addicted to recipes

I am starting a new series here on the site – the #ReadingFoodie. Yep, I’ll be reviewing books while also pairing a recipe inspired from the book.

To call me an avid reader would be an understatement so it’s only natural to want to combine two of my hobbies – cooking and reading. What gave me the push to do it was actually a book I listened to on a recent road trip. Any time I plan a road trip, I go to audible.com and pick out a book to read from the huge library I have there.

This book has been in my audio shelf for quite a while now. It is The Husband Habit by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. While I have read a couple of other books by this author and loved them, I will say this book dragged on for me. So much so that I didn’t even finish it. And that’s rare for me. It could have been the long drive and no scenery, but it was very slow for me.

The book is centered around Vanessa Chavez and her “Husband Habit” – she ends up dating men who are already married, unbeknownst to her. After another dating fiasco where she finds out her man is married, she takes a hiatus on dating.

Vanessa is a chef who has dreams of opening her own restaurant but is currently working for a celebrity chef who takes credit for her work. She is also a fan of books and referred to herself as a ‘reading foodie’. Tada. New section on the blog. Hence the reason I went ahead and reviewed the book.

Another focus of the book is her relationship with her family. Unfortunately, she has issues with her parents that left me just feeling sad for all of them.

The author did a lot of describing New Mexico, where the story takes place. It did make me want to visit the state and give their green chiles a chance. Being a wuss with hot stuff, the book did make me want to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.

I may still give this book another chance and finish it on my next road trip, but for now, I’m not inclined to finish it. And I’m ok with that. There was a time I would have made myself finish the book but now I’m okay with dropping a book if it doesn’t speak to me. But I would encourage you to try some of Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s other books, especially The Dirty Girls Social Club, as I enjoyed several of them.

Now, on to the recipe inspired by the book. This egg salad is one dish that Vanessa makes for her family on a visit home. She got the recipe from a cookbook her mother gave her after her mom scolded Vanessa that her food was always so fancy. To me, Vanessa’s food sounded delicious and something I would want to eat at a restaurant.

According to her mom, this version of egg salad is a little bit “fancy” with the tarragon and shallots. You can always leave them out as the splash of vinegar will give it a nice kick. I’m not a huge fan of tarragon and shallots so I’ve left it up to you to determine how much you want to include in your dish. Rather than serve the egg salad as a sandwich, you could put it on crackers so it could easily be served as an appetizer.

Tarragon Egg Salad

2 Eggs
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Splash of white vinegar (not much – just a splash)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh Tarragon, Shallots and Chives (just enough to give it some flavor – less than 1/8 tsp)
English muffin, bread, or crackers to serve

Instructions:

Place eggs in a small saucepan. Fill with enough water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, turn off heat and set pan aside. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

Remove eggs from water and run under cold water to cool off the eggs. Peel the eggs and give the eggs a rough chop.

Place eggs in a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, tarragon, shallots and chives. Mix together.

Serve as a sandwich or on crackers.

Serving: 1