The Menuscript

Join us as we sing the praises of Ballad of Falling Dragons! This was such an epic read and a great followup to When the Moon Hatched. We discuss failed predictions, major revelations, fun theories, and more!Recipe: It’s hot out and that means smoothie season! You will need: frozen watermelon chunks, a kiwi, a spoonful of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, and possibly more ice or water. Scoop out the inside of the kiwi and place the fruits, yogurt, and water/ice in a blend. Blend until kiwi is broken up. Enjoy immediately. It tastes like summer in a cup.Want to see more from Jon and Con? Find them on Instagram!Follow me on Instagram to see the mouthwatering meals I’m making and amazing books I’m reading. You can order this book, or any book, using my Bookshop link!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

Anyone who has read The Odyssey or seen Season 2 of Percy Jackson knows Circe, the witch on an island who turns men into pigs. But how did she get to that island? Why pigs? What is Circe’s story? That’s what Madeline Miller addresses in her 2018 bestseller, Circe. Dominique del Calzo returns to the kitchen to discuss this fabulous book and fascinating character. Settle in with a snack and prepare for a new perspective on a classic tale.Recipe: If you’re interested in making the lemon orzo, you will need: 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 ½ cups orzo, 3-4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken), 2 cloves grated or chopped garlic, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper to taste, ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 cup chopped spinach (optional), optional protein such as chicken, shrimp, or salmon. Heat the oil in a medium size cooking pot over high heat and add the orzo, 3 cups of broth, garlic, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the broth is absorbed. Stir in the spinach, lemon juice, parmesan, and more broth if needed to keep the orzo creamy. Add in your optional protein, or serve it alongside the orzo dish. Enjoy!If you want to make the dirty martini orzo, you will need: One jar of your choice of olives, diced (save the oil/brine), Half a diced red onion, Half cup of diced pepperoncini, One cup of halved cherry tomatoes, One cup of feta or parmesan, Juice of one lemon (keep the rind to use for zest), 1-2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning (this is for your taste buds, so use as much or as little as you personally like), Salt and pepper to taste (remember, we are using the brine from the olives, which is naturally quite salty, so keep that in mind when salting this dish!), Half cup of olive oil (you may need more or less, depending on how wet you like your pasta to be), Box of orzo, cooked and cooled (you can also substitute this for another favorite kind of pasta). To assemble, start by cooking the orzo following the directions on the box. After the orzo has cooled, toss in all of your diced veggies and cheese.  Mix together before adding in the seasonings, then mix again.  Add in the juice of the lemon, olive oil, and a couple splashes of the oil/brine from your olives.  Mix a final time, before topping with the zest from your lemon.  If you have any fresh herbs like oregano or parsley or basil, you can garnish with these.  Let chill at least one hour before serving. It pairs well with salmon and chicken.  If you don't care for olives, jarred stuffed cherry peppers, marinated sundried tomatoes, or marinated mushrooms, are great substitutes.   Find Dominique on Instagram, and order her books!Follow me on Instagram to see the mouthwatering meals I’m making and amazing books I’m reading. You can order this book, or any book, using my Bookshop link!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

There’s nothing like a great rom-com book to kick off summer. Who does rom-coms better than Abby Jimenez? Who discusses them better than Sarah Razner? Settle down with a poolside snack for this delicious, nut-free, appetizer!Find Sarah on Goodreads! Recipe: You will need: a large sweet potato, a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, rosemary or some other kind of herb that you prefer. Cut the sweet potato horizontally into slices. You don’t want your slices to be too thick, just a few millimeters will suffice. Toss with the olive oil and seasonings until well coated. Air fry for 14 minutes at 350º F. Eat them right away, or let them cool and pack them in a baggie or tupperware for later! A great complement to a sandwich, omelet, or as a snack on their own.Follow me on Instagram to see the mouthwatering meals I’m making and amazing books I’m reading. You can order this book, or any book, using my Bookshop link!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

The time has finally come to journey to Middle Earth and break down Lord of the Rings. On a scale of 1-10, this series is an 11. I love the books and the films for so many reasons, and couldn’t resist featuring them in this month’s bonus.Research Methods: using Amazon and Goodreads, I filtered to find 60 4 or 5 star reviews for each of the three Lord of the Rings books. Using R, I did some qualitative analysis for common threads, terms, and topics. For example “characters” was a topic so any review containing the word “characters” was flagged for that. From there, I was able to cluster the common themes mentioned in the episode.Recipe: You will need: 1 ¾ cup flour, 1 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 packet active rise yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 3 tablespoons olive oil for baking, and 2 teaspoons of sea salt for topping if you wish. In a large bowl, whisk together the water and sugar. Then sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the warm water and let it develop for 15 minutes, or until the surface of the water is frothy and doubled in size.In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and Italian seasoning. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer on medium speed. Continue to stir until a thick, sticky dough forms—about 10 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil, then spray it with cooking oil to help give the bread a crispy bottom. Pour the dough onto the baking sheet. Do not roll or knead the dough. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the dough. Use your fingertips to press into the dough to make divots. Gently tip the pan from side to side to help the dough reach almost all the way to the corners (it shouldn't fill the pan completely but should reach about ½ inch from the edges all the way around). Cover with plastic wrap greased with cooking spray. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size—if your house is on the cooler side, this can take 90 minutes or longer. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sprinkle additional Italian seasoning on top as desired. Bake for 20-30 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after the 20-minute mark, until the focaccia is puffed up and baked through. The bread should be pale but golden brown around the edges. It will be ready when it is pulling away from the edges of the pan. Let the bread cool on the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Then lift the bread from the pan and finish cooling on the rack. Sprinkle on the sea salt and enjoy!Follow me on Instagram to see the mouthwatering meals I’m making and amazing books I’m reading. You can order this book, or any book, using my Bookshop link!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

Serving up two books for this grand tour of an English manor. We’ll be dining in the gardens and the library (carefully not spilling crumbs) as we serve up The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes and The Astral Library by Kate Quinn.Recipe: You will need: ½ a cup of olive oil, ⅓ cup of lemon juice, 2 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper to taste, a pound of fingerling potatoes, an onion, 1 pound of chicken breasts, and crumbled feta. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, paprika, and salt and pepper until combined. Halve the potatoes vertically, or you can use cubed yukon gold potatoes. Chop the onion into large chunks. Place potatoes and onion on a large sheet pan and pour half of the marinade. Toss with your hands to coat them, then spread the potatoes and onions evenly across the sheet. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. While that’s cooking, add the chicken to the remaining marinade and make sure they’re fully coated. Take the tray out of the oven, flip the potatoes, and add in the chicken pieces wherever there is space. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. Garnish with the crumbled feta, serve and enjoy! Pairs well with broccoli, asparagus, or brussel sprouts.History of the English gardenWant some great book recommendations? Check out Book Huddle!Follow me on Instagram to see the mouthwatering meals I’m making and amazing books I’m reading. You can order this book, or any book, using my Bookshop link!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

Celebrating independent bookstores and libraries! Thank goodness for these wonderful spaces for book lovers and communities as a whole. Please share your favorite indie bookstores! Also recapping some April reads and sharing excitement of upcoming books.Follow me on Instagram to see the mouthwatering meals I’m making and amazing books I’m reading. You can order this book, or any book, using my Bookshop link!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

What do you do when the truth isn’t something people want to hear, and which some are actively denying? That is one of many questions facing Harry in the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series, Order of the Phoenix. In this episode, I enter the Great Hall with Laura from Mugglecast to serve up the emotional core of the story, shifting dynamics at Hogwarts, and the ways Harry and his friends begin to push back when the system fails them. Expect plenty of thoughts on authority, trust, and why this book hits differently on a reread—plus, of course, some fun along the way.Recipe: for the gingersnaps! You weill need: ½ cup of softened butter, ½ cup of brown sugar (white sugar for a crispier cookie), an egg, ½ cup of baking molasses, 2 cups of flour, ½ teaspoon salt. 1.5 tsp baking soda, 1.5 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp cloves, and ⅓ cup of granulated sugar. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and molasses until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator, covered, for 2-3 hours. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Roll the dough into roughly 1-inch balls, roll in the granulated sugar, and place on the baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes and allow to set on the tray for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.Small Business Spotlight: If you’re in or near Essex County in NJ, you must check out The Order! Located in downtown South Orange, this cafe serves up brunch with fresh, seasonal ingredients and is clearly owned by Potterheads. Dine on “The Dumbledore” - a breakfast option featuring lots of goodies. Curious to hear more from Laura? Check out Mugglecast for LOTS of Harry Potter coverage spanning every topic you can think of! You can also hear her talk about current events and life on Millennial.Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

Kicking off season five with a trip to the faerie lands of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas—a story that proves one questionable decision in the woods can turn your world upside down. That goes for the characters and the readers. I’m joined by That Team Rhysand Guy, Jon, for a talk about fairy tale vibes, dramatic world-building, suspiciously charming characters, and why communication could solve at least 60% of the problems in this book. Whether you’re a longtime ACOTAR fan or just getting into romantasy, this is the podcast for you!Book Recommendations: By the Book by Jasmine Guillory, The Kindred’s Curse Saga by Penn Cole.Recipe: Test your culinary skills with this delicious beef ragu!Find Jon on Instagram to see more of his booky thoughts and Rhysand love!Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major

This month’s bonus features the very first podcast Rachel was ever on. She joined the podcast, Novel Finds, to discuss the remarkable book Remarkably Bright Creatures. Haven’t read it yet? You’re just in time! The movie comes out in May and this is a book you absolutely will not regret picking up. Want to hear more Novel Finds? Check it out! You can also find the Finds on Instagram.Artwork by @stephanieilanaEditor: Alex SchmitzSong: Clementi Piano Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3 in C Major