Stacey's Favorite Books

Monday, September 29, 2014

Book Trailer Monday....

     Here is a little something different. We just got this new Juvenille Fiction novel, Malice, by Chris Wooding and it's sequel, Havoc by request.

A little bit scary....and a whole lot great fun!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Have any of you read this novel?

Have any of you read the bestselling novel Outlander by Diana Gabaldon? I have and it is one of my all-time favorite books. With elements of romance, time travel, Scotland and men in kilts, history, etc., how could you go wrong? Diana Gabaldon weaves these elements intricately creating an epic love affair that takes place over time.

This is an interesting book trailer that actually sites pages in the novel along with the images to give a short review of the first part of the novel. If you've read it, you realize that it is about 900 pages long, so these four minutes did well to cover part. :)




How about the new mini-series on STARZ called Outlander? Have any of you seen that? Does it compare with the awesomeness of the novel itself?
If you haven't read or seen Outlander....I highly recommend it!There are lots of different literary elements running through this novel that will appeal to all readers, men and women alike. If you are not much of a reader, the story is still one to not be missed, so check out the mini series!!!

Friday, September 19, 2014

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     This summer we camped with some friends and she made this amazing dish with ham. I am not usually a huge ham fan, but this was yummy. I finally found the recipe and thought I'd share it here with you all...


'Hawaiian Baked Ham and Swiss Sandwiches'
Ingredients
1 12 pack of King's Hawaiian Original Rolls
1 lb. deli ham, shaved
1 lb. Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons of poppy seeds
1 onion, chopped
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350. Melt butter and mix in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion and poppy
seed. Simmer for several minutes.
2. Cut the entire pack of rolls in half, horizontally (keeping all top and bottom halves in tact).
3. In a greased 9x13 pan, place bottom half of rolls and spread 1/3 of the onion mixture over
the bottom of the rolls followed by the ham and cheese.
4. Replace the tops of the rolls and spread the remaining onion mixture over top.
5. Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes and, once finished, separate for serving

Friday, September 12, 2014

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....

     I love me a hot bowl of chili, especially as the weather turns colder, I tend to crave it. My husband traditionally doesn't like chili because he doesn't like beans. He is the only person I've seen be able to sit down with a bowl of chili and eat with the rest of us, yet leave all of his beans in the bottom of the bowl with no one else noticing! Besides no beans, he's also always wanted to have chili with stew meat instead of hamburger. Today, with the onset of cooler weather, I decided to give it a whirl. Here's an Emeril Lagasse recipe I found. I know my husband loves everything Emeril, so I can't go wrong, so long as I leave out the beans of course!


Emeril's Chili

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
Total Time:
2 hr 15 min
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
2 hr

Yield:6 to 8 servings
Level:Easy
Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
Salt
Cayenne
2 pounds stew meat
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 cups crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans
2 tablespoons masa flour
4 tablespoons water
1 bag Tortilla Chips
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 small jar of jalapenos
Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables start to wilt. Season with salt and cayenne. Stir in the stew meat, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, and oregano. Brown the meat for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, and beans. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the liquid, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until the beef is tender. Skim off the fat occasionally. Mix the masa and water together. Slowly stir in the masa slurry and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Reseason with salt and cayenne. Place a handful of the chips in each shallow bowl. Spoon the chili over the chips. Garnish with the grated cheese, sour cream and jalapenos.


Monday, September 8, 2014

Book Trailer Monday....

     I just finished reading Landline by Rainbow Rowell. She also wrote the young adult novels, Eleanor & Park and Fan Girl which everyone just loved. Landline is an adult novel with a touch of magic in it, unlike her other novels. I loooveed this one! I've always been one for a sweet love story and I definitely love magic in the stories I read. With this one, I got both, along with her light hearted easy to read writing style. There are parts of the story where one might get tripped up if they aren't paying attention because the narrator switches back and forth between present day and memories randomly in the middle of chapters. For the most part, it's pretty easy to follow and besides,  I really enjoy writing where the story changes perspective like that. But, don't take my word for it it, stop in and check it out for yourself!


Friday, September 5, 2014

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Here's one from www.iowagirleats.com that she lists as a favorite and one I just couldn't pass up. Fall weather means fall food which means PUMPKIN!


White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These soft & chewy snickerdoodle cookies are full of pumpkin, white chocolate, and cinnamon sugar. Warning: they disappear quickly, so make 2 batches!
Yield: makes about 18 cookies
total time: 50 MINUTES

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup (50g) light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 Tablespoons (86g) pumpkin puree (use the rest of the can in any of these recipes)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
  • 1/2 cup (90g) white chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in white chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Roll the dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each. Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Roll each of the dough balls generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and arrange on 2 baking sheets. Slightly flatten the dough balls because the cookies will only slightly spread in the oven. The photo above shows what the cookie dough balls should look like before baking.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. Keeping them in the oven for longer may dry them out.  Remove from the oven and press a few more white chocolate chips onto the tops, if desired. If you find that your cookies didn't spread much at all, flatten them out when you take them out of the oven.
Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack. The longer the cookies cool, the chewier they will be. I let them sit out for at least 1 hour before enjoying. I find that their chewiness and pumpkin flavor is more prominent on day 2. Cookies stay soft, moist, and chewy stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freezing directions: Roll the chilled dough into balls and freeze in a large ziplock bag for up to 2 months. Baked cookies may also be frozen up to 2 months.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....Tuesday Edition

Saw this recipe on Mr. Food and tried it out this weekend with some friends while camping!!! Super easy and good!

Barbecue Chip Chicken
Who doesn't love reaching into a bag of chips?
Our Barbecue Chip Chicken takes advantage of
this novel breading idea that's sure to add
irresistible crunch and tangy flavor to juicy baked
chicken breasts.

What You'll Need:

1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (6-ounce) bag barbecue-flavored potato chips, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 to 1-1/2 pounds)

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a shallow dish, combine dressing, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper; mix well. Place crushed
potato chips in another shallow dish. Dip chicken into dressing mixture then into crushed potato
chips, coating completely; place on prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
Notes:
Before dipping, you may want to cut the chicken into long strips to form chicken fingers. If you'd
like, serve with additional ranch dressing for dipping.