This was one of the first manga and animes I was ever exposed to, so it's got a special place in my heart. And now I get to find out what happens at the end!!
I'm in manga heaven!!
Showing posts with label Manga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manga. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
manga heaven
A budy of mine just loaned me all nine volumes of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita manga!
This was one of the first manga and animes I was ever exposed to, so it's got a special place in my heart. And now I get to find out what happens at the end!!
I'm in manga heaven!!
This was one of the first manga and animes I was ever exposed to, so it's got a special place in my heart. And now I get to find out what happens at the end!!
I'm in manga heaven!!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
This is what Manga Heaven looks like
what i would give to own a digital camera right now!! then i could show my you nearly sky high stack of manga that I've purchased in the last week.
What's the one good thing about all the comic/gaming/bookstores getting way in over their heads in the manga craze? Now it's all on sale. People keep asking me why I don't go to B&N to buy all this stuff, because "of course" they have it:
1. B&N isn't so good about carrying early issues in long running series. With 87 issues of Fruit's Basket, Naruto, and Negima, that there isn't much room left for more interesting stuff.
2. I'd rather give my $$ to independently run businesses. Even if I have to drive further.
and now, for the list of new goodies:
Read or Die volumes 2 & 3, by Shutaro Yamada. They had some Read or Dream (the sisters) too, but no one seems to have volume one of that series.
Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 22 by Hiromu Arakawa. Wow she's coming out with these later issues fast! Good, because I'm kinda ready for a final showdown.
Nana, vol 3 by Ai Yazawa. I just can't get enough of Ms Yazawa. Why her earlier stuff hasn't been translated into English, I'll never know. We were about to check out at the store when husband says "look at all the Nana they have, that you don't have!" jerk.
Blade of the Immortal, vol 1, by Hiroaki Samura. I've heard good things about this series, but other than that, don't know a thing about it. The artwork is less cartoony, more artsy, which is very refreshing.
Basilisk, vol 1, by Futaro Yamada & Masaki Segawa. They ran the anime on TV a few years ago, and since I kept missing episodes, It was impossible to keep track of all the characters in the Fuedal love story. Kind of Fuedal Japan meets Romeo & Juliet? The really nice thing about Manga vs Anima - if you forget who someone is, you can always go back a few pages!
Ludwig II, by You Higuri. It has two very handsome gentlemen on the cover, and the blurb on the back promises a historic backdrop for the story of King Ludwig II of Bavaria's trials and tribulations with love and loss. After I read it, husband asks "It's got a lot of history, right?" Sure. sure it does. Rated M for Mature.
I need another manga shelf. in fact, I need an entire bookcase for just my comics.
What's the one good thing about all the comic/gaming/bookstores getting way in over their heads in the manga craze? Now it's all on sale. People keep asking me why I don't go to B&N to buy all this stuff, because "of course" they have it:
1. B&N isn't so good about carrying early issues in long running series. With 87 issues of Fruit's Basket, Naruto, and Negima, that there isn't much room left for more interesting stuff.
2. I'd rather give my $$ to independently run businesses. Even if I have to drive further.
and now, for the list of new goodies:
Read or Die volumes 2 & 3, by Shutaro Yamada. They had some Read or Dream (the sisters) too, but no one seems to have volume one of that series.
Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 22 by Hiromu Arakawa. Wow she's coming out with these later issues fast! Good, because I'm kinda ready for a final showdown.
Nana, vol 3 by Ai Yazawa. I just can't get enough of Ms Yazawa. Why her earlier stuff hasn't been translated into English, I'll never know. We were about to check out at the store when husband says "look at all the Nana they have, that you don't have!" jerk.
Blade of the Immortal, vol 1, by Hiroaki Samura. I've heard good things about this series, but other than that, don't know a thing about it. The artwork is less cartoony, more artsy, which is very refreshing.
Basilisk, vol 1, by Futaro Yamada & Masaki Segawa. They ran the anime on TV a few years ago, and since I kept missing episodes, It was impossible to keep track of all the characters in the Fuedal love story. Kind of Fuedal Japan meets Romeo & Juliet? The really nice thing about Manga vs Anima - if you forget who someone is, you can always go back a few pages!
Ludwig II, by You Higuri. It has two very handsome gentlemen on the cover, and the blurb on the back promises a historic backdrop for the story of King Ludwig II of Bavaria's trials and tribulations with love and loss. After I read it, husband asks "It's got a lot of history, right?" Sure. sure it does. Rated M for Mature.
I need another manga shelf. in fact, I need an entire bookcase for just my comics.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
finally some food for thought.
i accidentally made crossiant bread. the recipe was for baguette, but some how i ended up with crossaints. maybe it was the half stick of butter? okay, so not what i wanted, but it was easy, smelled divine, and tasted really good too. and it was my first successful overnight rise!
twas the night before:
in a large bowl mix 1 and 1/3 cup flour, a packet of yeast, and enough warm water to form a very thick batter. cover and leave at room temperature overnight for 10 to 14 hours. it will be bubbly and gooey in the morning, and smell like you just walked into panera.
you just made a starter!
the next morning add 2 and 1/2 cups flour, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar and 4 tbsp room temperature butter to the batter and mix well. add enough water to make a soft dough, and let sit for one hour. after an hour, form into two baguettes and let rise for another hour on a greased cookie sheet. preheat oven to 425. brush loaves with ice cold water and slash with a sharp knife. bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes.
I've never made better smelling bread, but it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a bread or a crossaint, which wasn't what i wanted. i think i'm going to try this recipe again but with half the butter, and see what happens.
a while ago, my husband made me the best Fried Rice I have ever had in my entire life. i could eat this stuff every day for the rest of my life. it's got all my favorite stuff - rice, veggies, pork, shrimp, how can you go wrong? and it avoids the soy sauce disaster of our last attempt with fried rice by not using any soy sauce at all.
The best fried rice
1/2 lb thick cut high quality deli ham, diced
1/2 lb ready to eat shrimp
2 tsp rice wine
1 tsp tapioca starch (we used corn starch because that's what we had)
1/2 tsp salt
6 dried mushrooms, such as porchini or shittake
bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snow peas, up to a cup each
3 green onions, chopped
4 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
6 tbsp oil
dash of salt & pepper
mix wine, starch and salt in a bowl, and marinate shrimp in this mixture for 15 minutes. soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes,then chop them, removing any tough parts.
heat 1 tbsp oil in wok, and scramble eggs until they are dry. remove them from the wok. add a few more tbsp oil and add onions, mushrooms, ham, shrimp and veggies. stir fry for a few minutes and then remove it all from the wok. add any remaining oil and the rice to the wok, along with a little salt & pepper, and stir fry the rice until it is covered in oil and beginning to color. mix everything else in, stir well, and enjoy!!!
not at all related to much of anything, but the library book bag is out of control. bets on weather i can read all this in 3 weeks? sure, the manga goes quick, but i'm betting against myself on the rest.
REvolutionary Girl Utena volumes 3 & 4
Et Cetera volumes 1& 2
Nodame Cantabile volumes 1 & 2
Iron Council by China Mieville
Sackett's Land by Louis Lamour
Unruly Americans by Woody Holton
Artificial LIght by James Greer
twas the night before:
in a large bowl mix 1 and 1/3 cup flour, a packet of yeast, and enough warm water to form a very thick batter. cover and leave at room temperature overnight for 10 to 14 hours. it will be bubbly and gooey in the morning, and smell like you just walked into panera.
you just made a starter!
the next morning add 2 and 1/2 cups flour, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar and 4 tbsp room temperature butter to the batter and mix well. add enough water to make a soft dough, and let sit for one hour. after an hour, form into two baguettes and let rise for another hour on a greased cookie sheet. preheat oven to 425. brush loaves with ice cold water and slash with a sharp knife. bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes.
I've never made better smelling bread, but it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a bread or a crossaint, which wasn't what i wanted. i think i'm going to try this recipe again but with half the butter, and see what happens.
a while ago, my husband made me the best Fried Rice I have ever had in my entire life. i could eat this stuff every day for the rest of my life. it's got all my favorite stuff - rice, veggies, pork, shrimp, how can you go wrong? and it avoids the soy sauce disaster of our last attempt with fried rice by not using any soy sauce at all.
The best fried rice
1/2 lb thick cut high quality deli ham, diced
1/2 lb ready to eat shrimp
2 tsp rice wine
1 tsp tapioca starch (we used corn starch because that's what we had)
1/2 tsp salt
6 dried mushrooms, such as porchini or shittake
bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snow peas, up to a cup each
3 green onions, chopped
4 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
6 tbsp oil
dash of salt & pepper
mix wine, starch and salt in a bowl, and marinate shrimp in this mixture for 15 minutes. soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes,then chop them, removing any tough parts.
heat 1 tbsp oil in wok, and scramble eggs until they are dry. remove them from the wok. add a few more tbsp oil and add onions, mushrooms, ham, shrimp and veggies. stir fry for a few minutes and then remove it all from the wok. add any remaining oil and the rice to the wok, along with a little salt & pepper, and stir fry the rice until it is covered in oil and beginning to color. mix everything else in, stir well, and enjoy!!!
not at all related to much of anything, but the library book bag is out of control. bets on weather i can read all this in 3 weeks? sure, the manga goes quick, but i'm betting against myself on the rest.
REvolutionary Girl Utena volumes 3 & 4
Et Cetera volumes 1& 2
Nodame Cantabile volumes 1 & 2
Iron Council by China Mieville
Sackett's Land by Louis Lamour
Unruly Americans by Woody Holton
Artificial LIght by James Greer
Sunday, May 25, 2008
i have no attention span
two whole days off from work? what will i do with myself? i haven't slept in for two days in a row since. . . January, i think. Yeesh, i don't think i've slept in for one day in a row since about then. Let's see. . . time off work and money in my pocket. . if you guessed "books!" you won! i'll send you a cookie or something.
and since my attention span has withered to zero (what were we talking about?) the only thing better than books is comic books! i meant to guy buy some nice work shirts, intead i spent $25 at the comic book shop, and "impressed" the clerk with my arcane and useless knowledge of Fullmetal Alchemist (if by impressed, you mean convinced him i'm even more of a nerd than he thought. all i need now is braces and a lisp).
purchased:
Fullmetal Alchemist #14
Action Philosophers #1
Serenity #2 and #3
For those of you who like learning, but like me have zero attention span, i highly recommend Action Philosophers. it's like cliffs notes, but with pictures. and humor. i can't think of a better way to spend $8.
all those comics. . . this means the only actual "book" book i'm reading right now is "Good Omens", by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. it got mixed reviews when it came out. . . i'll let you know what i think when i get there.
finished reading a galley copy of Stephen Brust's newest, Jhegaala. review to show up. . . eventually. speaking of reviews, here's one for Jumper by Steven Gould. Yes, it's the same Jumper as that movie that came out a few months ago. i tried to give the book a neural, rather non-committal review. actually, it was pretty awful, and i don't recommend it. what was really funny was there was some screen shots from the movie on the back of the book, featuring a character who is in the movie, but not in the book. funny, or stupid?
the hubby and i watched one of our favorite films last night - The Last of The Mohicans. i think that's going to be my next serious literature read. if i can only find a copy. might be a birthday present for myself.
and since my attention span has withered to zero (what were we talking about?) the only thing better than books is comic books! i meant to guy buy some nice work shirts, intead i spent $25 at the comic book shop, and "impressed" the clerk with my arcane and useless knowledge of Fullmetal Alchemist (if by impressed, you mean convinced him i'm even more of a nerd than he thought. all i need now is braces and a lisp).
purchased:
Fullmetal Alchemist #14
Action Philosophers #1
Serenity #2 and #3
For those of you who like learning, but like me have zero attention span, i highly recommend Action Philosophers. it's like cliffs notes, but with pictures. and humor. i can't think of a better way to spend $8.
all those comics. . . this means the only actual "book" book i'm reading right now is "Good Omens", by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. it got mixed reviews when it came out. . . i'll let you know what i think when i get there.
finished reading a galley copy of Stephen Brust's newest, Jhegaala. review to show up. . . eventually. speaking of reviews, here's one for Jumper by Steven Gould. Yes, it's the same Jumper as that movie that came out a few months ago. i tried to give the book a neural, rather non-committal review. actually, it was pretty awful, and i don't recommend it. what was really funny was there was some screen shots from the movie on the back of the book, featuring a character who is in the movie, but not in the book. funny, or stupid?
the hubby and i watched one of our favorite films last night - The Last of The Mohicans. i think that's going to be my next serious literature read. if i can only find a copy. might be a birthday present for myself.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
random thoughts
plently of randomness going on today. it's like one of those link sections on Whitney Matheson's Blog that i love so much.
A. posted a review of Matthew Peterson's Paraworld Zero here. i hope if they ever do another press run, or Peterson gets hooked up with a larger publisher, they put some better cover art on that thing. and if my only complaint is the cover art, than it's got to be pretty decent. and it was. except for all the god stuff. there wasn't much god stuff, just enough to annoy me, in my evil atheistic ways. if your kid likes Star Wars or Harry Potter, they are going to have a ball with this.
B. The culling of the list. i culled my MySpace friend list from about 200, down to 42. if i can't figure out how i know you, you got culled. i'm feeling old. and junk mail bulletins from strangers wasn't making me feel any younger.
C. i bought whole wheat flour! now what can i do with this stuff? i made the basic whole wheat bread recipe on the back of the container, and it came out pretty bleh. nice texture, but had all the attitude of cardboard.
D. found a new resale shop in town. god i love these places. and i bought a cute "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" t-shirt for a few bucks. probably made in China. at the expense of the air quality in California. go read this article in Mother Jones.
E. to feel better, i bought some manga, and a bread cookbook. hopefully now i can figure out what do with the remaining four pounds of whole wheat flour. Although i did have to push my way through the throng of canoodling teenagers and tweens in front of the manga/graphic novel section at B&N. get out of my way! old married woman needs her fix! and the losers didn't even have the volume i was looking for. I ended up at the locally run, locally owned comic shop down the street. i should really just go there first. they've got friendlier cashiers, too.
A. posted a review of Matthew Peterson's Paraworld Zero here. i hope if they ever do another press run, or Peterson gets hooked up with a larger publisher, they put some better cover art on that thing. and if my only complaint is the cover art, than it's got to be pretty decent. and it was. except for all the god stuff. there wasn't much god stuff, just enough to annoy me, in my evil atheistic ways. if your kid likes Star Wars or Harry Potter, they are going to have a ball with this.
B. The culling of the list. i culled my MySpace friend list from about 200, down to 42. if i can't figure out how i know you, you got culled. i'm feeling old. and junk mail bulletins from strangers wasn't making me feel any younger.
C. i bought whole wheat flour! now what can i do with this stuff? i made the basic whole wheat bread recipe on the back of the container, and it came out pretty bleh. nice texture, but had all the attitude of cardboard.
D. found a new resale shop in town. god i love these places. and i bought a cute "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" t-shirt for a few bucks. probably made in China. at the expense of the air quality in California. go read this article in Mother Jones.
E. to feel better, i bought some manga, and a bread cookbook. hopefully now i can figure out what do with the remaining four pounds of whole wheat flour. Although i did have to push my way through the throng of canoodling teenagers and tweens in front of the manga/graphic novel section at B&N. get out of my way! old married woman needs her fix! and the losers didn't even have the volume i was looking for. I ended up at the locally run, locally owned comic shop down the street. i should really just go there first. they've got friendlier cashiers, too.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I made gloopy cookies.
well, they looked gloopy, and kind of gross, but tasted so good I've eaten like five of them so far, and I want more!
My hubby asked me to make him some oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't much care for oatmeal raising cookes (I'm more of a butter/sugar cookie girl myself), so I found a recipe, and started mixing.
Quick classic oatmeal cookies (adapted from the recipe in The Joy of Cooking)
preheat oven to 350. grease a few cookie sheets, or use nonstick cookie sheets.
in a medium bowl, combine the following:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
in a larger bowl, blend the following:
2 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
once that's well blended, add the flour mixture and blend well. again. now add:
1 1/2 cups chopped raisins
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
mix it all up till it looks all gloopy and gloppy. spoon heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheets, and press down a little with the back of the spoon. you should get 10-12 cookies per cookie sheet, and 40-50 cookies total. bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes, until just browned on top, and slightly firm. remove to racks to cool.
yeah, they look a little gross, but they are really yummy. i think next time i'm going to try this recipe with currants, or dates, or something other than raisins. just to see what happens.
got a handful of reviews up, my first official Manga reviews!
Blame!, Volume one. I couldn't figure out why this series has this name, since our main character, Killy, is just a guy trying to survive, and only kills cyborgs. turns out the word blame is a mistransliteration of the word blam, the sound Killy's gun makes when he blows away all those H.R. Giger-esque cyborgs.
Psychic Power Nanaki, volume I. this one was just so-so. has the potential to be a viable series, or just fall into iffyness. characters are pretty reminiscent of people already seen from this author. Is he pulling the same crossover stunt that CLAMP is known to do? can he pull it off?
St. Lunatic High School, Volume I. cute, and zany. I've read better, and I've read worse. i hope the author takes this beyond the "monster of the week" theme.
well, they looked gloopy, and kind of gross, but tasted so good I've eaten like five of them so far, and I want more!
My hubby asked me to make him some oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't much care for oatmeal raising cookes (I'm more of a butter/sugar cookie girl myself), so I found a recipe, and started mixing.
Quick classic oatmeal cookies (adapted from the recipe in The Joy of Cooking)
preheat oven to 350. grease a few cookie sheets, or use nonstick cookie sheets.
in a medium bowl, combine the following:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
in a larger bowl, blend the following:
2 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
once that's well blended, add the flour mixture and blend well. again. now add:
1 1/2 cups chopped raisins
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
mix it all up till it looks all gloopy and gloppy. spoon heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheets, and press down a little with the back of the spoon. you should get 10-12 cookies per cookie sheet, and 40-50 cookies total. bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes, until just browned on top, and slightly firm. remove to racks to cool.
yeah, they look a little gross, but they are really yummy. i think next time i'm going to try this recipe with currants, or dates, or something other than raisins. just to see what happens.
got a handful of reviews up, my first official Manga reviews!
Blame!, Volume one. I couldn't figure out why this series has this name, since our main character, Killy, is just a guy trying to survive, and only kills cyborgs. turns out the word blame is a mistransliteration of the word blam, the sound Killy's gun makes when he blows away all those H.R. Giger-esque cyborgs.
Psychic Power Nanaki, volume I. this one was just so-so. has the potential to be a viable series, or just fall into iffyness. characters are pretty reminiscent of people already seen from this author. Is he pulling the same crossover stunt that CLAMP is known to do? can he pull it off?
St. Lunatic High School, Volume I. cute, and zany. I've read better, and I've read worse. i hope the author takes this beyond the "monster of the week" theme.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
glorious proportions
my "to be read" pile has loomed to glorious proportions. should keep me busy for the 11 days (yes, that's ELEVEN) days that i'm on vacation, starting this saturday!
The Future Happens Twice, by Matt Browne (currenly half way through. it's a crazy long book!)
Paraworld Zero, by Matthew Peterson
Voices from the Street, by Philip K Dick (currently about 100 pages in)
Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (i quickly read the first 5 pages when my friend lent me this book, and i'm already hooked)
Blame! Vol 1, by Tsutomu Nihei
St. Lunatic High School, Vol 1, by Majiko
Psychic Power Nanaki Vol 1, by Ryo Saenagi
i loves me manga!
this pile of books is so beautifully tall it blocks the view of the tv if i'm lying on the couch.
i was going to create and post a lovely collage of the book covers, but i just realized, this new hard drive doesn't have photoshop on it. poop. i'll try to get something up, eventually.
The Future Happens Twice, by Matt Browne (currenly half way through. it's a crazy long book!)
Paraworld Zero, by Matthew Peterson
Voices from the Street, by Philip K Dick (currently about 100 pages in)
Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (i quickly read the first 5 pages when my friend lent me this book, and i'm already hooked)
Blame! Vol 1, by Tsutomu Nihei
St. Lunatic High School, Vol 1, by Majiko
Psychic Power Nanaki Vol 1, by Ryo Saenagi
i loves me manga!
this pile of books is so beautifully tall it blocks the view of the tv if i'm lying on the couch.
i was going to create and post a lovely collage of the book covers, but i just realized, this new hard drive doesn't have photoshop on it. poop. i'll try to get something up, eventually.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Yup, still a fangirl.
i have no excuse for not posting. i am lame. was working, was travelling. can't wait to upload pictures. still, no excuse.
recent fangirl purchases:
Fullmetal Alchemist Anime volumes 1-4
Tsubasa Anime volume 1
Fullmetal Alchemist Manga volume 11
Tsubasa manga volume 4
other purchases, not exactly fangirl related:
The Alchemist's Kitchen, by Guy Ogilvy (OK, maybe that was a little fangirl related) and The book of Jhereg, by Steven Brust.
alright, so that Steven Brust book is more for my other half, but i'm sure i'll read it too. Just finished reading George R R Martin's A Storm of Swords, and still plowing through Dreamsongs II. i love this man! my only beef with aSoIaF is everytime i say "that person is my favorite character!", they end up dead. Which means Jaime is next. So long as he takes Cersei with him. . .
Stay tuned for photos from my trip, photos of my bookcases, and more good reads! unfortunately, not much time for cooking lately. been travelling to the 'rents, and a visit to Mom means a few boxes of books are on the way. can't wait to see what she sends!
recent fangirl purchases:
Fullmetal Alchemist Anime volumes 1-4
Tsubasa Anime volume 1
Fullmetal Alchemist Manga volume 11
Tsubasa manga volume 4
other purchases, not exactly fangirl related:
The Alchemist's Kitchen, by Guy Ogilvy (OK, maybe that was a little fangirl related) and The book of Jhereg, by Steven Brust.
alright, so that Steven Brust book is more for my other half, but i'm sure i'll read it too. Just finished reading George R R Martin's A Storm of Swords, and still plowing through Dreamsongs II. i love this man! my only beef with aSoIaF is everytime i say "that person is my favorite character!", they end up dead. Which means Jaime is next. So long as he takes Cersei with him. . .
Stay tuned for photos from my trip, photos of my bookcases, and more good reads! unfortunately, not much time for cooking lately. been travelling to the 'rents, and a visit to Mom means a few boxes of books are on the way. can't wait to see what she sends!
Monday, September 3, 2007
been MIA
yes, yes, i know i've been MIA for a while. i've been, uhhh. . . . Martining. martinizing? martin-ing?
finished the first Dreamsongs book. I'm not supposed to talk about it till the review is published. suffice to say, Martin rocks my world. i think if he and I were to have dinner sometime, we would get along nicely.
finished A Clash of Kings. this i can talk about all day! my favorite characters didn't make as much of an appearance as I'd have liked: Catylen, Arya, Daenarys, and Jon Snow. I shouldn't complain too much, as those characters did get their chapters, but not enough. Tyrion is becoming a fast favorite to root for, but then i remember what happened when I was rooting for Eddard all that time. I laugh everytime the boys play at war, because i figure Daenarys is just going to show up one day and kick all their asses (as soon as she manages to get herself, 3 baby dragons, and a nomadic army who is deathly afraid of water, across a few thousand miles worth of ocean, that is). Adorable little Arya is goofing around with one of Robert's bastard boys, and Jon-boy is soon to inherit all of the North. if those kids play their cards right, they could be the start of their own little dynasty. so long as they don't get killed/poisoned/maimed/ first. don't tell me what happens. i've got too much in my too-be-read pile to go get the third book right now. but i will read it, i promise.
and when i finish all the Martin i can get my hands on, there is always this:
started Harrison's Nova Swing. another one I'm not supposed to talk about till the review is published (next month! eek! i better get my butt in gear!). lots of beautiful metaphors.
read Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. I can't believe i hadn't read this yet. Gaiman does contemporary mythology like no one else. and this book is hilarious. go find a copy. your library probably has is. i'm still deathly scared of spiders. Anansi be damned. i squish spiders when i find them inside my apartment.
i get all my books from the library, but i spend actual money on my manga. how crazy is that?
damn you, ladies of CLAMP! what heroin is in your manga that i must spend all my hard earned money on your trite plot-lines, lack of read physics, adorable yet hilarious characters who are forlorn and heartbroken, and whose vulnerability makes them all the more attractive? not to mention i totally want Yuko's wardrobe. I am now the proud owner of the first 3 volumes of Tsubasa. they make those early edition 3 volume issues so damn cheap, you can't help but get 3 volumes for the price of one. but then you are addicted, and must buy more!!! when is barnes and noble going to start mailing out those 10% off coupons, or $5 coupons, like Bed bath & beyond does??? cuz i think those store managers get mad at me when i spend three hours in the graphic novel area, reading manga but not buying any. althuogh i do make purchasing suggestions to teenagers with money.
Super Easy Enchiladas.
you need cooked chicken for this. a great dish the day after you bbq'd a bunch of chicken. it would probably be good with leftover thanksgiving turkey too.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small/medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small can diced chiles (use the medium or hot ones, the mild is too mild)
1 cup chopped and seeded tomato
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
sea salt
8 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups shredded cheese (your choice of what you use)
one single sized serving container of plain yogurt
10 soft shell tortillas, 6-7" across. it's OK to use 12 if that's what's in the package.
preheat oven to 350. heat 2 tbsp oil in large skillet. cook onion and garlic till soft. add chiles, tomato, cilantro and good pinch of sea salt. stir. simmer 15 minutes till it thickens some. (you want as little tomato juice as possible in there). in a small bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, yogurt, and chicken. grease a large baking dish. fill each tortilla with an equal amount of the cheese-chicken mix, and roll up the tortillas, placing them seam side down in the baking dish.
cramming them all in the baking dish should help them stay rolled up. pour the tomato mixture over the tortillas, and put in the oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. remove from the oven, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and then put back in the oven for another 5 minutes. let sit a few minutes before serving.
see? super easy.
finished the first Dreamsongs book. I'm not supposed to talk about it till the review is published. suffice to say, Martin rocks my world. i think if he and I were to have dinner sometime, we would get along nicely.
finished A Clash of Kings. this i can talk about all day! my favorite characters didn't make as much of an appearance as I'd have liked: Catylen, Arya, Daenarys, and Jon Snow. I shouldn't complain too much, as those characters did get their chapters, but not enough. Tyrion is becoming a fast favorite to root for, but then i remember what happened when I was rooting for Eddard all that time. I laugh everytime the boys play at war, because i figure Daenarys is just going to show up one day and kick all their asses (as soon as she manages to get herself, 3 baby dragons, and a nomadic army who is deathly afraid of water, across a few thousand miles worth of ocean, that is). Adorable little Arya is goofing around with one of Robert's bastard boys, and Jon-boy is soon to inherit all of the North. if those kids play their cards right, they could be the start of their own little dynasty. so long as they don't get killed/poisoned/maimed/ first. don't tell me what happens. i've got too much in my too-be-read pile to go get the third book right now. but i will read it, i promise.
and when i finish all the Martin i can get my hands on, there is always this:
started Harrison's Nova Swing. another one I'm not supposed to talk about till the review is published (next month! eek! i better get my butt in gear!). lots of beautiful metaphors.
read Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. I can't believe i hadn't read this yet. Gaiman does contemporary mythology like no one else. and this book is hilarious. go find a copy. your library probably has is. i'm still deathly scared of spiders. Anansi be damned. i squish spiders when i find them inside my apartment.
i get all my books from the library, but i spend actual money on my manga. how crazy is that?
damn you, ladies of CLAMP! what heroin is in your manga that i must spend all my hard earned money on your trite plot-lines, lack of read physics, adorable yet hilarious characters who are forlorn and heartbroken, and whose vulnerability makes them all the more attractive? not to mention i totally want Yuko's wardrobe. I am now the proud owner of the first 3 volumes of Tsubasa. they make those early edition 3 volume issues so damn cheap, you can't help but get 3 volumes for the price of one. but then you are addicted, and must buy more!!! when is barnes and noble going to start mailing out those 10% off coupons, or $5 coupons, like Bed bath & beyond does??? cuz i think those store managers get mad at me when i spend three hours in the graphic novel area, reading manga but not buying any. althuogh i do make purchasing suggestions to teenagers with money.
Super Easy Enchiladas.
you need cooked chicken for this. a great dish the day after you bbq'd a bunch of chicken. it would probably be good with leftover thanksgiving turkey too.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small/medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small can diced chiles (use the medium or hot ones, the mild is too mild)
1 cup chopped and seeded tomato
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
sea salt
8 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups shredded cheese (your choice of what you use)
one single sized serving container of plain yogurt
10 soft shell tortillas, 6-7" across. it's OK to use 12 if that's what's in the package.
preheat oven to 350. heat 2 tbsp oil in large skillet. cook onion and garlic till soft. add chiles, tomato, cilantro and good pinch of sea salt. stir. simmer 15 minutes till it thickens some. (you want as little tomato juice as possible in there). in a small bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, yogurt, and chicken. grease a large baking dish. fill each tortilla with an equal amount of the cheese-chicken mix, and roll up the tortillas, placing them seam side down in the baking dish.
cramming them all in the baking dish should help them stay rolled up. pour the tomato mixture over the tortillas, and put in the oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. remove from the oven, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and then put back in the oven for another 5 minutes. let sit a few minutes before serving.
see? super easy.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
I'm not reading Harry Potter.
I'm not reading Harry Potter.
i will, eventually, just not right now. and holy crap it's been three weeks since i posted something. that is totally lame. i know, i'll use the "i was on vacation" excuse! it works everytime!
it's summer. too hot to turn the oven on. but i need something to take to a pot luck. and my friend is vegetarian. a ha! got the perfect thing!
Chickpea Salad
1 large can chickpeas, drained.
3 green onions, chopped
half a cucumber, seeded and chopped
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped.
half a bunch of parsley, chopped.
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mint
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of sea salt
black pepper
blend all ingredients, and chill a few hours. taste, and add more salt or pepper as needed. Yes, this is very similar to Tabbouli, but i think it's better.
The super quick version of the last three weeks of my life:
I finished Peter Watt's Blindsight, click there for the review. I finished this book in like 3 days, because it was more addictive than heroin, and really frackin' good. (I was reading this book "under the influence", by the way) It's putting me further and further down the path of jaded, i'm afraid. take for example, The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor. I have no idea if the book was crap compared to Blindsight, or if it was just crap to begin with (i'm going towards the latter). Beddor said he was aiming for young adult, which is fine, but I just don't know how many 12 year olds these days are familiar with Lewis Carroll. I also received my ARC of Gary Wassner's The Revenge of the Elves. Hokey name, great book. The prose is getting tighter, the stakes are higher. We're in the land of Robert Jordan here, but a quicker and slightly less painful payoff.
The Book of Names by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori looked like it would be The Davinci Code for Jews. .. you know, fun and fast? It was fast. but it was also insultingly stupid with characters as deep as a dried up puddle. I want my two days back.
DragonHead is a newish manga from Minetaro Mochizuki, about a train full of kids who are in a tunnel when there is a disaster and the tunnel caves in, derailing the train and killing most of the children. It wasn't drawn very well, but the story worked well. and one of those kids is totally creepy. this is a dark psychological thriller. you know those awful made for TV SciFi Channel movies? sometimes they work pretty well in manga. I'll be looking for more of this series.
Et Cetera is a not so newish manga from Tow Nakazaki. Polar opposite of Dragonhead, this is more slapstick western. not one I'll be looking for more of. I've seen funny western done good, and this wasn't it.
what, no token mention of my obsession, Fullmetal Alchemist, and how many volumes I purchased in the last few weeks? If any of you work in a bookstore, you are sure to have seen those abnoxious teenagers who stand in the graphic novel section, reading their favorite manga, then they put it back on the shelf, and walk out of your store without spending any money. I was that kid. . .er, person. i'm actually pretty impressed with myself, that i stood in the same spot for about 3 hours, and caught up with my dear Fullmetal. He's killing humunculous left and right, he's found his dad, he's growing up, and getting into the habit of running around without his shirt on. Nice. when's the next volume come out?
I got some goodies from the library earlier today. stay tuned till next time, for updates on Hal Duncan's Vellum, China Mieville's Un Lun Dun, Cormac McCarthy's The Road (we had it first, Oprah!) and Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora.
and maybe one of these days i'll give up my secret bagel recipe. or maybe not!
i will, eventually, just not right now. and holy crap it's been three weeks since i posted something. that is totally lame. i know, i'll use the "i was on vacation" excuse! it works everytime!
it's summer. too hot to turn the oven on. but i need something to take to a pot luck. and my friend is vegetarian. a ha! got the perfect thing!
Chickpea Salad
1 large can chickpeas, drained.
3 green onions, chopped
half a cucumber, seeded and chopped
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped.
half a bunch of parsley, chopped.
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mint
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of sea salt
black pepper
blend all ingredients, and chill a few hours. taste, and add more salt or pepper as needed. Yes, this is very similar to Tabbouli, but i think it's better.
The super quick version of the last three weeks of my life:
I finished Peter Watt's Blindsight, click there for the review. I finished this book in like 3 days, because it was more addictive than heroin, and really frackin' good. (I was reading this book "under the influence", by the way) It's putting me further and further down the path of jaded, i'm afraid. take for example, The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor. I have no idea if the book was crap compared to Blindsight, or if it was just crap to begin with (i'm going towards the latter). Beddor said he was aiming for young adult, which is fine, but I just don't know how many 12 year olds these days are familiar with Lewis Carroll. I also received my ARC of Gary Wassner's The Revenge of the Elves. Hokey name, great book. The prose is getting tighter, the stakes are higher. We're in the land of Robert Jordan here, but a quicker and slightly less painful payoff.
The Book of Names by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori looked like it would be The Davinci Code for Jews. .. you know, fun and fast? It was fast. but it was also insultingly stupid with characters as deep as a dried up puddle. I want my two days back.
DragonHead is a newish manga from Minetaro Mochizuki, about a train full of kids who are in a tunnel when there is a disaster and the tunnel caves in, derailing the train and killing most of the children. It wasn't drawn very well, but the story worked well. and one of those kids is totally creepy. this is a dark psychological thriller. you know those awful made for TV SciFi Channel movies? sometimes they work pretty well in manga. I'll be looking for more of this series.
Et Cetera is a not so newish manga from Tow Nakazaki. Polar opposite of Dragonhead, this is more slapstick western. not one I'll be looking for more of. I've seen funny western done good, and this wasn't it.
what, no token mention of my obsession, Fullmetal Alchemist, and how many volumes I purchased in the last few weeks? If any of you work in a bookstore, you are sure to have seen those abnoxious teenagers who stand in the graphic novel section, reading their favorite manga, then they put it back on the shelf, and walk out of your store without spending any money. I was that kid. . .er, person. i'm actually pretty impressed with myself, that i stood in the same spot for about 3 hours, and caught up with my dear Fullmetal. He's killing humunculous left and right, he's found his dad, he's growing up, and getting into the habit of running around without his shirt on. Nice. when's the next volume come out?
I got some goodies from the library earlier today. stay tuned till next time, for updates on Hal Duncan's Vellum, China Mieville's Un Lun Dun, Cormac McCarthy's The Road (we had it first, Oprah!) and Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora.
and maybe one of these days i'll give up my secret bagel recipe. or maybe not!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
the comicbook addiction
Not sure how long this post will be, as I have limited internet time today, and bread rising in the oven. See below for easy French cooking.
ARCs recently received:
Pandora’s Closet, a book of short stories involving the Pandora’s box mythology. I’m looking forward to the Timothy Zahn entry. The Kevin J Anderson entry, not so much.
The Clean Tech Revolution, by Ron Pernick & Clint Wilder – Pernick runs a California sustainable energy investment firm, and this is his research into the sustainable energy industries: who is doing what, and where, and where is the money coming from. Being a tree hugger has nothing to do with being altruistic. I’ve read the solar and wind power chapters. Interesting in a dry, econ kind of way. But damn, I wish I’d gotten that engineering degree. Look at all the cool jobs I could have applied for!
Book purchased recently:
Note to self: when visiting fanfare, bring $22. (two $10 books, plus tax). Leave all other cash and credit cards at home. Otherwise this is what happens:
Fullmetal Alchemist volumes 6, 7 and 8. They started creation of the anime around volume 7. Which means the manga plotline and the anime plotline don't really match anymore. Ed and Al are still finding trouble, everywhere, and have gone to spend some time with their teacher, Izumi. I love Izumi, she's one of my favorite characters. Al hooks up with some Chimera, who are cool people, but they work for Greed, who is well, greedy. Marta could have been a good friend for Al. They have a longer relationship in the anime. Greed gets to bite the big one about 20 times (hey, whose that guy in the chair??), and Al gets his creepy memory back. Who needs a stupid circle now! Some brand spankin’ new characters from Xing show up. I don’t know how I feel about these new characters. Did Arakawa feel she had to completely depart from the Anime story line? I trust her. . . wait a minute, back to Izumi. . . i think she's my favorite character, but i'm not sre. Damn you Arakawa, why do you have to make it so hard for me to have a handful of favorite characters? I love them all! I think i am now caught up with all the books that aren't quite still in print. and have you seen the cover to volume 13?? it's kinda hot.
Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Foglio – steampunk/gaslight action adventure mad scientist romance with armed guards who talk like they’re in a bad Dracula flick. Did you get all that? Phil Foglio ROCKS. You know, I was just expecting dirty humor and inside jokes. Nope. This baby’s got fun art, an adorable plot, and hilarious dialogue. And supposedly the narrator at the beginning is a self portrait of Phil himself?
One more goodie on the plate:
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke – I’d heard this was “Harry Potter” for grownups. More like Victor Hugo does Harry Potter. Stodgy Britons in the early 1800s argue over servants and carriages. Occasional magic is done to beat that dastardly Napoleon. I’m about ¾ through, and still waiting for some interesting conflict. Stay tuned for a full length review. It’s the least I can do for a 800 page+ novel.
Now, on to the real plate. I love my Provincial French cookbook. Everything is way easier than it looks, I’ve heard of most of the ingredients, and it’s all so damn good.
Burgundy Chicken – serves four
2 tbsp butter
4 chicken legs
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup white Burgundy or Chardonnay wine
1 tsp thyme
salt & pepper
8oz seedless green grapes, cut in half
¼ cup half n half
some parsley (garnish)
before starting, make sure all the chicken will fit in the pan. If you use chicken that has some skin on it, which I recommend, you’ll have some shrinkage.
melt butter in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and cook till browned all over (they don’t need to cook through). Remove chicken to a plate. Add shallots and cook till soft. Return chicken to pan, add wine, thyme, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. The chicken should be tender and nearly falling off the bone. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the grapes to the sauce, and boil the sauce till it thickens slightly. add the half and half, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring. Pour sauce over the Chicken, garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Excellent with garlic roasted potatoes, Gratin Savoyard, and crusty french bread to soak up all that divine sauce!
ARCs recently received:
Pandora’s Closet, a book of short stories involving the Pandora’s box mythology. I’m looking forward to the Timothy Zahn entry. The Kevin J Anderson entry, not so much.
The Clean Tech Revolution, by Ron Pernick & Clint Wilder – Pernick runs a California sustainable energy investment firm, and this is his research into the sustainable energy industries: who is doing what, and where, and where is the money coming from. Being a tree hugger has nothing to do with being altruistic. I’ve read the solar and wind power chapters. Interesting in a dry, econ kind of way. But damn, I wish I’d gotten that engineering degree. Look at all the cool jobs I could have applied for!
Book purchased recently:
Note to self: when visiting fanfare, bring $22. (two $10 books, plus tax). Leave all other cash and credit cards at home. Otherwise this is what happens:
Fullmetal Alchemist volumes 6, 7 and 8. They started creation of the anime around volume 7. Which means the manga plotline and the anime plotline don't really match anymore. Ed and Al are still finding trouble, everywhere, and have gone to spend some time with their teacher, Izumi. I love Izumi, she's one of my favorite characters. Al hooks up with some Chimera, who are cool people, but they work for Greed, who is well, greedy. Marta could have been a good friend for Al. They have a longer relationship in the anime. Greed gets to bite the big one about 20 times (hey, whose that guy in the chair??), and Al gets his creepy memory back. Who needs a stupid circle now! Some brand spankin’ new characters from Xing show up. I don’t know how I feel about these new characters. Did Arakawa feel she had to completely depart from the Anime story line? I trust her. . . wait a minute, back to Izumi. . . i think she's my favorite character, but i'm not sre. Damn you Arakawa, why do you have to make it so hard for me to have a handful of favorite characters? I love them all! I think i am now caught up with all the books that aren't quite still in print. and have you seen the cover to volume 13?? it's kinda hot.
Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Foglio – steampunk/gaslight action adventure mad scientist romance with armed guards who talk like they’re in a bad Dracula flick. Did you get all that? Phil Foglio ROCKS. You know, I was just expecting dirty humor and inside jokes. Nope. This baby’s got fun art, an adorable plot, and hilarious dialogue. And supposedly the narrator at the beginning is a self portrait of Phil himself?
One more goodie on the plate:
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke – I’d heard this was “Harry Potter” for grownups. More like Victor Hugo does Harry Potter. Stodgy Britons in the early 1800s argue over servants and carriages. Occasional magic is done to beat that dastardly Napoleon. I’m about ¾ through, and still waiting for some interesting conflict. Stay tuned for a full length review. It’s the least I can do for a 800 page+ novel.
Now, on to the real plate. I love my Provincial French cookbook. Everything is way easier than it looks, I’ve heard of most of the ingredients, and it’s all so damn good.
Burgundy Chicken – serves four
2 tbsp butter
4 chicken legs
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup white Burgundy or Chardonnay wine
1 tsp thyme
salt & pepper
8oz seedless green grapes, cut in half
¼ cup half n half
some parsley (garnish)
before starting, make sure all the chicken will fit in the pan. If you use chicken that has some skin on it, which I recommend, you’ll have some shrinkage.
melt butter in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and cook till browned all over (they don’t need to cook through). Remove chicken to a plate. Add shallots and cook till soft. Return chicken to pan, add wine, thyme, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. The chicken should be tender and nearly falling off the bone. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the grapes to the sauce, and boil the sauce till it thickens slightly. add the half and half, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring. Pour sauce over the Chicken, garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Excellent with garlic roasted potatoes, Gratin Savoyard, and crusty french bread to soak up all that divine sauce!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I need a life.
I got a LOT of reading done in the last week or so. Work slow down? Nothin’ on TV? None of my stuff in the Netflix queue? A little bit of all of the above. So here’s a go at quickly summing up some good and not so good books that have been on the horizon.
Oh my god, I got something from the library that wasn’t scifi! Or fantasy! Gimme a break, it had a pretty picture on the cover. Mozart’s Sister, by Nancy Moser follows the life of, yup, you guessed it, Mozart’s sister Nannerl (Anna Maria). When they were children, Papa Mozart carted them around Europe as child geniuses. Nannerl was the only one who didn’t know her future didn’t involve the stage, but a husband, a house, and babies. Quite the shock. Not having met a single other female who wasn’t a wife/mother/widow, she should have seen it coming, don’t you think? The writing had a modern feel to it, which really didn’t match the Mozart families traditional cathlolic values. Nannerl seems a woman out of place. Nancy Moser gave a little blurb at the end about how she got involved in the writing the story. She made her religious views pretty clear, and they don’t match my own. How awful is it, that I allow something like that to color my thoughts on a book? I read somewhere that a story can only live if the author is dead. Because the story should be about the damn story, not the author.
Back to Scifi, I also picked up The Secret City, by Carol Ermshwiller, who has won about a bazillion awards. Aliens who look pretty much just like humans have visited Earth, as “tourists”. They can blend in pretty well, and all expect to go home soon. When they are abandoned here, the next generation is born here, and they know nothing of their homeworld. When the rescuers do arrive, the earth-born aliens don’t want to go home, because Earth has become their home. The Secret City is a character driven novel, not much action, not much sciency-ness. The back cover says it’s “New Age”. I’m thinking I aughta avoid New Age for a while, or maybe take a break from character driven novels for once, and hook up with some fun easy action. Star Wars, anyone?
In the “continued from last time” section, I blew through CLAMP’s xxxHolic, and in fact, it was so fun, I think I might read it again. The crossover snippets are almost as sweet as Yuko’s wardrobe, I’m still trying to figure where one part of her kimono ends, and the next begins. Somone’s got to be working on liscencing this for an anime, but they’d probably screw it up. The more manga I read, the more I’m finding the anime versions are usually cheap (yet sexy) imitations. I’m amazed at how much more emotion Mangaka are able to convey through a black and white comic book, than through an animated tv show or movie. Still slogging through Frank Herbert’s White Plague. you know, this started out so good. After 100 pages or so, it went to crap. I own it, so I can slowly torture myself with the pedantic writing, crappy dialogue, and annoying characters. Herbert keeps introducting new minor characters, which is cool because many of them are interesting, but our main dude, John, is just a jerk. Yes, I realize he’s been through major trauma and may be suffering from multiple personality disorder, but Herbert hasn’t convinced me to care. Maybe there’s a cool gunfight or explosion at the end.
On the horizon: The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Bettor. Starts out with some super slick marker drawings of playing card soldiers. Very slick! Luckily, I’ve got Frank’s annoying intro letting me know he’s already working on the screenplay. Little cocky, are we? The 2nd Wheel of Time book The Great Hunt has also made it into my apartment, and my other half keeps telling how awesome it is. Damnit, I might be getting sucked into that annoying series.
Books, books books! I need some cookies!
Gotta give credit where credit is due, this recipe is stolen directly from The Joy of Cooking. Makes about 30 2.5” cookies, so I usually make a double batch.
You’ll need:
2 sticks butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar (brown or white)
0.5 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
2.5 cups flour
cream butter with sugar & salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Add the flour all at once, and stir until combined. It’ll be pretty heavy and a little cakey. Divide in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a few hours (over night is best). To make cookies, using about a tablespoon at a time, roll cold dough into a ball, and then flatten with the palm of your hand. bake on a rimmed cookie sheet at 375 for about 10-12 minutes, or until the tops dry out and the bottom edges just turn brown. Cool on wire racks, and keep in an airtight container.
This recipe is great, because you can add whatever flavorings you want. Any liquid flavorings like melted and cooled chocolate, orange zest, mint flavoring, peanut butter, nuts (nuts are oily, and are therefore liquids) should be added before you put the flour in. any dry flavorings, like spices (any spices that go in pie are great in cookies!), should be added with the flour. I usually use brown sugar, but I made a batch of mint cookies with white sugar, and they were delish! I’ll typically make four half-batches, so I can easily do four flavors. If you’re going to do a half batch, use one egg, and one egg yolk.
Oh my god, I got something from the library that wasn’t scifi! Or fantasy! Gimme a break, it had a pretty picture on the cover. Mozart’s Sister, by Nancy Moser follows the life of, yup, you guessed it, Mozart’s sister Nannerl (Anna Maria). When they were children, Papa Mozart carted them around Europe as child geniuses. Nannerl was the only one who didn’t know her future didn’t involve the stage, but a husband, a house, and babies. Quite the shock. Not having met a single other female who wasn’t a wife/mother/widow, she should have seen it coming, don’t you think? The writing had a modern feel to it, which really didn’t match the Mozart families traditional cathlolic values. Nannerl seems a woman out of place. Nancy Moser gave a little blurb at the end about how she got involved in the writing the story. She made her religious views pretty clear, and they don’t match my own. How awful is it, that I allow something like that to color my thoughts on a book? I read somewhere that a story can only live if the author is dead. Because the story should be about the damn story, not the author.
Back to Scifi, I also picked up The Secret City, by Carol Ermshwiller, who has won about a bazillion awards. Aliens who look pretty much just like humans have visited Earth, as “tourists”. They can blend in pretty well, and all expect to go home soon. When they are abandoned here, the next generation is born here, and they know nothing of their homeworld. When the rescuers do arrive, the earth-born aliens don’t want to go home, because Earth has become their home. The Secret City is a character driven novel, not much action, not much sciency-ness. The back cover says it’s “New Age”. I’m thinking I aughta avoid New Age for a while, or maybe take a break from character driven novels for once, and hook up with some fun easy action. Star Wars, anyone?
In the “continued from last time” section, I blew through CLAMP’s xxxHolic, and in fact, it was so fun, I think I might read it again. The crossover snippets are almost as sweet as Yuko’s wardrobe, I’m still trying to figure where one part of her kimono ends, and the next begins. Somone’s got to be working on liscencing this for an anime, but they’d probably screw it up. The more manga I read, the more I’m finding the anime versions are usually cheap (yet sexy) imitations. I’m amazed at how much more emotion Mangaka are able to convey through a black and white comic book, than through an animated tv show or movie. Still slogging through Frank Herbert’s White Plague. you know, this started out so good. After 100 pages or so, it went to crap. I own it, so I can slowly torture myself with the pedantic writing, crappy dialogue, and annoying characters. Herbert keeps introducting new minor characters, which is cool because many of them are interesting, but our main dude, John, is just a jerk. Yes, I realize he’s been through major trauma and may be suffering from multiple personality disorder, but Herbert hasn’t convinced me to care. Maybe there’s a cool gunfight or explosion at the end.
On the horizon: The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Bettor. Starts out with some super slick marker drawings of playing card soldiers. Very slick! Luckily, I’ve got Frank’s annoying intro letting me know he’s already working on the screenplay. Little cocky, are we? The 2nd Wheel of Time book The Great Hunt has also made it into my apartment, and my other half keeps telling how awesome it is. Damnit, I might be getting sucked into that annoying series.
Books, books books! I need some cookies!
Gotta give credit where credit is due, this recipe is stolen directly from The Joy of Cooking. Makes about 30 2.5” cookies, so I usually make a double batch.
You’ll need:
2 sticks butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar (brown or white)
0.5 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
2.5 cups flour
cream butter with sugar & salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Add the flour all at once, and stir until combined. It’ll be pretty heavy and a little cakey. Divide in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a few hours (over night is best). To make cookies, using about a tablespoon at a time, roll cold dough into a ball, and then flatten with the palm of your hand. bake on a rimmed cookie sheet at 375 for about 10-12 minutes, or until the tops dry out and the bottom edges just turn brown. Cool on wire racks, and keep in an airtight container.
This recipe is great, because you can add whatever flavorings you want. Any liquid flavorings like melted and cooled chocolate, orange zest, mint flavoring, peanut butter, nuts (nuts are oily, and are therefore liquids) should be added before you put the flour in. any dry flavorings, like spices (any spices that go in pie are great in cookies!), should be added with the flour. I usually use brown sugar, but I made a batch of mint cookies with white sugar, and they were delish! I’ll typically make four half-batches, so I can easily do four flavors. If you’re going to do a half batch, use one egg, and one egg yolk.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Just Desserts
I haven’t posted enough desserts. Scratch that, I haven’t posted enough easy desserts. If you can’t make this one, you shouldn’t have a kitchen. I’ve know this recipe since I was about 8 years old.
Rice crispie treats
1 stick butter
4 cups mini-marshmallows
6 cups rice crispies.
Melt the butter in a large pot over low-med heat. Add the marshmellows and stir well. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the rice crispies. Once it is well blended, pour into a large rectangular baking dish. Using wax paper, press down on the mixture so it flattens out and filled the bottom of the dish. Refridgerate till firm, cut with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Enjoy.
See? Wasn’t that easy? Damn. . . I need to go buy some rice crispies. Cuz now I really want some rice crispie treats! I know. . . books will distract me! Until I can find some healthy snack that doesn’t involve butter and sugar.
So I went to B&N over the weekend, hoping to find Fullmetal Alchemist volume 6, which appears to be out of print. Looks like I’m going to have to hit e-bay. It does appear, however that B&N is about the double or triple the size of their graphic novel/manga area. Take that you crappy romance section! I love manga. I spend more money on this crap during the year than I spend on clothes. So no FMA, but CLAMP is putting out 3 volume omnibus editions of some of their most popular Manga, and I am now the proud parent of xxxHolic, volumes 1-3! For $14! How can you beat that??? Damn you CLAMP, and your witty snarky romances, your intense fashion sense and your fabulous artwork! You sucked me into Tokyo Babylon, and now you’re doing the same thing with xxxHolic! Although I have no idea how to pronouce xxxHolic (ex-ex-ex-Holic? Ex-holic? Triple-ex-holic?) it’s a really fun story. Yuko is a witch of sorts, and she’ll grant you any wish you want, provided you really want it granted. Her price can be all sorts of things: your time, your memories, a portion of your soul. The more you want the wish to happen, the higher the price. Did I mention she’s got a set of soul-less freaky twins who work for her, a house full of goodies, and a wicked fashion sense? What I would give to Cosplay her! The CLAMP ladies have a fun habit of overlaying their plot-lines, as in Yuko mentions things that happen in Tokyo Babylon, and there is a LOT of crossover from their new baby, Tsubasa. Ladies of CLAMP, you’re going to get me to put out tons of cash to catch up on Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa, and the rest of Tokyo Babylon and xxxHolic, aren’t you?
If you skipped that paragraph because you’re not into Manga and you have no idea what I was talking about, this paragraph is for you. I’m also reading The White Plague by Frank Herbert. I’ve never read this before. I’d heard all sorts of bad things about it, but I’m quite liking it. it started out all fast and furious, mad man tries to get his revenge on the world, especially on those IRA nuts whose bombs killed his wife and children. Herbert’s characterization is strained, I know he can do better. When he’s talking about lunatic John O’Neill, he does a great job developing him a serial killer. And I kinda of want to feel bad for O’Neill, since now he’s got this split personality thing going on. But he’s such a damn bastard. And the worldwide plague thing is interesting. What else would force governments and peoples to work together, than a global plague that only kills you if you are of a certain nationality, and has 100% mortality in females? The conversations between government officials are fascinating, as they prepare to write off entire corners of the globe, just to save pockets elsewhere. Herbert, you are a master of the big picture. White plague? Kinda like black plague, except it turns your skin white, ‘steada black.
Also the plate for the next few weeks: still digging through that Cthulhu short story book. I’m finding that as much as I enjoy short sf/horror stories from the 20s and 30s, I don’t think I enjoy 300 pages of them. Question of the day: is Cthulhu over rated? And I got more. . . manga! From the library!
Rice crispie treats
1 stick butter
4 cups mini-marshmallows
6 cups rice crispies.
Melt the butter in a large pot over low-med heat. Add the marshmellows and stir well. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the rice crispies. Once it is well blended, pour into a large rectangular baking dish. Using wax paper, press down on the mixture so it flattens out and filled the bottom of the dish. Refridgerate till firm, cut with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Enjoy.
See? Wasn’t that easy? Damn. . . I need to go buy some rice crispies. Cuz now I really want some rice crispie treats! I know. . . books will distract me! Until I can find some healthy snack that doesn’t involve butter and sugar.
So I went to B&N over the weekend, hoping to find Fullmetal Alchemist volume 6, which appears to be out of print. Looks like I’m going to have to hit e-bay. It does appear, however that B&N is about the double or triple the size of their graphic novel/manga area. Take that you crappy romance section! I love manga. I spend more money on this crap during the year than I spend on clothes. So no FMA, but CLAMP is putting out 3 volume omnibus editions of some of their most popular Manga, and I am now the proud parent of xxxHolic, volumes 1-3! For $14! How can you beat that??? Damn you CLAMP, and your witty snarky romances, your intense fashion sense and your fabulous artwork! You sucked me into Tokyo Babylon, and now you’re doing the same thing with xxxHolic! Although I have no idea how to pronouce xxxHolic (ex-ex-ex-Holic? Ex-holic? Triple-ex-holic?) it’s a really fun story. Yuko is a witch of sorts, and she’ll grant you any wish you want, provided you really want it granted. Her price can be all sorts of things: your time, your memories, a portion of your soul. The more you want the wish to happen, the higher the price. Did I mention she’s got a set of soul-less freaky twins who work for her, a house full of goodies, and a wicked fashion sense? What I would give to Cosplay her! The CLAMP ladies have a fun habit of overlaying their plot-lines, as in Yuko mentions things that happen in Tokyo Babylon, and there is a LOT of crossover from their new baby, Tsubasa. Ladies of CLAMP, you’re going to get me to put out tons of cash to catch up on Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa, and the rest of Tokyo Babylon and xxxHolic, aren’t you?
If you skipped that paragraph because you’re not into Manga and you have no idea what I was talking about, this paragraph is for you. I’m also reading The White Plague by Frank Herbert. I’ve never read this before. I’d heard all sorts of bad things about it, but I’m quite liking it. it started out all fast and furious, mad man tries to get his revenge on the world, especially on those IRA nuts whose bombs killed his wife and children. Herbert’s characterization is strained, I know he can do better. When he’s talking about lunatic John O’Neill, he does a great job developing him a serial killer. And I kinda of want to feel bad for O’Neill, since now he’s got this split personality thing going on. But he’s such a damn bastard. And the worldwide plague thing is interesting. What else would force governments and peoples to work together, than a global plague that only kills you if you are of a certain nationality, and has 100% mortality in females? The conversations between government officials are fascinating, as they prepare to write off entire corners of the globe, just to save pockets elsewhere. Herbert, you are a master of the big picture. White plague? Kinda like black plague, except it turns your skin white, ‘steada black.
Also the plate for the next few weeks: still digging through that Cthulhu short story book. I’m finding that as much as I enjoy short sf/horror stories from the 20s and 30s, I don’t think I enjoy 300 pages of them. Question of the day: is Cthulhu over rated? And I got more. . . manga! From the library!
Monday, March 12, 2007
this is so terrible.
it's been a week, and i'm basically reading the same stuff as i was last time i posted. but it's not my fault! i was too busy reading comic books, i was out of town two days last week, i spent sunday making Challah, and hubby and I attempted making a chicken pot pie thingy. it was weird, but it tasted good. so more on my sad book reading, and cool comic books a little later.
what's Challah? it's an egg bread Jews make for the Sabbath, which for us runs friday night through saturday night. and since i never have time on Friday for bread to rise, i make Challah whenever i feel like it, usually sunday. i know, i know, it's really Purim, but i haven't yet perfected my Hamentashen recipe, so you can enjoy this easier to make Challah recipe instead. it's really very easy. and it tastes SO good.
this recipe makes 2 loaves of bread, which typically end up being slightly smaller than a regular loaf of bread. you can make free-form loaves, or you can put them in a loaf pan.
you'll need:
1/2 a packet dry active yeast (i usually pour the packet onto a plate, and separate it that way)
1 and 1/8 cup warm water
2 eggs plus 1 egg later
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, or shortening
4-5 cups flour. flour is funny, it depends on the batch, how dry your house is. . .make sure you've got some extra.
a little bit of olive oil
first of all, turn your oven on to it's lowest setting. as low as possible.
dissolve the yeast in the warm water. mix well, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
meanwhile, beat the egs in a very large bowl. add the honey, and beat it again. add the sugar, salt, and butter (or whatever) and beat well. add the yeast mixture, and beat again.
now add the flour, one cup at a time, till a dough forms. blend the last cup in with your hands. knead the dough for 15 minutes, adding more flour if it's too sticky. pour a little olive oil in the bowl, and roll the dough around in it, so it's lightly covered in oil.
turn the oven off.
cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in the over for about 3 hours. it should double in size. after 3 hours, take it out, punch it down, knead it some more, and form it into loaves.
the traditional Sabbath Challah is in a braided shape. if you don't know how to braid, ask your sister or your mom. whatever shape you decide to do, put it in a greased loaf pan, or on a greased cookie sheet, and put it back in the over for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, with the oven turned off.
see why this takes so long?
remember that egg we haven't used yet? beat it in a bowl. take the loaves out of the oven, and brush them with the raw egg. preheat the oven to 350, and put the loaves back in. they are done in about 35 minutes. using those glass loaf pans is great, because you can see how brown the bottom is.
this bread is SO good, and the yeast does all the work for you.
ok, on to books. i'm about half way through The Endless Knot, and i'm having trouble with it. i don't know if Lawhead was getting bored, or what. the foreshadowing is heavy, the plot feels contrived, it better have one of those hits-you-like-a-brick-wall endings, or i'm going to be really disappointed. i'm still annoyed from book II, where people from our world fell into Albion, and then it was really never touched on again. Mr Lawhead! this needs to be touched on more. like now! like, how about whoever kidnapped so and so (i don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it) is someone from our world, or something.
i'm a chapter or so from the end of China Meiville's King Rat. if you know a teenager who hates Harry Potter because it's all namby pamby, have them read this. blood, gore, violence, swear words, it's pretty cool. some of the characterization is better than others. you can tell which characters Mieville liked, and which ones he really didn't care for. I've heard his new book, Un LunDun is supposed to be closer to King Rat than anything else he's written, but i kinda hope not.
ah yes, comic books. or, as us smarty pants call them, graphic novels. oh come on, it's manga, or american manga wannabes. i wasted a good hour reading Rikdo Koshi's Excel Saga, and you know what? it was so rediculously silly and stupid, i think i'll read the 2nd one. it's a genre of manga that spoofs a lot of the super serious melodramatic plot lines. also in the comic pile was my buddy Paul Sizer's Little White Mouse. i say "my buddy". yeah right. I took his graphic design class at WMU in 1998. but i still see him around town! and he lets me buy him drinks! Little White Mouse is quite cool, as is his Moped Army comic. much better than it looks. He needs to put out the 2nd volume, like right now.
you! go make bread, and while it's rising, read cool stuff!!
it's been a week, and i'm basically reading the same stuff as i was last time i posted. but it's not my fault! i was too busy reading comic books, i was out of town two days last week, i spent sunday making Challah, and hubby and I attempted making a chicken pot pie thingy. it was weird, but it tasted good. so more on my sad book reading, and cool comic books a little later.
what's Challah? it's an egg bread Jews make for the Sabbath, which for us runs friday night through saturday night. and since i never have time on Friday for bread to rise, i make Challah whenever i feel like it, usually sunday. i know, i know, it's really Purim, but i haven't yet perfected my Hamentashen recipe, so you can enjoy this easier to make Challah recipe instead. it's really very easy. and it tastes SO good.
this recipe makes 2 loaves of bread, which typically end up being slightly smaller than a regular loaf of bread. you can make free-form loaves, or you can put them in a loaf pan.
you'll need:
1/2 a packet dry active yeast (i usually pour the packet onto a plate, and separate it that way)
1 and 1/8 cup warm water
2 eggs plus 1 egg later
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, or shortening
4-5 cups flour. flour is funny, it depends on the batch, how dry your house is. . .make sure you've got some extra.
a little bit of olive oil
first of all, turn your oven on to it's lowest setting. as low as possible.
dissolve the yeast in the warm water. mix well, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
meanwhile, beat the egs in a very large bowl. add the honey, and beat it again. add the sugar, salt, and butter (or whatever) and beat well. add the yeast mixture, and beat again.
now add the flour, one cup at a time, till a dough forms. blend the last cup in with your hands. knead the dough for 15 minutes, adding more flour if it's too sticky. pour a little olive oil in the bowl, and roll the dough around in it, so it's lightly covered in oil.
turn the oven off.
cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in the over for about 3 hours. it should double in size. after 3 hours, take it out, punch it down, knead it some more, and form it into loaves.
the traditional Sabbath Challah is in a braided shape. if you don't know how to braid, ask your sister or your mom. whatever shape you decide to do, put it in a greased loaf pan, or on a greased cookie sheet, and put it back in the over for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, with the oven turned off.
see why this takes so long?
remember that egg we haven't used yet? beat it in a bowl. take the loaves out of the oven, and brush them with the raw egg. preheat the oven to 350, and put the loaves back in. they are done in about 35 minutes. using those glass loaf pans is great, because you can see how brown the bottom is.
this bread is SO good, and the yeast does all the work for you.
ok, on to books. i'm about half way through The Endless Knot, and i'm having trouble with it. i don't know if Lawhead was getting bored, or what. the foreshadowing is heavy, the plot feels contrived, it better have one of those hits-you-like-a-brick-wall endings, or i'm going to be really disappointed. i'm still annoyed from book II, where people from our world fell into Albion, and then it was really never touched on again. Mr Lawhead! this needs to be touched on more. like now! like, how about whoever kidnapped so and so (i don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it) is someone from our world, or something.
i'm a chapter or so from the end of China Meiville's King Rat. if you know a teenager who hates Harry Potter because it's all namby pamby, have them read this. blood, gore, violence, swear words, it's pretty cool. some of the characterization is better than others. you can tell which characters Mieville liked, and which ones he really didn't care for. I've heard his new book, Un LunDun is supposed to be closer to King Rat than anything else he's written, but i kinda hope not.
ah yes, comic books. or, as us smarty pants call them, graphic novels. oh come on, it's manga, or american manga wannabes. i wasted a good hour reading Rikdo Koshi's Excel Saga, and you know what? it was so rediculously silly and stupid, i think i'll read the 2nd one. it's a genre of manga that spoofs a lot of the super serious melodramatic plot lines. also in the comic pile was my buddy Paul Sizer's Little White Mouse. i say "my buddy". yeah right. I took his graphic design class at WMU in 1998. but i still see him around town! and he lets me buy him drinks! Little White Mouse is quite cool, as is his Moped Army comic. much better than it looks. He needs to put out the 2nd volume, like right now.
you! go make bread, and while it's rising, read cool stuff!!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
People read this?
holy shit, i have readers. and they, like, comment n' stuff. i thought i'd have to beg and plead to get people to read this blog. but wow. very nifty.
alright readers, go check out the review for Flynn's Eifelheim. I trashed it. i doubt i will ever pick up a Flynn book again.
that Tokyo Babylon manga? yeah, i had no idea it was shojo . Not that i have a problem with shojo, it's just not my thing. i should have seen it coming though, seeing as how the story was created by four female manga artists. the Cowboy Bepotp was a lot of fun though. and much funnier than the anime version.
let's see. . what's on the reading list this week? i ventured into the biography area of the library, and gots me a copy of Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. i love this man, and the book is hilarious. i'm suddenly really scared to ever eat in a 4 star restaurant. I'll take my local greasy spoon where i know the short order cook is smoking a cig with the same hand he just cupped my burger with. i liked his show on travel channel, No Reservations, but then the owners of Travel Channel realized people were actually watching the show, and they wrecked it.
i got some other fun goodies at the library, but i'll bore you with those once i actually start reading them.
what books did i actually *gasp* buy recently? surprisingly, quite a few. thanks to Multiverse Reviews for sending me the ARC of Hell's Belles, by Jackie Kessler to read & review. Paranormal Romance? i never read anything like that before, but I expect to have a fun time with it. thanks to the Friends of the Library bookstore, i'm also the proud owner of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (i remember loving book when i was a teenager!!), Greg Bear's Blood Music, and Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, which could either be a rip-off fanboy peice of crap, or something fun. I trust Gregory Benford. I've read him before, and I like him. when i told my husband i bought more books, he laughed his ass off, then said "great! more books! just what we need around here!"
okay, on to the food.
hot damn, have i been doing only vegetarian dishes on here so far? what?? that needs to stop! like right now!
i hope you like olives. lots and lots of really strong mediterranean olives. if not, thanks for playing, please exit stage left, I'll see you next week for something different. i got this out of a world cookbook, it was in the "north african" section.
Chicken & Olives:
you'll need:
2-3 pounds chicken parts, cut into peices
a large onion, chopped
oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
one 14oz can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper
8-10oz pitted olives (get the jarred kind in brine, not the mushy canned ones in water)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
this dish is best served with rice that's been spiced with black pepper, cardamon, and a pinch of ginger.
you will also need a large non-stick skillet.
how to make:
fry chopped onion in some oil till soft. Stir in garlic & ginger. add the chicken peices, and turn them as they begin to get some color. then add the tomatoes, some salt & pepper, and enough water to half cover everything. get it hot enough to so it begins to bubble, then turn the temp down to a low simmer. cook on low for about a half hour (if you're going to make rice, now is the time to get it started so everything is done at the same time), adding some water if it gets too dry. drain the olives of their brine and stir them in. 10 minutes later, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. serve hot, over rice.
super yummy, super olive-y, and if you put the leftover chicken n' olives in with the leftover rice, it tastes heavenly the next day.
alright readers, go check out the review for Flynn's Eifelheim. I trashed it. i doubt i will ever pick up a Flynn book again.
that Tokyo Babylon manga? yeah, i had no idea it was shojo . Not that i have a problem with shojo, it's just not my thing. i should have seen it coming though, seeing as how the story was created by four female manga artists. the Cowboy Bepotp was a lot of fun though. and much funnier than the anime version.
let's see. . what's on the reading list this week? i ventured into the biography area of the library, and gots me a copy of Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. i love this man, and the book is hilarious. i'm suddenly really scared to ever eat in a 4 star restaurant. I'll take my local greasy spoon where i know the short order cook is smoking a cig with the same hand he just cupped my burger with. i liked his show on travel channel, No Reservations, but then the owners of Travel Channel realized people were actually watching the show, and they wrecked it.
i got some other fun goodies at the library, but i'll bore you with those once i actually start reading them.
what books did i actually *gasp* buy recently? surprisingly, quite a few. thanks to Multiverse Reviews for sending me the ARC of Hell's Belles, by Jackie Kessler to read & review. Paranormal Romance? i never read anything like that before, but I expect to have a fun time with it. thanks to the Friends of the Library bookstore, i'm also the proud owner of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (i remember loving book when i was a teenager!!), Greg Bear's Blood Music, and Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, which could either be a rip-off fanboy peice of crap, or something fun. I trust Gregory Benford. I've read him before, and I like him. when i told my husband i bought more books, he laughed his ass off, then said "great! more books! just what we need around here!"
okay, on to the food.
hot damn, have i been doing only vegetarian dishes on here so far? what?? that needs to stop! like right now!
i hope you like olives. lots and lots of really strong mediterranean olives. if not, thanks for playing, please exit stage left, I'll see you next week for something different. i got this out of a world cookbook, it was in the "north african" section.
Chicken & Olives:
you'll need:
2-3 pounds chicken parts, cut into peices
a large onion, chopped
oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
one 14oz can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper
8-10oz pitted olives (get the jarred kind in brine, not the mushy canned ones in water)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
this dish is best served with rice that's been spiced with black pepper, cardamon, and a pinch of ginger.
you will also need a large non-stick skillet.
how to make:
fry chopped onion in some oil till soft. Stir in garlic & ginger. add the chicken peices, and turn them as they begin to get some color. then add the tomatoes, some salt & pepper, and enough water to half cover everything. get it hot enough to so it begins to bubble, then turn the temp down to a low simmer. cook on low for about a half hour (if you're going to make rice, now is the time to get it started so everything is done at the same time), adding some water if it gets too dry. drain the olives of their brine and stir them in. 10 minutes later, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. serve hot, over rice.
super yummy, super olive-y, and if you put the leftover chicken n' olives in with the leftover rice, it tastes heavenly the next day.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Potatoes make Eifelheim better
so i'm struggling through Michael Flynn's Eifelheim. this book is turning into a chore. but i'm nearly done, so i might as well get through it, so i can write a cranky, snarky review and bitch and complain about how Flynn can't get through a damn page without at least one untranslated phrase in German, Latin, or French. it would be nice if knew any of those languages. which i don't. grrr. knowing my luck, i'll be the only person who didn't like this book, and everyone else who reads it will rave about it!
but there is a reward in sight!! today i learned about library reciprocal borrowing! with my local library card, i can get books from the library in the next city. how different could libraries be, you ask? VERY different. and i came home with Edelman's Infoquake, Vandermeer's Shreik, and volume 1 of Cowboy Bepop, and 1 & 2 of something called Tokyo Babylon that looks cool. now if i can only find a library that owns the entire collection of Blame and Trinity Blood, i'm all set.
speaking of Manga, i got my copy of FullMetal Alchemist volume 3 today! Thank you Amazon, and thank you M for that Amazon gift card!
so many good books, i don't know where to start. the kitchen is a good place.
this dish turned out so much better than i expected, that not only will it go hand written in my cookbook, it will make reading Eifelhiem for another 2 hours much easier.
Garlicky roasted potatoes
1 1/2 lbs new potatoes, and or small heirloom potatoes
non stick cooking spray
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely (2-3 tbsp)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp rosemary
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper
preheat oven to 450. clean and quarter potatoes. use a baking dish no smaller than 9x9. spray baking dish with nonstick spray, and put in potatoes. sprinkle potatoes with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and salt & pepper, and put them in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
meanwile, make the garlic topping. in a saucepan, put the rest of the olive oil, and the garlic. cook over medium-low heat until the garlic begins to turn golden, about 2-3 minutes. you might need to add a little more oil, if it begins to burn. remove from the heat, and let cool. shortly before the potatoes are ready to come out of the oven, add the parsley, rosemary, and lemon juice to the garlic mixture, and mix well.
after you've taken the potatoes out of the oven, you don't want to pour the garlicky mixture onto the hot pan (you just don't. it will stick, and burn.). either pour the potatoes & garlicky mixture into a serving bowl and mix well, or pour the potatoes into the saucepan you made the garlicky mixture in, and mix well.
i love potatoes. they are good medicine for annoying books.
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