Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Recipe - The Best Lasagna Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 24 ounces part-skim cottage cheese (or use ricotta cheese)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for for garnish
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Heat a large skillet, when hot add the ground beef, onion, and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon until no pink remains.
Add the crushed tomatoes, season with salt and black pepper, to taste, cover and let it simmer over low heat 20 minutes, stirring 3 times.
In large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and combine with 1 1/2 containers cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano and parsley. Set aside.
In a 13 x 9 casserole dish, spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of pan. Layer in the order, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles (it's okay if they overlap), then 1/3 of the cheese mixture, 1 cup of the sauce.
Repeat the next layer using 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/3 part of the cheese mixture, and 1 cup sauce. For the top layer add the remaining sauce and finish with 1 cup mozzarella.
Cover tight with foil and bake 55 to 60 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through.
Uncover and continue cooking until all the cheese browns slightly, about 5 minutes.
Garnish with fresh parsley, and let sit 5 minutes before cutting. Slice into 8 pieces.
NUTRITION INFO: 1/8th, Calories: 372 kcal, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Protein: 33.5 g, Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 5.5 g, Cholesterol: 103.5 mg, Sodium: 648 mg, Fiber: 3.5 g, Sugar: 6.5 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Review - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
AUTHOR: Kim Michele Richardson
NARRATOR: Katie Schorr
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry.
The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.
Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.
REVIEW: What a great book! I’d never heard of the blue skinned people of Kentucky until I read this story, and it was very interesting to learn about them. Being a librarian myself, I truly admired Cussy Mary and her determination to get books to people who needed them, despite the adversity she received from it. She’s a strong-willed and inspiring character, and I liked that. I went through so many emotions while reading this story - heartbreak, happiness, joy - just to name a few. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because the last few chapters felt very rushed, like the author was in a time crunch to finish the book. The pacing up to this point was perfect. I listened to the first 1/4 of the book on audiobook, and the narrator, Katie Schorr, is AMAZING! I would recommend this book in all print forms, but I have to say that the audiobook was my favorite because the narrator truly sounds like the Cussy Mary I’ve imagined her to be.
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Recipe - Corn Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
- 8.5 oz corn muffin mix
- 15 oz can sweet yellow corn, drained
- 14.75 oz can sweet corn cream style
- 16 oz fat free Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup melted light butter
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- cooking spray
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350F.
Spray an 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix with a spoon, it will be fluffy and you will think you did something wrong, don’t worry, you are doing fine.
Pour into baking dish and bake 55-60 minutes, or until the edges are golden.
Let it cool a few minutes before cutting.
NUTRITION INFO: 2 2/3 x 3 inch pieces, Calories: 211 kcal, Carbohydrates: 42 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 3.5 g, Sodium: 636 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 8.5 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Sullivan Book Nook November Update
Just a glimpse of what’s available in the Little Free Library. If you see something you’d like to have, please come get it. You don’t have to leave a book to take one.
Monday, November 13, 2023
Review - Something Wilder
AUTHOR: Christina Lauren
NARRATORS: Patti Murin and Jon Root
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession… or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.
But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.
REVIEW: Another great read by Christina Lauren! I listened to the audiobook while traveling to my son’s home in Alabama (a six-hour drive one way), and it didn’t take long before I was completely sucked into this story. I loved the main characters, Lili and Leo, and their slow burn reunion romance was incredible and HOT! The narrators were perfect, especially the man who portrayed Leo. (I don’t know the narrators names. My apologies!) His voice was like butter and SO soothing and sexy. As a matter of fact, when I traveled home from my trip, I got so caught up listening to this story that I totally forgot to check my gas gauge, and I was on empty by the time I realized it. Fortunately, I made it in time to a gas station. LOL. So, just a word of caution - don’t be a moron like me and forget to check your gauges if you’re listening to the audiobook while driving! Something Wilder has something for every reader - romance, action, suspense, drama - and I would recommend it to everyone.
Friday, November 10, 2023
Recipe - Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 medium, peeled)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tsp agave (or honey or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch allspice
8 oz can unsweetened crushed pineapple (drained)
2 tbsp chopped pecans
1 cup mini marshmallows
DIRECTIONS: Cut sweet potatoes into large chunks; boil potatoes in a large pot covered with water until potatoes are soft if pierced with a fork. Drain and return to the pot.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Mash the sweet potatoes and add in raisins, agave, spices and pineapple.
Lightly spray a pie dish, casserole dish or even individual ramekins with oil, spoon in sweet potatoes.
Sprinkle with pecans and marshmallows.
Bake for 15 minutes.
NUTRITION INFO: 1/10th, Calories: 132.5kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.5g, Protein: 1.5g, Fat: 2g, Sodium: 15.5mg, Fiber: 2.5g, Sugar: 10.5g - WW Points: 5
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Friday, November 3, 2023
Review - Fourth Wing
AUTHOR: Rebecca Yarros
RATING: ★★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die
REVIEW: It’s not often I read fantasy fiction, but I’ve had SO many people recommend this book to me that I decided to give it a try. When I read the final page last night, all I could think of to say was, “Wow…wow…wow…WOW!” I was honestly too stunned to come up with anything else, and all my husband could say was, “Honey, is something wrong?” LOL. Fourth Wing is such an amazing story. Violet is a badass heroine, and I admired her tenacity and how she kept proving everyone wrong who doubted her abilities. Xaden was a favorite character too, and he and Violet together? HOLY HELL! The chemistry between those two is just incredible. I read this book in two days because I couldn’t put it down. There were SO many times I held my breath during the fighting scenes, and I became so fully invested in every character that I literally sobbed during the last two chapters. (I’m not giving away any spoilers, but if you know you know). Fourth Wing has something for everyone - action, romance, fantasy, drama - and I would highly recommend it to everyone. I can’t wait to read more from this series!
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