LeseLust & LeseLiebe

Modern Greeks start discussing dinner after the first bite of lunch and start discussing the next day’s lunch at dinner. For the unwitting visitor or in-law, like myself, there is a single escape from this circle of culinary obsession: breakfast. In the morning, you’ll find yourself on your own, consuming some undiscussed but tasty yogurt, granola or figs. This preoccupation with food separates modern Greeks from their ancient counterparts -- by very little. The works of classical Greece are teeming with meals, menus, and recipes. Here’s Antiphanes (408-334 B.C.) on how to prepare some choice dishes: “Sea bass?” “Bake whole.” “Galeos?” “Boil with fresh chopped herbs.” “Eel?” “Salt, oregano, water.” “Conger?” “Same.” “Ray?” “Greens.” “A slice of tuna?” “Bake it.” What if you haven’t acquired the ingredients? What if you have to boldly venture to the agora in order to acquire them? In that case, Lynkeus of Samos (early 300s B.C) is ...

In the land of Esperance lived a Cursed Three: A princess, a misfit, and Death’s small prodigy. Though some have perished in this cherished land, Awaiting final judgment, the Three are forced to stand. Yet Esperance’s gnarled and withering hands Still shall welcome you within. To the Underworld’s depths we first must descend, Plunge into liquid darkness at life’s end, To find the little girl that Death has claimed, Zenobia, princess of nothing, is now her given name. Pulsating in the pitch black, her heart fights to beat, Golden marionette strings tugging at her bare feet. Follow after her to Death’s grand dining hall. This is where we’ll witness Zenobia’s daily meal. Picked by two guards made from yellowing bone, Succulent berries rest on plates of precious stones. Shimmering goblets of crystal are filled to the brim; White wine aged for eons glistens by the rim. Delicate pieces of meat jut up from a dish, Picked clean of bones by bones sits the fish. “These are the things on which a...

Thanks so much for the invitation, Shelley!  I always love talking about books…and food! I once had an editor tell me that my characters spent too much time eating.  As someone who enjoys cooking—and eating—I told her I didn’t think that was possible.  Every book I write is a bit autobiographical.  I might not ever have run away from the world like my heroine in Just One Thing , but I have experienced loss.  I might not have ever given a child up for adoption like Pip in Carry Her Heart and Hold Her Heart , but I have discovered family I’d never met.  And I have never accidentally cleaned a murder scene, like Quincy in my Maid in LA Mysteries series ( Steamed, Dusted, Spruced Up, Swept Up and this summer’s 5th book, Polished Off ), but I do relate to her love of food.  And while I enjoy cooking, like Quincy I love having other people cook for me.  I took a bite of the salad.  “Wow,” I managed as I chewed.  This wasn’t head lettuce cut...

Have you ever fallen down the rabbit hole that is food blogging on the internet? It’s a marvellous place, filled with stunning pictures of mouth-watering recipes, and clever people creating new dishes or adding interesting twists to old favourites, who usually have much tidier kitchens than mine. The heroine of my latest release The Country Girl is one of these people, but Tash is a born and bred Australian farm lass. She doesn’t go in for over-styled food or ingredients no one has ever heard of. Her recipes are wholesome and hearty, and loaded with comfort. Which is just as well, because The Country Girl ’s hero Patrick is a man loaded with heartache. He needs every ounce of comfort she can give, and give is what Tash does. As she says to Patrick, “Cooking for other people makes me feel good. And here at The Urban Ranger we smother goodness like we smother butter – thick and with great pleasure.” Tash has returned home to the family farm to write a cookbook and take her blog in a new...