I'm making progress on my lists! First, my friend Jenn let me borrow her copy of Easy A, which I watched with Matthew a few days ago. So, I'll start with my newest movie review:
8. Easy A - Matthew and I shared the same sentiment about this movie, which is that the film was fine but not great. It started off a bit slow, but the movie became funnier about halfway through. There were quite a few good one-liners, but in other moments the dialogue was a bit forced. What I don't understand is why all these high school movies feature a hot female character who is apparently ignored by everyone. Emma Stone is really pretty, and most high school guys would be itching to ask her out. That aside, the movie was overall entertaining and I'm glad I watched it.
Rating: 2.5/5
Movies: 8/100 viewed
Yesterday I made a new dessert as a birthday treat! I decided to try these cream cheese brownies from my New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. While I was mixing the batter, it told me mix until the batter was thick and lemon-colored, but it never really matched the picture in the book. I ended up mixing it a few minutes longer, and still no change to the batter. I don't know, maybe it wasn't supposed to match the picture exactly, but the brownies tasted great anyway! The texture was very soft and creamy, and I liked how the marbled top looked after baking. Everyone else enjoyed them too, so I doubt they'll be around much longer!
Cooking: 15/75 completed
Since I don't have any evidence that anyone reads this blog, I feel safe in documenting some of my feelings concerning the issue in Wisconsin. Now, I understand that as groups gain power and money they face a greater risk of corruption, and unions are not exempt from that. I'm aware that there have been times in which union leaders were not what one would call "moral," but to demonize all unions like this is absolutely ridiculous. People are calling to an end to all unions, but I don't think that these people are looking at the long-term consequences of the demise of unions, which would be an entirely corporate-run country. Granted, we're almost entirely at that point, but it will become much worse if the unions are defeated.
By taking away worker's rights, it essentially gives a free pass to businesses to do whatever they want. None of us were alive when businesses had no restrictions, but this country will go right back to those days if we don't do more to keep them in check. The truth is, without unions there wouldn't be a minimum wage, weekends, child labor laws, mandatory safe working conditions, etc. People need to stop believing in the perfection of corporations. Without opposition, corporations will do whatever they want to whomever they want, and that includes their employees. Before unions, businesses could send their workers into dangerous situations and not face any punishment when they killed or injured their workers. Do you really think we're that far away from going back to how American workers were treated back in the early 1900s? Laws mean nothing when corporations have more power and money than the government, which is our current situation (does anyone remember that Exxon got away with paying only a fraction of what they should have due to all the appeals they could afford?).
In addition, breaking up the unions would destroy the only major monetary contributors to the Democratic Party. Once this occurs, Republicans would be able to buy victories in every single election. This would turn the United States into a one-party country, and once the Republicans have complete control of the country do we really think that they'll continue to pretend that they care about the people of the United States? Republicans are bought out by the corporations, which is why they've been able to play with the Supreme Court so easily in the last several decades. It is the Republican Party's dream to continue to push the United States in a direction in which the top 10% own everything in the country while the rest of us barely scrape by.
I guess if people like the idea of returning to the feudal society, then we should definitely try to break the unions! It's not fair that corporations should have to continue to comply with laws regarding worker's safety, taxes, environmental protection, and wages. We should just give corporations a free-for-all, since they've always been so compassionate to the common worker in the past!
For a little more information, this website explains things pretty well:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/479560/9_things_you_need_to_know_about_the_uprising_in_wisconsin/#paragraph3
And here is the beginning of our country's future under the care of corporations:
http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/149861/top_4_victories_handed_to_corporate_america_by_the_supreme_court_--_so_far/?page=1
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
"Choose again."
Valentine's Day gave me a great opportunity to complete two more recipes: sugar cookies with red-colored sugar on top and this spicy chicken and rice dish. The dinner was fantastic! It called for three boneless skinless chicken breasts on top of a combination of brown rice, black beans, onions, green pepper, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, red pepper, chili powder, and paprika. All of those vegetables and spices made the dish so flavorful; Matthew and I were so happy with how the dinner turned out! The cookies were good as well, but I might have stirred the dough a little too much because they were a little more dry and crunchy than I would have preferred. Still, the sugar cookies tasted great and Matthew liked the red sprinkled on top. Yay for having two new recipes under my belt!
Cooking: 14/75 completed
Matthew and I also watched Inception during our Valentine's dinner. Being a fan of science fiction, I really enjoyed the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page were particularly impressive with their performances, though there wasn't anyone that I would call out as having done a poor job either. The film was largely action-filled, but the scenes with DiCaprio and his character's haunting wife provided balance. While some may complain that the plot was too detailed and easily confusing, I found that as long as one pays close attention, the movie is never lacking in clarity and is very exciting. It reminds me of the original Matrix movie without any messiah-oriented undertones. I'm glad that Inception has been nominated for eight Oscars and I'm hoping that it wins a few.
Rating: 5/5
Movies: 7/100 viewed
Now, time to move on to the most important topic of discussion - the discussion of The Rise of Endymion.
Warning: Spoilers below!
This novel has, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and emotional endings of anything that I've ever read, and I've read quite a lot. While I did have a slight prediction of how the story would end, that inkling did not detract from the novel's conclusion. Although incredibly sad, The Rise of Endymion still managed to have as happy and hopeful of an ending as possible, filled with characters that I've become so fond of: the Consul's ship, Kassad, Rachel, Theo, Father de Soya, Martin Silenus (and as vulgar and hilarious as ever), Bettik, Raul, and Aenea. Simmon's depiction of Aenea as a messiah was done quite tastefully; she was brave, intelligent, and beautiful, but also emotional and vulnerable to the cruelties of man. Her communion, while very similar to the communion the Jesus Christ shared with his followers, differed greatly because those who drank of Aenea's blood received the same gifts that she possessed, thus making them closer to equals than the Apostles were to Christ. Speaking of Christianity, Aenea's demise was horrible to read, but after finding out that her torture and death was a crippling blow to the Church, I was happy that Aenea was able to destroy the corrupt relationship between humanity, the Church, and the Core. Although the scenes of her teaching to the crowds was a bit repetitive and by-the-book, Raul's eventual comprehension of the Void Which Binds made Aenea's teachings much more dynamic. Some people have critiqued the novel in their online reviews for wandering away from the technical aspects of science fiction, and while the novel was mostly focused on human nature, philosophy, and relationships, it still had plenty of moments of "science," such as their entire time within the Biosphere. By focusing more on the characters, The Rise of Endymion grew into a magnetic and unforgettable novel, and is a great conclusion to the Hyperion Cantos. I'm sad that the series is over, but am very glad that I chose these novels as my first for this year. My only worry now is that the other novels that I read will be slightly shadowed by this fantastic series!
Rating for The Rise of Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 4/75
Cooking: 14/75 completed
Matthew and I also watched Inception during our Valentine's dinner. Being a fan of science fiction, I really enjoyed the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page were particularly impressive with their performances, though there wasn't anyone that I would call out as having done a poor job either. The film was largely action-filled, but the scenes with DiCaprio and his character's haunting wife provided balance. While some may complain that the plot was too detailed and easily confusing, I found that as long as one pays close attention, the movie is never lacking in clarity and is very exciting. It reminds me of the original Matrix movie without any messiah-oriented undertones. I'm glad that Inception has been nominated for eight Oscars and I'm hoping that it wins a few.
Rating: 5/5
Movies: 7/100 viewed
Now, time to move on to the most important topic of discussion - the discussion of The Rise of Endymion.
Warning: Spoilers below!
This novel has, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and emotional endings of anything that I've ever read, and I've read quite a lot. While I did have a slight prediction of how the story would end, that inkling did not detract from the novel's conclusion. Although incredibly sad, The Rise of Endymion still managed to have as happy and hopeful of an ending as possible, filled with characters that I've become so fond of: the Consul's ship, Kassad, Rachel, Theo, Father de Soya, Martin Silenus (and as vulgar and hilarious as ever), Bettik, Raul, and Aenea. Simmon's depiction of Aenea as a messiah was done quite tastefully; she was brave, intelligent, and beautiful, but also emotional and vulnerable to the cruelties of man. Her communion, while very similar to the communion the Jesus Christ shared with his followers, differed greatly because those who drank of Aenea's blood received the same gifts that she possessed, thus making them closer to equals than the Apostles were to Christ. Speaking of Christianity, Aenea's demise was horrible to read, but after finding out that her torture and death was a crippling blow to the Church, I was happy that Aenea was able to destroy the corrupt relationship between humanity, the Church, and the Core. Although the scenes of her teaching to the crowds was a bit repetitive and by-the-book, Raul's eventual comprehension of the Void Which Binds made Aenea's teachings much more dynamic. Some people have critiqued the novel in their online reviews for wandering away from the technical aspects of science fiction, and while the novel was mostly focused on human nature, philosophy, and relationships, it still had plenty of moments of "science," such as their entire time within the Biosphere. By focusing more on the characters, The Rise of Endymion grew into a magnetic and unforgettable novel, and is a great conclusion to the Hyperion Cantos. I'm sad that the series is over, but am very glad that I chose these novels as my first for this year. My only worry now is that the other novels that I read will be slightly shadowed by this fantastic series!
Rating for The Rise of Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 4/75
Thursday, February 10, 2011
"So if you've got a torch to carry hold it high . . . Let it light up the sky"
Another recipe finished! Last night I made Brownie Pudding from the New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, and man was that good! I haven't had something that rich and chocolaty in a while, but I guess that's what happens when one uses a fourth of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. Making it was really interesting; I had no idea how it would bake with a layer of nearly boiling water on top of the actual batter, but somehow the pudding-like sauce ended up underneath the cake. Talk about tricky food chemistry! Brownie Pudding is definitely a dessert that should be accompanied by a tall glass of milk. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with how this recipe turned out!
Cooking: 12/75 completed
If I had any spending money, I am certain that I would spend it on Cartel's new album, Cycles. I've only been able to listen to the four songs they have available for listening on their website, but I really like all of them. I'm sure I can listen to the other songs if I looked on YouTube, so I'll probably do that later today. What's great about their songs is that they're all distinguishable from each other. So many bands have songs that all sound exactly the same, and Cartel avoids that. I also enjoy their mix of subject matter for their lyrics - some songs are softer and more melodic, others are fast-paced with socially-oriented lyrics, and others are more for fun. They didn't have any touring information, which is a shame because I think they'd be great to see live! The title of this post is taken from their song "Let's Go." I hope that others get into them!
I think I might actually add another goal to my list: watch 100 new movies this year. By new I don't mean that they have to be recently produced, I'm referring to movies that I have never seen or haven't seen in so many years that I've basically forgotten the entire thing. Since Matthew and I have Netflix I figure that it shouldn't be too hard to watch 100 movies in a year. I'll try to at least give them all ratings and small reviews in a timely fashion, but I've already seen quite a few movies this year, so let me try to remember them all:
1. The Departed - Talk about a great mix of good actors! The acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg was superb, but I have to give a few more props to DiCaprio for giving us a truly tortured character without ever going over the top. The plot was incredibly intricate, but not too difficult to follow as long as you pay close attention to everything. The movie was a bit long, but I didn't notice how much time had passed until the movie ended, and that's usually the sign of a great movie!
Rating: 5/5
2. Under Siege - Matthew owns this collection of Steven Seagal movies as a joke, and we decided to watch a couple of them for laughs. What I love is that an entire Navy ship is overthrown by a few terrorists, even though the terrorists are vastly outnumbered. Why wouldn't the tons of Navy personnel just rush the terrorists? Granted, a couple of guys might've died, but the terrorists wouldn't have been able to kill all of them. Ah well, at least Tommy Lee Jones was in it, and man was he a funny hippie. Oh yeah, there was a boob scene as well. Can't remember much else about the girl.
Rating: 2/5
3. Under Siege 2 - Dark Territory - Yet another funny Steven Seagal movie, and it's really just Under Siege on a train. I had no idea that a little Katherine Heigl was in it until I recognized her face, and according to IMDb it's one of her earliest roles. I really love the scene where Seagal is hanging onto the train and someone shoots him in the shoulder, yet this doesn't faze Seagal at all. Nevermind that he was shot with a sniper rifle whose bullet would've ripped his arm off (or at least destroyed his nerves and vessels). He's Steven Seagal, and regular bullets cannot harm him! So many laughs in this movie. Oh Steven Seagal . . .
Rating: 2/5
4. The Prince of Egypt - It's been out for a long time, but I don't remember seeing this movie, and I feel like I would have remembered at least something with how good it is. I didn't expect a biblical movie to be so good, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Prince of Egypt. Although the plot is based upon the Exodus of the Hebrews, the main focus of the movie is the relationship between Moses and Ramses, which gives it more of a human focus rather than a preachy one. There were quite a lot of well-known actors in the cast - Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort!). Great music and good portrayal of God. Overall, I think that this was a well-made and entertaining movie.
Rating: 4/5
5. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - Before anybody goes crazy on me for not having seen the Indiana Jones movies, I must clarify that I did see bits and pieces of the movies a very long time ago, but I don't really remember anything specific about any one movie. That aside, I really liked watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. The action was nearly constant, the swooning female students were hilarious, and the Nazis were perfect villains. Of course it didn't have much depth to it, which is why I can't give it a perfect score, but I can see why it's a classic. Looking forward to watching the others!
Rating: 4.5/5
6. The Last Exorcism - For an exorcist-themed horror movie, I was fairly impressed. Many horror movies now just pile on the gore or action scenes, but this movie took a more subtle approach. For a while it seemed like there wasn't any paranormal activity involved, but I knew in the back of my head that it wouldn't be much of a horror movie if the good ol' devil or one of his minions never showed up. The documentary style was distracting at times, but done much better than Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. I was not expecting the ending to take the twist that it did, but it only reinforces my rules about traveling: never go to the Deep South and stay away from isolated rural areas.
Rating: 2.5/5
Cooking: 12/75 completed
If I had any spending money, I am certain that I would spend it on Cartel's new album, Cycles. I've only been able to listen to the four songs they have available for listening on their website, but I really like all of them. I'm sure I can listen to the other songs if I looked on YouTube, so I'll probably do that later today. What's great about their songs is that they're all distinguishable from each other. So many bands have songs that all sound exactly the same, and Cartel avoids that. I also enjoy their mix of subject matter for their lyrics - some songs are softer and more melodic, others are fast-paced with socially-oriented lyrics, and others are more for fun. They didn't have any touring information, which is a shame because I think they'd be great to see live! The title of this post is taken from their song "Let's Go." I hope that others get into them!
I think I might actually add another goal to my list: watch 100 new movies this year. By new I don't mean that they have to be recently produced, I'm referring to movies that I have never seen or haven't seen in so many years that I've basically forgotten the entire thing. Since Matthew and I have Netflix I figure that it shouldn't be too hard to watch 100 movies in a year. I'll try to at least give them all ratings and small reviews in a timely fashion, but I've already seen quite a few movies this year, so let me try to remember them all:
1. The Departed - Talk about a great mix of good actors! The acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg was superb, but I have to give a few more props to DiCaprio for giving us a truly tortured character without ever going over the top. The plot was incredibly intricate, but not too difficult to follow as long as you pay close attention to everything. The movie was a bit long, but I didn't notice how much time had passed until the movie ended, and that's usually the sign of a great movie!
Rating: 5/5
2. Under Siege - Matthew owns this collection of Steven Seagal movies as a joke, and we decided to watch a couple of them for laughs. What I love is that an entire Navy ship is overthrown by a few terrorists, even though the terrorists are vastly outnumbered. Why wouldn't the tons of Navy personnel just rush the terrorists? Granted, a couple of guys might've died, but the terrorists wouldn't have been able to kill all of them. Ah well, at least Tommy Lee Jones was in it, and man was he a funny hippie. Oh yeah, there was a boob scene as well. Can't remember much else about the girl.
Rating: 2/5
3. Under Siege 2 - Dark Territory - Yet another funny Steven Seagal movie, and it's really just Under Siege on a train. I had no idea that a little Katherine Heigl was in it until I recognized her face, and according to IMDb it's one of her earliest roles. I really love the scene where Seagal is hanging onto the train and someone shoots him in the shoulder, yet this doesn't faze Seagal at all. Nevermind that he was shot with a sniper rifle whose bullet would've ripped his arm off (or at least destroyed his nerves and vessels). He's Steven Seagal, and regular bullets cannot harm him! So many laughs in this movie. Oh Steven Seagal . . .
Rating: 2/5
4. The Prince of Egypt - It's been out for a long time, but I don't remember seeing this movie, and I feel like I would have remembered at least something with how good it is. I didn't expect a biblical movie to be so good, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Prince of Egypt. Although the plot is based upon the Exodus of the Hebrews, the main focus of the movie is the relationship between Moses and Ramses, which gives it more of a human focus rather than a preachy one. There were quite a lot of well-known actors in the cast - Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort!). Great music and good portrayal of God. Overall, I think that this was a well-made and entertaining movie.
Rating: 4/5
5. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - Before anybody goes crazy on me for not having seen the Indiana Jones movies, I must clarify that I did see bits and pieces of the movies a very long time ago, but I don't really remember anything specific about any one movie. That aside, I really liked watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. The action was nearly constant, the swooning female students were hilarious, and the Nazis were perfect villains. Of course it didn't have much depth to it, which is why I can't give it a perfect score, but I can see why it's a classic. Looking forward to watching the others!
Rating: 4.5/5
6. The Last Exorcism - For an exorcist-themed horror movie, I was fairly impressed. Many horror movies now just pile on the gore or action scenes, but this movie took a more subtle approach. For a while it seemed like there wasn't any paranormal activity involved, but I knew in the back of my head that it wouldn't be much of a horror movie if the good ol' devil or one of his minions never showed up. The documentary style was distracting at times, but done much better than Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. I was not expecting the ending to take the twist that it did, but it only reinforces my rules about traveling: never go to the Deep South and stay away from isolated rural areas.
Rating: 2.5/5
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
"You are reading this for the wrong reason."
Now I have three new recipes under my belt! Last week I made brown and wild rice pilaf. The dinner was really tasty, and I loved the chewy texture of the wild rice combined with the softer consistency of the mushrooms and shredded carrot. The hardest part of making the dinner was finding plain raw wild rice. I guess that there's not much of a demand for wild rice outside of canned soup and prepared dinners, but I finally found tiny four once boxes of it in between the piles of other rice varieties. Either way, I enjoyed the pilaf and so did Matthew!
I also made almond-cherry candies last week. I already have a big bag of dried cherries in my pantry, so the only things I had to buy were almonds and a block of white chocolate. As I found out, white chocolate melts very quickly! I had to constantly stir it with the Crisco to make sure it wouldn't bubble. I also discovered that even though caramels can becomes really smooth while on the stove, the mixture hardens within a minute after removing it from heat. It was pretty difficult drizzling the melted caramel on top of the candies, but I managed with some hot water. They turned out to be really good though, and I ended up making a second batch to give to our families the morning of the Super Bowl.
Then, on Monday, I made this dinner called Crunchy Cabbage, which is really just shredded cabbage and carrots cooked with green onions, beef bouillon, and pepper that is mixed near the end with butter, mustard, and chopped pecans. The whole dinner took about twenty minutes to make (including prep time), and for being so simple it had a great taste! I actually think that it would be a good vegetable side-dish for holidays or parties and could completely replace regular coleslaw. I'm not much of a coleslaw fan; I find it pretty boring, and while this recipe used a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrot, it had a completely different taste. Plus, this meal was pretty healthy, with only 9 grams of fat, 98% daily vitamin A and 31% daily vitamin C. Definitely making this again!
Cooking: 11/75 completed
I am also pleased to say that I have finished Endymion! It was a bit different than the previous two novels with having fewer main characters, but they were well-developed and incredibly likable. Even the man who was trying to capture Aenea, Father Captain de Soya, is a sympathetic character that I can't help but enjoy. At first, I was taken aback with what happened to mankind after the fall of the Hegemony. The Church is just as bad, if not worse, than the TechnoCore, and its levels of corruption are slowly revealed as Aenea, Raul, and Bettick travel along the River Tethys. As they make their way across different planets, Simmons does a fantastic job at making each planet unique in its terrain and obstacles. Some of my favorite scenes in the novel include Raul and Aenea's swimming in a zero-g pool on the Consul's ship, Raul's brave and nearly fatal task of rigging explosives on the docks at Mare Infinitus, and the ending of the novel with the fight, the Shrike, and where Aenea, Raul, and Bettick conclude their river journey. I'm also happy that Simmons made this novel not as tightly-knit to the previous two, but he brought along enough to keep me happy. This novel had a lot more physical action, but the scenes with the Pax figures and Raul's Schrödinger's cat box provide some balance. Endymion is another great addition to the Hyperion series, and I cannot wait to see what happens to the new heroes in the last novel!
Rating for Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 3/75
I also made almond-cherry candies last week. I already have a big bag of dried cherries in my pantry, so the only things I had to buy were almonds and a block of white chocolate. As I found out, white chocolate melts very quickly! I had to constantly stir it with the Crisco to make sure it wouldn't bubble. I also discovered that even though caramels can becomes really smooth while on the stove, the mixture hardens within a minute after removing it from heat. It was pretty difficult drizzling the melted caramel on top of the candies, but I managed with some hot water. They turned out to be really good though, and I ended up making a second batch to give to our families the morning of the Super Bowl.
Then, on Monday, I made this dinner called Crunchy Cabbage, which is really just shredded cabbage and carrots cooked with green onions, beef bouillon, and pepper that is mixed near the end with butter, mustard, and chopped pecans. The whole dinner took about twenty minutes to make (including prep time), and for being so simple it had a great taste! I actually think that it would be a good vegetable side-dish for holidays or parties and could completely replace regular coleslaw. I'm not much of a coleslaw fan; I find it pretty boring, and while this recipe used a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrot, it had a completely different taste. Plus, this meal was pretty healthy, with only 9 grams of fat, 98% daily vitamin A and 31% daily vitamin C. Definitely making this again!
Cooking: 11/75 completed
I am also pleased to say that I have finished Endymion! It was a bit different than the previous two novels with having fewer main characters, but they were well-developed and incredibly likable. Even the man who was trying to capture Aenea, Father Captain de Soya, is a sympathetic character that I can't help but enjoy. At first, I was taken aback with what happened to mankind after the fall of the Hegemony. The Church is just as bad, if not worse, than the TechnoCore, and its levels of corruption are slowly revealed as Aenea, Raul, and Bettick travel along the River Tethys. As they make their way across different planets, Simmons does a fantastic job at making each planet unique in its terrain and obstacles. Some of my favorite scenes in the novel include Raul and Aenea's swimming in a zero-g pool on the Consul's ship, Raul's brave and nearly fatal task of rigging explosives on the docks at Mare Infinitus, and the ending of the novel with the fight, the Shrike, and where Aenea, Raul, and Bettick conclude their river journey. I'm also happy that Simmons made this novel not as tightly-knit to the previous two, but he brought along enough to keep me happy. This novel had a lot more physical action, but the scenes with the Pax figures and Raul's Schrödinger's cat box provide some balance. Endymion is another great addition to the Hyperion series, and I cannot wait to see what happens to the new heroes in the last novel!
Rating for Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 3/75
Saturday, January 29, 2011
"On he flared . . ."
I really need to get on the phone with Comcast about fixing our internet. Matthew's computer has no trouble connecting to the internet, but no matter what I do with the cords or the router my computer cannot receive internet. This means that I have to wait until Matthew is asleep or away from his computer before I can go online. Bah.
Anyway, onto the important stuff.
Cooking: Last week I made chocolate-caramel bars and broccoli carrot stir-fry. Both were really tasty and fun to make! I had never made a stir-fry by myself before but I imagine that I'll be making a lot more this year since Matthew and I really enjoyed it. I must say that as simple as they are, toasted walnuts are delicious and I might add them to other stir-fry recipes even if they aren't specifically requested.
This week I made banana bread and peach breakfast slush. I hadn't realized how long banana bread takes to bake and almost left for work late, but luckily I made it on time! I also didn't know that you can buy apricot nectar in cans. I was afraid that I'd have to buy apricots and squeeze the juice out of them after not finding anything at Kroger, but then I went over to Meijer and luckily they had some apricot nectar. Either way, both recipes were successes!
Cooking: 8/75 completed
I completed The Fall of Hyperion a couple days ago and am once again very impressed with Simmon's work. This novel had a lot of new plot lines and examined interesting new characters but also held onto enough of Hyperion's plots and characters to make a smooth transition into the second novel. I was glad to finally learn more about Meina Gladstone and how the Hegemony functions. Gladstone's story is very interesting and quite surprising at the end. Without revealing anything, I'm just going to say that she made a difficult and admirable decision. I truly enjoy how well Simmon's weaves the different stories and perspectives together, and we find out in this novel how Sol and Rachel's story is connected to everyone else's. Simmon's also focuses more on Sol's inner struggle in this novel, which I think added a lot to the overall plot. There really wasn't a single story that I didn't enjoy, and the novel ended with the possibility of a few of the plots continuing into the next installment.
Rating for The Fall of Hyperion: 10/10
Books Read: 2/75
Hoping to finish the third novel, Endymion, in the next few days!
Anyway, onto the important stuff.
Cooking: Last week I made chocolate-caramel bars and broccoli carrot stir-fry. Both were really tasty and fun to make! I had never made a stir-fry by myself before but I imagine that I'll be making a lot more this year since Matthew and I really enjoyed it. I must say that as simple as they are, toasted walnuts are delicious and I might add them to other stir-fry recipes even if they aren't specifically requested.
This week I made banana bread and peach breakfast slush. I hadn't realized how long banana bread takes to bake and almost left for work late, but luckily I made it on time! I also didn't know that you can buy apricot nectar in cans. I was afraid that I'd have to buy apricots and squeeze the juice out of them after not finding anything at Kroger, but then I went over to Meijer and luckily they had some apricot nectar. Either way, both recipes were successes!
Cooking: 8/75 completed
I completed The Fall of Hyperion a couple days ago and am once again very impressed with Simmon's work. This novel had a lot of new plot lines and examined interesting new characters but also held onto enough of Hyperion's plots and characters to make a smooth transition into the second novel. I was glad to finally learn more about Meina Gladstone and how the Hegemony functions. Gladstone's story is very interesting and quite surprising at the end. Without revealing anything, I'm just going to say that she made a difficult and admirable decision. I truly enjoy how well Simmon's weaves the different stories and perspectives together, and we find out in this novel how Sol and Rachel's story is connected to everyone else's. Simmon's also focuses more on Sol's inner struggle in this novel, which I think added a lot to the overall plot. There really wasn't a single story that I didn't enjoy, and the novel ended with the possibility of a few of the plots continuing into the next installment.
Rating for The Fall of Hyperion: 10/10
Books Read: 2/75
Hoping to finish the third novel, Endymion, in the next few days!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Salts containing Cl -, Br -, I - are generally soluble. Important exceptions to this rule are halide salts of Ag+, Pb2+, and (Hg2)2+
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
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
Saturday, January 8, 2011
"The world is on fire / Since you've come near / All I've ever desired / Is here with me"
It's been a week since my first post, so now it's assessment time.
Cooking: 1/75 completed. My first recipe was peanut butter blossoms. I've made peanut butter cookies in the past, and I've helped to make peanut butter blossoms, but I've never made them all by myself before. The choice for the cookie recipe was also largely influenced by my friend, Jenn's, birthday. Since she likes peanut butter cookies, I figured I'd make them a little more festive. Tip for future baking endeavors: when using two baking sheets, remove the bottom sheet from the over about a minute and a half before the top sheet is ready (or at least check on them). I made the mistake of letting both sheets bake for the same amount of time, so a dozen cookies ended up with burnt bottoms, which saddened me. However, my husband, Matthew, doesn't mind eating burnt food sometimes, so he happily took those cookies. The rest of them were good, so I'd consider this first recipe a success!
Since all of our fiction books are still in boxes at my dad's house, I haven't been able to read anything yet, so I'm going to have to play catch up at some point during the year. However, the apartment is almost completely unpacked and cleaned, so I'll be ready to kick back and start reading in no time!
With all my free time being used up with unpacking a cleaning, I haven't formulated a workout plan yet, but I have formulated a healthy eating plan. Granted, we are impoverished post-graduates, so I'm not going to run out to Whole Foods and buy organic meats and produce all the time, but I have decided to completely cut fast food out of my diet for this entire year. Not only will this help my arteries, it'll also help my wallet. In addition, aside from crazy days in which I'll be running around all over the place, I'm going to try to eat a salad and an apple every single day. I already have a solid healthy breakfast routine, so a salad and some fruit for lunch or dinner shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I like chopping vegetables with the brand new knife set that I received for Christmas; I'm having fun slicing things up in one tenth the time it took me when all I had were dull dinner knives!
Now it's time to study a little from my MCAT books before going to bed. Before I sign off, I also must mention that Matthew bought the new Anberlin album, Dark is the Way, Light is the Place, and it is fantastic! Lyrics from this entry's title are from their song "Take Me (As You Found Me)." Goodnight all!
Cooking: 1/75 completed. My first recipe was peanut butter blossoms. I've made peanut butter cookies in the past, and I've helped to make peanut butter blossoms, but I've never made them all by myself before. The choice for the cookie recipe was also largely influenced by my friend, Jenn's, birthday. Since she likes peanut butter cookies, I figured I'd make them a little more festive. Tip for future baking endeavors: when using two baking sheets, remove the bottom sheet from the over about a minute and a half before the top sheet is ready (or at least check on them). I made the mistake of letting both sheets bake for the same amount of time, so a dozen cookies ended up with burnt bottoms, which saddened me. However, my husband, Matthew, doesn't mind eating burnt food sometimes, so he happily took those cookies. The rest of them were good, so I'd consider this first recipe a success!
Since all of our fiction books are still in boxes at my dad's house, I haven't been able to read anything yet, so I'm going to have to play catch up at some point during the year. However, the apartment is almost completely unpacked and cleaned, so I'll be ready to kick back and start reading in no time!
With all my free time being used up with unpacking a cleaning, I haven't formulated a workout plan yet, but I have formulated a healthy eating plan. Granted, we are impoverished post-graduates, so I'm not going to run out to Whole Foods and buy organic meats and produce all the time, but I have decided to completely cut fast food out of my diet for this entire year. Not only will this help my arteries, it'll also help my wallet. In addition, aside from crazy days in which I'll be running around all over the place, I'm going to try to eat a salad and an apple every single day. I already have a solid healthy breakfast routine, so a salad and some fruit for lunch or dinner shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I like chopping vegetables with the brand new knife set that I received for Christmas; I'm having fun slicing things up in one tenth the time it took me when all I had were dull dinner knives!
Now it's time to study a little from my MCAT books before going to bed. Before I sign off, I also must mention that Matthew bought the new Anberlin album, Dark is the Way, Light is the Place, and it is fantastic! Lyrics from this entry's title are from their song "Take Me (As You Found Me)." Goodnight all!
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