2014 - Book 27

"Beneath a Meth Moon" - Mississippi

This book kind of hit home because it was about a girl dealing with addiction, and I'm close to a few people who struggle with various kinds of addictions. Thankfully, none of them are meth addicts like the girl in the story. From some of my criminal justice classes in school I've seen before and after mug shots of people addicted to meth and it is obvious how destructive it is. The book was an interesting view into her past, how she first got into meth, and how it affected all of the people around her. I hope it serves as a good warning for anyone thinking they might want to try it to run the other direction.

The writing of this book was of a much higher caliber than the last book, and the characters were very real and compelling. I didn't really enjoy this book, because it's not really my favorite genre, but it was a quick, easy read, and would be good for teens to see how destructive this kind of behavior can be. She thought she could get out whenever she wanted, like she was just "experimenting" with it, but no, once you use, you are a user . . . and it is so damaging to everyone. Here is my public service announcement, and not just because I abhor illicit substances: Please, PLEASE don't go near that kind of stuff. Keep your body clean and find your peace and joy in the good things around you. Even if times are hard and you don't see a way out, there is still beauty in nature, in the miracle of living, and even if you don't believe, in the God who created you and loves you more than anyone else. Cling to these things, don't go chasing some chemical-induced release, and you and everyone around you will be so much more blessed in the end.

Okay, off my soapbox now and into the kitchen . . .  here are the recipes for this week: Zucchini Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins, Copycat Chili's Queso Dip, and Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread. As you may have guessed, I had lots of zucchini to use up, and the dip was for a friend's housewarming party. All of these recipes were fairly successful.

The muffins were easy and tasty . . . a very good recipe. Not too much else to say except they were a success.

The queso dip was pretty good, but not as well liked as the cheeseburger dip I made once that was similar. It was a very good copycat of the Chili's version. I didn't realize how expensive Velveeta cheese has gotten though, which is a bit of a detriment to making this recipe. It is definitely  not healthy, but would probably be a hit at a football party or something of the sort. But if you were going to make it, I'd make the cheeseburger dip instead.

The glazed lemon zucchini bread was probably the biggest success of the week. I thought it looked just like it had come out of a Starbucks or Panera bakery . . . it was very moist and tasty. It thought the green in it gave it some nice color. The zucchini did give it a bit of a spongy texture, but I still liked it.

Hope you all have a great week :)