The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
Pillage by Obert Skye
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
The Wand in the Word: Conversations with writers of fantasy. compiled and edited by Lenard S. Marcus
The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle
The Silver Door by Holly Lisle
Troll’s Eye View – A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Dreamdark- Silksinger by Laini Taylor
Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan
The Novice by Trudi Canavan
Unexpected Magic by Diana Wynne Jones
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
As I mentioned in the previous post, I have a secret weapon.
Rhubarb Custard Pie
Yes, it sparkles when I take it out of the oven. *
The recipe was requested and as such, I am complying. But when you make it and people rave about it, you really should say “Thanks, I actually got it from Alison.”
Doesn’t matter if they don’t know who this ‘Alison’ is. 🙂
Anyway – background story (dreaded info dump). . .
My husband loves Rhubarb, but it is difficult to find things that are just Rhubarb. You can find all sorts of strawberry rhubarb, or pineapple rhubarb, or ______(fill in with your choice of fruit) rhubarb. But it is nigh near impossible to track down Rhubarb. So I set off on a quest. Like many a quest that has been undertaken before, but mine had less traveling, less adventure. ** Â I personally prefer a crumble topping rather than a pie crust topping so that had to go in there too. With those parameters in mind, I took a little from one recipe, a bit from another and some third thing from a different recipe. Â The result is this. Mmmmmm.
So without further ado:
Rhubarb Custard Pie
One frozen 10 inch pie crust
Filling
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar (plus one Tbs)
¼ cup flour (plus one Tbs)
1 t. vanilla extract
3 Tbs milk
1 Tbs butter
2 lbs chopped rhubarb (or one 16 oz. package frozen rhubarb pieces)
Crumble topping
1 cup flour
1 t. baking powder
½ cup butter (cold and diced)
3 Tbs. white sugar
3 Tbs. brown sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I prep the pie crust by sprinkling 1 Tbs. flour and 1 Tbs white sugar in the bottom of the crust. It helps soak up extra juice so the bottom isn’t soggy.
Place the rhubarb in the pie crust (on top of the sugar and flour). Note: if you use the frozen rhubarb, I usually thaw it in a colander in my sink so the extra juice will drain.
In a large bowl, slightly beat the eggs. Mix in the rest of the filling ingredients and pour over the rhubarb.
In a separate bowl, mix the crumble ingredients and cut them together, keeping a crumbly consistency. Spread evenly over the top of the pie. Place on a cookie sheet (important because the custard tends to bubble over) and bake on the sheet for 50-60 minutes. Toward the end you may want to keep an eye on the topping, if it is getting too dark you may cover it with aluminum foil.
Enjoy, and if you make it, let me know what you think!
*Your experience may or may not contain sparkles. No guarantee.
** On the other hand there were less creeping things muttering “my preciousssss”, so it all evens out.
I just felt I should add a bit of random imagery.
This is my secret weapon – Rhubarb Custard Pie.
mmmmmmmm
This is the only thing remaining in my sad, sad garden.
Bonus points if you can even tell what it is.
I think my writing brain looks like that now.
And this beauty is my favorite plate. It makes me smile.
That is all.
The Viper’s Nest (39 Clues) by Peter Lerangis
The Emperor’s Code (39 Clues) by Gordon Korman
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Tithe by Holly Black
The Sisters Grimm – The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Erec Rex – The Dragon’s Eye by Kaza Kingsley
Pyramids by Terry Pratchet
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Storm Warning (39 Clues) by Linda Sue Park
In the interest of full disclosure, I want to point out that all the photos in today’s post were taken by my brother, Kevin.- http://www.kmillerphoto.com/ Thanks Kev 😉
I think everyone should try photography. Not that I think that everyone should become “A Photographer”. That’s not what I’m saying – it doesn’t even have to be photography specifically.
There is something that changes in you when you look at your surroundings with the intent to frame it, capture it, or reproduce it in some form.
I have always “taken pictures” of events and occasions without much thought other than to preserve the memory of the moment. When I changed the way I wanted to take pictures I noticed a change in my behavior.
Even when I wasn’t carrying my camera I was looking around and seeing a difference.
I could look at something I had seen a million times and be awestruck by its beauty. It became easier to appreciate my surroundings. Beauty became not only “things that are new and exotic”, but also “things that are familiar and comfortable.”
As a writer I believe it will become an important asset. To write you must be able to capture a story and describe it. Relaying that beauty is a skill I am still working on developing. You have to see the beauty of something and share it with others. In sharing, it is good to keep in mind that there are different types of beauty. Beauty doesn’t have to be shiny and happy. 
There is a sense of poetry on the profound or even the tragic.
I find that a nice, blue sky is . . . boring.
I like clouds.
I think clouds are beautiful and add dimension and depth to a picture. Much in the same way, a story without challenges or dimension is boring.
As a human being I find that being able to appreciate the beauty around me makes me happier.
I can enjoy the breathtaking moments along the journey
rather than just waiting for the view at the summit.
Love this video and all the YA authors that appear in the video (check the list at the end!)
Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Changes by Jim Butcher
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
OK so usually I don’t add commentary to these posts, I just lists the books – end of story. Not so this time. May has been terrible (and June isn’t looking much better). Typically I deal with stress through escaping with a good book (i.e. see February). It keeps me sane, it keeps me human.
As for May – sanity is a mere glimmer in the past. I was able to read the first two books at the beginning of the month and the last one only because of the holiday weekend at the end of the month. Yikes.
That means the only thing I’ve been able to read are textbooks, student assignments and papers. It also means the only thing I’ve been able to write are exams, assignments, and letters of recommendation. I can’t wait until this semester is over. Don’t get me wrong, I like my job. But it is such a small part of who I am and what I need.
I need books. *grrrrrr*
Now, I know what you are thinking.
“What’s to debate? Brownies are the food of the gods!”
This my friends, is the debate: edges or center?
My husband is a definite edge man. He likes them ‘cake style’ and well done;Â chewy not gooey.
Me, I like them gooey. I like chocolate lava cake with fudgy gushiness. He doesn’t.
So, the goal is to find the perfect balance. And, I think we have it.
Cake mix cookies. They have the taste of brownies (or whatever flavor you want) and the chewy of cookie.
Take any cake mix you would like
add 1/4 c. veggie oil
1/4 c. – 1/2 c. water
1 egg
Mix well and add whatever mix-ins you want (chips, nuts etc.)
Bake like cookies (350 degrees – 12 minutes)
The above cookies used Betty Crocker’s Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix and Reece’s Peanut butter chips.
Enjoy while solving all the world’s problems!
Oh. my. gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Princep’s Fury by Jim Butcher
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
To Light a Candle by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
Bewitched and Betrayed by Lisa Shearin
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet
Feed by Mira Grant
There's Magic in Story, 