2014 - Book 19

"A Beautiful Dark" - Colorado

This was actually a really interesting book. I liked the characters and I thought the story was really original. Some of the plot twists were a little predictable, but it was still good. It's a story about a teenage girl who begins to have strange powers on her 17th birthday, and it coincides with the arrival of two strange new boys in town. When she gets to know them (and struggles with deciding which one she wants to date) she finds out more about herself, her past, and who is really in control of the universe. I don't want to give any spoilers, but it will make you look at angels in a new light. Really interesting story, I thought. I don't think I'm hooked enough to read the sequel, but it was a good book to read on a summer day :)

Here are a few recipes, two good and one bad, to share with you: marinated chicken, cheesy baked rice, and slow cooker steel cut oatmeal.

This marinade was really good, especially because it's easy to mix and match with whatever spices you like and have available. The first time we made it, I think it was better, but it was still good and easy both times. I just used it to marinade the chicken before we cooked it, I didn't do the freezing step, but I'm sure that would help enhance the flavors.

The next recipe was the cheesy baked rice. I don't know if it was because I used brown rice instead of white, but I even cooked it much longer and it was still crunchy and not done. It was also WAY too salty. So here's my warning . . . do NOT try this recipe. I figure it's good to share some failures and warn you off recipes from time to time as well as promoting most of the awesome recipes that I get to try.

And finally, slow cooker steel cut oatmeal. I thought I had shared this before, but I think I forgot. It is a super easy recipe and it SO good. It's my new favorite go-to oatmeal method. It has just the right amount of sweetness and creaminess . . . yum. I can make a full batch and eat it for breakfast for two weeks. Or make it for company with a variety of toppings = awesome breakfast oatmeal bar. I like to put cinnamon, nuts, milk, and some sort of fruit on mine . . . such a yummy breakfast. Give this one a try.

That's it for today, have a great week :)

2014 - Book 18

"Deadline" - Idaho

This book was interesting and thought-provoking. It's the story about a high school senior who gets diagnosed with a fatal blood disease (the book doesn't go into specifics) and is told he only has one year to live. He chooses to forgo treatment in order to live his last year looking healthy on the outside at least, and he keeps his diagnosis from those closest to him. I can't say that I agree with all of his theology (he often has dream conversations with "Hey-Soos"), but to read of the passion in which he tries to live his last year and the lessons that he learns, is a pretty good experience. It is a good reminder to always tell the truth, try and have a purpose for your life, love the ones closest to you as well as you can, remember that you're not the only one with big secrets, and to give the other guy a break as often as possible. So it wasn't my favorite book I've read this year, but I did enjoy it.

Here are the two tasty treats that I have to share with you this week: pinata cake, and deep, dark, flourless chocolate cookies.

First off, I have to say that both of these were fantastic. The pinata cake was a huge hit at our taco pot-luck at work. No one wanted to cut into him because he was SO cute :) It was very time-consuming to make, and a lot of the reviews on the recipe were bad, but I put mine in the freezer overnight in the two sections, and just assembled it right before eating, and it was fine (no falling apart problems). It wasn't a huge surprise, but in the taste department, it just tasted like a boxed cake and canned frosting, but it was so cute, I didn't even care :)

CUTE :)

As for the cookies . . . YUM. It's an interesting recipe because it's made without butter or flour . . . a bit strange for a cookie, but they turned out great. I used about 2/3 bittersweet and 1/3 semi-sweet chocolate. This was initially because I didn't have enough bittersweet, but I'm glad I did because I think they were "dark" enough, just the way they were. They were super easy to make too, and soooo tasty.

Mmmmm

Go try out these recipes (the cookies at the very least), and have a great week.

2014 - Book 17

"If I Stay" - Oregon

This story was heartbreaking. A young girl, so full of promise, is involved in a tragic car accident. She then has an out-of-body experience where she can move around and witness what is going on around her, even though her body is in a coma. A couple of the nurses taking care of her tell her that is up to her to decide if she fights through and stays on this earth, or if she dies. I can't say that I agree with all of the religious or moral views of some of the characters in this book, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less. I thought the book was very well written and I was really able to connect with the characters. Also, as a budding cello player, I really liked the fact that she was fantastic at the cello . . . it makes me want to play more. Her love interest was good, the author kept it very PG-13, and everyone was described so well, it really made it seem like the reader could be part of the family too.

It seems this is getting turned into a movie, and a sequel is coming out as well. I don't think a movie will be able to do it justice, since so much is going on inside her head, but it might be interesting to see. As for the sequel, the first chapter was included at the end of this book, and I'm not looking forward to it too much (I'm a sucker happy endings and I'm not sure this one will be), but I am curious to see where the author takes the characters. Even though this is going to be a series, it is a good stand alone book, and you just try to keep from getting emotionally involved ;)

The recipes I have to share today are: pecan pralines and chicken nacho bake.

The pralines were not my favorite, but I might not have made them right. I guess I wanted them to be more chewy and caramel-like, but they weren't. They still had a good flavor, but since they aren't a very appealing color, they weren't a very big hit at the gathering I took them to either. They did take a bit longer to make and by the time I was finishing putting them on the parchment paper, they had cooled off and the oil had started to separate out of them resulting in very ugly pralines. Overall, the taste and time was just not worth it for me to make them again, oh well.

The chicken nacho bake on the other hand was very good and super easy to make. This is one recipe that could easily be made any night of the week. Easy and tasty . . . an excellent combinations.

Enjoy your week :)