This Week in Reading - April 26

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

The Silenced by Heather Graham - It's the newest Krewe book!!  I'm excited about this one and the setting involves Gettysburg AND it's a missing person case (NetGalley)

That Chesapeake Summer by Mariah Stewart - I loved the most recent book in the series and am excited about this one because it features Daniel Sinclair who I've been looking forward to seeing more of.  (NetGalley)

400 Calories or Less with Our Best Bites - This is one of my favorite food blogs and definitely one of the most reliable I've come across.  I loved their first cookbook and am looking forward to seeing this low calorie cookbook!

Between a Rock and  Hard Place by Marty Wingate - I loved the first book in the series and though I'm a bit behind I couldn't pass this one up.  There's a murder AND a diary! (NetGalley)

Catch a Falling Heiress by Laura Lee Guhrke - Guhrke is one of my favorite authors but I'm woefully behind in this series. (paperbackswap)

Final Sentence by Darryl Wood Gerber - I look mysteries and I love cookbooks and this cozy mystery series set in a culinary bookshop and cafe sounds perfect for me (paperbackswap)

Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell - I loved the first book in this paranormal/home renovation cozy series. (paperbackswap)

Currently:

Reading: A Match Made on Main Street by Olivia Miles and Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Listening: Nothing.  I figured I would finish listening to a David Sedaris I had started awhile ago but now there's a waiting list for it and I haven't had time to get anything that's actually available now.

Watching: I've been watching Murder She Wrote on Netflix and am actually really enjoying it.  Partly because each episode is like a different cozy mystery and partly because it reminds me of both of my grandmothers.  One used to watch it and one reminds me a lot of Jessica Fletcher.  I also discovered Murder She Bakes: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery which looks like it's based on the Joanna Fluke series.  It's coming up on Hallmark so while I'm not really expecting stellar quality I'm excited to watch it.  This is the 2nd book TV adaptation I've found on their lately (the first was Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series) so I'll be keeping a close eye on it.

Off the Blog:

Eleanor came by last weekend and it was nice to have dinner with her.  Between work, school, and friends it's hard to get together so it's always nice when it happens.

I'm working on Emma's graduation announcements and it looks like they'll be here next week.  Then she gets the joy or addressing them and sending them out.

Paul's physics class went to an amusement park as a field trip and he got back on Friday - sunburned and exhausted - and they had a great time.  I'm not sure their knowledge of physics.  We're also going to pretend that I didn't originally spell "physics" as "psychic" which would be an entirely different class.

I dug up this old recipe for Stuffed Pizza Sticks from Southern Plate and they were a big hit.  They're not necessarily the healthiest but the're so easy and so tasty that even the picky Tornado ate them.  I also found this recipe for Copycat DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies from Iowa Girl Eats that are delicious and have a great texture!  Nice and crisp but still soft.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday: The Residence - Blog Tour Review (and one of my favorite books of the year)

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - My Top Ten All Time Favorite Authors

Wednesday: Lowcountry Boneyard - Blog Tour Review

Thursday: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Mystery Review

Friday: Friday Linkups featuring Hyperbole and a Half

Saturday: Lighten Up, Ya'll - A Cookbook Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Ghosts of Peppernell Manor - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Tuesday: Top Ten Characters Who (I'm thinking are writers but we'll see)

Wednesday: A Match Made on Main Street - Contemporary Romance Review

Thursday: Golden Age of Murder - Blog Tour Review

Friday: Friday Linkups plus my current book

Saturday: Crumb - A Cookbook Review.

Have a great week and happy reading!

Lighten Up, Ya'll - Cookbook Review

Lighten Up, Y'All: Classic Southern Recipes made Healthy and Wholesome by Virginia Willis

Virginia Willis is a name that has been on my radar for awhile.  I've seen her on Chopped and on shows with Bobby Flay and Paula Dean as well as countless mentions by some of my favorite chefs like John Besh and Carla Hall.  So when I saw this cookbook I couldn't resist.  I was even more intrigued that it claims to have Classic Southern recipes made healthier.  I'm always looking to cut fat and calories but I still want food that is made with real ingredients and that tastes good.  I was hoping this would fill that need.

There are definitely a lot of traditional Southern recipes including recipes for Cole Slaw, Oven Fried Okra, Summer Squash Casserole, Braised Collards in Tomato-Onion Gravy, Red Beans and Greens, Hoppin' John and Limpin' Susan, Smothered and Covered Chicken and Gravy, and an Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie.  There are also a good selection of updated Southern recipes like Quinoa Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, Farro and Cabbage, Collard Greens with Chipotle Potlikker, Miso-Glazed Catfish with Edamame and Spicy Winter Greens, and the one that's really tempting me - Chicken, Apple, and Cheddar Burgers.

Flipping through this one there's a lot of recipes that are tempting but I'm not sure how many work for my weirdly picky family.  Basil-Peach Chicken Breasts sound amazing but they violate my husband's no fruit in main dishes rule.  As does the amazing sounding Sweet-Tea Brined Turkey Tenderloins with Chile-Peach Glaze.  So after much thinking I settled on this chicken dish to test:

Oven-Fried Chicken-On-A-Stick with Vidalia Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine the salt, 1 teaspoon of the paprika, 1/2 teaspoon fo the onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder.  Add the buttermilk and whisk until the salt is completely dissolved and the spices are dispersed in the liquid.

Cut the chicken lengthwise into about 1 inch wide strips.  Add to the marinade and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  (Do not marinate any longer or the chicken will be too salty.  If you can't cook it right at the 30 minute mark, remove the chicken from the marinade and refrigerate until ready to continue).

In a large shallow dish (a 9x13 baking dish works well), combine the bread crumbs, the remaining 1 teaspoon paprika, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder.  Add the 2 tablespoons oil and toss well to coat.  Whisk together the egg whites and mustard in a second large shallow dish.  Season both mixtures with pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then set an ovenproof rack on it.  Cat the rack with non-stick cooking spray.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess and thread onto sixteen 12 inch bamboo skewers, dividing the meat evenly, about 1 strip per skewer.  Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, coating both sides.  Place in the bread crumb mixture one skewer at a time, sprinkle with crumbs to cover and press so the coating adhere to both sides.  Gently shake off any excess crumbs and place the skewers on the prepared rack.

Bake the chicken, turning halfway through, until golden brown and the juices run clear, about 25 minutes.  Serve warm with the dipping sacue.

Vidalia Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put the vinegar, onion, garlic, honey, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Pulse until smooth.  With the motor running, add the oil in a slow steady stream until thick and emulsified.  Tate and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I did make a small change in that I didn't use skewers but other than that followed the instructions and it worked out really well.  The chicken was moist and flavorful and I can see quickly becoming a weeknight go to recipe.  I wasn't as in love with the dipping sauce but part of the problem is that Vidalia's aren't in season and I had to substitute a sweet onion instead.

I served this with Buttermilk Potato Gratin also from this book but I made several changes to that for simplicity and time constraints.  Instead of infusing the milk mixture with fresh thyme I missed a little dried into the finished sauce and used regular Cheddar instead of low fat and Gruyere.  It was wonderfully rich and creamy and the heavy cream was definitely not missed.

Verdict?  While this probably isn't a cookbook I will use all the time there are a number of interesting recipes that I'd love to try.  The results of this recipe definitely make it worth the effort!  Also, there's a full length color picture that accompanies every recipe.

*Received from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.

Linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Friday Linkups: Hyperbole and a Half

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice.


This Week's Book Blogger Hop Question:
Does the title of the book make or break your decision to read it?

My Answer:
I wouldn't say in makes or breaks my decision to read it but it definitely impacts it.  Generally it's the title I see at the bookstore, or the library and that definitely impacts my decision about whether or not I'll pick it up to even read the blurb.  I have come across a handful of titles - especially in romance - that were so bad I was too embarrassed to buy them!

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh has been on my TBR since someone forwarded me a link to her blog years ago and I read her post on the Christmas story and laughed until I cried.  For some reason I never ended up picking it up until I saw it in the library last weekend.  Since I desperately needed a book to read (heavy, heavy sarcasm).  I haven't actually started reading this but have mostly been opening it and random pages but I fully intend to sit down with this one tonight.

The Beginning: 
"When I was ten years old, I wrote a letter to my future self and buried it in my backyard.  Seventeen years later, I remember that I was supposed to remember to dig it up two years ago."

My thoughts:
There's more text than I was expecting but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I'm guessing the letter is going to be interesting to say the least!

Page 56 (well 55 because page 56 is just a drawing at her staring longingly at cake)
"My need for sugar would become so massive that it would collapse in upon itself and create a vacuum into which even more sugar would be drawn until all the world had been stripped of sweetness."

My thoughts:
This actually reminds me of Emma when she was little.  The child had a massive sweet tooth.  We once caught her adding sugar to a bowl of frosted flakes because they were sour.  We also caught her eating sugar on several occasions.

So what do you think?  Have you read this one?  Would you keep reading?

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Review

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: Library (audio)
Description:  Life at Buckshaw for 11 year old Flavia de Luce is very uneventful.  Her days are spent in her chemistry lab, being tormented by her sisters, and figuring out how to get her revenge on said sisters. Until one day a dead bird with a stamp pinned on its bill is found at the door and the next day a body is found in the cucumber patch.  And curious precocious Flavia has no intention of leaving the murder solving to the police.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book: I had heard great things about this series and the premise sounded unique enough that I wanted to give it a try.

My Impression:
I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this mystery.  One of the reasons I've waited so long to try the series is that I wasn't sure how an adult mystery could have a primary detective who was an eleven year old girl.  For the most part it really worked.  Flavia does read like a adolescent though a fairly odd, overly precocious adolescent. I thought her relationship with her sisters was entertaining - especially her war with Ophelia.  As the mystery itself unraveled it revealed quite a lot about the inner workings of Buckshaw and Bishops Lacey.  The pacing of the story was a bit uneven and got slow in parts.  While the beginning was interesting and the last 1/3 sped by there was some dragging in the middle and some excessive detail.  The information on the stamps themselves was interesting and I enjoyed the secondary mystery involving the suicide of the teacher 30 years in the past.  While I guess the who fairly early on I didn't truly guess the why until it was revealed.  While The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie didn't blow me away I did enjoy it - especially the last 1/4.  I'm curious to see how the series and Flavia develop.

Audio Note: Jayne Entwistle does a fantastic job narrating.  Her voice sounds perfect for Flavia without sounding too young for the older characters.  I'm very glad to see that she does the narrating for the rest of the books in the series.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes.  While I'm not running out immediately to get the next book I am intrigued to see where the series goes.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes.  I think most mystery readers would enjoy this.

Challenges Met? Library Challenge

Lowcountry Boneyard - Blog Tour Review

Lowcountry Boneyard (Liz Talbot #3)

Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Blog Tour

Description:  23 year old Kent Heyward disappeared somewhere between her Charleston home and a nearby restaurant.  The police believe she left of her own choosing but Kent's powerful wealthy family and her assorted friends believe differently.Just as Liz starts making progress she gets an unpleasant surprise delivered to her door.  Is finding Kent going to cause Liz to disappear?

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book: I absolutely love a missing person case and this series sounded interesting.

My Impression: I've read a lot of cozies and have gotten to be fairly picky regarding them.  I like there to be reasons for the main character to be investigating, I like for the main character to act like the age they actually are, I like a fully developed setting, and I like the mystery to be well put together and well-paced.  I'm glad to say that Susan M. Boyer has delivered on all counts.  This was my first meeting with Liz Talbot but I can guarantee it will not be the last!  Liz is smart, quick on her feet, and has a heavy dash of sarcasm.  I also liked the way Liz and Nate's professional and personal relationships unfolded.  They both acted like adults which was refreshing.  They talked about their personal problems but didn't let that interfere with acting like business partners when they needed too.  The mystery of Kent's disappearance was interesting and kept me turning pages far later into the night than was smart.  I really enjoyed Boyer's details about the PI business and it really felt like Liz and Nick were actually PIs instead of it just being a label.

I have mixed feelings about Liz's ghostly friend Colleen and the side plot involving why Liz needs to stay on the island.  While I enjoyed both aspects the story itself is strong enough that these parts didn't seem necessary.  The phrase "gilding the lily" came to mind about them.  Part of the problem could be that since I haven't read the first 2 books I wasn't as connected to the ongoing plots.  That being said, I still found the subplot enjoyable even though I wanted to hurry up and get back to the investigation.  This is a great cozy mystery - great characters, beautiful setting and perfectly paced.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely!  I've already added the first 2 books to my TBR and am looking forward to getting to know Liz better.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Absolutely!  I think any mystery lover would enjoy this and if you're new to cozies this would be a great place to start.

Challenges Met?  Reading Road Trip (South Carolina)

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten All Time Favorite Authors

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten All Time Favorite Authors.  Can I do top 100?  Or top 1000?  After much thinking and crossing out and adding and removing - seriously if this was a piece of paper it'd be ragged by this point - here is my Top Ten Favorites!

1. Agatha Christie - Well of course Agatha had to be on my list.  I started reading her in middle school or maybe early high school and haven't really stopped.  In college I kept a list of what books I had in my purse at all times just in case I happened to stopped by the used book store that I practically lived in at the time.  I still have my hodge podge collection of her books and I love them.  I tended to buy the oldest version of the book the bookstore had because their rule was 1/2 the cover price and the older the book the cheaper the cover!

2. L.M. Montgomery - So confession time - my first interaction with Anne wasn't through the book.  It was through the movie with Megan Follows.  I loved that movie and have watched it so many times that I start to cry as soon as the death scene happens several minutes before it actually happens.  After I watched the movie I decided to pick up the book which I read in one day and talked my mother into buying me the entire set when I stumbled on it in a bookstore the next day.  I spent that weekend reading the series.  And 25 years later I still love them!

3. Patricia Wentworth - About the time I discovered Agatha Christie I discovered Patricia Wentworth and I think I love her just as much.  Maude Silver is a fantastic character who really deserves more recognition.  Her first book - Grey Mask isn't a winner for me but I love any book that has the name Miss Silver in the title as well as The Girl in the Cellar, She Came Back, The Ivory Dagger and countless others.

4. Barbara Michaels - Michaels is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.  Some one gave my mother a copy of Houses of Stone when I was around 13 and I promptly stole it from her and stayed up most of the night reading it.  From there I read what everything by her that the library had as well as haunted the used bookstores for her books.  House of Many Shadows, Shattered Silk, Vanish with the Rose, and Into the Darkness are guaranteed reading slump busters.

5. Nora Roberts - I don't remember my first Nora book though I'm think it was Tears of the Moon of the Gallaghers of Ardmore series.  That's still one of my favorite trilogies and if you haven't read it you should.  Since then I've read almost every book of hers I could get my hands on and while some are better than others she never disappoints.  Several of her books are on my Keeper Shelf including the Gallagher books, Three Fates and Key of Knowledge (which features a librarian and a writer!)

6. Deborah Crombie - I'm not sure when I started reading Deborah Crombie but her first book A Share in Death was published in 1993 so it probably wasn't much later than that.  I love Gemma and Duncan and have enjoyed watching their professional and personal relationships grow.  I think Crombie has done a fantastic job of having the characters change but still seem like them.

7. Julia Quinn - I think the first one of Quinn's I read was The Duke and I and I was immediately in love.  She's still an auto-buy for me and I have a number of her books on my Keeper Shelf including The Viscount Who Loved Me, The Secret Diary of Miss Miranda Cheever, and It Happened in London.

8.  Rosamunde Pilcher - So if I was making a list of my favorite authors Pilcher probably wouldn't make the list because I don't currently consider her a favorite.  But since we're talking about ALL TIME favorites she definitely belongs on the list.  I discovered The Shell Seekers in high school and read my copy so many times that it literally fell apart.  As did the 2nd copy I bought!

9.  Dave Barry - This is another author that belongs on the list because of the All Time thing.  Dave Barry's columns used to run in our Sunday newspapers and I always looked forward to them.  His column on his son getting hit by a car literally brought tears to my eyes (the boy was fine - he was lucky) but so many times he has made me laugh till I cried.  Dave Barry Does Japan is fantastic as are many of his other collections.

10. Tony Horwitz - I accidentally stumbled upon Baghdad Without A Map years ago and absolutely loved it.  Since then I've read everything he's ever written.  He tackles each project objectively and with a good dash of humor.  The only one of his books that I wasn't completely sold on was Confederates in the Attic but Blue Hemisphere and A Voyage Long and Strange are not to be missed.

Those are my Top Ten All Time Favorites.  Did I get any of yours?  Any authors I simply must try?

The Residence - Blog Tour Review

About The Residence

? Print Length: 320 pages ? Publisher: Harper (April 7, 2015)

A remarkable history with elements of both In the President?s Secret Service and The Butler, The Residence offers an intimate account of the service staff of the White House, from the Kennedys to the Obamas. America?s First Families are unknowable in many ways. No one has insight into their true character like the people who serve their meals and make their beds every day. Full of stories and details by turns dramatic, humorous, and heartwarming, The Residence reveals daily life in the White House as it is really lived through the voices of the maids, butlers, cooks, florists, doormen, engineers, and others who tend to the needs of the President and First Family. These dedicated professionals maintain the six-floor mansion?s 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, three elevators, and eight staircases, and prepare everything from hors d?oeuvres for intimate gatherings to meals served at elaborate state dinners. Over the course of the day, they gather in the lower level?s basement kitchen to share stories, trade secrets, forge lifelong friendships, and sometimes even fall in love. Combining incredible first-person anecdotes from extensive interviews with scores of White House staff members?many speaking for the first time?with archival research, Kate Andersen Brower tells their story. She reveals the intimacy between the First Family and the people who serve them, as well as tension that has shaken the staff over the decades. From the housekeeper and engineer who fell in love while serving President Reagan to Jackie Kennedy?s private moment of grief with a beloved staffer after her husband?s assassination to the tumultuous days surrounding President Nixon?s resignation and President Clinton?s impeachment battle, The Residence is full of surprising and moving details that illuminate day-to-day life at the White House.

Purchase Links

Amazon |?IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

My Review:

The Residence is without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year so far and I suspect it will be on my top ten best in December.  This reads like a can't put down, stay up too late turning pages to see what happens next work of fiction.  We start out with White House Doorman Preston Bruce hearing that John F. Kennedy has been shot in Dallas and his subsequent sprint to get to the White House so he could be there when Jackie arrived and the pace doesn't let up.  This reads like a mix of gossip column and history lesson and every page is brimming with fascinating tidbits about everyone from the Kennedys to the Obamas.  I have literally not shut up about this book since I started reading this with every sentence beginning "did you know..." And there is so much to know.  There are bits of good and bad about almost everyone and through it all runs a strong thread of humanity that at times brought tears to my eyes.  If it wasn't making me cry it was making me laugh or making me think.  The people who run the White House are truly an amazing an impressive group and this is definitely a book worth reading!  

About Kate Andersen Brower

Kate Andersen Brower spent four years covering the Obama White House for Bloomberg News and is a former CBS News staffer and Fox News producer. She lives outside Washington, D.C., with her husband and their two young children. Follow Kate on Twitter, @katebrower.