food love?!

Since my blog IS titled "Book Love" and I have not written a single thing about reading, or books, or anything other than food for that matter....I guess a book review is in order. This summer I read a bunch of fluff, for fun, on purpose. So nothing to review from the summer, unless of course you enjoy Jodi Piccoult.

I started the fall with "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee. Sadly, this gem somehow missed my middle/high school reading lists. I can honestly say that the book's title is perhaps one of the most apt, well thought out titles of any book I've read. The image it carries is both beautiful and heart-wrenching. I can just imagine the great discussions my senior class would've had on this book: racism, courtroom justice, defense of innocence.

Upon numerous recommendations (and my bookclubs' September reading), I borrowed "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. I was looking forward to, well, I honestly had no idea what the book was about, nor that it was originally written in Swedish and translated to English. But, what I did find was a boring, way-too-detailed introduction that lasted almost 100 pages. By page 150, I was convinced that this was going to be a page turner. And boy was it. The tedious introduction all made sense; each detail was purposefully woven into the plot. I loved that it turned into a mystery, when the beginning had no hints of such. I must say, there were far too many characters to keep track of. Too many resolutions of subplots that were forgotten about 50 pages before. And, though I greatly enjoyed the book (and have since moved on to the sequel), there were detailed, gruesome portrayals of torture, incest, and rape. Be warned.


Now, if I can only push through the first 25 pages of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and finish it by next Saturday. What have you been reading lately?

lasagna alternative

In college, I took a health class and went through a weird vegetarian stage. I say weird, because I was so uneducated, that all I ate were salads and beans and cheese pizzas. Ha. My granny bought me "Betty Crocker's Vegetarian Cooking" and I only tried a few recipes at the time. Recently, I have started using the cook book again. I tried the lasagna primavera and loved it. Miguel's comment was "it could use some meat." HA!

12	uncooked lasagna noodles
3	cups frozen broccoli cuts, thawed and well drained
3	large carrots, coarsely shredded (2 cups)
1	15 oz can diced tomatoes, well drained
1	container (15 oz) ricotta cheese--part skim
1/2	cup grated Parmesan cheese
1	egg
2	jars (10 oz each) Alfredo pasta sauce--I used Classico's new "light" sauce
1	package (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (4 cups)--I used maybe 3C lowfat mozzarella

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1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, if necessary, cut broccoli florets into bite-size pieces. In large bowl, mix broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers. In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg.
3. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread 2/3 cup Alfredo sauce. Top with 4 noodles. Spread half of the cheese mixture and 2 1/2 cups of the vegetables over noodles. Spoon 2/3 cup sauce in dollops over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
4. Top with 4 noodles; spread with remaining cheese mixture and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables. Spoon 2/3 cup sauce in dollops over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 4 noodles and the vegetables. Spoon remaining sauce in dollops over vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake uncovered 45 to 60 minutes or until bubbly and hot in center. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.