Hi everyone!
According to the ever-helpful random.org,
the winner of the awesome Weight of Shadows Giveaway (including an amazing gift bag) is:
Comment #44 — Heather aka Dynamic Uno
Congratulations, Heather!
And thank you to everyone who stopped by to enter!
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Not long ago, author Alison Strobel contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in reading her latest novel, The Weight of Shadows. She also offered to provide a copy of the book as a giveaway to one of my readers…along with an incredible “reader’s gift bag.”
Read on to find out more…
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I’m not sure what is wrong with me, but any time I decide to make a dessert for a social function, I am overcome with the desire to try something new. It’s true, I have a couple old standbys that are tried and true, that never disappoint. But rather than turn to one of them, I want to experiment. I want to page through cookbooks or scour the internet, find something scrumptious-looking, and give it a try. Even though I know full well it could end in disaster.
But I figure, as long as it involves chocolate, even disaster can’t be too bad, right? I mean, a chocolate disaster is the the best kind there is.
This week, a friend came over one evening. Chad was out of town, and it seemed like a good opportunity for some girl time. So naturally, I started looking for a new chocolate dessert recipe.
And I found one. Warm Chocolate and Caramel Cakes from Country Living.
I won’t re-type the recipe here (not wanting to break any copyright laws), but I will post some pictures of the dessert-in-progress. And I will urge you to visit Country Living and print out the recipe for yourself.
It all starts out innocently enough. After buttering some ramekins (the recipe called for 6-oz. ramekins, but I only have the 4-oz. variety; they worked just fine), you cover the bottom with a few tablespoons of caramel (I used plain old Smuckers caramel ice cream topping).
Next, the ramekins chill in the freezer for about an hour — you want the caramel firm so the chocolate batter doesn’t sink into it right away. After that hour, mix up your batter (which has plenty of chocolate, but also coffee — I used decaf) and put about 1/3 cup on top of the caramel. I used slightly less than 1/3 cup, since I was using the smaller ramekins. Also, the recipe calls for cake flour, and I didn’t have any of that on hand (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had cake flour on hand), but I made a substitution involving all-purpose flour and corn starch and it turned out great.
Then pop those beauties into the oven. You might want to put a sheet of aluminum foil on the shelf below, because while the cakes are setting up, the caramel can come bubbling and oozing up over the edges of the ramekins. I’m all for bubbly, oozy caramel, but not on the bottom of my oven.
Once they come out, let them sit for a bit. If you’re anything like me, you’ll forget that they just came out of the oven and you’ll grab for the ramekin and burn your hand, which could ruin the whole experience. So give them just a few minutes to rest and cool off.
The caramel at the bottom will still be piping hot, and the cake itself is very rich, so even though the recipe didn’t call for it, I felt a small scoop of ice cream on top would make the dessert complete.
I have to admit: this dessert was a success. Chocolaty and rich and sweet and delicious. I officially have a new dessert in my repertoire.
Another nice thing about this recipe is that, because you make it in individual containers, you can make as much or as little as you like. At first, I only made three of them — one for my friend, one for me, and one as a special treat for C. (11) before he was ushered off to bed.
I had some leftover batter and it’s a good thing I kept it.
L.(4) had come downstairs at one point during the evening and he took notice of the fact that everyone was eating some kind of cake. The next morning, he was quick to ask, “When will I get some of that cake that everyone was eating while I was in bed?”
So that evening, I made a couple more. Though I exercised self-restraint and did not make myself another one, I did have a taste of L.’s. I think the day-old batter was fine, but the cake might have been just a little bit dry this time around. Of course, the easy solution for that one is to add more ice cream!
Oh, I forgot. There’s one more step, but I didn’t mention it because it comes so naturally. Dig in and enjoy!
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Yes, I know it’s only July 21st, but around here, that means we only have about five weeks left until school starts. (Don’t tell my older son, C. — he prefers to have no reminders about how quickly summer is flying by.)
And though we’ve done lots of fun stuff already this summer — from an amusement park to Italian ice trips to bowling to bike-riding — there are still some things I’d like to do…a few more ways to enjoy this summer before it’s gone. Here are a few of them:
1. Catch fireflies. This is one of those summer activities that just slips my mind. Repeatedly. But one of these nights, I want to take the kids outside right as it’s getting dark, and catch as many as we can.
2. Finish the book I’m reading with C. We started a read-aloud at the beginning of this summer, revisiting a series that was one of my favorites when I was in middle school. But we I have not been very consistent with our reading. I’d love to finish this first book and move on to the second in the series. (More on which book/series this is at a later date!)
3. Create a very cool scavenger hunt for C. I recently read about a neat scavenger hunt idea, but it takes quite a bit of preparation, so I keep putting it off. But one of these days…before August 25th, I hope to have it ready to go. (I’ll fill you in more when I finally get it done!)
4. Read outside more often. It’s been pretty hot here, and once the temperature gets above 82 or so, I tend to cling to our nice, air-conditioned indoors (I know, I’m a wimp). But the day-time heat shouldn’t stop me from enjoying a book on the patio in the evening, or even in the morning, before it gets too hot. I need to stop thinking about it and just do it.
5. Make more popsicles.
6. Have a picnic with the boys. Pack a basket, drive to a quiet location, and enjoy a lovely meal outdoors.
7. Go somewhere new. A park or a farm market or a museum or even (for my dear husband) a historical landmark — but I want to go somewhere I’ve never been before.
8. Play a new boardgame. Okay, I’ll confess: C. and I played a game yesterday that we’d never played before. But there are more games in this house that remain unplayed, and I want to dig into them before the busyness of school makes it harder.
9. Cook something with my kids. Maybe all three of us together, or maybe cooking with them individually on different nights.
10. Make sure my kids have lots of opportunity to relax and create their own fun. To be honest, this summer has been far more busy than I would have liked. I’m hoping that the next month or so is more low-key: more time for reading and exploring, less time running around, more time at home, less in the car.
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What about you? Are there things you still want to do before September rolls around?
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During this year’s Spring Reading Thing, I read a number of kid-lit books. My goal was to see what’s out there, get a feel for the things that are currently popular, and when appropriate, pass the books on to my 11-year-old son, C. One book I read and enjoyed was Gregor the Overlander. It was a fast-paced adventure, the kind of book I would have loved as a kid.
I passed it on to C., who practically devoured it and then proceeded to inhale read the next four books in the Gregor series.
Today, as part of the Kids’ Picks carnival hosted by 5 Minutes for Books, C. agreed to let me interview him about the Gregor books. And so, without further ado…
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So, C., I heard that you were willing to share your thoughts about a book series you recently completed. What is that series?
The Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins.
Hm, Gregor the Overlander? I read the first book in that series and thought it was pretty good. What was your first impression when I passed that book on to you?
I liked it very much. I like quests and Gregor probably has every component that a 100% quest could have. In a writing class I took, I learned that a quest is a very popular type of book in which there is a hero who does not realize he is a hero and when he discovers he’s a hero, he doesn’t really want to be in that position. But eventually, he’s forced or talked into doing it anyway and then he goes on a quest – a journey to get something or battle someone, etc.
So the first Gregor book was essentially about a quest?
Correct. Gregor and his little sister, Boots, tumbled through a heating vent and found themselves in the Underland, a vast underground world with humans and many giant creatures. Soon Gregor found himself on a quest to discover someone – “the one lost up ahead” – as mentioned in the Prophecy of Grey. That person turned out to be Gregor’s own father, who had been lost in the Underland years ago and no one in the Overland (our world) knew where he was.
The other books in the series were also quests in that they were about a journey to find something or battle an enemy. But as the series went on, Gregor dreaded the Underland less and became fonder of the people there and more willing to help them.
Um…you mentioned “giant creatures” in the Underland? Could you elaborate?
In the Underland, there are giant cockroaches (Crawlers), giant spiders (Spinners), giant bats (Fliers), giant rats (Gnawers), giant fireflies (Shiners), giant moles (Diggers), giant mice (Nibblers), giant snails (Slimers), giant scorpions (Stingers), giant lizards (Hissers), giant ants (Cutters), and giant snakes (Twisters).
Compared to humans, creatures that would usually be larger in real life, like rats or scorpions, are about the size of a large human. Most creatures are about the size of a 5-year-old.
And these gigantic yucky things didn’t gross you out?
No. They’re not gigantic yucky things. They are intelligent life-forms in these books, with languages…many know English.
Okay, well, yucky things aside, let’s get back to the series. How many books are in the Gregor the Overlander series?
Five.
And can you give us a summary of the series?
Um…no. It’s too detailed and too long and has four very different plots.
Is there anything that ties the books together?
Well, there’s the characters. And in each book, Gregor is on an adventure that’s determined by a prophecy.
Okay. So overall, what did you think of the Gregor series?
They were my favorite series ever.
Wow. That’s high praise. Is there anything about the series that you didn’t like?
The very end was the saddest ending I ever read. We saw a review of the last book online that said, “not for happy people or children,” and I agree with that now that I’ve read the book. I was not very happy with Suzanne Collins [the author] because she made the characters I had come to love either die or face tragedy. But I can’t tell you any more, because I would end up giving you spoilers if I did.
But yet, despite an incredibly sad ending, you still love the series?
Yes. Every one of them was a page-turner. I loved the characters. Unlike many books I’ve read, I could think of Gregor as a close friend – I really identified with him.
Do you think you’ll ever re-read the series?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Definitely.
Would you recommend the Gregor books to other tweens?
Yes. I’d recommend it to people from age 10 to 14-ish. I would say the battle scenes, deaths, and the ruthlessness of the enemies might not be well-suited for children younger than age 10.
Thank you, C., for sharing your favorite series with us.
You’re welcome.
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Be sure to see what other kids are reading this month, over at 5 Minutes for Books.
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I recently mentioned that I had to take my mom to the ER last month (diagnosis: kidney stone).
What I didn’t mention is the fact that while my mom was in considerable pain, I was trying not to pass out. Yes, my mother was getting poked with needles, but I was the one getting light-headed.
I don’t know what it is about doctor’s offices and hospital rooms, but they nearly make me faint, on a fairly regular basis. I don’t even need to be facing any procedures, pain, or predicaments. I just need to be there and all too often, the room starts spinning and I find myself grasping for a chair, hoping to steady myself, reclaim some sense of normalcy, and not hit the floor.
During my mom’s ER visit, it was the nurse’s fault. She was telling my mom that the shot she was about to administer was a pain-killer, but it would produce a major head-rush first. The needle didn’t bother me at all, but just hearing the word “head-rush” made me feel a tad woozy.
Unfortunately, my mom didn’t hear the nurse the first time, so the nurse repeated herself. “You know, a head-rush. It’ll make you real dizzy. Like the room is spinning. But don’t worry, it’ll pass, it’ll pass.”
With each further elaboration on the head-rush concept, I felt myself getting closer and closer to passing out. Yes, I know it’s not logical, but apparently, I was open to the power of suggestion. My mom might get a head-rush from the shot, but I was going to get one without a shot.
My head filled with that thick, muffled rushing sound, and large black spots randomly appeared in my vision.
I reached out with my left hand, performed a death-grip on a nearby chair, and slowly sank to a seated position on the floor. I didn’t care if the floor was dirty; I just needed to be close to it in case I fell over. Inconspicuously, I lowered my head between my knees and took a few deep breaths, trying not to think of words like rush, spinning, or dizzy.
I survived. No passing out.
Mom even told me later that she didn’t notice my sneaky faint-avoidance technique. Of course, she was busy getting dizzy from the pain-killer, so I’m sure she was a bit distracted.
To be honest, I probably can’t blame the nurse. My near-faintings go back to when I was a kid. I remember my pediatrician asking me to walk backward in his office as he checked my left ankle (I’ve had annoying arch-collapsing issues forever). As I took one step after another — backward — across the room, I suddenly knew that if I took one more step, it would be sideways, as I crashed into the wall and passed out.
Then I really and truly passed out the first time I went to the eye doctor’s. They dilated my eyes, I sat in the chair feeling weird…and then I woke up on the floor with the doctor joking, “Thought we lost you there!” Not funny, doc.
As an 8-months-pregnant mom-to-be, I took a tour of our hospital’s birthing center. Yep, you guessed it. As soon as we got in the birthing room, things started going in and out of focus. I made sure I stood close to the bed. Fortunately, I didn’t pass out, but I also didn’t hear a word of the tour.
The good news is, when I really need to be present — when I’ve given birth, or dealt with a child’s major nose-bleed, or visited the ER with one of my kids — I don’t get the least bit dizzy. I transition into some kind of Action Mode wherein I am super-capable of dealing with medical emergencies, medical locations, and medical procedures with strength and clear-headedness.
But if I have too much time to think, or if I am a bystander…look out. Or at least, make sure I’m sitting down or standing near a soft landing spot.
I’d be happy to drive you the ER if you ever need to go. But once we get there, it might be best if I stayed in the car.
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