5 Reads, 1 Recommendation

I'm in a rut of reading not very good books, and I need to get out of it. Here are five I read in the past month, of which I only recommend one.

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. Like the title states, this is the story of the Fang family: the parents, Caleb and Camille, and two kids, Buster and Annie. The Fang's make their living as performance artists, setting up and acting out ridiculous scenes in public places, and recording the reactions of the unsuspecting people around them. The story alternates between the past, where Buster and Annie are children, and the present, where Buster is now a writer of sorts, and Annie has become a well-known actress. Who they have become as adults is largely shaped by the crazy childhoods they had, and really they are not likable.

I didn't like this one. From the reviews I read, I expected something light-hearted, but there is way too much dysfunction for my taste here. Skip this one.

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. I really wanted to like this book. It takes place somewhere in a country house in 1912 England. It is Emerald's birthday and she is having a party. Around the time the guests are arriving for the celebration, there is a train wreck nearby, and all the surviving passengers are brought to the house for shelter. Soon, all havoc breaks loose, scandals unfold, and the true colors of the characters are revealed.

This book starts out ok, I actually liked the first third or so, but then there is a weird and not unexpected twist which leads to a silly ending. Skip this one, too.

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Here's the one I like. This is set in the mid eighties and tells the story of June, a 14-year-old girl who lives in the suburbs of New York City with her parents and sister, Greta. June's uncle, her closest friend, is a talented and famous artist named Finn. When he dies from an unspeakable illness, June's world is turned upside down.

Before he dies, Finn charges June with the task of taking care of Toby, his partner, who has been kept from her and likewise charges Toby with taking care of June. Slowly, the two develop a secret friendship of sorts, which eventually becomes life changing for everyone in June's world. This is a story of self-discovery, love, loss, acceptance, and the mending of broken relationships. Check this one out.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This book got a lot of buzz this summer, so I decided to see what it was all about. It's the story of Nick and Amy Dunn. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears in what appears to be quite a struggle, and of course Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. However, in the middle of the book, there is a surprise twist, and then it is quite a wild ride to the end.

I understand why this one is getting so much attention, it is quite the psychological thriller. However, I can't recommend it mostly because of the amount of profanity throughout. It is no exaggeration to say there are at least four or five instances of the f-word on every page, and for me, that's too much.

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann. I kind of liked this book, but mostly didn't. It is written in five sections, each from a different point of view. The action moves back and forth, with some of the plot overlapping in each section, so something that might not make much sense at the beginning of the story is later made clear.

This story begins shortly after the end of WWII and spans the next couple of decades. It is the story of cousins Nick (a girl) and Helena and their families. At the beginning of the book, Nick is reunited with her husband who has been away at war, and Helena is getting ready to marry a Hollywood guy, who turns out to be quite the sleaze bag.

Of course over the span of the book, neither Nick or Helena's lives turn out as they expect. There is a lot of angst and discontent, and as the reader, I had a hard time figuring out the root of it all, especially in the case of Nick. Meh. It won't hurt to skip this one, too.

It's Fall!

Today is my favorite day of the year: the first day of fall. In honor of the day, I baked some pumpkin-banana bread.

I never knew the two could be combined, but they can, and together they make a beautiful loaf of bread.

 

Pumpkin-Banana Bread

 

1/2 cup sugar

1 large banana, mashed

3/4 cup oil

1 cup pumpkin

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

 

Mix sugar, banana, oil, pumpkin, and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients until just mixed. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool before slicing.

 

Note: I thought this recipe might need a little more flavor, so I added a couple of teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to the batter. It's a nice addition.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

There's a recipe going around like crazy on Pinterest for pumpkin snickerdoodles. Of course I had to try it.

In general, I'm not a huge fan of snickerdoodles, but I embrace them for two reasons. First,  the name is just so fun. Say it. Out loud. Snickerdoodle. :) Here's a fun fact: according to The Joy of Cooking, the name probably comes from the German word schneckennudeln which translates at crinkly noodles. Who knew?

The second reason I like snickerdoodles is that they are the only thing I recall my dad baking over the years. Not very often, but from time to time he will make a batch for me or my sister. Isn't that sweet?

So, on to the pumpkin flavored ones.

Here is the recipe.

For the cookies:
3 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla

For the coating
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
dash allspice
*or, you can do like I did and just use sugar and a couple teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together to blend. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Beat until combined, but don't over mix. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Roll into balls then roll in coating mixture. Flatten with a glass dipped in coating mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Slightly cool before removing from the pan.

 

 

 

These smelled really nice while baking, and I was eager to taste them. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed in the texture as they are a bit more cakey than I would like. But that always seems to be an issue with cookies made from pumpkin. I'm glad I baked them, but probably won't ever make them again. I think I'll save my pumpkin for pie.

Biscotti and Bread

Well, it has finally cooled off in my neck of the woods. This morning it's a cool 46 degrees. After a summer of scorching temperatures, I'm loving the change.

The cooler weather means that I've finally been able to turn my oven on again and do some baking, and I've got two recipes to share.

The first is for biscotti. I got this recipe from my grandma, who got it from an Italian lady she met somewhere. I think it is pretty authentic. It's flavored with almond and anise, which I love. If you don't like anise flavor I'm sure you can leave it out and just use the almond.

Be warned that the recipe makes a lot. I usually only make half.

Biscotti
6 cups flour
5 tsp baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup melted butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp anise extract
1/4 cup anise seed
1 cup chopped almonds

Beat the eggs. Add the melted butter, almond extract, anise extract, and sugar. Mix well. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, anise seed and almonds. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until a dough forms. Divide the dough into six equal parts. Roll each part into a rope about 15 inches long. Place the ropes on cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Return the cookies to the pan and bake for 8-10 minutes more, turning once.

 

 

My second recipe is for Savory Wild Rice Bread. I've been making this bread for at least ten years. It's one of my favorites. Very savory and hearty. It goes really well with soup on a cold day, but I usually just toast mine and eat it with butter and honey. 

Savory Wild Rice Bread 1/2 cup wild rice 2 cups water 5 1/2-6 cups flour 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons snipped fresh sage or thyme or 2 teaspoons dried sage or thyme, crushed 1 package yeast  1 cup sour cream                                                 1 cup water 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon butter  1 teaspoon salt  1 slightly beaten egg                                                1 tablespoon water                                                 4 sprigs sage Rinse wild rice in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water for 1 minute. In a medium saucepan combine wild rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, until tender and most of water is absorbed. Drain well; cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, parsley, sage or thyme, and yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir sour cream, 1 cup water, the sugar, butter and salt until mixture is warm (120-130 degrees) and butter is almost melted. Add to flour mixture. beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the wild rice and as much of the remaining flour as you can. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (45 minutes). Punch dough down. Turn out into a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 8x4x2 inch loaf pans. Shape each half of dough into a loaf. Place shaped dough in prepared loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (30-40 minutes). With a sharp knife, cut a grain like design by making a slice lengthwise down the center of the loaf with 3 small branches on each side. Or, brush loaves with a mixture of egg and 1 tablespoon water. If desired, place sage sprigs on top of loaves. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or till bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately; cool on racks.       Now, here is my cheat for making this recipe. Instead of messing with the wild rice and herbs, I buy a box of Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice mix, cook it, and use a cup of it in place of the wild rice and herbs. It's practically the same thing, and much cheaper. The long grain rice kind of disappears into the bread, leaving the wild rice behind, and the flavor is delicious.