Under the Influence of Books

Is it just me, or do you find yourself in a different sort of headspace while reading (or in the immediate hangover after reading) a really good, really immersive book?

My family has commented on how my everyday language changes a bit when I'm eyeball-deep in a book series based in someplace like Scotland or England. I'll start using words like knackered or kebbie-lebbie. It isn't an affectation. In fact, it's not a conscious thing at all. I guess I really just climb inside those books! I can only hope that the people around me find it at least as amusing or charming as they do weird or annoying.

Anyway - lately I've been reading Alice Waters' autobiography about her life and experiences leading up to the founding of Chez Panisse. I've also just finished reading a novel, "The Maid", based on the life of Joan of Arc. In other words - I've been Frenching it up.

My immersion seems to have manifested itself in the following ways - more bread and seafood in my menu planning, more flowers on the table (which could just as easily be attributed to the arrival of Spring), and wine with dinner. No linguistic changes this time, at least not that anyone has mentioned.

This nutty little quirk of mine is a small thing, but even so, I think it has value. I can live 1000 tiny lives. I try on things without always realizing that that is what I'm doing. It's sort of amazing to me that at 43 years old, I can still grow and evolve in the direction of whatever has my interest on a given day.

My life and my heart are full.

Grain Mains Giveaway Winners!

Last night I drew our contest winners for the Grain Mains Cookbook Giveaway.

Congratulations to commenter #5, Melissa, winner of a copy of a "Grain Mains" cookbook.

And, (drum roll please) the winner of the Grain Mains cookbook bundle, commenter #9, Michelle.

Congrats, ladies! Your goodies should be arriving at your doorstep shortly. Enjoy and thanks again for stopping by!

Giveaway: Grain Mains Cookbook Bundle

I was offered a copy of this book to review honestly, which is exactly what you'll get here, I hope that you can trust in that. The publisher was also kind enough to give me two extra copies to share with you, my readers and friends, hence, the giveaway!

Grain Mains is the latest offering from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, the same fellas who brought us Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese, one of my favorite go-to guides for creative and delicious ways to use up our frequent surpluses of goat milk and meat.

Both Goat and Grain Mains go well beyond the standard cookbook, in terms of informative and, more importantly, pleasurable content and truly unique recipes. Weinstein & Scarbrough write with humor and wit, which makes reading this book cover to cover (when was the last time you felt inclined to do that with a cookbook?) both interesting and entertaining.

The recipes within feature many fairly uncommon grains in some familiar preparations, as well as some more creative, altogether exotic dishes, the majority of which can be prepared to accommodate a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

I am particularly intrigued by the Burgers recipes, as most commercially available veggie/non-meat burgers leave a great deal to be desired in terms of taste and texture. Now, if only I could find a good source of organic bulgur and millet!

Although the recipes sound fantastic, I've yet to attempt to prepare one for our family because a) Most of the exotic grains called for have been quite hard to come by, and b) Because my children are rather persnickity eaters. If I can locate a good, affordable source of organic whole grains, I will definitely be game to make a salad or main dish for my husband and myself, but scouring the earth for organic black quinoa is not high on my list of priorities at the moment. If you know where I can score some, let me know!

Overall, I'd recommend this book, especially for self-styled foodies, looking to explore new culinary horizons. The relatively new-to-American-palates grains featured in the majority of the recipes within Grain Mains have the allure of being rather exotic, as well as the benefit of being uniquely rich sources of fiber and other beneficial plant compounds that are key elements in a healthy, whole foods diet.

Different, delicious and good for you? Yes, please. :)

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And now, on to the freebies!

One reader will receive a copy of Grain Mains - 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.

While another reader will win the contents of the gift basket pictured below:

One copy of "Grain Mains" by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, one package of organic Mekong Flower rice, one package of organic Hard Red Wheat Berries, and two jars of my homemade jam.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. Please be sure and provide me with a link back to your blog through which you can be contacted, or an email address to reach you at if you win.

For additional entries:

-Like Girl Gone Granola on Facebook. Leave an additional comment letting me know that you liked it.

-Follow this blog (whether you're an existing follower or a new one, leave an additional comment letting me know!)

Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm, PDT on 9/14/12. A random winner will be selected with the help of random.org, and the results posted here on 9/15/12.

Good luck! :)

Inspirational Reading (the goat edition)

Tonight I'm up late glued to a book called "Goat Song". Yes, really.

Who am I, and why have I got the Goat Fever all of a sudden? I'm simply besotted of my sweet, curious, playful little goats, and I can't get enough information about them at the moment. It is my unfortunate experience, however, that most critter-related reading is either the cold and clinical kind or - worse yet - the I wub my putty-tat!!! variety. Egads, NO. No Chicken Soup for the Goatherd's Soul, for me, thank you.

Goat Song is actually quite poetically written, by a man who's relationship with his goats has become, by his own description, a quiet, symbiotic paradise of a sort. He describes the milking of his does as a time of quiet meditation for he and the doe alike. He further details the nitty-gritty, down and dirty details of animal keeping (sometimes in very graphic detail), interspersed with bits of the story of the history of the human/herd animal relationship through the millennia, with heavy meditations on what it means to be so life-and-death linked with another creature whom you sustain and in turn sustains you. It's good reading - educational, inspirational and so sweetly written.

In the end, it really just compels me to dive further and faster into this goat herding thing for the joy and satisfaction that there is to be found in it.

And his description of eating his hours-old chèvre rolled in homegrown herbs or honey is enough to get me chomping at the bit to get our Miss Gertie bred this fall.