Broccoli Cheese Bites
Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis
Rating: 4 stars
PG-13 for some language (mild) and violence (a little over the top at times)
The first few chapters threw me off. Too much new world without much explanation. The storytelling felt jerky and rough. Once I got past those chapters and got into the story and the world, I enjoyed it.
It's a re-telling of Snow White, in space, with mining robots instead of dwarves. I liked the author's take on the characters. The mining robots were my favorites. It was a solid space opera story with good characters and an interesting storyline.
The romance was kept light and mostly in the background.
The only part of the story I really really disliked was the abuse that was hinted at from her father, then made more explicit towards the end of the book. That was too heavy. In my opinion, it wasn't needed. There was enough serious story with several characters dying and the theme of dealing with grief both past and present.
This is definitely not a Disney version of the fairy tale and not a younger kid's version. I did enjoy it overall, despite the flaws.
My daughter says these are the best she's ever eaten and that I had to post the recipe. So here it is. The biggest secret is to let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
GF Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 c. almond flour
1 1/3 c. GF flour blend (1-to-1 mix, I like the ones that are mostly rice flour)
2 c. milk chocolate chips
Cream butter, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla until well blended, at least 2-3 minutes. Add eggs; beat for several minutes until very light and fluffy.
Stir in flours and chocolate chips.
Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 6 hours, better if overnight or even 24 hours.
Remove from the fridge and let stand for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Scoop out tablespoons of dough, place on greased baking sheet. They will spread a bit so don't crowd them.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on the sheets for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Handle gently because they do tend to crumble.
So, I published a short story several years ago introducing Tess, your average small-town cop, and Shondeen, your average 7-foot-tall black elf border patrol agent. The town of Goose Creek is invaded by two red-caps on a murderous rampage and it's up to the police duo to catch them and return them back across the border to Fairyland. It's dark and weird and very silly.
I published a second story in Hadrosaur Productions' anthology Exchange Students, this time featuring Señor Howitzer, an immortal talking chihuahua from Fairyland tasked with stopping an invasion by unicorn crime lords.
Now it's time for another installment in the Tess-Shondeen story. Trolls are bringing drugs to Goose Creek, or so it's rumored. And not just any drugs, these are the ones banned even in Fairyland. Who knows what mayhem will ensue if they are imbibed by unsuspecting humans and their pets? Cosmic catnip causes serious side effects in cats - wings, horns, magical powers manifesting, and even cats opening their third eyes prematurely!
Can Tess and Shondeen find the trolls before it's too late? You'll have to read and find out!
Installments 1-3 are free on Kindle Vella, the rest are dropping one a week until the madness is resolved and balance is restored to the border.
I have a thing for tiny things, especially kitchen tools and appliances. Santa left a Nostalgia MyMini Bundt Cake Maker under our tree. It is definitely tiny. It makes three tiny bundt cakes at a time. Really tiny. Miniscule. Each cake takes about a teaspoon of batter. That's all. The baked cakes are just a little bigger than a quarter. Which makes them adorably cute. You could fill them with a tiny squirt of whipped cream. Or a tiny bit of frosting or pudding or even two or three M&Ms. Or just eat them.
They don't take as long to bake as I thought. Because they are tiny, they cook in only a minute or two. I could see myself with four of these little appliances lined up. As one finishes, I pull out the cakes and fill it up again, and the next one should be through cooking by then. Assembly line to efficiently make a whole pile of these tiny cakes. Next tea party, I'll be prepared.
This recipe worked really well in the cooker as well as in my mini doughnut maker. It's a half batch of a regular bundt cake recipe so if you want to make it as a big cake, double it, put in a well-greased and floured bundt pan, and bake at 325°F for about 55-70 minutes.
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| Yes, that's a quarter by the tea cup and this is my tea set for when grandkids want a tea party. |
Cream Cheese Chocolate Teeny-Tiny Bundt Cakes
Makes a whole big pile, no I didn't count them partly because I was eating them almost as fast as I was cooking them, at least for the first few batches.
1/4 c. butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 a box)
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. flour (I like 1/2 whole wheat for the chocolate cakes)
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until blended. Add in vanilla, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa. Beat well, until it's really creamy. Add egg and milk. Beat until it's really fluffy and lighter in color. Stir in flour. Beat for 1 minute on high.
Cook in mini bundt maker - use about 1 t. per spot, cook until the light turns green, about 1-2 minutes. Remove carefully with a fork, they will be very fragile until they cool a bit.
Eat as is or try glazing and decorating them. Or fill with jam or pudding.
Santa was very good to me this year. And my kids. It was kind of weird to only have adults in the house this year for Christmas, but it was also fun in its own way. Either way, for the first time in 35 years of marriage, I got the motherload of presents. Usually it's one of my kids or my husband, but not this year.
I got socks, thread, Astronomy Fluxx, a Munchkin Booty expansion deck, and a Nintendo Switch of my very own. Now I don't have to use my son's Switch all the time. I can use my own. This makes me very happy. This isn't a family Switch, although I'm happy to share. It's all mine.
That sounds just a little selfish so let me give you some context. I've been going through some pretty heavy therapy for the last few years. I realized one of the reasons I get extremely territorial over things like my closet space or my dresser or my pillow is because I never really had anything that was just mine. Except my underwear and even then...
I've always shared my room. I had eight siblings so my own bedroom wasn't going to happen, not in a five bedroom two bath house. I lived on my own for only a few months before I got married, and yes, I shared a bedroom with a roommate for those months. Then I shared with my husband and we added eight children over the years. One thing they never tell you is that when you have kids, you share everything with them, whether you want to or not.
My husband told me that I had most of the house as mine, but public rooms like the kitchen and living room don't count. Those belong to the whole family. He's had workshops and office space and currently has a shed that is just his. Me? I had no space except a tiny corner of our bedroom that was just mine.
When I got my own sewing room last August, I was beyond thrilled. For the first time ever I had a space that was just mine. I could choose to share it, and I do when my kids want to do some sewing, but it is primarily MINE. I can go in there and close the door with the Do Not Disturb sign on it and no one disturbs me, except by standing in the hallway outside the door whispering, "Do you think she really means it or can we go in anyway?" They'll learn.
Anyway, back to the Switch. MY Switch.
Ownership is a powerful thing. Everyone needs at least one space that is theirs and theirs alone. Everyone needs things that are only theirs, that they can share if they want but if they choose not to, that's fine, too, because they have ownership of that thing. It's a boundary thing, and respecting other people's boundaries plays in to it, too. Something I'm learning. Finally.
I started a blog to review Switch games, so if that ever takes off, I can maybe write the Switch off as a taxable expense item. Right?
So go check out my game reviews at Grammer's Games. There are some fun ones on there, and I have a whole list of new ones to review.
And Merry Christmas! I hope you had a lovely day filled with surprises, laughter, fun, and loved ones. I know I did.
