Andes Mint Cookies

I came across this recipe and had to try it immediately. They are excellent, tasting a lot like a girl scout thin mint cookie, but chewier. I'll definitely be making these again in the future.

Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Andes mints, 1 for each cookie

Cook butter, sugar, and water until melted. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Pour into a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Beat in eggs one at at time at high speed. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients. Beat until just blended. Chill at least on hour for easier handling. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place a mint on each cookie. Allow melt then swirl over the top. Makes about 80 cookies.

Matched ~ Ally Condie

Apparently I didn’t get my fill of dystopian madness with the Hunger Games series, because the other day I came home from the library with Ally Condie’s Matched, another futuristic novel where the government controls all…or does it?

The story takes place in a bleak, futuristic world where everything from how much and what food you can eat, what you wear, what you do with your “free” time, where you work, who you will marry, and when you will die is controlled by the government.

People's knowledge of the world is limited to what the government tells them. It is a very minimalistic society and everything from past history has been pared down to 100: 100 books, 100 songs, 100 poems, 100 paintings, etc. Everything else has been destroyed.

Around a person’s 17^th birthday, he or she attends a special banquet where couples are matched through data that has been collected about each individual. This is the person you will marry, no questions asked. Each person is given a data card with information about their match, and when Cassia, the heroine of the book, receives her card, she is surprised to find not one, but two matches. One is her best friend Xander, while the other is Ky, a boy who has been classified as an aberration, and therefore cannot be matched.

This sends her on a quest to find out why she has two matches, even though the government is quickly tries to cover it up and warns her of trouble if she continues asking questions.

At the same time, Cassia's grandfather dies. Death happens on your 80^th birthday, no matter what, if you are still alive. But before he dies, Cassia's grandfather slips her a poem by Dylan Thomas that he has somehow saved that begins "Do not go gentle into the night / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light."The mixed-up match, along with her grandfather’s death, and the word of the poem telling her to fight seem to be the impetus needed for Cassia to begin to rebel against the system. And I can’t tell you where it leads, because that would ruin the end of the book if you decide to read it.

The story continues in Crossed, which I am going to have to read, because Matched kind of leaves you hanging at the end. Check it out if you want a calmer, less violent dystopian story than the Hunger Games.

Oh to be so happy...

The Marriage Plot ~ Jeffrey Eugenides

I think Jeffrey Eugenides is a brilliant writer. Unfortunately, he has only written three novels so far, and I have now read them all.

The Marriage Plot, his newest release, might not be as compelling as The Virgin Suicides or Middlesex, but it's still a good read.

It follows the lives of three recent graduates of Brown University in the early 80s. Madeline, an English major, and the two men who are in her life: Leonard (the boyfriend) and Mitchell (the would-be boyfriend).

The story follows the three characters through the end of their college careers and the ups and downs of their lives in the year or so after graduation.

Mitchell has always had a religious bent and heads overseas for a year, traveling around the world while trying to find meaning in his life.

Leonard is brilliant but also suffers from manic depression, something which consumes and nearly destroys him.

Madeline struggles with finding where and with whom she belongs and wishes her life were more like the 19th century novels she studies.

Of course, the story is much more complex than I just made it out to be. If you want to know more you'll have to read it yourself.

I recommend this one, but with reservation because it is laced with profanity, and the characters are rather immoral. If I were giving out stars, it would get 3.5 out of 5.

Nog, nog, nog

I found a forgotten and lonely carton of egg nog in the back of my refrigerator this morning. Since Christmas has passed, I'm not in the mood to drink it, so I decided to cook with it instead.

This morning for breakfast, I whipped up a batch of egg nog pancakes. They turned out fluffy and light and full of nutmeggy deliciousness.

Egg Nog Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup egg nog
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Mix the dry ingredients together then stir in the wet ingredients just until mixed. If the batter seems a little thick, add a some water or milk to thin it. I added around 1/2 cup of water to the mix today. Some freshly grated nutmeg is also a nice touch. Cook on a griddle or skillet. Serve with butter and syrup. Enjoy.

Worst Reads of 2011

Here are 10 books I read in 2011 that I did NOT enjoy, arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.

1.The Everlasting Story of Nory by Nicholson Baker
A stream-of-consciousness narrative told from the point of view of a 7 year old. No other explanation needed.

2.The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Dystopian madness. So violent, and **spoiler alert** most of the likable characters die by the end. Also, in a rather ironic twist at the end **spoiler alert** the whole thing ends up being for naught. Yuck.

3. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Definitely not worthy of the Pulitzer.

4. Ape House by Sara Gruen
From the author of Water for Elephants, which I loved, I thought this would also be worth reading. It's not. The main plot revolves around over-sexed monkeys who are stolen from their lab and put on a reality tv show. Yeah. That should have been my first clue.

5. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
I finally got around to reading a Mitford book, and while there is nothing wrong with it, I'm sorry to say that I really didn't enjoy it. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. I don't think I'll be reading the other 27 or however many there are in the series.

6. The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer
This book is confusing and improbable. I don't know why it made the best-seller list.

7. This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman
I was excited to read this book after hearing an interview with the author on NPR. It deals with the subject of teen sexting, but the author filled the book with such unlikeable characters, it was hard to care about any of it. Meh.

8. The Accidental by Ali Smith
This has been on my to read list for a couple of years, and I wish it still was. It's about a family whose world is turned upside down by the arrival of a stranger in their lives. Once again, the characters are not at all likable, and the ending was dumb. Plus, it is profanity run amok throughout. Not cool.

9. The Cosmopolitan by Donna Stonecipher
This is a book of poetry. I didn't get it and didn't feel like taking the time to dissect it so that I did get it.

10. Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
I failed to see any humor or quirkiness in this novel, which is how it is advertised. Don't waste your time reading it.

Best Reads of 2011

I read 101 books in 2011.

 Here are my top 10 listed alphabetically by author's last name.

1. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
A Christmas themed Flavia de Luce mystery. Perfect.

2. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides
Gloomy, but I enjoyed it.

3. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
A Story about bigamy and secrets and relationships.

4. The Millennium Trilogy: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Hard to get into at first, but worth the effort.

5. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Definitely deserved the Pulitzer.

6. Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul
This book got extra points from me for having three fairy-godmother like characters with the last name of Booterbaw. I was sad this charming Christmas story was so short.

7. Resurrection In May by Lisa Samson
A story of redemption and healing. Read it with a box of tissues nearby.

8. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
Quite dark for a children's book, but possibly the best book I read all year. Kind of The Wizard of Oz meets Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland.

9. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood
Book 2 in the series. Penelope and the children go to London. Lots of mysteries uncovered. Hopefully the answers will be in the next book.

10. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
A beautiful young people's book about hope.

The perfect soundtrack

to accompany the weather outside my window.

Happy New Year!

I gave up on making New Year's resolutions a long time ago.  

However, I've decided to make one this year, inspired by a song I've been listening to a lot lately: Let Me Rediscover You by Downhere.

It really speaks for itself. Listen and reflect. Maybe you'll want to make a resolution like mine this year, too.

Let Me Rediscover You by Downhere

Your Spirit hovers over my waters
Your love burns longer than the sun
The skies of thunder echo Your wonder
Your praises can't be over-sung
The whole universe is witness
To only a part of what You've done

So let me rediscover You
And breathe in me Your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
Let me rediscover You

You see my weakness, my pride, my blindness
You wield Your power through them all
Of all the mysteries, still,
The greatest to me is that You're faithful with I fall
How can I say I know You,
When what I know is still so small

Let me rediscover You
And breathe in me Your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover You

Let me cry "Holy, Holy, Holy"
Let me awaken to Your majesty
And see a glimmer of Your glory
Let me abide in You

Let me rediscover You
And by Your grace I'll follow through
Reveal to me the God I thought I knew

Let me rediscover You
And breathe in me Your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover You

Tell me of the God I never knew
Jesus, let me rediscover You