Book Review: Murder, Handcrafted

October 31, 2016October 14, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes I wonder if this is my new addiction, cozy mysteries. The board elected to cancel coop today because the storm of the century was coming…yeah, the weather service had been selling that for days and I still haven’t seen anything above a standard winter storm for us but I was out voted. So I spent the morning running errands with my kiddo and we came home sopping wet despite rain coats. All I wanted to do was put on warm pajamas and curl up on the couch with a good book. So I put on warm pajamas, answered 57 emails, home schooled the kiddo and then curled up with Murder, Handcrafted by Isabella Alan.

This appears to be the fifth book in the Amish Quilt Shop series. LOL. Who thinks of these things? I picked it up because I hoped it would have some Amish flair and I do like to learn about other people’s way of life. It had a sprinkling of of the language, strictly the simple words, yes, no, god. shrug. I wanted more.

The mystery was decent. The reader gets the clues as the detective does. I like that. I like all the information up front so if I can’t figure it out it’s not because the author cheated. smiles. I figured this one out. But it wasn’t one of my fave kinds of murder. Someone decent or at least redeeming himself gets killed. sigh. And by a perfectly nice person. I don’t warm to those kinds of tales. I like the bad guy to get it in the neck.

Found the style repetitive. How many times in one page does the reader need to be reminded your dog is a black and white French Bulldog named Oliver? I got it, I swear. And she repeats some of her backfill, mainly in the first few chapters. By 60 pages in or so it was fairly smooth sailing.

℘℘℘ — Three pages. I liked it. It was nice on an icky day. I won’t be reading any of the other ones or her new series coming out in December. It’s just not my flavor.

Sunday Sup: Kitchen Sink Peppers

October 30, 2016October 30, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 3 Comments

I’m not sure where this one came from initially, but my friend Christine made a version of it for dinner for me once. I super liked it so of course I had to start playing with it.

Kitchen Sink Peppers

Bell Peppers, you need 4-6 of different colors, unless you like your peppers monochromatic, then whatever.

vegetables.

meat.

cheese.

Yep, it’s that easy.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Pull all the odds and ends of veg you have in your fridge out. Chop, peel, etc.

Pull out some ground meat, chicken, beef, pork, sausage, turkey, it doesn’t matter.

Brown the meat with the veg.

Cut your bell peppers in half and scoop out the seeds, rinse and then dry your peppers, otherwise soggy filling, ick.

Grate the cheese of your choice, or use pre-grated. Whatever. I don’t judge.

Sprinkle a pinch of cheese in the bottom of a pepper, add a layer of meat/veg combo, add a layer of cheese and press it all down. Another layer of meat/veg and a final layer of cheese. Squish it all down nice and firm.

Put the stuffed peppers on a parchment lined sheet and bake them until soft. 20-30 minutes. It’s pretty much your call.

I literally use whatever is about.

Italian sausage with carrots and onion, topped with mozzarella.

Ground turkey with mushrooms, spinach, and shallots.
You could even get snazzy: ground lamb with zucchini and goat cheese.

But tonight I had nothing much at all in the house.

So ground beef, onions, frozen spinach, and jalapeno jack cheese. Yummy!

Make yourself at home.

Fiendish Friday: Piles

October 28, 2016October 12, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 11 Comments

In my master bathroom, above the toilet, there is a cabinet with a little open shelf. I frequently stick books there that I am reading while occupying the restroom. Today I realized there were four open books there. Then when I left the rest room, I saw three more books on my bed side table all in various stages of read. And then on my desk, 3 more. I dash out of the bedroom to escape, ahhh, one on the table next to the couch and one in my purse. All in some stage of reading. Don’t even get me started on the piles of history, geography, archeology, and literature I am scrambling through for develop my class plans for the coop.

Help, before the piles of books devour me, tell me, how many books are you reading right now?

Wednesday Writer’s Update 10/26

October 26, 2016October 26, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 2 Comments

Ugh, my stomach has launched a war against me and I think it’s winning. There will be nothing fancy about this post.

Nano is coming. I will write a little and edit a lot. I know that’s basically the opposite of Nano but live with it, I am. Assuming my stomach doesn’t actually kill me in the next five days.

Vacation is coming: it will be warm and sunny which means I must shave, but at least it will be warm and sunny.

That is all I have. Must go now….

Book Review: A Little Night Murder

October 24, 2016October 9, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ Leave a comment

I just breezed through the latest Blackbird Sisters murder mystery, A Little Night Murder by Nancy Martin. I’ve read the whole series. I heartily enjoy the main character, Nora Blackbird. She has style, class, and a willingness to do what must be done.

In this one, Nora is finally pregnant. She is adopting her nephew’s child, because said nephew is 18 and wants to go to college and the mom is in jail for murder. Along the way she takes custody of her sister’s child from the father. So count, they are about to have 3 babies under one. Nora is thrilled. I hope she enjoys that bubble bath, it will be the last one she gets for a very, very long time. LOL

The murder is tacky as usual. LOL. Nancy Martin seems to specialize in slightly off color or inappropriate murders. It’s fun but predictable now. Sister number one is having a mid life crisis because she isn’t ready to be a grandmother. Sister two is trying to get her life together but still indulging in all the wrong things. Some things never change.

There is some hearty amusement regarding Paraguay and proxy weddings. I did a little research on this and they aren’t recognized in Pennsylvania where Nora lives, so Nancy goofed there, but it was still very amusing. I won’t give away the punch line. Read it yourself.

℘℘℘℘ – Four pages. Enjoyed it very much. Easy to read in short bursts if you have a busy life. I will definitely pick up the next one in series.

Sunday Sup: Quiche Becomes Fritatta

October 23, 2016October 3, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 6 Comments

I LOVE this recipe. I don’t even mind that it takes almost 2 hours to make it, I LOVE it soooo much. And the best part…the boys like it. Yep, like it. Which means momma gets the left overs!

So the original recipe comes from the fabulous Jessica over at How Sweet It Is. I end up bastardizing a lot of her recipes. I make them because she’s amazing but then I have to bastardize because of the gluten issue. Yep, me and the kiddo are gluten free. You do not want to meet me after I’ve been consuming gluten for any length of time. Just ask one of my exes who complained personalities number 7-11 are the reason we broke up, he was totally in love with 1-6. LOL

So without further ado…

Roasted Broccolini, Bacon, and Caramelized Shallot Fritatta – Version Gluten Free

Preheat the oven to 400.

Use kitchen shears to cut 1/2 lb of bacon into bite sized pieces and start those browning in a fairly large skillet.

Thinly slice 3 shallots. Add 2 tbsp butter to a small skillet over LOW heat. When the butter is melted add the shallots. Keep an eye on these, stirring frequently. It will take 10-15 minutes for them to caramelize gently.

Stir your bacon.

Put a sheet of parchment on a baking pan, toss the broccolini on, drizzle with garlic infused olive oil.

When the oven beeps, it wants the broc pan. Feed the oven. 20 minute timer.

Cut up some potatoes. I know that’s general. If you are using baking potatoes, peel them first and then really small dice. If you use yukon gold, give them a good wash, do not peel them and quarter or sixth each potato.

When the bacon is brown, pull it from the pan to drain on paper towels.

Add the potatoes to the bacon grease pan. Stir the potatoes every now and then. You want them brown and somewhat tender.

I suspect your shallots might be close to done.

In a large bowl whisk 6 large (xl is fine) eggs with 1 1/2 cups heavy cream. Then add 1 1/2 – 2 cups Gruyere and Swiss combo shredded cheese. Let the cheese get all gooey with the egg/cream mixture.

Check your potatoes and shallots.

Is the Broccolini done? Slightly charred is what you want. Pull it and let it cool on a chopping board until your potatoes are ready. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.

Grab a nice big baking dish. Spray with non stick of your choice, I like Olive Oil.

Coarsely chop your Broccolini, you should be able to touch it now without burning your

hands.

Add the potatoes to the dish, then the bacon, then the broc, then the shallots.

Pour the cream/egg/cheese goo over the top.

Slide that puppy in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

The cheese will be brown and puffed up with the egg goo feeling set below.

Munch munch munch. But leave some left overs for me.

Make yourself at home.

https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/2-9-13/html/r-sf.html

Fiendish Friday: The Loaded Gun Theory

October 21, 2016October 12, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 3 Comments

I’ve briefly alluded to my time in 12 step before. There are lots of maxims one picks up in 12 step programs. Many I embrace whole heartedly, many others I struggle with daily.

Maxim: Keep your side of the street clean.

Translation: Try to behave as best you can and when you screw up, clean it up.

I have no problem with this one. I am forever fixing mistakes. Eventually I’ll run out of mistakes to make right?

Maxim: It is none of your business what other people think of you.

Translation: Mind your own business even when it’s about you.

Fuck me. This one slays me all the time. I want to be a 100 dollar bill and adored by every one. Bah

Maxim: If you find yourself shot, did you hand the shooter a loaded gun.

Translation: People might do sucky things to you, but don’t help them do it.

I frequently find myself handing people loaded guns. I know I should get out, or stop, or something but I go along because I want every one to adore me. And then something nasty happens and I have to take a long look and then admit to myself, I knew better. What’s worse is when occasionally, I see the moment I should pull the plug while it’s happening and I ignore it. Gibbs head slap myself.

Tell me I am not the only one…do share….

Wednesday Writer’s Update 10/19

October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 5 Comments

Good morning! It’s going to be one of those days today, so I’m just going get this up now and check at least one thing off my to do list. I love lists. I love the brain emptying, peace inducing process of getting everything that needs to be done out and on to paper. Then the pure joy of crossing things off one by one as I finish them or decide maybe they don’t need my time or attention. “Nevermind, I’m not doing that.”

I’ve been tracking what I do for a few days now, because I assigned my Nano to Pub class at the coop to do so as well in preparation for setting their Nano goals. And damn I am busy. I’d like to say there’s plenty of fluff space in there where I could be working harder on my goals but the reality is there is NOT. wrinkles nose. I need to ponder how I can make some adjustments. bard-starlet-radio-hour-flyer-2016-ghosts-final

The big news this week….is Bard and Starlet. It is on.

We have actors and a director.

This is the first time something I have written will appear on the stage. Kind of exciting.

But at the same time, two members of FVP are publishing this month. And I am not.

I was not a good guardian of my own time. And I am paying for it now.

I’ve decided to report on my stated 2016 goals each Wednesday at for a little prod of accountability.

– Participate in one flash fiction challenge per month.

√ sigh, I gotta be honest. This had just ceased to be a priority. Say good bye to flash fiction.

– Prepare and teach “Nano to Publish”.

√ Just had our October meeting this past weekend. It was more of a prepare for Nanowrimo than a publish. But it is time to get ready to write.

– Any time I am not actively working on my 2015 Nano Novel, write 2500 words per week on my spy novel until it is done. (After four years, it’s time to put this mess to bed.)

√ Working on it. Still planning to be ready for beta readers before the end of November.

Non writing goals

– Prepare and teach two classes at the coop for the 2016-2017 school year.

√ Teaching. I have actually have 6 students in both of my classes, which sounds sad but is really impressive given 75% of our students are 4th grade of less. I am super pleased with my turn out. I have just enough kids that they spurn each other on to talk but everyone can have a say because there’s time for 6 kids to have opinions.

– Take better care of my body, ie. stop compulsively painting, crocheting, and writing until my back or shoulder is so tore I can barely use either.

√ I haven’t been painting, crocheting, or writing much. Too much time spent cleaning out four rooms for the painters. I seriously think we have too much stuff. I feel a major purge coming….after my book goes to beta. LOL

– yoga daily.

√ Yes, I am actually doing this. Which is how I am keeping my cool with everything else going on. LOL

Book Review: Because I Said So!

October 17, 2016October 1, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ Leave a comment

This is not my first Ken Jennings rodeo. I suppose you could say I have a writerly crush on him. Not him, per se, his books. He always writes these humorous geeky little non fiction works that are vastly entertaining. Every time I see he’s come out with some new works I have to read them. Because I Said So! is a review of all the things parents tell their children and whether it has any basis in science what so ever.

Like “Run between the raindrops, you won’t get so wet.” Well obvious one can’t run between raindrops but running is more effective than walking if you don’t have an umbrella because your overall time in the rain is less. Cool huh?

“You only use 10% of your brain.” Totally false, which is why you can just hammer and nail into your head and have everything be all good. Turns out you need all that gray matter.

Anyway, the book is funny and geeky, and totally validated my bathroom germ horror. LOL

℘℘℘℘ – Solid 4 pages. Finished it in just a few days with a smile on face every time I read it.

Sunday Sup: Pizza Pasta

October 16, 2016October 1, 2016 ~ tahenryauthoress ~ 3 Comments

This one is actually all mine. LOL. More or less. It came from my fave pizza that I make at MOD. But MOD is expense and I have to drive there and it’s far and I hate traffic and….So this pasta was born.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

I use a lot of “easy” food in this so that it’s a quick go to meal. You could do it all homemade and fresh, if you have the time and desire. I do when I do and when I don’t, I don’t. I’m not giving much in the way of quantity here because a lot of this is to your taste and scales easily. Feel free to add or subtract based on your family’s taste.

Chop bacon into a skillet, brown. (1/2 pound maybe)

Start a pot of water to boil.

While the bacon cooks, thin slice a couple of shallots or a red onion (if using an onion cut your slices in half), chop up some marinated artichoke hearts.

Remove the bacon from the pan. Add the onion of choice. Give it a couple of minutes, then add the artichoke hearts.

While they brown, chop a bag of sliced precooked chicken breast. (1 lb, I get mine at Costco. You can of course use any chicken leftovers you have laying around, or cook some fresh if you have the time.)

When you’re done chopping the chicken, the veggies are probably almost nicely browned, toss in whole roasted garlic cloves(I get mine from Whole Foods). Give it a minute then remove the veggies.

Add the chicken to the pan.

Add pasta to the boiling water. I use Edamame pasta(Gluten free and HIGH protein), which has a short cook time, 3-4 minutes. If your pasta has a long cooking time no sweat. The chicken will wait.

Stir chicken until warm, pour pesto on the chicken until well coated. Again I use Costco Genoa pesto. You can make your own. I rarely do, but then I’m lazy. LOL.

When your img_20160924_151754 pasta is done, drain it and toss it with garlic parm butter. Get it nicely coated. Now add your bacon, pesto covered chicken, and veggies. You can add a little parm cheese to the top if you like.

It’s warm and tasty and makes great left overs. And if I use all the prepared stuff, I can whip this up in 20 minutes.