Under the Skin

Last year, I was very proud of myself for having read 75 books.  My goal was to match that.  I more than did that!  Next year, I hope you read at least 80 books, and I also hope to hit some old classics that I somehow missed in my growing-up, and I also hope to add a bit more non-fiction (though I wasn't devoid of that this year).  And, as per the one-year tradition, I present my books of 2014 and links to their review if I wrote them.  There are many reviews coming, however.  Don't you worry. 1. A Flaw in the Blood (3 stars) 2. A Long Way From Chicago (4) 3. A Year Down Yonder (5) 4. Atonement (3) 5. Catcher in the Rye (4) 6. The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy(4) 7. The Notebook (1) 8. The House of Hades (5) 9. The 39 Clues Unstoppable: Nowhere to Run (3) 10. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (4) 11. Bleeder: a Memoir (5) 12. Teeth (1) 13. Stardust (3) 14. Divergent (2) 15. Child of the Mountains...

On December 23, 2014, the FDA released a statement saying that they have changed the deferral men who have had sexual intercourse with men from indefinite deferral to one-year deferral. The AABB and the American Red Cross have approved the change, and (since I have many hemophiliac friends and they kind of do have a dog in this fight), the Hemophilia Federation of America, after being asked their opinion by the FDA, has endorsed the change.   Here are my thoughts as a Mormon, certified Blood banker. First, as a Mormon.  This paragraph is short, because it doesn't actually matter.  My religion has nothing to do with this issue, but I know that it will come up if I don't address it. So, let me say this:  The Mormon church does not believe in discriminating against any group.  True, we do not agree with homosexual behaviors.  True, we believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.  However, we have also gone on record against discrimination in...

"It's a curious thing, change. You never get used to it, and you're never sure where it comes from, but you better learn to expect it."  I admit it, I didn't finish the 25 Days of Christmas Baking.  Quite frankly, I ran out of recipes. If I do this again next year, we'll have to only do twelve days.  I can't do 25. That being said, it's all in the past, right? Now we can return to our usual blogness of book reviews, and commentaries and lists and what-have-you. And we will be happy to do it! Back into the game with a Book Review! Henry Grim is a servant boy who never imagined the opportunity which he has been given.  He is being allowed to take the entrance exam to Knightley Academy: a place where young boys of the best families become Knights of the Realm of South Britton. Sure, it's just a loop-hole, but he takes the exam.  And Henry, a boy genius with a special penchant for languages and accents to top it off, gets in handily.  I...

It was a horrible idea to work so much in December. So, I didn't make the cookies, today, but they're still good! Christmas Surprise Cookies 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup creamy peanut butter ...

Today is my birthday.  So, we are doing a recipe just for me. Because I love peanut. Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes For the cupcakes: -1 box chocolate cake mix -additional ingredients specified by mix package For the filling: -4 wgt. ounces cream cheese -1/4 c. peanut butter -2 tbl milk -2 tsp. vanilla extract For the frosting: -1/2 c. peanut butter -2 tbls butter -1 pinch salt -tsp vanilla extract 3 ½ tbls milk 1 ½ c. powdered sugar ¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powdered Mix cake batter as directed on the box, including preheating the oven.   In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the filling.   Blend until smooth.   Fill cupcake papers halfway with cake batter, then spoon a rounded teaspoon of peanut butter filling on top and fill the rest of the way with more cake batter.   Bake cupcakes as directed on the box.   While cupcakes are backing, make the frosting by mixing the peanut butter, butter, salt, van...

My mother is a Primary music chorister.  Every year, the church chooses a "big person" hymn for the kids to learn.  This year, it was I Stand All Amazed .  Some Primary Choristers were worried that the kids wouldn't know what all the words meant.  And it does have some big words.  Proffer.  Confused. Tremble.  Descend.  Divine.  Rebellious.  Adore. Even amazed .  At this point, we're almost talking every other word.  But, my mom and I were talking about how the kids don't  have to know the exact meaning of each and every word.  And using big words around kids is how they learn big words.  Another source of big words?  Disney movies.  SAT.com actually has a series of Disney clips that teach legit SAT words.  Here are some big words that Disney taught kids: 1. Pachyderm In Jungle Book , Colonel Hathi uses the word pachyderm, and then it is used several separate times in Dumbo . 2. Domicile ...

This is not one that I ever associated with Christmas, but I guess these are on most people's lists.  Maybe this is why I haven't:  So, my family is an official American mutt family.  However, there are a few stereotypical Caucasian-American origins my family does not have:  we are not at all Italian, we are not at all Eastern European, and we are not at all Irish.  My sister, Beth, married someone with significant Italian heritage, and my brother, Sam, married someone who, at the time, was a Russian citizen. So, we have covered some of the  bases.  But anyways, with no Eastern European heritage, I had never had these before.  It seems like most lists have these things on them.  So, I included them. I am not 100% sure about these cookies' true origins, as every recipe that I have found for them tells tales of their Latvian grandmother, or how they were a family tradition in Lithuania, or Romania or Hungary, etc.  I haven't actually seen ...

We sing about chestnuts roasting, but we don't actually embrace the nut tradition of Christmas.  So, I'm embracing it today.  If you want, you can make them cranberry too! Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Bars 1 c pecans 4 tbl butter 2 tbls canola oil 1/4 c granulated sugar 1/4 c brown sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 c semisweet chocolate chips 1. Preheat oven to 350 2. Toast pecans 3. beat butter, oil, sugar and brown sugar 4. beat in egg and vanilla 5. add flour, baking soda, salt and cinammon 6. add chocolate chips and pecans 7. transfer to 9x13 pan with parchment paper in it 8. bake for 20 minutes

Today's glorious treat comes from Delish.com, with slight alterations.  I am rather pleased with it, and it's a fast make.  About 40 minutes start to finish. 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled 2/3 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon(s) fine salt ...

I failed yesterday.  I had every intention of writing our day of Christmas baking, but it never happened. It wasn't in the cards.  The stars didn't align, and I am sorry.  But, I make it up to you by doing something that possibly fail today--and a huge time investment!  Yay!  Here goes. (They would have been so much more visually appealing on the Christmas plate, but the Christmas plate was dirty). Candy Cane Meringues 2 egg whites 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 c sugar (I added a smidge of peppermint extract, but it wasn't in the original recipe) crushed candy canes 1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with foil (or, just use a silpat mat like me!) 2. beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to soft peaks 3. gradually add sugar, continuing to beat to stiff peaks 4. Drop spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets and sprinkle with crushed candy cane 5. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs (you read that right).  Don't brown them (uhh.....

Because we had a last-minute sick-call-in at work, I will not be able to make these cookies today.  However, I will give you all the recipe and will update it later.  However, letting you know that I have added a picture to the eggnog cookie post, and also changed its baking time.  It might because of altitude (I live at about 6500 feet), but it was way too long. Fudge Crinkles 1 box chocolate cake mix 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs ...

I like the idea of oreos, but I don't like the cream in the center.  So, I made an oreo with a whipped cream center.  WAY GOOD.  And I made them Christmas-y! Homemade Candy-Cane Oreos Batter- 1 box of deep-chocolate cake mix (I used triple fudge, but devil's food or similar would work) 1 egg 1/2 c butter Frosting- 1 c. heavy whipping cream 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp mint extract 3 tbls sugar red food coloring Garnish: crushed candy cane  1. combine egg and butter 2. Add cake mix 3. Roll dough into balls and flatten them out 4. Bake at 350 for about 6-8 minutes. 5. For frosting: cream first four ingredients together until it's whipped cream (sorry, not too descriptive there).  6. add some red food coloring and hand stir so that it is marbled 7. frost one half the cookies and then put the other halves on top to make a sandwich. 8.  Dip the sides in crushed candy cane.

I hate eggnog.  I have not a use in the world for the stuff.  However, this list is not about what I like, but about what the general public would like.  Plus, I had to complete the trio of Christmas beverage cookies.  So here we go! This recipe comes from I Heart Naptime. I altered the glaze (because it was more of an icing than a glaze--and icing is gross a lot of the time.  Even if you like eggnog). Eggnog cookies 3/4 c butter 1 1/4 c sugar 2 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 c eggnog  1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 1/4 c flour Eggnog glaze 1/2 c sugar 1/4 c egg nog powdered sugar nutmeg (for garnish) 1. cream butter and sugar 2. add egg yolks and vanilla 3. add eggnog 4. add all dry ingredients 5. chill for at least 20 minutes 6. Preheat oven to 350degrees 7. bake cookies on parchment for 14-16 minutes 8. allow cookies to cool 9. on medium heat, cook sugar and eggnog to a glaze 10. after the mixture h...

" It turned out that my curiosity did not outweigh my courage after all. Sometimes love means not being able to bear seeing the one you love the way they are, when they're not what you hoped for.” I can't stop reviewing books for 25 Days of Christmas Baking.  Just isn't happening.  So, here's a book review for y'all! Why does Peter find it necessary to save Tiger Lily?  Well, this book claims that it's because Wendy isn't his first love.  An intriguing prequel/retelling of the tale of Peter Pan, this book delves into the character of Tiger Lily as well as Tinkerbell. I read this book feeling completely mixed until the end. Because, here's the situation: It's gorgeously written. The entire book is like one never-ending poem about so many beautiful things. But, at first, I had some reservations. I mean, first, Peter Pan prequels and stuff a...

We continue our homage to Christmas beverages with the best Christmas beverage:  hot Cocoa!  And these cookies are to die for as well.  Credits for this one go to Pip &Ebby, who apparently got them from Rachael Ray.  I altered the recipe only for simplicity, because I believe in normal everyday bakers and don't see why we have to be specific about brands of things or whether you use bars or chips.  I have to admit that I usually don't do the mixing the dry ingredients and before putting them in the dough, but I did on this one, because of the wet chocolate feature. Also a coworker gave me a Christmas plate for "my birthday."/She felt bad that I didn't have a Christmas plate.  But it is almost my birthday. Hot Cocoa Cookies Ingredients: 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter 12 oz semisweet chocolate chocolate chunks (I used one of those gigorminous Hershey's Kisses and chopped it up). 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teas...

One special thing about Christmas is that it has so many amazing beverages associated with it.  Christmas beverages +Christmas cookies= even better.  So, why not make the Christmas beverage IN the Christmas cookie?  For the next three days, we will be featuring three cookies featuring three amazing Christmas beverages.  Let's start today off with the Apple Cider Cookie! Credits for this one goes to realhousemoms.com, but I altered it because there was definitely something wrong with the texture on them. Apple Cider Cookies 1 c. butter 1 c. brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 box Spiced Cider Mix (NOT sugar free) 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp allspice 3 c flour 1 bag of Caramels Instructions Cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder Beat in eggs Add vanilla and mix well Gradually add dry ingredients Refrigerate for about ...

“As I watched them together, my earth found its axis and my stars found their sky.”  “I'm Baptist. So far, Fast or Never is the only speeds I got with forgiving.”  I have to keep up on my book reviewing.  It being 25 Days of Christmas Baking is no excuse.  So, here you go! Mo(ses) LoBeau was named before the Colonel knew she was a girl.  He just picked her up on the piece of floating wood after the hurricane.  He didn't know who he was, and he didn't know who she was.  But he takes her to the closest town and there he meets Aunt Lana.  Aunt Lana and the Colonel raise Mo in the itty bitty town, sending messages in a bottle to try and find her mother, until one day Detective Joe Starr comes to town.  The only thing that the Colonel hates more than lawmen is lawyers, so he tells Mo not to help him.  But that doesn't mean that Mo and her friend Dale (and his older brother who Mo is convince she will someday marry) can't solve ...

This is on the list solely by list-writer veto.  I didn't actually make it in November, so it wasn't on the ballot.  But I put it on the 25 for my own memories. Buche de Noel is a Christmas cake made in France, Quebec, Switzerland and other Francophone places.  They are a very ancient tradition, originally for Jule and the feast of Thor, but then incorporated into Christian celebrations as the Yule Log Cake.  In high school French, we had to have a certain number of culture points.  We got culture points by making French food for the class, watching French movies, reading French literature, etc.  Or Francophone.  Let's be fair.  However, Christmas in high school is the end of a term.  And that's when people started realizing that they didn't have the sufficient number of culture points.  So, everyone always made Buche de Noel for culture points. Unfortunately for these high school students, Buche de Noel are kind of complicated....

My mother is pretty much 1/2 Danish.  Her mother was more than 3/4 Danish, and her father was 1/4.  However, they mostly immigrated during the first Danish Mormon migration to Utah. So, though we are many generations removed from Denmark, it's a big part of our heritage, and we still try to acknowledge it.  I, loving family history, have always been wanting to get in touch with my Danish heritage.  Part of that was learning more Danish recipes than the few I grew up with.  This is one that I have never regretted learning to make.  I call them Danish cookie-lets. And apparently they have some associations with Christmas (though I think that their baking aroma is the most Christmas part), so here we are! Musner 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon baking ammonia or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon ground clov...

Today is called baking between activities.  I baked these while running back and forth and up and down.  Mix the dough while doing something.  Bake a batch while eating dinner.  Go to an Irish dance class.  Come home and bake the rest of the dough.  Go to work. But they are good.  I imagined these originally with Andes Baking Chips.  I guess that product has been discontinued from my investigation of the local groceries stores.  But never fear!  Holiday Mint M&Ms are here! Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Cookies 3/4 c butter 3/4 c brown sugar 1/4 c sugar 1 small pkg chocolate instant pudding mix 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda 2 1/4 c flour mint M&Ms 1. cream butter and sugars and pudding mix 2. add eggs and vanilla 3. add baking soda and flour 4. add M&Ms 5. Roll into 1" balls and place on baking sheet 6. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Whenever you bring up spicy chocolate, someone inevitably says, "I don't like spicy chocolate."  The fact of the matter is that most people DO like spicy chocolate, but they are so repulsed by the idea of it that they don't open their pallets to it.  Many of them have never even tried spicy chocolate.  If you honestly don't like spicy chocolate, that's fine.  But really, don't knock it until you try it.  And today, you can give it a try!  This is a spicy chocolate cookie that is not on fire, but has a nice bite.  So if you're not much of a spice person, but still want to give the spicy chocolate a try, this recipe is good for you! Credits on this recipe go to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.   Mayan Mystery Cookies   ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup sugar, plus more for rolling 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon finely and freshly ground b...

Sometimes in the holidays, you just need a simple and fast recipe that's also creative and good in your repertoire.  So, we have that for you! A get-rich quick idea for anyone who wants to:  Sell already crushed candy canes.  Crushing candy canes is the worst part of Christmas baking.  Sure you can hammer them, but then the bag breaks and you just get a mess everywhere and no candy canes in the bag. Until someone sells crushed candy canes, here are a few tips: 1) Don't buy nice candy canes.  Seriously, the cheapest candy canes you can find are the best for crushed candy cane baking.  Expensive candy canes hold together too well.  2) Buy the little candy canes that come in the itty-bitty bags in a box of a billion.  They're weaker 3) take a handful of the bagged candy canes and drop them on the floor a few times.  This will do the preliminary crushing quite well 4) after dropping them on the floor a few times, empty the chunks into a b...