book review: Ghost Orchid by Dani Cessna

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Miranda is living a complex life each of us can relate to, one that’s become unraveled by past choices. To cope, she’s built a life of stillness, security, and routine - but at the cost of keeping people at bay. Everything changes when she crosses paths with a strange older woman, Estelle, living in the swampy Everglades. This encounter begins Miranda’s journey to reclaim ownership of her life through being honest with herself (and others) and finding her voice again.

Estelle is the wise, grounded, and vibrant mentor we all need. The dichotomy between her and Miranda is brilliant. Furthermore, the touches of magic, Everglades history, and botanical lore add a rich layer to the story without overwhelming it. 

If you liked The Light Pirate, you will love Ghost Orchid. Both books beautifully immerse you in Florida’s nature while urging deep self-reflection.

recipe: lemon butter mochi

The second recipe I made from the cookbook, Mochitsuki, was lemon butter mochi. Butter mochi, in general, is a Japanese sweet that comes from northern Japan. In the cookbook, Kristin Morita, has many different versions of butter mochi using the base and mixing in other flavors such as cafe latte, pumpkin, guava, ube, snickerdoodle, strawberries and cream, and chocolate. Out of these I chose the lemon butter mochi since I was curious how closely it compared to lemon bars in US. 

My verdict is that I would combine parts of the ingredients and instructions of butter mochi and lemon bars next time to see if I could create the ideal dessert. I have not had success in mastering the cook time of lemon bars to get a fully cooked and beautiful bar. In that aspect the butter mochi was much easier to achieve because of the mochiko (rice flour). However, I found the lemon butter mochi a bit bland in flavor and missing the amazing contrast of a crust to the soft chewiness of the center since butter mochi is crustless. Therefore, I would use the lemon butter mochi recipe, but punch up the lemon flavor and add the crust of a lemon bar.

Below is the lemon butter mochi recipe from the cookbook, which is what I made but I will be tweaking as described.

Lemon Butter Mochi

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mochiko

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup whole milk

zest and juice of 3 lemons (about 1 tbsp zest and 1/2 cup juice)

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp orange blossom water (optional)

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions:

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9 inch square metal baking pan with cooking spray, then line the pan with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch hanging over the sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mochiko, granulated sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, eggs, and orange blossom water (if using) and mix until well combined, scraping the bowl to ensure no dry lumps of mochiko remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the butter mochi cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar (if using) and cut into sixteen pieces. Leftovers can be stored, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes:

The mochiko I bought is Bobs Red Mill sweet rice flour. Weee! is also a great source for Korean and Japanese products. I have a large list going of items I would like to purchase from this site. Once I do I will share all of my finds. They do have Mochiko as well.

recipe: chikara udon soup

Kirimochi, an ingredient I had not heard of, and the quick prep time drew me to make this udon soup from the cookbook, Mochitsuki. Kirimochi is typically made from a short grain white rice. However, the only kirimochi I could find when looking in stores in my area or online was this Eden Foods sweet brown rice mochi from Azure. Despite it being brown instead of white rice, it turned out to be a great find! I tested it out in both a toaster oven and frying it in a pan. Both turned out similar - crispy on one side, but not so much on the other. The advantage of the toaster oven was that it didn't require any oil. I do need to practice/experiment a little more to get it crispy on both sides. Yet my initial attempts still gave me a proper chance to see what it tastes like - crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle. It's a bit of a strange texture, but not at all a bad necessarily - It adds an interesting element to a brothy soup. The udon noodles I used were ones I had on hand from a prior Vitacost order. Azure also carries them. The cookbook author, Kristen Morita, says that "some expert home cooks make their own broth from scratch, it's very common to use a store-bought soup base called mentsuyu." I could not find anything of this name, however did find Mizkan udon and soba broth concentrate, which seems to be the same/similar. The bottle says how much concentrate to add to water (just check the expiration and don't get one that is almost four months past like mine haha). So, with just these few simple ingredients (and a bit of green onion sprinkled on top) I had a warming flavorful soup in a very short amount of time! I'll definitely be keeping these ingredients on hand to throw them together in this way, or with other ingredients, to make varying easy soups.

Chikara Udon

Serves: 1

Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

1 to 2 pieces kirimochi or refrigerated fresh Mochi

1 package frozen udon noodles (or packaged shelf stable noodles like I got)

3 tbsp mentsuyu (I bought something called a udon and soda broth concentrate)

1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

2 to 3 slices kamaboko (optional)

Instructions:

Line a toaster oven tray with aluminum foil and set the toaster oven rack to the lowest position available. If using a traditional oven, line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a rack in the highest position. 

Put the kirimochi on the tray and broil on high for 6 to 8 minutes, or until puffed and lightly brown on the edges.

While the mochi is toasting, bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the frozen udon noodled and cook according to the package instructions, usually about 2 minutes (my cook time was more aligned with typical pasta).

Drain the noodles and put in a serving bowl. Add the mentsuyu and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of warm water to dilute the mentsuyu into a broth, according to your preference. Top with the toasted mochi, along with the green onion and kamaboko (if using), or other toppings of choice. Serve immediately.

Notes:

I didn't get much of a noticeable browning (or even cooking) of the kirimochi in 8 minutes, so I moved the toaster over tray to the top rack and then saw some movement. But, it did take a decent amount of time.