melissajm

This may be too simple and flexible to even count as a recipe, but I like it better than some take-out, and it has MUCH less sodium. Just about everything but the veggies is optional or can be adjusted "to taste."
(Note: Check labels carefully. Most brands of veggies and sauce have lots of sodium, but a few don't.)

Ingredients:

1 can Chinese vegetables, low sodium, drained. (I use Kame stir-fry blend. I think Geisha might have some too.)
Approx 1 tbsp low sodium sweet-and-sour or duck sauce. (I use Hickory Farms Sweet + Sour)
About a clove's worth of minced or crushed garlic.
Drizzle of red pepper oil. (I'm always shocked at how spicy it is and swear to use less next time.)

For a heartier version, add leftover chicken. It's also awesome with pineapple.

Put all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir. Heat. Eat.

Experiment! I just tried adding a crystal of crushed candied ginger, and it was good. I've also added a splash of vinegar when I thought it was too sweet.

I have 2 stories out at once! "Frog/Prince" is now available at Daily SF: http://dailysciencefiction.com/recent

And "The Salt Man" is out at IGMS: http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=issue&vol=i27&article=_003

I thought I'd post some comments on the River anthology, edited by Alma Alexander. They're purely subjective, especially since several people involved with the book are friends or online acquaintances. I’m not any kind of an experienced reviewer, just somebody who loves stories.

I enjoyed the book a lot. First of all, I've never seen a book that used a literal map of a river as a TOC. Nice touch. And I understand the editor's premise that all rivers share in the same deep magic. A book about water and water creatures always gets my attention.

Now, some brief personal thoughts about the stories:

"The Mill-Keeper and the Wolf," by Tiffany Trent- The book starts with a love story. There’s a twist, though. The lovers are an eternally-dying wolf and a wild spirit bound to guard a sacred well, the start of the River. The ending leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not their perpetually-repeating fate can change.

"Rites," by Mary Victoria- I loved the setting for this story- Cyprus. The author brought it vividly to life, and used it as the backdrop for a mythological retelling focusing on Effie, the timid, lonely protagonist.

"The Fall," by Irene Radford- The author does a fantastic job of writing from a river’s POV. At first I thought it was based on the legend of Aunt Sarah’s Falls, in NY, but apparently lots of waterfalls have stories of sacrifice attached to them. Unfortunately, this is one of two stories in this book that struck a personal nerve for me- the disabled character who exists to be either cured or sacrificed. I suspect the author was limited by the original legend in this case, and overall she did make the character a fully rounded human being, which I appreciated. Heck, she made the RIVER a fully rounded, um, being. ;)

"They Are Forgotten Until They Come Again," by Jay Lake- The other story that hit that nerve, although the characters’ actions make sense in the context of their culture. It’s a well-developed culture that hints at a larger world and more stories to come. I’d be curious to know if this story is part of something bigger.

"Scatalogical," by Deb Taber- I shouldn’t have read this story at lunchtime, becuse it lives up to its name. :) The mudfrogs are a clever creation that made me wonder just what might be going on at the local dump.

"Floodlust," by Jacey Bedford- A story of love and sacrifice, and river angels. I wouldn’t mind reading more stories about the river angels.

"Five Bullets on the Banks of the Sadji," by Keffy R. M. Kehrli- Another story rich in worldbuilding. In this case it’s a violent, grim world of politics and poison hounds, and a scrap of hope in spite of it all.

"The River," by Joshua Palmatier- This story is set in the same world as the author's "Throne of Amenkor" series. Readers who already know the world and characters will enjoy revisiting it, and those who don't may be tempted to read more after this tragic, haunting story of desperate people and dark choices.

"My Grandfather's River," by Brenda Cooper- This is a small, sweet story about a beautiful gift. It made me miss my grandparents, and a certain lake.

"Lady of the Waters," by Seanan McGuire- This one was fun! If there’s a book set in this would, I want to find it. It’s got a centaur sea captain and a most unusual mermaid, and it may be my favorite story in the book. Possibly. In a book like this, it’s hard to choose.

"Vodnik Laughter," by Ada Milenkovic Brown- I love mythological-creature stories, folklore, and historical settings, and this story’s got it all. Czech folklore too, which I haven’t encountered all that often.

"River-Kissed," by Joyce Reynolds-Ward- Did I mention that I love mythological-creature stories? This book’s full of tales of sacrifice and change, and this story embodies both.

"Beyond the Lighthouse," by Nisi Shawl- And the book ends with a love story, one set in our world, that feels both real and magical. This was the perfect story to end the anthology. It was touching and poignant, and I kept fearing that it was going to end a totally different way, and was very happy with how it turned out.


So, overall, this is a fascinating anthology full of variety and well-written stories, and I recommend it highly.

Well, I feel a bit funny about doing this, but if you're eligible to vote for the Hugos or Nebulas and would like to read my story "Melonheads and Squashers" from Cucurbital 2, just let me know.

I'm guessing that my stories from Daily Science Fiction ("...And A Bottle Of Rum," "Sister," and "Inside Things" are eligible too. http://dailysciencefiction.com/search/process

Speaking of Daily SF, 2 of my favorites were Eugie Foster's "Requiem Duet, Concerto for Flute and Voodoo," and "Are You There? Are You Safe? Is The Flock Safe?" by D. Robert Hamm.

I don't know if "Banjooli," in S&S 26, is eligible for anything or not.

(Thanks, Cucurbital, Norilana and Daily SF!)

Santa's been Christmas shopping! Every year, Mike + I go to our local grocery + drugstores after Christmas and pick up some of their steeply marked down toys for next year's Toys for Tots. We make sure not to get anything with batteries, candy or other perishable stuff in them and store them in plastic bags, and next year they're nice and clean and good as new. If you've got a little storage space, it's a way to make twice as many kids happy.

Clearly, the Universe has decreed that I shall never make roasted carrot soup.

The carrot juice that I bought for the last disaster attempt, where I spilled all the lovely roasted carrots down the sink, expires on 12/11, so I decided to try again. It started off perfectly. My little roasting pan just holds 1 lb of carrot chunks, and we had just enough olive oil to coat them. I spent the next hour roasting them to a perfect golden brown.
Remembering how tippy the stick blender carafe was, I opted to use the squat, wide-bottomed mini food processor. Rather than work anywhere near the sink, I carried everything oh-so-carefully to the kitchen table. Rather than try to pour the carrots from the pan into the bowl and risk spillage, I moved each chunk over with a fork.

Then I picked up the chopping mat full of onions, and knocked all the carrots onto the floor.

Sigh.

Back from a marvelous time with family and friends. I hope everyone else had a wonderful day too.

(Note: I'm posting about this not to show off, but in hopes that others will pick up the tradition.)

Mike started it. He was working at Woolworth's, and they had kids' bikes on sale. With his employee discount, they were a fantastic deal. So he bought one, and took the big, plain brown box out to the Toys For Tots donation barrel. It didn't fit.

"What's in there?" said the Marine on duty.
"A bike."
Pause. "You're donating a brand-new bike?"
"Yep."

I swear that stern-faced Marine teared up. He cleared out the barrel and made that box fit.

Well, that started a trend. We didn't usually donate much. (He was a stock clerk, and I was a college student.) Then we realized that AFTER Christmas, stores have 50-75% off sales. So we started stocking up. And then we realized that some of the teddy bears, stuffed bunnies, etc left after Valentine's Day and Easter are pretty generic. (Come to think of it, there are great sand-pail bargains in September. Hm.)

Anyway, so all year long we buy toys at a fraction of their cost, put them in plastic bags to keep the dust off, and stash them in a closet. (One of last year's finds: A shopping cart full of big, cuddly stuffed dogs in the grocery store, for about $2 each. We just pushed the whole cart up to the register and said "We'll take them all.". ;))

So today we took our haul over to the local Dunkin Donuts. The box was empty when we got there. When we left it was literally overflowing with stuffed dogs, art kits, puzzles, teddy bears, a giant floppy stuffed reindeer...

There were at least 40 toys. I don't think anything was over $10. (Maybe the reindeer.) Most were much less. We probably spent less than we would've for a daily cup of coffee, and dozens of kids will have a new toy this year.

So please, spread the word! Let's see how many boxes we can stuff.