Tangerine Scarves and Ratatouille

happy new year.

i tend to do better with stuff when goals are involved, so here are my goals for this blog:

make a new post at least once a week.

at least once a week, talk about a book i'm reading.

at least once a week, talk about a recipe i like, or have recently tried.

because that's most of my life folks: reading and eating. finding good things to read, and good things to eat. feel free to recommend books and recipes to me. if they look yummy, i might try 'em, and tell the whole world where i got them! i read a lot of science fiction (hence the name skiffy), some contemporary fantasy, and a little bit of every thing else. i tend to eat a lot of french, mediterranean, asian and middle eastern food, so you'll find a lot of those types of recipes here. personal preference, i eat no red meat, so you won't find any recipes for that here.

the first post starts . . . . . . . . now.

i recently finished "The girl in the tangerine scarf", by Mohja Kahf. beautiful narrative about about a Syrian born Muslim woman who is raised in the suburban midwest. Most of the book is a flashback of Khadra Samy, and she is remembering her early childhood, when she first started to wear the veil, what she calls "Muslim dating", arranged marraiges, culture clashes, etc. A veiw of Islam from the inside, from America, from a woman just trying to live her life, do her upbringing right, and be a successful American. I like learning about cultures i'm not familiar with, and Khadra is about the same age as me, so that was cool. reminded me of some Amy Tan i've read, in that my saddest moment reading it was realizing i'd never again be able to read it again for the first time. i tend to rush through a lot of books. too many books, not enough time. but not this one. i cherished my time with this book, like a fine chocolate bar, to be eaten in small peices.

recently made Ratatouille for the first time. way easier to make than it looks, and mamma mia is that peppery!!

recipe:
3 small zucchini (i couldn't find the big ones this time of year), sliced thin
1 large onion sliced thinly
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 sweet orange pepper, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 tspb thyme
salt & pepper
(every Ratatoullie recipe i've ever seen calls for Eggplant, which i don't like. so i don't put any in. if you like it, put some in. if you want to add more or less of something i listed, go ahead. it will still taste good.)

fry onions in about 2 tsp oil for 5 minutes. add peppers and fry another 2-3 minutes. remove onion & peppers and drain on paper towels. add a little more oil if your pan is dry. add the zucchini slices, and fry about 3 minutes, or until the slices are softened. once the zuchini is cooked, remove it and drain on paper towels. add the garlic, tomatoes (with juice from can), bay leaves, thyme, and some salt & pepper to pan, and cook until tomatoes start to get pulpy. Return all the veggies to the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occassionally. season with more pepper. this is supposed to be a peppery dish!

serve with crusty bread to soak up the yummy sauces. i have no idea how many servings this, or your version, will make. leftovers are delish in an omelet the next morning.