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The Hungry Bookworm

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easy prep

Kids Edition: You're My Little Pumpkin Pie + Pumpkin Pie Crisp

November 21, 2020 by Megan 2 Comments

One of our favorite books this fall has been You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie by Natalie Marshall. With memorable rhymes and cute illustrations, it’s sure to become a fast favorite in your house too! My son especially loves the cut-outs and reveals on each page.

You're My Little Pumpkin Pie by Natalie Marshall
[Read more...] about Kids Edition: You're My Little Pumpkin Pie + Pumpkin Pie Crisp

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, children's, dessert, easy prep, kids edition

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School + Alfredo Sauce

November 17, 2020 by Megan 3 Comments

Kathleen Flinn’s The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is not what I expected. I bought it on a whim at a library used book sale (how I miss those!) because it looked food-related, and I love food-related reads. I think I thought it was fiction. Anyway, I recently picked it up as my selection for an alliterative read in my Long Distance Reading Challenge and realized it’s non-fiction. 

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

In it, Kathleen teaches nine women (apparently there was one male participant who ended up dropping out before it started) to cook. She starts by going to their houses to get a sense of what’s in their cupboards and fridges and their level of cooking skill. Then, the group meets weekly in a commercial kitchen, and Kathleen imparts her wisdom. The women make everything from simple vinaigrettes and bread to soups and braised pork. They learn knife skills and how to prepare and use a whole chicken. 

[Read more...] about The Kitchen Counter Cooking School + Alfredo Sauce

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: books about food, easy prep, five ingredients or less, nonfiction, pasta, sauce

The Switch + Ooey Gooey Homemade Brownies

November 7, 2020 by Megan Leave a Comment

Could you use a lovely read right now? If so, The Switch is for you. I was supposed to post this on Tuesday, but let’s be honest, I was preoccupied. I still am… and haven’t read anything in the last few days, but I need a distraction, so I’m going to share this relaxing, cozy story with you.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Beth O’Leary’s The Switch seems made for the movies. It’s a rom com where Leena switches places with her grandmother, Eileen  — not in a Freaky Friday way, more in a The Holiday way. Leena moves out of her apartment in London and into her grandmother’s house in Yorkshire (the country). Eileen takes up residence with Leena’s roommates and decides to give online dating a go. They switch phones and find ways to busy themselves over the two months they’ve agreed to swap lives. 

[Read more...] about The Switch + Ooey Gooey Homemade Brownies

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, chocolate, dessert, easy prep, favorites, quick read

Mexican Gothic + Asada Mushroom Tacos

October 27, 2020 by Megan 1 Comment

I don’t like scary movies, but somehow, I still get a thrill out of watching them… sometimes, usually with a viewing partner and often in the daylight. I need the boundaries of someone else’s imagination to keep mine in check. So, it may go without saying that I don’t typically like scary books. My mind runs wild! But, it is spooky season, and if you’re going to give a creepy book a try, why not now? 

Mexican Gothic is a hot novel right now. Not just because it’s October, but that certainly doesn’t hurt. I’ve heard about it everywhere lately. One of my friends picked it as our current book club read, so I had no choice but to see what the fuss was all about. (Side note: we meet on Thursday and I can’t wait to see what they all thought!)

Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novel begins slowly, in classic gothic fashion. In 1950s Mexico, Noemí receives a frantic letter from her cousin, who recently married a man who lives in a mysterious house in the countryside. Noemí has no choice but to head to High Place to see her cousin. High Place is isolated and full of secrets and odd family members, which is really the perfect setting for a book I shouldn’t have been reading just before bed.

Noemí does have some hope in the youngest brother, who she comes across picking mushrooms which leads to a sort of bond. He proves himself to be willing to help her help her cousin, at least some of the time. I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll end here, but if you’re looking for something eerie and old-fashioned, this would be a great pick. This book is such a mood. Sort of Jane Eyre-esque in its setting. 

Since I don’t read really these types of books I’m not exactly sure how to rate it as I have very little to compare it to, and honestly I was so creeped out most of the time, I’m not even sure if I was seeing clearly, so to speak.     

The mushrooms I mentioned earlier actually pop up constantly in the novel because they grow on the High Place's property. Mushroom tacos seemed like a great pairing. In looking for a recipe, I learned from Epicurious that the earliest Mexican cuisine was, in fact, vegetable-based. I didn’t ultimately choose their recipe, but it sounds delicious and seems like it would definitely be worth a taste! I found a recipe from Half-Baked Harvest that looked amazing for Asada Mushroom Tacos and made those.

Unfortunately, my grocery store was all out of portobello mushrooms the day I was cooking, so I subbed in baby bellas instead. This totally worked fine, and if you can’t find mushroom caps and really want these, by all means, swap them in. But I really like think, if you have the larger portobello mushrooms available to you, that’s the way to go — primarily for texture, but also ease of cooking (especially if you’re wanting to grill them). 

Anyway, they’re super easy to make. First I made the marinade and got the mushrooms in there so they could soak up that flavor for at least an hour. 

Marinated Mushrooms

While those marinated, I made the pineapple salsa. (Not quite the same make-up but reminded me of my first post!) I used guacamole we already had on-hand, so I didn’t make that from scratch this time. 

Making Salsa

It was also colder the day I decided to cook these than I had anticipated, so I instead cooked the mushrooms on the stovetop. If you opt for this method, make sure to drain the pan a few times as you cook it so the mushrooms have a chance to develop some color. 

Sauteed Mushrooms for Tacos

I served these on corn tortillas that I warmed in a pan. 

Mushroom Tacos

We really enjoyed them, but like I said, I think the large portobello mushroom caps would’ve been even better. They were the perfect accompaniment to the novel for sure.

Mexican Gothic Book Club Tacos
Mushroom Tacos
Print Recipe

Asada Mushroom Tacos

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian
Keyword: vegetarian
Servings: 6 tacos

Ingredients

  • 6 portobello mushroom caps halved
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 4 cloves garlic minced or grated
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo chopped (or 2 teaspoons chili powder)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
  • corn or flour tortillas warmed
  • crumbled feta or cotija cheese for serving (optional)

SALTED LIME AVOCADO

  • 2 avocados mashed
  • juice and zest of 1 lime
  • Maldon sea salt

PINEAPPLE SALSA

  • 1/2 of a small pineapple cubed
  • 1 jalapeño seeded and chopped
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Add the mushrooms to a ziplock bag. Next add the olive oil, orange juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, paprika, lime juice, cilantro, and a large pinch of salt. Seal the bag and marinate 10 minutes or in the fridge up to overnight.
  • Meanwhile, stir together the avocado, lime juice and zest, and a pinch of salt.
  • To make the salsa. In a bowl, combine the pineapple, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, and a pinch of salt.
  • Preheat your grill or grill pan to high. Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and sear for 5 minutes, flip and sear another 5 minutes or until lightly charred on both sides. Slice into strips.
  • Spread the avocado onto the warmed taco shells, and top with the mushrooms, salsa, and cheese. Enjoy!

Notes

From: Half-Baked Harvest

This post contains affiliate links. This does not increase the price you pay, but I may receive a small commission for any products you choose to buy. Purchases made through affiliate links help to cover my blogging costs. Thank you for helping to support The Hungry Bookworm! Full disclosure here.

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: book club, dinner, easy prep, lunch, suspense

Kids Edition: Pippi Longstocking + Braided Poppy Seed Bread

October 24, 2020 by Megan Leave a Comment

Welcome to another Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm! Today we will be talking about Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

I never read Pippi Longstocking as a child, but I do remember a movie. The thing that stuck out the most to me was her long red braids and freckles. What I learned in the book is that Pippi is also very strong — she can lift a horse on her own! — and she likes to have fun in her own way. Pippi is a little bit like Peter Pan, in that she doesn’t want to grow up. 

[Read more...] about Kids Edition: Pippi Longstocking + Braided Poppy Seed Bread

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, bread, easy prep, kids edition

You Lucky Dog + Mac and Cheese Dog Treats

October 20, 2020 by Megan Leave a Comment

Sometimes you just need an easy read. My friends, 2020 is like all of those times combined. I recently read three rom com books in a row, and You Lucky Dog was the first. I chose it because it looked cute, and more importantly, it featured dogs, which meant I got to make some treats for my puppy again. (It’s been a while.) It was just what I needed.

You Lucky Dog by Julia London

Carly’s dog, Baxter, is the mopiest dog on the planet; Max’s Hazel is sociable and happy. It becomes almost immediately obvious to Carly, when she comes home, that the excitable basset hound laying on her couch isn’t hers. Cue the meet cute. Carly and Max meet when their dogs get mixed up through a mishap with their mutual dog walker.  

I strongly related to Carly’s urge to go to NYC to get her career off the ground, no matter the consequences on her love life. (For those unaware, I did the same — after meeting my now-husband just a few months earlier… and ultimately moved back for him.) Outside of that, there are things to love about this novel — it’s an easy read; the dogs are cute; Max is a really loveable guy. There are also things I didn’t love so much, but none of that ruined it for me. I thought this was a charming book through and through. It whisked me off my feet just when I needed to be whisked. 

And, as anticipated, it led me to dog treats. Mac and cheese dog treats, to be exact. Early on in the story, Baxter is eating macaroni and cheese when Carly finds him at Max’s house (a huge no-no!). Even beyond that, mac and cheese as a dog food is mentioned constantly. I knew it was the perfect pairing. 

I found a recipe for cheesy dog treats and decided to do my best to make them into macaroni noodle shapes. As all dog treat recipes should, it contained few ingredients and was fairly easy to throw together. The hardest part was the cutting it into shapes, if I’m being honest. (A shape cut straight from a cookie cutter would certainly be easier.)

First, I whisked together eggs, olive oil and water until frothy. Then, added some shredded cheddar cheese. To that mixture, I added flour, about a half cup at a time to start.

Making Cheesy Dog Treats

When it got to stiff to stir, around the 1½ cup mark, I started adding just a tablespoon of flour at a time and used my hands to knead it in. (For reference, there are 8 tablespoons in a half cup of flour). After 2 cups of flour, my dough was ready and the cheese nicely incorporated from the heat of my hands.

Cheesy Dog Treat Dough

I rolled my dough and then used two circular cookie cutters to cut thick O shapes. I used a 5-inch circle and a 2.5-inch circle.  

Making Dough Circles

Once I had the O shape, I cut that into about five pieces to make "noodles." 

Making Noodle Treats

I laid them out on cookie sheets. You can get them quite close, as they don’t spread. (I probably had them too far apart here and had to use two cookie sheets.)

Making Dog Treats

I baked them for about 15 minutes at 325 degrees, until the bottoms were lightly golden. The ultimate bake time will depend on how large your treats are; the original recipe called for 17-20 minutes. 

Baked Mac and Cheese Dog Treats

Then, I turned off the oven and left them inside to cool overnight, which produces a crispier treat. 

This recipe made about 7 dozen noodles, so I had a lot to go around! First, Beta sampled them.

Beta sampling a dog treat

And once she approved — as with most of my dog treats — I shared the love. I gave a bag to my neighbor, some to my coworkers and the rest to a couple of ladies in my book club with pups. They sent me pictures in as a thank you. Look how cute!

If you like curling up with your dog while enjoying a rom com now and then, I recommend giving this book a go. And, if you like spoiling your pup with homemade goodies, this recipe gets two paws up from Beta (and all the other dogs too)!

Mac and Cheese Dog Treats
Print Recipe

Mac and Cheese Dog Treats

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time35 mins
Servings: 7 dozen (approx)

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or other strongly flavored cheese
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, and water until the mixture is thick and frothy (approx. 1 – 2 minutes). Fold in the cheese.
  • Add the flour, a half cup at a time, stirring to combine, until you reach 1 1/2 cups. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, continue adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time, knead it in with your hands. As the warmth from your hands works the dough, the cheese will melt and smooth out the dough.
  • If the mixture remains slightly crumbly even after you have kneaded it for several minutes, rinse your hands with cold water, shake them off and work this small amount of water into the dough – that should be just enough to bring it together perfectly.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough to ¼” thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes.
  • Place the dough on a cookie sheet; the dough will have very minimal spread, so the cookies do not need much extra spacing.
  • Bake your dog treats for 17 – 20 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden.
  • Allow the dog treats to sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes after you’ve taken them out of the oven, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • For a crisper, crunchier treat, turn off the oven and allow the treats to cool inside overnight.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

Slightly adapted from: Kol's Notes
To achieve a macaroni and cheese shape, use 5-inch and 2.5-inch circular cookie cutters to create an O. Once the O is formed, use a paring knife to cut it into 5 pieces and create "noodles." Begin checking after 13 minutes, pulling after the bottoms are slightly golden.

This post contains affiliate links. This does not increase the price you pay, but I may receive a small commission for any products you choose to buy. Purchases made through affiliate links help to cover my blogging costs. Thank you for helping to support The Hungry Bookworm! Full disclosure here.

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, dog treats, easy prep, quick read

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The Hungry Bookworm brings together literature and food. Megan has an insatiable appetite for both.

As C.S. Lewis said, “Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably.” Enjoy!

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