Heaven's River by Dennis E Taylor (Bobiverse #4)

Heaven's River by Dennis E. Taylor
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Civil war looms in the Bobiverse in this brand-new, epic-length adventure by Audible number-one best seller Dennis E. Taylor.

More than a hundred years ago, Bender set out for the stars and was never heard from again. There has been no trace of him despite numerous searches by his clone-mates. Now Bob is determined to organize an expedition to learn Bender’s fate - whatever the cost.

But nothing is ever simple in the Bobiverse. Bob’s descendants are out to the 24th generation now, and replicative drift has produced individuals who can barely be considered Bobs anymore. Some of them oppose Bob’s plan; others have plans of their own. The out-of-control moots are the least of the Bobiverse’s problems.

Undaunted, Bob and his allies follow Bender’s trail. But what they discover out in deep space is so unexpected and so complex that it could either save the universe - or pose an existential threat the likes of which the Bobiverse has never faced.

Read as an audio book.

If you have not read We are Legion (We are Bob), book one, start there. These do need to be read in sequence.

I love The Boooobbbb's. Bob, Will, Howard, Bridget, all the regulars. I love the universe building and the variety of aliens the Bob's come across. The Bobiverse is an interesting idea and refreshing to read.

However, I struggled with this installment. For myself, it moved so slow. I struggled to stay engaged, I resisted skipping ahead, I even resisted giving up. Yes, the thought crossed my mind. Many times. I think it was because I found the plot predictable, the chase scene through Heaven's River *much* too long, and the resolution with the "Starfleet" and "Skippies" incomplete. The overall plot, like the size of Heaven's River, was robust and the interesting bits that make up the Bobiverse and the main set of characters, were left undeveloped.

So while I'm disappointed, one small redeeming factor was the AI. I'm not going to say more because I'm moving into spoilers. I liked the AI a lot.

Not much else to say on this one - recommended with reservations IF you've read books one - three.

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Recipe Review from 12/21/20

I realized that this will probably be my final new recipe review for 2020. Goodness! My "End of Year Review" of life in general will be posted on Jan 1. Meanwhile, four new recipes for your enjoyment - not much in the way of pics, sorry about that.

Headwaters of the Mississippi (my corner of the world)

Mouth of the Mississippi, New Orleans, LA

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftover Spanish Stew (S) bear steaks and stuffing
Sun (L) leftover Spanish Stew (S) bear steaks and stuffing
Mon (yoga - leftover stuffing and cranberry sauce
Tues - gumbo
Wed - gumbo
Thurs - gumbo
Fri (L) leftovers (S) leftovers
Sat (L) leftovers (S) leftovers

Lunches - Bean and barley Soup


Slow Cooker Beef Bone Broth (Wholesomliscious blog)
I've never made beef broth and we bought some beef bones earlier this year that were now taking up awkward space in the freezer. It was time to make beef broth!

What I learned - I really don't like the smell of roasting beef bones. And this was super easy to make in the slow cooker. I'm not sure I had the "right" kind of bones for this, but when all was said and strained, I had beef broth. The advantage of waiting is I can freeze my containers out on the porch.

I got 10 cups out of this recipe (2 quarts and 2 cups)

3-4 lbs of mixed beef bones oxtail, knuckles, neck bones and/or short ribs
2 medium carrots chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
Water between 8-10 cups

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place bones in a single layer on a sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil to evenly coat.

Roast for 30 minutes, then, flip each bone over and roast for an additional 30 minutes.

Place chopped vegetables, roasted bones, bay leaf and cider vinegar and place in your slow cooker. Cover completely with water and set your slow cooker to low.

Simmer for 24 hours. Throughout simmering, add water as needed to keep all the ingredients submerged. Once the broth has reached a dark rich brown color, turn off slow cooker.

Discard the bones, vegetables and bay leaf and strain through a cheesecloth. Cool the broth to room temperature.
Pour into jars and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to serve, skim the condensed fat off the top of the broth and heat to the desired temperature. Sip in a cup or add to your favorite recipe.


Southwestern Three Bean and Barley Soup (Eating Well, Soups) vegetarian
I modified this one greatly to use canned beans rather than dried and the modifications are reflected below. Reason for this was I didn't want to putz with, nor did I have on hand 1/3 cup each of black beans, great northern beans and kidney beans. In addition, cooking dried beans with my calcium-rich water can have iffy results.

Another benefit - less cooking time. Going from 2 1/2 hours to maybe 30? Yup, win-win.

I prefer my soups on the creamier/thicker side and this hit the spot. I didn't find it spicy, maybe even a tich bland? But it hit the spot with temps sitting around 10*. Some lime corn chips added a nice counter point. A rather versatile recipe as you can easily tweak it to suit your tastes and needs.

This made about 6-8 servings.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large 1 large stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 cups (32-ounce carton) reduced-sodium chicken broth, “no-chicken” broth or vegetable broth
½ cup pearl barley
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans
1 can (14.5 oz)great northern beans
1 can (14.5 oz) pinto beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon salt
extra water as needed to thin out the soup to your preferred consistency

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, barley, black beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes (adding more water, ½ cup at a time, if necessary or desired). Season with salt.


Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo (modified from Kevin Belton's Big Flavors of New Orleans)
I did some modifications from the original recipe which are reflected below. I cut back on the oil/flour quantities and I used 1 8 oz bottle of clam juice in combination with the water. I would have used chicken stock but I didn't have any on hand and I forgot to buy extra. I really should have used 2 bottles of clam juice but I didn't fully read the recipe before grocery shopping.

I also cut the salt way back. There's salt in the Creole seasoning and I didn't want this tasting like a salt bomb.

With all of that - I LOVE gumbo and I loved this. It works "okay" for a weeknight if you start early/have the time - it does take about an hour and a half from start to table.

2/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup flour
2 cups onion, chopped (about 1 large softball sized onion)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp pepper
3 tbsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups basic shrimp stock (or chicken, or water)
1 1/2 lbs andoui8lle sausage, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
2 lbs (16-20) shrimp, peeled and de-veined

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil. Gradually add the flour to form a roux, making sure to stir constantly to prevent burning. When it reaches the color of chocolate (I went with "milk chocolate"), add onion and cook until transparent, about five minutes. Add bell pepper and celery and cook until softened about 4 minutes. Stir in the seasonings.

Add the stock slowly wisking continuously. Add the andouille and stir. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice.


Perfect Every Time Waffles (modified from Barefeet in the Kitchen blog)
I haven't been happy with the last couple batches of waffles I've made; one batch had severe problems with sticking, another batch they formed oddly in the waffle maker. So, I tried a new recipe and this one will be a keeper! Not only were the waffles really good, but I quite enjoyed the topping options she discussed. Mmm! Breakfast ideas!

My modifications are reflected below. I swapped one cup of AP flour for WW, and I added an extra teaspoon of almond extract. These were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yummers! Recommended.

I got 5 1/2 Belgian style waffles out of this recipe.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 2/3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the waffle iron. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl. Add the milk and the eggs. Whisk to combine. Pour the melted butter and the vanilla into the batter and whisk until mostly smooth.

Pour onto the hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve warm or let cool completely.

photo from barefeetinthekitchen.com

Recipe Review from 12/14/2020

A good week all in all. The Husband did a trial run with his new smoker and tested technique with some brats. I have to say, I may have a new favorite in smoked brats! Absolutely delicious and *I'm* not a fan of smoked things. Weather was good, recipies were good, life is good.

The pups. 

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) soup and artichoke dip (S) leftover Chinese
Sun (L) soup and artichoke dip smoked brats (S) eggplant Parmesan
Mon (yoga) leftover eggplant
Tues - leftover brats
Wed - leftover eggplant
Thurs (yoga) leftover brats
Fri - leftovers


Artichoke Dip (modified from Cooks Country)
I bought the ingredients to make this dip to enjoy during football, but we got busy, I forgot, etc so I put it on the meal plan for this past week. Except I forgot to double check the recipe and realized I didn't have the spinach. Drat and bother. A quick review of options led me to this one.

A couple of substitutions: I used panko bread crumbs instead of making my own crumbs, canned artichokes instead of frozen, dried thyme in lieu of fresh, and pickled jalepeno's instead of fresh parsley and cayanne pepper.

Result: very good. Creamy, a little bit of zing from the jalepenos, and a tich of crunch from the panko. I warmed up a baguette and served this along side a bowl of butternut squash soup. Recommended.

Topping:
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Creamy Base 2 (14.5-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained well
3 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 cup (8 oz) light cream cheese,at room temperature ½ cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
¼ cup low-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

For the topping: combine panko with 1/2 tsp oil, mix well. Add Parmesan and stir.

For the base: Toss artichoke hearts with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, salt, and pepper on parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in 425-degree oven until browned around edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then chop coarse.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add artichokes and cook until beginning to brown and liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pulse cream cheese, cheddar, sour cream, Parmesan, lemon juice, and jalapenos with prepared artichoke mixture until coarsely chopped, about ten 1-second pulses. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into prepared dish. (Dip can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring back to room temperature before baking.)

Sprinkle topping over dip and lightly spray crumbs with cooking spray. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve.


Eggplant Parmesan (Eating Well, Oct 2020) vegetarian
Unlike the Broccoli-Tatertot Hotdish from last week, this was very easy to pull together with plenty of time to clean up and set the table. I made this as written (shocking, right?), and my only observations are - it needs more tomato sauce. At least an extra two cups. It was not as "saucy" as I would have liked and a bit on the dry side. I suspect the eggplant soaked up quite a bit of the liquid in addition to evaporation in the oven.

I did use a spicy marinara, which added a nice bit of zing!  I did increase the red pepper flakes to a teaspoon. Yum!

Other than the dish being a bit on the dry side, this was quite good and I would absolutely make it again.
A 9x13 pan made four meals for two of us.

Photo from eatingwell.com

1 serving Canola or olive oil cooking spray
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds total), cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 (24 ounce) jar no-salt-added tomato sauce
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
2 cloves garlic, grated
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Position racks in middle and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F. Coat 2 baking sheets and a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Whisk eggs and water in a shallow bowl. Mix breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan and Italian seasoning in another shallow dish. Dip eggplant in the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture, gently pressing to adhere.

Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Generously spray both sides of the eggplant with cooking spray. Bake, flipping the eggplant and switching the pans between racks halfway, until the eggplant is tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, mix tomato sauce, basil, garlic and crushed red pepper in a medium bowl.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant slices over the sauce. Spoon 1 cup sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Top with the remaining eggplant, sauce and cheese.

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with more basil before serving, if desired.


Julekaga (Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Bread)
Too long to type out the recipe, but I recommend this cookbook! It's become my go-to for baking bread.

Which is how I know *I* made a mistake with the recipe and a big one too. I'm pretty sure I killed the yeast. Clayton recommends a water temp of 120-130* for his yeast, and even with checking mine was at or below 130*, I think it was too high for the yeast I used. My bread did. not. rise.

Factors I eliminated:
Yeast is new and stored in the freezer
All ingredients were at room temp
Flour was still good and was bread flour
Though! I did use Gold Medal bread flour and not KA so...maybe a small factor there?
Plenty of food for the yeast

While the bread was still edible, it was not how it "should have been". I'll try again.

Recipe Review from 12/7/2020

Ended up doing take-out twice this week due to my schedule, running errands, and getting home later than anticipated. And I was okay with that if nothing else than to alleviate stress levels - take out twicein a week is not something we do on a regular occasion. It also has the added benefit of supporting local restaurants while we are in a second "lock down" of sorts. Restaurants are closed to sit-down meals, but open for take out. Need to support those folks so I have a restaurant to go to later.

Veteran's Memorial, Las Vegas

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) leftover brats and 'kraut (S) Christmas with Folks - take out Pho
Sun (L) Pho (S) Broccoli and tater-tot hot dish
Mon (yoga) leftover hot dish
Tues - hot dish
Wed - take-n-bake pizza
Thurs (yoga) - hot dish
Fri - Chinese take-out

Lunches - white chicken chili


Broccoli, Beef and Tatertot Hot Dish (Eating Well, Oct '20)
This is pure "Midwest" comfort food. Beef, broccoli, and tater tots all smothered in a home made cheesy sauce. I used breakfast bear sausage in place of plain beef; in hindsight, I should have omitted the garlic powder because it did somewhat clash with the sausage seasonings. Or at least I was picking up undertones of acric garlic powder taste that didn't appeal to me. I also found this dish to be salty - maybe that garlic powder coming through again? Not sure, but I cut back the salt and it was still salty for my tastebuds.

This also takes at least an hour and a half to two hours to assemble, bake, and let rest so NOT a weeknight meal unless you can get home early to start it. The leftovers reheated beautifully on the stovetop (I don't have a microwave). I would make this again for us (cutting out the salt), or even for my sister's family. I think the kiddo's would absolutely enjoy this one.

Made 4 meals for 2 people (8 servings)

1 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 ½ pounds 95%-lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt, divided
4 cups low-fat milk
⅓ cup cornstarch
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups frozen tater tots or veggie tots
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 serving Canola or olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Toss broccoli with 1 tablespoon oil on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until just soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and onion and cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned and the onion is softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Whisk milk and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking often, until bubbling and thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shredded Cheddar cheese, 3/4 teaspoon salt and turmeric until the cheese is melted.

Spread the beef mixture in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish. Top with the broccoli and pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with veggie (or tater) tots, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Coat the tots with cooking spray.

Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the tots are beginning to brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


White Chicken Chili (modified from ATK Slow Cooker Revolution)
This was good - a creamy while chili that is thickened using hominy and beans.

My modifications: I used one of our homegrown chickens, quartered and skin removed, I used two jalapeno's instead of the four the original recipe called for; and I used dried beans (cooked separately) and then added to the pot as directed. I think I had less chicken and more beans than called for.

The Husband did note that he found it a bit bland with only two jalapenos, but notes that you can increase the heat if needed, but if too spicy...your screwed. Mind, it was flavorful, just a tich bland.

This made enough for five lunches for me, and two for the husband, so "about" 6-8 servings, depending on how big your bowls are and what kind of appetites are coming to the table.

1 (15oz) can hominy, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken broth
2 onions, chopped
2-4 jalepenos, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
3 lb chicken thighs, skins removed (or 1 chicken, quartered and skin removed)
1 (15oz) can cannelli beans (or preferred beans)

Combine 2 cups broth with hominy in a blender. Blend and place in the slow cooker.

Pre-heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapenos and saute until fragrant. Add cumin and coriander, stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to slow cooker. Add beans to slow cooker.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker.

Cook for 3-6 hours on low (I did 6 hours). Remove chicken. Remove bones and shred meat. Replace in slow cooker to reheat. Serve.

Rouge Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #3)

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb: SciFi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

Book three follows a similar format to book two: Murderbot decides to investigate some information, hitches a ride across the system, makes the acquaintance of a particular AI, infiltrates station, and saves the humans.

Despite the formulaic plot, it's still an engaging, interesting and humorous read. Murderbot admits SecUnits have depression and anxiety issues - they them self have social issues in being unable to relate to humans, in addition to struggling with guilt, uncertainty, and perhaps a bit of jealousy because someone cared for and AI. It's relatable because it's what being human is and we don't get other humans.

What I particularly noticed in this installment is just how much hacking Murderbot is able to do on the fly. In my opinion (which amounts to a pile of jelly beans) what was a neat character trait in the first two books was somewhat overdone in book three and even for scifi, started to move into the realm of improbability. Is this enough to prevent me from reading the next book? Heaven's no, but it is worth noting.

These are great "Doritos" reads for me right now - they are the perfect length where I don't have to invest a buttload of time I don't have, Murderbot is interesting and the whole premise is engaging. Recommended.

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Recipe Review from 11/30/20

The year is starting to wind down and only a couple more weeks for new recipes. Final count will be posted New Years Day! Initial preview - 2020 was a good year for new recipes and I'll say up-front, the instant pot was a big part of that. Loving my instant pot!

Feeling quirky - triceratops somewhere around the Hill Country in Texas

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) out (S) leftover lasagna
Sun (L) leftover turkey (S) baked pasta
Mon (Vet) baked pasta
Tues - baked pasta
Wed - Brats with Quick Sauerkraut
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri - leftovers


Lunches - vegetable soup


Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinach (modified from Skinny Taste Blog)
This was awesome. Total comfort food for cold dark December evenings. Assembly...a bit putzy and part of that was on me. I grate my own cheese because I don't like the cellulose or potato starch additive. I wilted the spinach as I had a tub in the fridge that I wanted to use up. Other substitutions included using cottage cheese for ricotta, 12 oz box of large shell pasta, a jar of marinara instead of making my own, and a 16oz package of ground Italian sausage I had in the freezer.

The great thing about this dish, is you can swap things in and out to use up any pantry items and to suit your own tastes and preferred spiciness. Recommended!

Made enough for four meals for two of us. Makes a 9x13 pan.

Photo from Skinny Taste Blog

oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 oz fat-free ricotta (or cottage cheese)
8 oz part-skim mozzarella, shredded
14 oz uncooked sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
12 oz rigatoni pasta
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic, roughly chopped
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
(I used 11 oz fresh, and wilted)
salt and fresh pepper to taste
4 cups (1 16oz jar) Marinara Sauce


Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 9- x13-inch baking dish with olive oil spray.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta (or cottage cheese), 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese.

Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, brown the sausage breaking up into small bits until cooked through; set aside.

Add the oil to the skillet and sauté garlic about a minute, careful not to burn. Add spinach (can be fresh - just wilt and follow rest of directions) and season with a little salt and pepper and cook another minute.
Return the sausage to the skillet and add the marinara sauce; cook on low about 2-3 minutes.

When the pasta water comes to a boil, cook pasta according to instructions for al dente, but under cook them by 4 minutes less; drain and return to pot.
Put half of the cooked pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with half of the meat sauce. Spoon the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce in an even layer. Cover with the remaining pasta and the remaining sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 6-7 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned. My notes: Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Brats with Quick Sauerkraut (Eating Well, Oct '20)
Original recipe called for chicken sausage, but this seemed more like a "brat" dish so it was an easy substitution. Plus I had brats in the freezer so freezer reduction. Yay!

This was good, fairly easy to assemble, and made plenty of leftovers. I did complicate assembly a bit by shredding my own cabbage rather than using packaged. I had a savoy cabbage, a red cabbage and baby carrots in the fridge. I also used a honeycrisp apple instead of the granny smith (again, it was in the fridge). Only item I had to buy was the apple cider.

This was bright, tangy and a nice change from the usual brat side of potato salad or regular sauerkraut, tho we've been using kimchi more than sauerkraut these days. Recommended.

This made three meals (6 brats total/1 brat each).

Photo from eatingwell.com

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (12 ounce) package chicken sausage
1 small onion, sliced
1 medium Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1 (10 ounce) package shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, shredded
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and cook until brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add onion and apple and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cabbage, carrot, vinegar and salt and cook, stirring often, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add cider and caraway seeds; bring to a boil. Return the sausages to the pan and reduce heat. Cover and simmer until the sausages are heated through and the cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes.

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #2)

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

A short, humorous and engaging installment in the Murderbot series.

Murderbot returns to the scene of their beginning, where they initially went rogue and killed a slew of humans. With a little help from Asshole Research Transport (ART), they become a little less SecUnit and a little more human. Not that they wanted to. To facilitate moving around the system and mining facility, Murderbot takes on a job as a security consultant for a group who thinks they are going to get their research files back after being forcibly ejected from their contract. What should be a straight forward in-out situation becomes anything but.

For a short story, this feels like a longer book. It's engaging watching Murderbot struggle with insecurities, uncertainty, decisiveness, fear, morality, guilt, boredom, sarcasm, and more - all the attributes that make a human, human.

Because this is a short story, the world building is trimmed down to the bare essentials - transports, terminals, asteroids/planets. Enough to establish setting. The strength of this gem is the character building. I'm really hoping we'll see ART again. Which means I need to read the rest of the books.

Recommended.

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Recipe Review from 11/23/2020

Another week where I forgot to hit "publish". Argh. And ah ha! I see why I didn't hit publish - I forgot to finish one recipe. Argh.

Statute in the Humas House Gardens, Louisiana

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Eggplant tagine (S) bear steaks in a blue cheese sauce
Sun (L) leftover tagine (S) leftover bear
Mon - Butnut lasagna
Tues - leftover
Wed - leftover
Thurs - Bird Day!
Fri - leftovers


Lunches (Me) tagine (D) spaghetti scrounging

Eggplant, tomoato and chickpea Tagine (Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian/vegan
Awesome. This was just...awesome. First meal I did serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices. The remainder I used couscous so I could stretch out the leftovers a bit.

I loved this! This may also be one of the few times I *didn't* peel the eggplant. I wanted to see how the peels did in a pressure cooker. I will also note, this triggered the "burn" notice on the instant pot. The forutnate aspect here is, this only cooks for three minutes, so with the IP on OFF, I let it finish out the time, vented, and sauted/NORMAL for a couple three minutes afte,m adding the chickpeas and cilantro. The "burn" wasn't bad, looked like some of the seasonings didn't get scrapped up. I've had worse. Much worse.

Recommended! Made closer to 6 servings with the cous-cous.

2 lb eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
1 medium onion, minced
2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 tsp ginger, granted or minced fine
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 cup cilantro

In a 6qt Instant Pot, select NORMAL/MEDIUM SAUTE. Add the oil and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is golden brown (it takes less than 4 minutes). Add onion, tomatoes, ginger, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to release some of their juices, about 2-4 minutes.. Press CANCEL and stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping up any brown bits. Gently stir in the eggplant and distribute evenly.

Lock the lid in place and move pressure valve to SEALING. Select PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL; adust the pressure level to LOW. Set cooking time to 3 mintes. When pressure cooking is complere, quick-release the seteam by moving the pressure valve to VENTING. Press CANCEL and carefully open the pot.

Gently stir in the chickpease and lemon juice and taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro. Serve with additional oil drizzled over and lemon wedges.


Butternut Squash Lasagna (Eating Well, Dec 2020) vegetarian
For once, the recipee estimate of how long this would take was correct - this is about two hours and a half hours from opening the fridge to sitting down to eat. Mind, an hour plus of that is cooking time so hands-off, but there are All. The. Bowls. to clean up. And Oh Bless, if you have kids and engage them to help (this was touted as a kid-helper recipe in the magazine), start even earlier.

This does come together fairly easily though - cut squash set aside, grate cheese (or use pre-grated) divide and set aside, make white saude, and start layering. I admit, I find the layering the most difficult, running between the recipe and the stove to make sure I've got it "right". I should worry less...

End result, this is not a "saucy" lasagna, but maintains it's distinct layers. An extra splash - and just a splash - of water might have been of benefit as the amount of liquid in the squash can vary. Mine was a little dry. And I'm thinking - 11oz of wilted spinach wasn't quite enough for two pans. It was a bit on the sparse side and kinda got lost in the dish.

I do have a couple of modification: I used a pre-grated pizza cheese blend (mozzarella and smoked provolone) from the co-op that doesn't have a caking agent on it. I used dried sage and added the sage and pepper to the flour/butter mix to better "bloom" the flavors.

Makes two 8x8 pans (one to eat, one to freeze)
One pan made three meals for the two of us.

photo from eatingwell.com

1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (11 ounce) package baby spinach
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour
2 ½ cups low-fat milk
2 ½ cups shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus more for serving
1 tsp dried sage 1 (9 ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles
1 1.5-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch slices

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat two 8-inch-square baking dishes with cooking spray.

Mix ricotta, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until mostly wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander and press with the back of a spoon to release excess moisture. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese, sage and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper until smooth.

Spread 1/4 cup of the sauce in each of the prepared baking dishes. In each pan, add a layer of noodles, then cover with 1/3 cup of the ricotta, a layer of squash, ¼ cup spinach and 1/2 cup of the remaining sauce. Repeat the layers. To finish, divide the remaining noodles, sauce and 1 cup cheese between the pans. Cover one lasagna with plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate or freeze this lasagna.
To bake, coat a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna, sprayed-side down. Bake until lightly browned on top, about 1 hour. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve topped with more sage, if desired. Cut into 6 squares.

Recipe tip to make ahead: Refrigerate unbaked lasagna for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Remove plastic wrap and replace foil before baking (add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time if frozen).

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi (The Interdependency #3)

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated. Entire star systems—and billions of people—are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization. This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction… and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profit from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has ever known.

Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse. But “control” is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people from impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from her throne and power, by any means necessary. Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity. And yet it may not be enough.
Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization… or the last emperox to wear the crown?


Read as an audio book for November 2020 book group.

Book three in the Interdependency Series - this can not be read as a stand alone.

This is a light space opera (series) that is meant to amuse and entertain. If you're looking for hard scifi, look elsewhere. And yes, I was amused and entertained. Heck, Will Wheaton is narrating. He could read off the back of a cereal box and make it sound great. And that was the strong point of The Last Emperox - Wheaton was narrating.

Because ultimately, the overall plot stumbled, the characters spent oh so much time in their heads re-hashing the previous book, the crisis ended up being political when the real problem was left unresolved (the fading flow streams), and somewhere in all of this, the science and data were just kinda lost in everything else. There was political grandstanding, conspiracy theories galore, noble causes, true love, righteous vengeance, and so many loose ends left dangling they could have formed their own flow stream.

But I was happily entertained during my daily commute. Though I did find myself zoning out and then having to backtrack to listen to what I missed. Which was never much. While not what I would consider Scalzi's best work, if you're a fan and you've read the first two, then you'll find some enjoyment from this.

Recommended with some small reservations.

View all my reviews

Recipe Review from 11/16/2020

THIS week ended with the furnace going out. On Friday evening. When we called, found out our usual oil service company doesn't do weekend service anymore (maybe because of COVID? I dunno...). Anyway. Option 1 - call the company they suggested that does to weekend service or see if we can get by until Monday and can use our company. It's Saturday, 630am in morning as I type this, we'll see how today goes. And! The dog barfed twice in the middle night. Man, nothing wakes a dog owner up faster than the sound of a dog horking. Andy-dog ate too much bird seed. Why do they have to eat bird seed?

McKinney Falls State Park ,Austin, TX 2017

The Meal Plan:
Sat(L) leftover butnut soup (S) leftover potato curry
Sun (L) fried egg sandwich (S) cranberry bear meatballs
Mon - leftover meatballs
Tues - leftover meatballs
Wed - nachos
Thurs (yoga) - brats
Fri - brats

Lunches - leftover potato curry

I reviewed the Potato and Pea Curry last week, but I'm coming back to add, I had enough for lunches the entire week with basmati rice. Delicious dish! I would absolutely make again.


Cranberry Bear Meatballs (North American Hunt Club Cookbook) This is NOT a new recipe. This is a tried and true that we've made whenever we have venison in the freezer. Well...no venison but we do have some ground bear. Since its been a few years since we've had any game, I had forgotten how easy this was to make.

My main observation is, this has become almost too sweet for me. There's a lot of sugar between the cranberry sauce, the chili sauce, the catsup and the brown sugar. While the brown sugar adds a molasses undertones I'd recommend skipping. Or find some sugar free catsup and decresase the brown sugar.

2 lbs ground (venison, moose, bear, etc)
1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 eggs
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 fresh ground pepper

1 (14oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (12oz) jar chili sauce
1/3 catsup
2 tbsp brown sugar (dish can get overly sweet, reduce to 1 tbsp or omit if you wish)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried minced onion

Preaheat oven to 350*. Line a jellyroll pan with aluminum foil, and if you have a baking rack place on top of aluminum foil. If no rack, not a problem. Proceed with directions. Lightly oil a 9x13 glass baking dish and set aside.

Mix ground meat with panko bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Shape into 1" balls and place in pan or on top of rack. Cook for 30-35 minutes.

While meatballs cook, combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, catsup, brown sugar and minced onion in a bowl.

When meatballs are (mostly) done, remove from oven and transfer from baking sheet to prepared pan (this helps keep grease/fat drippings out of final dish). Pour prepared cranberry sauce mixture over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more or until sauce is nice and bubbly. Serve over rice, egg noodles, or even potatoes .

Crafting 2020: Bags!

This past week I taught myself how to make a quilted bag. I had so much fun I made four of them over five days. It was mostly relaxing, I admit to getting a bit carryed away with four, but once I had things figured out they were a great project to complete in a day. I admint, I should have stopped at one a day and not pushed for more than that.

First one took me a day - I had to figure out the directions. I made this as directed. Pockets on the outside.  This bag also uses a different interfacing, it's not as stiff as the others.  I'll have to come back and add the Pellon #. 

Second one I did over two evenings - I cut the pattern out one night, and assembled the next day. I made this one with the pockets on the inside. Then I immediately started cutting out the third bag and assembled it. One pocket outside, one inside

Forth bag I did in a day. And that's when the mistakes started to creep in. I became overly confident with the pattern and forgot things like...attaching the tabs and handles. Oops. Rip out seams, re-do. And other small things. Live and learn - pace myself. This one also had a pocket on the outside and one on the inside. I like this variation the best as it seems the most practical.

All four completed bags

Bag #1 - pockets on the outside

Bag #2 - pockets on the inside

Bag #3 - Pockets outside and inside

Bag #3 - Pockets outside and inside

Recipe Review from 11/9/20

Not much to say about this past week: worked, had Wednesday off due to Veteran's Day, and taught a couple yoga classes. Andy-dog and I had the house to ourselves from Wednesday on as the Husband took Kep-pup pheasant hunting out on the western side of the state. I worked on some quilting projects and read in my downtime. So all in all, rather quiet and uneventful.

My snugglebugs.

Sat (L) out (S) leftover orzo soup
Sun (L) grilled cheese (S) Sheet pan chicken and squash
Mon - leftover chicken
Tues (Subaru in shop) leftover chicken
Wed (Off) Potato and Pea curry
Thurs (Yoga) leftover curry
Fri - leftover curry

Lunches: (me) curried butternut squash soup

Sheet pan chicken - this was "supposed" to be an ATK recipe with squash, kale, and cranberries, but when I went to make the recipe I realized I had neglected to double check the ingredients and I was missing like four items. I couldn't even do a "make do" version.

SO! I fell back on my Milk Street favorite: Za'atar sheet pan chicken, except I put one inch thick slices of butternut squash underneath. Worked wonderfully. Za'atar flavors and the chicken juices nicely infused the squash, everything stayed moist, and I had a built in veggie side. I would do this again!


Potato and Green Pea Curry (modified slightly from Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian/vegan
I made this for suppers while the Husband was away so I could come home, dump my bags, let the dog out and just re-heat. Worked perfectly! Except, this makes far more than four servings, especially if you add basmati rice (which I did). I'm going to easily get 6-8 meals out of this. And I have NO complaints about that!

A couple modifications: I used Yukon gold potatoes instead of russets as I like Yukon's better. I used mixed veggies and peas as I had a partial bag of mixed that needed to be used up. And I skipped the cilantro as I'm not paying $1.50 for something I'll just use a tiny portion of.

Serves 6-8 (closer to 8 with rice)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies (or peas)
Optional: cilantro; cooked basmati rice, naan


In a 6 quart Instant Pot, select More/High Saute. Add the oil and onion, the cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the paprika, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne. Pour in 1 1/2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits (DO THIS TO AVOID BURNING). Add the potatoes and 1 1/2 tsp salt; stir to combine and distribute in an even layer. Add the tomatoes and their juice over the top of the potatoes, do not stir!

Press CANCEL, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to HIGH. Set the cooking time for four minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release by moving the pressure valve to VENTING. Press CANCEL, then carefully open the pot.

To finish: Select More/High Saute and cook, stirring often, until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance and the sauce is clinging lightly (3-4 minutes). My notes: this part wasn't necessary, potatoes were fully cooked. Press  CANCEL to turn off, and using potholders, remove the insert from the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in peas (and cilantro if using) and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: serve with basmati rice and naan


Spiced Butternut Squash Soup (modified from: Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian with vegan option
We have a plethora of squash in the basement right now, and I'm working my way through new and old squash recipes. I adore squash soup IF it's made nice and thick. I don't care for watery squash soup, I like my soup to have some substance and backbone!

So this got modified - I added an extra pound of squash and increased the cooking time by three minutes.

Result: yum! It was still a tich thin for my tastes, but still acceptable. Best part - super easy to make in the IP!

Serves 4-6 (I got six lunches out of this)

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
3 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" chunks
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional

In a 6 quart Instant-Pot, select More/High Saute. Add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 tsp salt, cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala, add the squash and broth. Stir to combine and spread in an even layer.

Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move th pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual: make sure the pressure level is set ot High. Set the cooking time for 13 minutes. When the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, the release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel and carefully remove the lid.

With an immersion blender, blend the mixture in the pot until smooth. Select More/High Saute and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then press Cancel to turn off the pot. Remove the insert from the pot. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with 1 cup of the puree, then stir into the soup. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollup of yogurt and pumpkin seeds.

Recipe Review from 11/2/2020

Last week we had a reprieve from the winter weather of October with a week of 60* temps. It was fabulous! I fully confess to skipping the gym at noon two days and hit the Lakewalk. Where I found out the restoration/renovation/rebuilding from past storms was still in full force. Construction fences aside, it felt good to get out in the sun. Temps hit 75* by Friday (in NOVEMBER!) so after work the Husband and I loaded up the dogs and fit in a walk on the Munger Trail and then enjoyed dinner outside at one of our preferred restaurants. Yes, dinner! Outside! In the dark! In November! In Minnesota!>

Mississippi River, Winona MN, 2019

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) leftovers (S) rice pilaf
Sun (L) leftover pilaf (S) chili
Mon - leftover chili
Tues - leftover chili
Wed - leftover chili
Thurs (yoga) leftover chili
Fri - out

Lunches - Orzo soup (me); sandwiches (Husband)


Classic Weeknight Chili (modified from ATK Slow Cooker Revolution #1)
I have a vague feeling I've made this before, but there were no notes in my cookbook so I'm going with I haven't.

I question the "Weeknight" part of this, specifically as it relates to assembly. This was rather putsy for a slow cooker dish as everything is pre-cooked before going into the slow cooker. It was beginning to feel like pre-washing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Also noting, because I didn't do this, you HAVE to have everything ready to go. "Mise en place" (sp?). If you plan on doing this during the week, make sure you have plenty of time in the morning!

Loosely - mix the meat with the milk/bread mixture set aside. Cook the onion , cook the tomato mixture, cook the beef...it lost the simplicity of chop, plop and enjoy dinner later.

However! When all was done - this was really good. I'm pretty sure it was the soy sauce and brown sugar that elevates this from "just" a chili, to chili awesomeness. 

2 slices of good white bread (I used a multigrain, crusts left on)
2 lbs ground beef (I used ground bear)
1/4 cup milk
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tbsp chili powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp groun cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (14.5 oz) cans pinto beans
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp minced canned chipolte chile in adobo sauce


Tear bread into pieces and place in a large bowl. Add milk and combine until a mash. Add ground meat, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and combine. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat, add onions, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions start to soften.

Stir in beef mixture a pound at a time, breaking up large pieces and cooking until no longer pink (good luck with that when it's coated in tomato paste and chili powder). Stir in 1 cup of the tomato puree, scraping up any browned bits, transfer to slow cooker. (I added a 1/2 cup of water to the pan at this point and used that to "rinse" the pan and get all that good flavor out)

Add remainin ingredients to slow cooker. Cover and cook 3-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Let chili settle for 5 minutes, remove any pooled fat from surface, break up any large pieces of beef, and serve.


Italian Orzo Spinach Soup (Gimme Some Oven blog)
vegetarian option Unlike the chili above, this came together very quickly. Surprisingly quickly. I did deviate slightly from the directions below - I let the soup simmer for 10 minutes, then I added the orzo and cooked for another 8 minutes. I wanted the orzo slightly under cooked as I knew it would soak up extra liquid in the fridge.

This was lunches for the week and this worked perfectly. The orzo didn't become soggy, the soup was the perfect consistency (not overly liquid-y which is awkward trying to transport), and it tasted great. A note here, my orzo was "southwest" flavored, a brand from Tuscon, AZ, that had faint undertones of lime. Initially that may seem to be off-putting, but it worked really well. I would use that orzo again in this soup.

Plain orzo, flavored orzo, I recommend this one!

Serves 6-8, depending on bowl size.

Photo from Gimme Some Oven Blog

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) DeLallo whole wheat orzo pasta, or other whole wheat pasta
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups loosely-packed spinach
salt and black pepper
optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes


Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, orzo (pasta), thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.

Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper as needed. (Also feel free to add more of the thyme, oregano and rosemary, if you’d like.)

Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.

Recipe Review from 10/26/2020

This past week started out with a birthday dinner for my Dad, then book group, and a bit of a sim-calculation with leftovers. While the baklava wasn't a "new" recipe, it's been at least a decade since I've made it so I figured it warranted a shout out. Weather-wise we're sitting in the high 20's low 30's, ending with two days of 20-30 mph winds. The Gales of November have arrived.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out and about! (S) take n bake pizza
Sun (L) leftover soup and grilled cheese (S) Dad's B-day dinner (chicken and squash)
Mon (bkgrp) For the Husband: leftover pizza
Tues - leftover chicken and squash
Wed - Better than take-out Noodles
Thurs (yoga) - leftover take out Noodles
Fri - leftover noodles

Lunches: sandwiches (Husband); Lentil and barley soup (me)


Two recipes from the Falastin cook book - I'm going to point you toward the library for the full recipes. It's a lot to type out. So very much to type out...


Roasted Squash and Zucchini with whipped Feta and Pistachios (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe Blurb: This is great as either a starter or as part of a spread. It also works as a side dish, served alongside meatballs or roast chicken. Use yellow zucchini if you can; the clash of color looks great wiht the butternut squash.

I was making the roast chicken dish [below] and thought this would be a good side dish. I had half a butternut squash in the fridge, the flavors would compliment, so why not?

When all was said and served, *I* didn't care for this as made. I found the room temperature squash off-putting over the cheese mixture. My Folks claimed they liked it a lot while the Husband was quiet on the subject, which tells me he thought it was so-so.

So! For the leftovers, I warmed up the squash, put a dollop of the cheese mix on top and sprinkled with pistachios. Much better. If I were to make this again, I would offer the cheese on the side and make sure the squash was piping hot.

Speaking of leftovers, that's one thing I am finding with the side dishes in this cookbook - many sides are not meant to be leftovers. As a household of two, that's something I need to take into account.

Lemon Chicken with Za'atar (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe blurb: As anyone who as cooked the chicken sheet-pan recipes from Sami's previous cookbook - Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem - knows, the secret weapon behind so many (seemingly) effortless dinners is a make-ahead chicken dish that can just be put into the oven when needed. All the work is done in advance, which means that at dinnertime there is little fuss, and happy feasting.

This was easy and very good. As the blurb noted, this is a make ahead dish. The chicken should marinate a minimum of two hours or overnight. I did about 6 hours and it was about perfect. I assembled the whole dish at that point and set aside in the fridge and pulled out about an hour and a half before cooking to bring close to room temp.

Everyone enjoyed this - the tart lemon, sweet onion, and flavorful za'atar are a fantastic combination. My only comment is cutting the garlic heads in half didn't do much that I could tell - the dish doesn't bake long enough to allow the garlic to soften. When I make this again (and I plan to!) I will use individual peeled cloves and toss right into the dish.

Baklava (source unknown, found it on the internet years ago)
And to round out the meal I made baklava. No, not quite Palestinian, but the flavor profile was close enough for me and, honestly? I was craving a pan of baklava and I had made this recipe at least once before.

Baklava is easy enough - finely grind nuts with orange zest and brown sugar, set aside. Make a simple syrup of orange juice, honey, sugar and water, set aside. Now the putzy part - slather melted butter over 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough one at a time, stack, put in a baking sheet. Put nuts on top, repeat with remaining 6-8 sheets of phyllo. Score, bake, and pour the last of the syrup when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!

Lot's of recipe on the internet with variations on spices and flavorings. Find one that grabs your fancy and give it a go!

Persian Barley-Lentil Soup with Spinach (modified from Milk Street: Fast and Slow) vegetarian
This was very good. I ended up making this in the morning so the "50 minutes" start to finish is accurate. I kinda felt like I should have slammed the kitchen towel to the floor while shouting "Bo-YAH!" and dancing around when done. Alas, didn't have the time - toss into a to-go container and run out the door.

This is a very hearty and comforting vegetarian soup that uses ingredients on hand. I did have to buy a lime and the veggie broth. Normally I would substitute chicken broth as I make that, but I didn't have enough this go around. I subbed kale from the garden for the spinach, making sure to chop into bite sized pieces. This was great for lunch during the workweek, and would be delishious after skiing or for company with some artisnal bread or flatbread.

Made about 6 servings.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots, diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 bay leaves
salt/pepper
1 tbsp grated lime zest
3 tbsp lime juice
3/4 pearled barley
1/2 brown or green lentils
1 1/2 qts vegetable broth
4 cups (3 oz) baby spinach chopped (I used kale)
1 cup cilantro

For the Instant Pot:  Select SAUTE/HIGH. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, tomato paste, bay leaves, and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest, barley, lentils, and broth, scraping up any browned bits.

Cancel SAUTE. Lock lid in place and move pressure valve to sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK/HIGH. Set cooking time for 15 mintues. When pressure cooking is complete, quick release the steam by opening the vent. Press cancel and open.

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the greens. Serve drizzled with olive oil, a dollup of plain yogurt, and extra limes.


Rice Pilaf with Spiced Beef and Veggies (greatly modified from Milk Street Fast and Slow
Whoo-boy. I really did NOT do due diligance and visually check to see that I had everything on hand for this one. I *thought* I did...I did not. That bag of basmati rice? Not enough. That box of golden raisins? Was a box of spice mix for guacamole. I already knew I was subbing frozen mixed veggies for the green beans.

I did take issue with the directions calling to cook the meat till no longer pink, which is impossible to tell when covered in cinnamon, turmeric and tomato paste. I just went for 5 minutes. Then I had problems with the meat mixture burning to the bottom of the pot. At least I'm assuming it's the meat mixture. I shut off the pot, set a separate timer for the amount of time left, and let the internal pressure do it's thing. Worked perfectly.

So some major alterations and one very tasty dish. The Husband went back for seconds.

Serves 4-6

8 oz 85% lean ground beef (I used bear meat)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp tumeric
salt/pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz mixed veggies, thawed
1 1/2 cups brown basmati, white basmati, or white rice (I used a mix of white basmati and white rice) rince and drain the rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins

In a medium bowl, combine meat, tomato paste, cinnamon, turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.

Using an Instant Pot, select MEDIUM/NORMAL SAUTE. Add 1 tbsp oil, heat to shimmering, add veggies and cook until lightly browned. Set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil and heat to shimmering. Add the meat mixture and cook until the meat is no longer pink (good luck trying to figure that out when the meat is covered in tomaot sauce - but it's about 5 minutes). Press CANCEL. Stir in the water, rice and the raisins, gently scraping the bottom to release any brown bits.

Lock the lind in place and set the valve to SEAL. Select PRESSURE COOK and HIGH. Set time for 22 minutes. **IF you get a BURNED signal, turn off the pressure cooker, set a separate timer for the amount of time remaining.

When cooking is finished, quick release by VENTING. Press CANCEL. Open pot, give the rice mixture a good stir to fluff. Add the veggies and close the lid. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. When time is up, stir in veggies and serve.

Bloodshot by Cherie Priest (Cheshire Red Reports #1)

RBloodshot by Cherie Priest
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Raylene Pendle (AKA Cheshire Red), a vampire and world-renowned thief, doesn’t usually hang with her own kind. She’s too busy stealing priceless art and rare jewels. But when the infuriatingly charming Ian Stott asks for help, Raylene finds him impossible to resist—even though Ian doesn’t want precious artifacts. He wants her to retrieve missing government files—documents that deal with the secret biological experiments that left Ian blind. What Raylene doesn’t bargain for is a case that takes her from the wilds of Minneapolis to the mean streets of Atlanta. And with a psychotic, power-hungry scientist on her trail, a kick-ass drag queen on her side, and Men in Black popping up at the most inconvenient moments, the case proves to be one hell of a ride.
Read for October 2020 book group. Read as an audio book.

Premise of the book is interesting enough: Raylene is a century old vampire who keeps herself employed by stealing things for other people, or sometimes, herself. Usually very expensive and priceless things. She has been approached by another vampire who wants his records retrieved from when he was held captive under a secret government experiment. When Raylene accepts, this triggers a cascade of events that have her on the run across the States as she works to uncover the truth.

See? Interesting.

The main character? Not so much. She grated on my nerves, switching whiplash like between a strong, independent, kick-ass vampire-ess, to a panicky, indecisive, uncertain vampire in the space of a few breaths or sentences. The use of snark as a self-defense mechanism and humor to offset the indifference didn't quite work. I will add here, my dislike could be a response to the narrator of the book. The performer did a most excellent reading, maybe too well, and that much added vocalized emotion might have contributed to my annoyance.

The sub-characters I quite liked. Ian and Cal were intriguing, I wanted to know more about Antonio, and even Pepper and Domino were interesting.

The antagonists were, well, typical government subversive antagonists right down to wearing black and sneering. Nothing new there.

There was one small plot surprise toward the end of the book that had me nodding in appreciation, but while the book does not end on a cliff hanger, it does firmly set up the next book in the series. I'm really on the fence if I want to read book two. My opinion: recommended with reservations.


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Recipe Review from 10/19/2020

Snowed again this week. Thankfully it was not the 8" they were predicting, but enough to make it look like Christmas. Even the weather is starting the Holiday season early. Poor Halloween...

South of Malta, Montana

The Meal Plan Sat (L) leftover lasagna (S) chicken and wild rice casserole
Sun (L) leftover zucchini soup (S) chicken and wild rice casserole
Mon - tomato soup and grilled cheese
Tues - leftover casserole
Wed - leftover tomato soup and grilled cheese
Thurs (yoga) leftover casserole
Fri - brats and beans

Lunches - Better than takeout Udon Noodles


Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (Well Plated blog)
I found myself in need of an extra meal, saw I had saved this on Pinterest, and knew I had everything on hand to make it. Yay!

This can best be described as a Minnesota (or Midwest) Thanksgiving in a casserole. Rice as stuffing, turkey or chicken, squash, onion, thyme and or sage - yup. Reminiscent of Thanksgiving and pretty darn good. I did do some notable alterations. I used:

• leftover cooked turkey, cubed
• all wild rice, cooked ( cup dried = 3 cups cooked)
  
• dried thyme and some dried sage

Since the turkey was pre-cooked, I was able to skip that part of the recipe (confirming, works great with leftovers or rotisserie). Rice I made ahead in the instant pot so it would be ready when I wanted to make dinner. Assembly goes fairly quickly and it's easy to do clean-up while waiting for the squash to cook and then again while everything bakes.

Serves 6-8
1 cup uncooked wild rice blend (about 3 cups cooked)
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups cubes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus additional for garnish
3/4 cup dried cranberries I prefer the ones with reduced sugar
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided (about 2 ounces)

Cook the rice according to package directions. Drain off any excess cooking liquid and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced chicken and sauté until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside, about 6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

With a paper towel, carefully wipe the skillet clean. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the diced squash, onions, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender but still retains some chew, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the thyme, cranberries, reserved chicken, rice, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish (my notes: cover with aluminum foil for the first part). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven (remove foil)and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 additional minutes, until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with additional chopped fresh thyme and serve warm.


Better than Takeout Udon Noodles (Bon Appetit) vegetarian option
I made this for lunches for the week. To be determined if it works. I hope it does. Sure tasted really good as I was assembling. I couldn't keep my fingers out of the noodles!

I deviated from this recipe in several ways, but the base aspects and flavors remain the same. I used regular udon, and cooked according to package directions, then tossed with the sesame oil. I omitted the pork and used 1/2 package of firm tofu and 4 oz mushrooms. I should have used the whole package of tofu and mushrooms. And based off of recommendations on the Great Food Forum (where I found this recipe) I cut back the mirin and soy sauce to 1/4 cup each.

This is kinda a fridge clean-out recipe - use what you've got. Or not. I did pick up some ramen noodles to make round two with later in the week.

As written, serves about 4.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups very coarsely chopped green cabbage (from about ¼ medium head)
2 7-ounce packages instant udon noodles, flavor packets discarded
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
8 ounces ground pork
5 scallions, white and pale-green parts coarsely chopped, dark-green parts thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch knob)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
⅓ cup mirin
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cabbage and cook, tossing often, until edges are browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, tossing often, until thickest parts of cabbage leaves are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.

Place udon in a large heatproof bowl (or pot if you don’t have one) and cover with 6 cups boiling water. Let sit 1 minute, stirring to break up noodles, then drain in a colander. Transfer noodles back to bowl and toss with sesame oil. Transfer cabbage to bowl with noodles. Wipe out skillet.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in same skillet over medium-high and add pork, breaking up and spreading across surface of pan with a spatula or tongs. Cook pork, undisturbed, until underside is brown, about 3 minutes. The pork will never brown if you’re fussing with it the whole time, so when we say “undisturbed,” that means keep your paws off it and let the heat of the pan and the pork do their thing. When pork is browned, break up meat into small bits. Cook, tossing, just until there’s no more pink, about 1 minute. Add chopped scallions (the pale parts), ginger, and red pepper. Continue to cook, tossing often, until scallions are softened and bottom of skillet has started to brown, about 1 minute. Add udon mixture, mirin, and soy sauce and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are coated in sauce (be sure to scrape bottom of skillet to dissolve any browned bits), about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and fold in 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds and dark-green parts of scallions. Top with more sesame seeds before serving.


George’s Creamy Tomato Soup  (G. Hirsch Lifestyle)
I caught an episode of G. Hirch Lifestyle the week previous where he made tomato soup and a "fancy" grilled cheese sandwich. I've been looking for a decent tomato soup and this seemed like it might be worth a try. A bit of modification was necessary - I'm not going to find San Marzano Plum tomatoes in my corner of the world, so I picked out a local, hydroponically grown tomato. I have no idea what "sweet butter", used regular. Skipped the basil as I didn't want to pay $3.00 to use four leaves.

This was pretty close to my idea of a good tomato soup. If I were to make it again, I would saute 1 tbsp tomato paste with the onion and garlic. I would probably pull out the blender as well, as the immersion blender didn't get it quite smooth enough. Recommended.

Makes 6-8 servings

photo from G. Hirsch Lifestyle

5 large ripe San Marzano Plum tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2- 15 ounce cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil
hot sauce, sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 cup half-and-half

Pre heat a large 4 quart soup pot.

Add olive oil, onion, garlic and fresh plum tomatoes. Stir and sweat 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the butter and when melted, then add the flour, sir and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the canned San Marzano tomatoes, stir, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, and dried basil, simmer for 5 minutes.

Add fresh basil and simmer for 5 additional minutes.

Remove bay leaves and take the soup off the stove. For a creamier soup use a food pulser and puree slightly leaving a few chunks of tomatoes. Return back to stove and bring back to a boil, and add the optional half-and-half.

Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes.

Add hot sauce, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Served topped with crunchy croutons and a few drops of olive oil.


Grilled Cheese with Cheddar and Ham (modified from G. Hirsch Lifestyle)

From G. Hirsch: The recipe is simple, fresh farm house white pullman bread, sliced and brushed with melted butter, sharp farm house cheddar, and cured French ham all toasted on the griddle until the cheese begins to melt. The result ia a cheesy goodness that can be enjoyed any time of day. Today, mini grilled cheese toasties are even being served during cocktail parties as hors d'oeuvres.

The benefit of this recipe is there is no one right or wrong way. Change up the bread, the fillings, or expose your fillings as on open face sandwich and toast it up!

TIP: Butter the bread on the outside when assembling the sandwich before placing on griddle or sauté pan for toastie crisp goodness.

photo from G.Hirsch Lifestyle

My Notes: I used sourdough bread, the thinnest ham I could find in the deli that still looked like ham, really thin sharp cheddar cheese slices (for the husband) and cheddar and Swiss cheese on mine. Absolutely YUM! When combined with the tomato soup (assuming they like tomato soup, this is good enough for company. Recommended!