Wordless Wednesday ~ Moss & oak

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Weekend Cooking: Terry's Date nut bread

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.  

For some reason I just had a hankering for date and nut bread, a recipe I haven't made in ages. I got this recipe from my best friend, Terry. We've been friends for almost 58 years and shared a lot over those years.

Hey, she was even TBG's first wife (on paper) but that's a story for another day. Anyhooo . . . . here's Terry's recipe. It's filed in my tried and true go-to recipe box.

Date  Nut Bread

1. 3/4 c. boiling water
2. 8 oz pitted chopped dates
3. 1 c. sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
6. 2 tsp. vanilla
7. 2 c. flour
8. 2 tsp baking soda
9. 1/2 tsp salt
10. 1/4 tsp baking powder
11. 1 c. plain yoghurt
12. 3/4 c. nuts ( the recipe calls for chopped almonds, I used walnuts)

1. Pour boiling water over dates in small bowl and let stand for 15 minutes
2. Beat sugar,egg and oil for 3 minutes on high speed
3. Blend in date mixture and vanilla
4. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda
5. Add dry ingredients alternately with yoghurt to beaten mix
6. Blend well
7. Stir in nuts
8. Pour batter into 4 well greased 3 1/4" x 5 3/4" pans (1 cup per pan)
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 35- 40 minutes

Note: I used the pre-chopped  dates this time and thought they were too small. It's a sticky mess cutting them by hand but I think the next time I'll go back to doing that. The recipe calls for plain yoghurt but one time I didn't have any and used lemon and some french vanilla yoghurt. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. For my oven, 35 minutes is perfect. You might want to check them at 35 minutes and go from there. Bon appetit!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights books whose release we are eagerly anticipating.

Category: Fiction

Format: Hardcover, 352 pages

Publisher: Ballantine Books

On Sale: June 2011

Price: $25.00

ISBN: 978-0-345-51831-6 (0-345-51831-4)

From Amazon.com Library Journal:

"Carley discovers that one of her best friends is having an affair with the husband of another best friend, Vanessa. Her own husband is withdrawn after financial reversals, and so at precisely the wrong moment she gives in to the embrace of a hunky carpenter she's hired. That night, the police arrive to tell Carley that her husband died in a hotel—where he had gone with Vanessa. And then Vanessa comes begging for help. This latest from the popular Thayer should make good beach reading."

Can't wait, I love Nancy Thayer!!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday, a weekly meme created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is currently on tour, hosted this month by  I'm Booking It and you can view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months. Anyone can play along. Just leave a link to your MM at the hosting blog and follow the links to other blogs to see what books are finding their way to mailboxes around the world.

Caveat: Mailbox Monday can make your TBR list to explode exponentially. Here's what showed up this past week.

Mourning Gloria (hardcover)  by Susan Wittig Albert received from Berkley for review. There will be a giveaway in April too for a brand spanking new copy from Berkley to one winner from the US.

From Goodreads:

While Pecan Springs bustles back to life in the warmth of spring, one woman's life is tragically brought to an end. China Bayles happens upon a burning house trailer and hears a woman screaming for help. The evidence leaves no doubt that it's arson homicide.
Jessica Nelson, an intern-reporter at the local paper, is assigned to cover the story. But she's gotten herself too deeply involved. When Jessica disappears, China is determined to find her, before she becomes headlines herself.

Prophecy (ARC) by S.J. Parris received from SA/Doubleday

From Goodreads:

It is the year of the Great Conjunction, when the two most powerful planets, Jupiter and Saturn, align—an astrologi­cal phenomenon that occurs once every thousand years and heralds the death of one age and the dawn of another. The streets of London are abuzz with predictions of horrific events to come, possibly even the death of Queen Elizabeth.
When several of the queen’s maids of honor are found dead, rumors of black magic abound. Elizabeth calls upon her personal astrologer, John Dee, and Giordano Bruno to solve the crimes. While Dee turns to a mysterious medium claiming knowledge of the murders, Bruno fears that some­thing far more sinister is at work. But even as the climate of fear at the palace intensifies, the queen refuses to believe that the killer could be someone within her own court.
Bruno must play a dangerous game: can he allow the plot to progress far enough to give the queen the proof she needs without putting her, England, or his own life in danger?
In this utterly gripping and gorgeously written novel, S. J. Parris has proven herself the new master of the historical thriller.

The Sandalwood Tree ( ARC) by Elle Newmark received from the author for a Pump up Your Book tour in April.

 Check out this enticing synopsis from Goodreads:

A sweeping novel that brings to life two love stories, ninety years apart, set against the rich backdrop of war-torn India. In 1947, American historian and veteran of WWII, Martin Mitchell, wins a Fulbright Fellowship to document the end of British rule in India. His wife, Evie, convinces him to take her and their young son along, hoping a shared adventure will mend their marriage, which has been strained by war.
But other places, other wars. Martin and Evie find themselves stranded in a colonial bungalow in the Himalayas due to violence surrounding the partition of India between Hindus and Muslims. In that house, hidden behind a brick wall, Evie discovers a packet of old letters, which tell a strange and compelling story of love and war involving two young Englishwomen who lived in the same house in 1857.
Drawn to their story, Evie embarks on a mission to piece together her Victorian mystery. Her search leads her through the bazaars and temples of India as well as the dying society of the British Raj. Along the way, Martin’s dark secret is exposed, unleashing a new wedge between Evie and him. As India struggles toward Independence, Evie struggles to save her marriage, pursuing her Victorian ghosts for answers.
Bursting with lavish detail and vivid imagery of Calcutta and beyond, The Sandalwood Tree is a powerful story about betrayal, forgiveness, fate, and love.

Yow! Does that sound good or what? I'm so looking forward to this one!

Mothers and Daughters (ARC) by Rae Meadows was received unsolicited from Jason at Henry Holt.

From Goodreads:

Samantha is lost in the joys of new motherhood—the softness of her eight-month-old daughter's skin, the lovely weight of her child in her arms—but in trading her artistic dreams to care for her child, Sam worries she's lost something of herself. And she is still mourning another loss: her mother, Iris, died just one year ago.
When a box of Iris's belongings arrives on Sam's doorstep, she discovers links to pieces of her family history but is puzzled by much of the information the box contains. She learns that her grandmother Violet left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl, traveling by herself to the Midwest in search of a better life. But what was Violet's real reason for leaving? And how could she have made that trip alone at such a tender age?
In confronting secrets from her family's past, Sam comes to terms with deep secrets from her own. Moving back and forth in time between the stories of Sam, Violet, and Iris, Mothers and Daughters is the spellbinding tale of three remarkable women connected across a century by the complex wonder of motherhood.
 
Capture the Night by Geralyn Dawson was a surprise from Emily March's website.

What exciting new reads showed up at your house? Any one book in particular that has you all excited?

Weekend Cooking: Ginger cookies

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

This is the only ginger cookie recipe I have been making for years and years; I've never found a better one. It's a big fave at our house. My son-in-law, who says the only good cookie contains chocolate chips, is now a big fan of these cookies since I made them on their last visit.

Ginger cookies:

2 cups sifted all- purpose flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg, unbeaten

1/4 cup molasses

granulated sugar to roll dough in

1. Measure flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into sifter. Sift onto wax paper. Return to sifter.

2. Cream shortening until soft in medium-size bowl; add sugar gradually, creaming after each addition until mix is well-blended.

3. Beat in egg and molasses

4. Sift dry ingredients over creamed mixture; blend well.

5. Form teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls and then roll in granulated sugar to cover the entire outside surface; place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

6. Bake in moderate oven (350) 12-15 minutes or until tops are slightly rounded, crackly and lightly browned.

Note: For my oven I cook them about 12 minutes and they almost look a little underdone but I take them out and they are perfect when they cool. If you follow this recipe and use a teaspoon of dough, it should make about 4 dozen. I like a bigger cookie so I use a  small (1 1/4" in diameter) ice cream scoop to make 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  Make a nice hot cuppa tea to go with a couple of these cookies and heaven awaits!

 Ginger is a great ingredient for nausea or vertigo. I've made this recipe before taking a cruise and  ate 3 cookies about 1/2 hour before sailing and no seasickness. When we make the "big trek north", I eat three of these for breakfast, a couple after lunch and I am not reeling when we get out of the car.

This recipe was taken from The Family Circle Illustrated Library of Cooking, Vol. 5, copyright 1972. I bought this set of cookbooks, week by week,  from the grocery store for .99 cents per book. Somehow, though, I missed 2 volumes out of 16. They are still one of my favorites! When we first got married I used to pick up the Family Circle magazine and at that time they cost .05 cents per issue.

Review: Staying at Daisy's by Jill Mansell

Staying at Daisy’s tells the tale of a hotel manager Daisy MacLean. Going through a rough patch in her love life, Daisy’s concentrating on making sure her hotel is running as smooth as possible, which proves nearly impossible when cocky sports hero Dev Tyzack seems to always be around. Her staff keeps her on her toes—her best friend and co-worker Tara, is involved with a shady ex, who happens to be newly married, her father and hotel owner Hector, starts dating a famous actress which has the whole town talking (but he’s keeping mum about what he does when he disappears some days) and one of her porters, Barney, falls madly in love with a woman from Daisy’s former husband’s past—and that reveals secrets no one could have ever imagined…

My thoughts: Does this sound like another mad-cap feel good adventure from Jill? You're right if you answered yes because nobody writes a fun chick- lit/romantic comedy book like Jill. Her characters never fail to amuse and delight me.

In Staying At Daisy's, we meet Daisy MacLean at her father's hotel where she is the manager. It's a busy day as a wedding and reception is scheduled for the afternoon but Daisy is worried that her friend and employee, Tara, will fall apart as the groom, Dominick, is Tara's ex-boyfriend. Tara assures Daisy she couldn't care less but Tara finds herself in a sticky situation when she tries to explain just who was hitting on whom after being found in a compromising position by the bride's sister.

Hector, Daisy's father, is quite the jovial character - one of those people some would call larger than life. He shares a love life with one of the locals but little does he know it's not  the  no-strings attachment that he pretends to himself that it is. I loved it when realization hit!

Then there's Barney, the hotel's new porter, who harbors a romantic secret himself. The old adage about it's a small world certainly fits Barney's situation. Daisy is dumbstruck when she finds out who Barney is seeing. Barney is one of those characters who is almost too good to be true but I found myself really rooting for him to get everything he wanted.

Let's not forget Maggie, Tara's aunt who has her own romantic adventures going on. I loved Maggie as a character; she has a lot of spunk and a great sense of humor. When the appliance company fails to fix her washing machine, Maggie comes up with a way to get the company's attention and it is one laugh after another.

Full circle back to Daisy; she's pretty much sworn off men since her late husband's cheating behavior devastated her trust in men. However, Dev, the best man in Dominick's  wedding is a well known sports figure with quite the reputation. Totally hot! He seems to keep turning up at the hotel. As much as Daisy tries to ignore him, she finds herself thinking of him more than she would like.

A lot of trial and error in the love department and a few mismatches but Mansell manages to tie the ends up neatly in a satifying conclusion. This enjoyable read is not to be missed if you like romantic comedy with a lot of humor and terrific characters in an English village setting. I really liked it a lot! 4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Sourcebooks in exchange for my honest opinion.

Winner of Sealed With a Kill by Lucy Lawrence

Psssst . . . . . . .   Wanna know who the latest winner is here at Pudgy Penguin Perusals?

Of course I do! 

Okay, I'll tell you. . . . . . . . . 

that Random.org thingy-do picked #4 and that number is

 Anne's number.

Say congrats to Anne.

Congrats, Anne, from all the gang here at PPP!

That's all, folks. Move along, there's nothing more to see.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The fleet's in!

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Shipwrecks, rescues and my night in jail

It was a dark and stormy night. No, I am not channeling Snoopy but I'm about to tell you a true story from March 16th, 1956. Do you remember where were you that night? I'd be willing to bet a lot of you weren't even alive then. Well, I remember where I was even though it was many years ago and I was only nine years old.

It started out as a cold winter's day in Scituate, MA, when my mother, my uncle Big B.,cousin Little B.and I had to travel to Boston for appointments at the Children's Hospital. I was getting my routine allergy shots but Little B. was being kept for a few days so it was late afternoon when Big B., my mom and I ventured out for the return journey home. While we were in the hospital, it had started snowing and by the time we walked to the car it was almost a white out.

After travelling at a snail's pace and trying to see where we were going, the car died. To make a long story short, Big B. determined it was the battery. Fortunately, at this time there were phone booths to be found. The three of us trudged in the snow for what seemed like forever and found a phone where my uncle called his brother-in-law,  the chief of police in a Boston neighborhood. Phew! We were going to be rescued.

I can still remember that I was wearing my turquoise corduroy dress but can't remember if any of us had boots on or not; I just remember being very cold and wet. It took a while but a police cruiser arrived and spirited us to the police station. There were a lot of people that night taking shelter from the storm. Try and do that now, I think all police stations are locked.

Anywhoooo . . . since my uncle had an "in" with the chief, my mother and I were given the glorious accomodations of sleeping in the jail in the matron's cell instead of sitting up all night with the rest of the stranded. Fortunately for us, there were no prisoners. The next morning we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of cold water and a few graham crackers. Such a repast!

Needless to say, when we finally arrived home we had quite the tale to tell but it turned out to be small potatoes compared to what happened the night before at the lighthouse. A 7,000 ton, 441 foot long Italian Freighter, the SS Etrusco, ran aground on the rocks at the jetty. Scituate Coast Guard rescued all thirty crew members. The photo at the right is one I took a few years ago but those are the rocks where the ship went aground. For months and months our little town was beseiged with visitors to take a look at the Etrusco.  At high tide one day in December after blasting away a lot of the rocks, the Etrusco was refloated and renamed the Scituate.

For many years the oil slick on the rocks remained as a reminder of this "dark and stormy night".  I'm happy to report that was the only night I ever spent in a jail cell! Below is a picture of the Etrusco after it was refloated. To read a little more about Scituate's history .

Winner of Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

Yoohoo, hey, you!

Yes, YOU!

The winner of Beaglemania. What's your name?

Number 10? Is that it? It's not? Random. org says it is.  Oh, I see - you go by . . . .



"wee" Caite - well, congrats, "wee" Caite because you won the copy of Beaglemania!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday, a weekly meme created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is currently on tour, hosted this month by  I'm Booking It and you can view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months. Anyone can play along. Just leave a link to your MM at the hosting blog and follow the links to other blogs to see what books are finding their way to mailboxes around the world.

Caveat: participation in MM can cause your tbr list to grow exponentially.  

Since I didn't do a MM last week, this list is from the 4th of the month.

How Sweet It Is by Sophie Gunn was a win from Yvonne at Socrates Book Reviews. Thanks again, Yvonne!

Night Road by Kristen Hannah came from SA/St. Martin's.

Iron House by John Hart (no image) came from SA/St. Martin's.

Gone with a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West was a "win" from LT.

One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming came from SA/MacMillan.Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon came from SA/Harper Collins.

There you have it! What exciting books showed up at your house this week?

Winner(s) of Fruit of all Evil by Paige Shelton

What?? You want to know who won the copy of Fruit of all Evil by Paige Shelton?? Well, it is . . . .


Holdenj!!

Congrats! But, since the author generously decided to throw in another copy, we have another winner. Congrats to Bermudaonion!
I hope you both enjoy the book!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Ugly Duckling

                   " I may be an ugly duckling of a tree now, but just wait a few months!"

For more wordless Wednesday please visit here.

Review and Giveaway: Sealed With a Kill by Lucy Lawrence

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Berkley (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425240258
ISBN-13: 978-0425240250

In Sealed With a Kill we find Brenna Miller agreeing to lead a group of "leaf peepers" on a tour. The leaves they gather will then be used in a decoupage project at Vintage Papers, a business run by Brenna and her best friend Tenley Morse. What she expected was a leisurely walk with some pleasant people; what she got was a big surprise in the unpleasant discovery of a dead body buried under some leaves. Oh, no! This just can't be happening to her again.

No one at the crime scene knows who the victim is because. . . . well, because half of his face is missing! Fortunately, the elderly busybody Porter twins who know everyone in town and seem to know everything that happens as soon as it happens arrive at the scene and manage to  identify the body. I just loved the twins, Ella and Marie; they sure knew how to create a diversion to satisfy their overwhelming curiosity.

"So, how is it Miss Porter that you know the identity of that body?"

"It was only a little peek, " Ella sniffed. "Not really worth mentioning."

"When? Chief Barker's face was becoming redder by the second. "Do not tell me it was while your sister was trying to run us down?" (pg. 43)

The victim is the business partner of Tenley Morse's father. Since Tenley is Brenna's best friend and business partner, Brenna ends up getting involved to try to prove that Tenley's dad is not a murderer. It's not easy and there are some really scary moments. She has to use all her wiles, a little bit of subterfuge and even luck to help her pull it off!

Lucy Lawrence is the pseudonym for Jenn McKinlay one of my absolute favorite cozy writers. Lucy/Jenn has the ability to breathe life into her characters to the point that they just leap off the page and really engage the reader. I love the way she injects humor into her books along with a well constructed mystery plot. 4****

Sealed With a Kill is the third book in the Decoupage series set in the small New England town of Morse Point. To find out more about this series, visit Lucy's webpage.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

To celebrate this month's release of Sealed With a Kill, Berkley is allowing me to host a giveaway for one copy of the book - open to US only. Deadline to enter is March 16th. Please be sure to leave an e-mail address for your entry to count. If you cannot leave a comment and would still like to enter ( I don't allow anonymous comments) just send me an e mail with Sealed With a Kill entry in the subject line. Include your name and preferred e mail contact. Send to florida982002[at] yahoo.com and I will enter your comment for you.

As always, bonus entries can be earned by:

+ 2 being a follower, Tell me under what name you follow
+3 tweeting or posting about and linking to contest (sidebar is ok) Just be sure to give me the link in a comment. Good luck!

Cemetery sights

     A few years ago we visited TBG's cousins in Vermont trying to get some more family history done. We visited the Hope cemetery in Barre where some of the most incredible grave stones are located. A lot of stone cutters came from Italy to live in Barre and work at the granite quarries. The amazing part of these stones is that they were carved by hand. TBG's cousin was telling us that some stone cutters worked on their own grave marker for years. Talk about dedication and planning!

We took this picture because of the detail. I love the stitching line, the buttons and the buttonholes. It astounds me that some people have this kind of talent. To see some more amazing stones you can visit this website.  A couple of really notable stones are the couple in bed and the dying man. I liked the soldier smoking a cigarette too. Be sure to check out all the links!

Giveaway: Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Published March 1st 2011 by Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN0425240215 (ISBN13: 9780425240212)
seriesPet Rescue Mystery #1

From Goodreads:

Lauren Vancouver is the head of HotRescues, a no-kill animal shelter north of Los Angeles, but it's often human nature that puts her in the path of danger. Just like when she helps rescue four adorable beagle puppies that were dumped down a drainpipe at a nasty puppy mill. One of the mill's employees has a history of dog abuse-and a bone to pick with Lauren. And when he's found dead at HotRescues after threatening her, Lauren will have to sniff out the real killer to keep herself out of a cage...

To celebrate this month's release of Beaglemania, Penguin Group (USA) is allowing me to host a giveaway for 1 copy of the book - open to US only. Deadline to enter is March 14th at 5 PM (est)

Please be sure to leave an e-mail address in your comment. If you cannot leave a comment and would still like to enter ( I don't allow anonymous comments) just send me an e mail with Beaglemania entry in the subject line. Include your name and preferred e mail contact. Send to florida982002[at] yahoo.com and I will enter your comment for you.

As always, bonus entries can be earned by:

+ 2 being a follower, Tell me under what name you follow

+3 tweeting or posting about and linking to contest (sidebar is ok) Just be sure to give me the link in a comment. Good luck!

Review and Giveaway: Fruit of all Evil by Paige Shelton

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Berkley (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425240223
ISBN-13: 978-0425240229

 Becca and Linda are both vendors at Bailey's Farmer's Market in South Carolina. Becca sells her homemade jams and preserves while Linda sells her spectacular fruit pies. Since they both have a fondness for their careers and have many friends who also work at the market, Linda is determined to hold her upcoming nuptials to Navy Seal, Drew Forsythe, at the market. When Becca agrees to be matron-of-honor at the wedding, she had no idea she would be drawn into a murder investigation.

When  Drew's mother, Madeline, decides to hold a dinner to introduce Linda and Becca to the rest of Drew's family, she breezes into the market place and starts issuing orders of when and where to show up. To say she was a forceful personality is putting it mildly. It seems her reputation preceded her and no one liked her one bit. I guess someone really disliked her more than others because this was the last time anyone saw Madeline alive.

Even though Becca promised Sam Brion, local police officer, that she wouldn't interfere with the investigation, her need to know and be involved got the better of her good sense. Since Madeline was a much disliked foreclosure agent, there was a long list of disgruntled former land owners that the police were concentrating on but  Becca was more intrigued by Drew's complicated family dynamics. Could the motive be professional or is it a lot more close to home? The suspense heightens when one of the farmer's market merchants goes missing. Is there some connection to the investigation or is it just coincidence? Can Becca get all this solved in time for the wedding?

There were quite a few possible suspects all with good motives which always makes for a fun read. I liked the sub plot line of Becca and her beau, Ian. The only thing I would have liked would be a better sense of place. If the author didn't tell me it was South Carolina, I wouldn't have known. There may have been a few references to the warm weather but that was it. Even so, I liked the characters and I'm sure I will be reading the next one in the Farm Fresh series. 3.5***

To celebrate today's release of Fruit of all Evil, Berkley is allowing me to give away 1 copy **of the book-  open to US only - Deadline to enter is March 11th at 5 PM (est) Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. If you cannot leave a comment and would still like to enter ( I don't allow anonymous comments) just send me an e mail with Fruit of all Evil entry in the subject line. Include your name and preferred e mail contact. Send to florida982002[at] yahoo.com and I will enter your comment for you.

*** Paige Shelton will be adding another copy to the giveaway. There will be 2 winners now instead of one! Thank you so much Paige for your generosity and kindness. ***


As always, bonus entries can be earned by:

+ 2 being a follower, Tell me under what name you follow
+3 tweeting or posting about and linking to contest (sidebar is ok) Just be sure to give me the link in a comment. Good luck!

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley Signet Mysteries in exchange for my honest opinion.