Well, it took longer than anticipated, but I have finally finished reading my first book for the countdown! I chose Dan Simmon's Hyperion, which upon reflection was a great choice for a first book. There wasn't a single thing that I disliked about the book; the characters were dynamic and compelling, the plot was interesting and exciting. I really like books that weave several stories together, and Hyperion did it with perfection. I don't want to reveal too much, but I also enjoyed how Simmons explained the fate of Old Earth, and it was quite clever how he brought small pieces of Old Earth to each of the stories. To be completely honest, I'm actually rooting for the Ousters and I hope that they keep humanity in check in the next three novels! I'm going to start on its sequel, The Fall of Hyperion, as soon as possible. I'm planning on finishing that by the end of the week!
Rating for Hyperion: 10/10
Books Read: 1/75
Now, on to cooking.
The first new dish was Broccoli-Cauliflower Bake from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It actually turned out to be very good and very simple. I went online to learn exactly how to cut raw broccoli and cauliflower since I had never done it before, and the rest of the recipe was pretty self-explanatory. The vegetables were cooked but still crunchy, which is just how I like it. I'll definitely make more of it in the future. I actually have some leftover cauliflower and broccoli after unknowingly buying too much, but I love having them raw in my salad, so I'm sure they'll disappear soon!
The next recipe completed was for lemonade, which I know seems like it shouldn't count, but my family always bought lemonade from the store, so I'm counting it. I had no idea how much sugar goes into a pitcher of lemonade! Sad as it is, I was remembering my chemistry lectures about solubility while I was waiting for the sugar to dissolve in the warm water, and that lead to trying to remember the solubility rules. And yes, I am aware that that it pretty lame. After that, I just added the lemon juice and shredded lemon peel and I was surprised at how much better it tasted than store-bought lemonade. Matthew said he'd like it if I made the lemonade more often, so that's a good seal of approval!
Finally, I made blueberry muffins, and that recipe also came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. The crater I had to make from the dry ingredients rather interesting; I've never had to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients like that before. I also decided to make the streusel topping for the muffins, and the brown sugar and walnuts went very well with the taste of the muffins. They had a great taste, and we ate most of them within a few days! I definitely plan on making other types of muffins this year!
Cooking: 4/75 completed
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