If you’re new around here, you might not know that we visited with Ally Condie when MATCHED released November 2010. If you read books and stuff, and haven’t had your sweet little head under a rock, you may know that Ally did an extensive blog tour (in addition to actual get-on-a-plane tours) when CROSSED released in November 2011. I thought I’d give her a few months to get her mojo back before I asked Ally to come talk with us.

Sometimes when you read blog interviews about authors, they sound kind of like working machines. Well, Ally actually IS a working machine. She is by far the most dedicated writer of my acquaintance, and she works as hard on her writing as she does on any of the other parts of her life, which makes her a vast deal more dedicated than, say, most of us. Also sometimes, when you read interviews, the authors get asked the same questions over and over. So to prevent that, I like to ask questions completely unrelated to all that miscellany of writing and get right to the crucial matters of food preference.

Becca’s Brilliant Question: What did you make for dinner last night?

*Ally’s Answer: Stir-fry, for Chinese New Year.

BBQ: Do you miss mail in the mailbox, or are you all for a digital world of communication?

*AA: I miss mail in the mailbox, but I like the instant gratification of the digital world too. And it’s better for the environment! I think!

BBQ: You’re watching your favorite movie (at home) as a well-deserved break. What is the film? Did you change into jammies or sweats? What are you eating?

*AA: Um…is there a difference between jammies and sweats? And I don’t really re-watch movies. That’s lame, I know. A movie I’ve been wanting to see is The King’s Speech, but I missed the PG-13 version in theaters and now I appear to be stuck. I can’t find it online anywhere!

(Quick! Someone tell us how to find that amazing movie in PG-13. I saw it that way in the theatre, and remember that I loved it? And I tried to buy a PG-13 version for Christmas but couldn’t find one? So if you did, or have, or can, TELL! Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled Random-O-Rama. Thank you.)

BBQ: Best dream vacation destination with kids/without kids?

*AA: I’d love to take my kids back to Disneyland. They’ve only been once, but they adored it. As far as without kids, anywhere beachy and warm would be great with me.

BBQ: And how’s that BOOK 3 coming, anyway?

*AA: Great, actually! It’s been a lot of fun to write. I started the series in 2008 and so this feels like the payoff–putting down on paper some of the things I’ve had planned for a long time.

BBQ: Assuming you’ve had a moment to read anything in the past year, what’s a great new book everyone should get?

*AA: I quite enjoyed the latest book in Alan Bradley’s Flavia De Luce series, “I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.”

(Can I get an Amen for Flavia de Luce? Start with Bradley’s “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.” You won’t be sorry.)

BBQ: If you could hire an old-time TV character to help you do your MOM work, which one? (Anything pre-The Nanny) *Perry Mason. He could walk around and smolder at things and then they’d pick themselves up and put themselves away.

(Every time I read that answer, it makes me giggle. See, here’s me thinking Donna Reed or Mrs. Cleaver. Leave it to Ally to bring me Perry. And, hello? I would love to have Mr. Raymond Burr in my house, smoldering. If for nothing else, I will love you forever, Ally, for giving me that image.)

BBQ: Are you partial to a certain brand of running shoes?

*AA: Mizunos. Love them. They fit my foot right and there is something about them that makes the breaking-in period a lot less than any of the others I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot).

BBQ: If you were given a bottle of nail polish, would you be most likely to paint fingers or toes?

*AA: Toes. I can’t wear polish on my fingernails. It makes me feel like my nails can’t breathe and I can’t stand it. I know that’s quite weird!

(Not weird at all. My fingers can’t breathe when polished, either. Also, there’s the matter of Unsightly Chipping. But I’m all for toes… Until I start doing dishes with my feet. Then we may have to revisit the chipping issue…)

Thank you, dear Ally, for spending some minutes indulging my bizarre, nosy side.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: PRIZES! I have here (right here — I know you can’t see it, but you can take my word for it) a beautiful copy of CROSSED, for which you are drooling right now.

Want it? Do you? Well, allow me to give it away. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me you want to win the book. That’s it! Then I’ll pick a winner sometime later this week. And I will let you know, winner, that it’s you. Because that’s how I like to do things. If you can manage to live in the USA or Canada, it will help me out a whole lot, thanks very much. I’m not sure my little post office is capable of handling the international shipping thing. (Just kidding. I’m cheap, is all. US or Canada residents only.)

And even if you aren’t the one who gets to take home this wonderful prize, Fear Not. Because we have prizes all month long. Stay tunes and stuff…

* JP repeatedly putting his finger in JS’s ear. As they stood to “sing” (or stare at each other). JS batted the hand away again and again, right up to the point where he couldn’t anymore, and unfortunately took one in the eye. Really, right in the eye. JS had to make an exit. Ouch.

* MM’s FOUR trips to the restroom.

* JP (of ear-and-eye-poking fame) giving the world’s best talk about scripture prophets ever delivered by a four-year-old. And he stuck to the doctrine (as opposed to the “Jonah and the Jellyfish” detour he may or may not have practiced). The kid is amazing, and his parents have taught him so, so well.

* JH ad EH (no relation) didn’t do any of the naughties they threatened to do during the entire Saturday practice. Love those boys. Especially when they’re avoiding the naughties.

* Kid 3 got a laugh during the opening sentences of her talk. Her face lit right up and she SPONGED in all that attention. She lit up the room with her talk about how much she loves her family and how grateful she is that families are central to God’s plan. What a cutie patootie. No kidding.

* LM volunteering (again) to help out if anyone was unable to do their parts. The girl is eager. Willing. Excited. I want to be her.

* The program lasted 35 minutes. After Saturday’s practice, we were sure it would only go 20. And then we (the leaders) would have to speak. Not the best thing. But – hooray! Everyone breathed after sentences and it was perfect timing. We call that a tender mercy from the Lord.

* OJ finally, finally cracking a smile after he delivered his part.

* BB singing the word “Pirates” instead of “Tyrants” in the best song ever.

* JE in general, for overwhelming cuteness. In specific for memorizing his part and delivering it with confident stature, great diction, and a totally sincere smile.

* Husband, staying awake through the entire meeting (which is a good thing, as he was facing the congregation while wrangling 8-year-olds).

* Watching the kids be a vehicle for the Spirit of God to fill the room with feelings of love and gratitude. They are the best and I am lucky to work with them.

And they did.

They noticed and told me this:

My family is really important to me.

Red is my favorite color.

It was my birthday.

I like my kids a lot.

Books are important in our home.

I want my kids to play music.

Music is important.

I’m a Mormon.

I vacuum before people come over.

I like fruit.

My Husband doesn’t bake cakes.

I like Goldfish.

—

Stay tuned to see what details of my life they used to make these (mainly correct) assumptions.

wallshaking thunder
boomed
cracked
pounded

rain like the sound of
thousands of busy typewriters
telling the most important stories

i call it a good omen
i call it a great excuse to wake in the night
i call it the best start to my week

In general. I love a guy for whom cooking is such a violent passion. But it has been many, many years since I had daily access to a cooking network. So I buy cookbooks. Especially ones that have pretty pictures inside. And I have 2 such things by Mr. Lagasse: “There’s a Chef in my Soup!” and “There’s a Chef in my Family!” both published by Harper Collins. They’re excellent books for kids (or college students) who are learning to cook – totally silly and playful, but with extremely specific directions on things like zesting fruits, deveining shrimp, and basting. Among lots of others. And real food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. BAM! (I had to. Can’t help it.)

In specific today, I’d like to testify that Emeril’s Blueberry Syrup is true. Behold (In my words, which are not so numerous or funny as his):

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups blueberries (I use frozen ones)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (too much work for me)
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons butter

Boil the water with the sugar and add the blueberries. Boil for a couple of minutes until the berries explode. Then I stick in the little immersion blender thingie to blend some of them up (but not all — I like to have berry chunks — who doesn’t?). Then mix cornstarch with the o.j. and stir it in to the blueberries. Boil 2 more minutes and then add butter. Serve this stuff over anything that will sit still, like pancakes, waffles, ice cream, lemon pie, or a banana.

Amen.

Thanks, Emeril. *Mwah!*

Can we talk about steak for a minute?

I love steak. Insomuch that I have just, right this minute, composed a haiku to steak. Behold:

Juicy, rare red meat!
Thanks for giving up your parts,
Oh blessed bovine.

Don’t worry. It’s out of my system now. (The poetry, I mean.) (Also, probably the steak.)

I know a guy who does meat smokery and barbecue-ism as a side job (in the other hours, he’s a sheriff’s deputy) and he recently talked about meat rubs. I have never tried a meat rub. In fact, I’ve never been much good at steak-making. But I found out why — it’s because I tend to follow the Cheap Is Beautiful philosophy that is the root of my couch-in-the-basement troubles. Even when it comes to food. And can I tell you a secret? Cheap is not beautiful when it comes to steak. But I’m learning. And I looked up some rub recipes, and I made one. And it is lovely. It smells divine, it crunches perfectly, and it looks like the prettiest sand art. Here is my compilation, if you care to try it.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp course salt (I’m afraid I’m becoming a salt snob. Kosher Real Salt, that looks like it came off the beach. Yes.)

1 tbsp course cracked black pepper (cracked by a willing child laborer Right That Minute)

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp granulated garlic

1/2 tbsp dried rosemary, lightly crushed

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or something similarly hottish

1/2 tbsp dried thyme

Then you stir it all up and rub it all over the steaks. It can sit there while the grill gets good and hot. Because with saltiness on your steak, you know, you have to sear those babies. After the pretty lines are all marked, I turn the grill down and cook it till I want to eat it. (The Husband likes his done-er than the rest of us barbarians. We want it still mooing at us.)

Did you want to know that after a few games and a little sitting around, we had another serving of Tres Leches? Well, we did.

—

Coming up around here: It’s Birthday Week. So I’ll be back to tell you the adventures and foibles of the Adorable Wilhite Kids. Cause I know you’ve just been dying to know!

I miss those days.

Fie, debit/credit cards in the name of my 9-year-old. What good are you to me, I ask you?