Popcorn! by Frances Towner Giedt

This is my last Culinary reading of 2023, It's a short read of less than 110 pages. I got this book as part of the 'Take a Book, Leave a Book' program of the Bald Head Island Library earlier this summer. My students are always asking to make popcorn and I support them wanting to explore their culinary interests. I just would like for them to season things up a bit if I did let them make popcorn. Hopefully this book might help. Plus, with the numerous fun facts, you really learn about this history of this food stuff!

This 1995 book contains several dozen popcorn recipes divided into the categories of Sweet, Savory and Skinny. You'd think that every recipe would be the same just telling the prepper to pop the corn, then add seasonings, toss and eat. However, author Frances Towner Giedt utilizes pots, stoves, sauce pans and even the oven for making these popcorn snacks. There are several recipes that sound really good like the Rocky Road Popcorn Balls and the Taco flavor. There's even a few trail mix style recipes that incorporate nuts, fruit and chocolate into the popcorn. A few other recipes might not be so easy to create as posted. For a nearly 30 year old book, there are some ingredients called for that I don't think manufacture anymore, such as the powdered spaghetti sauce mix called for to craft the pizza popcorn dish. But if I can find out a substitute, I really want to make this stuff.

I also share a bit of concern with the skinny recipes. Not that I don't think that they could be tasty or anything like that. I think some of the nutritional values and dietary suggestions might be a tad outdated. The author has written or co-authored several healthy eating cookbooks sponsored by the Joslin Diabetes Center, a reputable medical institution. So I suspect Frances Towner Giedt's facts are accurate and sound. However, there's been tons of research that has changed dietary recommendations and requirements almost a dozen times in the last 4 decades. Plus, I think some of the butter and sugar substitutes called for are now considered carcinogenic. My advice: if you 21st century aspiring popcorn chefs out there ever use this cookbook, do your research on any of the name-brand items called for in the healthy recipe section.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Silent Night, Deadly Night #4

The sequel to the 1984 holiday horror classic comes to an end in this issue. I'm rather excited about it. For one thing, even though this miniseries erases SNDN 2 & 3 from canon, what unfolds in this issue prevents those events from being completely wiped from existence. See in those 2 sequels, Billy Chapman's little brother succumbs to his PTSD over his brother being a sadistic killer, so when Ricky gets college aged, he too wears a Santa costume and dispenses justice against those he declares 'Naughty.' In this official comics sequel, Ricky undergoes years of therapy, terrified by demented visions of becoming a psycho killer like big brother Billy. 

In other words, the events of parts 2 and 3 took place in Ricky's head! 

In my review of issue #4, I mentioned that I had a theory as to why Billy's eyes were turning as black as the coal on a snowman. Well, I was right about that, although what Billy turns into is never officially named. It's never explained why one of the kids at the orphanage where Billy and Ricky stayed as youths, undergoes a similar transition. But the way this story ends, things are set up for a sequel. And I'm okay with that! 

There's a couple of great twists to this story. Two great jump scares; one of which shocked the heck out of me and this was a comic book. Not a live action film! And though the artwork was pretty gory, it again was an improvement from those very rough first two issues.

The story ending is just satisfyingly enough that if the story ends here, I could live with it. But there's a promise of a sequel. I don't think it's going to happen this year as I don't see anything on the horizon. That too I would be okay with as you don't want to beat a dead horse. Even though that's probably exactly what Billy Chapman would do.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Silent Night, Deadly Night #3

The police force of tiny Eggnog, Utah are on alert. Anybody in a Santa suit doing the slightest thing illegal are getting round up. It's spreading security forces pretty thin which makes this issue's major massacre a cake walk for Billy Chapman, who returns to Ira's Toys some 40 years after his murderous spree of Christmas Eve, 1984. The new owner is throwing a bash for all the store Santas in town, as well as the helpers and Billy has come dressed in his holiday reds and bearing gifts... of death! 

The first about 10 pages seemed like a return to the slasher holiday classic and then Billy's rage triples and heads begin exploding, blood gushes and heads roll. As much as the level of violence went off the rails, it was still a good story. Plus the artwork has vastly improved. and yes, it's the same artist from the past 2 issues! I have a theory behind why Billy's eyes have turned jet black. I'll be interested to know if I am right. 

I was right about who the copycat Santa Killer was. I wasn't 100% certain as I can't seem to account for all the murders to the person who committed them. Thus, while I had my assumptions, I wasn't 100% certain. But I count it as a win that I guessed the secondary killer correctly.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Silent Night, Deadly Night #2

A lot happens in issue #2. 

Billy's eyes turn as black as coal and he escapes the low-security mental hospital, murdering indiscriminately. 

An orphan from the foster home that Billy and Ricky lived in as kids, seeks help from Santa. His eyes also turn jet black and he beats the living crap out of one of his tormentors. 

Ricky has a complete mental breakdown after what happened with his recent visit with Billy and storms out of the house he and his family are staying in.

A killer dressed as Santa kills a couple near lover's lane and then possibly kills a pair of dime store Santas.

Billy Chapman gets some much overdue revenge.

And the art just gets worse and worse.

First of all, the gore level jumps to 11 in this issue. It's very off-putting. The original film from 1984 and the sequel were known for being bloody and dark. It's kinda hard to hack someone to pieces with an axe and make it pretty. However, the deaths in this issue take a quantum leap in gore with eyeballs exploding and faces being punched to pulp. It's a level of gratuitousness I just don't want to see, like when they killed the dog in that issue of The Weatherman.

Thankfully, the artwork isn't all that great as the lack of realism helps to prevent me from having nightmares. I liken it to the very overcrowded type of stuff you would see in a college newspaper. Everything looks like it was done with an ink pen instead of pencils and it feels rushed. I know that I'm not a professional artist. With my carpal tunnel, I couldn't pass that correspondence art course test where you have to draw the pirate or the turtle (and everybody is scammed into believing they have the makings as the next Andy Warhol!) But to paraphrase Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, I know what I like and I don't like this (art.)

Still hooked on the story though. It's intriguing where the art work for the most part really disappoints.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Silent Night, Deadly Night #1

I start my 2023 Christmas comics reading with a sequel to a holiday classic... HORROR flick! It's Silent Night, Deadly Night #1 from American Mythology.

I've been waiting almost an entire year to read this book. Issue #1 debuted in November of last year with issue #2 dropping in December. That would have been okay for me to wait until then to read it. But issue #3 hit store shelves in late January AND the final fourth book didn't come out until Easter! So I waited...

Silent Night, Deadly Night is a fully sanctioned sequel from film creators Dennis Whitehead and Scott Schneid. Taking place 40 years after the first film, it appears that events from the second and third film in the series have been wiped away from existence. In fact, this miniseries also changes the ending of the 1984 splatter classic because Billy Chapman is still alive!

At the end of the original film, cops shot and killed Billy before he could exact revenge on the abusive Mother Superior who abused him and his brother as kids. Over Billy's dead body, little brother Ricky, proclaims that the head nun is ' Naughty '. And that's where movie series canon ends.

 As Billy's corpse is being wheeled out of the orphanage, paramedics detect a faint pulse and rush to save the crazed Santa dressed murderer. Thus for the next 4 decades, Billy Chapman resided in a low-security insane asylum, keeping mostly to himself, allowing his white hair and beard to grow long like Santa. Every Christmas, Ricky takes his wife and daughter to make a yule tide visit while Ricky wrestles with the demons of his past, fearful that he too might become a sadistic killer like his big brother.

Meanwhile, one of the kids from the orphanage who witnessed Billy's Christmas Eve assault has returned to the town of Eggnog, Utah. Now a famous horror writer, the man hopes to exorcise his own demons from the orphanage and the trauma of Christmas Eve, 1984. Only that's gonna be really difficult as someone in a Santa suit is stalking the citizens of Eggnog, killing those who wind up on this evil Kris Kringle's naughty list.

If you can wade through the fact that this book erases 4 sequels, two of which weren't really even connected to the Caldwell family anyways, fans of the slasher series will enjoy a bloody sequel full of irreverent humor and creepy jump scares. And that's perfectly fine as that's was the intention of the 1984 film that changed the rules for holiday horror. As for the art, it's rough. I don't understand why American Mythology does amazing work with their all ages material; yet their horror stuff looks like it was drawn by the cartoonists at a college newspaper.

For those of you who love their Christmases to be a little bit on the dark side, this is the chilling read for you.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The New Archies #20

Only the cover and the first story are Thanksgiving themed. However, considering my recent luck with Thanksgiving comics turning out to either be busts or minimally set during the holiday, if at all, I count this as a win. 

Pop's Chock'lit Shop is holding a raffle for a Thanksgiving turkey. Jughead gets a sneak peak at it and the thing is HUGE! Naturally, Juggie buys a slew of tickets in hopes of winning the thing. But he has a change of heart when he learns about a little girl, whose family is in dire straits, that spends her last 4 bits to buy a single ticket. 

The other two stories were good as well. Boy genius Eugene invents a machine that reveals people's innermost thoughts. Being that the gang is all in junior high school and that means tons of drama, it's not exactly a machine that wins the user of the device any friends. The final story has all of the boys getting jealous of the compliments Jughead gets from wearing his hat. So they all end up wearing lids too in order to look cool. Only Mr. Weatherbee offers some sage advice that has everyone but Jug playing the fool!

I loved The New Archies as a kid and I still love them. They didn't exactly take off with fans when they debuted in 1987. But I actually was a fan. I didn't understand the concept as to why the gang from Riverdale had to change, but I liked them all!

The idea behind them was first to be a new take on a classic property, having the kids de-aged from high school to middle school. White boy genius Dalton was replaced with Eugene, who was black. Eugene was given a black girlfriend named Amani. Neither character has ever returned to Archie books to my knowledge. More modern situations and themes were added to the mix and the focus of the stories was less on the love triangle between Archie, Betty and Veronica and more on the angst of being a budding teen.

The other reason for the change was a legend I had heard a while back but can't seem to recall where I learned it; nor can I confirm it. Supposedly, NBC wanted to make an Archie cartoon. However, CBS still owned the rights to the ageless teens. Thus, DIC Entertainment Corporation worked to make The New Archies as close to different as possible as to prevent a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Not that really any of that mattered because within 4 months, the cartoon was cancelled. The comic book lasted a little bit longer. It hung around until 1991, with a total of 22 issues and 14 digests being released on a non-regular basis.

Most who remember the series in any format, look at The New Archies with disdain. I have fond memories of getting issues for free at visits to my dentist. At least with the books being so infamous among Archie fans, these books aren't very expensive buy- IF YOU CAN FIND THEM!

There are a total of 3 stories in this issue. That makes my Thanksgiving average with this issue a .333. Maybe a little higher if you count the cover. Heck, Hall of Fame worthy hitters in baseball consider themselves lucky if they can average .333 in a season. Plus that first story was such a home run...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1

After the events of Annihilation, the Guardians of the Galaxy have decided to take a break from things. Only, another universal threat has manifested. This time, Zeus and several cybernetically enhanced Greek gods have turned Mount Olympus into a warship that can transverse time and space. In order to power it, Mount Olympus must terraform planets at a level of destruction on par with Galactus. Normally the Nova Corps would answer the call to action. However, what happened in Annihilation led to the the Corps' membership to dwindle down to just two!

Richard Ryder comes to the Guardians for help. Tired, wore out and still recovering from their part of the battle, the Guardians decline. Except, the decision eats at both Peter Quill and Rocket who both sneak away to join the small team of Nova Corps, plus Moondragon and an Captain Marvel from another universe to stop these Greek gods from destroying the universe!

Marvel.com claimed that this issue was a Thanksgiving set issue. While Peter Quill does make a turkey for his friends at the beginning of this issue, he doesn't wish anybody a Happy Thanksgiving or anything like that. There are a couple jokes about how the turkey looks weird, which is funny based on the odd stuff Gamora and the other Guardians are preparing for their cookout. After like 3 pages, the turkey is gone, Nova comes asking for help and the story picks up steam from there. So, is this a Thanksgiving comic? I'm gonna say 'No!'

First of all, Thanksgiving is never mentioned anywhere. This variant cover nor the regular cover shows a Turkey Day gathering or any sort. Other than Marvel.com listing this as part of their Thanksgiving reads, I don't see evidence of this issue being a holiday book. Even the Marvel Wiki is noticeably quiet on this plot point. Maybe I got some bad advice. If so, that makes me nervous as I recently bought 3 other issues suggested from that online article. What if those comics aren't really set during Thanksgiving either? I'm going feel like I wasted my money.

The good thing is that I enjoyed this issue. Al Ewing's opening salvo was very action packed. I really wouldn't mind getting my hands on the rest of this storyline. But I think I'd only get it if I could check it out at the library or if I could find the trades for super cheap.

Worth Consuming. But boy was I disappointed.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Chase #6

This was such a disappointment. I had been sitting on this book for a year because of its cover which was inspired by Norman Rockwell's iconic Thanksgiving scene 'Freedom From Want'. Yet there's nothing Thanksgiving at all about the story!

Chase is about Cameron Chase and her 'Alice in Wonderland' like experience as the newest agent at the Department of Extranormal Operations. In this issue, Chase is on her last day of injury leave and has decided to spend that final day with her little sister. But first, a trip to the office to check on things. Of course, such a thing is never a good idea, as a demon released from an inter-dimensional portal on the 6th floor has wreaked havoc and now Chase is stuck in the elevator with the power out. 

With no place to go, the Chase sisters have a chat. It's here that Cameron reveals to his sis that their father was a low-level superhero named Acro-Bat and that he was murdered by a sadistic cape killer called Doctor Trap!

The book was good and I might very well be interested in reading the whole 10-issue series of Chase because of it. Yet, I consider such books with deceptive Thanksgiving covers and no actual holiday meat inside to be a Tofurky! I guess I wasn't really lied to. The story does go into the past and shows happier times with the Chase family. There's little Cameron on the cover. Papa Chase is dressed as Acro-Bat. And the murderer does lurk in the background, readying himself for a chance to strike. Still, I bought this book thinking it was a Thanksgiving read, as other comic book websites list this as a holiday book, and I got gypped out of the experience of watching characters in the DC Universe dine on turkey with all the trimmings.

A high quality book that I rate harshly for being fooled by the cover.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #6

This is the issue I've been hinting at since I began reading the Vision and Scarlet Witch minis. I was originally going to read these comics earlier in the year as part of my annual reading challenge. I think I needed to read an Avengers book or something like that. When I was looking things over, I discovered that this issue was set during Thanksgiving. As I don't have very many books set during Turkey Day, I decided to hold off on reading these until November. Imagine my surprise as two issues have been set during Halloween. It's been an unexpected holiday extravaganza!

So what is this issue about? Wanda and her husband decide to host Thanksgiving at their new house. Members of the Avengers, Wanda's physician Doctor Strange, brother Pietro and family and friends are all invited. That includes papa Magneto. The former villain is treated to a chilly reception as Magneto has burned a lot of bridges. This leads Magneto to leave early. Only he doubles back when he discovers that a group of foes are hiding in the former Avengers' back yard awaiting to strike. It's the original lineup of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But wait, how can there be 2 Magnetos and 2 Quicksilvers?!

This holiday set story was worth the wait. I knew with this being a superhero story that this wasn't going to be a total love feast. I knew that there was going to be some action and excitement. But there was enough turkey and trimmings to make this story festive enough for my liking.

Plus somebody must really like me because I learned at the end of this tale that issue #7 is set during Christmas!  It's a holiday miracle! I normally wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start reading Christmas comics. But as this issue ends on a cliffhanger, I'm gonna treat myself with an early Christmas present and read the follow up early.

You don't have to read the 9 previous issues that lead up to this giving of thanks. But it helps. I understand why this book is consistently included in lists of the best Thanksgiving comics of all-time and it's not because of how few Turkey Day reads there are in comicdom.

A true classic!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #5

At the end of the last issue, I saw that this story was going to be set at Halloween! And I actually cheered! Yes, I like to read my holiday themed comics during the season in which the action takes place. But as the next issue is why I waited until now to read the two Vision and the Scarlet Witch minis, I decided to just enjoy the ride!

In this issue, it's Halloween night and Wanda is about to perform a ritual in order to communicate with her deceased mentor, Agatha Harkness. However, as Wanda's powers are currently tied-up with producing a miracle baby from her mutant DNA and Vision's synthetic material, the expelling of magic opens the Scarlet Witch up to attack from those who wish to siphon her powers- from beyond the grave!

Meanwhile, Vision, who has left Wanda at home to conduct her seance, enjoys a night out on the town. He's the special guest of his new friends Glamour and Illusion, who are putting on a special Halloween magic show. During the presentation, Vision experiences what can only be a disturbance in the Force. Agatha Harkness makes contact with the former Avenger, warning him of supernatural threats to Wanda and her unborn child. For a once thought vanquished foe from Wanda and Vision's earliest days on Leonia, New Jersey seeks to make the child a new vessel of their evil in hopes of once again conquering the earth.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, which is also my reading journal, then you'll know that while I like stories about the supernatural, I have a limitation on how much magic and arcane spirits a story can have. This Halloween issue almost crossed that line. Not a fan of seances or making contacts with the dead. Demons are definitely not my thing. I hate things that are possessed. I think if the Scarlet Witch hadn't defeated the foe when she had, I might have had to throw this book away. 

The story and art have quality. It's the quantity of the contents that put me off. I enjoyed the holiday themed and the parts with the Vision were quite good. It was just a bit too occultish for my taste.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4

After a hoo-hum issue, Steve Englehart redeems himself with this story about prejudice and greed.

In between the last issue of the first miniseries and issue #1 of this maxi-series, Vision and the Scarlet Witch saw their dream home being burned down by townsfolk who didn't want muties or heroes living in their quiet little burg. Despite the loss, Wanda and Vizh aren't done with Leonia, New Jersey just yet and they've bought another home.

Feeling like the former Avengers haven't gotten the message yet, those same citizens plan another assault on Vision and his wife. Thankfully, the couple have a pair of guardian angels who are secretly super-powered mutants as well. Living in Leonia as a husband/wife magician act known as Glamour and Illusion, one can manipulate matter while the other can become intangible. Pretty good abilities for a pair of illusionists and the newest members of the Vision and Scarlet Witch family.

Actually, scratch that. The newest member of the title family is Wanda's fetus in which Doctor Strange has just confirmed that the Scarlet Witch is pregnant! 

A much, much better issue that introduces a pair of new characters that I like. Plus, a bunch of bigots get a comeuppance in some spectacular ways that only a mutant with magical hex would be able to pull off. Plus an appearance by Doctor Strange.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #3

A character from the Marvel Universe dies in this issue. I wouldn't say that it's a major character. More on par with maybe your Wyatt Wingfoot or Foggy Nelson. More powerful than a Dum Dum Dugan or Sharon Carter, but not as steeped in Marvel lore. Though I will say that this is a major character in the Scarlet Witch back story. 

Anyways, this character's grandchildren aren't satisfied with the magic they have absorbed from their relative. Now they're after Wanda for her powers too. 

I wasn't a big fan of this issue. There's a lot of talking and yet with it, nobody says anything. It's like Steve Englehart tried to be Shakespeare. Only this is no Macbeth or any other of Shakespeare's plays that had witches and magic in it. 

I could have done without this issue. Other than Vision and Scarlet Witch deciding to have a baby (thanks to the use of magic), it all just felt unnecessary. I mean I don't even see a reason for that character to have died. If Marvel was needing an excuse to make this a 12-issue maxi-series, they found a sure way to milk a cash cow. 

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook- Official Recipes From a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Yesterday was Life Day. It's like Star Wars Christmas. First established as part of Star Wars canon, the Wookiee people's most sacred day was introduced in the Star Wars Holiday Special on November 17th, 1978. The special is notable not just because of how bad it was, but also because it contained a small animated segment that marked the debut of the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter, Boba Fett! 2023 marked the 45th anniversary of all that and it just so happened that yesterday coincidentally when I finished reading this Life Day themed cookbook.

The book is written as if it really did exist in the Star Wars universe. The writer is acclaimed chef of Maz Kanata, Strono 'Cookie' Tuggs, who is a main character at the Star Wars experience at Disney, was also the writer of the Galaxy's Edge cookbook from 2019.

There are over 3 dozen recipes written from Cookie's perspective. He talks about the actual ingredients and the planets that they come from. Thankfully, you're not expected to have bantha meat and mudhorn eggs on hand. Earth-bound writers Jenn Fujikawa and Marc Sumerak assist to translate Cookie's recipes with the human equivalent ingredients. 

If you look over the recipes closely, you'll realize that the Star Wars universe enjoys holiday treats that are similar to ours. Gloomroot Pancakes are the latkes with sour cream and apple sauce we enjoy at Hanukkah. Wroshyr Sap Cider is the hot apple cider that keeps us warm near a roaring fire. There are even some non-holiday recipes involved too. The color-changing Cirilian Noodle Salad is the magical Unicorn Noodles dish I've made with younger students for years now. Can't afford to buy supplies at the Black Spire Outpost? Cookie has you set with several DIY projects to make life day robes, trees and orbs. 

Speaking of the orbs. For Life Day yesterday, I taught some of my Culinary Arts students how to make a mini version of the jelly orbs recipes. I didn't have the right ingredients. But I was able to use a fair substitution. Hopefully after Thanksgiving, we'll give it another go with the required agar agar powder.

The photos in this cookbook were absolutely stunning. So colorful and vibrant. The food stylists behind these portraits deserve beaucoup accolades and I hope they've won some awards for them. 

Lots of great ideas. Maybe next year for some holiday fun in a galaxy far, far away, I might use recipes from this cookbook to my students to do a culinary venture based on Life Day. My student's might not enjoy it as much as me. But it'll be a heck of a lot less stressful than having to do a Thanksgiving themed sale. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2

In West Coast Avengers #2, Ultron kidnapped his 'father', Dr. Hank Pym. Then as the Scarlet Witch joined up with the Avengers of the Pacific in their quinjet, Ultron unleashed an assault on the plane and it's going down!

Now in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2, as the plane is crashing, Hawkeye is contacted by his wife, Mockingbird who has been away from the team, assisting SHIELD in a mission. This is fortuitous because when Grim Reaper's minions kidnap the crash's survivors, it's Mockingbird who saves the day.

Look, this book is over 30 years old. If you haven't read it now, you're probably not going to read it later. Although, if you're wanting to read the inspirations behind Disney+'s WandaVision, maybe you will read this book. Don't worry, I've not really spoiled anything. If anything, the big revelations that could spoil this issue involve Vision, Wonder Man and Grim Reaper. Let's just say that what transpires explains a lot of the villain's motives and why Simon Williams went from being Baron Zemo's lackey to an Avenger. However, I think in the past 30 years of Avengers stories, what happens to the trio has been retconned and distorted to the point that any spoiler I were to reveal wouldn't have any long-term repercussions to your knowledge of this corner of the Marvel universe.

A bit of a mess. Steve Englehart does manage to keep me from being lost in the material that was covered in the West Coast Avengers issue I've not read. Nor own. A lot of the action on the Quinjet seemed unnecessary. It's almost like Englehart needed to add that scene as filler in order for this issue of Vision and the Scarlet Witch to meet minimum page count requirements.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1

The second miniseries to star Vision and the Scarlet Witch begins with quite a few changes. What do you expect? 3 years have elapsed since then. Here's a small rundown of important things that have some impact of the current plot:

• The American Government has decreed that there are too many Avengers. The team has been trimmed down to 7 members with Hawkeye and Iron Man going to California to start the West Coast Avengers. 
• Since revealing that he is the father of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, Magneto has pledged to repent of his past sins against humanity and is currently on trial for his past crimes as the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
• Ultron, acting through a super-computer, turned Vision temporarily evil. Just inches away from taking over the world, the Avenger reclaimed his synthetic humanity and is awaiting being cleared of any dark influences on him...

Issue #1 opens with Wanda and Vision quitting the Avengers due to how Vision has been held by the government without due process. But the heroes' freedom is short-lived when the biological brother of Simon Williams, the Grim Reaper, sends an army of zombies to capture Vision and Scarlet Witch. Meanwhile on the West Coast, Ultron has tracked down Wonder Woman and kidnapped him, leading Hawkeye and his team on a search for their missing comrade.

One of my greatest pet peeves about comic books takes place at the closure of this issue. It ended on a cliffhanger. But instead of being resolved by reading issue #2 of this mini, you have to read issue #2 of West Coast Avengers. Normally, I would have held off on reading any further. But I really want to get to a certain issue of this series before Turkey Day. As I've been waiting almost all year to read these books, I said 'screw it' and went on ahead to the next issue. 

If you are someone who has to have all the correlating issues in your possession before reading the whole story, take note. Otherwise, trust that the team of Steve Englehart and Richard Powell will keep readers abreast of what was missed out if you decide like me to forgo reading West Coast Avengers #2 first.

Worth Consuming! -but losing points for the cliffhanger pet peeve.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4

The first miniseries to star Vision and the Scarlet Witch comes to a close on the lunar sanctuary of the Inhumans. Vision's mind has been restored after the events that took place in issue #2, thanks to fellow hero, Wonder Man. Now the former Avenger needs to have his arm replaced and Attilan has the advanced technology to do it.

The biggest impact this issue has to the Marvel universe doesn't even involve Vision. In this issue, Wanda and her brother Pietro learn the identity of their real father. That's right issue #4 is the one that confirms Magneto is the biological father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch!

A key issue for fans of the Maximoffs or Magneto. Maybe also for fans of the Inhumans as Magneto meets his grandchild, the son of Quicksilver and Crystal. But if you are hoping for a lot of the Vision in this book, he's a secondary player in his own miniseries closure at best.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10. 

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #3

While an attack on the life of Nuklo resulted in the mutant being cured of his radioactivity, the results of last issue's battle have let the family of Wanda Maximoff and the Vision in tatters. Robert Frank, the Whizzer, is dead while Vision is left mangled, minus an arm and in a sort of coma. As the Vision's brain patterns were taken from that of Wonder Man, the Hollywood Avenger is called to the Big Apple to help restore the synthezoid hero's mind.

This was a trippy issue as the majority of the story takes place in the mind of the Vision. The level of action is upped by the addition of the Grim Reaper who blames both Viz and Wonder Man for the death of Simon Williams, which confuses me because I thought Wonder Man was Simon Williams. Internally, both Vision and Wonder Man must battle Ultron, as a small part of the Vision's creator still lingers in the Avenger's brain and has been trying to kill him ever since the hero rejected the influence of his creator!

I've figured out the theme of this miniseries. It's family and its many facets on people. Family sometimes is who you are born into. Other times, family is who you care about the most. It's that latter version of family that is sometimes the closest and the most meaniful. 

Being that so much of this story is based on symbolism and the exploration of the deepest recesses of the psyche, this is the kind of tale that my wife would be a fan of. As for me, it's just a little too metaphysical. Not the worst story. Just not my taste.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2

Former World War II superhero, Robert Frank, the Whizzer, arrives on the doorstep of Vision and the Scarlet Witch. The 'father' of Wanda Maximoff and her brother Pietro the mutant racer Quicksilver, Frank seeks to regain custody of his son, Robert Jr., who is also the radioactive mutant, Nuklo.

Nuklo has the mind of a child due to his autism. As a result, Nuklo isn't able to control his powers which if allowed to get out of control could destroy the entire world. For some time now, Nuklo has been in a self-contained environment, under 24/7 care by specialists seeking to cure his nuclear powers. The Whizzer wants to take Nuklo to Attilan, where Quicksilver lives with his wife Crystal, in hopes of that the Inhumans with their state of the art technology might be able to save Nuklo once and for all. The aging hero believes that with the blessing of some Avengers and Inhumans, he'll be able to reclaim rights to his son and save him.

Well, Robert Frank does win rights to take his son to the Inhumans' base on the moon. Only, before he's able to remove Nuklo from the medical facility, an enemy from the Whizzer's past makes themselves known! Now it's up to Scarlet Witch and Vision to stop this foe from not only killing Nuklo but from also destroying planet earth as the enemy's attack on the autistic mutant threatens to send him into meltdown!

It's not really a spoiler to mention that the real father of Wanda and Pietro is Magneto. That's been established for quite a while. I've also known that it was believed that the Whizzer was the real father to those super-powered siblings. But I never really knew the story behind that. Nor did I know when Wanda and her brother learned that Robert Frank wasn't their real father. While both Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch have known the truth for a while, Whizzer doesn't learn the truth until this issue. We also get the back story as to why Robert Frank thinks he's their real father. 

As for Wanda and Pietro learning their true parentage, that revelation looms for another day...

Another good issue. I was hoping this issue would be Veterans Day themed, since the previous issue took place during Halloween. While the Whizzer did fight along side the Invaders during World War II as part of the Liberty Legion, thus making him a veteran, there's nothing about November 11th that fits into this being a holiday tale. 

Okay, so I was a little disappointed about that. But the story by Bill Mantlo was excellent. Lots of action and adventure. And what happens to Vision shocked the heck out of me!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1

The opening chapter of one of two miniseries that inspired the hit Disney+ series WandaVision.

The story opens on Halloween night. It's the first day of Wanda and Vision's new life as a domesticated couple. Retired from the Avengers, living in a new house in the quaint town of Leonia, New Jersey, the Scarlet Witch and Vision are ready to unpack and settle in. As a house-warming gift, Avengers butler Jarvis has come to help with the moving in. As yet another housewarming gift, Captain America has gifted Wanda with an ancient spell-book from one of his SHIELD missions in Europe. 

Being Halloween night, the former Avengers are ready for the goblins and ghosts you'd expect trick-or-treating on your doorstep. What the new homeowners don't expect is for an ancient druid god to escape from their housewarming gifts and try to kill them! 

I was thrilled to get to read a Halloween story out of season. I had no idea that this premiere issue took place on All Hallow's Eve. I've been sitting on these two mini-series almost all year, for reasons that I'll explain in a few days. But had I known that there was a Halloween story in the mix, I would have started Vision and the Scarlet Witch last month!

Another pleasant surprise was the writer. It's Bill Mantlo! A talent whose artistic voice was tragically quieted way, way too early, I love his stuff. I cut my comic book reading teeth on his Rom: Spaceknight stuff. His Marvel Two-In-One and Marvel Team-Up works are master classes on how to write crossovers. Mantlo's prose gets a little too flowly at times, especially at the beginning of this issue. But the man could write some amazing stuff!

A great and surprising first issue to start things off! Perfect for your Halloween reads, though I bet many of you overlook this one as an October time read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

ET-ER, Vol. 2

AWA Studios' ET-ER is a series that I just don't understand why it's not gotten the love it deserves. The 3-story first issue debuted in 2021, just a few months after comic book publishers were forced to shutter their print runs due to the pandemic, and were once again able to re-open. With a massive delay such as that, it took a long time for Indy publishers to get back on schedule. The fact that it was almost a year until Vol. 2 came out doesn't really surprise me. What shocks me is that it's been about 18 months since this second issue hit shelves and it doesn't look like the doctor will be in anytime soon. 

The premise behind ET-ER is rather novel. It's literally universal healthcare. In the first of three tales, a distant colony planet is attacked by massive insectoid creatures. Driven mad by a virus, a medical team is sent to inoculate the hive, as well as any humans stupid enough to get in their way.

Episode #2 sees an intergalactic ambulance driver rushing to save the life of a transplant patient. With hyper-lanes shut down do to a crash, the space-faring paramedic will have to cut a narrow path through an asteroid field in order to keep his precious cargo alive.

The last story sees a fledgling documentary filmmaker succumbing to both the stress of not being the next great interstellar director and the narcotics he's turned to in order to keep working. 

3 great medical themed sci-fi stories. That opening tale reflects the poor choices and disinformation spread during the height of the pandemic. The middle story made me go down one path only for that twist ending to gut punch you like many good medical dramas do. Honestly, the final story was a bit too off-the-wall. However, if you'd ask my wife, who works in a medical clinic (on Earth), cases involving drug addicts take some really bizarre turns. As I am never been a part of the drug culture, maybe I just didn't connect to the premise as much as someone who has experimented with mind-altering substances might have.

I may not be a fan of AWA Studios co-founder, Axel Alonzo. But I am one to admit when something is worth reading and ET-ER is so worth reading. I just wish fans would enjoy it as much as I do or that AWA Studios would take a greater leap of faith with it. 

Some of you may be wondering why I waited a year and a half to read and review this book if I'm such a fan of it. Sheepishly, I must confess, I misplaced this book. I've got about 2 long boxes full of stuff to bag, tape, organize and add to my collection. ET-ER Vol. 2 was an unfortunate casualty to that overstock. I don't regret having that many books unaccounted for in my possession. I've been taking great steps to fix that over the past few months with reorganizing things. I just hate that my delay on reading and reviewing this awesome one-shot may have resulted in AWA Studios pulling the plug on ET-ER for good.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

BiG NATE: I Can't Take It! (Family Comic Friday)

I'd been sitting on this book on my to-read pile for some time now. To my surprise, BiG NATE isn't an all-ages graphic novel; it's a comic strip! big NATE, as the series is spelled in syndication, has been in American newspapers since 1991. Originally, the strip was supposed to focus on Nate's dad, a balding divorcee who is the greatest middle aged athlete in the world. (At least in his head!) However, series creator Lincoln Peirce changed the focus on the strip to Nate and his misadventures at school, as he found those experiences much more humorous.

Nate Wright is actually a very intelligent child. Despite his failing grades, Nate is a chess prodigy. His over-active imagination, that we see unfold in his drawings, are what bogs Nate down in his 6th grade classes. It's also what prevents Nate from being as successful on the playing field as either a right fielder or the goalie for his soccer team. Honestly, Nate needs to skip a grade or two, as the material is just too boring for him. However, if Nate was to be seen as the genius he is, instead of a sloppy misfit dreamer, a lot of the humor of this series would be gone. 

Readers get to enjoy a full year of Wright family hijinks and I was thrilled. Many strips made me laugh. The humor was just so creative and quirky. Plus it was great to find a new series on par with Bill Amend's Foxtrot, which is my favorite newspaper humor strip of them all. 

If you're a cat lover, you might have some issues with BiG NATE. Terrified of felines, he's a certified dog person. Unfortunately, Nate's dad won't let him have a dog. So, Nate takes a job as a dog sitter for one of his neighbors. No matter how much Nate's ward, Spitsy proves that cats are way smarter than canines, Nate's devotion to mutts never falters. 

With almost 3 dozen collections of strips, families that fall in love with Nate and friends will have endless laughs. Plus, BiG NATE is now a computer-animated series on Paramount+. So when you need to rest your eyes, you can keep the chuckles going on your screen!

Lots of fun for not only the whole family, but for the whole calendar year! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Avengers, Vol. 1: World Trust

Washington D.C. has disappeared. So has dozens of other world capitals, which appear to have disappeared off the face of the earth. The planet is in crisis. The United Nations is operating under a skeleton crew. Once again, Earth's mightiest heroes are called upon to save the day. Only this time, the Avengers aren't defending us from a colossal menace like Kang or Galactus. Instead, they're acting as the de facto leaders of the world under special commission from the UN.

The first half of this book sees very little action. What we get from Geoff Johns is a political Armageddon story on par with Tom Clancy. Seeing Captain America acting as motivational leader of the world with She-Hulk as his political law adviser and Iron Man acting as the head of the World Bank was a welcome change from super hero stories full of fisticuffs and violence. There's a ton of political intrigue as many of the Avengers have trouble trusting the intentions of both T'Challa and the Sub-Mariner, both world leaders, who have joined the team recently. Nobody trusts Henry Peter Gyrich, the Avengers former liaison who oversaw a dramatic retooling of the superhero team in the 1980s. But, Gyrich is about the only government man from D.C. left on the planet and he knows how to play the political game.

I was disappointed when the story shifted over to the menace behind the chaos. On one hand, I like the villain and his reasons for his treachery kinda ties in nicely with the baddie's M.O.. But there was a component of a new player who is more on par with Doctor Strange matching wits with, as opposed to the Avengers. Okay- I admit it! Scarlet Witch and her chaotic hex powers does make her a perfect protagonist to take on one half of the extinction level foes unleashed by the story's main villain. I just hated to see this amazing story devolve back into typical comic book theatrics.

World Trust was another example of why I like the Avengers. They've never really disappointed me. I think one reason they work so well is because of how much they distrust each other.

Great additions of Jack of Hearts and the Scott Lang Ant-Man to this story. They added a distrustful tension to the story which each other really hating the other guy's guts. Plus, both have such tragic story lines going on at this point, that their inclusion in this adventures added a ton of heart. 

Definitely a keeper in my Avengers collection of reads. I just wish there was more crisis-level drama than over-the-top superheroing in this grouping of issue.

Oh, and the back-up story was awesome. If you ever wondered what the Avengers would look and act like if they existed in the Simpsons universe, here's your chance. Simpsons Comics' Bill Morrison crafts a wacky tale in which Loki seeks to regain the title of God of Mischief by playing a bunch of sophomoric pranks on the Avengers. It's another fun tale that was so unusual and extremely refreshing to read that I want to see more of!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Detective Comics #627

From 1991, this deluxe sized issue commemorates the 600th appearance of the Dark Knight in Detective Comics. The idea of this issue is pretty novel. To begin, it reprints the very first story of which Batman appeared in Detective Comics #27. In a story titled 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate', Bruce Wayne is alerted to the death of a pair of businessmen while accompanying Commissioner Gordon on a case. In the guise of the Bat-Man, the vigilante hero determines who the killer is, ushering forth a gritty sense of justice with dark undertones unparalleled in comicdom. 

Readers then are gifted with a reprint of a story from Batman's 30th anniversary appearance in Detective Comics (#387), circa 1968. Editor Julius Schwartz commissioned Mike Friedrich, Bob Brown and Joe Giella to retool that first appearance to reflect the more modern time period. This reboot includes Robin the Boy Wonder in a story that focuses on the generation gap, which was a subject that DC Comics seemed to have very little knowledge in. It's an odd tale in which Robin is sure that the son of one of the deceased is the killer' to the point that it's Batman who keeps a level head while the teen sidekick literally says 'Kids these days...'

There are 2 more stories in this anniversary issue. Both of which retell 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate' to reflect the early 90s. The first story introduces a new character called Pesticyde. Unfortunately, it's the character's only appearance. But it was a darn good one! Written by Marv Wolfman, with art by Jim Aparo, it blows that 60s reboot out of the water!

90s retool #2 is a bit more complex. Half of the story focuses on Batman trying to solve the murders of those businessmen; half focuses on a drunken homeless man claiming that his buddies have been killed. You might think that the two plots have nothing to do with each other. Yet, Alan Grant does a masterful job stringing both story lines together. This story has some great art by Norm Breyfogle, who along with letterer Todd Klein, sneaks in the names of dozens of past Batman artists and writers. The cool thing about all this is how each matches the art style or signature of the creators. 

I'm co-leading a comic book club this school year. Our first assignment is to read a Batman comic book. Any Batman work is allowed. I was going to read an issue of Detective from 1970 that reprinted several of Batman and Robin's most unusual cases. Unfortunately the book was coming apart at the seams. At first I thought I had bought the book without a back cover. Then I saw that the missing section was still inside the bag. I then began seeing how the front cover and other back pages were beginning to peel as well. As much as I really wanted to read that book, I didn't want to bring it to school and let it get further damaged. Hopefully I'll read it sometime in the future. 

Detective #627 was an interesting experiment. It started in the 60s and continued 30 years later. I wonder if this test was ever continued in another anniversary issue? If yes, I'd be really interested in getting those issues if DC ever did. And if they haven't, maybe it's time to do it again! I'd buy it!

As much as I wanted to show my students an old comic book, I'll have to do with this book. Though if you were to ask those guys, they'd probably comment that 32 years of age is old. 

Sheesh...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Crypt of Shadows #1 (2023)

For the second year in a row, Marvel releases a horror themed one-shot under the legacy banner of Crypt of Shadows. Unlike last year's offering, none of these stories seem to be set around Halloween. Also unlike last year's offering, every story was actually quite good!

Once again Victor Strange, the vampiric brother of Doctor Strange is our host. Trapped in that mirror somewhere in Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, Victor regales readers with creepy stories set in the Marvel universe while scheming to escape from his shadow realm prison. The main theme of most of these stories are team-ups involving classic 1970s Marvel horror characters.

Deadpool is hired to kill a priestess who seeks to rule both the world and underworld. But he's got to get through N'Kantu, the Living Mummy in order to obtain his bounty. Daredevil is nearly ripped to shreds by the ninja clan known as the Hand. Coming to his aid is the Man-Thing, whose touch results in death in those who know fear. Good thing Matt Murdock is the Man Without Fear. Then the Hulk is assisted by the Werewolf by Night from an all-out assault by Kraven the Hunter. 

The only story to not feature a team-up stars the Scarlet Witch. She fights a demonic force called Bricklayer. It's the villain's first appearance and it's a pretty darn good one. Years ago, this haunted house was destroyed. Only one of the bricks from the possessed domicile lodged itself into the chest of a vagrant. Now the vagrant continues the destroyed home's reign of terror by killing innocents as the super-strong and extremely evil Bricklayer. This was a villain I very much want to see more off and the tagline at the end of the story promises more of the character. Though I expect Bricklayer's legacy to be taken up by a new host body.

Fans are also promised more of Victor Strange in the pages of Doctor Strange. I'm excited for this prospect as well. It might actually persuade me to buy the books new when Marvel finally pits brother against brother once more. 

Marvel managed to make a Halloween special that was relevant and yet not preachy. Comics can tackle tricky subjects while still being fun. Finally, after several years of feeling like I was being targeted by the House of Ideas, it seems that the publisher finally understands that fans want to be entertained, not talked down too. If I wanted to spend my hard earned cash being made to feel like the source of all humanities problems, I'd enroll in an ethics course in college. When I buy comic books, I want to enjoy it and I actually enjoyed this horror comic.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Secrets of Houdini by J.C. Cannell

Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926. Before his death, he made his wife Bess promise to reach him from the beyond with an annual seance. Bess would attempt every Halloween night to reach her husband until her death in 1943 at age 67. With each failed attempt, the widow would expose the fraudulent medium as her husband would do vehemently in his later years. With all that history revolving around nearly 2 decades of Halloween night explorations into the unknown, it's no wonder I chose to read this non-fiction work for my October reads.

The book I had came with a copyright of 1989. Only, there's no way that this book came from that decade. J.C. Cannell, who wrote this look at how Houdini did many of his famous tricks died in 1953. According to Magicpedia, the one-time vice-president of London's The Magician's Club wrote The Secrets of Houdini in 1931. Now you might think it scandalous that such a well known member of the magician community would write a book exposing how the world's former greatest illusionist and escape artist performed his tricks. But crafting such a book was one of Houdini's last wishes before he died. 

J.C. Cannell's writing is definitely of the time period. But that's okay as I've read a few non-fiction works from the 1930s before. So I was used to the excessive use of titles atop each page that kinda details what you'll be reading. The prose is sensationalist, reflecting the yellow journalism melodrama of the early 20th century. 

When Cannell writes about Houdini's life and times, it's a really great read. I also enjoyed the chapter on how mediums 'conjuror spirits' as well as a lot of Houdini's quick escape and quick change tricks.  Man, does this book make me want to learn more about picking locks. A lot of these solutions are so simplistic. I felt embarrassed that in all my years of watching magic shows, that I never picked up on how they really were done. 

If ever a book needed some diagrams and pictures, it's this one. There are a few diagrams at the beginning. But they all go away by the time we get to the chapters on rope tricks and card tricks. These were also the hardest chapters to read. No matter how much I'd re-read an explanation, I just can't visualize how these tricks were done. It's probably why I always failed at my attempts at magic with those kits one would get at the toy store. I never could make them work. Plus, with the illusion shattered, I lost interest. 

This book is full of about a dozen pages full of black and white photos. These pictures show elements of Houdini's life and career that aren't mentioned at all. I didn't know Houdini was a movie star. And I would've liked to learn more about the trick when Houdini jumps from a moving plane onto the wing of another- without a parachute! That's definitely the kind of trick you can only mess up once!

Next October, I want to continue learning about Houdini. Only this time, I want a more conventional biography. I'm sure there's something decent out there. For now, I'm passing this book off to my wife. She always asks me 'How do they do that?' when a magic act stumps her on America's Got Talent. Maybe I can explain the escapes and the supernatural acts and she can get me a better understanding of those card tricks. But once she's done reading it, I'll probably sell it or donate it to a thrift story in hopes of inspiring another amateur conjurer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

As Cooked on TikTok by Emily Stevenson and TikTok

TikTok.

If you ask me, it's the single most important piece of media to influence and inspire amateur chefs and foodies in the last 5 years. In the 80s, it was PBS cooking shows. The 90s and 2000s, it was Food Network. The 2010s was the decade of abrasive chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay. Today, if a student comes to me wanting to explore a new recipe, the idea usually came in the form of a video from TikTok.

Due to the apps questionable tracking methods of users data, I don't use TikTok. Plus my school blocks it. So if a student wants me to see something on the social media site, they usually have to show the video from their phones. So when I discovered this officially licensed cookbook over the summer, I jumped at the chance to buy it for my culinary classes. 

The recipes are all from TikTok users. Add to it some cooking tips from professional chefs such as Blue Ginger's Ming Tsai. Throw in some useful cooking hacks from the TikTok tech team and include QR codes in order to access each recipe and you're as close to becoming a TikTok chef without being an official user of the site.

My students were very excited when I showed them this book. Some laughed, thinking it was absurd to buy a cookbook when I can get all the recipes for free on TikTok. But just about everyone I shred this book with was enthusiastic to use this new resource.

I decided to incorporate this cookbook into my lesson plans under the unit for recipe development as well as the unit for pricing and budgeting. Incorporating social media technology into a culinary business was also explored. We tested out several recipes ranging from a cake recipe that only called for ice cream and flour to a lasagna noodles recipe that called packs of ramen noodles. 

My students were very surprised at how the ice cream cake turned out. But I explained to them that ice cream with it's milk, fat, sugar and eggs has everything else you need to make a cake with in addition to the other ingredient of flour. So if you are in a pinch or can't afford all the ingredients that a cake recipe calls for, you can make a semi-decent cake alternative similar to a pound cake loaf consistency.

The reaction to the ramen lasagna was mixed. Some folks liked it. Others abhorred it. All wanted to know why someone would use ramen noodles to make a lasagna. I explained that a lot of users on TikTok are Millennials and Gen Zers on a budget. You can buy 4 packs of ramen for almost as much as 1 pound of lasagna noodles - or cheaper. Frugal cooking calls for creative substitutions and as a chef who's known for utilizing items about to go bad or expire in creative and affordable ways, it's one thing that I really admire about the TikTok community. 

We also explored food trends and how recipe ideas go viral by making one of the foods that put TikTok on the culinary map: cloud bread. Essentially egg whites, baking soda, some sort of dairy and of course food coloring, these tie-dyed little cakes are like eating a eggy little cloud. We also learned that with something as simple as cloud bread, it's really easy to mess it up. The easiest recipes usually are.

There's a bunch of recipes that I personally hope to explore. Full of quirky and creative ideas that can also be rather affordable, I think I found a great modern resource for my culinary students; that's also a book! Sure, my students could use the app on their phone. But one problem I noticed with TikTok is that nothing is written down. Unless you follow the video precisely and can remember all the steps, my students often get lost and tend to forget something important. So while the app is free, having everything collected in a book that can easily be photocopied and shared with multiple cooking teams is a handy tool to help bring a relatable culinary resource safely into my classroom without breaking the confidentiality of anyone's online presence.

Plus a portion of the sale of this cookbook benefits No Kid Hungry; a very worthwhile cause that I support and personally battle every single day within my school's struggling community.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.