Learning to Love David Sedaris

So, I've been going to the library. A lot. New Brighton has a brand new library within walking distance of my house. I. Love. It. I swear, I'm there nearly weekly as of late. It's just so convenient!

So, as part of my frequent library trips I've chosen to pick up some David Sedaris on audio book. I knew he read his own books and that made me happy. I love it when authors read their own books (especially memoirs).

Mostly, I've taken to downloading the books into Itunes and then popping them into my Ipod, providing me a humorous personal companion while I walk the dog. On our morning and evening walks, Lucy would be filled with the delight of the sounds and smells of our neighborhood and I'd be filled with the delight of a  happy dog with a wagging tale and humorous Sedaris stories.

I started with "Me Talk Pretty One Day," but wish I had started with either "Naked" or "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," simply because I really love the stories Sedaris shares about his family so much and, while his stories of learning French were fairly amusing, I really disliked some of his stories in "Me Talk Pretty One Day" that talked about the height of his drug use (hanging out with people who have a chair made of hair? That's just gross and uncomfortable to me, not funny). But, stories of his family and their antics growing up are  hilarious. I often found myself laughing out loud at these.

In moving from "Me Talk Pretty One Day" to "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," I also shifted from listening in the car (the first) to listening on a walk with the dog (as I've done with the rest). I think, honestly, the format of listening while going on a relaxing walk, rather than while driving, also made me like them better.

I think that's the beauty of Sedaris' books. While,  his family is certainly a lot different than mine, he's still very relateable in that every family has crazy stories and often they are around the simplest things (a family dinner, a crazy neighbor, etc.). It makes me (as a writer), look back on the funny stories that have happened in my life and learn to tell them in a new way. I love how he'll often start with one short story, that will lead into a longer, more elaborate tale to fill the chapter. He quite cleverly weaves these tales together.

So, maybe I'll make part of this blog tales of crazy stories from my family. I've been meaning to write the story of my (crazy-ish) friend's bridal shower I threw that included an unexpected visiting from a snapping turtle. Maybe I'll work on weaving that tale into here later this weekend...

I've got to get back to blogging more. I've been slow as of late. My excuse? Reading. A lot. To date in 2012, I've read 28 books and listened to six audio books (five of which are Sedaris).

But, inspired by Sedaris and Jen Lancaster (just read her first book "Bitter is the New Black," more to come on her later after I've read a few more), I'm going to try to blog more and capture some more fun and entertaining stories.

For those who haven't read Sedaris, but want to, based on what I've read so far, this is my recommended order of reading (or listening to on audio book, which I highly recommend):

I've read (and I recommend):

• Naked 
• Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim 
• Me Talk Pretty One Day 
• When You are Engulfed in Flames 

Yet for me to read (listen to):

• Barrel Fever 
• Holidays on Ice 
• Live for Your Listening Pleasure

I just say skip this all together:

• Squirrel Meets Chipmunk

More to come soon, friends! 

Recipe Box: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

So, I'm lazily playing catch up on my blog...So, for fun, here is a recipe for these awesome cupcakes I made for Easter brunch. They are putzy, but if you like lemon, oh so worth it!

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes (Taken from Serious Eats) 

My Easter cupcakes!

Makes 24 cupcakes, active time 1 hour, 30 minutes, total time 4 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients

    For the Lemon Curd
    1 cup sugar
    4 large eggs, at room temperature
    3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    2 tablespoons zest and 3/4 cup juice from 3 large lemons
    8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
    
    For the Lemon Cupcakes
    Baking spray
    1 3/4 cups sugar
    2 tablespoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 2 large lemons
    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup cake flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
    
    For the Meringue Topping
    1 1/4 cups sugar
    1/4 cup water
    1/4 cup light corn syrup
    6 large egg whites, at room temperature
    1/4 teaspoon salt


Procedures

    For the Lemon Curd: Whisk sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and salt together in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the consistency of pudding, 8 to 10 minutes.

    Strain curd into medium bowl. Add butter and stir until completely incorporated. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of curd and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours. Alternatively, place bowl in ice bath and stir constantly until custard is completely cooled, 10 to 15 minutes. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and refrigerate until needed. (Curd may be prepared up to 2 days in advance).

    For the Lemon Cupcakes: Place 24 cupcake liners in 2 (12-cup) baking tins. Lightly coat tins and liners with baking spray. Adjust oven racks to upper middle and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 350°F.

    In food processor, pulse1 1/2 cups sugar and lemon zest until no zest strands remain.

    Whisk all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in medium bowl; reserve.

    Combine milk, lemon juice, and vanilla in glass measuring cup (mixture will curdle); reserve.

    In large, clean, dry bowl, whip egg whites and salt with whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes longer. (If you used the stand mixer bowl, transfer whites to separate bowl).

    Beat butter and lemon sugar with paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk mixture.

    Stir in 1/3 of egg whites, then, fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula. Divide batter equally between prepared pans, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way.

    Bake until tester inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating and alternating pans halfway through baking.

    Transfer tins to cooling racks and cool 10 minutes in pans. Turn cupcakes out directly onto racks, then invert so the tops are facing up. Cool completely, about 30 minutes

    For the Meringue Topping: Stir sugar, water, and corn syrup in heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil syrup until it registers 238°F on candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes.

    While syrup boils, in large, clean, dry bowl, whip egg whites and salt with whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. With mixer running on medium-high speed, add syrup to egg whites in a slow, steady stream. Beat until outside of bowl is cool to the touch and whites are thick and glossy, about 7 minutes.

    Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch pastry tip. Alternatively, transfer meringue to a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag and cut off a 1/2-inch from the tip.

    To Assemble: Once cooled, cut out circles in center of cupcakes, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around. The cutout will look like a cone. Lift the “cone” from the cupcake and trim off the pointy part to make a coin-like cap.

    Fill each cupcake with curd and cover center with cap.

    Pipe meringue onto cupcakes, smoothing out sides or making peaks decoratively. Brown meringues with torch. (If you don’t have a torch, heat broiler. Arrange frosted cupcakes on a baking sheet, 6 at a time and run under the broiler until browned, 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the broiler). Serve.

© Serious Eats

Lots of reading, lots of writing

I've been reading a lot, but not reviewing a lot. I hope to try to be better, but as of late, I haven't had it in me! And, mostly I've been reading a lot of Janet Evanovich and I figure there are plenty of Evanovich reviews out there so who needs another....

So, I'm starting a novel writing class at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and am really excited about that. Maybe someday people will be able to write reviews on something I've written. Unfortunately, I got my dates screwed up and missed the first class, but got caught up from my dear friend Kari and from the teacher so I'm excited to dive in next week!

For my homework this week, I am to read "The Lottery" (which, oddly enough, I just read for the first time in the last month so ago...) and I have to write a one page description of my childhood bedroom (this was in class assignment that I missed.... grrr... still kicking myself...) and I am to write down ten memories/moments/stories that have "stuck with me" or "got under my skin."

It's just really exciting to begin this endeavor with a group of people also committed to the world of literature and contributing to this great art.

I'm sure I'll have more to come soon on this! Maybe even a few sneak peeks of whatever I come up with for this project I'm calling "learning to write a novel" (Ok, I'm not calling that, that's the name of the class...)

That's all for now... Maybe I should write on this thing more often... It's good practice for developing ideas for a novel...