Book Review - Such a Quiet Place

 

Such a Quiet Place

                                                                by Megan Miranda

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection—comes a riveting, “suspenseful” (BookPage, starred review) novel about a mysterious murder in an idyllic and close-knit neighborhood.

Welcome to Hollow’s Edge, where you can find secrets in a close -knit neighborhood. It used to be a quiet place to raise a family.  Then Brandon and Fiona Truett were murdered.

Neighbors turned against each other. They were unable to sell their houses. Suspicion spreads as they know the killer is one of them.

You will not guess the killer with all the twists and turns in this thriller.

Cookie Recipe - Cake Mix Cookies

 

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 – ounce) box cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup add-ins 

• Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. In a large bowl mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil until smooth. 
  3. Mix in desired add-ins
  4.  Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until lightly golden at the edges.
  5. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack
     
  6. Use any flavor cake mix you would like and mix and match add-ins!
  7. Chocolate Chips
  8. M&M’s
  9. White Chips
  10. Reese’s Pieces
  11. Chopped Candy Bars
  12. Sprinkles
  13. Peanut Butter Chips
  14. I love them frosted!

Book Review - The Testaments

 

The Testaments

                                                                    by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments is a 2019 dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood.

 It is a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. It is 15 years later.

 It is narrated by: Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; Agnes, a young woman living in Gilead; and Daisy, a young woman living in Canada. 

With The Testaments, Margaret Atwood opens up the inside workings of Gilead, as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.

This book has been made in to a TV series.

Sugar Cookie recipe

 Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2  3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

 1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F . In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

• Step 3

  Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

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Book Review - Wish You Were Here

 

Wish You Were Here 

by  Jodi Picoult

This is a must read by one of my favorite authors. 

Diana O'Toole has her whole planned out and she is on track to make it happen. She has a good job, the perfect boyfriend and exciting life in New York City.

Her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on there romantic vacation to the Galapagos.  A pandemic hits. Finn can't go on their non-refundable trip but urges Diana to go and enjoy herself.

The dream vacation quickly becomes a nightmare as Diana becomes stranded on the island, the hotel closes because of the quarantine, her luggage is lost and no Wi-Fi. What else could go wrong?

Cookie recipe - Peanut Butter Kisses

 

Peanut Butter Kisses 

Ingredients

 1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

30 milk chocolate kisses

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Cream peanut butter and sugar
3. Beat in egg and vanilla
4. Roll into 1-1/4-in. balls
5.  Place 2 in. apart on ungreased  cookie sheet
6.  Bake until tops are slightly cracked, 10-12 minutes
7.  Immediately press 1 chocolate kiss into center of each cookie
8. Cool for 5 minutes
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Book Review - One Step Too Far

 

One Step Too Far

by Lisa Gardner

 
Timothy O’Day  disappeared on the first night of a bachelor party camping trip with his best friends.  

Frankie Elkin doesn’t know the woods ,but she knows how to find people. Timothy’s father is organizing one last search .Frankie joins the search, despite the rescue team’s reluctance. As they hike into the mountains, it becomes clear that there’s something dangerous  in the woods.

 This will have you on the edge of your seats until the very end.

Chocolate no-bake cookies

 Chocolate no-bake cookies

A family favorite

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cups  granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup  milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup  creamy peanut butter
• 3 cups  quick oats (don't use old fashioned oats)

• Instructions

  • • In a medium saucepan combine butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk. 

    Set over medium heat, and cook stirring frequently until it reaches a full boil. 
  • Allow mixture to boil 60 seconds without stirring. 
  • Remove from heat, immediately add in vanilla, peanut butter and quick oats. 
  • Stir mixture until well combined.
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Book Review - the Wrong Alibi

 

The Wrong Alibi

by Christina Dodd

Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Jones lands a too good to be true  job in small-town Alaska .  Donald White, her boss,  disappears, leaving her to face charges of theft, embezzlement and  murder. She is convicted and faces life in prison until an accident gives her the opportunity to go on the run. 

Evie spends her time trying to clear her name and hunt down Donald While. She desperately misses her family but does not dare contact them. 

She answers to the name Petie, and manages a remote Alaskan fishing lodge and camp. She lives under the radar for a long while, until she discovers Donald White has resurfaced and her family is in danger.

Christina Dodd is a masterful storyteller.

Coconut Bars

 

Magic Coconut Bars

Ingredients

• ½  cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, approximately 15 to 16 full sheets
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• ¾ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 ⅔ cups sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush graham the crackers. Stir the brown sugar into the graham crackers; set aside.
3. Put the ½ cup butter into an 8 x 8 baking pan; heat in the oven until butter is completely melted.
4. Remove from the oven and evenly spread the graham cracker and brown sugar mixture over the melted butter.
5. In layers, alternate the chocolate chips, coconut, and the pecans. Evenly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the coconut is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.

Book Review - Tell No One

 

Tell No One

By Harlan Coben

Every day for the past eight years, Dr. David Beck has relived the horror of what happened. The last night he saw his wife alive.

Everyone tells him it's time to move on.  Then message appears on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. You will not soon forget this book. A true thriller!

I love all of Harlan Coben's books.

Cookie recipe - Pecan Sandies

 PPecan Sandies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar for rolling
• INSTRUCTIONS
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in water and vanilla.
  • Stir in flour and pecans until well combined. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place at least 2 inches apart onto two lightly greased baking sheets.
  • Place shaped cookies into the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 325 degrees.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
  • Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar*. Store in an airtight container. Cookies stay good for about 3 to 5 days.

Book Review - The Search Party

 

The Search Party

by Simon Lelic

The entire town thinks sixteen-year-old Sadie Saunders is dead. 

Sadie has been missing for a week.  Was she  murdered?

Sadie's five best friends aren’t so sure, and they vow to find out the truth. They head into the woods where Sadie was last seen.

They’re not just friends, they’re suspects and each of them has a secret.

 Not everyone will make it home alive.

I guarantee you will not guess the ending of this book.

This is an author to watch!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4cups all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1cup butter, softened
• 3/4cup granulated sugar
• 3/4cup packed brown sugar
• 2eggs
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 2cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1cup coarsely chopped nuts, if desired
• Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• Beat softened butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon about 1 minute.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour mixture just until blended (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. 
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Book Review - The Woman in the Purple Skirt

 

The Woman in the Purple Skirt

by Natsuko Imamura

A bestselling, prizewinning novel of obsession and psychological intrigue about two enigmatic unmarried women, one of whom manipulates the other from afar, by one of Japan's most acclaimed young writers according to Goodreads.

I like thrillers. I picked up this one by accident. I needed a short book as I only had a small amount of time. This book is small in size and only 224 pages. 

The book is narrated by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. She, in my opinion, is stalking the Woman in the Purple Skirt. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan wants to be friends with the Woman in the Purple Skirt but doesn't seem to have the social skills to carry that out. 

Some behaviors by both women seem bizarre. I had to reread the ending to see if I had missed something. 

Cookie Recipe - Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting

 

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

·         1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

·         1 eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         1 cup canned pumpkin

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Frosting

·         1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened

·         8 oz cream cheese softened

·         3 cups powdered sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cookies

1.              Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.              In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 1 minute. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until well combined.

3.              Add one egg and the vanilla then beat well, until yellow streaks are gone. Add the pumpkin pure and beat again until it's incorporated. Finally, add the flour and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated. Watch the video to see instructions on how to properly measure flour. The dough will be wet, this is what you want!

4.              Use a heaping tablespoon or medium sized cookie scoop to drop the dough a few inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set and no longer look wet. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5.              Make the cream cheese frosting

6.              Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth.

7.              Sift in the powdered sugar then add the vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Once cookies are cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.

Notes