Caribbean Rice and Peas - #TheBookClubCookbookCC

I was provided with a copy of The Book Club Cook Book to use for this year-long endeavor of reading and food fun. All opinions and experiences and individual book purchases are my own.

This month's #TheBookClubCookbookCC selection, Love in the Time of Cholera, took us to the Caribean with an abundance of inspiration for diving off into our own food exploration. This is not a cuisine that I am familiar with, but am now loving. 

Danielle of Mostly Food and Crafts chose our selection for May and The Book Club Cook Book lists two delicious recipe suggestions, a mojito or a mango, jicama and corn salad. You can read Wendy's welcome post as she stepped in to cover this month's selection.

The many food references in this month's book sent me off searching the internet for Caribbean Recipes and I found myself looking through some mouth-watering jerk seasoning recipes. Ultimately I decided my dish would need to include Jerk seasoning.

What is Jerk seasoning?

Caribbean Jerk seasoning gets its kick from a blend of ingredients such as chiles, thyme, cinnamon, garlic, and nutmeg.  It usually includes allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers and can be a wet marinade or dry rub.

I also learned that amazon had some option for mild jerk seasoning - essential if I am going to get my heat-phobic husband to try it.

I think I have mentioned here, a few times, that I walk a thin line with spicy or hot foods. My husband doesn't mind a bit of warmth in food, but he likes his salsa mild and hit jalapenos with no heat. I always try to compensate for this while cooking.

But the heat here in this Caribbean Rice and Peas dish is easy to adjust. Even on the milder end of the spectrum it was full of flavor and very satisfying.

So what of this month's book selection?

Love in the Time of Cholera

In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs--yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

Despite being a hopeless romance and an ode to the many forms and power of the heart, I just couldn't get into this month's read. 

Ever had a book that you keep picking up and putting down so many times that you eventually give up? That was the way for me on this selection.

Now, one of the things that made me select this recipe to try were the black-eyed peas.

I am an Oregon gal and haven't had the pleasure to eat black-eyed peas... or even see them often in our local stores. So when my daughter's class planted their own black-eyed pea plants in First Grade, I decided it was time to figure out how to use them. Garden willing, by the end of the season, I will have an abundance.

This was a lovely one-pot dish and really stuck to our ribs. With kielbasa, peas and brown rice, it was hearty and left us with amazing left overs. I already plan to make this again.

Like I said, even a rural gal, like myself, was able to find a delicious Jerk Seasoning option on Amazon. This may now be my favorite condiment. I can't wait to try it on chicken.  And don't worry, there were plenty of "melt-your-face" options online, as well. I would say, go as hot as you dare!

Everything was sauteed, then simmered in my largest pan. All that garlic and spice created quite the welcome home at the end of the day.

And one of my favorite parts to this dish were the collard greens.

I only became hooked on collard greens in the past few years. I am always looking for an excuse to buy them... they are so dark and inviting. Though you could substitute another green in this recipe, I wouldn't suggest it. The collards bring an earthy tone to the dish that would be missed with spinach or chard.

Everything simmers together till the rice is tender and the collards have wilted. It is just magic to behold!

Okay, ready to start cooking? Be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of this post for a chance to win your own copy of The Book Club Cookbook. And as always, come join in on our reading/culinary fun next month with Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Be sure to look for the announcement coming soon.

Caribbean Rice and Peas
recipe adapted from The Food Network

You will Need:

• 10 oz. frozen black-eyed peas
• salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 oz. turkey kielbasa, thinly sliced
• 1 large bunch of green onions, sliced and whites & greens separated
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
• 2 tsp. jerk seasoning (or more to taste)
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. brown rice, uncooked
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 c. collard greens, stemmed and chopped

Put the black-eyed peas in 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. salt the water lightly. Cover and bring up to a boil, then turn off and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and kielbasa to brown. Add the green onion whites, celery, garlic, jalapeno, jerk seasoning along with a large pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add in the thyme and tomato paste, cooking till fragrant and stirring constantly. 

Add the bay leaves, rice and black-eyed peas along with their cooking liquid. Do not stir. Add the chopped collard greens to the top, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook till most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 50 minutes.

Let the dish rest for an additional 10 minutes before discarding the bay leaves, adding in the green onion green and giving it a good stir.

Enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Danielle at Mostly Food and Crafts along with Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm, this month's co-hosts, are giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from May 1st till May 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

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*Disclosure: Danielle and Wendy received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Come Join the Foodie Reads 2016 Challenge!

My favorite adventures & stories, always begin with good food...

This year I have had so much fun on the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew that I am planning to read and cook my way through even more books in 2016. Our fearless cooking leader, Camilla, recently shared another fun reading challenge you can participate in called the Foodies Read Challenge for 2016.

You can link up on Based on a True Story and grab a button to display throughout the year!

 It is going to be lead by Heather from Based on a True Story, and it challenges bloggers and readers to join along starting January for monthly lists of the book review links from challenge members. It is a great chance to find some new "delicious" reads as well as share must-read books. Heather even has 5 foodie read challenge levels so you can set your reading goals high this year.

I would love to aim for the moon, but want to achieve at least Sous-Chef level with 9 - 13 books. While out Christmas shopping this past weekend I made a wish-list of books I found at Barnes and Noble.

I am hoping to read a variety of non-fiction, historical and new cookbooks. It is not required, but I hope to use the inspiration to share more great foods and recipes with all of you.

Come join in on the fun and be sure to come back in January to see my first book reviews. The first one I am working on is The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, by Amy E. Reichert.

Check out all the details and link up HERE.

e-Murderer by Joan C. Curtis

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review as part of Promotional Book Tours. All opinions and experiences are my own.




On this anything but typical Monday morning Jenna Scali, who works part-time for a shrink, opens an email that depicts the brutal death of a young girl. On that same day the police uncover a dead coed two blocks from Jenna’s house. The e-murderer’s description creepily echos the death described in the newspapers. When Jenna receives other emails, she takes what she knows to the police and thus begins her journey in the path of the e-murderer. Her curious nature impels her from e-messages to dead coeds to a ring of prostitutes.


With the help of her quirky friends, Jenna learns that she’s more than a conduit for the killer. She’s his target. New secrets unfold, and finally her love life takes a tumble when the true killer emerges.


THE E-MURDERER is a race to find a psychotic killer before he kills again. This new mystery series with a young female sleuth promises to keep you glued to your seat until the last page.

Buy on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Kobo Books / MuseItUp Publishing

My Review

Oh, wow! With the cooler weather setting in and shorter days, a new mystery was the perfect book for me to enjoy over the weekend. I adore a nail-biter, and this story was one I couldn't put down. Bravo to author, Joan C. Curtis, for hooking me on her new mystery series. Yes, I can't wait to dive into her next installment.

The story was modern and mesmerizing! Really, I am not sure how you wouldn't be sucked right into Jenna's world and fall in love with her and her friends as she races to figure out "who dunnit?"


The author is giving away two prizes: One, a $15 Amazon or BN Gift card (their choice) and Two, a signed copy of the award-winning book, The Clock Strikes Midnight.

About the author:

Joan is an award-winning writer who has published 6 books and numerous stories. Readers compare her to the great Southern writer, Fanny Flagg. “She writes characters and a story that will stay with you.” Her debut mystery/suspense novel, 

The Clock Strikes Midnight, won the silver medal for fiction/suspense in the Global eBook Awards for 2015 and is a finalist for the Royal Palm Literary Award. The e-Murderer won first place in the Malice Domestic Grants competition for new writers. Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women’s fiction, mysteries, biography, and nonfiction. Mystery/suspense with a psychological twist is exactly the kind of book Joan loves to read.

"I write about characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a woman's point of view with a destiny. Characters drive my writing and my reading." 

Having grown up in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the Southern traditions with the eye of a Northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Athens, Georgia.

Author website: http://www.joancurtis.com | Author’s blog: http://www.joancurtis.com/blog Facebook Author page: http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor | Twitter page: @joancurtis http://www.twitter.com/joancurtis

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See You Soon Broadway, by Melissa Baldwin

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review as part of Promotional Book Tours. All opinions and experiences are my own.

   Maris Forrester has a wonderful life with an amazing boyfriend and a fulfilling job. She’s happy and content . . . or so she thinks.

Maris has always had huge dreams of being on Broadway. Ever since her very first performance as a child, she has envisioned herself on the stage under the shining lights. Now she has to decide whether she should give up her wonderful life to chase those dreams. When her parents announce they are moving, she comes across a long-lost family treasure. She doesn’t realize that this treasure may hold the key to her future and to all her dreams coming true.

And if that wasn’t sign enough, a mysterious stranger throws another wrench in the mix at a dazzling rooftop party benefiting the Arts. These could be signs of things to come. But will she remain content in her perfect world, or will she step into the unknown world she has always dreamed of?

Buy on Amazon | B&N | Kobo

 My Review:

With great characters to build on, this story grabbed me. Who hasn't had a dream? Maris had a great life, a job teaching vocal lessons, a great boyfriend, but also a lingering dream. I think we all have that "path not taken" sometime in our life, but sometimes fate throws things at us to shake up our normal. Maris has to deal with what she sees as "normal" and figure out what she really wants in life.

I enjoyed the introduction of Beatrice, she was a great way for Maris to learn more about herself, as well as her grandmother.  Loved the Sound of Music references in the book, Melissa Baldwin has a lot of fun with her stories and references.

Overall, a fun and memorable read. Definitely perfect for a cool fall evening or weekend guilty pleasure read!

About the author:

Melissa graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications; she has always had a love for writing. An avid journal keeper, she took her creativity to the next level by fulfilling her dream with her debut novel, An Event To Remember . . . Or Forget. Since then she has written and published two more novels, Wedding Haters and See You Soon Broadway within 14 months. Melissa resides in Orlando, Florida, with her husband and young daughter. When she isn't writing, this multi-tasking master organizer is busy being a mother, wife, chauffeur, PTA President, and Fitness Trainer. When she has free time, she enjoys traveling, running, fitness, fashion, and taking a Disney Cruise every now and then.

Follow the author:

Facebook | Website  | Twitter  | Instagram | Pinterest | Literary Addicts 

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Fire Season: My Journey From Ruin to Redemption by Hollye Dexter

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this  BookSparks' TRUTH OR DARE Blog Tour, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #BookSparks

And finishing up the BookSparks TRUTH or DARE book tour is Hollye Dexter's Fire Season.

Awakened by her husband’s yells of panic, Hollye Dexter woke to her family’s home set ablaze and her toddler son asleep next to her. With little time to act, Hollye had no choice but to drop her son out of the second story window in order to save his life. Over the course of the next few years, Hollye spiraled into depression, unable to let go of the horrific fire that destroyed everything including all five of her family’s pets. This book tells the true story of a mother who must take back her own sanity and defeat her anxiety to keep her family in tact.

“Hollye Dexter’s book made me cry and laugh—sometimes all within one paragraph. She tells her story with power and punch, and a truth that is unsettling and astonishing and ultimately uplifting. There isn't a soul who can't relate to her memoir. It is filled with revelations, humanity, poignancy, balls-out courage, and humor. She is a role model extraordinaire.” —Amy Ferris author of Marrying George Clooney

My Review

Wow! Such a story to tell. During the first part of the book I remember having to remind myself to breathe. The fire was just such a horrifying experience to read about and the author painted such a vivid picture of that night. As a mother of young children, it was all too real for me and was like reading my own worst nightmare. But the fire was not the only obstacle Hollye and her family had to endure. Throughout the book I felt very thankful for events in my own life.

I am impressed with the courage it takes to write a memoir that is so brutally honest. It would be much easier to try to forget about the struggles and hard times, but Hollye Dexter laid it all out there and showed us the strength of the human spirit.

This is a great way to finish out summer reading because everyone loves a book where the family succeeds despite the odds being stacked against them.

The S Word, a Memoir by Paolina Milana

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this  BookSparks' TRUTH OR DARE Blog Tour, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #BookSparks

Continuing on this month I have another memoir to share from the BookSparks Truth and Dare Tour. This book has been described as a "gut punch" and begs for you to contemplate the meaning behind the word "S". The cover forshadows many different ideas within the book, but for me it came down to two little "s" words, Secrets and Survival.

The S Word, a Memoir by Paolina Milana

Some secrets are too big to keep.

As a young girl, Paolina does her best to keep the secrets she holds: secrets about her Mamma's schizophrenia, secrets about her sexual awakening, secrets about her seduction-turned-rape; secrets about having to play the role of the good Sicilian Catholic girl. But the longers she keeps her secrets, the heavier their weight becomes, suffocating her - until, finally, she finds the strength to save herself.

My Review

I have to admit this was a heavy read for me. I think all families have secrets, but this girl had to endure the burden of more than her share. My heart broke for her and the compassion and help that was missing from her life.

I kept reading till the end because I wanted Paolina to be saved or to break free of her bad situations. I did not want her to end up like the characters around her, all of them seemed just a little twisted and empty. The highlight were the memories and moments with her Papa, but even he was not able to change things for her. The author was so honest with her recollections of her Mamma and the challenges the family faced. But, I could still tell that Paolina loved her family deeply and the sense of loyalty and unconditional love lead her to keep her secrets and protect those around her.

Though I don't want to spoil the journey that Paolina Milana takes her readers on, I have to say that in the end the word that comes to mind is, Survivor. This is not a book I will easily forget, but an emotional journey with real grit and brutal honesty.

The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

This week we are getting jazzy in New Orleans!

Another week, another great destination for our #SRC2015 reading journey. Remember, you can follow along and join in on the fun on BookSparks Facebook page or follow along with their FB Event Page.

True magic is born from sorrow...

Situated deep in the Louisiana bayou is the formerly opulent Sorrow Estate. Once home to a magical family - the Sorrows - it now sits in ruins, ever since a series of murders in 1902 shocked the entire community. Now the ghosts of girls in white dresses shift in and out of view, stuck in time as they live out the past on repeat. 

When Frances Green Sorrow is born carrying the "signs" of the so-called chosen one, it is believed she will bring her family back from the brink of obscurity, finally resurrecting the glory of what it once was and setting the Sorrows ghosts free. 

But Frances is no savior. 

Fleeing from heartbreak, she seeks solace in the seductive chaos of New Orleans, only to end up married too young in an attempt to live an ordinary life. When her marriage falls apart shortly after having a son, she returns home again - alone - just out of reach from the prying eyes of her family. But when her son disappears, she is forced to rejoin the world she left behind, exposing her darkest secret in order to find him and discovering the truth of what really happened that fateful year in the process. 

Set amidst the colorful charm of The French Quarter and remote bayous of Tivoli Parish, Louisiana, Suzanne Palmieri's The Witch of Bourbon Street is a story of family, redemption, and forgiveness. Because sometimes, the most important person you have to forgive....is yourself.

My Review

Last year I had the pleasure of being introduced to author Suzanne Palmieri through the #SRC2014 selection, The Witch of Belladonna Bay. It was a lovely and haunting story. Really the sort of read I love to sink my teeth into over the summer. So, I was thrilled that another of Palmieri's "Witch" novels was on this year's BookSparks' line-up.

Palmieri's writing is in the same hauntingly beautiful and tragic style. She is a master with imagery and beautiful scene setting. Great characters, real and flawed, perfect for exploring the ideas of redemption and family. We all have flawed families, but family just the same.

I really love the characters that this author creates. They have "shine", but that isn't always helpful. They struggle to navigate fate, love, family and life like everyone else. They just feel more deeply and we are invited along to see their emotional scars and their personal journey through pain and awakening.

The Witch of Bourbon Street is a book that will transport you to both the French Quarter and the bayous of Louisiana, uncovering all the secrets of the Sorrow family, while appreciating all you have in your own life. This book won't let you go until that last page...

The Road Home by Kathleen Shoop #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

Another week, another great destination for our #SRC2015 reading journey. Remember, you can follow along and join in on the fun on BookSparks Facebook page or follow along with their FB Event Page.

 This stop lets us meander through Des Moines, Iowa:

The long-awaited sequel to award-winning, bestselling author Kathleen Shoop’s The Last Letter 

1891 - Living separately for three years, fourteen-year-old twins, Katherine and Tommy Arthur, have done their best to make each boarding house feel like home. But unrest grows as they are driven to questionable actions just to survive. Meanwhile their desperate mother is confronted with breaking yet another promise to her children. Then a miracle descends. Hope rises on a cold, rainy night and changes everything. If Jeanie could just get word to Katherine and Tommy, she knows she can set their lives right again. Agitators, angels, and dangerous saviors illuminate the Arthurs' unmatched determination and smarts. 

1905 - Though she tries to forget the awful years that hurt so much, the memories still haunt Katherine. Now, tearful mourners at her mother’s funeral force her to revisit a time in her life that both harmed and saved her in the most unexpected ways. Tommy grieves his mother’s passing as well. He too is thrust backward, compelled to rediscover the events in his life that shaped the man he has become. Will he commit to reconstructing his broken life? The Arthurs' come to understand that forgiveness is the only way back to hope, the only way to find all that was good in the misfortune that transformed their lives forever.

My Review

Sadly, I didn't have a chance to read the first book before diving right into The Road Home. But, luckily, the story and Kathleen Shoop's writing was still captivating. Despite the nearly 500 pages, the book will keep you hooked throughout. Don't worry, all those pages are well used and masterfully written.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and strong, dynamic characters and this book delivered on both of those. Going back and forth between 1891 and 1905 there is so much going on, so many emotions, complex character interactions and just enough tragedy and triumpth that you can't help but fall in love with Kathleen Shoop's writing and the characters she has created.

Grab your copy:
The Road Home - Amazon Affiliate Link

A Different Kind of Same, a memoir by Kelley Clink - TRUTH OR DARE Blog Tour

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this  BookSparks' TRUTH OR DARE Blog Tour, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #BookSparks

This month, I have a few more reads to add on top of the #SRC2015  Summer Reading Challenge with BookSparks. Over the next three weeks, I will be sharing 3 stunning debut memoirs full of incredible true stories that include secrets, hard truths and heart-pounding true stories. Huffington Post, Woman’s Day, and PopSugar all give these rave reviews and I think we all want to slip in a few more great reads before summer is over.

A Different Kind of Same - a memoir by Kelley Clink

Kelley Clink’s brother Matt was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager and had once attempted suicide but failed. Kelley was diagnosed with depression at a young age and had once attempted suicide but also failed. Two weeks before his college graduation, Matt attempted suicide again and this time he succeeded. This book traces Kelley’s journey through grief, her investigation into the role her own depression played in her brother’s death, and, ultimately, her path toward acceptance, forgiveness, resilience, and love.

“Kelley Clink laces suicide and mental illness with one of life's most important ingredients: hope. You need to read this book. It will change you.”— Gillian Marchenko, author of Sun Shine Down: A Memoir

My Review:

I am a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs and this brave memoir from Kelley Clink is right up there with the best. Exploring a painful topic of mental illness, suicide and loss, it also tackles the complicated relationship between a brother and sister suffering in their own ways from the demons in their genes.

I appreciated the honesty with which the author shared her feelings, memories and journey of grief following her brother's suicide. It was a rare glimpse into the painful realities of living with depression and bipolar disorder. Kelly Clink could not only share how it felt when she was lost in her own depression, but how easy it was for her to miss the symptoms of her brother's problems.

Through the memoir, the author explored her own feelings of guilt and loss. It was a painful journey for those her brother left behind, and author Kelley Clink shared a raw and vulnerable side of herself in this journey.

Heavy subject matter, I wasn't left feeling overwhelmed. Instead I was left with hope and a feeling of awe for the amazing person that emerged on the other side of grief and understanding. Masterfully written, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a meaningful and though-proving read this summer.

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

Another week, another great destination for our #SRC2015 reading journey. Remember, you can follow along and join in on the fun on BookSparks Facebook page or follow along with their FB Event Page.

 This stop takes us to Sonoma wine country and a look into love and family with:

There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide....

Growing up on her family’s Sonoma vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. The secret behind ending a fight: hold hands.

But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

Georgia does what she’s always done: she returns to the family vineyard, expecting the comfort of her long-married parents, and her brothers, and everything familiar. But it turns out her fiancé is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets….

Eight Hundred Grapes is a story about the messy realities of family, the strength (and weaknesses) of romantic love, and the importance of finding a place to call home.

My Review

A beautiful portrait of the struggles without the perfectly imperfect family. I loved how author, Laura Dave, introduced flashbacks of parents Dave and Jen and the choices... perfect or imperfect, that they made along the way as we follow Georgia and her siblings through the current decisions they must make. I love how even the idyllic setting of a vineyard in Sonoma wine country came with it's own struggles.

My favorite scene in the book, by far, was the first meeting of Georgia and Jacob. Talk about humorous, off the wall and beautifully written!

This is a book about have-to-haves and the journey it takes us to realize what that is for each of us.

I whole-heartily recommend this book for your Summer reading list. And reading it along with a good glass of wine is highly recommended!

Laura Dave is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The First Husband, The Divorce Party and London Is The Best City In America. Her novels have been published in fifteen countries, and three of her novels, including Eight Hundred Grapes, have been optioned as major motion pictures. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

Connect

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The Balance Project by Susie Orman Schnall - #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

It's my 3rd book along this Summer Reading Challenge journey with BookSparks. This leg of the trip was especially enjoyable. I think this is a book many woman will be especially interested in checking out.

Remember, you can follow along and join in on the fun on BookSparks Facebook page or follow along with their FB Event Page.

Having it all isn't everything

The Balance Project is a story of loyalty, choices, and balance that will resonate deeply with all women who struggle with this hot-button issue. 

Loyal assistant Lucy Cooper works for Katherine Whitney, who seems to have it all: a high-powered job at a multibillion-dollar health and wellness lifestyle company, a successful husband, and two adorable daughters. Now, with the release of her book on work-life balance, Katherine has become a media darling and a hero to working women everywhere. In reality, though, Katherine’s life is starting to fall apart, and Lucy is the one holding it all together, causing her own life―and relationship with her boyfriend Nick―to suffer. When Katherine does something unthinkable to Lucy, Lucy must decide whether to change Katherine’s life forever or continue being her main champion. Her choice will affect the trajectory of both of their lives and lead to opportunities neither one could have imagined.

My Review

Such a great topic to explore from the point of view of someone helping the "balanced" keep it all together. An assistant was the perfect viewpoint to take for this story.

I have to admit there were a few times I wanted to scream at the pages and tell Lucy to get it together and ditch it all, but the truth is if I was faced with job pressures and loyalty as the main character was, I might find it hard to walk away, too. There is an amazing clarity that comes from reading about the pitfalls of wanting to have "it all", that cannot be understood when one is in the thick of keeping commitments and appearances.

The author, Susie Orman Schnall did a great job of creating characters that were easy to fall in love with. Nick the boyfriend, a truly great guy, the perfect boss Katherine? Real, flawed but compassionate. And even the characters we weren't supposed to like, Maggie? Well, they were all real characters with multiple sides and motivations. I am not sure there were any "bad" characters in the book.

Balance is something very relevant to me as a working Mom. In the end, this book gave me a quick laugh, a fabulous literary get-away, but left me thinking about the balance in my own life long after the characters rode off into the sunset. 

Definitely a Summer read worth adding to the TBR pile!

A Glorious Brunch and review of Twenty Dinners

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions and experiences are my own. This post contains affiliate links"

Sometimes the best food is just simple and fresh.

Take this lovely little brunch idea from Twenty Dinners. It combined a favorite of mine, toad in a hole... or maybe you call it bird in a nest? Along with a fresh Ceasar salad. This may actually be a new favorite pairing of mine. Along with a cup of strong coffee, it was a great way to enjoy my Memorial Day morning.

I was recently sent this cookbook, Twenty Dinners by Ithai Schori and Chris Taylor. Beautifully photographed this collection of arranged meals perfect for entertaining arranged by season and availability.

About Twenty Dinners: 

A photographer (who happens to be an ex-restaurant cook) and an indie rock star (who happens to be an avid home cook) show you how to slow down your life by cooking beautiful, straightforward, but sophisticated, food for–and with–friends.  

     When he’s on tour with his band, Grizzly Bear, what Chris Taylor misses most about home is the kitchen and the company. With his friend Ithai Schori, he cooks dinner parties for four to forty, using skills Chris learned from his mom and Ithai picked up working at high-end restaurants. Their food is full of smart techniques that make everything taste just a little better than you thought possible–like toasting nuts in browned butter or charring apples for a complex applesauce–but their style is laid-back and unhurried. This is about cooking not just for, but with, your friends, and so the authors enlisted their favorite pastry chef, mixologist, sommelier, and baristas to write detailed material on wine, desserts, stocking a home bar, mixing drinks, and buying and brewing fantastic coffee. Through more than 100 seasonally arranged recipes and gorgeous, evocative photographs of their gatherings you fall into their world, where you and your friends have all day to put food on the table, and where there’s always time for another cocktail in a mason jar before dinner.

I did enjoy the photos and also the wide range of ingredients used. Some might be harder to find unless you have a good farmer's market available, but most could easily be modified or enjoyed with items from your own garden, etc.

I found several items I want to make from this cookbook, but due to the early Spring I went with something available to me now. My hens have started laying more with the longer days so "Toad in a Hole" was a great choice.

The most pleasant surprise was finding how well homemade Ceasar salad went with this dish. ...and how easy it is to whip up a large batch of Ceasar dressing to enjoy for a whole week of meals.

If you love food, or love to entertain, I highly recommend checking out Twenty Dinners.

Book Review: Twenty Dinners by Ithai Schori & Chris Taylor, with Rachel Holtzman #ad http://t.co/GRriQRWsY1 via @BlogForBooks

— Andrea Kruse (@notimeMom) May 29, 2015

Do you cook seasonally? Do you entertain often? Have you ever thought of hosting with a seasonal and unique dish?