recipes

a sweet dash of aloha

~ jama ~ 34 Comments

In a perfect world, we could all have our cake and eat it too. We could savor chocolate cupcakes and lick every bit of ganache off our fingertips without an ounce of guilt.

In the real world, even before we take that first bite, we often hear the tsk tsks of those ever present sugar police, lecturing us about fat, calories, cholesterol, and glycemic indexes.

A Sweet Dash of Aloha: Guilt-Free Hawai’i Desserts and Snacks (Watermark Publishing, 2011) is a wonderful guide for those of us who’d like to find healthier ways to satisfy our sweet cravings without feeling deprived or compromising taste.

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author chat: a special aloha from margo sorenson

~ jama ~ 22 Comments

Of all the wonderful things Hawaiʻi has to offer — breathtaking natural beauty, world-renown beaches, stunning tropical flora, rich cultural diversity, divinely delicious variety of ethnic foods — its most valuable commodity is, and always will be, the genuine warmth and friendliness of its people.

Because I’ve always wished that this “spirit of Aloha” was more prevalent in the United States, I was especially pleased to read Margo Sorenson’s latest picture book, Aloha for Carol Ann (Marimba Books, 2011). In her heartwarming story, which is illustrated in bright colors by Priscilla Garcia Burris, Margo gives the “new kid in school” theme a tropical treatment. And there’s a nice twist: it’s a multicultural book where the main character is Caucasian.

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friday feast: greg pincus dishes on the late bird

~ jama ~ 49 Comments

“The Late Bird”
by Greg Pincus

The early bird gets the worm
All slime and muck and dirt,
But here’s what they don’t tell you, friend …
The Late Bird gets dessert.

***

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s . . .It’s . . .

Um, he should be here any minute. Greg may be just a tad late. This sometimes happens when you’re faster than a speeding cannoli, more powerful than a rum baba, able to leap tall croquembouches in a single bound.

Hey, I don’t mind waiting. When it comes to dessert, Greg Pincus and I are totally simpatico. Time stands still for tiramisu and tarte tatin. Because he writes a lot of foodie poems, he’s totally worth waiting for.☺

As soon as he arrives, we’ll chat about his new E-book, The Late Bird, which contains more than 50 funny, quirky, smirky poems, and then Chef Greg will serve up three mouthwatering verses and a favorite dessert recipe. I’ve always believed that behind every great author/poet/writer there is great food. If you’ve always wanted to know what inspires Pincus’s pastry poetry, you’ve come to the right place. He’ll take the lid off his chocolate sauce and reveal just what keeps his creative juices bubbling.

So, brace yourselves. There will be drooling. Divine decadence. Nuts and whipped cream. Even a little flaky flirtation.

Oh look, here he is now (with a good reason for being late)!

*trumpet flourish*

Friends, poets, dessert lovers, hand me your plates!

I give you Greg Pincus, the Late Bard who wrote every word of The Late Bird!

***

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cobi’s wakame cucumber salad

~ jama ~ 24 Comments

My niece Cobi will be visiting Alphabet Soup later this month to talk about her wonderful website, Veggietorials: Recipes-Reviews-How-to’s for all things plant-based.

Perhaps, like me, you’re interested in incorporating more veggies in your diet, or even transitioning to an all plant-based diet for health reasons. Cobi will offer tips and share a favorite recipe to help us celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Meanwhile, thought I’d whet your appetite with one of Cobi’s videos featuring her recipe for Wakame Cucumber Salad. It looks so beautiful and refreshing, and I can’t wait to try making it myself. Luckily, we have several good Asian food markets nearby where I can get the dried wakame (seaweed). Enjoy!

Click here to print the recipe at Veggietorials.

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This post is being linked to Beth Fish Read’s Weekend Cooking, where are all invited to share food-related posts (fiction/nonfiction/movie/cookbook reviews, recipes, photos and musings).

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Copyright © 2012 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

chatting with candice ransom about iva honeysuckle discovers the world (and a giveaway)!

~ jama ~ 30 Comments

Cornelius and I are thrilled to welcome award-winning children’s author Candice Ransom to the Alphabet Soup kitchen today.

As you may know, we’re in love with her latest book, Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World (Disney Hyperion, 2012), which was just named to the Summer 2012 Kids’ Indie Next List, and which Kirkus describes as, “A breezy, wide-open window into the turbulent heart of a dramatic third-grade adventurer and her small-town Virginia community.”

I was instantly captivated by spunky and supremely self-assured Iva Honeycutt and her quest to become a world famous discoverer. With great-grandfather Ludwell’s treasure map in hand and her not-so-trusty canine companion Sweetlips by her side, she paces and dowses her way around her hometown of Uncertain, Virginia, searching for General Braddock’s war chest. But as all great explorers eventually learn, sometimes you end up finding something entirely different, and by golly, it’s even better!

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