I have been doing a lot of cooking lately but today instead of a recipe I want to talk about garlic. Now I have always loved garlic and known it has health properties that match its wonderful taste. I have put garlic in most every savory dish I have prepared for years but until last month I had always just minced and added it to the dish as it cooked. So what this all is leading to is my discovery of the versatility and smooth, slightly more subtle, flavor of roasted garlic.
Roasted garlic works better blended in sauces, it is spreadable on bread, and its subtlety makes it easier to deal with because it’s not too strong to be eaten in larger pieces which can be easily tossed in to accent any meat. Also roasted garlic is already cooked so if you decide a dish is missing something you can toss it in without adding to cook time.
Best of all it’s easy and stays good for at least two weeks. (I bake 3 bulbs at a time, so they haven’t lasted long enough to go bad)
Process:
1. Peel off extra skin, you want the bulb to stay together but the extra papery outer layers of skin can lead to burning.
2. Cut off tips of each clove, again to avoid burning.
3. Rub bulbs with just enough olive oil to cover.
4. Wrap individual bulbs in foil.
5. Place on cookie sheet or in muffin tin and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes*.
*You should check the bulbs at 30 minutes. I use an older and slightly unreliable oven so cooking varies. After 30 minutes the bulbs are pretty well roasted but not quite tender enough for spreading on bread, especially the center cloves.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
(Synopsis from GoodReads.com)
1. This is a coming of age story with wonderful character growth. There is the twist that all the growth occurs after death.
2. The writing starts off very dry and straightforward. There are very concise, well formed sentences. Very school-like writing; it lacks much style. The writing grows with the character.
3. The character starts off very typical. Sam is popular and fits in very comfortable to her suburban life. She’s aware of it, she likes the predictable nature of her days, hell, she worked hard for them. The character, the world she lives in, and the writing all start off pretty plain. The premise of a last day being relived over and over is what keeps one reading. The author, through Samantha’s internal monologue, even makes reference to the very “Groundhog Day” plot when the repeating begins. But it’s good that one keeps reading, because the story becomes its own. Little Samantha Kingston, who went along with the way things just go, learns a lot of worthy lessons and they are definitely worth going through with her.
4. I recommend this to anyone trying to making it though the world. This book contains some great revelations, and, if you’ve learned the lessons before, some great reminders. It isn’t one of the best books in the world, like is being said in some YA circles right now, but it’s pretty great.
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
(Synopsis from GoodReads.com)
1. This is a coming of age story with wonderful character growth. There is the twist that all the growth occurs after death.
2. The writing starts off very dry and straightforward. There are very concise, well formed sentences. Very school-like writing; it lacks much style. The writing grows with the character.
3. The character starts off very typical. Sam is popular and fits in very comfortable to her suburban life. She’s aware of it, she likes the predictable nature of her days, hell, she worked hard for them. The character, the world she lives in, and the writing all start off pretty plain. The premise of a last day being relived over and over is what keeps one reading. The author, through Samantha’s internal monologue, even makes reference to the very “Groundhog Day” plot when the repeating begins. But it’s good that one keeps reading, because the story becomes its own. Little Samantha Kingston, who went along with the way things just go, learns a lot of worthy lessons and they are definitely worth going through with her.
4. I recommend this to anyone trying to making it though the world. This book contains some great revelations, and, if you’ve learned the lessons before, some great reminders. It isn’t one of the best books in the world, like is being said in some YA circles right now, but it’s pretty great.
Friday, April 15, 2011
A Better Pot Pie?
Today I attempted a pot pie that still has all the comfort of what you buy in the store but with better flavor.
Ingredients:
• Stew meat (marinated in Worchester sauce over night to make more tender and juicy.)
• ½ onion
• 5 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 cup peas
• ½ cup broth
• ½ cup wine
• ½ cup cream
• Thyme
• Flour for thickening (about 1 ½ tablespoon)
• 2 pie crusts (9 inch)
• Butter
• Garlic Powder
Method:
Slice onions extra thin and throw in a pan on low with butter for a quick sweat.
In a pot boil carrots and celery in broth.
Heat a pan to med- high with just enough olive oil to cover bottom. Sprinkle meat with S/P, garlic powder and thyme, throw in pot and sear on all sides. Turn down to low and cover with wine, let it simmer. Once onions are cooked down throw them in with meat.
Drain broth from vegetables and save.
Mix vegetables (add peas now) with meat and pour into pie crust.
On low mix broth, wine drenched meat crispies and cream, thicken with flour, cook together and pour on pie. Cover with other crust and bake at 400 until crust is golden.
What really happened:
1. It took me 1 ½ hours to get everything in the pie, and 25 min to bake, but I tend to move slower than most people, and this was the first time I made anything like this.
2. Someone threw out my thyme so I used a little parsley and very little rosemary.
3. Only half the ingredients fit in the pie.
Results:
• I loved it. I have always picked around the unsavory bits of the store bought kind. Though, next time I will change one thing. The stew meat I bought had about 2 pounds of meat, next time I’ll change that for ¾ - 1 pound. This should allow everything to fit and be creamier by using the same amount of liquid.
• The boyfriend complained that if only there were more salt it would be perfect. The cream and wine (I used a Riesling*) do make it a bit sweet, if you don’t like that add a bit of S/P to the sauce when you mix it up. I just brought him the shakers and enjoyed as is.
I paid $7.22 for the pie (without the half the filling that went in the freezer and will make another pie, also I already had wine, frozen peas, butter, flour and seasonings) which made 4 servings at $1.805, exactly.
Now that I’m done writing this I am going back for seconds!
* I don’t know how red would taste as I don’t drink red so I never have it around.
Ingredients:
• Stew meat (marinated in Worchester sauce over night to make more tender and juicy.)
• ½ onion
• 5 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 cup peas
• ½ cup broth
• ½ cup wine
• ½ cup cream
• Thyme
• Flour for thickening (about 1 ½ tablespoon)
• 2 pie crusts (9 inch)
• Butter
• Garlic Powder
Method:
Slice onions extra thin and throw in a pan on low with butter for a quick sweat.
In a pot boil carrots and celery in broth.
Heat a pan to med- high with just enough olive oil to cover bottom. Sprinkle meat with S/P, garlic powder and thyme, throw in pot and sear on all sides. Turn down to low and cover with wine, let it simmer. Once onions are cooked down throw them in with meat.
Drain broth from vegetables and save.
Mix vegetables (add peas now) with meat and pour into pie crust.
On low mix broth, wine drenched meat crispies and cream, thicken with flour, cook together and pour on pie. Cover with other crust and bake at 400 until crust is golden.
What really happened:
1. It took me 1 ½ hours to get everything in the pie, and 25 min to bake, but I tend to move slower than most people, and this was the first time I made anything like this.
2. Someone threw out my thyme so I used a little parsley and very little rosemary.
3. Only half the ingredients fit in the pie.
Results:
• I loved it. I have always picked around the unsavory bits of the store bought kind. Though, next time I will change one thing. The stew meat I bought had about 2 pounds of meat, next time I’ll change that for ¾ - 1 pound. This should allow everything to fit and be creamier by using the same amount of liquid.
• The boyfriend complained that if only there were more salt it would be perfect. The cream and wine (I used a Riesling*) do make it a bit sweet, if you don’t like that add a bit of S/P to the sauce when you mix it up. I just brought him the shakers and enjoyed as is.
I paid $7.22 for the pie (without the half the filling that went in the freezer and will make another pie, also I already had wine, frozen peas, butter, flour and seasonings) which made 4 servings at $1.805, exactly.
Now that I’m done writing this I am going back for seconds!
* I don’t know how red would taste as I don’t drink red so I never have it around.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Review: Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Review: Anna and the French Kiss
This is the tale of Anna's senior year of high school. One in which she is ripped away from her friends, mother, and little brother, by her pompous, nouveau riche father.
Anna's father has become a famous writer (of sappy love stories with tragic twists*) who decides that his new position gives him the right to up-root his daughter and send her to boarding school in France.
Anna is completely against this until she meets Etienne, a boy that will show her Paris has everything she ever wanted waiting right outside her door.
1. This is a first true love story. And of course the characters all discover things about themselves during the journey, which is an aspect all the best stories have.
2. The Author’s sentencing is short and direct and expresses a eighteen-year-old’s journey very well.
I loved this story AND I Loved the ending. There are very few novels that I love but also agree the story ended well. This is one of those novels that didn’t leave me wanting. Even though this is a great story with characters that will stay with me, I didn’t wish for a sequel, Ms. Perkins’ story is complete in itself.
The only thing I did not like about the story was the barrage of internal thoughts. Anna spent more time in her head than any journal novel I’ve ever read. Sometimes she narrated like a journalist, but mostly she said things to herself that should have been stated out loud. Often the things she said to herself fit so much better into the conversation than the things she actually ends up saying, but even worse there are times when she thinks something to herself then writes, and so I said so…. What is that? Anyway, one annoyance doesn’t ruin the story, because this story is too fantastic.
3. We’ve all seen Paris**, we know the architecture is something to be wowed at, the history is worth waiting in lengthy lines to see, and the scenery will leave you breathless. But The Food is what places this story. I didn’t think someone could make French cuisine sound so good. I am definitely a foodie, and I am not ashamed to say I have been mesmerized by pictures, stories and imitations of French food before. But Stephanie takes this to a whole new level, from Anna’s first grape bath to the drippy cheesy Panini and on and on, with all Paris has to offer after reading this novel I believe I would spend an entire trip to Paris eating and ignoring the beautiful scenery. The scenery in the book was indescribably awesome, but the food was described the way all great food should be. This food made the world Anna moved into.
4. I recommend this story to EVERYONE. O.K. it might be a little mushy for some, but anyone who loves love, Paris, food and/or life lessons.
* For those of you who have read the book already… I don’t want to point fingers or name names… but, does the description of Anna’s father remind anyone of a certain Real Life author. Or is it just me…
** At least in Pictures
This is the tale of Anna's senior year of high school. One in which she is ripped away from her friends, mother, and little brother, by her pompous, nouveau riche father.
Anna's father has become a famous writer (of sappy love stories with tragic twists*) who decides that his new position gives him the right to up-root his daughter and send her to boarding school in France.
Anna is completely against this until she meets Etienne, a boy that will show her Paris has everything she ever wanted waiting right outside her door.
1. This is a first true love story. And of course the characters all discover things about themselves during the journey, which is an aspect all the best stories have.
2. The Author’s sentencing is short and direct and expresses a eighteen-year-old’s journey very well.
I loved this story AND I Loved the ending. There are very few novels that I love but also agree the story ended well. This is one of those novels that didn’t leave me wanting. Even though this is a great story with characters that will stay with me, I didn’t wish for a sequel, Ms. Perkins’ story is complete in itself.
The only thing I did not like about the story was the barrage of internal thoughts. Anna spent more time in her head than any journal novel I’ve ever read. Sometimes she narrated like a journalist, but mostly she said things to herself that should have been stated out loud. Often the things she said to herself fit so much better into the conversation than the things she actually ends up saying, but even worse there are times when she thinks something to herself then writes, and so I said so…. What is that? Anyway, one annoyance doesn’t ruin the story, because this story is too fantastic.
3. We’ve all seen Paris**, we know the architecture is something to be wowed at, the history is worth waiting in lengthy lines to see, and the scenery will leave you breathless. But The Food is what places this story. I didn’t think someone could make French cuisine sound so good. I am definitely a foodie, and I am not ashamed to say I have been mesmerized by pictures, stories and imitations of French food before. But Stephanie takes this to a whole new level, from Anna’s first grape bath to the drippy cheesy Panini and on and on, with all Paris has to offer after reading this novel I believe I would spend an entire trip to Paris eating and ignoring the beautiful scenery. The scenery in the book was indescribably awesome, but the food was described the way all great food should be. This food made the world Anna moved into.
4. I recommend this story to EVERYONE. O.K. it might be a little mushy for some, but anyone who loves love, Paris, food and/or life lessons.
* For those of you who have read the book already… I don’t want to point fingers or name names… but, does the description of Anna’s father remind anyone of a certain Real Life author. Or is it just me…
** At least in Pictures
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Review: Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer*
What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?
Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.
Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.
The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.
As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?
The Good Reads Summery is better than any I could come up with.
1. This is a simple story about friendship; how they begin, why they get messed up, and if they can be repaired. There is no big revelation, just the gentle passing of time beautifully told.
2. Amazingly, this first time author accomplished four fully formed voices in this debut. Her characters were unique from one another and their pasts selves had no seeping knowledge from the present. The story telling, with the exception of the ending chapters, was fluid and engaging. The characters embedded themselves in me, girls I feel I could know, could connect with, and could miss.
What happened to the end of this story?! All the build-up, the beautiful character growth, and flash-backs for developing history. All this slow reveal. Then it just ends flat… everything is over.
Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After all the build up and getting to know these girls and their feud and their past the book draws to a quick end. “I’m so sorry.” “No, you deserve your success. I’m not mad anymore.” “Awesome! See you at the diner after this?” “Yeah? sure.” The End.
What kind of ending is that?
Spoiler over!!!!!!! Spoiler over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. This book had such wonderful set-up, beautiful blending of past and present even with two voices switching every other chapter. The writing was precise and intriguing. The story made opera** so enticing I found myself looking up performances of mentioned pieces on YOUTUBE.
4. I don’t know who to recommend this to. The Book was so great I wanted to recommend it to everyone… then I hit that last section. Those five short chapters were such a let down. So I guess, I recommend it to people with excess time. Anyone with sparse time, that can only pick a few books a year maybe skip this one. Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful a writer without a conclusion this is not a story.
* This is a 2011 Debut Author Challenge book, go to http://www.thestorysiren.com/2011/03/2011-debut-author-challenge-march.html for more information about Debut Authors in 2011.
** Not a previous passion of mine.
Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.
Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.
The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.
As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?
The Good Reads Summery is better than any I could come up with.
1. This is a simple story about friendship; how they begin, why they get messed up, and if they can be repaired. There is no big revelation, just the gentle passing of time beautifully told.
2. Amazingly, this first time author accomplished four fully formed voices in this debut. Her characters were unique from one another and their pasts selves had no seeping knowledge from the present. The story telling, with the exception of the ending chapters, was fluid and engaging. The characters embedded themselves in me, girls I feel I could know, could connect with, and could miss.
What happened to the end of this story?! All the build-up, the beautiful character growth, and flash-backs for developing history. All this slow reveal. Then it just ends flat… everything is over.
Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After all the build up and getting to know these girls and their feud and their past the book draws to a quick end. “I’m so sorry.” “No, you deserve your success. I’m not mad anymore.” “Awesome! See you at the diner after this?” “Yeah? sure.” The End.
What kind of ending is that?
Spoiler over!!!!!!! Spoiler over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. This book had such wonderful set-up, beautiful blending of past and present even with two voices switching every other chapter. The writing was precise and intriguing. The story made opera** so enticing I found myself looking up performances of mentioned pieces on YOUTUBE.
4. I don’t know who to recommend this to. The Book was so great I wanted to recommend it to everyone… then I hit that last section. Those five short chapters were such a let down. So I guess, I recommend it to people with excess time. Anyone with sparse time, that can only pick a few books a year maybe skip this one. Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful a writer without a conclusion this is not a story.
* This is a 2011 Debut Author Challenge book, go to http://www.thestorysiren.com/2011/03/2011-debut-author-challenge-march.html for more information about Debut Authors in 2011.
** Not a previous passion of mine.
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