Tag: Cooking – Food – Drink

Halloween Bingo 2019: Tracking Post — Blackout! (And bingos Nos. 12 and 13.)

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Many thanks to Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue for hosting this game for the fourth year in a row, bigger and better than ever before!

Witih today’s call, I’ve blacked out my card, in addition to collecting my final bingos (nos. 12 and 13).

Somewhat to my surprise, after completing my books for my official bingo card at the end of September, I even managed to read enough extra books to put together a supplemental inofficial card throughout the month of October, so this year’s game has really exceeded my wildest expectations in every conceivable way!

 

My Official 2019 Bingo Card:

Weekly Status Updates and Reviews:

First Week
Second Week
Third Week
Fourth Week

 

The Books:

International Woman of Mystery: Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments – finished September 29, 2019.
Locked Room Mystery: Clayton Rawson: Death from a Top Hat – finished September 23, 2019.
Murder Most Foul: Michael Gilbert: Smallbone Deceased – finished September 13, 2019.
Psych: Sofi Oksanen: Fegefeuer (The Purge) – finished September 17, 2019.
Read by Flashlight or Candle Light: The Lady Detectives: Four BBC Radio 4 Crime Dramatisations – finished September 20, 2019.

DeadLands: Terry Pratchett: Monstrous Regiment – finished September 26, 2019.
Fear the Drowning Deep: Delia Owens: Where the Crawdads Sing – finished September 25, 2019.
Relics and Curiosities: Patricia Wentworth: Eternity Ring – finished September 10, 2019.
Dark Academia: James Hilton: Was It Murder? – finished September 1, 2019.
Modern Noir: Joy Ellis: The Guilty Ones – finished September 21, 2019.

Ghost Stories: Nina Blazon: Siebengeschichten – finished September 1, 2019.
Gothic: Peter Ackroyd: Hawksmoor – finished September 9, 2019.
Free (Raven) Space: Agatha Christie: The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories – finished September 7, 2019.
Truly Terrifying: Bob Berman: Earth-Shattering – finished September 12, 2019.
Amateur Sleuth: Priscilla Royal: Wine of Violence – finished September 5, 2019.

Cryptozoologist: Terry Pratchett: Guards! Guards! – finished September 18, 2019.
Diverse Voices: Toni Morrison: Beloved – finished September 22, 2019.
Black Cat: Jim Butcher: The Aeronaut’s Windlass – finished September 16, 2019.
Creepy Crawlies: Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Gods of Jade and Shadow – finished September 7, 2019.
Country House Mystery: Anthony Rolls: Scarweather – finished September 14, 2019.

Spellbound: Zen Cho: Sorcerer to the Crown – finished September 6, 2019.
A Grimm Tale: Ellen Datlow & Terry Windling (eds.): The Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales – finished September 4, 2019.
Creepy Carnivals: Fredric Brown: The Dead Ringer – finished September 12, 2019.
Paint It Black: Trudi Canavan: The Magicians’ Guild – finished September 20, 2019.
Cozy Mysteries: Margery Allingham: The White Cottage Mystery – finished September 19, 2019.

 

My Square Markers

 

Called but not read

Read but not called

Read and Called

Center Square: Read and Called

 

The Extra Squares / Card and Books:

13: Rex Stout: And Be a Villain
Supernatural: Jennifer Estep: Kill the Queen
New Release: Sara Collins: The Confessions of Frannie Langton
Genre: Mystery: Catherine Louisa Pirkis: The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective
Romantic Suspense: Georgette Heyer: The Unfinished Clue
Terror in a Small Town: Ann Cleeves: Raven Black
Halloween: Agatha Christie: Hallowe’en Party
Monsters: Terry Pratchett: Pyramids
Shifters: Joan D. Vinge: Ladyhawke
Sleepy Hollow: Dennis Lehane: The Given Day
Film at 11: J.B. Priestley: An Inspector Calls
In the Dark, Dark Woods: Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness
Free (Raven) Square: Various Authors: The Rivals: Tales of Sherlock Holmes’ Rival Detectives
Grave or Graveyard: Kathy Reichs: Grave Secrets
Genre: Suspense: Tony Medawar (ed.) & Various Authors: Bodies from the Library 2
Southern Gothic: Sharyn McCrumb: The Unquiet Grave
Baker Street Irregulars: Joanne Harris: Gentlemen & Players
Darkest London: J.V. Turner: Below the Clock
Magical Realism: Joanne Harris: Chocolat
It was a dark and stormy night: Peter May: The Lewis Man
Full Moon: Edmund Crispin: Glimpses of the Moon
King of Fear: John Le Carré: Absolute Friends
Serial / Spree Killer: Steven Kramer, Paul Holes & Jim Clemente: Evil Has a Name
Classic Noir: Patricia Highsmith: Strangers on a Train
Classic Horror: Matthew G. Lewis: The Monk

Note: With regard to the extra squares, I added the image for the relevant square for every book completed (= “read”); and I am using my “called” markers for the main card to indicate “called and read”.

 

My Spreadsheet:

My Book Preselections Post: HERE

 

My Transfiguration Spells

Not used.

 

My “Virgin” Bingo Card:

Posted for ease of tracking and comparison.

 

 

Original post:
http://themisathena.booklikes.com/post/1942220/halloween-bingo-2019-tracking-post

Halloween Bingo 2019 PreParty — Question for 08/14 (Day 14): Halloween Bingo Reading Snacks and Drinks … Part 2: The Snacks

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So, I had to go down to Frankfurt yesterday, and as I had hoped when composing my original post for this prompt, I managed a small side trip to that store.

This year’s Halloween snacks now officially include:

* Orange chocolate / cocoa truffles
* White chocolate and almond truffles
* Cocoa and dark chocolate coated almonds
* Chili, vanilla and cinnamon chocolate
* Red wine chocolate
* Almond pistachio cookies
* Chocolate wafers
* Fudge.

(While I was there, I also stocked up on some favorite teas, spiced rice (their own blend) and condiments.)

 

 

Original post:
ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1939189/halloween-bingo-2019-preparty-question-for-08-14-day-14-halloween-bingo-reading-snacks-and-drinks-part-2-the-snacks

Halloween Bingo 2019 PreParty — Question for 08/14 (Day 14): Halloween Bingo Reading Snacks and Drinks?

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I don’t know how much reading I’ll be able to get done at home during this year’s bingo, and doubtlessly part of it will be in bed before going to sleep, where I don’t eat anything (and the only drink allowed is mineral water).

That said, as we established last year, tea is kind of a biggie in this household, and it’s definitely my drink of choice while reading.  Especially now that I have such a nice mug to go with it … thanks to BT’s gift of earlier this year!

 

As a matter of fact, since a number of my (up to now) “go to” tea brands are English, and since I’m in absolutely no mood to pay the taxes that are looking ever more likely if the Bozo version of Brexit becomes a reality, a while ago I placed orders with my favorite British purveyors to tide me over for the foreseeable future, so now I’m right back to that “good grief, where do I store all this stuff?” situation.

As for food, there currently are no snacks in my home, but I’ll have to go down to Frankfurt later this month, and I’ll do my level  best to make time to swing by that store … where I’ll doubtlessly find a few extra delicious and not altogether too spooky treats to go with my tea!

 

 

Original post:
ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1935863/halloween-bingo-2019-preparty-question-for-08-14-day-14-halloween-bingo-reading-snacks-and-drinks

Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (David Suchet Audio)

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Still as much fun as ever.  David Suchet obviously is Poirot — but this is the one audio recording where he is equally obviously having the time of his life with the rest of the cast in an “Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets” manner, and I’m enjoying being along for the ride every single second, every single time.

Original review (also of this audio version) HERE.

Now onwards and upwards on the Snakes and Ladders board!

 

 

Original post:
ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1851203/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-100

Joanne Fluke / Laura Levine / Leslie Meier: Candy Cane Murder

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24 Festive Tasks: Door 7 – Mawlid, Book


Well, let’s just say that none of these three ladies is anywhere near Donna Andrews’s league when it comes to cozy mysteries, plotting, character creation, dialogue, and a writer’s craft in general.  And if I thought Joanna Fluke’s entry was disappointing (mediocre plotting and dialogue, character responses that felt forced / didn’t make sense, and one of my no-go TSTL behavior tropes as the “big reveal” cue (though I have to hand it to Fluke, the setting and overall scene of the final confrontation with the murderer was inspired)), I’m sorry to have to say that Leslie Meier’s contribution did even less for me — you could scratch off the Hallmark sugar coating with a shovel, virtually NONE of the characters’ actions and responses bore even the slightest semblance of realism,  and she managed to make 1980s rural Maine come across as more backward than it probably was even in the 1940s and 1950s (while also looking more dripping-with-saccharine-style-homely than any Norman Rockwell picture — and for the record, I like Norman Rockwell.  Or at least I like his Christmas pictures.)

Laura Levine’s entry fared a bit better (I’d call it the book’s highlight if such a term were appropriate for a muted glow in the midst of two seriously dulled lights); at least she took me right back to L.A. inside my head and the plotting was halfway decent.  But her story seriously suffered from an overabundance of quirky characters, not-very-subtle hints at the MC’s padded waistline and her resolutions to do something about it (in which she predictably fails on every single occasion — and yes, I know this actually is an L.A. thing; been there and would have bought the T-shirt, too, if I’d found it funny then, but the last thing I want is to have this sort of fad jammed up my nose with a sledgehammer in a book) — and an equal overabundance of wannabe hipster slang and coloquialisms … everything from repeated exclamations like “ugh!”, “oh golly!” and “drat!” to “bet my bottom cupcake” (and yes, even there she goes again with the calorie stuff).  Oh, and the MC’s conversations with her cat and said cat’s female-Garfield act got old pretty soon as well.

Oh well.  If nothing else, this has made me appreciate the consistently high quality of Donna Andrews’s writing even more — I’ll happily be returning to her for my cozy contemporary Christmas mysteries (I just hope she’ll reliably continue to produce them for the foreseeable future).

I may try some of the recipes included in this book eventually, though.

Since the audiobook I listened to has a green cover, I’ll be using this as my book for the Mawlid square.

 

Original post:
ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1816759/24-festive-tasks-door-7-mawlid-book

Our Traditional New Year’s Eve Dinner: Wieners & Potato Salad

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16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Square 16 – New Year’s Eve / St. Sylvester’s Day

Tasks for Hogswatch Night: Make your favourite sausage dish.

As it so happens, wieners and potato salad are my mom’s and my traditional Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve food.  This year we cheated (store-bought instead of homemade potato salad), so no recipe to post, but anyway … here we go!

 

 

Original post:
ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1628312/16-tasks-of-the-festive-season-square-16-new-year-s-eve-st-sylvester-s-day

Candlelight Breakfast and a Book

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16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Square 3 – St. Martin’s Day – and Square 15 – Newtonmas

Tasks for St. Martin’s Day: Write a Mother Goose-style rhyme or a limerick; the funnier the better. –OR– Take a picture of the book you’re currently reading, next to a glass of wine, or the drink of your choice, with or without a fire in the background.

Tasks for Newtonmas: Take a moment to appreciate gravity and the laws of motion. If there’s snow outside, have a snowball fight with a friend or a member of your family. –OR– Take some time out to enjoy the alchemical goodness of a hot toddy or chocolate or any drink that relies on basic chemistry/alchemy (coffee with cream or sugar / tea with milk or sugar or lemon, etc.). Post a picture of your libations and the recipe if it’s unique and you’re ok with sharing it.

I decided to combine these two into one for a late candlelight breakfast this morning:


The drink is white hot chocolate; a gift from my BFF from our trip to London back in June.  Basically, it just calls for the white chocolate powder to be mixed into hot milk … my mom, however, had the brilliant and very alchemically correct idea of adding a pinch of ground (or instant) coffee.

 

Original post:
ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1627430/16-tasks-of-the-festive-season-square-3-st-martin-s-day-and-square-15-newtonmas

Two Favorite Chinese Dishes — and Sherry Cream Dessert

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16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Square 11 – Dōngzhì Festival

Tasks for Dōngzhì Festival: If you like Chinese food, tell us your favorite dish – otherwise, tell us your favorite dessert.

Alright, I admit I haven’t made these in a while (so the pretty pics aren’t mine), but the Chinese recipes are from a cookbook I brought from a trip to Hong Kong, and which I used to cook Chinese meals for my friends after my return, and the dessert recipe was a runaway success in our family for years after I’d discovered it in one of the first cookbooks I ever owned.

(Note: metric conversions are rounded to the nearest semi-decimal.  Trust me, they work well enough on that basis.)

Chinese Food
Cha Shiu Buns

Ingredients:
Yeast Dough
1 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup (ca. 120 ml) warm water
6-7 oz (ca. 170-195 g) plain flour

Pastry
10 oz (280 g) yeast dough (see above)
3 oz (ca. 85 g) sugar
1/2 tsp ammonia powder
1/4 tsp alkali water (or just salted water)
1-2 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil
4 oz (ca. 110 g) flour
1 tsp baking powder

Filling
6 oz (ca. 170 g) roast pork (= cha shiu)
1 tbsp finely chopped chives or spring onions

Gravy
1 tsp oil
1 tsp white wine
1/2 cup (ca. 120 ml) stock
1 tsp oyster sauce (optional)
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornflour mixed with
1 tbsp water

Preparation:
Yeast Dough
Dissolve the dry yeast and sugar in warm water and leave for 10 minutes to prove.

Stift the flour on to a table and make a well in the centre to pour in the yeast solution.  Work in the flour to knead into a soft dough.  Place in a greased mixing bowl and cover with a towel.  Leave to prove for 10-12 hours.

Pastry
Place the yeast dough, sugar, ammonia powder and alkali water in a big bowl.  Add the water and oil to the mix into a thick cream.

Sift the flour and baking powder together on a table and make a well in the centre.  Pour in the yeast cream. Slowly work in the flour and knead into a soft dough.

Filling
Dice or shred the cha shiu.

Gravy
Heat the oil in a hot wok (or frying pan).  Sizzle wine and pour in the stock.   Season to taste and thicken the gravy with the cornflour solution.  Remove wok (pan) from the stove and stir in cha shiu and chopped chives / spring onions to mix well.  Dish and put into refrigerator to chill.

To complete:
Roll the soft dough into a long strip and cut into 24 equal portions.  Flatten each portion into a small round.  Place a tsp of filling in the centre of the round, then draw in the edges and form small pleats to wrap up the filling.  Stick a small squre piece of grease proof paper to the bottom of each bun.

Arrange the buns in a steamer, then steam over high heat for 8 minutes.  Remove and leave to cool.  Steam a second time for 2 minutes, then serve hot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 oz. (ca. 170 g) each
2 lemons
1 beaten egg
1 cup (ca. 235 ml) cornflour oil for deep frying
2 parsley sprigs or chunks of broccoli

Chicken Marinade
1 tbsp ginger juice
1 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 pinch of pepper

Seasoning
1/2 cup (ca. 120 ml) stock
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp wine
1 pinch of pepper

Gravy Mix
2 tbsp custard powder
1/2 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp water

Preparation:
Wash and trim the parsley / broccoli and set aside for later use.
Mix all the ingredients of the marinade.
Slice the chicken breasts into large thin pieces, then immerse in the marinade for 30 minutes.
Toss the chicken in the beaten egg, then coat evenly with the cornflour.
Heat the wok (or frying pan) until very hot and pour in the oil to bring to the boil.  Slide in the chicken to deep fry until golden brown.  Drain, cut and dish.
Squeeze out the juice of one lemon and mix with all the seasoning except the wine.
Heat another wok (or frying pan) and bring 2 tbsp of oil to the boil.  Sizzle the wine, then pour in the lemon mixture and season to taste.  Mix the custard powder and cornflour with the water, then stream into the sauce to thicken.  Blend in the last tbsp of oil and mask over the chicken. Slice the other lemon and arrange on or around the platter with the parsley / broccoli.

 

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Dessert: Sherry Cream

Ingredients:
1 lime (or small lemon)
75 g (ca. 2 1/2 oz) icing sugar
125 ml (ca. 4 fl oz) sherry (preferably Amontillado or Oloroso)
300 g (ca 10.5 oz) double cream or crème fraîche (not: sour cream!)
2-3 drops of essence of vanilla or orange
a few slices of orange

Preparation:
Brush clean the lime / lemon in running water, then dry and julienne the peel (cut into thin tiny slices).  Squeeze out the juice of the lime / lemon and blend with the icing sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Then mix in the sherry.

Whisk double cream / crème fraîche until foamy, then slowly mix in the lime juice and sherry blend, as well as the essence of vanilla / orange.  Fill cream into large serving bowl or small dessert bowls, sprinkle with lime / lemon peel juliennes, and decorate with orange slices.

(Note: This also works with port or madeira, if your taste runs more that way.)

 

Original post:
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