Sunday, July 14, 2013

Wiggle Room - Darden North, Author


Anderson’s Chicken Pesto

Ingredients
1  package pesto sauce mix
8  boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4  slices provolone cheese, cut in half

1   4-ounce can sliced mushrooms
Breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare pesto sauce following the package directions.  Spray 9 X 12 inch  rectangular dish with no-stick cooking spray. Moisten chicken with water, shake off excess, and completely coat with bread crumbs. Place chicken in baking dish. Spread pesto sauce evenly over chicken breasts. Cover each piece with ½ slice of provolone cheese. Spread mushrooms over cheese. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes. Serve with pasta. Enjoy with friends and family.

I am more of a cook of books than an authority on cookbooks.  Even that’s a stretch.  I rarely cook at all except for the occasional grilled steak or piece of fish and a pop of a leftover into the microwave.  In fact, my biggest meal of the day is typically lunch at the hospital where I work as an ob/gyn (my “day job”).  Our two children are grown and live away, so my wife and I rarely have big meals around our house.  But this is one or my favorite dishes.  Daughter Anderson has made it popular around Jackson, Mississippi, when she has been home.  It’s a quick and easy, but delicious meal, without being too heavy.

----- Darden North
 Author of Mysteries and Thrillers


Wiggle Room - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Mississippi surgeon Brad Cummins, serving on temporary duty at Balad Air Base Theatre Hospital in Iraq, has just been informed that an incoming Black Hawk will be bringing in wounded from an IED which hit a Humvee on patrol. Of the six transported to Balad, five are American Troops. The sixth person injured appears to be an Iraqi student  walking down the road and tossed under the Humvee, breaking bones and receiving burns to much of his body. One of Brad’s patients, Lance Corporal Giles, is treated and seems to be doing OK until a CODE is called on the dying Giles.  Team surgeon John Haynes takes over after Brad attends the Iraqi student. Unfortunately, Giles dies for no apparent reason causing an investigation into his treatment and death. Brad is cleared by his peers but not by himself. He questions his own actions, and his uncertainty mounts.

Brad returns to his fiancee Leslie and to the surgical practice in Mississippi with his twin brother Brian. His real troubles start when Brad and Leslie find Brian shot to death in the parking lot elevator of their medical building. Brad believes that someone meant to kill him, not his twin brother.  Other attempts are made on his life, and the only connection seems to be with the death of Giles. And how does the Iraqi student fit in?

Author Darden North really out-did himself this time. I’ve read several of his books and they have always kept me on the edge but this book became one I didn’t want to stop reading until I reached the end. He kept me guessing as to who the killer would turn out to be and when I decided I knew the answer to that question, he threw in a wrench at the end which had me second guessing my choice. This was a very enjoyable book and I really hope we’ll see more of Brad Cummins in future books.

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Moon is Broken! - Monique B. Martin, Author




Beef Tamales (6 servings)
(Taylor's Favorite)
 
Ingredients:

4 lbs boneless chuck roast
4 cloves garlic
4 dried ancho chiles
3 8 oz packages dried corn husks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 cup beef broth
2 tsp cumin
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tbsp salt
3 cups lard 
(lard is a non-negotiable for Mexican-style tamales, but I've had success with coconut oil as well)
9 cups masa harina

 

  1. Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.
  2. Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can.
  3. Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes.
  5. Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
  6. Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers' twine.

 
 
The Moon is Broken! - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
Every night at eight o'clock the same thing happens.  "Time for bed,"  Mommy says.  "Time for bed, sleepyhead!"  But, to her surprise and fright, something is wrong this starry night!  Something has happened to the moon and it has to be fixed! 
 
This is such a sweet little book that helps Taylor solve her dilemma.  She's determined to let God know that the moon is broken.  The last time she looked it was a round circle and now part of it's fallen off.  She must find the missing part so it can be fixed.  Perfect for a bedtime story for young children.  Beautiful illustrations.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

The Map - Boni Lonnsburry​, Author

Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts  
Originally from Bon Appétit | April 2009

A simple but sophisticated starter: Puff pastry squares are topped with a bright spring mixture of asparagus spears, fresh shiitakes, and crème fraîche.

Yield: Makes 8
 
Ingredients:
1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
12 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup crème fraîche*
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 ounces)
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)
 
Preparation:
Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border (do not cut through pastry) around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2 rimmed baking sheets. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in crème fraîche and cheese. DO AHEAD: Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
Preheat to 400°F. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.
Bake tarts 20-22 minutes until crusts are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through. Remove from cookie sheet and cut into 4 pieces each with a pizza cutter. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
Boni’s note:
I absolutely LOVE this recipe!! It is easy, it looks amazing, it tastes like you slaved for days, it is so delicious you’ll crave it in the middle of the night, and it freezes like a dream! What’s more to ask for?
 
 
The Map – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
 
…There are plenty of people who have tons of money but it’s never enough…they are never satisfied, never secure and they never feel truly abundant.
There are people who have the spouse, but not the trust, the support, the respect and the ever-deepening love.
There are people who have careers that they thought would make them happy, but they don’t feel free, creative and excited and they aren’t having fun.
The things are not what bring you the essence (the wonderful, positive feeling states).  The essence (the wonderful positive feelings states is what brings you the things…
 
 
By now I’m sure you’re asking yourself, what exactly does this have to do with a Map?  Well, The Map isn’t just any map.  It’s not one that you can use to map out a trip, or is it?  Actually the answer is yes and no.  You won’t find the highway numbers, little towns and cities you’ll travel through nor your mileage distance but you will find your destination and how to get there.  Through following the instructions given in The Map you don’t create your ‘wish’ list you create your ‘intent’ list.  And this goes for everything from relationships to jobs to cars, to travel and to everything in between.   How?  You ask and then believe.  Now that doesn’t mean half-heartedly believe.  You must truly believe.   You must want it strong enough that it is no longer a wish but an intent.  Again, how?  The Map will map the way for you to have what you intend to have simply by following it’s steps and believing in your own self. 
 
 
Does this work?  A couple years ago I wanted to take a trip to Utah.  I lived there a couple years when I was a child and wanted to see if my childhood memories were real or just made up by my mind over the years.  Now, how to I afford a trip like this?  I thought about it and thought about it and became determined, or should I say intent, upon making this trip.  Then it hit me.  I was a smoker for 44 years.  If I quit smoking I could easily afford this trip.  I had tried to quit smoking a hundred times and nothing seemed to work but I was determined to make this trip.  Through my intent to quit smoking and my intent to make this trip I did both!  And in the long run I did even more that made me very happy.  I gave up something that was harmful to my health, I made the trip, I saw relatives that I had not seen in 50 years and will probably never see again, but the biggest accomplishment was that when I became intent on that one trip I proved to myself that I can do and have anything if I really put my mind to it and make it an intent instead of a wish.  So, since reading The Map I’ve ‘mapped’ out other intents that I have all the confidence that I will acquire along the way.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

20 Strawberry Cake Recipes - Sharon Ray, Author

20 Strawberry Cake Recipes - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
Classic Strawberry Cake
(Straight from the Cookbook and so good)
 
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh, crushed strawberries, unsweetened
1/2 cup butter
2 1/5 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
 
Strawberry Glaze:
1 cu powdered sugar
12 - 3/4 cup crushed strawberries
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/5 tsp. vanilla
 
Preheat oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4.  Prepare the cake.  First sift flour, salt and baking powder together.  Using a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  This includes the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Beat for about 3 minutes.  Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture.  Alternate it with adding the strawberries.  Beat again for about 2 minutes.  Pour the batter into two 8-inch round greased and floured cake pans.  Put pan in pre-heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests are done.  Turn out on wire cooking racks to cool.  When cool, top the cake with the strawberry glaze.  To make the strawberry glaze, simply mix all ingredients together.  Just make sure that you use enough strawberries to think the mixture.
 
Inline image 1
 
This is just one of the wonderful recipes included in Sharon Ray's Golden Recipe Collection - 20 Strawberry Cake Recipes.  I made this cake and my food testers all raved about it's taste and texture.   When working this recipe up I did notice the batter was a bit thick and that worried me a bit but it proved to be a deliciously moist cake with loads of strawberry flavor.  The glaze did come out thin but as it sat for a few minutes it thickened slightly and just added to the moist consistency of the cake.  This woman has it together when it comes to strawberries.  I can't wait to try some the others in this book, especially since strawberries are in season.
 
Order your copy today 20 Strawberry Cake Recipes

Monday, June 24, 2013

A Cloud of Witnesses - Joan S. Hickey, Author

Apple Pie a la Mode
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 7 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg white
Additional sugar
 
Directions
In a small bowl, combine first 6 ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat.
Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; trim pastry even with edge. Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry.
Beat egg white until foamy; brush over pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges loosely with foil.
Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 8 servings.
Top with ice cream
 
A Cloud of Witnesses – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
***I am the seventh of seventeen children, from a working-class, Midwestern Catholic family.  In my teenage years, the tension of alcoholism and depression brought my family to its knees.  My parents fought constantly about money.  Teenage brothers and sisters, one at a time, ran away from home.  My fifteen-year-old younger sister, Lisa, got pregnant.  My eighteen-year-old older brother, Charlie, who was smoking a lot of weed and dropping a lot of LSD, got shot in the back hitchhiking home at 4 a.m. through the ghetto and became crippled.  My father’s depression and drinking led to the loss of his job.  When my family defaulted on the mortgage to our house, we sold our furniture on the front lawn in the middle of January, packed our remaining belongings into a U-Hall truck, and made our way out west for a new start.***
 
***Inside I was dying.  The alcoholic family’s code of silence and denial worked in tandem with teenage male conditioning in a toxic way.  I was deeply depressed by all that was happening at home.  I struggled with a tremendous sense of shame.  I had no way to access my own needs and feelings, much less the ability to articulate them or to ask for the help I desperately needed… This whole time was a death-of-God experience for me.  The God of my childhood, with whom I had bargained to save me and my family, was now officially dead.***
 
This is a story that is lived by many others but seldom told.  How can a person expect to live through circumstances so negative and still come out with a positive attitude?  How can they be expected to go through the heartbreaks and horror and still have Faith?  How can they be expected to even believe that the is a real God?  ‘As a young boy Jesse felt called to be a priest.  Part of this was a real sense of piety.  He truly felt a love for God.  The Holy One was the only one he could count on amidst the emotional and physical violence of his family.  At the same time, religion was a socially sanctioned way to escape from the chaos’…  Even though his faith and beliefs faltered over the years, he experienced his own ‘miracle’ that kept him seeking and eventually becoming what God meant for him to be.  He is a board-certified chaplain who works with pediatric oncology patients and their families.
 
Jesse’s story and many others are shared with us in this wonderfully uplifting book A Cloud of Witnesses.  As I read each story I allowed myself to drift into a state of ‘meditation’ and be there for each Godly experience.  The inter peace and tranquility that I received was through each testimony can only be described as beautiful.  I have several friends who are cancer patients and this is a book that I fully intend to pass along to them with hopes that they too will receive the messages being shared by those within this book who experienced them.  I can only say thank you to the author Joan S. Hickey for bringing these words together.
 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Escape From Paris - Carolyn Hart, Author



Corn Sausage Casserole
(WWII recipe which I found on recipecurio.com Carolyn Hart)

 
BEAT 4 eggs well. Thoroughly blend in 1 No. 2 can cream style corn (2 1/2 cups). 1 cup soft bread crumbs (packed in cup), 1 lb. sausage meat, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Pour into greased 8-inch round open-faced casserole. Spread 6 tbsp. catsup over the top. Bake 50 to 60 minutes in a moderate oven (350°). 6 servings.
 

Escape From Paris - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish


***If he didn’t hurry, they were going to be caught. That sergeant would walk down the road in a little while to see why she was taking so long. Why didn’t the Englishman hurry? Why had she said she would take him? Why had she been such a fool? If the soldiers searched the car at the gate…Linda shivered uncontrollably although the late August heat baked the little car, making the leather so hot that her blouse and skirt clung wetly to her. Still she shivered. She tried again to light the cigarette. The lighter clicked. The pinpoint of flame wavered but she held it to the cigarette, drew deeply. Dear God, why didn’t he come? Her hand reached out, touched the key in the ignition. All she had to do was turn the motor on, put the car in gear and be on her way. She would stop at the gate and show her papers and she wouldn’t have to be afraid. The Red Cross pennant on the windshield was her protection. The pennant wouldn’t protect her if they found an English soldier hidden in the trunk. She turned the key in the ignition. Why should she take such a frightful chance?***
 
Eleanor does volunteer work with the Red Cross taking small packets of food to the prisoners being held in the hospitals by the Germans before they move them on to the prisons. Linda is Eleanor’s sister. Today’s visit to Douellens had been scheduled for a week or more. When Eleanor was up all night with a toothache, Linda volunteered to go in her place. Linda hated sickness – and wounds – and hospitals – and she was dreadfully afraid of the Germans. You see, there is a war going on and the Germans have taken over Paris. What Linda had not expected was to have one of the English prisoners ask her to help him escape. After helping just one English pilot escape, Eleanor, Eleanor’s son Robert and Linda find themselves becoming an important link in the chain as they helped others find their way out of Paris and hopefully on to safety.
 
I’ve read many of Author Carolyn Hart’s books and will read every one I can get my hands on. I love her style of writing, as she always seems to add drama along with humor. But this book was different. I had no idea that this author could write such a wonderful piece of history. I’ve never been a fan of WWI nor WWII history. When I picked up this book to read I didn’t think I would make it through to the end. I was so wrong! All my life I’ve read and heard about the Jews during WWII but never have I read nor heard much about the treatment of the people by the Germans in other countries. Carolyn Hart makes you see the brutal punishments, torture, and deaths of those who even spoke against them. She takes you into the torture rooms and gives you enough of a description that you knew what had to have gone on there. She takes you to the prisons where the women are held and exposes you to their treatment or should I say lack of it. You become so engrossed with the characters that you feel as if you actually know them on a 1st name basis. And she scares the heck out of you as you follow them through their lives as underground links. I had a very hard time putting this book down. I wanted it to end so the torture would end but I didn’t want to stop reading. This is a wonderful book of history.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

81 BBQ Chicken Recipes - Sharon Ray, Author


Pepsi Chicken Barbecue
(From Sharon Ray’s BBQ Chicken Recipes Cookbook)

 
  Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 8 hours
Cooking time: 15 minutes  

 
Ingredients  
2 Lbs. chicken – boned and skinless  


Marinade:
3 c. Pepsi 1
1/ 2 tsp. garlic
2 tsp... Rice vinegar
2 tbsp. Smokey paprika
2 tsp. salt
1 1/ 2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. sugar  

 
Dry Rub
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/ 2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp.   Garlic powder
1 tbsp. Smokey paprika
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/ 2 tsp. onion powder  

 
Directions  
1. Prepare the marinade. Simply mix all the spices together.  
2. Put it in a re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and then add in the Pepsi and rice vinegar.   3. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 8 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.  
4. Prepare the dry rub. Simply combine all the dry rub ingredients together.  
5. Take out the chicken and rub the spices on the chicken.  
6. Grill for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is firm and the juice runs clear.  
7. Serve along with potato salad and marinated cucumber, if preferred.
 
BBQ Chicken Recipes  - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A book and A Dish
 
I seldom eat red meat but live off chicken and fish so this book was right up my alley.  The recipes included in BBQ Chicken Recipes – the Best BBQ and Grilled Chicken Recipes allow it to live up to its name.  The one above has to be my favorite.  The chicken comes out juicy and tender.  It is seasoned just a bit ‘hot’ for me but I can always cut down the cayenne pepper in the marinade and dry rub. 
 
Another favorite is the Oven Steamed BBQ Chicken Quarters with Sweet & Tangy Sauce.  The chicken cooked with onions and lemon made a beautiful blend but it’s the sauce that got me.  A mixture of vinegar and mustard mixed with onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder and topped off with tomato puree and apricot preserves to give it the perfect blend of sweet and tangy.  And those are just two of the delicious recipes that I’ve had a chance to try, so far.  Next I want to try Grilled Chicken Quesadillas and the BBQ Chicken with Easy BBQ sauce.  This one sounds like something that could become a quick go to dish on the grill when needed.
 
So, if you like chicken as much as I do and love yours cooked on the grill or even in the oven, this is a must have book for your own kitchen.  I’m sure enjoying mine.

 
Design by Wordpress Theme | Bloggerized by Free Blogger Templates | coupon codes