New Novel

The photo is the Sharon Police Department where my character, Maxine, will report the crime, although the crime (fictional, of course) will be committed in another town.

Into Boston on the commuter train today for lunch. Left my current book, Chris Roerden's Don't Sabotage Your Submissions in the car. On the train, I wrote a paragraph of my new novel, some notes for what to ask the cops, etc., and made a haircut appt. instead of reading. Remembered two things I had forgotten to put on my "to do" list. I live and die by my lists. If something doesn't make the list, chances are it never gets done.

The way to make winter fly by it to make a big list of all the INDOOR tasks you want to accomplish. Before you know it, spring is here. And the list is still long.

So this novel just keeps talking to me. I don't know where it came from. It doesn't even have a "working title." I had given up on crime fiction. I've read ten books doing research for the California book which was supposed to be next. Can I write two an once?

Ha ha.

Tonight we ventured forth to take a few surrepticious photos of the murder house, which is a house I used to drive by on my way to work. The book is set here in the Boston area, in Boca Raton and in Northern Nevada, all places I'm familiar with, so the research shouldn't be too onerous. But it always is. And fun, too.

We are the last of the ribs with ancho-apricot glaze tonight. Ye gods, they were heaven. I'm making a salad nicoise this weekend. From scratch. Including the tuna. Assuming I can find fresh.

So now to totter upstairs and see how the Red Sox are doing. I have been watching a lot of games and am starting to bond with the team big time. How does this happen?

Grapeshot

Barbequed Spare Ribs with Apricot-Ancho Glaze

Yowza! These were about the best ribs ever!

http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2006/05/24/barbecued_spare_ribs_with_apricot_ancho_glaze/

We limited ourselves to half a rack each and are doing penance with a South Beach Diet shrimp salad tomorrow, but I have to tell you, these ribs were supurb.

S.O. is gaining real cred as a grillmeister.

Penzey's has dried ancho chilis and all the rest of the fresh, price-wise spices you need:
http://www.penzeys.com/

The Apricot King (grown in the flavor zone) has wonderful dried apricots and other apricot products so fresh and tasty and vitamin-A rich! http://www.apricotking.com/

The only changes in the recipe I made were 1) light brown instead of dark brown sugar and 2) my ancho chilis were huge, so I only used one. I left most of the seeds in and cut down a bit on the cayenne pepper. I also left the glaze sort of chunky, but not, you know, really chunky.

I substituted smoked paprika in the glaze because I was running low on sweet paprika. Be sure to reconstitute the ancho before you put it into the glaze mixture. The pepper water can be used to flavor other dishes if you have them on your recipe horizon.

The heirloom beets in my garden look good and the one that the bad bunny nibbled is recovering. Cilantro, dill and sage going crazy. Summertime!