Weekend Round-Up

Book Club Selection  

Love, dreams, sacrifice and family are the themes at the core of Courtney Sullivan’s latest novel, Saints for All Occasions. It's a a story about two families from the small village of Miltown Malbay in Ireland, whose children leave their village for the hopes and dreams associated with a new life in America. One family sends their son ahead to set his new life in motion, so that when his bride-to-be and her sister arrive, everything will be easier for them. Beginning in the year 1957, this travels back and forth in time between 1957 and 2009. Time enough for the young women who left to no longer be the wide-eyed innocents they once were.

The story is focused around two sisters, Nora and Theresa, and the decisions they make that shape the rest of their lives, including other family members as they get older and the family grows. The story alternates between the past and the present and this is executed very well. It was easy to imagine and sympathize with the conflicting feelings from both sisters and their alternative points of view - each deeply feeling the sacrifices they made, while trying to also feel for and understand the other one's point of view.

We learn of a dramatic incident early in their time in the U.S. that sent the sisters on divergent paths. At the center of Saints for all Occasions is Nora, the family matriarch, who keeps tight control on the family and the secret she fears will unravel everything she has strived to create. A well written story full of dramas and characters that were well fleshed out.

A Hearty  Meal to Start the Week with Your Favorite Tex-Mex Flavors

Chicken Enchiladas with Smoked Gouda and ChilesCook's Notes: Use either flour or corn tortillas for this recipe but warm in a microwave in a damp paper towel for 20 seconds. This makes for easier folding so will not crack or tear.
Recipe inspired by mixandmatchmama.com serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken) 
• 1 (10 oz,) can of Rotel tomatoes, drained 
• 1/2 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles (use whole can if like a little more heat) 
• 1/2 box frozen spinach, thawed and all excess water squeezed out with paper towels 
• 1-2 tsp. cumin 
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided 
• 1 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese, divided 
• 1 (10 oz. ) can enchilada sauce, divided (I used mild) 
• 8 flour or corn tortillas

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish. Set aside. 
• In a large bowl add chicken, Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, spinach, cumin. 1/2 of each cheeses and 1/2 can enchilada sauce.
• Take each warmed tortilla and using a slotted spoon  spread chicken mixture across the center. Wrap enchilada and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat 7 more times. 
• Once enchiladas are tucked inside baking dish drizzle the rest of enchilada sauce over the top followed by remaining cheeses. 
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges are slightly browned and bubbly. Let set 10 minute before serving. 

Mary Oliver poet and author

September 10, 1935
Mary Oliver's poetry is grounded in memories of Ohio and her home in New England near Provincetown where she moved to in the 1960's. Her poetry has been influenced by both Whitman and Thoreau. She is known for her clear and poignant observances of the natural world. Her creativity is stirred by nature. Oliver is an avid walker, often pursues inspiration on foot. Her poems are filled with imagery from her daily walks near her home.

Oliver has also been compared to Emily Dickinson with whom she shares an affinity for solitude and interior monologues. Her poetry combines dark introspection with joyous release. Oliver finds the self is only strengthened through an immersion with nature.

Oliver's honors include fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts (1972-1973) and the Guggenheim Foundation (1980-1981). She has also received an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Achievement Award, a Lannan Literary Award, the 1991 Christopher and L.L. Winship/PEN New England Awards, and the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Memorial Prize

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver, New and Selected Poems