Autumn Leaves 08

Curl up with a Good Book

"How often it is that an idea that seems bright bossed and gleaming in its clarity when examined in a church, or argued over with a friend in a frosty garden, becomes clouded and murk-stained when dragged out into the field of actual endeavor." March, Geraldine Brooks, p 65. Hmmm that is how I felt about the Marriage and Family Relations class that I took - things that seems so clear and easy in the classroom, when once encountered with emotional wrappings and trappings of personality are not quite so easy or clear in the battlefield of life.

The first book I read by Geraldine Brooks, Year of Wonder, I really did not enjoy, but Jesse told me how much she had enjoyed, People of the Book, also by Brooks, so I went to the library looking for that book. It was out, so I checked out March, Brooks' Pulitzer Prize winning novel. I did enjoy this thought provoking novel. It is a fictional account of the experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Little Women. I think anyone who has gone to war or has had a loved one go to war would find the insights in this book valuable.

Brooks begins one chapter with "Are there any two words in all of the English language more closely twinned than courage and cowardice? I do not think there is a man alive who will not yearn to possess the former and dread to be accused of the latter. One is held to be the apogee of man’s character, the other its nadir. And yet, to me, the two sit side by side on the circle of life, removed from each other by the merest degree of arc. Who is the brave man - he who feels no fear? If so, then bravery is but a polite term for a mind devoid of rationality and imagination. The brave man, the real hero, quakes with terror, sweats, feels his very bowels betray him, and in spite of this moves forward to do the act he dreads . . ." March, Geraldine Brooks p .168
Even though it has been eons since I read it, I couldn't help but think of the book Red Badge of Courage as I read this novel. Brooks gives interesting historical insight about the Civil War and the battle over slavery. I felt I learned so much from this book and enjoyed seeing the famous March family from a different point of view.

Culinary Corner - Pomegranates

I've always loved pomegranates, but haven't purchased them for a while because I didn't like the time it takes and the mess of getting the seeds out. . . I learned a new trick last Thanksgiving that I thought I would share that is quick and easy.

Slice your pomegranate in half.

Get a medium size bowl ready. Over the bowl, hold the half upside down in your hand and with a wooden mallet, tap on the top of the pomegranate.

The seeds will fall out into the bowl . . . and voila! you are finished and ready to use the pomegranates in your recipe!

Apple and Pomegranate Salad
1 bunch of mixed salad greens
2-3 apples, diced or thinly sliced (gala or honeycrisp are excellent)
seeds from one pomegranate
1-2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 cup slivered almonds, caramalized

To caramalize almonds:
In a heavy skillet heat 3-4 Tablespoons sugar until it is a very light brown. Add almonds, turn to coat. Place on wax paper and break apart when cool.
Mix salad ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving.

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons diced red onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds.
In a blender or food processor, mix sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt and process until well blended. With the machine still running, slowly add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and mix. Refrigerate. Pour over salad and toss just before serving.