Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Sullivan Book Nook January Update
Tuesday shelfies from the Little Free Library. If you see something you’d like to have, please come get it.
Monday, January 30, 2023
Recipe - Peanut Butter Banana Oat Protein Cookies
- 2 medium very ripe bananas
- 1 cup old fashioned oats or quick oats
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup peanut butter or nut butter, or seed butter
- ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment or silicon baking mats.
Move oven racks to the second from top and second from bottom slots.
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Add the oats, protein powder, egg, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and peanut butter and chocolate chips and mix with a fork until combined. Scoop ¼ cup of mixture and place on a baking sheet, flatten the top slightly with the back of the measuring cup. Repeat with remaining mixture, adding 4 cookies to each sheet.
Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pans ½ through bake time to allow for even browning.
Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Can be eaten warm, cold, at room temperature or warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds.
NUTRITION INFO: 2 cookies, Calories: 304 kcal, Carbohydrates: 39 g, Protein: 12 g, Fat: 14.5 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 47 mg, Sodium: 140 mg, Fiber: 8.5 g, Sugar: 9 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Monday, January 16, 2023
Review - Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
AUTHOR: Gabrielle Zevin
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.
On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
REVIEW: I’ve heard and read so many conflicting things about this book over the past few months. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Now, as I try to gather my thoughts for this review, I finally understand why there have been so many differing opinions. On the one hand, I agree wholeheartedly with every reader who was annoyed by the numerous hot political topics that fueled this story. They’re all in there - gender identity, homosexuality, abortion, gun violence, racism - just to name a few. Also, the author’s needless use of big words was pretty irritating. (I personally don’t like having to keep a dictionary or thesaurus by my side while reading.) If you’re not a fan of the gaming industry then this isn’t the book for you because gaming IS the main focus of the whole story. My two grown sons have been gamers their whole lives, so I’m used to it, and this didn’t bother me. However, the two main characters, Sam and Sadie, have a very toxic friendship, and they seriously got on my last nerve. (I’ve never seen two “friends” hold so many grudges!) So, you might be wondering, why did I give this book four stars? Well…because once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. Because the author’s writing style is flawless. Because even with the aggravating parts - political topics included - she somehow kept me turning page after page, and I was totally enraptured. Would I recommend it to someone? Probably not without a warning. Am I sorry I read it? Not in the least.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Recipe - Chocolate Covered Bananas
Normally, I'm not a big fan of bananas, but when they're covered with chocolate I'm ALL in!
- 2 ripe medium bananas
- 1 ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- 1 pinch salt
Toppings (optional): 2 tablespoons each crushed peanuts, crushed pistachios, and all natural sprinkles
DIRECTIONS: Freeze the bananas: Slice bananas into 1/4-inch rounds. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 45 minutes.
Melt the chocolate: Start a pot of simmering water. Place the chocolate, coconut oil, and salt in a glass measuring cup or large wide mouth jar, and place it into the simmering water. Very carefully, stir the chocolate until it melts, using a hot pad or gloves to hold the glass. Do not let any of the water splash, or it will split the chocolate. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave in a liquid measuring cup, heating for about 30 second intervals and then stirring several times until the chocolate melts.)
Dip and top the bananas: Make sure your toppings are ready, if using. Leave the jar in the double boiler to keep the chocolate warm. Use a fork to dip each banana slice into the jar, then shake off excess chocolate. Transfer the slice to the parchment lined baking sheet, using your finger to gently slide off the banana. Add toppings immediately (the chocolate freezes quickly).
Freeze: Return the bananas to the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. Then transfer the banana bites to a freezer safe container. Store up to 1 month.
Friday, January 13, 2023
Review - Hello Beautiful
AUTHOR: Ann Napolitano
RATING: ★★★★★
RELEASE DATE: March 14th, 2023
Summary (from Goodreads): An emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?
Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
REVIEW: WOW … just WOW! Such an amazing story! This book has so many layers, and Ann Napolitano did such a wonderful job unraveling them all. I grew up with four brothers and no sisters so the whole sister bond dynamic has always been a mystery to me, but I immediately fell into the closeness and complexity of the Padavano girls relationship. I marveled at their uniqueness as a group but also individually. They each have their own quirks and admirable qualities that distinguish them from each other. I loved them all - even Julia, who tried my patience many, many times. But, ultimately, my heart belonged to William and Sylvie. Their relationship was so extraordinary and beautiful. I found myself admiring them more and more with every mountain they climbed and every valley they walked through together. I’m honestly a little sad now that I’ve finished reading Hello Beautiful. Once you’ve delved into this family’s story and witnessed their joys and heartaches they become a part of you in a way, and it’s hard to let go. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone, and I can’t wait to purchase it for my library.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Recipe - Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni, shells or other short cut pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups small florets of broccoli (2 heads)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup 2% milk
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (or 1 cup cheddar)
- 2 tablespoons grated or shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Italian seasoned panko, for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook just until al dente. Cut the broccoli into very small florets. In a large saucepan, add a drizzle of olive oil and heat on medium high. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes until tender, then add a splash of water and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook 2 minutes more until bright green and tender. Remove the broccoli from the pan.
In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour to create a paste for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and whisk until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and continue whisking until the sauce starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shredded mozzarella, cheddar and Pecorino Romano cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the ½ teaspoon salt. (If the sauce is too sticky, you can add ¼ cup more milk to get a creamier texture.)
Add the pasta and broccoli to the sauce, stirring to combine, and heat just until the pasta is warmed through. Taste and add the remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. If desired, sprinkle with Italian panko and serve.
(Recipe and photo courtesy of A Couple Cooks)
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