My mother and my biggest fan texts me the following after reading my last review of 50 Shades of Grey, ” Keep reading. You’ll change your mind about Christian Grey at the end of the book. ” And then she adds, “Who knows? Maybe it will put a little excitement into your marriage…if it isn’t there already. Wink.”
Ugh.
And finally when I don’t think I can take much more and am considering going off-line with my writing forever, she completes her motherly advice with, “Oh, don’t be such a prude. I’ve read all the good scenes to your dad at night when we’re in bed. It’s fun!”
Ewwww.
Final Thoughts on 50 Shades….This is a dark romance, a deep-down psychological challenge – a game. Before reading this book I would ask myself the following:
Do you want to play? Will you be honest with yourself and consider how you too might feel about riding pain to the edge – maybe way beyond your threshold for a chance to feel a rich pleasure you’ve never known? Are you willing to take that risk?
Will you allow the author, E.L. James, to twist and bend your psyche, tighten your belly every time she puts her two main characters in the same room together?
Are you ready for James to show you who you really are?
Ana will let Christian spank her if he agrees to tell her more about who he is. I can’t imagine giving up my ass so easily. Here’s my offer to my husband- I’ll let you spank me if, for one week, you clean the house, do the laundry, wash the kids, go grocery shopping, make dinner, bake me a chocolate cake and listen with an abundance of interest as I tell you all about my day. Oh and throw in a week’s worth of uninterrupted naps for me as well.
After a few days have passed, my mother calls me. “I’ve made the Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad and it is delicious! You have to give your readers the full recipe.” We are done talking about 50 Shades and back to talking about food. Whew.
So here it is – Mary Ann Esposito’s recipe for Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad. Eat this salad and pick up a copy of 50 Shades of Grey before the last of summer’s heat is extinguished. Oh, and feel free to use my mother’s advice while I go make another appointment with my therapist.
from the June 2012 issue of Taste of Italia
1 tsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup pine nuts (my mother used walnuts instead)
2 cups arugula leaves, washed and dried
2 cups spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
In a small saute pan, melt the butter and toast the pine nuts (or walnuts) until they are lightly browned. Transfer the nuts to a small bowl and set aside. Tear the leaves of the arugula and spinach and put them in a salad bowl. Add the strawberries.
Heat the honey and balsamic vinegar together in a small saucepan just until the honey melts (I wiped the butter out of the saute pan that I browned the nuts in and used that one instead of having to wash two pans later). Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and whisk in the olive oil 1 Tablespoon at a time until an emulsion is created (I added an extra Tablespoon of olive oil to cut down on the sweetness a bit). Stir in the salt.
Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle the nuts over the top and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
* To make this a delicious Autumn salad I’ll use thinly sliced green apples in place of the strawberries, toasted pecans in place of the pines nuts and add a sprinkle of gorgonzola cheese.
Enjoy!
mangoes and mojitos 