Midweek Morsels: Desserts

Root Beer Ice Cream

Well, as many of you all know, today is lent. Starting today, I am giving up Carbohydrates. So after this recipe, most of what you will get is carb-free. This recipe is SO good. I got this from my Mother. Every summer she is always making homemade ice cream. My favorite is this root beer flavor. You can easily purchase an ice cream maker fairly inexpensively at Target, Wal-Mart, or here.

2 eggs beaten
2 Cups Sugar
1 Quart Half & Half
1 Quart Whipping Cream
1 Quart Milk
2 Tbsp plus 1-1/2 tsp. Root beer extract
1 tsp. Vanilla (or imitation vanilla is fine.)

In Ice Cream freezer, combine all ingredients and freeze.

See how easy that is? Try it! I promise it is sure to please those buds on your tongue.....

Classics Challenge

Another challenge?! YUP. I know I said that I would not join another challenge anytime soon until I get my TBR list down considerably, but this one I have been waiting for. Plus, my beautiful cousin Trish is hosting this one. To sign up, go here!

For this challenge, I am just going to snack. For the snacking, I am to choose just four classics, and one bonus.

Here is my list:

1- Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
2- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
4- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
BONUS** Life of Pi by Yann Martel

This is usually out of my comfort zone, so the list is small, but I really want to venture into something different for me. I am really excited to start but know I have to wait for April 1.

Midweek Morsels: Casserole

This weeks theme for Midweek Morsels is...... CASSEROLES! Good thing for everyone, I grew up in Utah with a family of count them... nine. So casseroles are not a problem.... Here is my favorite one, Chicken and Rice Casserole. If we are not careful, Houston and I can eat the whole pan in one sitting. I told you, I love to eat! Try and enjoy!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 chicken breasts
2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Can of Milk
1 Stick of Butter
2 Cups uncooked Rice (not instant)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Heat soup, milk, butter and stir in Rice. Pour into a 9x13 pan with cooked chicken*. Put cheese on top. Cover with foil. Cook at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

*After chicken is boiled, you can either cut into chunks, shred with fork (my preference) or omit all together. Your preference.

ENJOY!

Midweek Morsels

I love sweets, love the spicy, love the fatty, and even sometimes love the healthy. All in all, I just really love to eat.

I have been trying to ponder about how I can spice up my reading blog. Reveiws are always nice but sometimes, it is nice to just get a taste of something different, you know? Anyway, I came across Kristina's Blog, I was inspired by this weekly event called Midweek Morsels. Here, you are supposed to share some recipes and etc, but if you know me, you know I do not have a flair for cooking, but I do have a flair for eating out! So, here we are midweek, and I would love to share with all of you, my midweek morsel.

Kristina inspired the genre of comfort food. It did snow in Denver yesterday (you would never know by the weather today though) so Houston and I ventured out to Federal Blvd to our favorite comfort food joint Pho Duiy.

Pho (pronounced FUH) is a vietnamese soup. It contains rice noodles, thinly sliced rare steak, broth seasoned with cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cloves, and a beef flavor. You will garnish this dish with hoisin sauce, Sriracha, sprouts, cilantro, lime, jalapeno, and basil. Click on the link above (pho) and you can read more about this delicious dish.

I encourage all to go to their local asian marketplaces, and I am sure that you will find a Pho place to eat nearby. I am telling you this dish will change your life for the better.

Maybe next week I will have a great recipe for all to try, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein
Pages: 321
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

Let me first say that I LOVED THIS BOOK! I cannot say enough good things about it. I myself am a dog lover. I have three dogs, and reading this book added a little extra love in my heart for them.

The book is narrated by a dog, Enzo. He tells the story of his life, through his eyes and wisdom. Have tissues handy. It is not a sad, depressing, story, but a tender and endearing one. You will fall in love with Enzo and before you know it, you have read all 321 pages of the book. I don't want to say too much about the plot, but I guarantee you will love it!

The book is full of great thought provoking quotes. One of my favorites is on page314:

"I know this much about racing in the rain. I know it is about balance. It is about anticipation and patience... [it is also] about the mind! It is about owning one's body... It is about believing that you are not you; you are everything. And everything is you."

That is all I have. Here are my babies!

Ginger. She is a Japanese Chin. She is sweet and loving.




Grace. Another Japanese Chin. She is spunky and naughty.



And finally Duke. A Corgi. He is obedient, gentle, and kind.

Random...

Robin at My Two Blessings listed her Weekly Geeks Post about judging a book by its cover. Her post is about War and Peace. I am a huge Seinfeld fan, and the most recent episode I saw was where Elaine is talking to an author, possibly to become his editor about the book War and Peace. Jerry told her as a joke that the original title of the book was War, What is it Good for? She didn't know that What is it good for? by the band WAR was a song! HAHA! So she is telling this author about that and looks like a complete fool! Anyway, random dumb humor!

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Title: We Need to Talk about Kevin
Author: Lionel Shriver
Pages: 500
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

I absolutely loved this book. The book re-inspires the age old question: Nature vs. Nurture?
I was first drawn to this novel because of some reviews I read which I will link to at the bottom of this post, and secondly because I have this weird fascination for the psyche of people who murder.

The book was very creatively written. Eva is writing the book in first person through letters to her husband trying to figure out the reasons for her sons' mass murder on his schoolmates. She admits to having never connecting to her son even from the womb. She never wanted to get pregnant, and from the moment she found out, she felt as though her life was over, hence the nature v. nurture.

Can I go off on a tangent here? I have in no way done any scientific research, but have a person in my life who was adopted; let's call him Timmy. When Timmy was a little boy, before he ever knew he was adopted, he would ask his adoptive mother why he felt like no body wanted him around. A child of five. How could a child of five ever even think that he was not wanted unless it stems from the womb? Just something to think about....

Now back on task. The first couple hundred pages were very long and slow moving for me to get through. She uses a lot of big words, and although I could understand them, it took some time for me to flow through the pages. They were all mostly recaps of Kevin's life as a child. How Eva would react and interact with him, and why she feels he turned out to be such a vengeful person at only 16. The last 150 pages or so for me, just flew by. I couldn't put the book down. I really felt for the characters involved and even developed an understanding for Kevin.

Again, I really loved this novel, and would recommend to anyone. I will keep on the shelves to read again. I do have an extra copy if anyone is interested. Just let me know!

Cares Online Bookclub
The Bluestocking Society
The Hidden Side of a Leaf

If there are any others let me know. I would love to link.