The Celtic Shelf

It is believed that mankind has been around for nearly seven million years, and yet we have only been civilized for a bare fraction of that time. The big question is not what took us so long, but why did we ever bother in the first place? Early civilization must have been miserable, so what was it that pushed humanity to break with eons old traditions, to discard beliefs that even today are hardwired into our very being, and take that first daring step towards the world that we have now? Even more important - how on Earth did we ever manage to pull it off?

The Celtic Shelf is my answer to these questions. It is a novel about life during those darkest hours just before the dawn of civilization, as it might have happened back in 12,000 BC on the west coast of Europe.

As much as I want to tell you all about it, it's hard to think of a place to start without ruining any of the book's many surprises and revelations. This one you are just going to have to read for...

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Grilled Mint Shrimp Salad

This is an excellent dish for days when the thermometer peaks and you want nothing to do with heat in any way shape or form. It does require heating up the grill, but at least everything you put on it cooks fast.

Three hours before the meal, light up the grill to get it heating. Back in the kitchen get out three mixing bowls, ten metal skewers and a cookie sheet.

Cut up...

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Tiki Skewers

About three hours ahead of time, mix together everything from the brown sugar to the canola oil in a ceramic bowl. Cut the steak up into bite-sized cubes (1/2 to 1 inch) add to the bowl and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge to marinade. Put a bottle of white wine on to chill, or a high-quality sangria if you can find it.

Cut the pineapple into 1...

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Thunder Island Tacos

This is a somewhat healthy variation on the classic Fish Taco. I use scallops, but you can just as easily substitute any form of white fish (and the more tropical the better - I'm looking at you, Mahi Mahi) just be sure to chop it up into boneless half inch chunks. This recipe makes three large tacos. It's easy enough to just juggle the ingredients to make more or less.

In...

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Lime Basil Gnocchi

A simple but elegant dish. It's not exactly heart healthy but close. On a back burner, in a pasta pot, bring the 4 cups of water and 1 Tbsp crab boil to a boil. This is critical - reduce heat to low and wait until the until the surface is simply steaming and not bubbling. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 20 minutes.

Do not cover the pot and check the chicken...

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