food – Page 2 – The Debutante Ball

Jenni L. Walsh Loves Ancient Rome & Crockpots

Thursday, April 20, 2017

This week, in honor of Crystal’s soon-to-be-published novel FEAST OF SORROW, which gave me such a vivid and enticing glimpse into Ancient Rome, we are attempting to recreate meals inspired by the Apicius Cookbook (aka the man who created the first ever book of recipes). So far this week, Amy and Lynn have done a stellar job. And me… well, I’d like to apologize in advance to all the foodies and Ancient Rome enthusiasts out there…

How Testing (and Tasting!) Recipes Shaped My Novel

Monday, April 17, 2017

0 comment

This week the Debs are testing out the recipes of Apicius, ahead of Crystal’s launch week. I was SO excited when my fellow Debs all agreed to do a fun experiment for this week–to make a recipe inspired by the ancient gourmand, Apicius, who is the protagonist in my forthcoming (only 8 days away!!) novel, FEAST OF SORROW. The world’s oldest known cookbook bears the name Apicius, and while it…

An Ode To Bread! And Cheese! And Cookie Dough!

Friday, March 24, 2017

0 comment

There are twenty more days of lent to go and I am STARVING…and failing. For the Holy Season, I decided to try going paleo, which involves giving up process foods, focusing mostly on meats and veggies. Hard to do when you constantly out and about or making appearances at book festivals, where they serve nothing but sandwiches, chips, and cookies. And cheese! Who knew cheese lived in everything! I ordered a kale…

Yes, I’m a Bookaholic, and These Are My Five Favorite Books

Monday, October 3, 2016

7 comments

This week the Debs are going to talk about one of our most favorite topics, books! I have been reading since the age of two, which may seem a bit ridiculous, but it’s true. I was never one for dolls as a child. I wanted to read, to explore the world through stories. Throughout my life, I have always sucked down books like they were candy. On average, I read…

Celebrity Chefs, an Ancient Gourmand and a Set of Immortal Knives

Monday, September 5, 2016

3 comments

I’ve been following The Debutante Ball since its inception a decade ago. I had always dreamed of being a Deb and I’m extra excited to be the first blogger to kick off the 2017 Debutante Ball. On behalf of the new Debutantes, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to the 2016 Debs for all of their insight, advice and inspiration to us all. Years ago I completed my…

Dirty Fortune Cookies

Thursday, June 9, 2016

3 comments

The topic this week is food. I have a large extended family. My father was the oldest of five; my mother the youngest of six. When we get together the din created is its own special blend that outsiders find intimidating. (Ask any incoming spouse about their first Fabiaschi gathering– the story is sure to delight. My husband was alarmed when a great, great aunt aggressively accused me of smoking…

Feeding the Muse a Cookie

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

2 comments

This week I’m confronted by a topic that doesn’t bear much relationship to what I write: food. Unlike Jennifer’s MODERN GIRLS, with its evocative descriptions of traditional shabbat meals, or the baked goods Louise’s protagonist makes that are so rich you can taste them if you lick the page, THE LOST GIRLS doesn’t feature food in its storytelling. At all. I agree it’s a powerful tool, but it’s one I…

The Memory of Food

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

0 comment

Even without invoking that most famous literary food of memory, I think we can all agree that food has the capability of being a direct conduit to our past. The smell of onions frying on the stove brings me back to brunch at my grandparents’ house, where my grandfather sautéed onions to add–with hardboiled eggs–to the chopped liver I adored. No one makes spaghetti sauce like my mother, and when…

Food is Everything

Monday, June 6, 2016

3 comments

I’ve been a pastry chef for over twenty years, and have spent my whole adult life in a kitchen, so when I set out to write my first novel, it felt very natural to build it around food. In the first scene of my novel my protagonist, pastry chef Olivia Rawlings, is making meringue. And the inciting incident involves a flaming baked Alaska. The setting of THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE…

On Food and Shipwreck Lane

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

8 comments

Being the Tuesday Deb, I always get the honor and privilege of posting on my fellow Debs’ launch days because, for some reason, books come out on Tuesdays. I have no idea when or why this convention began, but since it gives me a platform to laud my friends’ wonderful books, I’ll take it. And on this Tuesday, I am thrilled — THRILLED!! — to broadcast far and wide the…

1 2 3 4 5