The new novel from Susan Crandall is a departure from her previous books and yet pure Susan: rich characters and dialog and a can't-put down story. Thank you Nicki Leone, Authors Round the South "Author 2 Author" series, Wanda Jewell and SIBA. And, … [Read more...]
PISSALADIERE RECIPE – THE QUICK AND EASY (ALYCE) WAY
Hi. This is Alyce speaking. Or Al-ees, as the French say. I chained Jean-Luc to his computer to write. Also so he can’t see me make my E-Z pissaladiére (or the spelling of easy). Pissala is a fish paste made from sardines and anchovies. I've left it … [Read more...]
AUTHOR 2 AUTHOR: SUSAN CRANDALL’S Q&A WITH JO MAEDER
From Lady Banks Commonplace Books ("Front porch literary gossip from your favorite Southern bookshops") where I explain the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee, and more. This is part of the Authors Round the South's "Author 2 Author" … [Read more...]
SOCCA!
Somewhere in my Opposites Attack research of foods popular in the South of France, I read about socca, a flat bread/pancake/crêpe made from chick pea (a.k.a. garbanzo bean) flour. It sounded more like a Latin-American dance than something you would … [Read more...]
WILD BOAR DAUBE FEAST (PART FOUR) – MORE COOKING & DEVOURING
When I decided to dive into this challenge with the same naive pluck as Alyce, the heroine in Opposites Attack, I thought what was the worst that could happen? It would be awful, we'd order pizza and drinks lots of French wine. In the end it's about … [Read more...]
WILD BOAR DAUBE FEAST (PART THREE) – COOKING ROUND ONE
In the words of George Clinton and The Parliament Funkadelic (and later M. C. Hammer), it’s time to “turn this mutha out.” If you’re still wondering why on earth you should try wild boar much less cook it, just google “wild boar feral pig swine … [Read more...]
WILD BOAR DAUBE FEAST (PART TWO) – MARINATING
ALLOW AT LEAST THREE DAYS TO PREPARE THIS MEAL, FOUR EVEN BETTER. A few words about how I came up with this wild boar daube recipe. While writing Opposites Attack, I studied many French cookbooks and let my taste buds guide me as I cooked the … [Read more...]
WILD BOAR DAUBE FEAST (PART ONE) – PROCURING
In my novel Opposites Attack, our heroine Alyce slays a wild boar in self-defense, has a butcher cut it up and invites over a large group of students from the French school she’s attending for a boar daube (the French version of stew). It’s a turning … [Read more...]
MY NEW LOVE AFFAIR: LAVENDER (PART 2)
One thing I’ve learned the hard way at farmers markets is that if you see something you like, grab it. Which is at odds with my “I have to look at everything first” approach. One such Darn It I Missed It moment came when I spied a beautiful lavender … [Read more...]
MY NEW LOVE AFFAIR: LAVENDER (PART 1)
The summer is for falling in love, right? While trying recipes from my new novel Opposites Attack (bouillabaisse to wild boar) and strolling through central North Carolina farmer’s markets in search of the freshest, closest-grown produce, I’ve become … [Read more...]