Book Review :: "Inkdeath"

Hey friends!  I just finished the third book in the "Inkheart" series.  So here's my review, if you're interested.

Inkdeath, by Cornelia Funke

Synopsis:  Mortimer Folchart (a.k.a. "Mo") is becoming more and more like the robber and hero of Fenoglio's songs.  He goes out at nights to protect the women and children from the raids of the soldiers, now that their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers have been killed. The Adderhead has taken over and is allowing his pale, cowardly brother-in-law--known by his subjects as the "Milksop"--to sit on the throne of Ombra, expecting taxes of silver, but all the Milksop does is spend his time hunting.  Even Dustfinger the fire-dancer is no longer around to distract from the depression of everyday life, having sacrificed himself for his apprentice, Farid.  Orpheus, jealous of Mo's reading abilities and the way that Fenoglio's words have more power in the Inkworld than his own, reads Mo into a dangerous situation with Death itself in exchange for Dustfinger's return to life.  Mo makes a deal with Death and is allowed to bring Dustfinger back, on one condition:  If he doesn't deliver Death's original target, the Adder's, life before winter's end, Death will claim his, Meggie's and Dustfinger's instead. So he agrees to Violante's proposal to help her kill her father.  Mo trades himself for the children of Ombra, captured by the Piper, and delivers himself as Violante's prisoner.  Violante persuades the Adderhead to meet her at the Caste in the Lake, where he courted her mother, to have Mo cure the White Book, which is both keeping the Adderhead alive indefinitely, and making his flesh rot on his bones.
Elinor is missing her family, meanwhile.  Her books, once her most prized possessions, no longer offer her any solace with the people that she loves most missing.  Finally taking pity on her, Darius reads them both into the Inkworld to follow Mo, Resa, and Meggie, and to find out what happened to them.
Meanwhile, Orpheus is still bitter and jealous.  He manipulates Fenoglio's words to earn himself higher positions within Ombra.  While Mo is trapped at the Castle in the Lake and is forced to do the Adder's bidding, Orpheus tortures him with his words, and not even Dustfinger's fire can keep the darkness inside him at bay.
When the children are released, the Milksop sends hunting parties after them.  To save everyone, Fenoglio must think quickly and creatively, and with Meggie's help he manages to keep the Milksop at bay.  Everyone prays that the Bluejay will kill the Adder soon and save them all, as the songs all tell.
Will the Bluejay fill the role that Fenoglio has written for him?  Can there be a happy ending in this rapidly unraveling world?  Can Fenoglio gain control of the story again, or will Orpheus become its new author?  And most of all, will Mo and Resa's child be born in the Inkworld?  Or will Resa convince Mo to go back?

My Rating:  *  *  *  *  *  (out of 5)

Anybody who loves to read books will love the "Inkheart" trilogy.  Funke outdoes herself in this third and final installment, bringing loose threads all together into a neat and tidy conclusion, while still managing to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, wondering what turns the story will take next.  As unpredictable and thrilling as ever, "Inkdeath" will have you turning pages until there are no more left to turn...and even then, you might still want more.

p.s.  If you want it, my review of the first book in the series can be found here.

Reicpe :: Nutella Muddy Buddies

So basically, I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter.  At least not when it's combined with chocolate.  (I know, I know, I'm probably the only person in the world who doesn't like that combination, but whatevs.)  So I'd been having this idea for a while...what if, instead of peanut butter, I used Nutella in my muddy buddies instead of peanut butter?!  That way, I could enjoy them as much as everyone else!!
They were...fabulous.  If you like Nutella, anyway, which both Husband and I do, so they were awesome!
In case you don't already have the recipe, here it is (both original, and altered):

9 c.  rice chex, corn chex, wheat chex, chocolate-covered chex, honey-flavored chex, or any combination/variation of chex cereal
1 c semisweet chocolate chips (we actually use milk chocolate, I've never tried with the semisweet)
1/2 c peanut butter (or Nutella!!)
1/4 c butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1  1/2 c powdered sugar

Set aside cereal in a large mixing bowl.  In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter together for one minute and stir.  Microwave about 30 seconds more or until mixture can be stirred smooth.  **I actually always just use my stove on a very low heat**  Stir in vanilla, and pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.  Pour into 2-gallon resealable bag and add powdered sugar; seal bag and shake until cereal mixture is coated in powdered sugar.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Let us know what other variations you guys come up with, and let us know how you liked our own concoction!  Enjoy!

Recipe :: Stuffed Red Peppers

Okay, so I'm cheating and we actually tried this recipe a while ago, but it was delicious.  I made some adjustments to the recipe, but I'll share the original one with you first (if you want the original original, you can find it here).

Turkey Stuffed Peppers
-1 lb. lean chopped turkey meat
-1 garlic, minced
-1/4 onion, minced
-1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp cumin powder
-salt to taste
-3 large red peppers
-1 c fat free chicken broth, divided
-1/4 c tomato sauce
-1 1/2 c cooked rice
-olive oil spray
-1/4 c reduced fat shredded cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Season with salt and garlic powder, and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can. Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.

 So our changes to the recipe:
-instead of turkey meat, we used chunks of chicken
-rather than 3 peppers, we only made two
-we used mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar
-at the very end when it tells you to fill the bottom of the baking dish with the rest of the chicken broth, we didn't do that; we both prefer our peppers slightly crispy, and figured that the chicken broth would make them very soft

These.  Were.  Delicious. Husband couldn't stop raving about them while we were eating them.  They were so good!  Although next time, to be honest I don't think I would bother baking the peppers at all.  They were still a little soft to my liking, and since everything is cooked by the time you stick it all in the peppers, I figure you don't really need to bake them.

If you try this recipe or some sort of variation, please leave comments--tell us what you did differently, how you liked it, family's reaction, etc.

For more recipe fun, check out my Pinterest page.  Happy cooking!

California Vacay

Hey everyone!  My first post as a married woman.  Holy cow.  Crazy.  It's weird though; Brian and I agree, it feels like we've been married for ages.  It's kind of a cool feeling.

We just got back from California a few days ago, and we decided it would be kind of fun to share our adventure with you!  We'll tell you about places we went, what we did, and what we thought of it all.  Pictures (sometimes, with the permission of Brian) included.

Coco's Restaurant and Bakery

 

 Well we really liked it!  This place is awesome for anyone who loves breakfast food.  Their portions are huge--and it was really good food too!  We really enjoyed it.  For those of you from Utah, a worthy comparison is Village Inn.

Mimi's Cafe

I know, I know, we have these in Utah too, but it was super good!  I'd been craving a good, home-cooked, sit-down meal and Brian had been craving a nice big burger, and we both got exactly what we wanted.  My salmon even came with an appetizer salad and dessert, which we shared.  The dessert we got was bread pudding (that's what he is holding in the picture) and actually, it wasn't all that great.  Neither of us like raisins much, and the bread was stuffed full of them.  Aside from that it was pretty good, and everything that came before the dessert was phenomenal.  Seriously.

 

Disneyland!!

 Yes, we had to go to Disneyland!!  I've actually never been before, so it was my first time.  Note to first-timers:  DO NOT go on New Year's Eve!  (Although, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't change our New Year's Eve for anything!  New Year's Eve at Disneyland is pretty awesome, but only if you're okay with huge lines and lots and lots of people.



 

 

California Adventure:  Soarin' Over California

We knew we wouldn't make it to all the rides in either park, so we did a few from each park.  The two that we hit at California Adventure:  Soarin' Over California and Tower of Terror.  Soarin' Over California is super cool!  You're in a simulated hang-gliding tour of California, so you see all its awesomeness laid out in front of you.  It's seriously awesome.

California Adventure:  Tower of Terror

...Yeah, I wasn't so much a fan of this one.  I don't like that butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling that you get when falling form great heights, so I really can't understand what people love about this ride or rides like it.  Brian, on the other hand, loved it, and so does everyone else that I talk to, so chances are, I'm the only person on the planet who doesn't.

Submarine Adventure (thing...)

 This one is my favorite picture of us.  We took it while we were waiting in line for two-hours-plus for the submarine adventure ride thing (that I can't actually remember the name of).  It's an extension of Finding Nemo.  It was really cute.  Not particularly exciting or engaging, but very cute.  Definitely not worth waiting for--at least not as long as we did.  Our advice:  If there's a line, skip it. 

Now here's some videos!!  This first one is of the newest addition to Disneyland; a Star Wars attraction called the Jedi Academy.  Little kids are called up and trained in the ways of the Force by a Master Jedi, and then they get to confront either Darth Vader or Darth Maul.  It was the coolest thing there, pretty much; Brian wished he was younger so he could learn.  I picked the smallest and cutest kid up there to film.  

This one--believe it or not--is part of the pre-midnight New Year's Eve dance party that was going on all night long down the main street of Disneyland.  This particular film clip is of Mickey and Minnie Mouse dancing to--wait for it--Gangnam Style!!  So priceless.  So awesome.  So....just...beyond words.

San Diego Temple

We took a long drive one day down to San Diego down the Pacific Coast Highway.  If you have a day to kill, do this!!  It was really fun to drive down next to the coast and see the surfers on the beaches, and cruise through all the cute little beach towns.  It's also a very relaxing trip.  Highly recommend.  

Laguna Beach

If you are planning to go to the beach, I highly recommend Laguna beach.  On our drive to San Diego, we passed a ton of beaches but they were all crowded with surfers and beach goers with their dogs.  All super good beaches and super fun, but Laguna was nice because it wasn't nearly as crowded.  It was really nice. 

Brian looking super awesome in front of the sun and sea

More of Laguna--so nice!!

 

Wild Buffalo Wings

Sports bar!  Brian was kind of embarrassed about bringing me here 'cause of the atmosphere but it was kind of fun.  They had the Lakers vx. 76ers game on almost every screen (that's what he's looking at; he loves sports) and it was fun to watch the locals get way into it.  Also the food was awesome.  You can choose what spices go on your wings!  They don't have to be so hot they burn your taste buds off!  (I was really excited about that.)  Mine were lemon pepper and they were so good.





There was another place we tried while we were here but I didn't get a picture of it; it was called Rubio's.  It was an awesome little Mexican food joint that we saw all over the place.  I think their specialty is fish tacos; we got a steak burrito.  They use super fresh ingredients, and the burrito wasn't greasy--it just seemed so simple and fresh, it was awesome.  So you should probably try that place too.  :)

Anyway, I'm signing off for now.  More to come soon--books we read, recipes we try, etc.  Stay tuned!