Acts of Violet served with Magic Bars

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore and served with Magic Bars 

I listened to this one on audio because I read the narration was outstanding.  That is true! 

This story is told through a series of Podcast, articles , letters and other documents.   The narrators do a great job and some of the time it really felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast!   This is the story of Violet Volk a magician who disappeared.  It is the story of her rise to fame as the most famous female magician ever, her relationships and then her sudden disappearance during a stage act.   We are now at the 10 year anniversary of her disappearance and her sister Sasha is still dealing with the aftermath.  But strange things start to happen to Sasha which she can't explain.  She is at a breaking point and not sure what to do.    We get to hear from her daughter, her therapist, Violet, Cameron the podcaster and multiple people who knew Violet.    

I thought this was super creative.  I wanted to know what happened and was totally invested in the relationship of the sisters.   My only complaint is that it dragged just a little bit in the middle.  I think we could have cut a few of the side characters who knew Violet.    Still, overall a great listen.  You do need to be willing to suspend belief because there is some magical realism here.   ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I served this book with Magic Bars!   I mean who doesn't love a magic bar?  it is graham crackers, chocolate, butterscotch, coconut.  All the good stuff soaked in sweetened condensed milk.   What's not to love? 

Ordinary Monsters served with Dark Chocolate and Pretzel Bark

 Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro and served with dark chocolate and pretzel bark 

Wow!   Didn't expect this one.  This book is so far out of my normal comfort range.  It is horror/ suspense/fantasy and really long (650+ long)  but it was so good.   

It's 1882 Victorian London and we have 2 agents hunting for "Talents", children with special talents.  The story move through London, Mississippi, Tokyo, Scotland. We see the extreme poverty of the time including children living as street urchins.   The story primarily focuses on Charlie and Marlowe, 2 of the children.  But we also have several other kids introduced, a drughr (creature of shadow, neither dead or living) a litch (zombielike servant) , Miss Davenshaw (the blind teacher) and Mrs. Harrogate (the widowed middleman helping to find and protect the children)   It is a large cast.  

Hard to explain this book but let's just say it isn't clear who is bad and who is good.  BUT the litch scared me and I felt genuine fear for the kids.   I've seen a few reviews that compared this to Umbrella academy, Mrs. Peregrines and Harry Potter (The boy who lived reference) .   

I loved the relationship between Marlowe and Charlie.  I also loved that the strongest characters were the women!  Alice, Brynt, Mrs. Davenshaw all kick ass!  it is pretty awesome.  I highly recommend this if you want a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  These characters will stick with me for a while.  It also is book 1 in a series and it ends setting the reader up for book 2.   Can't wait!  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

there isn't a lot of food in this book and I knew I wanted to do something with dark Chocolate.  The book is pretty dark and chocolate is definitely comfort food for me! 

I made a dark chocolate pretzel bark.  I did a bag of semi sweet chips and melted them in the microwave.  I took a cup of pretzels and crushed them.  I combined most of the pretzels into the melted chocolate and then poured it onto a Parchment covered cookie sheet.  I sprinkled the remaining pretzels on top and with a small amount of sea salt.  I put it in the fridge to cool and harden and then I broke it into small bit size pieces.   Turned out pretty good.  Next time...  more pretzels and more sea salt.  

Enjoy! 

Remarkably Bright Creatures served with Mussels in white wine

 Remarkable Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and served with mussels in white wine. 

I LOVED this book!  I listed on audio after hearing the narrator was outstanding.   They are!  

This is the story of Tova who's child and husband have both died and she is working nights at the Sowell Bay Aquarium mopping floors.  She doesn't have to work but wants to keep busy.  There she befriends the giant pacific Octopus, Marcellus.  She talks to him and helps him when he gets out of his tanks at night. 

This is also the story of Cameron, a 30 year old who is hoping to find his father.  Cameron is one of those guys who can't keep a job or a girlfriend  and blames everyone else for his problems.   He thinks he knows who is father is so he heads up to Sowell Bay to try to extort him for all of the missed child payments.   He's a hot mess and it takes a while to warm up to him. 

This is also the story of Marcellus, the giant octopus.  He has been in captivity for 4 years and is at the end of his life.  He misses his ocean and knows his time is limited.  

At first I thought Cameron was going to ruin the story for me.  He is kind of a loser and it was hard to feel sorry for him.  But eventually you start to root for the kid.  Tova is so great and your heart hurts for her as she struggles to understand how her son died.     
This is the story of friendship and love.  It is beautifully told and I couldn't stop listening!   The narrators are Marin Ireland and Michael Urie.   They are incredible.   Michael's voice is just so perfect for Marcellus.  

This is a 5 star read for me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ .  I couldn't stop thinking about these characters. 

Marcellus escapes from his tank and often eats the sea cucumbers .    His diet of mackerels gets old after a while and he longs for crab and mussels.   I decided to make mussels in a white wine sauce and some fresh crab dipped in butter. 

I sauteed some onions and garlic in heavy butter.  I added a little bit of dried chillie flakes, and all seasoning.  Once they were nice and soft, i poured in 2 cups of a dry white wine.   I let that boil and then added the mussels.  I put a lid on the pot and let it cook for 8-10 minutes.  Any mussel what didn't open was discarded.  the rest were delicious!  Plus, I made garlic bread which is dipped in the broth and it was yummy!   Marcellus would approve.    

Lessons in Chemistry served with Brownies

 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and served with Brownies 

This book has been everywhere!   I mean when it came out in April, i think most of the book community read it within the first 2 months.  BUT...  I waited for the library book and just finally checked it out.  

This is the story of Chemist, Elizabeth Zott.  It's the early 60's and women weren't scientist or at least not many women were.  Her male colleagues cannot get past the fact that she is a woman and an attractive woman.  She faces ridicule and even assault.  But, she isn't going to give up.  Along comes Calvin Evans, a brilliant Chemist who falls in love with her .  He recognizes her genius and the struggles she will face.  

Jump ahead (don't want to spoil this for you) and Elizabeth is now a single mother and is once again trying to be taken seriously in the science world.  She gets offered a cooking show and decides to use as as a platform to teach chemistry.  Her cooking show is about the science of food.   

It is hard not to love Elizabeth.  She is stubborn and determined and you are rooting for her.   The side characters are what really make the story.   Six Thirty , the dog is my favorite.  Of course he is super smart and we get to hear his inner thoughts.  You also have Mad, the daughter, Harriet, the neighbor, Walter, her TV producer and Mr. Mason who rows with her.   I hear the movie rights have been sold and I can completely see this coming to life on the large screen. 

Several times I did get frustrated with the amount of discrimination she faced.  I had to remind myself that this was the 60's but also wondered if women in science still feel this.   There is a pretty violent scene in the beginning with a college professor that I felt was slightly brushed over.  

Overall, this was a great read.  I would give it 4.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2  

There is a scene where she makes brownies when she  is stressed.   There is a lot of food in the book but for some reason this one stuck with me.  I decided to make brownies but I have to confess that i don't

make brownies from scratch.  I have made them but to be honest the box brownies are just as good.   I'm all for making things from scratch when they are dramatically better but this...  nope.   

So I made box brownies and took them to work.   Everyone was happy!  the End. 

The Measure served with a cold Peanut Noodle Salad

 The Measure by Nikki Erlick and served with a cold Peanut Noodle Salad. 

This book is getting a ton of play on Bookstagram and for good reason.  It grabbed me on the first chapter.  One morning everyone wakes up and outside of their door is a box with piece of string.  The string is the measure of their life.  Some have short strings and some have long strings.  After the frenzy dies down around how the boxes appeared, now everyone is realizing the strings are accurate.  We follow a handful of characters dealing with the fate of the boxes.  One of our characters refuses to look.  The others look and we have fallout based on the string.  The story jumps from character to character so we hear their views and struggles and decisions.  

I thought this concept was really good.  I spent a lot of time thinking about if I would want to know or not.  I'd like to say that I wouldn't look but I think the box would taunt me and I'd end up looking.  But how does that knowledge change your life?  I enjoyed that it covered multiple characters even if a few of them I had a hard time connecting with.  My only criticism is that it touched on how society changed due to the strings but I kind of wanted more of that.  We heard about discriminations and policy changes due to the string and I felt like this part of the story could have gone deeper.  I wanted to understand the greater impact.  So, overall a cool concept, some good characters but maybe lacking some depth that I would have liked.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

What to make for a book that has little to no mention of food? I decided it must be noodles since they look like strings and since it has been very hot lately, I went with a cold peanut noodle salad.

I used soba noodles, added Edamame, peanuts  and yellow peppers.   I made a peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, a little bit of maple syrup, a clove of garlic, some fresh ginger and a squirt of lime juice.   I shook that up in a small jelly jar and poured it over the noodles.    

Yummy!   

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina served with chips and salsa

 The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova and served with Chips and Salsa. 

If you are willing  to jump into some magic and deal with family drama, this book is for you!  I really enjoyed it.   Magical realism at it's best!  

Marimar along with her cousins Rey and Tatinelly all receive notices to head home as their grandmother is dying and they need to collect their inheritance.  When they arrive in Four Rivers, their grandmother is not just dying but becoming a tree.  There is a lot of family rage against grandma Orquidea because she has not answered questions and been honest with the family.  With the family gathered, there are more questions and Orquidea fades away leaving a gift for Marimar, Rey and Tatinelly's daughter, Rhiannon.  I don't want to give too much away but the story goes back and forth between current day and the cousins trying to figure out life and what their legacy is and then back to the beginning with Orquidea and how she was cursed and who is still trying to get vengeance on the family.   Lot of magic in this one.  We travel with a circus and then back to Ecuador to explore myths of the country.   It's hard to explain but if you are willing to suspend belief and like a great fairytale, you should read this.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I had an abundance of tomatoes so I decided to make salsa.  It turned out sooooo good.  I cut up the 4 roma tomatoes I had , cut up a half of an onion and  added a small can of diced green chilies (drained) .  

From there I added some apple cider vinegar, salt, a dash of sugar and lime juice from a half a lime.   OH and don't forget the cilantro.  I know many people hate cilantro but I love it.  I added quite a bit.  It turned out great.  I had planned to just eat a little bowl of it with chips but ended up making that dinner.  I paired it with a Mango Wheat Ale and some slices of Avocado.  It was a delicious dinner. 

Sadie on a Plate served with potato and zucchini latke's and homemade applesauce

 Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliot and served with Potato and Zucchini

latke's and homemade applesauce. 

I really enjoyed this one!  It was listed as a rom com but I would argue that it isn't.  It is a story of a cooking show that happens to have a little bit of romance.  

Sadie is a chef in Seattle who has just been fired.  Now she has a chance of going on a cooking show (Top chef type) and winning the prize money and opening her own restaurant.    She cooks mainly modern Jewish cuisine.  I loved the behind the scene's look at the cooking show.  I enjoyed all of the other contestants.  Especially another chef from Seattle who Sadie views at her toughest competition and who ends ups being super nice and a big fan of Sadie's.  Now for the romance,  on her flight to NY, she sits next to a chef, Luke.  She assumes he will be in the competition but it turns out he is a judge.   They have to hold back the romance until the competition is done so it takes a back seat. 

I just loved all of the food !  She plan out each meal and my mouth was watering .  This was a fast read and just what i needed.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I ended up making potato and zucchini latke's in my waffle iron!  I just shredded a zucchini and a potato, added bread crumbs, an egg and some seasoning.   What i didn't do...  and should have was drained the zucchini.  It was watery.   I put it in the waffle iron and  I had lovely latke's!   I had 3 apples so i peeled them and cooked them way down on the stove.  Added some brown sugar, butter and a little bit of water.  Turned out perfect!  

Memphis served with Blueberry hand pies

 Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow and served with Blueberry Hand Pies 

This family saga is so good!!   3 generations of black women in Memphis and their loves, struggles and destiny.    The story is told by August, Miriam, Joan and Hazel.  Miriam escapes a violent husband and heads back to Memphis to live with her sister August.   We hear the story of Hazel, their mother.  We see Joan, her oldest daughter struggle to overcome a trauma that happened years before and we see the incredible strength of all of these women.    I felt like Memphis was also a character in the book.  Now I really want to go there!  

The author did a great job of capturing the racism  and also  the impact of significant historical events of the time.   Each woman had their own voice and each story was impactful.   Not sure who my favorite was.  I think I started off with Joan as my favorite but near the end i realized that I just loved August and her sorrow and strength.    I would have liked for Mya, the youngest sister to have a chapter.    I listened to this one on audio and it was great!  the narrators did a wonderful job!   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

There are Pie's all throughout this book  A blackberry pie, Lemon meringue pie, blueberry pie.  There was actually a good amount of food throughout as Memphis is known for some good southern cooking.  I decided to stick with the pie theme.  I made blueberry hand pies in the air fryer!!     they were pretty yummy but the problem with the air fryer is that they look perfect on the top but the bottoms , not so much.  

I did blueberries on the stove with a little bit of sugar and cornstarch.    I cooked those down for about 10-15 minutes until the blueberries were soft and the filling was slightly thick.   I rolled out store bought pie crust and cut out circles.  was able to get 4 pies from one crust.  Put a dollop of blueberry filling in and pressed them down.    Put a little bit of water on your finger and run it around the edge of the pie crust before pressing it down.  I brushed it with an egg wash and  sprinkled them with decorator sugar and cut 2-3 slits on top.  Spray your air fryer basket so they don't stick!   Heat at 360 for 7-9 minutes.   Try not to burn your fingers eating them!!  

Bloomsbury Girls served with Tikka Masala and Naan

 Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner and served with Tikka Masala with Cauliflower and Peas and Naan. 

I enjoyed this one!   This is the author who wrote The Jane Austen Society and there is one cross over character featured.  But, you don't need to read that first book to read this one. 

It is post war London and Vivien and Grace work at Bloomsbury Books .  The head of Bloomsbury has a list of rules that everyone must follow and unfortunately the women aren't permitted to move up through the ranks.  One day Evie Stones comes in for a job and just happens to save the managers life.  She joins the bookstore and we see change come to this old fashioned institute.   

I just loved how the author had true historical literary figures in the book.  We meet Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim and others.  The 3 main characters have things happening in their personal lives that run over into the bookstore.  Vivian is an inspiring writer who has a tense and sometimes passionate relationship with Alec, the Head of Fiction.  Grace has a husband suffering from PTSD and really challenging to live with.  And Evie is searching for a lost book and builds a relationship with Ash who is from India and coping with racism in Britain.  

If you like historical fiction and you love books, this is for you.  Just an enjoyable read ! 

I thought about doing a classic British dish but to be honest, I just wasn't hungry for it.  They talk about tea a lot in the book.  But instead I went with Indian food.  There is a scene where Ash takes Evie to an Indian restaurant and she has never had Indian food and she finds the flavors so interesting.  

I made Tikka Masala with Cauliflower and Peas in the Instant Pot. 

Here is a link to the recipe. https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-chicken-tikka-masala-with-cauliflower-and-peas/

it turned out pretty good.  I made some Naan to go with it.  Haven't quite perfected the Naan.  Mine seems to always be a little bit heavier then it should be.    

Enjoy! 

Klara and the Sun served with Sundried Tomato Pasta and Sun tea

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro served with Sundried Tomato Pasta and Sun Tea  

Sometimes everyone tells you how much they love a book and then you read it and you just don't get it.  That's how i felt about Klara and the Sun.  It was all over bookstagram and i kept hearing rave reviews.  I listened on audio and it just didn't click for me.  This is the story of Klara an AF (artificial friend). .  we are somewhere in the future and parents buy AF's for their children.  Klara is narrating this story of her hope for a child that she can help and then finally getting chosen by Josie a sick girl looking for a companion. 

 

Here's the thing, because Klara is telling the story, it feels very stiff.  She is a robot so she doesn't have real emotion.  She recognizes emotion and see's everything happening around her but it just felt stiff.  Plus, there are so many unanswered questions.  Some of the kids have been "Lifted" but they never explain what that means.  Josie's sister died and we aren't sure if it is related to the lifted or if it is what is making Josie sick.   Josie's neighbor and friend Rick was not lifted and is an outcast but we aren't sure why. What year is it?  where is the story taking place?   Plus, Klara gets obsessed with a piece of equipment that causes pollution and she believes is hurting the sun.  She thinks the sun can heal Josie.  The whole thing gets a little weird. 

I did like some of it and it was interesting enough that I finished it.   But, not sure it will be on my list of top books.  ⭐⭐⭐

At first I couldn't come up with a food item.  They talk about coffee and they mention eating but never say what they are eating.  I assume Klara doesn't eat.  And then...  I decided to make Sun Tea.  That then inspired me to do my own Sun Dried tomatoes in the air fryer.  and the...  Sundried tomato pasta.    The sun is such an important part of the story, this felt good. 

For the pasta, I kind of made it up after reading a few recipes on line.  

I had a handful of the small cherry tomatoes.  I put them in a baggie with some olive oil and italian seasoning.  I shook them up and dropped them in the air fryer .  Set the airfryer at the lowest temp-300 and checked them every 10 minutes.  It  ended up taking 35 minutes to get them to the right sundried spot.  

For the pasta, I had a small pasta called dilalini which seemed to work well.  I cut up 2 chicken breast and put them in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil.  Cooked them about 15 minutes until light brown.  Transferred to a plate and added some additional olive oil, and about a quarter cup of chopped up onions.  Cooked for a few minutes till soft.  from here i added 3 cups of chicken broth.  Once it start to boil, I added 1 cup of the pasta.  I let it cook for 10 minutes and then added in 1/3 cup of chopped up Sundried tomatoes, 1/4 cup of chopped up basil and the cooked chicken.  I let all of this cook for about 5 minutes and then served coated with parmesan cheese.  It was delicous!    

 Enjoy!