SciFi with a Dash of Paprika

Movie Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Husband and I finally had an opportunity to check out the newer indie theater that opened in Duluth well over a year ago. Since we don’t live in town, and only I work in town, in addition to two nights of yoga classes a week, getting to a movie is problematic. I either have to stay in town from 730a till late, or I have to make the 25 mile round trip twice - suddenly I’m driving 100 miles in one day! I don’t think so… and we have the pups to keep in mind.

Anyway, we were in town this weekend for a “staycation” that included two nights at the Historic Fitger’s Inn, a UMD Bulldogs game, some great dining out, and! A movie at the Zinema Theater. When I found out Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was there I pretty much declared we were going.

Based off of the book by John le Carre, this is set in England in the 1970’s during the Cold War. This is a classic spy thriller about spies spying on spies within the ranks of England’s MI6 department. The Controller and Mr. Smiley have been sacked after an agent in Budapest is shot. Later, Mr. Smiley is contacted by a government official to look into the rumor of a rogue agent - now missing - regarding a mole in the upper echelon of MI6. From here Smiley follows twists and turns that all lead back to the dead agent in Hungary.

I thought this was a very cool movie. I loved the watching the tangled web being slowly unraveled with methodical intelligence gathering - not a car chase, gun fight or bomb explosion to be seen anywhere. Smiley would tug at one thread and see what happens, then pursue another thread that didn’t seem to make any sense until later. Absolutely delightful how everything comes apart. But I love movies like this - thinking movies. I’m looking forward to watching it again just to see what I pick up that I missed in the first go.

PS - I will also admit I have not read the book. Yet. Not entirely sure I want too now that I've seen the movie and enjoyed it as much as I did.

Recipe Review 1/16/12

2012-01-23T09:30:00.000-06:00

Totally forgot to make my crockpot dish this past week, so it has been shuffled to next week. Three good dishes to review:

Bacon and Butternut Pasta (Ckng Lght, Jan/Feb 2012)   **Omit the bacon and sub veggie broth to make this vegetarian.
A time consuming recipe best saved for the weekend or a day off.   I had changes in an attempt to cut down on dishes/prep. My alterations didn't change the length of time it took to prepare, but I think I had more time to clean-up as I went along.

This turned out pretty darn good. The Husband gave it his nod of approval, though that might have been because I put bacon in it...(his favorite) . Didn't turn out runny at all, good flavor, some of the noodles on top had that nice baked taste (but not dry) that I really like. Was it worth all the dishes? Ummm...not so sure. Again, good for a weekend dish perhaps, but not a weeknight.   Leftovers were even better.

The two notable changes:

I roasted the squash, onions and garlic all at once - tossed in olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil
I cooked the bacon in the oven at the same time, and drizzled a little bacon fat over veggies and pasta when tossing everything together.

Cooked pasta and kale as directed.
Cooked broth and creme fraiche as directed

Picture from CookingLight.com

5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking spray
12 ounces uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta), campanile, or other short pasta
4 cups chopped kale
2 bacon slices (my vegetarian readers can easily omit)
2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided (or veggie broth)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup crème fraîche
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine squash and oil in a large bowl; toss well. Arrange squash mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until squash is tender.

3. Cook pasta 7 minutes or until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat. Add kale to pan during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta mixture.

4. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

5. Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to broth. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in crème fraîche.

6. Combine squash, pasta mixture, bacon, onion mixture, and sauce in a large bowl; toss gently. Place pasta mixture in a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2012

Open Faced Chicken Club Sandwiches (Ckng Light Jan/Feb 2012)
These were simple and tasty - but messy. There is really no good way to eat an "Open Faced" sandwich and mostly I was left wishing for a top. And that was with skipping the tomato because I forgot to buy one. I cooked the bacon in the oven then drizzled just a tiny bit of the bacon fat over the chicken in the frying pan. I forgot to mash the avocado which probably contributed to the messiness. Loved the sourdough bread flavor, but then I'm a sourdough nut. If you're in the Duluth area, Amazing Grace or Mt. Royal have the best sourdough.

1 tablespoon olive oil

Picture from CookingLight.com

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
4 (1-ounce) slices sourdough bread, toasted
4 pieces green leaf lettuce
~~2 plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices~~ (forgot to buy; didn't miss it)
4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and drained

Preparation
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Slice.

2. Combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, mayonnaise, and avocado in a small bowl; stir until well blended. Spread about 3 tablespoons avocado mixture over each bread slice. Top each sandwich with 1 lettuce leaf, 1 chicken breast half, 3 tomato slices, and 1 bacon slice.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2012

Plymouth Bread (Bernard Clayton's Bread Book)
The Husband made this one. A bit of background - last summer he grew flour corn - corn meant to be ground up and used in baking. He's had a bit of trouble finding something to 'shell' his corn - and we did eventually find and ordered a corn sheller from Jung Seeds - but in the interm hr found he could use his thumb or a butter knife. He did four cobs and we ground the seeds in my spice grinder (coffee grinder really, but we don't drink coffee). It was a medium-coarse meal, and it was decided to try out a more traditional bread type recipe to see how the ground up corn works and what adjustments need to be made to use it in other recipes.

This bread, was outstanding! Sweet, light, flavorful, good crust and crumb; absolutely perfect in my opinion. This is a pretty wordy recipe, so my apologies for not retyping it. This is a great bread cookbook and has become my go-to for making bread.

Shock Wave by John Sandford (Virgil Flowers #5)

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Shock Wave by John Sandford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com: The superstore chain PyeMart has its sights set on a Minnesota river town, but two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests don't seem to be slowing the project, though, until someone decides to take matters into his own hands.

The first bomb goes off on the top floor of PyeMart's headquarters. The second one explodes at the construction site itself. The blasts are meant to inflict maximum damage-and they do. Who's behind the bombs, and how far will they go? It's Virgil Flowers's job to find out . . . before more people get killed.

Oh, it was a happy day when the notice came from the library that it was my turn to get the newest Virgil Flowers book by Sandford! When I put it on request back in July, I was #5 in line. When I picked it up in December, there were about 20 people behind me. Popular indeed.

Absolutely loved this book. The humor was outstanding, the plot moved right along - if not a bit typical. We know what the antagonist is doing, we know he's one step ahead of enforcement. And while on one hand I want to be annoyed because I know what the bad guy is doing, on the other hand I'm facinated how the author manages to bring the two lines to a satsifactory conclusion. In all honesty, flashbacks annoy me more... rest assured, no flashbacks here. Only a lot of BANG!

I was also amused that I was able to figure out "who done it" fairly early on. I thought the clue(s) were fairly up front - not something I usually say about an audiobook - and the red herring rather obvious. But then, mysteries/thrillers authors tend to follow a pattern and when you read enough of an author the pattern starts to develop. Which is why I don't watch much in the way of mysteries on TV. I get annoyed when I figure out "who done it" in the first 10 minutes then have to slog through 40 minutes to have it confirmed.

But I digress. Very entertaining read, satisfactory ending, lots of humor and I'm curious to see if Sandford has set the plot for book #6 or if Virgil's and Davenport's last conversation was just a teaser with no lead in to the next book. I hate waiting....

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Recipe review from 1/2/12

2012-01-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

Dueling crockpots this past week! One slow cooker was a Thai style Butternut Squash Soup, the other, Spicy Lentils with Poached Eggs.   The interesting thing about crockpots is, you have to plug them in to work, see, otherwise the food doesn't cook. A little detail, I know.   We forgot to plug in the Squash Soup pot, which while not the end of the world, was a bit annoying since it pushed final assembly back to 930p at night rather than 6p as I intended. Oh well.

I also broke down and ordered the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson. Oops, I just realized I've been referring to it incorrectly!  Anyway, I've been pleased with the dishes I've made and I have several more tagged for later - but I ran out of renewals at the library. Will have to bring it back, so I ordered it.

Spicy Lentils with Poached Eggs (Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson)
I would hardly call this one spicy - flavorful, yes; spicy, no.  This turned out more soup-like than I thought it would, so if I were to make it again, I would increase the lentils by a good 1/2 to 1 cups. The poached egg on top is a very nice addition and shouldn't be skipped.   If you want to bump up the spice-heat, add the chili pepper as recommended, or add a tich of Siracha sauce. Personally, I think the Siracha sauce would be the way to go.

1 tbsp oil
2 onions finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic
~~1 tbsp minced gingerroot~~ (skipped because I forgot to buy it)
1 tps coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cracked black pepper corns (I just used fresh ground - about 10 good turns)
1 cup red lentils (2 cups if want it more stew like and less liquid)
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 long green chili, finely chopped (optional - I skipped)
eggs

1) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Ad onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes (or until caramelized - my favorite!). Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and pepper and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. [Add lentils, tomatoes with juice and vegetable broth and bring to a boil - I added, but did not bring to a boil; I felt this would cook the lentils too quickly in the long run.] Transfer to slow cooker.

2) Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3, until lentils are tender and mixture bubbly. Stir in coconut milk, salt to taste (I skipped the salt) and add chili pepper if using. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more.

3) When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls and top each serving with a poached egg.

Thai style Butternut Squash Soup (Mpls Star Tribune, Jan....?)
I've already said it is imperative to turn the slow cooker on if you want anything to cook. That being said, the squash wasn't quite finished at 3 1/2 hours but since it was pushing 930p on a Sunday night and I just wanted to go to bed, I called it good enough and blended everything up after adding the final ingredients. A quick cool down outside and it was ready for the fridge.   This was for lunches; sides included a ham sandwich, grapes, apples, and some Frito's/bugle chips.

This was a nice change to your standard Butt-nut soup. I did cut back on the fish sauce because the smell of fish sauce is not appealing to me. I like the taste just fine tho. This definitely had a sweet/sour combo going, very reminiscent of the Far East. The addition of cilantro was a nice counter point to all the other flavors, but for my non-cilantro folks it can easily be omitted. I will probably make this again.

Serves 8.
From Mpls Star Trib, Jan 4, 2012: This is a take on one of my favorite Thai meals whipped up into a creamy soup. The unusual addition of butter rounds out the flavors and adds a real silkiness to the soup. Adding it at the end of the cook time, along with the brown sugar and fish sauce, keeps it from cooking into caramel. The heat of the soup releases a heady perfume from the cilantro, so don't skip the garnish. This makes an elegant meal paired with a skewer of grilled shrimp and a fresh green salad. At parties I like to serve this in cups before we all sit down to dinner. It frees up your stove and can hold for a while -- and freezes well.

• 1 large (4 lb.) or two small butternut squash, peeled seeded and roughly cubed (8 c.)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp. green or red Thai curry paste
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1 (13.5 oz.) can regular or light coconut milk
• ~~3 tbsp~~. 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions
In the slow cooker toss squash, onion, garlic, ginger and curry paste. Don't worry if the paste is in a clump, it will dissolve as it cooks. Pour the broth and coconut milk over all.

Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 8 to 10 hours.

Use an immersion blender to purée the soup. Or purée in batches in an electric blender. Note: Hot liquids expand when blended, so be careful not to fill the jar more than halfway and leave the lid ajar, covered with a dishtowel.

Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar and butter. Soup can keep warm in the slow cooker for up to an hour at this point. Unplug cooker and let stand 15 to 30 minutes before serving (soup will thicken slightly as it cools). Top each serving with cilantro.

Chicken Piccata (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2012)
Outstanding!! I've made several variations and recipes of this over the years and I have to say this one worked for some reason. Super simple to assemble - highly recommend mise en place. I saved some time by not banging the heck out of the chicken breasts, but rather just butterflied them. Slice slice slice and good to go. Less mess too. Use the shake-n-bake method of coating the breasts in flour (a recycled gallon zippy is perfect for this, and less mess too). Use your largest pan to sear the breasts and cook the sauce. Bright, tangy, delicious. I served this over some egg noodles because I had some on hand I wanted to use up.

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Place 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl, and place remaining flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour in shallow dish; shake off excess.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup broth to reserved 1 teaspoon flour; stir until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Stir in flour mixture; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, juice, and capers. Place 1 chicken breast half on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 teaspoons parsley.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2012

Embroidered Truths by Monica Ferris (#9)

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Embroidered Truths by Monica Ferris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com: After her friend Godwin has a nasty quarrel with his significant other, John, Betsy Devonshire finds herself with a roommate. But heartbreak turns to grief when Betsy and Godwin discover John dead in his home, and Godwin is arrested for the murder. Betsy sets out to prove him innocent, and finds that John had some dishonest dealings that made him a lot of money--and a lot of enemies. Now Betsy has to untangle a cat's cradle of lies if she's going to save Godwin... before the murderer decides to cut off all the loose ends for good.

A little more substance to this one, a bit more character development in Godwin, but yet the situation left me slightly unsatisfied. Godwin is basically in an emotionally abusive relationship, his partner is murdered and he's framed for it (of course), but I found the resolution a bit too pat. I'm also not particularly enthused about Besty butting heads with the local sheriff. Too much of an amateur sleuth cliché. It was also disturbing that a 25year old (Godwin) would be doing Botox 'to retain his youthful looks'. Umm....25 year old? Doing Botox? Righht....

Despite my complaints, I munched through this in a couple of days and was entertained. Which is all I ask of my cozies...no rocket science here. That's for my scifi books.

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Recipe Review 1/3/12

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

The New Recipe Tracking starts this week! Still continuing my efforts to use that slow cooker once a week, and I'm still pulling inspiration from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson.

Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna (Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson)
The husband assembled this one while I made cupcakes for his work potluck. I heard a fair amount of muttering, quite a few "Oops!", and a lot of dishes ended up in the sink. Not sure if it was because we were both trying to use the kitchen at the same time or if it was something else. He did cook this on High for 3 hours since we were making this the evening before - I prefer to do it this way rather than let something cook overnight and then have to stick a hot dish right in the fridge in the morning. By cooking something late afternoon/early evening, I can stick the dish outside to cool down before going in the fridge. A tiny warning - the ricotta turns an off color. Flavor is not affected, but the cheese does not remain creamy white.

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (I used 8oz cremini)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed (I used 3 cans)
3/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
12 oven ready lasagna noodles (I used Barilla no-boil noodles)
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I used one tub part-skim ricotta)
2 cups baby spinach
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1) In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring, just until mushrooms begin to lose their liquid, about 7 minutes. Stir in artichokes and wine and bring to a boil. cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, until liquid reduces slightly.

2) Cover bottom of slow cooker stoneware with 4 noodles, breaking to fit if necessary. Spread with half of the ricotta, half of the mushroom mixture, half of the spinach and one-third each of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat. Arrange final layer of noodles over cheese. Pour any liquid remaining from mushroom mixture over noodles and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

3) Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours and High for 3 hours, until hot and bubbly.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes for Husbands potluck.

Crewel Yule by Monica Ferris (#8)

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Crewel Yule by Monica Ferris

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found myself a bit between books (just finished Silent Prey by John Sandford and Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding) I needed something light, fast, and not in-depth for the weekend. I'm also trying to read a few of the paperbacks I have lying around. And then I remembered the Monica Ferris books - brain candy as they come AND a Christmas theme. Very cool.

From Goodreads: Part-time sleuth and full-time owner of the needlework shop Crewel World, Betsy Devonshire prepares for a chilling holiday season filled with mistletoe--and murder.
I was pleased to see the Ms Ferris took her gang of sleuths on the road to Nashville for this version. The series was starting to move in the Mrs Marple direction where everyone in Excelsior, MN, seems to be in danger of getting bumped off. The downside of this book was it was too obvious "who done it" and somewhat implausible that here we have a murder at a well known hotel, but yet the police are too busy with traffic accidents (a snowstorm shut down Nashville) to come and investigate. Thus opening the door for our Heroine, her assistant and our traditionally built Swedish female cop.

But substance wasn't what I wanted when I picked up this book. I wanted familiar characters, a moderately interesting setting, and to zone out for several hours. Objective achieved.

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Recipe Review 12/26/11

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

The slowcooker/crockpot misson continues! Two for last week and the end of the year: a take on Indian flavors and a classic. These will also wrap up my new recipes for 2011 - time to start a new list.
Vegetable Biriyani (Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson)
All righty then...I actually made this one as directed, except in stages because my pan wasn't big enough to hold everything. I sauteed the potatoes till lightly browned. Then I lightly caramelized the onions. And did parsnips and carrots last. Switched over and did the rice. It just seemed the right thing to do for this dish - to lightly roast the vegetables and enhance the seasonings. I also made this in the evening and cooked on high for the 3 hours. Outstanding! This one is a keeper.

3 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 cups cubed, ~~peeled~~ potatoes
1 red or sweet onion, thinly sliced on the vertical
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups diced fen~~nel bulb~~ parsnips (because we don't like the taste of fennel...)
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed and drained (I used brown basmati)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 green cardamom pods, crushed
4 cups vegetable broth

1. In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, about 10 seconds. Stir in turmeric. Add potatoes and cook, stirring, until browned. About 3 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add carrots and ~~fennel~~ parsnips and cook, stirring, until well coated with mixture. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2. Add remaining tbsp of oil, rice, ground cumin and coriander, salt, pepper, and cardamom pods to pan and cook, stirring until well coated. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, layer half the rice mixture over bottom of prepared slow cooker. Spread vegetables over rice. Add remaining rice plus all the liquid. Place a clean tea towel, folded in half (so you have two layers), over top of stoneware to absorb moisture. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or on high 3 hours or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.

Oyster Stew (Ckng Lght BB)
I came into posession of three cans of oysters. Yes, I live by an 'Inland Sea', but said 'sea' does not contain edilble mollusks or other small seabugs. Fish, yes. Seafood, no. So I went to my favorite source for foodie information - the Cooking Light bulletin board - and put in a plea for assistance. Several great ideas came up and I started with Oyster Stew for it's simplicity.

It...was not good. The texture of canned oysters is awful. Not something I do or say very often if at all, but this went in the trash. Bleh.

Slow Cooked Pork Roast with Cranberry Sauce (Friend Tess)
One pork roast. One can whole berry cranberrys. Cook roast till done. Add cranberries toward the end of the cooking if you don't want them too liquidy.

That's it. Pretty simple. Except we managed to over cook the darn roast - 3 hours and it was beyond done! Very disappointing. Now, in my defense, I did use my stoneware crockpot instead of my metal one and that may have been part of the problem. Ah well. Now I know.

The Year in Review: 2011

2012-01-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

Indeed. WTF is this shit? Well, my lists to be precise. My A-type personality likes to keep lists and notes and to compare one year to the next. Here's a look at the past year(s):

Books Finished

2011 - 115 (29456 pages read/approx)
2010 – 80   (21848 pages)
2009 – 45   (16094 pages)
2008 – 45   (14456 pages)

New recipes tried:

photo from CookingLight.com

2011 - 95
2010 – 82
2009 - 92
2008 - 129
2007 - 120
2006 - 103
2005 - 137
2004 - 143
2003 - 154

Team Shakti!
My Miles Biked:
2011 - 470 (do my 755 spin miles count?) Rode in the Menominee River Century, 50 miles; and Mesabi Trail Ride - 50 miles
2010 – 701 personal best! Included the Split Rock Century – my first!
2009- 250

Welcome to our pack, Andy! (the little red head)

Miles Skied:

2011 - snow? what snow? 12 miles last Jan/Feb

2010 – 71

2009 – n/a

Miles Hiked:
2011 - 40+
2010 - 48

Knitting Projects completed:
Socks – 3
Hats – 4
Cowl - 1
Cup Cozies - 9

Trips:

Hilton Head, SC

Park Rapids, MN Memorial Day weekend - rode the Heartland Trail
Marionette, WI (Menominee River Century Ride - 50 miles)
Madison, WI (North American Disk World Convention)
Reno, NV (Worldcon)
Hilton Head, SC (just for the heck of it!)

Cody Kia Ben

In Memoriam, furry buddies all:
Kia (my hound of 11 years)
Cody (friend's hound of 15 years)
Chole (friends cat of 3 years - adopted)

Silent Prey by John Sandford

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

Book #4 in the Lucas Davenport Series. Unabridged audiobook.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com: In Eyes of Prey (Book #3), Michael Bekker, an insane pathologist who experiments with his patients pain thresholds, is finally brought down by an unrelenting Lucas Davenport, who brutally maims the doctors beautiful face but leaves him alive. You should have killed me, were Bekkers parting and prophetic words.

In this sequel to Eyes of Prey, Dr. Mike Bekker, a psychotic pathologist, is back on the streets, doing what he does bestmurdering one helpless victim after another. Lucas Davenport knows he should have killed Bekker when he had the chance. Now he has a second opportunity and the time to hesitate is through.

This one was beginning to read a bit like a James Bond book. Our Hero (Lucas as Bond) always gets his woman. The bad guy is always caught but not before our Hero (Lucas as Bond) is beaten up emotionally and physically. The story started out fairly strong, picking up directly after book number three. Not a bad plot device in a series - moves the story along but you don't have to create a whole new situation or characters. However, the middle dragged. Once again our protagonists are running around in circles trying to find our antagonist, who just somehow manages to elude darn near everybody. Downside of said plot devise - same plot, different city. It got tedious.

There was a subplot, Lucas was brought to New York to find out who is the crooked cop on the force, but it felt like it was lost in the whole quest for the psycho-bad guy plot and honestly, I thought what sub-plot there was, was more interesting than the main plot. So again, tedious that I had to slog through the rest to find out what happened here.

Still, an enjoyable enough read on my daily commute and I'll continue with Book #5 Winter Prey in a month or so. Meanwhile, I have Shock Wave with Virgl Flowers waiting for me. Hooray!

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Recipe Review from 12/19/12

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

An odd week to be sure. Andy's still getting twice daily dose of antibiotics for his laceration from the week before. A daily dose of ear medicine, and we've done two ear cleanings now. Med's must be working because this is the cleanest I've seen his ears since we adopted him in May!   Add in my book groups holiday outing, my snack day at work, and the Husband's office gift exchange (posting more on that later), it was also a long week.

Merry Christmas! Hope you had a decent weekend! I got to see the little nieces - Peanuts, both of them, and way to smart for their own good. Love it!

Pork chops with Red-Eye Gravy and Grits (Ckng Light Dec 2011)
The ingredient list looks daunting, but when prepared mise en place this truly is a snap to pull together. I used pork cutlets because I had them in the freezer, regular cremini mushrooms (like I could find and "exotic mushroom blend" up here), and cider vinegar for the sherry vinegar.   I also used regular grits/polenta and not the quick cooking kind and just started them first. They can easily sit while everything else comes together. I also added about 1/3 cup of Romano-Pecoricno cheese to the grits for a little flavor boost.   What can I say - I'll be making this dish again.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 (4-ounce) package sliced exotic mushroom blend
1/4 cup Madeira wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup hot strong brewed coffee, divided
1/2 cup lower-sodium tomato juice
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 tablespoon butter

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with 3/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add pork chops to pan, and cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove pork from pan; keep warm. Add shallots, thyme, and sliced mushrooms to pan; sauté for 4 minutes. Stir in wine, and cook 30 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 cup coffee, juice, vinegar, and red pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook for 3 minutes. Combine cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup coffee. Add cornstarch mixture to pan, stirring with a whisk; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently.

2. Bring 2 1/4 cups milk and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons milk and butter.

Robin Bashinsky, Cooking Light
DECEMBER 2011

Barley-Spiked Winter Veggie Casserole (The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson)
The author seems to have a tendency to make dishes more complicated. I suspect it is flavor derived, to add depth to a dish, but really, in my humble opinion, the idea behind the slow cooker or crockpot is to make dinner easier.   Pre-cooking seems contradictory.  She also had a prevalence of "cook for 3 hours". Ah, that limits me to the weekends? So! I simplified the recipe by just "dumping" the ingredients into the slow cooker and letting it do what it does best. Cook. This dish was...different. In a good way... I think.

A bit reminiscent of sauerkraut with the flavor of caraway seeds and the shredded celery root. The barley really helped thicken this up by absorbing all the great juices from the leeks and parsnips. It made for a very decent cold weather "casserole".   This made enough for 4 lunches for two people. Perfect for this week!

1 large celery root
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup barley (whole, pot, pearled - doesn't matter)
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. In a large bowl, toss celery root and lemon juice

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots and parsnips and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, caraway seeds, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add barley and toss until coated. Add tomatoes with juice and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

3. Transfer vegetable mixture to stoneware. Add celery root and stir well. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until vegetables and barley are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

OR (My version) Dump and cook.   Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until vegetables and barley are tender.

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

2011-12-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com: Sky piracy is a bit out of Darian Frey’s league. Fate has not been kind to the captain of the airship Ketty Jay—or his motley crew. They are all running from something. Crake is a daemonist in hiding, traveling with an armored golem and burdened by guilt. Jez is the new navigator, desperate to keep her secret from the rest of the crew. Malvery is a disgraced doctor, drinking himself to death. So when an opportunity arises to steal a chest of gems from a vulnerable airship, Frey can’t pass it up. It’s an easy take—and the payoff will finally make him a rich man.

But when the attack goes horribly wrong, Frey suddenly finds himself the most wanted man in Vardia, trailed by bounty hunters, the elite Century Knights, and the dread queen of the skies, Trinica Dracken. Frey realizes that they’ve been set up to take a fall but doesn’t know the endgame. And the ultimate answer for captain and crew may lie in the legendary hidden pirate town of Retribution Falls. That’s if they can get there without getting blown out of the sky

This was a fun science fiction/pirate book reminiscent of the Firefly series, but without any love interest. Retribution Falls is set on a world caught between having flying ships but yet power on the ground is generators, so it comes across as a blending of subtle steam punk and space piracy. It is also a story about finding oneself. As our ill-lucked Captain of the Ketty Jay finds himself a wanted man, he also begins to realize he holds the fate of his cobbled together crew in his hands. And they find they need to learn to depend on each other as much as themselves.

My one complaint comes back to how the book reminded me of Firefly - a crew on the lam, living on the fringes of society, sneaking into and out of places they can't be found, having done dubious things that they don't want anyone else to know about. The book at one point even had this societies version of Reavers (remember them? Big nasty teeth? Fly around in space looking for people to munch on? Yup. Got them here too.).

This is by no means a in depth book on the ideology and morality of space pirates, but a fun beach read or even airport read. Sit back and just enjoy.

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Recipe Review from 12/12/11

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

A typical week: the usual work and yoga classes; a work Holiday Party on Tuesdaynight, an emergency run to the Vet on Wednesday, errands on Thursday, and was exhausted by the weekend.

...wait, what was that bit about the vet? Yup. Wednesday morning I found a severe puncture wound on one of Andy-pup's back legs. He was in no immediate danger as the wound looked a couple days old - but it looked bad. After thinking it over during my Wednesday meeting, I decided I wanted it checked for infection or embedded objects. So, Wednesday night I got to my vet a little before 5pm, and walked out at 6:18pm. Finally home by 7p. Thank god I brought a book (bkgrp book in fact!)

It was a severe laceration and not a puncture wound. Dr said it was the second one they saw that day and it was already starting to heal nicely. They cleaned it up and he's on antibiotics for the next 10 days. AND, he has a severe yeast infection in BOTH ears. Like major yucko. Lucky me - daily ear cleanings for the next week, daily ear meds, then going to weekly ear cleanings, then bi-monthly. I really don't like cleaning ears...grosses me out. ((sigh)) It is imperative to clear this up so we can ascertain if the little guy has allergies. We go back in two weeks to check ears. A positive about getting him when I did! That and I liked the Dr. - new to me - he was really positive and thorough for being so late at night and short notice.

I won't even describe the "cone" debacle. Andy does not do the head cone (if you've had pets, you know what I'm talking about). Abject failure.

Any way, I managed to make one new recipe last week, and a slow cooker one at that so my weekly goal of one slowcooked meal continues.

White Bean and Hominy Chili (Ckng Lght, Dec 2011)
This was just okay. I love a good bean chili, but this just didn't quite meet my standards. Husband was also less than thrilled with it. It was more like a soup than a chili, was kind of bland, and seemed to lack flavor. The Husband felt the beans had an odd texture - soft yet a bit crunchy. Now, be advised that I did use my own dried beans for this and may not have cooked them enough. Though I didn't notice that particular ailment.

I also skipped the whole "meatless Mexican chipotle sausage", because honestly, it was not to be found in two co-ops and one large supermarket in my corner of the world. Decided not to substitute and omitted completely. I won't be repeating this recipe.

2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed, drained, and divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (4-ounce) meatless Mexican chipotle sausage (such as Field Roast), finely chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped white onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 poblano chiles, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

8 lime wedges

1. Mash 2/3 cup beans with a fork.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage, and sauté for 4 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and poblanos; sauté 6 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add mashed beans, whole beans, 1 1/2 cups water, and the next 4 ingredients (through hominy). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in green onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Shoot To Thrill by P.J. Tracy (Monkeewrench #5)

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-06:00

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My rating: 3'>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/236268107">3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com: It begins with a floater.

When Minneapolis homicide cops Gino Rolseth and Leo Magozzi are called to a derelict stretch of the Mississippi River, they see the bride, facedown, dead in the water. And when the Monkeewrench crew-computer geeks who made a fortune on games, now assisting the cops with special anticrime soft-ware-are invited by the FBI to investigate a series of murder videos posted to the Web, it's not long before the group dis- covers the frightening link between the unlucky bride and the latest, most horrific use of the Internet yet. Using their skills to scour the Net to prevent more killings, the team must race against the clock . . . before it's too late.

Read as an audiobook.

This book has been more sedate and grounded than the last couple of Monkeewrench book - a return to the feel of Book 1 (Monkeewrench) and Book 2 (Live Bait) No one is running around the countryside in the dark trying to escape terrorists, no one is driving around the state in a week long blizzard; we have our characters knuckling down and working the crimes in their hometown of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

I can't decide if I felt there was a de-emphasis on the romantic interests that were developing but not really progressing in books 1-4. Detective Leo Magozzi and Grace McBride continue their strange relationship, while unintended outside influences make them reconsider their lack of a relationship. The epilogue makes me wonder if I was missing more in the relationship dance or if I just ceased to care. Much like TV shows, when the unrequited love/sex interests drags on long enough, I loose interest. And in the case of Grace McBride, I've lost interest.

I also particularly enjoyed the twists at the end - somewhat expected if you are paying attention, but delightful anyway. Whole series is recommended.

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Recipe Review 12/5/11

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

A fairly uneventful week food wise. Sunday the Husband and I made a double batch of Chicken Wild Rice soup. Half was for our lunches, half was for a "Frozen Food Santa Basket" for a gal at the Husband's workplace who is having some family medical issues. I've made this recipe for years, and I need to remember to change the amount served - recipe says serves 6-8 and it's closer to four.

I did use my slowcooker facilitate cooking the chicken - a method I like more and more each time I use it. Take chicken, put in slow cooker, cook on high 6-8 hours, low 4-5 hours. You will need a tongs to extract the chicken because it will just fall apart when done. This is a great method for an easy dinner or if you need shredded chicken for another dish. Highly recommended.

The one noteable recipe was a surprise:

Chip-Crusted Fish Filets (Ckng Lght Dec 2011)
This was was surprisingly good! I used a mondo huge filet of halibut (my favorite fish next to salmon) and had to cook it for about 45 minutes (did I mention this was a huge filet? Seriously, it was.). The chips didn't burn or turn soggy. We used Kettle brand chips which are a bit thicker than some national brands and that may have made a difference. So for ease of prep and great taste, this recipe is going into my 'regular' rotation.

4 (6-ounce) cod fillets (or other firm white fish)

2 teaspoons canola mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (2-ounce) package salt and vinegar kettle-style potato chips, crushed

~~1/2 cup light ranch dressing~~ I made my own tarter sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Arrange fillets on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush 1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise over top of each fillet; sprinkle evenly with salt. Gently press about 2 tablespoons crushed chips evenly on top of each fillet. Cook fish at 400° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with ranch dressing.

photo from cookinglight.com

Laraine Perri, Cooking Light
DECEMBER 2011

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book four in the Tiffany Aching Series. Recommend to be read in order.

Pratchett’s books are a delight to read. Granted, there are some that grab my fancy more than others, but the witticism, the insight into the quirky parts of the human psyche, and the dry (and not so dry) sense of humor is just outstanding.

However, this was one that I thought got a bit…long. Once again, our young heroine seems to be at the center of Big Nasty Things. A Big Nasty Thing is turning people against witches, against the help they give the small communities, all the little wrongs they right, old people they care for, young people they bring into the world…you get the idea. Intolerance is blooming again in Discworld and despite knowing Miss Aching for 16 years, she’s now A Person of Dubious Character because she is a witch.

And Miss Aching, for her part, spends a goodly portion of the book running around not getting enough sleep, not eating properly and wondering how she is going to take care of the most current problem.

About half way through I was ready to skip to the end to find out. But then I might miss something cool that the Mac Nac Feegles did. So I doggedly kept going.

Not my favorite Pratchett, but not my least favorite either.

Gail’s review on Disorganized, As Usual

Andrew Wheeler's review

View all my reviews

Recipe Reveiw from 11/28/11

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Back into the swing of things upon return from South Carolina! We got our first sticking-snow this past week too - only an inch, but made roads trecherous enough that my usual 25 minute drive home took twice as long. Not complainin' though! Was listening to Shoot to Thrill by PJ Tracy. Listening to a book on tape is a great way to spend time on a commute.

I actually did some pre-planning before we went on vacation and had several meals frozen and waiting for our return. Simple things like pork cutlets (served with stuffing and acorn squash), pork chalupas over rice, and the Stratford 'sweet' chili. I didn't want to have to stress over doing a grocery run immediately upon return. Worked out pretty well except for being out of milk and apples.

And my goal to use my crockpot once a week continues with this recipe:

Slow Cooker Lasagna (Ckng Lght Bulletin Board)
Oh my goodness! Was this quick, easy and good! I think assembly took me maybe 30 minutes, and part of that was to caramelize the onions before adding the sausage. I also used fresh mushrooms prefering the way they stay firm in the end product. If you don't like you 'shrooms quite so robust in a dish, toss them in with the onion and before the sausage. What I especially liked about this dish is that it is NOT a 9x13" pan. This was the perfect size for two of us for about 3 lunches each and one supper.

Serving Size : 6-8
1 lb ~~ground round~~ mild bulk Italian sausage
~~2 tsps minced garlic~~ (because I just didn't feel like dicing it...)
[2/3 cup diced onion]
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
26 ozs jar chunky garden-style pasta sauce
1/4 - 1/3 c water
8 lasagna noodles -- uncooked (I used Barilla no-boil noodles)
~~4 1/2 ozs jar sliced mushrooms -- undrained~~
8oz sliced fresh mushrooms (I used crimini)
15 ozs part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese (I just used the whole 2cup bag of mozarrella...)

Cook beef, ~~garlic~~, [onion] and seasoning in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and set aside. Combine pasta sauce and water in a small bowl and set aside. Place 4 uncooked noodles in a 4-quart slow cooker coated wit cooking spray, breaking noodles to fit. Layer with half of beef mixture, pasta sauce mixture, and mushrooms. Spread ricotta over mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Layer with remaining noodles, meat, pasta sauce mixture, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook 4-5 hours.

Use of Weapons by Iain Banks

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An interesting story that smacks the reader upside the head with its conclusion. I love it when a book does that.

From Goodreads: The man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks and military action. The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought. The drone known as Skaffen-Amtiskaw knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her attackers in a particularly bloody manner. It believed the man to be a lost cause. But not even its machine could see the horrors in his past.

Ferociously intelligent, both witty and horrific, USE OF WEAPONS is a masterpiece of science fiction.

My main complaint with the book is the flashbacks. I'm not a fan of flashbacks and find they pull me out of the enjoyment of the main story line more often than not. Even with Bank's, I get annoyed to be reading in the present and the past and my inclination (nay, knee jerk reaction) is to skip the historical trips down memory lane.

But I know better with the Culture books. Don't do it! The payoff is so worth it.

The favorite part of any Banks book? The ship names. They delight me every time. I used to keep track but have since lost those posty-notes. Just awesome.

I'd love to say more, but I can't. Go read it and find out why.


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Hilton Head SC/Savannah GA 2011

2011-11-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

No recipe review this week! We were off on Grand Adventures last week - a trip to sunny South Carolina!

Sunset from the fishing docks

Departed Duluth on a less than balmy Saturday morning and arrived in Savannah at about 3p in the afternoon. Once we had rental car keys in hand, we made the 30 minute drive to Hilton Head and checked into our resort and room. Dinner shortly followed at Roast Fish and Cornbread - which I can safely say was probably the best meal of the week - which is why I'm mentioning it. Absolutely fabulous! I need to find a recipe to mimic the spiced sweet potato cornbread. Yum yum yum.

Sunday we treat as a 'down day' and hang around the area. It took us three attempts to find the beach what with all the multitude of little twisty windy roads. Lots of lounging and leisurely walks. Huh...I didn't take any pictures of the beach!

Spanish Moss in a Live Oak on Honey Horn plantation.

Monday we branched out to explore the whole island and we ended at Honey Horn plantation for a guided tour, which ended up being just us. I just love these kinds of tours, so much more personal than just walking around reading signs. Honey Horn was also showing an outside art exhibit - what a neat contrast with the historical plantation and modern art.

Winner of the judged exhibit. Titled "The Family" (there is a third horse
not in the picture). Will go on permanent display in the main city on Hilton Head.

Tuesday we headed back to Savannah to wander the historic district. We were here in April of 2008 and hadn't alloted enough time to really explore all the parks and streets. With a tip from my folks - who had also been here previously - we had an early dinner at the Griffon Tea house. Absolutely lovely...except when I realized on the way back to Hilton Head I left my visor there. Drat and bother...

So hard to pick just one picture. A house off of one of the famous garden squares.

Wednesday was more lounging and we rented a bike for the coming Holiday weekend. First we went to Harbor City and checked out the lighthouse and marina. Then we went back, rented a tandem and did a lovely 5 miles. Whee! The Husband got to do the drivin'...little did he know that could just put my feet up on the supports and coast along....hehehe...

Oops! Someone let all the water out!
8' between low tide and high tide.

Thursday (Bird Day!) we signed up for a Southern Style Thanksgiving Buffet on the BEACH! How awesome is that! Well, pretty awesome for these Yankee's. 70*, slight breeze, I lucked out and got by the heater (70* with a breeze of the Atlantic is really not all that warm.) Ooo, so stuffed. A ambling walk along the beach after helped those digestive juices, then we finished watching the Packers beat the Lions before a bike ride on the BEACH! How cool is that?!? We were biking on the beach on Thanksgiving day. Whee!!! (Remember that comment about no beach pics....?) >:(

Friday we thought about going up to Beauford, but opted to bike around Hilton Head Island instead. The Husband wanted to find the remains of a Revolutionary fortification, but the best we could do was a Civil War era bunker. And in the process we kinda circumnavigated the island on bike, ending at a putt-putt place.

Tidal Marsh on Port Royal Sound

Saturday was departure day, and our flight didn't leave until 6p at night (which turned out to be 7p due to a weather delay in Chicago). A lovely breakfast out, a round of putt-putt at a different mini-golf place, and then back to Savannah where I was able to retrieve my lost visor! Hooray! (This particular visor is from a trip to the Quad Cities to see the then River City Bandits, one of the MN Twin's minor league teams. Logo doesn't exist any more.)

So it was with much regret we came home to 30* and a very blustery 25mph wind. Bleh. Good to be home again though.

Eyes of Prey by John Sandford (Davenport #3)

2011-11-24T09:30:00.000-06:00

Eyes of Prey by John Sandford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Lieutenant Davenport's sanity was nearly shattered by two murder investigations. Now he faces something worse...Two killers. One hideously scarred. The other strikingly handsome, a master manipulator fascinated with all aspects of death. The dark mirror of Davenport's soul...This is the case that will bring Davenport back to life. Or push him over the edge.

This was a very long audiobook, something like 14+ hours? 12 disks at any rate. The reader has a very methodical - almost slow - delivery so I fully admit it was hard to just let the story unfold when I wanted to know what happens NOW. I'm impatient that way.

I read this one to tide me over until the new Virgil Flowers (#5) becomes available at the library. And because I'm slowly working my way through the Davenport series.

I love the twists and turns all the characters took in this one. Lucas is climbing back from a bout of depression, trying to find his old footholds. The antagonist Becker is just purely messed up, a pathologist on drugs can't ever be a good combination. Drews, sucked into murdering Becker's wife, is just a very misunderstood downtrodden guy (not that he doesn't have his own dark closet) and pulled into Becker's self destructive orbit.

My only complaint is I'm already seeing the pattern these books tend to take - all psychological/mystery/thrillers TV or books have a predictable pattern - and it's only book three. But, I supposed Sandford wouldn't be up to 20+ Davenport books and 5 Flowers books if he didn't know what he was doing. I'll definitly keep reading.

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Recipe Review from 11/14/2011

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Been a bit of a busy week with some unusual for me late nights, like 11p late nights: a late season campfire on Sunday night and the weather cooperated quite nicely with just a hint of a breeze and decent temps for November; and watched the abysmal Viking/Packer football game...not entirely certain that it was the Vikings who showed up....

Had the car in for it's 3000 mile oil change and needed new wiper blades, a new headlight, a new battery for my car door opener, new rear brakes and something broke in my emergency brakes too. Kinda need the emergency brakes when you work in a city like Duluth. Good to have all this done with winter on the doorstep, but still, Ouch...

Couple new recipes for the week. It would have been more but the Mac-n-Cheese made way more than I had anticipated so several recipes got the bump to a future week.

Creamy, Light Mac-n-Cheese (Ckng Lght, Nov 2011)
Sure this was creamy when it came off the stove top...but after 25 minutes in the oven to finish it, it wasn't so creamy. A bit clumpy if anything. The one thing I did like the addition of the butternut squash, a great way to slip in some veggies. And a small brain-fart on my part, this does make a 9x13 pan, which is A LOT for two people. I think this would have been better with the noodles halved and the sauce kept the same.

Ingredients

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 pound uncooked cavatappi
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.

6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Sidney Fry, MS, RD, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2011

Black Bean Soup (Ckng Lght BB)
I love a good black bean soup and since this was made in the slow cooker it met my weekly challenge of one recipe/week ala crock pot. I'm not real thrilled about ham so it was only a half hearted search for a ham bone. What I ended up doing was frying two strips of bacon and tossing the partially cooked bacon into the slow cooker, then frying the onion and garlic in the bacon grease. So I got my 'smokey' flavor but no meat. This was super tasty and is great with a bit of cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top.

Source: Slow Cooker Revolution
Yield: 11 1-cup servings

3 whole onions -- minced
6 whole garlic cloves -- minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 pound dried black beans
3 stalks celery -- minced
2 whole carrots -- minced
2 whole bay leaves
~~1 whole ham bones~~ 2 strips of bacon
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

~~Microwave~~ Fry bacon till mostly cook and fat has been rendered. Remove bacon and put in slow cooker. Add onions, garlic, oil and chili powder ~~in a bowl~~, to frying pan, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Stir water, broth, beans, celery, carrots and bay leaves into slow cooker. ~~Nestle ham bone in~~. Cover and cook until beans are tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.

~~Transfer ham bone to cutting board, let cool slightly and shred meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding bone.~~ Let soup settle for 5 minutes and then remove fat from the surface using a slotted spoon. Discard bay leaves.

Transfer 1 cup of beans to a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Stir shredded ham and mashed beans back into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Knitting Update

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

This post is like way, way overdue. I admit it's been a very slow year for knitting. I suspect it had a lot to do with adopting Andy and his training, my two work companions changed their schedules so we didn't knit on Friday's this summer (having knitting companions is very inspiring for getting projects done). There was the usual yard work and it was easier to read in the evening than to concentrate on a project.

Let's not forget two trips (Madison, WI and Reno, NV), even though I knit during both. But now that the weather has turned much cooler and being outside is less attractive, and it's bloody dark at 530pm, I've picked up the needles again.

Most notable this year is I taught myself how to do a toe-up sock. LOVE IT! I'm still experimenting with casting on the toe and what I prefer, but for some reason it is so much fun to do a sock from bottom up rather than cuff down that I'm not sure I could go back. It'll depend on the pattern I suppose.

And now, the completions:

Basic Cable Sock (but toe up!)
Pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: "Four Season Grundl" Merinetta (a German yarn) in olive green
#1 circulars

Lacy Cotton Socks
Pattern: forgot from where!! Probably Ravelry
Yarn: Scholler/Stahl Sockina Cotton
#1 circulars
I bought this yar like 5 years ago from the Yarnery in St. Paul when I was first learning how to knit and didn't know any better...an impulse buy and a good argument why not to do impulse buys. Lovely to work with, but I'm now not a fan of cotton yarn. I had some technical difficulties with the pattern - a brainfart if you will - that I didn't discover until I was well into sock #2. I just went with it rather than frogg both out. Didn't care for this particular toe either - very boxy and not tapered as I prefer.

Temple Cat Hat
Pattern: Temple Cat Hat from KnitPicks
Yarn: City Tweed DK in Obsidian and Snowshoe
#5 circulars
It had been a while since I worked with two strands (see Moose Hat below) but I needed a project for the drive to/from the Viking game and this fit. The braided brim takes forever. I estimate at least 4 1/2 hours. It's a 3 hour drive to the Cities and 3 hours back home. In about 4 1/2 of those hours I didn't get it done! Slow, but worth it. The rest of the hat was fun fun fun and I quickly finished it in a couple weekends.

Orange Hat for the Nephew.
Pattern: based off of the Ely hat by....???
Yarn: KnitPicks
#4 circulars.
Sister called and said the nephew had finally outgrown his little pumpkin hat I made him when he was one. This is a small crisis in their family as the little guy wears the hat all. year. long. Knitpicks has such a great selection of yarns that it was no trouble finding orange (I'm talking pumpkin orange here) and whipping up a hat.

And on the needles, as a do-over:
Moose Hat
Pattern by Knitpicks
#6 circulars

I started this wayyyy back in March or April, then Kia-dog had her troubles and passed away. Introduce new doggie, say good bye to free time until a couple weeks ago. Really wasn't wild about how it looked so I ripped it back to the brim and began again. Pleased with progress.

photo from Knitpics.com

Recipe Reveiw from 11/7/2011

2011-11-14T09:30:00.000-06:00

I wish the weather would make up it's mind! Either be nice, warm, and sunny, or stick with the cold bluster that usually exemplifies Fall. Enough of this 52* one day, 30* the next business.

This week Andy-dog has taken a hankering to flossing his teeth on my rugs. One rug in particular - it used to be my cotton yoga mat, but I never used it as such and decided to put it to better use as a throw rug. First was the corner. Bad Dog! Then he decided he liked chewing holes in it instead. BAD dog! THEN! he decided that well, if he couldn't floss on the nice yoga rug, he would pick a different one. Arrgh!

Once I correct him of this undesirable habit, I have a friend who thought she might be able to sew me a new edge.

But enough of my adorable pup. Recipe for the week:

Pork and Butternut Squash Chili (Ckng Light, Nov 2011)
If you were to click on the link, you would find that this recipe calls for beef. I've lost my taste for beef so I subbed a pork roast. Another recipe that could be simplified - like tossing the whole thing into the crockpot and walking away. You could do about 4 hours on high, or 6-8 on low. And why buy whole tomatoes when everything is just going to dissolve anyway - use diced in my opinion. This was tasty enough if not a bit on the bland side for us - even with a while jalapeno tossed in. I liked all the veggies in it and if a person wanted to make it complete vegetarian, skip the meat all together and use a comparable amount of butternut squash.

This also made a lot. I'll be freezing a couple servings for sure.

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless ~~chuck roast~~, [pork roast] trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt

photo from CookingLight.com

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons diced jalapeño pepper
2/3 cup dry ~~red wine~~ white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chile pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can ~~whole~~ [diced] tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
[1 cup coarsely chopped celery] my addition

6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
~~2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves~~
1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 teaspoon oil; swirl. Sprinkle beef with salt. Add beef to pan; sauté 8 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove beef.

2. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, and jalapeño; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan. Cook 2 minutes. Return beef to pan.

3. Stir in ancho chile pepper and the next 7 ingredients (through kidney beans), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Add butternut squash and 1 cup carrot, and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Ladle 1 1/3 cups chili into each of 6 bowls, and top each with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon cilantro.

Mike Wilson, Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2011

The Bone House by Brian Freeman

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

The Bone House by Brian Freeman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Premise of the book from Goodreads.com: Hilary and Mark Bradley are trapped in a web of suspicion. Last year, accusations of a torrid affair with a student cost Mark his teaching job and made the young couple into outcasts in their remote island town off the Lake Michigan coast. Now another teenage girl is found dead on a deserted beach. . . and once again, Mark faces a hostile town convinced of his guilt.

Hilary Bradley is determined to prove that Mark is innocent, but she’s on a lonely, dangerous quest. Even when she discovers that the murdered girl was witness to a horrific crime years earlier, the police are certain she’s throwing up a smoke screen to protect her husband. Only a quirky detective named Cab Bolton seems willing to believe Hilary’s story.

Hilary and Cab soon find that people in this community are willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden—and to make sure Mark doesn’t get away with murder. And with each shocking revelation, even Hilary begins to wonder whether her husband is truly innocent. Freeman’s first stand-alone thriller since his Stride novels is a knockout.

I wanted to like this book ('read' it on audio). I really did. It started out strong; the plot pulls a person in...and then I completely lost interest in 2/3 of the characters. I couldn't empathize/care/give a shit about any of them. I got tired of the flashbacks. I grew annoyed with the chronic stupidity - it was a lot like watching the proverbial horror flick and shouting at the screen "NO! Don't open THAT door!".

So, on one hand, Freeman does a very good job of hooking your emotions and pulling you into a very tumultuous story line. We have a dashing high school teacher who has been accused of taking advantage of an underage girl who had befriended him and his wife. We have an insular community hiding dark secrets and feeling that The Outsider is to blame for all of their woes. The community's Little Darling - who can do no wrong - is murdered on an empty nighttime beach in Florida. It's good. Seriously good.

On the other hand, I kept getting yanked out of the plot by little things, little implausibilies, in my humble opinion. A community who doesn't seem to believe the girl with no mention ever of a medical exam. Uh huh. After all, a young person simply cannot write anything that realistic. Bullshit. We have a dead girl floating in the water; the sea has seemingly destroyed any evidence of sexual activity, but not the skin under the fingers? The action of the hand in the sand in the water didn't act as a nail cleaner? Riiigght. What was this 16 year old doing in Florida without a parent anyway? Who in the hell lets their 16 year old drive to Florida from Wisconsin with their boyfriend? We have a community who has judged, tried and condemned to death an individual and his wife all because they - the community - deemed themselves judge, jury and executioner. A sheriff who's duty is to protect the innocent - until proven guilty - who's as bad as the rest of them. Trite and annoying. An out of town inspector who is trying to get to the bottom and never questions why an entire community keeps pointing him at one individual. I'm no detective, but if I were, I'd be digging into that towns past because it screams "cover-up".

I have no idea where Disk 6 compares to in the physical book. But that's where I said to hell with it. I'll try and find some spoilers or check out the book from the library, read the last couple of chapters and call it finished. Maybe. Might still say to hell with it.

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Recipe Review from 10/31/11

2011-11-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Deer opener was this past weekend - which meant that Saturday I needed to be creative on how I was going to get two bouncy hounds some exercise that did NOT involve running around our yard/property. While the Husband went out back to hunt, I headed into town for yoga with the gang, brunch afterwards, then a great walk with a friend and her dog around a local golf course that had finally closed for the year. GREAT place to let the hounds run.

Downside was I nearly lost Andy-dog twice. He seems to have a hard time hearing where I'm whistling from. First time he took off in the opposite direction, second time, he got turned around on an adjacent trail. We got him back both times, but I need to figure out a way to teach Andy to listen to the whistle direction.

A couple of good recipes last week. I'm doing really well at finding at least one slow cooker recipe to either start the week or to have mid-week. So far it's working out great! What a time saver.

Indian-Spiced Squash Soup (Ckng Lght, Nov 2011)

Super fast to pull together once all the squash is chopped. I loved how everything was tossed into the oven - onions, garlic, squash - and roasted, then final assembly is on the stove. I did say Poo! to some of the directions at the end for simplicity and just did a dump and blend, then simmer for 30 minutes. I swear, sometimes people try and make recipes harder than they need to be. Heads up on this one, it has some ZING! when made as written. Omit chili powder for more of a curry taste.

Total: 1 Hour+

Pic from CookingLight.com

Ingredients

1 cup chopped yellow onion
8 ounces carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (1-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
1 (8-ounce) acorn squash, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups water 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
6 teaspoons honey
1. Preheat oven to 500°.

2. Arrange the first 5 ingredients on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with pepper. Toss. Roast at 500° for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning once. Cool for 10 minutes. Peel acorn squash; discard skin.

3. Combine vegetable mixture, 2 cups water, curry powder, garam masala, and red pepper in a food processor; pulse to desired consistency. Scrape mixture into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and stir in salt. Combine yogurt and honey, stirring well. Serve with soup.

Eunice Munn, Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2011

Balsamic Vinegar BBQ Pork Sliders (Ckng Lght BB)
I was dubious about the amount of Balsamic Vinegar in this, but oh my goodness, I shouldn't have been. These were delish!
Very very easy to make - cook the pork roast in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours. Assemble BBQ sauce (which can be done ahead of time). Shred pork, add sauce, and eat! I used warmed whole grain cibiatta buns. Fantastic. My only complaint with this recipe was I thought I should get three meals out of it and we got two. Please note - I also halved the BBQ sauce quantities per a suggestion below.

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast

1 large onion -- chopped
1 medium sweet green pepper -- chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

pinch red chili pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

15 slider buns -- or small dinner rolls, split

coleslaw, pickles, etc.

Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker. In the cooker, combine onion and green pepper. Add meat; sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Pour broth over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Meanwhile, make the barbeque sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Let simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Transfer meat to a cutting board. Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds, discarding fat. Strain vegetable mixture, discarding liquid. Return meat and strained vegetables to the slow cooker. Stir in barbeque sauce. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

Source:"Better Homes and Gardens"

NOTES from the BB : I used Boston Butt and only added about half of the bbq sauce. It was really good!

Snow Blind by PJ Tracy

2011-11-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

Snow Blind by P.J. Tracy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In book number four, we return to Minneapolis and a winter wonderland that doesn't want to quit. I've lived in Minnesota for 35 years - Mpls for 20 of those and Duluth the remainder. If you get a snowfall as described, you won't be driving all over the state. Major highways will be difficult to navigate. Minor highways probably impassable. County roads...best to stay home. City streets will not be plowed yet (snow emergency first day, then secondary streets, and the rest the third. Be prepared to spend a lot of time shoveling out your car.)

Yet, we find our good homicide detectives making repeated trips to this northern county because everything keeps pointing them to a secluded business that is more than it appears. What is a corporation on the outside, hides a refuge for 400 battered women behind its fences. A small enclave kept secret from the wider populace, designed to protect and shelter, has now been thrust into the limelight of a murder investigation.

I had some difficulty with the plausibility of book number four between the snowstorm and this secret enclave called Bitterroot. 400 people living, working, raising kids, doing day to day activities - in a county not all that far north of a major metropolitan area – simply could not be kept under wraps. That’s a fair sized community. Kids talk. Increased traffic of both commuters and supply trucks. Planes that fly over. Just didn’t quite make the bell ring true for me.

The blurb also describes this as being a Monkeewrench novel: When the corpses of three police officers are discovered entombed in snowmen, Grace MacBride and her team of crime-busting computer jocks at the Monkeewrench firm are called in to assist. What they discover is a terrifying link among the victims that reaches beyond the badge and crosses the line between hard justice and stone cold vengeance. I found their roll in this book to be pretty minimal; it’s not about Grace McBride and the gang, it’s about Bitterroot and what hides behind those fences.

So. Why am I still reading? Darn it if I don’t like the characters and the humor. Some of the one liners and observations are just brilliant. I also give points for the unconventional ending; which I won’t describe because that would be a major spoiler.

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Recipe Review from 10/24/11

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Bit of a baking and cooking spree this past week: two different work potlucks, on bookgroup meeting, and the usual for lunches and suppers.  I simply love this time of year - perfect for slow cooked hearty meals, soups, stews, and! I can cool off the leftovers out on the porch (as long as I remember to keep a lid on the dish AND out of reach of the dogs...). Just sayin'....

Lots of good main dishes. I haven't linked to them all since the post was getting mighty long. If you are interested in something I didn't post, let me know!   Sorry, been uber poor about posting pics. Will try and do better...once I remember to empty the full memory card on my camera!

Wickedly Good Whoopie Pies (Woman's Day mag, 2004)
I'm fairly certain I've made these before, I just don't recall when. I also strongly suspect I over beat the batter because my 'cookies' ended up rather flat rather than nice little cake-like blobs. Still tasted good, just flat. I also just used a butter frosting from the recipe below so I didn't have to make two frostings on an already rather long baking day.

Makes 25-30 whoopies

BATTER
1 stick (1/2 c) butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. each baking powder & salt
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. 1% lowfat milk
2 c. all-purpose flour

FILLING - Used filling recipe from Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
~~3/4 stick (6 Tbs) butter, melted~~
~~1 c. plus 2 Tbs. confectioners' sugar~~
~~1 c. plus 2 Tbs. marshmallow cream/fluff~~
~~1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract~~
1. Heat oven to 375. Coat baking sheet(s) w/nonstick spray.

2. Batter: Beat butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder & salt in large bowl w/mixer on medium speed til fluffy. Beat in egg & vanilla, then cocoa til blended. With mixer on low speed, slowly eat in milk til blended. By hand, stir in flour. Drop level tablespoons 2" apart on prepared baking sheet(s).

3. Bake 8 minutes or til tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool on sheet l minute before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat w/remaining batter.

4. Filling: With a wooden spoon, vigorously mix all ingredients til blended and smooth.

5. Spread 2 tsp. onto flat side of half of the cakes; top each with another cake, pressing to adhere.
Planning tip--refrigerate airtight w/wax paper between layers up to 1 wk. or freeze up to 1 month.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Culinary in the Country Blog)
I'm also not certain if I made these before, so I'm treating this one as a new recipe. Good, dense, pumpkin-y; makes the amount listed if you use a small cookie dough/meatball scoop for uniformity. I would make these again - fun treats!

For the batter:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 cups chilled mashed or pureed pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the filling
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioners' sugar
To prepare the batter:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until combined. Whisk in pumpkin. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, beating until combined before adding the next. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture and whisk just until the ingredients are combined.

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, drop heaping scoops of the batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Place sheets into the oven and bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed in the center or a toothpick placed in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the sheets before transferring them to a wire rack.

To prepare the filling:
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in cream cheese and vanilla until combined. Sift confectioners' sugar into the mixing bowl and beat just until smooth.

Scoop filling into a pastry bag and pipe a large dollop on the flat side of half of the cookies. Place an unfilled cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling to create a sandwich. Place assembled whoopie pies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover lightly with saran wrap. Place into the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 28 assembled whoopie pies.

Butternut Squash Risotto (Ckng Lght Oct 2011)
This ended up getting made in two parts - I was cubing and boiling the squash the week previous and got hit with a bout of vertigo. Supper was aborted while I slept it off for four hours, then went to bed. The Husband completed the squash puree mixture, so when I was able to get back to this, it was just a matter of heating the puree, sauteing the rice and then combining. This risotto was super easy - and incredibly bland. Just no flavor to it at all. Some caramelized onions would have made a world of difference in my opinion.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad (allrecipes.com)
It's a good thing this one was quick to assemble because I ended up making it the morning of the potluck. Just ran out of time on Sunday and Monday I had yoga class and bookgroup so I don't get home till late. It also would have helped on Tuesday morning if I had actually remembered to have bought the black beans ahead of time...a quick swing through Cub on the way to work, remember to bring the strainer to rinse and drain the beans at the office. Oy. Anyway, this was outstanding! Forget the chilli, I much preferred this!

Pork Chalupa's (Ckng Lght BB, source unknown)
This. Was. Outstanding! So simple to throw together in the morning and all I had to do to "shred" was stick a fork in the meat and stir it around. Definitely add the salt, chilies and picante sauce after shredding the meat, otherwise your beans may not soften. I found that four cups of water was plenty, since the pork and onions also give off liquid.

Serve on tortillas, over rice or with corn chips! You can make it spicier by using jalapenos instead of green chilies and use whichever level salsa you like. It is much better the next day or even a few days later. It makes a lot!!

1 lb. dry pinto beans/navy beans/or other preferred bean
3 lbs. boneless pork (we used country style boneless pork ribs - highly recommended!)
6 4 cups water
~~1/2~~ 1 cup onion, sliced into rings or half rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon salt
1- 4 oz. can of diced jalapenos (if you like a little heat) or 1- 6 oz. can of diced green chilies
1/2 – 1 cup Pace Picante sauce (I have used a Trader Joe's tortilla sauce-- well a different one each time)

Put all ingredients up to oregano in crock pot. Cover and cook on low about 8-9 hours or on high 5 or more hours, until roast is falling apart and the beans are soft. Remove the meat, shred and return to the pot. Add salt, jalapenos or green chili's and picante sauce.

If possible, check after 5 hours to make sure the beans haven’t absorbed all the liquid. Add 1 cup water at a time if you need to. Enjoy this meat with corn or flour tortillas and with toppings of your choice.

Leek and Barley Soup (Victory Garden CkBk by Marion Morash)
Sorry, I completely forgot to type this one in this weekend. I also admit, I had my doubts about this particular soup: 6 cups of sliced leeks? Really? and only 2oz of barley? Well, by default the leeks were only 4 cups (it was all we had left from the garden) and I have to say it was about perfect. Next time I would definitely up the barley to 4oz.   With some carrots, onion, celery and stock, this turned out really good and would be outstanding with some rustic bread, cheese and fruit.

Zero History by William Gibson

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Zero History by William Gibson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Premise of the book from Goodreads.com: Hollis Henry worked for the global marketing magnate Hubertus Bigend once before. She never meant to repeat the experience. But she's broke, and Bigend never feels it's beneath him to use whatever power comes his way -- in this case, the power of money to bring Hollis onto his team again. Not that she knows what the "team" is up to, not at first.

Milgrim is even more thoroughly owned by Bigend. He's worth owning for his useful gift of seeming to disappear in almost any setting, and his Russian is perfectly idiomatic - so much so that he spoke Russian with his therapist, in the secret Swiss clinic where Bigend paid for him to be cured of the addiction that would have killed him.

Garreth has a passion for extreme sports. Most recently he jumped off the highest building in the world, opening his chute at the last moment, and he has a new thighbone made of rattan baked into bone, entirely experimental, to show for it. Garreth isn't owned by Bigend at all. Garreth has friends from whom he can call in the kinds of favors that a man like Bigend will find he needs, when things go unexpectedly sideways, in a world a man like Bigend is accustomed to controlling.

As when a Department of Defense contract for combat-wear turns out to be the gateway drug for arms dealers so shadowy that even Bigend, whose subtlety and power in the private sector would be hard to overstate, finds himself outmaneuvered and adrift in a seriously dangerous world.

I really enjoyed book number three in the Bigend series. There is just something about the way Gibson weaves the characters and plot together that is just a delight to read. I read Pattern Recognition in March of 2006, Spook Country in June of 2011 and now Zero History and everyone of the books left me wanting to read another.

I also find Gibson's books, at least these, to be a nice blend of description and dialog. I loved the setting at the hotel, the stuffed critters, the wallpaper with the vaguely pornographic scene, the narwhale tusks and the shower. Really, he described a shower! It’s little things like that that really made the book come alive. I enjoyed the dialog for similar reasons, it felt like people actually talking to each other; short clipped sentences that only make sense if you're part of the conversation.

With Zero History I was especially delighted when Gibson pulled from Pattern Recognition - even though it's been five years since I read that first book, I still recalled enough to make the connection.

Lastly, this is not science fiction per-se even though it is published as such, but near future perhaps might be a better way to describe it? Hardly detraction in my opinion. Delightful series of books. Recommended.

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Recipe Review from 10/16/11

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Whew! Busy weekend - Saturday morning I co-taught a Yin/Yang yoga class; 1 hour of vinyasa, followed by 1 hour of restorative. Plan was the Husband and I were going to go to brunch then up to the UM-Duluth homecoming football game, but massive brain fart, we forgot our tickets and had to drive All. The. Way. Back. Home. Grrr. Absolutely gorgeous day to be outside though! Was probably about 50*F (10*C), but in the stands it was easily 60*F (15*C). Record number of attendees - 6044! Thankfully we did get reserved seat tickets but still, we were packed in there like sardines. UMD won 37 to 6.

Then it was a quick swing through Yarn Harbor for a skein of yarn for myself and we made our way down to the Lakewalk to see if Portland Malt Shoppe was still open. Hooray! It was! Probably the last Portland Malt of the year as they will be closed till spring next time we're down in that neighborhood. And we ended the day with dinner at India Palace. Yum!
Only one new recipe from last week. This made more than I hand anticipated and then we had a strange mid-week. Not sure why, just the way it was.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry (Ckng Lght BB/Women's Day Magazine)
First dish in my attempt to use my slow-cooker weekly. I had planned on assembling this Monday morning, but realized Sunday afternoon it would make more sense to just do it then and have the Husband re-heat before I got home from class. I ended up using 2 packages of chicken thighs; it was a bit of a conundrum one package is 1.25 lbs, but only has 6 pieces. And what was I going to do with four leftover chicken thighs? Decided use two packages and cook it all up. Downside was I couldn't double the sauce as I ran out of curry powder AND ginger. Result? Chicken turned out super tender, lots of juices (almost too much so) and short in the spice department. Which might be okay for some folks but I like a little more oompf to my 'curry'.

Serves: 4
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1-in. piece fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and pepper
8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lb total)
2 small onions, cut into 1/2-in. wedges
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 plum or other tomatoes, diced
Nonfat Greek yogurt and fresh cilantro, for serving

1. In a 5- to 6-qt slow cooker, whisk together the garlic, ginger, vinegar, curry powder, cumin, 2 Tbsp water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2. Add the chicken and onions and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

3. When the chicken has 25 minutes left to cook, cook the rice according to package directions.

4. Gently fold the tomatoes into the chicken mixture and serve over the rice. Top with the yogurt and cilantro, if desired.

5. Instead of chicken, try lamb stew meat or beef chuck (cut into 2-in. pieces).

Source: Woman's Day mag. September 2011

Shadow Prey by John Sandford (Davenport #2)

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Shadow Prey by John Sandford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: A slumlord in Minneapolis. A New York politician. An Oklahoma judge. Three strangers with one thing in common: each has been butchered with a Native American ceremonial knife by a killer known as Shadow Love. Lucas Davenport and Officer Lily Rothenburg needn't look far for the killer. He's right behind them.

I had to read this one as it wasn’t available on audio and I found it to be a fast read. In this version, Sandford wrote an introduction on how he had initially written this as a political commentary and his publisher had him re-write it as a thriller with political commentary. It is my humble opinion that the views being expressed were rather overshadowed by the sex between the main characters. Really, who is going to pay attention to the nuances of social/political remarks when there are two people trying to climb into each other’s pants?

I also felt the socio-political plot was a bit weak in explanation, background and drive. I can understand the ‘waging war against the injustices of the white man’ (I currently live in proximity to two Indian reservations and I've lived in Minneapolis) but I just wasn’t picking up the urgency or drive I felt was needed to spur a ‘revolution’. It came across as a small group of guys with a long standing grudge, working independently of any organized tribe or law, taking down political figureheads. Nothing was resolved other than everyone ends up dead...which one could interpet as being the point. Nothing changes.

The two subplots surrounding Davenport was interesting character building. It will be fascinating to see how Sandford develops the homicide group from here to book #20 (Storm Prey).

So if you are looking for a engaging, quick to read cop thriller, this does a pretty good job of filling that niche.

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Recipe Review 10/11/11

2011-10-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Week in rewind: it was a splendid week really; I was pretty exhausted on Monday from the whirlwind trip to see the Vikings game on Sunday. Monday the new gas dryer got installed. Then Tuesday I had to get up early for a trip to Badora, MN, to tour the MN DNR seedling nursery. One could not ask for a more splendid fall day - clear skies, a crispness to the breeze that heralds Fall, leaves crunching underfoot, and absolutely gorgeous Harvest Moon rising above the black spruce swamps on my way home. Fall just doesn't get any better than this. And on Saturday I led my once a month Rocket Series at Yoga North, followed by brunch with the Saturday Regulars. Yum-o! My friend and I took the hounds for a walk afterwards. Chilly, but splendid.

Just two recipes to review this week. We did a chicken in the slow cooker on Monday with acorn squash (my favorite!) with the leftovers going into the soup. Then we are trying to start "Friday Pizza" again. Last week was pepperoni and mushroom.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Ckng Lght, Oct 2011)
I keep my eye out for wild rice soups - since I started harvesting wild rice, I need places to use it and this is one of my favorites. However, this dish left me disappointed. No fault of the soup I think, more a personal taste. I like creamy wild rice soups and this one was brothy. The other side of brothy rice soups is the rice tends to continue to absorb the liquid and I end up with a bowl of veggies, chicken and rice.

1/2 cup ~~brown and~~ wild rice ~~blend~~
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded cooked dark meat chicken
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine brown and wild rice blend and bay leaf in a large saucepan; cook according to rice package directions, omitting salt and fat. Discard bay leaf. Heat pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 3 minutes. Add minced garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken, and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Remove from heat, and stir in half-and-half, sage, salt, and pepper.

Tiffany Vickers Davis, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011

Artichoke, Tomato and Spinach Pizza (Culinary in the Country Blog, Adapted from Rachael Ray)

Well, we managed to screw this recipe up. Dough didn't behave correctly and never puffed up in the oven (we used our standard Michael Rhulman recipe). I brain-farted the fact that there is no red sauce and thawed out the pizza sauce. Then at the end, forgot the spinach. So the recipe you see below is what we had intended to make, not what actually got made. This will probably be a do-over some point down the line. That and Friday Pizza may get switched to Saturday because eating at 830p at night isn't working out so well.
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and fresh ground black pepper
16 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough (I used our favorite recipe)
6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 ounce (about 1/3 cup) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
13.75 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby spinach, chopped

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a rack placed in the lower third, along with an inverted sturdy baking sheet on top of rack.

In a medium bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic and parsley - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll dough to fit a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (the sheet should be roughly 13" x 18"). Transfer dough into the pan, gently spreading to fit if needed.

Dollop two tablespoons of the garlic and oil mixture on the dough, spreading to cover the top with an off-set spatula. Scatter mozzarella and about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan over the dough.

Add artichokes, tomatoes and spinach into the bowl with the garlic and oil mixture, tossing well to coat. Evenly arrange mixture over the cheese. Scatter the top with the remaining Parmesan.

Set baking sheet directly on top of the inverted sheet in the oven and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, about 16 to 22 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.

Makes about 4 servings.

Dead Run by P.J. Tracy (Monkeewrench #3)

2011-10-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

Dead Run by P.J. Tracy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This one had me yelling at my windsheild. Repeatedly. And venting to the husband as we walked, which ended up being more of a forced march as my blood pressure rose and I got agitated with it all. Two strong books and then....lord knows what happened. Maybe the authors read W.K. Krueger's Mercy Falls and needed something outlandish too. I dunno.

I'll try and do this without major spoilers:

Govt conspiracy/major cover up in NE Wisconsin - so, a whole town vanishes and we have someone pushing a tanker truck into a lake. If you have ever been in NE Wisconsin farm country, you would know that - realistically - you will not be able to push a tanker truck into a lake and expect it to sink the prerequisite 18' to be totally submerged and not visible from the air. Your bulldozer/tractor would sink into the muck beyond it's axels and lord knows how'd you'd extract your tractor then. It would far, far, better to just put said ruined tanker truck on the back of a flatbed trailer and haul it out of there completely.

Ditto for a herd of dead cows. Plus they float once bloated. Not good to have a herd of bloated cows bobbing around a lake. Put in a dump truck, cover, and take to a secret government gravel pit and dump and cover.

You don't bury bodies under a feedlot paddock. Seriously. WTH.

Fed's/bad guys seemed really heavy handed. And stupid. See above comments.

All three ladies managed to leave their purses sitting on the counter at the diner for the bad guys to find later on? Riiighhht.... how convienent for the plot.

Didn't anyone think of sending a plane to fly over this fiasco when is started? Any law enforcement agency of a large mostly unpopulated area will have access to a small plane for surveilence. Use it!

Nobody noticed they couldn't raise their relatives on the phone? Only the local 'cake lady' was noticed to be missing? Sure, NE Wisconsin can be rather isolated, but come on! people would notice.

And can we get any more cliched with the nice hick cop with a head injury who feels compelled to "protect" three women who obviously know what the heck is going on moreso than he does? He deserved what happened to him.

Crikey, I could go on, but I will stop here. I felt this particular book, especially after reading the first two, just went winging right out into unbelievable land. Part of my issue was the main plot of three missing women running around a semi-secured government consipriacy zone was just so implausible. The secondary plot of trying to locate the missing women was more interesting. Still, the whole plot had me banging my head against my steering wheel. I 'read' this as an audiobook, by the way.

But, lest you wonder why I kept reading, it was because I loved the humor, I like the quirky characters, and because I wanted to find out how the romatic interests panned out at the end.

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Recipe Review from 10/3/11

2011-10-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

What a week! Our kitchen faucet sprung a leak right around the base of the water faucet itself, and unfortunately the attempt to fix it made the problem worse (never did figure out why it was leaking). We had water dripping all over the sink and running underneath. Oy. So. Out with the old - which wasn't all that old - and in with the new! That took up two evenings - one to pick out a new faucet and one to replace it.   Just what I want to be doing when we are having absolutely GORGEOUS fall weather. Temps in the high 60's, sunny, almost no bugs.

In other news we finally went to a Minnesota Vikings game! Through a military connection of the Husband's, we hooked up with a group of folks for a little tailgating, a little football, and a fair bit of driving. Still, in all the decades I've lived in MN I've never been to an NFL game. MN Twins. U of MN Gopher football, hockey, basketball and baseball. U of Duluth Bulldog hockey and football. MN North Stars then the MN Wild. But no football.   Was an absolute blast! Sorry, no pics, as usual, I forgot the camera...

Meals were unremarkable last week. A Summer Squash Soup with Bacon and Blue cheese that I've made many times before was lunches. A Leek and Potato Soup that we've also made before was supper and lunch toward the end of the week. Grilled cheese the night we had the sink tore apart (I could get at the stove, just couldn't clean anything up). However, one remarkable dish stands out:

Colcannon (Victory Garden Cookbook)
Can we say OUTSTANDING!?! OMGoodness! Just put the bowl in front of me and stand back! A bit dish intensive to make (one pot for potatoes, one pot to blanch the kale, one pot to saute the leeks, one pot to caramelize the onions), but worth it. The directions below are what we ended up doing, so some of this is from memory. But it's not like you can goof this dish up. I wish I had taken a picture, but I ate it too fast! Oh, we served this with a slow-cooked pork shoulder.

1/2 lb kale, trimmed and washed (definitely wash your kale!)
1 lb potatoes, preferably yukon golds
1 cup leeks, white part only, thinly sliced.
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped

Wash, quarter and cook the potatoes. Hand mash Set aside. (We like our potatoes with skin on and 'chunky'-mashed)

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a small saute pan, add onion and saute until nicely browned and intensely caramelized, stirring frequently. Don't let butter or onions burn. This may take about 15-20 minutes depending on your stove (mine's gas).

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, blanch the kale (submerge for 3-5 minutes in boiling water, then remove and run under cool water). Drain well, squeezing any extra water out. Kale should not be limp-limp but still maintain some structure. Coarsely chop and set aside.

In a large saute pan, melt 3 tbsp butter and saute leeks. Add kale and saute until last of water is cooked off. Add to mashed potatoes and stir to combine. Put in a a large serving bowl, make a well and put caramelized onions in center.

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is not too often that I finish book one in a series and immediately start book two. I did here...

Premise of the book: Seven months have passed between the horrific murders based off a computer game by the company Monkeewrench and Minneapolis homicide has been in a lull up until now. Old people in Uptown are being shot to death, the body count is up to four and they all seem to revolve around one man, now dead. Suspect number one is the man's son, who also appears to be the next target and he's not talking.

What I enjoyed about book one and subsequently in book two is the strong main plot which is intertwined with these seemingly random subplots. It just amazes me how the authors can keep all of these threads straight *and* manage to weave them into a coherent ending that leaves me just delighted at its complexity.

I did find with book number two that it got off to a slower start and I found my attention wandering more than once, which resulted in more than one 'rewind' to find out what I missed. I felt the book really didn't start hitting its stride until nearly halfway through (I think it was about there - hard to tell with CD's). I also questioned the plausibility of the main subplot (three Jewish friends searching out and plugging Nazi's, 60 years after the war) only insofar as such with its feasibility prior to the era of computer search functions. I'm not saying it's not completely implausible; often murder mysteries are based off of some nugget of real life.

Recommended if you've read Book #1: Monkeewrench.

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Recipe Review from 9/26/11

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Fall is here! Fall is here! Beautiful temps in the 70's, bright sunny skies during the day and sparkling stars at night. Hint of crispness in the air that heralds colder temps to come. Love it!

Meal planning didn't quite go as planned this week. A dish that I thought would easily cover three meals barely did two. Ended up eating out one night after a walk on the Munger Trail (a paved old RR grade, yellow aspen were just glowing in the setting sun). And re-made dish number one to use up some leftover ingredients. Lunches were a hodgepodge of planned meals and scrounging.

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce (Ckng Lght, Oct 2011)
So this had good flavor, the sauce was easy to prepare. I made the sauce in the morning to save on some prep time in the evening. My big complaint with this recipe was the filling needs to be doubled. Seriously doubled. As prepared below - and measured out! - it didn't come close to filling 12 6" tortillas and left me with a slew of Ranchero Sauce. For a dish that is supposed to fill a 9x13" pan, this made enough to feed two of us for two meals. Not good in my opinion. I had some leftover 8" tortillas in the freezer, leftover sauce and bought another can of beans and bag of cheese and made this a second time during the week so as not waste the sauce.

2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups organic vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

I recommend doubling these:
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican-blend cheese, divided
3 thinly sliced green onions, divided

Cooking spray

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

6 tablespoons light sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine chiles and 2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Drain chiles in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onion; saute 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through cumin); cook 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. Pour onion mixture into a blender; add chiles and reserved liquid. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid. Blend until smooth; stir in lime juice and red pepper.

5. Combine the beans, 1 cup cheese, and half the green onions in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 3 tablespoons bean mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining green onions; serve with sour cream.

David Bonom, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011

Curried Turkey and Israeli Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries
A snap to prepare, definitely citrusy, sweet and subtly spiced. Was a little bland but perked up with a dash of salt and pepper.

You can use light or dark turkey meat in this citrusy, sweet, subtly spiced salad. No turkey on hand? Use rotisserie chicken instead.

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries
Kosher salt
1 cup Israeli couscous
6 oz. skinless roast turkey meat, cut into medium dice (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp. white wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper

In a 1-quart saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the dried cranberries, stir, and set aside.

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the couscous and simmer until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until the couscous is cool. Drain again thoroughly and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the cranberries and orange juice, turkey, almonds, celery, and scallions.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and curry powder. Add to the couscous mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Variations
Israeli couscous is similar to regular couscous but is larger and pearl-shaped. If you don’t have any, use orzo or another tiny pasta shape instead.

From Fine Cooking 113, pp. 26
September 1, 2011

Superior Hiking Trail, Fall Hike

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday found our little pack heading up the North Shore for the last organized hike of 2011!

From the Superior Hiking Trail website:

Caribou River Wayside to Cook Co Rd 1

9.0 miles. This hike climbs along the Caribou River with a chance to take a spur trail to the base of the dramatic Caribou Falls. It continues through birch and maple forests over the only covered bridge on the trail. After steeply descending from the ridgeline, the trail crosses Dyers Creek and continues along the Two Island River.

People I talk to have a preconceived notion about these organized hikes, such as we have to hike as a group, no dogs, etc. I can assure the readers that this is definitely NOT true. You hike at your own pace, dogs are allowed (leashed please - there are other doggies on the trail who are not dog friendly), you can stick with folks if you want or not. The great thing about the organized hikes is the organized shuttle - everyone pitches in to help transport the group to the start point, everyone hikes to the end, then those who were shuttled, help get people back to their cars. A fantastic way to through hike a segment.

Morning temps started at about 27* and by the time we were on the trail it was probably about 40*. As we hiked up the Cascade River Gorge, layers were quickly shed and as long as you kept moving - which is not a problem on the trail - you stayed warm. Lunch for our little pack was at Alfred's Pond where the doggies could get a drink while we ate.

This segment of trail is one of the easier sections. The trail starts out with a gentle climb (gentle for the SHT, then levels off and follows the ridge for about 6 miles. Through the dying birch stand you can see Lake Superior and - on a good day - the Apostle Islands of Wisconsin in the far distance. The trail leaves the birch stand and makes its way through a blaze of golds, reds and oranges that define sugar maples in the fall. Then it drops down to Sugar Loaf Pond, which this year was mostly just a cattail swamp. The next notable feature on the landscape is Alfred's Pond, a deep dark pond surrounded by a floating bog. Very cool. And then the last couple of miles the trail winds through birch and maple stands before dropping back down into the a small river gorge and meeting up with the trail's parking lot.

Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy

2011-09-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

It has taken me a while to get around to reading PJ Tracy. No particular reason why, just not on my radar. But, thanks to a friend who loaned me this on audio, I am hooked.

From Goodreads.com: Haunted by a series of horrifying and violent episodes in their past, Grace McBride and the oddball crew of her software company, Monkeewrench, create a computer game where the killer is always caught, where the good guys always win. But their game becomes a nightmare when someone starts duplicating the fictional murders in real life, down to the last detail.

By the time the police realize what's happening, three people are dead, and with seventeen more murder scenarios available online, there are seventeen more potential victims. While the authorities scramble to find the killer in a city paralyzed by fear, the Monkeewrench staff are playing their own game, analyzing victim profiles in a frantic attempt to discover the murderer's next target.

In a thriller populated by characters both hilarious and heartbreaking, a rural Wisconsin sheriff, two Minneapolis police detectives, and Grace's gang are caught in a web of decades-old secrets that could get them all killed.

First, I've come to the conclusion that physically reading a book when compared to listening to a book, especially when the narrator is particularly good, give the reader a completely different perspective. The eye can pick out nuances on the page that are not so much lost in the narration as, just lost in the inflection and emotions the reader is able to impart. I'm not saying all audiobooks are this good, I've 'read' a few that have the PBS effect - instant land of ZZzzzz.

Monkeewrench was anything but dull. I really enjoyed the characters and character development, I thought the plot was engaging and for once kept me guessing, and keeping the setting within the realms of reality (no fake counties here) maintained my necessary perception of reality. That's a biggie for me and one of my main complaints with Willliam K Kruegers books. If you are going to base a book in "real time" don't be making up fake counties or switching towns around. That just pisses me off. So far PJ Tracy has not done that.

I enjoyed Monkeewrench enough to immediately start Live Bait (#2 in the Monkeewrench series). Though it was disappointing to hear it's a different narrator. Darn it.

Recipe Review from 9/18/2011

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I had several recipes planned for the week, but, well, I got sidetracked. We went out to a new-to-us restaurant on Tuesday (Clyde Iron) to use a gift certificate, was in the Cites for a Twin's Game on Thursday (they actually won!), and I went out with a friend for lunch on Saturday.   I have to say, my favorite recipe this week was the french toast below. Yum!

Classic French Toast (Fine Cooking, Sept 2011)
Nearly everyone has a favorite french toast dish.  For me, it's either at the London Road Cafe on Superior St. in Lakeside or Sarah's Table at Chester Creek Cafe. Though the best I had recently was in Madison WI, at the Concourse Hotel Dayton St Grill with Vanilla Bean French toast, orange honey mascarpone, and fresh berries. Seriously good. Like I ate it two days in a row good.

Fine Cooking's recipe is a strong contendor for the homemade category. Using fresh bread with an emphasis on the 'soft'. I found some challah bread that worked perfectly.   This will probably make it's way into our Sunday' pancake day routine. Please note, I did HALVE the recipe to serve two of us. Three slices of challah french toast were almost too much for us!   And if I may say, I think my toast turned out better looking than Fine Cooking's picture.

picture from finecooking.com

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more for the pan

2 cups milk, preferably whole, at room temperature
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 Tbs. sugar
4-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
8 to 10 3/4-inch-thick slices challah, brioche, or hearty white sandwich bread
Maple syrup, heated, for serving

Tip: Go with fresh bread, not stale. Although stale bread may absorb somewhat more batter, fresh bread, which is softer to begin with, makes more tender French toast.

1) Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, put a baking sheet on each rack, and heat the oven to 250°F.

2) Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and 1 tsp. salt and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish.

3) Working in batches, add 2 or 3 slices of bread (or as many as will fit in your skillet in a single layer) to the mixture and soak, turning once, until saturated but not falling apart, about 2 minutes total.

4) In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt about 1/2 Tbs. butter. When the foam subsides, use a slotted spatula to add the soaked bread in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until goldenbrown, 1-1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet in the oven, arranging the pieces in a single layer, to keep warm.

5) Repeat with the remaining bread, briefly rewhisking the batter before soaking, and wiping out the skillet and adding fresh butter between batches.

Serve drizzled with maple syrup.

Hungarian Goulash (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)
Yup. It's fall and I've leapt back into the cassroles and stews and soups and comfort dishes with gusto! Husband's enjoying this as well - more meat and potato type dishes for him. Though to balance things out lunches are still fairly light and tend to be vegetarian. This didn't turn out quite like the picture, mine was more on the liquidy side even though the broth was quite reduced and thickened as listed below. I liked the flavors but it seemed to be lacking...something. Maybe a smoky paprika would have been better? Not sure.

1 garlic clove, crushed

picture from cookinglight.com

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
Cooking spray
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 bacon slice, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups water, divided
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 cup beer
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 Hungarian wax chiles, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces uncooked egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons sour cream
Chopped parsley (optional)

1. Place garlic in a small bowl; mash with the back of a spoon to form a paste. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, caraway seeds, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and pork in a medium bowl; toss. Add pork to pan; sauté 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan.

3. Reduce heat to medium-high; return pan to heat. Add onion and bacon; sauté 7 minutes or until bacon is done, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic mixture; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups water, tomato, paprika, and beer; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in red pepper and chiles; simmer 15 minutes. Add pork to pan; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir flour mixture and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt into pork mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine noodles and butter in a medium bowl, stirring until butter melts. Place 1 cup noodles in each of 4 shallow bowls; top with 1 cup pork mixture. Top each serving with about 2 teaspoons sour cream. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Joanne Weir, Cooking Light

SEPTEMBER 2011

Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp (Ckng Lght Aug, 2011)
Every now and then again, a recipe comes together because you have nearly everything already on hand. This was one of those recipes. I had some frozen corn from last year's garden that I needed to use up and a partial bag of shrimp. It's Fall and time for some soup. What could be better than a corn chowder? This was very easy to make, came together in about half an hour and tasted really good. I liked the addition of the shrimp to add a bit of body, but if you don't do seafood, it would be easily omitted. This made about 5 servings. I might have been a bit short in the corn department - it was a ((shrug)) "this looks like enough" type of measurement.
6 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 cup prechopped onion
1/2 cup prechopped celery

picture from cookinglight.com

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/3 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt Preparation

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan; saute 4 minutes or until the bacon begins to brown. [I recommend draining excess bacon grease, leaving about a TBSP to saute onions in.] Remove 2 slices bacon. Drain on paper towels. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through minced garlic) to pan, and saute for 2 minutes. Add corn, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Place 2 cups of corn mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape), and secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in the blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed corn mixture to pan. Stir in shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in half-and-half, pepper, and salt. Crumble reserved bacon over soup.

My notes: I used my immersion blender rather than fart around with transfering hot liquids to a stand blender.

David Bonom, Cooking Light
AUGUST 2011

Hunter's Run by Martin, Dozois, Anderson

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

This selection was the SciFi Bookgroup selection for September.

Hunter's Run by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Running from poverty and hopelessness, Ramón Espejo boarded one of the great starships of the mysterious, repulsive Enye. But the new life he found on the far-off planet of São Paulo was no better than the one he abandoned. Then one night his rage and too much alcohol get the better of him. Deadly violence ensues, forcing Ramón to flee into the wilderness.

Mercifully, almost happily alone—far from the loud, bustling hive of humanity that he detests with sociopathic fervor—the luckless prospector is finally free to search for the one rich strike that could make him wealthy. But what he stumbles upon instead is an advanced alien race in hiding: desperate fugitives, like him, on a world not their own. Suddenly in possession of a powerful, dangerous secret and caught up in an extraordinary manhunt on a hostile, unpredictable planet, Ramón must first escape . . . and then, somehow, survive.

And his deadliest enemy is himself.

As the description to the books states, a man’s worst enemy can be himself. In Hunter’s Run, this is doubly so when Ramon discovers he was made from the finger of his Twin, who is frantically trying to return to civilization after a prospecting run gone bad.

What I found fascinating about this book was the story is told from copy-Ramon’s point of view, not the original. The reader gets to watch as copy-Ramon struggles with identity and survival. Who should live and who should die or should both of them live? If both of them live, who would have the rights to the bank accounts? The insurance? The woman Elena? Is this an opportunity for rebirth by breaking ties with everything and everyone or to succumb to the temptation to return to what is familiar and comfortable. The reader is drawn into the tumultuous emotions of what it means to be an individual, what it means to fight to the bitter end, and what happens when self awareness asserts itself.

Set on a planet settled by Latino’s, Portuguese and Mexicano’s (and, according to Ramon, some nortamericano’s and Jamaican’s as well), we see a society over seen by the mysterious but seemingly benevolent goober shaped Enye and dictated by customs brought from Earth and shaped by a new world. A fast paced read that doesn’t disappoint.

View all my reviews

Recipe Review 9/11/11

2011-09-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Well, up here in MN we went from Summer to Fall in one night. 89* to 50* in three hours. Not kidding. Over night temps were 29* - there was no "saving" the garden this year. I simply do not have enough old blankets and sheets to attempt this feat. I did cover the Swiss Chard and Kale as they can handle the cooler temps.

Holy shit I made a lot this week! Didn't realize it until now when I'm typing everything up. I love fall...it's a great time to return to the kitchen and make some comfort food.

Bacon and Egg Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)

Okay, you wouldn't think egg sandwiches would really need a recipe, but this was a great variation on a classic. I skipped the arugula (what is with this green lately? Seems like every other recipe has arugula in it.) because I don't think it is worth the cost. I also used English muffins instead of whole wheat bread as I had those on hand. I thought the addition of the caramelized onions really ratcheted up the taste of such a simple sandwich and it really didn't take that much more time or effort. I will be making these again.

This upscale twist on the traditional breakfast sandwich features sweet, tender caramelized onion and peppery arugula. A fresh fruit salad would be a good accompaniment.

Total: 32 Minutes

picture from cookinglight.com

4 slices center-cut bacon

2 cups thinly sliced onion

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon Mexican hot sauce (such as Cholula) or Tabasco

1 tablespoon butter

Dash of sugar

Cooking spray

4 (1/2-ounce) slices whole-wheat bread
2 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
~~1 cup arugula~~

1. Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp (about 8 minutes). Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings; drain on paper towels. Add onion, water, and hot sauce to drippings in pan; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in butter and sugar; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Set aside; keep warm.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place bread in pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Set aside, and keep warm.

3. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Crack eggs into pan, and cook for 2 minutes. Gently turn eggs, one at a time; cook 1 minute or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle evenly with salt and black pepper.

4. Place one bread slice on each of two plates; arrange onion mixture evenly over bread. Place 1 egg, 2 bacon slices, ~~and 1/2 cup arugula over each serving;~~ top with remaining bread slices. Serve immediately.

Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2011

Stratford's Sweet Chili (Ckng Lght BB, source unknown)

This was a great chili. The ketchup/honey combination make it a sweeter chili than I am accustomed to, but it was a nice compliment to the heat from the chili and cayenne powder. I also added a tbsp of cumin...just because I really like cumin. Because I added some celery, I decreased the number of peppers going into the dish. Three peppers seemed a bit much. Oh, and this almost didn't fit into my slowcooker! Great fall dish to feed a crowd and would probably please some little tastebuds too with the sweetness.

1 Can 19 oz chickpeas, drained

1 can 19 oz ~~red kidney~~ navy beans, drained

1 can 28 oz chopped tomatoes with herbs
1 can 10 oz corn kernels, drained
2 carrots, peeled and diced (I use a handful of diced baby carrots instead)
2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 red onion, finely chopped

2-4 celery stalks, chopped (my addition)

1 cup ketchup (definitely organic ketchup here)

1/4 cup honey

3 T. chili powder

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1 each, ~~green,~~ red, yellow pepper, diced

Sour Cream

Cheddar cheese, grated

1. In slow cooker combine beans, tomatoes, corn, carrots, garlic and onion [celery and peppers]. In a bowl combine ketchup, honey, chili powder and cayenne; mix well and pour into slowcooker (I just dump all the stuff in and stir and it seems to work fine.) Mix well.

2. Cover and cool on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. ~~Add peppers and cook on high for an additional 20 minutes.~~ Serve with sour cream and cheese. Enjoy!!

Buffalo Chicken Thighs (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)

This would have been a really good dish if I hadn't tried to deviate from the directions and grill the chicken thighs. This was definitely a stove top dish. I ended up finishing the chicken on the stove anyway. I would also say this is not a little tastebud dish and may not be appropriate for some adult tastebuds either (those of Norwegian decent come to mind). Yup. Nicely spicy. I also thought the mashed potatoes were a nice side dish with the tangy blue cheese (trying to use up the 'waxy' blue cheese I bought several weeks ago).

Ingredients

picture from cookinglight.com

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Shake to blend. Add half of chicken to bag; seal. Shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag, shaking to remove excess flour mixture. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add flour-coated chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer browned chicken to a jelly-roll pan. Repeat procedure with the remaining uncooked chicken, flour mixture, and oil. Discard remaining flour mixture. Bake chicken at 375° for 8 minutes or until done.

3. Combine hot sauce and butter in a microwave-safe dish; microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until butter melts, stirring to blend. Place chicken in a shallow dish; drizzle with butter sauce. Toss to coat.

Wendy Kalen, Cooking Light

SEPTEMBER 2011

Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Smashed Potatoes (Ckng Lght Sept 2011)

Side dish for Buffalo Chicken Thighs, above.

1 pound small red potatoes

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with cold water to 2 inches above potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan. Add buttermilk, blue cheese, salt, and pepper to pan; mash with potato masher to desired consistency.

Wendy Kalen, Cooking Light

SEPTEMBER 2011

Waldorf Salad with Steel-Cut Oats (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)
This is a Mark Bittman recipe and you really can't go wrong with one of his recipes. Prep was simple enough, cook the oatmeal, cool the oatmeal, chop and mix. I bought some buttermilk blue cheese crumbles for this dish (far superior to the waxy things I had in the fridge). This made about 5 or 6 lunches.

Ingredients

picture from cookinglight.com

1 cup steel-cut oats, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
~~1 1/2 cups torn radicchio~~
1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
1. Combine oats, 1 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 7 minutes (do not stir) or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Place oats in a medium bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Combine walnuts, honey, and red pepper in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook 4 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and honey is slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally.

3. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, olive oil, vinegar, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add dressing, apple, radicchio, and grapes to oats; toss well. Place 1 1/2 cups oat mixture on each of 4 plates, and top each serving with about 3 tablespoons walnut mixture and 2 tablespoons blue cheese.

Mark Bittman, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2011

Brass Man by Neal Asher

2011-09-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is book three in the Ian Cormac universe.

Premise of the book:
From Publishers Weekly

A satisfyingly baroque plot and strong action sequences make up for a lack of character development and moral complexity in this gory space opera from British SF author Asher. Human beings have considerable freedom in Polity Space, a mostly civilized place, but enormously powerful AIs make all the important decisions. Three monstrous creatures threaten the Polity: Dragon, a gigantic being of unknown origin; Skellor, an evil, once human scientist transformed by the nanotechnology of the extinct Jain race; and Mr. Crane, the monstrous killing machine who does Skellor's bidding. Aided by several AIs, supercompetent Earth Central Security agent Ian Cormac must deal with all these dangers before civilization is plunged into chaos. Unbeknownst to him, however, several powerful AIs are plotting to gain Jain technology, even if it means the destruction of the human race. This violent, fast-moving novel is lots of fun, but makes no concessions to readers unfamiliar with Gridlinked and Line of Polity, the earlier books in the series. (Jan.)

From Booklist:

Asher's latest foray into the Polity universe--a far-future world ruled by AIs and connected by runcible technology, which allows faster-than-light travel and communication--is a hunt for Dragon, an entity abandoned by a previous civilization. Ian Cormac wants Dragon to get to Skellor, a particularly nasty kind of killer. Skellor is looking for Dragon to answer questions about Jain technology, left behind by another, long-vanished civilization. Skellor has resurrected the mysterious Mr. Crane, who has been given the personality of a serial killer but has become schizophrenic to give himself a chance of regaining his own mind. Foremost at issue is the Jain technology, used by Skellor to take over ships and human minds alike. Some believe it can be put to positive ends; others, that it's far too dangerous. No one understands what it really does or precisely how it works. All paths cross on an out-of-the-way planet on which the fight over Jain technology will finally erupt. Asher's way with space opera makes this hunt across space a spectacular adventure.

The thing with Neal's books are, they bounce along in this fantastic universe with really cool concepts, ships, worlds, aliens, then the plot comes and smacks you upside the head leaving one a bit breathless as the reader realizes that "da-yum, now I have to read the next book."

The downside of Neal's books, in my humble opinion, is I have a dreadful time keeping the characters straight. Just as I get comfortable with one set, we've switched to someone from about twenty-five action filled pages ago and it always takes me a few moments to recall, "oh, yeah, that's who you are!". Then it switches again. Repeat. I find that I get annoyed being pulled out of the story so many times, but... see my former statement.

I also found myself thinking that Brass Man had flavors reminiscent of Excession by Ian McDonald, particularly with the AI ships. In Brass Man we have - to name a couple - Grim Reaper, King of Hearts, and Jack Ketch, who has a fondness for ancient methods of execution, hence the name. Ship personalities amuse me to no end and I find myself rooting for them more so than some of the main human characters.

And, as noted in one of the blurbs above, you do have to read the previous books to fully understand what is evolving in book three. Not a stand alone book. Meanwhile, off to find book four...

Recipe Review from 8/29 and 9/5/2011

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Being gone for a week in Reno and then coming home to an empty fridge was not conducive to making new recipes. I settled for quick and easy...don't remember what those dishes were but they were, well, quick and easy. Pasta probably. Grilled something with fresh corn on the cob. That kinda thing.

photo from Cookinglight.com

However, back on track again with some good ones from the September issue of Cooking Light and a couple from the Ckng Lght BB:

Chicken Tabbouleh with Tahini Drizzle (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)

This was super easy to assemble and tasted great. To make assembly easier, buy a rotisserie chicken. I just cooked up some chicken as I was making a basic dinner. Though, to my dismay, I didn't have any plain yogurt on hand for the dressing, so I substituted olive oil - not the best substitution I've come up with, but it seemed to work well. The Husband enjoyed the flavors so all was well in the world.

Veggies and Blue Cheese Polenta (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)

photo from Cookinglight.com

Recipe called for quick cooking polenta, but regular worked just fine and I just accounted for the little bit of extra time I would need. Recipe also called for 3 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of water to 2/3 cup polenta and I felt that was over doing the liquids. I cut back to 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup water and it worked just fine. My grocery store does not carry and 'exotic' mushroom blend, so I just used one 8 oz package of cremini mushrooms. I also added a thinly sliced pattypan squash to the veggie mix. Oh, almost forgot, I did add in one chicken breast because I needed to use it up, otherwise this is a good vegetarian, gluten-free dish. Easy to assemble, tasted great. The only thing I didn't care for was the brand of blue cheese crumbles I picked up on sale - I usually buy the "Amblau" brand from Fairmont, MN, and this was Bel diGornio or some such. Rather waxy. Bleh. Won't be buying that again.

photo from Cookinglight.com

Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)
Oh my oh my. The Husband requested a dessert for Labor Day weekend. We usually forgo such goodies in our house since they disappear waaayy to fast. But hey, summer was winding down and seemed like a fun way to celebrate the weekend. Gooey. Chocolaty. The top bakes up into that fractured crust I love so much. These were definitely decadent. Recipe called to bake these 19 minutes, mine took nearly 40 minutes total. Maybe it was the glass pan? Dunno. Totally awesome.

Argentinean Pork (Ckng Lght, Sept 2011)
Husband was so very happy I did a more traditional "meat and potatoes" dish. Recipe called for a 1lb pork tenderloin and the smallest I could find was 2lbs. No prob. Leftovers! Dish calls to marinate the meat for one hour - for this one I would say assemble in the morning to save time at night. We did serve this over some Yukon gold potatoes with fresh corn on the cob. Yum.

And two recipes from the Ckng Lght BB:

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
I made this one pretty much as written, using the suggestion to decrease the water to 7 cups instead of 10. 10 cups plus the ingredients wouldn't have fit in my slow cooker anyway. I really liked the flavors of this one. The 1lb of kielbasa was perfect - not overwhelming in the meat dept. I would perhaps forgo the suggestion to cut the potatoes really small, some of the peas disintegrated on their own and made the dish more stew-like, which I preferred. I also only cooked this for about 4-5 hours on medium. I think longer would have been too much.

16 ounces dried split peas [I used yellow split peas]

10 cups water [7 cups to start]

1 pound turkey kielbasa -- or smoked sausage

5 cubes chicken bouillon

1 1/2 cups chopped carrot

1 cup celery -- chopped
2 potatoes -- peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 onion -- chopped

In a 5 quart slow cooker combine the peas, water, sausage, bouillon, carrot, celery, potatoes, garlic powder, oregano, bay leaves and onion. Allow to cook on high setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Note: If you do not have a slow cooker, combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, stirring often.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

I was so-so on this dish. I like that it made plenty for leftover lunches, but the consistency of the ground chicken (in my case) was meh and even with upping the spices and adding a can of green chilies it was bland bland bland. Even the brand of enchilada sauce I bought was bland. For the vegetarians out there, ground turkey can easily be substituted with your preferred soy product.

Notes: If desired, serve with reduced-fat sour cream.

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salad oil
1 can (29 oz.) red enchilada sauce
Salt
12 corn tortillas (6 in. wide)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat jack cheese (8 oz.)
Chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, stir turkey, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin in oil until turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cut tortillas in half. Arrange a fourth of the halves evenly over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart casserole, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas, then top with a third of the turkey mixture and a fourth of the remaining enchilada sauce, spreading each level. Repeat to make two more layers of tortillas, cheese, turkey mixture, and sauce; top with another layer of tortillas and sauce, then cheese.

3. Bake in a 425* regular or convection oven until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Recommendations from the BB: I covered the dish with foil for 15 minutes, then removed the foil for the last 5 minutes. This made for a moist casserole. Since I was using a glass dish, I used 400 degrees (and 20 minutes was just right).

I used 1 lb ground turkey and added corn cut from a cob of leftover grilled corn and a drained, rinsed can of pinto beans to the meat mixture.

I added a can of green chiles.

Copper River by William Kent Krueger

2011-09-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

After my less than glowing review of Mercy Falls by WKK (book #5), and a need to be ‘reading’ something on my drive to and from work, I sucked it up and started Copper River (book #6) simply because I had it loaded on the iPod.

Book 6 at least, did not incite me to throw my iPod across the car in disgust. This is not to say I didn’t roll my eyes in disbelief more than once, or mutter the occasional, “You’ve got to be kidding me…”.

Premise of the book, from Goodreads.com: Desperately avoiding the clutches of professional hit men who have already put a bullet in his leg, Cork finds sanctuary outside the small Michigan town of Bodine. But while he's hiding out in an old resort owned by his cousin Jewell DuBois, a bitter widow with a fourteen-year-old son named Ren, the body of a young girl surfaces along the banks of the Copper River — and then another teenager vanishes. Instead of thwarting his assassins, Cork focuses on tracking a ring of killers who prey on innocent children — before anyone else falls victim. But as his deadly followers close in, Cork realizes he's made an error any good man might make — and it may be his last.

We have a widow in mourning. A young boy and his close friend who have free rein to run about the town (typical small town kids) and are the ones who trigger the murder investigation. Cork who’s in hiding from hit men with a hole in his leg but nobody bothered to hide the car with the bullet holes in and everybody and their second cousins seem to walk in from the woods to check it out. There is a cougar prowling the woods and more loose ends than a piece of my fraying knitting yarn.

This is, really, the sequel to book 5 and a most unsatisfactory sequel at that. The ending left me going, “Huh… Well. What about loose end XYZ?”

So while I’m not entirely thrilled with the setting, I often find the plots lacking, the characters make me roll my eyes, and don’t even get me started on our ‘fictional’ Aurora, MN in "Tamarack County", I keep reading the damn series. I suspect if I could get John Sanford’s early Prey books on audio I wouldn’t be. But I can’t. So I’m stuck.

MN State Fair 2011

2011-09-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

I do have quite a few recipes to review, but Cooking Light is being a bit slow about getting September's recipes on-line so I'm holding off until I can post the directions. In the meantime, I shall regal you with Monday's trip to the Minnesota State Fair!

It was boring.

Now, in the Fair's defense, we actually went down for the last concert of the year: Train, Maroon 5 and Matt Nathenson. We got the Fair area at 3p in the afternoon, found one of two open spots in a park-in-walk (yeah, it's park-n-ride, but we don't have the patience to wait for the bus on either end, so we walk. Saves us $12) and made our way to the fair where we saved another $24 because some really nice lady just gave us her tickets. Sweet!

With absolutely beautiful weather the fair was simply bursting at the seams, but things were definitely wrapping up. Our favorite venue, the barns, were closed and the last of the critters were being bundled up for the trip home. A lot of the radio talk show places had finished or were in the process of finishing. We wandered around for about 2 1/2 hours, noshing on our favorite fair food: deep fried cheese curds, pronto pup, corn dog, frozen banana, and, Martha's Bucket of Cookies. I had to ask that they don't top it off so tall so I could put the darn lid on after we ate a few.

Cookies safely stowed, wandering satisfied, we meandered over to the Grandstands and sat for 45 minutes till the gates opened. Much to our dismay, our seats were obstructed view. Not kidding. Big ass I-beam right in the middle of the stage. Grumble grumble. Nice to advertise that one shmucks. The mother with her two teens was also thinking the same - LOL! I noticed she didn't give up her unobstructed seat for her kids!

Matt Nathenson from San Francisco was on first. Good band. Some original and some re-makes.

Maroon5 was up next. I fully admit I live under a rock because the sold-out crowd, which seem to be comprised of about 50% young screaming teens and college girls, elicited such a collective outpouring of delight by using said young lungs that we quickly realized this was no mere "opening" band, but one in their own right. How 'bout that? A double concert. Really good show.

Train closed the concert and the 2011 MN State Fair. Which is who we came to see. Happily, the ladies next to us let the hubby and I know that the folks next to them had departed and unobstructed seats were open. Hooray! Train did a good show, lots of interaction with the audience, lots of talky-talky, and wow, does the lead singer have a set of pipes. I wonder how many mic's he burns out? Personally, I thought Maroon 5 had the better stage show. Probably because I've listened to the Train CD so much I had some preconceived notions.

So, boring Fair. Great concert. Uneventful 2 1/2 hour drive home and hit the hay at 2a. Now to go fetch my hounds from Pookie Camp.

Nebula Awards 2011 edited by Kevin Anderson

2011-09-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Whoops! I’m a bit behind in my book reviews. This past Monday my scifi bookgroup met to discuss our August selection: Nebula Awards 2011 ed by Kevin Anderson. We started reading these collections10 years ago and it’s a given when the new book comes out, we read it. No voting required.

This year the book had a new format. I have to say I liked it. I never cared for the oft rambling essays the earlier editions inserted. And, as with most story collections, there are more than a few duds, several that are interesting, and a couple that I can honestly say, “yeah, I liked that.” And, as with most story collections, different stories appeal to different people. It’s such a subjective thing.

From Goodreads.com:

With this inaugural volume at Tor, the annual Nebula Award collection is reborn as a fiction-only anthology. This collection of nominees for 2010’s Nebula Awards includes all of the prior year’s most celebrated stories, and will be published in time for the 2011 Nebula Awards in May, 2011.

2009’s award winners, announced in May 2010, include Kage Baker’s novella “The Women of Nell Gwynne’s,” Eugie Foster’s novelette “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast,” Kij Johnson’s short story “Spar,” plus Paolo Bacigalupi’s novelette, “The Gambler.”

Other authors in this collection include (and for my savvy scifi folks, you will see a couple names from the Hugo Nominee list): Saladin Ahmed (Contributor), Michael Bishop (Contributor), Richard Bowes (Contributor), Ted Kosmatka (Contributor), Rachel Swirsky (Contributor), Eugie Foster (Contributor), Joe Haldeman (Contributor) , Kage Baker (Contributor), Amal El-Mohtar (Contributor), Geoffrey A. Landis (Contributor), Michael A. Burstein (Contributor), N.K. Jemisin (Contributor), James Patrick Kelly (Contributor), Will McIntosh (Contributor), Kij Johnson (Contributor), Joe R. Lansdale (Contributor), Neal Barrett, Jr (Contributor), Paolo Bacigalupi (Contributor)

Weekend Adventures

2011-08-29T10:00:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday, the Husband and I joined a small group of eleven for an organized hike on the Superior Hiking Trail. These facilitated hikes really are awesome – they allow you to through hike longer segments. You can hike at your own speed as long as you don’t fall behind the "Sweep”, which is the last person in the group who should come off the trail to ensure that everyone does have a shuttle back to their cars. The segment being hiked was Cascade State Park to Caribou Trail, 11.0 miles.
Description of said hike: This section follows along ridgelines with many views of Lake Superior and the inland ridges of the Sawtooth range. The variety of habitats is as broad as anywhere on the SHT, with everything from mature maple forests to dense groves of cedar, from a massive beaver pond to wide-open hillsides. It begins with a moderately steep ascent but drops gently to a valley and crosses a beaver dam. It crosses two scenic creeks and enters into the west end of Cascade State Park.

What the blurb didn’t say was this is a challenging hike. We hiked it “backwards" (east to west) so we started out by going up, up up, down, up, up…oh wait! We go up again! Before finally hitting the ridge mid-day then eventually coming back down to the Caribou Trail at Caribou Lake.

We were on the trail about 10:30am, lunch at the group camp at Spruce Creek at 1:30p (which is almost exactly halfway) and ended about 4:00pm. I think. I don’t hike with a watch.

Downside, I didn’t bring my camera. Long hikes juggling two dogs, upwards of four quarts of water, backpacks, and poles are not conducive to hauling a camera with. I don’t even have a picture showing the awesome change in elevation.

And if I had thoughts of feeling smug about completing an 11 mile hike, I had to forgo them: a small group of people from Illinois were up doing a 33 mile hike in ONE DAY as a fundraiser for cancer. They started at 4am that morning and were finishing about 5p. Kudos to the group! These upper segments of the SHT are not easy, much less to hike 33 miles in one day.

And then there were the runners who were running 105 miles in four days as part of an ultramarathon…

I’ll stick with hiking, thank you very much.

The Third Claw of God by Adam-Troy Castro

2011-08-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Third Claw of God by Adam-Troy Castro

Andrea Cort became a "war criminal" at the age of eight when an unexplained darkness invaded her soul.

Now, decades later, the Devil is calling her.

Employed by the Diplomatic Corps but secretly aiding the AI masters of the universe, Counselor Andrea Cort despises the powerful Bettelhines—unrepentant death merchants who have prospered from the annihilation of civilizations. Now curiosity compels her to answer a cryptic summons to their home world, where the only law is Bettelhine law. But a murder attempt greets her arrival at Xana's orbital entry port—and far graver peril awaits aboard the elevator transport meant to carry Andrea to the planet's surface.

Trapped miles above Xana—surrounded by suspicious Bettelhines, their slavishly loyal retainers . . . and a corpse liquefied by a 15,000-year-old weapon—Andrea must unmask an assassin or die an equally hideous death. But the true reason for her summons—and sordid secrets weaving through her own dark past—threaten to destroy Andrea Cort more completely than the Claw of God.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Classic "Murder on the Orient Express" as done in space with a few nicely done plot twists. The dialog really pulled this one along - not much for description but when the characters are moving between three rooms there is only so much to describe.

Where I felt this lacked was in the characters and this could have been because there was so much dialog that introspection was kept to a minimum. Andrea kept having these huge personal insights, but from my point of view they were more like "yeah, duh...". The "Inner Family" was portrayed as being monsters to the universe, but I never really felt that came across, and perhaps that was because our sympathies were directed toward the siblings. There is one revelation toward the end that I won't discuss here, that did contribute to the "monster" syndrome, but it was almost too late in the book to effectively work.

So, if you liked Emissaries from the Dead, and don't mind a murder-mystery in space with a lot of talky-talky, then you will probably enjoy The Third Claw of God.

View all my reviews

Renovation, Worldcon 2011, Reno, NV

2011-08-23T09:00:00.033-05:00

As I type this my friend and I (Disorganized, As Usual) are wrapping up another World Science Fiction Convention in Reno, NV. It's been an outstanding convention even if it was split between two hotels a mile apart. The main convention was held at the Atlantis and the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, and the secondary hotel was the Peppermill, where they held the Masquerade Show and judged competition. Now, they did have a shuttle running between the casinos, but often it was easier to just walk the mile. Initially I was regretful that we didn't get into the Atlantis, but as the weekend draws to a close, I think the Peppermill was the right choice - better restaurants, better pool and not quite so many convention folks.

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, after flying into Sacramento and driving across the Donner Pass. Beautiful drive! We took advantage of the pool and restaurants on site and just unwound.

Thursday was convention day! Here's a smattering of panels I went to. I loved how the panels were only about 50 minutes long, unlike other conventions where they stretched out into an hour and a half. Too long for this antsy-pants! But 50 minutes was just perfect.

The 1960's, 50 Years On
Fair Tales and Storytelling
Far Future SF, Then and Now
The Arab Spring
Cover Art in the age of e-books
A Brief History of the Hugos

Lake Tahoe

Friday morning we drove up to Lake Tahoe and the Trukee River, which starts so very high and makes its way down and through Reno. Then it was back to the convention for a few hours for more panels:

Scientific Romances of the Victorian Era (which ended up being a talk on Steampunk)
Many Sides of Hard SF
The New Space Opera

Saturday:

The Image of Art in SF

A Hawaiian Dalek! What a hoot!

The Return of the Killer B's (Bear, Benford and Brin)
Craft of Writing Short SF and F
The Best in Recent SF and F
Readings: Nancy Kress, David Brin
Publishing in the Age of e-Books

Saturday evening marked the highlight of the Worldcon, the Hugo Awards. The "Toast Masters" were an absolute hoot! Jay Lake and ... drat, forgot his name. Robert Silverburg, giving out one of the awards, has an incredibly dry sense of humor and had the whole audience just roaring. I won't repeat the award winners since I posted about them on Sunday (previous post).

Whoops! I almost forgot to post Sunday's panels and I don't have my list with me. But they were something like:

Review of Recommended SF&F (most of which I had read)
Slide show of the Sierra Nevada mountains as presented by Kim Stanley Robinson
A preview of Worldcon - Chicon 2012

Sunday afternoon was then spent lounging by the pool back at the Peppermill, enjoying the beautiful weather. A much needed aaahhhh....

Monday we left bright and early to make our way back across the Donner pass to Sacramento, then a moderate flight to Minneapolis and for me, a shuttle ride back to Duluth. Needless to say, I'm feelin' a bit jet lagged this morning...

Aerial view of Lake Tahoe and the Trukee River

Hugo Awards, 2011

2011-08-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

LIVE! From Worldcon 2011 in Reno, NV! The Hugo Awards!

Well, the voting is done. The Awards were announced and handed out last night in a three hour ceremony and we are left with...annoyance. Not happy about the results this year at all. Amend that, not happy with the Novel category.

Winner is in Bold, rest are in no particular order. If you want to know more detains, check out the Renovation website or the Hugo Awards website.

Short Story Category:

“For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, September 2010)“Ponies” by Kij Johnson (Tor.com, November 17, 2010)
“The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010)
“Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed, June 2010)

Novelette Category:
“The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s, June 2010)

“That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone (Analog, September 2010)

“Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s, December 2010)
“Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen (Analog, September 2010)
“The Jaguar House, in Shadow” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, July 2010)

Novella Category:
"The Lifecycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang (Subterranean)

“Troika” by Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines, Science Fiction Book Club)
“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2010)
“The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)
“The Sultan of the Clouds” by Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s, September 2010)

Novel Category:
These results are listed in order of the voting. This is a WTF. Seriously. WTF. Not a happy camper - Mira Grant and Ian McDonald deserved better. Now, I did not read Blackout/All Clear. I refused to read a 2000 page alternate history about people running around nilly-willy in England in WWII. I did not vote for it. This posting by Andrew Wheeler summed up my thoughts on the book(s) much more succinctly than I could. And, I feel I must add that yes, I have read ALL the Hugo winners to date, starting with 1951. AND, since 2000, I have also read nearly all the nominees. I think there are just a couple I've passed on due to time or lack of interest in the topic.

Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
Feed by Mira Grant
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold

A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by M K Jemisin

Stalked by Brian Freeman

2011-08-18T08:00:00.004-05:00

Freeman hit his stride (LOL! No pun intended!) in book 2: Stripped, and somehow managed to trip in book 3: Stalked.

From Goodreads.com - Lieutenant Jonathan Stride knows his partner Maggie Bei is in trouble when she reports a deadly crime on a bitter winter night. She’s obviously hiding a terrible secret. And her silence only feeds suspicion. But Maggie isn’t the only one keeping secrets. A seductive young woman has disappeared, leaving behind a stash of lurid fantasies and a cryptic message. I know who it is. Now it’s up to Stride and his lover, homicide cop turned private investigator Serena Dial, to uncover a sordid web of violence and voyeurism that someone is willing to kill to keep hidden. Meanwhile, a predator with a vicious past is hunting them both—with a terrifying plan for revenge on the frozen lakes of Duluth...

My issues. These are items that pulled me out of the book - a phrase, a comment, whatever. I don't like to be pulled out of the plot, it makes me cranky and less likely to want to continue.

Dude. Don't be throwing crap in my lake. Not cool. Not when Stride threw his cigarettes in the Canal in book one it was not cool, and it's not cool now with a glass wine bottle.

It could be debateable if the Duluth Courthouse and Federal buildings are tan or grey I've checked. Several times. Seem grey to me. I'm pretty certain the author called them tan in the book. Could be wrong. Hard to go back and check on an audiobook. Nitpicking, I know, but I live here...

Really, a bugged house again? Did that in book two.

I'm just guessing here, that a battery operated transmitter, placed outside a house in 0* weather, is not going to give you two miles of frequency in those temps. You will be lucky if it operates for a couple-three hours before it freezes up and stops working. Just guessing...because my handheld field grade GPS system doesn't last in temps like that.

If Stride and Maggie didn't want to be seen meeting together in Duluth, why not meet in Cloquet? Or Two Harbors? Central High School is not exactly a private meeting place....

The female protagonist - Serena - is at one point handcuffed and running for her life. She runs through the deep snow, down and embankment, through some brush and into a railyard. Where she is caught - we are lead to believe - unconscious. Later we find out that the antagonist somehow carried her back across the snowy railyard, through the brush, down and up the embankment, across another snowy expanse, to the waiting car. Carrying a unconscious person that far is...difficult, at best, during non-snow conditions. Through the snow? Implausible.

Why the fascination with rape? This applies to other authors too, that it seems to be "cool" to place a strong female protagonist in a position of utter helplessness and vulnerability. It is demeaning to women. You don't see male protagonists being raped, so why do it to women?

Ah. A blizzard in Northern MN on a lake. You are not going to be doing donuts in your vehicleles. You will not be sliding around like a zamboni. Depending upon how much snow was already on the ground (and I think this was set in February-ish?), the lake is probably not going to be ice-skating rink clean. You will not be driving willy-nilly across it. There will be a plowed road to the ice village. Maybe two depending on how many lake access's there are. But to just bounce off and go driving across? Not. Gonna. Happen.

And I have my doubts about how fast a burning ice shack will melt into the ice.... I have my doubts about the whole burning ice shack scene.

Lastly, I totally get the giggles when a character in the book mutters, yells, shouts, "You Bastard!". It's a South Park thing...

I'm sure my fellow travelers on a drive back from Menominee, WI, were wondering why I was pounding my fists on my steering wheel. It could have been because of the lake in the blizzard scene. It could have been because of the burning ice shack scene. It could have been because of - again - endings upon endings upon endings. Yes, I was shouting at the story. You can do that when it's an audiobook.

Needless to say, I had a few issues with this book. Too much introspection and exposition by the characters, the 'chase and rescue' scene just went on forever (see note about beating fists against steering wheel), and way too many items yanked me out of the plot. I don't feel I can really expound on more without giving too many clues away, and I would prefer you to form your own opinion - if you decide to read it.

Recommendation - ahh, a maybe. If you've read the first two and still like Stride and Serena.

Recipe Review 8/8/11

2011-08-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

It was a weekend of Adventures! On Saturday, Team Shakti (myself, S, J, and the Husband) rode the Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Ride, an organized bike ride (not a race) from Chisholm, MN, to Grand Rapids, MN. We did this last year and had such a good time we went back. This ride is a bit more...complicated, than other organized rides in that we have to get our bikes to the Start point the night before. Last year the guys rode up the night before and I ran shuttle. This year due to questionable weather we all drove up the night before to drop off the bike.

Glen Godfrey Pit - Ironworld/Chisholm
Picture taken from http://www.mesabitrail.com/

The day of we made our way to Grand Rapids bright and early, leaving our place at 6a. The shuttle bus left right at 8 and we were on the trail by 10. It was a cool start, slightly overcast but quickly clearing to become an absolutely gorgeous day.

It is a very interesting trail, making it's way through a landscape shaped by man. We wind around old mine pits now filled with aqua colored water and rimmed with aspen, huff and puff our way over old piles of discarded rock, wiggle through towns that were once thriving from the mining industry, and pass rusting abandoned mining equipment. S and J rode the 50 miles in 3:15, the Husband and I finished in 3:30.

And on Sunday, we rested....

The recipes from last week are:

Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches (Ckng Light August 2011)
I thought this was a great summer sandwich that uses items readily found in the garden. For example, I used a yellow squash in stead of zucchini. I think herbs could be swapped out too - a sprinkling of fresh oregano or thyme. Don't feel like buying fresh mozzarella? Substitute provolone or some goat cheese. I also served these open faced.

Ingredients

photo from cookinglight.com

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 6 slices

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil,

divided 1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (2-ounce) ciabatta rolls, split and toasted
8 large fresh basil leaves
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Place zucchini in a shallow dish. Add 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; toss to coat. Arrange zucchini in grill pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Cut each zucchini piece in half crosswise. Return zucchini to shallow dish. Drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

2. Brush bottom halves of rolls with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Top evenly with zucchini, basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella.

3. Brush cut side of roll tops with remaining liquid from shallow dish, and place on sandwiches. Heat the sandwiches in pan until warm.

Jackie Newgent, Cooking Light
AUGUST 2011

Rice Noodle Salad (Ckng Lght, August 2011)
I'm still on a bit of a pad thai kick, and this recipe was rather similar. My alterations are noted below, a few omissions and a couple substitutions. This turned out pretty good. I did over cook the noodles a bit (drat!), but I liked the flavors. It made good leftovers for lunches.

8 ounces uncooked wide rice sticks (banh pho)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided

photo from cookinglight.com

1/2 cup organic vegetable broth 6 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
8 ounces ~~tempeh,~~ tofu, [drained and pressed for 30 minutes] cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups fresh bean sprouts (skipped - sprouts turned into compost)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced ~~English cucumber~~ summer squash
~~5 thinly sliced green onions~~
1 1/2 cups matchstick-cut carrots
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
~~1/2 cup fresh mint leaves~~
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
~~2 tablespoons finely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts~~
~~12 lime wedges~~

Preparation

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

2. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through Sriracha), stirring with a whisk.

3a. Cook tofu until lightly browned, set aside. Cook eggs until done, set aside.
3. ~~Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add tempeh, and stir-fry 3 minutes or until lightly browned.~~ Add garlic and shallots; stir-fry 1 minute or until shallots begin to soften. ~~Add eggs; stir-fry for 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled, stirring constantly~~. Add soy sauce mixture, and bring to a boil. Add noodles and bean sprouts; toss gently to coat. Cook 1 minute or until sauce is thickened. {Add in tofu and egg.}

4. Remove from heat, and top with cucumber and the next 5 ingredients (through fresh cilantro). Sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon dry-roasted peanuts and the juice from 2 lime wedges.

Sally Swift, Cooking Light
AUGUST 2011

Hugo Nominees 2011 - Short Story

2011-08-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

And the last of my 2011 Hugo Nominee’s, the Short Story category.

The Hugo Awards has something like 20 categories, ranging from the Novels, Novelas, Novelettes, Short Stories, to Graphic books, Fanzines, Dramatic presentations long and short forms, Editors long and short form, Professional Artists, Fan Writer, Fan Artist, Campbell Nominees, and a couple of others that I don't recall. I don't read or watch them all; I don't have cable TV and I generally don't watch TV, I don't care about the Fan related stuff, and I usually catch the movies well after they've gone to Netflix. Usually about 5 years after they've been released. Personally, I think so many categories are a bit much. But, not my call, so I just keep my votes to what I feel are the relevant works.

Short explanations yes, but these are short stories after all. Anything more would just ruin them. Interestingly, I also felt these were better than the Novelettes. If you have the motive and opportunity, I recommend all of them.

“Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed, June 2010)
What I call a sweet read. Nicely executed for such a short story; to pull the reader in so quickly and seamlessly in the story. Well done.

“For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, September 2010)
Dementia in man and AI; who’s would be worse? Or perhaps better put, don’t rely on just one backup? Makes one think about the ramifications of recording everything digitally.

“Ponies” by Kij Johnson (Tor.com, November 17, 2010)
Ah. Creepy in a rather disconcerting way. I always knew there was something wrong with My Pretty Pony…
“The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010)
Humans from a very alien point of view.

Stay tuned - I hope to post the 2011 Hugo Award winners by Monday!

Hugo Nominees 2011 - Novelette

2011-08-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here are the 2011 Hugo Nominees in the Novellete category. Again, this is my general ranking, based solely on my opinion.

“That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone (Analog, September 2010)
Oh, well done! Well done! This was first for me: Mormon’s in space, not Jesuit’s. Very interesting look at religion in space with aliens.

“The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s, June 2010)
A homage to Mars speculation, literature and exploration. Nicely done.

“Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s, December 2010)
When lives are at stake, know your math. A bit unsettling.

“Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen (Analog, September 2010)
Steampunk. A rich man has a furry ‘human’ whom he has decided needs to be in colder places as her faculties are "stupid” upon the earth because of the air. He hires a man and his balloon, who quickly realizes the furry human is not what she seems and neither is the rich man. Really didn’t grab my fancy, but then, I don't care for steampunk.

“The Jaguar House, in Shadow” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, July 2010)
Love settings in a future Mexico. Don't like stories that shift from POV to POV every page. Would have been a better story in a longer format in my opinon.

Recipe Review from 8/1/11

2011-08-08T07:30:00.009-05:00

Whoo. A mellow week what with the Husband away in Calif military training and the weather on the warmish side that all culminated in a rather adventurous Friday. As a favor for the Husband, because he bought the tickets four months in advance then couldn't go, the Father and I went to a MN Twins game on Friday to obtain this:

The bobble head (pic from the web).

The infamous play

Yes. A fancy little double bobblehead commemorating the 1991 World Series against the MN Twins and the Chicago White Sox.

The Father and I left the Northland at 1pm, arrived at Target Field at 3:45pm, stood in line (we picked the right corner to park ourselves!) till gates opened at 5p and scored a bobblehead for the Husband.

However, that was only part of the adventure...we still needed to pick up said Husband! His flight was due in about 8p to the Cities and he was to make his way to Target Field via the Cities newish light rail system. We all connected about 9p and started the drive home.

Everything went just smoothly until a motorcycle was involved in a hit and run, in a construction zone north of Hinkley, at 11p at night. We called it in and offered what help we could - there was an off-duty cop already starting first aid (it happened in front of him) and my thanks to those others who also stopped (a first responder and a emergency room nurse I believe). Three ambulances, two fire trucks, and about four squad cars. Traffic in both directions got stopped so they could re-create the incident after the fellow was secured and taken away. It was about 45 minutes from our arrival to being allowed to go. What a sobering mess.

So. not a lot of new recipes were made last week. Suppers were black bean quesadillas and lunches were the dish below.

Cumin-Spiced Chickpeas and Carrots on Couscous (Ckng Lght Aug 2011)
This came together very quickly and I highly recommend using pre-julienned carrots. Just makes things a bit easier and you can use any leftover carrots on a salad or in another dish. I also used israeli couscous because I prefer the slightly larger grains. Worked great for lunches - can be eaten cold or warmed up. Made with the Israeli couscous I think it made closer to 6 servings than 4.

1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

picture from cookinglight.com

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup julienne-cut carrots
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups warm cooked couscous (about 2 cups dry)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves Lemon wedges (optional)
1. Combine the first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

2. Dry chickpeas thoroughly in a single layer on paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat, and swirl to coat. Add chickpeas to pan, and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chickpeas from pan with a slotted spoon; wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add bell pepper, carrots, and jalapeño to pan, and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add cumin seeds and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add reserved broth mixture and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Serve over couscous, and top with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Sally Swift, Cooking Light

Hugo Nominees 2011 - Novella

2011-08-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

I usually don’t review the Hugo Nominee’s for Novella, Novelette or Short Stories, but this year I decided what the heck, why not? Reading these took time away from reading other things, they are scifi so entirely applicable to this blog, and I'm voting on the Hugo's this year.

In order of my preference, which is really, nothing more than my opinion and means diddlysquat in the greater realm of things, but nonetheless a ranking of sorts:

“Troika” by Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines, Science Fiction Book Club)

Big Unknown Object in Space is explored by three Russian Cosmonauts, but the ramifications are almost incomprehensible and the three Cosmonauts come back raving mad…or did they? Great twist at the end made up for the Big Unknown Object in Space theme.

“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2010)

A story about women’s magic as it crosses the ages. I thought this was well executed and I liked how the main character was not what you would expect. While I’m not wild about the feminist aspect of this story, I still felt it was innovative and fresh.

“The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)

A nod to the steampunk genre without fully going there. Four lives who intersected briefly after a summer of working at the Smithsonian are reunited around an attempt to re-film the maiden flight of the Bellerophon. A bit about opportunities lost.

“The Sultan of the Clouds” by Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s, September 2010)

A petulant twelve year old ruler of Venus tries to initiate marriage to a scientist to take full financial control of the planet in order to attempt to terraform it, despite knowing that it wouldn’t work. I think. Story was told from the scientist’s assistant’s point of view, which, in my opinion, made the story rather shallow.

"The Lifecycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang (Subterranean)

A software firm creates animated ‘creatures’ that people can adopt, love, teach, grow and cherish in the interactive realm of DataEarth. An exploration of what happens to AI as it is kept cognizant to the outside world and the software problems of maintaining those AI’s. This one just didn’t grab me – I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters nor the software.

The Nominee's for the Novel Category are:

Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
Feed by Mira Grant
All Clear by Connie Willis
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by M K Jemisin

Recipe Review from 7/25/2011

2011-08-01T09:00:00.027-05:00

A warm, fun filled, relaxing weekend to be sure! I finally got back on the bike for the first time since before my trip to Madison in mid-July. There was a trip up to a friends cabin and there was much needed downtime.

Garden is really starting to come along. First of the peas are ready, raspberries are starting to ripen, the kale and Swiss Chard could use a thin, and some of the beans are blooming. I've already picked two small summer squash for a recipe later this coming week. And it's been raining just enough that I haven't had to water. Love it!

Lemony Orzo Salad (Ckng Lght July 2000)
This was a snap to pull together and most likely you'll have the majority of the ingredients on hand! While waiting for the water to come to a boil and cooking the orzo, you can dice the zucchini, herbs, onion (yellow pepper in my case), and tomato. Herbs get whisked together with some olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Once the orzo is drained and cooled slightly, everything gets tossed together and dinner! Is ready! This made 4 servings for me. Would be great as a potluck dish too.
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 1/3 cups diced zucchini
1/3 cup diced ~~red onion~~ yellow pepper
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

photo from cookinglight.com

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

~~2 teaspoons minced fresh mint~~

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup diced tomato

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

Preparation

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. Combine orzo, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl; toss well. Combine parsley and next 6 ingredients (parsley through pepper); stir well with a whisk. Stir into orzo mixture; add tomato, cheese, and olives, tossing gently to coat.

Waldorf Slaw (Ckng Light Sept 2006)
I was invited to a friends cabin for canoing and bbq and we were all to bring a dish to pass. Since the weather has been warm and humid, something cool and refreshing would fit the bill. I also wanted something easy to assemble (and this was!) would travel well (this would), and appeal to the group which I figured it would.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped Braeburn apple (about 1 large apple)

photo from CookingLight.com

1 cup ~~chopped peeled Bartlett pear (about 1 pear)~~ chopped celery
1/2 cup ~~raisins~~ craisins
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 (~~16-ounce)~~ package cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw (8 oz was plenty)
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, rind, juice, salt, and pepper, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle mayonnaise mixture over cabbage mixture, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Barbara Lauterbach, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2006

The Dervish House by Ian McDonald

2011-07-28T07:15:00.020-05:00

This is book #3 of 5 (no particular order) and the last of the Novel nominees I'll read for the 2011 Hugo Awards. I have absolutely no interest in reading two of the nominations (Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis and A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms).

From Goodreads.com: It begins with an explosion. Another day, another bus bomb. Everyone it seems is after a piece of Turkey. But the shockwaves from this random act of 21st century pandemic terrorism will ripple further and resonate louder than just Enginsoy Square.

Welcome to the world of The Dervish House; the great, ancient, paradoxical city of Istanbul, divided like a human brain, in the great, ancient, equally paradoxical nation of Turkey. The year is 2027 and Turkey is about to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its accession to the European Union; a Europe that now runs from the Arran Islands to Ararat. Population pushing one hundred million, Istanbul swollen to fifteen million; Turkey is the largest, most populous and most diverse nation in the EU, but also one of the poorest and most socially divided. It's a boom economy, the sweatshop of Europe, the bazaar of central Asia, the key to the immense gas wealth of Russia and Central Asia.

Gas is power. But it's power at a price, and that price is emissions permits. This is the age of carbon consciousness: every individual in the EU has a card stipulating individual carbon allowance that must be produced at every CO2 generating transaction. For those who can master the game, who can make the trades between gas price and carbon trading permits, who can play the power factions against each other, there are fortunes to be made. The old Byzantine politics are back. They never went away.

The ancient power struggled between Sunni and Shia threatens like a storm: Ankara has watched the Middle East emerge from twenty-five years of sectarian conflict. So far it has stayed aloof. A populist Prime Minister has called a referendum on EU membership. Tensions run high. The army watches, hand on holster. And a Galatasary Champions' League football game against Arsenal stokes passions even higher.

The Dervish House is seven days, six characters, three interconnected story strands, one central common core--the eponymous dervish house, a character in itself--that pins all these players together in a weave of intrigue, conflict, drama and a ticking clock of a thriller.

I don't know that I could call this one a 'thriller'. It was was a bit of a slog up until about page 300, then the plot took off very nicely. Of the six characters, I was really only interested in about three of them, so I would look forward to their next appearance, which was often farther along than I would like.

What did grab my fancy was the different lives everyone was leading: a commodities trader, and antiquities dealer, an old retired professor, a sheltered nine year old boy, and a unemployed brother of a shaykah, and a young woman trying to get a marketing job. Of course, there were more players than that, and names often became confusing - especially since I don't speak or read Greek or Turkish - but I managed to keep everyone relatively straight in my head.

What also grabbed my fancy was how well these six separate threads, these individual lives and groups of people became so interwoven at the end; I loved the Turkish setting - the confluence of east meeting west; and I loved the subtle humor found throughout.

So, if you have the patience for plot building (about 300 pages out of 400), you will be rewarded at the end with some delightful conclusions.

And for a much more eloquent and well stated review of Dervish House, please pop over here to Andrew Wheeler's blog.

Recipe Review from 7/18/11

2011-07-25T08:00:00.005-05:00

Several cool dishes for incredibly HOT weather. I heard a statistic last week, that on Monday, I think it was, Duluth's temperature exceeded the temperature in Bangkok Thailand. Our temps combined with the humidity exceeded that of a rain forest!

Yeah. It was a little warm for us Northerner's. And I still refuse to put in an airconditioning unit for weather that is only going to last a week or two at the most. As long I can sleep at night with a fan, I'm dandy.

In the meantime, dishes that don't heat up the kitchen are a must:

Orecchiette with Peas, Shrimp, and Buttermilk-Herb Dressing (Ckng Lght, June 2011)
This is a minimal fuss, minimal dishes type of pasta salad. Toss the pasta in the water, cook. Make dressing, slice radishes. Toss in peas and shrimp near end of pasta cooking time. Drain, rinse, cool. Add to dressing. That's it. Seriously. This could easily be made ahead of time if for a function, but don't expect the flavors to develop much. I found this on the slightly bland side and I'm not quite sure what should be added to perk it up for my tastebuds. It made 6 lunches for us.

This herb-y pasta salad is perfect for a picnic or potluck gathering; double the recipe to serve a crowd. Medium shell-shaped pasta will also work in place of orecchiette.
Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
1 cup shelled green peas (about 1 pound unshelled green peas) or frozen green peas
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add peas and shrimp during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

2. Combine pasta mixture and radishes in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Pour over pasta mixture, tossing to coat. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill until ready to serve.
Ivy Manning, Cooking Light
JUNE 2011

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Black Bean-Taco Salad with Lime Vinaigrette (Ckng Lght, July 2000)
When I did a search on the Ckng Lght bulletin board for some salad ideas, this one popped up. I didn't realize till I went to make it that I had already done so. It was pre-blog world so I decided it was easy enough to post. I grilled two chicken breasts rather than buy a rotisserie chicken and I think that was about my only modification. The dressing is a tich on the spicy side, so if you prefer less zing reduce or omit the chili powder. Or, substitute ancho or chipolte powder instead. Oh, and I subbed spinach for the lettuce.

With chicken, cheddar cheese, and black beans, this Southwestern-influenced salad needs nothing on the side except some iced tea. Fresh lime gives it a citrusy counterpunch.

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled

Salad:
8 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped ready-to-eat roasted skinned, boned chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups fat-free baked tortilla chips (about 4 ounces)
1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 11 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

2. To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients except chips in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss well to coat. Serve with chips.

Yield: 4 servings

Blood Music by Greg Bear

2011-07-21T08:30:00.001-05:00

This is July's SciFi book group selection. This won a Hugo Award in 1984 for best Novelette and Nebula Award in 1986.

From Goodreads.com: In the tradition of the greatest cyberpunk novels, Blood Music explores the imminent destruction of mankind and the fear of mass destruction by technological advancements. Blood Music follows present-day events in which the fears concerning the nuclear annihilation of the world subsided after the Cold War and the fear of chemical warfare spilled over into the empty void of nuclear fear. An amazing breakthrough in genetic engineering made by Vergil Ulam is considered too dangerous for further research, but rather than destroy his work, he injects himself with his creation and walks out of his lab, unaware of just quite how his actions will change the world. Author Greg Bear's treatment of the traditional tale of scientific hubris is both suspenseful and a compelling portrait of a new intelligence emerging amongst us, irrevocably changing our world.

I felt this book started out strong, with some great ideas concerning what would happen if someone decided to inject themselves with their scientific experiment. Would it just affect that person? Could it go viral? If so, how fast? Ramifications? I also liked the way Bear handled the change in characters and point of view. I won't elaborate too much as it would give away too much plot, but the shift between characters was well done.

However, I wouldn't go so far as to say this was a cyberpunk novel. This is more along the lines of say, Andromeda Strain than Mona Lisa Overdrive.

I also thought the ending got a bit, ah, out of hand. I felt there was some strong plausibility being developed and then it seemed like the story just warped into another dimenson comeletely. Ha! and again, I can't say more lest I give away the plot. Grrr.

So, I do recommend this one. I'm looking forward to discussing it in book group.

Recipe Review from 7/11/11 and Weekend Adventures

2011-07-18T08:30:00.001-05:00

This Saturday found the Husband and I driving up the North Shore of Lake Superior so very bright and early:

Destination: North of Grand Marais.

Reason: A Lake Superior Hiking Trail Facilitated Hike as lead by friend S.

Segment: 4.9 miles. The trail follows the Brule River for over two miles and features the dramatic Devil’s Kettle Falls. After nice forests, the trail climbs to a rocky knob with a view of Lake Superior, then descends into the Flute Reed River Valley.

Last hiked: May 2008

About 15 people showed up for this organized event. Friend S, as hike facilitator, gave his spiel on trail conditions, safety, and organized the shuttling of cars. The Naturalist on this hike, Eric, gave his spiel on what we could expect to see on the trail today. The great thing about these facilitated hikes is you can hike as slow (within reason, there are people waiting to make sure you get off the trail) or as quickly as you like, or you can hike with the naturalist, and everyone gets to through-hike a segment thanks to the shuttle coordination.

We were on the trail about 10:30ish. It was going to be a challenging hike with temperatures creeping toward 80*, extremely high humidity and high heat index. In addition, these northern segments had experienced a wind storm earlier this year and there was significant downfall that the trail crews just hadn't gotten to yet. (I heart the trail crews very much!)

The Husband and I were amongst the first four off the trail - it helps that we have "Dog-assist" (aka, Ben) since he keeps us moving right along. Because we were traveling with the hike facilitator, we had time to hang out, cool off, have a brewski, and change. This was also Andy-dogs second hike and it proved a bit challenging for him what with the heat and distance. He curled up in the shade with me and conked out.

Alas, I don't have any pictures from this year. I forgot to pack the camera and even if I had, I don't think I would have taken any pictures. Just too hot and futzy with the dogs.

Changing topics, with a short week since my return from Madison, WI, only one recipe to review:

Shrimp Korma and Basmati Rice (Ckng Lght, June 2011)
This was getting positive reviews over on the Ckng Lght bulletin board, and a quick perusal of the ingredients told me all I needed was some shrimp and coconut milk. Excellent! This did come together fairly quickly. I didn't start the rice soon enough so I had to wait till the rice was cooking before I could do the rest. I don't have "Madras" curry powder, only Hot and Sweet. The Husband opted for the Sweet. My one complaint is that this turned out a bit on the runny side for my taste, but probably my fault as I didn't measure my flour precisely and I had added some leftover summer squash to use it up. A delightful dish that I wouldn't hesitate to make again.

Whip up this spicy and flavorful Indian shrimp korma in just 30 minutes. Top the dish with a spoonful of thick, tangy Greek-style yogurt to counter the heat.

photo from CookingLight.com

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
4 cups hot cooked basmati rice
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add flour, ginger, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder, garam masala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring. Stir in broth and 1/3 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in milk and tomato; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add peas, shrimp, and remaining salt; cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Spoon about 2/3 cup rice into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with about 1 cup shrimp mixture and 2 teaspoons yogurt.

Adam Hickman, Cooking Light
JUNE 2011

Feed by Mira Grant

2011-07-15T09:00:00.003-05:00

This is the second book I've read in the Novel category the 2011 Hugo Nominees.

(from miragrant.com via Goodreads.com): In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.

It raised the dead.

Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.

Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:

When will you rise?

This is the first Zombie book I have read, but I can safely say, it is only loosely tied to the zombies. They exist, they drive what people can and cannot do, but they are NOT the impetus for this story. Within these pages is a discussion of politics, news reporting, life with zombies, betrayal, and a brother and sisters passion for the work they do.

Much to my delight, Feed was really good.

That's not to say it didn't have it's quirks. But ya know, I don't feel like listing them because I would rather you read this and made up your mind.

It's worth reading. Even if you don't like zombies - and it's NOT about the zombies! It's worth reading. Recommended.

2011 Hugo Nominees: Novel Category
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
Feed by Mira Grant
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms N.K Jemison

North American Discworld Convention 2011; Madison WI,

2011-07-13T09:00:00.008-05:00

This weekend my friend and I met up and headed down to Madison for the North American Discworld Convention, a four day fantasy convention that revolves solely around the world created by Sir Terry Pratchett (or his UK link here). Sir Terry was in attendance as Guest of Honor, and from my understanding this may be his last US appearance. I could be wrong about that tho...I would like to be wrong about that...

This was a slightly different convention from what we usually attend; again 1) it revolved around a single theme - Discworld. 2) lots more hall costumes 3) a younger crowd (which is great to see at a convention!) and 4) not a heck of a lot of panels that interested us so we were left to our own devises a fair amount, and usually in the mornings.

WI state capitol and art fair

Which we filled up by attending the Madison Art Fair on the Square. This...is bloody huge to paraphrase our British attendees. It's two rows of tents - or about 375 vendors - surrounding the entire capitol square, and down one side street, with artists from across the nation. This is also high end art. Or, to put in another perspective - expensive. We endured the masses - and I do mean masses - of people on Saturday morning from about 9a till Noon when we pleaded Merci! and fled back to the hotel for afternoon programming. The next morning we ventured out again at 9a - show didn't open till 10a - and found a few vendors open. I bought a small photograph that had grabbed my attention the day before, and my friend found two small photos that she picked up for her office.

Lunch was a selection of goodies from the much reduced Madison Farmers Market, that was wedged in on a side street.

But, convention. I/we attended mostly afternoon programing that Sir Terry was at:

Sign says it all...

Friday - Movie Premiere "Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die" (read the Wikipedia link) Very thought provoking.

Saturday - Talking with Terry; the Masquerade

Sunday - Good Omens Discussion; with a surprise appearance by Neil Gaiman! Woot! Then later we watched the Color of Magic in the movie room.

Monday - Closing Ceremonies and reading of Where's My Cow?

This was my first visit to Madison since a family vacation oh...about 35 years ago. We spent a great deal of time walking up and down State Street with it's varied shops and many many restaurants. We walked around the inside of the Wisconsin State Capitol with it's beautiful marble stonework and architecture. We wanted to go to the War Museum but alas, it was closed on Monday when it was raining. We saw Monona Terrace (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) over looking Lake Monona. I would have liked to have grabbed a rental bike and biked around the lake a bit but an opportunity never really came up. Another trip perhaps.

Monday really didn't have much for programming except for closing ceremonies at 3p, so off to the Madison Arboretum we went...well, after the severe weather went through that is.

One of three turkeys on the immediate grounds

The Arboretum was sadly...disappointing. I've been to others (including the University of Minnesota's) and this was by far the most underwhelming and least diverse. We wandered around through the grove of tree species, watching the turkeys and getting wet feet.

It was too early to head back to the hotel by far, so we made our way to the Zoo! This was decent little zoo, with well maintained habitats, some closed for renovations, other looking very new.

Who will be the lucky goat?

The long weekend ended with a trip to Taliesin, the Wisconsin home of Frank Lloyd Wright. I've always had a fascination with Mr. Wrights work and one of my dreams is to someday tour Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. But, this was just as great an opportunity in my opinion! My friend and I did a two hour house tour, which encompassed the grounds around the house and part of the main house itself. Only part because a family lives in the other section and the rest is residences for the Architectural School that is in residence. Two hours was plenty - a person could easily spend a half day here. Another time I'll go back and tour more.

Recipe Review from 7/4/11

2011-07-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm off having grand adventures (which I'll blog about later this week!) so there is only one recipe of note to talk about. Garden is puttering along now that temperatures are conducive to actually growing things and we've been getting regular rain so watering hasn't been a problem. Our Adventures with Andy continue - we've made progress in "kenneling up" and he now associates that command with three actions (actually kenneling up outside, hopping into the back of the car, and to go lay down on his bed when he gets up at 5am). He still thinks "sit" is optional unless a treat is involved. Goofy pup.

Baked Ziti with Summer Veggies (Ckng Lght, July 2011)
This may seem like an odd recipe to make when the temps are sitting in the high 80's, but it was also a great refrig reduction meal. And for the oven? Well, most of this is assembled on the stove, and it is baked for 15 mintues to let all the sauce and flavors combined. I put mine on the gas grill to finish it off.

4 ounces uncooked ziti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow squash (1 to 1 1/2 cup was plenty)
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped tomato
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) ~~part-skim ricotta cheese~~ I used cottage cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Rules of Prey (Davenport #1) by John Sandford

2011-07-07T07:30:00.001-05:00

#1 in the Lucas Davenport series.

I am, again, probably one of the last people around to start reading the Davenport series by Sandford, since he is now up to something like number 21 in the series. On the other hand, a positive is I don’t have to wait for the next one in the series to come out! After having read all of the books featuring Virgil Flowers, I decided to give the Davenport series a go, and because it was available right then, I tried out Storm Prey (#20) I liked what I heard (audiobook) and enjoyed Sandford's style enough to read the Davenport series starting at number one. Happily I found it on audiobook - hooray!

$9.99 PB; $9.99 Nook
~496 pgs

From Amazon.com: John Sandford a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has taken a stock suspense plot--a dedicated cop pursuing an ingenious serial killer--and dressed it up into the kind of pulse-quickening, irresistibly readable thriller that many of the genre's best-known authors would be proud to call their own. A killer who calls himself the "maddog" has been murdering Minneapolis women, seemingly without pattern or motive. The crimes are linked only by their brutality and by the slayer's "signature": at each scene, he leaves a written rule of crime, such as "Never kill anyone you know," or "Never carry a weapon after it has been used." Into the case comes Lucas Davenport, a policeman with five kills in the line of duty, a surefire sense of how to handle the thirsty media and strong instincts about the killer's psyche. Sandford offers no mystery here; the killer's identity is revealed in the first pages, and the suspense comes in waiting for him or Davenport to slip up. Despite one or two beginner's mistakes (an overly obvious red herring, a character inconsistency), the author knows his territory well; the result is a police procedural as effective as it is brutal.

Red herrings don’t bother me so much. Kit and parcel in the mystery genre. What bothers me more are scenarios where I am seriously questioning the intelligence of the police force as portrayed in the book. But I can’t describe the particular scene(s) without dropping some major plot bombs, and in case I’m not the last person to read this, I won’t do that to the reader, but perhaps I can summerize enough to give a feeling of my issue: if you are doing a mulitcop stake-out, and the perp is walking down the street with the intent (we know this because the author said so) of breaking into the victim's house, wouldn't you wait till he was inside rather than trying to nab the perp outside? Get him on breaking and entering? Where he can't run away? Think about this. Get the guy inside, then surround the house. He has no place to run.

There were also some eerie similarities between the ending of Rules of Prey (#1) and Storm Prey (#20) which I read a while back. I sincerely hope this isn’t going to be the case in the next 18 books. That would be...tiresome.

Still, recommended. Especially as an audiobook.

In Memoriam: Cody 1996-2011

2011-07-05T11:25:00.004-05:00

Cody was my friends golden retriever. I met her – and him – when I first started working in my current job. She was so sweet, good natured, and a fun pup to be around. Cody was my first close-up exposure to a dog and dog training and my friend had to endure all sorts of dog training and etiquette questions.

Mostly what I learned was that we, as dog owners, can talk the talk and walk the walk, but when it comes to our four legged furry friends, they really train us.

Over the years Cody enjoyed pheasant hunting in South Dakota, camping on Kabetogema, boating, swimming, hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail, chasing balls and sticks, traveling, the two E2's company, greeting her extended pack (also known as the nutjobs Ben and Kia) and endured many comments about how “she was not Rose”. No Cody, you were never Rose, but a wonderful sweet soul unto yourself!

Kia and Cody

May your rebirth be fortunate. Heck, you had to put up with T; your rebirth can only be fortunate!

Recipe Review from 6/27/11

2011-07-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Fourth of July!

This week I can only recap from a couple of recipes from last week. The first one I made a second time, doing it "my way" rather than the directed way, and the second one I had to type in. Both are winners! Later this week I also plan on posting a garden and hound update.

In the mean time, enjoy!

Pad Thai (Fine Cooking, May 2011 - modified)
As I noted before, I really liked the flavors and simplicity of this dish, but I didn't care for how mushy the noodles turned out, the tofu 'strips' just crumbled, and since I don't have a wok I was using my cast iron pan and the order in which I was to prep things was problematic.

So, I had enough ingredients left to make this again...my way. Result - outstanding! Seriously good. I could eat this every week.

Changes:
1) Combine 1/4 cup each of fish sauce, agave nectar, and lime juice. 1/3 cup of each was too much.

2) Use only 2/3 cup broth.

3) Soak noodles in warm water no more than 10 minutes. Drain well.

4) After the tofu was pressed, drained and blotted dry, I cubed it rather than cut into strips. Heat cast-iron pan over med-high heat, no oil. Fry tofu until nicely browned on the outside and set aside.

5) Add oil to hot pan. Cook shrimp, then add garlic and continue cooking until shrimp is almost done. Remove and add to tofu.

6) Add thin layer of oil to pan. Heat. Add eggs and lightly scramble. Remove and add to tofu and shrimp.

7) Add oil to pan. Add drained noodles and sear for about 2 minutes, turning frequently to lightly brown. Add fish sauce and broth and cook until liquid is absorbed. Add back in tofu, shrimp and egg. Toss lightly.

Serve.

Waldorf Blue Cheese Cascadian Couscous Salad (Vegetarian Times, July/August 2011)
This caught my eye for it's simplicity. I did think there was some incongruity between the description of the recipe creator and the ingredient list - not sure about the whole "fresh produce" bit when the only produce is granny smith apples and celery. Still, this was quick to pull together and tasted really good. I would like to experiment with wheat berries - the dressing and blue cheese would lend themselves well to the nutty taste of wheat berries.

Mary Berry, of White Salmon, Wash, created this colorful Waldorf salad after being inspired by the abundant fresh produce and other ingredients at her local farmers market.

1 cup couscous (I used Israeli)
1/4 cup toasted hazelnut oil (I used olive oil)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp honey Dijon mustard (I used regular Dijon)
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup diced granny smith apples, peeled and cored (I used Fuji, just cored and diced)
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (I used walnuts)
3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

1) cook couscous according to directions on package. Fluff with fork and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2) Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

3) Stir apples, celery, cherries, nuts, and dressing into couscous. Top with blue cheese.