Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins: A Memoir with Recipes

Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins: A Memoir with Recipes

You probably knew Molly Ivins as an unabashed civil libertarian who used her rapier wit and good ole Texas horse sense to excoriate political figures she deemed unworthy of our trust and respect. But did you also know that Molly was one helluva cook? And we're not just talking chili and chicken-fried steak, either. Molly Ivins honed her culinary skills on visits to France—often returning with perfected techniques for saumon en papillote or delectable clafouti aux cerises . Friends who had the privilege of sharing Molly's table got not only a heaping helping of her insights into the political shenanigans of the day, but also a mouth-watering meal, prepared from scratch with the finest ingredients and assembled with the same meticulous attention to detail that Molly devoted to skewering a political recalcitrant. In Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins, her longtime friend, fellow reporter, and frequent sous-chef Ellen Sweets takes us into the kitchen with Molly and introduces us to the private woman behind the public figure. She serves up her own and others' favorite stories about Ivins as she recalls the fabulous meals they shared, complete with recipes for thirty-five of Molly's signature dishes. These stories reveal a woman who was even more fascinating and complex than the "professional Texan" she enjoyed playing in public. Friends who ate with Molly knew a cultured woman who was a fluent French speaker, voracious reader, rugged outdoors aficionado, music lover, loyal and loving friend, and surrogate mom to many of her friends' children, as well as to her super-spoiled poodle. They also came to revere the courageous woman who refused to let cancer stop her from doing what she wanted, when she wanted. This is the Molly you'll be delighted to meet in Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins. "Knowing Miz Molly . . . in the kitchen, at the supermarket and grocery store, and around the dining room and restaurant table is a great way to reflect on who Molly Ivins was, how profoundly and amusingly she thought, and the enormous amount she had to contribute to our understanding of Texas and national politics." ( Huffington Post ) "A whiz with a whisk and French cuisine connoisseur, Ms. Ivins honed her skills as the consummate dinner-party host. Ms. Sweets’s anecdotes about the cast of characters who roundtabled Ms. Ivins’s home are as satisfying as the Texas pistol’s concoctions." ( Wall Street Journal ) "Sweets is an engaging writer, and the book bursts with personality and humor. . . . As a portrait of a friendship, Stirring It Up is a poignant work that travels beyond the public view of a writer’s life." ( Columbia Journalism Review ) "A rendering of a deep and lasting friendship, painted with dozens of anecdotes about Sweets and Ivins and their rollicking adventures in cooking and eating, including dropping gumbo on the floor before later serving it to assembled guests." ( Denver Post ) A journalist whose beat has included everything from fires, fights, and homicides to features and food writing, Ellen Sweets began her career at her father’s black weekly newspaper, the St. Louis American. She has reported for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post, Austin American-Statesman, Edible Austin, and Texas Co-Op Power. Her many honors include the James Beard Foundation Award for best food section.