Stacey's Favorite Books

Friday, June 29, 2012

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     Since we are camping this weekend, I thought I'd include a Dutch oven recipe. It's our favorite way to cook! With this recipe I thought I might try to use the chocolate pie filling and make a really decadent dessert....MMMM! Can't wait!


Dutch Oven Campfire Cobbler

By MommyMakes on June 10, 2005
Photo
Photo by MommyMakes
4 Reviews
  • timer
  • Prep Time: 1 mins
  • Total Time: 11 mins
  • Serves: 8, Yield: 1 cobbler

About This Recipe

"I combined a couple of ideas and came up with this. This is for a deep 12 inch cast iron dutch oven. Amounts are approximate, use whatever size cake mix and pie filling you have, easily double the recipe for bigger crowds. We burned ours in about 10 minutes by putting a too hot log on top so BE SURE TO CHECK IT OFTEN!"

Ingredients

    • 1 (18 1/4 ounce) boxes yellow cake mix or 1 (18 1/4 ounce) boxes white cake mix
    • 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
    • 2 (21 ounce) cans fruit pie filling
    • cinnamon, to taste
    • 25 charcoal, briquettes ( at least)

Directions

  1. Place dutch oven over approximately 15 charcoal briquettes or over coals on a flat spot in the fire ring.
  2. Empty pie filling into Dutch oven.
  3. Spread dry cake mix on top of pie filling and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.
  4. Cut butter or margarine into even sized pieces and arrange on top.
  5. Put lid on dutch oven and arrange 10 hot charcoal briquettes in a checkerboard pattern on top or scatter hot coals over lid.
  6. Bake until done (this could be anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes depending on how hot your fire/coals are).


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thoughts on a Thursday...

Here's a new word to learn from my favorite type of novel....

ly·can·thrope

  [lahy-kuhn-throhp, lahy-kan-throhp]  Show IPA
noun
1.
a person affected with lycanthropy.
2.
a werewolf or alien spirit in the physical form of abloodthirsty wolf.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday?...

     So, here it is Wednesday and I'm wondering What's In Your Library Bag this hot and humid Wednesday?? It's a great day to stay IN and read, don't you think?
     Remember when I wrote about our Adult Reading Program this summer, Blind Date With a Book?? I kept hearing such great things about it from our patrons that I finally took the plunge and checked out my first book! It was hard, I must admit. I picked out 3 different books, and then shut my eyes and told Kathy to pick one for me, because I just couldn't do it! Not knowing what I was going to read was killing me! What if I didn't like it? What if I couldn't even muddle through it. I wanted to commit to trying something new, but I was so worried about finding a book that I wanted to read, it was hard to embrace the idea of reading something totally different from my norm.
     Now, you all know what kinds of books I typically read, right? Guess what my first Blind Date book is??!!

     I won't keep you in suspense....It's The Shunning by Beverly Lewis. Amish. Inspirational. Nothing I would have chosen for myself. Surprisingly, not as bad as I expected. Even though I am somewhat of a niche reader, I can branch out. This book, however, not my favorite story, is still readable. The ways the Old Order Amish are depicted are quite interesting. Because it's hard to grasp the idea of a shunning and how they could believe in such a thing, it makes me want to look it up and see if some of the things are true or completely fictionalized. I want to learn more about the Amish. What a good book! It makes me want to read more. Reading. That's the whole idea.
     The characters are well developed and the story moves right along. There isn't a whole lot of tension, like a mystery would have, and very little even hand holding, certainly no kissing, but reading out of your box is the point in the end. And this book is someone's favorite, just not my typical read.
     Perhaps I'll find another author that I love and perhaps not, but I will have branched out and tried something new. And you should, too!! I urge you to try Blind Date With a Book. It's hard to let go of that control over what you are reading, but ultimately freeing and enlightening in the end.

Friday, June 22, 2012

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Here's something from Pioneer Woman to go along with all those great burgers you've been grillin'!

Recipe: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups Elbow Macaroni
  • 3 whole Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped (more To Taste, Can Also Use Pimentos)
  • 1/2 cup Black Olives, Chopped Fine
  • 6 whole Sweet/spicy Pickle Slices, Diced (about 1/2 Cup Diced)
  • 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced (white And Dark Green Parts)
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Or Distilled Vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
  • Plenty Of Black Pepper
  • 1/4 cup Milk (more If Needed)
  • Splash Of Pickle Juice (spicy Sweet Pickles)
  • Extra Pickle Juice To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
Place cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (Dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as salad chills.)
Stir in olives, roasted red peppers (or pimentos), pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onion to serve!

Friday, June 15, 2012

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....

Here's the next installment in my burgers for grilling....

*Perfect Burger* - makes 4 patties
1 lb ground beef
1/2 C quick-cooking oats
1 egg
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
*optional to add 3/4 C sharp cheddar cheese

Mix until well combined. Form 4 patties. Grill over med-high heat 3-5 min per side.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Tis the season for grilling!! I thought I might share a few different burger recipes to try this summer...Here's the first installment from Pinterest...Have you been to Pinterest yet?? It's definitely addicting!!


Best Burger Recipe Ever with Secret Sauce
4.0 from 28 reviews
Print

Recipe type: Entree
Author: Ashley Stock – Little Miss Momma
I am kinda a stickler when it comes to homemade burgers. I can’t stand the dryness of pre-constructed or frozen patties, or when the patty turns into a giant dome that I can hardly bite into–and my burger muuust have cheese. So last year I set about creating the perfect burger, and you know what? I don’t even make it on the grill.
Ingredients
  • Burger
  • ground beef 85/15
  • sesame seed buns
  • 1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
  • season salt to taste
  • cracked black pepper
  • onion powder
  • Secret Sauce
  • 3/4 cup of mayo
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup relish
  • 2 tablespoons worcestershire
  • seasoned salt
Instructions
  1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.
  2. Then it is very important to push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty–this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome. These burgers stay extra moist because the bbq sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.
  3. Wait for the skillet to get super hot and then apply a very thin layer of butter to the pan. Place the patties on the pan, indent side up.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.
  5. For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.
  6. Assemble the burgers and serve with avocado, lettuce or your choice of toppings!
Notes
I also butter and toast the buns on a skillet Pioneer Woman style. Something about a sesame seed bun makes the burger seem more legit.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Thoughts on a Thursday...

Here's a good one for today...

imponderable

  
 im-PON-der-uh-buhl  , noun;
1.
A thing that cannot be precisely determined or measured.
adjective:
1.
Not ponderable; that cannot be precisely determined, measured, or evaluated.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday...

     Here it is Wednesday again and I haven't even had a chance to crack a book!! I'm beginning to think that my summer is just waaayyyy too busy :)! You know that if I had nothing to do, I'd say that, right?:) When I came to work tonight, I noticed the new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel, Kiss The Dead, in my box!! OOOhHH!! I may have to lose some sleep tonight. Laurell K. Hamilton is one of my favorite authors, as you all know. Are you willing to lose some sleep for a good book? I sure am. After everyone in my house is asleep is my best reading time...
     What I'd really like to mention is a new Reading Program we have going this summer, Blind Date With a Book. Here's the press release that came out today...

The Waverly Public Library is going to start a summer program for adults and older teens on June 13th called, "Blind Date with a Book."
A selection of books will be pulled off the shelves by the librarians and TAB group. A wide range of books will be included, in hopes all readers might enjoy the selections. The books will then be wrapped in paper with the barcode numbers written on the outside of the paper, so when people go to check out one of the wrapped books they won't know which one they are getting. Thus, the "blind date."
There's a little thrill in not knowing what you are going to get! Maybe it will be something you would never pick out usually or maybe you will have already read it.
As a little added incentive, people who read a total of five or more books from the wrapped book selection will receive a coupon for a free small pizza at Pizza Ranch here in Waverly. After reading one of the "Blind Date Books" you can fill out one of the slips to rate the book for other readers that might be interested. We will post the ratings on a bulletin board for all patrons who visit the library to view.
We hope to have some people discover and like new books/authors/genres that they didn't know about before. Start and end dates for the event will be June 13th - July 27th, in coordination with the teen and children's summer reading programs. So throughout June and July come on in for a "Blind Date with a Book"! Also, a special thank you to Pizza Ranch for donating the prizes!
I will admit that it makes me a little bit afraid to not know what I am getting, but that's really the point. It forces you to get out of your comfort zone and discover something new!! So, come on out to the library and get a "Blind Date with a book"! I will if you will!!! Leave me a comment here or on Facebook to let me know you are participating and I'll jump on board :)!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Book Trailer Monday...

Here's a new series that came in and I decided to give a whirl. Try it. You might like it too.


Friday, June 8, 2012

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

I needed an easy pie to donate for fund raising and I ran across this one...

Can you say yum?

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
recipe image
Rated:rating
Submitted By: MEGAN5
Photo By: tahoegirl
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
Servings: 16

"Creamy, sweet and luscious, this peanut butter pie is real easy to make. Softened cream cheese, confectioners ' sugar, whipped topping and creamy or chunky peanut butter are blended and poured into a graham cracker shell to be frozen."
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped
topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker
crusts
DIRECTIONS:
1.Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
2.Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2012 Allrecipes.comPrinted from Allrecipes.com 6/7/2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Thoughts on a Thursday...

This one is just fun to say :)

gazump  (ɡəˈzʌmp) 
 
— vb
1.to raise the price of something, esp a house, after agreeing aprice verbally with (an intending buyer)
2.tr to swindle or overcharge
 
— n
3.the act or an instance of gazumping
 
[C20: of uncertain origin]
 
ga'zumper
 
— n

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday...

     Welcome to What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday!!! I promise, I haven't forgotten you! Summer schedules have started and with my hours changing I've lost track of when is a good time to put stuff up here!! I will improve, just in time for fall schedules I am sure, but hey we'll get some interesting things talked about between now and then, right?! Right!!
     I am just about finished reading The City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. It's taken me awhile, cause I keep falling asleep at night. Go Figure! But, it is definitely worth the wait. This way I can savor it. I just love the main characters Jace and Clary. Really, I love them all; Simon, Izzy, Alec, Magnus,....vampires, werewolves, warlocks, shadowhunters, magic, true love...What more could a girl ask for?! Cassandra Clare delivers it all in spades in this, book five of the Mortal Instruments series. She even manages to throw in a few surprises.
     The previous book, City of Fallen Angels, ends in such a big climax that you are left biting your nails until this book, City of Lost Souls, came out. Now, in this story, you're on the edge of your seat most of the story wondering if Jace will ever be more than Sebastin's counterpart. And, whether or not, good will actually best evil this time. The odds are definitely against good winning most of the entire story. But, what good story ends peacefully?This novel is no exception. Nail biting until the bitter end. People get hurt and you wonder who will survive, because you must admit that sometimes the best stories do actually kill of important characters...You'll have to pick this one up to find out how it all ends though, because I am not going to give any spoilers. What fun would that be? :) So, come to the library tomorrow and get your name on a list!! It's worth it!