suzy gets a self-esteem boost

so i've been completely taken over by the need to read food writing -- calvin trillin, ruth reichl, ed levine... that is, i would read some ed levine if only the library had it. i am severely handicapped, in fact, by the library system. so far i've managed to unearth Garlic and Sapphires, Comfort Me with Apples, Feeding a Yen, and The Tummy Trilogy, but that seems to have exhausted the possibilities.

of course, part of the problem is that i have no idea who to look up in the catalog. i love my library, it has been very good to me. i just don't know where to look (or at least, that is what i will assume until further notice).

hopefully some diligent online research will tell me who else i should read. it will be hard to find someone to match the insights of reichl and the down-to-earth humor of trillin, but it can't hurt to try.

but i digress. last night, as we sipped our (cheap but tasty) wine and watched Leaving Las Vegas (cinematography: excellent; direction: pretty good; acting: great except for elizabeth shue), my husband turned to me and said:

you know, if someone had told me that getting married would mean eating at a four star restaurant every night, i would have done it a lot sooner. i hope you know how much i love your cooking--i feel like maybe i don't express that.

i am, quite possibly, the happiest woman alive. despite the stomach virus and interminable mediocre dishes of cous cous, i am appreciated and making some progress with my cookery.

the recipes that provoked this outpouring of support? tune in next time...