Weekend Cooking: Roasted Cabbage with Quick Balsamic Reduction

When  cabbage was super cheap for St Patrick's day, I admit-I overbought. We like cabbage, right? When I saw this recipe on Oven Love, I knew at least one head of cabbage would be drenched in balsamic.

It's very easy. Toss the cabbage with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the over for 40 minutes total, flip at the halfway mark. Natalie went with cabbage rounds but I went with wedges for easy turning. About 15 minutes before the cabbage is cooked, add 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and and 1 tablespoon to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens. How thick is up to you. The sauce is so yummy. It really pairs well with the cabbage. I'll be making this one again.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

Awesome and Awkward Thursday

Awkward:

-My coworker totally called me out for judging her new shoes. They looked like these. The shoes she'd worn to work were pinching her toes so she ran to the corner store and bought those not so cute but way more comfy shoes. And yes, I judged her cause they were not cute nor flattering. I totally understand why she bought them but still.
-My library loot pile is out of control. Too many books, must read them all! And the book I'm reading now (while fantastic) is taking too long to read.
-Dad asked me to mail a package to his friend last month. I mailed it but it got returned due to insufficient postage. So Dad asked me to give it back to him. It's still sitting on my desk after 2 weeks. Bad daughter.
-It's that time of the month for me (actually, quarter since I'm on that Seasonale stuff) which means I want to eat all things!!! Not so good for the waistline.


Awesome:

-I signed us up for a CSA! So excited it for it to start next week!
-Fever is ready for me to pick up at the library. Yay!
-My new black boots are here. I can't wait to try them on!

What's awesome & awkward in your life?

Library Loot

 Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Good Fish

I follow Becky Selengut on Twitter. I enjoy her tips about cooking, so I thought I might enjoy her book.

Evvy's Civil War

I've had this one on hold for over a year. I originally was going to read it for the War Through The Generations challenge last year.

What did you get this week?

Man Pleasing Chicken

I pinned that Man Pleasing Chicken that everyone has pinned on pinterest. I had some chicken chilling in the fridge all the ingredients in my fridge. Ah, totally yummy.

I served the chicken over polenta. I wish I would have made double the sauce. I'll definitely make this one again.

The Iron Thorn By Catilin Kittredge

I picked The Iron Thorn off the library shelf because the dark, creepy cover called to me. Plus it mentioned Lovecraft in the blurb so I knew I had to try it. And I did get a dark and creepy tale.
Aoife is an orphan. Her mother and brother are locked up in a madhouse. She's never met her father. She's trying to survive til her sixteenth birthday when she might go mad too. Aoife's was able to go to a good school and learn engineering, rare for girls in her world. At school, she meets Cal. Cal had befriended her brother before he went mad and has stuck with Aoife ever since. Aoife's story is like a onion, a lot of layers. There's the madness she's fighting. There's the mystery of her brother and her father. There's the strange things her mother says. I kind of felt like Alice falling down a rabbit hole at times. Nothing is straight forward in this book. The rug will be pulled out from under you numerous times. But Kitteredge built such a lovely strange world I didn't mind getting lost in it. Especially after we meet Dean. Sigh. Dean's awesome. He's quick, smart, and handsome. He's able to help Aoife find her way in this mess.
I greatly enjoyed the story and would recommend it to those who enjoy dark tales. I'm interested in where Kitteredge takes us in the second book. I would definitely classify this as steampunk. There's plenty of references to great machines and flying airships. Even Aoife possesses an affinity to machines and loves to tinker with them. Others who shared their thoughts on The Iron Thorn: Read. Breathe. Relax, Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile, Carina's Books, and Turn The Page.

Library Loot

 Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

What We Eat When We Eat Alone

I added on this one to my tbr list after reading about it on Omnivoracious. It'll also fit my Foodies Read 2 challenge.

The Year We Were Famous

I stumbled on this one while looking for books about women in the West. 

Frostbitten

The next in the Women Of Otherworld series.

The Flavor Bible

I've been wanting to read this one for a long time.

What did you get this week?

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books On My Spring To Be Read List

1. Fever by Lauren DeStefano 

I enjoyed Wither so I've been looking forward to the sequel. 

2. Loss by Jackie M Kessler. I've been loving the Riders of The Apocalypse series. 

3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I loved Divergent. 

4. Timeless by Gail Carriger. I'm sad the Parasol Protectorate series is ending but I'm still excited for the last book.

5. The Girl In The Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross. Another great series I'm looking forward to continuing. 

6. Drop Dead Health by AJ Jacobs. I enjoyed Jacobs' other book and I think the premise of this book sounds good too.

7. Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter. I enjoyed the first book in this series and am looking forward to the next book.

8. Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I recently enjoyed Anna and The French Kiss. I've heard iffy things about Lola And The Boy Next Door but still want to read it. 

9. Enchanted by Alethea Kontis. I love the cover on this one. 

10. Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr. This one's kind of a cheat. I got this one in my library loot last week but I'm still looking forward to reading this one.

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

I added Across The Universe to my library queue because it seemed like everyone who read it said it was the best book ever. And they didn't lie.
Why don't I read more books set in space? Space is cool. The Godspeed is like a little world, traveling through space. Not only do you have all the people on the ship, there's the journey, where they are going, how they are going to get there, and what might happen when they get there. So much packed in to this book. I cannot imagine a world in the ship. Dirt, animals, farming. It makes a certain sense but seems so odd for that to happen in a metal container, flying in space. Revis creates this amazing world. It's similar to Earth (Sol-Earth) but not.
Can I just say cryogenics freaks me out? Ever since Demolition Man, I cannot understand why anyone would choose to be frozen. Amy and her folks have the opportunity to be frozen and wake on their new planet in 300 years. But Amy wakes up 50 years before the Godspeed is supposed to land on the new planet. She's different than the others on the ship. All the ships residents are monoethnic after years of inbreeding. The ship's leader, Eldest, thinks that difference causes conflict and thinks Amy's red hair and pale skin will cause people to fight. Eldest thinks a lot of things will cause conflict and uses those as excuses to control people. Across the Universe will cause you to think about dictatorship, racism, agism in a whole new light. It certainly gave me a lot to think about.
But what about Elder? Isn't there a love story? Yeah but Across the Universe is so much more than just Amy and Elder. I loved the mystery surrounding the ship, the cryogenically frozen people, and the placidness of the ship's residents. The story is paced so well. I loved how everything unraveled.
Highly recommended. I'll be reading the second in the series, A Million Suns. Others who shared their thoughts on Across The Universe: Books Devoured, Midnight Book Girl, Melanie's Musings, Fluttering Butterflies, Reading Rocks, and Library Queue.

Library Loot

 Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Faery Tales & Nightmares

I'm really looking forward to this one. It's mostly stories set in the Wicked Lovely world. 

The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee

I love microhistories about food and drinks. 

For All The Tea In China

While searching for a good book about the history of coffee, I stumbled on this book. Sounds fascinating too.

What did you get this week?

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

I put Born Wicked on my tbr list after reading about it on Goodreads. Witches, alternate history, secrets made me want to put it on my tbr list. I'm glad I did because it was fantastic!
Cate and her sisters are witches. The Brotherhood, who rule New England, are trying to eradicate witches. So Cate and her sisters live with the fear of being discovered. Cate wants to keep her sisters safe but her sisters (Maura and Tess) want to increase their magical ability. Things quickly start to unravel for Cate and make it hard for the sisters to keep their magic secret.
I loved Born Wicked. Spotswood did a wonderful job of creating a beautiful world that I loved spending time in. Cate, Maura, and Tess are such wonderful characters. Cate's responsible. Maura's a spitfire. Tess is patient. Plus I loved Finn and his mother. I could see each of the characters so clearly in my head.
I highly recommend Born Wicked. I loved the world Spotswood made and can't wait to read the rest of the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Born Wicked: Confessions of A Book Addict, Paranormal Indulgence, Chick Lit Teens, Read. Breathe. Relax, A Room With Books, Reading With Tequila, and I Read Banned Books.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

All the hype surrounding Incarnate led me to put it on my library queue. At first I thought the book was all hype but then realized it was the real deal.
Ana's a newsoul. In a world full of reincarnated souls, she's certainly different. Some people think she's a bad omen and some think she's new and exciting. But the fear of what a newsoul bring has left her confined to Li's home for the first 18 years of her life. Incarnate starts with Ana's journey to Heart where she's hoping to find answers-who she is, why she's here, and will she be reincarnated. For the first 200 pages, I was interested but I wasn't terribly invested in Ana's story. But then when we get to the costume ball, wow, I was hooked. I had a hard time putting the book down then. Not only did Ana's story get more interesting to me, but things get a little steamy for a bit. That never hurts :)
I loved the idea of being reincarnated over and over again. Since they remembered things from their previous lives, they could continue working on something over time. Imagine having lifetimes to work on a problem or learning a foreign language! Plus there was a bit about matched souls, souls that were destined to love one another. I loved that idea.
Incarnate's a great first book. I cannot wait for the next in the trilogy. Too bad I have to wait a whole year! Others who shared their thoughts on Incarnate: Smart Girls Read, I Read Banned Books, Debbie's World of Books, GReads, Read. Breathe. Relax, and Makeshift Bookmark.

Weekend Cooking: Coconut Lime Tofu Noodle Soup

When I spied this recipe for Coconut Lime Chicken Noodle soup, I thought it sounded good. But I thought I would use tofu instead of chicken. My thought was right. It was delicious.

 Tips on the recipe:

I didn't know which Chinese noodles to use so I bought these:

They were delicious. I think you could spagetti and it would fine too. I think these cook quickly. 

My only complaint about this recipe is I wish there would have been more. I will definitely double the recipe next time. Tai and I each had two bowls but I think I could have had a third bowl easily.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

Obsession: Glass Bowls

Lately I've been buying glass bowls. I have a thing for bowls anyway but lately it's just been glass. I've maxed out my bowl shelf when I bought this nesting bowl set. I might not have more space but I still want more glass bowls. As soon as I figure out how to make more space (we don't need plates right?), these are some I'd like.

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: potterybarn.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: potterybarn.com via Linda on Pinterest

Don't even get me started on shallow white bowls. I'm in love with those too.

Library Loot

 Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

A Sudden Country

I read about this one on Shelf Talk (although the post I saw it on seems to have disappeared). I'm woefully behind on the Western genre challenge and I thought I might like this one set on the Oregon Trail. 

A People's History of The United States

This is one is on my Fill In The Gaps Challenge. 

Be Thrifty

This one caught my eye on the shelf. I'm hoping it's full of interesting tips.

What did you get this week?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I'm so glad I finally picked up Anna and the French Kiss. It was perfect. By the end, I just wanted to curl up inside the book and live!
Poor Anna is forced to attend school Paris for her senior year. No one would have to force me to attend school in Paris. But if I were 17, I probably would have been pissed too. In Paris, she makes some new friends, learns French, and watches a lot of movies. Oh and she meets a cute boy. Swoon! St. Clair is adorable. When I was 17, I would have given my left arm to meet a guy like him. But like any teenager there are plenty of problems-mean girls, girlfriends, sort of boyfriends, fighting friends. But the overall story was sweet and easy to get lost in. I immediately liked Anna. She was relatable as were her problems.  Plus I loved the descriptions of Paris and the different parts of Paris. Sigh, I wish I was there.
Highly recommended. I hesitate to say light because there were some heavier parts but the overall feeling of the book was fun and romantic. Others who shared their thoughts on Anna and the French Kiss: The Broke and The Bookish, A Room with Books, The Lost Entwife, The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader, Melanie's Musings, and The Perpetual Page-Turner.

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton

Tooth and Claw isn't something I'd pick up on my own. I have to thank several book bloggers for putting it on my radar. I really enjoyed Tooth and Claw and was sad when I finished it.

Five siblings gather as their father dies. Two are young, unmarried women, unsure about their lives after their fathers passing. Where will they live? Who will protect them? Another is married with two small children. One brother is a parsons, married with kids. The other brother is struggling to find his position in the world. Their father's passing starts a chain of events in the siblings lives that change their lives. Oh and  everyone is a dragon. 

I really enjoyed the story and the siblings but I loved the supporting characters like Sher, Felin, and Sebeth. When I finished the book, I was sad and wanted more of this world. The world Walton creates is similar to Victorian England. A lot of times I forgot it was set in a fantasy world since it felt so real. I would recommend Tooth and Claw to those who like Victorian novels or fantasy novels. Others who shared their thoughts on Tooth and Claw: A Striped Armchair, The Captive Reader, Birdbrain(ed) Book, and The Adventures of Intrepid Reader.

February Book Tally

To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Living With The Dead by Kelley Armstrong
An Everlasting Meal by Tamara Adler
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot
When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Diabolical by Cynthia L Smith

Nine this month. It was good reading month. I really can't pick a favorite. There were just too many good books this month.

Stats:

Fill In The Gaps YTD: 0 (None this month)

War Through The Generations YTD: 2 (To End All Wars & A Very Long Engagment)

The Western Genre Challenge YTD: 0 (None this month)

Foodies Read 2 Challenge YTD: 3 (An Everlasting Meal)
Total to date: 17