Eat a Pretzel and Read Jodi

Tonight, I saw Jodi Picoult speak at Meredith College. It's one of many fun activities that I was/am determined to do before I begin medical school...even if it means going alone...which I did tonight. It's true, I went to her speech by myself; I didn't feel alone though, because there was this really lovely retired lady sitting next to me and we had the best conversation. We talked about kindles versus books, my love of Carolina, her love of NC State, the fact that I live happily without a television, and the stresses she is going through with her husband who has had one leg (and soon 2 legs) amputated due to diabetes. I am so glad that I chose to go even without a buddy and ended up sitting next to her.

As far as Jodi goes. Here is what I can tell you:

1. She's a literary Goddess. She is clearly a hard worker and a true testament that women can juggle babies and husbands and busy, successful careers all at the same time.
2. She loves Glee.
3. She has very strong political and social views, and she uses her talent to make them a part of book club discussion across America.
4. She has beautiful, fluffy, curly red hair.
5. She HATED the fact that the ending was changed on My Sister's Keeper. In fact, she was kicked off of the movie set while trying to get an explanation from the director (who swore he would never change the ending.)
6. She researches A LOT for her books... Visits prisons, interviews families, speaks with experts, and basically tries to understand every crevice of her stories. Also, she speaks about her characters as if they are real people. It's amazing to me (especially since I'm a science major) that people can bring such imagination to life.
7. She doesn't believe in Writer's Block, which I'm going to try to live by...honestly, I blame my lazy attitude about my blog some nights on this imaginary ailment.

Anywho, she was lovely, and definitely on my top 15 list of people I would want to have dinner with (others include Paul Farmer, Barack, Oprah, Jeannette Walls, Picasso... I think that's as far as I've gotten.)

Enjoy the Pretzels!

Rachey's and My Oscar Snack: Soft Pretzels

For the Pretzels:
1 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons coarse salt

For the Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
Directions

Make the pretzels: Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Prepare the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Brush pretzels with butter; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off. Serve the pretzels warm with the sweet mustard sauce.