Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins

A Memoir with Recipes

Ellen Sweets

• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780292754232
• eBook ISBN: 9780292738744
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

"A rendering of a deep and lasting friendship... Dozens of anecdotes about Sweets and Ivins and their rollicking adventures in cooking and eating." — Denver Post You probably knew Molly Ivins as an unabashed civil libertarian who used her sharp 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. 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. 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. "Ms. Sweets's anecdotes about the cast of characters who roundtabled Ms. Ivins's home are as satisfying as the Texas pistol's concoctions." ? The Wall Street Journal

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword by Lou Dubose
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Meeting Molly
• 2. Dining In, Dining Out
• 3. Who, Me? No Way!
• 4. Meeting Multiple Mollies
• 5. The Molly Too Few Knew
• 6. Are You Feeling Chili?
• 7. Julia Child Meets Chicken-Fried Steak
• 8. Mise en Place
• 9. Food in the ’Hood
• 10. Vive la France!
• 11. Gumbo Daze
• 12. We Get By with a Little Help from Our Friends
• 13. Wine, Women, and Song
• 14. Steel Magnolias, Texas Style
• 15. Dinner—A Family Affair
• 16. Managing Molly
• 17. Everything Is Relative(s)
• 18. Westward Ho, Ho, Ho
• 19. Le Petit Dejeuner
• 20. Home Cookin’
• 21. Food Stamps and Fun on the Dole
• 22. Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler, Y’all
• 23. The Minnesota Dead Guy
• 24. You Gonna Eat That?
• 25. Thank God It’s Friday
• 26. The Great Leonard Pitts–less Dinner
• 27. Plans? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Plans
• 28. . . . and a Partridge in a Bean Stew
• 29. Bienvenidos a Tejas, Comrades
• 30. Oeufs à la Neige
• 31. Table That Emotion
• 32. The Observer’s Observant Observer
• 33. Salmon on the Fly
• 34. Burnt Offerings
• 35. Dinner and the Dancing Tampon
• 36. Biscuits, Anyone?
• 37. Without Hope, All Is Lost
• 38. Let’s Diversify This Popsicle Stand
• 39. Talking Turkey
• 40. Bacon Has Calories?
• 41. Colorado Adopts Molly
• 42. Où Est Mon Sein?
• 43. The Beginning of the End
• 44. Adieu and Adios
• Epilogue: Gentle Chicken Soup
• Photo Album
• Index of Recipes
• General Index