Hobbit Day...

Happy Hobbit Day, fellow Tolkien fans!  Today is said to be the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, so pass around the cake and have an extra helping of Second Breakfast to celebrate.  If you're really ambitious, you could have a fireworks display in honor of the holiday, but that could be awkward to try to explain to your neighbors.  Maybe it's best to just go barefoot as a tribute.

We're only a few months away from the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, as well, so we've also got that to celebrate.  It's a great time to lend your copy of The Hobbit to a friend who's never read it so they can get up to speed for the movie release (if you're one of those people who's comfortable parting with their books).  At any rate, it's a great excuse to pay another visit to Middle Earth and revel in the glory of the stories that have come out of it.

Downton Abbey Addiction...

I have a particular "type" when it comes to entertainment, whether it's books, tv, or movies.  I like excitement.  If it involves gunfire, explosions, or fight scenes, I'm usually pretty happy.  I've never had any interest in the typical girly type of stories.  I don't like dramas or "deep" movies and I'll take a Tom Clancy book over Jane Austen any day.  In light of that, you'll understand my confusion over my incredible addiction to Downton Abbey.

It makes no sense at all.  For all intents and purposes, I should hate this show.  Or at least have a very strong dislike of it.  It's loaded up with romantic intrigue, rich people being waited on hand and foot, and not even a hint of a car chase.  On the surface, there's nothing there for me.

But I love it.  I absolutely love it.  Like most of the BBC programming I watch, I was a bit of a late-comer to the fandom.  Also, in the interest of full disclosure, the first time I heard of the show was on Twitter last fall.  It took me a solid five months to realize that it wasn't called DowntoWn Abbey.  It didn't really seem like my cup of tea (see what I did there?), but I read too many rave reviews from people whose taste I trust and I finally decided to give it a shot.  I was hooked from the start of the very first episode.  I love the people.  I love the historical setting.  I even love the occasional American joke they make.

Somehow, the writers and actors have managed to make me truly care about these characters' lives, which is quite a feat considering how dispassionate I am about almost everyone (real people included).  There have been moments that have made me actually squeal out loud and clap my hands.  Likewise, there have been moments that have made me cry (again, a feat of epic proportions).  I can't describe what it is.  This show has found some magical formula that has me hooked for reasons I'm not sure I'll ever be able to explain.  Whatever it is, I'm totally happy with it.  I'm just enjoying the ride.  (And oh, was the latest episode ever amazing?)

Die Trying...

Last month (most likely in an attempt to transfer some of her book collection out of her room and into mine), my mom introduced me to an author named Lee Child.  Actually, the real reason was because I mentioned seeing a trailer for a movie called Jack Reacher that looked good even though it had Tom Cruise in it and she informed me that Reacher was one of her favorite literary characters.  But I think that getting rid of some books was also part of her motivation.  We've always had similar taste in reading material, so it was only natural that I would quickly come to love the series.

The first thing I want to note, since I've already brought up the upcoming movie, is that putting Tom Cruise in this role is possibly the worst casting I've ever seen.  And I'm a girl who's grown up being disappointed at big screen adaptations of books that I love.  I used to watch the Nancy Drew tv series, so this is really saying something.  In the books, Jack Reacher, the character Cruise will be playing, is described as an extremely tall (6'5", I believe), powerful, intimidating blond man who sticks out in a crowd just because you plain old can't miss him.  Does that sound even remotely like Tom Cruse to anyone?  No?  I didn't think so.  Re-watching the trailer after having read a few of the Reacher books only made this more clear.  Everything is wrong.  But that's beside the point.

I just finished Die Trying, which is the second Reacher novel.  In this one, he accidentally gets kidnapped because he happens to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It turns out that it's a pretty good thing he did because he plays a major role in saving the day at the end of the book.  I hope that's not too spoilery; I figured it was more or less obvious.  The kidnapping sets off a cross-country journey of events that leaves Reacher out in the middle of the woods.  It's out there that he seems to be more in his element than in any other situation his character has been in (at least as far as I've read).  The ending is quite a page-turner and I ended up staying up half the night to finish it.  I'm not kidding: it was 4 am before I finally went to bed.  It's funny how "I'll just read one more chapter" never seems to work out that way.

What makes Reacher a great character is that he's a thinker.  He's smart.  Sure, he's supremely capable when it comes to physical violence--he excels at fighting and was a decorated sniper, but when it comes down to it, he succeeds where others fail because he can out-think his opponents.  He manages to stay a step ahead of them and in the end, that's what gets him through the troubles he finds himself in.  Plus, once he comes across an injustice or someone who's doing bad things to innocent people, he won't rest until he eliminates the aggressor.  He's got the kind of black and white view of justice that's supremely entertaining in literature, even if it's a lot less practical in real life.

I definitely recommend checking out the Reacher books, especially if you plan to see the movie.  I'm an avid book-before-the-movie believer.  It might only serve to rile you up as you watch Tom Cruise try to play Reacher, but the books are well worth it.

Forays into Baking...

You know, for an educated, modern, extraordinarily independent woman, I'd make an excellent housewife.  As long as I could hire a maid to do the cleaning.  Ok, so basically I'd just be a really good stay at home cook who read a lot of books and took long bike rides to restaurants for lunch before coming home and whipping up a fabulous dessert/dinner.  But I would be good at it.

Since I didn't have a subbing job today, I was left with a lot of free time.  Plus, it was Friday, so the library was closed.  This is usually not something that ends well.  We've had a couple of graham cracker pie crusts in our pantry for ages, and this afternoon, I felt them calling out to me to be made into a pie.  I was going to make one of my delicious s'more pies, but we didn't have any chocolate pudding.  I had some vanilla, but vanilla-marshmallow pie just didn't sound that good.  That's when I got the brilliant idea to make a fruit pie.  I've never made a real pie before, so this was going to be just the adventure I needed to spice up my Friday afternoon.

I had bought a package of golden raspberries earlier in the week that I wasn't hugely fond of, so I knew right away that those were going to be a part of the pie.  However, that was the only fruit in our entire house, and I knew I needed some more.  I hopped on my bike (this has recently become a huge component of my fitness plan) and headed off to the local Meijer.  I had intended to get some blueberries and apples, but blueberries were way expensive, so I just settled for two large apples.  And store brand Oreos.  Those weren't for the pie, but they were on sale and I've got something great planned for them in the future.

When I got home, I got right to work on my pie.  I cobbled the recipe together (as usual) from a few hastily googled recipes and got to work.  First, I cored and sliced the apples I had bought (one gala and one golden delicious).  In all my life, I've never actually used the apple corer/slicer thingy.  I'm a firm believer in just biting into apples.  It appeals to the animal part of my brain.  Then I sliced each of the large apple slices into three thinner slices and then cut those into thirds lengthwise.

I don't know what kind of knife that is, but it makes me feel like Aladdin, so I like it.

Once the apple slicing (by far the hardest part of the process) was completed, I mixed the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl.  Then I stirred the apples in until they were evenly coated.  Since I was using a graham cracker crust that didn't really need to be baked, I was afraid that if I put the fruit filling in cold, the crust would burn before the pie was fully baked.  I also decided that I wanted my pie to be a little less dry inside, so I tossed the whole mixture into a saucepan and added a 1/2 cup of water.  I simmered it for a bit and then added another 1/2 cup of water.

Once I was satisfied that the apples were warmed up enough, I spooned half of the mixture into the bottom of the pie pan.  Then I spread the golden raspberries over it and poured the rest of the apples on top.  Then I got to work on the crumble topping.  This was by far the tastiest part of the pie.  In fact, I'm having a hard time preventing myself from standing at the counter and eating the topping off of the remaining third of the pie.

The crumble topping has flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  I used a potato masher to mix in 1/4 cup of unmelted butter.  This requires a surprising amount of effort.  Once I'd gotten it evenly mixed so that it formed the perfect crumbles, I sprinkled it over the top of the fruit filling.  I had more than enough to make a nice, even coating.  After that, it was into the oven for 35 agonizing minutes as I sat at my computer in the kitchen and reveled in the aroma of baking cinnamon and apples.

Smells like heaven.  Tastes even better.

The pie turned out amazing, if I do say so myself.  Apple-golden raspberry pie isn't as glorified as plain old apple pie, but it should be.  It was not nearly as complicated as I thought it would be.  It turns out that the saying "easy as pie" is true after all.  I managed to let it cool for a whole ten minutes before I cut myself a slice.  I'm finally starting to get a hang of this not-burning-my-tongue thing.  Almost.  It was delicious.  The golden raspberries were delightful mixed in with the apples and the crumble topping was heavenly.  I want to eat all of the pie.  All of it.  And I'm not usually a huge pie fan.  I must make another one soon.  We've got another pie crust left, and there are so many different kinds of fruits to try in it.

Here's my recipe:

3/4 cup flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 large gala apple
1 large golden delicious apple
1 cup water
5 oz golden raspberries
1 graham cracker pie crust
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, slightly softened

1.  In a medium bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the flour, the sugar, and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon.  Set aside.
2.  Slice the apples into small, bite-sized pieces.
3.  Mix the apples into the dry mixture until evenly coated.
4.  Transfer mixture to medium sauce pan.  Add water 1/2 cup at a time.  Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
5.  Spoon half of the apple mixture into the bottom of the pre-made pie crust.  Spread raspberries evenly over the mixture.  Pour the rest of the apple mixture on top of the raspberries.  The fruit filling should be mounded over the top of the pie crust depending on the size of the apples you used.
6.  Mix the remaining 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg in a small mixing bowl.  Cut in the softened butter (I used a potato masher) until it is evenly mixed and forms loose chunks.
7.  Sprinkle this evenly over the top of the pie, making sure that you cover as much of it as possible.
8.  Place pie onto a baking sheet in case the fruit filling bubbles over.  Bake at 375 F (or 350 F convection) for 35 minutes.  Remove, cool, and enjoy.

Two Hours -- Two Libraries...

I was the weird kid who got excited about going to the library.  It was an exciting trip for me and was often granted as a reward for chores or just generally being awesome.  During the summers, I would load up a basket with almost two dozen Nancy Drew books at a time and finish them all within a week.  We spent loads of time there, checking out educational videos (you know, back when VHS tapes seemed cool) and browsing the bookshelves.  I used to think the adult section (not that kind of adult) was this mysterious other world where grown-ups gathered and the air smelled like old books.  I was also--and still am--a book sniffer.  I can't help myself; I just like the way they smell.  But I digress.  My point is that I've had a life-long love affair with my local public library.

A couple of years ago, citing budget cuts, our city council threatened to close the library.  I was heart-broken.  I was also defiant.  I come from a highly-educated suburb where the schools are fantastic.  I've seen (and joined) people lining up outside of the library waiting for it to open.  There are some afternoons on which it's hard to find parking.  And we have a large parking lot.  Good luck getting a study table on a Saturday afternoon.  We are a city that loves its library.  There was no way the council could shut it down and get away with it.  I was fully prepared to stage a sit-in if need be.  But part of me also panicked.  What if they actually did it?  Hundreds of childhood memories were tied up in that slightly-shabby, very 1970s-esque building.  Plus, it contained an almost limitless supply of my favorite passtime: books.  Sure enough, the city council ended up keeping the library going.  I visit almost every day now that I'm living back home.

The library is close enough to my house that it's become a vital part of my exercise regimen.  I hate walking or running in circles around my block.  I like to go somewhere.  The library, a 1.57 trip from my front door is a great solution.  As long as it's not raining (or, soon, snowing), it's the perfect destination for a walk, jog, or bike ride.  Sometimes I have an errand to run there: picking up something on hold, dropping off something that's due, stocking up on audio books so I don't lose my mind on an 1100-mile solo roadtrip.  Sometimes I just take a book with me and chill out in the lounge for a bit or browse the shelves, mentally adding to my "to-read" list before I head back home.

I've attended two major universities during my academic career, so my exposure to libraries only got grander after leaving home.  You know what I mean: enormous old buildings stuffed to the brim with what seems like every book ever published.  Buildings you could get lost in and not find your way out until you've spent a week sustaining yourself by gnawing on old leather bindings.  What I'm trying to say is that I'm used to great, big libraries that are teeming with people.

This afternoon, I had to have a test proctored at a library in the city next to mine.  Before leaving to take the test, I swung by my library to drop off a book that was due.  Then I set out to this other library.  I walked in and stopped at the entrance.  Looked around.  Blinked.  It was tiny.  I never visited the youth section, but I knew instinctively that the whole collection wouldn't have had enough Nancy Drew books to sustain one week of my childhood summer reading habits.  The computer lab was tiny and filled with monitors old enough to not be flat-screens.  It was...sad.  Two communities, right next door to each other, and their entire library could fit into the youth section at ours.

I can't imagine growing up without a library like mine.  I think about all of the stories I would've missed out on, all the ideas I might not have had, the journeys my imagination wouldn't have taken if I hadn't had immediate and almost unfettered access to all of those books.  Something like 98 or 99% of our city's public high school graduates go on to college.  I don't know this other town's exact stats, but I know that their numbers are a lot lower.  Maybe that has something to do with it.

Disney Cooking...

One of my great loves in life has always been Disney.  The movies, the songs, the parks, you name it and I probably love it.  Except for Sleeping Beauty.  I don't like her.  Don't get me started on that.  Between three different Disney internships, I lived right next to Disney World for almost two years.  One of my favorite perks of living at the greatest collection of theme parks and resorts in the entire world?  The food.  Oh, yes, the delicious, decadent food.  Food so good that I would visit the parks or hotels alone just to eat it if I couldn't find anyone to accompany me.

Ooh la la!

My favorite restaurant by far is Pioneer Hall.  It's the home to the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.  I've been pretty much obsessed with this dinner show since I was a child.  My family used to vacation there almost every year and we'd always have dinner at the Hoop once.  The show's not for everyone--you have to have an appreciation of cheesy humor, slapstick comedy, and bear jokes to really love it (or just indulge in the bottomless sangria that comes with your meal).  As luck would have it, I happen to particularly enjoy that type of humor.  The show has recently undergone some changes and it's not quite what it used to be, but it's still worth checking out.  At the end of every show (this part remains unchanged), they select a few audience volunteers.  One of them is always a young woman.  For as long as I can remember, I've been dying to be that volunteer.  She gets to dress up as a can can dancer and tell a bear joke.  What else could a girl want?  I finally after years of silent hoping got a chance to do just that last fall, thus making one of my great life dreams come true.  Don't I look great?  Side note: it was really awkward because I was wearing a short dress and I'm pretty sure that the people in the front row could see straight up it.  But I digress.  This was about food.

One of my favorite items on the Hoop's menu is the cornbread that is served when you're seated.  I love cornbread.  It's delicious.  Theirs is no exception.  A few weeks ago, I was trolling Pinterest and I found a link to a site that lists tons and tons of Disney World recipes.  One of them was for Hoop Dee Doo Cornbread.  I jumped out of my chair and almost forgot to repin it in my excitement.  Luckily, I got a hold of myself.  I just needed to buy corn meal.  Is corn meal used for anything else?  I ask because I have a large container of it now and the only thing I've ever used corn meal for in my life was making this batch of cornbread.  Not that making several more pans of it would be an issue or anything...  I'm just curious.

Anyway, despite my love of cornbread, I've never made it before.  I bake a lot of desserts and am developing quite a talent for casseroles, but cornbread has never crossed my mind as something to bake.  I have no idea why.  After reading the recipe over, I determined that cornbread is basically cake with some corn meal in it.  I guess that explains why I like it so much.  My sister and I quickly whipped up a batch and tossed it in the oven.  It's super easy; if you can measure and stir, it'd be pretty hard to mess this up.  This was our result:

It tastes like Disney World!

The cornbread was delicious, as expected.  It's been almost a year since I ate at the Hoop, so I honestly can't vouch for the fact that it tastes just like it's supposed to, but if I closed my eyes and imagined myself in a big, rustic dining hall with some banjo music, I could picture it being right at home.  Despite my earlier musings, I fully expect to use the rest of my corn meal making repeated batches of this.  Eat it right out of the oven.  It's heavenly.  The recipe can be found here.  I definitely recommend checking out the other recipes listed on that site.  This is the only one I've tried so far, but I've got a whole list of things I want to cook off of it.

The Spies of Warsaw...

I love spy novels.  A lot.  I don't care when or where they're set, there's something about a lone operative working through tremendous danger to fight for their cause that hooks me every time.  I've had a bunch of highly acclaimed spy novels on my "to-read" list for a while now and I recently checked one of them off thanks to David Tennant.

Not literally, of course.  I don't mean to say that he sat down and read me the book; I'm not sure I could've handled that.  I did, however, watch an interview with him in which he talked about his upcoming BBC mini-series based on The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst and think to myself, "Hey! I've been meaning to read that book for ages!  I need to go to the library right now."  I'm a avid believer in reading the book before the movie/tv adaptation (hence my week-long Hunger Games trilogy binge prior to the movie release earlier this year and failure to keep up with the Game of Thrones show) and as I wouldn't dream of missing a period spy drama staring my favorite Doctor, reading this book was suddenly an urgent matter.

The book was awesome.  I love exciting and suspenseful stories.  I love books that are well-written.  The Spies of Warsaw was both.  I've already checked out two other Furst books from the library since I finished Spies.  The best part of the book was the way Furst manages to immerse the reader in the setting.  There's nothing better than being in the middle of a book and feeling like you've been transported to its world.  I've never been to Warsaw or any of the other European cities the characters visit in the book, and I certainly didn't experience the 1930s, but I felt like I was there with them.  I wanted to be a part of their world and help them out.  There are parts of the book in which I want to reach through the pages and shake the characters by the shoulders and warn them about what Hitler has in store for them.  ("You idiots! He's going to invade through Belgium and make your stupid Maginot Line irrelevant!)  As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a great book.

The book focuses on a French military attache named Jean-Francois Mercier (Tennant is going to be great as Mercier [duh].  I could really picture him in the role as I read the book.) who is stationed in Warsaw and is set a bit prior to the German invasion of Poland that started WWII.  These were the murky years just before the war in which Hitler was already beginning to menace the rest of Europe.  Mercier struggles to turn up information that could give the French government clues as to Germany's intentions, but the leaders in charge don't necessarily want to listen when his intelligence contradicts what they believe the Germans will do.  It's a classic problem that we can all relate to even today.

I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy of Spies.  It really is a great read, and I've loved every bit of Furst's writing so far.  I'm currently working my way through The Polish Officer which is one of his earlier novels.  One of the smaller characters from Spies is also in this book.  It's a little less polished than Spies, but it's still a great read.  I also picked up Red Gold and I'm anxious to start that one.