Dining Alfresco

What the perfect dining alfresco experience for you?

Is it the food? Maybe it's the table linens, the location or just the company of good friends and family. Leave your comments and ideas.

Three Books Per Week

This weeks Three Books are:

1. Tender At The Bone by Ruth Reichl ISBN 0-679-44987-6

If you have never read her books, I suggest that you start with this one, followed by Comfort Me With Apples then Garlic and Sapphires. I love these books. Ruth Reichl is completely open about her life with no pretensions. She is who she is - wonderful.

http://www.ruthreichl.com/


2. Appetite for Life- The Biography of Julia Child by Noel Riley Fitch ISBN 0-385-48225-x


This book just makes for great reading. Julia lived a fascinating life surrounded by fascinating people. It's no wonder we love her.


3. The Soul Of A Chef by Michael Ruhlman ISBN 0-14-100189-s


A few weeks ago, everywhere I went, there was Ruhlman. It was bizarre. I would talk with someone and they would mention Ruhlman. Received an email from someone, went to their website and there was a picture of this person with, who else, Ruhlman. I got a DVD of No Reservations with Tony Bourdain and who was on it? You guessed it, Ruhlman. I figured it was a sign. Now, I'm reading Ruhlman's books and his blog is one that I read frequently. You would think that we would have met since my husband believes everyone in Ohio knows everyone or that we are all related. I have not, yet, had the pleasure. Maybe, I'll get to meet or ,at least, glimpse him at the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland.

http://www.ruhlman.com/

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

Do you ever have those days (in my case, weeks) when everything seems to go wrong? Well that has been my life for the past week.
Exactly one week ago, I went to start my car and ____________ nothing. It's dead but not something easy like a battery. No of course, it's more complicated and expensive.To top it off, the part that I need is in LA. I am in Ohio. Not good. The week prior to that, my computer printer______dead. Rechargable batteries that I use for the digital camera________dead. Apparently my mechanical and technological karma_______dead.

My apologies go out to all my faithful fans (that's my feeble attempt at a joke, as I only have about three readers and they are related to me) for not blogging recently. This week, life got in the way.

Hopefully, things will start falling into place and we'll get back on track. I've been working on some quick and easy recipes since I've had to cook in the mornings and take my supper to work. Also, I've got several new food related books to recommend along with some memoir type essays.

In the meantime, check out some of my great links. Thanks to everyone who has shuttled me around town this week and check back to the site in a day or two. Jen

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

Fabulous Food Show

Follow this link for info on The Fabulous Food Show coming to Cleveland in November. This will be my first time going but I've been told that it's "Fawesome"!


http://cleveland.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=cleveland&cdn=citiestowns&tm=28&gps=194_40_869_567&f=11&su=p529.6.336.ip_&tt=11&bt=0&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.fabulousfoodshow.com/

Rediscovering now featured on Keyingredient.com

I just added my first recipe to keyingredient.com. This is a great resource for recipes. It's simple to use and sign up is free. Be sure to check it out!

http://keyingredient.com/


Many thanks to Sophie for the invitation and encouragement!

A Call For Gardeners...

I'm trying to get in contact with any organic gardeners in the area who are looking for a way to get involved with the community. I would like to get a group together for an organizational meeting to launch a community service project that has been rolling around in my brain for a couple of years.If you are a gardener or know one, please email me with their contact information or have them email me at jenblue34@aol.com

Three Books Per Week

I'm a regular at our local library. I always bring home more books than I can read at one time so I thought that we might add a weekly column to Rediscovering featuring only three books per week. These are this weeks picks. Feel free to leave your comments and/or reviews. - Jen

1. Sandra Lee - Made From Scratch - The true story of how celebrity chef Sandra Lee went from being raised on food stamps to starring in her own TV show, Semi-Homemade Cooking, on the Food Network. Isbn 978-0-696-23919-9

In an effort to remain a positive human being, I will simply refer you to Bourdain's rant about Ms. Lee and the Food Network on Ruhlman's blog. I'm going to pass the buck to Bourdain since he probably has better liability insurance than I do.
http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/02/guest_blogging_.html

2. Comfort Me with Apples - More adventures at the table by Ruth Reichl
Isbn 0-375-50195-9

I haven't started it yet because I'm still working on three other books. I really enjoyed her book, Garlic and Sapphires, so I'm looking forward to this one.

3. Don't Try This At Home - Culinary Catastrophes From The World's Greatest Chefs edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman Isbn 1-29691-070-4

So far, so good. I knew that I would love this book based on the chefs that are featured, including my fav- Tony Bourdain

Rediscovering is added to the Foodie Blogroll

Some of you may notice a new feature on my sidebar. It's the foodie blogroll. Be sure to check it out. If you are a foodie or food blogger, it's a great way to get connected to others.

Many thanks to all of the members for the warm welcome and a special thanks to Jenn, The Leftover Queen for including my blog. You can check out Jenn's website by clicking below.

Jenn DiPiazza ~*~Travel Writer.Creative Cook.Food Critic.Professional Foodie

See what's cooking @ www.leftoverqueen.com

Visit my travel blog @ www.travelcloseup.com

Pasta Primavera

Looking for something quick, easy and fresh? Or a way to use some of your fresh veggies from the garden? Then try a beautiful and satisfying Pasta Primavera. This delicious dish is sure to please and is on the table in about 20 minutes.

I started by putting the water on to boil for the capellini. It's a thin, semolina pasta that takes only about three minutes to cook once it's placed in the boiling, salted water. While waiting for the water to come to a boil, I chopped a zucchini and a sweet onion. They went into a skillet with about 2 T. of extra-virgin olive oil over a medium heat. After a few minutes, I added a grated carrot and allowed the veggies to saute until the onions and zucchini were becoming translucent. Next, I added garlic, salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some italian seasoning, at this point, along with diced tomato. If you don't have fresh, it's perfectly fine to use canned. Allow the sauce to simmer until your pasta is done.

By this time, the capellini was ready to go into the pot of water that had come to a rolling boil.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain and serve with your super, fresh summer sauce ladled over the top. Garnish with a little freshly, grated parmesean and serve with salad,bread and a nice wine. It's a perfect summer meal.