#TheSundayPost! Bye July! Hello Air Fryer August!

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Hi, Hi! I'm starting to feel much more like myself, I think it is the ton of water I am drinking and the adherence to small meals.  I am happy to report that even with the new medication, I managed to run 11 miles today! Thank goodness the weather was less humid, that helped so much.  I am hoping this month I will be up to speed with my reading.  We are going on vacation and I am thinking I should take like 5 books, just in case the WiFi is dicey, plus it's a long drive. 

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I decided to start selling Tastefully Simple again; and since my favorite part of that is talking about making meals, so starting in August I'm going to do Zoom meal preps.  I'm looking forward to figuring out how to my own little cooking shows. This month I'm starting with meal prep with our Air Fryer 5-meal kit! We have a recipe for Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower I'm going to try!

How was your week?  We enjoyed watching Outer Banks Season 2 on Netflix. It's a great little escape. 

Books I'll be posting about this week:

And hopefully at least one more book TBD! 

Happy August!

Who doesn't love food talk?

As you know I love to talk about food, today I tried a new recipe from Real Simple magazine.  This is a good entree salad.  The Hubs forget to get pita bread at the store so I made garlic bread instead with some leftover french bread that was in the back of the fridge and was probably a day away from going stale. I added fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden to the recipe and also some chopped scallions that were getting old--wanted to use those up.  Other than that, I followed the recipe.  The hubs liked it, and he is tough to please.  Overall I find that Real Simple recipes are relatively easy and don't need too much alteration to taste good.  Oh BTW I did add two garlic cloves instead of one.  I think if you like garlic you could do three or four cloves.  The cloves I used were really big. Yum!

If you are like me and you love food talk, and you really really love Thanksgiving food talk.  You will probably like this book!


The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the August book for The Cozy Mystery Book Club - a youtube book club- We will be talking about the book and getting to hear from the author! On 8/25/2020 at 7pm EST Join Us!

Here is my spoiler-free review. I completely enjoyed this quintessential cozy mystery. Ms. Davis does a fantastic job weaving cooking into the sleuthing. I stopped reading to take notes on how to make the pork tenderloin Sophie cooks.

Even with a pretty large cast of characters, Krisa Davis is able to give depth and personality to everyone--even Otis and Humphrey. Sometimes when you read the first book in a cozy series, so many characters are introduced that it can be hard to keep everyone straight. In this book, this is not a problem. We also get just enough of a taste of some of the side characters, that we are left wanting to read the next book not only to find out about Sophie--but also more about Bernie, Craig, and what about that Peeping Tom?

Each chapter starts with a little advice column content which is funny and connects to something in the upcoming chapter. I like this, it was a nice touch.

The book takes place over the Thanksgiving Holiday and the book is filled with the vibes of late fall, you can almost smell the turkey and pumpkin pie. Ms. Davis's writing kept me turning the pages and dreaming about fall cooking.


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Before We Know It...

Before we know it, it will be cool outside and I want to be ready to enjoy the soup season!  Soup is a great meal to make because you can have it as dinner the first day, and lunch the next, and then have it with a sandwich for dinner the next day! If there is any left, you can freeze it. Soup is also great for using up random stuff you have in the pantry, fridge, or freezer.

I found this recipe in Women's Day magazine and gave it a go recently. Honestly, I had to add many spices to give the base recipe flavor.  Originally it tasted like kale and tomato water. So here is my interpretation of the recipe. I also made brown rice and rotini so you could put pasta or rice in the bowl and pour soup over the pasta/rice. The recipe is called stew but it isn't the consistency of stew, it's a soup. You could also top the soup with cheddar, mozzarella, or parmesan cheese.

The finished meal

 The original recipe

Spices I added: I used bullion cubes vs plain water. I didn't have lemon zest so I added a Chili Powder blend that has chili powder, cumin, and coriander.  (about 1/2 a tbsp) 1 tablespoon seasoned pepper, 1 tablespoon Garlic Garlic, and 1 tsp of A Seasoning for Everything.

I also cooked the soup longer b/c cooking the kale and tomatoes for approx 8 minutes was not working. I cooked it for around 20-30 min. I added a cup of chopped zucchini in the last 10 minutes of cooking because I needed to cook what we had from the garden.


Here is a good YA book if you are looking for a fantasy tale to listen to as you cook or work or relax before bed:

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a quality YA Fantasy. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators did an excellent job. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the book and the world-building. I hope I recalling correctly when I say this should be appropriate for middle-grade readers.

I enjoyed watching Karina and Malik come into a better understanding of themselves. I think this book has the right mix of tropes that one expects in a YA fantasy without making the story suffer. A big plus is that the book is inspired by West African folklore, and I am not familiar with that folklore so that was fun to read.

I am looking forward to the sequel which I will listen to versus reading since I enjoyed the readers.


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Did He See His Shadow Or What?

According to my Aunt who resides in the keystone state AKA Pennsylvania, Punxasutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow.  Early Spring!  Or maybe not, here in Chicagoland the sun is shining for the first time in 183 days and so any local groundhogs definitely saw their shadows.

Oh well, at least January has finally ended. Don't get me wrong it wasn't terrible.  It wasn't great either. Do you have monthly goals? Did you make New Year's Resolutions?  How are you hanging in there?

Here is how my January went:

1. First and foremost, 80% done with radiation!  Wahoo! My skin looks red like a sunburn but it isn't peeling so great news.
2. I ran every day of January.  I hit my goal of running a long run of 6.5.  I raised money toward my goal for Imerman's Angels! 
3. My goal to blog 2-5 times per week was achieved.
4. I listened to 2 audiobooks and read 3 books so that meets my goal of 5 books for the month.
5. I tried two new things! 1. I attended a phone bank and made calls for Abdelnasser Rashid for Cook County Board of Review and 2. The Man and I went to CONEX the Conservation Expo.

Here is where I fell short: I wasn't able to make it to three events I really wanted to go. For one, I was too tired, two, The Man was sick as a dog with a nasty cold and three I didn't get the book of the month from the library until the date of the monthly library book club (#3 was poor planning on my part!).

Overall I give myself an A- for achieving my January Goals.

Another meal from the workshop,  two thumbs up from The Man! Chicken Enchiladas

Here is what I'll be up to in February -- reminder all -- we have an extra Saturday in February. Plan something fun for that day!

February Goals:
A long run of 7.5 miles
Dinner with Friends x 2
Blog 2-5 times per week
Create my first DIY Pinterest Project: A coffee bar!
Try 2 new things (still working on what that will be)
Lastly, have a very uneventful laparoscopic preventative surgery and celebrate being done with medical interventions for hopefully ever. (not including routine tests)

Welcome to February 2020!  Today is the same forward and backward 02022020!!

Focusing On What I Can Control!

Read some breaking news alerts about the Coronavirus.  It's really disappointing that this is a novel virus and not just a fancy way of saying you drank too much beer and have a hangover.

I may need to reallocate seven minutes of worry today from cancer to the coronavirus.  Where is my worry time most effective?  Oh yes, that's right.  Worrying doesn't have any actual power to do anything except possibly raise my blood pressure.

So as always, it's best to focus on what you can control.  One thing *I* can control is the answer to the question: "What's for Dinner?"  Yesterday I toiled away at a freezer meal workshop and now I have ten meals prepped in my freezer.  Okay technically it wasn't a toil, and I actually have only 9 meals left because I cooked one last night.

This was my first attempt at a homemade pot pie.  It's Chicken Broccoli (and ample tasty cheese)

This is what it looked liked prepped. Becky McNeill coordinated the event so we used Tastefully Simple products, this was a nice shortcut option. 

And here it is golden brown!

What I learned is that when you make a pot pie in a disposable foil pan, you should put the pan on a cookie sheet when baking or it's difficult to take out of the oven and you will likely break the top crust like I did here.  My smiley face is a little cracked!

I also learned you should let the baked pot pie sit for a while before you cut it or it will probably look like this on a plate.  But I was hungry!

I sprinkled paprika on top.  Paprika goes well with chicken/cheese and broccoli. I give this dish 4 out of 5 stars-would recommend- will make again!

I was pretty tuckered out last night but this will make dinners for the remainder of my radiation a breeze. I think we are going to do another workshop once spring arrives and prep meals for the grill.  I loved grilling out, especially since The Man is Griller in Chief.  :-)

Committing to writing weekly and a new adventure

I have goals for this year. One of which is to blog twice a week.  I have not managed to achieve this goal as of yet, but the time is now!  I'm naming it and claiming it and all that jazz.  Here is the first of many 2018 post from me to you.

So to begin, how have you been?  Well I hope.  Over at my house we have been continuing to duck and weave against that flu going around. May we continue to avoid it and may it be gone and Spring arrive ASAP.

In the big news to start the year category, I retired from Tastefully Simple  after 15 years.  I am very excited to enjoy only having one job (in addition to the raising of the teens and so on and so forth). One of the ways, I am enjoying my free time is to work on writing more.  Clearly not here on my blog thus far, as I've been quite lax in posting.  Anyway I'm proud to say I am now a contributor for Project Fandom !  It's a great website and podcast devoted to all things entertainment.  My first assignment was a book review for the book The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley. You can read my review here. 

Next month I start my first TV series review for the website, and yes I'm nervous about that, a reoccurring six episode assignment. This is as close to my childhood dream of being a newspaper reporter coming true.  I'm reporting weekly on a TV show, you see a parallel right?  Close enough to call it a dream come true?  I say yes!  Make sure to follow, like and share Project Fandom on your social media,. As I  said it's a great place to keep up on all your favorite movies, comics, TV shows and book--and find new favorites as well.

That's what is new with me. Next week I will have more new with me news.  So stay tuned! In the meantime, Williams-Sonoma  sent me an email recipe, as they do daily, and I was pleasantly surprised to find I have everything on hand to make it for dinner. It's a sheet pan recipe and it looks delicious.  You can see it here: Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes.  Looks good, right?  If you are a Pinterest user, you can find it on my "Sheet Pan Recipes" board and my name is Victoria7401 if you want to follow me.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great day!

We tried Blue Apron! And I am so behind on my holiday shopping

Who else can't believe that it's already 2 weeks until Christmas?  I'm in big trouble as I have barely started shopping! Don't tell Patrick but I am hoping he will like his 'big present' I went out on a limb as he didn't ask for this, but I got tickets to see Hamilton! Cheap seats to be sure, but still a big expense. This afternoon he was singing a song from the show so I think he will be excited.
Fingers crossed.

Then for BMO all he wants is one thing...a Nintendo Switch. Ugh they are $299 and you can't get any good deal on those.  Don't let anyone tell you kids aren't expensive.

picture from digitaltrends.com

Anna wants a few items, including REAL Ugg boots.  I was hoping Uggs weren't really a thing anymore, but apparently they are, and only REAL Uggs are acceptable.  I don't know that Uggs will be happening. I just don't see the value in purchasing the 'real' boots when the basic style are $20 - $30 and function as well. Also they are bad for feet, they have zero arch support.

Clearly I'm already broke with these three kids. :)

I did get a nice deal from a coworker. She gave me a code for free meals from Blue Apron and I tried a couple of meals this week. Instead of three free two-person meals, I got two of the family meals, those serve four people. I knew at least one kid wouldn't like something about whatever meals I picked, so we would be fine, quantity wise.  Also,  I added extra potatoes for the sides with each meal so there was more food  for the man. I liked the quality of produce and meat that we received.  The steps were a bit more labor intensive than I had anticipated, but nothing too taxing.  The food was definitely restaurant quality and assuming that to eat at a restaurant is at least $12 per person, Blue Apron is less expensive and you can eat in your pajamas. I think we will get Blue Apron about once a month moving forward, it's easy to pick meals and I like to try new recipes.  Maybe at some point I'll be able to mince garlic fine enough to turn it into a garlic paste- something both my recipes asked me to do and I failed at doing.  

Braised Chicken & Smashed Potatoes with Olives, Herbs, & Broccoli

I liked the capers in the smashed potatoes, a nice way to add flavor!

Shiitake & Hoisin Beef Burgers with Miso Mayonnaise & Roasted Sweet Potatoes

You top the burger with baby bok choy.  This was easy to make and I'll use the recipe again.  

So far I'm enjoying the Blue Apron, basically it's meals I would try at a restaurant that I can  make at home without too much effort. I'm looking forward to see what recipes come up in 2018!

Review and Recipes

All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found that the voice of Aurora Teagarden was much more the voice of Charlaine Harris a 60-something than that of a 30-something librarian. For example, what 37 year old woman in 2016 uses the word trousers to describe pants. C'mon! This book takes place just a few weeks after the last one, which is disjointing. (esp. since the previous book was set in the early 2000s)  So just a few weeks ago Aurora finds her SIL dead and now it is Christmas, she is pregnant, married and not only is her step brother missing but there are other kids missing AND dead teenagers. It seems like a bit much, and yet there is plenty of time for the author to give paragraphs of space to the discussion of  Aurora preparing the most bland food ever eaten.

Lastly during the book Aurora does three stupid things and hides 2 crucial details from police that prolong the mystery and are so reckless it's hard to fathom. I almost through the book across the room a couple of times due to the lack of critical thinking by Aurora and her husband.


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A common thread in all Charlaine Harris books is uneccessary discussion of what food the protagonist is preparing.  If the food sounded good, that would be forgiving, but her main characters are bad cooks.   Just the most boring food. It's depressing.  If I was her editor, I'd put big red slashes through all food talk!

To combat bad food writing I thought I would share a couple fun Halloween themed recipes:

Pumpkin Soup with Herbed Pumpkin Seeds (Tastefully Simple) 

ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. 1 tsp. Avocado Oil or olive oil, divided

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• 2 Tbsp. Onion Onion Seasoning 

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• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 (15 oz.) cans 100% pure pumpkin
• 13-14 oz. can coconut milk
• ½ cup roasted and salted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• Sour cream (optional)

directions

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add Onion Onion™ Seasoning; sautè 30 seconds.

Stir in broth; bring to a simmer. Add pumpkin and 1 Tbsp. Rustic Herb Seasoning; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk; continue simmering 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine pumpkin seeds and remaining 1 tsp. oil in small bowl. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. Rustic Herb Seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.

Ladle soup into bowls or shot or cordial glasses. Sprinkle with herbed pumpkin seeds.

Tips:

• To decorate the glasses, add sour cream to a resealable plastic bag. Cut off a bag corner. Pipe slightly wavy ring around the inside of each glass. Using a wooden skewer, push the sour cream down to make elongated lines. Pour soup into glasses.
• Serve soup in Jack Be Little or other small pumpkins. To prepare pumpkins, cut top ½ inch off each pumpkin; scrape out seeds. Place on a baking sheet with rim. Add ½ cup water to baking sheet; cover pumpkins with foil. Bake 20 minutes or until soft enough to scoop out pumpkin flesh. Remove from oven and cool; gently scoop out flesh, leaving a ¼-inch shell.

And here is a recipe from All Recipes that sounds like a fantastic Chili!
Pumpkin Turkey Chili !