Recipe Roundup

Well, I've been cooking. Quite a bit lately. Some of my tried and true recipes (i.e. Betty Crocker brownies) and some new ones from various blogs (thank goodness for Pinterest). Success has varied. So, here we go.

Parmesan Baked Shrimp

Parmesan Baked Shrimp from RasaMalaysia. It was good, but honestly, for one person, it's a lot of work. I also realized that I don't really care for baked parmesan and I'd rather use cracker crumbs (it's how we do it in my family) rather than panko. And, probably because I'm a southern girl, I'd just go ahead and pan fry these babies. I'd certainly recommend them as they were good, but they do require a bit of work.

Breakfast Oatmeal Cupcakes To Go

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Breakfast Oatmeal Cupcakes To Go from Chocolate Covered Katie.  These turned out tasty, though they are basically baked oatmeal, so not really a cupcake to me.  However, they are filling, in addition to tasting good, and are preferable for a quick snack in the morning or the afternoon.  I did add a little coconut and some walnuts.  I also tried one other recipe from this site, which failed spectacularly.  I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong as I consider myself a fairly good baker.  Hopefully, I'll get up the nerve to try it again and it will work out.

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers from My Whole Food Life.  I have several versions of sweet potato veggie burgers that I want to try, but this one required fewer ingredients and I had them all on hand.  Not bad.  In the future, I might use quick oats and I'd probably just pan fry them, rather than baking them.  Give them more of a burger feel.  I also think brown rice might work in place of the oatmeal.  All in all, though, I got five, two ounce patties from this recipe (one medium sweet potato, one cup of oatmeal).  Probably could use a little more seasoning, but that's an easy remedy.  Give them a try.

Quiona Fried Rice

Quinoa Fried Rice from Peas & Crayons.  Honestly, this is super easy and not brand spanking new, but not fried rice either.  I halved the recipe, but it is now one of my favorites.  I didn't add egg this time, though I will in the future, and since I had a half of a zucchini left, that was my vegetable.  I paired it with the Sweet Potato Veggie Burger for a lovely dinner.  Future preparations of this recipe will probably include shrimp or chicken.  Her tips on preparing quinoa were awesome.  Mine didn't dry totally, but I did toast it for a bit and it was wonderful.  If you're looking for something a little different but still familiar, give this a go.

There you have it.  Recently tried recipes.  Three from this week and one from a couple of weeks ago. I'll also add, that with the exception of the Baked Parmesan Shrimp, which used an egg, these recipes are Vegan.

Book Review - The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian

The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from the publisher while attending a conference. I’m so glad I did. It’s not a typical cozy mystery, though there is a murder and it is a who done it, of sorts. Zoe Faust is not your typical 20 something. She is in fact, hundreds of years old and carries her own baggage. She is resilient though and has found Portland, OR to be a place where she can settle for a while, rather than traveling constantly and living in her trailer. She is also an alchemist. She has bought a house, a fixer upper, which has a space for her to set up a lab once again, and hired a contractor to do the renovations. Unfortunately, he is killed on her front porch the day he is supposed to start.

Zoe can sense things, like poison, but she can’t really tell the police this. Adding a little more stress to the situation, when she goes to unpack her boxes she finds someone in the boxes. Well, something. A gargoyle. Named Dorian. Who needs help because he is dying. He knows Zoe from back in the day when she lived in France. In fact, unknown to Zoe, he helped her out of a tricky situation. He has a book that he thinks Zoe can use to help him. Only when the contractor is murdered, many of her books, including Dorian’s are stolen. Thus her interest in finding out who did it -- she wants/needs to get her books back. Throw a kid, Brixton, into the mix and others from the local tea shop (including main suspect Blue Sky, who has her own past), a cop, Max (who’s a little mysterious himself) and there is a lot going on.

The author blends it all well. I loved Dorian. Zoe and Dorian need each other. They are both unique in this world and it never hurts to have someone who shares, on some level, your experiences. Both are long lived and have seen many changes.

There were many other things I liked about this book. I liked that Zoe was almost accidental in her search for the killer - her intentions were to get her books back and to help Blue. Max seemed to push and pull a lot, so I couldn’t really get a feel for him, but it gets explained in the end. I liked the alchemy aspect of the book, but was a little lost at times as I’m not up on my alchemy. Zoe seems to strike a good balance between being on her own and reaching out to people and forming relationships.

The mystery resolved quickly at the end and I did not figure out who it was, though hints and clues were dropped along the way.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a different element, i.e. living gargoyle. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

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Book Review: Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver

Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in a new series, set in the 1930’s. It’s billed as Christie-esque (as in Agatha Christie) and it pretty much lives up to that. Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors and this book has similar elements, including a large cast that is sometimes hard to “manage.” Made a little more so by the constant reference of people as Mr or Mrs/Miss so and so. For some reason, this makes it hard for me to see them as individuals, though I know this is how people addressed one another back in the day.

The book also offers a somewhat romantic element and I couldn’t figure out who I was supposed to root for - the playboy husband (Milo) or the previous suitor (Gil). In the end, I simply chose my side and hoped it worked out. It did.

Premise - Amory Ames is invited to the seashore, Brightwell Hotel, by former suitor, Gil Trent, whose sister, Emmeline, is engaged to a scoundrel. He’d like Amory to advise Emmeline to basically dump the scoundrel. As Amory’s marriage is a little on the rocks, she’s in a position to give advice about the disadvantages of marrying a scoundrel. A couple of days into the trip, the scoundrel meets his end by tumbling over the side of a cliff. Gil is accused; Amory sets out to prove he’s innocent. In the midst of this, Milo shows up and basically becomes Amory’s partner in figuring out who done it.

The sleuthing is fairly typical, though at least there is a reason - to prove Gil innocent. There is the Inspector, but he’s a friendly sort of guy and one I liked. Amory and the Inspector do get on fairly well, which I appreciated. I thought some of her snooping was a bit over the top, but it fit the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the mystery, which had a few twists and an ending I didn’t see. Though, at times, the “romance” seemed to be a bit more than the mystery, but it didn’t really detract from the mystery. Instead, we get to learn a bit more about Amory. I’d love to say more about Amory and Milo, but that would probably spoil a little of the story.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series. If you like Agatha Chrisite’s mysteries and the 1930’s, give this book a go.

I received this as a Goodreads Give Away, but the opinion is solely mine.

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Year in Review...2014

Wow. We are at the end of another year and I find that while, overall, the year has been good, I have not done a lot of blogging. It's something I enjoy and hope to do more of next year. There is news though.

 Once again, I have moved. Back to Texas. For a job. I always keep an eye on job postings and when I saw this job, I knew I had to give it a go. I didn't really think I'd get it, but I did! Everything just fell in to place as if this is what I was supposed to do.  I do miss the people I worked with and, surprisingly, I miss Savannah.  Job wise, though, it's been one of the best transitions I have had in a long time. A well run organization and welcoming people. The only drawback for me is it's a large organization. Probably the largest in which I've ever worked. Also, my job is not attached to any one department, which makes it a bit weird, but not a bad weird. It does mean, though, that I've not yet found a "work buddy," which I've usually had at other jobs. I figure that will come in time.

In the meantime, in an effort to get more exercise and meet people, I joined a walking group and have met some wonderful people. It's at 7:30 Saturday mornings, which is a challenge for me, but a good challenge. Right now the weather is windy and cool, but I know if an few months that will change to unbearably hot and I'll be glad for the early morning walk time.

With this move, comes my other piece of news. I am tired of moving. This is a college town, so rentals would be expensive, not too mention no desire to repeat the pitiful renting experience that I had in Georgia.  Plus, I was just ready.  So, I took the plunge (with a little help from a small inheritance) and bought a house. It's a little bigger than I set out to get, but I knew when I walked into it that it was supposed to be mine. It's an almost brand new house in an established neighborhood, but it did need some work. Mainly on the outside - landscaping for the front and some type of porch and patio on the back. The house has a covered porch, but there were no steps down to the yard (and it was about a two foot drop) and no patio. I've done both of those and screened the back porch, something which has been on my wish list for years. The yard is huge and backs up to a wooded area. Fortunately it self maintains itself for the back part and I found a good yard service.

Between the tiny Georgia condo (though the peace and quite was wonderful) and the move and hurting my foot, my exercise routine flew out the window. And, along with it my weight maintenance. My big disappointment in all of this is the weight I gained back after keeping it off for years. I know with some structure and routine I can re-lose it, but my focus has been sporadic. That's one of my goals for the new year - get back to a routine that will allow me to lose the weight and maintain the loss.

I wish everyone nothing but the best in the coming year.