recipes

Reading & Recipes #3

So, here I am! Back with another Reading & Recipes post; this time featuring contemporary fiction and cookies.

If you don’t know what Reading & Recipes is… Well, for this post, I’m going to be posting a recipe I used recently along with a picture of the finished product, as well as discussing a book I was reading the same day a little bit. Annnd that’s it, that’s pretty much the post.

Recent Recipe: Lemon Cool Whip Cookies

This one isn’t exactly an original, but I’ve been seeing Cool Whip Cookies a bunch of places online. And the recipes are all pretty much the same, no matter where you look. So I’ll just write what I did here.

INGREDIENTS:
  • one box of 18.25 oz cake mix (you can use any flavor you like – I just used lemon for mine)
  • one 8 oz container of cool whip
  • one large egg
  • some powdered sugar, for rolling
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Mix the cake mix, cool whip and egg together.
  2. Form into small balls (don’t make them too big or else they might stick and not come off the pan that great – don’t do what I did, lol). Then roll in the powdered sugar.
  3. Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 10 to 12 minutes.
  4. Cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before you remove them. Then, enjoy! (Yields around 24 to 36 cookies.)

As I mentioned above, it’s important to me that you know you can basically use any kind of cake mix that you’d like. I just decided to use lemon, ’cause lemon season is almost here, and I wanted to welcome spring. I’m planning on trying this recipe with chocolate cake mix eventually, and maybe even strawberry as well.

These cookies are soft and chewy, and the lemon flavor was sweet and strong. But not overpowering or tart. Also, make sure you roll them in powdered sugar really well as they’re pretty sticky as batter.

Recent Reads: Stars and Smoke

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

This smoldering enemies-to-lovers novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu puts a superstar global phenomenon and a hotshot young spy on a collision course with danger – and Cupid’s arrow – in an electric new series perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Nicola Yoon.

Meet Winter Young – International pop sensation, with a voice like velvet and looks that could kill. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. His rabid fans would move heaven and earth for even a glimpse of him – just imagine what they’d do to become his latest fling.

Meet Sydney Cossette – Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent they’ve ever had. An ice queen with moves as dangerous as her comebacks, Sydney picks up languages just as quickly as she breaks hearts. She’s fiery, no-nonsense, and has zero time for romance – especially with a shameless flirt more used to serving sass than taking orders.

When a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney and Winter’s lives suddenly collide. Tasked with infiltrating the crime organization’s inner circle, Sydney is assigned as Winter’s bodyguard with Winter tapped to join her on the mission of a lifetime as a new spy recruit. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter’s charms, but as their mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit that there’s more to Winter Young than just a handsome face…

Technically, I’m still reading this book – I’m only about 30% of the way through it, actually. This one’s been a bit slow going for me. I found the idea interesting, as well as a departure from Lu’s typical sci-fi, but it’s been difficult for me to get into, not to mention it isn’t what I usually read. I’m on the fence about DNF-ing it, so we’ll see what happens.

I’m not really gonna get into it, but this book has some of the same problems I had with the author’s Legend series. Mostly related to my suspension of disbelief. This book also has another big problem, however: I’m finding it kinda boring so far. But, like I said, we’ll see.

So what books have you been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What’s your favorite meal or dessert?

Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you all have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Reading & Recipes #2

Sooo… It’s been awhile. I know I kind of did this post for the first time right before Christmas and then left you guys hanging. Sorry.

But I’m finally back with another Reading & Recipes. For this post, I’m going to be posting a recipe I used recently along with a picture of the finished product, as well as discussing a book I was reading the same day a little bit. Annnd that’s it, that’s pretty much the post.

Recent Recipe: Stir Fry w/ Udon

Unlike the recipe in my last post, this one is entirely a Mar original. Stir fry isn’t something that I really grew up with, until high school when my dad started making it with rice. I love rice, but I love noodles even more, so use them instead.

Stuff I Put In It:

  • 2 pkgs Kame udon noodles
  • 1 pkg beef stew meat
  • 2 chicken breasts, cubed
  • 2 broccoli florets
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper

I put this stuff in my stir fry this time, though it always varies. One time I did beef and shrimp, another I did beef, chicken and pork, and one time I did beef on its own. You can really put anything you want in it, even tofu if you want a vegetarian option.

You don’t even have to use udon if you don’t want to. Like I said, my dad uses rice. Either white or brown works great. But if you want to use noodles but not udon, a variety are available. You can use hokkien noodles, soba noodles or Thai ribbon noodles.

What I Put In the Sauce I Stir Fry it In:

  • Soy sauce
  • Teriyaki sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Ginger (ground)
  • Garlic powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • A dash of sugar

I don’t bother to measure my amounts for my stir fry sauce. I just keep adding stuff I like, until I have a flavor I like. I typically use a lot of sesame oil and ginger though. You can pretty much put whatever you want in the sauce though.

How I Cook It:

  • Turn the surface heating on high
  • Put on the wok (I don’t have an electric wok – if you do, DO NOT put in on the burner!)
  • Pour in the sauce after it heats up
  • Put in your meat / seafood / tofu first
  • After they’re mostly cooked, put in your vegetables (if you’re using any)
  • Add the noodles last, mix them in and cook them for two minutes
  • Take stir fry off heating and ladle into portions

Like everything else, this can be super varied. You can really put in whatever you want to stir fry, and you can prepare it how you want. You could even cook it over a skillet or pan fry it, and it works pretty well (this is what I did before I got a wok).

Recent Read: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore—she just wrote the world’s first comprehensive of encylopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Folk on her adventures… and also from her fellow scholar and former rival, Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, and in search of a door back to his realm. So despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and danger.

And she also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by Bambleby’s mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambley’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.

This has been my most anticipated read of 2024 so far, and it hasn’t disappointed. I love Emily and Brambleby, and I love their banter. I love the world that Heather Fawcett has created.

I know that the year has just started, but I think this is going to be one of my highest rated books over 2024. Of course, I’m also still excited about what other novels might be coming out soon, as well.

So what books have you been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What’s your favorite meal or dessert?

Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you all have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar