Trashy Reviews: Comic Trades Round Up Part 1!

In an attempt to get myself not so behind in books and comics I am going to post round up reviews of the various things I’ve read in the past month or two until I’m caught up. Unless of course I deem somethign worthy of a full length review than I’ll post that.

I’ve been reading on trade or manga a day to get caught up though. I have a massive pile of trades to read and comics so this is helping me slowly get caught up.

 

Swamp thing is often seen as a subpar title, but I have found that there is a hidden gem in vol 1 of the new 52. I seriously am hooked and can’t believe I wasn’t reading this series at the beginning of the relaunch. I never thought I could feel anything for Swamp Thing but I found myself hooked pretty early on in this trade. I had an emotional involvement in the character and his choices along with what was happening to his world. 5/5 stars Highly recommend you pick it up and try reading it! It’s definitely nothing like what I expected.

Teen Titans: Year One is beautifully drawn and a fun quick read. I wouldn’t go in expecting anything spectacular. If anything it’s kind of a fun fluffy book dealing with the origins of Teen Titans. I enjoyed this book but luckily I wasn’t expecting a lot. I found that when I finished the book I felt it was too short, but still didn’t really dislike it. 3/5 stars and a fun read if you like Teen Titans.

Hawkeye Vol 1 I can’t really say enough good stuff about this trade! I seriously am super happy with myself for already owning the first printing issue 1 for this comic. It is amazing. The dialogue is clever and we see how Hawkeye isn’t really a ‘hero’ but someone struggling with having been in the Avengers and now living a ‘normal’ life. Though of course nothing is really normal and we meet the amazing Kate Bishop in this trade. It all pretty much rounds up to be an incredible trade and I can’t wait to read more Hawkeye! 5/5 Stars!

-Gummi

Trashy Book Reviews: Ghost Planet by Sharon Fisher – April 2013 Vaginal Fantasy

A planet that creates ghosts of people that the human used to know on earth. Our heroine Elizabeth Cole ends up dead, but doesn’t realize it nor does her supposed to be mentor Dr. Murphy. She ends up on Ardagh 1 one for her residency to help with the ghost protocol counseling. The ghost protocol requires the colonists ignore their ghosts which becomes a stick situation for Cole and Murphy that leads us through quite the adventure and revelations.

I only really read science fiction when it’s Vaginal Fantasy picks, but this book honestly has me sold me on the fact that I need to read more of it. I was instantly invested when we learned Elizabeth was actually a ghost. Murphy immediately stops talking to Elizabeth when he discovers she’s a ghost and she doesn’t tolerate that one bit. The narrative is immersive and I could barely put this book down.

One of the best things about this book is the narrative never stops or slows down. Elizabeth is a great mary sue of a character that I find to be relatable because she’s more science minded and not a total ditz. She’s determined to find out why the ghosts exist instead of fading into the background like the others. I found myself trying to solve the mystery of the planet right along with Elizabeth.

I only have one complaint and it involves the end of the book. I don’t like the ‘surprise’ that is sprung on Elizabeth at the end or the twist with her and Murphy’s connection. I felt like the connection twist was really terrible because it seemed like the go-to fix for any problems in the end of the story. A catchall to save them from any trouble, but still I loved this book.

Overall this book is incredible 5/5 stars even with my one dislike. I HIGHLY recommend you pick it up if you want an interesting science fiction story with some great romance added in.

-Gummi

Asparagus, Radish and Pea side dish and a bonus cauliflower mash!

I’ve been on the hunt for healthier yummy sides to eat with my meals. These are two of my new finds that I LOVE!

 

Asparagus, Radish and Pea side dish

Ingredients:

Asparagus – buy a decent size bundle

3 tablespoons butter

10 oz frozen peas

1 lb radish

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Chop up your asparagus into decent size chunks while you let a large pot of water come to a boil.

2. Place the asparagus in the boiling water. Prep an ice bath for the asparagus while it boils for 3-4 minutes. It should still be crisp.

3. Transfer to ice bath to let cool then put on paper towels to dry. You can wrap the asparagus in a paper towel and plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day to do some of the prep ahead as well.

4. Chop up your radishes into quarters or smaller depending on preference.

5. In a large pan over medium heat place butter. Add your peas and asparagus. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes until warmed through.

6. Remove from heat and add radishes, salt and pepper.

7. Serve warmed and enjoy!

Cauliflower Mash!

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

1 garlic clove

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Chop the cauliflower up into smaller chunks. You can chop the stalk up or discard it.

2. Boil the cauliflower in a pot for 10-15 minutes until soft when stabbed with a fork.

3. Drain cauliflower and put into a food process or bowl to mash.

4. Add butter and milk to the processor and turn it on for a few minutes until it all starts to combine.

5. Add minced garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper.

6. Continue to mix until it has a consistency of mashed potatoes.

What is your favorite side dish to have with meals? I’m pretty addicted to cauliflower mash currently.

-Gummi

 

 

Trashy Tuesday: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – March Vaginal Fantasy

I love a good young adult novel. Hell a good young adult series and I’m hoping this series will give me that. The first book has left me standing there with my mouth hanging open and pretty much shocked.

The book revolves around Karou an odd girl from a weird place. Though she’s not really aware of where she is from or who she is. She helps a magical creature named Brimstone gather teeth from all around the world by using these weird door ways. She’s also an art student who has blue hair no really it comes out of her head that color which is pretty bad ass. Anyways Karou meets a rather interesting boy named Akiva who is a seraphim.

Now we enter into a lot of typical young adult book tropes with this book, but the plot is so perfectly constructed that I can put that aside. Yes our main character is pretty much perfect and Akiva is the typical drop dead gorgeous guy, but it’s honestly pretty easy to look past especially once you reach the end of the book. Because that ending will leave you with your mouth agape and almost in shock.

Hype that I’ve heard surrounding this book hasn’t disappointed me from what I’ve heard about it. Unlike many young adult books that fall flat for me after hearing all the hype about them Taylor manages to not disappoint. The world created in this book is very unique and it didn’t feel like anything I’ve ever read before.

The book lost points for me though because of how it ended. It was a terribly painful cliffhanger and I really do despise those. I also had to knock a few points off for the fact that it took me a long time to get into this book. Though once it picked up I was beyond hooked.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars and can’t wait to pick up book two. Highly recommend it!

-Gummi

Lemon Bars – Spring Desserts

 

This is possibly one of the quickest and easiest desserts to make. It’s a great option for any spring event you have to bring a dish to!

Dough

2 cups flour

1 cup butter (2 sticks) – room temp

½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Mix ingredients together in bowl

3. Using a 13×9 pan put the dough into it. Push dough with fingers/fists to spread into pan. Be sure bottom of the pan is covered by dough.

4. Bake 350 for 20 minutes

 

Filling

4 eggs

2 lemons (1/2 cup real lemon)

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons flour

¼ tsp salt

Directions

1. Whisk ingredients together until well combined

2. Pour over baked crust

3. Bake 350F for 25 mins

 There you have it. Delicious lemon bars. These are a great dessert to bring to parties or picnics without having to spend a lot of time doing prep work.

What’s your favorite spring treat?

-Gummi

Trashy Thursday: Comics You Should Be Reading!

I read comics in these weird spurts. I basically end up binging on comics then I don’t read any for a little while. I feel like this is okay though since it’s not an unhealthy binge just more like a I need my fix binge.

1. Saga

Anyways the most recent comic added to my lovefest is Saga! Thanks so much to all my twitter darlings (Hi Trin :p) who suggested it and tweeted about it constantly. Starring star crossed couple with a new born baby on the run through space. It’s pretty much perfect. Also lots of robots and robots having sex. That part is kinda awkward, but still READ THIS SERIES! I told myself if I can finish up my backlog of DC comics I will be immediately buying the rest of this series. Fiona Staples does some of the most beautiful art I’ve seen in a comic and holy crap the whole story is just so well written. I think the summary on Comixology sums it up perfectly “Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war.”

And that my friends is why I love this series so much. I can’t wait to make the mister read it! Also I will talk to anybody about Saga anytime and will be rereading the first volume at some point again too because it’s that awesome!

2. Li’l Gotham

I’m a huge batman fan we all know this. It’s not a shocker I’ve got a bit of a bat family problem. But Li’l Gotham is the perfect adorable bite size treat for holidays. I feel like at 99 cents you can’t go wrong for a quick fun read. Also the art fits the stories perfectly. In Saint Patrick’s day issue we learn the bat mobile has a back seat! Who knew! Anyways I look forward to these every holiday because they are just too cute and fun to read.

3. Death Of The Family Story Arc

Joker’s back with a plan! And this arc is how I feel any big villain should be used in the batman universe hell comics in general! Just an amazing story and I really loved it overall.

4. Dr. Doom And The Master’s Of Evil

Doom is rather under appreciated as a villain. He’s a genius and a total mastermind which is why I love him. Masters of Evil show us just that. It’s a fun read AND has some epic twists. Plus Doom and I well we got a little thing. Kinda like my thing for the joker I got one for Doom too.

Go forth and read comics!

Also tell me what comics are on your must read list

-Gummi

Trashy Tuesday: Dust Angel by Jutta Profijt

Have you ever read a book description and been intrigued but unsure? This was one of those books for me, but it was well worth the read.

We join our main character Corinna who has been fired from a job and finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. She decides that going into business for herself is the best option after  many unsuccessful job interviews. Thus Dust Angels is born her butler service. One thing leads to another and Corinna is driving around with a dead body in her car.

I really liked this book way more than I thought I would. It was really fun and quirky. I felt like the characters could be real people not just in a book. We not only have Corinna, but her staff including Lisbeth a very spunky lady who leads the part of cleaning staff. You meet various clients that hire Dust Angels and get to see many different types of people. All while there is a dead body in her car and she doesn’t know what to do about it! Finally we have a great romance twist at the end of the book that put the biggest grin on my face. I was beyond happy about it.

I honestly didn’t dislike anything. A couple dry spots, but those were few and far between.

This book is worth the cash and a fun read. 4/5 stars! Go pick it up!

-Gummi

Chickpea Curry

This is one of my favorite go to dishes when I want something spicy but very flavorful to eat. It’s a pretty quick meal takes 45 minutes or so and tastes amazing left over too!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

2 16 oz cans Chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp curry powder

3 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

2 cups water

Lemon and cilantro (optional)

 

Directions:

1.  Dice the onion up into smallish chunks

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan

3. Add onion and brown for approx 6 minutes; stirring occasionally

4. Add garlic cloves (minced or from a microplane), curry, cinnamon stick cooking for 30 seconds or until fragrant. It will smell really strongly of curry.

5.  Stir and add the chickpeas, ketchup, salt, pepper and water. Bring to a boil

6. Reduce to simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally

7. Uncover and increase heat to reduce sauce.

8. Serve with cilantro and lemon

Optional: You can also toss some chicken in while reducing the sauce to heat it up. This will make the meal stretch a little bit farther.

This meal costs next to nothing and serves approximately four people.

Printer friendly recipe! 

-Gummi

Adapted from a Martha Stewart Chickpea Curry recipe.

 

Trashy Tuesday: Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks

After reading the first book in this series I was extremely excited to find out that book 2 wasn’t too far off. This series so far has been amazing. Highlander Most Wanted kicks off right after the end well technically before the end of Never Seduce A Scot.

The set up for who our lass is in this book is nearly perfect. It’s quickly shown that was indeed present during the first and I like how that intertwines the stories. The narrative follows Genevieve who has been kidnapped and forced to stay in McHugh keep against her will. Until the Armstrong and Montgomery clans come to the rescue. There are quite a few twists and turns throughout the whole thing, but tons of things to like about this book.

The one thing that really struck me in this book was how awesome I felt Genevieve was! After the hell she’d lived in she still had spirit and spunk. Also she was really good with a bow which I find amazing since I love archery. Our hero Bowen is pretty striking. He comes off as a somewhat gentle giant to me and I really enjoyed that about him.

The entire narrative is pretty action packed as well. I really felt like the book never hit a dry spot. It was a fun read and interesting. Also it was great to see the set up for the third book!

This book is worth the cash and I give it 4/5 stars and highly recommend if you enjoyed the first or love highland romance.

-Gummi

Quick and Easy Crock Pot Chicken!

I got some requests to do some college/budget friendly meals so I’m giving it a go for the next few weeks.

I really can’t recommend this enough, but buying a whole chicken and cooking it can seriously be a life and time saver when it comes to eating dinner at home. It’s also a great way to make a lot of meals for one!

Anyways start with a whole chicken (if you really don’t want to cook one you can buy a rotisserie one from the store but avoid the overly seasoned ones).

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken (4lbs or so)

Celery

Carrots

Onion

1 tbs butter – room temp or soft (optional)

1 cup water

Directions:

1. Chop up your onion I quartered it for this, carrots, and celery.

2. Open the chicken and dispose of the wrapper and innards.

3. Carefully take 1/4th of the butter and stick it up under the skin of the breast. Do this 4x total with two small pieces of butter on each side.

4. Stuff two quarters of the onion into the cavity of the chicken.

5. Place chicken in crockpot and surround with veggies. Also add 1 cup of water.

6. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, high for 4. If cooking on the stove I’d use a low-medium heat for 6 hours or med-high for 4.

7. The chicken should look similar to the one above. The meat should be falling off the bone as well. Carefully remove the chicken in portions if it is falling apart and place on a cutting board.

8. Let it cool some but slowly pull off the skin and bones to throw away and shred the chicken. You can do this with your fingers or a fork.

9. Use a strainer and empty the liquid from the crockpot into a bowl. You will have some fresh chicken broth now too!

Now you have a lot of shredded chicken and are probably wondering what to do with it? Well here are some things I’ve made with my chicken this week

TACOS!! Do you really need directions for tacos?

BBQ Sammy – just mix some of your favorite bbq sauce in with a bowl of shredded chicken throw on some bread and you are good to go.

You can also made pasta, egg scrambles and more with the chicken!

Next week we will be learning to make chickpea curry with shredded chicken in it.

Please let me know if you have any questions or recipe requests!

Also an easily printable version of the recipe.
-Gummi