Oof! My son has arrived home in his usual swirl of chaos. This time the chaos was especially… swirly… because his car broke down two hours from home and had to be towed to the nearest Kia dealer. My husband went to pick him up, and now we’re dealing with repairs while the car is on the other side of the state… but we’ll get it figured out. The main thing is, he’s home! And he seems to have assigned me a summer reading list.
But first, I’m in the middle of this book:
At first I didn’t lone it; it felt disjointed and I didn’t feel any connection to the main character (I wonder if that’s because it’s a female main character, written by a male author?) But it got better and better, and now I’m involved in the plot. I’d better finish it fast, because I have two books waiting for me:
The Anthony Horowitz is the latest “Hawthorne” mystery. Since it’s a library book, I’ll read that first and then get into the Orson Scott Card.
Over the school year, my son read the entire “Shadow” series and is urging me to do the same. I really wasn’t planning on making this ANOTHER summer of Orson Scott Card, but he told me to just read the first book. Okay, I will. But I’m not reading the whole series! (famous last words…)
He also has a nonfiction book lined up for me, and then he’s starting another sci-fi series. Well, good thing I won’t be running much next week after my race- I can spend all my free time reading.
Eating! Yes, I cooked. I didn’t cook anything new, but I made some old favorites. Inspired by Elisabeth, I made this recipe for Mango Curry. I’m sure it bears very little resemblance to Elisabeth’s recipe, and as a matter of fact my own dish bears little resemblance to the recipe I “followed.” Basically I used it as a rough guide- added tofu, used broccoli instead of cabbage, only used one mango and cut down on the sugar. Other than that it was exactly the same (ha ha.)
On Sunday I made baked ziti:
This is the same recipe I’ve been making for almost 20 years. The recipe came from the food section of our newspaper. That shows you how long ago it was (we got a newspaper delivered???) It uses vegan cheese, and a creamy sauce made with tofu. So good!
And, I made brownies! My daughter requested “Oreo brownies,” but my son thought that sounded disgusting. No problemo! After 15 years, I’m used to accommodating two kids with completely different tastes:
I used this recipe from Nora Cooks, and just added Oreos (to half.) it worked out great!
What are you reading?
Oreo brownies- yay, or nay?
Top photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
25 Responses
I’m reading a Spanish book written by an Argentinian author called Tuya. It’s super interesting to read in Spanish, especially from someone with the way to say Spanish words my way 🙂
I haven’t cooked nor eaten anything special for a long time as I was sick last week and then traveled. I plan to make something special for the family tomorrow.
Your brownie looks sooo good. I’m not a big fan of brownies, I prefer a good chocolate mousse or chocolate ice cream. But I’m sure kids will love brownies.
I didn’t eat the brownies- I don’t need all that sugar. But in my mind I am DEFINITELY a fan of brownies! I’m also a fan of ice cream : )
I’ve never tried Oreo brownies, but colour me intrigued!
I just started reading Happiness Falls and I am also very intrigued by it.
I read that book and liked it- it was odd, though. I know a lot of people didn’t like it and I can understand why.
I liked it too! Quirky, but interesting different and good in my opinion!
I think the mango curry sounds really good! I love mangoes and I’d love to try them in a more savory dish.
Before I was vegan, I made cheesecake brownies once and those were really good, so now seeing yours I’m sort of inspired to try making a vegan version. I used to bake a lot more but a lot of my creations didn’t turn out amazing due to the substitutions I would make so I’m kind of wary to bake anything again, but with cooking, things usually turn out fine even when I swap out ingredients!
I’ll bet you could find a vegan recipe online for cheesecake brownies. Vegan baking has definitely come a long way. And, you would like the mango curry! Minimalist Baker recipes are consistently good.
What a bummer about your son’s car. Sigh. Vehicles can be such a nuisance sometimes (but a very necessary nuisance!).
I love the idea of him setting up a reading plan for the summer. How sweet.
That Mango Curry looks delicious! And while I’ve never had Oreo Brownies, I definitely wouldn’t turn one down if someone offered it to me!
Yes, cars are great when everything is working right, but when it’s not it turns into a complete fiasco. But it will be fixed, eventually!
I read The Expats a long time ago. It ended up being an “OK” book. My big exciting reading news is that my very long hold on The Women just came in. I’m very excited to start this one.
The “kid” in our house who would not like the oreo brownies is the 55 year old;-) My guess is that #1 would love them and #2 would prefer a plain brownie but he would try them.
The mango curry sounds great! I wouldn’t mind if you posted the recipe for the ziti! Speaking of which, we’re having a family party this weekend, and I couldn’t figure out what to make since my go-to’s of tacos and pizza were played out at last weekend’s family parties. I was thinking of doing a sandwich tray, but maybe I’ll get lasagna instead. Yes I can make it but I’d probably splurge for carry out from our favorite Italian restaurant.
Okay, I’ll post a recipe at some point. And- lasagnaa sounds good, and carry out even better.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of The Women. I haven’t read anything by that author, but everyone is LOVING that book.
I love that you and Paul have a little mother/son book club. This is life goals for me! Paul is very very into reading so I think/hope this will continue and we’ll be like you guys in 15 years. Fingers crossed. Lately he has opted to read books on his own rather than having me read to him which is good because he’s very good at reading now but also kind of sad because I miss the coziness of reading a book together. I did convince him to let me finish the Mac Barnett kid spy book that Suzanne recommended to me recently. They are very cute books so we checked out all 3 but accidentally read book 2 first. Whoops.
I have read Expats and I really liked it. I plan to read more in that series but haven’t gotten around to the next book which is set in Portugal I think? Right now I am reading “The 7 year slip” which is kind of a romance/light read? It is an easy breezy book which is what I needed after my last book which was a Pulitzer prize winner (Trust). Next I will read a non-fiction book about perfectionists that I’ve heard great things about.
I loved oreos back when I did not know about my gluten intolerance but I think I would pass on oreos in brownies mostly because of the texture. I am more of a brownie purist – I like the gooey texture and the oreos would mess with that a bit? So give me an oreos + milk chaser (the only time i will drink milk is if I am eating oreos (the trader joes GF ones are good but we never have them in the house since we don’t shop at TJs since it’s too far away and has a terribly stressful parking lot situation)).
I need to peruse Nora’s website to see if she has a good recipe for banana muffins. I told the boys we’d bake muffins this weekend and we have some brown bananas to use up so that seems like a good baking project for us.
BOO about Paul’s car, though!!!
Lisa, Oreos makes GF versions now and the taste just like the non-GF versions. They have regular, double-stuff, and mint. I can report that the recipe is pretty spot on in taste and texture (I do not personally care for Oreos, but I tried the GF version and they really are good dupes). The GF Oreos are sold at our regular grocery stores, so you don’t have to deal with TJs and their really stupid parking lot situations.
Lisa, I just checked and Nora does have a recipe for “quick and easy banana muffins.” I’ll be they’re really good. My suggestion for reading with Paul- if he really likes a book series, read it too. Even if it’s something you think is kind of dumb, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants (actually, I liked that one.) I’m not saying read every single book he’s reading, but just some of them. If you start doing that now, and discussing them, it will probably continue on and you’ll still be doing it in 15 years.
First of all, I want you to know that whenever you talk about your son reading about Ender, I not-so-secretly get a smug look on my face because I’m the one who sold Ender’s Game so hard as a starting place. I am a big-time book influencer re: your son.
I don’t care for brownies, to be honest. And Oreos are revolting, so I honestly can’t think of a dessert less suited to me than an Oreo brownie. But, hey, I’m glad it’s out there for people who like that particular combo.
“Oreos are revolting???” I wish I felt that way! Oreos are actually one of the perfect examples of why I’m not allowed to eat sugar- I could literally sit down and eat an entire package. To me, they’re incredibly delicious and addictive.
Oh, yes you did recommend Ender!!! I distinctly remember I asked for recommendations. You deserve to have a smug look.
Sign me up for BOTH sides of that brownie pan. Both look incredible! Yum, yum!
I know- give me any kind of brownies and I will love them.
Those brownies split down the middle blew my mind and I just have so many ideas for my little family with different tastes, haha! I love an underbaked, center part of a brownie; as someone who doesn’t love cake or ice cream, brownies are my #3 dessert after a melty, chewy chocolate chip cookie and pie. I am so glad you son arrived home (oof on the car, tho) and I extra love the reading recs he has. That’s one of my dreams for when my daughter grows up; this summer, we are going to read the same book and have a “date” each week to talk about each chapter.
I mini book club! That sounds amazing. I want to hear all about it- I really love kids’ books.
My kids literally don’t agree on anything- like if I’m making cupcakes, my daughter wants vanilla and my son wants chocolate. I’ve actually made the batter, filled six cupcake lines with vanilla, and then added cocoa powder to the remaining batter to make six more chocolate. I’m used to making things half-and-half!
I love that you have a book club with your grownup kid!
We leaned into that big time during the pandemic, reading short stories and poems to discuss. And it’s one of my favorite things to do with them. I especially like when they recommend stuff as your kid does because I get a little extra glimpse of what’s moving them.
Yes, it’s really fun. My husband and I don’t read the same things (usually) and my daughter hardly reads at all (screeeaaam!) So I’m especially happy that my son reads, and wants to share what he’s reading.
Love that you and your son still like reading books kind of together. I used to read some of the books the kids were reading when they were teenagers and we still do overlap. My eldest mainly reads fantasy or science fiction so we have a good overlap there. Each Christmas I usually buy my younger daughter more of a literary fiction book and once she’s finished it she lends it to me. Although last Christmas I left it too late to do my research so I ended up buying her a book I’d already borrowed and read from the library that I knew should would like.
I often do what you did with the curry—use a recipe as loose inspiration.
I’m reading a book called Winipek by a First Nations author based in Canada, which is interesting essays on topics I didn’t know that much about, and Next Level which is about exercise and the menopause, a Wendy rec so I wonder if you read it, too.
I am so sorry your son’s car broke down 2 hours away from home (damn it), but I am glad he’s home.
Ok, I have to confess, I always get confused by all the different pasta types and I had to google once again what the difference is between ziti and penne, because this, my friend, in your picture are penne (diagonally cut) and not ziti (straight cut) LOL… just sharing my newly gained knowledge, hahaha… but either way, the dish looks delicious. So do the brownies!