Running With Quills: Elizabeth G. shares her favorites for the summer.

Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Elizabeth G. shares her favorites for the summer.

Summer is nearly upon us here in the Midwest. It’s 90 degrees today with thunderstorms looming on the horizon, so it definitely feels like summer. With that in mind, here are a few of my personal favorites you might enjoy:

FAVORITE SUMMER SALAD: Pears with shaved parmigiano reggiano, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. (Can you believe that I’m actually blogging about a recipe? Me, the non-cook!)

4 Anjou pears, washed, cored, and sliced
fresh lemon juice
a chunk of good parmigiano reggiano cheese
a good balsamic vinegar

1. Arrange a sliced pear on each salad plate.

2. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over pear slices to keep them from turning brown.

3. Using a vegetable peeler, shave parmigiano reggiano cheese to taste over each plate of sliced pears.

4. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top. (I use an aged sweet Italian vinegar.)

Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serves 4

FAVORITE SUMMER SANDWICH: Spinach wraps with fresh veggies.

1 avocado
prepared salsa
1 seedless/English cucumber, thinly sliced
fresh broccoli or alfalfa sprouts
4 spinach wraps

Peel avocado, remove pit, and smush with a fork. (Surely you’re familiar with the culinary term "smush?")

Add salsa to taste and spread mixture on a spinach wrap. (I won’t tell you what my DH thinks this looks like. Okay, I will. Monkey spit.)

Add a few slices of cucumber and some sprouts and roll up.

Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serves 4

FAVORITE SUMMER READING, NONFICTION: Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink, Ph.D.

Wansink is a food psychologist and the director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. He’s spent a lifetime studying the hidden clues that determine how much and why people eat. Fascinating stuff — especially his experiments with the "bottomless soup bowl" and the "week-old stale popcorn" he served at movie theaters.

Makes for interesting dinner conversation. :-)

FAVORITE SUMMER READING, FICTION:

If you’ve already read everything written by my fellow Quills, may I recommend my favorite YA author, Cornelia Funke? The first book I read by this talented German author, now living in Los Angeles, was THE THIEF LORD. The setting is Venice. The story is magical and intriguing.

Read and enjoy!

FAVORITE SUMMER MUSIC: Loreena McKennitt’s "The Book of Secrets."

I recently rediscovered Loreena McKennitt after watching one of her concerts on Public Television. Hers is Celtic music with a twist. Her lyrics are sometimes original and sometimes taken from well-known poems like "The Highwayman." Her interpretation is always beautifully and uniquely Loreena McKennitt.

FAVORITE SUMMER MOVIES ON DVD
: If you didn't see them in the movie theater and want to enjoy something fun and light, funny and occasionally poignant, I’m recommending you rent "A Good Year" with Russell Crowe, and "Music and Lyrics" with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.

FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW: If you missed the spectacular "Planet Earth" mini-series produced by the BBC and shown on the Discovery Channel this spring, please try to catch it in reruns or rent it or buy it to watch this summer. This is a truly magnificent documentary. The crews spent five years filming views of our earth as never before seen. The photography is stunning, even mind-boggling. I loved it. DH loved it. The Kids loved it. We can’t wait to watch all eleven hours again.

Those are a few of my favorites I’m sharing with you for the summer ahead. Inquiring Minds want to know: Do you have some favorites you’d like to share with the rest of us?

Bon Appétit and Cheers!
Elizabeth G.

28 Comments:

Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Boy, howdy, that pear recipe sounds fabulous. Anything with balsamic vinegar has to turn out great. And I'll also try that avaocado wrap.

Right now I'm into asparagus and getting ready for garlic spears.

--Jayne; 8:20 PM
Ranurgis said...: Jayne, it definitely sounds as if you're better. You're thinking of food again! Hurrah!

BTW, can you ladies see my e-mail address here? That's my new one. I'm still getting mail from all of you at the old address with execulink.com. That's being phased out as fast as I can do it without leaving anybody important behind. I'm going to try to do a sort of global update, but I don't know if I've got every address in my address book. I'm not quite sure what makes it go in there.; 8:40 PM
Ranurgis said...: Now to the food. Where can you get red pears? All of ours are green or pale yellow--even our Anjous are green but by the time they're red, they're mush.

The recipes sound really good. I'm with you in the non-cook category. I hate it but I will make something like this the odd time, or just make something up with what I happen to have on hand. And that summer sandwich sounds absolutely delicious. I'm not really much for bread and prefer vegetables to fruit. For supper today, I had a whole but small avocado with Raspberry Vinaigrette. Yum.

Is that Loreena's latest CD? I've been meaning to buy it since I've got quite a few of hers and love her (also Enya). She comes from around here. Hmm, actually she was born near Winnipeg and then came to Stratford, ON in 1981 which is about 50 miles from here. She seems to be following us (at a distance). My family came here in 1970-71.

I'll also have to look for that "German" book. There's another historical German adult writer who wrote a book about the Alhambra in Granada. It's one of my absolute favorite places and a friend sent it to me. However, it got lost somehow in the moving and I'm waiting to find it. My friend said that even her husband, now deceased, enjoyed reading it. High praise if a guy likes it. But I can't remember her name or if it's been translated into English.

I guess I have to get my TV hooked up before I can watch any TV show. I might be able to get the DVDs of the movies though.

Oops. I missed the fact that you were also asking for favorites. I'm not sure on which blogs I've already put my favorite summer dish: little cream of wheat balls in cherry "soup"?; 9:07 PM
DFender said...: EG,
The pear salad does sound yummy, I'll hafta try that. I also enjoy Loreena McKennitt's music and style. Celtic music is a special passion of mine... I love the sounds.

Favorite summer stuff? My favorite thing for summer would hafta be figuring out how NOT to sweat... or glow... or whatever you wanna call it. Ohio humidity in the summer just sucks...LOL.

I do love taking my coffee out on the deck in the early morning during the summer months.

Happy Wednesday!!!

Deb; 3:28 AM
Garnigal said...: I love it when some of my Canadian favourites are discovered by Americans.

Loreena actually has her own production company and lives and writes only 1 hour from me. Since she's in Stratford (home of the Stratfor Festival Theatre), she's also been involved in writing music for their Shakespeare productions.

My favourite song is "The Lady of Shalott" from the album "The Visit".; 8:13 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Jayne~I knew you'd perk right up when you saw the words "balsamic vinegar." :-)

I love finding and sharing lighter recipes for summer when it's too hot to cook and sometimes even too hot to eat much. (Although thankfully I live in a house with central air.)

~EG; 9:56 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: ranurgis~I can't see any e-mail address for you on the post.

RE: red D'Anjou pears. I found them at my local supermarket.

RE: Loreena McKenittt. I've been a big fan of hers for years. Ditto for Enya. I think I have all of their CDs.

I checked out Lorenna's web site and it said: "Nights from the Alhambra, a TV concert filmed in Spain in September 2006, will make its TV debut on PBS in the United States in March." That's the one I saw that reminded me how much I love Loreena's music.

Her website also said her latest album is "An Ancient Muse." I've got it on my "wish list" for my birthday.

Please tell us more about the cream of wheat balls in cherry soup!

~EG; 10:06 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Deb~I also love using leftover coffee in the summer by adding a little fatfree half and half, a couple of packets of Splenda, and pouring the concotion over ice. It's kind of a guilt-free mocha drink. :-)

Back at you with a Happy Wednesday!
~EG; 10:09 AM
susan andersen said...: Elizabeth, YUM-MY!! Gotta try that! I'm with Jayne--if it has basalmic vinegar, I'm your girl. I'm also a fool for avacadoes so will have to try that recipe as well.

I've been a Loreen McKennitt fan for many a year. You like classical--Have you heard Il Divo's music? It's not all classical-they also toss in songs like Knights in White Satin, only in Italian--but it's great.

I'll have to check out A Good Year. Saw Music and Lyrics when I was in Portland earlier this spring and really enjoyed it.

Great blog!; 10:11 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: garnigal~I love "The Lady of Shalott" from the album "The Visit," too!

I've always been fascinated with the visual image in Waterhouse's painting "The Lady of Shalott" as well. I have a copy hanging in my office. (I will never forget the moment I walked into the Tate Gallery in London and saw the original. It was huge. It also left me speechless and in tears.)

Sniff. Sniff.
~EG; 10:14 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Susan~I haven't heard Il Divos music. I love classical, Celtic, pop, all kinds of music really -- so I'm sure I'd enjoy theirs, too.

We really enjoyed "A Good Year." (In fact, DH has ordered it on DVD.) Partly for the wonderful acting and the beautiful scenery, and partly because we love wine.
:-)

~EG; 10:22 AM
Nell said...: The pears sound wonderful!!! I love avocado so that's another for my summer list.

My son loves Ms. Funke. As for Planet Earth - I'm now in love with HDTV. *grin* Great stuff!!!

Thunder is starting so I'm off...; 1:23 PM
Brandy said...: My favorites for summer are alot of the 'salads', such as macaronni salad, chicken salad, tuna salad. No heat, no muss, no fuss. Cooking has no appeal here in the South for me in the summer. If it's not seved cold, it better be cooked outside on the grill by the hubs. *g*
Meg Cabots Avalon High continues the Lady of Shallot theme, and is a great YA summer read.; 4:19 PM
Brandy said...: My favorites for summer are alot of the 'salads', such as macaronni salad, chicken salad, tuna salad. No heat, no muss, no fuss. Cooking has no appeal here in the South for me in the summer. If it's not seved cold, it better be cooked outside on the grill by the hubs. *g*
Meg Cabots Avalon High continues the Lady of Shallot theme, and is a great YA summer read.; 4:19 PM
Stella said...: Super blog, EG:)

That pear salad looks exactly right for me and I'm sure Jerry will like it, too.

Another Loreena McKennitt fan here, of course. EG I did smile when I read Garnigal's reference to The Lady of Shallot. I immediately thought of the Waterhouse painting and how much you have loved that picture.

Madeline Peroux continues to ring my chimes. I use a headset and her voice and that smokey southern sound word so well with what I write.

I'm also enjoying asparagus but the Asian pears are really crisp and yummy at the moment.

I'm not supposed to think, talk, or write about food...

Stella; 4:36 PM
DFender said...: EG,

Unfortunately I'm not disciplined enough for the "guilt free" kinda mochas... LOL... I use Coffeemate, Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup and raw sugar instead with my iced coffee. Uhm. Have I mentioned that I need to start exercising? Ha!

Another favorite part of spring/summer... which we're doing tomorrow... is that we get to go out west (OR/WA) to visit the HHPs family. YaY! (No, that's not sarcastic...shocking, I know...LOL)

Great blog, EG... enjoy your week!

Deb; 5:50 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: nell~We've had so many thunderstorms and bouts of hail and lightning and downpours where I live. Finally it was beautiful today and it's supposed to be lovely on Friday, too.

Of course, I'm on deadline :-) --- so other than the occasional foray out for groceries in the evening, I'm only enjoying the weather from inside.

Happy Wednesday!
~EG; 6:13 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: brandy~another summer salad we enjoy is essentially a big shrimp cocktail. Large bowl of lettuce. Lots of yummy shrimp. Cocktail sauce I make myself with ketchup and horseradish until our eyes water. :-)

Thanks for recommending the Meg Cabot. I've got it on my reading list for my summer hiatus.

~EG; 6:16 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Stelly~You're not supposed to think, talk, or write about food?
I'm only talking about healthy food here, of course. :-)

Yep, my love of the Waterhouse painting "The Lady of Shalott" is a leftover from my "pre-Raphaelite" period. In fact, I still enjoy those lovely romantic paintings.

~EG; 6:22 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Thanks Deb, I'm glad you enjoyed the blog. :-)

Have a great week all!
~EG; 6:23 PM
Ranurgis said...: I'll see if my sister has a more exact recipe (she's the cook) for the cream of wheat and cherry soup.

Garnigal, you must live close to where I live. I live in London, ON. So you could live anywhere within a radius of an hour from Stratford, ON. Love the place. For those who don't know it, it's not as old or quite as picturesque as Stratford upon Avon, of course but has a real charm of its own.; 6:51 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: ranurgis and garnigal~when I was in 9th grade and living in New York state, our three-day class trip was to Ontario. I remember we visited a local high school and went to a performance at Stratford. What happy memories!

As an adult I was lucky enough to get to Stratford-upon-Avon. More happy memories!

Happy Thursday!
~EG; 7:31 AM
susan andersen said...: Elizabeth, you've moved on from Pre-Raphaelite art? Say it isn't so. That remains my favorite period. (genre?)

Stella, I, too, am a Madeleine Peyroux fan. My current favorites are I'm All Right and La Vie En Rose.; 5:22 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Susan, I still enjoy the Pre-Raphaelites---just not as obsessively as I once did.

I seem to periodically go through a shift in my taste in art. For the moment, I'm back favoring the abstract. Hanging in my office, of course, are the Waterhouse and copies of Egyptian tomb paintings. Eclectic, huh? :-)

Have a great weekend all!
~EG; 8:00 AM
Ranurgis said...: I discovered that "The Thief Lord" has been made into a film and some of Cornelia Funke's other books are also being made into films. That's what it says on her site anyway.

And I still get to that cream of wheat cherry soup.; 12:17 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: ranurgis~Thanks for the info! What a stellar cast in "Inkheart," including the very talented Helen Mirren and Paul Bettany. I'm really looking forward to the film!

~EG; 11:08 AM
Ranurgis said...: I guess it's a simple enough recipe for me to write without exact amounts. Most people here seem to be somewhat "duh?" when you mention cream of wheat. Maybe it's more of a European or even German staple. The best place we always got it was at the mill in our closest little town.

Cherry Cream-of-Wheat Balls Soup

1. Make the cream-of-wheat with either milk or water and some honey if desired. Consistency should be such that you can form the mixture into little balls, again up to you but no bigger than 1 inch in diameter.

2. Take a jar of red sour pitted cherries or any other kind you might like (any cut-up fruit will do). Cook or heat up and put in some thickening agent. (My cooking skills are too poor to tell you what to use.)

3. Put bowl of cream of wheat balls and *slightly* thickened and pletiful juice in fridge until they are cold.

4. Serve either by putting the balls in the other mixture or letting everybody take their own. Enjoy.

This is really a great, refreshing summer dish. We usually ate that alone without anything else. I know nothing about the nutrition facts but if you use water and honey and don't put extra sugar with the fruit it should probably be healthy. I suppose you could also eat it heated but I don't think we ever did.

I'll see if my sister has a more exact recipe. My mother actually bought huge white pails full of cherries from the farmers.

BTW, I've found Cornelia Funke. She has written quite a number of books and lives somewhere in California now.; 1:20 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: ranurgis~thank you for the recipe! Sounds intriguing. :-)

Cornelia Funke does live in California now. (Los Angeles, where my current WIP is set.) Sadly, there was a poignant letter on her website about becoming a widow not long ago. My heart went out to her.

~EG; 3:03 PM

Previous Posts

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Elizabeth G. shares her favorites for the summer.

28 Comments: