Blueberry Ice Cream

How else to say goodbye to the summer holidays than making ice-cream? Among seasonal fruit it's basically the only food I live on during summer so I thought I'd make my own. And boy, it's heavenly! The preparation is a bitch since I don't own any fancy ice cream makers and had to do all by hand but the result. Ohhhhh, the result... :-)=

You'll need:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 table spoon lemon juice
• 2,5 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• a pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• patience

1) Take 1/4 sugar, blueberries and lemon juice - bring it to a boil in your saucepan and then mash them and run through the strainer (I didn't want any big parts in it so that's why).

2) Put 1 cup of cream aside.

3) Take the milk, cream, sugar and salt and put in a sauce pan till the sugar dissolves - when the steam is rising from the mixture, pour a little over whisked yolks and then return it with the yolks back to the burner. Mix. Always stir. Add the blueberry puree. Stir till the back of a wooden spatula holds the mixture and if you run your finger over it, the not wiped part holds in place... Oh, I'm bad at describing, I know. But I know what I'm doing. Google word NAPPANT if you don't know what I mean. 

4) Let the mixture cool down and then put it in the freezer. It's better to put it in a wide container because you'll need to break it afterwards.

5) When it's completely chilled, take it out and break it to pieces and let it start melting - just a little. Add the rest of your cream and with the use of hand mixer, incorporate. Pour into any container and put it back to the freezer. 

6) Mission accomplished! ;-)= 

Erica Stevens: Captured

So, imagine that about one hundred years ago the vampires won the war with humans and now you are either their slave (living in relative comfort, having a job, food to eat but also blood to let) or you are a part of rebellion (so you live like a savage in the woods with empty belly, trying to figure out how to put the vampire kingdom down, hoping the raids will not catch you because that would make you a blood slave).

The story follows a 17-year-old girl (mental eyeroll) who gets captured and by a miracle isn't passed on to be a slave to some lowly cruel vampire but to a very old (over 900 years) old vampire prince. He represents everything she hates, she represents lowly creature designed only for his cruel play. But somehow they become caring for one another (mental eyeroll). Honestly, I'm sick of these virgins who are basically still children to play main roles. I find it disturbing that such an old vampire would like a child. And have more that fatherly feelings for a child. Can't someone just write something more logical? Why can't we shrug off the virgins and unicorns cliché? It's been put into so many books that a change is definitely needed. This would have been such a good read otherwise!

And then the cliffhanger. Pardon me if I'm not into never-ending series but I'm just not gonna sit here and wait for a trilogy which will later be prolonged into pentalogy and more. Just no. 

If the world it's set in was more elaborated on, it would have been a great piece. It's scary and dark and I love it but need more info about it. But as you can see, I've used way to many IFs so it's not going to get better rating than three vampire kisses.

GENRE: cruel romance

FANGS OUT: it reads so well but lacks further descriptions to be awesome
FANGS RETRACTING: cliffhanger, way too cliché-ish
TOTAL SCORE:

Apple Cake

This one is super easy. I had a lot of summer apples at hand (I have no idea what the kind is actually called but they are called summer apples in Czech and basically are ready for eating in the summer and don't last very long because they have very thin skin and mushy insides) and just made the recipe from what I could see in front of me.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups peeled and sliced apples
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups sunflower oil
• 2 tea spoons cinnamon
• 2 tea spoons baking powder
• a pinch of salt

• 200g sour cream
• 3 table spoons cocoa powder 
• 1/2 tea spoon stevia powder

1) Mix everything for the batter and pour onto a baking tray. Bake at 180°C - the time depends on the thickness. I was done in 40 minutes. 

2) Mix the topping part and smear across the cake when it's cooled down. 

Kathy Love: Any Way You Want It

This was definitely a beach read. I mean, anyone can say that just by the look of the cover but I wanted to make it clear. It's either for holiday or that time of the month when you need romance with good end. That's exactly what the cover suggests and what you'll get.

 New Orleans with its swarms of tourists attracts a lot of creatures and no one really notices the absence of aging, right? So, in one bar there is a vampire band. But don't think cool vampire band. Just a good band.. they play covers of cheesy hits after all. And the lead singer used to be a very good pianist until he wasn't and now he only sings (I'm not gonna spill the only twist of the story, so read for yourself why). BUT he gets this urge to play his very own old piece on the piano and BAM! that attracts a visitor who needs a break after a bad break-up and who got her tea leaves read and, of course, she is to meet a hot dude. The music reminds her of one piece she was to verify (and thinks no one else should know the melody) before her departure for her deserved break so it's exactly that what draws her in.

They hit it off and say it's going to last only a week (her vacation is to be over then). Well, you know that there will be steamy passages and that the fling will grow into something more and then the secrets will come up. It's the usual set up for a romantic piece. 

What I disliked, however, was the ending. It was too rushed and some things were forgiven on the spot despite the person's previous behaviour. But hey, holiday! So whatever...

GENRE: romance

FANGS OUT: if you like hot scenes, you'll get your fill
FANGS RETRACTING: not much of an ending and the twist could be more elaborate
TOTAL SCORE:

Blueberry Cheesecake

It wouldn't be me if I didn't make a cheesecake with whatever ingredient I obtained, right? So naturally, I've made a blueberry one. It's awesome.

You'll need:

• 150g christmas cookies
• 80g melted butter

• 600g cheese (I grabbed curd and mascarpone)
• 50g sugar
• 1 egg 

 

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 table spoons corn starch
• 1 table spoon water
•  1 table spoon lemon juice
• 50g sugar

1) Let's start with the base. You know the drill - crush the biscuits till powdery, pour butter in them and when the mixture is moist, press to the bottom of your pan and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. I chose christmas cookies because I thought they'd go well with blueberries and because while I'm sick of cinnamon and other festive spices in winter, I love them in summer.

2) Put everything for the blueberry layer in a pan and boil. When it starts to thicken, set aside and let cool down a little.

3) Mix the cheese layer and if you find it not sweet enough, add more sugar. I wanted to have a slightly sour cake so that's why I used so little sugar.

4) Pour 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the bottom, then pour 3/4 of the blueberry mixture over it, then add the rest of the cheese mixture and on top of it all add the blueberries again.

5) Bake for about 40 minutes at 150°C.

R. T. Truehall: Not Dead

I'm doing my silly dance around the room again. Because I was asked by THE AUTHOR to take a look at her book again. I feel so proud that people ask me for this. A) it makes me feel important in the vampire literary circles ;-)= B) it saves me money - don't judge, I'm a teacher - our salaries are a joke C) free stuff makes me as happy as a "sale" sign on the cute shoes I've been oggling for months. So, let's get professional and start with the review.

It's official. Aussies have a totally unique voice in vampire literature. I think I stated my suspicion when I was reviewing the Australian books in the past and now it got confirmed. This was so unexpected! The European vampire tradition is quite clear - vampires are to be feared, we love the Gothic elements. I think we've already overcome the shock after what the Americans did to the genre - the whole romanticization thing. And now the people from "down under" are showing us their twist to the genre. The impotent and useless vampires.

The story follows Ullysses, a total douche bag I wouldn't want to be friends with and honestly it seems that those few friends he has stay with him because of inertia (or any other power that keeps you going or not going because it's ever been so) rather than for his cheerful personality. He works a few days a week as a pizza delivery boy and his life centers about a bar called BAR. No other hobbies apart from sleeping with friends detected. There is nothing nice to say about him so when he gets turned into a vampire after a mature decision by a very very old vampiress (has this word finally reached the dictionaries or do I still have to use female vampire?), it comes as a shock. Who the hell would like to spend the next hundred years (that's how long you keep your creation with you) with this man (those of you who are familiar with Russian literature will surely know about "useless person, лишний человек")?!

But his creator tries to educate him in vampire matters (sometimes in a not so nice way - those of you who are sensitive to abuse shouldn't probably read this book) and even wants him to find a job. Because no, he hasn't miraculously got any superpowers overnight. It doesn't happen that way. Even blood is introduced slowly. And one's position in vampire society is gained painfully.

The fascinating thing about this is that vampires basically run the world - they decide who lives and who dies (they secretly control the population) and even in what way the person dies. That totally creeped me out! You can guess that one of the worst crimes is for a greenie to kill a human who wasn't supposed to die. So when Ullyses does that, he and his maker get in hell of a trouble. 

I tremendously enjoyed the book since it was different from the stuff I normally encounter. I must admit I didn't even mind when Ullyses was mistreated by his maker - somehow this happening to a character I didn't like didn't make me cringe in the least. The incident at the end however... if rape is a sore subject for you, avoid it. But if you are a tough cookie, like unusual things and want to see how a character who you instantly hate can keep you turning the pages, grab it. You won't regret your decision.

Oh, and I've nearly forgotten! The book I got is a paperback but the pages are so thick that it screams quality - and I was really reading it with my fingers pressed to its spine so that I woulnd't break it and mar the book :-)= Also, the cover is so shiny and reflective that when I was trying to take a picture of the book, all I could see was me with a camera on the cover, hence the weird angle I'm sporting here because no matter how many lights I turned on or off and where I went I can always see the person with the camera.

GENRE: Is there a genre for giving a total loser a go at eternity?

FANGS OUT: sarcastic, unusual, so different 
FANGS RETRACTING: I'd prefer more twists
TOTAL SCORE:

Blueberry Balls

A friend gave me this recipe. I'm not sure if she just wanted to laugh at me or if she was serious and actually enjoyed it. Maybe it was that time in the month when she was cooking it. I didn't know it would sent people into diabetic comas, I realized that after tasting it.
But I told you I had so many blueberries I could do whatever I wanted with them! So I made the blue balls :-D= I think this is one of the sweetest things I've ever created. It is so sweet your feet will clench in fists :-D= So bear that in mind if you want to recreate that.

You'll need:

• 300g white chocolate
• 3 table spoons heavy cream
• 5 table spoons butter
• 4 table spoons blueberries
• sugar for rolling it in

1) Melt the chocolate and add the cream to it.

2) Heat up the butter a little.

3) When both of these things are room temperature, pour them together and add the blueberries - you can crush some to add blue tint to it. Mix well and put it in the fridge for about two hours.

4) Roll balls or any shapes you want from the mixture and then roll them in sugar (I am an idiot and didn't have icing sugar so I had to go with crystal and therefore added an unwanted crunch to the balls). Be fast about it because your body temperature will melt it.

5) Store in the fridge.

Tanya Huff: Blood Price

So, while I was on holiday in Hungary I had to have a book with me (it's not like I can count on my phone to have enough battery life to let me read when neccessary) and I actuallly read about a half of it in the meantime. No, the holiday wasn't boring but I tend to wake up before the others and must keep quiet so I read in the mornings.

This book was quite fast paced and interesting. I haven't read a horror in a while - all my free stuff is either funny or romantic - so I was happy. It's not really a chilling horror which would make me look over my shoulder but it was decent. 

The vampire in the book (just one) is Henry VIII's bastard son and he needs to help a private detective with what appears to be vampire murders. They are actually done by a demon summoned by a nerd who needs power but since the victims have their throats open and are bloodless, it sheds bad light on all the people who lead nocturnal life. Including vampires. So to avoid any suspiction and keep low profile, the vampire must reveal himself to one person who can actually solve the stuff. It doesn't matter that the dectective is obviously very choleric person and had to quit her job with the police because she got some kind of eye condition which prevents her to see at dark. 

The book was a mild horror thingy which proved to be entertaining and perfect for holiday. There was nothing elaborate which would divert your mind from the exploration of foreign places. What I didn't like, however, were the pieces of the vampire's former life - they were put into a text so that it looked as if it belonged to the main story. Some kind of divider would be helpful - just like with the vampire's writing (he's a writer) because that was in coursive so it was easy to tell apart. 

GENRE: horror

FANGS OUT: gruesome enough
FANGS RETRACTING: nothing to keep you guessing
TOTAL SCORE: