Weekend Cooking...A Special Cookie

For this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, I have a recipe. I enjoy baking from time to time and especially this time of year. So here is one that I saw on the internet and that piqued my interest. I must admit I have not made it yet.

I am waiting for when I have a few days off from work. You may see why when you read it...

Tequila Cookies, Wheeeeee!

• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup or brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup nuts
• 2 cups of dried fruit
• 1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila
  

Sample the Cuervo to check quality.

Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it’s best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.

Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who geeves a sheet.

Check the Jose Cuervo.

Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don’t forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.

Ok, I thought you stressed out bakers might need a break...lol

My thanks to The Anchoress for this amusement.

8729528331

a review of "Evil At Heart"

Evil At Heart- A Thriller by Chelsea Cain
(Minotaur Books, ISBN 978-0-312-36848-7)

In this, the third installment in Cain's serial killer series, all our favorite characters from the first two books, Heartsick and Sweetheart, are back. The terribly scarred, both physically and emotionally, Detective Archie Sheridan, his friend and police co-worker Henry Sobol, the slightly flaky, purple haired journalist Susan Ward and of course, the beautiful, glamorous and extremely twisted serial killer Gretchen Lowell, again terrorizing the city of Portland, Oregon.

At the end of the second book, Gretchen had escaped from police custody and six months have now passed. Archie, our troubled hero, has spent the time voluntary signed into a mental hospital...for reasons you really need to read the first two books to begin to understand. I don't guarantee you will really totally understand Archie when you read them, but that is part of the appeal of these books. The relationship between our cop and our serial killer is unusual and quite troubling, to say the least.

When the last book ended, Archie and Gretchen had made a promise to each other. She would stop killing and he would stop trying to kill himself. But now, after six months, some things have surfaced that lead police to believe that she may be back in town and up to her old ways. Or is something else going on? Because since her escape from police, a strange media obsession has grown up around the beautiful, if horrible, Gretchen and it seems the internet is full of serial killer fan clubs, consumed with ever aspect of her crimes. Is she back or is this the work of a copy cat? It seems Archie will have to pull himself together, check himself out of the hospital and get back to work, because no one knows Gretchen better then he does or has a better chance of finally figuring out what is really going on.

This is a worthy sequel to the previous book, even if I am not sure it is quite as good as those two. The first two were truly excellent in my opinion while this is very good. Part of the reason, I think, is that the character of Gretchen and her relationship with Archie is just so unusual, so shocking when it is first presented in the first book but by now, if you have read the other books, you are a bit more prepared for that aspect. Secondly, she does not play quite as large a role in this book as in the others and her presence is missed. On the plus side, this book highlights the character of Susan much more, and her growing friendship with Archie and she is a great addition to the team. Also, for the more queazy, this book is not quite as gruesome as the other two. Yes, I will warn you they are pretty gruesome, this one just not quite as much.

For fans of Cain's previous books in the series, this is a must read.
For those new to her work, if you are looking for a really exciting murder thriller, I strongly suggest you start with the first book, Heartsick and work your way through the series.

(Another great book from my local library..)

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a review of "The Hunger Games"

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(Scholastic Press, ISBN 978-0-439-02348-3)

Here I am, once again, stepping outside my normal reading fare and reviewing a Young Adult book...and once again I am very happy I listened to the recommendations. Having read so many excellent reviews of this big hit from last year, I finally checked to see if my local library had a copy, which happily they did.

Now for the two of you who have not read this book yet, let me give you a brief run down on the plot.

The book is set in some near future or alternative history of North America. There is no United States of America in this world. North America (not sure if it includes Canada or not) is now a nation called Panem, made up of 12 districts, all overseen by the Capital, which is located somewhere west of the Rockies, perhaps where Denver is now located. But there were not always 12 districts. Once there were 13, but the 13th district revolted against the central government and was destroyed. In order to remind the remaining districts of the overwhelming power of the capital, the government instituted the Hunger Games, a horrible, violent, voyeuristic spectacle. Two young people, between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen by lottery every year from each district, and the 24 engage in a fight to the death, each year in a different sort of setting...all televised in excruciating detail on live TV.

When her younger sister is chosen, 16 year old Katniss steps forward and volunteers, as allowed under the rules, to take her place. In all likelihood, she is stepping forward into her own death. But Katniss is a survivor, with a keen mind and some helpful survival skills and she promised her little sister she would fight to win. Since her father's death some years ago in a mining accident, she has been the one sneaking outside the district fences and hunting game for food, as her father had taught her, to keep her mother and sister from starving to death. But now the game she is hunting is human, including the seeming very nice Peeta, the young man from her own district.
In order for her to live and to be able to go back home, every one of them must die.

I can't say that when I first read about the book I found the plot terribly appealing. Quite honestly, it sounded extremely violent, like a reality show gone very, very bad. However, that was not really the case. Yes, people kill and get killed but I didn't really see that as the center focus of the story. Katniss is a great character, a very smart, appealing young woman. Seen through her eyes, this alternative reality, this dystopic nation is disturbing real and believable. Katniss wants very much to live, but as she survives the first wave of deaths, she also realizes that the game, being watched live by the nation, is as much about PR as it is about skills or strength. And she must make the decision about how far she will go and what she will do to protect her own life. This story is as much about friendship and loyalty and compassion as it is about death.

I found this a well written, compelling story that I enjoyed a good deal, more than I actually though that I would. You can be sure that I put my name at once on the unfortunately long hold list at my library for the second book in this three part series Catching Fire.

Wordless Wednesday...Juneau, Alaska

Oh my, forgot it was Wednesday and I was unprepared. Here are a couple from the Great Alaskan Trip this last summer.







...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Tuesday Thinger...Why I am Disenchanted With Library Thing

Let's see if Wendi at Wendi's Book Corner has found another overlooked Library Thing feature for our enjoyment...

Questions: Have you had a chance to peak at the Quick Links section on the book page of your favorite book(s)? Were you surprised by any of the covers or lack thereof? Did you click on any of the covers to see where it would take you? Have you heard of WorldCat before?

Oh, I really should be out Christmas shopping, but I read the question, went over to Library Thing to check it out...and then I got very mad. Ok, not actually very mad, more like slightly disappointed. You see, before I had a chance to check out this week's question, I saw I had a new comment! How exciting...until I read it and found that once again I had not received an Early Reviewer book. That makes a full year, 12 months without being picked. No, I don't really need the book, but I am starting to take it personally. I was a good ERer. I really was! I read the book at once, reviewed it right away. What more could I do? And ya all know what a Library Thing fan I am...and this is how I am repaid. I am cut to the quick. The quick I tell ya!

Ok, now that I have that out, let's go back to the question.
I LOVE the Quick Link section on LT! Now, usually I go to the "Get this book" link, which we discussed last week. I find the variety of information there very useful, a quick, one stop way to check a variety of sources for a book.

But no, I had not ever looked at the WorldCat link. Cats scare me a bit...even my imaginary kitty, Kitty. So the title alone was enough to keep me away. But Wendi is very brave and checked it out first. I admit that I had no idea what it was until Wendi pointed it out and yes, it is another cool site. Gosh, there is just so much information out there on the internet, isn't there? But...I must say that I prefer the "Get this book" link, at least after a quick look. For example, while WorldCat list the libraries that have the book, the "Get this book" lists a lot more systems closer to my home and with my local county system, lists each separate branch where as WorldCat has just the whole system as one link.

Now I admit, I do love all the covers! I have said it before, but I am a shallow, superficial person. Covers are important to me. I have bought..or not bought..books because of the covers and it is fascinating to look at the variety of lovely, pretty covers. Especially with an older book that has many editions out there.
Odd..I looked at The Lighthouse by P.D.James. About 25 different covers, but they all are very similar, all blue or blue/gray, all similar images.
Then...I looked at Kafka on the Shore by Haruki MuraKami. About 45 covers, and the variety is huge. All quite bizarre and all very different.
I wonder why?

Speaking of cats (WorldCat ya know), I hope you checked out the video in the post just before this one. As the guy who posted it on YouTube said, it may be the happiest 15 seconds you will ever see.
But speaking of the cutest things you will ever see, let's check out the cutest puppy in the universe. After all, Tuesday is Bandit Day!

Surprised Kitty Cat

A small dose of extreme cuteness...



I want one...

Musing Mondays...Ho, Ho, Ho!

Let's check out this week's question from Rebecca at Just one more page...

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading/blogging during the holidays…

How does your reading (or your blogging) fare in the holiday months? Do you read more or less? Do you have to actively make time to read?

Allow me to let you in on a secret. Now, don't well anyone! Ok, you are sworn to secrecy, right?
Here it is...I do a lot of my reading and a fair bit of blog post writing at work.

We have discussed my odd work schedule before- 12 hour shifts, either 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., alternating between the two every few days, seven days a week. So I am at work on alternative weekends. I am there at 1..2...3...4 o'clock in the morning on a regular basis. And even diligently doing my job, there is, shall we say, a bit of down time in those long nights, just watching over things. That is my best reading time. No distractions, quiet...very, very quiet. I can't access my blog from work, and don't really want to, but I can still write something from my blog, save it to a flash drive and then post it at home. But honestly, I prefer to use it for reading. If I get interrupted by work related matters, and I will, it is easier to go back to a book then to try and get my mind back to something I was writing.

So, if I use my regular days off between now and Christmas to do the things that I need to do to prepare for the holiday season...and the list is impressive...as well as silly things like laundry and raking those darn leaves that are seeming to continually reappear, and I use my regular 'quiet time' at work to read, I shouldn't be and further behind in my reading than I am now. Which is not saying a lot.

Now if I could just figure out a way to hang lights and put up my tree while I am at work, I would be all set!

Weekend Cooking...savory Pumpkin Soup

Today, for our weekly Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, I am going to share with you one of my very favorite recipes in the world. It is easy, quick and totally delicious, three excellent characteristics of a recipe in my book.

Now I must warn you...do not be turned off by the pumpkin. This recipe was found by my SIL years ago on the back of the Libby pumpkin can, and there in lies the one thing that may keep people from trying this soup. Pumpkin. So, let me be clear. We are NOT talking about anything resembling the flavors of pumpkin pie or anything sweet, or cinnamon-like here. No, no. This is a savory soup, with the curry and coriander, with a bit of heat from the red pepper. But it is a heat you can adjust to your taste. The 1/8 teaspoon in the recipe is, I think, a good start for the first time you make it.

And if my experience is telling, it will not be the last time you make it. Rare is the person who does not like this soup when they taste it. I can almost guarantee people you serve this to will be clamoring for the recipe...just don't mention the word pumpkin until after they taste it.

Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 (or 8 ..but I like garlic) cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground coriander (best buy whole and grind it fresh)
1/8 tsp. red pepper, or to taste.
3 cups chicken stock (canned is fine)
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 (or canned evaporated skim milk for a lower fat alternative)
16 oz. canned plain pumpkin

Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add spices and cook over low heat 1-2 minutes. Add stock and boil gently 15-20 minutes. Add pumpkin and 1/2 and 1/2 and cook 5 minutes at low heat..
Put in blender in small batches (be careful blending hot things…put a dishtowel over the lid and hold as you slowly blend) and blend until smooth. Reheat and serve with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped scallions.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

And while you are hopefully enjoying a nice dinner with friends and family, what you need to make the day just perfect is a song, so, for your listening pleasure...

A short ode to pumpkin pie...



my thanks to Boing Boing for pointing this one out!

a review of "No Wind of Blame"

No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer
(Sourcebooks, ISBN 978-1-4-22-1801-9)

During her lifetime, Heyer was better known for her Regency romances than her mysteries and that may still be true today. But if you are a fan of clever stories, with excellent dialogue and an amusing cast of characters in an English country house setting and have not checked out the dozen or so of her mysteries, you really owe it to yourself to do so. And happily, you have the very nice editions, reissued by Sourcebooks, to make it an even more attractive prospect.

In No Wind of Blame, we are in the English countryside of the late 1930's, in the lovely estate of Ermyntrude Carter. Ermyntrude was on the stage as a young woman and inherited the impressive house and her fortune from her first, beloved husband. Sadly, her second marriage, to the ner'do-well Wally, is not quite so beneficial. It seems he has found a number of seedy ways to spend her money, including gambling, wine, women and song and maybe a shady business dealing or two. His activities have drawn the displeasure of many in the neighboring community beside his wife. Those that care for Ermyntrude, including her daughter from her first marriage, Vicky, several admirers, including a very questionable Russian prince and even Mary, Wally's cousin and ward have their issue with Wally. And that just scrapes the surface of the suspects. Yes, suspects, because Wally will be shot to death as he crosses the estate and so starts the mystery, a mystery full of twist and turns, red herrings galore, a big and lively cast of characters and a nice dash or two of romance to top it all off before coming to a logical and satisfactory conclusion.

Certainly Heyer's books will remind you of Agatha Christie's to a degree, although I don't honestly remember Christie being quite so funny. Heyer is often very amusing and her excellent dialogue is really the high point of the book. At times, granted, it can make for some rather slow going because you really have to pay attention to what is being said, but you will be rewarded if you do. I will also warn you that the first quarter of so of the book may seem rather slow, because it takes a fair bit of talking to acquaint us with a rather large cast, most of whom will soon be suspects. But once poor Wally gets himself killed, things start to pick up, especially with the arrival of the witty Inspector Hemingway from Scotland Yard.

I also must mention, as I do with all the Sourcebooks editions, that I just love the look and feel of these books. I am not usually a big fan of paperbacks but these are an exception. Attractive covers and a clean, nice feel making for a pleasant reading experience, not something to be ignored.

If you are a mystery fan, especially of the witty, clever English country house sort, you do really owe it to yourself to check out No Wind of Blame. As Dorothy L. Sayers, quoted on the back cover of the book says,

“Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me...I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go”.”

My thanks to Danielle of Sourcebooks for this copy.

Wordless Wednesday...Santa!

Well, we all know that Thursday, Thanksgiving, the real Santa will be in NYC, in the Macy's Parade. Then he will be off to the North Pole to get to work with the elves, making toys. But where does he spend his summers? Well, I know! Because I saw him there, in North Pole Alaska!

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...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Tuesday Thinger...SantaThing is Coming to Town!

Yep, it's Bandit Tuesday and we have a very exciting picture of a Bandit outing (or so he says...) but first, let's check out out Tuesday Thinger question from Wendi's Book Corner.

It is about Library Thing's SantaThing. What is that you ask? Well...

What: Pay $25 to participate, and get up to $20 in books from your Secret Santa (the difference goes toward shipping)
When: Sign up between now and December 1st (that is NEXT week!) at 4 PM EST
Who: It is open to more countries this year (see full list), and you can sign up a non-LT member to receive books as well.
How: Become a Secret Santa, get a name/profile from LT, pick out books based on their library and/or wishes, then LT will place the orders and take care of shipping! ... wait for your package to arrive from your Secret Santa.

Questions: Have you ever participated in SantaThing (it is in its third year)? If so, what did you like? Dislike? Are you planning to participate this year?

It sounds like a nice idea, and many people on LT go on about how much they enjoyed it last year and how much fun it is but...no. No, I don't think I will be taking part.
First of all, as I mentioned before, while I love Christmas, I find it very stressful. Granted it does not take much any more to make me very stressed. Less and less all the time in fact. But when I get stress my back tightens up and there have been years that by Christmas I am almost unable to walk. So, I don't really need anymore stress.

And, for me, picking a present for someone is stressful. Granted, Lt makes it very easy. You can look at the person's library, see what they have, what they don't, recommendations based on books they have. You might have a book that you loved recently and if they do not have it is their library, you are all set. But still, it is one more thing to do and I don't really need another thing to do. I already have a Big List of Things That Ned To Be Done that I am not doing, thank you very much.

But it is a nice idea...

Speaking of things to do, Bandit is home from the Sunshine State for the holiday and I must go see him. He is so cute... :-)
Here is a picture of him of one of the favorite autumn past times of many (yours truly not included). You will take note that he is a gator fan...for some reason. I also suspect Bandit may have gotten his paws on a copy of Photoshop.

Go Gators!!

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Musing Monday...School Days, Dear Old Golden Rule Days...

School days, school days,
Dear old golden rule days.
Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic,
Taught to the tune of the hick'ry stick.

This week's questions is inspired by the fact that our host, Rebecca from Just one more page, is starting a new teaching job, so she is taking us back to our school days...

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your bookshelf…
What books did you read while in school? Were there any that you particular liked, or even hated? Did any become lifelong favourites?

Now, in my defense, let me begins my saying that my school days were decades..several decades...ago. So my memory is a wee bit hazy. I am not at all sure of what I was reading in grammar school. I know I was reading. I remember all those trips to the library, one of my fav-or-ite places in the world,as I have recounted here before. But what books, what sorts of books, I really don't remember. What I do know is that I seem to have bypassed many of the books that are considered children's classics.

On the other hand, I do know that I developed a insatiable taste for mysteries. I know that before I was in high school I was working my way through Agatha Christie, Nero Wolf and the Complete Sherlock Holmes. That is a predilection that continues to this day. Push come to shove, my go to comfort books are mysteries, from English cozies to serial killers on the loose and everything in between.

Now it was in high school that I think I was first introduced to the classics and those books that many consider essential reading for a well read person. We studied them in school and we had to read them in the summer. The summer reading list...and I don't mean the two or three books that I have seen at some schools these days. I mean a list..maybe a dozen books per summer in my memory. Gosh, I wish I had those lists now.

I don't remember hating any of them. So I'm not sure if I really did not hate any, or I actually just don't remember. ;-)
But as to books I loved, oh, that is another story! I know for a fact one of them was To Kill a Mockingbird, still one of my favorite books of all time. Then there was Edith Hamilton's Mythology, a book that, for some reason, I now have three copies of. Another was The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton, one that is on my all time best list. And of course Catcher In The Rye the book that set me off on a brief Salinger obsession. Not serial killer Catcher In the Rye Obsession...book reader obsession. Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction..read them all
And Lord of The Rings...not sure that one was required and in fact, I think it is too long to have been on the list, but I know I read it for the first time in high school ..and then set off on a little Tolkien obsession. The Hobbit, Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, I read them all. You might notice a pattern to my reading habits. When I found an author I liked, I read as much of their work that I could find. But that was in the golden years, when I didn't have other distractions like earning a living and mowing the grass. I don't have time to be quite as obsessed these days.

I did a lot of reading in high school.

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Weekend Cooking...a Review of "Get Cooking"

For this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, let's look at a new cookbook...

Get Cooking by Mollie Katzen
(HarperStudio, ISBN 978-0061732430)

What to do if you find yourself, all grown up, standing in your kitchen, a place you don't know too well or use very often. You would like to be able to cook, perhaps invite people to eat, and have it involve something beside takeout or pizza. But really, you have no idea how to deal with a recipe and a microplane grater looks like something in your dad's garage. Or what do you do if you know someone like that? Well, one thing you might very well consider is getting them a copy of the famed Mollie Katzen's, she of Moosewood Cookbook fame, new cookbook, Get Cooking.

"We've kind of become a nation of nutrient and flavor- challenged food voyeurs. Let's change that. I'm here to help.
For starts, I'm exceedingly happy to present you with 150 delicious, doable recipes that even the most inexperienced person can walk into any kitchen right now and make for dinner tonight. The "cuisine" is what I like to call "Big Tent." accommodating a broad base of tastes and needs, vegetarian and meat loving and everything in between...You'll find them to be boldly seasoned-there's absolutely no need for "beginning" to mean "bland"- with lots of ethnic influences and flavors to keep things interesting."

She starts with the basics- how to equip a kitchen, stock a pantry and prep your veggies. You might think everyone knows how to chop an onion or deal with a head of garlic...except if you have never done it. Or if you have been doing it wrong...lol.

Then we get to the recipes, broken down into Soups and Salads, Pastas, Vegetarian Entrées, Burgers, Fish, Chicken & Meat, Potatoes, Vegetable Sides, Party Snacks and of course, Desserts! Now Katzen may consider these basic, but they are certain not ordinary or dull. There is a basic chicken soup, yes, but there is also a Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup and a North African Red Lentil Soup. There is Spaghetti and Meatballs and Mac and Cheese but also Pasta with Tuna, White Beans, and Artichoke Hearts. And those burgers include a basic hamburger, but also tuna, salmon and a Spice-Crusted Tofu Cutlet while the vegetarian entrees include Baked Stuffed Potatoes but also Thai Green Curry with Coconut Milk, Vegetables, and Tofu. This is not necessarily your grandmother starter cookbook.

Each recipe has a photograph, all taken by Katzen, clear instructions and a list of not difficult to find ingredients. They seem to be recipes that even the most inexperienced cook could follow with good results. Many recipes have added little sections on particular challenges that might come along like how to toast nuts or what to do with those chicken giblets. You don't just throw them out, do you? But each recipe also includes what may be my favorite part of the book, a "Get Creative" column, which suggests how to take the recipe to the next level with a few additions, a few substitutions or a twist here and there.

If you know someone that needs that starter cookbook, maybe a young person off to college, someone setting up there first apartment or someone whose use of takeout menus is leading them to bankruptcy, this would make a fine gift. And I admit I found more than a few things in here I will be trying out in the near future...hmmmm...Intensely Chocolate Brownies...yum.

My thanks to HarperStudio for the ARC of this book!

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One, Two, Three...Jump!

As we get older...and if you ain't dead, you're getting older... we reach a point where we start to worry about having strong bones. We don't want to be the old lady in the commercial who has fallen and can't get up, laying there with a broken hip. But how is the best way to do that? Do you have to join a gym, lift weights, walk for miles? As usual, just when you thing you know, the experts change their mind,. Vigorous walking, load bearing exercise...well maybe, maybe not. Seems some exercise helps and some does not. But according to an article in the NY Times, there is a simple, fast and totally free way that will work.

"...the current state-of-the-science message about exercise and bone building may be that, silly as it sounds, the best exercise is to simply jump up and down, for as long as the downstairs neighbor will tolerate. In studies in Japan, having mice jump up and land 40 times during a week increased their bone density significantly after 24 weeks, a gain they maintained by hopping up and down only about 20 or 30 times each week after that.

If hopping seems an undignified exercise regimen, bear in mind that it has one additional benefit: It tends to aid in balance, which may be as important as bone strength in keeping fractures at bay. Most of the time, Dr. Barry says, “fragile bones don’t matter, from a clinical standpoint, if you don’t fall down.”"

Free, quick, easy! You can't beat that and maybe you won't end up with a broken hip!
Although I do wonder how they got those mice to jump up and down.
Maybe they used this, the perfect song! "Round and round, up and down...One, two, three, kick... One, two, three, jump!"