Big Love, Season 3: Disc 1

Got another DVD watched this past weekend.  It's been so long since I saw the last season of Big Love that I really didn't remember what was going on and I'm fairly sure I missed one or two episodes at the end.  Regardless, I started up with this DVD and I have missed the show - I'm looking forward to seeing more without a doubt.

Crockpot Pulled Pork and Crab Cakes

This weekend, I tried out two new recipes which are worth noting and will definitely count as food blog entries once I get around to writing about them and putting them up on Brooklyn Forager.

The first was Ina Garten's crabcakes with remoulade.  I was nervous about these since the first few turned out crumbly and not quite browned enough.  My husband thanked me for the early errors since he got to try them out and once I got in my groove, the recipe got the Austin seal of approval. 

The second was pulled pork sandwiches.  I have actually debated using this one in the challenge because the whole recipe called for making biscuits from scratch.  I was traveling with my food and didn't want to cram too much into the morning before I headed to the party I was cooking for and also wasn't sure how the biscuits would keep.  The pork itself turned out very well and was such an easy crockpot recipe that I will be making it again.  I figured that's enough to count it as a new recipe even without the biscuits!

Multiple Blessings by Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

I admit it.  I have an ongoing interest in the Gosselin family.  Not really the tabloid craziness of late or even Kate on Dancing with the Stars.  But I absolutely loved the show and loved the children and even found myself on Team Kate in the early days of the tabloid craziness.

All of this led me to read Multiple Blessings which is Kate's story about pre- and post-sextuplet (but pre-regular show) life in the Gosselin household.  I was interested to hear more about their lives at that time.  I think the book is frank, if somewhat self-serving in its justifications of her control freak/aggressive mama bear behavior.  The book also focuses heavily on Kate's relationship with God and her faith which can be off-putting, but also explains a lot about her own thought process and how she gets through each day.

I wouldn't tell anyone to go out and get this book, even if you have (or had) Gosselin fever, but I got it for free, so it wasn't a total waste of time.  There isn't much here that wasn't in the recap episodes or the original documentary piece, so if you've seen it all, you've already read this book.

47. Read 202 new books.

Mercy

I finished two relatively quick reads in the past week or two.  First, Mercy by Jodi Picoult which is the story of another small town in New England rocked by death (murder?) and a novel criminal trial.  Someone once called Jodi Picoult novels the "Lifetime movies" of fiction novels and I have to say it couldn't be more true. 

Each one has the crucial mix of love, despair, suspense and small town dramatics.  But rather than be trite or (too) formulaic, I find them all, including Mercy, to be engaging reads that are thought provoking but light and ultimately enjoyable, even if I get too emotionally involved.  Some are better than others and I'd say this one comes in about the middle of the pack. 

I also read The Family Tree by Carol Cadwalader (for some reason I couldn't add a link).  This takes the family drama and flips it on its ear, looking at nature v. nurture, genetics v. experience.  The author uses some interesting elements to make this novel fresh as it is part personal account, part dissertation looking at words and concepts.  I don't think Cadwalader really followed completely through since the narration has the voice of a stunted 10 year old throughout each section, regardless of the fact that the now-grown woman is reflecting on her own childhood and that of her grandmother.  At the end, it was a good quick read, not great by any stretch of the imagination.

26. Do Yoga At Least Once Per Week.

I found my cardio yoga class - Core Yoga at Yoga People in Brooklyn.  It's offered by my favorite teacher twice a week so I have two options to take the class.  I am trying to go to the Gentle Restorative Yoga class weekly as well since it is so relaxing and generally needed after I spend the week working on my fitness.  Now that I've been a few times, I may try and do it on my own at home which leaves more room on the old yoga card for this Core Yoga class.  It is definitely a workout and really helps me focus on strengthening everything.  

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20. Dine al fresco 101 times.

My friends, the season is upon us! Spring is just starting to peep out and so eating outside may begin.  I met a couple of friends for lunch today and we, each with our little brown bags, sat on a bench in Manhattan and ate lunch in the sun.  It was so nice! I look forward to this particular item on the list most of all.  Hopefully there will be much more outdoor eating in my future. 

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47 & 48. Read 202 books/1 non-fiction per month

SICKENED THE MEMOIR OF A MUNCHAUSEN BY PROXY CHILDHOOD

So I'm back on track with my non-fiction reading.  In this case, Sickened is a memoir about a girl who lived for over twenty years being poisoned and manipulated by her mother, only discovering the truth when she started to pick up the pieces of her life on her own.  She was taking an abnormal psychology class and heard about Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) and had an awakening.

Julie Gregory tells her frightening and fascinating tale through her memories and if it's possible to believe, the MBP experience is only one of the horrors she experiences.  She also remembers the charming moments of her childhood, those that may still seem frightening to the outsider but those that warmed her and shaped her.  There were good days too.

I was looking to learn more substantive information about MBP when I read this, since it has come up in a few different articles and things that I've read recently.  This isn't a reference book, but it is a really well written memoir that gives some insight into the experience of a child affected by MBP.  I definitely want to keep learning about this amazing disorder and am very glad that Julie Gregory put together such an interesting perspective on her life.

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47 & 48 - Read 202 books and at least 1 non-fiction book per month.

Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

I fell behind in my non-fiction reading for February, but I'm on a roll this month and plan to catch up.  This book was a gift from a family member to help me think outside-the-box about what it is I want to do in life other than my 101 things (amazing to think there might be even more than that!).  This is an interesting approach to defining and creating yourself as a brand and learning how to market yourself accordingly.

The methods suggested in this book are very Web 2.0 - using the internet and its latest social networking capabilities to establish yourself and your brand and open doors.  I am just a bit too old to be Gen Y (defined as starting at 1982), but I feel like I am savvy enough to have learned a lot and to be able to implement some of these techniques as I go forward in building my career. 

For those who already have a sense of a personal brand or a strong set of goals, the book can be extremely helpful.  I'd say it's a bit light on finding that brand if you're starting from zero, but there are some exercises that will yield results and start the thinking process.  All around a very interesting read and a useful new perspective on careers and technology.

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22. Try 10 new restaurants

I limited my restaurant goal to 10 new restaurants because while I love trying new restaurants, we tend to be homebodies and eat at home more often than not.  This past weekend, however, I had a surprise staycation in NYC and got to try a couple of new restaurants that I really liked. 

The first was Spice Market which has been on my list forever.  It has a mix of Asian-influenced dishes including Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese influences.  I had a lovely chicken and coconut milk soup, great chicken samosas, spring rolls and a number of other tasty small plates.  The decor is incredible and really transports you out of the meatpacking district and into another world.

The second was Almond, a take on the French bistro.  They had a really interesting mix of typical bistro fare such as steak frites and innovative and creative dishes like a homemade cavatelli with shrimp sausage and chick peas.  I sampled the cavatelli which was really satisfying and refreshing.  Other stars that I really enjoyed (basically everything I ate) included the roasted beet salad with homemade ricotta crostini, salt cod croquetes and the prosciutto and truffle macaroni and cheese.  My one critique would be that in an effort to be really luxe and truffle-y, there may have actually been an overload of truffle in the gratin.  The dish included chopped truffles (and one really big slice that I uncovered) rather than truffle oil, and dare I say, a little really does go a long way. 

I don't think I'll be adding tons of new restaurants at the same rate as I did this past weekend, but should I reach my 10 early, I might add a second round and see how far I get in the 1001 days.

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24. Use Crockpot 60 Times

On the snowy day we had at the end of last week, I pulled together a kitchen clean-up crockpot meal that turned out very nicely.  I used sirloin steak tips, local red creamer potatoes, onions, green beans and zucchini and made a fairly healthy Red Curry Beef Stew.  Look for the post at www.bklynforager.com later this week.  It was great for a cold snowy night and heated up very easily to feed us throughout the weekend.  

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