On today's show: we kick off our summer Underappreciated Literature series with a look at one of the top English novelists of the late-Victorian era. Also, a health care analyst has a new prescription to cure our failing health care system. And a celebrated novelist invites us to find out what happens at a quinceañera. But first, we'll learn 101 ways to make dinner in ten minutes or less.
The New York Times calls food columnist Mark Bittman "The Minimalist," and rightly so: his most popular recent article featured 101 recipes that can be made with just a few ingredients in 10 minutes or less. Here are three to get you started:
Number 36: Fried egg “saltimbocca”: Lay slices of prosciutto or ham in a buttered skillet. Fry eggs on top of ham; top with grated Parmesan.
Number 54: Brown small pork (or hot dog) chunks in a skillet. Add white beans, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Or add white beans and ketchup.
Number 96: A Roman classic: In lots of olive oil, lightly cook lots of slivered garlic, with six or so anchovy fillets and a dried hot chili or two. Dress pasta with this.
Read Mark Bittman's article "Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less."
Weigh in: What's your favorite 10 minute meal?
George Gissing was one of the most accomplished British novelists of the late-Victorian era, penning strikingly modern stories populated by shamelessly self-promoting journalists, corrupt preachers, chauvinist husbands, and scheming wives. Biographer John Halperin tells us why Gissing belongs on your summer reading list.
Search for a used copy of John Halperin's Gissing: A Life in Books at amazon.com.
Read Gissing's best-known book, New Grub Street, for free online here, or check out the rest of his books available for download here.
Weigh in: Who's your favorite underappreciated author?
More than 400,000 American Latinas turn 15 every year, the majority of them marking the event with a lavish party called a quinceañera. In Once Upon a Quinceañera, Julia Alvarez examines the history and significance of this coming-of-age ritual as she follows one Queens girl planning her special day.
Purchase Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA at amazon.com.
Weigh in: How did you celebrate your coming-of-age?
Of all the recent proposals to reform the American health care system, few have been focused on the strength of a free market. Regina Herzlinger explains how capitalism - not European-style social welfare policies - can fix what ails us.
Purchase Who Killed HealthCare?: America's $2 Trillion Medical Problem - and the Consumer-Driven Cure at amazon.com.
Weigh in: How would you like to reform health care in America?
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