Yes, that's right, this post is tagged with the category Book News! Happy to report the latest rewrite of SIMMER turned out just beautifully, and I am very, very proud of it. Funny thing, that every draft I think it just can't get any better... and then, every draft, it does. So although the title is back to SIMMER instead of A WATCHED POT, the book is about to be a watched pot again... and I'll report back to you the second it boils.
The title of this post, Use It Like Buttermilk, is from the most recent SIMMER draft. It's a variation on "When life hands you lemons," that old chestnut. "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", right? (Or, as a signature line I recently saw put it, "When life hands you lemons, start an international lemonade conglomerate." Heh.)
Anyway, as the narrator Ginny reflects on how to make the best of an upsetting situation, she thinks:
Instead of giving in to the anger I try to analyze it. Take it as a given. If the milk goes sour, you use it like buttermilk. Pancakes, biscuits, things that need its acid.
Buttermilk? Totally useful. It's not milk, but it's something you can use to your advantage, if you know how. Baking soda needs something acid to activate it, making batter or dough rise. Apparently it's also really good for marinating chicken before frying, and let's not forget Buttermilk Ranch dressing, a great way to balance creaminess with tang on your salad.
I was reminded of Use It Like Buttermilk when I ran across a mention of the fascinating Jaws Wired Shut blog over on Serious Eats.
What happens when an avid cook and eater with a fractured jaw has to take all her meals through a straw for six weeks? Read it and see.
skimming comments on Jaws Wired Shut, I must admit that "Blender Fish Flashbacks" would be a good name for a band.
Posted by: Russ | September 14, 2009 at 01:07 PM