Love It Wednesday #6 - Potayto Potahto

Today I'm crowing about a recipe that I tried out today on my family. I never thought much about anchovies before except that they were sometimes put on pizza. Recently one of the magazines I subscribe to, Everyday Food, did a feature on anchovies. One of their recipes sounded interesting, and it was terrific.

Anchovy Potato Salad

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
coarse salt
1/2 celery stalk, diced small (I used a whole one.)
1 scallion (I used two)
1 large hard-cooked egg, chopped
1 cup Spicy Anchovy Mayonnaise (recipe to follow)

In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a bowl, about 10 min. Drain, transfer to a bowl and let cool, about 30 min. Stir in all the other stuff and season with salt.

To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 3 days.

Spicy Anchovy Mayo

Combine 1 cup mayo, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, and a small tin of anchovies, finely chopped.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

...a very good place to start.


Points if you know what song that is. :)

Kings at TAO in Vegas, celebrating the Stanley Cup win.

I have started a new story. I always have to start at the beginning and move forward sequentially until I get to the end. That's the way I have to write. I can't skip around like some authors.

Anyway, I'm really excited to have begun a new project. It's got a hockey player hero. I have recently developed a crush on the entire Kings hockey team. Are these guys cute, or what!


As usual, I had a false start:

“Seriously?” Jack Pomerantz scowled at the Honorable Judge Wanda Weisgarten. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Jack’s lawyer brought a fist to his mouth and discretely coughed the words, “Shut the fuck up.” 

That was when the story was going to be about a player with a drinking problem. Now, it's going to be about a player with a superstitious nature and something to prove to the world. The beginning, now focusing on the heroine, is this:

The closest Erin Collier had ever gotten to a celebrity was when she’d been at Disneyland and heard that Channing Tatum had been spotted on the Matterhorn. She’d kept her eyes peeled the entire day, alert for a crowd of giddy women, but never spotted him. The most she could claim was that maybe her butt and his butt had shared the same bobsled that day.

I'm really excited about this story.

Favorite Quotes #6 - Write, write, write

I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.
Ernest Hemingway


I've started a new book. I was inspired by my team's win of the STANLEY CUP. I sort of got obsessed with hockey players. They're so darn virile. Like modern day gladiators. The last two stories I wrote were for men, so I want to get back to writing something for my own sex. 


I chose this quote because I write pretty slow. I need every trick I can find to help me produce more quickly, so this quote reminded me of something I used to do...stop in the middle of a sentence, where I know exactly what was going to come next. Then, when I start each day, I can really START. 


P.S. I never really did enjoy reading Hemingway, but maybe someday I'll give his stuff another chance.

Love It Wednesday #5 - I Scream!

This week I praise this book by David Lebovitz. I made the recipe below which is KILLER. I don't even like sour cream, but this ice cream is to die for and so easy to make.

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

Yield: Makes 1 1/4 quarts ice cream

ingredients:

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vodka or kirsch (I left this out)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

directions:

1. Slice the strawberries and toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch, if using. I left the alcohol out. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve and all of the strawberries are coated. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2. Pulse the strawberries and their liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until almost smooth, but still slightly chunky.

3. Refrigerate mixture for at least one hour. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Recipe from The Perfect Scoop

Favorite Quotes #5 - Don't Worry...

Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Abraham Lincoln (not pictured)