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.