Updates, SON!

My apologies for not having a Cooking Adventure up sooner. It really is due to my dumb decision last week to make a crostata that involves a fruit that is seen even less than the Abominable Snowman. Pluots? Seriously, what was I thinking. Haven’t been able to find any anywhere. So, I’ve decided to change this week’s recipe up and do a grand Chicken and Spinach Lasagna instead! How do you like them apples pluots? Huh? I’ll try to have this up for you folks tomorrow.

In other news, work on Book 3 is going very well! I threw down another 10 pages as of Thursday and hope to get at least another ten done this weekend. Might be a bit tight in between doing the Cooking Adventure and tomorrow’s Inspiration Through Music but…I put myself in that position. So, I’ve got to do it!

Also coming up this week is my presentation at Oceanside High School! Looking forward to that this Wednesday!

Stay tuned for more updates soon!

~KSilva

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Inspiration Through Music: The Last of Us Soundtrack

Once again, we find today’s subject of Inspiration Through Music is a story-driven, emotional, and beautifully designed game. The Last of Us, which debuted last year for Playstation 3 by Naughty Dog, is among one of my top favorites in video games. The story of a childless father and a parentless girl as they cross a post-apocalyptic America, hiding from people and frightening creatures is portrayed so realistically that it locks you into the gameplay and immediately makes you care about the characters and their journey. And of course, like every other game I’ve mentioned, the music adds an extra layer of immersion to this stunning game. They couldn’t have picked a better composer than Gustavo Santaolalla, who can pinpoint even the most difficult human emotion to emulate through music and make it dig right into you.

Olives, Capers, and Prunes: Oh MY!

COOKING ADVENTURE # 88: Chicken Marbella

The title of this Cooking Adventure might give you some idea as to my thoughts when diving into it. This is probably one of the strangest recipes that I’ve ever made with some of the most random ingredients. But, the person who gave me the recipe is a fantastic cook and it comes out of an old cookbook called “The Silver Palate” which is apparently quite renowned. And after making a wonderful Shepard’s Pie and eating the whole thing before I could get a picture of it, I figured this would be a worthy fill-in for my Cooking Adventure post…even a more adventurous candidate. This wasn’t easy. I had to face cooking and eating several foods that I wouldn’t eat at all normally and prepare the entire thing with a level of patience that I didn’t know I possessed. But…and I don’t say this often…it was all worth it in the end.

Inspiration Through Music: Tomb Raider – Angel of Darkness Soundtrack

Yup, you now know that I’m a Tomb Raider girl. I love absolutely everything about the series and I think that Lara Croft is one of the best feminine heroes ever created. And while the first five games were really iconic and featured lots of globe-trotting, cave-spelunking, yeti-tackling, and deep-sea diving adventure, plus the occasional tomb exploring, my adoration for the series really took off with the release of the sixth title, Angel of Darkness. Unlike most of the other games, Angel of Darkness takes place in only two cities: Paris and Prague. I liked having the chance to stay in one place longer and explore all the different facets of each city, the building tension, and uneasy atmosphere. This game played a lot darker than the previous titles and that also drew me to it. But one of the things that really made me sink my teeth into the game was the music.