I picked up Meet Me in the Middle by Alex Light after a bit of YA reading drought. Since my current writing projects are more new adult and adult, I’ve been reading more in those genres. It was nice to fall back into YA where plots are a little more innocent and characters are at that specific point in life where they are just figuring themselves out. Not to say Meet Me in the Middle doesn’t address some tough issues, because it absolutely does, but Alex handles them with a level of vulnerability that is realistic for the YA genre. I’ll be reading more of her books. 

Okay, here goes. All Eden wants is for her best friend Katie to wake up from a coma. She definitely *does not* want to see Katie’s brother Truman again. But when he shows up after several months away, it’s as if fate has destined them to be together. So, when each run in leaves them both feeling like they might not be broken forever, they make the decision to actively seek out each other’s company. As they grow closer, they must decide whether their newfound hope is reality or an illusion. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a food post, but since a reoccurring setting in Meet Me in the Middle book was a Portuguese restaurant it only seemed appropriate. Attempting to follow through on her and Katie’s future plan, Eden has moved to the city. But nothing is as she pictured it without Katie by her side. She lands a job at a struggling family restaurant where she might be the worst waitress ever. However, the father son duo are not the worst chefs. Manny, the son who is doing everything he can to carry on his father’s legacy, works long hours pouring his heart into everything he cooks. He also happens to have a thing for Eden, so seeing how she interacts with him gives the reader great insight into her mental health. Eden is lucky to have Manny reminding her to eat. She’s even luckier to have him cooking for her. It wasn’t long before I was combing the Internet for recipes and considering who would fill the role of taste tester. (If the food contains any green, it can’t be my younger son…) 

First find: Portuguese Paella. (See the top photo). We had some family friends coming over, so once I got the okay to make shrimp, I made my grocery list. I did leave out the peas and I absolutely couldn’t find saffron anywhere. I substituted some turmeric. Obviously, I haven’t had this dish both ways, but I can say the turmeric didn’t ruin it. It was so good that I was given permission to make it again. I did make sure to chop all the veggies before our guests arrived, so when the time came to cook, it was easy to visit the kitchen to add the next ingredient to the pot and pop out in between timers to visit. 

Second find: Dessert, obviously, Brigadeiro to be exact. It’s a Brazilian Fudge that reminded me of a truffle, except it was made with sweetened condensed milk. It was surprisingly easy to make. I was questioning how small they were, since after freezing I used a teaspoon to portion them. However, they were so rich the bite size was perfect. I rolled half of mine in the chocolate sprinkles as described in the recipe and half in small rainbow sprinkles, because, well, I have a five-year-old daughter who loves rainbows. I would stick with the chocolate sprinkles, or at least sprinkles shaped like them. I found the small sprinkles to be crunchier, and not in a good way. I’m excited to try other varieties of this dessert, but if you’re a chocolate lover like me, they’ll be hard to top. 

Third find: Rissóis de Camarão. These were little fried shrimp turnovers. In the book, Manny makes these for Eden after she’s had a hard day, so this recipe was non-negotiable. They were tasty, but they were a bit time consuming for a Sunday afternoon. I thought I gave myself enough time to get everything done, but by the time I was filling the dough for frying, I was getting flustered—I had baseball game to attend for my son, after all. I ended up with extra filling, because it was hard getting the dough secured. The frying went fast, the result was tasty, and I wasn’t late for baseball! …But I don’t know when I’ll make the effort again, unless we have a crowd, because there was no way to eat them all with just our family. 

There you have it. Do yourself a favor and read Meet Me in the Middle. Pick one of my recipes, or find one of your own, to try. Or if you know of a Portuguese Restaurant in your area, give it a shot. Bonus points if it’s local and family run! Maybe a phenomenal cook like Manny is just waiting to cook you a delicious meal. I’d love to hear what you’ve discovered in the comments section! 

If you haven’t already read Meet Me in the Middle, what are you waiting for? If you already have, why not pick it up again? Either way, take my advice when you do—don’t just read it, experience it.

Want information about purchasing this book from Neighborhood Reads, a local Washington, MO book store? Click the book cover above!