Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From the B household to yours, Happy St. Pat's!  We're all Irish on St. Patrick's Day (David is 1/2 Irish and I'm about 1/4).  I spent my afternoon making Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes -- adapted from two different recipes.  I was going to make the cupcakes from scratch, but quite frankly, David and I are moving in three weeks, and we're trying to get rid of food that has to travel.  So I made them with a box mix.  Forgive me?

The three principle ingredients in an Irish Car Bomb are Guinness Stout, Irish Whiskey, and Bailey's Irish Cream.  In the cupcakes, the Guinness goes into the cupcake (you can't taste it, it bakes out -- but it does make a richer cupcake!), the whiskey is made into a delicious ganache filling, and the Bailey's goes into a buttercream frosting.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
For cupcakes:
1 chocolate cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
3 eggs
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1 and 1/4 cup of Guinness Stout

For ganache:
2 tbs. unsalted butter
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I suggest using semi-sweet, unless you like a REALLY dark and bitter ganache)
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. Irish whiskey

For frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter
5 cups confectioner's sugar
6 tbsp. Bailey's Irish Cream

Make cupcakes first.  Mix all ingredients and prepare as directed on back of box (substituting Guinness for water).  Bake for appointed time.  Turn out onto cooling rack and let cool while you prepare ganache.

To make the ganache, chop up the chocolate finely, and put into a heatproof bowl.  Put the cream into a saucepan and heat until it simmers.  Pour cream over the chocolate, wait one minute, then stir with a flat spatula.  Blend in butter and whiskey.

Scoop out a tiny bit of each cupcake, in the middle top.  Fill each cupcake with ganache, using a piping bag (or a plastic bag with a corner cut off to act as a piper).  If the ganache cools too much, warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds.

To make the frosting: cut the butter into parts and whip with mixer for 5 minutes.  Add the confectioner's sugar cup by cup into the bowl, mixing as you go.  Add the Bailey's, whip for another 2 minutes.

Frost cupcakes.

Enjoy with a glass of whatever alcohol you prefer.

Erin Go Bragh!

Film Friday: Emma

First off, I apologize (to my 10 followers) that I didn't have a "Yarn Along" submission this Wednesday.  I figured you were all pretty much over my Noro socks and my Kindle.  And that's all there would have been.  You also all know that I've been reading Jane Austen's Emma.

This is the first Film Friday where I'll feature a film adaption of a book I have not yet finished.  I'm about a quarter of the way through with Emma, but since David left last night to go to PAX East in Boston, I found myself lonely and a bit at a loose end.  The film Emma was on Instant-Queue on Netflix, so I figured, why not.

Matchmaker, matchmaker: Paltrow and Collette gossip

The titular Emma is played by Gwyneth Paltrow, before Shakespeare In Love rocketed her to silver screen glory.  Emma is the daughter of a doting, overprotective father, and she is primarily concerned with her own self-proclaimed prowess as a formidable matchmaker, having recently taken credit for setting up her former governess and the man who has just taken her to wife.  Thoroughly pleased with herself, Emma sets her sights on finding a suitable match for her best friend, Harriet Smith (Toni Collette), whose dubious parentage leaves her with very few marital prospects.  Nevertheless, Emma feels she cannot fail to unite Harriet with the sort of man she feels worthy of introducing Harriet to genteel society.

Emma is a pampered girl, universally adored and petted by nearly everyone she meets, with the exception of her brother-in-law, Mr. Knightly (played by dashing and handsome Jeremy Northam of The Tudors fame).  Mr. Knightly dislikes Emma's penchant for meddling in the affairs of her friends and scolds her for her "lack of sense."  His criticism piques Emma, who is used to almost-universal praise, but she finds herself appreciating his honesty and sense, and as her good intentions begin to unravel around her, Emma finds herself wondering if there really is something to Mr. Knightly after all...

I loved Emma.  My review being premature, as I have not yet finished the book, I found it to be (thus far) a very good adaptation of the book.  The only major difference (besides Mr. Knightly's name; he is George in the book, and his brother, Emma's sister's husband, is named John) is the repartee between Emma and Mr. Knightly is much more candid in the film, I suppose to play up their relationship more.  I loved it as much as I loved Mansfield Park (the film) and I think, my Jane Austen love being as pure as it is, there will be a reading of Pride and Prejudice, and a viewing of the film version, in my future!

Tuesday Book Survey

I stole this from my younger sister.  You can check out her blog (which isn't where I stole it from) at Movies.  Manga.  Anime.  Whatever.  

The books I am reading:
Emma by Jane Austen. 

The book I am writing:
*sigh*  I'm attempting to write some historical fiction.  I have two pieces going right now -- one about a family living in 17th century New England, and the other about Alys, Countess of the Vexin.  Neither is going very well, unfortunately.

The book I love most:
Eek.  How can you ever pick?  I have quite the list.  I love Francis Hodgeson Burnett's books, The Secret Garden (which I'm re-reading right now) and A Little Princess (do not even start to make fun of me for this, I love them and they bring me back to my childhood, and I'm okay with that). For fiction, I also really like The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird.  My favorite historical nonfiction author is Alison Weir, and my favorite book by her is definitely The Six Wives of Henry VIII.  But my all-time favorite book that I have read probably at least 50 times is Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels.  So underrated, such fantastic historical fiction, and it won the Pulitzer.  Fantastic book.

The last book I received as a gift:
I can't find the title of this one.  My father bought it for me and it's home on my bookshelf.  It's a newly-released, enormously thick account of the Civil War that got a great review in The Economist, but damned if I can find out the title.  However, the last book I received before that was Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

The last book I gave as a gift:
I gave a Debbie Macomber book to my mom for Christmas.  She laps those things up.

The nearest book on my desk:
I don't have any on my desk at work.  But my Kindle is in my purse -- does that count?

Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I have a confession to make.

I have my Bachelor of Arts degree in English...and until now, at age 27, I had never read Jane Eyre.

I know, I know!  I should have my B.A. confiscated!  In any case, when I finished Churchill and was hankering for some good fiction, I went to Goodreads and saw that they were doing a Jane Eyre Challenge, since the new film with Mia Wasinowski (of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland fame) playing Jane, I decided what the hell, I'd give it a shot.

From Goodreads: Charlotte Brontë’s most beloved novel describes the passionate love between the courageous orphan Jane Eyre and the brilliant, brooding, and domineering Rochester.  The loneliness and cruelty of Jane’s childhood strengthens her natural independence and spirit, which prove invaluable when she takes a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall. But after she falls in love with her sardonic employer, her discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a heart-wrenching choice. Ever since its publication in 1847, Jane Eyre has enthralled every kind of reader, from the most critical and cultivated to the youngest and most unabashedly romantic. It lives as one of the great triumphs of storytelling and as a moving and unforgettable portrayal of a woman's quest for self-respect.

Having never read the book before, but knowing the storyline from seeing the 1970 film version with George C. Scott and Susannah York, I began reading this book with very little expectation.  Before two days were out, I was halfway done with it.  I heard from several of my friends that Jane Eyre was boring, dull, antiquated, etc.  But it's apparently a matter of taste, because I definitely enjoyed this book, as much as I enjoyed Jane Austen's Mansfield Park at the end of 2010.  Jane can be a difficult character to relate to, at times -- she is stoic and strong and self-deprecating, and thinks very little of herself as a rule.  Yet her desire to love, and more importantly, to be loved in return for all of herself, is an emotion that even the most hardhearted of readers can relate to.

Rating: ****

FO: Simple Newborn Hat with a Touch of Lace

Finally, after what feels like forever, I finally have a finished knitted object to show you.

Pattern: A Simple Newborn Hat with a Touch of Lace by Ginny at small things.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in 03 (Baby Green), less than 1 skein.
Needles: US 3's, circulars and 1 set of 4 dpns.

As I've mentioned before, there will be three babies born this year in my family by marriage, and this baby hat is for one of them.  The green is so soft that it is a neutral color, I have made boy baby hats before of it.  This is also for the head of a newborn boy; I am hoping that the tiny bit of lace is enough that it won't make the parents immediately think "girl baby" -- I know I wouldn't.  It's very small, in that adorable "everything to fit a baby is small" way.  I can't wait to make one for a baby of my own!

It was a quick and easy pattern; I fretted endlessly about not having enough yarn to finish the hat, and I finished with about 15 yards to spare.  I love this pattern and this yarn, and I'll be using both again.

Film Friday: The Man Who Would Be King

It's been a few weeks since I did a "Film Friday" post...today it comes back with a vengeance!  I recently finished reading The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling, a book I'd been tempted to pick up several times because I love the film by John Huston, but I never did until last week (yay for free Kindle books!).  This, of course, lead me to re-watch the film, and present it here for Film Friday.

The book is very brief -- more of a short story than a novel -- but Huston stretched it and fleshed it out into a

Kings of Men: Plummer, Connery, and Caine

two-hour epic adventure of two English rogues (Sean Connery and Michael Caine) whose sense of imperialism and self-righteousness leads them to the distant reaches of the desert in an attempt to subvert the natives and make themselves kings.  After roping in an innocent newspaper correspondent (Christopher Plummer, playing the author, Rudyard Kipling) into witnessing their solemn oath, they set out for the uncharted territory known as Kafiristan, and their fate is subsequently decided.

John Huston could not have made a feature-length film without taking some artistic liberties with the script.  What's remarkable about the film is that there is nothing taken away -- only added.  Huston plays up the symbolism and the brotherhood of the Masons -- Peachy Carnahan (Caine) stumbles upon Kipling only after he picks his pocket in a railway station, and, upon noticing the symbolic square and compass on the watchfob, decides he must return it.  It is in this manner that Kipling becomes part of the rogues' future games.

The major difference between the book and the film is the unspoken moral of the tale.  Kipling leads his characters into danger and destruction as a passive reminder that the English sense of imperialism will eventually bring their ruin.  Although he shows the natives of Kafiristan to be ruthless and vengeful, he ultimately places the blame upon Peachy and Danny, the antiheroes of the tale.  Huston takes a different approach in making the audience sympathetic to these tragic men.  In choosing two extremely affable actors (Connery and Caine), Huston leads the viewer to a place where one can only sit and watch the story unfold -- and in spite of knowing that the outcome is richly deserved, one can't help wishing that it could all have been avoided.

Yarn Along Wednesday! (3/2)

It's Yarn Along time!  Every Wednesday, I (try, at least) to join in on the Yarn Along happening over at Ginny's blog, small things.  The objective is to take a picture of what you are currently reading and knitting, together, and then post it to your blog.  Then link your post to the Yarn Along, and everyone can see what everyone else is reading and knitting.

Yeah, I feel like a complete follower here...but I'm knitting Ginny's newborn hat with a hint of lace for one of the many babies to be born in the next few months.  Knitting it out of (what else?) Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (too lazy to look up the link today).

I joined the Jane Eyre "Read the Book, See the Movie" challenge on Goodreads, so that's what I am reading at present.  Somehow I managed to avoid reading Jane Eyre in high school and college, and even though some people (like my sister) tell me it's  horrific, I really wanted to read it for myself.  I downloaded it for free on my Kindle, and I'm about 25% through with it, with a goal to finish by March 11, the date of the film's release.  I do look forward to seeing the film, I like Mia Wasinowski (she of Alice in Wonderland fame) and I think she'll do a wonderful job as Jane in the new movie.

Other than that, today is...going to be insane.  David came home last night in searing pain from a wisdom tooth, so we're waiting until the dentist opens at 8 AM to see if they can get him in right away to pull that thing out.  *sigh*  Never a dull moment, right?

Review: The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling

I spent so much time in February reading historical non-fiction, I didn't even notice we were getting to the end of the (already short) month.  Fortunately, I finished up Churchill and Alison Weir, so I was able to pick up a few fun, short pieces, and I've picked up the slack in February.  I'm not going to meet my goal of 10 books for the month, but I managed six, and two of those were extremely long, so I don't feel bad.  Unless I finish my current read tonight (unlikely, considering I'm going to be at work until 5:30 PM), my count at the end of February will be 18 books of 100.  Not shabby. 

Today I'll review a book that I've planned on reading many times, but just picked up recently free for Kindle: The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling.

We visited my in-laws in Massachusetts this weekend, and I started (and finished) this book en route back to CT.  It's a short book, and a quick read.  The story is told in the first person, by an unnamed narrator (presumably Kipling), who is an Englishman living and working in India.  One evening, he is visited by a former acquaintance, English soldier Peachey Taliaferro Carnahan, and his friend, Daniel Dravot, who confide to the narrator that "India has become too small" for them, and that they plan on traveling to the most remote corners of the land, to the uncharted territory of Kafiristan, and once there, declare themselves kings of the native people.  One year later, a bedraggled, broken Carnahan returns to the astounded narrator, and rambling, tells the tale of what happened to "Peachey" and "Danny" and their enterprises in Kafiristan.

This book was made into a film in 1975, starring Michael Caine as Peachy Carnahan, Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot, and Christopher Plummer as Rudyard Kipling, the narrator.  As with Brokeback Mountain, a story of surprisingly brevity was lengthened into a two-hour-plus film -- but it's a great film, and one I definitely wouldn't mind reviewing for Film Friday, if I can get my hands on it.  Although it deviates from the book, the changes aren't noticeable, and are merely "fleshing-out" of the story, rather than abrupt changes.

I first read Kipling as a child when my sister received a copy of Just So Stories from my grandfather -- which I very much recommend, if you haven't read them.  Kipling is occasionally criticized for his use of imperialism and what is sometimes perceived as xenophobia or racism.  But to do this is the same as calling Samuel Clemens a racist for writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or Margaret Mitchell a white supremecist for Gone with the Wind.  Kipling is describing quite vividly the English empire in India and the line of public opinion during that era.

What I find remarkable about his writing in The Man Who Would Be King is that Kipling is able to take two men -- white men, chauvinists, convinced of their own superiority as Englishmen -- and yet make them tragic heroes, the instruments of their own demise.  One cannot help but feel pity for Danny and Peachey, as they walk into a trap of their own making, constructed by their own sense of righteousness and self-satisfaction.  Kipling may have lived in the thick of imperialist India, but it is quite obvious what his opinion of it was, and that he knew exactly what the consequences might be, in the end.

Rating: ****

Review: Isabeau...by N. Gemini Sasson

My first book of my 100 for the year was The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higgenbottom, the story of Lady Eleanor Despenser, the wife of Hugh Despenser, the overly-ambitious favorite of King Edward II of England.  Higgenbottom was sympathetic to the plights of Eleanor and Hugh, whose ambition, though regrettable, was the only catalyst that lead to their fall from grace.  This piece of historical fiction is the same story...from the opposing point of view.

Isabelle (the titular "Isabeau" is a moniker given to her by her French family) is a child when she is given in marriage to King Edward II.  She soon learns, however, that Edward treats her with nothing more than vague contempt, using her merely as a breeder for their many children and instead lavishing attention on his favorite, Hugh Despsenser, whom Isabelle suspects is his lover.  When his abuse of his throne and of Isabelle go too far, she retreats to her homeland of France and joins forces with Sir Roger Mortimer, a former traitor to the English crown whom Isabelle once allowed to escape the Tower and execution.  Together, they plan to lead an army into England to overthrow Edward, crush Hugh Despenser, and reclaim justice for Isabelle once and for all.

After reading about the "demon" Isabelle in Traitor's Wife, it was interesting to read a book where she is not only the protagonist, but also a heroine.  Portrayed as a wicked and traitorous queen by Higgenbottom, Isabelle is merely an abused mother and much-wronged wife in Sasson's work, a woman driven only by the desire to be revenged upon her husband's lover and to see her son crowned King. 

I was disappointed on a couple of fronts: I did not like the characters portrayed in such black and white means.  Isabelle and Mortimer were "good"; Edward II and Hugh Despenser were "bad", etc.  There were no redeeming qualities of the evil characters and nothing terribly sinful about Isabelle.  Also, the end of the book comes abruptly -- while it is long, there's buildup to a climax that happens so suddenly, you almost miss it, and Isabelle's declining years and ultimate fate are relegated to a mere "Author's Note" that doesn't really answer anything.

Nevertheless, it is interesting historical fiction, a light romance, and besides the characterization (which can neither be proven nor disproven), it is relatively accurate.

Rating: ***

Review: HOTESP, Vol. 1, The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill

I don't flatter myself that ANYONE is as interested in this review (or as happy to have it finally done) as I am, but I'm going to put it out there anyway, mainly because I feel it is only fair to those who have a crazy obsession with English history like I do.  This is one book (series of books?) that really should not be skipped, if you fall into that category of clinical psychosis.

Winston Churchill (the Winston Churchill you're thinking of, yes) began writing his four-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples in the  year 1937, just before England was thrown into World War II.  Delayed by the war and by other projects, Churchill did not get this epic published until 1956 -- nineteen years after it was begun.

Volume I, The Birth of Britain, covers the history of the English isle from 55 B.C. (the year Julius Caesar and the Roman army invaded England) to 1485, with the end of the Wars of the Roses at the Battle of Bosworth Field.  The hardcover copy I borrowed from my father weighed in at a hefty 500 pages.  This is not light reading.

And yet, at times, it seems it!  Churchill's famous prose is amazing.  I will admit (to my great embarrassment) that there were times when I had more fun reading quietly aloud to myself, in order to savor the prose, similar to the method in which some people insist on reading Shakespeare.  Also, considering how long the book is, Churchill is anything but long-winded.  Each great moment in history has its chapter, and doesn't drag out unduly.  Churchill makes his point, then moves on.  Would that all historical writers did the same!

It's a wonderful read, and should really be considered by anyone who is interested in some serious English history.  I plan on reading all three of the remaining volumes, but I'm going to give myself a little time to read something lighter and fluffier before I delve into Volume II.

Rating: *****