Quite honestly, I just wanted to put this list up somewhere so I would remember it. Since Ian was born, I’ve been looking for new authors since I’ve read all the books I have multiple times already. I’ve found some I’ll definitely buy (if I haven’t already), some goods ones that I’ll watch for and get from the library, and some that if I never read again, well, you get the idea. All the authors are in the fantasy/supernatural/horror genre, except for a couple. Diana Gabaldon has a historical fantasy/romance series and it generally takes her at least 2 years to put out a new book (outlander #7 is due out next year…yea!). Janet Evanovich most people already know, but she’s more of a comedic mystery writer (at least the series I read). Anyway, I’m still on the search for new talent, so if you think of anyone I might like, let me know. FYI - next to the author’s names are the series I’m currently reading from each of them.
Tonight, I made chicken and dumplings from scratch and it came out really well. Here’s my recipe in case anyone is interested and my review.
My Opinion
Jesse likes a lot of dumplings, so my dumpling recipe is twice what normal recipes call for. He also likes a lot of gravy, so it may seem like the liquid is disproportionate with the chicken and veggies. All of this is correct.
This actually turned out a lot better than I thought it would. We did have a slight problem when I used our 2 quart pan. It was a tight fit. Next time, we are definitely going to have to use something bigger. I’m thinking I need a 3 quart pan.
Overall, it was good. I did end up making more biscuits, since I thought Jesse would end up eating all of the dumplings on me. I did add a twist on the biscuits. I added oregano and parsley to the bisquick dough so it would have the same taste as the dumplings. I’m hoping this doesn’t make the difference is dough types to obvious. Jesse ended up saving me some dumplings, so I haven’t had a chance to try this out yet.
So Jesse introduced me to this new game - Puzzle Pirates - and I have to say it’s addictive. You’re basically a pirate who does a bunch of puzzles in order to make the ship move, win or lose duels, etc. I haven’t had a chance to play too much, but from what I’ve seen, there are a bunch of good games that are fairly easy. In fact, one game is tetris with a twist. It’s actually quite fun. I can actually see myself losing track of time playing this game. A good indication of this is the fact that I wanted to be in bed by 10pm and it’s now going on 10:30pm.
Jesse finished his novel! He still has a few scenes he wants to add and a couple of edits, but his novel - Sinblade - is finished. For those of you who haven’t heard by now, Jesse was competing in the NaNoWriMo challenge. Basically, he had to write 50,000 words in the month of November without any editing and he did it. I’m so excited for him!
And here’s a couple of family photos that were taken recently:
My Opinion
This bread was really good. Reminded me a lot of pumpkin pie (go figure). Overall, I am definitely making this bread again.
Word of caution, when we first made this, I have two quick settings on my machine and I chose the shortest amount of time (58 mins). This wasn’t a smart move. We ended up putting it in the oven for another 10-20 minutes and then it came out beautifully. If you have two settings, I would go with the longer time or go with the basic setting (although, I haven’t tried this on mine yet).
Ingredients
Sugar - 1 cup
Pumpkin - 1 cup canned
Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Egg product - 1/2 cup or 2 eggs
Flour - 1-1/2 to 2 cups (all-purpose or bread)
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 to 2 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp (do not heap)
Cloves, ground - 1/8 tsp (do not heap)
Directions
Grease bread machine pan and kneading blade generously with shortening. Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Quick Bread (80 mins) cycle only. After 3 minutes into cycle, open lid and carefully scrape down sides of pan. Close lid to continue with cycle. Be sure to check your Quick Bread setting. My 58 min setting was too short and my 80 min setting was too long.
Cool baked bread 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, or follow manufacturer’s recommendation.
