some crusty French bread for a satisfying meal.
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian
Prep Time10minutes
Cook Time30minutes
Total Time40minutes
Servings6
Calories583kcal
AuthorLiz
Ingredients
1/2c.white cornmeal
1Tbs.Herbes de Provence
1/2tsp.kosher salt
1/2tsp.freshly ground pepper
1 to 1 1/2lb.chicken cutletscut into chunks (or, pounded thinly and then sliced)
2Tbs.extra virgin olive oil
4oz.proscuitto, small dice
1/3c.chopped fresh or frozen sage
116-oz.box spaghetti
1/2c.dry Marsala wine
1/2c.low-sodium chicken broth
1/4c.unsalted butter
Instructions
Mix cornmeal, Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Seal and shake to mix thoroughly. Add chicken and shake again, ensuring that all pieces are coated.
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, prosciutto, and sage. Saute.
Meanwhile, start boiling a pot of water for the spaghetti, and cook according to package. If finished before the chicken, toss with a little bit of extra olive oil and keep warm.
When chicken is browned and cooked, add Marsala wine, chicken broth, and butter. Cook for 10 minutes, reducing slightly.
Toss chicken and sauce with spaghetti.
Serve hot sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, with a side of French Bread and Sage Butter (recipe below).
Recipe Notes
Nutrition calculated using 1 1/2 lb. chicken breast.
Feel free to adjust quantities of chicken, sage, and prosciutto to taste. I like more sage and prosciutto than the original recipe calls for, but tend to use whatever is in a package.
§ 4 3-oz chicken or veal cutlets, pounded thin (or thinly sliced and then cut into chunks)
§ ½ c. thinly chopped prosciutto
§ 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
§ 1/2 c. dry Marsala (Florio brand recommended)
§ 1/2 c. low-salt chicken broth
§ ¼ c. butter
Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain & toss with oil. Keep warm.
Mix cornmeal, herbes de Provence, salt & pepper in a bag. Coat chicken/veal with cornmeal mixture.
Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken/veal, prosciutto, and sage. Sauté.
Add marsala wine, chicken broth and butter. Reduce.
Serve over spaghetti.
* A combination of herbs typically including basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram or mint, rosemary, savory, sage, and thyme. Variations may include additional herbs (such as bay leaf, peppercorns, orange peel, and tarragon). These are all herbs grown in the Provence region of France and the herb mixture is used to flavor fish, meats, olives, potatoes, stews, soups, and sauces.
Ingredient Substitutions: For 2 tbsp herbs de Provence substitute the following mixture:
