I missed last week’s BTT, so this time I’m doing two weeks in one!

This week:

Do you use any of the online book-cataloguing sites, like Library Thing or Shelfari? Why or why not? (Or . . . do you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking to?? (grin))

If not an online catalog, do you use any other method to catalog your book collection? Excel spreadsheets, index cards, a notebook, anything?

I’ve tried to use cataloging software once or twice, but a couple of things prevent me from actually making it work. I lack enough shelves for my books, making it impossible to dig them all up/keep track of them all, so inputting the massive amount of current ones would be prohibitive. To make it an even halfway reasonable task I’d need a barcode scanner and more bookshelves.

However, that wouldn’t make up for the fact that I’m scatterbrained and forgetful, which means that I’d soon start forgetting to input new books, and then the catalog wouldn’t be at all accurate, and I’d give up.

Last week:

This week’s question is suggested by Island Editions:

Do you have a favourite book, now out of print, that you would like to see become available again? (I have several…)

Absolutely. I mourn the fact that Word Painting apparently went out of… hey wait a minute. It’s back in print!

WOOHOO! No more telling people they should track down a used copy!

Ahem. Okay. The second-most-often mourned out-of-print book in this household would be Janice Henderson’s White Chocolate cookbook.

While I’m posting, time to update on reviews. I’ve posted my third annual gift recommendations for cooks (mostly awesome cookbooks), and a review of the Baker’s Edge Pan.

Today’s review is of Mollie Katzen’s Recipes: Soups. It’s good, but it didn’t bowl me over. Which is too bad, because it’s exactly the kind of food I could use right now.

Sorry for so few reviews, posts, visits to other folks’ blogs, etc. this week. It’s been a very low-energy week. I finally saw the gastroenterologist yesterday, and he basically told me this: yep, looks like my gallbladder is slowly deteriorating and on its way out. But until a test like the HIDA scan or ultrasound shows that unequivocally (the HIDA results were borderline), a surgeon won’t be willing to take it out. So in the meantime, we try a few drugs that probably won’t do much but might if I’m lucky, and mostly we wait until my gallbladder gets bad enough that tests aren’t equivocal and a surgeon will take it out.

As the doc said, “welcome to 2007.”

On the one hand, I’m glad to have surgeons be a bit conservative, and not want to just open patients up and take out our innards at the drop of a hat. Every time we go under anaesthesia and they open us up there’s some risk, even if the procedure is incredibly minor, like this one. However, when they know a certain set of symptoms and test results mean they’ll have to do it eventually, then I can’t help thinking delaying is mostly about insurance: i.e., they won’t do the procedure unless they can prove to insurance they had to. Which means that in the meantime, I have pain and nausea.

*grumble, grumble*

Well, at least it’ll force me to eat a very low-fat diet, because damn do I hate nausea with a passion.

Anyway, I am aware that most of the site (the regular pages, rather than the blogs) is inaccessible right now. Unfortunately I need to wait for Jeffrey to get home from work to do anything about it if it doesn’t recover on its own. In the meantime, I can distract you with the rather hysterical shirt design Jervis came up with:

Level 70 Hottie

Also, since most of our old WoW guild has kind of died away until nearly all that’s left in terms of active players are a bunch of us who all know each other in real life, Jervis decided it was time to just go form our own guild, so we could have a guild vault and all that fun stuff. I don’t know who suggested it, but somehow we ended up with a guild name of “Innocent Bystander.” I find it incredibly funny to have that under my character names!

Since I’ve been so low-energy this week I’ve been playing around in the Pirates of the Burning Sea open beta. I love that game, and look forward to perhaps writing something of a review of it. I adore playing around with the economy. Wealth is your friend. Of course, going out and pirating merchant ships is an awful lot of fun too…

Oh, and I almost forgot. Apropos of nothing, you’ll need a whole box of tissues for this story.

We were taken by surprise when our Level 70 Mom design turned out to be the runaway success of this year’s holiday season at our Cafepress store; we made it in time for Mother’s Day this year, but apparently the winter holidays are seeing a big resurgence in love for moms. We quickly designed a Level 70 Dad design to go with it. When that proved popular as well (apparently all the cool parents are wearing gamer gear this year!) we knew we had to branch out a bit. You guys sure do keep us busy! First, for married couples, the 70 Husband and 70 Wife designs (hmm, I guess since my husband helped to come up with this idea it would probably be anticlimactic to get him one of these for his holiday present; back to the drawing board!).

[Urk. Brief pause to convince my cat to stop stepping on the mouse button. Devil-kitty indeed.]

And finally, the 70 Boyfriend and 70 Girlfriend designs:

In unrelated news, today’s book review is of the Red Lion Inn Cookbook, Third Edition. It’s one of the major books that provided the recipes for our Thanksgiving feast. Enjoy!

Afterword: You know, there’s something wrong with a day in which I get most of my major productivity done before 6 am. Not that I’m complaining about being productive, mind you.

Just a quick note to point you to today’s review, the first of the holiday cookbook reviews: The Pastry Queen Christmas. YUM!

Also introducing: the Gamers’ Heaven Holiday 2007 sale section and the Caffeinated Chicanery Holiday 2007 sale section! Enjoy the discounts on all sorts of gamer, geek, book, and humor-related T-shirts, mugs, buttons, and more!

Thanksgiving has always been a pure excuse to cook for us. When we lived in the Boston area we would invite all the friends of ours who didn’t have family to go back to for the holidays (or who didn’t want to visit family, or whose family was too far away) and feed them a ton of food. It was great fun. Since we’ve moved away, it’s a smaller group—my husband and I, usually an old college friend of mine who comes to stay for a week or two, and a friend or two from the Maryland area.

This year, however, it was just the two of us. We weren’t about to let that stop us from cooking, of course, particularly seeing as we have holiday cookbooks to review! The one big change we made, however, was that instead of planning one big feast day, we made the various dishes whenever we felt like it over the long weekend, so we could take things slowly and enjoy ourselves.

Here’s what we made:

Before Thanksgiving day we made cranberry walnut scones, pumpkin pie, and cheddar rolls. These are all things that can be made ahead of time with no problem. All three recipes tasted amazing; the pie recipe had a few logistical errors, but that’ll come out when I review the cookbook soon.

We roasted a turkey, of course. We brined it as we always do—this contributes so much to a juicy, flavorful turkey that I can’t imagine not doing it now. Then we roasted it the Alton Brown way. This means half an hour in a “NASA-hot” oven (ie 500 degrees F), followed by putting a triangular foil ‘hat’ over the breast meat, and a temperature probe in the breast meat (not touching the bone), and reducing the temp to 350. The bird is done when the temperature probe indicates that the breast meat has reached safe temperature, about 165 F.

Why such a complicated method? Well, dark meat and white meat are safe at different temperatures. By the time the dark meat is safe, the white meat is usually overdone and dry. By tenting the white meat with foil, you end up with both types of meat done around the same time. The initial time in the super-hot oven then ensures an evenly, beautifully browned turkey, which you wouldn’t get if you kept the foil on the entire time.

We made a pear salad with chevre and pomegranate that was to-die-for; a four-bean salad with homemade robust Italian dressing; cheesy potatoes in milk; mushroom pancetta stuffing; sweet potato slices (oven-roasted with herbs, olive oil, seasonings, and orange zest—yum!); Mexican camp bread (wide, flat, pan-fried biscuits, essentially); date cupcakes with toffee filling and coconut frosting; green bean & bacon bundles; turkey dripping gravy; and apple & pear chutney.

My favorite dishes: pumpkin pie; cheddar rolls; stuffing; bean salad; sweet potatoes; pear salad; camp bread; cupcakes; chutney. The potatoes were a bit disappointing, and the green beans were overly greasy (at least the first night), but otherwise the rest of the dishes were quite good too. I’ll be able to review a handful of cookbooks quite soon!

Other things I’m working on and hope to make progress on this week: more T-shirt designs; a review of a book called Thirteen; playing some games (have I mentioned that I cannot WAIT until Pirates of the Burning Sea comes out?!); catching up with some blog reading; catching up with some email.

I hope everyone had a yummy weekend!

Cooking Addict
Lock up your kitchens!

Actual conversation:

Jeffrey: I’m on a mission to find some sweet paprika.
Me: (Tells him where to find it.)
Jeffrey: That was an easy mission.
Me: Did you level?
Jeffrey: No, I need to grind some more spices.

When I review a cookbook I always make the dish as close as possible to the exact recipe—otherwise it wouldn’t be a true test of the cookbook. This is even the case when I’m pretty darn sure there’s a problem here.

The pumpkin pie recipe in the cookbook I’m using now looks delicious, and I have a feeling it’ll taste fantastic. That said, I looked at the ingredient list and said, “this makes two? No way this only makes two pies.” Still, I followed the recipe, because it’s a review book.

Now I have two very full deep-dish pies in the oven. I have a bowl of pumpkin custard waiting to go in. And I still have to figure out what I’m going to do with the remaining roughly one-pie’s-worth of filling. I may have to go around to the neighbors and see if anyone wants a spare pie!

Today’s book review is of Tan Twan Eng’s incredibly lovely and heartbreaking The Gift of Rain. I highly recommend it, even if you don’t usually like historicals. Go read the review… I honestly don’t know what I could say about it in a sentence or two.

Speaking of books…

If you’ve been wanting to pick up any of the writing- and reading-related designs from our Caffeinated Chicanery store, now’s the time! Cafepress sent me a “friends and family” discount coupon that can be used at the shop (fine print reads: “Excludes Gift Certificates, bulk orders, taxes and shipping fees. Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or coupons. Valid through November 27, 2007 at 11:59 p.m. (PST).”) for $15 off an order of $50 or more. The code is FRFAM2007. So if you’ve been wanting any Word Nerd, Book Nerd, Book Lover, Write with Grace, Write with Curiosity, Character Dictation, or Books are a Girl’s Best Friend items, get ‘em cheap(er)! (And consider a Needs More Coffee shirt while you’re there… I get comments on mine constantly!)

Oh, and… (the post that wouldn’t die!) I found an awesome mention of the writing resources on the site today, and wanted to thank Babblin’ on the Bayou! Such kind words! And The Code still thinks my ages-old (in web terms) articles on writing for RPG companies have something worthwhile to impart, which makes me happy.

Have a great Thanksgiving, those who get to take vacation. The rest of you, have a good week. I might drop in now and then, but mostly I’ll be cooking. The holiday is basically just an excuse to cook for us!

*blinks sleepily and glances at the watch*

Yes, yes it is.

Here are some links to the latest book reviews:

• The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook
• Liza Fosburgh, Soups & Stews for Fall and Winter Days
• Jack R. Nerad, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hybrid & Alternative Fuel Vehicles

I now have the ability to easily add new links to the main page of the site, so it’s being updated quickly now. I’m in the middle of reading Bill James’s Wolves of Memory and hope to have a review up for that Monday at latest.

An early-morning conversation:

Me: I’ve noticed a pattern. I’m most prone to insomnia after sugary, fatty desserts.
My husband: Another good reason to eat well and take care of ourselves.
Me: Oh, speaking of, I ran some EVE missions last night and sent you another 3 million ISK for implants.
My husband: I’ll pick up some cupcakes on the way home from work.

Actual conversation.

I deployed three new designs to the cafepress stores last night. One went to Caffeinated Chicanery, the writing-reading-cooking-humor-etc. store:

THAT
They told me I couldn’t
wear that on a T-shirt

Okay, so we might be over-fond of wordplay and irony-based humor, but I think lots of other people appreciate it too.

The other two went to Gamers’ Heaven, our gamers & geeks store:

Level 70 Dad

It’s the companion piece to our Level 70 Mom design; I noticed sales of the latter were going up noticeably as the Christmas season approaches, figured folks were buying them as gifts, and thought it would be nice to have a matching design for dads too. So I set our business partner to the task of brainstorming image designs, and then I put them together. Fun process.

The other is called ‘Boss Faction,’ and it’s for all you working Warcraft or other mmorpg players:

I’m not kissing ass
I’m just grinding boss faction

Don’t forget if you sign up for the monthly store newsletters (left-hand navigation column, at the bottom) you’ll get access to a subscribers’-only sale each month. Also you won’t have to worry about missing our special announcement later this season!

That’s it for now, I think, although I’m sleepy enough that I’m not sure.

White chocolate is a wonderful thing, in my opinion, and in many cases I actually prefer it to chocolate itself. I’ve heard many people express a distaste for the stuff, and I have a feeling that some of these cases stem from a couple of causes.

Many people believe they’re eating white chocolate when, in fact, they’re eating what is referred to as “confectionary coating”, or a white blend of solid fats, sugar, and vanilla flavoring. This is not white chocolate, and in my opinion tastes very little like real white chocolate. Any time you see something labeled “white chips” or the like, it isn’t white chocolate. If in doubt, check the ingredient list; it should contain actual cocoa butter.

Some white chocolates do have a chalky taste to them; I’m guessing this is due in some way to the milk solids used in them. However, when used as ingredients in most recipes, this chalky taste tends to get drowned out in favor of white chocolate’s better aspects (which include an incredibly delicate flavor and a you-wouldn’t-believe-it smooth, buttery mouth-feel). I highly recommend tracking down a copy of the unfortunately out-of-print White Chocolate cookbook by Janice Henderson. However, many chocolate cookbooks these days include recipes for white chocolate as well (I’ll be reviewing one soon, in fact).

If you really want the ultimate white chocolate experience, however, then there’s really only one solution: track down a bar of Green & Black brand organic white chocolate with real vanilla bean flecks. We find it off-and-on in the all-natural foods section of our grocery store, or occasionally with the other chocolate bars. There’s no chalky taste in this brand, and my favorite way to showcase it is simply to make hot chocolate with a bar—whole milk or half and half (about a cup to a cup and a half, heated to scalding in a microwave) in which you whisk in one chopped or broken-up bar. Serves two.

With all this need to eat healthy & low-fat lately, I’ve been experimenting with ways to keep meals interesting, easy, and good for me. Here’s my breakfast cereal recipe:

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 2 cups mixed-grain hot cereal of your choice, or a mixture of whole grains of your choice (such as rye and barley flakes)*
• 1/4 cup toasted milled flax seed
• 1/3 cup unprocessed bran (oat or wheat)
• 1 cup unsweetened dried fruit, chopped if necessary (I like tart currants or mixed berries)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or other nut of your choice, walnuts or almonds should work well)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup raw cane sugar (optional)

Stir well and store tightly closed. If you don’t expect to go through it quickly, store it in the freezer. When you want breakfast, put 1/2 cup of mix in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 cup water or skim milk (I prefer the milk), and microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds on high, or until done (depends on the microwave). You can also do larger or smaller amounts as long as you keep the ratio roughly the same (2 parts liquid to 1 part cereal). Make sure the bowl is large enough to accommodate the bubbling up of the cereal!

If fresh fruits are in season, consider chopping some and adding to your cooked cereal.

I find I need a tiny bit of sweetening (the dried fruit and small amount of sugar), but you can leave it out if you want to. Another alternative is to leave the sugar out of the recipe but add approximately one teaspoon agave nectar to the cooked cereal; agave nectar is a very slow-absorbing natural sweetener with a low glycemic index.

If you want a quick, easily-transported lunch, make a batch of this the night before, chill in the fridge, and toss a container of it into your lunch box; it’s very good cold.

Variation 1: Add 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice.

*As long as they’ll cook in the microwave in roughly the same amount of time as oats, they’ll work. This is why I use pre-packaged 5- or 7-grain multigrain cereals from the hot cereal aisle, because they’re usually designed with quick cooking in mind.