Lessons in Chemistry
Moving to a new city can be extremely challenging, especially as a young twenty-something year old with no kids. In college there were events curated to meet people, and when you hit the kids stage there are the other parents on the soccer sidelines gritting their teeth through their kids scoring in the wrong goal every Saturday morning. However, I have come to realize there are not a ton of events or activities geared towards twenty-somethings outside of going to bars, especially for single people.
Soon after moving to Lakeland, Florida in mid-May, I realized this dilemma. As someone who is married, not near the kid phase, and not willing to sacrifice my sleep on the weekends, I felt a little stuck. After a brief stint on Bumble BFF and having someone try to trick me into their multi-level marketing scheme (or potential cult), I knew my friend search needed to venture in a different direction. After getting some advice from my long distance friend, Loren, I decided to explore the option of a book club in my area.
Since the first of the year, one of my goals was to start reading for fun again. The majority of graduate school exams were behind me, and I wanted to return to my love for reading I had as a child- except maybe not to the extent of trying to read while riding my bicycle and crashing. I set a goal to read twenty books this year, and I am happy to announce that I am on my twenty first book! Lakeland seemed to have a fantastic public library and adorable downtown local book store, so maybe a book club wasn’t too crazy of an idea.
I soon found that the downtown coffee shop and bookstore, Pressed, had a book club. Although, book club is too loose of a term to describe how my soul was replenished with this Thursday night gathering. The nerves I had going to the first evening were soon subsided with the directed yet smooth flowing conversation lead by the shop owner, Christina. Plus, bringing a buddy and toting a caffeinated beverage helped. While the group was majority female, I appreciated the diversity and age and life experience shared in the conversations. Connecting themes in these books to lived experiences personify the stories within the books and allow deeper understanding of literature and each other.
Whenever I read these novels, the descriptions of the senses are what also help bring the stories to life. Whenever there is a scene that is describing the smell and taste within the environment, I am immediately invested. This, along with the witty feminist nods, are what drew me to read Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. This was the first book club read I ever experienced, and it set the bar extremely high. Admittedly, the bar has continued to be that high since then. The plot of the story, along with plenty of Instagram scrolling, helped formulate the idea of combining book review and recipes.
Lessons in Chemistry follows the life of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in the 1960s constantly limited by the male scientists around her who will combust at the sight of a woman in a lab. That is except for Noble Prize nominated Calvin Evans, who falls in love with her brilliance even more than his rowing hobby. When things reach a boiling point at Hastings Research Institute, Elizabeth is forced to seek employment elsewhere while simultaneously becoming a single mother (Unless you count their dog Six-Thirty as a coparent).
Through a series of events, Elizabeth reluctantly becomes a daytime cooking show sensation and the host of Supper at Six. Unintentionally, she finds herself a catalyst for a feminist revolution to the women in her audience who are exhausted from the societal expectations of cooking, cleaning, keeping children, all while not having a hair out of place or gaining a single ounce all at the same time. However, Elizabeth is simply being herself- because she is a scientist after all!
This debut novel from Garmus made me want to cry, laugh, and throw the book across the room from how horrible some of the men treat Elizabeth. Whenever an author elicits such maddening emotions, I am astounded by how impeccable their writing is to make such scenarios feel real. At the same time, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Elizabeth, which, to me, was the perfect combination of Julia Child meets Amy Farrah Fowler from Big Bang Theory. Even more exciting, Brie Larson is suiting up to play this unapologetic yet rational protagonist role in the film series adaptation on Apple TV.
I truly hope that you bond with this character as much as I have. The way Elizabeth saw herself in the kitchen, a scientist first, is what inspired me to write this traditional recipe in this particular way. On Elizabeth’s show, she was known for sharing recipes that are hearty and full of fresh ingredients. There was one scene in the book in particular that stood out to me was when she was forced to do a commercial for condensed soup. As someone who was strongly against overly processed food, Elizabeth couldn’t lie to her trusting audience! When filming the commercial, she excitingly exclaimed how it would clog the arteries of any man you would serve it to. In some of the women’s case, I am sure they ran to the soup aisle.
While the crock pot wasn’t invented until 1971, this pot roast recipe can’t help but make me think of the hearty meals Elizabeth made in the 1960s. Packed with fresh herbs and spices, this dish can give you “meat and three” all in the same bowl. This was also a staple growing up in my household, but I will keep the “artery clogging condensed soups” out of it for Elizabeth’s sake. I hope you enjoy the book and recipe and would love to further discuss the novel if you choose to read it!
Crock Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes
Beef (bos taurus) Chuck roast, 4-5 pounds
3 sprigs thyme (thymus vulgaris)
2 sprigs rosemary (salvia Rosmarinus)
2 cloves garlic, minced (allium sativum)
1 teaspoon salt (sodium chloride)
½ teaspoon pepper
1 white onion, sliced (allium cepa)
6-8 carrots, sliced (daucus carota)
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced (agaricus bisporus)
2-3 cups beef broth (bos taurus, liquidized)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (a fermented condiment consisting of a
vinegar and/or anchovy base, molasses, tamarind, onion, garlic and other seasonings)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (acedic acid)
Pat roast completely dry. Remove thyme and rosemary from stems. Rub thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper on roast and place in pot.
Cut the onion into 1-2 inch cubes.
Slice carrots into halves or thirds. Very thick carrots (approximately more than 0.5 inch in diameter) can also be sliced in half lengthwise.
Slice mushrooms into fourths if they do not come in pre-packaged sliced container.
Arrange onions, carrots, and mushrooms with the roast.
Mix together beef broth, worcestershire sauce, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Pour liquid on top of meat and vegetables. Note: can add approximately ½ cup of red wine as well. Red wine has many qualities including being rich in anti-oxidants, lowering bad cholesterol, and can even help treat the common cold.
Place the lid securely on top and resist the temptation to open it during cooking as you’ll lose a lot of heat. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
Serve over red skin mashed potatoes
Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
6 medium sized (approximately 0.47 pounds each) potatoes Red potatoes (solanum tubersom)
½ cup Milk
4 tablespoons Butter
Pinch of salt and pepper (sodium chloride)
Cut the potatoes in half and put in a large pot and cover with salted water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
Once water reaches boiling point at 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius, uncover and let potatoes cook for approximately 25 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and return to the pot.
Lightly mash the potatoes. Add the butter and milk and mash until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and serve.