The Accidental Housewife

I've moved!!

2011-04-11T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm blogging here now:

http://melissamaday,com

Chick Lit Review: Famous Last Words by Annie Sanders

2011-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

"So ... what are you supposed to do on the first day of the rest of your life?"

This is the question posed by thirtysomething single mom Lucy Streeter early in Famous Last Words by Annie Sanders, and it exemplifies her quest throughout the novel.

I’ll admit off the top that I love Annie Ashworth and Meg Sanders, the writing duo who publish as Annie Sanders. I discovered them a couple of years ago, and both Goodbye, Jimmy Choo and The X-mas Factor are among my favorite chick lit reads. They're UK writers -- so Anglophiles like me love the Britishisms and London locales, and their stories move at a fast pace while maintaining an intense attention to detail. I also find that their characters have a range and depth demonstrating careful writing -- they aren't the cookie cutter "yummy mummies" or stereotypical single girls who sometimes populate the realms of lesser chick lit. Annie Sanders creates characters the reader feels like she might know -- love 'em or hate 'em. Most strikingly to me, they also do a great job at weaving storylines from multiple characters into one streamlined narrative. This adds both depth and breadth to their novels, especially because it's paired with careful, thoughtful, engaging prose.

So, I picked up Famous Last Words with hopeful expectation. From what I read on the jacket, it was covering some familiar ground: a fortune teller informs Lucy that she is soon to die, and she sets out to change her life. It isn’t my favorite plot, but I was interested to see what Sanders could do with it.

They did not disappoint. After opening with a brief and slightly confusing jog around narrative time, leading to the revelation (on page 2!) that Lucy isn’t really going to die, we get to know our heroine in-depth. She is kind but pragmatic, loyal, earnest, and straightforward. She owns and runs a clothing shop in a typical English town in the West Midlands (interestingly, this is the first time the Sanders duo has written a novel set in the area where the authors live). We learn that Lucy has channeled her early dreams of a career in fashion design into her now-nearly-grown son, Nat. Lucy is neither melancholy nor pathetic, which is part of the reason the story works: the reader isn’t led to feel sorry for her; rather, anyone with an unfulfilled dream can relate to her situation.

Lucy’s life changes fast after a freaky fortune teller informs her – as the jacket obliquely puts it – that she doesn’t have a future. She does all the things you’d expect (and some you wouldn’t) to put her life in order and live her last days to the fullest. The plot could be heavy or maudlin, but the Sanders writing team treads lightly, weaving in a business-related back story to go with the emotional angst and supporting Lucy with an interestingly motley group of minor characters, including Lucy's mostly absent son, a luminescent best friend, and a guy-next-door love interest.

The story proceeds like fun, funny, well-written-but-typical British chick lit for the first three-quarters of the novel. However, what makes Famous Last Words really unique – and uniquely excellent – within its sub-genre is the fanciful plot twist that shows up just when the reader thinks it’s all been figured out. I’m not usually a fan of fantasy elements in chick lit, but the authors deftly and precisely place their surprise surrealistic element, allowing it to read as whimsical and light rather than oppressive plot-twisting.

These authors know what they’re doing, and they don’t dawdle – from this point forward, the novel moves swiftly to an entertaining yet conventional conclusion. In the way that really good chick lit should function, I wasn’t disappointed by the conventional nature of the ending: instead, since Sanders had convinced me to like Lucy, made her a friend, and drawn me into her story, I was pleased to see that she had figured out what to do with the rest of her life. If you’re looking for glamour lit, or a fast-paced urban setting with heavy romance and lots of posh nights out, this is not the novel for you. But if you’re looking for a Brit chick lit novel with interesting characters and a fast-moving-and-still-surprising plot, I highly recommend Famous Last Words by Annie Sanders.

Recipe, Rehabilitated

2011-01-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

Nigella's muffins were a bona fide debacle, and their failure haunted me for several days. Then the weather went to hell, my semester started, J. plodded deeper into his own teaching death march, and I forgot about them.

But we survived the aforementioned calamities and rolled on into what looks like it will be a cozy and relaxing three-day weekend. Buoyed by the amazing fact that The King's Speech is no longer 80 miles away but finally showing at our very own multiplex, I was looking for a way to kick off our respite in style (which, for us, usually means with something yummy).

This thought brought me, alarmingly, back to the muffin disaster. Dismissing it, I started to gather the ingredients for blueberry oatmeal muffins, but I couldn't get rid of the memory of the banana butterscotch misfortune (and those of you who know me IRL can attest that "just let it go" is not a concept I'm very successful at enacting).

Instead of going back to the scene of the crime and revisiting Nigella's flawed recipe, I grabbed the ingredients for my favorite healthy banana bread, tweaked them a bit for muffins, then added butterscotch chips to the batter.

I paced while they baked. But I'm oh-so-pleased to report that they are PERFECT.

So here's MY recipe for Banana Butterscotch Muffins (and they're vegan, whole grain, mostly sugar free, ridiculously quick and easy -- and delicious):

2 cups whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 tsp. baking soda
.25 tsp. salt
2/3 c. Baking Splenda (you can use sugar, but add 10 minutes to the baking time)
1/3 c. canola oil (I use Smart Balance oil)
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c, water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. Butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 12 baking cups.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Whisk together (or use an electric mixer) Baking Splenda and oil in a medium bowl. Stir in mashed bananas and combine thoroughly. Mix in water and vanilla.

When the wet ingredients are well mixed, add in the flour mixture and Butterscotch chips.

Fill muffin tins with batter and bake for 21-25 minutes, until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Happy Weekend!!

Bite me, Nigella

2011-01-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Nigella Lawson!

I first devoured her cookbooks and TV shows in graduate school, where she fed my anglophilia and fueled my desire to live and work in London. Also, for someone living on a budget dictated by an academic fellowship, her recipes seemed decadent: lovely, sinful, expensive ingredients, effortlessly combined for beautiful, casual dinner parties for friends. It was all Utopian and dreamy to watch, especially when my friends and I were subsisting on Chik-fil-a nuggets consumed standing up while reading Ulysses or Middlemarch.

Eventually, I tried some of her recipes. Most were excellent, though a few were disasters -- I particularly remember one really horrible mushroom and lemony pasta concoction which made J. -- a very tolerant guinea pig for my cooking experiments -- actually gag. There were also a few other recipes, especially cakes, which didn't quite work for me, but I chalked most of the trouble up to the conversion ratios from grams to ounces and cups.

I now approach Nigella's recipes with a (slightly) more critical eye, but they certainly haven't lost their allure. I still buy her cookbooks and read them from cover to cover, and I catch her shows on TV whenever I can.

I was very excited when this recipe for Banana Butterscotch Muffins showed up in my gmail last week, from Nigella.com. In true Nigella fashion, they looked and sounded delicious, making me think of Banoffee pie, one of my favorite British comfort foods.

The ingredients for the muffins kept pace with what I expect from Nigella: lovely and decadent as per usual, but not exactly in line with our current healthier eating plan. I knew I couldn't bake them in good conscience. I've been thinking about them for days, so, this afternoon, I decided to try to tweak the ingredients to make the muffins healthier.

I decreased the fat by replacing 2/3 of the oil with applesauce. I replaced the sugar with a lesser amount of Splenda brown sugar blend. And I added whole grains by replacing the white flour with whole wheat pastry flour.

The result?
A baking DISASTER!!

I was worried from the outset: usually, replacing white flour with wheat flour makes batter direr, but this batter still seemed really wet to me as I filled the muffin pans. I blamed the bananas, and baked the muffins at a slightly lower temperature and for a third longer than the recipe suggested. When they came out of the oven they were much too brown on the top and not cooked in the middle. Even more baking couldn't resurrect them. They're in the bin, and I'm disappointed. Visions of lemony mushroom pasta are dancing in my head.

I'm polishing my critical eye for you, Nigella. Next time, I'll just go with Curtis Stone's recipe for Banoffee pie

Being active and all that

2011-01-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

J. and I both made a commitment to be more active this year, and we found a simple way to challenge and track ourselves over at John Bingham's Blog where wejoined the 100 Day Challenge. The challenge is simple and brilliant. All you do is make the commitment to intentionally move your body for 30 minutes per day, every day, for 100 days.

I like it for several reasons. I like the fact that the exercise isn't over-prescribed: 30 minutes of movement leaves the door wide open for all kinds of things. For me, right now, it means any combination of walking, running, or a couple of Wii exercise games (Wii Fit Plus for the easy days, and EA Active 2 for the more challenging ones).

I also like that it clearly specifies intentional movement -- which removes the possibility of cobbling together a day's workout from memory ("I walked to the mail box, and that took 5 minutes ...").

And 30 minutes is a goodly amount. J. and I have learned that repeatedly in the last few days, when a brings-you-to-your-knees EA Active workout lasts for only 23 minutes, and you KNOW you have to add on to make it to the 30 minute goal.

Finally, 100 days is a serious goal and it requires a serious commitment.

Day 4 is in the bag, and I'm (almost) looking forward to Day 5.

Toward a Healthier, Less Processed Kitchen ... Muffins!

2011-01-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

One of the main tenets of my goal to make our kitchen healthier is the commitment to baking regularly so that we don't have to buy cookies or cakes or things like that (I'm not yet up for major bread-making duty, but I'm hoping to get there.

Since I made that commitment, I realized for not the first time that I much prefer cooking to baking. For me, baking has the exactness of science, whereas cooking has the creativity and flexibility of art. So, because my commitment requires me to bake about twice a week, I'm looking for easy, healthy, no-fuss recipes for cookies, muffins, and sweet breads -- things we can incorporate into our breakfasts and packed lunches.

So, I just made sugar free pumpkin oatmeal muffins with raisins. Here's the recipe -- I adapted it from a few different versions I found online:

Sugar free pumpkin oatmeal muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup while flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup regular (not quick-cook) oatmeal
1 cup baking Splenda (or 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar)
1 large egg, beaten (or equivalent egg replacer)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or canola oil, if you're feeling decadent)
3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.

Stir dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, blend egg, applesauce, soy milk and canned pumpkin until they are well combined. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in raisins or chocolate chips. Batter will be lumpy.

Use an ice cream scoop to fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Reading and reading and reading ...

2011-01-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

... is what I'd really like to do.

Sadly, my intentions for reading are far better than my actualities these days, and I hate it. Quite often, I blame it on a grad school reading hangover, but I think that ship has long since sailed.

Whatever the reason, I'm moving on in 2011. To that end, I've signed up for the 2011 chick lit reading challenge over at Chick Lit Plus, so you can look forward to reading my reviews. Despite my academic pedigree, I'm a huge fan of the chick lit genre, and I have lots of things to say about it.

I'm also returning to my early reading loves. Inspired by a grad school friend who endeavors to read the complete works of one author each year, I'm setting out to read all of Edith Wharton's fiction this year. My Kindle is loaded for the journey!

One more resolution

2011-01-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

I did say five, right?

This fifth resolution SHOULD be about writing more or loving more or wasting less time on the internet or staying more organized, but those are all things that don't need the weight of 1-1-11. My fifth and final resolution/plan/promise to myself is to try and be more present in the moments of my life. I live a pretty great existence, all in all, and I need to experience it more and appreciate it more. I'm an old-school, dyed in the wool planner, so this is tough for me.

In 2011, I will be more present in the moments of my life instead of always thinking, wondering, and worrying about what's coming next.

Happy New Year, friends!

And now for the ubiquitous resolution

2010-12-31T13:23:00.000-08:00

My fourth resolution is to get more exercise: as in, a little bit (or a lot) every single day -- even if I'm writing or grading or cooking or running errands, or even if it's raining or too hot and humid.

Enough is enough. I know I need to do this, and I have a thorough intellectual understanding of why it matters and how it will change my life. So, I just need to do it.

Doing Something New

2010-12-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

My third resolution is to do five things in 2011 that I haven't done before.

Someone sent me one of those end-of-year memes that asks a lot of questions about your year (what's your favorite TV show, what song sums up the year for you, what countries did you visit, etc.). I was amazed and horrified when I got to the question that asked "What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?" and I couldn't come up with an answer.

As I rolled through a list of possible options in my head, I began to realize that I didn't have a good answer. And THAT made me realize that I need to make 2011 different.

So, I'm going to do five things in 2011 that I haven't done before. I'm hoping that running a half marathon is one of them (god help me) and I'd like another to have to do with finishing the nonfiction work that began as my dissertation. Sylvia and Ted, I'm coming back for you AGAIN/

I'm not sure what else is on my list, but I'll let you know as I figure it out. There's something profoundly energizing in the possibilities, though.

What new things did you do in 2010? What's on your list of things to do in 2011 that you've never done before?

Efficient use of email

2010-12-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is my second resolution.

I just deleted close to 13,000 unread messages from my gmail account. It's not that I'm popular, it's just that every single online retailer and recipe service has my address, and most bombard me with messages at least daily. And I've had enough of it.

Not only will I do a better job of keeping up with the messages I receive (instead of doing it semimonthly), but I will also unsubscribe from 80 percent of them in the coming days.

A Healthier, Less Expensive, and Less Processed Kitchen

2010-12-30T09:22:00.000-08:00

This is my first resolution. We're eating healthier this year than we did last year, but we still have a ways to go.

A Week of Resolutions

2010-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a peaceful, joyous, relaxing Christmas. We had a lovely few days of rest, fun, and delicious food.

Now we move on to the next holiday and its requisite resolutions. I've come up with five important changes I'd like to make in my life during 2011, and I'll be posting about all of them this week. Stay tuned.

In the meantime. have another chocolate. Really, go ahead.

Satire for the Holidays

2010-12-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

I've never gotten very excited by Stephen Colbert: while I appreciate his satire, I'm unmoved by his silliness. But this piece caught my attention. The last 30 seconds are especially compelling:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

March to Keep Fear Alive

I also realize that I'm cheating at my a-post-a-day plan, but I'm busy cleaning and wrapping and baking. More substantive posts will follow.

A Family Christmas

2010-12-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to everyone who'll be spending at least part of the holidays with their extended families: it's one of the few experiences in life that brings out the best and worst in people simultaneously. I'm missing out on it this year, but I'll be thinking of all of you.

The SNL skit which includes these songs is unavailable online, but the songs are hilarious and telling on their own.

The actual skit seems to be unavailable, which is too bad.

Vive La Révolution?

2010-12-20T05:03:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when Christmas looked like this?

I've always loved the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. When I lived in Chicago, I reveled in it: the crowds, the lights, the sounds, the music, the decorations -- I loved it all. And, finding the perfect, unique, unexpected gift for everyone was my goal: shopping is my favorite sport, and Christmas shopping was my Super Bowl. It was part spectacle, part achievement, part celebration, and part performance.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, I discovered catalog shopping, but it only added to my repertoire, offering me access to heaps of unique things I couldn't find in stores, but it never replaced the fun of hitting the mall or shopping on Michigan Avenue.
When I was an academic-in-training living in Massachusetts and Atlanta, Christmas shopping lost a bit of its magic for me -- mostly because I had a far smaller budget. But I returned to it in force a few years ago. I started to do some online shopping, but most of my Christmas shopping was still done in person.

Then things changed again.

Moving to the godforsaken confederate wilderness changed my holiday shopping habits: my favorite stores were no longer an el ride away. Being location-challenged, plus bored at my job and engaged to a guy who loves books more than anything else led me to do the bulk of my shopping online in 2007. I did a bit more of it online in 2008, and much of it online in 2009.

This year, I've done it ALL online, and so has J. -- so much so that we canceled our planned 2-day trip to Atlanta this weekend -- a trip designed for shopping. I didn't even see it coming -- I just realized a few days ago that my shopping was almost done, and yet I hadn't set foot in a mall since Thanksgiving weekend. And, unlike in years past, I've used a real variety of retailers. Amazon still fulfills the bulk of my list, and that's due in part to my recipients' love of books, music and DVDs, and in part to the fact that Amazon Prime makes it cheap and simple. But I've also purchased online from 5 or so brick retailers (Macy's, JC Penney, Godiva chocolate) as well as ebay and a handful of online-only sites.

Since we ship many of our gifts it's just easier to do that online, especially to the UK. But, mostly, I think it's just a new way of life. I miss the clamor and craziness a little bit -- but not enough to jump back into it here and now. I am confident that we'll get back to some in-person Christmas shopping when we have a child and/or when we move out of the wilderness. And, in the interest of full disclosure, you should know that it's our tradition to shop for stocking stuffers early in the morning on Christmas Eve (but I got most of mine already!).

I've been interested to watch my friends and contacts on Facebook: several have announced gleefully that they did all their holiday shopping without leaving their homes. Others have been lamenting multiple trips to the mall (and I've secretly wondered why they didn't just log on).

Did you do your holiday shopping online? Is it a revolution, or just a phase?

And, again ---

2010-12-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

Really, I'm not just back to blogging to avoid holiday baking ....

It's been quite a year, but we'll get to that in a couple of weeks.