Zero History by William Gibson

Zero History by William Gibson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Premise of the book from Goodreads.com:  Hollis Henry worked for the global marketing magnate Hubertus Bigend once before. She never meant to repeat the experience. But she's broke, and Bigend never feels it's beneath him to use whatever power comes his way -- in this case, the power of money to bring Hollis onto his team again. Not that she knows what the "team" is up to, not at first.



Milgrim is even more thoroughly owned by Bigend. He's worth owning for his useful gift of seeming to disappear in almost any setting, and his Russian is perfectly idiomatic - so much so that he spoke Russian with his therapist, in the secret Swiss clinic where Bigend paid for him to be cured of the addiction that would have killed him.


Garreth has a passion for extreme sports. Most recently he jumped off the highest building in the world, opening his chute at the last moment, and he has a new thighbone made of rattan baked into bone, entirely experimental, to show for it. Garreth isn't owned by Bigend at all. Garreth has friends from whom he can call in the kinds of favors that a man like Bigend will find he needs, when things go unexpectedly sideways, in a world a man like Bigend is accustomed to controlling.


As when a Department of Defense contract for combat-wear turns out to be the gateway drug for arms dealers so shadowy that even Bigend, whose subtlety and power in the private sector would be hard to overstate, finds himself outmaneuvered and adrift in a seriously dangerous world.


I really enjoyed book number three in the Bigend series. There is just something about the way Gibson weaves the characters and plot together that is just a delight to read. I read Pattern Recognition in March of 2006, Spook Country in June of 2011 and now Zero History and everyone of the books left me wanting to read another.


I also find Gibson's books, at least these, to be a nice blend of description and dialog. I loved the setting at the hotel, the stuffed critters, the wallpaper with the vaguely pornographic scene, the narwhale tusks and the shower. Really, he described a shower! It’s little things like that that really made the book come alive. I enjoyed the dialog for similar reasons, it felt like people actually talking to each other; short clipped sentences that only make sense if you're part of the conversation.


With Zero History I was especially delighted when Gibson pulled from Pattern Recognition - even though it's been five years since I read that first book, I still recalled enough to make the connection.


Lastly, this is not science fiction per-se even though it is published as such, but near future perhaps might be a better way to describe it? Hardly detraction in my opinion. Delightful series of books. Recommended.




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Recipe Review from 10/16/11

Whew! Busy weekend - Saturday morning I co-taught a Yin/Yang yoga class; 1 hour of vinyasa, followed by 1 hour of restorative.  Plan was the Husband and I were going to go to brunch then up to the UM-Duluth homecoming football game, but massive brain fart, we forgot our tickets and had to drive All. The. Way. Back. Home.  Grrr.   Absolutely gorgeous day to be outside though!  Was probably about 50*F (10*C), but in the stands it was easily 60*F (15*C).  Record number of attendees - 6044! Thankfully we did get reserved seat tickets but still, we were packed in there like sardines.  UMD won 37 to 6. 

Then it was a quick swing through Yarn Harbor for a skein of yarn for myself and we made our way down to the Lakewalk to see if Portland Malt Shoppe was still open.  Hooray! It was!  Probably the last Portland Malt of the year as they will be closed till spring next time we're down in that neighborhood.  And we ended the day with dinner at India Palace. Yum! 
Only one new recipe from last week. This made more than I hand anticipated and then we had a strange mid-week.  Not sure why, just the way it was.  


Slow Cooker Chicken Curry  (Ckng Lght BB/Women's Day Magazine)
First dish in my attempt to use my slow-cooker weekly.  I had planned on assembling this Monday morning, but realized Sunday afternoon it would make more sense to just do it then and have the Husband re-heat before I got home from class.  I ended up using 2 packages of chicken thighs; it was a bit of a conundrum one package is 1.25 lbs, but only has 6 pieces.  And what was I going to do with four leftover chicken thighs?  Decided use two packages and cook it all up.  Downside was I couldn't double the sauce as I ran out of curry powder AND ginger.   Result?  Chicken turned out super tender, lots of juices (almost too much so) and short in the spice department.  Which might be okay for some folks but I like a little more oompf to my 'curry'. 

Serves: 4
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1-in. piece fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and pepper
8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lb total)
2 small onions, cut into 1/2-in. wedges
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 plum or other tomatoes, diced
Nonfat Greek yogurt and fresh cilantro, for serving


1. In a 5- to 6-qt slow cooker, whisk together the garlic, ginger, vinegar, curry powder, cumin, 2 Tbsp water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2. Add the chicken and onions and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

3. When the chicken has 25 minutes left to cook, cook the rice according to package directions.

4. Gently fold the tomatoes into the chicken mixture and serve over the rice. Top with the yogurt and cilantro, if desired.

5. Instead of chicken, try lamb stew meat or beef chuck (cut into 2-in. pieces).

Source: Woman's Day mag. September 2011

Shadow Prey by John Sandford (Davenport #2)

Shadow Prey by John Sandford


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads:   A slumlord in Minneapolis. A New York politician. An Oklahoma judge.  Three strangers with one thing in common: each has been butchered with a Native American ceremonial knife by a killer known as Shadow Love. Lucas Davenport and Officer Lily Rothenburg needn't look far for the killer. He's right behind them.

I had to read this one as it wasn’t available on audio and I found it to be a fast read. In this version, Sandford wrote an introduction on how he had initially written this as a political commentary and his publisher had him re-write it as a thriller with political commentary. It is my humble opinion that the views being expressed were rather overshadowed by the sex between the main characters. Really, who is going to pay attention to the nuances of social/political remarks when there are two people trying to climb into each other’s pants?


I also felt the socio-political plot was a bit weak in explanation, background and drive. I can understand the ‘waging war against the injustices of the white man’ (I currently live in proximity to two Indian reservations and I've lived in Minneapolis) but I just wasn’t picking up the urgency or drive I felt was needed to spur a ‘revolution’. It came across as a small group of guys with a long standing grudge, working independently of any organized tribe or law, taking down political figureheads. Nothing was resolved other than everyone ends up dead...which one could interpet as being the point. Nothing changes.


The two subplots surrounding Davenport was interesting character building. It will be fascinating to see how Sandford develops the homicide group from here to book #20 (Storm Prey).


So if you are looking for a engaging, quick to read cop thriller, this does a pretty good job of filling that niche.




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Recipe Review 10/11/11

Week in rewind:  it was a splendid week really; I was pretty exhausted on Monday from the whirlwind trip to see the Vikings game on Sunday.  Monday the new gas dryer got installed.  Then Tuesday I had to get up early for a trip to Badora, MN, to tour the MN DNR seedling nursery.  One could not ask for a more splendid fall day - clear skies, a crispness to the breeze that heralds Fall, leaves crunching underfoot, and absolutely gorgeous Harvest Moon rising above the black spruce swamps on my way home.  Fall just doesn't get any better than this.  And on Saturday I led my once a month Rocket Series at Yoga North, followed by brunch with the Saturday Regulars.  Yum-o!  My friend and I took the hounds for a walk afterwards.  Chilly, but splendid.

Just two recipes to review this week.  We did a chicken in the slow cooker on Monday with acorn squash (my favorite!) with the leftovers going into the soup.   Then we are trying to start "Friday Pizza" again.  Last week was pepperoni and mushroom. 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Ckng Lght, Oct 2011)
I keep my eye out for wild rice soups - since I started harvesting wild rice, I need places to use it and this is one of my favorites.  However, this dish left me disappointed.  No fault of the soup I think, more a personal taste.  I like creamy wild rice soups and this one was brothy.  The other side of brothy rice soups is the rice tends to continue to absorb the liquid and I end up with a bowl of veggies, chicken and rice.

1/2 cup brown and wild rice blend
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded cooked dark meat chicken
 1/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Combine brown and wild rice blend and bay leaf in a large saucepan; cook according to rice package directions, omitting salt and fat. Discard bay leaf. Heat pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 3 minutes. Add minced garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken, and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Remove from heat, and stir in half-and-half, sage, salt, and pepper.

Tiffany Vickers Davis, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011


Artichoke, Tomato and Spinach Pizza (Culinary in the Country Blog, Adapted from Rachael Ray)

Well, we managed to screw this recipe up.  Dough didn't behave correctly and never puffed up in the oven (we used our standard Michael Rhulman recipe).  I brain-farted the fact that there is no red sauce and thawed out the pizza sauce.  Then at the end, forgot the spinach.  So the recipe you see below is what we had  intended to make, not what actually got made.  This will probably be a do-over some point down the line.  That and Friday Pizza may get switched to Saturday because eating at 830p at night isn't working out so well.   
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and fresh ground black pepper
16 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough (I used our favorite recipe)
6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 ounce (about 1/3 cup) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
13.75 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby spinach, chopped

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a rack placed in the lower third, along with an inverted sturdy baking sheet on top of rack.

In a medium bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic and parsley - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll dough to fit a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (the sheet should be roughly 13" x 18"). Transfer dough into the pan, gently spreading to fit if needed.

Dollop two tablespoons of the garlic and oil mixture on the dough, spreading to cover the top with an off-set spatula. Scatter mozzarella and about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan over the dough.

Add artichokes, tomatoes and spinach into the bowl with the garlic and oil mixture, tossing well to coat. Evenly arrange mixture over the cheese. Scatter the top with the remaining Parmesan.

Set baking sheet directly on top of the inverted sheet in the oven and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, about 16 to 22 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.

Makes about 4 servings.

Dead Run by P.J. Tracy (Monkeewrench #3)

Dead Run by P.J. Tracy


My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This one had me yelling at my windsheild. Repeatedly.  And venting to the husband as we walked, which ended up being more of a forced march as my blood pressure rose and I got agitated with it all.   Two strong books and then....lord knows what happened. Maybe the authors read W.K. Krueger's Mercy Falls and needed something outlandish too. I dunno.


I'll try and do this without major spoilers:


Govt conspiracy/major cover up in NE Wisconsin - so, a whole town vanishes and we have someone pushing a tanker truck into a lake. If you have ever been in NE Wisconsin farm country, you would know that - realistically - you will not be able to push a tanker truck into a lake and expect it to sink the prerequisite 18' to be totally submerged and not visible from the air. Your bulldozer/tractor would sink into the muck beyond it's axels and lord knows how'd you'd extract your tractor then. It would far, far, better to just put said ruined tanker truck on the back of a flatbed trailer and haul it out of there completely.


Ditto for a herd of dead cows. Plus they float once bloated. Not good to have a herd of bloated cows bobbing around a lake. Put in a dump truck, cover, and take to a secret government gravel pit and dump and cover.


You don't bury bodies under a feedlot paddock. Seriously. WTH.


Fed's/bad guys seemed really heavy handed. And stupid. See above comments.


All three ladies managed to leave their purses sitting on the counter at the diner for the bad guys to find later on? Riiighhht.... how convienent for the plot.


Didn't anyone think of sending a plane to fly over this fiasco when is started? Any law enforcement agency of a large mostly unpopulated area will have access to a small plane for surveilence. Use it!


Nobody noticed they couldn't raise their relatives on the phone? Only the local 'cake lady' was noticed to be missing? Sure, NE Wisconsin can be rather isolated, but come on! people would notice.


And can we get any more cliched with the nice hick cop with a head injury who feels compelled to "protect" three women who obviously know what the heck is going on moreso than he does? He deserved what happened to him.


Crikey, I could go on, but I will stop here. I felt this particular book, especially after reading the first two, just went winging right out into unbelievable land. Part of my issue was the main plot of three missing women running around a semi-secured government consipriacy zone was just so implausible. The secondary plot of trying to locate the missing women was more interesting. Still, the whole plot had me banging my head against my steering wheel. I 'read' this as an audiobook, by the way.


But, lest you wonder why I kept reading, it was because I loved the humor, I like the quirky characters, and because I wanted to find out how the romatic interests panned out at the end.




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Recipe Review from 10/3/11

What a week!  Our kitchen faucet sprung a leak right around the base of the water faucet itself, and unfortunately the attempt to fix it made the problem worse (never did figure out why it was leaking).  We had water dripping all over the sink and running underneath.  Oy.  So. Out with the old - which wasn't all that old - and in with the new!  That took up two evenings - one to pick out a new faucet and one to replace it.   Just what I want to be doing when we are having absolutely GORGEOUS fall weather.  Temps in the high 60's, sunny, almost no bugs. 

In other news we finally went to a Minnesota Vikings game!  Through a military connection of the Husband's, we hooked up with a group of folks for a little tailgating, a little football, and a fair bit of driving.  Still, in all the decades I've lived in MN I've never been to an NFL game.  MN Twins.  U of MN Gopher football, hockey, basketball and baseball.  U of Duluth Bulldog hockey and football.  MN North Stars then the MN Wild.  But no football.   Was an absolute blast!  Sorry, no pics, as usual, I forgot the camera...

Meals were unremarkable last week.  A Summer Squash Soup with Bacon and Blue cheese that I've made many times before was lunches.  A Leek and Potato Soup that we've also made before was supper and lunch toward the end of the week.  Grilled cheese the night we had the sink tore apart (I could get at the stove, just couldn't clean anything up).  However, one remarkable dish stands out:

Colcannon (Victory Garden Cookbook)
Can we say OUTSTANDING!?!  OMGoodness!  Just put the bowl in front of me and stand back!  A bit dish intensive to make (one pot for potatoes, one pot to blanch the kale, one pot to saute the leeks, one pot to caramelize the onions), but worth it.  The directions below are what we ended up doing, so some of this is from memory.  But it's not like you can goof this dish up.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I ate it too fast!  Oh, we served this with a slow-cooked pork shoulder. 

1/2 lb kale, trimmed and washed (definitely wash your kale!)
1 lb potatoes, preferably yukon golds
1 cup leeks, white part only, thinly sliced.
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped

Wash, quarter and cook the potatoes.  Hand mash Set aside.  (We like our potatoes with skin on and 'chunky'-mashed)

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a small saute pan, add onion and saute until nicely browned and intensely caramelized, stirring frequently. Don't let butter or onions burn.  This may take about 15-20 minutes depending on your stove (mine's gas).

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, blanch the kale (submerge for 3-5 minutes in boiling water, then remove and run under cool water).  Drain well, squeezing any extra water out.  Kale should not be limp-limp but still maintain some structure. Coarsely chop and set aside.

In a large saute pan, melt 3 tbsp butter and saute leeks.  Add kale and saute until last of water is cooked off.  Add to mashed potatoes and stir to combine.  Put in a a large serving bowl, make a well and put caramelized onions in center.  

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It is not too often that I finish book one in a series and immediately start book two. I did here...




Premise of the book: Seven months have passed between the horrific murders based off a computer game by the company Monkeewrench and Minneapolis homicide has been in a lull up until now. Old people in Uptown are being shot to death, the body count is up to four and they all seem to revolve around one man, now dead. Suspect number one is the man's son, who also appears to be the next target and he's not talking.


What I enjoyed about book one and subsequently in book two is the strong main plot which is intertwined with these seemingly random subplots. It just amazes me how the authors can keep all of these threads straight *and* manage to weave them into a coherent ending that leaves me just delighted at its complexity.


I did find with book number two that it got off to a slower start and I found my attention wandering more than once, which resulted in more than one 'rewind' to find out what I missed. I felt the book really didn't start hitting its stride until nearly halfway through (I think it was about there - hard to tell with CD's). I also questioned the plausibility of the main subplot (three Jewish friends searching out and plugging Nazi's, 60 years after the war) only insofar as such with its feasibility prior to the era of computer search functions. I'm not saying it's not completely implausible; often murder mysteries are based off of some nugget of real life.


Recommended if you've read Book #1: Monkeewrench.





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Recipe Review from 9/26/11

Fall is here! Fall is here!  Beautiful temps in the 70's, bright sunny skies during the day and sparkling stars at night.  Hint of crispness in the air that heralds colder temps to come.  Love it! 

Meal planning didn't quite go as planned this week.  A dish that I thought would easily cover three meals barely did two.  Ended up eating out one night after a walk on the Munger Trail (a paved old RR grade, yellow aspen were just glowing in the setting sun).  And re-made dish number one to use up some leftover ingredients.  Lunches were a hodgepodge of planned meals and scrounging. 

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce  (Ckng Lght, Oct 2011)
So this had good flavor, the sauce was easy to prepare.  I made the sauce in the morning to save on some prep time in the evening.  My big complaint with this recipe was the filling needs to be doubled.  Seriously doubled.  As prepared below - and measured out! - it didn't come close to filling 12 6" tortillas and left me with a slew of Ranchero Sauce.  For a dish that is supposed to fill a 9x13" pan, this made enough to feed two of us for two meals.   Not good in my opinion.  I had some leftover 8" tortillas in the freezer, leftover sauce and bought another can of beans and bag of cheese and made this a second time during the week so as not waste the sauce. 

 
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups organic vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
 
I recommend doubling these:
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat  4-cheese Mexican-blend cheese, divided
3 thinly sliced green onions, divided
 
Cooking spray
 
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
 
6 tablespoons light sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine chiles and 2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Drain chiles in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onion; saute 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through cumin); cook 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. Pour onion mixture into a blender; add chiles and reserved liquid. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid. Blend until smooth; stir in lime juice and red pepper.

5. Combine the beans, 1 cup cheese, and half the green onions in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 3 tablespoons bean mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining green onions; serve with sour cream.

David Bonom, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011


Curried Turkey and Israeli Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries
A snap to prepare, definitely citrusy, sweet and subtly spiced.  Was a little bland but perked up with a dash of salt and pepper. 

You can use light or dark turkey meat in this citrusy, sweet, subtly spiced salad. No turkey on hand? Use rotisserie chicken instead.


1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries
Kosher salt
1 cup Israeli couscous
6 oz. skinless roast turkey meat, cut into medium dice (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp. white wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper

In a 1-quart saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the dried cranberries, stir, and set aside.

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the couscous and simmer until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until the couscous is cool. Drain again thoroughly and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the cranberries and orange juice, turkey, almonds, celery, and scallions.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and curry powder. Add to the couscous mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Variations
Israeli couscous is similar to regular couscous but is larger and pearl-shaped. If you don’t have any, use orzo or another tiny pasta shape instead.

From Fine Cooking 113, pp. 26
September 1, 2011

Superior Hiking Trail, Fall Hike

Saturday found our little pack heading up the North Shore for the last organized hike of 2011!

From the Superior Hiking Trail website:

Caribou River Wayside to Cook Co Rd 1

9.0 miles. This hike climbs along the Caribou River with a chance to take a spur trail to the base of the dramatic Caribou Falls. It continues through birch and maple forests over the only covered bridge on the trail. After steeply descending from the ridgeline, the trail crosses Dyers Creek and continues along the Two Island River.

People I talk to have a preconceived notion about these organized hikes, such as we have to hike as a group, no dogs, etc.  I can assure the readers that this is definitely NOT true.  You hike at your own pace, dogs are allowed (leashed please - there are other doggies on the trail who are not dog friendly), you can stick with folks if you want or not.  The great thing about the organized hikes is the organized shuttle - everyone pitches in to help transport the group to the start point, everyone hikes to the end, then those who were shuttled, help get people back to their cars.  A fantastic way to through hike a segment. 

Morning temps started at about 27* and by the time we were on the trail it was probably about 40*.  As we hiked up the Cascade River Gorge, layers were quickly shed and as long as you kept moving - which is not a problem on the trail - you stayed warm.  Lunch for our little pack was at Alfred's Pond where the doggies could get a drink while we ate. 

This segment of trail is one of the easier sections.  The trail starts out with a gentle climb (gentle for the SHT, then levels off and follows the ridge for about 6 miles.  Through the dying birch stand you can see Lake Superior and - on a good day - the Apostle Islands of Wisconsin in the far distance.  The trail leaves the birch stand and makes its way through a blaze of golds, reds and oranges that define sugar maples in the fall.  Then it drops down to Sugar Loaf Pond, which this year was mostly just a cattail swamp.  The next notable feature on the landscape is Alfred's Pond, a deep dark pond surrounded by a floating bog.  Very cool.  And then the last couple of miles the trail winds through birch and maple stands before dropping back down into the a small river gorge and meeting up with the trail's parking lot.