Little Women

A while back Turner Classic Movies ran two versions of Little Women. Then a couple of weeks later, the third version was run on another station (unfortunately with commercials!). I set my DVR to record them all and today I finally sat down and watched them all . . . back-to-back-to-back. I watched them in the order they were filmed.

I started with the 1933 version starring Katharine Hepburn. I'll start by saying, I enjoyed the movie. I also love Katharine Hepburn. That said, I didn't much care for the way Jo was portrayed. At least for the first 30 minutes or so of the movie. Katharine Hepburn has a husky voice to begin with and the character of Jo is a tomboy but, for whatever reason, that combination wasn't working for me.

After a while though, it seemed like the "butch-ness" of the character was toned down. Jo was still a tomboy and Katharine still had the husky voice but it seemed to fit better. Maybe I just got used to it. Whatever the case, it wasn't grating on my nerves anymore.

Bottom line, I enjoyed the movie.

Next I watched the 1949 version, starring June Allyson. According to my DVR listing, it starred June Allyson and Peter Lawford. When I started playing the movie the opening credits showed that Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh were also in the movie. As I was watching it, I realized that the March's maid was played by the same person who played the cranky neighbor / Little Ricky babysitter from I Love Lucy, Mrs. Trumbell! I guess what I'm saying is that I was surprised at the number of actors I was familiar with in this version of the movie.

That said, I had the same problem with June Allyson's portrayal of Jo as I did Katharine Hepburn's. Her voice is husky and the tomboy-ishness of Jo was overplayed, in my opinion. I think what it is is that they didn't come across as feminine at all to me - and that bugged me. The difference with this version is it didn't seem to go away during the course of the movie.

Despite that, I did enjoy this version as well. There were other distractions too though. For example, this was before Elizabeth Taylor developed her classic good looks - at least in my opinion. But the character of Amy (which is the part she played) was very vain. Kind of funny / ironic, if you ask me. Oh and Janet Leigh. Very understated. I thought she did a great job as Meg. I had to keep reminding myself that it was Janet Leigh.

Then last (but not least), I watched the 1994 version, starring Winona Ryder. I think it's very possible that I liked this one best because it was the first version I ever saw of it.

But then again, I didn't have the distractions about it that I had with the others. From Winona's portrayal of Jo I got that she was a tomboy but she also was very feminine. No "butch-ness" about it.

You add to that that there was more humor in this version of the movie. Overall, the characters were more relatable in this version than in the other two versions. At least in my opinion.

They all three were good movies that I can in good conscious recommend but when it comes down to it, this one was my favorite of the three.

In a related side-bar, I also learned today that there were two silent film versions made based on the book. I don't know if there are copies out there to be had but I think it would be real interesting to see what they did with those. What do you think? Would you watch a silent film version of Little Women? Inquiring minds want to know.

July Book Review

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I originally told Barrie that I was going to review My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody. I love the concept of this book - letting someone else make your decisions for you. It's well written and a lot of fun. And, if you've never seen Jessica's book trailers, you really should check them out because I don't think anyone does a book trailer better than Jessica - and her books live up to the trailer. So, that's my mini recommendation on that book (and Jessica's books in general).

But like the first sentence of this post suggests, I changed my mind about what I wanted to review. That's what happens when you read several good books in a month, and in particular, what happens when you read a great book AFTER you say what you're going to review. :)

That all said, I want to discuss Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby. For starters, I'm a huge fan of Amanda's. Her debut book You Had Me at Halo is still among my top three favorite books of all times. So I was excited when Fairy Bad Day came out.

Here's the back blurb:

My life seriously couldn't get any worse

First, my rightful designation of dragon slayer is STOLEN right out from under my nose by Curtis Green. Sure, he's really cute, but that doesn't give him an excuse.

On top of all that, I am assigned to slay fairies. I know what you're thinking--how hard could it be, right? Wrong! These menacing beasts with their tiny hipster clothes and mocking sarcasm love taunting me. And they won't STOP!

But the thing that tops my list of stuff to ruin my day? That would be GIANT KILLER FAIRY that I have to hunt down and slay because I am the only one who can see it. There is someone who can help me. Unfortunately . . . it's Curtis.

It's going to be a Fairy Bad Day.

It's smart and funny. I loved it. I will say though, that it started slow for me. I was a couple of chapters in and kind of worried that I wasn't going to like it because it really hadn't grabbed me yet. Next thing I knew, I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it. :)

June Book Review

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Okay, I'm having computer issues this morning so I'll have to add the picture of the book later today but I wanted to go ahead and get the party started!

This month I'm reviewing Eileen Cook's Fourth Grade Fairy. I should probably mention that Eileen is one of my "auto-buy" authors. I don't care what she's writing, I want to read it. And so far I've never been let down. Fourth Grade Fairy was no exception.

Willow is born into a family of fairies. Due to some bad history with humans, the fairies are not allowed to be friends with the humans anymore. Unfortunately, Willow wants this more than anything. In fairy school everyone is already partnered up with a best friend. While she has friends, she doesn't have a best friend and because of the number of fairies in school, having that special friend doesn't look likely. So, she wants to attend human school because there are so many more people there and the chances of finding a best friend are greater.

For her tenth birthday her grandmother gives her the gift of attending the human school (where she is the principal) for two weeks. Her parents agree to it, provided she doesn't get her special power (fairies typically get their special powers on their tenth birthday) while there. So, when she gets her power, she decides to hide it from the family until she's secured a best friend (after all, how hard can that be?). Of course there are complications along the way. (Life is what happens when you're busy making plans, after all. Right? :) )

One of the things I love about Ms Cook's books is that she taps into the "every man/woman" vulnerabilities so well. She paints a picture that is so vivid that it's very easy to visualize. Which is why when she paints her characters into impossibly funny situations, I find myself laughing hysterically. And this book was no different. I completely loved it. I loved the characters (this is another one where an animal stole my heart - Winston, I'm talking to you!!!). It was well written and fun. I highly recommend it.

May Book Review

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A month or so ago I purchased I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy. Afterwards I wondered if it was the first in the series. I emailed Barrie and asked her, then had the thought of what happens if I don't like it and she asks me what I thought of it. You know, since she knew I had it.

Fortunately I didn't have to worry about that because I thoroughly enjoyed the book. While I'm quite sure I'm outside of the targeted age demographic, I kind of classified it like I would movies made in the 50s and before. There were elements of sophistication, innocence and humor that make it suitable for readers of all ages.

There were a couple of passages that I completely got wrapped up in. I don't want to be too specific because they could be considered spoilers. But in one scene Sherry's talking up a storm and I'm kind of thinking it might be a mistake so I might have started yelling at her, you know, so she wouldn't do the wrong thing because yelling at a book in a character can change what they do, right? But seriously I'm saying "Nononononononono! Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking. WHY did you say that???"

She didn't listen to me. But I guess that's typical for a kid that age. :)

I also got pretty attached to some of the secondary characters. In particular, the wren. I've heard actors say in interviews that it's a mistake to work with children and animals and Sherry might want to look out because the wren is a definite scene stealer, in my opinion.

Now, without saying the outcome of it (and hoping this isn't too much of a spoiler), the wren gets sick and it's not known if he's going to make it or not. The not knowing was hard for me because, let's face it the next book in the series isn't I So Don't Do Mysteries Either (the adventures of Sherry's friend/family/wren). We know Sherry is coming back, and therefore will find a way out of whatever she gets herself into. But all other characters are expendable and fair game. You never know who's going to be in the next book so you just hope your favorites make it through too.

That said, in the end I needn't have worried about telling Barrie I'd bought this book because I really liked this book. I liked everything about it - the storyline, the characters . . . everything. :)

Sparky

I love this story! It's about a deaf dog named Sparky. I'd read about him in People magazine this week and what this article doesn't say is that the breeders were thisclose to putting him to sleep because he's deaf. They figured he was no good to anyone and that no one would want him.

Then, he was adopted by a family that decided his "handicap" was to much to handle so they deposited him at a shelter.

From there he went to a prison in Licking Missouri (you can't make this stuff up!), where he was taught sign language.

Now he happily resides at a school for the deaf where the students love him and are teaching him more sign language. How cool is that?

Did I mention that I love this story? ;)

Happy Easter!

Good Stuff

It used to bother me when I didn't have all the ingredients for a recipe because I thought its success was based on making it exactly as the recipe called for. Now that doesn't bother me as much because I figure if the dish turns out bad, I can always make it again, following the recipe. If it's still bad, well, I don't make it again. :)

Anyway, the other day I decided to make Roasted Cauliflower and Rice Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. There were four ingredients that I didn't have.

1. white wine vinegar (I substituted brown rice vinegar)

2. ripe tomato (I substituted cherry tomatoes)

3. & 4. red bell pepper and celery (I substituted with steamed asparagus)

It still was delicious! I took a picture of it but blogger isn't cooperating with me posting it.

Oh, but a funny thing about it. The ingredients call for navy or other white beans. And then they aren't mentioned again . . . so they didn't get included in the dish. They weren't missed. Maybe I'll include them next time. :)

Last night I used the left over rice to make Rice Waffles with Vegetable Melange from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. I've had this several times and really like it. My nephew was over and he was having it for the first time. He scraped the vegetables off of the waffle (after piling them on himself) and ate them first. Then he went in search of my maple syrup. He said he liked it all but prefers the waffles with syrup. (Again, I have a picture I can't post. *sigh*)

Today for lunch I wanted something fast and easy so I went for the Chickpea-Tomato Wraps from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. This was one of those situations where I ultimately found out that just because it doesn't look good doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. It called for sun-dried tomatoes. I've never eaten those before but I did happen to have some on hand. I didn't take a picture because I fully expected to not like it because the tomatoes, when cut up, made me think of meat that has been chewed and spit out. But the wraps were surprisingly good despite that. This was another recipe where you had to mash the beans and that was the hardest part of the preparation.

So there you go, three dishes and three winners! :)

Vegan Quesadillas

One of my new year's goals was to blog more. So far I'm not doing so good on that one. So, in an effort to jumpstart that goal, I've decided to do some blogging on foods I've discovered since becoming a vegan. I haven't totally worked out how I'll do it - whether or not I'll only discuss new recipes or if I'll discuss some I've already tried and liked. Most likely it'll be a little bit of both, seeing as how I've made roughly 100 new recipes in the last year and it'd be a shame not to discuss some of them. :)

Anyway, to today's new discovery . . . Refried Beans and Salsa Quesadillas.

Quesadillas was one of the few Mexican food dishes that I liked but I haven't had any since I became a vegan. Then a few weeks ago I bought a new cookbook (1000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson) and it had several recipes for vegan quesadillas. The Refried Beans and Salsa Quesadillas looked to be the least complicated with the least amount of ingredients and the least amount of cooking steps so it's the one I picked.

I should mention that I somehow missed the "Refried" portion of the recipe name, not that it really matters since "refried" beans aren't a listed ingredient.

Anyway, I did a mental check of the list of ingredients and the only item I wasn't sure of was the salsa. There's a recipe for homemade salsa but I didn't have all the ingredients and it would be more work so I was going with store-bought salsa. I looked everywhere and didn't find it. So it was on my list when I went to the grocery store today. Since the list was in my head, it was the one thing I forgot to pick up at the store so I decided to make up my own recipe for salsa and I was digging through my pantry when I found a bottle of salsa in the back. I figured I was good. Right?

I have so many variations of beans in my pantry it's not funny. But do I have the pinto beans that the recipe calls for? Uh, no! So I substituted red kidney beans (because I had multiple cans of it) for the pinto beans.

Bottom line, I loved this dish. It was fast. It was easy (the hardest thing was mashing the beans!). It was delicious. Pinto beans might give it a different taste or texture (maybe?) but I can't imagine liking it any better than I did.

I give it two spoons up!

April Book Review

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Without going into a lot of detail, the past year has been such that I haven't done a lot of reading. That said, I decided to go a different way this month on the book review. My theme for this month is "Regardless of what life throws her, a girl's gotta eat" so I'm going to talk cookbooks. Over the years I've gotten a number of cookbooks but it wasn't until last year that I actually started using cookbooks to make meals from. There are a number of great ones out there but the one I'm going to talk about today is Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

I chose this one because of some special features it has that I've not seen in other cookbooks. For example, it tells you how long it will take to make each dish. Most cookbooks have the instructions, telling you how long each step takes but this book takes the math lesson out of the kitchen. ;)

Aside from that, the book also has icons with each recipe to help you know what to expect from this recipe. The icons include:

• A shopping cart indicating that the ingredients for the recipe can be found at any grocery store.



• 45 - indicating that the recipe takes 45 minutes or less to make



• F - indicating that the recipe is fat free (or at least lower fat)



• S - indicating the recipe is soy free



• G - indicating the recipe is gluten free

It was a while back but within a 24 hour time frame I learned of three people I knew of having an allergy to gluten. Every time I make one of the recipes indicating they're gluten free, I think of those people. Several of these recipes are staples in my diet! In any event, I like knowing what I'm getting into when I make a recipe and this book gives me more information than any other cookbook I've used. And the end result is pretty tasty too! I've made quite a few of the dishes and so far I haven't found one that I didn't like. Yes this is a vegan cookbook but I don't think it should be dismissed out of hand by meat-loving folks. It has a whole section of side-dishes that could nicely complement any main dish - meat or vegan. In my opinion, it's just a great cookbook that would be a great addition to anyone's library of cookbooks. :) I refer to it quite frequently when planning my menus and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cooking.

Experimenting

Before I decided to become a vegan, I was not what one would call an adventurous eater. I was the person who looked at the menu for 30 minutes before I would order the same thing I ordered every single time I went to that particular restaurant. I'd break out in a cold sweat if someone suggested we try somewhere new. But since becoming a vegan, I've tried things I never thought I'd try - tofu being a big one. Now, however, if I know a dish is vegan, I find it exciting to try something new. And when I like something I've had at a restaurant, I go online to find a recipe for it. I've even found vegan substitutes for some of my pre-vegan favorite dishes. Anyway, I recently bought yet another vegan cookbook. It had several sample recipes available that actually sold the book to me. One of those recipes is Green Tea Rice and Lemon Snow Peas with Tofu. You make green tea and then cook the rice in it. Who thought of that because it never would've occurred to me. This morning I made the Dawn's Early Couscous for breakfast. I've had couscous before but it didn't really strike me as a morning food. But, it was a quick and easy recipe so I decided to go for it. Worst thing that would happen would be I'd toss it out and have to eat homemade granola cereal, right? Anyway, to make this dish, you boil three cups of apple juice and then add the couscous (and a few other ingredients) and there you go. It was good. If I hadn't made the dish myself I wouldn't have believed couscous was involved (mind you I like couscous - I just didn't see it as a breakfast food). But again, I have to wonder, what made someone decide to boil apple juice (instead of water) for the couscous? How do you know what and how much of something to try to make a good recipe? I realize that these recipes were all tried and tested before they were published in the cookbooks but I just find myself wondering how someone came up with some of the combinations. P.S. I also made the Chocolate-Macadamian Cheezcake Truffles (recipe on amazon). All I can say is, YUM!!! :)

In Loving Memory

Sunday night I received a call telling me that my Uncle Bro had passed away earlier that day. He was 90 and not in the best of health and he had a heart attack.

Although I hadn't communicated with him in several years, it tore my heart out to hear of his passing. I've always thought of him as the rock and back-bone of my family.

A good part of his life was dedicated to military service and as such, he was a strict disciplinarian but he didn't have a mean-spirited bone in his body. He was very loving and I never, for a moment, doubted his love for me. I never once doubted that he would be there for me if I needed him.

There are two memories I have of him that pretty much sum up the kind of man he was. The first was from when I was 12 or 13 years old. Me and my sisters were visiting my grandmother and Uncle Bro and Aunt Marion (his wife) came to visit. My grandmother lived on a 99 acre ranch and lived in a 2 bedroom house (with one bathroom) so when my aunt and uncle showed up, they got the guest bedroom and me and my sisters got to sleep on blankets in the living room. One morning my uncle came into the living room and barked at us to get up. I grumbled, "Five more minutes." and he left the room. Five minutes later he came back into the room said our five minutes was up and he jerked the blanket out from under us. Not only did that get us up, from then on, we got up the first time he told us to. :)

The other one was from 14 or 15 years ago. He and my aunt were renewing their vows for their 50th wedding anniversary (if I remember correctly, they actually did it closer to their 51st wedding anniversary). I flew up to be there (there being West Virginia) for the event and when they were exchanging their vows, my uncle got choked up and right before he "kissed his bride" he told my aunt how much he loved her, and then everyone else got choked up. It was very emotional and I was so glad I was able to make it.

His funeral is tomorrow in a town outside of Dallas and because of the ridiculous-extremely-out-of-the-ordinary cold weather we're having (accompanied by rain and icy roads), I won't be able to make it and it makes me sick.

To Uncle Bro - you will be missed.

8/26/20 - 2/6/11

Magical Bathrooms

The other day I was in the ladies' room at work and a co-worker started talking about the water pressure of the toilets. The truth is, it's kind of hit or miss in there. One time the pressure will be great and everything goes down easily. Another time you can hold the handle for what seems like five minutes and nothing but water goes down.

Meanwhile, there are signs posted all over the bathroom and stalls saying to hold the handle down until EVERYTHING (including paper) goes down.

Which brings us to my co-worker's comments. She was telling me that she flushes with her foot because the handle has germs and she can't balance herself well on one foot. Then she told me she'd had this conversation with my boss and that my boss agreed.

It got me to thinking. Does the toilet handle have some magical properties whereby touching it removes all the germs you may have had on your hand?

For the sake of argument, let's say it does. So, all those people who use their hands to flush the toilet have had their hands magically sanitized before they touch the stall lock. But what about those people who use their feet to flush the toilet? Their hands weren't magically sanitized so their germs would be on the stall lock, wouldn't they? Perhaps they somehow use their feet to unlock the stall too, I don't know. I didn't ask.

Then you have the water faucet and the door handle. We can pretend these things all have magical properties but the reality is, they don't.

When I go to the ladies' room in a public place, I flush with my hand. I open the stall with my hand. I turn on the water faucet, with my hand. But once soap and water has touched my hands, I don't touch anything else in the bathroom. I turn off the water with a paper towel and I use the paper towels I dried my hands off with to open the bathroom door with. I dispose of those paper towels outside the bathroom.

My co-worker, however, flushes with her foot (thanks for the extra germs, by the way), opens the door in an undetermined manner, uses her bare hand to turn on the water faucet and uses her bare hand to open the bathroom door. It could just be me but for some reason, that just seems backwards.

The Lost Year

Being the last post of the year, this is where I would reflect on the past year. For me 2010 will go down as, as the blog title suggests, the lost year.

I spent the year learning things about a virus called Epstein Barr virus. I say I spent the year doing this because when I was diagnosed as having it, no one thought it warranted an explanation and my google searches didn't offer up much more help. And since I also had mono, that's what the doctors focused on - so I did too. Only it seemed to be dragging on for so long and no one seemed to understand why. That is until I went to see a new doctor. Roughly six months into my illness, she was the first one to tell me that what I was experiencing was consistent with the Epstein Barr virus - which I still had (and still have). However, she offered no solutions for relief.

A few months later I went to yet another doctor who did offer relief in the way of drugs. Personally I'm not a fan of taking anything that I don't absolutely have to and since this virus is temporary (although I've discovered that "temporary" can be up to two years), I was reluctant to go this route. But I did. And I'm pleased to say that this is the first week I've actually felt good for more than one or two days in a row for a good nine months - and I even went to the gym yesterday . . . the first time since April 21 (I asked).

So, my top take-aways from this year are:

1. If your doctor tells you that you have something but doesn't fully explain the possibilities of the illness, get a new doctor - even if you've gone to the same one for 15 years.

2. If you ask explicit questions about your illness and your doctor won't answer the questions to your satisfaction, see #1.

3. The friend who offers to go to the doctor with you so you can get answers is a better friend than the one who can only focus on when the last time you saw each other and how long it takes for symptoms to appear.

To sum up, 2010 basically sucked for me but I did learn some valuable things - like who my real friends are. And you know what? That's never a bad thing!

Recipes

A few weeks ago I met my nephew and his girlfriend for lunch. His girlfriend was his high school sweetheart. They went together through most of high school and broke up. I met her once back then but I had heard great things about her and liked her upon meeting her. I don't know the story of how they got back together but I think it's great that they're back together.

Anyway, we met at a restaurant that has a vegan friendly dish and, because I've quit eating meat and dairy since I last dined with my nephew, we talked about food and cooking (his girlfriend is studying to be a chef . . . how cool is that???). I told them how much I was cooking now and my nephew said, "This from a woman who used to think cooking meant opening a Lean Cuisine tv dinner and popping it in the microwave was cooking!" His girlfriend gave me a look that said, "Are you going to let him get by with talking about you like that?" To which I hung my head with a look that said, "I have to because it's true." (It's amazing what you can convey without actual words, isn't it?)

But, since I've been eating vegan style, I have cooked more different dishes this year than all the dishes I cooked last year, combined. Seriously, I'm cooking all the time now. And as such, I've found some interesting dishes and some interesting mistakes in recipes. I'm going to post two actual recipes and see how many people can spot the mistakes.

So here goes:

Winter Adzuki Fried Rice

3 cups cooked brown rice and adzuki beans
1 sheet nori, toasted and torn into small pieces
2 tablespoon tan sesame seeds, roasted
1/4 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup squash or pumpkin, diced
1/2 cup scallion or leeks, finely chopped
2 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 to 3 tablespoon water
tamari soy sauce

Directions:

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Place the squash or pumpkin and rice on top of the onions. Add several drops of water and several drops of soy sauce. Cover and reduce the flame to low. Steam the rice and vegetables until hot. Remove the cover, and place the scallions or leeks on top of the rice. Add several more drops of soy sauce. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the scallions or leeks are tender and bright green. Remove the cover, mix in the sesame seeds, and place in a serving dish.

Serves: 4

This next recipe comes from Veganomicon, The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero (I love this book, by the way! Great recipes - great comfort food recipes. I use it ALL the time!).

Lower-Fat Banana Bread

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or grated fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really, really well. Add the sugar, applesauce, oil and molasses, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and back for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean. (If you're using the chips then of course some chocolate will come out on the knife.)

Remove from the oven and invert onto a cooling rack; flip the bread right side up and let cool.

(Note: It is also noted that this recipe can also be used to make muffins. prepare the same way as above but cook in muffin tin for 18 minutes. This is how I make this recipe. Made it last night, as a matter of fact.)

So, what are the mistakes? Have you ever tried a recipe that had glaring errors? Please share! :)

November Book Review

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Sorry to be late to the party but life has a way of messing with your plans, you know? Anyway, it's that time and I have a book I want to talk about!

This month's book is Sophie Kinsella's Mini Shopaholic. I'll give you fair warning and say there may be what some consider spoilers in this review. It's also possible that everything I'll say could be on the back cover because Sophie Kinsella is an auto-buy author for me and I have no idea what's on the back cover. :)

That said, I loved this book. It's part of a series and, with the exception of the Shopaholic and Sister, I've loved every installment.

As the title suggests, the title character (Becky Brandon - nee Bloomwood) has a bit of a shopping problem. She can be talked into buying anything (mind you, she's the one giving herself the sales pitch) and then justifies the purchase (again, to herself).

In this installment of the series, Becky is still married to Luke and they have a toddler, Minnie. Through a series of events, Becky decides she wants to have a surprise party for Luke. Her plan is to have a big blow out party, but she's determined to do it all on her own and to do it for minimal costs. Of course nothing goes as she plans and the ensuing mayhem is hysterical. I did some of the reading during lunch at work and I was thankful that my boss had gone out to lunch because I was laughing so hard and it would've been embarrassing to explain - and she would have heard and commented on my laughing!

There was only one issue I had with the story. Becky enlists the aid of Luke's secretary, Bonnie, to help her contact and invite the right people (and keep it all quiet). They meet for lunch and Becky tells Bonnie they should be friends and help each other out - and then proceeds to insist Bonnie address issues like what soap gel he uses with Luke. It just seemed a bit over the top (but then it was all worked together in a believable way later in the story).

Other than that, it was classic Kinsella. I give it two thumbs up and I think it was 4.8 stars (out of 5). Lots of fun and lots of laughing. :)

To Whom It May Concern

Last night and this morning I had a couple of ideas that I want to share and pass on. I think they're good ideas and I think people should listen. So here goes:

To the producers of Dancing with the Stars - I've watched your show from the beginning . . . season one. The only episode I've ever missed was the one that aired the day my new dog (at the time - I've had him several years now) chewed through the cable line and I had no antenna. In my defense though, I DID watch it online the next day. I only say this to point out my dedication to the show over the years so that you know what I say is out of love and intended as constructive criticism.

That said, let me get to the point . . . stop wasting my time. I've long ago accepted that elimination night is roughly 20 minutes of commercials, 35 minutes of crap no one cares about and 5 minutes dedicated to announcing who is going home. I quit watching it live so that I can fast forward through all the useless stuff and get right to the point of Tuesday night's show.

I've also stopped watching competition night live. This season I started watching How I Met Your Mother first, then jumping over to DWTS so that I can fast forward through commercials and the timing works out such that we end at the same time. BUT, these last two weeks, when I've switched over to DWTS, competition night hadn't even started yet! The last two weeks the first thirty minutes or so were wasted on showing us useless stuff that had nothing to do with the competition. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching the Top Ten Favorites last night but that's usually useless stuff that's aired on elimination nights. What gives with that? If you don't have enough competition to fill the night, cut down how much time you allow for it. Give another show a shot at the wasted air time.

But I said I wanted to offer some constructive criticism, and I do. So here it is, let's cut out elimination night. I know that sounds like I'm eliminating something kind of vital to the competition but hear me out. In season one you only aired one night a week. Go back to that but put a spin on it. Here's what I propose . . .

On week one, everyone dances for judges scores and viewer votes as usual. The following week, the first five minutes are dedicated to announcing the bottom two dancers, who have prepared a new dance for the week. They have a dance off for scores and the it's the judges scores that week that send a dancer packing. The scores for the saved dancer carry over and are combined with viewers' votes that week and the show continues in that way. That way only one night a week is dedicated to the show and it kind of kicks up the tension each week.

Just promise you'll think about it, okay?

But there's something else. You need to get some published authors on the show (publishing agents/editors you need to get on board with this too!). If you did, you'd get viewers that you might not otherwise get because I can tell you from experience, writers (romance writers in particular) are very supportive of one another. (To the publishing agents out there, get cracking on this because not only would your authors get free marketing, they'd get paid, which means you'd get a cut!)

I even have a few suggestions to help you out with this. I think Mary Higgins Clark would make a great partner for Tony Dovolani. Or how about Julia Quinn with Derek Hough? Jill Shalvis with Max-with-the-unspellable-last-name (I'd love to see how he did in the wilderness when she does her nature walks and hears wild animals. Or how he reacts to spiders. I bet he'd scream like a girl! heehee). You could even partner up Stephen King with Kym Johnson.

So there you go. I've given you a few suggestions to start with, what you do with it is up to you. But the bottom line (and forgive me for repeating myself) is, you need to stop wasting my time with useless crap that adds no value whatsoever to the show!

There now, I feel better. :-)

Freebies revisited

As human beings we mature and evolve. Over time our interests change. And as such, I think it's time I revisit my "freebie" list.

It was roughly five years ago that I made this post wherein I listed the top five people on my "to do" list.

Let's review (in no particular order), shall we?

Gary Sinise. Okay, I have to say that I was shocked to see his name on my list. Seriously, how did that happen? No offense to Mr. Sinise but I can't imagine him ever being my type. Maybe it was late one night at a bar. It was last call and I was drunk enough to find him appealing enough to go home with. Otherwise, I have no explanation for this entry. (Seriously Mr. Sinise, it's not you - it's me.)

Nicholas Cage. Unlike Mr. Sinise, I remember the strong pull of Mr. Cage. Unfortunately, like the song, I've lost that loving feeling. I recently watched a movie of his - one that I really like - and he did nothing for me.

Josh Duhamel. I heard him on a radio interview not long after I posted the original freebies list and well, let's just say it completely changed my opinion of him. To this day I can't see him without remembering his comment and it colors my opinion of him, his work and everything about him. So, Mr. Duhamel I say this - it IS you, NOT me.

Michael E Knight. Like the others I've mentioned before, our "relationship" has evolved. We've moved on to that place where we're best buddies. I can't imagine him not being in my life but I no longer want to "do" him. But, we're very, very happy. ;-)

Leonardo DiCaprio. I have to say that I wasn't sure where I stood with him until I saw his picture pulling the link for this post. Let me just say, he still has it!

So, that's the old list. Here's the new, updated list (in no particular order):

Leonardo DiCaprio - see comment above.

Nathan Fillion - Do I need to qualify this? If so, please report to the nearest ER because you may be lacking a pulse!

Gilles Marini - I saw the Sex and the City movie the day it came out but I had no idea who he was when he was announced as a celebrity from SATC on Dancing with the Stars. But, he totally won me over. Totally. And now that he's on Brothers and Sisters every week. . . *sigh*

Neil Patrick Harris - Yes, I know he's in a committed relationship but for these purposes that's never a consideration, right? And yes, I know he plays for the other team but that doesn't really factor in to his appeal. (As Barney would say - Challenge Accepted! ;-) ) He's just so adorable. He's definitely high on my list! (By the way, this is the post I was referring to when I said I'd have an upcoming post about NPH.)

So, there is my list. I know it's only four instead of the usual five but as we mature we get older and four is enough for me now.

What about you? Who's on your list? Please share!

Premiere Week

I remember a time when the summer only offered re-runs. I think it was the early 90s and the original 90210 that first offered first run shows during the summer. And now that I think about it, that may be what started the decline of the "Summer Blockbuster Movies". People didn't have to go out to see something fresh.

Anyway, I like having options during the summer but it's always been a little weird to think of a "season" of shows to be 8 to 12 episodes. Way back when shows offered 39 new episodes every season. I think it's at 26 now. I wish I could work somewhere, only work 26 weeks a year and make the salaries they do, but I digress.

But that all said, I'm glad that my regular shows are starting back up again. And last night was the kick off.

Let's start with Dancing with the Stars. I really didn't want to watch it this season. It's on two nights a week and that's more than I really wanted to devote to one show this season (although I guess it makes it good that it's only on 10 to 12 weeks, right?).

From the moment they announced the celebrities I started a campaign to vote off Bristol Palin. Seriously, what makes her a celebrity? She's the daughter of a vice presidential candidate who is also a teenage mother who promotes teen abstinence. Maybe it stands up in Hollywood but if it were made into a movie, I wouldn't watch it.

Anyway, I decided she'd be my first vote off, and that was my downfall. Because I felt so strongly about it, I had to watch the first episode. And now I'm hooked. *sigh* As for Bristol, she wasn't as bad as I thought she'd be but I didn't think she was nearly as good as the judges thought she'd be. Before the show started I really wanted to root for Margaret Cho but goodness she was bad. I believe that her "wardrobe malfunction" was deliberate but I totally would've said it was a glitch because, it was bad. Really bad. Bad enough that I think I would be okay if she went home tonight. I'd rather it be Bristol or the Situation (seriously dude, no one cares that you only had five days to practice - that was your choice and no one cares!). In fact, I think they should have a double elimination tonight and get rid of both of them. Yeah, that would definitely work for me.

And then there was Castle. I love that show! I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I watched it last night. In fact, if they wanted to do away with DWTS all together and have Castle on for three hours on Monday nights, I'd be good with that.

On my DVR I have the season premiere's of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. I haven't watched them yet but I know they're there, waiting for me.

Later this week there's Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters to look forward to. I have my DVR set to record the premiere of Cougar Town, even though it's not on my list of shows to watch . . . I want to see the reunion of Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox so I'm only recording/watching the one episode.

At the moment that's all I can think of on my "must watch" list for the new fall season. How about you? What's on your list?

Challenge Accepted

Have you ever seen that show How I Met Your Mother? I ask because my blog title is kind of a take off on something from that show. For those who haven't seen the show, Neil Patrick Harris (who will be the subject of a upcoming blog post) plays Barney Stinson. Barney has quite a few catch phrases, one of which is "Challenge Accepted." This is usually followed by his friends saying, "But, um Barney, we didn't challenge you." But he doesn't let that deter him from his mission.

Same thing applies here.

What does that have to do with today's blog post? Well, this morning I was doing my usual blog hopping and came across this post. Truth told, I probably saw it yesterday but this morning I went in to read the comments. The post is about interesting recipes. One of them was for an avocado pound cake. Personally I'm not your biggest avocado fan but all the commentors were interested in the avocado pound cake.

So that's the "challenge" I "accepted". To make the avocado pound cake. And then report on it. This post is my report.

Let me start by saying, I made a couple of substitutions because I don't eat meat or dairy anymore. So for the buttermilk I substituted soy milk, and for the eggs I used EnerG Egg Replacements. I also cut the recipe in half because 1) I only have one 9 x 4 (actually I think it's a 9 x 5 but that's beside the point) pan; and 2) I don't need to have two 9 x 4 (aka 9 x 5) pound cakes available to me, if you know what I mean.

(Not pictured: avocado . . . because the idea to take pictures didn't come to me until after the fact and I only bought the one avocado.)

So anyway, I set about preparing it per the directions. I only have one mixer and it is stationary (as opposed to hand held) and it started locking up when I mixed the butter and sugar together and I had to keep stopping it, scraping down the sides and manually turning the bowl (which, under normal circumstances turns on its own). It worked better the more wet ingredients that went into the mix. By the time I was mixing the last ingredients, the mixer was working as it's supposed to.

The recipe says to bake for 40 - 45 minutes and then notes that they put the timer on for 30 minutes and then checked it every 10 minutes thereafter until a knife came out clean. I just set my timer for 45 minutes and let it bake. I actually took it out when there was one minute left and the knife came out covered in batter so I set the timer for five more minutes. The next test came out mostly clean . . . clean enough for me to take it out of the oven.


Obviously these last two photos were taken after I'd removed the cake from the pan (I did take a picture of it while it was still in the pan but it adds no value so I left it out). When I pulled it out of the oven it looked great but by the time I went and got my camera, the middle had fallen a bit. But there you go.

I tasted it a few minutes later and well, not sure where to start here. My first thought was that it tasted a lot like the cornmeal. My second thought was that I may not have cut that portion of the recipe in half. I'm pretty sure I did but there's always the possibility that an ingredient may get full recipe portions when I am making a half recipe.

The outside of the cake is crusty and the inside is moist. There are parts that tasted like a normal cake but enough of what I sampled tasted like cornmeal to make me not really be able to rave about it (I did more than one sampling - just be fair). As I said, I'm pretty sure I used the correct portion of the cornmeal though because I DID pull out the 1/4 cup measuring cup and the cornmeal is the only ingredient I would've used that for.

So, bottom line, it's not terrible but I'm not likely to make it again. If I do, I will likely substitute blended tofu for the eggs because my tofu cake (really called Vanilla Yogurt Pound Cake but because it has tofu in it, it will forever be the tofu cake to me) uses blended tofu and I think it's the substitute for eggs in the recipe because there is no mention of eggs or egg substitute in the recipe and I have a couple of recipes where tofu is used in place of eggs ("egg" salad sandwiches - which are great by the way and on the meal plan for this week - and scrambled tofu to name two).

Thanks to Alyssa Goodnight for the "challenge" and if anyone else decides to try out this recipe, let me know what you think - whether you agree or disagree. :-)

Snakes on a Plane

I woke up this morning and was laying in bed listening to the news as I woke up. The news story opened with "What would you do if you were at the airport conveyor belt, picking up your luggage and snakes were coming out of it?"

My first thought was, I would abandon the luggage and leave behind any clothes or souvenirs it contained because I so don't do snakes. *shudder*

The reporter went on to say the luggage in question was owned by a someone who smuggles exotic animals . . . this wasn't his first offense.

Meanwhile, I'm still thinking that I'd abandon my luggage if it was on the conveyor belt with the offending suitcase, unless and until, I could be assured a stray snake didn't somehow worm its way into my luggage. *shudder* I really don't like snakes.

I googled the story, which you can read here. But I'm curious, how would you react if you were at the conveyor belt waiting for your luggage and a suitcase exploded and snakes were all over the place? Gotta say, it's weirding me out just thinking about it.

Did I mention, I don't like snakes?

Favorite Moments

I never once watched Everybody Loves Raymond when it was on prime time television but I've seen it in its syndicated life. I doubt I've seen all the episodes but it's a funny show. Some of my favorite episodes include the one where Debra and Ray leave their luggage on the stair landing, or the episode where they remember how they met. But one episode that makes me laugh until tears are streaming down my face - every time I watch it - is the one where Robert deliberately munks up his wedding invitation because Ray and Frank convince him Amy really wants to do the invitations and he's taking that away from her if he does them himself.

Are you an Everybody Loves Raymond fan? Do you have a favorite? Share please! :o)

And now, a clip from the wedding invitation episode. Enjoy! :o)

August Book Review

Click icon for more book review blogs@Barrie Summy

My book selection this month is the result of what I'll call the two-bite rule. Growing up my mother didn't want to hear us say we didn't like a food dish unless we'd taken at least two bites of it first. You're probably wondering what that has to do with books but I'll explain.

I first heard of author Georgette Heyer a couple of years ago. She came up on a board discussion and everyone just loved her books. She was being compared to Jane Austen (who I love) and, for some reason, I got the impression she was from that time - and I love reading books that we would call historicals now, but were actually contemporary novels when they were written. So, I went and ordered one of her books to read. I was less than impressed.

Then a while later, her name came up again and I decided to apply the two-bite rule and pick up another of her books. That book is the book I'm reviewing this month - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer.

I loved this book! The story background is that Sophy's uncle has gotten his family into a financial predicament and the son has to step up and take responsibility for the family. He's very strict and inflexible and considers his word law.

Enter cousin Sophy. She comes for a short stay with the family and stands it on its ear.

Sophy has the uncanny ability to assess a situation and know how to set it to rights. Her methods, however, are unconventional for a woman of the time and it causes upset to her family - her rigid cousin in particular.

The thing I liked about the characterization of Sophy is that she's strong without being off-putting or offensive. She communicates with those around her in a way that would make someone she told to go to hell to look forward to their upcoming travel there. She's the kind of person that could sell an Eskimo ice - and not in a slimy salesman kind of way. She's very fun and likeable. She has a way of getting people to do the things they need to do while making it seem like their idea. I liked everything about her and everything about this book.

Well, there was one issue I had with the book, and that was the ending. Spoiler alert! Throughout the book I got the idea that Sophy was going to end up with her stuffy cousin - that he was going to come around and they would fall in love. Now, technically that is what happened, HOWEVER, it happened in the last few lines of the book. I didn't really see them fall in love or feel the "lifelong" commitment happen. The way it was done almost felt like an afterthought or a "oh crap, my editor says I can only have one more page and I have to wrap up this part too" kind of thing. Last month I reviewed a book that pulled a book I had a major issue with and fixed it with one scene so I know this one "flaw" with The Grand Sophy could have been handled better. However, the result was the same - they ended together and the rest of the book was fabulous. Fabulous characters, fabulous story, fabulous writing. Just plain fabulous.

So, it goes to show that there's merit to the two-bite rule. My first "bite" of Georgette Heyer wasn't all that great but the second "bite" was good - very good. I'll definitely be checking out more of her books. :o)

RWA Conference

Every year RWA has a conference and this week there are some 2000 romance writers in Florida celebrating RWA's 30th anniversary. There are workshops and networking opportunities and a high energy and support that you don't get / see in other industries. It's the reason I get to say that I vacation with Nora Roberts! (hehe - I know she's missing me now, right? lol)

Tonight is the wrap-up of the conference and they do so with an award ceremony, recognizing excellence in writing. Published writers can win a Rita and non-published writers can win a Golden Heart. It's the academy awards of romance writers and it's a big deal!

Gabrielle Luthy was my roommate two years ago at the San Francisco conference. She's a very unique and fascinating person and I consider her a friend. She's up for a Golden Heart tonight. So, while life got in the way of me being there in person, I'm cheering her on and wishing her the best tonight. Gabrielle, here's hoping you walk away with the award in your category! Good luck!

Oh, and Nora, I'll see you next year - count on it! ;o)

Three Weeks Notice

SCG (remember him?) is a project manager and as such, he works on big projects at work. This role requires that once the project gets going, he has to move with the project - literally.

Two years ago he was assigned to a project that was expected to roll out by the end of the year. When the end of the year came, the date was moved out to April of the following year. Then to the summer. Then to the end of the year again. Before the end of the year arrived, the project was disbanded and everyone was farmed out to other assignments for six months.

Earlier this year the team reassembled and the roll out was scheduled for this summer. About a month ago I was talking to SCG and asked how the project was going and he told me the roll out was scheduled for around the end of the year again. I made some comment that I'd heard that before and he said it was definitely happening.

Thursday I got an email from SCG saying he'd tried to call me but didn't reach me and could I call him as soon as I got the email - he had some news to share with me.

Well, I called him and he tells me that the project is going nowhere and is disbanding again (no real surprise there) and that he's been assigned to another project - in Singapore. And he leaves in three weeks!!!!!

Three weeks!!!!!

Part of the reason he's leaving so quickly is so his kids can start school on time there (and it starts August 15th).

But here's the thing that I can't get out of my mind. How do you pack up your life in three weeks and move to another country? How do you decide what stays, what goes and what gets thrown out? Keeping in mind that while those decisions are all being made, you've got to get the appropriate paperwork done so that you can live and work there - and have it all done before you arrive. As it is, he told me that his son is registered for the American school but his daughter is on the waitlist (I thought of it later but wonder if she could be home schooled for the time there - it's supposedly only for a year).

He can't take his dog and it would cost $3000 to take his cat ($1500 more to bring her back) and she would have to be quarantined for six months. The cost for the cat wouldn't bother me but I wouldn't want it to be quarantined for six months. And I can't imagine leaving my dogs behind so that would be hard for me.

But here's the burning question I have for you all . . . you have to pick up your life and move to another country and you only have three weeks to get everything done. How do you do it? How do you plan? How do you decide what stays and what goes? And for that matter, what does stay and what does go?

Inquiring minds want to know. :o)

July Book Review

Click icon for morebook review blogs@Barrie Summy

I have to start this review by telling you a bit about my reading habits. Once I start a book, I read it to its bitter end, regardless of how much I hate it. At least that was the case until a couple of years ago. For some reason I always felt obligated to read it and held on to some hope that it would get better. I mean, it had to get better, right? It got published after all. And then when I would get to the end, only to find that it never got better (and some times even got worse), I would be mad at myself for wasting all that time reading an awful book.

Then a few years ago I decided I didn't have time to waste on books I didn't like and became able to put books aside that I didn't like and move on. (I've always thought I'd go back and give the books another chance but to date I haven't done that on any of the books I felt that way about.)

That said, the book I decided to review this month is Kristan Higgins' The Next Best Thing.

The story is told in first person, from the point of view of the heroine and the first chapter is mostly backstory. The heroine is telling how she lost her husband in a terrible car accident and how she's having such a hard time moving on.

The thing is, the author writes her characters in such a way that the reader instantly feels connected to them. The emotions expressed about the heroine's love for her dead husband were real and raw and so strong that I found myself working out the story in my head. The husband wasn't really dead but had been unconscious or had amensia or something along those lines that kept him away but he was going come back and they were going to have a grand reunion. Or maybe it was going to be a Patrick Swayze thing like in Ghost and the hero would still be connected to the heroine, only in a more spiritual way.

At least that was how I was working it out in my head. So, imagine my surprise when, at the end of the first chapter I find out that the heroine is sleeping with her dead husband's brother! In that one sentence reveal, I lost the connection to the characters I had and I'm pretty sure I dropped the book as if it had burned me. For me, it gave the story that "Ick" factor and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to re-connect with the characters or the story. And given my new reading practice, that is where I would've normally decided to stop reading the book because, honestly, her sleeping with her brother-in-law was hard for me to get behind.

But, for some reason I kept reading on. And reading on. And reading on. All the while wondering why because although I really liked the characters and liked the story otherwise, I was really bothered by this one element of the story.

Then, about three quarters of the way through the book something happened. I don't want to say exactly what it was because it would spoil the book if you haven't read it. But, this one scene totally changed how I felt about this book. I got choked up and even started crying. It was so beautifully written and that one scene made everything else in the book okay for me (well, mostly). It explains everything and there was a whole transformation of character in that one scene. It made the difference in my loving the book vs hating the book. I can't explain it. But the bottom line is, I loved this book. My only problem with the book is that I had a serious problem with the sleeping with the brother-in-law when she was so in love with the dead husband still. You got 'glimpes' of the why throughout the book but we didn't get to see the full depth until three quarters of the way through the book and that bothered me because I was seriously hating this book until then. I would've preferred to see a bit more of the depth earlier on.

Bottom line is, I hung on and finished the book and for the first time ever, it was totally worth it. On my sidebar, I gave this book three stars. Normally one would think that was a mediocre rating or one that didn't spark emotion. However, that's a strong three stars. It would've been higher if we'd been in on the secret earlier on. And it would've been a lot lower if Kristan Higgins wasn't such a gifted story teller, coming through (in a big way) in the end.

New favorite commercial

Have you seen this yet? Too cute. :o)

Oops, they did it again

You may remember me posting around this time last year about my company's emergency program wherein we have to provide contact numbers for them to contact us in the event of an emergency (such as a hurricane event). It's required that we update (or confirm the information previously provided) it every year and they expect us to provide our personal cell numbers as the first contact, and I've been refusing to do that on principle.

But anyway, they give us a deadline and once that deadline has passed, they test the system. We get a second email instructing us to call in to confirm we know how to use the system, with a new deadline. If we don't make that call by the deadline, they start calling the numbers on the contact list.

Well, like last year, my step-father received a call asking him if he knew where I was.

In my defense (last year I was ignoring the email, thinking nothing would happen), I've been off work for a while and yesterday was my first day back and the second email came while I was out so I didn't see it before they called him.

The funny thing is, the reason I've been out is because I found out recently that I have mono and my doctor put me on medical leave so that I could rest. My step-father knew that and he also knew that I was scheduled to go back to work yesterday. And then he gets a phone call asking if he knows where I am.

So, like last year, I received a frantic call from him asking if all was okay. Poor guy.

Next year I probably should just suck it up and give them my cell number. lol

Plotter or Pantser?

Normally this would be a question asked of a writer but I'm curious about cooking. Are you a plotter (planner) or a pantser?

Since I turned over a new leaf and started eating vegetarian/vegan, I cook mostly from recipes. With the exception of a few Weight Watchers recipes that I loved, I'm not really a recipe kind of girl.

But that's not really the question I wanted to pose here exactly. No, I'm wondering about once you've decided what you're going to cook.

In this scenario, a plotter is someone who reviews the ingredients and lays them out beforehand so that they're readily available. They might even have them portioned out according to the recipe so that all they have to do is pour the ingredients into the mix when the recipe calls for it. The plotter always knows how the dish is going to turn out.

The pantser, on the other hand, mentally runs down the ingredients in their head and dives head first into the recipe, pulling the ingredients out of the cupboard as the recipe calls for them and portions them out at that time. Unlike the plotter, things don't always turn out as expected.

Turns out, I'm a pantser. I find a recipe that looks interesting and mentally run down the ingredients in my head and dive in head first. As mentioned, this doesn't always work out as expected. For example, the other day I decided to make Snobby Joes (the meatless version of the Sloppy Joe). The lentils were cooking and I was sauteing the onions and pepper. Then I added the garlic. When the lentils were done, I added them, along with the chili powder, oregano and salt. Next I went to get out the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Only, I didn't have any tomato sauce (oops!) in the cupboard. Obviously I was already committed to the dish by this point but I didn't have all the needed ingredients, which I would've known, if I were a plotter. In the end I added extra tomato paste and diluted it with water and hoped it would work out okay. It was my first time cooking the dish and I have to say I liked it, despite my substitutions. Would it have been better if I'd followed the recipe to a T? Maybe, but that's a question for another day (as in the next time I make it - which I will . . . and I DO have tomato sauce now!).

This isn't the first time this has happened (remember the cornstarch / cornmeal question?) and probably won't be the last but what I find most interesting, for me, is that I've never really been someone who cooked a lot - much less experimented with new foods. I've never been one to eat grains or vegetables - at all. And yet, I've changed my diet to where that's a huge part of my diet, and not only do I like it, I'm even playing with recipes, creating my own dishes. (Yes, I realize the Snobby Joe thing isn't that big of a stretch but some of the things I've done, are.) I am actually enjoying not knowing how something is going to turn out. Not everything has been a success but most of them are good.

And so I've learned something about myself. I am a pantser. What about you? When it comes to cooking, are you a plotter or a pantser? Inquiring minds want to know. :o)

Things I've learned about food and cooking

In a previous blog post I alluded to the fact that I've changed my eating habits. What I didn't say was that I eliminated meat and dairy from my diet. As a result, I've been doing a lot more cooking and I've learned some lessons along the way - not all of them pretty.

In no particular order, here are some of the lessons I've learned:

1. Even with a list, you will invariably forget to buy at least one ingredient for a recipe you want to cook.

2. It's helpful to know what recipe the ingredients are for (so that you don't get home and find a critical ingredient to a recipe was the one thing you couldn't find).

3. You can make substitutes for pretty much any ingredient in a recipe.

4. I still can't figure out if cornstarch and cornmeal are the same thing (according to wikipedia, the UK seems to think they're interchangeable). I just know I haven't found cornstarch locally and cornmeal didn't seem to negatively impact the recipe I used it in (see 3 above).

5. There are an incredible amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. that I had never heard of before but are quite good!

6. It's not necessarily a good idea to buy random fruits and vegetables if you don't know how you're going to use them when you get them home.

7. Russet potatoes are hard. Seriously HARD. I have a knife that can slice through bone like it was butter and it did NOT want to slice through the potato. (Note: once cooked, the potato was delicious!)

8. Waffles aren't as bad as I always thought they were.

9. Cleaning a waffle iron is NOT easy. :o)

10. Cleaning a juicer is only slightly easier.

11. I used to always say I didn't like much that was green and my mother always said one should take two bites of something before they made a definitive statement such as that. Well,
a. I stand by my belief that collard greens are not good. (My dogs do not share my opinion, however.)
b. I was wrong about asparagus.

12. Just because something smells good while cooking does not mean it will taste good (see 11a above).

13. Recipes are not always precise. (Note to cookbook authors. . . if you say an ingredient is needed for a recipe, it's nice if you include how it's used in the recipe - just saying. Also, saying "cook for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed" is not good when it takes at least 1.5 hours for all liquid to be absorbed.)

14. There are some things you just cannot find anywhere but at Whole Foods.

15. The employees at Whole Foods are very nice and very helpful - at least in my experience.

16. Other things can be found outside of Whole Foods but at much higher prices. (Example: The only other place I've found Grade B Maple Syrup charges $16 more than Whole Foods for the exact same product.)

17. Pretty much everything tastes better with freshly squeezed lemon juice on it. :o)

18. The same can be said for maple syrup.

19. Even though vegan eating is considered healthy eating, there are certain vitamins that you will need to supplement if you completely give up meat and dairy.

20. It's not always easy to find a dish at a restaurant that accommodates a vegan diet.

In any event, it's been roughly four months since I started this new eating program and, overall, the experience has been positive and I have no regrets. :o)

June Book Club

I've joined Barrie's Summy's book club where they review books they like the first Wednesday of every month. To see what others are reading (and enjoying), click on the icon below.

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@Barrie Summy

Well, this is my first time participating in Barrie's book club and I'm kind of excited. I debated which book I wanted to be my first review and finally settled on This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett. I've been a huge fan of hers for as long as I can remember. I don't remember watching a lot of television growing up but The Carol Burnett Show was something the entire family sat down and watched. It's a fond memory I have from my childhood. So, when I heard she'd written this book (I read her first one way back when it came out as well), I immediately got online and ordered it.

It's not an autobiography of her life and the stories aren't even told in chronological order. In fact, each chapter is its own stand-alone story. For example, if you decided you wanted to read about Marlon Brando (a particular favorite story of mine) you could flip straight to that chapter without ruining any other part of the book. For the most part it's light-hearted and fun read but it turns a bit more serious and emotional when she touches on the death of her daughter Carrie Hamilton. She doesn't delve too deeply into the emotions but I didn't get the feeling she held back either. I've seen her in interviews over the years and heard her tell stories and this book was written in the way I've always heard her tell stories - very conversational-like. When I finished the book (which I read in a few hours time), I felt like I'd spent the afternoon with an old friend. For most of the book I had a huge smile on my face, at times laughing until tears streamed down my face. I still had the smile on my face when I finished the book and wished there were more stories to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

If you're looking for a book that is a tell-all, rip-others-apart-so-you-look-good, book, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for a feel-good, laugh-til-you-snort book, you might want to check this one out.

The Bachelorette

I'll start this with doing what Mel does on her blog when she's going to maybe reveal things that others may not have seen yet.

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Okay, so are you watching The Bachelor this season? My friend got me hooked a few seasons ago and I keep telling myself that I'm not going to watch but I just can't not watch for some reason.

But tonight a couple of things stood out. Did you catch that Jonathan had a rose before Ali gave out the final rose? Yet when Chris came out to announce she had one last rose to give out, Ali hadn't given him one yet. I know they edit it to make it more . . . whatever . . . but if you're going to edit it to look like he got the last rose of the night, don't show a shot right before that where he clearly has a rose on his lapel. Just saying. And for the record, if Craig M hadn't been sent packing, I didn't want to watch it anymore. (Notice I didn't say I wouldn't watch it anymore, but I really wouldn't want to.)

Anyway, speaking of Jonathan . . . he's a local weatherman for me. I've never seen him do the weather report - I watch another station - but I live in the Houston area so, he's local. Having seen him on this show though, I can say with a certainty that I don't believe I will ever deliberately watch his weather report. He isn't as scary as Craig M (I agree that he's dangerous) but he is kind of creepy, if you ask me.

After the first show I decided that Ty was a front runner on my list, mostly because of his love of his dog. But, I agree with whichever one of the guys that made the comment about the guitar playing and the show. It needs to stop. So, Ty, if you're listening, lay off on the guitar playing, k? Otherwise you're off my list. And please, whatever you do, don't sing again. Thanks.

Oh, and who do you think it is (seen in the previews last week) that Ali gets upset with and goes on about all she's put on the line? I think it's Roberto. I think that mainly because it seems she's got more of a thing for him and, at least at this point, is the one who would hurt her the most. But that's just what I'm thinking now. It could change next week.

So, are you watching this season and who do you think - based on what you've seen so far - Ali will pick? Right now I would say Roberto and Frank have the best shot at it, based on what I've seen. I'm still rooting for Ty though, provided he ditches the guitar. ;o)

And one last thing, I don't want to know how things end for the show. Half the fun for me is speculating and trying to figure out what's going to happen and seeing if I'm right. So if you've been to sites that tell how the whole season wraps up, please don't spoil it 'cause I'd really like to watch it unfold each week. Thanks. :o)

Sex and the City

I went to see Sex and the City Thursday evening with my best friend. I really wanted to see it but fully expected to be disappointed because the clips used to promote the movie didn't make it look like a good movie, in my opinion.



And maybe it was the low expectation that resulted in me being pleasantly surprised but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It showed the what the character's lives were like two years later. I found it to be very relatable. There are those who say that it shouldn't have taken the ladies out of New York but it fit the storyline well.



It brought back all the characters we loved from the series and wrapped up any unanswered questions / unresolved issues from the last movie. And while I would go to see another SATC movie if another were made, I think this was a great way to end the franchise. As I said, I thoroughly enjoyed it.



What about you? Have you - or do you plan to - seen it? If you have, what did you think?

Miscellaneous

I know it's been a while since my last post and I have no excuse. I think of things I think will be fun to post about but apparently my follow-through is . . . lacking.

Anyway, I've been having some weird dreams lately. Like the one where I walked in my front door in time to see someone coming in my back door, uninvited, no less. I started screaming hysterically and my viscious, killer-attack lab, jumped into my arms. It must be true about acquiring super-human strength when adrenylin hits because, under normal circumstances, I can't lift my dog, much less hold him in my arms (he weighs 90+ pounds and I have no upper body strength). Meanwhile, the would-be burglar ran up to me and apologized because he'd meant to have my house cleaned out before I returned home, then he promptly ran into my bedroom. I followed him (still screaming) and carrying Max. Apparently I was going to throw Max at him if I came back upon him. I opened the closet door (who knows how since my hands were full) and woke up.

Another dream had to do with Dancing with the Stars. I had the dream Monday night so it was before the final show where the winner was announced. They were at the part where they let the third place person go and announced the top two dancers. I was backstage listening when they announced a shocking twist and announced that I was in the top two! And it was a huge shock because I hadn't danced before but apparently there was a "call-in" vote (like a write in vote but with the phone) and enough of the viewers "called me in" so that they had no choice but to place me in the top two. (It was very overwhelming and unexpected and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that phoned me in. :o) ) The last thing of the dream I remember is hoping I could live up to the expectations when I did the last competitive dance of the season.

Speaking of DWTS, I'm glad Nicole won - she deserved it. And let me just say here that it pisses me off that everyone is saying she had an advantage because she's a dancer. Um, Evan was a dancer too - he just did it on skates!!! I don't think either had an advantage over the other - possibly over some of the other celebrities, but not each other. Oh, and her free style? Did she go the safe route and dance 'her' style? No, she continued outside her comfort zone and she rocked it. Like I said, I'm glad she won, she deserved it!

Moving on . . . I'm thinking of taking a class this summer. It's been a long time since I've taken a class over the summer but I haven't completed a course since last spring (had to withdraw last fall when I went to Arkansas and didn't register this semester because I'd just gotten home when classes started). I'm thinking about taking Astronomy. It starts in a week and a half and runs through the first week of August. Since that conflicts with the RWA conference, I sent the instructor an email asking if it would be a problem if I missed the week of the conference. He responded back effectively saying no and signed his name. It was the first I'd even paid attention to his name. He signed "Dr. Talent". Can I seriously take a class from someone named Dr. Talent? I'm thinking no.

And on the subject of the conference, I'm really torn. We were supposed to be on a vacation freeze through July so I had to get special permission to take the week off. They were reluctant to give me an answer but I forced one from them in January, at which time I made arrangements for my dogs. I want to go because it's the 30th anniversary and I think it'll be good but at the same time, I'm not motivated to go. Meanwhile my bosses still think I will be out that week.

Anyway, that's some of the stuff that's been going on here. How are things with you?

The Simple Things

Some times it doesn't take much to make me happy. And right now, the three roses shown in this picture make me happy.

This picture was taken in my front yard and the fact that there are three roses is a pretty big deal. You see, I've lived in this house for nine years and if you add up all the roses this "bush" has produced since I moved in, the total would be 11 - including the three pictured. Which means in the eight previous years there have been eight roses. One year I had two roses, only not at the same time. Another year there were none. So three at once is a pretty big deal. It makes me happy.

Like I said, some times it doesn't take much. :o)

Some times you just have to laugh

Take yesterday. I'm having some work done on my house and among the things I'm having done is I'm having the hall closet and space where the heating unit used to be (it's now in the attic) combined to be a large pantry. They started the work on Wednesday and I've been coming home at lunch to let the dogs out because I've been locking them in my bedroom while they do the work.

Well, yesterday I came home at lunch and they weren't here - which was fine, it was lunch time after all. Only, as I stepped out of my car, one of the guys drove up. We had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: Hey.
Him: I had to take my partner to the emergency room.
Me: What? Ohmigod! What happened? Is he okay?
Him: I don't know. I had to take him to the emergency room. (pause) Actually that's why there's a hole in your ceiling.
Me: Wait. What? There's a hole in my ceiling? What happened?????

To make a long story short they were installing a light in the pantry (it should be noted that this was NOT contracted work - we never discussed having a light in the pantry. it's a nice gesture but I did NOT ask them to do this. anyway. . . ) and the partner went to pull a line through the attic to get electricity in the new pantry and something bit him.

His arm started swelling almost immediately and was turning purple. He went up into the attic to see if he could find out what had bitten him. He saw a snake skin and apparently freaked out (can't say as I blame him). He took a step and fell through the ceiling. And then they left for the emergency room.

Turns out it wasn't a snake bite but they didn't positively identify what had bitten him. Before I went back to work the contractor left to go pick his partner up because he was ready to get back to work.

Now, as this story was being revealed to me the things that ran through my head were: 1) that's awful, I hope the guy's okay; 2) what's my liability; and, the thing I really can't get out of my head . . . 3) there was a snake in my attic!

I think I'm going to have to move now!

Clean up on Aisle 3!

It's a long story but suffice it to say, I've changed my eating habits. The last two weeks I've spent my Saturday shopping at Whole Foods for groceries.

Well, yesterday, I got up early and went to Whole Foods to do more shopping. I got there a few minutes after the store opened and there were only a handful of customers shopping. I got all my produce and 'cold' items and started down the aisles. I went down the grain aisle and picked up these tubs that they have for getting larger amounts of the grains. Last week a guy helped me shop and he collected the grains in a bag like what you normally put your produce in. I offered to do it but he insisted. He'd pull the lever and release, ask me if it was enough and repeat until I said it was enough. Easy enough, right?

Well, first thing I went to collect some beans - lentil to be specific - and I put my tub under the opening and pulled the lever until the tub was almost full. Then I released and pulled my tub out from under the opening. Only problem was, the beans just kept coming. In fact, I'm quite sure that the rate in which they poured out increased at least tenfold. I stood there for a moment in shock, trying to figure out how to stop it. Meanwhile the aisle was filling up with lentil beans at an alarmingly fast pace. I don't recall realizing that I probably had to push the lever the other direction to stop it and I don't recall actually pushing it to stop it but I must have because (thankfully) the beans quit pouring out. As I mentioned, it was quite early so there were no witnesses to this incident. However, my tub was so full I couldn't put the lid on it so I stood there for a while trying to figure out how to empty some out. I heard someone come up behind me and comment that someone had an accident with the beans. She wasn't unpleasant about it and I don't think she realized it was me but I felt so embarrassed. It was hard to push my cart through all the beans on the ground (I wish I was kidding!) but I moved on. How you label your tubs is different than how you label the bags (I asked and someone told me) so I was looking for the stickers and ended up having to come back by the lentil beans for a couple of more lids. Someone was sweeping up the lentils and a customer was thanking him. (The aisle was quite busy at the moment.) Again, I don't think they realized I was the culprit but it was a bit embarrassing. There were no further incidents with the other items I got in tubs and no other tub is quite so full. =)