Justice is served! Or is it? Serving up a supreme episode on the Supreme Court and the book Lawless by Leah Litman. A law professor and podcaster herself, Litman knows how to dish out the dirt on the Court, and to tell us when it has been spoiled.

Order Lawless here.

Want to hear more from Leah and her co-hosts? Check out Strict Scrutiny!

Recipe: You will need pasta (thinner pastas like spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, or fettuccine are best, but you can use whatever you like), a pound of shrimp, olive oil, at least 3 cloves of garlic, broccoli, a Tbsp of lemon juice, spinach, sprinkle of Italian seasoning, ½ tsp of red pepper flakes, and 1-2 Tbsps of grated parmesan cheese. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Save some of the pasta water when you drain it, around a cup will do. While the pasta is boiling, saute the broccoli, garlic, spinach, and shrimp in the olive oil over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat, mix in the lemon juice, pasta water, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Add the pasta to the skillet and mix it all up. Top with the parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thinking critically, reading books, loving magic. I solemnly swear that I am serving up something good! Or at least trying my best. Join me and Professor Julian Wamble to return to Hogwarts for Harry’s third year. We recap the book and deep dive into the magical world. What’s your Patronus? Should Muggle Studies be required? Was the movie good? All this and more!

Recipe: Bake some chocolate chip cookies for yourself or any upcoming summer barbeques. Preheat your oven to 375º F. You will need: 2 ¼ cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2 sticks of butter, ¾ cup of sugar, ¾ cup of brown sugar, dash of vanilla extract, 2 eggs, and a cup of chocolate chips. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until the texture is creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients followed by the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into balls, about 1 Tbsp each, and place on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. Enjoy! *I can’t tell you to eat raw dough since there are uncooked eggs.

Want to be critical and stay magical? Find Julian’s excellent podcast, Critical Magic Theory at the website or wherever you listen to podcasts and follow him on Instagram.

Curious about the fan fiction mentioned? Find “All the Young Dudes” here.

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reading and writing may be done solo but they give us so many ways to form communities. Bookclubs, podcasts, BookTok, sending memes, poetry readings, the list goes on. Us word nerds have to connect! This month’s bonus episode features Erica, a cultivator of the literary community in a Wisconsin town.

Check out Lake Literary Center and all the great things they are doing!

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twice the tributes, just as much dystopia. Happy Hunger Games! 24 years before our beloved Katniss and Peeta enter the arena, District 12 had another victor: Haymitch. We finally get the story of Haymitch’s games and it did not disappoint! Such an amazing prequel, the perfect first course to the original series.

Recipe: Mushroom goat cheese tarts! Here is what you’ll need: half a sheet of puff pastry, 3 tablespoons of butter, half a pound of mushrooms, a clove of crushed garlic, half a cup of goat cheese, and some parsley. Don’t worry too much about the type of mushroom. White, baby bella, cremini, whatever you prefer. Preheat the oven to 400º F and lightly grease a baking tray. Lay the puff pastry out and cut it into 8 squares. Poke each square a couple times with a fork and bake for 7 minutes. Take the squares out and flatten them a bit with a spatula. Put the puff pastry back in the oven for about 5 minutes. While the squares are baking, saute the mushrooms and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the squares are done, evenly divide the cooked mushrooms onto the pastry. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese and parsley on top.

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Words flow together to form a book the way music notes come together to create a symphony, and no one knows this better than bestselling author Brendan Slocomb! He is an educator, musician, and author and he was kind enough to join me in the kitchen.

Want to learn more about, or order Brendan’s books? Follow this link to his website.

Violin Conspiracy playlist

Dark Maestro playlist

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April showers bring bonus podcasts! Close out the month with a nod to the NFL draft and some of our favorite male main characters from beloved fantasy books. Don't know football? No problem! Don't know books? No problem! Don't know nothing? You're welcome here, Jon Snow.

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s in a name? In this episode (occurrence, event, happening, installment, etc.) Rachel serves up an appetizer on “By Any Other Name” by Jodi Piccoult. This spellbinding book explores theories that Shakespeare did not write his own plays, at the same time following a modern playwright working to stage her first play. Woven together as only a master like Piccoult can, this book will have you fleeing the dinner table quickly in order to get to your theater seats on time.

Recipe: Rose petal pesto! You will need: 2 cups of basil, a cup of rose petals (you can buy dried rose petals or, if you have roses, pick your own), 2-3 garlic cloves, half a cup of olive oil, a teaspoon of rosewater, half a cup of grated parmesan cheese, and about a quarter cup of pine nuts. If the rose petals aren’t already chopped, that is step one. Place the basil, petals, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and blend slowly, adding in the olive oil and rosewater as you go. Once it’s pretty well-blended, add the cheese gradually, mixing it in slowly. Your rose petal pesto is ready to be enjoyed.

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Rome! No, not that Rome. Rome, Kentucky. Home of the Walker family and their love interests. Each book in this adorable comedic series tells the story of a different sibling and their journey to their soulmate. Funny, awkward, relatable, all the things - these books will both satisfy your craving for a cute story while leaving you hungry for more happenings in this charming small town.

Recipe: We are making caprese stuffed chicken. You will need four boneless chicken breasts, two cups of a mix of spinach and basil, tomatoes (you can slice a roma tomato, use cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes), four slices of mozzarella, or a cup of shredded mozzarella. You will also need an oven, which you will heat to 400º. While the oven is heating, cut a pocket in each chicken breast, like slicing a pita. Stuff each one with the greens, tomatoes, and mozzarella. It’s okay if the chicken breast does not fully cover the caprese ingredients, you don’t need them hidden from view. If you wish, you can secure them with a toothpick. As an option, you can sear the stuffed chicken breasts for about 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat. If you do this, you will only cook them for about 15 minutes in the oven. If you choose to skip the searing step, you will have the chicken in the oven for 20-22 minutes. If you are using a meat thermometer, the chicken is done when the thickest part is 165º. I recommend serving this dish with quinoa and steamed broccoli, but it also pairs well with countless other sides, and some pesto to brush over the chicken.

Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with all the latest updates and reviews of what I am reading, and the mouth-watering meals I make to accompany them!

Artwork by @stephanieilana

Music: Clementi Sonatina No. 1 in G Major III

Editor: Alex Schmitz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.