Everyday Life and Menu Plan 8.15.16

Oh, heyyyy! It's been awhile since I shared ye olde menu planning! Seeing as how I was out of town for a few days two weeks ago, I didn't have much to share in the way of meals - well, other than all the oversharing I've already done via Instagram from our trip, beginning with the most amazing Old Fashioned I've ever tasted...

(Yes, I will probably do a photo dump post soon...) Then I was just too tired to do much planning the following week. Now that I'm back in the saddle, back to near daily trips to the Y...

and daily washing of pool/beach towels...

I finally cracked open the Chrissy Tiegen cookbook (that was in last month's library haul) and will try one of her recipes, as well as a few other new ones this week.

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Brown Rice (trying this recipe from Chrissy Tiegen's Cravings cookbook, but found the link here on Huffington Post)
• Wednesday - Pesto Baked Rigatoni (trying this recipe from Pinch of Yum)
• Thursday - Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus (straightforward recipe from Plain Chicken)
• Friday - Enchilada Quinoa Bake (tasty recipe from Pink Parsley)
• Saturday - Appetizer Night, including Salami Stacks (my hubs picked up some salami from Salumi, so we decided to build an easy meal around it!)
• Sunday - Summer Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad with Creamy Dijon Buttermilk Dressing (this recipe from Skinnytaste looks right up our alley)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie and Mommy Run Fast- be sure to check out all the great weekly menus!

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (a NetGalley Review)

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (August 9, 2016)
Description from the publisher:
A beautiful and provocative love story between two unlikely people and the hard-won relationship that elevates them above the Midwestern meth lab backdrop of their lives.

As the daughter of a drug dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. It's safer to keep her mouth shut and stay out of sight. Struggling to raise her little brother, Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house, until one night her star gazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold.

By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery. When tragedy rips Wavy's family apart, a well-meaning aunt steps in, and what is beautiful to Wavy looks ugly under the scrutiny of the outside world. A powerful novel you won’t soon forget, Bryn Greenwood's All the Ugly and Wonderful Things challenges all we know and believe about love.a

Hooooo boy. I hemmed and hawed for a LONG TIME thinking about how to talk about this novel. It is extremely inflammatory material (pedophilia). Perhaps on purpose to garner attention. But the writing, character development and story REALLY drew me in - and, yes, also shocked the hell out of me. Wavy is a character that I won't soon forget. Her terrible and highly dramatic 'what-will-happen-next' life, and how it shaped her, felt so very real. It grabbed me from the beginning and never let go. 

Essentially, it's about an 8 year old girl and a young man that form an amazing bond under unimaginable circumstances. How that bond evolves over time is simultaneously heartwarming and harrowing. Greenwood expertly gives a full 360 degree view of their lives from their viewpoint, as well as the viewpoint of every unique supporting character. It was so very easy to find the empathy for each, as well as a better understanding of Wavy - from her innocent cousins, her teachers, her college roommate (one of my favorite characters) to her very protective aunt. We are given the events through everyone's eyes and are permitted to make our own judgments. 

However unsettling Wavy and Kellen's relationship became, I still found myself rooting for them. A majorly effed up, yet riveting, beauty and the beast narrative. I can completely understand those that give this book a big fat NOPE. I mean, I have a very young daughter of my own. I get it. But, I think it is a worthwhile read either way. If only to reinforce the point that nothing in this world is black and white, and that we cannot begin to understand someone else's life unless we have lived it.

I also found this Goodreads interview with Bryn Greenwood to be very interesting and informative.

Books I Read in July

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante 
This had been on my to-be-read list for awhile now. I have been intensely curious about the Neopolitan novels, given their popularity and the mystery that surrounds the anonymous author. It took me awhile to finally give it a go because nothing in the description really grabbed me - a sweeping story of two women's friendship. But what happens?? The book sort of lives up to my expectations, wherein everything AND nothing happens. It is an excruciatingly detailed story of a girl named Elena's childhood and her friendship/rivalry with Lena. It hits all the right emotions of youth and that weird best friend obsession girls can have. There are plenty of dramatic moments, but no real compelling drama throughout. I am a plot driven kind of reader. Although it was sweeping, immersive, and brought to life a time and place wonderfully, it just didn't engage me. 

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
I'm glad I chose this book as my first by this author, one of her more popular titles, for a summer read. It has a great hook, with Hannah (our heroine) returning to her hometown after breaking off an affair with a married man and reuniting with her first love. Shortly after the characters are established, we see how things play out in two different realities: if she went home with the high school sweetheart that first night she lands home, or tries to take things slow and goes back home with her girlfriend. The alternate reality is not a new gimmick, usually a sci-fi trope, and many have compared this novel to the film Sliding Doors. But Reid creates excellent tension, even if it's somewhat predictable. I also loved the well fleshed out supporting cast of characters. This was a fun and still thought provoking read. I am definitely going to make my way through her other titles. 

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
I feel like I've been out of the YA game for a few months, so I thought I should catch up on this year's Printz winner and it did not disappoint. It's one of those stories that's hard to describe, and you just have to experience for yourself. There is a small town (Bone Gap), a beautiful stranger who becomes part of the lives of the abandoned Quinn boys and inexplicably disappears. Is it foul play? Did she go back to whence she came? Is evil magic involved...? It's ephemeral, emotional and one of the most interesting takes on an unreliable narrator I've ever read. 

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
This was one of my most anticipated books of the summer, and I think my expectations were too high. It was certainly fast paced, with a GREAT story - very cinematic and easy to see how this is Hawley's forte (the creator of Fargo, the TV series). A poor artist gets to hitch a ride on a private jet with a bunch of bigwigs (who all have reasons to be murdered) and saves the only other survivor (a little boy) after it crashes at sea. However, in parts it read like a script and felt disjointed. There were a few scenes of dialogue that had me utterly confused and on the flip side, a number of overly trivial ramblings where I felt as if I was being hit over the head with too much information. One entire page was dedicated to the description of a character's time being on the high school football team, with nary a break for even a new paragraph. Just one big long word wall about how Texas football was their world. There were similar missives on art and it felt like a lot of rambling to make up for the cinematic dialogue. But these philosophical tangents seemed to weigh the already good story down. Just the way it unfolded, how it holds a mirror up to current events and how we perceive them still made it worthwhile reading. "...in the war between common sense and marketing genius, marketing is going to win out." Plus, given that the ousting of Roger Ailes at Fox 'news' most definitely happened after Hawley wrote this is rather eerie... 

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Speaking of timely reads... Yes, we all should be feminists and we should all read this, too. Or watch the TED Talk. I have yet to watch it, but I've watched her amazing TED Talk on the danger of a single story. It is also so very worthwhile. Sadly, those who seek her out and hear her brilliance are not necessarily those that SHOULD. Sigh.

Also, for anyone who does Book of the Month and has yet to decide on the August book: I am almost done with my NetGalley ARC of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things and would highly recommend it - with some caveats. It has lots of Language. and Strong. Sexual. Content. It may be downright icky for many people, but if you can deal (I can totally deal), this has been RIVETING material. I'll get the full review up soon!

Black Raspberry and Elderflower Pimm's Cup (plus Everyday Life and Menu Plan 7.25.16)

Last week was a pretty crazy week, especially in the evenings. Almost every night was a mad dash to eat dinner and then get out to a meeting or something for the kids. It was the perfect week to try out a Pimm's Cup, since I had heard that it gets better with age in the fridge and I could make a big batch ahead of time. I did not do a traditional recipe with cucumbers or lemon/lime soda because I didn't want it to go flat in the fridge and I lamented the fact that I had regular Pimm's at home when I saw a blackberry-elderflower version at the store last week. No matter! I can make my own, so I did - and you should, too! 

Black Raspberry and Elderflower Pimm's Cup

• 2 oranges, sliced
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 1 cup sliced strawberries 
• 2 cups Pimm's
• 1/4 cup Chambord or other raspberry liqueur
• 1/4 cup St. Germain or other elderflower liqueur
• 4 cups lemonade (I just used bottled Simply Lemonade)

It does get EVEN BETTER after macerating for awhile. So try not to drink it all in one sitting, however tempting.

Thankfully the weekend was nice and relaxing, where our only commitment was to have a kid free dinner out at our favorite Mexican joint.

Mmmmm, fish tacos and margaritas on a warm summer night!

And we broke up the monotony of our near daily trips to the Y and pool with a rainy day trip to the local trampoline place that is outfitted with laser tag, followed by sleepovers.

I got the good end of the deal, taking the two very well behaved nine year old boys at my house and my friend got my six year old girl as well as TWO MORE, including her own. Four six year old girls for a sleepover! she should be sainted... Now we're gearing up for our first real hot and sunny week of summer, finally!

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Green Curry Turkey Meatballs (a favorite recipe found pinned at Minnesota Monthly)
• Wednesday - Hot Dogs on the Grill
• Thursday - Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Grilled Asparagus (yummy recipe from Damn Delicous)
• Friday - Chicken Fajitas with Frontera Sauce and Fixins
• Saturday - Seven Flavor Beef with Brown Rice (Saturday night staple recipe from a local restaurant: Wild Ginger)
• Sunday - Crock Pot Jalapeno Popper Chili (from Everyday Reading)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie and Mommy Run Fast- be sure to check out all the great weekly menus!

I Bought A Book! (and The Stack - July Library Haul)

Okay, before I get into the library stack, I must confess that I paid actual CASH MONEY for a book. Now it may seem rather odd, given how much I love to read and talk about books (obviously), I do not regularly buy books. If I do, it's usually AFTER I've read the library book and it becomes an all time favorite. (Here are my favorites from each year since 2012.) But, it is true, I am a die hard library 'power user' as described by the cheeky individual behind the social media accounts of my beloved King County Library System. 

Shortly after having our first kid and it was clear that going back to work was not a gain for me (financially or otherwise) we downsized our expenses. Cutting out at MINIMUM $50 to $75 a month was an easy decision. We've come to a place where I could certainly afford to buy some books, but I am a creature of habit. Unless it's something that I want on my shelves FOR LYFE (the aforementioned yearly favorite or two, an illustrated Harry Potter or other beloved books for my kids), I usually don't buy. The last time I bought a digital book was when Allegiant came out and immediately went on sale for something like $6.99. I was getting ready for a rare bout of travel and immediately bought it for my Kindle. 

The honor of my recent Kindle purchase goes to Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. 

I have been anticipating the release of this book, and put in what I thought was a pretty early hold on both the book and e-book. Alas, the holds were moving SO SLOW. And then, Amazon did it again. They put a sought after new release on sale - this time $3.99! And this time, yes, I thought it was worth the price of a cup of coffee. If you didn't catch this viral blog post on authors comparing the cost of a cup of coffee to the cost of books from Insatiable Booksluts (Ha!), I think I found it shared by Neil Gaiman on Twitter, it's worth a read.

Now, I CERTAINLY don't begrudge those who buy lots of books! I sometimes think about getting back to doing that and filling our shelves up with ALL THE BOOKS. And I've had my finger on the trigger of the Book of the Month club so many times. I love mail! I love books! I just can't bring myself to take the plunge - YET.

So! As for the books I got with my well spent tax dollaz this month... I had a vague familiarity with the title of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, but never picked it up until hearing Anne Bogel and her guest rave about it on the What Should I Read Next podcast. It sounded right up my alley, given that Jane Eyre and The Thirteenth Tale were mentioned in the same conversation. I still have 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl from last month and hope to read it soon. But I have time since it was a choice read that I can renew. I read My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante this month and was reasonably drawn in, so I picked up the second book The Story of a New Name when I saw it on the choice reads shelf. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan sounded like a good summer read. My hold for the last installment of the amazing Red Rising trilogy, Morning Star, by Pierce Brown finally came in! Eight Hundred Grapes was another discovery through Anne Bogel and her summer reading guide. And lastly, I got a cookbook for the first time in AGES. I find Chrissy Tiegen quite funny and I saw a recipe from Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat in a magazine I was reading while at the gym and it sounded GOOD. I shall report back with the ones I try, of course!

New digital books in the library queue/ARCs:
I JUST GOT THE ARC FOR THE NEW ANN PATCHETT, COMMONWEALTH, AND YES IT DESERVES ALL CAPS!
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood (a NetGalley ARC)
Shelter by Jung Yun
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Still in the queue:
Small Great Thingsby Jodi Picoult (a NetGally ARC)
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter 
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

As always, I'm interested in any thoughts/if you've read the books on this list or others I should know about!

Everyday Life and Menu Plan 7.18.16

Since yesterday was just such another horrible and sad news day, I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and write about my little menu plan - ya know? But, it's one of my favorite things to do and makes me happy. You know what else makes me happy? An excellent summer cocktail makes everything better. We perfected our Mai Tai recipe for the summer and I highly recommend it!

Just use equal parts of the ingredients shown above: one shot each of triple sec, orgeat, dark rum, Jamaican rum, and lime juice. Throw it all in a shaker and pour into your ice filled glass. YUM.

This has been a great month for reading and my kids are getting more and more autonomous at the pool and beach, which gives me even more time with a book (or time to chat with mom friends, which I was also lucky to do last week).

Since we've been beach-going, I think we've hit the beach by May some years and always by June. This summer has been odd, to say the least. With all the cloudy weather, we've been taking EVEN MORE trips to the library than usual.

Last week we checked out the remodel of a nearby library, and after perusing the choice reads section, I happened upon this lovely moment of peace and sharing.

Today we went to our usual library and picked up summer reading prizes for the kids. Since they have completed the whole summer challenge already, they received the halfway prize of a collapsible water bottle and the final prize of a medal and a free ticket to a Seattle Storm game, along with official certificates signed by the librarians.

It was really fun, they even placed the medals over the kids heads and gave congratulatory handshakes after talking about the books they read.

Of last week's new recipes, the Chicken Florentine from Pink Parsley (adapted from ATK) was goooooood. It was slightly rich, so I might try subbing half and half or whole milk in lieu of heavy cream next time. This week is a busy one, with two different nights of meetings for me (a Moms Demand Action one and a jog-a-thon one for our school), a potential sleepover at our house, and a first soccer practice for my son. So I'm keeping things pretty easy, nothing new.

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Thai Sticky Chicken Fingers, Roasted Broccoli and Brown Rice (super yum recipe from Iowa Girl Eats)
• Wednesday - Spinach Lasagna and Big Green Salad (leftovers from the freezer of this Chowhound recipe)
• Thursday - Burgers on the Grill and Alexia Fries
• Friday - Chicken with Artichokes, Tomato and Mozzarella (an old Emeril favorite)
• Saturday - date night! 
• Sunday - Chicken BLT Chopped Salad with Fresh Lemon Garlic Dressing

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie and Mommy Run Fast- be sure to check out all the great weekly menus!

Seattle to Hood River - Our 2016 Family Road Trip

Photo dump time! For our first family road trip, we traveled west to Forks. The second, we traveled north to Orcas Island. We figured for this trip, we should pick a new direction, so we headed south. Hood River seemed like a cool little town, along a scenic drive (the Historic Columbia River Highway) and had a great hotel option for our family with the Best Western Plus: inexpensive suites and an outdoor pool. To kick off our journey, we took a bit of a detour towards Mt St Helens National Park for a hike along the Ape Caves lava tube. 

The entrance/only place with ANY light along the trail.

I think I'll put the deets on this in a separate hiking post. In summary, it was super cool, I survived my claustrophobia and it was a good way to break up the drive.

Even if it added a couple of hours to what would have only been about a three hour journey, it was worth putting a halt to the arm wrestling contests before they went south and of course GIANT TUBE OF LAVA. And it was a beautiful journey. Just driving along the Columbia River Highway to Hood River was pretty amazing. 

Once we got settled in our suite, we headed straight for the pool, of course. Luckily, the bad weather curse we had in Orcas did not catch up to us until we were about to leave Hood River, and we were able to decompress and let the kids get their energy out at the pool both days. 

I was not mad about the view of the gorge from my chaise.

The room view wasn't too bad, either.

After a lovely dinner at Riverside in our hotel, we prepped the kids for bed and broke into the libations we picked up at the nearby Safeway.

Adult patio time

The wine and patio relaxation also help us fall asleep amid the kids bickering over having to sleep in a bed together, which they've never done. We did bring an aerobed in advance of such an issue, so they agreed to each take a turn in the bed and on the floor. Although, levels of light vs darkness was a sticking point so we left the bathroom light on and their door open, and we may have fallen asleep by one o'clock in the morning. Ah, if it weren't for trying to sleep on vacation with kids, it'd all be such a CAKEWALK.

Then they were up and at 'em by 6:30 the next morning, of course. So we zombie walked to breakfast at Riverside, which was complimentary except for a few dishes, and I ate the most delicious steel cut oatmeal with hazelnuts and a poached pear. We then headed into town to get some local coffee at Grounds which was yummy and then drove the 'Fruit Loop' stopping at a few places along the way, most memorable being the Lavender Farm.

Just having buckets of bubbles kept the kids so happy! We sat in cozy purple Adirondack chairs, sipping our coffee and taking pictures. Heavenly.

We decided to head to The Dalles for lunch (at the Rivertap Pub which was tasty and kid friendly) and a trip to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum. 

We found this guy ready to welcome us in the parking lot!

This was definitely a good decision, as the science of the gorge was fascinating to us and the activities were a fun diversion for the kids, including dress up, a birds of prey presentation with live birds, and a lovely walking path in addition to all the educational exhibits.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel for some more pool time and a bit of a rest before heading out to dinner. I had hoped to hit up Full Sail Brewery and maybe even get a tour. Alas, by the time we headed out it was prime dinner hour and a bit too long of a wait for us. So we headed over to Double Mountain Brewery, which was perfect. 

Their specialty is brick oven pizzas and I devoured my 'Truffle Shuffle' with goat cheese, 'shrooms and truffle oil, as well as my Shandy - a Cider and Pilsner combo. I also enjoyed a bit of my husband's IRA (not a typo: India RED Ale), which was a bit more mellow than a typical IPA.

Of course the kids passed out easily the second night and we all had a nice late sleep in (past 8AM!) before taking advantage of our included breakfast and hitting the road home. Our plan was to stop at Multnomah Falls on our way out, but that plan was completely foiled by the massive HORDES. Not a parking spot was to be found and we noticed that people were being shuttled in from other parks to see the sights. We were just not down for that. So, I guess we'll just have to go back sometime and get up earlier. Maybe a quick family trip to Portland is in order...