Month: August 2022

Dossier Review!

Finder of Lost ThingsLeave a comment

Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier by Mark Frost

Okay, here’s the thing, I’ve been a fan of Twin Peaks since it first aired way back in 1990. So you can imagine my excitement when Lynch and Frost announced they were creating a third season. The only problem? I was in the midst of a years-long anxiety episode that rendered it nearly impossible for me to cope with anything but golden-age or historical mysteries. Even modern cozies were too much for my tiny little psyche to handle.

So, as you can surmise, season three of Twin Peaks was definitely out-of-bounds….until now! (I don’t know when the ability to imbibe in harder-boiled mysteries returned — I’m just utterly grateful it did.)

In any case, in anticipation of watching season three, I began working my way through the first two seasons so I could refresh my memory. Whilst doing so, somewhere or another on Twitter, The Final Dossier popped up on my feed, and I couldn’t resist.

Now my mistake was reading The Final Dossier prior to reaching the new episodes because of spoilers — but that’s on me. I knew better than to read a book published after the revival first aired….but honestly, I don’t regret it. It kept my frustration at bay whilst watching season three wondering what happened to my favorite characters in the twenty-five-year gap between episodes thirty & thirty-one. Frost’s Final Dossier also helps flesh out a few holes in season three itself.

Told as a series of dossiers and memorandums from Special Agent Tammy Preston to FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole, this book is a riveting read for anyone who wants to know what happened to Audrey Horne, Donna Hayward, Shelly Johnson, and a whole host of other iconic Twin Peaks residents.

I would recommend Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier to anyone looking to sate the craving this sublime series inevitably leaves its audience with — I don’t believe it will leave you disappointed.

Plus, it’s just a pretty book.

Cooking With Christie!

Finder of Lost ThingsLeave a comment

This Week’s Recipe: Ball’s Fermented Jalapeño Hot Sauce

Inspiration: Strolling thru the market, I spied the Ball (of canning jar fame) Fermentation Kit, and thought I’d give it a go!

But being me –I swapped the jalapenos for serranos because I don’t care for the former’s flavor, which isn’t a big deal. 

However, rather than waiting until I’d all the ingredients in the house, namely celery hearts or the three-quarters of a pound of serranos called for in the instructions….I, for some insanity, decided to make up the weight with a bell pepper. (Why did past me think this was a good idea?)

Needless to say, the hot sauce did not turn out.

Helpful Hint: If you get this kit and try this recipe — I suggest you don’t try winging it on the first try (learn from my blunder). I’d also suggest chopping the onions into thin strips rather than dicing the rings into small pieces. Due to the fact the diced onions floated right to the top of the fermentation jar despite the spring trying to compress them.

Though perhaps, if I’d actually used all veggies called for, this would have been a problem…. 

Christie: Is there an experimental or culinarily challenged cook in Christie’s canon of works? I can’t recall. Though Miss Lemon strikes me as a person who just might fit the bill. Her keenness on creating the perfect filing system, may translate into finding the most efficient method of food preparation. Thereby leading to culinary experimentation which may or may not produce palatable outcomes!