Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column - October 1, 2024

Dear Reader,

Nadia El-Fassi is a half-Moroccan, half-Australian author of spicy romance and fantasy. Best Hex Ever, her debut novel, is a cozy fantasy romance set in London. It's about a kitchen witch cursed to hurt anyone who falls in love with her.

By day, Nadia El-Fassi is a commissioning editor at Orbit Books. She has an addiction to iced coffee, period dramas, buying D&D dice and watching horror movies. Nadia lives in London with her husband and their perfectly round cat.

You could win one of five copies of Best Hex Ever. To enter the drawing send an email to: [email protected] and put BEST HEX EVER on the subject line. Please be sure to include your preferred mailing address!

Reach out to Nadia via: https://www.instagram.com/nadiaelfassiauthor/

 

The first time I made couscous with my mother I was eleven years old. Cooking the weekly couscous in a Moroccan household--even one that wasn't in Morocco at all but south west London--was a rite of passage. You cooked it on a Friday evening, and it would last until Sunday lunch.

It was just the two of us, and she set up a stool beside the kitchen counter for me to stand on, and we began the hours-long ritual of making couscous. Don't let the store-bought packets fool you, authentic couscous needs to be steamed and then sifted and then steamed and sifted until your kitchen windows are so foggy that you can't tell what time of day it is outside. It is the ritual of the recipe as much as the food itself that matters.

My mother showed me how to sprinkle water onto the couscous before we put it back to cook; how to sift through it with my hands, not too forcefully so I didn't squish or break the grains, but with enough force to remove any clumps. I remember the way my mother held up the reused jam jar that contained saffron strands that we had carried back in our luggage from Morocco earlier that year, and how she explained to me that it was such an expensive spice we had to use it sparingly. I remember that afterwards, the tips of my fingers were stained yellow and I had to rub lemon juice on them over the kitchen sink.

As the couscous steamed, we sliced carrots, onions, turnips and courgettes. Earlier that afternoon we'd bought a leg of lamb from the butchers. The memories of this day are etched into my mind as the last day of the 'before' life. The following day, the results came back from hospital; my mother's cancer had returned. I would still have another eight years with her, and we made many more couscous tagines together, but from then on cancer existed in the background of every memory, a third party at every meal.

Lately, as I approach a decade without my mother, I find myself taking down the jar of saffron strands from my spice cupboard and digging out my steamer from my clutter of pans. I feel the ghost of her hands as we sift the couscous together. Knowing her, she'd probably decide to sit at the table, drink a coffee, and lecture me about my scant use of chilli.

-- Nadia El-Fassi

You could win one of five copies of Best Hex Ever. To enter the drawing send an email to: [email protected] and put BEST HEX EVER on the subject line. Please be sure to include your preferred mailing address!

* I hope you enjoyed reading today's guest column. Start writing, because your story could be featured in one of Suzanne's daily columns, if you're a winner or Honorable Mention in this year's Write a DearReader contest. Cash prizes, rules and deadlines, along with last year's winning entries, read all about them at: https://www.dearreader.com/contest2024/index.html

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - April 12, 2023

Dear Reader,

Digging through my old recipe files over the weekend, I came across an old favorite: Chicken Waikiki Beach. I used to make it practically every other week, but I realized I hadn't made it in years and I wasn't really sure why.

Maybe I overdid it and my husband and I got too much of a good thing? It wouldn't be the first time we got carried away and ate so much of something, that we couldn't stand to look at it for quite a while.

Years ago when my husband and I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, there was an Italian restaurant on Park Street that had a reasonably priced lunch menu and their spaghetti and meatballs was "to die for"...and eventually we did. Spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, that's what we ordered every day for six weeks straight, the waitress didn't even have to ask anymore.

Finally one day when it was time to order lunch, we looked at each other and in unison proclaimed that we couldn't bear the thought of ordering the usual. And that was the end of our spaghetti and meatballs stint.

Chicken Waikiki Beach is one of those dishes you can eat, and reheat, make some more, and eat, and eat day after day, before you get tired of it. And it's one of those recipes that look like a big deal to make, but it's not. It's an easy to follow step-by-step recipe that will impress your family and friends--and oh my, does it taste good!

To get the recipe and see a photo of the finished dish, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/chicken3.html

Send me an email if you try it, and let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - December 8, 2022

Dear Reader,

Every year, it’s one of the most requested holiday cookie recipes–and I know why, these candy cane cookies are one of my favorites because they're impressive (perfect for a cookie swap), taste great and they're fun to make--they "grow" in the oven. I love them!Seeing a photo always helps when I'm making something new, so I hope you like the finished product proudly displayed by book club reader Cindy and her daughter, Faith.

If you decide to mix up a batch, remember they "grow" in the oven, so don't start with too big of a candy cane twist. Have fun and let me know if you try them--dunk one for me!

Candy Cane Cookies

3 1/2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c sugar

2 eggs, beaten with 2 tsp vanilla

Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the dry ingredients, blending well after each addition.

Put 1/2 of the dough in another bowl. Add red food coloring to one part of the dough to make the desired candy cane shade. Leave the other dough plain. Flatten each ball of dough, wrap snugly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until slightly firm. Don't over chill!

Dust your hands and working surface with flour. Roll a one-inch ball of dough into a rope about 6 inches long. Take one red colored rope of dough, along with a plain piece of dough and cross over, to make a candy cane. (The first time you make these experiment with a couple before you bake them all. They can turn out too big if you use too much dough.)

Bake in a 350 degree oven on greased cookie sheets for 12-14 minutes. The cookie dough may be a little soft when it comes out of the oven. Let cool completely before you handle the cookies.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - October 26, 2022

Dear Reader,

Readers are asking for my pumpkin bread recipe. It really is perfect for fall, and it really does taste divine. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Whipped Cream 

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 16-ounce can of pumpkin

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115 F) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter two large loaf pans or 4 small ones. 

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin in large bowl. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Slowly mix in 2/3 cup warm water. 

Divide batter equally between pans. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour for two loaves and 40 minutes for four loaves. 

Cool for 10 minutes in pan then run knife around edges of breads. Turn breads out onto racks and cool completely. 

Pumpkin Whipped Cream

You can add the pumpkin whipped cream when you serve it, or just add a dollop of regular whipped cream. 

1 cup chilled whipping cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin 

Beat cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Fold in 1/2 cup pumpkin.

Store in refrigerator.

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - August 12, 2022

Dear Reader,

If it's too hot to cook, or all you want is something light to eat, this Strawberry and Romaine Salad will hit the spot. It’s a light, refreshing salad. A friend passed this recipe on to me over 30 years ago. Below is the original recipe, but personally I always double the poppy seed dressing recipe.

Strawberry and Romaine Salad

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1 bunch romaine, torn

2 cups halved fresh strawberries

Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 tablespoon milk

2-1/4 teaspoons cider vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

In a skillet, over medium-low heat, cook and stir the sugar until melted and caramel in color. (About 10 minutes.) Stir in almonds until coated. Spread on foil to cool; break into small pieces. In a large bowl, combine the romaine and strawberries. Combine the dressing ingredients; drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with coated almonds. Makes about 10 servings.

* Tell me the story about a recent recipe you made, or a favorite hand-me-down recipe from your past. Enter this year's 18th Annual Write a DearReader Contest. All the info, deadlines, cash prizes, and more will be available on August 22nd.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - August 3, 2022

Dear Reader,

“Suzanne, earlier in the summer you asked readers to share some of their favorite summer recipes. Well, I have been meaning to send one of my family’s favorites…a no-bake chocolate cookie. Variations of this recipe have been around for years, but so many of my son’s friends had never had them before, so I decided to share the recipe. Thanks for all the recipes YOU share.” – Vickie D.

Chocolate Cookies–No Bake

2 cups sugar

4 T cocoa powder

1/2 cups butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup peanut butter, can be creamy or chunky

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 cup oats (quick or regular)

Pinch of salt

Combine sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then add peanut butter, vanilla, salt and oats. Stir well until peanut butter is melted. Drop by teaspoon onto parchment/wax paper lined baking sheet. Allow to cool and set.

Store in an airtight container.

Variation: Coconut Chocolate Cookies: Substitute one cup flaked coconut for 1 cup of oats.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - June 3, 2022

Dear Reader,  

While I'm on vacation, I’ve been sharing some of my own and readers’ favorite recipes.  Thank you to Mary N. who sent in this yummy looking Strawberry dessert recipe. 

Strawberry Tart

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt (don't leave this out!)

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature - plus more for coating pan

1 cup sugar - plus 2 TBSP

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz. fresh strawberries (I've also used frozen) - halved

juice of half a lemon

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 (my oven runs hot so I do 350 degrees)
2. Butter a 9-in springform pan
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Mix in vanilla.
7. Using a mixer on low speed, incorporate flour mixture until just combined. 
8. Pour batter into prepared buttered pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 20 minutes.
9. Arrange halved strawberries in concentric circles on top of dough.
10. Pour lemon juice evenly over strawberries.
11. Combine remaining 2 TBSP of sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over strawberries.
12. Bake tart until edges are golden and center is set - 35-40 minutes (keep checking after 30 minutes)

When tart is cool, run a knife around the edge and then remove the sides of the pan. Enjoy!!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - June 2, 2022

Dear Reader,

I'm on vacation this week, but I'm featuring some recipes that are guaranteed winners for summer.

When I was a kid, once a week fish was on the dinner menu. My dad loved to fish, his father and mother loved to fish, too. They owned a trailer by the Mississippi (they spent every weekend there), and everyone who lived in the little community were also very serious fisherpeople.

Crappie, walleye, bluegill, catfish, and carp (that nobody ate unless it was smoked), were plentiful in the Mississippi. So I learned to like fish at a young age, but I can't stand to cook them. So my husband does all the cooking when it comes to fish, and today I'm sharing one of his favorite fish recipes, fish tacos. 

It’s a great tasting dish for a light summer meal.

Fish Tacos

(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 pound skinless fish filets

1 tablespoon canola oil

8 corn tortillas

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage or lettuce

1 cup fresh tomatoes, mixed with cilantro/ or your favorite light salsa

Mix olive oil, lime and orange juices, garlic, oregano and onion slices together. Put fish filets in a baking dish, pour the marinade mixture over top, turning the fish so that both sides are coated. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet (cast-iron if you have it). Medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade. Reserve the marinade, including the onions. Arrange the fish in the skillet in a single layer. Don't crowd the fish or it will steam. Cook for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the fish over and cook on the other side until it is done, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer fish to a platter to keep warm.

Add the marinade, with the onions, to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are caramelized and tender (about 7 minutes). Set aside. Warm the tortillas and fill with the fish and

cheese, cabbage and tomato fixins. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - June 1, 2022

Dear Reader,

I’m on vacation this week and while I’m gone readers are writing my column for me. Today’s recipe was sent in by book club reader, Marilyn. M. It sounds like it’s just as much fun to make as it is to eat!

“Suzanne, I do not know Paul's tastes, but I am sharing a delicious pasta sauce shared by Ann Curry on the Today Show years ago. I have made it many times for family and friends and they liked it BUT when they tried to replicate it, they always said, ‘It just didn't taste like yours!’ And I knew the reason, they left out the anchovy paste. So if you think Paul may be a bit squeamish, he can do the same, but I can tell you, it is delicious as written! And you will have oil left over for dipping another day. The fun part for Paul is that it is best if, when he combines the ingredients, he squishes them with his clean hands and makes sure the olives and tomatoes are well squished. It is best if ‘cooked’ outside on the patio, but the oven works (well kind of) in the winter. “ 

Puttanesca Pasta Sauce 

Wait for a hot summer day because this sauce “cooks” outside on your deck or porch. The sun brings out all the flavors, so the dish is not to be hurried. You could prepare it in a warm oven, but it will not be as good, believe me. 

3 cups olive oil

1 bulb garlic, freshly chopped

1-1/2 cups black Greek pitted olives, Not canned olives!

2 cups cherry tomatoes, or chopped Roma tomatoes

1 tube anchovy paste

1 or 2 bunches fresh basil, unwashed leaves, sliced once

1 box shell pasta because to best catch the sauce (or rotini)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese 

Combine olive oil, garlic and black olives. Smoosh olives and tomatoes by hand to bring out flavor. Add anchovy paste and basil; cover mixture, cover and let it sit in the hot sun mid morning until afternoon, at least 5 hours. At dinner time, pour over cooked pasta, add parmesan and serve. You may wish to add a few leaves of fresh basil just before serving. 

This is a rich, flavorful dish, NOT for the weak of heart. Serve with round or oval French bread. Save the leftover oil for future dipping!  

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - May 27, 2022

Dear Reader,

While I'm on vacation, I’m sharing some of my own and readers’ favorite recipes. Jane R. sent in four recipes, and I can’t wait to try them all. I’m a fan of peaches, so today I am sharing her Peachy Keen Cobbler recipe.

“Hi Suzanne, here are a couple of recipes you might enjoy making with your grandson.  I apologize for sending more than one. Too many to choose from! I remember how much fun it was to cook with my two kiddos way back when. Now, our daughter has developed into quite a good cook and a few years ago we started getting together to try new recipes and techniques, including hollandaise sauce and handmade pasta. Our Octoberfest was epic, including made-from-scratch Bavarian pretzels and chicken schnitzel. It’s still fun to cook with my (now grown) children! I hope you enjoy these recipes.” – Jane R.

PEACHY KEEN COBBLER

 Serves 8

(Texas Hill Country peaches are a springtime treat but this is a recipe that can be made anytime. It can easily be cut in half, which is what I often do)

½ cup butter or margarine

1 cup flour 

1 ½ cup sugar  

1 ½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1-29 oz can of peaches

 Preheat oven to 350

Melt cube of butter in 9x12 dish in oven

In medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla

Remove dish with melted butter from oven and pour peaches with juice over top - DO NOT STIR

Pour batter over peaches and sprinkle ½ cup sugar on top - DO NOT STIR

Bake 40 minutes – serve warm.  Tastes great with vanilla ice cream! 

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book is People from Bloomington by Budi Darma. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.