What was your initial inspiration for the new cookbook?
After I completed my first cookbook, I was looking through my spiral notebooks which contain all the recipes I’ve been working on over the years. I have three: North America, Europe, and Asia. I concluded I had way too many items in the North America notebook to include comfortably in an average-sized book. It occurred to me that I could simply separate the soups and spin them off into their own cookbook, rather than ending up with a 400-page long book (which isn’t very desirable to a publisher).
So, I floated that idea in my head for a year or so, not feeling like I had any sense of urgency to complete the project. Then right around January 22, 2017, I realized I definitely needed to pursue a new project or I would probably be polishing off a bottle of bourbon every week (not really, but it felt like it…). My liver is glad I chose to pursue the writing project, instead.
The first volume of “Cooking for Halflings and Monsters” was fantasy themed, while the new volume is not. Tell us a bit about the concept of the new volume.
Well, CHM 1 was always meant to be a loving homage specifically to the land of Middle-earth, with a little bit of Narnia thrown in for kicks. With CHM 2, however, I wanted to free myself from the artifice of only focusing on one particular literary landscape and allow myself to be inspired by any pop culture reference that happened to move me. Hence, I have a few Star Wars recipes included, as well as a recipe inspired by a Seinfeld episode. Narnia is more prevalent in this cookbook. Of course, as I say in my introduction, pretty much any recipe I invent, whether it is Italian, Mexican, or Chinese, ends up being comfort food for hobbits. Hardcore fans of Middle-earth will find occasional Easter eggs within my newest book.
This book focuses on soups, stews, and chilis. How long did it take you to assemble such a big collection of recipes?
I suppose I have worked on developing my own recipes for at least 20 years or so, though others popped up more recently, once I had a narrower focus.
Are there any recipes that didn’t make the cut for the book? (You don’t have to embarrass them by calling them out by name or anything) On the other side of that, are there any recipes that you hold so close that you don’t want to publish them?
Once in awhile, I end up with a complete flop. I’ll get an idea for something and test it out two or three times. If I can’t make it work, I’ll abandon it completely, then forget about it. I keep thinking there was a weird bread product I was trying to make, but it escapes me right now. I believe it was something like a skillet oatcake, but I’m really thinking this evolved into my “Land of Enchantment Lembas,” which ended up being rather fortuitous and certainly more delicious than my original concept.
This may not be a fair question to ask, but is there a particular recipe in this book that is your favorite, or is your “go to” meal choice?
I’ve been sitting here pondering this question for about 15 minutes. I can’t come up with a definitive answer…(Insert shrug emoji here, lol.)
Now it’s been another 15 minutes. I have many favorites within this cookbook!
Some of the recipes have the most delightful names, such as “Bob Hates Cauliflower Soup” and “Warren Asked for Seconds (!) Tomato Soup.” How did those colorful names come about?
I have a fairly small family, but I like to name certain recipes after them. With those particular titles, I merely stated a fact about my husband who hates cauliflower and I’m telling the amazing story about my (at the time) 4-year-old grandson who actually did ask for a second helping of that soup. Oddly enough, I have a feeling that if I offered this soup to him now, he’d probably reject it. On the other hand, now that he’s 5½, he might be open to some other recipe which he never considered trying. Sometimes halflings can be mischievous little monsters.
How do you recommend for readers/cooks to approach using your cookbook?
I like to take an initial pass through a cookbook, just looking at photos to see if anything jumps out at me. Then I like to actually read the introductory material, to see just where the author is coming from in their approach to cooking. I’m a menu planner, so then I incorporate an item or three in my upcoming menu. A good approach to CHM 2 could be to try a different soup once a week.
Where can folks buy your book?
The complete title of the book is “A Year of Comfy, Cozy Soups, Stews, and Chilis: Cooking for Halflings and Monsters, Volume 2.” It is available in paperback and ebook through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and perhaps from other sources. For a signed copy with free domestic shipping, it is available from my Etsy shop, Elegant Sufficiencies.
Absolutely every item in my shop is 15% off until December 12! You may also purchase my first cookbook here, or get a “boxed set” of both.
The link to the shop itself is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElegantSufficiencies
HERE IS A SAMPLE RECIPE:
BUFFINS
Originally I called these Biscuit Muffins, but my smart-ass daughters started messing around with some wordplay just to tease me as teenagers are often known to do. I explained I was going for a sort of hybrid between a biscuit and a muffin, so one said, “Why don’t you call them ‘Miscuits’?” The other said, “How about ‘Buffins’?” I thought Buffins sounded positively hobbitish, so there you are.
“Oh, Miss Buffins, would you like some of these delightfully herby treats to go with your mushroom and bacon casserole?”
“Yes, please; but do hurry, or I’ll be late for my foot-brushing appointment… I’ll also take a few to go for my second breakfast tomorrow. Mmm… better make it a dozen…”
Total preparation time: approximately 30 minutes
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3 tablespoons dry Parmesan cheese (Parmesan and/or Romano is fine)
1½ tablespoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence (other dried herbs are also fine, or use 3-4 tablespoons of fresh, minced herbs)
¾ cup fresh buttermilk, room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
Preheat oven to 450°. Coat 9 regular size muffin cups with cooking spray, grease lightly, or use papers. Combine the 2 flours, cornmeal, cheese, baking powder, salt, and herbs in a large bowl. In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, oil, and eggs well with a whisk. Add the egg mixture to the bowl and mix just until combined. Divide evenly into the prepared cups. Bake 10 minutes. Let stand in pan 5 minutes before serving. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature. Makes 9.
