Blog Hop and Yin-Yang Almond Cookies

Jennifer at Crazy For Books has a great thing going on. Her Book Blogger Hop is a great way to network with other book bloggers. Sign up on her McLinky list and don't forget to check out at least a few of the blogs that are listed there. Please let me know if you found me through the Blog Hop or Follow Friday!

Don't forget to check out this weeks Tasty Tuesday recipe "Ying-Yang Almond Cookies" inspired by Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Yink, who incidently is one of the favorite new authors I have found this year. 

Yin-Yang Almond Cookies

Yin-Yang is described as "polar or seemingly contrary forces (that) are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn"(wikepedia.org).  Lia and Alice definately have some Yin-Yang going on in Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink.  Though on opposites sides of a war, they cannot live without each other.  I think you'll like these cookies.  They are easier to make than you might think, and so yum!

Yin-Yang Almond Cookies

ALMOND COOKIES:

2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
35 blanched almond halves
12 blanched almonds, ground to a powder
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon solid shortening

WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

8 ounces white chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon solid shortening

Combine butter and sugar until smooth.  Add the egg, extract and ground almonds.  Combine flour, backing powder and salt.  Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture and process.  Cover dough and refrigerate for one hour. 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll dough into 11/2 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Flatten the balls into 2 inch rounds.  Place a whole almond in the center of each cookie. 

Brush each cookie with the egg yolk and water mixture. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
Microwave chocolate chips and shortening, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.   Dip each cookie into the chocolate, stopping just below half way. Scrape off the excess chocolate from the bottom of the cookie, then set the cookies on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet.  Put the cookies in the freezer to set.  Repeat the process with the white chocolate, rotating the cookies 45 degrees before dipping.  Put the cookies back in the freezer for half an hour before eating.

Recipe inspired by Katherine Heyhoe and Globalgourmet.com.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Food to eat while reading: Yin-Yang Almond Cookies (come back tomorrow for the Tasty Tuesday recipe).

“Our mother somehow knew that there was no escaping fate, no matter how chaotic and random it sometimes seems.” (p. 251)

Legends mix with reality in this dark, Edwardian tale of two sisters whose fates are intertwined. Lia understands that she can choose for herself the path she wants to take, while her twin sister Alice is determined to follow what fate has demanded of her.

Read the synopsis here.

What I liked:

Lia and Alice are like yin-yang, flip sides of a coin, black and white, north and south; while they cannot bear to live with each other, they cannot exist without the other. In the heart of this book lies the question, “Can balance come about in the face of chaos?”.

A reader will naturally look forward to seeing how Ms. Zink answers this question of balance amid the many other deliciously asked questions that string the reader along like a trail of bread crumbs. The sprinkling of bits and pieces of a puzzle are expertly crafted in a way that is enticing, and not frustrating to wonder about.

The gothic setting is intriguing and sets a lovely, mysterious background for the otherworldly tale. I was surprised at how easily I slid into the time period, relating to the sisters who lived hundreds of years before my own time.

Both Alice and Lia are intensely complex. Alice’s character especially fascinated me. At any moment she is aware of her love for family and her sister, yet the next she shows her cruelty. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck were raised when Lia caught Alice torturing the family cat.

Sonia and Luisa act as complementary companions to Lia, moving the story forward with momentum.

As the first book in a series, I found that the story arch and plotting were well done. Each high and low, each climactic scene and cathartic release were crafted with a precision that pulled emotion from each scene.

What I would have changed:

The story is written is first person, present tense and I had a hard time focusing on the story as a result. The uncommon tense distracted me a bit and I had to go back and read sections of the book again because of it. I do have to say that I got used to the tense after a bit.

Lia’s boyfriend James held no fascination for me. I simply placed a stiff Edwardian blank face in his place and his character did nothing to change my impressions of him. I felt no love for James, and as a result, I couldn’t believe that Lia loved him either.

The balance between the paranormal and the normal in her life felt lopsided towards the fantastic and I wondered if she had any sort of life before the opening of the book. I would like to have seen more scenes between her and James and also her past with her parents.

The verdict:

Prophecy of the Sisters is a fast-paced ride through mythology and spirit realms that will leave you chomping for the sequel. Prophecy of the Sisters #2: Guardian of the Gate comes out August 1, 2010.


Purchase: Prophecy of the Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy, Book I)


Genre: YA, paranormal

Publisher: August 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Young Readers

Where I got the book: Library

Bittersweet Blueberry-Lime Tiramisu

I love books that are emotional--sweet one moment and tear-jerking the next.  Linger by Maggie Stiefvater is a roller-coaster ride of bitter and sweet.  So here you have a lovely lime and blueberry dessert.  It's all summery too and Linger is played out as spring is giving way to the warmer season.  Yum, you will love this one!

Bittersweet Blueberry-Lime Tiramisu

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz. Marscarpone cheese, at room temperature(I just used 16 oz. of cream cheese instead of adding Marscarpone).
1 1/2 pkgs.  Loaf-style angel food cake
1 6 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

1 21 oz can blueberry pie filling(I made my own)

Beat cream  until it starts to thicken.  Gradually add powdered sugar until soft peaks form.  Gently stir in cheeses until combined.  Slice angel food cake into 1/2 inch slices.  LIne a 9x13x2 in pan with one half of the cake slices.  Brush with one half of the limeade concentrate.  Spoon half of cheese mix on top and smooth evenly.  Top with half of blueberry pie filling.  Reapeat the layers.  Cover and chill 8 hours(it's yummy immediately, but it sets up nicely when chilled).  Cut into squares and serve to 12 lucky people. 

Source: Afton 1st Ward's Recipes Cookbook