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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

We return to the world of Moist von Lipwig, a hanged man given a new life as the head of the Postal Service for Anhk Morpork.

I am going to cheat today and take the description from Book Review off of Amazon:
Moist von Lipwig, the savior of the Ankh-Morpork post office, has gotten settled into a routine. He's filling out forms, signing things, will probably get to be head of the Merchants Association next year, and he hasn't designed a stamp in months. He's so bored, in fact, that he's taken to climbing the walls of the post office and breaking into his own office. Lord Vetinari, always brilliant in his ruthlessness, recognizes an opportunity when he sees one, and offers Moist the job of running the royal mint. Moist tries to refuse, pretending that he's satisfied with the stable life, but he can't deny the urge for adventure and intrigue for long. The mint is, in the finest Ankh-Morpork tradition, a strange and oddly old-fashioned place, with bizarre traditions so ingrained the long-term employees can't imagine doing them any other way. Moist is the perfect innovator, with his wildly creative solutions to problems, for changing the way the entire city thinks about money. In the transition from the gold standard and old money, Pratchett brings up all the details that make Ankh-Morpork one of the most satisfying contemporary fantasy cities and continues in his trend of beautifully crafted, wickedly cutting satire on the underpinnings of modern human society. Making Money is smart, funny, and a thoroughly entertaining read. Schroeder, Regina



I like Pratchetts books. They are witty, engaging, and just plain fun. The Guards series in particular is excellent. This one, left me...wanting. I found myself getting agitated instead of being able to just sit and enjoy it like I usually do. I found Moist a bit on the annoying side as he pings from disaster to disaster. I found the bad guys irritating because there simply wasn't enough, I dunno, badness? They were never really all that bad in my opinion. Mr. Bent started out really neat, and because of potential spoilers, I will say he became annoying too. Perhaps it was because there was just too much going on and it was all frantic, rather than the focus Pratchett usually has.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Recipe Review from 3/17/08

March is nearly gone and the Husband and I have barely made any new recipes! After such great progress in January and February it's rather disappointing, but that's the nature of a busy month and lots of leftovers.

Kung Pao Tofu (EW Apr 08, pg 34) 3.0
I had a package of tofu in the fridge which I had intended to use in miso soup when this recipe caught my eye. Tofu is seasoned with 5-spice powder then sauteed until nicely browned. This...is something I have yet to master. My tofu does not "nicely" brown. It sticks to the bottom of the pan and eventually turns into crumbles that once resembled squares. The now crumbles are removed and (once I clean out the pan) I sauteed red and yellow peppers with grated ginger and garlic. A slurry of oyster sauce, cornstarch and lemon juice is added to the pan and brought to a boil to thicken and the tofu added back in. This was all served over brown rice.




Overall, this was just eh. It lacked flavor in a big way. I had thought between the ginger, oyster sauce and the five spice powder it would have a bit more zing, but instead I was left wanting.



Morning Glory Muffins (Ckng Lght Annual 2008, pg 185) 4.0
I overlooked these the first time they came around, but in a following issue a reader wrote in how much she loved these as part of her breakfast routine. Now I like something a bit heartier for breakfast and thought these would make a good mid-morning munchie.




Whole wheat flour, AP flour, chopped dried dates, chopped dried pineapple, walnuts, banana, wheat germ, wheat bran and brown sugar make up the muffin proper. Ground flaxseed is supposed to be sprinkled over the top but I didn’t have any on hand, so I subbed shredded coconut. As Rachel Ray would say, Yum-O! I did leave the coconut off about half the batch because the Husband does not do coconut. These were delicious right out of the oven, and even better the next day when the dates and pineapple flavors had a chance to develop. For a "healthy" muffin, these were anything but dense and heavy. I would make these again.




Broccoli Soup (Every Day with RR, Jan/Feb, pg 101) 2.5
Sadly, another "eh" recipe for the week. Onion is softened to which water (I used chicken stock) and broccoli is added and brought to a boil to soften the broccoli. Part of the batch is pureed and added back to the pot (unless you have an immersion blender -vroom! vroom!). Then half and half and Swiss cheese is added and mixed.





What I thought was going to be a thicker broccoli soup ended up being a soup-y broccoli soup with a funky texture. The cheese didn’t melt smoothly and made the whole thing rather granular and I’m not sure why. I thought Swiss cheese would make for a somewhat tangy soup, I was sadly disappointed. I should have used some cheddar as well. We’ll eat it, but I won’t be making this one again.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Minicon 43


Minicon came early this year, which was a bit odd. What was even stranger was the 6" of snow Friday morning that I had to brush off my car before meeting my friend at the Convention. Overall, Minicon 43 was a great convention in some regards and not so good in others. I had a fantastic time eating out, playing games, knitting and socializing. The layout of the convention was much better this year when compared to the past 5 years but the panels themselves were hit or miss.

But let me start at the beginning! It snowed, for one thing. Darn that early Easter! My friend and I met Friday at 11:30a at the Café in the Sofitel. Our inital plan had been to go out and about but the weather deterred that. We decided to eat at Fougasse, a Mediterranean restaurant and we were both thrilled at the quality of the food, the prices, and the service. My friend had a Crab Phyllo over Eggplant and I was mundane and went for the tomato, pesto and fresh mozzarella calzone. Which was huge. I highly recommend Fougasse.

















Afterwards, we drove across the street to the Convention, checked into our room and did some knitting and catching up while waiting for the Con to start.


Alastiar Reynolds was the GoH this year, author of Pushing Ice, Revelation Space and several others.

The panels that I attended:
Real Taboos in Fantasy and SF - There are some topics that even the most daring writers won’t touch (except Bujold). Which ones are they and why?

Unusual Jobs in Fantastic Worlds - Not everyone can be a hero, wizard or starship captain. There are other jobs out there, too: Wyrm Milker, Dragon Polisher, or Griever, for example. What other jobs would have to exist in worlds we know? And what do everyday people do in unusual worlds?

Writing Nasty, Mean and Horrible Characters - A lot of Alistair Reynolds’ characters are not very nice peo0ple, ye they’re not completely unsympathetic. How can writers create characters that make our skin crawl, who offend our morals, and who still make us want to keep flipping the page.

Editor’s First Impressions - Editors receive far more pages than they could possibly read, so it’s important to make a good impression from the first page. Our panel of experts will evaluate the first 400 words of sample manuscripts, and discuss how they would feel about runing to the next page.

Details as Reality - Some details in a movie or book can make it feel all the more real, but some details can violently wrench you out of your suspension of disbelief. Why do some details work and others fail? How can writers improve their craft by employing detail?

Geek, be not Ashamed - It seems like the “geeks” have won, but many geeky pursuits are still not socially acceptable. Many of us are still bashful about admitting our experiences, interests and ideas. What are some good ways to fly your geeky colors - without being obnoxious?

Why does Fantasy continue to Outsell SF? - At one point, fantasy was a small sub-genre withing the science fiction genre, but these days the SF section seems to be mostly fantasy, sales of hard SF are down and good SF novels are hard to find. What accounts for this change?

The thing with panels is - they are hit or miss in quality and it all depends upon who the panelists are. Over the years (and there have been 14 of them) I've learned who makes a good panelist, who doesn't and what the odds are of someone killing a panel discussion. Learning to knit last year has helped make all the panels more tolerable because it is "something to do" when the panel warps off topic completely which happens a lot. (My thanks to Jane Yolen for doing her best to keep a panel on-topic and the audience in check.)


I also picked up 3 books from the dealers room: Dzur by Steven Brust, Serenity Found by Jane Enespson, and one co-authored by Patrica Wrede. Oh, and a free book: Rebel Moon, I forget the author (forgive me, for I am tired after so much fun!)

Monday, March 24, 2008

Hugo Award Nominations 2008

Here are the 2008 Nominations for Hugo Awards. The winners will be announced at Worldcon in Denver in August. Here's the link if you would like to see the other categories.

Best Novel
The Yiddish Policemen's Union Michael Chabon
Brasyl Ian McDonald
Rollback Robert J. Sawyer
The Last Colony John Scalzi
Halting State Charles Stross

Best Novella
The Fountain of Age Nancy Kress
REcovering Apollo 8 Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Stars Seen Through Stone Lucius Shepard
All Seated on the Ground Connie Willis
Memorare Gene Wolf

Best Short Story
Last Contact Stephen Baxter
Tideline Elizabeth Bear
Who's Afraid of Wolf 359? Ken MacLeod
Distant Replay Mike Resnick
A Small Room in Koboldtown Michael Swanwick

Friday, March 21, 2008

Zane 2003-2008





Zane was my brothers Great Dane. He was a sweetie of a dog who struggled from a inablitly to digest protien and arthritis in his hips and hind legs. He weighed only 90lbs - waaayyy under weight for a fellow who should have been 200lb. He was black with a white patch on his chest and toes, and had small brown eyes. I know, one is supposed to say "big brown eyes", but Zanes eyes weren't big.

For being such a big gangly fellow, he had an impressive knack for "rotent elimination". Squirrels, rabbits, mice and voles were not safe from his keen eye and quick paw. On the other hand, my brother didn't have to worry about the exploding rabbit population decimating his yard plants.

Zane had a plesant temperment and liked to receive a little lovin', but he wasn't an "attention hound" - that is his "sister" Maggie's place. He was curious, smart, and well-mannered. Unfortunately, Zane left us this week due to growing complications with his arthritis. He will be sadly missed.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008

Arthur C. Clarke, Premier Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 90


By GERALD JONAS
Published: March 19, 2008

Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.

Rohan de Silva, an aide, confirmed the death and said Mr. Clarke had been experiencing breathing problems, The Associated Press reported. He had suffered from post-polio syndrome for the last two decades.

The author of almost 100 books, Mr. Clarke was an ardent promoter of the idea that humanity’s destiny lay beyond the confines of Earth. It was a vision served most vividly by “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the classic 1968 science-fiction film he created with the director Stanley Kubrick and the novel of the same title that he wrote as part of the project.

His work was also prophetic: his detailed forecast of telecommunications satellites in 1945 came more than a decade before the first orbital rocket flight.

Other early advocates of a space program argued that it would pay for itself by jump-starting new technology. Mr. Clarke set his sights higher. Borrowing a phrase from William James, he suggested that exploring the solar system could serve as the “moral equivalent of war,” giving an outlet to energies that might otherwise lead to nuclear holocaust.

Mr. Clarke’s influence on public attitudes toward space was acknowledged by American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, by scientists like the astronomer Carl Sagan and by movie and television producers. Gene Roddenberry credited Mr. Clarke’s writings with giving him courage to pursue his “Star Trek” project in the face of indifference, even ridicule, from television executives.

In his later years, after settling in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Mr. Clarke continued to bask in worldwide acclaim as both a scientific sage and the pre-eminent science fiction writer of the 20th century. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Mr. Clarke played down his success in foretelling a globe-spanning network of communications satellites. “No one can predict the future,” he always maintained. But as a science fiction writer he couldn’t resist drawing up timelines for what he called “possible futures.” Far from displaying uncanny prescience, these conjectures mainly demonstrated his lifelong, and often disappointed, optimism about the peaceful uses of technology — from his calculation in 1945 that atomic-fueled rockets could be no more than 20 years away to his conviction in 1999 that “clean, safe power” from “cold fusion” would be commercially available in the first years of the new millennium.

Popularizer of Science
Mr. Clarke was well aware of the importance of his role as science spokesman to the general population: “Most technological achievements were preceded by people writing and imagining them,” he noted. “I’m sure we would not have had men on the Moon,” he added, if it had not been for H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. “I’m rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books.”

Arthur Charles Clarke was born on Dec. 16, 1917, in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England. His father was a farmer; his mother a post office telegrapher. The eldest of four children, he was educated as a scholarship student at a secondary school in the nearby town of Taunton. He remembered a number of incidents in early childhood that awakened his scientific imagination: exploratory rambles along the Somerset shoreline, with its “wonderland of rock pools”; a card from a pack of cigarettes that his father showed him, with a picture of a dinosaur; the gift of a Meccano set, a British construction toy similar to American Erector Sets.

He also spent time, he said, “mapping the moon” through a telescope he constructed himself out of “a cardboard tube and a couple of lenses.” But the formative event of his childhood was his discovery, at age 13 — the year his father died — of a copy of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, then the leading American science fiction magazine. He found its mix of boyish adventure and far-out (sometimes bogus) science intoxicating.

While still in school, he joined the newly formed British Interplanetary Society, a small band of sci-fi enthusiasts who held the controversial view that space travel was not only possible but could be achieved in the not-so-distant future. In 1937, a year after he moved to London to take a civil service job, he began writing his first science fiction novel, a story of the far, far future that was later published as “Against the Fall of Night” (1953).

Mr. Clarke spent World War II as an officer in the Royal Air Force. In 1943 he was assigned to work with a team of American scientist-engineers who had developed the first radar-controlled system for landing airplanes in bad weather. That experience led to Mr. Clarke’s only non-science fiction novel, “Glide Path” (1963). More important, it led in 1945 to a technical paper, published in the British journal Wireless World, establishing the feasibility of artificial satellites as relay stations for Earth-based communications.

Rice Paper, Mpls, MN in Linden Hills

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a restaurant review. I guess I haven’t been eating out at too many new places of late. The Husbands work schedule probably is what’s dictating that, he has Wednesdays and Thursdays off, I have Saturday and Sundays off, plus he works till 8:00p two nights a week.

But as usual I digress! I was down in the Cities for an intensive yoga workshop two weekends ago and an acquaintance and I, plus a very lovely gal he knew from Madison, went out for dinner together. It was great being able to talk yoga and philosophy and explore how we all approach teaching in different ways.

Rice Paper, an Asian Fusian restaurant, was recommended to us by a local. I think we decided to go there because it was close to the studio and we wouldn’t have to drive so far to return to our respective abodes. This is a very small, intimate restaurant that does some hoppin’ business! It’s tucked into this quaint neighborhood called Linden Hills, not far from Lake Calhoun and Harriet. All the storefronts are from days gone by and it’s an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants. There was a tea house that I stole a peek into as we walked back to the car. Had I had two functioning brain cells I would have recommended tea after dinner, but I think we were all pooped from the workshop.

My acquaintance and I ordered the Pad Thai - he with chicken, I with the tofu puffs. Our dining companion ordered some spring rolls, served with a peanut sauce. I had to decline the peanut sauce as I just don’t do peanuts or peanut butter. Still, the rolls were fresh and bright tasting. I think she ordered the Lunar Clay Pot - steamed tofu with pea pods, black mushrooms and slivered carrots in a fresh ginger sauce served over jasmine rice.

The waitstaff was helpful and friendly, though our waitress neglected to bring the green tea for our third dining companion as ordered. The food arrived to order (mine without peanuts). I don’t eat enough Vietnamese or Asian food to really know what is what, so I was a bit surprised when I dug in and found my choice to be a cold dish. I was hoping for warm Pad Thai. Everything tasted very fresh, the flavors bright and crisp across the tounge and, well, I ate everything.
We all felt it was a good restaurant but I think our opinions were somewhat muted as what we all really wanted was Indian food. I would recommend Rice Paper to anyone who would like to step out at bit. Prices were very reasonable, I did not go away hungry, and I would go back again.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Recipe Review from 3/3/08

It was a busy weekend with a run to the Cities and I feel I've been trying to catch up ever since. Haven't had any free computer time this week so I'm a bit behind on my posts. Hmm, I thought I had pictures for some of these but I may have inadvertently deleted them again. I will add pictures later if they are still on my computer. (3/14/08 - Editing to add, found one picture!)

Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze (Ckng Lght March 08, pg 114) 3.5
This was good, but where the recipe lost points was it was pretty basic. I’ve done roasted squash and various root veggies, I’ve just never added maple syrup to the dish. The upside of this recipe is this very versatile dish - I think the recipe called for carrots, parsnips and turnips. I used sweet potato (had one in the drawer), parsnips and turnips. What I did do differently this time was I bought my parsnip and turnip (yes, one of each) from the co-op. What a difference! They weren’t covered in that nasty wax and were bright and crisp. I would recommend this recipe, because it’s one of those that you can do what you want with whatever you have on hand.

Oven Roasted Salmon (Cooks Illustrated, Mar/Apr 08, pg 11) 4
This is a "technique" recipe by Cooks Illustrated, not so much a flavor recipe. And I have to say this technique worked great. Preheat the oven to 500* and put a roasting pan (covered with aluminum foil to aid clean up) inside . Prep salmon by removing belly fat and slicing the skin, but not breaking the flesh. Season with oil, salt, and pepper and place on heated roasting pan. Turn temp down to 275* and cook 9-11 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. Turned out moist, flaky and delicious.

Sourdough Oatmeal Bread (New Complete Book of Bread by Bernard Clayton, pg 248) 4
I like to have a couple loaves of bread in the freezer for those weekends (or week days in the Husbands case) for when we don’t have time to bake. Plus it is nice to have a couple varieties to choose from. This was the case with this recipe, plus it made two loaves. One for now and one to freeze. The Husband made the started the night before and the next morning I did assembly and baking. We both noted it was a simpler sourdough recipe than previous ones we’ve made. Add flour, sugar, honey, salt, oatmeal and yeast to the sponge and mix. Kneed. Rest. Shape and let rise right in the pan. Bake for 40 minutes. I cut back the baking time as I knew one hour was way too much.

This is a slightly dense, white loaf. The oatmeal disappears completely, which was neat and odd at the same time. It had a nice thick flavor to it, but not like an artisian bread. I would make this again because I like the simplicity of the recipe.

Sweet and Sour Tofu (Ckng Lght Annual 08, pg 168) 3.5
It’s been a while since I made anything with tofu and when I made the roasted Red Pepper Hummus I found this one. Tofu is cubed , lightly fried and set aside. Thinly sliced red peppers and ginger are sauteed, a slurry of cornstarch and pineapple juice added and then the rest of the pineapple juice is added and everything cooked till thickened. When I added the tofu back I also added some pineapple tidbits. This was served over brown rice.


I liked this dish for its ease - came together in moments - and for its serving size (2 dinners and one lunch). But I felt it was lacking something in the ingredient department. Perhaps some green peppers or other veggie.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Bloodhype by Alan Dean Foster

Book 4 in the Pip and Flinx series.

While this is next in the series, the author has broke from his two main characters - Pip and Flinx - and the world of Moth. Instead we find ourselves on Replar, where the dreaded and feared AAnn have been granted an island embassy. Some of their warships have brought back to a hastily constructed stronghold herein a very strange organism. It’s a very large black amoeba that has the ability to destroy planets...but the AAnn don’t know that. Yet.

Mal is a trader captain and two of his employees have brought back a box that was found floating in space in the middle of what can only be described as a very large holiday ornament. But they can’t figure out how to open it.

Meanwhile, Mal has bigger problems. He found a stash of the dreaded drug Bloodhype in one of his shipments and he is not a happy camper. Mal deduces who the shipment was headed for and goes to confront the trader, Rose. Mals negotiations with Rose go awry and he ends up saving the vivacious Kitten and her Tolian freind - a large racoon-coyote creature - from imminent torture with the help of an apprentice sanitation engineer in Rose’s employ named Philip. Mal brings everyone back to his island stronghold and shows them his mystery black box.

Surprise! The box opens and we are confronted with an alien who claims to be the Guardian, the last of the Tyr-An Krang, and he’s there to save the galaxy, nay the very universe from the amoeba thing the AAnn have sequestered away. Kitten decides she simply must see this creature for herself and convinces Mal and her Tolian friend to accompany her.

This was a fun book on several levels. Foster has expanded on the galaxy he has created for Pip and Flinx, the reader gets to see a bit more of the dreaded AAnn, and it’s not about Pip and Flinx. This isn’t to say the story was without it’s faults: Mal is your typical space hero, strong, brave, and a bit stupid. The sexy Kitten drags everyone into places they just shouldn’t be going (doh). Kitten’s Tolian sidekick contributes the comic relief. And there were a lot of loose ends left dangling. A lot.

Still, this won’t keep me from reading #5. Stay tuned for further adventures from Pip and Flinx!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Recipe Review from 2/25/08

Fettuccini Alfredo with Seafood (Everyday Italian Giada DeLaurenttiss, pg 114) 4

I used her sauce recipe as the base for this dish because my notes from the recipe I found from 2002 CL were not exactly glowing. Giada recommends using fresh pasta due to the richness of the sauce, but I did a few modifications to account for using dried.

Alfredo sauce is pretty simple, warm heavy cream (I used half heavy cream and half half-n-half) and lemon juice in a large skillet. Add fresh ground nutmeg (this really makes the dish pop) and butter (I reduced the butter from 6 tbsp to 5). Keep warm. When the pasta is done, add pasta, 1 cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to sauce and toss till thick. Here some patience is necessary, because the sauce will thicken when removed from heat.

The seafood wasn't part of the recipe, but I had a hankering for it: warmed 1tbsp butter in a small skillet and added 2 cloves of grated garlic, stirring till nicely browned. Then I added one baby bottle of white wine and tossed in some littleneck clams. These I simmered until they just started to pop open, and I added some shrimp and little scallops and simmered till the clams finished popping and the shrimp was done. I added the seafood combination to the top of the fettuccini alfredo and drizzled with extra sauce.

Results? Magnifico! This turned out super good. It was creamy with out being heavy-rich. I think it's the acidity in the lemon juice that makes everything so bright and cuts down on the richness. The garlic-wine flavor was subtle in the seafood and complemented the alfredo very nicely. I made enough to serve 2 for dinner with enough leftover pasta for the Husband to take to work for lunch one day. I would make this again.
Skillet Tuna Noodle (Eating Well, Mar/Apr 08, pg 28) 3.5
When I received my newest issue of Eating Well last week and I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. This isn’t your mother’s hotdish. Made completely on the stove with only a quick toasting under the broiler, this is mostly creamy, flavorful, good-for-you and makes a bunch. This recipe could easily be halved for a smaller household.

Egg noodles are cooked and drained. Meanwhile, onions and sliced mushrooms are sauteed in olive oil. To this is added the flour and cooked till warm. The milk is poured over and everything stirred till slightly thick. Then add the tuna (I used the kind in the vacuum pack because I don’t like draining it). Add the noodles and stir. Add the peas and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan over the top and broil till nicely brown.

This didn’t turn out as creamy as I thought it would. I don’t know if I didn’t cook the noodles long enough and they soaked up quite a bit of the liquid, or perhaps I cooked the sauce to long and it was too thick when I added the noodles. Still, I really liked the freshness of this dish and I would make it again - but cut the recipe in half.

Red Pepper Hummus (Ckng Lght Annual 08, June, pg 173) 5
A local indee cafe/coffee shop makes it’s own bread, spreads and desserts and I’ve popped down on my lunch break a couple times to partake in fantastic soup and sandwiches. This was a result of wanting to make my own version of their hummus sandwich at home. The hummus was super simple to make: roast a red pepper under a broiler to remove the skin. Combine red pepper, 1 can drained garbanzo beans (chick peas), cumin, garlic, salt, pepper in a food processor till nice and smooth.

For the sandwich, find a nice soft bread of choice (I found a whole grain that I prefer). Spread a nice layer on the bottom, then layer with thinly sliced Provolone cheese, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. YUM! I’ve been having this for lunch with some sea-salt and vinegar chips, green beans and cherry tomatoes. It is nicely filling without being heavy. You can vary your toppings to your tastes. Try it!

Chocolate Mint Bars (Ckng Lght, Mar 08, pg 180) 4
When I saw these on the cover of this months issue, I knew I was going to make these bars. What was additionally neat was the recipe is from a gal just north of Duluth. I had my monthly book group meeting on Monday and found myself with time and an opportunity to make these. The bars came together very quickly and are chocolate-y and minty - think Andes mints. A rich chocolate cake brownie topped with a thin layer of mint frosting and a coating of melted chocolate on the top. Best served a bit on the cool side. I highly recommend these for any gathering because they are best served in smaller portions so the 9x13 pan goes a long way. I am thinking of making these for the office for St. Patrick’s day.


Homemade Dog Biscuits (New Complete Book of Bread by Bernard Clayton, pg 659) 4

The Husband decided that the puppies needed something after all the baking we've been doing and he's had his eye on this recipe for a while now. And it may seem a bit odd that I would rank doggie biscuits, but trust me, these were good! The doggies are lucky they got any! They are basically an unleavened bread made with whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, corn meal, regular flour, honey and a dash of salt. And yes, the Husband carefully rolled out the dough and cut them into little bone shapes with a bone shaped cookie cutter. He did get tired of the putzy work after a while and the last few turned into rectangles. The biscuits are slowly baked and then the oven turned off and the cookies are left to continue drying. I sampled one before it was crunchy dry and still a bit warm - Yum! This recipe would make a great holiday gift for any hounds you might know.

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