(View entire post here)

"He's not a Nazi. He just happens to be a little eccentric. You know, most geniuses are."

-- Kramer, 1995

When the series finale of Seinfeld was announced in 1998, my brother and I jumped on a plane and flew to New York City for three days so that I could clone a few recipes from Soup Kitchen International, the real-life soup counter that inspired the "Soup Nazi" episode from the TV series. I figured these new copycat recipes would be a good tribute the end of a really great show, and everyone who couldn't make a trek to NYC could taste some really great soup -- or at least a knockoff of some really great soup.

We brought along a cooler filled with ice packs, Tupperware, and Ziploc bags, and for 72 hours we had nothing on the agenda other than staking out Al Yeganeh's take-away soup kitchen and securing our precious samples. I knew that the selection of soups changed every day so we would have to get lucky if we were going to snag some of the same soups mentioned in the 1995 Seinfeld episode.

 

 

 

 

» Zora O'Neil (pictured) and Tamara Reynolds discuss their book, which explains how you can host your own dinner party, and is filled with useful and humorous advice from their own hosting experiences.

» Read more about Forking Fantastic!

Forking Fantastic Zora O'Neill Tamara Reynolds cooking dinner parties entertaining holiday meals

(View entire post here)

My sister laid claim to Jane Eyre long before I did. I'm not sure why; maybe she identified with the feeling Jane had of being on the outside looking in. My own favorite book growing up was Wuthering Heights by Charlotte's sister, Emily. I loved the romance and atmosphere of the long, foreboding moors, not to mention the romance between the violent and temperamental outcast, Heathcliff, and his love, the more privileged but equally unpredictable, Cathy. Their doomed love affair drew me in. I tried giving Jane Eyre a chance when I was about 13 but, like I said-in my mind-she belonged to my sister, Devon.

It wasn't until college when I rediscovered Jane Eyre, on my own and apart from my sister; we were assigned it in an English lit class my junior year. I found myself devouring the chapters, putting aside other work to follow Jane and her journey from being locked in the attic by her cruel aunt at Gateshead-surrounded by her mean, bullying cousins-to her education at Lowood School and finally to Thornfield, the heart of the story (which is where she meets the fascinating and mysterious Mr. Rochester). I hadn't realized that the lonely, shy, orphan Jane-who I'd once cast away-was an independent spirit full of passion. She had to overcome so many obstacles to find happiness, but with her sure and quiet determination, Jane stood out and made a life for herself when everything was working against her. And, in a society that didn't make things easy for women, she did it on her own terms.

I think the novel's a classic because of the way it speaks to readers and has lasted through time. Any plain-Jane, anyone who occasionally feels like they're on the outside looking in, can identify with Jane and her struggle to find her place in the world. It's a book about second chances  and overcoming obstacles. There are  also the more literary aspects: the gothic elements-the large, foreboding manor at Thornfield, the madwoman in the attic (which a book about feminism was based on)-plus what it said about the times and the limited options for women and the servant class. I didn't get a very good grade on the paper I wrote for that lit class; my professor was more interested in what the book said about "The Other" in society (whereas I was more concerned with Jane and Mr. Rochester!).

"