Books & Cooks Letter S: Sage

This year I’m going to be combining two of my passions – cooking and kid lit for Books & Cooks! I’ll be bringing you great recipes based on spices of the alphabet that pair perfectly with kid lit books! Next up? The letter S and the savory Sage!

Spice: Sage

Sage, similar to the rosemary I shared yesterday works well with roasted meats, and is often paired with brown butter, or put in stuffing during the holidays. Dried sage should be added to a recipe early to allow the flavors to meld, while fresh sage should be added towards the end of cooking to remain flavorful.

Book Review: Jinx by Sage Blackwood

I love this fantasy novel set in the forest of Urwald, where trolls, werewolves, and witches are all legitimate concerns. Jinx knows to stay on the path and not to wander, but when he the wizard Simon Magus, he might just be the safest choice… even though magicians are known to be evil.

I loved the world building in this novel and the characters too. If you love the world as much as I do, there are two more novels in the series to allow you to spend more time with Jinx as he learns more about the magic of the Urwald and about himself.

Recipe: Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

This is a recipe of indulgence and time. There are very few ways to rush a risotto and I can’t think of a better pairing than this butternut squash and sage risotto. Be patient when adding the stock and let the rice really absorb the liquid in the pan. I have heard a tip to cooking risotto is to warm up the stock so that you put it in much closer to the same temperature rather than adding cold or room temperature stock which can take longer to absorb.

During the month of April, I’ll be participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2020. For my theme this year (Books & Cooks), I’ll be combing children’s books with cooking spices and including a recipe to bring the book into your very own kitchen! I love to cook and read, so I thought this would be a fun way to combine two of my passions. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! Let’s dig in! And if you want to see what I’ve done in the past, check out the past few years – 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019!