Recipe Thursday: Penzey's How We Became One's Hoisin Chicken

One of my goals for 2026 is to sort through all the recipes I have laying around tucked into folders and notebooks as well as my gigantic Pinterest/food blog collection that hasn't been touched in years.  I've been having quite a good time with it.  I enjoy cooking but it can become a chore pretty easily and this has made it a lot more fun for me as I feel like I'm working on a project.   Around here we've taken to calling it Recipe Thunderdome as all recipes have to be auditioned before earning their place in the final recipe binder. 

*For context I'm a reasonably capable home cook but one who is often trying to multitask and who is pretty much completely self-taught. *

Cookbooks aren't exempt from the Thunderdome and here's this week's candidate from Penzey's How We Became One

Hoisin Chicken

1 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 T olive oil
1 c sliced onion
3 T hoisin sauce
4 T rice wine
5 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T sesame oil
2 TB minced garlic
1/4 lb green beans, trimmed

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until lightly browned on all sides.  While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the hoisin sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.  Add to the skillet along with the onions.  Stir well.  Add the green beans.  Cover the skillet and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook about 10 - 15 minutes or until the green beans are cooked to desired consistency.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Changes:  I probably used more than 1/4lb of green beans but no other changes.

Thoughts on Recipe Difficulty:  I found this pretty simple.  There's some chopping but everything is pretty straightforward and goes together well.

Cook Time: 25 - 30 minutes.  Most of the prep can be done while another part is cooking.

Served With: Rice

Results:  This was really good!  The flavor of the sauce was nice and it made enough for both of us plus some leftover.  

Verdict: Survived!  Though the cookbook itself is on the edge. It's super bulky and there aren't that may recipes that interest me.  I might make it a project to try out the recipes that caught my eye, those that I like go in the binder, and then the cookbook itself is exiled.

The Secret Thread - Fiction Review

Goodreads: The Secret Thread by Eve Chase

Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description:  At a lavish summer party on an English country estate, tensions between social classes lead to deadly consequences that won’t stay buried in this twisty, engrossing suspense novel by the author of The Midnight Hour.

Even the darkest secrets unravel in time. . . .

2024: Jo O’Mara, a young writer, lands a job working for Mimi Mott, a wealthy style icon and legendary founder of a decorating empire. Newly widowed and in her seventies, Mimi is preparing to auction off her possessions, through them finally telling the story of her early life. Famously private, Mimi has kept her past shrouded in mystery. Jo doesn’t dare reveal how closely it touches her own.

Tasked with collecting the untold tales behind each auction lot, Jo peels back the layers of Mimi’s origin story and discovers it’s far darker than anyone ever suspected.

1969: Mimi and her sister, Pamela, live in a cramped, musty staff cottage on the grounds of Rushwood, an idyllic English country estate owned by the Caswell family, their demanding new employer. Working alongside their gardener parents, the girls have been raised with their hands in the soil and know only a traditional, simple life—but spirited Mimi hungers for more.

When the Caswells’ adult children, Nancy and Lawrence, arrive at Rushwood for the summer, the sisters are drawn into a privileged, intoxicating world, unsettling their own, and passions spark under the blazing sun—until a shattering death at Rushwood’s high-society party tears Mimi and Pamela apart.

Now time is running out. Jo discovers both a missing auction piece and a missing sister and vows to find them no matter how dark the secret they expose—or the cost to herself.

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: I've read another book by this author and really enjoyed it.  The blurb also caught my attention.

My Impression: I read a book by this author several years ago and one of the big things I remember is the eerie atmosphere she infused in every page of that book.  I felt that was a bit lacking in this one.   I knew something bad was going to happen, but it wasn't because I felt like there was something wrong but more because the reader is told pretty regularly that things go bad.  

The structure of the book was interesting with the modern-day timeline centering around the creation of an auction catalog and each item triggering a flashback to Mimi's early life taking place on an estate in the 1960s.  As the story goes on the story gets closer to the catastrophic event that splintered the family.

It took me awhile to get really invested in the story and at no point did I really feel connected with the characters.  I don't mind not liking them but I teetered on the edge of not caring about them.  

What kept this book enjoyable was the author's writing style.  Even when I wasn't particularly engaged in the story it was never difficult to keep reading.  While the book didn't have an unsettling atmosphere the author did make the setting come to life and I could easily visualize each of the auction items as well as Rushwood both past and present.  

Looking at the Goodreads reviews, I appear to be in the minority with not loving it and I do think there was a lot of positives about the book.  It wasn't my favorite by the author, but I am looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would.  I like this author's writing even when I'm not loving the story.  

Would I Recommend this Book? I would with some reservation.  Unless you're a big fan of the author, I might recommend getting it from the library instead of buying unread.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026

 

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026.

1.  The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas (September 29) - I've enjoyed this series from the beginning (though I've missed a couple that I need to catch up on) and this one looks really interesting.

2.  The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke (October 20) - This is the third book in the Ruby and Cordelia series and I've loved the previous books.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the series continues to develop.

3.  See You at the Sunset by Susan Lee (August 11) - I don't know much about this author but the blurb really caught my attention, and it looks like a really entertaining read.  

4.   Killing in the Countryside by Maria Malone (August 11) - I absolutely loved the first book in this mix of cozy and police procedural last year and am so excited to read this one.  

5.   Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander (September 22) - This series is on my series list for this year and I'm enjoying reading the early books but I've liked the most recent books even more.

6.  It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell (July 2) - I love Lisa Jewell's books and this one looks really good.  I haven't gotten to last year's book yet and I don't want to drag my feet as much with this one!

7.  The Unknown by Riley Sager (August 4) - I have only read one book by this author and I really want to read more.  This one sounds absolutely amazing!

8.  Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas (October 20) - I was so excited when I saw a new book from Lisa Kleypas on the upcoming release list.  Kleypas is one of my absolute favorite authors and has been on a hiatus for several years.  I hope all is well with her and I'm so excited to pick this one up.

9.  Birth of the Witch by Nora Roberts (November 17) - I love Roberts' trilogies and this sounds like the beginning of a good one!

10. Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley (September 22) - I'm cautiously really excited about this one.  This is a Miss Marple story written by Lucy Foley which makes me a bit nervous as Miss Marple is one of my favorite characters of all time.  However, I read a short story collection of Miss Marple stories written by contemporary authors and Foley's one of my favorites so I have hope. 

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to? 

Enter the Nightmare - Romantic Suspense Review

Goodreads: Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description:   Alice Radstone should have known not to return. Her life before the Hotel of Dreams had been the perfectly cloistered world of a teacher at the Ballantine Academy. When the death of her mentor forced her out, she was left to reinvent herself in the big city. Since then, things have not gone well. Ten months ago, after her first trip to the hotel, she woke up in the locked ward of a hospital for the criminally insane, told that she had murdered her husband on their wedding night. She has no memory of the husband or the wedding but after escaping the asylum, one thing is certain—she is never going back.

Unfortunately, Alice’s second reinvented life is also deteriorating rapidly, which is why she finds herself once again at the Hotel of Dreams—this time hiding in the shadows of her room, a dead body in the shower, and two men wearing masks creeping toward the bed to kidnap her. Again.

When the enigmatic and decidedly dangerous Owen March shows up, claiming he’s there to rescue her, she has no choice but to accept his offer—and hope that he doesn’t intend to kidnap her, too.

With Alice and now Owen in the killer’s sights, time is running out. Alice and Owen must trust each other and the electric passion between them if they are to make it out of this hotel alive.

Genre: Romantic Suspense - Paranormal 

Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed previous books in this series and pretty much everything I've read by this author (and the other names she writes under)

My Impression: This series is such a fever dream of a good time and this book was no exception. I'm not sure I always understand the dynamics of Harmony but I always enjoy my time visiting the world that Castle has created here.  I'm fascinated by the dust bunnies, the Underworld, and all the different talents.  Alice's might be the most unique talent we've come across yet and I loved the addition of her principals that she learned at the school she lived at and eventually taught at.  Owen is also an interesting character.  It takes a bit longer to learn his backstory but he and Alice work well together from the very beginning.

There is a bit of insta-love (or at least soon after meeting love) but the characters are reasonably sensible about it.  They communicate well and try to understand each other.  The addition of dust bunny chaos in the hotel adds for some fun comic relief and I would love the see that final hotel bill.  The cat and mouse game keeps the tension up and the pacing stays strong from beginning to end.  

This was a fun bit of escapism with interesting characters, a bizarre world, and solid pacing.  If you need a fast read to keep you entertained this is a perfect choice.  The backstory of Harmony took me a little getting used to but for each book I read in the series the more I'm getting used to it.  I'm looking forward to the next book and reading the books I've missed in this series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Yes, absolutely!  I'm looking forward to doing a big binge read of this series (and this author in general) sometime soon.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're in the mood for some distraction and don't mind some urban fantasy/sci fi this is a great choice.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Rating: Loved It (5 Stars)
Source: Purchased

Description: The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book: This was the June selection for the 2026 Read Christie Challenge under the category of "Best to Read in One Sitting"

My Impression: If you don't know anything about this mystery do your best to keep it that way and read it as soon as possible!  In many ways this is a typical Christie mystery - set in a small village with gossipy neighbors and characters trying to keep up appearances while hiding some significant secrets.  Dr. Sheppard is the narrator and has some very Hastings-like qualities which both amuses and exasperates Poirot.  Sheppard's sister, Caroline, is by far the biggest of the neighborhood gossips which adds quite a bit of information and some humorous moments.

This is the one of the few stories where we actually see Poirot enjoying the retirement he so often dreams about.  He has his out of the way house and spends his days growing vegetable marrows and everything else he's dreamed of - and he's bored silly.   He jumps at the chance to investigate the murder when Roger Ackroyd's niece, Flora, appeals to him.  The mystery is a good one with red herrings and misdirection all spearheaded by Poirot and his little grey cells.  

This is one of Christie's most controversial books and is one that probably brought her the earliest recognition.  I don't want to go into too much detail but it's worth reading to see if you think she cheated or not!  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  Next month's book is one published under her Mary Westmacott pseudonym which she used to publish romantic fiction.  I haven't read it so I'm excited about it.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  It's a good mystery as well as an interesting piece of mystery fiction history.

Friday Fives - Five Quick Reviews for Books I've Read Recently

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams - As soon as I finished the first book in the When in Rome Quartet I immediately put the audio of book 2 on hold through Libby.   I really liked Annie in the first book and I really enjoyed getting to know her better in this book.  Will is also a great character and the author does a great job with making them realistically complicated and keeping them likable and relatable.  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the relationship unfolded and getting to know all the side characters better as well.  I didn't like this book quite as much as I did the first book but I read that versus listening to this one so I'm wondering if the change in medium impacted my thoughts.  Regardless, this was a fun story about lovely people with enough depth to keep it from being silly.  I'm looking forward to picking up the next two books in the series.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

2.  A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I have been so excited to read this book since it first came out.  And I liked it.  I really enjoyed both Keaton and Becks Saint James' stories.  They're both likable and sympathetic characters.  I loved the side characters - all the ladies of Beaufort and especially Anderson.  I was hooked both because I enjoyed spending time with all the characters and because I wanted to find out just what happened that night long ago.  My main issue with this one is that I felt like I wanted more.  More character development, more heart, more plot development.  As well, there was one issue at the very end that I just had a hard time believing was never noticed.  I can't go into detail as it's a major spoiler but it definitely pulled me out of the story a bit.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

3.  All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie - I read this series in the late 90s/early 2000s and really enjoyed it.  I've been wanting to reread it for ages so I was really excited to pick this 2nd book in the series up.   It was okay.  The mystery itself was interesting and the conclusion was pretty shocking but there seemed to be a lot of plot lines and red herrings for a fairly short book.  As well, I wasn't sold on Duncan and Gemma's dynamic.  I don't know if it just feels a bit dated or if I just previously missed that Duncan is pretty oblivious to the people around him.  The mystery is solid and the series just keeps getting better so I'm looking forward to reading the next book.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

4.  An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - This is my second book by this writer team and another winner.  This was a wild ride of a mystery/thriller.  I wasn't sure if I liked anyone involved, what was happening, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending.  I do know was completely hooked from start to finish and could not wait to keep reading when I had to put it down.  The audio was very well done and the pacing on the story as a whole was spot on.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this duo and the authors individually.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

5.  How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristin Perrin - The premise of this one hadn't really grabbed me but a later book in the series did so I decided to pick this one up.  Despite a slow start, I ended up really enjoying it.  Annie is a good main character and while she has her issues she's intelligent and doesn't land in TSTL territory too often.  I also enjoyed the 1960s timeline.  The solution was a surprise but made sense.  It did take me awhile to feel invested in the story but once I did, I was hooked.  I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Recipe Thursday: Disney's Baked Ravioli

One of my goals for 2026 is to sort through all the recipes I have laying around tucked into folders and notebooks as well as my gigantic Pinterest/food blog collection that hasn't been touched in years.  I've been having quite a good time with it.  I enjoy cooking but it can become a chore pretty easily and this has made it a lot more fun for me as I feel like I'm working on a project.   Around here we've taken to calling it Recipe Thunderdome as all recipes have to be auditioned before earning their place in the final recipe binder. 

*For context I'm a reasonably capable home cook but one who is often trying to multitask and who is pretty much completely self-taught. *

Today I'm Sharing: Disney's Baked Ravioli from Plain Chicken

Changes:  I ended up cooking it about 5 minutes or so less than the called for time as the cheese was heading past golden and in 5 more minutes would have been burnt.  If I make it again, I'll cover it with foil.  Also, I used a full pound of ground beef instead of a beef and sausage mix as I don't love the flavor of sausage in this kind of dish.  I drained the beef before adding the additional sauce ingredients.  

Thoughts of Recipe Difficult: Not particularly difficult but it is time consuming as the sauce has to simmer for an hour and needed frequently stirring.  

Cook Time:  Prep time is maybe 10 minutes to get the sauce ready to simmer and another 5 or 10 to get the ravioli to cook.  After than it bakes for about 20 minutes.

Served With: Green salad and garlic bread

Results:  Pretty good and plenty of leftovers.  I have another baked ravioli that I think I like a little better so I may need to do a head-to-head on these two.

Verdict: Survived!  Pending the results of the head-to-head of course.