2012 Book Reviews :: Part 1

Reading has always been my favorite hobby for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I was the child who got in trouble for reading under her desk while the teacher was instructing. Going to the library always was a huge treat for me. It still is! Griffin and I usually go once per week and typically, I have about 10-15 books checked out at once. That can make for some pretty hefty late fees if I forget to take them back, but I would NEVER do that. EVER. 

I didn't get a lot of reading done last year. Blame it on the fact that I was learning how to be a mom, but anytime I had free time, I usually vegged out in front of the television. I didn't like that. I watched a lot of junk and kind of felt gross all the time. So, when 2012 rolled around, I made it a general goal that I wanted to read more this year. I didn't set a book amount because I knew that it would stress me out, so I just made a goal to read. And I have! As of today, I've read 30 books this year and I am hoping to clock about 10-15 more. 

I'm not sure I'll get to reviewing all the books I've read, but I sure will try. Remember I'm not the best at keeping blog promises? I do know that a lot of books I read nowadays are books that have come recommended by people I know and by people who enjoy similar types of books. Maybe you'll even find some new books to read here. I won't ramble on, but I'll let you know what I thought. I'll also only review four at a time so as not to overwhelm you or myself. I've been keeping track of my books on my Goodreads app on my iPhone and iPad. It's such an easy way to organize what I've read. If you're on Goodreads, please friend me! I'd love to see what you've been reading.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling
5 out of 5 stars
I love "The Office" and I absolutely LOVED this book. I laughed out loud so many times and wrote down hilarious quotes over and over. This is a light hearted story of Mindy's childhood and how she came to be where she is today. Even if you don't watch her as Kelly on "The Office", you should read this. I thought it was a lot funnier than Tina Fey's book.

Keeper of the Light by Diane Chamberlain
2 out of 5 stars
I really enjoy Diane Chamberlain as an author. She writes interesting fiction with good character development that is easy to get through in a few days. I discovered her when Erin and Rachel started their book club. I have a hard time putting down a lot of her books. This was not one of them, unfortunately. I think it might be because this was part of a series and I read them out of order. I hate when I do that! This wasn't my favorite, but it certainly wasn't enough to keep me coming back for more Diane!

Summer's Child by Diane Chamberlain
3 out of 5 stars
See? I told you I loved Diane. This story sucked me in and kept me there. I read quickly to find out what happened because there were some big unanswered story lines in this book. It was a good story that tugged on my mama heart during certain parts. This would be a great, quick beach read.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
5 out of 5 stars
I am a big Nicholas Sparks fan, but I haven't loved a lot of his recent stuff, other than Safe Haven (LOVED this book, LOVED). However, I let this book slip by me for some reason. When I saw that the movie was coming out with my boy, Zac Efron, I knew I would have to see it stat. But I'm funny about seeing a movie that's based on a book-- I have got to read the book first. I picked this up and devoured it. I could not put it down. I thought the book was way better than the movie, but that is normal for me. Zac made it pretty close, though. I cried through this book and thought the ending was so well written.

I'll be back in the next few weeks to review some more of my 2012 reads!

Me Want Cookie

As many of you know, before I became a momma, I was an elementary school teacher. I was really fortunate to teach at an amazing school where I made many friends. This was key for me; I started teaching the day after we moved to Cincinnati. I had roughly three friends when we moved to Ohio, so these women really became a family and a support system for me. I really love them and miss them.

They started back to school a few weeks ago, so Griffin and I decided to make them some cookies as a little treat. After the first batch went into the oven, Griffin became very upset. I couldn't figure out why, but as soon as I did, I started recording him on my phone. Bless his cookie loving heart.

I'll be honest-- before this day, Griffin had probably had two cookies ever. I didn't even know he knew the word for cookie (or COO-GAH). He was pretty smitten with them, though, and he might have gotten two once they came out of the oven and cooled off a bit.

We took two different cookies up to school-- Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies and Lemon Sugar Cookies. Both are so tasty and so different, which was what I was going for. I know that not everyone loves chocolate, so I wanted to provide them with an alternative. The chocolate cookies were so soft and decadent. I can't wait to make them again! The lemon sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes! My friend Traci brought them to a Christmas cookie exchange three years ago and they've been one of our favorites ever since. They are so unique, but SO delicious. I hope the teachers enjoyed them! I know I always loved a little pick-me-up in the work room during the day when I'd pop down to my mailbox.

I thought y'all might like the cookie recipes! Apparently I've turned this into a food blog this week. Never fear, I will be back soon with some posts that won't tempt you to add inches to your waist.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

via Paula Deen

Makes 2 dozen

• 1 (8 oz) brick cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, room temperature 
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 box moist chocolate cake mix
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up the dough so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls (I used my cookie scoop) and then roll them in confectioner's sugar.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes. 

The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar. Enjoy!

Lemon Sugar Cookies

via my friend Traci's aunt 

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

• 3/4 c. white sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies
• 3/4 c. softened butter
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 Tbsp lemon extract
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Add egg and combine thoroughly. Add lemon extract and mix.

Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, and mix until well combined.

Roll into tablespoon sized balls and dip in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and press down with a fork in a criss-cross pattern, as you would for a peanut butter cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes. DO NOT let them start to brown. Remove from cookie sheet immediately to cool. Enjoy!

Salmon Salad

Well, I promised y'all that I would blog the recipe for the salmon salad this week and HERE I AM DELIVERING ON THAT PROMISE. I think this is the first blog promise I've ever kept. Sigh. I want to be a good blogger, I really do. Maybe this is the start of something new!

Anyway, this salad. Oh, people. This is such a good, good salad. I have to tell you-- I am a meat and potatoes girl. We had ribeye steak for supper on Monday night and it doesn't get much better than that. Rarely do I think to myself, "Ooooh! We're eating salad for supper-- CAN'T WAIT!" But this is one of those supper salads that I can't get enough of. I'm actually forcing myself to take a few weeks of a break from making this so that we don't get sick of it. 

I have to give credit where credit is due though. I said this in my blog post from Tuesday, but a few years back, my girlfriends and I put together a cookbook and we each got a copy from Tastebook (great website, the books are so quality). My friend, Katie (who just moved back from the Cayman Islands-- woo hoo!), included this recipe from her sister. I have had this recipe in my book for almost two years and I just got around to making it. SHAME ON ME. It's so good. I should have listened to my girlfriends about this one a long time ago. You were all right, ladies. Shame. 

So, here's the recipe. Do yourself a favor. Don't wait two years to make this. You'll regret it. 

Salmon Salad

Serves 4

• 2 lb. grilled or broiled salmon (I squeeze lemon juice over mine, brush it with olive oil, and cook it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes)
• 1 pear, cored and coarsely chopped (leave the peel on)
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 1/2 c. honey-roasted almond slivers (I found these by the nuts. You might also find them by the croutons.)
• 2 oz. blue cheese
• 1/3 c. dried cranberries
• 2 c. spring greens (I eyeball this per person)

For the dressing:

• 2/3 c. canola oil (I use vegetable since that's what I have)
• 1/2 c. cherry preserves
• 4 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 4 tsp yellow mustard

In a blender, combine oil, cherry preserves, vinegar, and mustard. Blend until combined. Since I don't have a blender, I use my food processor and it works like a charm.

Flake your cooked salmon into large chunks.

Divide your spring greens among four plates. Top with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

This is a great salad for the spring, summer, or fall. You can change it up as you like, but the combination of the salmon, greens, toppings, and homemade dressing is scrumptious. I hope you love it like we do! 

Menu Monday. Or Tuesday.

I'm linking up this week with my friend Rachel's Menu Monday! Every week, I want to do this, and every week, I don't get around to it. With Labor Day being today, Tyler is home and Griffin is worn out from a morning at the zoo, so I have a bit more free time. We've had some delicious meals lately and I want to share them with you. These are a few meals that we've had over the last few weeks. Maybe one of these days I'll get my act together and actually post the past week's meals!

Salmon Salad

A few years ago, my girlfriends in my small group put together a cookbook. It's one of my very favorites. This recipe for salmon salad is in there, compliments of Katie, and I've just never made it. The other girls have talked about how amazing it is and I just have overlooked it time and time again. Well... I finally made it and we had it twice within about 10 days. It is SO good and good for you. You don't need any sides because of all the goodness that is packed in. I promise I will post the recipe soon. Now I'm sad that it isn't on the menu for this week!

20-40 Garlic Clove Chicken and Parmesan Quinoa

Crockpot 365 is one of my favorite cooking blogs, especially since I'm a busy mom now. This was an easy meal to throw together and it was pretty yummy. Griffin loved this chicken-- he ate two whole legs! I forgot to put the onions in the bottom, but we didn't miss them. I also bought a jar of the peeled garlic cloves in the produce section and used probably 28ish cloves. It wasn't overly garlic-y. The quinoa was good too! I used Trader Joe's quinoa and before throwing the quinoa into the pot, I sauteed some chopped onion and minced garlic with some olive oil. When the quinoa was done, I added a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese. It was good! The next day, I shredded the chicken and added it to the leftover quinoa for lunch. Delicious!

Grilled Dijon Chicken Thighs and Corn Saute

Speaking of my favorite cooking blogs, you must head over STAT to The Dough Will Rise Again. This is probably my current favorite food blog and I visit their site every week when I'm menu planning, no joke. Crist and Tina are excellent cooks and bakers, and they're funny to boot. You've GOT to add this one to your reader. Anyway, this Dijon chicken marinade is to die for and it's my new go-to. We love dark meat, so we popped a few thighs on the grill. That corn saute is so, so yummy! I just sauteed a chopped zucchini and 1/2 of a chopped onion in olive oil until softened. Then, I threw in two ears of corn (cut off the cob) with some salt and pepper. Once I pulled it off the heat, I threw in some quartered cherry tomatoes. Tyler LOVED this and we've had it a lot over the past few weeks. The mac and cheese was Griffin's supper leftovers-- Annie's Four Cheese Elbows. That is some good stuff right there.

Angie's Ribs and Molly's Twice Baked Potatoes (and Corn Saute, again!)

We LOVED these ribs-- another crockpot meal! Angie was talking about them on Twitter one day and I knew we had to have them. They were easy and fell off the bone. Here's her recipe that I used. Take 3 lbs of baby back ribs and cut them to fit in your crockpot. Rub the ribs with salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard. Mix 10 oz. of cherry jelly (I pureed cherry preserves since I had them in my fridge) with 1 cup of BBQ sauce. Top ribs with the mixture and cook on low for 5-6 hours (my crockpot cooks HOT so it only took me 4.5 hours).

We had Molly's twice baked potatoes on the side, which are so delicious and easy! I can't find the link to the recipe all of a sudden, but once I do, I will link back to it. And of course, we had the corn saute again. So yummy.

So, there you have it! I promise to post that salmon salad recipe this week. That is one you will DEFINITELY want to make soon. Thanks for the fun link up, Rach! I hope I'll be back sharing meals with you all next week. Let's see if I actually get my act together. 

Happy Labor Day!

We didn't do much this weekend. We were all fighting allergies and colds and it was best to just lay low. But today, we got out in between the rainstorms and played at the zoo for a few hours. We took our water bottles to stay hydrated and enjoyed the fact that Tyler was home from work for the day. We saw some fun animals, ate some popcorn, and then headed home. It was a great, low key day with my boys. It doesn't get much better than this.

I love that last one. They are the best of friends. Hope y'all had a great Labor Day!