Do you believe this—me blogging twice in 2 weeks?! Happy New Year! May we all have a 2025 filled with good health, happiness, and peace.
First, I thought I might show you a few of my favorite cookbooks I edited last year:
I also edited the usual assortment of non-cookbooks—mostly self-help, health/wellness, parenting, memoir, etc. I still really love my job and am in no hurry to retire. I am at a nice point in my career where I don't have to take on projects that don't interest me, and I work with some really terrific folks out there. The publishing world has changed dramatically since I joined in all those decades ago, but I am very content in my little corner of it.
While I'm here, I have another movie review for you: Last week we watched "The Order," which was really good! It's based on the true story of the white supremacist uprising in Washington State back in the early 1980s, which I only vaguely remembered. The basic plot line is accurate, but the fictionalization comes in the form of an FBI agent played by Jude Law. In the past I never really thought much of him one or the other (in fact I had to google what movies I'd seen him in over the years), but he was fantastic in this! It was really well done all around.
And I might as well leave you with another recipe from WaPo. It's not as much work as it sounds, and I've already made it a couple of times. There's a swell photo at the link.
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4)
Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
3 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lime, finely zested and halved
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 pound broccoli, cut into florets, stems sliced ¼ inch thick (about 6 cups)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
Pat the chicken dry. Cut two slits all the way to the bone on the top of each thigh. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, chipotles and adobo sauce, cumin, and lime zest. Spoon about half of the chipotle mayo into a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Brush the remaining mayo on the skin of the chicken.
Place the chicken skin side down in a large cast-iron skillet. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cover the chicken with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing each thigh down against the pan. Place something heavy, such as another cast-iron skillet or a brick, on top. Cook the chicken until opaque nearly all the way up the sides, 20 to 25 minutes, checking halfway through to make sure the skin isn’t browning too fast. (If it is, lower the heat.)
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes, then add the broccoli and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until the rice is nearly al dente. Drain in a strainer, rinse with cold water, and shake as dry as possible. Set aside while you finish the chicken.
Remove the brick and foil from the chicken. Add the lime halves, cut sides down, to the pan. Flip the chicken and cook until cooked through and the limes are charred, 3 to 4 minutes. (The internal temperature of the chicken should register 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. If not, transfer the limes to a plate and cook the chicken for an additional 5 minutes, then check again.)
Transfer the chicken and limes to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the scallions to the skillet and stir, scraping up the browned bits, for 1 minute. Add the rice and broccoli, stir to coat in the chicken fat, then pat into an even layer. Cook until warmed and starting to crisp on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Remove the pan from the heat and return the chicken and limes to the skillet.
Serve in the skillet, family-style, squeezing the charred lime over the chicken, with the reserved chipotle mayo on the side.
Great-looking books!
Like you, I have no urge to retire. Editing is too much fun.
Posted by: Katharine O’Moore-Klopf | January 06, 2025 at 04:06 PM
I like being retired but I do miss teaching and would have liked some kind of part-time job. (with flexibility) As a Washingtonian, I'm very interested in that film, but it looks like it's hard to find/watch. I should say expensive at the moment!
Posted by: Margaret | January 06, 2025 at 06:43 PM
Here's a place on the web where you can watch The Order - https://sflix2.to/movie/free-the-order-hd-119002
I love knowing which books you have worked on!
I can also recommend Memoirs of a Snail - unusual vivid film making and wonderful storyline.
Posted by: sillygirl | January 07, 2025 at 10:22 AM