ROOTS: Where Food Comes From and Where It Takes Us

3 Comments / 2013, Books in Bed, cookbooks, Kindle, Non-Fiction, short stories /

The ROOTS Anthology is a BlogHer book — I am employed by BlogHer but I purchased the book myself. I was not asked to write about the book. The opinions expressed here are my own and I readily admit I’m probably a little biased.

OK a lot biased.

I know a good many of the people whose stories are featured in this anthology. I’ve spent time with them in person. I’ve read their blogs for years. I hang out with them on Chatter/Twitter and Facebook. It’s hard not to love this book because, well, these people are MY people.

It was fun to hear several of them read their stories at BlogHer Food — a little foodie community-like keynote. So fun. It was just as fun to read their stories again last week. I might even have felt tempted to make some of the recipes. (OK Fine. I might have been tempted to ask TW to make some of their recipes. Happy now?)

I loved this book. Yea, I’m biased.

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Back to Normal

9 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

Another BlogHer event in the record books and life returns to normal.

Bags are unpacked. Swag is (mostly) put away. Laundry is laundering. Spam is cleared (except, of course, the spam is never really cleared — there’s always more, darn it.) And, the real indicator of normalcy — I’ve been playing Words With Friends at my pre-conference level.

I haven’t played Candy Crush in almost a week — how long can I go before it sucks me back in? It took three weeks, after BlogHer Food. If I can hold out until Jenn and JMP arrive, I might just beat the Candy Crush addiction.

Pray for me.

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Woman

2013, Books in Bed, Don't Read This, Feminism, Women /

I’ve never seen Woman, by Richard Matheson, before. Didn’t know it existed. So, I was kind of excited by it when TW put it in the library bag. I liked I Am Legend and Hell House. (TW is a Somewhere in Time fan.)

But… I didn’t particularly like Woman.

I didn’t hate it but I definitely did not love it. It’s a mean book, I think that’s what bugged me. A cautionary tale for men that’s completely irrational because it’s about women. I don’t know. It bugged me.

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Puppy Bonding

3 Comments / Animal Issues, Family Funk, Pets /

Back in the day, I could go hours without seeing Skeeter because she was glued to TW’s hip (and my bed.) She really only left TW’s side to go to the bathroom (and only if TW took her) or to occasionally play with one of the kids or go harass Koto. Really, she just stayed in the bedroom with TW.

Totally different story now that Lola is here.

Lola is not attached to TW’s hip, or to my bed. She likes both well enough but she is more likely to follow me and she prefers to sleep in the office while I’m working.

And Skeeter is attached to Lola.

Which means Skeeter spends most of her day in the office with me. I mean with Lola.

TW can walk through and neither dog moves. If I get up and leave the room, Lola follows — which means Skeeter also follows.

What a difference a showgirl makes.

We’re probably going to have to get another dog to keep TW company back in the bedroom…

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Star Cursed

1 Comment / 2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I’ve been waiting for this sequel to Born Wicked since … forever. At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Star Cursed. I started feeling like it was going to be another second book in the series let down. Turns out, it wasn’t cursed that way at all.

Once Cate’s sisters made it to New London, the book really picked up. I think Tess helps a lot. Maura, on the otherhand, oh boy. Maura.

I liked the ending. Good stopping place. Very good stopping place. Now we need book three because I really want to know what happens next. Poor Finn. Poor Cate. Poor Tess. Poor everyone, pretty much. Except Maura. With a sister like that, who needs The Brotherhood? Sheesh.

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Between the Lines

3 Comments / 2013, Books in Bed, Don't Read This, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I hate to say it, because I normally enjoy Jodi Picoult’s books but… Between the Lines is one you can probably skip.

I liked the idea of Picoult writing a YA book with her teen daughter but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It took me three days to read the first three chapters. TW said it gets better… and it did. But not a lot better.

It’s not truly horrid but it’s just not great, either.

I really, really disliked the ending. Maybe it works for kids but for me, a mom, it did not work AT ALL. Not even a little bit.

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Too Hot, Too Cold, Too …

2 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

The AC in the back of the house went out. I tried not to complain very much because it was the weekend and I didn’t really HAVE to sit at my desk to work because… who works weekends? Hah. Really though, I felt worse for TW’s mom because her bedroom is back here and it was much harder for her to get away from the heat.

It wasn’t too bad on Saturday but Sunday was pretty hot and by 9am this morning I was ready to start complaining a little bit. At least to myself.

Then the landlord showed up and fixed it and… I was freezing again.

Yea, that’s me — never satisfied.

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I love the Ninja Cooking System

3 Comments / Daily Dose, Foodie /

The folks from @ninjakitchen sent TW a Ninja Cooking System, for free, after BlogHer Food ’13. They did not ask her to write about their product. They did not ask me to write about their product. I work for BlogHer but was not asked to write about this product by my employer. I’m writing this because I feel like it. That’s all.

Y’all know I’m not the one who cooks around here. I cook so rarely that the little kids act like we should stop the presses and get the story on the front page of the Tribune or something when I do cook. This causes me to roll my eyes and bite my tongue lest I tell them how idiotic they are being because I USED TO COOK FOR THEM ALL OF THE TIME. Apparently they do not remember all of the days/nights their mother was in bed, ill? Whatevs.

I don’t cook very often and I certainly don’t use the slow cooker when I do cook. OK Maybe a couple times over the last ten years. Once for greens (which I did not know how to make) and once for something else TW forgot to put in the crock-pot, so I had to do it. And, that’s probably pretty much it.

I thought the Ninja Cooking System looked cool and sounded pretty nifty when I talked to the @ninjakitchen folks at BlogHer Food ’13 but I was more taken with their deep fryer… because for me, it’s all about the clean up.

I’ve never had a real problem cleaning the crockpot – particularly since we have the kind with the removable crock part. I hated TW’s crockpot that was all one piece. But my old one — and the one we have now, I had very few clean up issues with them. Until I broke the crock a couple of weeks ago and had to order a new one. Sigh. That was annoying.

That’s the worst thing about that crock-pot. The insert is heavy as a …. yea, I curse too much, whatever. And I’ve chipped them and broken them too many times to count.

Now here’s the part about Ninja. Holy heck this sucker is easy to clean. It’s light. It pretty much just wipes right off. No scrubbing. It’s just wonderful. I’d be happy if TW cooked in this thing every night because clean up is so damn easy.

(The food she’s cooked in it has been good, too. Also um, fewer pots/pans to clean.)

Which brings me back to the Ninja Deep Fryer. I think we’re gonna have to buy that.

Now that I’ve experienced clean up with the Ninja Cooking System, there’s no way I’m going to want to try and deal with the clean up of our blechy deep fryer. No way in heck (look, I didn’t curse!) TW wouldn’t be unhappy if I got her a deep fryer for her birthday, right?

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