Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 197

Authentic Chicken Parmesan

OMG, my mouth is watering. This was an amazing chicken parmesan recipe and I've had a lot of chicken. The thing I really loved about this meal was the delicious sauce. I don't think I've ever had a red sauce that used wine before. It cooked down nicely, paring with the tomatoes well.

I'm notorious for multi tasking while I cook, so the recipe only took me about 45 minutes from start to finish. A nice weeknight meal that the whole family would love. 

The ingredients were easy to get. Everything was available at local store.
Ingredients 2-3 Chicken BreastsFresh mozzarella cheese ball1 cup all purpose flour1 cup bread crumbs3 Tbsp parmesan cheese3 eggs¼ cup vegetable oil1 box of thin spaghetti noodlesFresh Parsley
Marinara Sauce2 garlic cloves3 Tbsp olive oil1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes⅓ cup red wine1 Tbsp fresh oregano1 Tbsp fresh basilSalt and pepper
For the rest of the recipe, please check out the original here at JenReviews.com. 

The Girl With All the Gifts | Movie Review

Title: The Girl with all the Gifts
Genre: Dystopian

Release Date: January 26th, 2017Rating: 6.7/10 IMDBCast: Sennia Nanua, Gemma Arterton
Summary from IMDB: A scientist and a teacher living in a dystopian future embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie.
IMDB Trailer
Review: If this isn't fantastic or what? I loved the book and I'm always a little leary about watching the movie after I loved the book, but this one was worth the watch. 
I loved the dystopian zombie world. A bacteria has taken over the minds of those who are infected and they crave human flesh, but the children born with this disease arm mostly alive. They can learn and love, just like any normal child. The only difference is, they still crave flesh.
There are so many twists and turns in the story. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It wasn't really scary like a lot of zombie movies so if you are not a big fan of horror I think you would be safe with the semi freaky movie.
5 out of 5 stars
  

What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #256

Welcome back Monday! Wow, what a week. Has it been a week for you? We had a lot of change in our household. I'm not going to go into it right now, but we will see what good comes of it. Its something that has been weighing on my heart for a while. Changes that needed to take place for the well-being of my family. I'm hoping this will bring me back to my previous mental state, but we shall see. I'm just going to leave it at that.

I've been able to write again. The weight that has lifted off my shoulders has also opened up my creative mind to finally finish my manuscript. 1100 words in 30 minutes. It was amazing. for anyone who is a writer, I hope you know that feeling.

This weeks book is going to be Low Chicago by many authors but edited by George R.R. Martin. Its supposed to be amazing. I know its #25 in the series, but if Mr. Martin thinks its good enough to edit 25 books in this series, its probably an amazing trip. I'll let you know how it goes.

Lets get on with this weeks menu. Enjoy!


Monday- Figgy Pork Tenderloin
Tuesday- Steak with Truffle Butter
Wednesday- Sweet and Sour Chicken
Thursday- Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli 
Friday- Seared Chicken in Coconut-peach broth
Saturday- Veggie Fried Rice
Sunday- Leftovers Night

The Little Swans are not just for Women...

When I was dancing, I was blessed to be able to preform with a group of my close dance friends the
Little Swans from Swan Lake. It was fun, fast and in close quarters. It was one of the highlights of my dance carrier. I look back on it from time to time and dance the steps (the ones I can remember) through my living room.

Today, while I was searching the ever hilarious internet for something juicy to post about, I came across the Little Swans danced by Les Ballet Trockadero. This all male dance company, takes well known classic ballets and puts their own little twist on things. You are going to love this. Check it out!

A Peculiar Happily Ever After | Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson

Title: Kill the Farm BoyBy: Delilah S. DawsonGenre: Historical FantasyPages: 384Release Date: July 17th, 2018Publisher: Del Rey Books
Summary from Goodreads: In an irreverent new series in the tradition of Terry Pratchett novels and The Princess Bride, the New York Times bestselling authors of the Iron Druid Chronicles and Star Wars: Phasmareinvent fantasy, fairy tales, and floridly written feast scenes.
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he's bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there's the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy's untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there's a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar "happily ever after" that ever once-upon-a-timed.
Add on Goodreads

Review: OMG! At first I didn't know what to think of this book, but now I'm like what the heck. This is crazy. So funny. This is not your ordinary princess bride type fairy tale, this is something else. The story takes you on a ride with a farm boy who is told he is the chosen one. He goes on his quest and all hell breaks lose. I want to tell you about the Llamataur... enough said, and don't forget about the Sextapuse. I'm really not sure what that even is good for, but its weird. 
If you like hilarious wild rides, and a story that is beyond belief, then drink this potion. It will keep you roaring with laughter until the very end.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

June 2018 Book Wrap Up

Wow, June is over. I can't believe it. Half way through the year and I still don't feel like January is over. Not even the weather around Oregon has made any indication that it's summer. What the heck! I want it hot... but not that hot. I guess I don't know what I want.

I finished a lot of great books this month. Lots and lots of books. Do you expect anything less form me? Here are some of my favorites.


The Raging Ones - In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds.
Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.

Until the day she does.

Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.
The Fall of Shannara - Through forty years of New York Times bestselling Shannara novels, Terry Brooks always had an ending in mind: a series that would bring it all to a grand conclusion. Now that time is here. 

The Four Lands has been at peace for generations, but now a mysterious army of invaders is cutting a bloody swath across a remote region of the land. No one knows who they are, where they come from, or what they are after—and most seem content to ignore these disturbing events. The only people who sense a greater, growing threat and wish to uncover the truth are society’s outcasts: an exiled High Druid, a conflicted warrior, a teenage girl struggling to master a prodigious magic . . . and a scrappy young orphan, improbably named Shea Ohmsford.






Tsunami Riders - Cities have collapsed. Empires have fallen. All that remains is a curse of shadows and ash. 

Whether you wish to dance with witches at the end of the world, cross into nefarious fae realms, or pass through the gates of hell, EMPIRES OF SHADOW AND ASH has a story for you to brave. 

Unwilling heroes battle ancient gods, hexed mages carry their burden through broken realms, and dragons soar over lands destroyed by the sands of time. 

Forge your journey home as you traverse over one million words of 20 BRAND NEW stories by today;s hottest voices in dystopian urban fantasy where the line between fiction and reality fades and each tale haunts your thoughts long after you’ve turned the final page. 

Fans of Games of Thrones, Supernatural, and The Hunger Games won’t want to miss this incredible collection, where every step leads deeper into danger. 

Scroll up and one click today to find out why the end is just the beginning! 
Runners up

 

What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #255

Its Monday again. Always Monday. We go through the week and them come back to Monday. They day that I have to myself, or wished I had to myself. Really I share it with everyone. Never time to myself. Never a quiet moment away from people. It makes it hard, since I need my quiet time to rewind and reset for the week. I don't get that. All I get is angry. How am I supposed to feel better if I can't have my quiet time?

On the other side of things, I finally sat down to write. It was a nice day. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze and an open pick-nick table on my lunch break. Perfect weather for a mid day writing session. Got a lot done on my new manuscript. I'm hoping this one will land me an agent, but we shall see.

Guess what I' reading this week? Ok, you probably already know because of the picture. Exit West. It serves two purposes for me. Its on my shortest books I wanted to read list and also takes care of one of my bingo spots, a book about today's issues. Supposedly, it has that element to it, so we will see. I'm really excited to read this one. I've been told that its a great read. We shall see. If you have any insight on Exit West, I would love to know.

Now, on to this weeks Menu. Enjoy!

Monday- Cherry Drizzled Pork Chops 

Tuesday- Creamy Dill Chicken
Wednesday- Korean Beef

Thursday- Chicken Parmesan 
Friday- Pork and Thai Basil Stir Fry
Saturday- Instant Pot Chicken Shwarma
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Be Gone Baby Fat | Six week six pack

Even though I used to be a ballerina, my body had always been thick. I'm tall and have broad shoulders. Not the typical dancer body, at all. I've struggled with my weight and self esteem issues for most my adult life.

Recently, I finished the Jillian Michaels 60 day shred. I'm stronger, my arms are more muscular and my legs are a little thinner. The only thing I didn't get out of the program is anything to do with my abs. My abs are my biggest problem.

I picked up this DVD from the library, to see if I liked it. First day down, five weeks and four days to go.

So far, its not hard. I'm wondering what I'm really going to get out of this workout, but its only been one day and results don't come overnight. We shall see in six weeks when I share with you again my results.

Wish me luck!

The Killer to be Found | The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely BonesBy: Alice SeboldGenre: CrimePages: 352Release Date: August 7th, 2010Publisher: Brown and Company
Summary from Goodreads: The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder -- a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family's need for peace and closure.
The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

Sebold creates a heaven that's calm and comforting, a place whose residents can have whatever they enjoyed when they were alive -- and then some. But Susie isn't ready to release her hold on life just yet, and she intensely watches her family and friends as they struggle to cope with a reality in which she is no longer a part. To her great credit, Sebold has shaped one of the most loving and sympathetic fathers in contemporary literature.
Add on Goodreads
Review: Here it is. The review I promised you.
A strange telling of death and the afterlife, one that I wasn't too thrilled to finish. The first 50% of the book was an enthralling crime story. Who killed Susie Salmon? How will the family cope with the death of their child? Can the second Salmon sister escape from the killer? Its intense and exciting. 
The story was so short, the author added a "What happened after" to the story and it was dull and boring to me. Frankly, I put the book down around 80% because I had lost interest. To tell you the truth, the movie was much better, which I watched right away. 
Still, if you only take the story into consideration, and not the after show, I really enjoyed the book. Four stars for The Lovely Bones.

Book Bingo | Summer Reading 2018

Summer is in full swing and my boys are bouncing off the walls. Literally. Have you ever seen a kid with server ADHD run out of meds? Let e tell you, nothing is safe. My middle child actually bounces off the walls. You can hear him in the afternoon. Tap, tap, tap, tap, thud. Tap, tap, tap, tap, thud. For hours...

This Gorilla portrays a small amount of what I have been through today. Ugh....


The other two are strange children as well. The older one likes to stand still, then out of the blue, tumble across the living room floor. The younger one just hates everything... But what four year old doesn't.



Well, now that that's out of my system, lets get to the summer reading challenge I have for you.
It's book bingo. Can you get five in a row? Or will you black it out and finish the whole board. That's my goal.

BINGO! Who's playing with me?...