Pause

Well, Dead Space didn’t wrap up as quickly as I would have liked. A busy week combined with a busy weekend made the game difficult to plow through as I would have wanted. Hey, I could still post a review, but the last time I did that with a certain game I just felt dirty.

… Not that dirty, guys.

I will say this for Dead Space. I should have played it a lot sooner. I am getting a hell of a ride from this game. Nothing negative to really report in with. The game recalls the atmosphere and frights of one particular game for me, that being Resident Evil 2. In fact, a lot of what I feel has gone missing from the Resident Evil games has turned up here in Dead Space.

It’s scaring the tar out of me, but the game play is solid, the look of the game is stunning, and the story? Well, it’s not amazing, but there is a classic hook that has me by the nose. In sci-fi thrillers that take place in space, on a vast ship, the society changes. The dynamic is not the same as it was on Earth. Sure, there are ways society is maintained, such as necessary on-board green houses and then not-so-necessary posters, stores, and entertainments.

So, boom, you have your mini-society. What I love about sci-fi, in this setting, is watching the “society” fall apart, and eventually cave in. You show up, in Dead Space, after this decay. Granted, the crucible to this is when an alien artifact is brought on board. As you discover journal entries, audio logs, and visual feeds regarding the ship, it becomes clear that even without the giant mass of WTF mass… well, this ship was fucked from the get go.

Enough of that for now, though! I usually put the upcoming food event after my review, and since I don’t have a review, I won’t be an asshole and hold off on the meal. In the game, in order to kill your assorted baddies, you have to sever their limbs. In fact, you are punished quite violently if you do manage to pull of a head-shot. So, with this school of though in mind, I will be cooking my first bucket of fried chicken using the wings, the legs, and the thighs. Have to hand it to Andy on this one, I really like the idea, and I really like fried chicken, so this works out.

The posting may become a bit sporadic. This year I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month. I have until the end of November to write a 75 page (or 50,000 word) story. I’m sure I’ll be fine.

Not crazy… at all.

After that, I will edit, make it pretty, and send it off into the world.

You can learn more about NaNo WriMo here! http://www.nanowrimo.org/
And you can start following my story, The Anchoress, here! http://thenanoanchoress.blogspot.com/

Nothing is up yet story-wise on The Anchoress, but there will be on Nov. 1st!

Can I make up a lack of review with a wonderful spicy pomegranate sauce and my mom’s famous banana bread? Hmm?

Spicy Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce
(Makes About 2 Cups)

1 Pomegranate (cleaned!)
2 Chipotle Peppers
2 Cloves of Garlic
Pinch of Fresh Thyme
Pinch of Salt, Crank of Pepper
1/4 cup Olive Oil
(it’s okay if you go over this a bit, just don’t drown out your pomegranate and chipotle!)

Start by cleaning your pomegranate. Cut off the top of pomegranate as you would when preparing an onion, or a tomatoes. You’ll find the red bulbs inside divided by thin waxy walls, literally providing you with 6-8 wedges. Use these partitions as a guide, and start cutting out your wedges. Shed the red bulbs in a bowl of water. Don’t worry if you get some waxy bits in there, they’ll float to the top for easy remove. Drain!

Throw your pomegranate bulbs into a blender with two chipotle peppers and two peeled cloves of garlic. Add the thyme, the salt, and the pepper.

As you blend all of these, start adding your olive oil slowly. By introducing it gradually, you encourage a smooth, very consistent sauce.

Great for marinating, also works as a sauce, and salad dressing (vinegar optional, but if you do go with it, maybe do about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar).

Mom’s Famous Banana Bread

It’s been in the family for a long time. It’s super moist, and it’s really easy to swap out these ingredients if you don’t like them, or if you want to add something different.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 Tbl. apple cider
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking spray
(if you don’t have cooking spray, grease your pan with butter or shortening)

Preheat oven to 350 (F).

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350 (F) for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

That’s it for now! Stay tuned for Dead Space and fried chicken.