Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Teaser Tuesday- Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

TeaserTuesdays-ADailyRhythm3Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


"He had a bounty wrapped in a large piece of cheesecloth left over from the kitchen. The scraps would be enough to feed them for a week."
pg 43 Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

Sunday, April 12, 2015

What To Eat This Week

 Last week also didn't go as planned. I had a migraine Monday. Wednesday we got free tickets to a Mariner's game. Saturday, my brother in law was in town. Sigh, Life. So you'll see at least one repeat from last week this week.
 

Skillet Chicken Parmesan over Pasta- Everyone liked this one. I used chicken tenders instead of breast. I left out the breadcrumbs and no one noticed. Would make again.
Glazed Pork Chops-The recipe called for thick cut pork chops but all they had at the grocery store was thin cut ones. I knew the glaze wouldn't set since the thin cut chops take a couple minutes on each side to cook. I combined the spice rub, added a little water (1/2 cup), and set it to boil. Then I let it simmer until it reduced and dipped the chops in that sauce before cooking them. Pretty tasty. Would make again. 

 
Dinner Out
Nachos

What's on your menu this week?

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Weekend Cooking: Harvest: Field Notes from a Far Flung Pursuit of Real Food by Max Watman

I often joke with Tai that I'm thisclose to being on an episode of Portlandia. Especially when it comes to me and food. I've walked out of restaurants based on where their bread is made. I've asked cattle ranchers to describe the feed they supply to their animals. I've gotten into lengthy discussions about eggs. I have opinions on salts. I'm often times ridiculous in my interest of food. But I have zero interest in growing my own food. I enjoy making some things from hand when I have the time but overall I buy the majority of my food from someone else. This is where Max Watman and I differ. Max is just as passionate as me about real food but he wants to grow it himself. While Harvest was a story about being involved with food, it was more than I wanted to do.

Max lives with his wife and their son in New York. He has some land but not enough to raise a steer. He does have a garden and a pizza oven. Harvest talks about how he attempts to learn how to make his own cheese, raise his own beef, make his own hot dogs, and instill those values into his son. I enjoyed learning about the different types of cheese Max tried to make but I had no interest in running into the kitchen and trying my hand. Same goes for the making of the hot dogs. Fascinating but not something I want to try.

Overall, Harvest was an interesting read. Especially for the food obsessed. Others who shared their thoughts on Harvest: Popdust, Real Food Kitchens, and The Iron You.
This is my third read for Foodies Read Challenge.


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.


Friday, April 10, 2015

Gearing Up for the Readathon

It's almost that time. Time for the 24 hour readathon! Yay! I'll be participating again as a reader and a #teamrogue cheerleader. 
I'll do posts on what I'll be reading closer to the event on April 25th!

Thursday, April 9, 2015

March Book Tallly

Gear School by Adam Gallardo
Trinity: A Graphic History of First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
Best Shot in the West by Patricia C McKissack
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
The Sword vol 1 by The Luna Brothers
Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
Yummy: The Last Days of A Southside Shorty by G. Neri
Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Nobody's Family Is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh
Rat Queens vol 1 by Kurtis J Wiebe
The Book of the Unknown Americans by Christina Heriquez
A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan

A great month. I'm really reading a lot of graphic novels. Good for my Graphic Novel Challenge! Also a lot of other great books too.

Stats:
What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (The Antelope In The Living Room ) YTD: 3
Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 6 (Gear School, Trinity, Best Shot In The West, The Sword vol 1, Rat Queens vol 1, Yummy) YTD: 13
Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 2 ( A Kiss For Midwinter and Say Yes to the Marquess) YTD: 6
Foodies Read Challenge this month:1 (Yes, Chef) YTD: 2
Total: 38

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me 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.

Recently I noticed that many travel memoirs I see are by white people. I'm actively looking for ones by people of color and here's the first one I found.
After reading Best Shot in The West by McKissack, I wanted more by him. 
Still trying to read more of Lisa See's books. I think this might be a reloot.

What did you get this week? Claire's got the linky.



Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Teaser Tuesday: Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants by Jill Soloway

TeaserTuesdays-ADailyRhythm3Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"In fact, throughout my entire childhood, my dad was always listening to a Cubs game. Most of the time he did it covertly, only causing trouble during one of my sister's high school orchestra recitals when, during a sotto movement, he screamed out, "Run You Fat Bastard!"
pg 36 Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants by Jill Soloway

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henríquez

It's been a while since I've read an entire novel in one day. It's even rarer for a book to make me cry. The Book of Unknown Americans was both. My coworker just finished The Book of Unknown Americans and she gave it to me to read. I happened to have nothing to read on the bus ride home. I started The Book of Unknown Americans on the ride home and finished it before I fell asleep that night. And I got teary at the end. Such a beautiful book. I will be pushing this on others.

The Book of Unknown Americans follows several Latin American immigrants living in an apartment complex in Delaware. The main focus is on Alma and Arturo and their daughter, Maribel, and Mayor Rivera, a teen the same age as Maribel. Each character shares their story about how they came to Delaware. Some stories are simple, some are complex, all are beautiful. Henríquez does a beautiful job of making each character stand out. Even the characters that get 3 pages. All their voices made such a a gorgeous book.

I also loved the love story between Maribel and Mayor. Maribel has a disability which some people thinks makes her unable to make her own choices. Her parents struggle with giving her independence and protecting her from those who would hurt her. Mayor wants to love Maribel but sometimes her disability makes it difficult. I enjoyed the extra layer of adversity for these lovers. It felt like real life.

And yes, the end made me cry. I never cry about books. I can count on one hand the books that I've got teary-eyed at the end. Well, add The Book of Unknown Americans to that short list. I'm looking forward to more of Henríquez work, Others who shared their thoughts about The Book of Unknown Americans: Hey Library Girl, @homelibrarian, and For The Someday Book.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

What To Eat This Week

 Chicken with TJ's Sriracha and roasted garlic BBQ sauce over brown rice. Really liked the BBQ sauce.
Lemon Bacon Shrimp Scampi over pasta. Delicious. Will make again.
 Quick Sriracha Beef Cabbage Wraps. I've made these before but always a good quick dish.
 Apple Cinnamon Slow Cooker Pork Loin with parsnip mash.The pork was ok. It was a little dry. The parsnip mash (roasted parsnips mashed with butter) were delicious. Will make those again.
Tofu Curry with mushrooms and spinach. I swear there's spinach in there!
 Steak Salad 
Dinner Out
 Dinner Out


What's on your menu this week?

Friday, April 3, 2015

March Graphic Novel Reviews

 
I'd heard good things about Rat Queens so I added it to my holds list. I never expected it to be so funny. I laughed my way through it. Great story, interesting characters, a hint of romance. The humor reminded me a lot of Saga. All in all a great series and I can't wait to read more. 
Based on the life and death of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven year old boy who shot a fourteen year girl and then was himself shot to death in 1994 in Chicago. Neri tries to show the life Yummy had and why he might have joined a gang at 10. Neri does an excellent job of attempting to gather facts (only some fictionalization to help move the story) and showing how tough life can be for a young African American boy with no family and no support. Gave me a lot to think about.
The Sword vol 1
I keep wanting to call Dara an unlikely heroine but I think she's one that most authors wouldn't pick. But I thought she was a great choice for this fantastic graphic novel. Plenty of fantasy elements and mystical beings. I can't wait for the second one.
Trinity: A Graphic History Of The First Atomic Bomb
It's hard to say I liked a book about atomic bombs but Trinty is very well done. Fetter-Vorm does a great job explaining the science of atomic bombs. Appropriate for older teens and adults.
Gear School vol 1
Meh. The first in a series about teens in a school to become fighters in a war with aliens. This volume was very quick and not a lot of character development. I did like the anime-esque drawings. I've heard good things about this series so I will try book 2.

The Best Shot in the West
Great story, but the drawings fell flat to me. I love hearing about the Old West and the McKissacks' did a fantastic job of making history come alive. I'll be looking for more by these authors.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

March Goals Update

How did I do this month on my goals?

1. Make one meatless meal for dinner a week. Just one meatless meal this whole month! Spinach Artichoke Egg Casserole which wasn't a winner. I need to make a pinterest board for meatless meals.

2. Continue working on my fitness and lose another 30 lbs. I started March with a bit of a cold. That kept me from my workouts. I knew if I hit the gym, my tiny cold would morph into a huge cold and I would forced to stay home. I had zero sick time and too many obligations. So the first 10 days of March were workout free. But I missed working out so as soon as I could I headed back to the gym. I've been alternating between these two kettlebell workouts (The Ultimate Full-Body Kettlebell Workout and 500 rep Kettlebell workout). I've already increased the weight in both. I started with 4kg and now I'm using 8kg. My goal is to be able to do both workouts completely with 16kg at the end of the year. I love seeing the gains I'm making.

3. Go back to meal planning. Still working it. Going great!

4. Schedule one do nothing, stay home weekend a month. March was busy. The last weekend was nice and not busy. I was able to stay home most of the weekend. April is super busy so I will have to fight hard to keep one weekend empty.

5. Plan one trip with Tai this year. Tossed around a couple of ideas but will likely wait to the fall or winter.

6. Get a will and other necessary estate planning documents. Haven't even thought about this.

7. Clean and declutter one room a month. I didn't do any cleaning in the house but we completely cleaned out my dad's old place. I think that is enough for this month.

8. Do one things for myself a month. I meant to go to the spa but life got too busy. I'm planning on a massage next month.

9. Watch one older (pre-2014) movie a month. I need to keep better track of this. I'm sure I did watch at least one older movie this month.

10. Learn to make 5 Japanese dishes.  I made Gyudon,Yamatoimo, and Yakisoba.So I've made 4 dishes total. I have no idea what the next one will be.

11. Stop complaining and start sharing my gratitude. I think I'm complaining less but I'd like to start thanking (seriously) thanking people more.

12. Take 2 cooking classes. I failed to follow up on the one I looked at last month. Maybe in the summer. April is way too busy.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me 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.

Squueeee! I can't wait.

I've heard good things about this one. Plus I'm really enjoying Luna's other series, The Sword.

What did you get this week? Share below.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Teaser Tuesday-Harvest: Field Notes From A Far-Flung Pursuit of Real Food by Max Watman

TeaserTuesdays-ADailyRhythm3
Teaser Tuesdays
 is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


"Crops and orchards are heavy users of pesticides, and John didn't want to inherit someone else's tainted land. Land without woods will simply dry up because there aren't trees to store the water."
pg 118 Harvest by Max Watman

Sunday, March 29, 2015

What To Eat This Week


Last week I hardly cooked so there will be repeats from last week this week.

Steaks. I'm sure we had something with it but I can't remember.
Nachos. Such a great idea. I will make these again.

 Unstuffed pepper skillet. I can't find the recipe. Grr. But it was super easy. Brown meat, add 1/2 onion and a couple of cloves of garlic. Add one jar of spaghetti sauce, simmer for 10 minutes. Add cooked rice and bell peppers. Cook until bell peppers are slightly soft. 
Baked Halibut with veggies





Dinner Out
 Dinner Out