Sendak is Back

Writers never really die; their legacy sits on millions of shelves and they exist through generations of imagination. Sometimes we get lucky, and a dusty old manuscript or a ratty sketchbook comes to light and it’s as if we’re being read to from beyond the grave. Good stuff.

Maurice Sendak died in 2012, but luck struck again in July when the president of his post humous foundation discovered a long forgotten manuscript, complete with artwork! It was typewritten in the 90s by Sendak and collaborator Arthur Yorinks, and titled Presto and Zesto in Limboland. There’s scenes from the soon-to-be published (!!) book, along with a great recounting by Yorinks, who gave his blessing for publishing and did some minor tweaks to the story. It is slated to be released in autumn 2018, and I am beyond excited.

Side note: I had to stop halfway through writing this post to help my husband pack for a three week work trip – with many more weeks apart in our future. Doing very adult things makes me wishful for the days when the hardest thing I had to do was put my book down for bed.

Thank you, Maurice, for this wonderful thing.

 

emona

Slices o’ Sausage

Long story short, my sister-in-law made a (very tame, for the record) dick joke, and for whatever reason it reminded me of this helpful hint:

If you want to slice your sausage before cooking it, put it in the freezer. Any sausage worth its salt has enough fat that the link won’t entirely freeze, even when stored for weeks, which means you can slice evenly without much effort at all. If your freezer is a boss, or you’re in a rush, just stick them in there for 15-20 minutes and you’re good to go.

Having a very sharp knife is the only real way to slice raw sausage without everything squishing out the sides. If you’re like me, with knives that are sharp enough, this is the way to go.

PS: Slicing sausage raw adds a great texture to the meat thanks to more surface area to sear, which translates well to dishes like spaghetti since the sear can withstand the sauce. Onions and peppers cooked together with a nice spicy Italian sausage, and just a little bit of crunch to the edges, some roasted tomatoes and diced garlic thrown in – that is heaven.

Happy sautéeing.

emona