summer soup 2010

recette pour un livre magnifique (recipe for a magnificent book)!

~ jama ~ 1 Comment

“At 8:30 the Morlaisses had supper. The menu was always the same: soup. Soup is easy to digest, it makes you grow, and it guarantees a good night’s sleep — that is, if it is salt- and pepper-free, of course.” ~ Secret Letters from 0 to 10 by Susie Morgenstern


      photo of Susie by styeb.

Well, I never thought this would happen in a million years.

I just read a story where I was actually glad when the main character stopped eating soup every night!

Just one of the many things that amazed me about Secret Letters from 0 to 10 by Susie Morgenstern (Putnam, 1998). Where have I been? Why hadn’t I ever encountered this multiple award winning gem before, or read anything else by Ms. Morgenstern? I loved loved this book — it totally satisfied my cravings for a deliciously engrossing, moving, masterfully crafted middle grade novel with a French twist.

And I owe it all to amazing author Anne Mazer, who answered my call for books set in France. So large is my love for this book, that it’s going to be really hard not using exclamation marks !!! after every sentence in this post!!

Breathe. Focus. Relax.

Secret Letters was originally written in French and translated by Gill Rosner. Seems both Susie (originally from New Jersey) and Gill live in Nice, France (my French Riviera envy is off the scale), and the book has won sixteen international awards including Le Prix Totem (French equivalent of the Newbery). Ooh-la-la!

Ten-year-old Ernest Morlaisse lives a very unadventurous, isolated life with his 80-year-old grandmother, Precious, who is a prisoner of the past. They rarely speak to each other as they follow their regimented, solitary routines each day. There are no friends, no TV or telephone, and for Ernest, no going out anywhere except for school. All this abruptly changes when Victoria de Montardent, a new girl in class, bulldozes her way into Ernest’s deprived existence.

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thought for the week

~ jama

              
            Source: Alvhyttan

"One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."

~ Chapter XXI, Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

friday feast: a love that should have lasted years, and one that absolutely has

~ jama ~ 1 Comment


Paul with Jane Asher (photo: janeasher1).

Sir James Paul McCartney is 68 years old today!

And yes, I kind of like him. ☺

Earlier this month, he received the Gershwin Prize at the White House, and this summer, he’ll be traveling all over North America with his Up and Coming Tour. Our beloved lad from Liverpool, one of the wealthiest men in Britain, is clearly the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music.


When I reflect on the various phases of his career — the Beatles, Wings, as a solo artist — and marvel at his ability to remain fresh and relevant to multiple generations, I always think about his love songs.

If you strip away the grand theatrical work and soundtracks, the classical forays, the electronic innovations, psychedelic experiments, the forever energizing, good old rock ‘n roll — you basically have a man with a tender, melodic voice who composed some of the most stunningly lyrical songs ever: “And I Love Her,” “I Will,” “Blackbird,” “Here, There, and Everywhere,” “Yesterday,” “For No One,” and the song for which he’d most like to be remembered, “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

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a prisoner of cakelove, or, i force myself to eat more cupcakes just for you

~ jama


CakeLove storefront at Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, VA.

After meeting the man, it was time to meet his cakes.

 

THE SEDUCTION

They called to me, those sassy-sweet sugar sirens, from a little corner of Fair Oaks Mall, located just a few minutes from home. The newest location is a small storefront, but equally as dangerous as any of the CakeLove walk-in bakeries farther away.

Let’s say you’re at the Mall, happy with your own cute self, dutifully minding your own business, when you happen to stroll by this innocent-looking display case.

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lovin’ on mr. brown (who’s got a lovely daughter)

~ jama

“Direct yourself to greatness. Answer your calls. Answer to yourself.” ~ Warren Brown, founder and owner of CakeLove

Far be it from me to seek out certain cupcakes just because the baker happens to be extremely dishy  fair of face. *cough*

I’m all about serious research, focus, eyes on the product, heart in the food. Remember Bakeshop owner Justin Stegall? I only found out how cute he was after the fact (and six divine cupcakes). While I love researching the backstories of all these bakers, in the end, it’s supposed to be about the cupcakes. Right?

Maybe.

I didn’t know anything about CakeLove’s Warren Brown before embarking on these Cupcake Capers back in March. I had not seen him on Food Network’s Sugar Rush (2005-2007), nor did I know about his popular cookbook, CakeLove (2008). I actually learned about Mr. Brown because of the recent Washingtonian Cupcake Cup (Georgetown Cupcake took top honors yet again).

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