Meredith’s Comments (group member since Sep 04, 2011)

Meredith’s comments from the Meredith Mileti hosts a Q&A group.

Good choices all around ;-)

Cara wrote: "Good point. Well I could switch to coconut then and just have to beat a few trees. But if I already have shrimp, then I could have coconut shrimp. Better switch the zombie novel to Aftertaste..."

Sounds like a happy combination! I thought of shrimp, but then wondered if it would be possible to catch my own, in which case I might have to go with cheese as my food of choice. Still mulling over my book choices...

Cara wrote: "Oh this is easy!!!
Three Books: Beach Music - Pat Conroy
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
Pride Predjudice and Zombies
Food - never ending supply of shrimp

Too bad this is..."

I wouldn't use all cooked bones, however I think that the roasted bones do impart some good flavor to the broth and they also give it a nice rich color.

You're shipwrecked on an island. You have three books and an unlimited quantity of your favorite food. What are your three books and what would be your food of choice?

I just pulled out my stash of chicken bones from the freeze this morning. Time to make some chicken stock! Actually - I didn't have enough, so I cheated and bought two rotisserie chickens from the grocery store. I reserved the meat for serving in the soup and added the bones to what I had already collected. Smells lovely!

Darlene wrote: "Meredith wrote: "Darlene, this sounds so intriguing! What happens to the rice - does it completely breakdown? I love the addition of the dried seafood - one of the things I love about Chinese cui..."

I love fennel--especially when it's cooked. What a great fall salad! Thanks for sharing.

Chanelle wrote: "I always seem to choose the same soups over and over...creature of habit I guess - when we need comfort, we know what does the trick. As soup is always warm and comforting, I always find myself so..."

A girl after my own heart! I could probably be a vegetarian, but I could never give up my cheese!

Julie wrote: "Greek yogurt, half-n-half and goat cheese. I never realized I'm so about the dairy!"

I am big on dairy, too. (And the slimy carrots.....) Greek yogurt and half and half are always in my fridge. I'd love to try the goat cheese butter.

Chanelle wrote: "I think the slimy miniature carrots are always a must have!! I will admit to always having some greek yogurt, a block of cheese (which sometimes when the labels get taken away, we lose track of wh..."

I actually have a jar of Better n' Peanut Butter, in my fridge too! I think we might be the only two people eating it!

Darlene wrote: "1. Half jars of sauces that haven't been touched in years. E.g., odd mustards, hot sauces, dressings, pestos which are too oily. Can't bring myself to throw them away.
2. Slimy miniature carrots wh..."

Cara wrote: "Come to Philadelphia! You would love Redding Terminal Market. So much to see and eat and buy."

I'd love to! It looks like a wonderful market! Who are some of your favorite vendors?

At one point in Aftertaste, Mira says that she enjoys reading the interviews in Bon Appetit in which a famous foodie lists the three items that can always be found in his or her refrigerator. Mira finds the answers too finely crafted to be believable, and wonders if anyone--herself included-- would dare admit to the wizened carrots and limp celery, the perpetually bulging tupperware filled with last month's moldy leftovers that most of us have lurking in our fridge's recesses. What about you? What three items can always be found in your refrigerator? Full disclosure encouraged!

Hi Cindy,

Thanks! Every bit of the research was fun! I will be setting out on tour next month. I'll be in Charlotte, NC in October, Chevy Chase, MD in November and I hope to add Boston and New York to the mix sometime later in the fall. As tour dates firm up, I'll be posting them on my website at www.meredithmileti.com.



Cindy wrote: "thanks Meredith! Sounds like a lengthy if not a tasty process, but I imagine that thoughtful research helps with details of the book.
Will you be setting out on a book tour once your book is rele..."

Mmm. Delicious! I actually have two pots of soup going at the moment. Went to the market yesterday and saw the most beautiful Tuscan kale. Got the butternut squash soup and a ribolita simmering as I write. Love this chill, rainy weather!

Melissa wrote: "I add a cup of apple cider to my butternut squash soup, which really complements the soup, I think.

Meredith wrote: "I love butternut squash. My father-in-law just gave me a half a dozen from h..."

Darlene, this sounds so intriguing! What happens to the rice - does it completely breakdown? I love the addition of the dried seafood - one of the things I love about Chinese cuisine. Good luck with your efforts to recreate it. I'd love to hear about your adventures.

Darlene wrote: "I'm trying to perfect Chinese rice porridge. Simple, proletarian food. My mother made it whenever the weather turned. She always had chicken/turkey bones and broth in the freezer to use for this. S..."

I love butternut squash. My father-in-law just gave me a half a dozen from his garden. I think I'll try your soup! Glad that Aftertaste has piqued your appetite!


Betsy wrote: "I'm all about the soups too. Yesterday I made some butternut squash soup to kick off soup season. Whenever I serve it to others I get rave reviews and it's so easy to make - olive oil, onion, med..."

Sounds wonderful! I don't think anything beats a great bowl of soup on a cool day. Enjoy Chautauqua!

Melissa wrote: "It's very cool here in Chautauqua. Made my grandma's beef vegetable soup, which always warms me up! Even got the kids to eat some!"

Hi Cindy, What a great question! First of all, the choice of subject matter was easy. I spend a huge amount of time thinking about food. (If I told you how much time, trust me, you'd be shocked!) It took me about three years full-time to write the novel. I did have to do a fair amount of research. I’m not a professionally trained chef—just an incredibly enthusiastic home cook and all around good eater. I interviewed several professional chefs, visited some restaurant kitchens and I read quite a bit. I found Michael Rhulman’s wonderful series of books (The Life of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, etc.), as well as Bill Buford’s Heat, extremely informative. Both the interviews and my reading helped me gained some understanding about what kind of person is driven to become a chef, and what kinds of demands—physical as well as emotional and intellectual—the work entails. And the demands are many. It cured me of ever wanting to have a restaurant of my own! I also cooked up a storm. My husband jokes he gained twenty pound during the writing of this book.

I was just thinking about that soup! I almost made it tonight but opted for chicken with wild rice and mushrooms.

Cara wrote: "This is making me want to dig out Dad's recipe for Pasta Fagioli."

So easy! I'll dig out the recipe. Coconut milk, lots of red chili paste, basil and udon noodles. There is something about cooking the chicken in the coconut milk that makes it so tender and delicious. It's going to be cool in Pittsburgh through the weekend...more soup days on the way!

Julie wrote: "Ditto on the cream soups, though I do like pureed — in fact, I just had a tasty carrot and tomato soup at Paris 66 (on Centre Ave in Pittsburgh's Penn Circle). But now I'm craving the spicy thai ch..."

I'm with you, Bette. I'm not a fan of cream soups either. I also like a chunky soup, as opposed to a puree. Here's the problem with this discussion thread: I keep having to revise my grocery list! Now I'm thinking about a beef barley soup. Or maybe a spicy thai chicken soup with noodles...