I’m gone on vaca. And with all the pre departure craziness, trying to finish the schedule for the co-op, I didn’t cook very many original meals. I have no Sunday Sup for you today.
Instead I suggest you check out these websites. They are my fave food blogs.
Enjoy!
I used to read Kathy Reichs obsessively. When her books became a TV show I watched that too. Super entertaining in that vaguely smart over dramatic manner I enjoy. Eventually the show leaned to drama with less smarts and I moved away from it. I also hadn’t picked up any of her books in eons. But I saw The Bone Collection on a swing through the library and thought four little novellas could be just what the doctor ordered.
This collection of novellas were definitely written with a purpose. Three of the four stories, according to Reichs comments in an author’s note, were written specifically to bring attention to a concern of hers. Why not? They’re well written entertaining little novellas if a bit preachy at times. But that’s the right of solid authors with a long list of hits behind them, to use their power for causes they think are important. I can roll with that.
Reichs has a slow discovery style, by which I mean, you get a body, and as Tempe performs the autopsy and gets overly involved with the investigation, new facts turn up, which alters the plot. I don’t want to get too specific and give away the twists. It’s a hallmark of Reichs though. If you’ve read enough of her books you know almost where the twist will take you but the reading is still enjoyable.
Two things became clear to me with the 4 novella format. First, in each one she says the exact same line about handing her ID to someone who studies it so long they could have memorized the information. Note to self, watch for lines I over use. The second was a little grating. Tempe gets overly involved in each investigation. As she goes along she makes these amazing deductive jumps providing valuable assistance to the police. Ok, cool. But then at the end, she goes dumber than a box of rocks. She goes to confront someone without back up and frequently lies about it, too. And at this point in the story as the reader, I know she’s going to confront the bad guys. How is it she doesn’t know until they attack her? Bah. It was a little much 3 times in a row.
℘℘℘ – Decent read. I have read her before and will probably read her again when her books cross my path but I won’t go looking for them.
You’ll pardon my lazy easy recipe but I’m in Berlin right now and I got better things to do. There are gluten free donuts calling my name … on my way to the Allied Museum.
Fruit salad. I know this is easy. But follow this little secret and people will go mad over it.
So throw in your chopped up fruit. I many different colors so it looks visually appetizing. Blackberries, Blueberries, apples, cuties, grapes, strawberries if you know no one is allergic….
Juice a large orange, blood orange maybe. Add maple syrup while stirring. You want to stop pouring when the fluid looks just a tinge brown. If you’re a measurer, 2/3 juice to 1/3 maple. Pour over your salad and toss.
That’s it. Simple, easy. But you will come home with an empty bowl every time.
Have you ever noticed an empty coffee cup will stay upright on your floor mat through 12 miles of winding back roads but a full one spills before you even get out of your driveway?
Discuss.
But this morning I am off on vaca. I’ll be out of the country for a few weeks. Fear not, I have pre-written all my normal posts and assuming wordpress doesn’t go kookey, all will proceed tickety tock. But I will be way slower at responding to comments. LOL
I randomly grabbed three amazing things about you by Jill Mansell on a breeze through the library one day, simply for it’s title. Because hello, three amazing things about me, love to hear that. Who doesn’t want to hear how amazing they are.
Surprisingly it wasn’t about my good qualities or even how to find my good qualitites and get people to appreciate them. Three things about you is actually the name of a website that gives advice on problems sent in by readers. Hallie, the blog owner, wants three things about each person to help her understand them so she can give quality advice. The secret that Hallie isn’t sharing is that she is almost bedridden with Cystic Fibrosis.
The book is an ensemble with probably ten characters to get invested in. Some I liked more than others. Most I understood because Mansell painted them so beautifully with her descriptions of their actions. The book is gripping I have to admit. I started it one morning and carried it with me all day, reading when I could and then finally spending 2 hours with the book while the hubs played with the kiddo to finish it same day.
I bawled. Loudly. So loudly in fact that the hubs heard me over the video game and came to investigate. I am torn because of this. Mansell has a long list of published works and I suspect they are all as compellingly written as this one but….I don’t like to be made to cry. sigh
℘℘℘℘℘ – Five Pages – read it in one day. Really want to read more but there’s the whole crying thing. Maybe I’ll go for one more of her novels and see if that one makes me bawl. That’s a plan then.
I’m not sure quite where I got the idea for this meal. It’s super easy but has the advantage of meeting a lot of complicated situations. You’re going to a potluck and the host informs you half the guests are vegetarian. As a paleo consumer, now what do you do? Chicken kabobs in faux peanut sauce aren’t going to cut it.
Chop a variety of veg. I like onion, mushroom, zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper. If you are feeling snazzy, you can marinate the onion, mushroom, and bell pepper ahead of time. Use a good balsamic, olive oil, and garlic. An hour is sufficient.
Preheat oven to 425, line a rimmed sheet with parchment. Put the zucchini and eggplant on first so when you pour the marinating veg out of the container and onto the pan the sauce gets on all the veg. Stir.
Roast 20 minutes. Stir. Roast 15-20 more depending on how done you like your veg.
Serve with a good garlic hummus. Or plain hummus. Or I suppose a yogurt tzatziki would work but I always feel like the pre-made isn’t all that tasty and I don’t want to chop all the herbs to make my own. LOL
If you have meat eaters, you can always put out some left over chicken or grill some sausage to accompany your veg meal.
Somehow this conversation came up at the coop the other day. We all sort of skirted around it. But as a writer, I find when complicated ideas start to haunt me I feel the need to write about them.
The Great Oz. Powerful. Scary. Epically bad special effects. LOL But the idea embodied in the character is powerful. Behind the curtain is a small little man afraid people will find out who he is, how little he is, how little power he has. Afraid they will not like or respect him if they know who he is.
I often feel like OZ. Sure, I am funny and charming. It attracts many. It also keeps most at arms distance. I like them there. I am safe behind my curtain. I use humor and charm as that curtain. Most people are more than happy with this. I am careful to limit the time I spend with them. To leave them laughing.
Because I am safe behind the curtain. Behind the curtain you don’t know how insecure I really am. How afraid I am that you will not like or respect me.
In the last 6 months or so I have tried to be more open with people. To share more about me. Tentative little steps. And I have found people push back, hard. They don’t want to know I am insecure. They don’t want to know I too struggle. They want me to be funny and charming and strong and help them with their emotional baggage.
Which makes me wonder, was the Great OZ protecting just himself behind that curtain or was he protecting the land of OZ as well….
I think Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein is supposed to be for kids. Yep, just flipped it over and the age range is 8-12. Whatever. This book was awesomely amusing and I would give my right arm to visit a library like this. Wait, I’m right handed. I would give my left arm to visit a library like this.
Kyle Keely loves games. Board Games. Video Games. Word Games. He just isn’t crazy about homework, reading, or school. So when his best friend reminds him essays to win a chance to spend the night locked in the new library before it’s open to the public are due at the start of school, he only has times to scribble “I hope you have balloons there.” LOL
As befitting a 12 year old who plays lots of games Kyle finds a way to get a better written essay into the contest and gets to spend the night in the library. Of course getting out of the library is where his skills really pay off. You have to read the book from here. I can’t possible give away the plot on a book this fun.
℘℘℘℘℘ – 5 pages – Amusing good time. It was nice to visit my childhood again. I practically lived in the boring library I had access to as a child. I would have moved in to Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.
T.A. Henry 