Bread!

It's a new year and with that come resolutions.  We all make them, though it's hard to keep them.  I'm starting out easy.  Sorta.  I joined a challenge at a gym to get back in shape and that is working.  More weight lifting/strength training, which I enjoy.  It also has the added benefit of giving me an "appointment" in the evening, so I leave work on time.  Fortunately, it's not far from the house, about 10 minutes, so that's good.  While the days are getting longer, it's still dark when I drive home and I don't see well at night, so short drive and street lights make it easier.

Another resolution was to bake my own bread.  A while ago, I found a recipe for English Muffins, which was something I'd never thought to bake/make myself.  But, I wanted to try it.  I got the English Muffin rings for Christmas, plus a mix.  I did them about two weeks ago and they were good.  This weekend, I'm will be making them totally from scratch.

Toasted English muffin (home made)

English Muffins (home made)

Based on the success of the English Muffins, I decided to start baking my own bread.  Quite a leap.  A while ago, I got the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.  In addition to recipes, it gives the how's and why's of baking just about anything, which prompted the decision to bake bread.  So, today, I gave it a go and am pleased to say it was a success.

Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread

The bread I chose was Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread.  Based on the advise in the book, I used the bread machine to knead, then used the traditional method to bake.  The first rise was okay, but the second rise in the pans took a little longer than their estimate.  I suspect this was because the weather is cooler and so was the house.  Still, I let it rise to where it needed to and then baked it.  I will probably never go back to store bought bread.  The big challenge now is slicing.  Even with a guide, I can get a crooked slice.

Book Review: A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry

A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery. The story centers around Georgia Thackery, who has returned to her home town to be an adjunct faculty member at one of the local universities, where her parents are tenured. She is staying in her parents house while they are on sabbatical, with her daughter, Madison, and Sid, the skeleton. Who is “alive.”

I’ve been reading a lot of paranormal mysteries lately and a “live” skeleton is different. Georgia’s theory is that Sid is haunting his own skeleton, however, no explanation is ever really given for Sid and I’m not sure there is one.

There are two murders in this mystery - Jocasta Kirkland, a Zooarcheologist, at the other university, which is current, and Sid’s murder, 30 years ago. Jocasta Kirkland is someone Sid (in disguise) recognizes on a outing with Georgia. They decide to try and talk with her and head to her house, where they find her dead.

The odd thing about this mystery is that the focus is not on finding who killed Dr. Kirkland, but who is Sid? His recognition of Dr. Kirkland makes him wonder who he is -- after 30 years of being a “living” skeleton. Georgia then takes Sid in to be “evaluated” and learns that he is indeed a he, in his early 20’s and that he was most likely murdered.

There were things I liked about this book. Georgia uses resources from her fellow adjuncts and university faculty and online newspaper archives to gather information. When needed, she does visit a few people. She did not call in the murder. She and Sid got out, then she called in a tip. Georgia seemed to get along with her fellow faculty members and, of course, she gets on well with Sid. There are a couple of chapters after the resolution that wrap up some other threads of the story, done well, and what I wanted.

There were a few things that were a little odd. Georgia has no close friends. Except Sid. Granted, she seems to move a lot, but she seems to be pretty much on her own. Her sister Deborah doesn’t like Sid, though that resolves. Sid didn’t want Madison to know about him; that too resolves. While we learn who killed Sid (and the Doctor), it’s almost anti-climatic and we are given the impression that there will be no charges in Sid’s murder and it seems that the police didn’t really care about a 30 year old missing person’s case, which turns out to be a 30 year old murder. After learning who Sid is, Georgia talks to Sid’s college roommate, who seemed like he’d really like to know what happened if she figure’s it out; it would have been nice to know if Georgia let him know.

Madison almost seems secondary to this story, but it’s not unique to this book. Though she has a good relationship with Madison, she is mostly on the periphery of this story. Same for her sister, Deborah. And, finally, it seems truly odd that someone’s best friend would be a Skeleton. Oddly, I’m not doubting the friendship, but that there wouldn’t be any other friends. I’m hoping some develop in future books as I do plan on reading at least the second book in this series. I also wasn’t sure about Fletcher, who Georgia seemed to like and who seemed like a good guy and then, eh, not really. Georgia and Sid are the best developed characters - the rest are just kind of there and not really developed. I hope this changes in future books.

The one thing that was a little annoying was the constant thread about how poorly adjuncts are paid, how badly they are treated, etc. I work in academia and I know the adjuncts life is not easy, but it bordered on preachy after a while.

If you are looking for a mystery that’s a little different, give this one a go.


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Recipe Review - Teriyaki Meatball Bowls

I've done quite a bit of cooking lately and hope to be sharing the results here soon.  Today's review is of Teriyaki Meatball Bowls from Budget Bytes.  I have to admit, I've only done meatballs once in the distant past.  Now, I'm wondering why.  These are wonderful.  I did get about 32 meatballs.  I'm also no expert at making sauces; I tend not to make them from scratch.  This one was easy and turned out great. I at first wondered if the sauce would be enough for all those meatballs, but it was plenty.  Based on five meatballs per serving, I got six servings.  The one thing I would do different in the future (there will be a future for this dish) is use low sodium soy sauce; they are a bit salty for me.  I might also try this with turkey or hamburger, or I might stick with pork.  Recipe heartily recommended.

Teriyaki meatballs in sauce

Teriyaki Meatball Bowl (w/ Jasmine rice)

Teriyaki Meatball Bowl frozen dinners

This recipe also inspired me to try my first "frozen" dinners.  I froze three of the servings in freezer bags, based on advice/directions from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  It was pretty much what I thought I was going to do, but I wanted to make sure I didn't overlook something.  It worked great - I'll definitely be doing more of these.

Know of similar recipes?  Please share in the comments.

Book Review: Murder Past Due by Miranda James

Murder Past Due by Miranda James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series by Miranda James.  The cat, Diesel, is just a cat.  No talking, no leading to clues.  Just a very big, very tuned in cat.  Something like a Therapy Cat.    I started reading this book using the Nook app on my cell phone - my book on the go.  The great thing is that even with a week or two in between, I could pick right back up where I left off...nothing was lost.  But, as I got further into the book, I took it out of the on-the-go-category and just finished it off.

This series is set in Athena, MS.  I grew up in the South and tend to gravitate toward cozy’s set in the South.  While this is set in Mississippi, it’s the small town vibe that is appealing.  That and it’s a university town.  Charlie is a widower, who rents out a room in his house to a University student, Justin.  He also works in the University archives and volunteers at the public library.  Originally from Athena, he returned after his wife passed away.  So, he knows a lot of people in town.

A well known author comes to town and winds up getting murdered.  He’s not very well liked and had affairs with various women when he would come in to town.  Charlie and Justin find the body.  Without giving too much away, Justin is a suspect as is his mother and father.  In addition to these two, Charlie learns there were several other people who could have had motive to kill him. Clues were liberally spread throughout, yet I didn’t figure out who it was until the end.  And, there were a couple of small twists that added to the story.  I figured out a couple of plot points right before they were revealed, but I never figured out who the killer was.  In fact, I was kind of sad when the killer was revealed.

While I love the cat, I thought it a little odd that a man in his 50’s toted his cat everywhere, including work.  While many libraries have a cat, most places do not allow people to bring their pets to work.  Or to the book store, etc.  Then, there was the Deputy Sheriff investigating the murder.  I liked her and think she has potential.  However, I found her attitude toward Charlie a bit off-putting and at times a bit over the top.  In the end, it wasn’t quite as antagonistic, but still not great.  I’m hoping it improves in future books.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading other books in this series.  Recommended.

A little aside for another series by this author, set in the same town, the Southern Sisters series.  A preview was included in my book, however, the spellings of the names are probably enough to keep me from reading it.  One sister is name Dickse.  Really?  It’s spelled Dixie.  Why spell it like this? Especially for a book set in the South. The other sister is name An’gel.  Why?  Why write a book where I have to figure how to say a name and where I’ll probably always stumble over it?   

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