Asian Pesto Udon--Something a Bit Different for Food 'N Flix: Ramen Girl

OK, this recipe might have you scratching your head when you read the ingredient list--smoked almonds, ginger and coconut milk along with soy sauce and brown rice vinegar might seem like an odd combination for a pesto but it is the genius of Eric Gower and one of my favorite cookbooks, "The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen: Inspired New Tastes." If you can find a copy of it or his other more recent book, "The Breakaway Cook: Recipes That Break Away from the Ordinary," I highly recommend them both. The guy is a master of mixing diverse ingredients and flavors to create unique, tasty dishes, and this Asian Pesto Udon is a great example.

I know you were probably expecting a big bowl of Ramen to represent this month's Food N' Flix film Ramen Girl but I've been there, done that. I first saw this movie about a year and a half ago and did a dinner and a movie post with a Tyler Florence ramen recipe here .

My first interpretation of the movie: Tyler Florence's Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup

This time I thought I would change it up a bit with a different kind of noodle. Udon are a thicker, wheat-based noodle rather than the thin, crinkly ramen. I buy a fully-cooked udon, made in Hawaii out of the refrigerated case that just needs to be heated, so this recipe took just minutes to prepare. (Gotta love that!)

Gower says, "A satisfying and easy sauce that can be made in less time than it takes to boil the water. It's equally good hot or cold. Hot version: heat the sauce, serve over hot udon. Cold version: make the sauce, chill it, plunge the just-cooked noodles into ice water, and mix. Either way it's nice with a chilled glass of dry riesling or semillon blend."


Asian Pesto Udon
"The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen" by Eric Gower
(Serves 2)

1/2 cup smoked (or roasted) almonds (I used "smokehouse almonds")
3 Tbsp fresh ginger, diced
1 Tbsp walnut (or other light) oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp brown rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
udon for 2, about about 1/2 lb (225 g)
1 cup cilantro, chopped (or to taste)

Set a pot of water to boil for the udon. Combine everything except the cilantro in a blender and blend. When the water boils, add the udon and cook until al dente, and then drain. Transfer the sauce from the blender to the pot, add the udon, and mix. Taste for salt, top with the cilantro, and serve in warm bowls.

Notes/Results: A little smoky--I used "smokehouse" almonds, a little kick of ginger and creaminess from the almonds and the coconut milk, this is a unique sauce that tastes great on the thick noodles. I tried it both hot and cold and I am not sure which way I like it best--texturally I preferred it warm, but some of the flavors like the ginger seem to come out more when it is cold. I liked this a lot, it is different but really good. The sauce, thinned out a bit would make a great dressing too. So quick, easy and flavorful, I will make this again.

Aren't my $1.99 chopsticks cute? Love the shiny dragonflies. ;-)

So, a review of the movie? Here's what I said in my original post (I'll be honest--I didn't watch it again): "A girl needs a good chick flick now and then, something light and fluffy, where you don't have to think--a feel good movie. I ended up needing one last Friday; I was tired, grumpy, stuffy from allergies and needed a low-effort evening. In one of my Netflix envelopes was "The Ramen Girl", a total chick flick, and seeing the name of the movie made me crave some ramen to eat while I watched it.

Brittany Murphy is Abby, an American alone in Tokyo after her boyfriend breaks up with her and leaves her stranded there. Finding comfort in a bowl of hot ramen from a noodle shop across from her apartment in Japan, and searching for some direction in life, she trains to be a ramen noodle chef under the tutelage of the surly and usually drunk owner and ramen "master". It's not the best movie you'll ever watch, it is complete fluff; the acting just OK, the story improbable at best, but it is sweet and cute."

In addition to Food 'N Flix (BTW--you can stop by the site & see the round up for Ramen Girl in December),

I am also sending this easy unique pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by its fabulous creator, Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.

And I'm linking it to the Hearth 'N Soul Blog Hop hosted by hosted by my pal girlichef as well as A Moderate Life, Hunger and Thirst, and Frugality and Crunchiness wth Christy, and Alternative Health and Nutrition News.

Hope you are having a fabulous week. ;-)

Dinner & A Movie with Tyler: Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup and "The Ramen Girl"

A girl needs a good chick flick now and then, something light and fluffy, where you don't have to think--a feel good movie. I ended up needing one last Friday; I was tired, grumpy, stuffy from allergies and needed a low-effort evening. In one of my Netflix envelopes was "The Ramen Girl", a total chick flick, and seeing the name of the movie made me crave some ramen to eat while I watched it.

 

Options? Go run and grab some takeout ramen, go to the store and grab a package of instant noodles, spend time creating some authentic ramen, or make Tyler's easy version of Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup from what I had in my cupboard and fridge. It ended up being an easy decision, especially after seeing Jessica's (My Baking Heart), delectable version of Tyler's soup in the Tyler Florence Fridays round-up. I used some leftover chicken breast and tossed in some extra veggies and seasonings based on what I had on hand.

You can find the recipe on Tyler's site here.

Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup
Tyler Florence
(Serves 4-6)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into ½-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 quart organic chicken stock 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces instant Ramen noodles
1½ cups shredded cooked chicken
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper; bring the liquid to a boil. Add the Ramen noodles and simmer for 3 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Notes/Results: Authentic Japanese Ramen? No. Good? Yes! This is a quick, easy and yummy dinner when you want something easy and comforting. Plop in whatever you have in the fridge or whatever sounds good--for me, in addition to Tyler's ingredient list, it was pea pods, loads of garlic, dried chili flakes, fresh mint and some sesame seeds. The broth has lots of good flavor and if you use a good, low-sodium stock, you cut a good portion of the sodium and other junk that is in those instant ramen packets. A keeper recipe for when I am under the weather or needing some chicken soup and need it fast, without a lot of bother.

The Movie: Brittany Murphy is Abby, an American alone in Tokyo after her boyfriend breaks up with her and leaves her stranded there. Finding comfort in a bowl of hot ramen from a noodle shop across from her apartment in Japan, and searching for some direction in life, she trains to be a ramen noodle chef under the tutelage of the surly and usually drunk owner and ramen "master". It's not the best movie you'll ever watch, it is complete fluff; the acting just OK, the story improbable at best, but it is sweet and cute. With a big bowl of Tyler's Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup and a warm kitty sleeping next to you, it is just what the doctor ordered and a good escape for a couple of hours. ;-)

You can see what recipes the other TFF participants picked this week and what they thought about them by going to the round-up on the TFF site here.

Happy Aloha Friday!

Beans & Greens Soup with Ham: A Little Bowl of Comfort for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

For those of you who think it is always sunny in paradise (OK, it mostly is), it is pouring down rain today and cool enough for sweats, socks and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. Obviously much milder than the weather in many other places, but still perfect for a bowl of hot, comforting, hearty soup, like this Beans & Greens Soup with Ham.

I had a free half ham from a grocery store coupon program, that I promptly chopped up into pieces to freeze for soup, and saved the big meaty bone to add to stock. I wanted a very bean filled soup so I used lots of dried cannellini beans. I added garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay and homemade chicken stock for extra flavor. For the veggies, the usual suspects of onion, carrot and celery, plus some chopped kale for extra nutrients. It smelled incredible cooking and tasted great, even better the next day, especially with a little grated Parmesan on top.

Beans & Greens Soup with Ham

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Serves 8 or 10)

2 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 bay leaf

1 ham bone with meat, or 2 ham shanks
8 cups chicken stock (or water)
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves chopped or torn roughly
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan to serve

Soak the beans overnight or put the beans in a large pan and cover with cold water and bring to a boil and cook rapidly for 2 minutes; remove from heat, cover and let sit for 2 hours.

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until vegetables soften.

Add the drained beans and ham bone to the vegetables, cover with the stock and leave to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans start to become tender. Remove the ham bone, let cool and cut off any usable meat, discarding the fat. Meanwhile, add the chopped chopped ham and kale, pushing the kale down beneath the surface of the soup. Simmer everything together for another 30-40 minutes until the beans and kale are both tender. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese on top.


Notes/Results: Full of flavor and perfect comfort food. Rosemary and thyme are perfect with the beans, kale and ham. You could of course use a couple of cans of beans instead of dry to save time, but there is something about having this bubbling away low and slow for a couple of hours that is cozy on a cool, gray day. I would make this again.

Let's take a look into the Souper Sunday kitchen and see who is here.

girlichef is here with a soul-filling Pork Noodle Soup with Bean Sprouts and Spinach adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe and inspired by a movie. She says, "Ramen Girl is one of our two featured flicks this month over at Food 'n Flix (the other being Waitress) this month. I love The Ramen girl...it's a fun, foodie chick-flick that I won't ruin by giving any more away. I was totally inspired to make a bowl of noodle soup...with broth, noodles, veggies, and meat that would transport me to another level. Check it out..."

Megha from Live to eat!!! has a warming, spicy soup to share, this Rajma (Kidney Beans) Water Rasam. Megha says, "It's winter and all you want is a nice hot bowl of soup or rasam.Why not make some hot and spicy rasam with the left over rajma water. It has a nice thick consistency; good enough to use it for soups and rasam. Why not make some hot rasam for this winter!The Indian spices and the tangy tamarind taste can really help your senses open out...."

I am happy to welcome a new face to Souper Sundays this week, Ashleigh from Pregnant Again, is here joining us from snowy Ontario, Canada and here with a filling Potato and Pea Soup. Ashleigh says, "Its minus 19 where I live today and the snow is deep. This soup is cheap, healthy and hot." It looks delicious Ashleigh, thanks for joining in!

Tigerfish from Teczcape-An Escape to Food has a very unique dessert soup to share, Boiled Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Fermented Glutinous Rice Wine - 酒酿圆子. She says, "As this dessert is typically serve warm and due to the presence of "wine" from sweet ferment rice; it is indeed a timely dessert soup for winter. The first time I tried this dessert was many years ago in Singapore."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes makes the most of her weekly rotisserie chicken by using it in lots of dishes and making soup out of the bones, like her Aunt Sissy's Chicken Soup. Pam says, "When my children were smaller, we would go visit my Aunt Sissy and she would make us a chicken soup with cabbage in it. We loved it. It has become one of my favorite chicken soups to make. If you haven’t tried cabbage in your chicken soup, give it a try!"

Zibi from Fresh Slowcooking has a restorative Hearty Chicken Soup with Leeks and Mushrooms. She says, "Fighting another cold, I didn't have the energy to dice and brown chicken breasts, so I slow cooked the whole chicken with the vegetables. I shredded the chicken into bite-sized pieces after everything cooked and added it back to the soup. After enjoying a couple of bowlfuls, I felt revitalized. This chicken soup containing chunks of chicken, healthy vegetables and a rich chicken broth did the trick :)"

It's nice to have Grazinana from Erbe in Cucina back with us this week with mini-sammies, these Sage and Mint Bruschetta. She says, "I use often the sage and mint combo during autumn, because they look green and healthy even in these months.This bruschetta was inspired by the tapenade and improvised with ingredients I had in my fridge. It has a rich aroma and a refreshing taste, and it's an excellent appetizer for a hot autumn lunch."

There you have it--warming soups and little sandwich treats. Thanks to everyone who joined in this week and welcome to Ashleigh. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you want to share, just click on the Super Sundays logo on my sidebar for all of the details.

Have a great week before Christmas!

"Too Much Indulging is Making Me Green" Crustless Spinach Quiche Inspired by Food 'N Flix: Waitress (+ Quick Review of "The Good Neighbor Cookbook")

In the movie Waitress, the Food 'N Flix pick for December, Jenna (Keri Russell), is a waitress at The Pie Shack, married to her brutish husband Earl, reluctantly pregnant with his baby, and longing to win a pie championship and change her life. As a child, Jenna baked pies with her mother and now "escapes" by creating her own pie concoctions based on the emotions she is feeling and titled with fanciful names like Marshmallow Mermaid Pie (made when she was nine and in her "mermaid phase"), Fallin' in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie, Kick in the Pants Pie, and I Hate My Husband Pie, to name just a few. Waitress is a bittersweet comedy-drama, and a great little movie that will have you longing for a piece of homemade pie.

Since I indulged a little too much for my liking over the holiday season, the thought of one more sweet baked good just didn't work for me and in fact made me feel a tad queasy and green around the gills. I wanted something a little lighter, a bit healthier, something to help me get back on track. It's either that or I am going to have to change the tag line of my blog from "...cooking, eating and living (mostly) healthy in Paradise" to "...cooking, eating and living (occasionally) healthy in Paradise!" ;-) So I set out to find a simple quiche recipe.

Enter the Crustless Spinach Quiche from one of the cookbooks sitting on my review stack, "The Good Neighbor Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Surprise and Satisfy the New Moms, New Neighbors, Recuperating Friends, Community-Meeting Members, Book Club Cohorts, and Block Party Pals in Your Life!" by Sara Quessenberry and Suzanne Schlosberg. (Yep, it's a movie review, a dish inspired by the movie, and a cook book review all in one post!) This compact paperback book has 125 recipes for any occasion when you want to be a good friend or neighbor. The recipes are organized into 7 sections with dishes appropriate for Bringing Home Baby, Get Well Soon, Welcome to the Neighborhood, Block Parties and Barbecues, Meet and Eat: Community, Religious, and Business Gatherings, Novel Ideas for Book Clubs and Condolences. The book contains recipes that are easy to make and transport well, and each section also contains tips and ideas for further neighborly actions like organizing a "meal train" for a new mom, putting together a "welcome to the neighborhood" list for your new neighbors, and "the art" of assembling a cheese platter.

The authors have experience in creating easy and delicious recipes, Sara Quessenberry was formerly the recipe developer and food stylist for Real Simple magazine, and Suzanne Schlosberg is a health, nutrition, and parenting writer, a former senior editor for Shape magazine and the author of several health and lifestyle books. There are no pictures, just illustrations, but the recipes are laid out well and most contain helpful tips and suggestions for the cook. Some of the recipes I tagged to make included Sweet Potato and Rice Soup, Cranberry Granola Bars, Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese, Cucumber, Feta and Dill Salsa, Tomato and Oregano Flatbread, Chocolate Chip and Candied Ginger Brownies, and Italian Sausage and White Bean Bake. This is a good book when you are looking for crowd-pleasing recipes that show you care but that are easy enough to work into a busy schedule.

The Crustless Spinach Quiche from the "Meet and Eat" section of the book sounded simple, tasty, and like a good way to get some more healthy greens into my diet. For fun and portion control, I decided to use my small tart pans and make individual quiches. In honor of Jenna, I am enhancing the recipe title a bit and calling it "Too Much Indulging is Making Me Green" Crustless Spinach Quiche. Served with some sunny orange slices and topped with a little extra grated Gruyere, it makes a great way to start the morning or a light lunch.

"The Good Neighbor Cookbook" says, "Packed with spinach and bolstered by eggs, this savory quiche is nutritious and satisfying, an ideal choice for a long meeting that overlaps with mealtime. Because it's crustless, the quiche is super-quick to make and easy to serve as a finger food. No crumbs!"

Crustless Spinach Quiche

from: "The Good Neighbor Cookbook"

(Serves 6-8)

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Total Time: 55 minutes

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used skim milk)

1 cup (4 oz) grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1 (1-pound) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-or 10-inch pie plate.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and cheese. Squeeze the spinach of any excess water and stir into the eggs along with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate and bake until puffed and the center is just set, about 45 minutes. Slice the quiche into wedges or squares and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Cook's Tip: A quick way to thaw frozen spinach is too place it in a colander and run it under hot water. Be sure to squeeze out all of the excess water.

Notes/Results: Tasty and satisfying. Chock full of nutrient-packed spinach and nutty Gruyere cheese, this is a hearty but not heavy quiche. I did use skim milk instead of whole as it was I had on hand, but I don't think it was noticeable. Also, I reduced the recipe by half which made 3 small tart pans of quiche and I cooked them about 32 minutes to accommodate the smaller size. This is a simple quiche but the Gruyere adds good flavor and creaminess. If you wanted, a little turkey or bacon would also be nice chopped and mixed in. It does hold together well, so if I were making for a meeting or larger group, I would use a pie pan or a square pan and cut into slices or squares. Quick and simple, I would make this again.

Food 'N Flix is having a November-December double feature of The Ramen Girl and Waitress and will be rounding up all the dishes inspired by both movies at the beginning of January, so stop by and check it out.

*Cheese Lover's Choice Contest Voting: If you have voted already just bypass this little reminder but if you have not yet voted for my Ile de France Camembert Sliders, I would love it if you would. My cheesy mini burgers are in the Top 10 Finalists in the Cheese Lover's Choice Fan Voting Category of the Camembert Contest and I would love your vote as I seem to be between 2nd and 3rd right now. ;-) If you click here, it leads to the site where you can give me (Deb C. on the poll) the number of "stars" you think appropriate for my dish. (Of course 5 star votes are more than welcome! ;-) lol) Voting is open until January 5th. Mahalo for your time!

Have a happy, healthy New Year's Eve!

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of A Hundred Silent Ways by Mari Jojie, Served with 3 Dishes To Compliment the Reading

Happy Friday Eve! I am happy to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for a beautifully written debut novel, A Hundred Silent Ways by Mari Jojie. Accompanying my review are three recipes that pair well with the reading. 

  

Publisher's Blurb:

 

How do you trust and let yourself be comforted by the idea that the sun and the moon give out equal brilliance?

On the brink of a crumbling marriage, Kate Pineda-McDowell runs away from the only life she has ever known—straight into the heart of the Philippines where her estranged father lives. As she waits for her connecting flight from Tokyo to Manila, she meets Liam Walker, whose disquieting stares express deeper things than his reluctant words. Unbeknownst to both, their chance meeting circles back to a closely linked past that holds little hope for new beginnings.

Shortly after arriving in Manila, Kate finds herself drawn to seek out Liam. In a span of a few magical days, what began as a spark ignites into an electric affair that compels Liam to let someone into his silent world while Kate confronts her heartbreaking sorrows. But falling for each other means opening old wounds and revealing their most intimate yearnings.

Emotionally gripping and endearingly hopeful, A Hundred Silent Ways examines the many different paths people take to obtain a second chance at happiness while asking the most heartrending question of all: How much are we willing to endure to keep love alive?

Publisher: River Grove Books 

Paperback: 246 pages

 

My Review:

So happenstance, in a time when I have tried to stay away from "sad" books, I found myself reading two books centered around loss and grief, A Hundred Silent Ways by Mari Jojie and Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner at same time. I was trying to finish this book for my review and was on a "skip-the-line" week-long library loan for H-Mart and both were too engrossing and well-written to give up on. That means I am going to need to read a couple of murder-mysteries or cozies this weekend to recover for my emotional state. But I digress... I am here to talk about A Hundred Silent Ways which is surprisingly, for the author's skilled story telling and beautiful prose, a debut novel. 

Kate is recovering from the loss of her son and a request from her husband for a divorce by running away to visit her estranged father in the Philippines. Having kept herself distant from him when her parents marriage dissolved, she hopes to escape her broken heart by rebuliding their relationship. On the way via a delay at the Tokyo airport, she meets Liam, a deaf man and spends time with him as they both wait for flights to Manila. When things don't go as planned with her father, Kate seeks out Liam again and they begin an affair. There are secrets, twists and coincidences woven into the story that I won't spoil for future readers but this quiet little book touched my heart. It's made me sad at points but there is hope and love  in the pages and a chance for both Kate and Liam to move beyond grief and find a new path. I loved the visit to the Tokyo airport--having been stuck there a time or two myself (no Liams, sadly) and the time in Manila, Makati, and the Philippines, again places I visited myself for work many years ago. The author seems to be a foodie which I enjoyed and wove in clever chapter titles and book references throughout. It's a short 246 pages that flowed well and kept me turning the pages. Overall, a poignant read but a hopeful and good one.

-----

Author Notes: Mari Jojie was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. It was home for half of her life. Married to a retired US Navy senior chief, she is grateful to have experienced living in other parts of the world, including these two very contrasting cities—the historic and authentic Napoli, and the forward-thinking and innovative Dubai. Currently, she resides in Oxnard, California, with her husband, daughter, and son.

A Hundred Silent Ways is her debut novel. And was for several years, just an imagined courage beyond her wishful thinking. 

------

What should you eat after reading it? Maybe one of these recipes?

Kate enjoys Shoe Ramen in the Tokyo airpot, try this Slightly Spicy (Vegan) Peanut Ramen Soup with Mushrooms and Veggies:

Kate's mother makes a vinegary adobo as comfort food. Back when I ate meat regularly, I made this Beef Adobo Salpicao and Garlic Fried Jasmine Rice: (Excuse the photo--it was from my first year in blogging in 2008)

Kate learns to bake/works at a bakery with cupcakes and muffins. Try these Banana Bread Muffins with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar:  

 

Note: A review copy of "A Hundred Silent Ways" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.  

You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and learn what other reviewers thought about the book below.

 

Review Tour Stops:

Monday, June 13th: @jenniaahava

Wednesday, June 15th: @abbys_library3 on TikTok

Saturday, June 18th: IG: @welovebigbooksandwecannotlie and TT: @welovebigbooks

Monday, June 20th: @just_another_mother_with_books

Wednesday, June 22nd: @the.caffeinated.reader

Friday, June 24th: Girl Who Reads

Monday, June 27th: @chez_colline

Wednesday, June 29th: Books Cooks Looks

Friday, July 1st: Helen’s Book Blog

Wednesday, June 6th: @hoardingbooks.herdingcats

Thursday, July 7th: Kahakai Kitchen

Monday, July 11th: Subakka.bookstuff and @subakka.bookstuff

  

The Book Tour Stops Here: "Hungry" by Darlene Barnes with Coconut Blondies (& a Giveaway!)

From TLC Book Tours:
"Newly arrived in Seattle, Darlene Barnes stumbles on a job ad for a cook at the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity on the University of Washington, Seattle, campus, a prospect most serious food professionals would automatically reject.  But Barnes envisions something other than kegs and corn dogs; she sees an opportunity to bring fresh, real food to an audience accustomed to “Asian Surprise” and other unidentifiable casseroles dropped by a catering service.  And she sees a chance to reinvent herself, by turning a maligned job into meaningful work of her own creation: “I was the new girl and didn’t know or care about the rules.” 

Being a "frat cook" was not in Darlene Barnes life plan. A mostly stay-at-home mom while her two sons were growing up, taking on various jobs some food-related and some not while they were high school, before becoming a private chef for a rich Dallas family, Barnes moved to Seattle when her husband took a job with Microsoft wanting to do something and have a career of her own. Seeing an advertisement for sorority chef at the University of Washington, (which she didn't get), Barnes was told by a chef friend to "bring food" when she applied for chef at the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. She was hired and spent the next six years cooking and caring for her guys. "Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love , and the Power of Good Food" is Darlene Barnes first book and a fun and engaging foodie memoir. 

Publisher: Hyperion (August 6, 2013)

Paperback 272 pages

 
Hungry breaks down Darlene's experiences in the initially dumpy and rat-infested fraternity kitchen, learning to cook in large quantities and finding meals that her boys would eat since most of them grew up on "Pop Tarts and Kraft Dinner." Not wanting to rely on the processed meals the college food purveyors were pushing, she brings in whole foods whenever possible and has to learn how to order appropriately. The kitchen stories are widely entertaining but as Chapter 5's title says, "It's More Than Food"--Darlene finds herself caught up in the lives of the guys and the inner-workings of fraternity life and what she thinks will be a short-term gig, turns into six years. Those years are full of ups and downs, laughter and loss, with some "tough love" thrown in and the author describes it well--you feel her love and most definitely her frustration with them, building a growing attachment in me for her and the supporting "characters"--her band of frat boys.  Hungry will appeal to any foodie, lover of memoirs, those who spent time in a fraternity or sorority or those who want to read about what happens behind the scenes in one. (You can win your own copy of this book below and check out the rest of the reviews at the TLC Book Tour post here.)

Author Notes: Darlene Barnes has been food and word passionate all her life, cooking professionally for the last eleven years.  Born in the New Orleans area, she spent most of her pre-college years in London, eventually moving to Canada with her husband and graduating from Queen’s University with a BA in English.  Since 2006, she has cooked for the men of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, offering fresh food, tough love and largely unsolicited advice to her college age customers.  She has blogged about her experiences at www.hungryboys.net and now at www.darlenebarnes.com; she lives with her husband in Seattle, where her two grown sons also reside.

I jumped at being on this Book Tour because first and foremost, I love a good foodie memoir. The second reason is that my grandmother on my dad's side was a fraternity cook at the University of Oregon for several years in the mid to late 1950's and I loved the correlation. I don't know a lot about my grandmother's experience--she died when I was pretty young, but I do know that she was well-liked by her "boys" who called her "Cookie" and that when she stopped cooking full-time for the fraternity, she opened up her house and took on university students as borders to help make ends meet. Somewhere there exists at least one picture of the group signed to "Cookie" that I wish I could have found before this post. 

As for a dish to make inspired by the book, there were plenty to choose from. Author Barnes includes plenty of recipes in the book for everything from salad dressings--one of the things she decided to make from scratch rather than use the "gallon tubs of weirdly gelatinous metallic food service salad dressings" that were the norm for the school, to pimento cheese, blueberry cornbread and even a rub for a pig roast. I especially loved a hilarious passage where Barnes gives a simple recipe concept for ratatouille to one of her former students that she got back with dozens of questions written into it from when to preheat the oven to what dish to serve it in and the back and forth between the two. The dish turned out well and impressed his vegetarian girlfriend. 

At the end of the day, the book reinforces that food and the act of cooking and feeding someone (or eighty someones) is the way we show we care. When one of the fraternity brothers dies falling out a window, dealing with her devastated boys--many who had not faced the death of anyone close to them before, leaves Darlene making Coconut Blondies from the current month's Gourmet magazine to leave for the guys, telling a friend that, "I didn't know what I could do, that I only new how to cook..." That passage moved me and I decided to look online to find that Gourmet magazine blondie recipe and adapt it a bit to what I had on hand.
   

 
Coconut Blondies 
Adapted from Ruth Cousineau, Gourmet Magazine 2008 via Epicurious
(Yield 32 2-inch Squares)

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecans (6 oz), toasted and cooled (I subbed macadamia nuts)
(I added 1/2 cup mini vegan dark chocolate chips + extra to top)
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided
(I sprinkled a bit of smoked sea salt on the top) 

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 13- by 9-inch baking pan. 

Melt butter in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth. 

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, then whisk into butter mixture. Stir in pecans and 1 1/2 cups coconut. 

Spread in pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Notes/Results: Soft, buttery, rich and extra moist from the coconut with just a hint of the smoky sea salt I sprinkled on top to contrast all that sweetness. I subbed in toasted macadamia nuts for the pecans and added some mini vegan dark chocolate chips because ... well, why not?! ;-) Not the healthiest treat out there but instead of trying to make them healthier, I made a half-batch and gave most of them away. A good blondie now and then is good indulgence for the soul and this is a good one. I would make them again, with my changes.

***"Hungry" Giveaway***

You can win your own copy of this fun, foodie memoir! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite "student meal when you were in high school, college, or just starting out on your own. Were you a starving student existing on boxed mac 'n cheese & ramen noodles or were you already a foodie?!

Leave your comment (+ a way to contact you) no later than 11:59 PM (Hawaii Time) on Monday, September 9th. One winner will be drawn from all applicable entries and announced by Wednesday, Sept 11th. Must be in the U.S. or Canada to win 

Good Luck!

  
Note: A review copy of "Hungry" and a copy to give away to one of my blog readers were provided by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.