Julie and Julia

Today was my last day of my first summer school class.  It was an American literature class framed around 1960s rock n' roll.  I have to admit that while I might have been physically in my seat with my eyes fixated on the screen before me playing Gimmee Shelter, mentally I was not at all there.  This was because according to marker at the bottom of my Kindle I was 96% into Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.  I was so close to finishing the book, so naturally all I could think about was how I don't cook with enough sauces and what I could throw together for dinner tonight.  Derrick and I just got through a food drought.  We had eaten our pantry nearly bare and the money from my last paycheck had dried up.  I got payed today, and so I was really looking forward to slowly meandering down the aisles of Ralphs to get (hopefully) a week's worth of groceries.  Since the night before we had bacon jalapeno mac and cheese with cheese sauce I had made a while ago then froze I really wanted to do something healthy.  To me this translated into something with lots of fresh veggies over a bowl of whole grains.  I know, very much a trendy Southern California thing to desire.  Well, Julie Powell had me also craving something simmered in Madeira and butter with shallots.  So how do I merge these two cuisines?  I don't know, it is almost time for me to start cooking and I still haven't exactly figured it out.  After getting home today I made my trip to the store and then settled in the guest room to finish Julie and Julia.

It is an entertaining read.  Julie Powell comes across slightly more self-centered than she did when Amy Adams portrayed her, but she is still likable despite this.  At least I found her more likable.  She was honest, funny, and kind of a dork.  I saw the movie quite a while ago and I don't really remember it being as funny as the book read.  I could have somewhat of a bias though because she admits to being a Buffy fan which almost automatically heightens her likability for me.  I guess this is just because in my life I have not really met any fellow fans.  Another thing which Powell and I share in common is our philosophy towards food.  She really writes about it in a way which acknowledges the sensuality of food and cooking.  She even goes as far as to say "reading MtAoFC was like reading pornographic Bible verses".  I don't know if I have ever read a recipe that came across as "pornographic" but then again I haven't ever tackled anything from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I do, however, sometimes feel a bit naughty when making etouffee.  Which must sound totally bizarre to anyone who doesn't feel like any food can be soul food like I do.  There really is something to the connection between your stomach and your heart that I think isn't fabricated.  Julia Child herself has some great quotes on love and food which I included in a D.I.Y. cookbook I made for a friend last year as a wedding gift.

Speaking of love and food, I bought some gorgeous beets today which I fancy is one of the most romantic vegetables out there.  The color, the texture, the sweetness, all make them quite seductive.  If only I could convince Derrick as much.  Maybe a little goat cheese might sway him, because who can deny that combination?!  I better start scrubbing the beets and pick the zucchini from the garden before it gets too late.  I'm so excited to harvest the zucchini - it is the first one!  I'm not exactly sure if it is ripe yet...we read 6-10 inches and firm.  It is long enough, I'm just not sure if it is dark enough.  We'll find out shortly!

One last thing.  Where is Julie Powell now?  Apparently she has written another book, Cleaving, but that was back in 2009.  It involves her learning how to be a butcher and cheating on her husband.  Her blog which started it all is inactive, and girl friend doesn't even have a Pinterest!  My only conclusion is that her second book was not met with as much success as her first, and so she is hiding out somewhere in Austin or Long Island watching Buffy DVDs and feeding her cats haute cuisine.  Cleaving got a whopping two stars on Amazon but it seems like most of the reviewers were just mad about her infidelity.  This is understandable, but I just hope the poor girl didn't get branded with a scarlet "A" after some heartbroken critic yelled at her, "You'll never write in this town again!" or something.  The world has changed a lot since the publication of Julie and Julia.  Mostly we spend more time in front of computer screens.  I wonder what Julie Powell would have to say about the over-abundance of food bloggers today.  What would she say about the blogger Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) getting her own TV show on the Food Network? Whatever she would say I am sure would be funny and poignant, and I wish that she were still around so I could read it.

UPDATE:
I found out what Julie Powell has been doing.  She has written a novel that was released January of this year.  It is called Misadventures of a Fatwoman and this one got five stars on Amazon...good for her!  I didn't know about it because my initial search involved Googling her name and then going directly to her website (http://juliepowellbooks.com/index.html).  Her website curiously enough does not mention her novel.  The last entry on her blog (http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/) is dated 2010.

UPDATE to my UPDATE:
Sorry for the misinformation above!  Misadventures of a Fatwoman is NOT by the same Julie Powell.  Amazon lists the author as Julie Elizabeth Powell, and I assumed it was the same Julie Powell since it came up on the same page as Cleaving.  I guess that the world is still waiting for Julie/Julia Powell's novel!