I’m reading the book Just After Sunset by Stephen King, who is normally my favorite author.  This book, however, is just terrible.  It’s a collection of short stories, which I abhor anyway, but it was a gift, and I mean to get through it.

The story The Things They Left Behind features a young man who escaped perishing in the Twin Towers during 9/11 by calling in to work.  Uncannily, things from his coworkers who didn’t survive begin to show up in his apartment.  After deciding to dispose of them, he feels so relieved he picks up an order of General Tso’s Chicken at his favorite Chinese place.  The question is: Will these things stay gone?

General Tso’s Chicken

If you read the post below, you know I’m cooped up in a Rehab Center.  Real Estate has been put on hold for me until I can walk again, so I have been reading like a madwoman!!

If there’s one thing I miss (activities, not people) while my legs heal, it’s cooking.  I never thought I’d miss it this much.  So, to give myself something to do during the 22 hours in the day when I’m not exercising, I’m going to give you some excerpts from my reads with food.

Currently I’m reading Julie and Julia, now a movie, which I thought I’d love so much more than I do.  Frankly, I’m having trouble getting through.  I will prevail, however.  You must know the book is fraught with mentions of all kinds of crazy French food, but I’m 1/2 way through and I ain’t going back.

One thing that Julie and her hubby drink all of the time are Gimlets.  Apparently, her hubby makes the best and are just the thing when the plumbing goes haywire and begins to spew black vile liquid rice…shudder (page 215).

Gimlet Recipe:

1.25 oz Tanqueray® gin
1 oz Rose’s® lime juice
1 twist lime

Pour the gin and lime juice into a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lime wedge.
Further, Julie mentions Chocolate Mousse helps with the same problem.  This is one of the few things we agree upon(page 215).  Here’s a quick version of this dessert I found at Recipe Key:

Chocolate Mousse

Navarin Printanier

1. Trim excess fat from lamb and place fat in a large roasting pan. Renderi fat in a very hot [500] oven for 10 min, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile cut lamb into 2″ cubes.
3. Remove pan from oven, reserve 6 tbsp fat and discard balance.
4. Mixi meat in the fat and spread out in a single layer in two roasting pans.
5. Sprinkle on sugar.
6. Bakei meat in a 500 oven for 20 min to draw juices; stir several times.
7. Drain juices and reserve.
8. Mix salt with flour and sprinkle over meat, mixing to blend.
9. Return meat uncovered to the oven for 20 min more.
10. Boil the reserved pan juices until reduced to 1 cup; add the stock, rosemary and bay leaves and divide evenly between the two pans, stirring to loosen the browned pan particles.
11. Cover and bake at 375°F for 1 ½ hr until very tender.
12. Transfer meat to another container and strain pan juices to remove lumps and bay leaves.
13. Skimi fat and pour juices over the meat.
14. At this point you can refrigerate the meat and continue the next day, if desired.
15. Peeli carrots, cut them into thirds and trim blunt ends to simulate baby carrots.
16. Peel turnips and if they are over 1″ thick slice them in half, trimming to make rounded shapes like a baby turnip.
17. Peel the onions.
18. Cook these separately in salted water 15 min. drain well; cover with cold water and refrigerate until the stew is assembled.
19. The same day you serve the stew: peel potatoes and cook in boiling salted water 15 min. hold in warm water up to an hour max. Until ready to mix into the stew.
20. Cut ends from the squash and split in 2 lengthwise or if large in ¾” thick slices.
21. Cook covered in boiling salted water 8 min. hold with the potatoes until ready to assemble.
22. Reheat the meat, covered, in a 300 oven 1 hr, add cooked vegetables and heat another 1-2 hrs. ½ hr before serving add the peas and mix. [i think this recipe needs more seasoning; say 2 tsp rosemary, 4 bay leaves and a generous amount of black pepper, perhaps other herbs or a bit of garlic – jw.
23.  from the sunset cook book of soups and stews.