snack

Arsenic and Adobo + Ensaymada

May 25, 2021 by Megan 1 Comment

Mia P. Manansala’s debut novel, Arsenic and Adobo, is the first book in a new culinary cozy mystery series. Though I’ve never read a cozy mystery, I have always been intrigued by them — especially since there seem to be a lot of culinary cozy mysteries where food is front and center. When fellow blogger, Elizabeth from Dinner and a Novel, suggested we do a buddy read and each cook something to go with it, I didn’t hesitate! Not only is Arsenic and Adobo my first cozy mystery, it’s my first culinary buddy read too.

In the story, Lila moves back home from Chicago to help her Tita Rosie save her restaurant. Right away, a local food critic heads into the restaurant to cause trouble and then drops dead at a table — oh, and he happens to be Lila’s ex-boyfriend too. Lila is quickly caught up in the investigation and trying to conduct her own so she can clear her and her family’s name.

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Kids Edition: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball + "Dirt" Pudding Cups

March 27, 2021 by Megan Leave a Comment

We received Sometimes I Like to Curl Up Into a Ball second-hand. I didn’t realize it’s part of a Little Wombat series and is quite popular! Either way, it is quickly becoming popular in our house. Henry will often grab it and bring it over to have it read to him, and with the fun story and cute pictures, we are more than happy to oblige.

Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill and Charles Fuge — Available on Bookshop.org and Amazon

In it, a wombat takes children through his day, where he plays with his friends — all sorts of animals including a koala, turtle and rabbit. He likes to make funny faces, jump as high as he can, play in the mud, and of course, sometimes, he likes to curl up in a ball.

I drew inspiration from the page where the little wombat plays in the mud with his friends:

“Sometimes I like to get in a real mess,
with mud on my feet and my hands and my chest.”

In the illustration, he is sitting in the middle of a garden with his friends a rabbit, frog and a worm. He is completely covered in mud and smiling.

It reminded me of a dessert I made once as a kid — we called it a dirt cup. It was actually pudding with crushed Oreos on top and some gummy worms too.

I found a recipe that required no cooking or hot ingredients, so Henry could help me make it.

First, I made the pudding, which I did by whisking 2 cups of cold milk into a packet of instant pudding and allowing it to thicken for 5 minutes. Then, I combined it with the thawed Cool Whip. (This is where I let Henry help, though I gave him his own small bowl and spatula.)

He also, of course, wanted to help me mix the big bowl of pudding.

Once the pudding and Cool Whip were mixed, I scooped it into clear cups.

I topped it with crushed Oreos, which I crushed by breaking them up in a large Ziploc bag. (This could be a great activity for older kids, or more interested toddlers — I tried to have Henry help but he wasn’t very into it.)

Then, I added a couple of gummy worms to make it look like the messy scene in the book.

Not only was this an easy-to-make snack, it was delicious too. A perfect pairing for this charming children’s story.

Dirt Pudding Cups inspired by Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball

Print Recipe

"Dirt" Pudding Dessert Cups

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Ingredients

2 cups cold milk
1 3.9-ounce package instant chocolate pudding, 4 serving size
8 ounces frozen whipped topping such as Cool Whip, thawed
1 1/2 cups crushed sandwich cookies such as Oreos, about 16, divided
Gummy worms

Instructions

Whisk together the milk and instant pudding for 2 minutes, until pudding is completely dissolved. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.
Stir in frozen whipped topping and 1/2 cup of the crushed cookies.
Spoon into individual (clear, if possible) cups.
Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies over the pudding mixture. Top each cup with 2 gummy worms. Chill for at least 60 minutes or until ready to serve.

Notes

From: The Spruce Eats

The Bean Trees + Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

February 2, 2021 by Megan 1 Comment

The Bean Trees is a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while. I picked up a copy years ago at a used book sale. It sat on my shelf untouched. In early 2020, I received another copy in the mail from a friend, and though that should’ve been the catalyst I needed, it wasn’t. So, in pursuit of my "read my shelves" goal this year, I chose it as my book club’s latest read — and finally, mission accomplished!

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver — Available at Bookshop.org and Amazon

Barbara Kingsolver’s novel follows Taylor Greer, who grew up in Kentucky with a focus on avoiding pregnancy and getting out of town in the future. She heads west in a beat-up car and finds herself caring for an abandoned child, an American Indian girl she calls Turtle. The story is about their life together as they settle in Arizona with a group of friends who becomes family. It’s a short book, but one that I thought was perfect for a book club discussion.

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The Book of Longings + Marinated Goat Cheese Spread with Olives

July 28, 2020 by Megan 1 Comment

Sue Monk Kidd’s latest novel The Book of Longings is one that I was very much looking forward to reading. I loved The Secret Life of Bees and I also enjoyed The Invention of Wings, though not quite as much. In both of them, her writing and storytelling completely drew you in and held you through until the end. I was expecting much the same in this story, which is about Jesus’ wife, Ana. (Yes, that Jesus.)

And, aside from the writing, the subject of the novel intrigued me immensely. I adored The Red Tent, which is also a Biblical retelling, focusing on women in the Bible who are named but otherwise overlooked in the story. Obviously, in the Bible, Jesus doesn’t have a wife, so this was entirely outside of that scope. But, still I was expecting The Red Tent’s essence — a female-focused story set in Biblical times. I was left a little disappointed.

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Rubyfruit Jungle + Baked Strawberry Donuts

July 21, 2020 by Megan Leave a Comment

Rita Mae Brown’s novel Rubyfruit Jungle was quite revolutionary when it was first published in the 1970s. I had never heard of it until recently when I was searching for books to include in my office’s book club poll for Pride Month reads, and certainly now, the content isn’t what I would call groundbreaking, but I can see why it was at the time.

Rubyfruit Jungle is a coming-of-age lesbian novel based somewhat on Rita Mae Brown’s own experience growing up and becoming an author. The main character, Molly, is an easygoing, independent thinker — even from a young age (we meet her around 12) — and, in many ways, her narration reminded me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. She doesn’t want to become a housewife and gets scolded for playing doctor because, after all, men are the doctors. She wants nothing more than to leave her small life and become a filmmaker.

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Queenie + Jamaican Bun

August 6, 2019 by Megan 1 Comment

I excitedly picked Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie as my Book of the Month in March, but since life gets in the way, I didn’t get a chance to read it until recently. I was so looking forward to it that I chose it as a part of a reading challenge I’m doing with Deanna (who you’ll remember from Gilmore week) now that she’s moved away. It fit perfectly in the “book with a one word title” category.

Queenie is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, where she works at a newspaper. After a recent breakup with her long-term white boyfriend, she’s struggling to cope in a healthy way. She can’t concentrate on her job, and her “getting back out there” has disastrous results.

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