Reading and Eating
It has been quite a while since I’ve done one of these posts, mainly because I don’t have a lot to report, reading-wise. I read a very long (almost 1000 page) book, and then NaBloPoMo started and I’ve been spending waaay more time than usual reading blogs. But I do have two books to share! First of all, I finished this one: So, so good. I love this series so much, and this one was possibly my favorite. Robin goes undercover to investigate a cult, and it was fascinating, suspenseful, and just so well-written. It’s always hard to pick the next book after an experience like that, so I fell back on Louise Penny. I’m slowly making my way through her series. Now, I’m going to say something possibly controversial: I don’t love Louise Penny. I like her books, but I don’t love them. There’s something about her writing style that irritates me- I think it’s the constant use of fragmented sentences. I keep coming back to her because I know I’ll like the book well enough, and this one was good. It’s a solid mystery that takes place in Three Pines around Christmas, which is always fun. It had a nice, satisfying ending. I might get the next one in the series if they have it at my library BECAUSE I’M HAVING A LIBRARY CRISIS. They did something to their website and now it won’t recognize my card number/PIN, which means I can’t place any holds, ACK! I have to get over their ASAP to get this straightened out. Okay, eating! I may not have been reading as much but I’ve definitely been eating plenty. This first one does not look appetizing but it was delicious. It’s the Caramelized Onion- Butternut Roast with Chestnuts from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Veganomicon cookbook. It was so, so good- my only complaint would be, it tasted like a delicious Thanksgiving side dish, but with a main course effort level. The weird triangular thing on the plate was the most delicious focaccia from this recipe. This focaccia was AMAZING! It deserves a better picture: Next up, chili! I used this recipe that I heard about on The Girl Next Door Podcast. I subbed tempeh for the meat, and used vegetable broth. Here’s how the conversation went that day- Husband: “What’s for dinner?” Me: “Chili…” Husband: “Again? Didn’t we just have chili?” Me: “…and cornbread.” Husband: “Ooooh! Okay!” I’ve learned that I can get away with almost anything when cornbread is involved. This was our meal the night before Halloween, and when I texted a photo to my sister, she replied that to complete the look, our utensils should be made out of bones. Lastly, here’s an oldie but goodie. I can’t remember where I got this recipe from- it was either Suzanne or Birchwood Pie. I get a lot of dinner ideas from them! The recipe is for Szechuan sauce which I use for a stir fry. The reason this is a go-to is that my daughter actually likes it- so I fall back on it anytime I can’t think of anything else to make. What are you reading right now? Have you read either of these books? Do you have an easy go-to recipe? Header photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash