If you're following me on Twitter (@paperbackpastry) you know that my August is feeling a lot like the middle of Autumn right now. It's chilly! I jokingly tweeted about apple pie and pumpkin bread earlier this week and while I didn't actually go so far as making either of those things, I did chop up some apples and break out the cinnamon for a Fall-like treat to go with Rise Again by Ben Tripp. It's a bit scary and in my mind that goes perfectly with cold weather.
Rise Again is a zombie novel, but it's in no way typical of what the genre is becoming. I've found a lot of authors jumping on the zombie bandwagon churn out utterly predictable story lines with the same plot elements regurgitated over and over. Tripp, however, gives us something different.
Rise Again follows veteran and small town sheriff Danielle Adelman as she battles a diseased horde all while trying to find her runaway sister. The story is very character-driven - you get to know them, you grow to love them, and they are something more than just the opposite of a zombie - and the ending is not what you'd expect.
I give Rise Again four and a half brains out of five ;)
Apple Walnut Cookies
1 c butter
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
3 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 c walnuts, chopped
2 apples, peeled and diced
Stir together dry ingredients. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars. Beat in vanilla and eggs.
Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts and apples.
Form into 1" balls and bake on parchment lined baking sheets at 350F for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Because of the fresh apple in these cookies they should be stored in the refrigerator.
Makes about 3 dozen.
Happy Baking!
In Canada's Road: A Journey on the Trans-Canada Highway from St. John's to Victoria, author Mark Richardson provides a daily account of his 2012 road trip through Canada from east to west. Richardson's journey across the country along the Trans-Canada Highway is laid out step-by-step in stories of towns visited, wonders discovered and people met. The scenes Richardson lays out, the details about the history of the Trans-Canada Highway and our country, the details of his journey and the journeys of those who went before him, left me feeling so much like I had made the trip with him that I almost felt no envy at all. Almost. Before reading Canada's Road I didn't have a bucket list; now item number one is traveling across Canada, stopping along the way to absorb as much of our culture and heritage, past and future as I possibly can.
Bottom line: Read this book. It will awaken a place full of pride and thirst for adventure in Canadians and just might help the rest of the world love us that much better.
Canadian Maple Chippers
In honour of Richardson's travels, I give you a recipe for Canadian Maple Chippers - a chocolate chip cookie sweetened with Quebec maple syrup, perfect for any road trip.
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 T cornstarch
1 t baking soda
3/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 c (scant) granulated sugar
1/2 c Canadian maple syrup
1/2 T vanilla
1 c chocolate chips
Combine flour, cornstarch and baking soda. Set aside.
Beat wet ingredients, including sugars, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Mix in the dry ingredients.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake at 350F for 9-12 minutes.
Note: I received a copy of Canada's Road through a contest held by the publisher, however this review and all opinions expressed are solely my own.
