A bewitching tale that'll keep you up all night!

Once a year tradition calls for the sacrifice of the youngest child in the Protectorate to keep the witch content. But in truth, Xan, the witch, isn't the menace everyone makes her out to be. She's kind and lives with an inquisitive little dragon and an enormous swamp monster.

After a baby is left for the yearly sacrifice, Xan intends to deliver her to the safety of a city on the other side of the forest to live with a nice family, but when she accidentally feeds the baby moonlight instead of starlight, Xan must keep the baby as her own because she's unleashed magical powers on the child. She names her Luna.

Luna's magical powers grow stronger by the day and as her thirteenth birthday approaches so do dangerous consequences. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens.

Ranch gravy boat- This is to represent the bog where Glerk spends a lot of his time.
Bloomin' Onion - This Panko encrusted onion is supposed to symbolize the volcano that threatens to explode and change the course of the Protectorate. Also, it reminds me a little of Glerk. 
Broccoli - The clumped together florets resemble the forest where Xan and Luna live.
Pistachio and blueberry upside down ice cream cone - Luna's mother, labeled a madwoman, is forced to reside in the tower where she spends her days creating paper birds and waiting to be reunited with the baby she's certain never died. The distance from the camera lens to the plate is intended to represent a bird's eye view. 

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 

Tash loves all things Tolstoy, especially, Anna Karenina, but today's world doesn't embrace the sweeping masterpiece as much as Tash would like so she puts her own spin on the classic by retelling it through a web series called Unhappy Families. When a well-known vlogger gives a shout-out for the series, the unimaginable happens and Tash is shot into stardom. But can she handle the newfound fame, a potential love interest, and keep her friends without losing her own identity?

Dr. Pepper - This is a literal representation from the book as a favorite drink for Paul. 

Soup - This is a traditional Russian soup called Shchi. It's a common dish. The mixing of the ingredients symbolizes the mixing of friends. Some of the items go together while others don't typically mix like cabbage and tomatoes in the dish and yet compliment one another. 

Bread and caviar - The breaking of bread around a dinner table is something families do together as well as with other families. It is served with caviar to represent Tash's taste of the finer things in life. To find out what, you'll have to read the book. 

Now that you've had a taste, read the book:​
www.amazon.com/Tash-Hearts-Tolstoy-Kathryn-Ormsbee/dp/148148933X

This post is two days late due to a family emergency that took me out of town. Everything is better now!

 As the story opens, Carver is attending yet another funeral for one of the Sauce Crew members. This is a literal representation from the book. He talks about how they've served cocktail sausages in BBQ sauce. But it also symbolizes one of my favorite scenes in the book for how the Sauce Crew acquired their name!

Cornbread - During Carver's Goodbye Day with Blake's grandmother, he learns the story behind how Blake came to live with her. It involved corn and, for me, was the most emotional of the Goodbye Days, but you'll have to read to see if you'll agree.

Cereal - This was, in my opinion, Carver's hardest Goodbye Day because it was spent with Mars' tough-as-nails dad and the person who's most convinced Carver's to blame for the fatal car crash. They eat cereal together. In the book, it's Special K, but I have a fondness for chocolate cereal so I used what I already had on hand.

Chocolate croissant - Finally, Carver says goodbye to Eli. This day was spent with Eli's parents and girlfriend. They start the day by eating chocolate croissants. Again, it's a literal representation from the book. Carver spends most of this day sorting out his myriad of feelings over losing Eli but also gaining someone he's unexpectedly falling for.  

Admittedly this has been one of my favorite books I've read in the last year!
It's not goodbye; it's see you later...

What happens when saying hello to someone leads to goodbye in an instant? Make it three someones. Goodbye Days is the emotionally packed story about friendship, growing up, and moving on without giving up.

When Carver Briggs sends a text to his friend, Mars who's driving at the time, his world changes in the blink of an eye. Literally. Mars and Carver's other two best friends, Eli and Blake, are killed in a car crash. 

Carver wants to shut the world out. How can he live without the Sauce Crew? Then Blake's grandmother asks for a Goodbye Day with Carver, but he's hesitant, especially when the other families ask for one, too. After all, he's to blame for their deaths, isn't he? Find out for yourself in this gripping, raw and beautifully told story...
www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Days-Jeff-Zentner/dp/0553524062/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516043611&sr=1-1&keywords=goodbye+days

Dumplin' has a heart as big as Texas!

Despite being an above average size for a beauty pageant, Willowdean Dickson, aka Dumplin', decides to enter anyway because it's not whether or not you win; it's about daring to be true to yourself.

This meal, like the book, is sure to fill you up:
Two chili dogs with the works - Will works with Bo at Harpy's, a fast food place, until she loses her confidence in believing they can work as a couple. She quits and goes to work at the local chili restaurant. The chili dogs combine their time together as well as their time apart. 

Sweet Potato Fries - On the side are Will's mom, new and old friends, Dolly's music, and the memory of her beloved aunt. It's the sweet and salty of her life that helps shape Willowdean into the person she truly is. 

Big Red - Will isn't afraid to be bold and live life out loud.