Month: December 2016

Posted on

The Beyond Series by Kit Rocha – A Review

Author: Kit Rocha

Book: The Beyond Series (Books 1-9)

Genre: Dystopian, erotic, romance

Stars: * * * * *

I love a book (especially a series) where I become emotionally invested in the characters. And I really, really did with this series.

From the moment I started reading the very first book (Beyond Shame), I was immersed in this post apocalyptic world. I could smell, taste and feel the grittiness and vibrancy of life in Sector Four. And by the time I finished reading the first book? I was salivating for the next one and the next.

I found that each and every character has a little bit of me in them. Something that made them so relatable. Even in a world so far removed from what we know.

The characters are fully fleshed out, the dialogue is snappy, the sex is scorching, and even though each individual story is happily concluded, the overall story arc pulls you right back in with next book.  

I flew through these books at light speed (and have re-read a number of them while waiting for new books to be released). I originally downloaded the first 3 books as a free bundle in September 2014, 10 days later I bought the next 2 books as well as the 1st 2 novellas. I then had to wait (im)patiently for the rest of the books to be released. The wait has been well worth it and the final book (Beyond Surrender) left me in a squishy pile of feelings last night. 

If you love romance then these books are for you. If you enjoy a gritty, violent story with no sugar coating, these books are for you. If you want a series that involves all the characters from start to finish, these books are for you. If you are a fan of strong men and even stronger women these books are for you.

You can buy the books here: Amazon (some of the books are free downloads)

You can view the authors site here: Kit Rocha

Oh, and if you are like me, and cried puddles because the series is finished, not to worry, Kit Rocha has a new series set in the same world, starting in March 2017. I’ve pre-ordered the 1st book already!

Posted on

Yogurt = cheese. No, really!

What happens when you ask your husband to by you plain yogurt to go with your muesli and instead of coming back with the 500ml bottle you were expecting he presents you with a 3L bottle instead?

You ask FB for recipes to use up the yogurt, that’s what.

You also get some great options.

  • Fruit yogurt smoothies
  • Frozen berry yogurt drops
  • Yogurt chocolate chip muffins
  • Tsatsiki
  • Yogurt pancakes (which I made last night and were delish)
  • And a half dozen suggestions to make Labneh cheese

After doing a bit of research and buying a brand new pair of knee high stockings I set about making cheese. It was really really easy and I will definitely be making more of it!

Look closely, you can see the liquid draining out the stocking

 

Cream cheese!

 

Labneh balls rolled in sweet chili mix, rosemary & garlic mix and a few plain ones for the kids.

 

Labneh Cheese
A simple and delicious Lebanese style cream cheese
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup full cream (or high fat percentage) plain yogurt
  2. pinch of course salt
  3. cheesecloth (or a pair of new knee high stockings - I used 20 denier)
  4. a colander or large sieve
  5. a bowl big enough to fit the colander/seive
Instructions
  1. Place your colander into your bowl and then your cheesecloth over your colander.
  2. If you are using stockings, double them up and get someone to hold them open for you.
  3. Mix your salt and yogurt together.
  4. Spoon or pour your yogurt into the cheesecloth/stockings.
  5. Tie the top of the cloth/stockings closed at the top, squeezing the yogurt towards the bottom as you go.
  6. Now you can either leave the cloth/stockings in the colander as is or you can hang them above the colander and let gravity help (I hung mine from the kitchen tap).
  7. Leave your yogurt to drain for at least 24hrs, the longer you leave it the firmer the cheese will be.
  8. You can leave it out on the counter (in winter) or in the fridge if its too warm.
  9. When you are ready to unveil your cheese, give it one last squeeze to remove any residual liquid and then, over a plate, unwrap the newly formed cheese.
There are a few options once your cheese is ready
  1. You can place it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it as a plain cream cheese spread.
  2. You can roll the cheese into small balls and then roll the balls into various herb and spice mixes before placing in an airtight container in the fridge.
  3. You can roll the cheese into small balls and then place them in a glass jar with a well sealing lid. Top the balls of cheese with a high quality olive oil to preserve them. You can also add various herbs and spices to the oil to infuse the cheese with flavour.
Other options
  1. You can also add your herbs and spices to the yogurt before draining if you like which will give you a flavoured cream cheese when you are done.
Adapted from various recipes on the web
Adapted from various recipes on the web
A Bit of This A Bit of That https://gnatj.com/
Posted on

Lets take a moment to discuss the coins in the lining of my jacket…

There are 3 of them. 2 small coins and 1 larger one.

The jacket is a K-Way down jacket from Cape Union Mart.

Edited to add: There were no coins in the jacket when I bought it!!

It has 4 pockets.

There are no holes in any of the pockets.

4 separate people (and myself) have literally turned the jacket inside out searching for any holes.

There are none.

Yet, there are 3 coins floating around in the lining of my jacket.

How even?

coin

Its driving me insane. I can feel them every time I put my hand in my pocket. I cannot find any holes. GAH!!!

So, this morning I placed 4 x 10 agorot pieces in the jacket pockets, 1 coin in each pocket and then zipped them up. 

Now we wait and see which coin disappears and then search that pocket for a hole.

And if there is no hole?

You may just find me rocking myself and a bottle of whiskey under my desk.