Thursday Thirteen – #21

Thirteen Sites I Have Bookmarked THEOI Greek Mythology - Fantastic encyclopedia of Greek mythology. CBS 11 TV - When I want to know what’s going on locally, I usually go here. Daily Pollen Count - I’m trying to figure out what I’m allergic to. Based on the counts, I’m guessing fungus and/or grass. At least in the spring. For Better or For Worse Strip Fix - I’ve been reading this strip for longer than I care to tell you. I wrote Lynn Johnston once, and got a lovely note back. Mormon Mommy Wars - Yeah, it’s a Mormon Mommy blog, but one that doesn’t make me feel like a misfit just ’cause I have the misfortune to not have kids.  I like the contributors and love the stories.  Feminist Mormon Housewives - Another Mormon women’s blog, and a good one. Great contributors and lots of lively discussion in the comments. YouTube - Always a good time-waster NOAA’s National Weather Service - Joe’s a weather freak, and he’s been known to call me from Chicago or Florida or New York and tell me I have to drop whatever I’m doing and check the weather out. eChaucer (Chaucer in the 21st Century) - Do I really have to tell you why I have this one bookmarked? Scribbit - To quote from the header, “a blog about motherhood in Alaska.” It’s really more than that. It’s a blog about motherhood in Alaska, life in Alaska, craft ideas, recipes, giveaways, writing contests. Shakespeare Insults Generator - Are you looking for creative ways to insult people? Trying to quit swearing, and looking for alternative phrases? Here’s a great place to start! IMDB - Great for when we’re watching a movie and Joe says the blonde kid is Evanna Lynch, and I say no, it’s a blond boy, and it’s certainly not Evanna Lynch. One trip to IMDB clears up all questions. MahJong Connect - This is an obnoxious little game to which I’m addicted.

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Book Review: The Cornbread Gospels

The mailman brought me a lovely, lovely package today. It’s so fun getting things in the mail that are neither bills nor catalogues nor other advertisements. A few weeks ago I posted the recipe for the cornbread I made the previous night, and mentioned how Joe steadfastly refused to eat it because–gasp!–it was Southern style cornbread, grainy and not sweet.  Crescent Dragonwagon e-mailed me not only with an offer to review her cornbread cookbook, but also provided a pithy quotation from Chaucer! (No, not about cornbread, but gingerbread, and I’ll get to that in just a sec.)

The Cornbread Gospels is a dream of a cookbook. It is beautifully laid out and organized, and has plenty to satisfy the cook, the reader, the historian, and anyone else who should be so fortunate as to lay hands on a copy. In the introduction, Dragonwagon tells us some of the experiences she had in the almost six years it took her to complete this book. The first chapter, entitled “Southern Cornbreads: Soul in a Skillet,” gets to the heart of the debate between Yankees and Southerners as to what constitutes a proper cornbread. She doesn’t take sides though, which is probably wise.

There are recipes for any kind of cornbread you can imagine, and you’re virtually guaranteed to drool while you read through them. A sampling of the recipes: Truman Capote’s Family’s Cornbread; Land of Milk and Honey Custard-Layered Cornbread; Seriously Spicy Main Dish Cornbread; Bobota (Greek Cornbread, with orange juice, currants, and orange-honey syrup); High Desert Blue Corn Muffins with Sage and Toasted Pine Nuts; Herb-Scented Corn Whole Wheat Bread; Dixie Spoonbread; George Washington’s Favorite Corn Cakes; Indonesian-Style Corn and Eggplant Fritters; Golden Gazpacho; Old South Style Greens (to eat with your delectable cornbread); and Very Lemony Cornmeal Pound Cake.

Along the way, you’ll find quotations and snippets of verses about cornbread; you’ll learn the difference between a jonnycake and a johnnycake; and you’ll learn how to make your own corn tortillas. Wondering what to serve with your cornbread? The book is sprinkled with suggested menus. There’s a recipe for any palate here, as well as a feast for the mind.

The Cornbread Gospels, Crescent Dragonwagon, illustrations by Andrea Wisnewski. Workman Publishing, New York. ISBN 9-780761-119166. $14.95. Find it here.  Visit the author’s website here.

Oh–and are you still wondering about the Chaucer quotation?  Chaucer writes, “they sette him roial spicery and gyngebreed.”  And Dragonwagon does, in fact, include a recipe for Dark, Extra-Gingery Gingerbread, with Darra’s Hot Citrus Sauce. I think Chaucer would approve.