Book Review

Crows Calling  

 An imaginative, thoughtful look at our planet, overbuilt by our species and on the verge of being lost. The story becomes a fable when a supernatural crow, Koro, narrates it from a bird's-eye view of the planet. This clairvoyant bird sees in depth the damage done by Venture capitalists, increased technology use, and the growth of Silicon Valley, which harms the Earth through resource exploitation.

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip in California accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately to defend it.

This earth-centered novel blends environmental advocacy with mythic imagination. Crows Calling is Bruce McConnell's debut novel. It immerses the reader in a richly drawn family and community that, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to caring for Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Instead, a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—accompanies them, with long memories and ancient healing ways. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz, friends, and family members are working for. Ultimately, they find that when the group forms concrete initiatives and supports them, they can make a difference.

A strength of the story is its vivid imagery of the interconnectivity between humans and animals, giving the natural world a compassionate, urgent voice. McConnell acknowledges the realities of climate change, environmental degradation, and human greed, but ultimately argues that empathy, collaboration, and individual action can still make a meaningful difference. The book invites readers of all ages to reconsider their relationship with the natural world and reminds us that caring for the planet begins with caring for one another. As a reader, I came away with a greater appreciation of nature and a better sense of how we can learn valuable lessons by paying closer attention to the world around us, becoming more action-focused, and adapting our lifestyles to ensure a sustainable future as stewards.

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bruce McConnell is an agile, accomplished shapeshifter who has flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of poems, Living from Here, appeared in 2018, followed by a novel, Crows Calling, in 2025. A second novel, set in Southern Oregon, is expected in 2027.

He is a leading advocate for global peace and security among governments, business, and civil society for three decades.

Apple Buttermilk Cake with a Caramel-Brown Sugar Maple Drizzle

A FALLISH TYPE OF CAKE

Apple Buttermilk Cake with a Caramel-Brown Sugar Maple Drizzle 

Cook's Notes: This easy apple buttermilk cake comes together in one bowl and has a tender, moist crumb studded with fresh apples. A caramel-brown sugar-maple drizzle adds a delicious finishing touch. You can easily incorporate 1 cup of chopped walnuts into the recipe. I adapted the recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine. The recipe suggested an Apple Cider Glaze before the icing, but I skipped that step because I thought the cake might be too sweet. Here is the link to the original recipe: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/apple-buttermilk-cake/.  

Baking Tips 

• An 8-inch round cake pan is ideal for this recipe, making a tall cake. A 9 inch will also work, but the cake will be shorter and may bake more quickly, so start checking for doneness earlier.
• Use a good baking apple. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Gala, Golden Delicious and Jonathan are some favorites. Peel and dice the apples into small, ¼-inch pieces so they soften as the cake bakes.
• Dice the apples small. Aim for ¼-inch pieces, so they soften as the cake bakes and give you little bites of apple throughout. You'll need 1¼ cups after peeling, coring, and dicing. 

Ingredients: 

• For the apples:1 large (or 2 small) apple, enough to yield 1¼ cups peeled, cored, and finely diced apple
  
  For the batter:
• ½ cup neutral-flavored oil, such as avocado oil or canola
• ½ cup buttermilk, preferably whole milk buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon  or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour

For the brown sugar-maple drizzle:

• 2 tablespoons butter; I use salted butter
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed; I use dark brown sugar, but light brown will also work.
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup (this gives the icing a smooth, silky texture and prevents crystallization)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Directions: 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray.  Use a small piece of paper towel to spread the spray evenly over the inside of the pan. Spray again lightly, then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

For the apples:

• Peel and core the apple or apples, then cut into ¼-inch dice. Measure out 1¼ cups, cover and set aside. 1 large (or 2 small) apple

For the batter:

• Combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and well combined. 
• Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt gently whisking until incorporated. Don't overmix.
• Fold in the diced apples.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for 28- 30 minutes and check a couple of spots for doneness. .
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 
• Carefully invert the cake onto the prepared cooling rack and peel off the parchment round. Leave the cake bottom-side up; this will become the top.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. 

For the brown sugar-maple drizzle:

• Combine the butter, brown sugar, half-and-half, corn syrup and maple syrup in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
• 
  
• Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then whisk to combine. Microwave for 1 minute and stir. Microwave for 1 additional minute, then stir again. Use care when handling the bowl and hot sugar mixture.
• Add the cinnamon and powdered sugar to the hot brown sugar mixture. Whisk until smooth. 
• The icing should be thick but pourable. If needed, add half-and-half, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin it or a little powdered sugar to thicken it. The icing thickens as it cools, so you may need to add another teaspoon of half-and-half as you decorate.
• Drizzle over the cooled cake
  
  
  

Skillet Pasta with Ham and Peas

October Moon

When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen

the moon laughs and whispers.

tis' near Halloween.

 Skillet Pasta with Ham and Peas

Cozy up on a chilly evening with a flavorful and satisfying pasta dish. It's company-worthy.

Cook's Notes: A great way to use up leftover ham. Frozen peas do not need to be thawed. Grate the cheese for the sauce, as it melts better than using a prepackaged grated cheese packet. To reheat, add chicken broth. Recipe serves 3. 

Ingredients:   

• 2-1/4  cups dry bow tie pasta 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup diced sweet onions
• 1/3 cup diced red mini sweet pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon each thyme and parsley flakes
• 1-2/3 cups light half and half
• 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium) 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 1 cup shredded Swiss or white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups diced fully cooked ham (I used a ham steak)
• 1 cup frozen peas, not thawed 
• Optional garnish: pine nuts or toasted walnuts. 

Directions:

• Cook bow tie pasta al dente, drain, and set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt butter; sauté onions and peppers with spices. Add in flour and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Slowly pour half and half and broth into skillet, whisk with other ingredients. Cook on a low heat until it starts to thicken. Add in wine and cheeses to the white sauce. Stir until incorporated. 
• Add in diced ham, cooked pasta, and peas. Cook for 5 minutes on a low heat. 
• Serve immediately. Garnish with pine nuts or toasted walnuts. 

Honey Garlic BBQ Sauced Sloppy Joes

 

Looking for an easy way to entertain for Game Day? Try Honey Garlic BBQ Sauced Sloppy Joes 

Cook's Notes: A quick, easy sloppy joe sandwich filled with a tasty honey garlic BBQ sauce.  It may be time to elevate your usual sloppy joe mixture. For me, the taste was off the charts. SO GOOD! As a low-carb alternative, serve the filling in Bibb lettuce leaves.  

The recipe serves 4 and was adapted from closetcooking.com

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 buns
• Coleslaw (2 cups at room temperature) 

Directions:

• Brown hamburger with onions and crumble the meat.
• Add in cooked sauce and mix well. Simmer on low 10 minutes.
• Place meat-sauced filling on the bun. Top with a heaping spoonful of coleslaw.  

• Homemade Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce
  Cook's Notes: 5-minute preparation. The sauce is enough for 1 lb. of hamburger. 

  Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced/grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  Sauce Directions:
  

  • Mix everything in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir a few times. Alternatively, once the sauce and meat are cooked, transfer to a crock pot to keep warm. 
    

  ENJOY! And consider adding a plate of Cappuccino Blossoms

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2021/10/cappuccino-blossoms.html

 

Apple Cream Cheese Turnovers

 "Three Ghostesses"

Three little ghostesses,

Sitting on postesses,

Eating buttered toastesses,

Greasing their fistesses,

Up to their wristesses.

Oh, what beastesses

And oh what a feastesses, with Apple Cream Cheese Turnovers

Cook's Notes: Yummy bakery-style puff pastry turnovers made right in your kitchen. Juicy apple pie filling mixed with cream cheese makes a satisfying autumn treat anytime.  One sheet of puff pastry makes 9 small turnovers, as shown above, or 4 large ones. I used two Granny Smiths and one Honeycrisp for this recipe. To reheat, place turnovers on a baking sheet @ 400 degrees for 2 minutes.

The recipe was adapted from BHG.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups peeled, cored, and chopped Jazz, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Jonagold apples
• 1/4 cup apple juice or cider
• 2 ounces cream cheese, cut up and softened
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 sheet thawed from a 1- 17.3 ounce pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

• Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For filling, in a large skillet, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until butter melts. Add apples. cinnamon and 1/4 cup water or apple juice. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 6 minutes more or just until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. On low heat, add in flour, cream cheese, vanilla, and egg yolk. Mix well, remove from the skillet, transfer to a bowl, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 
• On a lightly floured surface, unfold and roll out one pastry sheet to a 12-inch square. Cut into nine 3-1/2-4-inch squares, or cut into 4 squares for larger turnovers. 
• 
  Spoon a rounded tablespoon of the filling into the center of each square
  

• Brush the edges of pastry squares with water. Fold each pastry in half to form a triangle. Seal edges with the tines of a fork. 
• In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg mixture over the pastries. Refrigerate the baking sheet with turnovers for 10 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove; cool on a wire rack that has been placed over a sheet of waxed paper.
• Dust turnovers with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Serve warm or let cool.
  

Pork with Apples and Pears in a Cider Cinnamon Pan Sauce

 Enjoy another Bavarian-style meal to celebrate Oktoberfest

Pork with Apples and Pears in a Cider Cinnamon Pan Sauce

The perfect fall dish! Pan-seared boneless pork topped with a cider cinnamon sauce served with tender apples, pears, and sautéed onions. Pair the meal with red cabbage. I used sweet-and-sour jarred red cabbage from the canned vegetable aisle.

Recipe serves four and was inspired by cookingclassy.com and Cookinglight.com

Ingredients

• 4 (5 oz.) 3/4-inch thick boneless pork chops
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup red onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1- 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium sweet crisp apples (honey crisp, gala, fuji, golden delicious etc.), skin removed and cut into chunks 
• 2 Bosc pears, skin removed and cut in chunks 

Directions:

• Let pork chops rest at room temperature 10 minutes while preparing ingredients.
• Cut apples and pears, place on separate plates or plastic containers. Set aside.
• In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together broth, apple cider, mustard, cinnamon, allspice, and cornstarch. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence.
• Once the oil is shimmering, add pork chops and sear until browned on the bottom, about 4 - 5 minutes, then flip and continue to cook 4 - 5 minutes longer. Sauté onions in the same pan. 
• Transfer pork chops and onions to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. 
• Add in apples, 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence or fresh rosemary and sage. Sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add in pears and sauté for 2 minutes more. 
• Pour in broth mixture that has been mixed with cornstarch and turn heat to low. Add in chops and onions; let simmer until reduced by about half, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. 
• Do not overcook, as the pork chops can become tough.
• Serve with your favorite Bavarian sides. 
  
  
  
  

Celebrating Oktoberfest

 

In November 2018, we were traveling in Germany and visited a Bavarian town called Speyer, a few hours from Strasbourg. It is famous for the 1529 Reformation movement and the invention of the German Bavarian pretzel. 

The monks attributed religious symbolism (the Trinity) to the pretzel they made. For more detailed information, go to https://www.bookofthrees.com/pretzel-trinity-symbol/

Here, we tasted the best-ever homemade pretzel, fresh and warm. 

NO need to go to Germany unless you have the time; you can recreate the pretzel by buying this box 

or this one

and make this 5-minute Honey Mustard Sauce 

Cook's Notes:
Refrigerate any leftovers.
Whisk the following ingredients in a bowl.
1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, a dash of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar

For the main course, I suggest this meal, which is tasty and so easy to prepare 

Apple and Sausage Cider Dish

Cook’s Notes: This dish has lots of possibilities. You can use a variety of meats for one dish or use one product. In the past I have used Hillshire, Klements, and Johnsonville products as they have no fillers added. For this recipe, I used chicken apple sausages for a healthy alternative, and they are a GF product. This recipe serves 4 but can be easily increased by adding more cider, another apple or two, and a whole red onion, sliced. A perfect side is red cabbage. I used sweet-and-sour jarred red cabbage from the canned vegetable aisle. 

The recipe serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
· 2 lbs. of link sausages that are fully cooked, such as Polish Kielbasa, andouille, or Smoked Sausages (use a combination)
· 3 apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
· 1/2 of a medium yellow onion and 1/2 of a medium red onion , diced
· 5 cups apple cider

Directions:
· Slice sausages into 1-1/2 inch pieces.
· In a large soup pot, add sausage slices, cider, onions, and apples.

· Cook covered on low heat for 35 minutes or until apples are soft. Use a slotted spoon to drain.

Red Cabbage makes a great side-shortcut use 

And don't forget the beer😋