Chronicle Books Blog

Ceci with Garlic and Sage

2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) chickpeas
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice Coating
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
15 fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons thin serrano chili slices (optional)
Finely ground sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon, cut into julienne
Freshly ground black pepper

Drain the chickpeas in a colander, then rinse well under running cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. In a bowl, combine the chickpeas and buttermilk, stirring to coat evenly. Drain the chickpeas again in the colander, then place the colander over a clean bowl.

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. While the oil is heating, sprinkle the rice coating over the beans and shake the colander to coat the beans evenly. Repeat the process, using the coating that collects in the bowl. Don’t worry if the beans don’t absorb all the coating.

When the oil is very hot but not smoking, carefully add the beans, spreading them in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, until they are browned and crisp on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn once with a spatula and add the garlic. When the garlic turns brown, add the sage. When the sage turns crispy, add the chili slices, if using, and season with 1 teaspoon salt. At the last moment, add the lemon zest and pepper to taste.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Entertaining note: For an eye-catching presentation, serve the fried ceci in a paper cone inside a cocktail glass.

Purchase Michael Chiarello’s Easy Entertaining Deck

Check back each Wednesday for more new recipes!

We adults often say that we wish we could be kids again.

I imagine we’re mainly thinking of the supposed freedoms of childhood when we say this—that childhood is all about playing, free of worry, free of responsibilities, free of life’s sudden turns for the worse.

But as any kid can tell you, childhood’s no cakewalk. Sure, there’s plenty of fun—as long as you need know how to steer clear of the dog poo in your path. But what do you do when you step in to it?

That’s where our latest WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK: JUNIOR EDITION comes in. In it, my co-author, Robin Epstein, and I used the patented (well, trademarked, anyway) Worst-Case formula of step-by-step instructions and illustrations that provide how-to survival techniques for Home, School, Outdoors, and anywhere else kids might encounter a stealth wedgie attack, an annoying sibling, an errant pile of poo, or another of childhood’s many dangers.

So what do you do if you step in a pile of poo and don’t have access to a high-pressure hose?

1. Do the “scrape, scrape, twist” move. Scrape it from heel to toe on the nearest curb—then repeat. A shallow puddle may provide an extra rinse. Then wipe it on a clean patch of sidewalk or better yet, grass.

2. Dig it, baby. Use the sharp end of a stick or a blunt pencil to dig through the grooves in your sole. Wipe it on the ground or on a piece of paper after every shovel. Oh, and hold your nose. Yeccch.

3. Take the shoe off and hop home. Let the poo dry, then scrape it off with a stick or an old butter knife.

It’s a dangerous world out there—be careful, kids.

** Enter the BEST Worst-Case Scenario Contest! **

Hello Gorgeous Guys and Gals!

It’s getting to be that time of year again when corn husks and pumpkins go up, little ghouls and goblins come to your door, you give them all your Halloween candy and bid adieu to the trolls marching down your sidewalk… oh come on, really! I know what really happens when all the trick or treaters leave—you open up your cabinet and bust out your secret stash of peanut M&M’s, Bit O’Honey’s and Milk Duds!! If your Halloween festivities are the kickoff equivalent to the Holiday Superbowl of eating, stay tuned, because it doesn’t have to be an all-out bingefest from Halloween through New Year’s.

I grew up in a household where the motto was “If it’s not chocolate, its not dessert!” But I am still well-versed in my knowledge of all types of candy- licorice allsorts, caramels, chocolate-dipped pretzels, malted milk balls- and know how easy it can be to fall prey to these goodies during the holidays. So I’m here today to tell you how you can embrace your inner child without feeling deprived during the upcoming festivities.

When it comes to indulging in your favorite treats during celebrations, you can actually use this approach year-round. First things first: take a minute to think about what appeals most to you in a sweet treat: Chocolatey? Sugary? Crunchy? Chewy? Figure out what flavors and textures you enjoy eating most. If you’re not a candy-holic but love other things like gooey cheesy pizza, identify what temperatures, textures and flavors you enjoy most about that food: hot, cold, spicy, salty, etc. Finding what you really want to eat is a key factor when you want to truly honor your cravings—eating around the craving just won’t do.

Next, buy individual portion sizes of your favorite food. Even if you go back for seconds, it’s much better to eat two small portions then out of a troth-style package of candy-coated sugar bombs. We have become a super-sized society; individually-wrapped portions help us retrain our brains on what a normal portion size really looks like.

Last but not least, check in with yourself and know your hunger and fullness levels. You may not be able to resist your Aunt Mildred’s marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, nor should you! Take the time to enjoy your favorite foods that you only get to eat once a year- but make sure you stop eating when you’re full. Try serving yourself on a salad plate, so you can conjure up the memories of childhood without splitting the seams of your current reality.

Esther Blum

Fall is here, and even as many plants hold their bloom well into the season in the Bay Area, the mood is definitely autumnal. If not nocturnal. This is the perfect time to explore the beauty of flowers and plants of all kinds, but particularly those with a darker twist.

Photographer Linda Rutenberg found rare access to a botanical garden one night and made moody pictures that captured its plants in a way that most of us rarely see. Hooked by the experience and photographic results, she contacted public botanical gardens around North America and made photographs at twenty-one of them. The lushly noir results can be found in The Garden at Night. These color photographs are quite unlike other plant and garden photos you have seen, with a unique glow and temper throughout.

Linda is holding events at several of these gardens, and you are invited. The first round is in California—hope to see you there:

November 8, San Francisco Botanical Garden, 5:30–7:30
Members $5, Non-members $10

November 15, Descanso Gardens, Pasadena, 7:00–9:00
Members $18, Non-members $20
Registration requested: (818) 949-7980

(The event at the Huntington Library and Botanical Garden in San Marino is already sold out!)

Stay tuned for more events in the spring of 2008 including a slot speaking at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show.

Contest : Design a Pattern for Our Next Knitting Book

Get crafty. Get published. Get famous.

Well, we can’t guarantee the fame part, but we can get you published. We’re putting the finishing touches on our latest knitting book, Picture Perfect Knits by Laura Birek, and want to see your ideas. The book pulls together more than 50 intarsia grids for adding fun designs into any knit project (think Practical’s Polly’s most excellent Wonder Woman jumper). We have lots of patterns already, but we want yours! This is knitting for the people, by the people.

We’re looking for the five most creative, most dream-worthy intarsia knitting patterns. It could be anything, from a jaunty anchor to a geek-chic argyle pattern to a killer alphabet. Whatever pattern you would want to see in a knitting book. Five winners will have their name and pattern printed in the book and be promoted here on our Handmade Thursdays. Winners will also receive a free copy of the book when it comes out next fall.

Jolly Roger intarsia example by Laura Birek:

THE CHALLENGE: Create a book-worthy intarsia pattern.

THE PRIZE: Bigtime bragging rights, PR fodder, and a free copy of the book to boot.

THE RULES: Submissions must include an electronic file of your original intarsia pattern and how you should be credited if your design is chosen. You can draw your pattern on a piece of graph paper and email us a scan. Or, use Illustrator to create a grid and email us the vector art. Email your submission here. Designs must be your original art work (see fine print below). The deadline is November 29. The winning designs will be showcased here on December 6.

Argyle intarsia example by Laura Birek:

THE FINE PRINT: By submitting a design, you agree you are the sole, original creator of the pattern. If chosen, you assign Chronicle Books rights to publish the pattern in its book Picture Perfect Knits, to be distributed throughout the World in all formats for the term of copyright.

Holiday Softie Awards

One week left to enter!

With loads of great prizes including eternal softie-making fame, what are you waiting for? Therese Laskey, author of Softies, is hosting the second annual Softies awards over at her blog Softies Central. Even if you aren’t interested in entering be sure to check out the Flickr group where you can view all the entries to date. With categories including ‘Let It Snow’, ‘The Worst Gift I Ever Got’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ there are some pretty fantastic softies fighting for recognition. For instructions on how to enter click here. And as the judge of the ‘ Holiday Version of a Softie from Softies book’ I can’t promise I’ll vote for you but I can promise I’ll think you’re pretty swell if you enter in my category!!

Adorable Softie entries above from Raggy Rat and Sonjaboo

Homemade Halloween

We take Halloween verrrrrrrrrry seriously around these parts. Every year each department picks a book to dress up us, and it’s sort of an understatement to say we go all out. It’s a full on competition, with many departments planning months in advance. Here are some photos to prove just how ridiculous we really are …

What’s Your Poo Telling You?

I Will Never Forget You: Friday Kahlo and Nickolas Muray

A Is For Astronaut

P.S. Tomorrow is the last day to submit a costume in Etsy’s awesome Costume Contest!

Check out last week’s post.

Christina Loff
Craft Publicist

Kate Prouty
Craft Editor