Latest Reviews

Too Many Secrets

Saint

52 Family Time Ideas

I think that's it for right now. I'm behind on my write-ups as usual too. Hopefully I'll get at least three more done today and tomorrow so they will be off my shoulders before the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

November Reviews

My newest posted reviews (still way behind)

The Man with the Iron Tattoo

Younger

Love You, Mean It

More to come, I'll post as they do...

New reviews

Again, sorry it's been so long since an update from me!

Calm, Cool & Adjusted

Cursed by a Happy Childhood

Bittersweet 16

I have more reviews turned in awaiting posting, and I have four books sitting here waiting for me to review them. Just not enough hours in the day!

Weekly Update

I am slowly catching up. I actually got my RT reviews done a week before the deadline, I'm doing pretty well! I can now try to work on my website review books, I have tons and tons and I get overwhelmed just looking at them.

New this week:

The Sea Serpent of Grenadier Pond

The Christmas Letters

Between: A Girl's Guide to Life

I should have quite a few more next week. I am going to really push myself to get more books read this week.

Recent Reviews

Latest reviews:

Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum

What is Heaven Like?

The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions

Kiss the Cook/Bride

The Red Gloves Collection


It's a double deadline month for Romantic Times, which is keeping me really busy reading review books. Hopefully I'll finish them this week so I can get the reviews written and spend the next few weeks whittling down my other review pile as well as reading a couple of books for fun. I really want to read at least two books from my tbr mountain this month. They keep arriving from paperbackswap and I just don't have time to read them, there are so many that look so good!

I may get to go to the Seahawks game next Sunday, depends on whether the other person hubby invited can go or not.

I'm not a good updater

Sorry for the infrequent updates. I'm not doing a very good job at keeping my schedule straight. I've really overwhelmed myself this fall, and I am not sure what needs to go, but something definitely does. I have two RT deadlines this month, the first is tomorrow and fortunately, I only had two reviews for that one. The next one is at the end of the month, and I have at least four for that one.

Here are my most recent reviews I've had posted:
She Who Watches

RV There Yet?

The Confident Woman

Playstation Nation

I only read 10 books this month, that is an all time low for me. I need to get busy reading much faster.

I am enjoying the new fall TV season. I can't wait for the premiere of Lost this week. At this point, the only new show I'm watching is Vanished, but I'm going to watch The Nine on Wed. All of the other shows are ones from last year and before. I just don't have time for anything new!

It's been awhile!

This has been a crazy end of the summer. We went on vacation to the beach for a week, and then it's been busy trying to get the younger kids ready for and started in school and our older daughter back to college, which is where we delivered her yesterday. I did get quite a few reviews written this past week, I have been working hard! I will get back to my regular routine of recipes and reviews in a week or so, once I have the fall routine down a little better. Until then, here are the latest reviews I've had posted:

Between Heaven and Ground Zero

The Overachievers (excellent)

Tasty Temptations

Consider Lily

Apples of Gold: A Parable of Purity

Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam

Real Stuff

Grace Notes

Everyone Worth Knowing

Suburbanistas

One Cold Night

Fix-It and Enjoy-It! Cookbook


I just finished up my Romantic Times books for the month, and I haven't started anything new today. I have been reading like there's no tomorrow! I do think I'm going to start Pledged by Alexandra Robbins. I loved The Overachievers, and I like Robbins' writing style. Since I was in a sorority in college, I'd like to see how it mirrors my experiences.

Reviews

Havent' updated for awhile. Things always get so busy when it's RT time of the month. We've also had a lot of activities going on around here--swimming lessons, gymnastics, etc.

Some new reviews posted:

Creating an Intimate Marriage

Irish Girls are Back in Town

Monkey Love

I promise I'll be better with updating once school starts again and life returns to some semblance of a schedule.

Reviews

Two new reviews

Down Came the Rain

Something that Lasts

Will post some recipes and pictures later.

Bluebarb Crunch

Here's my newest review posted:
The Nannies

My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of rhubarb, and being a rhubarb novice, I had no clue what to do with it. I found this recipe in my Bed and Breakfast cookbook:

Bluebarb Crunch
4 cup rhubarb cut into l-inch pieces
2 cups blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water

For Crumble/Crunch Topping
l cup all-purpose flour
l cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter or margarine - melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375In a large bowl combine rhubarb, blueberries, sugar, flour, cinn, lemon ju and water. mix well. Pour into a greased 9 by 12" baking dish.For topping, in a small bowl combine topping ingredients, sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake 45 min. until rhubarb is tender.

Zabaglione

Well, the other night I had made the chicken marsala, and now I have this big bottle of marsala wine...what to do with it? I didn't have the ingredients to make tiramisu (but I will be getting them soon!) but I did have some berries that needed to be used. So I whipped up some zabaglione.

It was VERY easy.

I put a pot of water on the stove and got the water hot/boiling. Then I used the large stainless steel bowl above and put the following in the bowl:

4 egg yolks

4 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons Marsala wine

I wisked the mixture constantly, making sure the bowl didn't touch the water, until it became thick and creamy. It took about 5 minutes. That's it!

It was really delicious with the berries, everyone in the family enjoyed it.

I'm currently reading Family by Karen Kingsbury and listening to The Husband by Dean Koontz

Salmon

I love salmon (I can't help but hear Kelly Pickler's pronunciation in my head when I type that). It's very inexpensive here on the west coast at this time of year. I found this recipe in Giada's Family Dinner book and it's delicious. She calls for broiling the salmon in the oven, but I put it on the grill so I didn't have to heat up my kitchen, it worked wonderfully that way.

Broiled Salmon with garlic, mustard, and herbs

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

3/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme (I didn't have any so I used dried)

1 Tablespoon white wine

1 Tablespoon olive oil

nonstick cooking spray

6 6-8 oz. salmon filets (I used half a salmon because it was cheaper)

Lemon wedges

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, both mustards, rosemary, and thyme. Mix in the wine and oil. Set the sauce aside.

Preheat the broiler. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray (I sprayed heavy-duty foil with non-stick spray) Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheetand sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Broil for 2 minutes. Spoon the mustard sauce over the fillets. Continue broiling until the fillets are just cooked through and golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to plates and serve with the lemon wedges.

We had fresh green beans and twice baked potatoes along with the salmon. Very delicious meal.

Recipe and a review

Here's another review:
I Did (But I Wouldn't Now)

A couple of weeks ago I made another Rachael Ray recipe, which was a pork tenderloin with strawberry sauce. It was wonderful, although a lot of work. Also had parmesan risotto with it, which even my rice-hating hubby loved.

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Strawberry Sauce

Juice and zest of 2 limes, plus 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
1/4 cup coarse-grain mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Two 14- to 16-ounce pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat and cut in half crosswise
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1 whole star anise
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup Strawberry Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice and zest and the mustard with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place the pork in the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. In a medium, heavy saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, star anise, red pepper flakes and Strawberry Sauce and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Push the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a small saucepan and keep warm.

3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until the oil ripples. Remove the pork from the marinade and sear on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Place the skillet in the oven and roast until cooked through but still juicy, about 10 minutes for medium. Place the pork on a cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes more. Slice the pork and serve with the sauce and lime wedges.

Strawberry Sauce

2 pounds fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Juice of two lemons (4 tablespoons)

1. Combine the strawberries, brown sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Partially cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are softened and release their juices, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

2. Pour the strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Press the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a storage container. The sauce will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Parmesan Risotto

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.

2. Add the rice and cook, stirring continuously for a few minutes, until the grains are glistening. Increase the heat to high and add the broth and 1 cup of boiling water. Bring the rice to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is al dente, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and Parmesan and season to taste with salt.

New Reviews

Here is my newest posted review:

The Measure of a Lady

I'm currently reading Irish Girls are Back in Town a compilation of short stories by chick lit authors. It's for a long overdue review, I'm mad at myself that I've had it on my piles for so long. I'm so far behind! Will move onto Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger next. Currently listening to The Husband by Dean Koontz, but I haven't heard very many good things about it.

We had turkey burgers for dinner tonight. It's been SO hot, I haven't been cooking much lately. We went to Fort Stevens on Saturday to escape the heat, stopped at a great restaurant in Astoria called Baked Alaska The food was wonderful, I had blackened salmon tacos and LeeRoy had Alaskan Amber Ale battered fish and chips. Service was so-so, but we survived. Ate dinner at Pig N Pancake which is always good after a day of running around. Everyone had breakfast for dinner and we left satisfied. Yesterday we went up to the upper Coweeman river and everyone but me played in the water. This cast is just not wonderful.

Back to reading I go, I have some more pictures from things I made before the heat wave, will post soon.

Chicken Marsala

I have discovered the book Giada's Family Dinners and I'm in heaven cooking! These are fabulous dishes and I have yet to find one my family doesn't like. The other night I made Chicken Marsala with Mustard and Mascarpone and it is all gone! The picture doesn't do the flavor justice. It's heavenly. Here's the recipe.

Chicken Marsala with Mustard and Mascarpone

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
salt and pepper

2 tablspoons olive oil

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup chopped onions

1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup marsala wine

1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

12 ounces dried fettuccine

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side, set aside.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of teh butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until it is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3 inch thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss with remaining 3 tablsepoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Using tongs, mound the fettuccine on plates. Spoon the chicken over.

Grilled Pizza

I made grilled pizza last Friday night. This is a great summertime meal and it's very easy.

My recipe comes from Weber's Book of Grilled Pizza. We have a gas grill, so that's what I make the pizza on.

You can get dough anywhere, but I choose to make my own because it's so easy.

Basic Dough Recipe

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Place lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine flour and salt. Add to water, 1 cup at a time, until well incorporated. If very sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft and slightly sticky. Add 2 tablespoons oil, mix well until dough feels elastic. Turn dough onto well floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. (I use my Kitchenaid with the dough hook here). Oil a large bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until more than doubles in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and knead until smooth. Divide into 4 balls and proceed with pizza making.

For pizza

Roll out each piece of dough, generously covering each side with oil. Stack with sheets of wax paper between. Get ingredients ready. For pizza Margherita (shown above) I used mozzarella, some grated parmesan, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, minced garlic, and salt.

Preheat grill. Place dough over direct heat for 2 minutes, utnil bottom is marked and brown. Flip over with tongs. Cover with toppings. Turn off middle burner to bake on indirect heat. Close grill and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bottom is lightly browned.

It is quite delicious, a nice smoky flavor. If I'm feeling ambitious, I put wood chips in a smoker box and that gives it an even better flavor.

Newest Reviews

God's Trophy Women

The Recital

Flirting with Forty

TeenVirtue 2

I'm currently reading The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. It's a choice for one of my online book groups. Interesting so far, kind of a mix of historical fiction and non-fiction.
I'm going to have to get busy with my RT books here in a week or so. Kids start swimming lessons on the 31st, so that's a good 20 minutes of reading time each day for two weeks.

Reading

I just finished Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields. That definitely hit close to home, wow. Review will be posted soon.

I'm currently reading The Nannies by Melody Mayer. I needed a light YA break. The kids and I are listening to Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. It's keeping Logan's interest a little more than Grace's, I think it's a little above her head.

Spaghetti a la Rachael Ray

The other night I made spaghetti with mozzarella stuffed meatballs from a recipe from Rachael Ray's Every Day magazine. It was delicious and everyone in the family liked it (even Kimber who hates red sauce)

This isn't my picture, it's the one from the magazine. My camera always seems to be upstairs when I want to take pictures, and hobbling up the stairs is a huge pain with the cast. So I am resorting to "Canned" pictures. I did make the recipe though, and it was fabulous, so take my word for it and make it. Instead of her sauce, I just used two jars of Ragu onion and garlic sauce. I have so much of it and not any crushed tomatoes.

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed and 1 chopped
Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
Salt
1 pound lean ground sirloin (I used ground turkey breast due to my major hamburger phobia)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
1 large egg
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 (1/2-inch) cubes
1 pound spaghetti

1. In a medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk. 2. In a large, wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season to taste with salt and let the sauce simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. 3. Add the beef, chopped garlic, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork until combined. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center. Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and mozzarella. 4. Stir the sauce and raise the heat to medium- low. Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce, submerging them completely. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook without stirring for 20 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, and drain. Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

I also made Focaccia--partly from a Rachael Ray recipe and partly my own made-up version. I used her ingredients, but not her directions. I didn't have the time to do it like her recipe described.


1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cool water (70°F to 85°F)
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary and 1 tablespoon whole fresh rosemary leaves

1. In a medium glass bowl, stir together the yeast, lukewarm water and sugar. Let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the microwave with a measuring cup with one cup of water inside. Micro-rise the sponge (I learned this technique from the book Bread in Half the Time) Heat for 3 minutes at 10% power. Rest for 3 minutes. Heat at 3 minutes at 10% power. Rest for 6 minutes.

2. Combine sponge in a mixer bowl with remaining ingredients (except whole rosemary leaves) Mix/knead until dough forms a cohesive ball. Put in greased bowl and repeat micro-rise instructions from above. Preheat oven to 400.

3. Gently transfer dough from bowl to a greased 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Spread dough to cover the bottom of the pan. Gently press fingers into surface and make indentations. Sprinkle coarse salt and whole rosemary leaves over top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Drizzle more olive oil over the top.

Heavenly!

I have been cooking...

I've been cooking a lot, I just haven't been posting much. I haven't been taking pictures of what I made either, but I think I can find pictures on the net since all of the recipes have been food network or Rachael Ray recipes.
The other day I made beignets, the recipe can be found here Cream Puffs in Venice

They were actually really good, I was quite surprised since I rarely make anything that requires deep frying. I do recommend trying them out though, because they weren't very difficult to make. I actually might make them again. I made them on Friday morning.

Friday night, I made another Guy Fieri recipe Penne with Cajun Hot Links and Chipotle Shrimp. It was delicious. Instead of the hot links, I used turkey kielbasa, and as per my usual, I used fat free half and half in place of the heavy cream.

1-ounce olive oil

4 hot links, all beef, cut in 6 bias slices

20 (21/25 shrimp), deveined, shelled and butterflied

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup Chipotle Sauce, recipe follows

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound cooked penne pasta

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated plus more for serving

1 tablespoon diced Roma tomato

1 tablespoon diced scallion

In saute pan over high heat, add olive oil and hot links. Sear links until browned. Add the shrimp and cook until pink. Lower heat to medium. Then add cream, 3/4 of the Chipotle Sauce, salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta and the cheese. Toss to combine.
Serve in pasta bowl and garnish with diced tomato, scallions, more sauce, if desired, and grated Parmesan.

Chipotle Sauce:

1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce

3/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

3/4-ounce Dijon mustard

1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo

3/4-ounce red chili flakes

1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender, puree, cover and refrigerate.