Ruth Anne Benziger's Blog, page 38
February 2, 2020
Fillets of Salmon With Tomato and Chives
6 (4-ounce) salmon fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups water
Olive oil-flavored vegetable cooking spray
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup Chablis or other dry white wine
1 cup seeded, diced tomato
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Fresh chives (optional)
Directions
Sprinkle fillets with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring 4 cups of water just to a boil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Reduce heat, and add fillets; cover and simmer 4 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from skillet, using a slotted spatula, and place on a serving platter. Set aside; keep warm.
Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add shallots and garlic; saute 1 minute. Add wine, and cook until reduced by half. Stir in tomato, 2 tablespoons chives, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and white pepper.
Spoon sauce evenly over salmon fillets, and serve immediately. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings
Light & Delicious 1994 Recipe
February 1, 2020
Almond Berry Cakes
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons amaretto
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ground toasted almonds
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Directions
Combine blueberries, 3/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice; cook 5 minutes. Transfer berries to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Combine cornstarch and water; add to blueberry liquid, and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute; stir in blueberries and amaretto. Chill.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar, flour, and next 3 ingredients. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. Combine egg, half-and-half, and extract; reserve 1 tablespoon.
Add remaining half-and-half mixture to flour mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out onto floured surface; knead 6 times. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness.
Cut 8 shortcakes with a 4 1/4-inch heart-shaped cutter; place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with half-and-half mixture; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake at 425° for 14 minutes. Let cool.
Beat whipping cream until foamy; add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Slice each cake in half horizontally. Spoon blueberry sauce over bottom halves; spoon half of whipping cream over berries.
Place top half on each. Top with remaining whipped cream; sprinkle with almonds.
Yield: 8 servings
January 31, 2020
Irish Farmhouse Breakfast
2 rashers
2 sausages
2 eggs
2-4 black and white pudding slices
mushrooms
brown bread slices
half a tomato
1 slice potato cake
Directions
Start off with a freshly-cut half grapefruit with a dusting of caster sugar, followed by a bowl of smooth porridge of oatmeal gently cooked in milk and served with an individual jug of cream.
After comes the rashers, sausages, and eggs, the lot served with scones and brown bread warm from the oven, honey, homemade preserves, fresh butter and a pot of tea.
For each person gently fry two sausages over low heat until well cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Also fry a couple of slices of each black and white pudding. Remove from the pan and keep hot.
Drain off the fat, as it is somewhat indigestible, and fry two rashers of bacon, having first cut off the rind. Now fry a couple of eggs in the bacon fat, spooning hot fat over the yolks to set them.
Fry a few mushrooms, half a tomato and a slice or two of potato cake each. Add a knob of butter if there is not sufficient bacon fat, but do not cook in butter alone as it burns at a too low a temperature.
A Little Irish Cookbook by John Murphy 1986
January 30, 2020
Book Review: Nights with Him by Lauren Blakely
Jack Sullivan is a Sex Toy Mogul.
An extremely eligible bachelor in New York, he’s the full package, right down to his full package. Hell, this man could be the model for one of the toys his company, Joy Delivered, peddles. Instead, he’s the powerful and successful CEO and he’s got commitment issues a mile-long after the tragic way his relationship with his fiancée ended.
He’s looking for a way to erase the pain and that arrives in the form of Michelle Milo. From her pencil skirts to her high heels, she’s his perfect fantasy, especially since she has no idea who he is the night they meet at a hotel bar. He doesn’t have a clue either that she’s the brilliant psychologist his sister has arranged for him to see to help him get over his past. She’s simply the stunning woman he takes to bed that night and delivers many Os of joy too.
His touch helps her forget that other man.
When he shows up at her office door the next day, there’s no way in hell she’s going to treat him after they’ve slept together. Jack isn’t willing to let go of the first woman he’s felt anything for in years so he proposes a deal – share her nights with him for thirty days. At the end of one month of exquisite pleasure, they walk away, having helped each other move on from their haunted pasts.
But soon, all those nights threaten to turn into days as the lines between lust and matters of the heart start to blur. Can two people so terribly afraid of love truly fall head over heels?
Nights with Him is a standalone full-length novel in the bestselling Seductive Nights series following the love affair of a new couple.
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My Thoughts
4.5 Stars
Lauren Blakely is an author I’ve been aware of for some time. It’s sexy, sinfully fun, and downright hot under the collar.
The book starts with a short story of One Night With Him. In my opinion it wouldn’t been find to put them together, but it seems it was published before the full length Nights with Him was written.
The biggest plus: No cliffhanger! I hate having to read stories that are part of a series and it leaves you with a cliffhanger and disappointment. I get it’s a sales tactic, but annoying to readers. Blakely, thankfully, did not do this.
Michelle Milo is an intimate and sexual therapist. Jack Sulliven, dubbed the Soldier turned sex-toy mogel, is the CEO of Joy Delicious. Meeting at a bar in One Night With Him, the chemistry is heavy and thick. They spend one night together but they want more.
The story is full of sex, sex, sex. But it also provides the reader with the story of how Jack gets involved in politics with his sister’s help.
If you’re in for some sexy times, professional complications, and a sweet ending, this is the book for you.
Pasta With Mushrooms And Pine Nuts
1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup hot water
6 1/2 ounces linguine, uncooked and broken in half
1 cup canned no-salt-added chicken broth, undiluted
3 1/2 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried whole basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup drained roasted red peppers in water, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Fresh basil sprigs (optional)
Directions
Combine tomatoes and water in a small bowl; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain tomatoes, and slice thinly; set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
Place chicken broth in a large nonstick skillet; bring to a boil. Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic; cook, uncovered, over medium heat 5 minutes. Add tomato, basil, and ground pepper.
Cook, covered, 10 minutes. Add reserved pasta, pepper strips, pine nuts, and cheese; stir well. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve immediately. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 10 (1/2-cup) servings
January 28, 2020
Spinach and Bacon Salad
12 slices bacon
4 (1-ounce) slices Fresh bread, cut into cubes
6 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 small head radicchio, separated into leaves
1/2 cup sliced green onions
3 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
Cook bread cubes in drippings over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until crisp. Remove croutons from skillet, using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels, and set aside.
Arrange spinach, radicchio, and green onions evenly on 6 individual salad plates. Cut goat cheese into 12 slices; cut into decorative shapes, if desired. Top each salad with 2 slices of goat cheese.
Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously to blend. Pour vinegar mixture evenly over salads; top evenly with reserved bacon and croutons.
Yield: 6 servings
Light & Delicious 1994 Recipe
January 27, 2020
Apple Butternut Soup
Vegetable Cooking Spray
1 tablespoon reduced-calorie margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash
1 1/3 cups peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped cooking apple
1/4 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
Toasted squash seeds (optional)
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
Nonfat sour cream alternative (optional)
Directions
Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray; add margarine. Place over a medium heat until margarine melts. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Stir in chicken broth and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until squash is tender. Let cool.
Position knife blade in food processor bowl, add squash mixture. Process 1 minute or until smooth, scraping sides of processor bowl once.
Return mixture to pan; add milk. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Ladle soup into individual bowls. If desired, garnish with squash seeds, thyme sprigs, and sour cream.
Yield 4 (1 cup) servings
Light & Delicious 1994 Recipe
January 26, 2020
Very Berry Sorbet
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups sparkling white grape juice
Fresh raspberries (optional)
Fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Directions
Place 2 cups raspberries in a wire-mesh strainer; press with back of spoon against the sides of the strainer to squeeze out juice. Discard pulp and seeds remaining in a strainer.
Combine raspberry juice, strawberries, and sugar in container of an electric blender; cover and process until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Combine fruit puree and white grape juice; stir well.
Pour mixture into freezer container of a 2-quart hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt; let stand 1 hour before serving.
If desired, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.
Yield: 10 (1/2 cup) servings
Annual Recipes 1985 Recipe
January 25, 2020
Book Review: The Collector by Nora Roberts
From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a novel of a woman who needs nothing, a man who sees everything, and the web of deceit, greed, and danger that brings them together—and could tear them apart . . .
When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . .
Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession. . .
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Characters:
Lila Emerson
Lila is the daughter of in the military father. This plays a role in the way she regards people. The way she is distant and ever moving. As a house-sitter, she enjoys the moving and resettling routine she grew up in. She’s also a writer and enjoys the routine of that. As we shift through the story, we find that she’s handy, capable, and self sufficient. She likes to handle things on her own. You see the difficulties she has with Ash when he is used to doing the same. Lila is determined, smart, intuitive, and has a greater ability to accept what is than she knows.
Ashton Archer
Ash is an artist who enjoys painting women in fantastical displays. His agent keeps him employed and his bank account up. He’s also the brother of many, a son of Spence Archer, well respected by his name. Above that, he’s the head of the family without the title. His family goes to him to handle things. He’s used to ruling with an iron fist, handling what comes, and guards what’s his. In doing so, he’s used to bulldozing and manhandling with finesse. Often times, as stated in the book, people are where he wants them without realizing he put them there. This comes to play in how he tries to do the same with Lila, with expected push back.
Julie Bryant
An art gallery manager, Julie is Lila’s confident, shopping partner, and solid friend. When Lila is in between house-sitting gigs, Lila stays with her. As she’s featured in the book, she is the friend that Lila goes to when she sees Oliver Archer’s girlfriend Sage fall to her death. When things get hairy, Julie is there to keep Lila’s head on and her impulsiveness to a minimum. She’s also featured in a side romance with Luke. They’d lost each other once upon a time and found each other again.
Luke Talbot
Owning his own bakery in town, Luke is Ash’s friend. Conveniently he’s also the ex-husband of Lila’s best friend, Julie. See how it all intertwines together? Roberts is skilled at this in her relationships and characterizations. Luke sees Julie for the first time in so many years, the one that got away. Determined to help Ash with his adventures, he’s also after Julie’s heart again. He ends up being a solid shoulder and confident of Lila and Ash’s too.
My Thoughts:
Lila is a house-sitter and enjoys the constant moving, seeing into other people’s lives and enjoying it. It gives her a level of newness that thrills her and writing material when the mood strikes. One night, after dinner and drinks with a friend, she uses her binoculars to spy (observe) the neighbors. To her, they are windows into other worlds and she loves to make up stories of what she sees. It’s a fun little game to her until she watches a woman fall to her death.
Oliver Archer is the victim’s boyfriend and is later found dead in the same apartment made to look like a suicide. At the police station, she is approached by Ashton Archer, brother of Oliver, and begs that she tell him what she saw. Knowing that his brother would never hurt a woman or kill himself, he begs her to talk to him.
When they talk, they find quickly that Oliver was murdered and why. As they work together, romantic feelings are sparked unable to deny the physical attraction. Armed with knowledge that Oliver was murdered, they embark on a journey together in finding out who did it.
Along with the way, they discover Oliver was hiding jewels of historical and financial wealth. They work with family, trusted outsiders, and find gambling, theft, and murder are in their wake.
Roberts draws you through the streets of New York, paints a picture of a colorful Italy, keeps you in the lull of romance and action with intensity. You’re whisked on a journey to find that one man’s obsession can a cause trauma, death, and distraction in it’s wake. Working together is the key to bringing justice to Ash’s brother.
Romance
The romance is slow and budding, Ash is a painter and asks to paint Lila as a gypsy, its how he sees her. This plays a big part of the dance between the characters. I enjoy that they both are used to taking over and being in charge but come to a compromise and learn how to work together. They compliment each other in personality, finesse, and, smarts. Lila is slower to love than he is. He’s more abrasive and deal with it, kind of guy with a patience and sweetness that is overwhelming to Lila. It takes her longer but the surrender is sweet and the perfect ending to the story after the whirlwind of emotional trauma they endure. But they endure together.
Book Review: The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste
Something’s happening to the girls on Denton Street.
It’s the summer of 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoebe Shaw and her best friend Jacqueline have just graduated high school, only to confront an ugly, uncertain future. Across the city, abandoned factories populate the skyline; meanwhile at the shore, one strong spark, and the Cuyahoga River might catch fire. But none of that compares to what’s happening in their own west side neighborhood. The girls Phoebe and Jacqueline have grown up with are changing. It starts with footprints of dark water on the sidewalk. Then, one by one, the girls’ bodies wither away, their fingernails turning to broken glass, and their bones exposed like corroded metal beneath their flesh.
As rumors spread about the grotesque transformations, soon everyone from nosy tourists to clinic doctors and government men start arriving on Denton Street, eager to catch sight of “the Rust Maidens” in metamorphosis. But even with all the onlookers, nobody can explain what’s happening or why—except perhaps the Rust Maidens themselves. Whispering in secret, they know more than they’re telling, and Phoebe realizes her former friends are quietly preparing for something that will tear their neighborhood apart.
Alternating between past and present, Phoebe struggles to unravel the mystery of the Rust Maidens—and her own unwitting role in the transformations—before she loses everything she’s held dear: her home, her best friend, and even perhaps her own body.
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Characters:
Phoebe Shaw:
Phoebe Shaw is a typical teenage girl bored in a small town. She experiences disappointing love as they do. Her best friend Jacqueline is her entire positive stronghold in the town that is dying and a family who doesn’t care enough. While she is thrust in a position of helplessness and sadness, she doesn’t give up. In her loneliness, she still fights hard for those she cares about. She also stands up to those eventually who persecute her.
My Thoughts:
Phoebe Shaw returns to Dent street years after leaving it and the rust maidens behind. Back with a mission of closure, she seems to think that her memories have haunted her.
As a teen, she’s in a town that doesn’t want her, a family who tolerate her, a community that loathes her, and a best friend who accepts her. Jacqueline. When they plot to escape, Phoebe finds that she’s one of the rust maidens.
The author did a good job of explaining what a rust maiden was, how they morphed into what they become, her imagery was plain and clear. I enjoyed her book.
There were times in the book that it seemed to crawl, but that may be my own opinion. It took me longer than it usually does to get through this one. I did, however, enjoy it.
The closure at the end was nice and the ending of the novel perfect.
I do have one dislike, I wasn’t particularly into the Adrian and Phoebe thing. It may have been meant to be a teenage escape, but came off creepy. I did think trying to form that bond at the end was a way of making up for that. I just didn’t get a good feeling from it. I was irked by it, to be honest.
All in all solid book and story. A first read of Gwendolyn Kiste for me but I’m intrigued enough to check out further work.
