BBAW: Gratitude is My Attitude

Thank you so much for the warm welcome into the book blogging community.  The last six months have flown by and I never knew just how rewarding niche blogging could be.  I was thrilled to be nominated (Mom, did YOU submit my name?!) for several categories and was over the moon to be shortlisted in two.  I appreciate the recognition but know that no matter how comprehensive, there’s no way BBAW could shine light onto every book blog out there.  That said, I’d like to add a few of my favorite book blogs that didn’t make the shortlists.  A visit to these blogs would be time well spent!

Amy Reads Good Books: Not only is Amy my BBAW interview partner, but she’s also a talented writer and lover of books.

Heather at Book Addiction:  Heather is at the top of my feed reader for alphabetical reasons AND she’s always one of my favorite go-to blogs for reviews that are honest and concise.

Lisa at Books on the Brain: Lisa was the first person to ever leave me a comment on my life blog, nearly two years ago.  For that reason alone–the encouragement to keep blogging when NO ONE was reading my ramblings–is enough for me to highlight her.  But Lisa also has great discussions, is cohost of TLC Book Tours, and has a real-life book club that I’d love to join–just a few more reasons to love her!

Jennifer at Literate Housewife: Not only do I adore Jennifer’s layout but I also enjoy her posts and reviews.  Learning that she started her blog to help give her life some balance was also impressive to me!

Vivienne at Serendipity: My go-to blog when I need a hearty dose of England!  V always has great pictures–of her books, scrapbooking pages, and tourist sites she visits.  She’s always quick with a comment and very friendly!

Steph & Tony Investigate: Not a books-only blog but worth a visit if only to read the wonderfully erudite book reviews. 

Write Meg! I love Meg’s blog–she and I have really similar tastes in books so this might be why I enjoy stopping by so much…but to be honest I think it’s really because she’s so friendly and nice–always leaving funny comments! 

And here are a few of the over 85 book blogs on my reader–I’m only sorry I couldn’t include them all!  I hope you’ll enjoy these blogs as much as I do. 

Thank you to everyone who visits, comments, or links Book, Line, and Sinker.  You help to make this blog what it is!

Cooking Up a Good Book

I just started listening to a new audio-book on my commute–a foodie mystery called The Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke–and it motivated me to do something I rarely do–BAKE.  A book inspired me to cook–what’s next?!

The book’s protagonist, Hannah Swensen, is the owner of The Cookie Jar.  As the book progresses, she includes recipes that are mentioned in the story line.  It was such fun copying the recipe while driving in rush hour traffic!  (Kidding!  I waited for the red lights.)

I’ll readily admit that I had a string of drool on my chin as I listened to the narrator describe the cream puffs.  Is it any surprise that I was slaving away at that square box of fire in my kitchen (a stove, I think?) all weekend trying to make those little poufs of pastry goodness? 

Well, it is if you know me–I have a serious aversion to the kitchen and the activities that occur in that room.  Of course, that doesn’t preclude me from owning every tool and gadget that Williams-Sonoma has to offer.  I’m strange, I know. 

Friday’s batch of cream puff shells were perfect, but the filling was less than stellar.  I tried again on Saturday morning and the pressure was on because I volunteered to bring several dozen puffs to a party.  I cooked up a different filling and made fresh shells.  I was shocked after I sampled them (yes, more than one!)–they were delicious! 

Have you ever made a recipe that you found in a novel or do you use the old standby–a cookbook?

If you’re not afraid of bikini season, I strongly encourage you to take an hour out of your life and make these bites of heavenly goodness.

Cream Puff Shells 

(from Joanne Fluke’s The Cream Puff Murder)

• 1 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) UNSALTED butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup flour, packed down
• 4 eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

On medium heat in a small pot or sauce pan, pour in water.  Chop butter into pieces and put into water.  Let it melt.  Add salt and sugar.  Bring to a boil.

In a bowl, mix flour and baking powder.  Once water mixture is boiling, turn heat down to low and dump in flour/baking powder mixture.  Stir quickly for about 30 seconds–mixture will form a dough ball.  Remove from heat and let the dough cool for about 20 minutes on the counter.

Once dough is cool, break one egg and mix it into the dough until smooth.  Repeat with remaining eggs, one at a time until mixture has a smooth, taffy-like consistency–about 3-5 minutes with mixer.  Don’t overmix.

For mini-cream puffs, drop a teaspoon of batter per puff on to the parchment-lined cookie sheet.  You can fit 12-15 per sheet–don’t crowd them.  Cook them for about 35-40 minutes; when you take them out of the oven, pierce the sides with sharp knife to prevent collapses.  If you’d like to make large puffs, cook them for about 55 minutes.  Let the puff shells cool away from drafts.  Yield 25-35 mini puffs or 10-14 large ones.

When they are cool, cut the top 1/3 off and remove any stringy dough.  Fill with Nat’s Ghetto Cream Puff Filling.

Nat’s Ghetto Cream Puff Filling

(I don’t take credit for this recipe, I just wanted to name it after me.)

• 1 3.5 oz box of Jell-O INSTANT vanilla pudding
• 2 cups heavy cream

Pour heavy cream and instant pudding mix into a bowl.  Whip with a whisk or mixmaster until it’s the consistency of whipped cream–light and fluffy, but NOT butter. Ha! 

Scoop filling into a quart-sized Ziplock bag.  Cut off the bottom right corner of the bag.  Pipe filling into shells.  Add lids.  Sift powdered sugar on top of cream puffs.  Watch them disappear.

The Reading List: Off The Deep End Challenge

Here’s the final list* for my “Off the Deep End”  Summer Reading Challenge–pictorial first, numbered list with links to the books and bloggers who suggested them second.  I reserve the right to shuffle the order in which I read them–it’s my challenge, after all!

Now, if you’re looking for something to read this summer, look no further.  This list is based on suggestions of our fellow book bloggers.  Take a peek at the books (and blogs!) and you’ll find some keepers! 

1. We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive by Laurie Notaro (Erica of Pannonica)
2. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (Vivienne of Serendipity)
3. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Claire from Kiss a Cloud)
4. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (Anastasia from Bird Brained Book Blog)
5. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Hayden from Through the Illusion)
6. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson (Dani at Positively Present)
7. The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Heather at Book Addiction)
8. End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson (Keri at Bookends)
9. Wise Children by Angela Carter (Veronica at I Lived On Rum)
10. And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer (Lynn at Lynn’s Little Corner of the World)
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Stephanie at The Written Word and Belle of the Books)
12. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Jackie at Farm Lane Books)
13. Namako: Sea Cucumber by Linda Watanabe McFerrin (Christy at The Daily Dish)
14. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (Jena at Muse Book Reviews)
15. One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash (Suzi Q Oregon at Whimpulsive)
16. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (Florinda at The 3 Rs)
17. One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon (Becky at My Thoughts…Your Thoughts)
18. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (Belle from Ms. Bookish)
19. Cloud Street by Tim Winton (Susan and Meredith from Whelan Flynn)
20. The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart (Institutrice)
21. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King (Carrie K. from Books and Movies) 
22. The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread by Don Robertson (Bybee from Naked Without Books) 
23. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Beth from Beth Fish Reads)
24. Clown Girl by Monica Drake (Stephanie from Please, Stop Bouncing)
25. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Claire from Kiss a Cloud)
26. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Emily from The World Inside My Head)
27. Popular Music in Vittula by Michel Niemi translated by Laurie Thompson (Chartroose from Bloody Hell, It’s a Book Barrage!)
28. No One You Know by Michelle Richmond (Avisannschild from She Reads and Reads)
29. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (Soft Drink from Fizzy Thoughts)
30. Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender (I spotted a review for this one on StephSu’s blog)

*I reserve the right to make additions at will!

Way back when, WHY did you start your blog?

In December 2007, I stumbled upon a few blogs and discovered an online society I never knew about.  After following two or three blogs for a few days, I decided that blogging was something I could do too.  And so, without much thought or direction (evidenced by my early posts), I started my own life blog. 

18 months later I have two blogs that I love, an ever-widening circle of ‘blogging buddies’, and have had more fun than I thought possible.  I’ve received packages of candy, goodies, books, and more from blogging friends.  I’ve gotten support when things were dicey and have laughed more times than I can count.  I love the sense of community that blogging creates.

Since debuting Book, Line, and Sinker on March 1st, my circle of blogging friends has expanded exponentially.  In addition, I’ve read some really terrific books and have written several reviews. 

What started as a whim–a “Hey, I can do this too!” idea–has blossomed into so much more.  Now, what I really want to know is:

How long have you been blogging and what inspired you to start?