Recipes

RECIPE: Crispy Onion Chicken

Tara

Crispy Onion Chicken (4 servings)

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 can (6 ounces) cheddar or original french-fried onions, crushed
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

Directions

  1. In a shallow bowl, combine the butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, add 1/2 cup-fried onions. Dip chicken in the butter mixture, then coat with onions.
  2. Place in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Top with remaining onions; drizzle with any remaining butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.

Recipe Source: Taste of Home

photo (4)

Personal Review: This is a recipe that I’ve been making for a few years now. It’s super easy to make, it definitely takes longer to bake than to prepare – something that I appreciate in a recipe now that I have a crazy 9 month old son who can’t sit still!

The only thing that might be a little off-putting to someone is that there is a very distinct mustard taste. It doesn’t bother me, but it is something that you can really taste in this recipe. But then you put the french fried onions on – and who can beat that? Ha!

There’s not much for me to say about this recipe other than that I hope it peaks your interest enough to try it. We definitely enjoy it in our house. Served with a salad, veggie and potato and  you’ve got a great meal!

And it makes me realize that I have a million different ways of making chicken 🙂

AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2013, Review Book, U-V-W

2013.13 REVIEW – The Trajectory of Dreams by Nicole Wolverton

Tara

The Trajectory of Dreams
by Nicole Wolverton

Copyright: 2013
Pages: 285
Read: March 1-5, 2013
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 13
Format: Print
Source: Author for review

The Trajectory of DreamsBlurb: For Lela White, a Houston sleep lab technician, sleep doesn’t come easy—there’s a price to be paid for a poor night’s sleep, and she’s the judge, jury, and executioner.

Everyone around Lela considers her a private woman with a passion for her lab work. But nighttime reveals her for what she is: a woman on a critical secret mission. Lela lives in the grip of a mental disorder that compels her to break into astronauts’ homes to ensure they can sleep well and believes that by doing so, she keeps the revitalized U.S. space program safe from fatal accidents. What began at the age of ten when her mother confessed to blowing up the space shuttle has evolved into Lela’s life’s work. She dreads the day when an astronaut doesn’t pass her testing, but she’s prepared to kill for the greater good.

When Zory Korchagin, a Russian cosmonaut on loan to the U.S. shuttle program, finds himself drawn to Lela, he puts her carefully constructed world at risk of an explosion as surely as he does his own upcoming launch. As Lela’s universe unravels, no one is safe.

Review: This is one of those books where it’s going to be very hard to review it without giving away too much of the plot line, so I’ll do my best to avoid any kind of spoilers.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Lela White is absolutely insane. It is obvious that there is something seriously wrong in the head with this woman from the first page. But to be completely honest, it’s not until the very end that the reader becomes aware of just how serious her problems really are. I certainly had no idea as to the severity of her mental illness. I had a pretty good idea as to what had happened to her mother, but other than that it was completely surprising to me.

I thought that overall the writing was very good, there were a few typos here and there, but I was reading an ARC, so hopefully they were caught before final publication. However, I have to say that I kind of thought some of the transitions could have been smoother. Nothing that a couple of spaces between paragraphs couldn’t fix. It might have been something done intentionally by the author to further the picture of Lela’s character. I’m not sure. But then again, this might just be something that I like after having so many professors in college pound the words “transition sentences” into my brain!

As I stated above, this is a really hard book to review without getting too detailed. All I can say is that Lela White’s character is insane and that the storyline itself is pretty good and the reader should be stunned at the end.

Now go read it 🙂

NicoleWolverton_highres_RTAbout the Author:

Nicole Wolverton is the author of the upcoming psychology thriller, The Trajectory of Dreams (Bitingduck Press, March 2013). Her short stories and flash fiction have appeared in Black Heart Magazine, The Molotov Cocktail, and Penduline, among others. In addition to writing fiction, Wolverton is founder and managing editor of Farm to Philly (www.farmtophilly.com), a website devoted to locally grown foods and sustainable living. She resides in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area with her husband and small cadre of pets.

Praise for The Trajectory of Dreams

“The Trajectory of Dreams is unsettling, beautifully written, and truly original. In Lela White, Nicole Wolverton has created one of the most haunting characters in contemporary fiction. This is a remarkable debut.” –Emily St. John Mandel, author of THE LOLA QUARTET, THE SINGER’S GUN, and LAST NIGHT IN MONTREAL

“This novel is a free dive into the bottomless ocean of insanity. With every chapter, every kick of the fins, you’re sucked in deeper as the darkness mounts and the pressure builds. And like the ocean, The Trajectory of Dreams gives up its secrets grudgingly, so you’ll continually be stunned as the protagonist, Lela, falls to her inevitable implosion.” –Mike Mullin, author of ASHFALL and ASHEN WINTER.

“This is a psychological thriller of epic proportions. […] 5 out of 5 stars for its crazy twists and exhilarating ending. This is a gripping, disquieting look at mental illness that will cause you to question how well you can truly know a person, especially those with something to hide.” –Literary R&R

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation.

First chapter, Meme

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros #7

Tara

20120807-073336.jpg

Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts this meme.

Today I’m featuring a review book that I am currently reading.

 

Breaking into an astronaut’s home took time. There were research and preparation to account for. An assassination plan in case the subject failed my testing. And even establishing a schedule and behavioral pattern for each astronaut could take weeks.

My investigation of Robert Jeffrey Meehan, Ph.D., was no exception.

It had taken five visits to his apartment building, logging his routine and determining his usual bedtime, before I felt comfortable enough to pick the lock on his door the first time.

Now I stood at the foot of his bed…….

I stopped in the middle of a sentence because I felt like this is where you really get a feel for the opening few chapters. And let me tell you, I think the main character in this book (Lela White) is absolutely insane – breaking into homes …. assassination plans …. standing at the foot of someone’s bed … while they sleep! Yeah, she’s nuts! But I will admit that for some reason I keep reading and reading this book, I have to know exactly what is the matter with Lela.

So would you keep reading this one?

 

Book Giveaway, Book Giveaway Winners

Giveaway Winner!

Tara

And we have a winner!

Anne Berger – you are the winner of The Dark Pool by J.E. Fishman!

I will be sending your mailing address and contact information to Katie at Shelton Interactive so she can get the book out to you!

Thanks to everyone who signed up and a big thanks to Katie for letting me host this giveaway :):)

 

Mailbox Monday, Meme

Mailbox Monday, March 4, 2013

Tara

Mailbox Monday time again! And March’s host is Caitlin at Chaotic Compendiums

Only one book this week. For review from Katie at Shelton Interactive:

The Dark Pool Shoog Clay: The nation’s winningest inner-city high school football coach resists pressure to move up to the college level because his kids in the Bronx mean everything to him. But more powerful people won’t take no for an answer.

Antwon Meeps: One day Harriet Tubman High School’s star running back is a shoe-in for a college scholarship. The next day he’s accused of a rape he didn’t commit, his life begins unraveling, and he doesn’t know how to stop it.

The Mean: This incognito Greenwich hedge fund manager is so rich he keeps a giant sea creature as his pet. But a risky investment threatens to ruin him, and a stubborn high school football coach holds the key to his redemption.

Soon a tragic hanging in the school gymnasium will lay bare a secret force that none of these men understands. In a “dark pool” marketplace, insatiable Wall Street players have wagered everything on certain real-world outcomes. When fortunes hang in the balance, financiers cloaked in anonymity won’t hesitate to pay off their claims with the blood of others.

 

 

 

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, F, Fiction, Mitch Rapp, RATING, Read in 2013, READING CHALLENGES 2013, SERIES

2013.12 REVIEW – Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn

Tara

Transfer of Power
by Vince Flynn

Copyright: 1999
Pages: 549
Read: Feb. 24 – March 2, 2013
Challenge: Off the Shelf Challenge 2013
Yearly count: 12
Format: Print
Source: Personal copy

Blurb: On a busy Washington morning, the stately calm of the White House is shattered by a hail of gunfire. A group of terrorists has descended on the executive mansion and gained access by means of a violent slaughter of dozens of people. Through the quick actions of the Secret Service, the president is evacuated to his underground bunker, but not before nearly one hundred hostages are taken.

While politicians and military leaders argue over how to negotiate with the terrorists, one man is sent in to take control of the crisis. Mitch Rapp, the CIA’s top counterterrorism operative, determines that the president is not as safe was Washington’s power elite had thought. Moving stealthily among the corridors and secret passageways of the White House, Rapp makes a chilling discovery that could rock Washington to its core: someone within his own government is maneuvering to make his rescue attempt fail.

Review: This is the first in the Mitch Rapp series and over the years I have accumulated most of the series. For one reason or another I had never started this series. Well, now I can safely say that I definitely regret not starting this series sooner.

This book starts off with a bang and never really lets up until the ending. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, they were very well-developed. And there’s even a love interest for Mitch – something that I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

It’s hard for me to review this book without giving away the ending. But overall I think that this is a solid first installment in a series that I hope only continues to get better.

Highly recommended.

Life

One year ago…

Tara

February 29, 2012. It’s a day that I will never forget.

It is the day that the EF-4 “Leap Day” tornado hit my little hometown of Harrisburg, Illinois.

At 4:56am the tornado hit Harrisburg. It would be 35 minutes before I knew that my parents and grandmother was alive. It would be another 40 minutes after that when I would know that my other grandparents were alive. They were the worst 75 minutes of my life. I was 27 weeks pregnant. And hysterical that my son would never know my side of the family.

Today is the one-year anniversary of the tornado. For those of you who have followed this blog, you might remember my original post here.

I wrote that post just a few short hours after everything happened. It was still fresh in my mind. Now I’ve had a lot of time to process what happened to my family and my town. It’s been very tough.

Let me give you an idea of what my family went through.

My grandparents house ... or what's left of it.
My grandparents house … or what’s left of it.

This was my mother’s parents’ home. It was declared a total loss and had to be torn down. It was their home for almost 40 years. They were able to get very few things out of the house – only what was in the basement. I was there when they started to tear the house down. I will never forget the sound of her dishes breaking in the kitchen while the equipment was ripping into what was left of the house. It made my stomach turn. It was awful. My grandmother was very lucky that she was able to get from her bedroom on the second floor down to the basement before the tornado hit, or she would not be here with us today. My grandmother was in such shock that she thought she would be spending the night after the tornado in her house like nothing had happened. She is still not quite “right”, but she’s still with us and that’s all that matters to me. They have since purchased a house across town and are still struggling everyday with the after effects of the tornado.

Inside my other grandmother's house ... just about the whole house looked like this one room.
Inside my other grandmother’s house … just about the whole house looked like this one room.

This is the living room of my father’s mom’s house. She has a gorgeous 4000+ square foot house. She put a lot of money into it when she built it a little over 10 years ago. All along the back of her house is windows. That side of the house was in the direct path of the tornado. Every single window along the back was blown out and you see all the debris in the picture – that was pretty much all over the entire house. It was a complete and utter mess. Structurally her house were intact, but the inside was practically gutted and rebuilt. To be completely honest, since her house sits down in a little bit of a hole, the tornado went right over the top of her house and that probably is what saved her house from being destroyed completely. She was out of her house for 3 months while it was being rebuilt. She’s back in and very happy. She took things so great, after the initial shock wore off she actually told me that she had been thinking about remodeling (new paint/furniture) – well, she sure got that!

My parents' house ... they sustained the least amount of damage, but one year later they are STILL dealing with the last of the repairs.
My parents’ house … they sustained the least amount of damage, but one year later they are STILL dealing with the last of the repairs.

My parents actually had the least amount of damage to their home. But they’ve had the most problems getting things taken care of. Part of this is because they’ve had some issues pop back up – like the new roof that leaked about 5 months after being replaced. And the carpet that can’t be laid completely because there was mold in the closet subflooring. And when the subflooring was replaced it came to their attention that their house was sinking very badly and needed to be repaired first. It’s been like that with everything for them. Just seems to be one thing after another. My mom constantly tells me that it would have been so much easier for them to have had their house destroyed and start from scratch than to deal with all the mess they have been. I think part of this stems from the fact that she has hated that house since the moment they bought it in 1997 – my dad picked it out 🙂

Anyone who has either dealt directly with a tornado or has heard stories of other people describing their experiences will tell you how strangely tornadoes act. Like how one house can be demolished while the house next to it won’t have been touched. Or the person who has a kitchen in complete disarray with everything destroyed but the one vase on the counter is completely untouched. There’s no explaining this. But let me show you a picture that shows this phenomenon perfectly.

IMG_0405

My grandmother has three china cabinets full of gorgeous pieces. And not a single thing in those three cabinets were broken. Like I said, it’s amazing what tornadoes can do and how they will leave certain things untouched and then demolish something two inches away.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since this has happened. Some days it feels like it was just yesterday and then other times it feels like an eternity ago.

I never thought that something like this would ever happen to me. Never in a million years would I have thought it could ever happen.

I used to love storms. Now I’m petrified.

I used to love my two-story house with all the bedrooms on the second floor. Now I want a basement.

I used to take my family for granted. Now I don’t. I can’t. I won’t.

Recipes

RECIPE: Cheddar Shrimp Nachos

Tara

Cheddar Shrimp Nachos (8 servings)

  • 2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
  • 3/4 lb. frozen cooked cleaned medium shrimp, thawed
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. blackened seasoning
  • 6 cups tortilla chips (8 oz.)
  • 1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Heat large cast iron skillet on high heat until it is very hot and starts to smoke.  Add 1 Tbsp. dressing, shrimp, red peppers and seasoning; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until shrimp is heated through and evenly coated with dressing mixture.  Stir in remaining dressing.
  2. Cover large microwaveable plate with layers of half each of the chips, shrimp mixture and cheese.  Repeat layers.
  3. Microwave on HIGH 1 to 2 min. or until cheese is melted, rotating plate after each minute.  Top with onions, cilantro and jalapenos.

Recipe Source: Kraft Food & Family

photo (2)

Personal Review: I wanted something different last week. I was feeling nachos, but not the plain cheese nachos I make all the time. Not even the fajita nachos I’ve been making. So when I ran across this shrimp nachos recipe, I decided I had to make it.

And it was worth it.

First let me say that this recipe comes together so fast it’s unreal. I think I spent more time chopping up the red peppers than I did anything else! Definitely a great meal to make when you don’t have a lot of time.

I didn’t follow the recipe exactly (do I ever?). First I had no blackened seasoning so I made do with seafood seasoning and some creole seasoning. Next I used plain cheddar cheese. I left off the green onion and cilantro. Oh and I cooked the jalapenos in with the red peppers instead of as toppings. Okay, so it sounds like I barely followed the recipe now that I think about it!

I will definitely be making this recipe again. And next time I will add some onions and more creole seasoning.

Overall a quick weekday meal that is a little bit different and good.

AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, Pump Up Your Book, Read in 2013, Review Book

2013.7 REVIEW – The Man From 2063 by Jack Duffy

Tara

The Man From 2063
by Jack Duffy

Copyright: 2012
Pages: 270
Read: Jan. 27-29, 2013
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 6
Format: Print
Source: Pump Up Your Book Promotions

The Man From 2063Blurb: I knew it. I knew it, he repeated to himself. A conspiracy. But who had planned the murder? Was Lee Harvey Oswald even involved? If only one could go back in time and solve the mystery. I have to pursue this, he told himself. Someone has to find out the truth once and for all.

On November 22, 2063 a new film finally proves a conspiracy was involved in the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Sean Zumwalt dares to go back in time to alter the course of world history and save JFK. But he soon finds that the truth is much more complicated than he ever could have imagined.

Based on actual events and forty years of research, The Man From 2063 will take you through the golds of time and historical conspiracies, leaving you wondering ‘What if?’

The Man From 2063 banner

Review: I have to start out this review by just stating that I am a total Kennedy junkie. I remember watching all the 40th anniversary Kennedy assassination shows back in 2003 from my dorm room. I was a college freshman. I think my roommate wanted to kill me because I essentially took over the television for the entire week – hey, it was my TV so she couldn’t complain too much. But she definitely thought I was nuts. And I probably am a little bit, but I have always been a little obsessed with the Kennedy family, but especially with the assassination.

So when I was pitched this book for the Pump Up Your Book Blog tour, I was immediately intrigued. I knew it was a book I would love. Mr. Duffy addresses the fact that his storyline is very similar to Stephen King’s 11/22/63. I actually DNF’d that book a while back. So I went into this book knowing that I once set aside a book that dealt with the Kennedy assassination and time travel … would I make it through this book?

Why, yes … yes I would! And I would end up truly enjoying it. From the first page it sucked me in. I had to know if Sean would accomplish his goal in preventing the assassination.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but there were two main issues that I must address: the dialogue and the middle section of the book. Let me start with the dialogue. One thing that I noticed was that Mr. Duffy started too many sentences with “Well…” It was to the point where it was a little overdoing it. The dialogue also felt a little forced in places. It didn’t flow very well at certain times. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book, but it was definitely something that I noticed. Also, the middle portion of the book bothered me at times. The book itself is divided into three sections. It was really the middle section that bothered me  – the main character, Sean, was not mentioned once. I understood why this occurred because of the way Mr. Duffy set up the book, but I felt as if it kind of took away from character development. Once again, this was not something that made me dislike the book in any way, just another slight problem that I had (I’m big on character development).

Okay, so now that the “negatives” are out of the way, let me tell you why I actually liked this book a lot. It introduces a very interesting “what if” to the Kennedy assassination. I personally believe that there was some sort of conspiracy involved and while I felt like the conspiracy that Mr. Duffy set up is a little far-fetched (rogue CIA agent paying three mechanics (assassins) $1 million each .. where would an individual get that kind of money?), I felt as if it made a great storyline. You could also tell that Mr. Duffy knows the Kennedy assassination – he sure has done his homework! The book is very fast paced and exciting. I could hardly wait to find out what the outcome would be … if Sean would succeed and how it would affect the course of history. I read it so quickly, I just really enjoyed it.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

Jack DuffyAbout the Author:

Jack Duffy is an attorney from Fort Worth, Texas.  The Man from 2063 is his first book.  On November 22, 1963 he was in school at Bruce Shulkey Elementary when he heard the news about President Kennedy’s assassination.  His parents were at the breakfast in Fort Worth, Texas, that morning when President Kennedy gave his last speech.  In 1970 he saw the Zapruder film for the first time.  He has been researching the JFK assassination since then.  He has interviewed many eyewitnesses including Marina Oswald and several Parkland physicians who treated JFK.  He has met many researchers who have written books on the assassination.  He came up with the idea for a time travel novel in 1998.  He has one of the largest private collections of materials on the JFK assassination.  He graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.A. in Political Science.  He then earned an M.B.A from Baylor University.  He then graduated from South Texas School of Law with a J.D.  He is an Eagle Scout.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

Praise for The Man From 2063:

Although I reject the premise of “The Man From 2063″ that Lee Harvey Oswald did not kill President John F. Kennedy and that there was a conspiracy in the assassination, from a purely historical standpoint Jack Duffy has succeeded in writing a very clever and engrossing “what if” story surrounding the events of November 22, 1963.

-Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter Skelter

**This review is posted in conjunction with the Pump Up Your Book! blog tour. I received a copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I
received no monetary compensation.

Book Giveaway

GIVEAWAY: The Dark Pool by J.E. Fishman

Tara

I am excited to announce that Katie from Shelton Interactive is giving me the opportunity to give away one copy of The Dark Pool by J.E. Fishman. Here’s the blurb:

THE DARK POOL is a financial thriller based off of Fishman’s time spent living among some of Wall Street’s top players, and seeing how their pursuit of self-interest nearly wrecked the nation.

THE DARK POOL follows Bronx high school football coach Shoog Clay and his star player, Antwon Meeps. When strange and tragic things start happening around them – events out of their control – they discover the source is a secret marketplace where investors bet on the coach’s marketing prospects (his Q Score). Those who are bullish on Clay want him to succeed, no matter who gets hurt. Those who are bearish on him will stop at nothing to see him fail – even if it means killing him.

I will be reviewing this book in the future as well, so I hope you return to check out my review when I post it.

Fine print: This is an international giveaway (!) and has one (1) book available. The sign-ups will close on March 3rd at 7pm central time. When you fill out the form, your information goes into a spreadsheet. Your place in the giveaway will be assigned a number – when the sign-ups close, I will use your assigned number and random.org to select a winner. As always, your information will be kept between me and Katie at Shelton Interactive and the form will be deleted upon the selection of the winner. Good luck 🙂

Please use this form to sign up!