Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron (Heartstrikers #1)

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.

Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ--a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit--Julius has one month to prove that he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are considered monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test.

He only hopes humans are more trustworthy than dragons...

Read as an audio book.

First, let me begin by admitting I'm not a fan of YA and I picked this as a lark - it was on sale on Audible for $1.00 and had decent reviews. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed this a lot. I thought the narrator was a perfect fit for the voices, he did an excellent job of conveying the different nationalities, and his emotional intonation brought the characters to life. The story was engaging, the plot moved right along, and the characters were interesting.

And now, I'm going to pick it apart, because that's what I do.

As I noted, this is a YA book even though our protagonist is 24 years old. He's a very young dragon, and this is still a coming of age book. Not quite our classic fantasy "quest" book, but not far off either. I'm also going to note the ages of the dragons really bounced all over the place, which I found a bit disconcerting. Julian is the youngest at 24 years old, Katia was over 100, and her mothers were thousands of years old. That kinda messed with the mind a bit.

I did find the internal monologues during the action/fight scenes to be overly long and drawn out. The character is in a fight this isn't the time to reminisce and contemplate.

It was established early in the story the Lady of the Lakes doesn't like dragons, and the Detroit Free Zone (DFZ) is a very dangerous place for dragons to be. If anyone knew if Julius was a dragon, he could be hunted for the substantial bounty Algonquin offered. Yet...there are dragons doing business just fine in the DFZ. An inconsistency that niggled at me.

Julius gets in trouble for leaving witnesses in an alley, yet his sister Chelsey leaves bodies to wash-up on the shore of DFZ and that's not a problem? That's not drawing attention to oneself?

Dragons are supposedly highly secretive, hiding their true form from anyone and everyone, especially in the DFZ. Justin, Julius's brother, had not regard for keeping his mouth shut about their heritage around a human - yet that was something drilled into Julius and a transgression for which he could be killed. Another inconsistency.

I could go on with the inconsistencies. There were...many. Oh so very many. But as I noted above, I liked this book more than I expected. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, most plot threads were wrapped up (note: I said most plot threads) and there is definitely a teaser to take the reader to the next book. Which I will read.

Definitely recommended.



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Recipe Review from 10/1/2018

So I started the week with the menu below, made a loaf of zucchini bread, and the next day my oven died.Fortunately, the range-top still works and I still have one slow cooker (my small one died), so it's a small inconvenience. We are debating between new stove or repair existing.

Meal plan went out the window due to a bit of a wonky week for both the Husband and I, so one recipes were shuffled into the coming week.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out (S) Butnut Squash Soup
Sun (L) Pasty (S)leftover soup
Mon (Yoga) soup
Tues - Tilapia Out
Wed (evening meeting) Broccoli and rice leftover lunchs
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri -Tilapia

Lunches - Vegetarian Chili


Classic Zucchini Bread (Two Peas and Their Pod) 
This was quite tasty, easy to assemble, used less oil than most recipes, but had a higher amount of sugar. And it only makes one loaf. This was a bit on the dense side (I did squeeze the liquid out of my zucchini), so more cake-like than bread like. I would consider making this again, but it wasn't quite what *I* envision zucchini bread to be. Still, recommended.

2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

photo from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature1
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on bread (optional)
I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2 1/2-inch) with nonstick cooking spray** (see my note below) and set aside.

In a clean linen-free kitchen towel or paper towels, squeeze out the excess water in the shredded zucchini. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

 In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the batter, if using.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

**My note - I just replaced my bread pans because the last three loaves of bread I made stuck something horrible. My new pans (OXO) had a "warning" to avoid use of aerosol sprays - including "Misto" type pump sprays - as the oil builds up on non-stick pans and will make your baked goods stick. Interesting.


Spiced Tilapia with Coconut Rice (Ckng Light, Sept 2018)  gluten free
I subbed ocean perch for the tilapia (I don't know why), and the fish wasn't my favorite.  It cooked up nicely enough, but I had really small fillets so it was more rice than fish. I wouldn't even call it "spiced" fish, as the tumeric flavor was lost against the fish. 

However, the rice was delicious!  I did sub regular basmati rice - the flavors of the dish seemed to call for basmati, so I had a bit of extra cooking on the front end.  Not a biggie.  I loved the coconut milk with the basmati and lime juice.  I could have eaten just that combination and skipped the fish.

I would make this again, but use tilapia, or even halibut.  This would be awesome with grilled halibut...

Serves 4

photo from cookinglight.com

1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 (8.8-oz.) pkg. precooked microwavable whole-grain rice (such as Uncle Bens)
1 cup well-shaken and stirred light coconut milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided(skipped, wish I hadn't)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 cup toasted unsweetened flaked coconut(skipped)

Stir together turmeric, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small dish. Sprinkle fish with spice mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add half of fillets; cook until golden brown.

Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Add rice, coconut milk, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet; bring to a simmer over high. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro and lime juice. Divide rice mixture among 4 plates. Top evenly with carrots and fish. Sprinkle with coconut and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.

Persepolis Rising by James SA Corey (The Expanse #7)

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the aging gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace.

In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity and the power to enforce it.

New technologies clash with old as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient patterns of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity -- and of the Rocinante -- unexpectedly and forever...

Read for September book group.

I didn't finish in time for book group. I did eventually finish, but it took me a while. I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the mood to read a sweeping space opera, or if I am ready for this series to conclude. Maybe a bit of both, so that's going to color my review. This wasn't my favorite installment in the series, and there weren't even any death slugs.

To recap - (I'm assuming some familiarity with the series here) Holden and Naomi decide to retire when they get to Medina, and sell their share of the Rocinante to Bobbie and the gang. But before Bobbie can fully assume her Captaincy, Medina is overtaken by one of Duarte's new warships from Laconia. Laconia is claiming they want peaceful takeover, but the former Belter's start to rebel. Meanwhile, on Sol, the President of 1300 worlds is facing down that same gunship, except they now have a plan to push back. Worlds, people, and couples now find themselves divided as Laconia begins to bend Belter's, Inner's, and Earther's to Laconian rule.

This was a slow read for me. I had trouble feeling engaged with the characters - in part because it felt like everyone was experiencing some kind of emotional and physical rift. Drummer and Saba, Holden and Naomi, Bobbie and Amos, Bobbie and Alex, Holden/Naomi and the crew of the Rocinante, the newly appointed station Governor and his wife and child, Medina from Sol...it was a bit much and I really could have used some space or distraction.

And this installment, more so than previous books...except for that one where Holden's partner came back, was a transition book for the next one in the series. Did I mention I'm starting to feel like the authors could wrap up the story any book now? Yeah. While I dearly love the Expanse universe, the plot thread is beginning to become a bit threadbare.

So I sadly found the plot slow, the sub-plots were all in the same vein, the characters all faced similar emotional trial and tribulations, and there wasn't much variety. Gosh darn it. I really wanted to like this one. So it goes.

Still, I recommend this one IF you've read the previous six books in the series.



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Recipe Review from 9/23/2018

In which this particular week started with lunch with internationally know science fiction writer Walter Jon Williams! How cool is THAT! Very cool. Weather was too, with an easterly wind coming off the lake and pushing big breakers up against the shore. Brisk and blustery - Fall is definitely making its presence known.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftovers  (S) Out for Birthdays
Sun (L) Out with Author (S) Chicken Pot Pie
Mon (yoga/legion) leftover pot pie
Tues - leftover pot pie
Wed (The Husband gone for work) coconut cashew pancakes
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Friday (mtg at Pike Lake) - leftovers

Lunches - Glazed meatballs and soba noodles

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie (modified from Two Peas and Their Pod)
I modified this (aka "cheated") by using a store-bought crust. I don't do homemade pie crusts - I find the putzy, difficult, and extra work on top of chopping, cooking, and cleaning up (and in this case, an additional two homemade loaves of bread and my lunches for the week). So I cheat and I'm quite okay with that.

So. The recipe below is with a store-bought crust. The link will take you to the full recipe with homemade crust.

This was quite tasty and very reminiscent (but better!) of the little frozen pot pies we used to get growing up. The sauce thickened quite nicely, I added a bit extra veggies and cut back one cup on the chicken. Three cups of chicken was just too much for my taste buds. This came together very easily, and I had extra time while cooking to make the next recipe.

Recommended!

photo from Two Peas and Their Pod

Serves 6-8
1 box (2 crusts) Pillsbury ready made pie crust
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup diced onion
2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 stalk celery, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 and 3/4;cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups shredded chicken or turkey
1 cup frozen peas

1. I pre-baked the bottom crust according to package directions in a 9" pie pan. When crust is done, set aside and turn oven temp to 400*. Oven should now be pre-heated for the pot pie!

2. To make the filling, heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the flour, salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Whisk until there are no flour lumps and then simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken or turkey and frozen peas.

3. Carefully unroll second crust and place over pie filling.  Pinch edges closed and trim any excess.

4.With sharp knife, slice a few small slits in the center of the top crust.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Use some aluminum foil or a crust protector if the crust starts to get too brown.  Cool for 10 minutes, cut into slices and serve.

Glazed Meatballs with Soba Noodles  (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)  gluten free option**
This was another recipe in the make-head lunches in the September issue of Cooking Light.  So far, I made the Greek Chickpea Salad and the Curried Chicken and Rice.  I was in the mood for some Asian flavors and went with this one for the week.  It was easy enough to toss the meatballs into the oven at the same time as the pot pie.

This came together fairly quickly, several of the steps overlapping so it didn't feel like a lot.  You could certainly simplify the cabbage part by buying pre-shredded cabbage and carrot mix.   My main substitution was I swapped out the beef and subbed ground turkey.  I may have overcooked the turkey; mine ended up very dry, which was a real disappointment. 

As "advertised" this makes four servings.  My lunch tubs are all ready to go for the week - I just need to remember my sides (string cheese, grapes, and apples) and I'm good to go!

12 ounces 90% lean ground sirloin
1/3 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs**
1 large egg

photo from cookinglight.com

1 garlic clove, grated
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
6 ounces uncooked soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti**
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon rice vinegar, divided
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; shape into 20 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400°F until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high. Add noodles; cook until al dente, 4 to 6 minutes for soba. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place noodles in a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar, and remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt. Add cabbage, scallions, and carrots; toss to combine.

Stir together soy sauce, honey, Sriracha, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar in a medium skillet. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Add meatballs; toss to coat. Serve with noodles.

Coconut Cashew Pancakes (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018) vegetarian
I made these for supper - or "brinner", as my friend would call it ("breakfast" for dinner).  This came together very quickly, which was nice.  I did have problems with the batter being very thick and needing more liquid than the recipe called for.  I don't have white whole-wheat flour, so I subbed 1/4 cup ww and 1 cup AP.

I would make these again - I liked the hint of nuttiness from the cashews, with a hint of coconut in the background.  I added a poached egg on top for a bit of extra protein. Yummy! 

I had four meals of three 'cakes each time, these were quite filling!

photo from cookinglight.com

1 cup light coconut milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups white whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons chopped cashews
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup pure maple syrup, divided
3 tablespoons toasted unsweetened flaked coconut, divided

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high. Whisk together light coconut milk, 1 large egg, light brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir in white whole-wheat flour, chopped cashews, baking powder, and kosher salt until just combined. Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake into pan. Cook until tops are covered with bubbles, about 3 minutes. Flip; cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with 1/4 cup pure maple syrup; sprinkle with 3 Tbsp. toasted unsweetened flaked coconut.

Lock In by John Scalzi (Lock In #1)

Lock In by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent - and nearly five million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what's now known as "Haden's syndrome," rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an "integrator" - someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

But "complicated" doesn't begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery - and the real crime - is bigger than anyone could have imagined. The world of the locked in is changing, and with the change comes opportunities that the ambitious will seize at any cost. The investigation that began as a murder case takes Shane and Vann from the halls of corporate power to the virtual spaces of the locked in, and to the very heart of an emerging, surprising new human culture. It's nothing you could have expected.

Read as an audio book.

I picked this up off of a recommendation from my book group cohorts, who noted they really enjoyed Wil Wheaton as a narrator for Scalzi's books. I (mostly) enjoy Scalzi's books (I've bounced off a couple), I saw this on sale on Audible, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I really enjoyed this - both Wheaton as narrator and the book.

Blurb summarizes the plot and characters fairly well so I won't rehash. I thought this was a interesting blend of science fiction, biological speculation, and a mystery/thriller. Probably more mystery than thriller, but there were flavors of both. I didn't read the additional story on how Hayden's came to be, the description in Lock In was satisfactory to me.

I enjoyed Chris Shane's wit and humor and insight he provided as a famous Hayden working for the FBI. I quite liked how Chris showed through his actions just what the capabilities and limitations of a threep (sp?) were. Something as simple as recharging a threep, what kind of care the body needs, eating in a social setting, and more rather seamlessly incorporated into the story in a "show don't tell" method. Nicely done!

I enjoyed Leslie Vann caustic self reflection as it nicely balanced out Chris's optimism.

I really enjoyed how Chris could just bip off to the other side of the country to work the case using his capabilities as a Hayden.

And that's where I did struggle with the science a wee bit. I'm pretty sure somewhere in the beginning of the audio book it was noted that the body and the threep needed to be in relative proximity to each other. I think it was mentioned when Chris was looking for an apartment.

Yet...he was capable of using a threep on the other side of the country. A teeny incongruity perhaps.

I also noticed that Vann never explained why Trin (sp?) and her clash. There were some hints an allegations, but no solid explanation was given. Perhaps in a forthcoming book?

So, a few little quirks, an engaging plot, interesting characters, and - to me - a fascinating backdrop. Recommended.




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Recipe Review from 9/16/2018

So when I did my meal planning, it was in the 60's, as it's supposed to be for September in Northern MN.  When I COOKED my meals (specifically on Sunday) it was 80*.  80!!  Yeah.  House got a bit toasty and I had to shift some things to the grill.  Not complaining, mind!  I love these warm temps, but kinda does mess with cooking.

The Meal Plan
Sat (L)  out     (S)  Vegetarian Club Sandwiches
Sun (L) leftover sandwiches   (S) Mushroom Meatloaf
Mon (yoga/bkgrp)  leftover
Tues - leftovers
Wed - Bacon and Avocado with Quinoa
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri - take n bake pizza (it's been a long week...)

My Lunches - Curried Chicken with Basmati rice and green beans
Husband lunches - hummus sandwiches and veggies

Mushroom Meatloaf (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)
Name is a bit of a misnomer - there is mushroom IN the meatloaf, not a "mushroom" meatloaf.
This came together fairly quickly, though I admit to rushing a tich and nearly burned my hand when going to mix the hot onion/mushroom mix with the meat.  Thank heaven's for wearing latex gloves.

I also grilled this because it was 80* in my house (I don't have AC) and even hotter outside.  This still turned out super moist, almost too much so.  Husband was happy with the end result so that's all that matters.  Recommended.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cremini mushrooms, minced

photo from cookinglight.com

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup whole-wheat panko
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsalted ketchup
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a pan of water on bottom rack.   I preheated my grill to 350* and skipped the pan of water.  When all was said and cooked - meatloaf was almost too moist.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes. Add Worcestershire, thyme, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 1 minute.

Gently combine beef, panko, eggs, mushroom mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. For easy cleanup, line an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with foil; let foil overhang edges. Add meat mixture; lightly press into edges. Bake at 350°F on middle rack until loaf center is 160°F, about 1 hour.

Combine ketchup, sugar, and vinegar; brush over loaf top. Increase heat to broil. Broil loaf 10 minutes or until glaze bubbles. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Lift or remove loaf from pan. Cut into 6 slices.

Coriander Chicken and Rice (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)  gluten free
Homemade lunchables for an adult!  The Greek Chickpea Salad I reviewed last week was from the same article - prep on Sunday, grab and go lunches for four days.

I was happily surprised when this came together in about 30 minutes total, and that included cooking the basmati rice.  I used regular basmati because that was what I had in my cupboard.  I did allow everything a good 20 minutes to cool down (I prepped the meatloaf above) before packaging up each container.   This looked and smelled so good!  I'm ridiculously excited about this week's lunches - everything is stacked and ready to go.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
3/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

photo from cookinglight.com

2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, grated
Lemon wedges, for serving

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add rice and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and 3/8 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes.  (My notes, using regular basmati, this took about 15 minutes, then I removed from heat and let stand for 15 minutes)

Toss together chicken, coriander, garlic powder, cayenne, and 3/8 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken. (Do not wipe skillet clean.)

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add beans; cook, turning every 2 minutes, until lightly charred. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Combine yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Serve sauce and lemon wedges with chicken, rice, and green beans.

Bacon and Avocado Quinoa with Buttermilk Drizzle (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018) vegetarian option**
Without looking back at the magazine article, I think this was touted as a "breakfast" recipe.  I made this for suppers - it seemed more supper-ish.  I wasn't wild about the buttermilk dressing, much too runny for my tastes and I should have added more greek yogurt to thicken it out.  My tomatoes went moldy on my (wtheck?!)  so I subbed red pepper and zucchini.  Avocado added a nice flavor to the entire dish, but then I'm nuts about avocado.

For the leftovers, I didn't have avocado so I subbed a poached egg.  Now that was very tasty!

I recommend the dish, it has some versatility which is nice.

Serves 4

8 center-cut bacon slices, chopped **skip if vegetarian

photo from cookinglight.com

1/2 cup whole buttermilk
1 tablespoon plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 2/3 cups Perfect Quinoa  (below)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado, sliced

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Place bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Whisk together buttermilk, yogurt, chives, salt, and pepper in a bowl or glass measuring cup.

Divide quinoa evenly among 4 bowls. Sprinkle bacon evenly over each serving; top each with 1/2 cup tomatoes and one-fourth sliced avocado. Drizzle with 2 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk-chive dressing.

Perfect Quinoa  (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)

1 cup uncooked red quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Place quinoa in a fine wire-mesh strainer; rinse under running water 1 minute. Drain. Bring quinoa, 1 3/4 cups water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until liquid is mostly absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and let steam, covered, 10 minutes. Drain any excess cooking liquid.

The Soldier by Neal Asher

The Soldier by Neal Asher

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  In a far corner of space, on the very borders between humanity’s Polity worlds and the kingdom of the vicious crab-like prador, is an immediate threat to all sentient life: an accretion disc, a solar system designed by the long-dead Jain race and swarming with living technology powerful enough to destroy entire civilizations.

Neither the Polity or the prador want the other in full control of the disc, so they’ve placed an impartial third party in charge of the weapons platform guarding the technology from escaping into the galaxy: Orlandine, a part-human, part-AI haiman. She’s assisted by Dragon, a mysterious, spaceship-sized alien entity who has long been suspicious of Jain technology and who suspects the disc is a trap lying-in-wait.

Meanwhile, the android Angel is planning an attack on the Polity, and is searching for a terrible weapon to carry out his plans?a Jain super-soldier. But what exactly the super-soldier is, and what it could be used for if it fell into the wrong hands, will bring Angel and Orlandine’s missions to a head in a way that could forever change the balance of power in the Polity universe.

In The Soldier, British science fiction writer Neal Asher kicks off another Polity-based trilogy in signature fashion, concocting a mind-melting plot filled with far-future technology, lethal weaponry, and bizarre alien creations.

Read for August book group.

I'm not even going to try and distill the premise of one of Asher's books. If you've read any of his work, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't ready any, and you enjoy grandiose space opera, engaging characters, and complex plots, I would suggest starting with Gridlinked or Prador Moon.

I also ended up reading this as an audio book, which I normally don' t do but I was pressed for time and thought "reading" it in the car and on the plane would help. I didn't finish in time for book group.

Nearly two weeks later, I realized I wasn't going to finish it. I lost interest. This installment felt like Asher took all the loose ideas bouncing around in head and crammed them into this book. One book group member said he had to keep pulling up wiki to figure out who was who and what book we read that character in. Not the best way to enjoy a book. We pretty much agreed, too much! It was like a great big huge info dump and the plot was just...lost.

We also wondered, not having finished the Transformation series, how a war drone ended up stapled to the Prador Captian's wall.

And when did Dragon become female?

And was the book title referring to just The Soldier? Or that all the characters in this book were soldiers in some aspect?

And don't get too attached to any one character - there is a good chance they'll be eliminated.

BUT! The Clade (sp?), is way cool.

So, not my favorite Asher book. Not the book groups favorite installment. We'll probably read the rest when they come out, because we really enjoy his books, just...not this one.



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Recipe Review from 9/10/2015

Back from vacation.  Back into the usual routine.  After being on the road for a week, we wanted to eat a bit lighter so I planned for several vegetarian meals.   These were all designed to serve four, so I could make one night and have leftovers later.  I HEART leftovers!  All were recipes that could be done after work, though I will maintain, Cooking Light's prep time is about 20-30 minutes off. 


The Meal Plan:
Sun - Southwest style sweet potatoes
Mon (yoga) - leftovers
Tues - Skillet Eggplant
Wed - Creamy Corn Risotto
Thurs - leftovers
Fri - leftovers

Lunches:  Husband - veggies     Me:  Greek Salads


Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018) vegetarian
Tasty, zingy and if you have a microwave, this will probably come together in about half an hour.  I do NOT have a microwave, so I grilled them.  I also grilled the tomatillos and jalepenos while I was at it. 

The tomatillo "sauce" had more zing! than I was anticipating - if you are heat sensitive or there are little taste buds involved, make sure you seed the pepper. 

Both of us enjoyed this dish, and it is something I would consider making again.  If offering to company, add a side of cornbread to round out the meal.

Serves 4
3 small tomatillos, husks removed

photo from cookinglight.com

3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 small jalapeo (about 1 1/2 oz.)
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4 (8-oz.) sweet potatoes
1/4 cup chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 ounce Cotija cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)  I used feta because I had it on hand
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Thinly sliced white onion (optional)

Preheat broiler to low with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Place tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeño on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until well browned, 15 to 18 minutes, flipping vegetables halfway through broiling. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove and discard jalapeño stem and garlic skins.

Stir together beans, quinoa, lime juice, oregano, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Prick potatoes all over with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave at high until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Pulse broiled tomatillo, garlic, and jalapeño in a food processor 4 times. Transfer to a bowl; stir in chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Stir together yogurt and cheese in a bowl. Split potatoes lengthwise; fluff flesh with a fork. Top evenly with bean mixture, tomatillo salsa, and yogurt mixture. Drizzle evenly with hot sauce. Top with cilantro leaves and onion slices, if desired.

Creamy Corn and Mushroom Risotto (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)  vegetarian
I do enjoy a good risotto and this one was quite good.  I did sub a bag of frozen corn for the fresh - just as tasty and not so messy to prep.  That was the only significant alteration to the recipe.  I was able to let the rice do its thing on the stove while I cleaned up the kitchen and set the table.  I would make this again.  Recommended. 

Serves 4
4 1/2 cups water

photo from cookinglight.com

2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 5 ears), divided 
I used 1 16oz bag of frozen corn - much less messy
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup) and divided
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Process 4 1/2 cups water and 1 cup corn in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup; discard solids. Add water, if necessary, to equal 4 1/2 cups. Transfer to a saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to low.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add mushrooms, onion, and remaining 1 cup corn. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice, garlic, and 2 teaspoons thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice is toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost evaporated.

Stir in 2 cups corn broth; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, until broth is almost absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup corn broth, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Repeat with 1 cup corn broth. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, butter, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup corn broth. Divide among 4 bowls; top evenly with pine nuts, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme, and remaining 1/4 cup cheese.


Greek Eggplant Skillet (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)  vegetarian
Another tasty dish!  I did grill the eggplant, because really - a 16 oz eggplant is not going to fit in a regular skillet.  Plus it's one less dish to clean up when it's on the grill.  While the eggplant was grilling, I cooked the tofu.  Now, I have never had any luck with cooking drained/dried tofu in oil.  And I didn't again.  First batch stuck to the pan.  I washed the pan out and cooked the second batch in a dry skillet, which works so much better for me.  Rest of the dish I assembled as directed.  I would make this again if I can grill the eggplant - so probably not a winter dish.  Recommended.

Serves 4
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided

photo from cookinglight.com

1 (14-oz.) pkg. extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 large (about 16 oz.) eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes (such as San Marzano), drained and chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Chopped fresh mint

 Preheat broiler with an oven rack 6 inches from heat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons oil; swirl to coat. Add tofu; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove tofu from skillet. Add 1/4 cup oil and eggplant slices in a single layer; cook, without stirring, until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip eggplant slices; cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Combine tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and crushed red pepper in a medium bowl.

Top eggplant evenly with tofu. Spoon tomato mixture over eggplant and tofu. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with feta. Broil until cheese begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Garnish with chopped mint and oregano.

Greek Chickpea Salad (Ckng Lght Sept 2018)  vegetarian
This was my lunch for the week. The premise of the article is assemble once, eat four times.  I admit, I love dishes/recipes/ideas like this.  It's a pretty straight forward recipe, you just need four equal sized lunch containers to put it in.  I did need to pack some string cheese for a few extra calories to get me through the afternoon to dinner at 6p.  Recommended!

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion  let's not offend any coworkers...
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cups half-moon English cucumber slices (from 1 cucumber)
I used a zucchini
16 pitted kalamata olives (about 2 oz.)
4 ounces feta cheese, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic clove, grated  skipped, don't like the taste of raw garlic in my dressing

Arrange 1 1/2 cups lettuce and 2 tablespoons onion in each of 4 (4-cup) bowls or containers. Top each serving with 1/3 cup chickpeas, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/2 cup cucumber, 4 olives, and 2 cheese slices.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, oregano, pepper, salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Serve about 2 tablespoons dressing with each salad.

Recipe Review from 8/27/2019 - Catch up!

A bit of catch-up here - missed one recipe the week we left for Oregon. 

The Meal Plan:
Sat:  French Roast Chicken
Sun: out for lunch;  leftover chicken for supper
Mon (yoga/bkgrp/legion) - leftover chicken
Tues/Wed - Clean out the fridge!    :)


French Onion Roast Chicken  (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)  gluten free
This was part of a "Cook 1x, Eat 3x" menu, but I only got through this first recipe.  The extra chicken was shredded and tossed in the freezer for another day. 

This could easily be adapted for just one bird.  We enjoyed this - I do think some additional roasted veggies would have complimented this very well.  Some fall veggies especially, to balance out the sweetness of the onion.   The onion mix did store in the fridge and re-heated well, which is good to note.  Recommended.

photo from cookinglight.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds yellow onions, vertically sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 (3-lb.) whole chickens, spatchcocked (butterflied)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onions, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Spread onion mixture in a rimmed baking sheet.

Combine butter, pepper, remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a bowl. Loosen skin on chickens; spread butter mixture under skin. Place chickens, skin sides up, on onion mixture.

Roast chickens at 450°F until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°F, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove and discard skin; slice meat. Using a slotted spoon, reserve 1/2 cup onion mixture. Shred meat from 1 chicken; store shredded chicken and remaining onion mixture in separate airtight containers in refrigerator up to 5 days. Serve remaining sliced chicken with reserved 1/2 cup onion mixture.

Traveling Hwy 2, 2018 (Part II)

So the first part of the trip concluded when we dropped the Folk's off at the airport after we finished visiting the Sister and Family. It was another early start to get from from Corvallis, OR, back up to Portland. We were rolling out the driveway by 630am, and made it to the Portland airport by 830am. Not bad for Tuesday morning rush hour traffic!

And then our next adventure began! This had two aspects to why this part of the trip - one) the Husband wanted to see his childhood stomping grounds in Sandpoint and Clark Fork, and two) we wanted to drive Hwy 2.

Tuesday (Sept 4); swapped out rental cars (it was cheaper to check Car A back in and rent Car B for the drive back) and we were on our way to Spokane via the Columbia River George. We needed to put some miles behind us (after the 90 miles we had already driven) so we only stopped at Bridal Veil Falls. Would have done Multomah, but that would have taken more time that we really had. As it was, we rolled into Spokane about 8pm.

Wednesday (Sept 5) - We wandered the Spokane Riverwalk (alas, the best part was under re-construction) and enjoyed breakfast on the river. I made a point to stop at Paradise Fiber yarn store (I had been there before and wanted to go back) and then headed up to Idaho. Sandpoint was our first destination so The Husband could re-visit where he lived for a handful of years when he was 7ish. THEN we realized we were running behind because we forgot about the darn time change and needed to hightail it to Kalispell where our AirBnB lodging awaited. Rolled into there about 8pm. A bit later than we anticipated.

Spokane Falls, Spokane MT

Sandpoint ID

Thursday (Sept 6) - Time to start putting serious miles on. Up and over the Rockies, didn't go through Glacier because the Highway to the Sun Road was closed (I'm assuming due to the fires). This is really where our Hwy 2 trip really starts. Glasgow, MT, was the evenings destination, and we stayed at the newly renovated Rundle Historic Hotel.

Friday (Sept 7) - Drive drive drive!  A brief stop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park,  then on to Minot, ND. Dakotah Rose B&B .  B&B was absolutely lovely and breakfast was so tasty and filling!

Saturday (Sept 8) - Drive drive drive!  Duluth. Back in town by 430ish -had to drop of the car by 5p. Home and unpacked by 7p. We had great weather the entire trip, pretty much 75* and sunny the entire time. Mornings and evenings were a bit crisp starting at 45* or 50*. It rained only once the entire time, and it was on our drive back through North Dakota. Enough to wash the bugs off the car. Leaves were turning across the entire Northern part of the States, interestingly - more so in Oregon and North Dakota than here. It was good to get home and have a day to unwind before heading back to work.

Looks photo shopped, but it's not!

Stay tuned for our next adventures! We'll be heading back out west later this Fall!

Corvallis, OR 2018 (Part I)

Ack! and Ugh! I didn't realize that this post wasn't displaying properly! Whoo! was the background HTML screwy. Fixed!

I've been off on adventures again - back to the West Coast of Oregon to visit the Sister and family. For this trip, The Husband and my Folks's came with. The Parental Units flew back, while the Husband and I drove. So this review will be broken into two parts.

 Part I: Corvallis, OR Thursday (Aug 30) - A very early flight out of Duluth had us up at 330am to get to the airport by 4ish for a 530ish flight to Minneapolis. We had a three hour lay over in Minneapolis, which was nice, then off to Portland. We were on the ground by 1030a, picked up the rental car, and lunch at McMenamins-Kennedy School. My Sister has taken me there before, but it was new to the rest of the gang.

Then off to Corvallis (a 90 minute drive). We did stop at Firesteed Winery - I've noticed several trips they were just off the highway AND they are a wine we can get here. Not the snazziest tasting room - more of a taste, buy and go place, not a sit and linger place. Which was fine. After that checked the Folk's into their AirBnB accommodations (very nice and only a couple miles from the sisters!) and then met up with the sister and family.

I can safely say, I was darn tired after a 330am start and full day of travel!

Friday (Aug 31) - My Sister, Dad and The Husband went crabbing with the Sister's friend in Newport, OR, on the Yaquina river and a little bit out on the ocean. 20ish crabs, and they got to see a couple whales!

Newport, OR

Mom and I spent the day in downtown Corvallis, exploring shops and enjoying lunch. We enjoyed the BIL's and Nephew's company while hanging out on their deck later in the afternoon waiting for our seafarer's to return.

Saturday (Sept 1) - We grabbed the Nephew and went back to Newport. Lunch was at Rouge Brewery, then Folk's took the Nephew to the aquarium while the Sister, The Husband and I wandered the shops in Newport. The place was buzzing with activity due to the holiday weekend, which makes it a fun and vibrant atmosphere.

Because The Husband and I drove separately, we took a detour on the way back to explore two covered bridges of Benton County and discovered a little winery nestled in the valley along the river. So we stopped and hung out for a while. The Harris Bridge Vineyard specializes in Vermouth and dessert wines, and in a couple years, will have brandy.

Harris Covered Bridge, Benton Co, OR

Sunday (Sept 2) - Sunday had the Sister, The Husband and the Sister's friend went fishing on one of the reservoirs east of town. The Folks, Nephew and I went to the local Raptor Rehabilitation center for an open house tour, and afterwards, I took Mom and Dad back to the winery by the covered bridge and we hung out for a long while.

Monday (Sept 3 -) Sister bowed out of a winery run, so I took the Folks and The Husband to the Olive Mill Company (Oregon olive oils!) and Red Ridge Vineyards plus one other winery. We enjoyed a tapas platter and a bottle of wine at winery while overlooking the Willamette Valley WITH a view of Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson. Probably the highlight of the trip.

Mt. Hood is in the middle...really!

Tuesday (Sept 4) - Dropped the Folks off at the airport, swapped out rental cars (it was cheaper to check Car A back in and rent Car B for the drive back) and we were on our way to Spokane via the Columbia River George.

Bridal Veil Falls

Thus ends Part I of the trip! Check back later this week for Part II.