What the heck is Galliano?

 I like to try new cocktails and will sometimes pick one at random to try on the weekend.  Sometimes it is one that I have heard of before but never really knew what was in it.  This time it was the Harvey Wallbanger.  That's how I ended up with a bottle of Galliano.  

I had never heard of Galliano so when I went to the liquor store I had no idea what I was looking for.  But there it was on the shelf with the other liquors that really don't have a category, like Kahlua and amaretto and schnapps.  There was just the one type there, I later learned that Galliano has several different types.  I got the Autentico.  Just by happenstance.  (All the recipes that follow use Autentico.)

Galliano comes in this ridiculously tall bottle.  I felt a little silly bringing it up to the counter.  But I was determined.  So...

I get it home and take a taste.  First thing I notice is that it is hard to control the pour because the balance of the bottle is weird and when all the liquid shifts it tips more than you expect.  You have to learn where to hold the bottle so you can control it.  It is sweet and the predominant flavor is anise.  It is not something I would want to sip on all by itself.  But I found out it makes some great cocktails.  (And some not so great cocktails.)  And at 84.6 proof it is no lightweight.  

Harvey Wallbanger

So it all started with the Harvey Wallbanger.  It is orange juice, vodka and Galliano.  Unfortunately I didn't really like it.  The oj and Galliano didn't seem to blend well.  But it is a well known cocktail so maybe I'm crazy.

One that worked out better was Root Beer.  It has Kahlua and cola in it and somehow taste very much like root beer.  If you like root beer you will like this one.

The Barracuda has kind of a lot of ingredients with rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, and champagne on
top of the Galliano.  I think the slightly sweeter pineapple is a better mix with the Galliano and the champagne gives it a nice fizz.  

The Freddy Fudpucker is another orange juice concoction but this one has tequila.  This isn't one I'm likely to repeat either but I liked it better than the Harvey Wallbanger.  I think the strong flavor of tequila was a benefit over the neutral vodka.

Livorno Cup

The Gin and Galliano Sour is pretty straight forward.  You get exactly what you expect.  The ratio between the gin and Galliano is heavily weighted toward the gin.  I think if you like gin you will like this.

The Livorno Cup is another one that has a longer list of ingredients.  With gin, vermouth, lime juice, and ginger beer I really didn't know what to expect with the combination.  The balance is nice though.  You have the sweet Galliano and the bitter vermouth, the herbal gin that goes well with the anise from the Galliano and the ginger beer adds that slight bite while blending everything together and giving it a nice fizz.  

If you like bourbon you will like the Galliano Old Fashioned.  It tastes very much like a regular Old Fashioned with just a hint of the sweet anise in the background.

The Yellow Bird was one of my favorites.   Rum and Triple Sec to go with the Galliano with a touch of lime.  The sweet Triple Sec is a nice compliment to the Galliano.  

Beckoning Lady

The Beckoning Lady proves that passion fruit juice makes great cocktails.  And tequila with a nice fruit juice is always a good option.

Golden Cadillac

The Golden Dream is another orange juice one.  I like this one.  I guess it isn't the orange juice I don't like so much but it needs something else in the mix.  With cream and triple sec it turns into a creamy creamsicle treat.

The Golden Cadillac is another creamy treat.  And with the addition of creme de cacao it reminds me a little of Irish Cream.  

The Friday 56

  

 

Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice

My book this week is American Hippo by Sarah Gailey.  Did you ever wonder what would happen if America imported hippos as a food source?  Well, wonder no more.  American Hippo can answer the question for you.  

Page 56 is the end of a chapter so there wasn't much to choose from but...

My Friday 56:

Cal stared after him, clutching the purple napkin to what was left of his ear.  After a minute or two, he swore under his breath.

Obviously a hippo did not do that to him.  If a hippo got a hold of someone they would lose a lot more than an ear.

Icarus at the Edge of Time Review

 

Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene

 

(from the back of the book)

Icarus at the Edge of Time is a futuristic reimagining of the classic Greek myth.  This time, rather than wax wings and a journey near the Sun, a boy ventures through deep space and challenges the awesome power of black holes.  The fable dramatizes the startling implications of what is perhaps Einstein's greatest insight 

 

Yes, this is a board book.  But that doesn’t mean it isn’t for adults.  In fact the story would be lost on a child of the age you think of when you think of board books.  It is an imaginative retelling of the myth of Icarus, updated to a science fiction story but holding true to the ideas of the original.  In this short story Greene manages to create a foreboding feeling as the son disregards his father’s warning and flies off to explore a black hole and his father’s helplessness because there is nothing he can do.  It also explains the science behind the link between time and gravity to some extent.  Not an in depth look to be sure but a good first look at the concept.  It also has beautiful photos from the Hubble telescope.  Some of them are obscured by the representation of the black hole but don’t worry there are thumbnails of them all in the back so you can see them all in their entirety.  Since I have an interest in Greek myth and science I found the combination a wonderful idea and I’m glad I stumbled onto this one.

Happy Serpent Day (Verdi Review)

Today is National Serpent Day.  (Yes, there is a day for just about everything.  Except succotash.  I'm thinking of trying to create one.)  And what better way to celebrate then reading about our fine scaled friends.

Verdi by Janell Cannon

Verdi is about a young python.  He is bright yellow with sporty stripes, and he likes it that way.  He does not want to grow up and be green and slow like all the other pythons

Verdi is full of beautiful, lush, vibrant illustrations.  It tells a story of a baby python.  He and all his siblings are born yellow and his mother's wish for them all is that they grow up big and green.  But Verdi doesn't want that.  He thinks the green pythons are boring and lazy and does not want to be like them.  Verdi is afraid of change.  He does not want to grow up because he thinks he will not be him anymore.  But the story is about Verdi learning that change isn't necessarily bad and who you are remains the same.  It is a story about not being afraid of change or growing up, about not assuming your ideas and choices are always the best, about learning that (sometimes at least) your elders might actually know something you don't.  It is beautifully told in a quiet voice so you are hearing the message without realizing there is a message.  Children will learn the lessons but think they are just listening to a sweet story about a loveably baby python.

Friday 56

 

 

Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice

My book this week is Blood Feud by Daniel Harris.

It is about a family owned supermarket chain, how it grew from one small store to a billion dollar enterprise and the fights, lawsuits and bitterness that come when some family members think they are being cheated.

Now, a novel about a supermarket might not sound exciting but the characters are real and the emotions genuine and the battle over the supermarket involves millions of dollars so there is tension and intrigue.  I haven't finished it yet but I have the feeling there is more going on than a simple case if embezzlement and I am very interested to find out what it is.

My Friday 56:

Life was so simple then.  Nobody locked their cars, Ike's photo ops were mostly on the golf course, the only computers we had were too big to fit into a garage, and trying to hit a curve ball was my biggest challenge.

I don't really remember not locking the car and I never even tried to hit a cure ball but I get it.  I do remember when it was safe for kids to play outside by themselves and getting up at 4:00 AM to go fishing (because that's when the fish are out) was a grand adventure.  Life has gotten very complicated since then.

  

Peanut Butter Rules!

 Today is National Peanut Butter Day.  (Not to be confused with National Peanut Butter Lovers Day in March.)  

There are many ways to celebrate National Peanut Butter day.  You can eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, have peanut butter on crackers (have you tried mixing some honey in you peanut butter?  It's delicious) or you can just have a big spoonful of peanut butter.  OK.  Well, I guess basically there is only one way to celebrate.  Eat peanut butter.  But I'm ok with that. 

So when I want to eat peanut butter in an altered form instead of straight from the jar one of my go to recipes is Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars from Very Best Baking.

They are pretty simple to make and most of the ingredients I always have on hand.  The only thing I have to buy most of the time is a bag of chocolate chips.  

You beat the butter and the peanut butter together (sometimes I even remember to leave the butter out to soften first).  I like to spray a little cooking spray in my measuring cup when I am measuring the peanut butter so I can get it out more easily.  Then you add the other ingredients, but only 3/4 of a cup of the chocolate chips.  Put that in a 13 x 9 pan and stick it in the oven.  25 minutes later you pull it out and pour the rest of the chocolate chips on top.  You let the chips melt and then spread them out into an even layer.  I have burned myself a couple of times on this step but then I got smart and started using an offset spatula.  It makes it so much easier.  I like to put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set up the chocolate. 

Cut them up and you get a delicious peanut butter treat.  They are soft and not too sweet with just the right amount of peanut butter.  I mean, how can you go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate?  They are easy and quick to make and they are always a hit when I make them.  And I HAVE to share them or I will eat the whole batch.  

The Friday 56

 Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice.

My book this week is Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.  

It is essentially a collection of short stories that are held together because they all happen in the same town and are all witnessed by the same young man.  If you have ever watched Ray Bradbury Theater some of the stories will be familiar to you.  But don't assume you know how they will end.  As with all short story collections some are better than others but I enjoyed them all.  

My Friday 56:

"Be what you are, bury what you are not," he had said.  "Tickets stubs are trickery.  Saving things is a magic trick, with mirrors."

I guess I can see his point.  But I have a box of mementos under my bed that I still plan to hold on to.

Mythica Movie Series Review

Mythica: The Quest for Heroes

Mythica: The Darkspore

Mythica: The Nacromancer

Mythica: The Iron Crown

Mythica: The Godslayer

starring Melanie Stone

A series of 5 movies about a slave girl who wants to be a sorcerer who manages to get away and become the leader of a ragtag group who have to save the world from an evil necromancer.

They are typical sword and sorcery films.  There are ogres and orks, dragons and elves.  There is magic galore and swordfights aplenty.  There are a lot of common themes: the underdog overcoming, unlikely people becoming heroes, rogues that turn out to have hearts of gold,.  Some have become rather corny over time but they are still used because they are still fun.  The acting is pretty good.  And although the iron crown looks like a piece of form painted silver, the effects, props and make-up and all pretty good as well.  The plot goes through all five movies and is one story so it is best if you watch them all in order or there will be holes in the story.  The plot itself is good enough, good versus evil while our heroes learn about themselves and each other.  It has all been done before but there were enough interesting moments so the story didn't feel old.  I just wish there were not so many times when the advancement of the plot relied on the heroes being so stupid.  There were a lot of times when I found myself angry at the characters because they did something that everyone in the audience knew was the wrong thing to do.  But if you have any interest in the genre then they are a lot of fun to watch.

(At the time I posted this, all five movies are streaming on Amazon Prime.)

Did you know there is a Hot Buttered Rum Day?

 There is such a thing as National Hot Buttered Rum Day.  And today is the day!  January 17th is National Hot Buttered Rum Day.

So I found out there was a day for hot buttered rum and I decided to try it.  I looked around for a recipe and they all had basically the same ingredients but I decided to go with the one from The Spruce Eats because it was a recipe for one cup as most of the other recipes were for four or more and used a whole stick of butter.  

I Googled what the best rum to use would be and there was a difference of opinion.  But the words I saw the most were Jamaican rum and dark rum.  So I went to the rum section of the liquor store and looked around.  And saw that Myers's Rum was both Jamaican and dark.  I figured that would be a good choice.

Make sure you leave the butter out to soften long enough before you want to make the drink.  Because you are supposed to mix the butter with the brown sugar and spices, and it is so much easier if the butter is nice and soft.  But then you have butter and sugar in the glass and then you add alcohol.  So it is basically a cup full of vices.  But it is just a little bit of each so I didn't feel too badly about it.

I worried that it would be too watered down, or that it would be weirdly greasy but it was neither.  It was a nice warm drink full of all those warm spices that you associate with winter that would be great on a cold evening.  It is not something I would drink on a regular basis but it is a nice treat for a cold night curled up on the sofa.

But I Just Want A Beer...

So I recently went to Trinidad.  And I know what you're thinking.  Why would you travel internationally now?  And you are not wrong.  But my stepdaughter was getting married and it was important to my husband and me that we be there.  So off we went.

All the form we had to fill out and all the hoops we had to jump through were a pain.  And there were a few setbacks.  But we got it done.  

We made reservations at the Kapok Hotel.  But a few days later we got an email saying they could not honor our reservations.  Why?  I don't know.  But I started to panic.  Everything just seemed so much harder than it should be.  But my husband has a calmer nature.  Thankfully.  So we found another hotel, and it was cheaper.  So I wasn't as upset any more.

We ended up staying at the Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain.  

I go to the front desk and tell them who I am.  They have my reservation and everything seems fine.  She hands me the keys, gave me the wi-fi password.  We noticed a bar and asked if it was open and were assured that it was but we would have to drink outside by the pool.  We had to go back outside to park our car in the lot.  The lot is right out front and you don't need to use a key card or anything to get in and no one is ever there to check if you are a guest at the hotel.  (So if you are ever on Wrightson Road in Port of Spain and need some where to park.)

Now, I need my morning coffee so maybe other people would not have instantly noticed the coffee maker but I did.  It was one of the one cup coffee makers (I can't remember the brand) that uses coffee disks.  Only there were no disks.  Just little packs of instant coffee.  So maybe you use the machine to heat the water?  And then just pour in the instant coffee?  I don't know.  But it was a small problem.

The bed was comfortable.  The bathroom was stocked with all the normal hotel bathroom things.  There was a desk, TV, safe, hairdryer.  (I forgot to check if there would be a fridge while making the reservation.  There was not.  My fault for not checking but disappointing.  It meant warm beer for me.)  Everything seemed fine.  And it was for a day. 

But then we go out and come back and our room isn't clean.  The next day it is.  But it was kind of hit and miss.  They cleaned the room when they felt like it.  And since the room wasn't being cleaned no one was checking up on toiletry supply levels.   We had to ask for more toilet paper twice.  I tried to use the hair dryer.  Well, to be honest it worked fine. But the whole entire thing was sticky and I didn't want to touch it so I gave that up.  I have to admit that the laundry service was good if a little expensive.  

They didn't tell us what the rules for the dining room were so we just show up for coffee expecting someone there will tell us.  There was no one there.  So we got our coffee and left.  We went back a few times and each time it was different.  Once we had to give our room number (which was fine and actually made sense) but the next day we give our room number and get our coffee and are called back to pay for it.  After we have gotten coffee there for almost a week.  The next time we were asked to sign in for breakfast.  Any one of these would be fine but choose one please.

Then one day we decide a nice cold beer would be great.  So we ask on the way in if the bar is already open and are assured that it is.  We drop our stuff in the room and come back down and stand at the bar.  In the lobby, in full view of about six hotel employees.  And we wait.  With no one behind the bar.  For 15 minutes.  We finally ask (again) someone walking by if the bar is actually open and are assured it is but we will have to drink outside.  She promises to find the bartender and tells us to have a seat outside.  We do.  And we wait another 15 minutes.  A few employees walk by but no one says anything to us.  So we go back inside - where there is still no one behind the bar - and give the whole thing up.  We drank warm beer in our room.

 

Check out was fine.  There were no odd charges on my bill.  Everything was as it should be.  But I was home for a week before my credit card was actually charged for the room.

I don't need luxury but I don't want to be made to feel like I am inconveniencing the staff by staying there.  And I felt unwelcome.  So I will de them a favor and not go back.  We will be going back to Trinidad (when travel restrictions lighten up) but we will not be staying at the Radisson.  

OK, I like Tangerines, I'll Bite

 So Instagram is always showing me posts that it thinks I will like.  So they are mostly about food with some cute animal photos thrown it.  It also seems very interested in getting me to watch the Yellowstone series.  I don't know why.  But it is right about the food and the cute animals so maybe I should give it a try.

Anyway.  One of the post was a video on how to make Tangerine Muffins from Cookist Wow on YouTube.  These were unusual muffins in that they had a whole half of a tangerine baked into the bottom of the muffin.  Now I was skeptical because it seemed like having something with so much moisture at the bottom of the muffin would be a problem.  But they looked cool so I wanted to try them out.

They were easy to work up and had the added bonus of using oil so it was easy to mix by hand and I didn't have to pull out or wash my stand mixer.

I did exactly what the video showed me.  I spooned a little sugar on the bottom of the muffin cups, put the tangerines in cut side down, covered them with the batter and baked them.

Simple enough.  Only they didn't turn out so great.  They looked cute.   When you cut them you got the semicircle of the tangerine on the bottom of the muffin.  They looked like they would taste great.  Unfortunately I didn't like them.  The tangerine had turned bitter and the skin on the segments was tough to bite through.  The cake part did not rise very much so it was dense.  And overall it just didn't have that much flavor.  

I ended up throwing most of them away.  I love a citrus muffin but this one just didn't work out. 

Who doesn't love filled pasta?

 I love filled pasta dishes.  The fact that filled pastas are usually filled with cheese probably has something to do with that.  And then if you add beef, well, that just makes everything better. So I couldn't resist a recipe called Beef and Cheese Manicotti from the Food Network.

You have to cook the manicotti first and right out of the pot some of my manicotti were already broken.  But whatever, they taste the same.  While they were cooking I sautéed the onion and beef.

Making the filling is not complicated but then you have to get it into the manicotti.  There was no hint on how to do that.  Last time I made manicotti I tried the pastry bag made out of a zip top bag technique.  That didn't work for me.  But I am not very good with a pastry bag so if you have any skill in that area you might want to give that a try.  I just used a tablespoon and carefully pushed the filling in until it was halfway full and then did the same thing form the other side.  I packed them as full as I could and had a little sticking out the ends and had plenty of filling.  So don't skimp.  A few more manicotti broke during this stage.  

Then I had to get them in the pan.  I thought that would be the easy part but it was a really tight fit.  I had less than half in the pan when I realized I was going to have trouble.  I thought about moving them around like some sort of pasta puzzle but I decided to just push on.  In the end I had to cut on in half and just cram it in wherever I could.  But, as I kept reminding myself, it would all taste the same.  

Some cheese on top (more cheese, I love it) and in the oven it goes.  Half an hour later you have beautiful manicotti.  I don't really know how you can go wrong with pasta and cheese and this case is no different.  It is very tasty.  If you like ricotta cheese you can't help but like this.  And it is very filling.  It makes a good hardy meal.  The only thing I might do differently is add a little crushed red pepper to the cheese filling next time.  But I like some sort of hot pepper element in just about everything I eat so that might just be me and my unnatural love of heat.  

I think pasta is a great way to go when you are unsure what to make for dinner.  This one is a little more work than just boiling some pasta and heating up some store bought sauce (which is also tasty by the way) but I do think the extra work is worth it.  I like manicotti and I can find no reason to go looking for a different recipe than this,

The Friday 56

 

Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice.

My book this week is The Low, Low Woods by Dani and Tamra Bonvillain

A graphic novel about a town called Shudder-to-Think where there are strange creatures in the woods and all the women have lost time.  Well, I mean, what do you expect when you live in a place called Shudder-to-Think?  Then two young women decide to figure out what is going on.

You can see my review here.

My Friday 56:

All I can say is this: humanity has always had witches and witches have always had potions, and yet the fucked-up bullshit never ceases.  You do the math.

Give back on Veteran's Day

 

Veteran's Day is a time to celebrate, honor, thank and remember all those who have served in the armed forces.  Below are a few ways to give back.

Wounded Warrior Project

Paralyzed Veterans of America

K9's for Warriors

Gary Sinise Foundation

Semper Fi Fund

International Animation Day

 October 28th is International Animation Day!

To celebrate I'm going to share a couple of animated movies I have watched recently.  Oddly enough, neither one has any dialogue.

The first is The Red Turtle by Michael Dudok de Wit

A Man is washed ashore on a deserted island where, during his attempts to escape, he meets a red sea turtle.  

First off, the animation is beautiful.  Nice soft tones and lovely hues.  It is able to convey the fury of the sea, the desolation of the island and all of the emotions of the characters without any words being spoken.  It was a beautiful film to watch.  The story has some fantasy elements in it that you just have to except without explanation.  But mostly it is about life and many things that most people can relate to.  I'm sure there is symbolism and metaphor here that I missed.  I'm sure that if you Google it you will get a lot of interpretations.  To me it had to do with The Man finding what he needed while he was looking for something else; and about finding peace and salvation in unexpected ways.  This is also a story about love and the cycle of life.  I'm sure there are those who would disagree with some of my interpretations.  But that is another lovely thing about the film.  Everyone will see something different.  I think some people will be put off by the fantasy elements and say that the film makes no sense.  And it is slow, so I don't think young children will enjoy it.  It is not what I expected it to be but I am very glad I watched it.

The second is The Shaun the Sheep Movie by Mark Burton

Shaun decides to have a day away from the farm and leads all his sheep friends into the Big City only to get more adventure than he bargained for.

Shaun the Sheep is stop-action animation.  This one would be good for a young audience.  There is a lot of silly and goofy action.  But as an adult watching this I still had a lot of fun.  Although Shaun gets into all sorts of mischief you can't help but root for him as he tries to avoid the dog, Bitzer.  The characters, as well as the plot, are a little silly and goofy but the animation still does a great job of telling the story without the use of words.  There is a surprising amount of emotion in those little sheep faces.  Shaun might not always make the wisest choices but in the end he learns a little something and does the right thing.  It is hard not to get attached to these quirky characters.  This is another one I am really glad I saw.

The Trip (and next three trips too) Movie Review

The Trip

The Trip to Italy

The Trip to Spain

and

The Trip to Greece with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon

All of these films are about Steve and Rob being asked to go on a tour of the restaurants in these various places in order to write about them, and the trip as a whole, for various publications.

Don't be misled.  These are not movies about food.  Although they are in restaurants a lot of the time there is not a lot of conversation about the food.  Sometimes you don't even know what they are eating, never mind what they think about what they are eating.  The movies are about Rob and Steve and their friendship?  The question is because at times they don't even seem to like each other and most of the time they are trying to outdo the other.  Although some times the banter between them can be funny just as often the conversation is rather annoying as they do impressions of the same actors doing the same lines over and over through all four movies.  The plot barely changes through the films either.  There are slight variations in the personal lives of the two men or sometimes they are following in the footsteps of someone or other on the trip, but it is mostly all the same.  They sit in restaurants acting like fools with behavior that would get them kicked out of most places (but no one seems to notice) as they try to prove to each other that they are more famous, more successful and better at impressions than the other.  I did learn some interesting facts along the way and the scenery was beautiful.  And I did watch all four so I guess that says something,  But unless you are die hard Steve Coogan or Rob Brydon fans (or are really into Sean Connery and Michael Caine impressions) than I think these flims with quickly become tedious.

National Mole Day

 October 23rd is National Mole Day!

Now when I saw that it was National Mole Day I was excited I thought it was about the animal the mole.  I think moles are cute and interesting.  I was ready to put up mole pictures and list some mole facts.  But this Mole Day is to celebrate something else.  Apparently the mole is also a unit of measure in chemistry.

Not that I have anything against chemistry, but that was a little less exciting to me.  But I decided to take it as an opportunity to learn something.  So I looked up the definition of mole.  

Dictionary.com says:

noun Chemistry,

The basic unit in the International System of Units (SI), representing the amount of a substance expressed in grams containing as many atoms, molecules, or ions as the number of atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12 (which is Avogadro's number, or 6.022 X 10 to the 23rd power) 

I still didn't know what a mole was.

From the National Mole Day Foundation website (after some more stuff I didn't really understand) I got:

In general, one mole of any substance contains Avogadro's Number of molecules or atoms of the substance.

That was a little more helpful  I'm still uncertain why that is something you would need to know.  I guess I should have paid more attention in chemistry class.  I did a little more looking and I think one of the reason's this is helpful is that it helps people talk about and compare really large numbers.  There is more to it but my mind was having trouble by then so I had to give it up for now. 

You can find more info here if you are interested.

And here is a picture of a mole.  Because I had my heart set on it.

The Friday 56

 

Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice.

My book this week is The Nobody People by Bob Proehl.  

It is about people with special abilities who have been living in secret and have decided to let the world know that they exist.

It reminds me a little of the X-Men actually.  There are good and bad people with abilities.  There are people who accept them and those that don't.  And questions about how and when it if okay for them to use their abilities.  It is pretty interesting so far and I think something more sinister is going to happen but I'm only about half way through the book so I will have to wait and see.

My 56:

Owen Curry isn't a bomb.  He's just a monster, the kind you can find anywhere.  The thing that's in him, that Avi is actually hunting, can't be questioned any more than he could interview an IED or an atom bomb.

International Sloth Day

 October 20th is International Sloth Day!!

We are not talking about the deadly sin.  We are talking about the adorable slow moving animal.

Did you know?

1. Sloths can live up to 30 years.

2. Green algae grows on a sloth's fur

3. Sloths are related to armadillos and anteaters.

4. A sloth's head can turn 270 degrees.

5. A sloth can hold its breath for 40 minutes.

6. It takes 30 days for a sloth to digest a leaf.

7. Ancient sloths could get as big as an elephant.

Pygmy sloths are also endangered.  

Here are some places you can go to help:

The Sloth Conservation Foundation

Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica

The Sloth Institute of Costa Rica

World Wildlife

The Low, Low Woods (GN) review

 

The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado and artist Dani

(from the back of the book) 

Shutter-to-think, Pennsylvania, has been on fire for years.  The woods are full of rabbits with human eyes, a deer woman who stalks hungry girls, and swaths of skinless men.  And the people of Shudder-to-think?  Well, they're not doing so well either.

When El and Octavia wake up in a movie theater with no memory of the last few hours of their lives, the two teenage dirtbags embark on a horrifying journey to uncover the truth about the strange town that they call home.

I have to admit that the illustrations are not my favorite style.  The faces are often indistinct and the backgrounds kind of fade away like they were not quite finished.  But I think the style goes with the story being told here and I don't think a different style would have worked as well.  The story is dark and creepy.  There are skinless men crawling out of the ground and deer/human creatures in the forest.  The women of the town all have lost time.  But for some reason no one seems to be asking any questions.  (Or leaving town for that matter.)  Until two girls wake up in the movie theater with no idea what has happened for the last few hours.  They decide to find out what is happening.  I was hoping for some kind of investigation or something, a process by which they figure things out. But that didn't happen.  They just happen to ask the right question and everything is explained.  It was just too sudden of a revelation for me.  All these people living with the mystery for years when all it took was one question.  And then there are all the little story points that come up and go nowhere.  I was left with a few questions.  But since I had trouble working up an emotional attachment to any of the characters it is easy to just let the questions drop.  

Super Simple Fish

 Somewhere in life I got the idea that cooking fish was a difficult process.  I don't know where I got the idea but it stuck with me for a long time in life.  And I wasn't sure I wanted to cook fish enough to actually put the time and effort into learning how.  So almost all of the fish (and, in fact, all seafood) I ate was cooked by someone else.  But then I got married.  And not only was he a seafood lover, he was a seafood cooker as well.  My new husband finally managed to convince me that cooking fish was no harder than cooking anything else.  Nowadays I cook seafood on a regular basis.  One of the fish I tend to cook a lot of is tilapia.  And in my search for a recipe for tilapia I came across this one simply called Pan-Fried Tilapia from Delish.

I already had everything I needed except for the fish itself and it said the total time to prepare this fish was only 25 minutes.  It sounded perfect.  And it turned out to be pretty close.

All you do is mix flour with a couple of spices, season the fish with salt and pepper, and then dip the fish in the flour mixture.  Then you put it in a pan that you have heated some oil in, leave it there for a couple of minutes, turn it over, leave it there for a couple of minutes, and you are done.  And you have four tasty fillets of tilapia.  

I served it just as is with some asparagus.  But I also made some really good fish sandwiches with it.

The only issue I had (and a slight one) is that even after all the fish has been covered in the flour mixture there is a lot left over.  The second time I made this I used half the flour (but the same amount of everything else) and still had plenty to cover my fish. 

I like this recipe because it is quick and easy and also because just the light dredging in the flour mixture mixture imparts a lot of flavor without having to put a heavy breading or batter on your fish.

National Vodka Day!

 October 4th is National Vodka Day!

Not sure how to celebrate?  You can't go wrong will a classic vodka martini.  Or a simple but delicious vodka tonic.

Vodka also pairs well with fruit juice of just about any kind.  Me? I just pour as much vodka as I want into a glass and add as much of whatever juice as I feel like.  But if you want to follow a recipe and be all technical with it...

If you add vodka to orange juice you get a Screwdriver.  

With cranberry juice it is a Cape Codder.

With grapefruit juice it is a Greyhound.  If you put a salt rim on it it is called a Salty Dog.  You can make this one with gin too.  But that is another day.

If you use both cranberry and grapefruit juices you have a Sea Breeze. 

If you use both cranberry and pineapple juices you get a Bay Breeze.

If you use both cranberry and orange juices you end up with a Madras.

Of course you can combine it with other things too.  I would suggest you try a Moscow Mule.  It combines vodka with ginger beer.  Traditionally served in a copper mug it will taste just as good if you don't have one.  

Of course the Bloody Mary is always good and it gives you permission to drink vodka before noon.  I just buy Bloody Mary mix and add vodka.  But that's because I'm lazy.  If you are not you can make your own.

I also like a White Russian.  If you like Kalua you probably will too.  It is a nice creamy, coffee flavored drink.

And a Cosmopolitan is always nice too.  Again with the cranberry juice but with some orange liquor to change it up a bit.

No matter how you celebrate National Vodka Day please drink responsibly.  

The Institute Review

 

The Institute by Stephen King

Children with telepathy or telekinesis are being kidnaped and taken to the Institute where the staff run tests and do experiments on them.  

I have read some reviews of this novel and it seems in most cases people either loved or hated it.  I'm more in the middle.  There are some very interesting ideas presented but there were points that I was not a fan of.  The characters you are introduced to first are, to me, the most interesting and well developed characters in the book.  But then they are dropped completely for a very long time.  Until you almost have to look back in the book to remind yourself who these people are when they reappear.  Then the story becomes about the kidnapped kids and what happens to them at the institute.  And the plot slows down to a crawl.  And I got a little bored waiting for it to go somewhere.  And when I did  find out the reason for the Institute I was a little confused why they would have chosen this convoluted, overly complicated and morally ambiguous plan to achieve their goals. Some of the characters were a little too simplified too.  One of the employees is afraid of a situation that was solved by a simple Google search.  The head of the institute is self-righteous and self-important to such extremes that by the end of the book she becomes slightly absurd.  Toward the end, when things start to happen, I did start to root for Luke and the other children and feel I was starting to get involved with the characters a little bit.  But it was too long in coming to redeem the book completely.  A lot of reviews also mention that King included some politics.  I remember that, but at the time I read it without a thought.  It didn't seem like a big deal to me and I don't think that should stop you from reading the book if you are interested.  I wouldn't say I would recommend this to someone as a good introduction to King but if you are already a Stephen King fan I do think it is still worth a read.

The Friday 56

 

Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice.

My book this week is Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick.  A book that was published posthumously in which Dick made himself  character where his friend starts getting messages from a mysterious unseen force called Valis.

My 56:

"You go along with them," I said, "and maybe your body lives, but your soul dies."

Which poses quite a dilemma for our hero.  As it has for countless other people.  What are you willing to give up to survive?

I Love Noodles!

 I love noodles (especially Asian noodles) and peanut sauce.  So I was very happy when I found this recipe for Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken on Skinny Taste.

So this time I came really close to following the recipe.  But.  Well, I never really use chicken breast for anything so I used thighs.  Also I used regular peanut butter.  So basically I changed everything that made it healthier so it wasn't so 'skinny' anymore.  But it was tasty.

There is a little prep work.  You need to cut the chicken into strips, grate some ginger, crush or mince some garlic and chop some peanuts.  But there isn't that much to do.  I shredded my own carrots because I had some in the fridge but you can buy some already shredded to save time if you want.  

The recipe says to boil the water for the noodles but it also says cook them according to the package directions.  Well, the package said to put them in really hot tap water.  So I did.  But they did not seem to be getting as soft as I wanted them so I did add boiling water to the bowl to help them along and that seemed to work.  The next hiccup I ran into was with the garlic.  Now, I know you are supposed to read the recipe all the way though before you start to cook.  But I didn't.  So when it said in the ingredients list to mince two cloves of garlic for the peanut sauce, I did,  But the directions say to add three cloves of crushed garlic.  I went with the two minced.  And the ingredients list for the chicken said four cloves.  And then it said to put the garlic in with the chicken strips.  So I put it all in with the chicken.  So when later it said to put two cloves in with the vegetables I thought that might be too much garlic so I didn't.  But maybe the intention was that half go in with the chicken and half with the veggies?  I might do it that way next time.  But what I did worked just fine. 

I chose to mix the veggies in with everything else.  I just found it easier that way.  I think it would have been a prettier dish if I put them on top.  But it certainly didn't hurt the flavor.  I will hold onto this recipe and make it again.