I was feeling kind of introspective when I woke up, so I did a couple things. First, I took a break from Until I Find You. It pains me to say it, but it's not that good. And I might abandon it, because according to Amazon, it doesn't get any better:
"At over 800 pages, John Irving's Until I Find You is a daunting proposition at best. Anyone who finishes it will have acquired forearm muscles, sore shoulders, and not much else. The story is self-indulgent, repetitive and, ultimately, boring, that cardinal sin that readers can't forgive. Longtime Irving readers have stayed with him through a few hits and a miss or two, but this is an all-time low."
Ouch.
Anyway, I picked up A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, and I got sucked in immediately. I read until 2:30 pm and then I thought, I'd better get groceries for lunch. The Frey book is completely different from what I usually read, yet it's entirely compelling. It's the story of a 23-year-old addict who has damaged most of his internal organs through his abuse of pretty much every drug under the sun. Then he goes to rehab, and we get an unusually detailed look at life there. Strangely enough, it's not depressing. Just riveting. If anyone has read the sequel, let me know if it's as good.
For lunch I made my first Rachael Ray recipe. It was very good! A garlic and ginger stir fry with some unusual flavorings, including Chinese 5-spice powder and apricot preserves. The preserves don't make it sickly sweet, they just balance out the bitter soy sauce.
Here's the recipe:
1 c white rice, prepared according to directions on package
1 T canola oil
2 t dark sesame oil
1/2 head small Nappa cabbage, shredded
1/4 lb snow peas, trimmed and cut in half on an angle
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
2 c bean sprouts, washed and drained
2 inches fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1/4 c dark soy sauce (tamari)
1 T Chinese 5-spice powder
Juice of 1 large navel orange
3 oz apricot preserves (about 3 rounded T)
Coarse salt, to taste
Prepare rice, and start to cook.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add canola oil and sesame oil to hot pan. Add vegetables and stir-fry, 2 or 3 min. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry, 2 min more. Add soy sauce in a slow stream. Sprinkle with Chinese 5-spice powder. Juice orange over pan, then add preserves. Remove pan from heat and toss until vegetables are evenly coated and preserves dissolved. Season with a few pinches of salt, to taste, and serve over white rice.
(from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals: Veggie Meals)
"At over 800 pages, John Irving's Until I Find You is a daunting proposition at best. Anyone who finishes it will have acquired forearm muscles, sore shoulders, and not much else. The story is self-indulgent, repetitive and, ultimately, boring, that cardinal sin that readers can't forgive. Longtime Irving readers have stayed with him through a few hits and a miss or two, but this is an all-time low."
Ouch.
Anyway, I picked up A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, and I got sucked in immediately. I read until 2:30 pm and then I thought, I'd better get groceries for lunch. The Frey book is completely different from what I usually read, yet it's entirely compelling. It's the story of a 23-year-old addict who has damaged most of his internal organs through his abuse of pretty much every drug under the sun. Then he goes to rehab, and we get an unusually detailed look at life there. Strangely enough, it's not depressing. Just riveting. If anyone has read the sequel, let me know if it's as good.
For lunch I made my first Rachael Ray recipe. It was very good! A garlic and ginger stir fry with some unusual flavorings, including Chinese 5-spice powder and apricot preserves. The preserves don't make it sickly sweet, they just balance out the bitter soy sauce.
Here's the recipe:
1 c white rice, prepared according to directions on package
1 T canola oil
2 t dark sesame oil
1/2 head small Nappa cabbage, shredded
1/4 lb snow peas, trimmed and cut in half on an angle
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
2 c bean sprouts, washed and drained
2 inches fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1/4 c dark soy sauce (tamari)
1 T Chinese 5-spice powder
Juice of 1 large navel orange
3 oz apricot preserves (about 3 rounded T)
Coarse salt, to taste
Prepare rice, and start to cook.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add canola oil and sesame oil to hot pan. Add vegetables and stir-fry, 2 or 3 min. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry, 2 min more. Add soy sauce in a slow stream. Sprinkle with Chinese 5-spice powder. Juice orange over pan, then add preserves. Remove pan from heat and toss until vegetables are evenly coated and preserves dissolved. Season with a few pinches of salt, to taste, and serve over white rice.
(from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals: Veggie Meals)
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