May Date Night In: Preparations

It’s been far too long since the last DNI. Glad to have finally found an evening where we have enough time to both prepare and enjoy. We decided that since the trees are bursting with colors, the dandelions have sprung in abundance, and the Claritin is being swallowed on a daily basis it was time to “Feast on Spring.”

This is the first DNI in the book and you can actually flip through it in the provided sample on Amazon. All items have been purchased or located, except for rhubarb. My hunt for rhubarb continues fruitlessly, despite trips to numerous grocery stores (including Mount Wegmans) and the local public market. So I’m not sure what our cocktail will look like, but I’m sure Roy can concoct a worthy substitute.

I’m nervous about the chicken. Peeps, I’ve never done a whole chicken before. I’ve never cooked a turkey before. My idea of roast chicken is grabbing a rotisserie for $4.99. But this…I have to insert and remove and slide and…all kinds of slimy uncomfortable words.

Thankfully it does have one of those little belly button timers that tells me when it’s cooked through—which would be my other insecurity. 8-O

On the other, more comfortable hand, we get to enjoy wonderful strawberry shortcake for dessert and I didn’t wait for this date night to make the shortcakes. We’ve enjoyed them on multiple occasions over the past year—the best scone I’ve ever had. With fresh strawberries doused in brown sugar and lemon zest, whipped cream slightly sweetened and specked with vanilla beans…it’s going to be amazing. And very springy. I only wish we could have had Panek strawberries. Will have to repeat in another month…

Review coming tomorrow! In the meantime, it’s time to dress the chicken! “I wonder if it’s a he chicken or a she chicken?”

Today’s 1%: Book update!

34/50: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. A young adult book that I had seen a movie preview for and, while the preview looked a little odd, thought perhaps the story would be better in book form. It was OK—a lot of ideas I’ve already read (children with magical powers, normal people who don’t understand them and wish they didn’t exist, time travel, etc etc etc). The hook was all the old-timey photographs that show the children and somehow portray their special powers. The photographs actually exist and provided the basis for Ransom Riggs’ book. They’re mysteriously creepy and lovely.

35/50: The Girl On The Train. OK. This was one of those bestsellers from the past year or so and I’d heard good things about it. I loved it. Fast-paced fiction, which is totally up my alley. A great suspense/murder mystery. Decent plot, although I had it figured out earlier than I suspect the author intended. Fascinating characters and not nearly as profane as the Cormoran Strike novels. Not sure I’d want to see a movie of it, but the book was spellbinding. Was hooked from the first page.