skillz? my husband haz them.

We bbq'd with some friends over the weekend. At the last minute, it turned into a kind of fancy burger party, and we were responsible for bringing burger toppings. the husband and I both decided to make some kind of relish or chutney. It wasn't a contest or anything, of course it wasn't. ;) After much consultation of cookbooks and the interwebs I made a tomato based relish, and my other half made a mango based salsa type thing.

Tomato Burger Relish
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced green pepper
1/2 cup white vinegar
heaping 1/4 cup sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a shallow bowl and refridgerate at least once hour. taste and add more sugar and or salt as needed.

Mango Salsa
1 Mango, peeled and diced small
about 1/4 cup minced sweet pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup pineapple, chopped small
garlic powder to taste
2 green onions, minced
1 tbsp oil
1-2 tbsp lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, refridgerate at least one hour. Taste and season with salt, garlic and red pepper flakes to taste.


In case you can't figure it out from the vinegar to sugar ratio in the tomato recipe, the tomato burger relish was an epic fail. after multiple attempts to make it taste like something that wasn't vinegar, I ended up not even taking it to the BBQ. It's still sitting in my fridge, and I am very afraid of it.

the mango salsa however, was such a success we were using it as a salad topping, and our friends kept the leftovers.

my first Robin Hobb

I just picked up Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and I'm about 100 pages in. I don't usually read high fantasy, and a title with the word Assassin in it? really? yuck.

anyways, the story follow Fitz, whose about 6 years old at the beginning. He's the illigimate child of the eldest prince of the realm. 20 pages in I felt the writing was just OK. After recognizing his bastard, the prince steps down and retires to the country. The king takes a liking to his grandson, and brings the boy to the castle where he is educated in reading, writing, numbers, horses, swordplay, and how to kill people. If you were a shrewd king (and he is), why would you have your illegitimate trained in the art of assassination? Unless perhaps, umm, you wanted to have someone killed? a ha! that happens around page 90, and the novel suddenly takes a turn for the fascinating.

So we shall see what happens!

some new reviews. . .

woohoo! New reviews up!

Neal Stephenson's Zodiac - this book had me laughing, running scared, and cheering for the "terrorists" to win.

Ted Chiang's latest novella The Lifecycle of Software Objects - This could double as a parenting book.


other than that, I've been in a major cooking rut lately. Maybe it's the crazy hot weather? been doing lots of salads, lots of rice and beans, lots of fresh cold veggies chopped and thrown with some pasta.

drooling fan girl.

I'm trying to write an updated review of one of my favorite books of all time.  It was written in the last 5 years or so, and I've probably read it half a dozen times. In an accidental fit of over-caffeination I have e-mailed the author (and got a response!), google mapped him, stalked him via livejournal and facebook. This book turned me in a drooling fan girl.  This book is theraputic.  When i'm feeling depressed, or down, or scared, or anxious, I pick it up and I feel better.  The rampant swear words make me giggle.  it is pure unadulterated FUN.

this book is full of con-jobs, thieves, violence, weapons, scary people, scarier people, revenge, manic sharks (without the lazer beams attached to their heads), and some more con jobs and scary people. And there is a sequel which has plenty more con jobs, violence, liars, thieves, and swear words.

and I find it theraputic. What the hell does that say about my psyche?  and how do I write this review without sounding like a drooling fangirl??