"It's Kind of a Funny Story" and Baked Chicken Nuggets

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Ned Vizzini

Craig Gilner accomplished his life goal by getting into the most prestigious high school he could, Manhattan Executive Pre-Professional High School. Impressive! How did he do this? By spending his middle school years (or at least the last year) doing nothing but studying for the entrance exam. By giving up friends, extra-curricular activities, hobbies—everything that would distract him from his goal. Now that he's in high school, Craig feels inadequate and ill prepared, like he got in by mistake. He falls behind in classes, which makes him worry about not only classes, but his entire future. College...job...lifestyle... All this anxiety leads to an on-going depression that leads to Craig calling the suicide hotline one night and (somewhat accidentally) checking himself into the adult psychiatric ward of the nearest hospital.

Despite having given up everything important or interesting in order to study flashcards, Craig is a likable character who realizes that, although he's depressed, he actually has a pretty good life. His family loves him, he has a home in a good neighborhood, plenty of food (when he can manage to eat it), etc. Craig reaches out to others and tries to help them as he can, and accepts help when it is offered.

“It's Kind of a Funny Story” is the perfect title for this book—there are plenty of humorous and touching moments, but ultimately, it's only kind of funny because it not only focuses on Craig's depression, it points out that depression is a disturbingly wide-spread problem. Craig isn't the only one in his peer group who suffers. He gradually realizes that possibly a majority of his acquaintances see a therapist or take medication.

As I alluded to earlier, Craig has difficulty eating. He throws up a lot when he does manage to get food down, and other times he can't even do that. However, he gets pretty excited when he realizes that the hospital serves the two foods he can usually manage to eat: chicken nuggets and broccoli. So, for my “It's Kind of a Funny Story”-themed meal, I made baked chicken nuggets with homemade honey mustard and steamed broccoli. I won't include a recipe for steamed broccoli because I didn't do anything fancy (Well, here it is: boil water, put broccoli in a steamer, and let steam over boiling water 6 minutes, or however long you like. Eat with salt and pepper.) The chicken nuggets are more flavorful than what I imagine you'd get in a hospital, but...if you want to be really authentic, you can just buy a bag of frozen nuggets. These ones are actually really delicious, fairly healthy and very simple.

Baked Chicken Nuggets 

Original Recipe Here

1.15 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders, cut into 1 1/2” chunks

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese (the really fine, shakable stuff!)

1 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Dried basil

A few shakes of poultry seasoning

½ c. butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings in a small bowl. (I only ended up using about half the mixture, so I recommend setting aside half. That way, you won't get raw chicken all over the whole mix, and can use the leftovers another day!)
3. One by one, coat chicken pieces in melted butter, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Lay on lightly-greased baking sheet.
4. Once all of the chicken pieces have been coated, bake for about 20 min.

Homemade Honey Mustard 

Original Recipe by Martha Stewart

Whisk together:

¼ c. Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon country-style.)

3 Tbsp. Melted butter (because the butter starts out melted, it can get chunky after awhile. But my

husband said it still looked okay to him!)

2 Tbsp. Honey (I used agave because we were out of honey—still good!)

1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes and Olive Oil Gelato

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes
by Maureen Johnson

I am much more excited about this recipe than I am about the accompanying book, but I'll stick to form and start with the book anyway. It may just be me, but I couldn't suspend imagination enough to really enjoy “Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes.” The protagonist, 17-year-old Ginny, gets sent on an unchaperoned European tour by a recently deceased aunt. Moreover, she is not supposed to contact anyone from back home. I don't remember a single instance in which she calls her parents to let them know she's okay. (Maybe she does—I listened to the audio book and can't go back to check!) She does “break the rules” and message her best friend via the internet, but...that's it. Add to this the fact that Ginny seems basically clueless, and it's a wonder that everything turns out as well for her as it does.The whole time, all I could think was “What the heck was this aunt thinking?!?”

What I did enjoy about the book, though, was that it lets the reader take their own European tour. From exploring Harrods in London, to the house of the vestal virgins in Rome, to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, this book would be a fun resource for anyone seeking to become a little more familiar with some of the more famous sights of Europe, or for a middle-to-high school student preparing for a trip. I've been to Europe a few times (England, Italy and Holland), and it brought back good memories in addition to bringing some other sights and cultural events to my attention.

In conclusion, “Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes” was both fun and slightly cringe-worthy (but I'm getting old).

Now, this olive oil gelato is purely delicious. I found the recipe on Food 52 and was a little suspicious because it uses water and no cream. But then I read the author's notes, which said that she had had similar reservations when she first encountered the recipe. These were put to rest as soon as she tasted the end product. So I stuck with this recipe because it only uses six ingredients, including the water. AND IT WAS AMAZING! So creamy! So unique! I would love to make it again with different varieties and even flavors of olive oil. The only downside is that this recipe makes a very small batch. I just made it last night and, three small ramekins later, it is all gone. :( 

I chose to pair gelato with this book because, out of all the delicious foods Ginny eats in all of the fascinating places she visits, I most felt like making gelato. Ginny eats gelato for the first time in Rome. Overwhelmed by all the flavor options, she goes for the easy choice of strawberry. But it's not strawberry season, and I wanted to try something new. So here it is! 

Link to the book on amazon: Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes

Olive Oil Gelato

3/4 c. coconut sugar (this is what I used, but it does turn the gelato light brown. The original recipe

           calls for regular sugar)

1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. water

3/4 c. whole milk

Large pinch salt

4 egg yolks

4-6 Tbsp. olive oil 

1. Make sure you have pre-frozen the bowl for your ice cream maker! 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy. 

3. In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, water, milk and salt over medium heat until just before it 

     simmers. 

4. Pour the warm mixture slowly into the eggs, whisking the whole time. Pour that mixture back into 

     the saucepan, and return to heat. Heat until the mixture begins to thicken, about 185 degrees. 

5. Remove from heat and pour into an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate several hours. 

6. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker, and churn/freeze as directed by the machine. 

7. Enjoy immediately, or freeze. 

Here is the link to the original recipe: Olive Oil Gelato

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and Tiger Cake

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book 4: The Interrupted Tale 

by Maryrose Wood

I can hardly wait to read The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series with my son. This series is so much fun—and educational, too! Plus, the educational parts only enhance the delightfulness of the books. Author Maryrose Wood does a brilliant job of inserting information into her narrative in a way that never makes the reader want to skip over the more didactic bits, thanks to her sense of humor.

The Incorrigible series follows young governess Penelope Lummly (aka Lummawoo) as she begins her new position at Ashton Place caring for Lord and Lady Ashton's three new wards—recently discovered living in the woods with a pack of wolves. Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia Incorrigible, as they become known, are wild but bright and eager to learn. Penelope Lummly, a “Swanburn Girl” (i.e., a graduate from the Agatha Swanburn School for Poor, Bright Females), is more than equal to the task of teaching and loving the wolfish children.

Beyond learning the ropes of her new position, Penelope also falls into the need to do some detective work: Who are the children's parents? Where are her own parents? Who may be trying to harm them? She learns a little bit more in each installment of the series, but, as of book 5, still has a lot to figure out.

Link to The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book 1: The Mysterious Howling on amazon.com: The Incorrigible Children Book 1 

I chose to make a Tiger Cake to go with the fourth book because Penelope is teaching the children about poetry—especially iambic pentameter and William Blake's “The Tyger”. Tigers and cake are both reoccurring themes in this book. In addition to frequent recitations of Blake, the children dress up as “Postal Tigers” when delivering mail around Ashton Place, and, of course, they are always very excited about cake!

This cake is made with olive oil instead of butter or vegetable oil, which—in addition to a half teaspoon of white pepper—gives it a very interesting flavor! It may not seem like it'd be a popular children's cake, but recipe author Alice Medrich says that it was named by a five-year-old boy who adored it. I will also include a link to Alice Medrich's wonderful cookbook, Bittersweet, which includes this recipe as well as my favorite brownie recipe ever! (And many, many other delicious-sounding recipes for chocolatey treats!): 

Bittersweet

Tiger Cake:

½ c. cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)

½ c. sugar

1/3 c. water

3 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 c. sugar

1 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

¼ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. White pepper

5 eggs

1 c. milk

1. Whisk cocoa powder, ½ c. sugar and water together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
   
   
   
   
   
2. In another bowl, whisk flour and baking powder together.
3. In bowl of electric mixer, whisk sugar, olive oil, vanilla, salt and pepper. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and pale.
4. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then ½ c. of milk; another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the rest of the milk, and the rest of the dry ingredients. Whisk between each addition.
5. Stir 3 cups of batter into the cocoa mixture.
6. In alternating layers, pour the cocoa and regular mixtures into a greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan. Because the batter is fairly thin, the layers will naturally swirl while baking.
   
   
   
7. Bake at 350 F for 60-70 minutes.   
   
   
   
   

Storm Front and Chicago-Style Pizza

Storm Front
By Jim Butcher

Chicago-style Pizza! I've finally had it! Just not in Chicago. The last time I was in Chicago was for a several hour layover with my mom on our way to Italy. We drank coffee at Intelligentsia, and she bought a purple hair straightener from a friendly Italian guy outside the Lego store. (I tease her for this because we were backpacking, and that seemed like a lot of extra weight, considering we hadn't even left the states! But I'm the one who came back with a bag of toasted barley and an antique coffee grinder, so maybe I'm in no position to judge...) Anyway. What with the impromptu hair-straightening session, we did not have time for pizza.

I'll get back to the recipe after introducing you to Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Books by Jim Butcher were all over my Christmas list, but I had to wait until a few weeks ago to get my “hands” on one—in the form of an audio book rented from the library.

Storm Front is a hard-boiled fantasy novel. Its protagonist, Harry Dresden, is a cynical wizard/detective who walks a thankless and unprofitable line between the “real” world and a world of vampires, demons, talking skulls, etc. Most of Dresden's fellow-Chicagoans have no clue that the world is not as they assume it to be. Thankfully, Dresden has a contact in the Chicago police department who believes in him just enough to call for his help with a baffling and excessively gory case.

Dresden's inner monologue made me laugh out loud at times, and it keeps the novel from being too dark and cynical. Storm Front is not a book for children. Seductive women and shocking corpses abound, so keep that in mind. I just want to mention that since the previous three books on this blog would probably all be found in the young adult section. :)

Returning to the pizza—Dresden is from Chicago, but more importantly, he pays some fairies for information in pizza. I don't know that the book specified it to be deep dish, but I've made 'the usual' pizza before and wanted to try something new!

Now, I promise I won't do this very often, but I neglected to take pictures while making this. Also, I pretty much followed the original recipe found at the Sally's Baking Addiction blog step-by-step. She has a ton of photos on her blog and very detailed instructions. So I'm just going to send you over there if you want to make this :) (Plus, I doubt that mine turned out as well as hers anyway, since it was my first attempt!) The only real change I made was using a shallot instead of an onion because we are now a shallot family.

Sally's Baking Addiction Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Next time, I may skip the sauce and toppings altogether, and just eat some melted cheese on top of the crust. That is my favorite part—but it's all incredible!

The Partials Sequence and Post-Apocalyptic Soup!

Fragments (Partials Sequence) 

by Dan Wells

I began reading the Partials Sequence because I have been a fan of author Dan Wells for several years —despite the fact that I've only read one of his other books. (I don't know why, these things just happen!) I'm familiar with him mainly through the Writing Excuses podcast, as well as through the podcast that he hosted along with his brother and fellow author, Rob Wells. The former is an excellent resource for anyone interested in writing. It is informative, entertaining, and my go-to source of book recommendations and writing prompts. (And each episode is only 15 minutes long! Go give it a listen!) Last season, the hosts basically took listeners through the entire process of writing a novel/story. The season began by talking about where ideas come from, and ended with a few episodes on getting published. The other podcast, Do I Dare to Eat a Peach?, is just fun. Longer episodes that talk about random topics (usually in the form of lists) from Who is the best Disney Princess? To What are the top 10 movie spaceships? Sadly, they haven't posted an episode since 2014 (*sob*) These podcasts can be found here:

http://www.writingexcuses.com/

http://www.doidaretoeatapeach.com/

Anyway. Fragments is the second book of the Partials Sequence (Partials is the first), but today's recipe could be eaten while reading either novel (or at any time, really.) The Partials Sequence is set in post-apocalyptic America (Partials takes place around New York City; Fragments involves a hazardous cross-country journey). The earth's population was “broken” after a massive war between humans and partials (genetically engineered super-humans) that ended with the release of RM, a deadly virus that killed off all but about 40,000 humans and continues to kill off every baby within days of its birth. The series's protagonist, Kira Walker, is a 16(?) year old woman who, after working in the maternity ward and watching the deaths of countless babies, determines to find a cure for RM.

I like this series because it is fascinating to get a glimpse into how the world might change if all but a very small percentage of its population died out instantly. Wells has clearly thought this through thoroughly. Fragments, in particular, explores ethical questions such as “Is it okay to force an individual/group to suffer, if doing so means the salvation of the majority?” Even if you think you have an answer to this question, Wells puts his characters in scenarios that cause them to really examine their convictions.

Partials on Amazon:Partials

Fragments on Amazon: Fragments

Today's recipe involves a lot of canned food because that is pretty much all Kira and her friends have to eat. Just one of the perks of the apocalypse. Be glad I included something more than just the instructions for opening a can of nacho cheese sauce and digging it out with a spoon. It does incorporate some fresh vegetables and dried herbs, but Kira's adoptive mother has an herb garden, so that's okay! Yay, flavor!

This is based off of a recipe found here: Grandma's Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Most of my changes had to do with the fact that I read the recipe wrong when grocery shopping—but I thought my mistakes tasted delicious. (Especially if you “cheat” and top it with shredded cheese!) For dessert, grab a can of fruit cocktail. (This is hard to do if you have Blue Bell in the freezer!!)

Easy-Peasy Vegetarian Chili

1 (15 oz) can of black beans in chili sauce

1 (15 oz) can of kidney beans

1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans

1 (28 oz) can vegetarian baked beans

2 (14.5 oz) cans Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 (15 oz) can of hominy (or corn)

1 shallot, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Vegetable oil for sauteeing

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp basil

1. In a large saucepan, saute garlic, shallot and green pepper in olive oil until they begin to soften.
   
2. Add the remaining ingredients. If too thick, add some water.
   
   
   
3. Heat through. Enjoy!   

Terrier and Apple Fritters

Terrier

by Tamora Pierce

Terrier is the book that inspired me to start this blog. I am always in the mood for dessert, and one of Terrier's major side characters is a baker. A book full of the phrase “warm apple raisin patties” is enough to make one's mouth water and...well, inspire a blog!

Beka Cooper is a guardswoman-in-training, assigned to accompany the two most respected “dogs” (guards) in the city. They work the evening watch in the “lower city”--a place of crime and poverty, a place that Beka loves and understands because she grew up here.

Terrier is a complex mystery story with a fascinating protagonist. Beka is painfully shy around new people, but her shyness rarely interferes with her ability to excel at a difficult job. Not only is she tenacious, she is a sharp detective, possessing both intelligence and certain magical abilities. (These abilities, however, do not eliminate her need to do real detective work, or protect her from physical danger.)

Link to Terrier on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Terrier-Legend-Beka-Cooper-Book/dp/0375838163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453863659&sr=8-1&keywords=terrier+tamora

Apple Fritters

Before their watch, Beka and her “dogs” like to stop at Mistress Noll's bakery stall in the evening market. Apple-raisin patties for the guards, and apple fritters for Beka. I was going to do a recipe for apple-raisin patties, but I am not 100% certain what apple-raisin patties are, and can't go back to search for a description because my audiobook rental expired. I am 95% certain that they are hand pies—and you can find a recipe for them here, on another blog inspired by Tamora Pierce's writing: https://disciplinecottage.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/mistress-nolls-apple-patties/ This is the only relevant result when you google “apple raisin patty.” Instead, here is a recipe for Beka's favorite, apple fritters, very similar to the one found on the Pioneer Woman website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/apple-fritters/

Finally, I would like to say that baking with young children is not easy--this is why I will try to post simple recipes and may make shortcuts (like using oil instead of melted butter) in order to cut down on prep time. This is what happened while I was working on the fritters: 

Followed by my knocking an egg-filled mixing bowl off the counter with the broom handle. Yikes! Totally worth it though :) 

Apple Fritters

2 c flour

½ c sugar

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

¾ c milk

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp melted butter (I used oil because we don't have a microwave and I didn't want to dirty an extra

pan, but I'm sure this is better! :)

2 Granny Smith apples

Powdered sugar (optional)

1. Mix dry ingredients, including sugars.
2. Lightly beat eggs in a separate mixing bowl, then mix in the rest of the wet ingredients.
3. Peel and dice the apples. Chunks should be fairly small.
4. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, stirring gently.
5. Fold in the apples. Do not overmix! 
   
6. Heat 1 1/2-2” oil in a medium saucepan to about 365 degrees.
7. Using a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough into the oil and cook until brown on one side, then
   flip over and finish cooking on the other side. (I took my first couple of batches out too soon, and they were raw in the middle! So let them get a nice brown color—but not burnt, of course.)
   When finished cooking, remove from pan and place on paper towel-covered plate. 
   
   
   

   

   Not a fantastic picture--but they're pretty cute! 

8. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.   

Welcome and Introduction to "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer

Welcome to BiblioNibbles, a books-and-food blog. Here you will find brief book reviews followed by recipes mentioned in or inspired by the books. This blog will highlight books from multiple genres, so be ready for anything! 

Scarlet 

by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet is the second book of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, a series that mixes classic fairy tales with science fiction. Start with book one, of course (Cinder), but this blog wasn't on my radar when I listened to it a couple weeks ago.

Scarlet is a French farmer/produce supplier whose grandmother is missing. Receiving no help from the authorities, Scarlet decides to find her grandmother herself with the help of Wolf, a mysterious fighter who is somehow connected with her grandmother's disappearance.

The best thing about Scarlet is how the reader, even knowing the plot of Little Red Riding Hood, is drawn to trust Wolf. He has a shady past, and we all know better than to trust the wolf, but...Wolf is appealing. The reader wants to trust him. Scarlet struggles with this question, too. She is no dummy and can take care of herself—unlike the original Little Red. Nevertheless, her decision to trust Wolf creates a lot of nail-biting tension! 

Link to Cinder  on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cinder-Book-One-Lunar-Chronicles/dp/1250007208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453833425&sr=8-1&keywords=cinder

Link to Scarlet on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Lunar-Chronicles-Book-The/dp/1250007216/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0E6PS1611RCREYWVHST0

Simple French Tomato Tart

No one eats a tomato tart in Scarlet, but I believe it is an appropriate accompaniment. This recipe is adapted from David Lebowitz's French Tomato Tart, found here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/05/french-tomato-tart-recipe/

In addition to being French, this recipe is fitting because Scarlet first meets Wolf while delivering produce. Bullied into doing a little waitress work while waiting, Scarlet busses Wolf's table and teases him for removing the tomatoes from his sandwich. Wolf has never eaten tomatoes—doesn't hardly know what they are. Scarlet cajoles Wolf into trying them (she did, after all, grow them herself), and they are a hit.

I cut out the most time-consuming part of the original recipe—the homemade crust. Feel free to make your own crust, but if you use a store-bought crust, the tart only takes about seven minutes to throw together(!). Very simple—my husband says that it would probably be good with the addition of anchovies or olives.

Finally, it is the middle of January—and I can only imagine how much better this would be in the summer with some farm-fresh tomatoes, herbs and goat cheese. But you can always play around with it now, figure out what you like best, and—when the farmer's markets open up again—you'll be all set to make your ideal Simple French Tomato Tart.

Simple French Tomato Tart

Ingredients (enough for two):

1box (contains 2) Pillsbury pie crusts

Dijon Mustard

4 small tomatoes

8 oz fresh goat cheese

olive oil

Herbs to taste (I used fresh chives, tarragon and a hint of oregano)

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Unroll pie crusts and lay out on baking sheet.

2.Spread a generous layer of mustard over the crust, stopping about 1 ½ -2” from the edge.

3. Slice tomatoes and arrange to cover mustard. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle half of your herbs on top.

4. Slice goat cheese into rounds and place on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining herbs. 

 5. Pinch the edges of the crusts so that they overlap the very edge of the toppings and will stay in place as it bakes.

6. Place tarts in oven and bake for 25-30 min, until cheese starts to brown. Let cool briefly before serving.