Broken Teepee

Coming Soon: LeLePets for BIG Saving Specially Selected Pet Goods

2012-02-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Erm, I have a few cats.
Four to be exact.
Very spoiled cats.

Wouldn't you want to spoil that face?

Or this one?
Admit it - you spoil your pets too.
But spoiling one's pets can get expensive. When I try and explain this to said pets I get this....

Uh-huh. That's "talk to the paw."

Even the little one gives me grief.
"Talk to the paw."
They don't care about things like budgets and how much money there is to spend.

They meow that they have places to be, worlds to explore and it's MY job to keep them happy.
*sigh*
We are all held hostage by our love for our pets.

But I have good news for all of you pet lovers out there.
Oh yes I do!
There is a new site launching soon.
It's called LeLePets and it's going to have BIG sales on pet stuff. Here is some info:

LeLePets, the free and by-invite-only, exclusive website for pet enthusiasts and online shoppers, launches daily private sales of up to 70% off retail at 12PM EST, lasting 72 hours. The site rosters a range of design-inspired pet products including apparel, bedding, feeders, collars, leads, toys, bird cages, reptile hideaways and more. To encourage new members to spread the word, LeLePets credits its members $15 when their fellow pet lover friends makes their first purchase.

Cool, huh?

I have some even cooler news - If you SIGN UP NOW and use the code TEEPEE you will receive a coupon for 30% off of your first purchase!!!!

I told you it was cool - big savings off of big savings!

Even Sherpa the Farm cat is impressed - or nipped, one can never truly tell.
So why not sign up for LeLePets.com to see what is coming. It's free! Be sure to use the code TEEPEE for that coupon!

You can find LeLePets on Facebook
You can find LeLePets on Twitter
You can find the Farm cats basking in the sun sniffing 'nip.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post in money or product.

Blog Tour and Book #Review: Pictures of the Past by Deby Eisenberg

2012-02-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

About the Book:

First-time novelist Deby Eisenberg hits the ground running with PICTURES OF THE PAST, an epic family and historical saga, sweeping through Chicago, Paris and Berlin, reliving events from pre-World War II Europe, but beginning in contemporary times. An Impressionist painting, hanging for decades in the Art Institute of Chicago and donated by the charismatic philanthropist Taylor Woodmere, is challenged by an elderly woman as a Nazi theft.

Mary Lignor of Book Pleasures says, “This novel is one of the most intriguing and beautiful books that I have ever read. The ending of this book will touch your heart… The writing is first class.”

Taylor’s story takes the reader to 1937. Sent to Paris on family business, he reluctantly leaves his girlfriend, Emily, a spoiled debutante from Newport, Rhode Island. But once in Europe, he immediately falls in love – first with an Henri Lebasque painting, and then with the enchanting Sarah Berger of Berlin. After Taylor returns home, the Berger family becomes trapped in the Nazi web, and any attempts for the new lovers to be reunited are thwarted.

Interwoven with this narrative is the story of Rachel Gold, a beautiful and bright Chicago girl caught up in the times of the late 1960’s. Pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend Court Woodmere, Taylor’s son, she moves to New York to live with her aunt, a Holocaust survivor. Years later, as the controversy surrounding the provenance of the painting becomes public, Rachel’s grown son is disturbed by his inexplicable familiarity with the work of art. And it is only Taylor Woodmere who can unravel the complicated puzzle of their lives.

As a Book Club leader for the past sixteen years, Eisenberg came to understand the kinds of stories that grabbed her group and she challenged herself to write a novel that her avid readers could not put down and would love to discuss.

The result was PICTURES OF THE PAST.

About the Author:

As the leader of an established Chicago area Book Club, Deby Eisenberg challenged herself to write a novel that her avid readers could not put down and would love to discuss. With a Masters Degree from the University of Chicago, she is a former English teacher and journalist. Inspired by so many wonderful books and formidable authors, and drawing on her love of literary research, art, architecture, Jewish history, and travel in the United States and Europe, she tried to envision a multi-generational love story that would inform as well as entertain, that would broaden the mind and open the heart. Deby and her husband Michael, an obstetrician-gynecologist, live in Riverwoods, Illinois. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Her latest book is the historical fiction novel, Pictures of the Past.

You can visit her website at www.debyeisenberg.com.

My Opinion:

This was a very arresting book. It very expertly wove together the stories of parents and children tied together by WWII and an Impressionist painting that may or may not be stolen. The story begins with an investigation into a painting seen at the Chicago Institute of Art by a survivor of the Holocaust who insists that it could not belong to the family that donated it - she had seen it hanging in the home of Jewish friends in Berlin before Hitler did his worst.

From that point on the story weaves back and forth between three periods in time and various members of the two families explaining their pasts and their present. At no time does the moving around in time get confusing - it is done so seamlessly. Nor do you lose track of any of the myriad of characters; they all have such a powerful presence it's hard to forget them from chapter to chapter.

I was truly enthralled with the characters and with this story. It's really more of a love story, not a war story and it is the different tales of love and sacrifice that drive the novel forward. Once I started reading I had a very hard time putting it down. It's a book that deserves a second reading.

You can purchase Pictures of the Past at Amazon.com

Disclosure: I received a copy of Pictures of the Past from Pump Up Your Book Promotions gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Why Not Look Pretty While You Cook? Lovely Aprons #Review and #Rafflecopter #Giveaway

2012-02-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

The skylight is being fixed.
HOO-RAY!
The friends that were helping the hubby were going to be hungry so I made some stew and apple pies for dessert.

Mmmm, apple pie.
The goats benefit with apple pie as they get the cores and the peelings so everyone is happy!

I decided on apple crumb and I must say I was looking stylish thanks to my new kitchen apron from Lovely Aprons.

What do you think?
I'll tell you what I think and then we'll get on with the pie!
The apron is one of a series of cute aprons from the company. It's very well constructed and I absolutely ADORE

the double ruffle on the bottom. How cute is it? And it's purple - my favorite color.

It fits perfectly thanks to a tie at the neck and at the waist so I was very comfortable as I was cooking. It's washable and it looks good, what more can you ask of an apron?! I was very happy with it.

Now for the pie; I made a basic crust with just a few changes from the Betty Crocker Cookbook circa Turn of the 20th Century. heh

I made two pies so this is a two crust recipe:

1/3 cup + 2 TBS COLD butter
1/3 cup shortening
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 TBS sugar
3 TBS ice water
2 TBS apple cider vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients together and then cut the shortening and butter in with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture looks like small peas. Add the cider vinegar and water and mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Knead a bit until you have a smooth dough. Cut in half and wrap in wax paper and put in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

For the filling (for two pies):

10 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon

Add the lemon juice to the sliced apples and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir. Let sit until you are ready to add to the pie crust.

For the crumb topping (for two pies)

1 cup melted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 generous dashes cinnamon
pinch of salt

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the melted butter and stir until well mixed. Set aside until you need it to top the pie(s).

To assemble the pie:
Preheat oven to 400°

Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and dust your work surface with a bit of flour. Roll out your dough to about 2" larger than your pie dish.

Carefully place the rolled dough on your dish and trim to slightly larger than the rim. Fold the excess dough under and make a decorative edge by poking the dough with the index finger of your dominant hand and pinching with the index finger and thumb of your other hand. I couldn't do this and take photos at the same time unless I grew a third hand. heh

I brush the crust with an egg wash at this point. Just a beaten egg with a bit of water.

Fill the crust with the apple slices. Don't add in all of the liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. I used about 2 TBSP per pie.

Take the crumb topping and squeeze it in your hand and then break off chunks and top the apples. Make sure they are well covered.

Place the pie pans on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes and then lower the heat to 350° and bake for another 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbly.

Take the pie(s) out of the oven and cool on a rack.
Before I serve them today I will sprinkle them with some powdered sugar.
Mmmmm, pie.
The house smelled heavenly while they were baking.

I stayed nice and clean while I was making them thanks to my Lovely Apron!

You can shop for Lovely Aprons
You can find Lovely Aprons on Facebook
You can find Lovely Aprons on Twitter

One lucky reader will win a Lovely Apron of their choice! They will receive a gift code good for an apron and free shipping.
How do you win? It's easy!
Just click on "read more" and jump on the Rafflecopter. If you are here by direct link the 'copter is waiting! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

#Rafflecopter #Giveaway: UPrinting Sticks It with Fantastic Stickers and Labels

2012-02-27T10:39:00.001-07:00

I use a lot of labels with Pricilla's shop. I have them made with her cute little face on them and I put a sticker on every order that goes out. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback; I think it's because she is just so very cute. But there are so many uses for stickers and labels - return address, to put on bags as identifiers if you have a shop, also on boxes! They can be used for so many different things!

So how would you like to win some custom stickers/labels from UPrinting? How about 250 of them? I have worked with UPrinting for many years now and I have been exceptionally happy with everything that I have received from them. The quality is excellent and their customer service is out of this world.

Here are the details of the prize:

250 pcs. Sticker Printing for One (1) Winner

2" x 3.5"

70lb Label Matte

Front Only Printing

4 Business Days Turnaround

*Free shipping

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only

There are different rules for this giveaway so read them carefully:

Hit the +1 Button for Uprinting

Hit the Tweet button

Follow UPrinting on Twitter
Add UPrinting on your Circle on Google Plus

Leave a comment for each action you did.
The giveaway will end on 3/1 when I will go to Random.org and choose a winner. He/she will have 48hrs to respond or I will choose a new winner.

Good luck!

Ready to enter?
I know I'm excited 'cause I'll be receiving a set for myself. I think I'll make them to put on the little bags I use at the Farmer's Market in the summer. I think that will be very cute.

Disclosure: "You should assume that the owner of this blog will receive free print product in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions."

Blog Tour and Book Review: Sweeter Than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliot

2012-02-27T04:00:00.001-07:00

About the Book:

Music offers Kate Sweet refuge from her troubles, but real freedom is sweeter.

In Westerville, Ohio, 1855, Kate Winter's dreams are almost within reach. As the first woman to graduate from Otterbein College, she'll be guaranteed her deepest wish: escape from the dark secret haunting her family. But with her mother determinded to marry her off to a wealthy man, Kate must face reality. She has to run. Now. And she has the perfect plan. Join the upcoming musical performance -- and use it to mask her flight.

Ben Hanby, Otterbein College's musical genius, sees Kate Winter as an enigmatic creature, notable for her beautry, yet painfully shy. Then he hears her sing and the glory of her voice moves him as never before. He determines to cast her in his musical and uncover the mystery that is Kate. Still, he must keep his own secret to himself. Not even this intriguing woman can know that his passionate faith is driving him to aid fugitives on the Underground Railroad.

A terrifying accident brings Kate and Ben together, but threatens to shatter both their secrets and their dreams. Kate can no longer deny the need to find her courage and her voice if she is to sing a new song for their future.

For more about the Saddler's Legacy and book 1 in the series,Fairer Than Morning, go here:

http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13424909

About the Author:

Rosslyn Elliott grew up in a military family and relocated so often that she attended nine schools before her high school graduation. With the help of excellent teachers, she qualified to attend Yale University, where she earned a BA in English and Theater. She worked in business and as a schoolteacher before returning to study at Emory University, where she earned a Ph.D. in English in 2006. Her study of American literature and history inspired her to pursue her lifelong dream of writing fiction. She lives in the Southwest, where she homeschools her daughter and teaches in children's ministry.

Connect with Rosslyn:

Twitter @rosslynelliott

http://www.facebook.com/rosslynelliottauthor

My Opinion:

This is the second book I've read by Ms. Elliot telling the tale of the Hanby family. This book turns the life of Ben Hanby into a very interesting novel. Ben Hanby wrote "Up on the Rooftop" as well as some other songs popular in his day and he was very involved with the underground railroad. He falls in love with young Kate Winter but her mother, haunted by her own mistakes, feels that Ben is not good enough for her daughter. Kate's father is an abusive alcoholic and the Winter's try to hide this from their community.

The book was well written and while I cannot call it and easy read - solely due to the subject matter - it was a good read. The romance between the two main characters built slowly and in a true fashion for the time. The period details were written such that I felt completely involved in time and place. It is fascinating to learn about seemingly ordinary people in our history that risked their lives to help slaves escape through the Underground Railroad. I will look forward to the next chapter in Ms. Elliot's series.

You can purchase Sweeter Than Birdsong on Amazon.com
You can see the rest of the Tour Schedule HERE

In this second in the award-winning Saddler's Legacy series, Rosslyn Elliott has written a stirring novel of hope and faith inspired by real historical people and events. With Ben Hanby, a genius composer, Kate Winter, one of the first female college graduates in America, and John Parker, an ex-slave who risked his life time and again to help fugitive slaves, Sweeter than Birdsong is full of real heroes to inspire us. "I hope readers will find a renewed sense of strength in their own lives," says Elliott, "knowing that change is possible, and our efforts matter. I want them to remember these unique, brave people in history who left us a shining example of what it means to live out one's beliefs with passion and commitment."

So to celebrate the music in all of us, Rosslyn and Thomas Nelson are hosting this "sweet giveaway".

One fortunate winner will receive:

A Brand new iPod Nano (Winner's choice of color!)
Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on February 28th. Winner will be announced at Sweeter than Birdsong Author Chat Facebook Party on 2/28. Rosslyn will be chatting with guests, sharing a sneak peek of the next book in the series, hosting a trivia contest, and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, season 1 of DowntownAbbey, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Rosslyn.)

So grab your copy of Sweeter than Birdsong and join Rosslyn and friends on the evening of the 28th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 28th!

Disclosure: I received a copy of Sweeter Than Birdsong from Litfuse Publicity. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Accents

2012-02-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Olga Quinn

Who has the accent? New Jerseyans or Georgians? While visiting up north and helping my friend move into her beautiful new home in Carlstadt, New Jersey, that question became a running joke. I made fun of her husband and his friends with their Jersey accents and they made fun of my friend’s and my accent. When we took stopped the moving process in the evenings and went out for dinner and much deserved cocktails, the servers would ask me to repeat my order, not so much because they did not really understand it, but because they wanted to hear that drawl! The guys were the worst to pick at me about it though. And if you consider talking to one of them on the phone, just forget it. I was with my friend when she called carlstadt home security to get their home security system installation scheduled. She only had to repeat herself once. She has lived up there for several years and, while you can take the girl out of the south but you can not take the south of the girl still rings true, she has managed to pick up a bit of her husband’s funny way of speaking!

Guest Post and #Giveaway: Ride with Me by Ruthie Knox

2012-02-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to welcome Ruthie Knox today with a guest post dear to the hubby's heart - he used to be quite the cyclist! He had at one time, three different bikes! I haven't ridden a bike for more years than I care to count....no comments people! Please welcome Ruthie and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post. This is different from my usual giveaways - you just need to answer Ruthie's question in a comment to be entered. Enjoy everyone!

Ruthie Knox Visits to Talk about Bicycling and Ride with Me

Thanks for having me on the blog! I'm excited to be on tour promoting my debut release, Ride with Me, which came out on February 13 from Loveswept (Random House).

Ride with Me is a contemporary romance novel set on the TransAmerica Trail, which is a forty-two-hundred-mile bike route that crosses the United States from Oregon to Virginia. Here's a description of the book...
******
Ride with Me, available from Loveswept on February 13, 2012!

In this fun, scorching-hot eBook original romance by Ruthie Knox, a cross-country bike adventure takes a detour into unexplored passion. As readers will discover, Ride with Me is not about the bike!

When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the TransAmerica Trail with. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger -- a lean, sexy loner whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she's spent years planning.

Roped into the cycling equivalent of a blind date by his sister, Tom doesn't want to ride with a chatty, go-by-the-map kind of woman, and he certainly doesn't want to want her. Too bad the sight of Lexie with a bike between her thighs really turns his crank.

Even Tom's stubborn determination to keep Lexie at a distance can't stop a kiss from leading to endless nights of hotter-than-hot sex. But when the wild ride ends, where will they go next?
*****
It probably goes without saying that I'm a cyclist. Not a crazy gear-head one -- I actually don't even watch the Tour de France, which is like a cardinal sin for anyone who calls herself a cyclist -- but I do love to ride.

I started young, like most people do, and then when I was around twelve years old I participated in a week-long ride that they do every year in Ohio called the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. Now, I don't know if you remember being twelve, but I do. It was awful--like walking around with all your organs exposed. I never felt beautiful or comfortable or adequate, especially when it came to physical, sporty things. Competitive sports and I are lifetime enemies. So it was a really amazing experience for me to ride my bike three hundred miles in the hot, humid Ohio summer. I felt amazing and accomplished andunusual, you know? Like I was capable of secret, hitherto-unsuspected feats of endurance and willpower. That's a pretty special thing for a twelve-year-old to experience.

So, anyway, biking became important to me, and even though I left it behind for a few years in college, I found it again as an adult, and I married a man who rides. We've been on several week-long bike trips with my parents in Utah, Montana, Colorado, Vermont . . . pretty much all over the country. And in the process of all this travel, all these riding and camping adventures, I got really interested in the whole idea of taking three months to ride all the way across the United States. What kind of person decided to do that? How did it feel? What sort of crazy things would happen in all those miles, all those long days on the road? Those are some of the questions I channeled into Ride with Me.

It's not really a “sporty” book, anymore than I'm a sporty girl. Instead, Ride with Me is a romantic story about two people who have very different priorities for the ride and for life, and very different ideas about what it means to have an adventure. As they pass from Oregon and Idaho to Kansas and Missouri and finally make it to Virginia, they have their own adventure -- one neither of them particularly wants or expects, but one that one that changes them both for the better, forever. Because love is the greatest adventure of all!
*****
BIO

Ruthie Knox figured out how to walk and read at the same time in the second grade, and she hasn't looked up since. She spent her formative years hiding romance novels in her bedroom closet to avoid the merciless teasing of her brothers and imagining scenarios in which someone who looked remarkably like Daniel Day Lewis recognized her well-hidden sex appeal and rescued her from middle-class Midwestern obscurity. After graduating from Grinnell College with an English and history double major, she earned a Ph.D. in modern British history that she's put to remarkably little use.

These days, she writes contemporary romance in which witty, down-to- earth characters find each other irresistible in their pajamas, though she freely admits this has yet to happen to her. Perhaps she needs more exciting pajamas. Ruthie abhors an epilogue and insists a decent romance requires at least three good sex scenes.
*****

You can purchase Ride with Me on Amazon.com

You can find Ruthie Knox on Goodreads
You can find Ruthie Knox on Twitter
You can find Ruthie Knox on Facebook
You can read Ruthie's Blog

GIVEAWAY

A question for readers: What's the biggest adventure -- literal or figurative -- you've ever had? One lucky commenter will be randomly chosen to win a digital copy of Ride with Me. Winners will pick up their copy through Net Galley. Good luck to all!

The Giveaway will end on 3/3/12 and the winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. If he/she does not a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post in product or money.

Guest Post from Spencer Seidel Author of Lovesick

2012-02-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Spencei Seidel, author of the new thriller, Lovesick with a guest post on the books that provided entertainment in his childhood. Enjoy!

A Kid and His Books

By Spencer Seidel
Because my fiction can be so dark, I occasionally get asked what kinds of books I read as a kid. I suppose some people think I was raised on a steady diet of old horror movies and King novels. As Frank Zappa famously (and flippantly) said to a senator inquiring about what odd toys his children must have had: "Well, why don't you come up to the house and I'll show 'em to you." That's sort of what I'm going to do here. Hopefully, this short list of my favorites as a kid will bring back some fun reading memories of your own.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

This classic was the first big-boy book I remember reading on my own from start to finish. I was probably five or so, but I don't know for sure. What I do remember is the absolute thrill the experience of reading something like this gave me. The little kid version of a head rush, I guess. I think I read it six times in a row.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

As I recall, I had to give this a start a few times to get through it. The language was tougher in Phantom Tollbooth than in other books I'd read and the concepts far more abstract. Once I caught onto it however, I couldn't let go. To this day, I think about Milo driving his car through that play tollbooth.
The Great Brain Series by John D. Fitzgerald

Man, did I eat these up. My favorite was The Great Brain at the Academy, but I loved them all. Remember how The Great Brain used to climb up in that hay loft and haul the ladder up after him so he could think? Or the fact that the kids were always fist fighting in those books? These books were gritty. Publishers would have a hard time with that today, I'd wager. Wonderful, true-to-life series depicting real, not-even-close-to-politically-correct kids doing kid stuff.

Anything by Judy Blume

I can't say enough about Judy Blume and the influence her books had on me. I read them all, even the girly ones like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. And I probably read them all before I was technically old enough, and that's part of the reason I love my mom. Her philosophy was: if the kid wants to read something, let him, because he'll find a way to read it anyway. My mom is probably mostly why I have such respect for women, but I'm sure Judy Blume's female characters had something to do with that as well.

Anything by Beverly Cleary

When I was a kid, I was a strong reader, so they put me in a program called "Great Books." What a joke. I hated the books they wanted me to read. They were all ancient and had kid characters I just couldn't relate to. It's a miracle those people didn't poison my love of reading. Sheesh, if a kid is reading on his own, stop trying to control it, let him be, and enable the habit with all the books he wants! He'll get to the good stuff before too long. Besides, a lot of that "literature" is overrated--crap grown-ups think kids should read and not what kids want to read. Anyway, I didn't last long in that misguided program. See, what I wanted to read was stuff about kids like me. Back then, I guess I felt that way about Henry Huggins, because I couldn't get enough of those stories. I think a part of me still wants to be like Henry.

Honorable Mention: The Hardy Boys Series

I must confess that I didn't love the Hardy Boys books, but I aspired to read them all, as some of my friends did. If you're looking for a hook into my dark side, the Hardy Boys series was probably it. Something about their world was dangerous (but not too dangerous) and scary (but not too scary). Kind of perfect for a kid who is maybe curious about the evils people commit behind closed doors...

You can see the whole Blog Tour and Scavenger Hunt HERE.

You can purchase Lovesick on Amazon.com

Disclosure: I received a copy of Lovesick with no expectations of review.

Guest Post from Nelle Davy Author of The Legacy of Eden

2012-02-24T04:00:00.001-07:00

I am very happy to welcome Nelle Davy today with a special guest post for The Legacy of Eden Blog Tour. Please enjoy....

Using personal stories in writing: do or don’t?

Of course it is a do. One of my favourite books is Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson which is a reworking of her own childhood within a fictional format as opposed to an outright memoir. What matters is that you are true to the kind of story you wish to tell, regardless of what is the inspiration. I would also say that no writer works in a vacuum as if their books are ‘ex nihilo.’ Whether you mean to or not, you write the kind of story you are either interested in, or have been through in some way. It is all inspired by your personal past and you rework it, sometimes even try to ignore it, but then press it down and reshape it so that it can become unrecognizable from truth but it still has seeds in it. There are some stories I love to read but would never be able to write because I would never be inspired to write them because they come from a different sort of experience to the one I have had. But novels should be about trying to tell some kind of truth – either the one you wish was real or the one that is. And sometimes I think the novels that have impressed me the most and the ones that have really stayed with me as visceral works of honest art are the one that you discover had some grounding in the author’s past. You do look at them in a new light and they seem so much more informed. But this novel is not based on my own personal story in any other way than it is about the interrogation and destruction of the family unit.

I would like to thank Ms. Davy for taking the time to stop by today. I hope you all enjoyed the post. I know I did. Now be sure to go and read my review of The Legacy of Eden and enter the giveaway for a copy of the book. It was a page turner!

You can purchase The Legacy of Eden at Amazon.com

Blog Tour, Book #Review and #Rafflecopter #Giveaway: The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig

2012-02-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

About the Book:

Just in time for the post-Valentine’s Day chocolate hangover, THE GARDEN INTRIGUE is the latest novel in the nationally bestselling Pink Carnation series byRITA Award winner Lauren Willig (Dutton, On sale: February 16, 2012). In this ninth installment, long-time readers and newcomers alike will be delighted to meet a character sure to become a fan favorite—a poet whose fervent ardor leads him to declare his feelings for the Pink Carnation in atrociously overwrought verse.

Lovable modern day grad student Eloise Kelly is back and on the trail of the Pink Carnation when she discovers a wretched poem among the papers of a code book. Poetry penned by the notorious fop Augustus Whittlesby for Jane Wooliston (aka the Pink Carnation)—Eloise can’t help but wonder; can anyone really be that bad of a poet? Or is something else hiding behind his putridly saccharine words? Back in 1804, New York born Paris socialite Emma Morris Delgardie doesn’t think so. She’s too busy sipping champagne to notice Whittlesby’s strange interest in a top-secret device Napoleon has commissioned. Unfortunately for Emma, she’s the poet’s entrée into the emperor’s inner circle. Fortunately for Augustus, this plucky American heroine could turn out to be his true muse.

About the Author:

Lauren Willig is the bestselling author of eight previous Pink Carnation novels. She received a graduate degree in English history from Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, though she now writes full-time. Willig lives in New York City.

For more information about Lauren and her work, please visit her website, laurenwillig.com.

My Opinion:

The escapades of the always cool, always in control Pink Carnation continue in this latest chapter, The Garden Intrigue. I have only had the pleasure of reading one other volume of this lady spy's adventures but I dare say that I hope to read many more. This book focuses on Pink's (Jane Wooliston) relationship with a British operative who uses the cover of a poet by the name of Augustus Whittlesby. Augustus is a very bad poet and he uses his bad poetry to pass information on to Miss Wooliston. The French police pay no attention to him as they see him as nothing more than a fop. But he feels himself growing tired of the role and finds himself falling in love.

But is it really Jane he loves or is it that rather forward American friend of hers, Mrs. Emma Delgardie with whom he is penning a masque for the pleasure of Hortense Bonaparte? Love is fickle, is it not? Especially the love of a poet for his muse.

The story is told in flashbacks as American Eloise Kelly continues her research into the Pink Carnation at Selwick Hall, the ancestral home of her boyfriend, Colin. His family relations are enough for a book all their own and his family history is well tied into that of the Pink Carnation.

This is a light, frothy, fun read to chase away the demons of darker reads. The conversations are witty and in spite of the underlying issues of Napoleon and well, war, the book is really without much evil. Perhaps that will come, after all - Napoleon has only just declared himself Emperor. Only a few quibbles with terms out of place; I doubt that young women in this era would tell their gentlemen to "scootch", and at one point a character tells another that someone "has left the building" in an oh so Elvis kind of way. And then I truly, truly doubt that "resistance is futile" was a popular turn of phrase unless The Borg were helping Napoleon with his invasion planning. Having the future invade the past in these ways can be like fingernails on a chalkboard as one reads. Or perhaps I read too much into the uses of the words. These are very minor complaints for a book that kept me pushing the button on my Nook to see what happened next.

I will most certainly look forward to The Pink Carnation's next adventure where ever it might take her.

You can purchase The Garden Intrigue on Amazon.com

You can find Lauren Willig on Facebook
You can go to Lauren Willig's website

You can find the rest of the Tour Schedule HERE

One lucky reader will win a copy of The Garden Intrigue!
How do you win? It's easy! Just click on "read more" and jump on the Rafflecopter. If you are here by direct link the 'copter is waiting....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received an e-copy of The Garden Intrigue from TLC Book Tours. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free e-book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Add Delicious Flavor to your Meats and Vegetables with Char Crust #Review

2012-02-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have a friend that gives me some nice venison steaks now and then. The flavor is delicious and they don't need much to enhance them. When I heard about Char Crust I knew it would perfect for some steaks I had in the freezer. Char Crust is a dry rub seasoning mix used by famous Al Farber's Steakhouse in Chicago. The customers raved about the seasonings and they wanted the recipe so Char Crust was born. It comes in a variety of flavor blends including Original Hickory, All American Barbecue, Ginger Teriyaki and the Roasted Garlic Peppercorn I was sent. You can see all of them on the Products page of the Char Crust site.

The Roasted Garlic Peppercorn has well, roasted garlic, peppercorns, Worcestershire, lavender and more to make a delicious seasoning blend to use on fish, chicken, beef, venison and even vegetables. The 4oz package will go a long way. I used it on those venison steaks and I plan to use it on some broccoli and cauliflower next. Even on those ever present green beans.....

I cut and peeled four potatoes and mixed them with 1 TBS of olive oil and salt and pepper. I put them in a baking dish and popped them into a 350° oven to roast. I also put in some beets (ick) and yes, green beans. I fear they are reproducing in the freezer and I will never see an end to them.-+

(My camera is still giving me some problems so I am sorry for some of the photos.) l let the venison steaks come to room temperature while I heated up my cast iron grill on the stove top. I covered the steaks with the Char Crust per the instructions.

When the grill was very hot I sprayed the venison with some PAM and put the steaks on to cook. I grilled them for three minutes on each side. I think I shall enter the Bad Photo Hall of Fame.

I let them rest for five minutes after grilling and they were a perfect medium rare.

Hubby got a big plate full of food with two steaks (these are small) the potatoes, beets and *sigh* green beans. I declined the beets.

The Char Crust added a truly delicious layer of flavor to the venison. The pepper was the strongest note but the garlic did come through. No additional salt was needed on the steaks. I purposely did not add ANY either before or after cooking. I will note that if you do not like pepper you might want to try one of the other flavors. Hickory and Molasses will probably be my next choice as I think that will be wonderful on chicken.

The hubby really enjoyed it as he loves peppery food. I can't wait to try the Char Crust on vegetables. I know it is going to be delicious on my roasted cauliflower and it might just help with all of those darn beans!

You can shop for Char Crust online
You can Find Stores that sell Char Crust
You can find Char Crust on Facebook

Disclosure: I received a box of Char Crust gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Personalized Pens from Amsterdam Printing #Rafflecopter #Giveaway

2012-02-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I go through a lot of pens. I give them out at craft fairs and at the farmer's market and I never see them again. I think it would do me a world of good to get some promotional pens - you know, with Pricilla's name on them. Or with the soap shop's name so that when people use them they remember where they got the pen! What do you think?

If you think yes than one of you is going to be very happy!
That's right!
One lucky reader is going to win 50 personalized Inspire pens from Amsterdam Printing.
Pretty cool, huh?!
I'm jealous....

Here are the stats on the pen:

*Pen Colors:*	*Sapphire, Sky, Black, Graphite, Emerald, Cranberry, Champagne, Pink*
*Ink Colors:*	*Blue or Black (Pink Pen Only Available with Black Ink)*
*Imprint Color:*	*Laser-Engraved in Silver*
*Imprint Options:*	Up to 5 Lines or a Logo and 2 Lines (Lines 1 & 5: 22 Characters per Line, Lines 2 & 4: 32 Chars, Line 3: 36 Chars)

How cool are those pens going to be?

I think I would pick cranberry pens. They sound like they would be pretty. They have also received some very nice reviews. Are you ready to win?

Good!

How do you win? It's easy!

Just click on "read more" and jump on the Rafflecopter. If you are here by direct link the 'copter is waiting!

You can find Amsterdam Printing on Facebook
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You can find Amsterdam Printing on YouTube
You can find Amsterdam Printing on Google+

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post in money or product.

Spice Up Your Kitchen

2012-02-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Spring is the time of renewal, the time so many people look to do fix up projects around the house. It's fun to look around and plan all the changes that are on the wish list. One big one for me is in the kitchen. I would love to get a new spice rack. It's something I have been wanting for a long time. As you can tell from reading this blog I love to cook and I go through a lot of different herbs and spices and my current spice rack isn't working. I've been looking at different spice racks for a while and I haven't quite settled on the perfect one for me.

The one I have now sits on a shelf and spins. It takes up valuable space and it's sometimes difficult for me to find what I want. I know I want a wall spice rack because it will use dead space and I will be able to find what I want quickly and easily. I will just be able to reach up and grab. How perfect will that be? Now I just have to find the one I want and convince the hubby that I need it. heh

Then I have to convince him to install it.
In his "spare" time
Bigger heh.

Well, my birthday is coming so a girl can hope, right? I am the right person for a kitchen spice rack as a present. Are you?

Blog Tour and Book #Review: Chasing Glenn Beck by Michael Charney

2012-02-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

About the Book:

Is Glenn Beck a liberal?

Perhaps not, but when Michael Charney decides to plant that idea out in the “Twitterverse,” some interesting conversations begin. People shout at him (MORON!), block him (SCUMSUCKER!), and belittle him (WAKE UP, IDIOT!). Eventually, though, some people start to listen…

Today’s political dialogue has been stolen, hijacked from us by those with the loudest voices. Until we begin to take that conversation back for ourselves, we remain at the mercy of those with the most radical agendas, the most extreme visions for our country. The risk is great: a country run by a vociferous minority that just happens to scream louder than the rest of us is NOT what democracy is supposed to be about…

With discussions about politics, schools, national security, manifestos, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Flag Code–and the Senate’s Candy Desk–Charney cuts a wide swath through the issues facing our country, a country he claims has a serious case of “Electile Dysfunction.”

About the Author:

Michael Charney is a principal with Charney Coaching & Consulting LLC, where he provides expert services in the areas of team building, communications and succession management. As part of his responsibility for social media strategy and business platform development, he also provides regular blog, Facebook and Twitter postings.

As an executive and leader he has pioneered work in corporate social networking, textual and language analysis and professional services methodologies.

In the early days of social media, he helped design and create internal corporate social systems that allowed people to build profiles, define levels of expertise, and share knowledge with virtual team members around the globe. These systems were used by such companies as Unisys, ADP and Benjamin Moore, and such organizations as Yale University.

This background provides him with an understanding of social networking culture, particularly with respect to the ways in which individuals use social networking as a personal bully pulpit. He found that, when working in corporations, the most knowledgeable and/or respected individuals were not necessarily those who dominated conversations—a phenomenon clearly seen throughout the course of his experiment in the political Twittersphere.

Michael has also taught English as an Adjunct Professor and is the author of more than two dozen short stories, essays and technical articles covering a wide range of topics including mainstream fiction, science fiction, technology, education and knowledge management. He has won awards for both his fiction and non-fiction, and has been published in both North America and Europe. Examples of his published works include:

”Punks on the Admiral,” a prize winner in the semi-annual short fiction contest sponsored by Amaranth Review.

“Moths,” published in Eotu and subsequently selected for their annual “Best of” issue.

“Self-Judgment: A Student Discovers the Value of the Personal Essay,” an award-winning essay subsequently anthologized in Making a Difference: Personal Essays by Today’s College Teachers.

“A Dialectical Model for Best-Practices Development,” published in World Congress of Intellectual Capital Readings: Cutting-edge thinking on intellectual capital and knowledge management from the world’s experts.

Michael has a Bachelor’s Degree from U.C. Berkeley and a Master’s Degree from William Paterson University, the latter in English with a concentration in Creative Writing.

Interestingly, Michael has never been all that interested in politics. At least, he didn’t think so….

His latest book is Chasing Glenn Beck: A Personal Experiment in Reclaiming Our Hijacked Political Conversation.

Visit his website at www.chasingglennbeck.com.

My Opinion:

This book started as an experiment for Mr. Charney - to prove that Glenn Beck is not what he purports to be. The first chapters of the book are more a tutorial on Twitter social media and how it all works more than anything else. Then Mr. Charney starts tweeting - to the sound of crickets. He breaks his rules and begins to engage with other conservatives and starts to learn more about himself before he continues with his Beckian experiment. Mr. Charney's feeling is that both parties' ideals have been hijacked by a system that is driven more by money than by serving a constituency.

I found that other than the political references being a bit outdated - the book details the beginning of the Republican race to the primaries - the book was an interesting diversion from my usual reads. No matter what your political affiliation I think you would find the discussions in the book interesting in light of the current feeling in the country that Corporate money is buying representation. Mr. Charney also expresses that both parties seem to have lost the ability to be moderate. They seem to be reaching to the most conservative or most liberal aspects to pander to a message that gets the most press. He feels this is not good for politics at all.

The book was easy to read and Mr. Charney is quite funny at times but he can meander. His premise comes and goes throughout the book but don't let that keep you from reading.

You can purchase Chasing Glenn Beck at Amazon.com

You can see the rest of the Tour Schedule HERE

Disclosure: I received a copy of Chasing Glenn Beck gratis from Pump Up Your Book Promotions. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Ruminatin' - On Marriage

2012-02-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today I celebrate 30 years of marriage.
It's also my baby brother's 45th birthday.

Happy Birthday Tim!

But back to those thirty years. Add in the year we were dating/engaged and I have been with my husband for just about two thirds of my life. He has been with me for half of his life. It's romantic math to boggle the mind. At least my mind. The Catholic church told us when they refused to perform the marriage ceremony that it would never last. The priest said we didn't know each other well enough and we would never stay together. Fortunately the Episcopal priest felt differently. Gee, who was right? So many of my friends an acquaintances married by that same Catholic priest have been divorced and remarried and some divorced again. And yet here the hubby and I stand.

It hasn't been a fairy tale - no marriage is and anyone who tells you that they are living one is either a newlywed or lying. We have changed over 30 years but I feel we are in a good place even if it is covered in goat poop. We are enjoying our life on our little farm with our chickens, goats and garden and he takes such good care of me.

I frustrate him.
To no end.
But still he loves me.
And I love him.

I don't recall how we celebrated our fifth anniversary. For our tenth we got in the car and drove south; we were living in New Jersey at the time. We had two weeks, no agenda and a Toyota MR2. We got to Ocracoke Island, NC, and turned around and came back. We stayed in whatever B&B we could find open in February. It was a blast.

For our fifteenth and twentieth we were in Hawaii. A most romantic place to spend a special anniversary to be sure. All warm tropical breezes and a perfect antidote to February. Our twenty fifth we had just moved to Montana so how better to celebrate both the move and the marriage but to see Yellowstone in winter? It was heavenly; three blissful days in one of the most heavenly places on earth. It was before the goats.

Now we can't go away at the same time. The animals require too much care. They are spending today in the barn so we can have a day to ourselves. We won't have to rush back to get them in before dark. A whole day with my husband and no schedule sounds so delightful to me. We are going to explore a bit of this state we now call home and have a special dinner. A whole day together.....we haven't had that in a long time. Not without some demand on either his time or mine.

This marriage has been fun, it has been frustrating, it has been full of love. It has lasted through three houses - four if you count the trailer - serious health problems for me, early retirement for him, changing retirement plans and ongoing health problems for me and a myriad of other every day problems that all marriages encounter. It is our marriage and I am looking forward to the next thirty years with the man of my dreams.

Pricilla is Giving Away a $50 GC to NOVICA

2012-02-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Pricilla is giving away a $50 GC to NOVICA over on her blog, The Maaaaa of Pricilla. Just head over to this link for all of the details.

She contemplates becoming a salesgoat for NOVICA Live....wouldn't THAT be something?

Sore Throat? Try New Chloraseptic Warming Sore Throat Lozenges #Review

2012-02-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

This has been a very weird winter.
It's been winter, it's been spring, it's been winter.
IT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SEASON IT IS!

It's enough to drive us all bonkers.
The poor goats don't know what fur to keep or lose.
And then the hubby got a sore throat.
Poor guy.

Luckily I had been sent some new Cloraseptic Warming Sore Throat Lozenges to try. They have green tea and honey.

In addition to the warming ingredients and real honey, the new formula contains added benzocaine, which will help numb the pain and temporarily relieve irritation.

He was very happy with how they worked. I know that his coughing stopped and his mood altered for the better. I am sure Chloraseptic would say they have nothing to do with a husband's mood. But if his throat doesn't hurt any longer and he isn't coughing he is happier. I tried one just so I could be objective and they do warm up nicely in your mouth. They don't taste too chemically and the honey in the middle is nice.

Chloraseptic is also introducing a great product for kids with sore throats; Medicated Sore Throat Lollipops.

This, I think, is a clever way to get kids to take their medicine. They come in three flavors and I suspect that a child would be less suspicious of a lollipop than a spoon full of syrup. Just be sure they are well away from little hands so they don't get eaten as candy!

Chloraseptic Medicated Sore Throat Lollipops have a great-tasting formula and are available in a 10-count box of individually wrapped pops with a variety of flavors including grape, strawberry and orange. The kid-friendly* formula provides fast-acting relief as it soothes sore throat and mouth pain on contact. (*not for children under 3 years old.)

The hubby has long been a fan of Chloraseptic's sprays so he was very happy to try their new warming throat lozenges. He now keeps them close by for when his allergies get bad and cause his throat to become irritated.

You can learn more at Chloraseptic.com
You can find where to shop for Chloraseptic products
You can sign up for special offers

Disclosure: I was sent samples of Chloraseptic products. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free products. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock #Review

2012-02-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

We eat a lot of chicken around the Broken Teepee household. When we butcher the birds I break some down into parts and leave some whole. I save all the bones and I can stock so I can have it whenever I need. I know exactly what is in my stock and I can make it taste just as I like.

Not everyone is as ~~crazy~~ involved in their kitchen as I am. There are a lot of commercial stocks available and Knorr just came out with its Homestyle Chicken Stock. I was sent some to review. The package comes with four little tubs.

Each has a cute little chicken on it. Inside is a jello like substance of concentrated chicken flavor. It is also full of herbs and spices so if you like your stock plain this is not for you. I decided to try it with something very basic and very beloved - chicken gravy.

I plopped the Knorr Homestyle into a pot and added about two cups of water. It smells VERY strong right out of its little container. I let this cook over med-high heat until it came to a boil. I tasted it and decided it was going to need a bit of something fresh so I chopped up some rosemary from my little plant. It helped. I thickened it with a slurry of flour and water.

I made a simple pan fried chicken breast; I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, I dipped the chicken breasts in diluted honey and covered them in panko bread crumbs. I pan fried them in a bit of canola oil.

I made simple mashed potatoes.

I cut the chicken into slices and served them against the mashed potatoes and poured the gravy on top of both.

And guess what?
We had green beans.
I know! What a shock!

The gravy made with the Knorr Homestyle was good. The fresh rosemary helped to brighten the taste a bit. This is not something I will buy since I have untold numbers of jars of canned stock in my basement and the spice/herb make up of the flavor profile was not to my liking. I can see it being very convenient for a home cook with not a lot of time. The little packets take up far less space than cans of stock.

You can learn more at letsmakeknorr.com
You can find Knorr on Facebook

Disclosure: I received Knorr Homestyle gratis through my relationship with Smiley360. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Blog Tour and Book #Review: Late for Tea at the Deer Palace by Tamara Chalabi

2012-02-16T04:00:00.002-07:00

About the Book:

Just ten days after Baghdad’s fall in 2003, Tamara Chalabi arrived in the city after a lifetime in exile—finally entering the homeland she’d known only through stories and her own imagination.

Investigating four generations of her family’s history at the forefront of Iraqi society, Chalabi offers a rich portrait of Middle Eastern life and a provocative look at a lost Iraq. Unforgettable characters provide glimpses of the end of the Ottoman Empire, the birth of the Iraqi state, the flowering of “the Paris of the Middle East,” and Iraq’s descent into chaos. At once intimate and magisterial, Chalabi’s memoir of return and reclamation vividly captures the rich history of a country shattered by war and a family that has never forgotten its past.

About the Author:

Tamara Chalabi holds a PhD in history from Harvard University. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Slate, and The Sunday Times, among other publications.

My Opinion:

First off, isn't that cover gorgeous. I would see that in a bookstore and I would make a bee line I can tell you that.

In the forward Ms. Chalabi tells the reader that if they are looking for information on her father's activities after the fall of Saddam that they are not in the book. The book is her story - but it is not so much her story as the story of her grandmother, Bibi and the story of Iraq.

It is not quite a memoir, not a history either but no matter what it is, Late for Tea at the Deer Palace was a fascinating read. The Chalabi family has been close to the ruling elite of what became Iraq from the end of the Ottoman empire through the British mandate and into the Kingdom of Iraq. They only fell out of favor when the royal family was assassinated in a coup in the 1950s. The family was slowly able to leave the country and settle first in London, then in Lebanon.

Ms. Chalabi spares no punches with stories of her family but it is her grandmother that rules the book and I suspect who ruled the family when she was living. She comes through as a very strong character and not always in the best of lights. I would say that 80% of the book covers Bibi and her life and times. The rest is devoted to early Iraq and current events. Precious little of Tamara's story is really fleshed out.

The book reads like a novel and it was like living the history of Iraq with Ms. Chalabi's family. Her passionate re-telling of these stories allows the reader to remember a time when Iraq was not a news story and to remind us that it is so much more than the sum of two Gulf Wars. Iraq has a long and rich history that deserves remembering as so much of society was born in its lands.

You can see the rest of the Tour Schedule HERE

Disclosure: I received a copy of Late for Tea at the Deer Palace gratis from TLC Book Tours. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Valentine's Day Dessert - Chocolate and Black Cherry Balsamic Mousse #Recipe #Review

2012-02-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted something special for Valentine's Day dessert. I also wanted relatively simple since I knew I would be busy making the bisque and the bread. I settled on a mousse when I received my sample of Devo Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar. It was so delicious right out of the bottle and I knew it would pair well with chocolate. My biggest problem was keeping the husband from drinking the vinegar before I needed it. I had to hide the bottle....

Making a mousse is easy, there are just a number of steps. Of course I was doing several things at once and I am doing a review of the balsamic vinegar so I don't have photos of making the chocolate mousse. I will write out the steps, it's simple.

I took the recipe from my Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine from The French Culinary Institute. Sucker weighs a ton but it is an incredibly useful book for classic techniques.

You will need:

3 oz of bittersweet chocolate
1 2/3 cups of heavy cream
3 large egg whites
1 oz of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
5 oz of black cherry balsamic vinegar

Place the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler and let it melt while stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and let it rest.

Place 4oz of the vinegar in a pot and reduce it by about a third. Remove from the heat.

Whip the cream to soft peaks and set aside on an ice bath.

Whip the egg whites to sift peaks and slowly add the sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla. Whip until they reach stiff peaks.

Divide the egg whites in half.

Into half of the egg whites add the melted chocolate. Fold them until the chocolate is incorporated. Add half of the whipped cream. Fold until incorporated. Put into the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Take the second half of the whipped egg whites and add the reduced balsamic vinegar. Fold it in until incorporated. Add the remaining 1 oz of vinegar. Fold it in. Add the remaining whipped cream and you got it - fold it in.

It is important with a mousse to fold carefully so you keep all of the air you whipped into the whites and cream so the mousse remains light and fluffy.

I then dipped some strawberries in bittersweet chocolate. It seems that by dessert time only two remained. Hmmmmm. I cut the remaining strawberries in the 1lb package into small pieces and let them macerate in vanilla sugar the remaining 1oz of Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar in the sample bottle I received.

I took the two different flavors of mousse and layered them in my red wine goblets. The recipe made enough for four so we will have leftovers tonight.

When I was ready to serve I added the sweet, chopped strawberries and the chocolate covered berries on top.

It was delicious. The chocolate mousse was rich and the Black Cherry Balsamic mousse was tart and a perfect counterpoint to the rich chocolate. The strawberries added a layer of sweetness that accented both flavors perfectly.

I'm going to buy myself a bottle of this vinegar because after I tasted it my mind was swimming with possibilities for how to use it. It will be excellent on that second salmon fillet in the freezer and it will sing on venison. I'm very happy to have had a chance to try it.

Be sure to check out the rest of Valentine's Dinner - the salmon and the seafood bisque.

You can shop at Devo Olive Oil Co.
You can find Devo Olive Oil Co. on Facebook
You can find Devo Olive Oil Co. on Twitter
You can find Devo Olive Oil Co. on YouTube
You can read the Devo Olive Oil Blog

Disclosure: I received a sample of Devo Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Seafood Bisque, Chunky Style #Recipe

2012-02-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

My original main course for Valentine's dinner was seafood bisque with scallops and shrimp. I love seafood as I have mentioned many a time before on this blog and when a special occasion meal comes around I go for some form of shellfish. I had been saving shrimp shells for a bit and I had the two lobster tail shells from my New Years' dinner. It would have been nice to also have some crab shells but you work with what you have, right?

I minced a shallot. I heated about a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of my smaller stock pot (4 qt). Then I added my accumulated shells. I cooked them for a bit, just until they started to turn red. I always save shells and the like. There is a LOT of flavor in shells and a delicious stock can be made with them.

I covered them with water and let it simmer for a bit.

I gathered my seasonings; I decided to go slightly differently this time and play with a touch of heat. I used my regulars, bay leaf, coriander seed, dried lemon peel, whole allspice and peppercorns. I added some Thai dried chilies and keffir lime leaves.

The seeds went into a cheesecloth bag and the leaves just floated around the broth. I let this simmer for a couple of hours.

I drained it through a cheesecloth lined colander.

I was left with a rich, flavorful seafood stock. I seasoned this with salt and put it back on the heat.

I added a pint of half and half. This is a rich soup. I also added about a cup and a half of water and a cup of dry sherry. I just let it keep warm on low. When I was ready I thickened it by mixing flour with butter and mixing it in little by little until the soup was the consistency I wanted. I used 1/4 cup of butter and 1/3 cup of flour.

I chopped up a scallop and four shrimp and added them to the soup to slowly cook.

I dredged three scallops and two shrimp in seasoned flour and pan fried them in a bit of olive oil.
I set them aside until I was ready to serve.

I put some soup in a bowl and added the cooked shrimp and scallops.

I sprinkled on a bit of parsley to make it festive. The soup was rich, velvety and had a lovely seafood flavor with a touch of heat at the end from the chilies. The scallops were sweet and tender and the shrimp were perfect. You don't need a lot of this soup to feel satisfied.

This was my original plan for our dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The hubby will get to taste it tonight. He was not at all disappointed in his salmon and now he ends up getting TWO Valentine's dinners. What a deal!

Are You Ready for Some Salmon? Great Alaska Seafood #Review

2012-02-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

I planned a delicious dinner for Valentine's Day yesterday and I am going to share it with you today in three courses. It turned out slightly different than expected due to the very fortunate delivery of a package from Great Alaska Seafood.

Inside was a cedar plank salmon kit with two honkin' King salmon fillets - the SMALL one weighed over a pound - two cedar planks and a dry rub seasoning package. Woo hoo! The hubby was going to have a Valentine's meal he would love.

I so wanted to try the cedar planks but that is going to have to wait until the hubby buys me a grill - hint, hint - so I went with a good standby method of cooking salmon, in parchment.

I took the smaller fillet and put the dry rub seasonings on it about an hour ahead of cooking time per the instructions. I had the oven at 350° from my earlier bread baking. I placed the salmon on the parchment, closed it most of the way around and poured in some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I thought the beer would add a nice flavor to the salmon. (There are not photos at this point 'cause it was madness in the kitchen. The bisque and the salmon were all a comin' at the same time. Cooking two different meals at the same time is not for the faint of heart.)

The salmon came out beautifully. I let it rest for about five minutes and I served the hubby a third of it. There was no way the man could consume over a pound of salmon at one sitting. He will get some more tonight...

He brought me flowers. Isn't he just the sweetest? You can see my rolls sitting there on the table.

Since we had the bread I didn't make him a starch, he had the salmon and snow peas in rice vinegar. He LOVES snow peas in rice vinegar.

He said the salmon was DELICIOUS. Sweet, not fishy and ahem, perfectly cooked. Tonight I'll flake some of the leftover fish into the leftover bisque and he'll finally get to taste my original plan for his Valentine's dinner - with a slightly salmony adjustment. But the man does love salmon...

Stay tuned for the rest of my Valentine's day fun. Next up a bit later today will be Seafood Bisque and then dessert. Mmmmm, dessert.

Great Alaska Seafood offers a full line of treats from the sea including halibut, scallops, shrimp and lobsters. Why do I suddenly want bouillabaise? Shipping is free when you order 8lbs or more of product and it is delivered by FedEX overnight. I received two fillets, one was still frozen and one was partially thawed.

You can shop at Great Alaska Seafood
You can sign up for Great Alaska Seafood emails (see bottom right of page)
You can find Great Alaska Seafood on Facebook

Disclosure: I received a box o'salmon from Great Alaska Seafood. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Valentine's Day Treat

2012-02-14T11:19:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite singers, Idina Menzel, will be releasing a new album in early March. If you have not heard her sing you are really missing out on something special. One of my biggest disappointments in retirement was not seeing her in Wicked on Broadway. We left on our trailer odyssey just before it opened. I have listened to the CD from the show and when Ms. Menzel sings I get chills. Her voice is so true and clear. I am a Broadway baby and proud to admit it.

You can go to Idina Menzel's Facebook page and sample two songs from the upcoming release; the first is from Wicked and the song will take you flying. The second is a classic that everyone knows even if you have never seen a Broadway play - it's Tomorrow from Annie. You know

♫ ♫ The sun will come out tomorrow, tomorrow ♫♫

Everyone know that song but no one sings it like Idina Menzel. Go ahead and listen,(Idina Menzel on Facebook) I'll wait.

Well, was I right or was I right?

You can like Idina Menzel on Facebook to keep up with news on her new album and her goings on. I have.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post in money or product.

Blog Tour, Book Review and #Rafflecopter #Giveaway: The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy

2012-02-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

About the Book:

When New York sculptor Meredith Pincetti receives a letter from a law firm, alerting her to the death of her cousin, she is suddenly confronted by her disturbing past—a past she successfully escaped and buried seventeen years ago.

Informed that Aurelia, the once-grand Iowa estate and farm where she was raised, is to be sold at auction to settle her late cousin’s debts, Meredith resolves to return to her family homestead and collect the few possessions that belonged to her parents.

In doing so, Meredith recalls the spectacular rise and disastrous fall of the Hathaway family beginning with her grandfather, Cal’s, dreams and ending with his utter disappointments. We experience her grandmother, Lavinia’s, iron will and ceaseless machinations to ensure that her visionof Aurelia comes to pass. As Aurelia thrives, becoming the largest farm in the county, behind the veneer things are crumbling. Dissipation, brutality and betrayal find fertile ground in the next generation of Hathaways. Seemingly idyllic childhoods precede the exile and return ofHathaways from multiple generations—including Meredith.

And, as Meredith returns to Aurelia, she is forced to confront her own role in her family’s tortured fall from grace. What part did she play in the events that took place during her adolescence two decades earlier? How does her festering relationship with her sisters mirror similar connections between her father’s and grandfather’s siblings? What secrets did she leave behind when she fled Iowa for New York?

Though founded and overseen by male Hathaways, it is the women—Lavinia and her sister-in-law, Piper; Julia, Cal’s daughter from his first marriage; Meredith and her sisters, Claudia and Ava—who play pivotal roles in shaping the events that occur at Aurelia. And, ultimately, it is they who reveal its unspeakable secrets.

About the Author:

Nelle Davy was born in Grenada in 1984 and was raised in London within an Anglo-Caribbean family. She studied English with creative writing at the University of Warwick and then undertook a master of philosophy degree in creative writing at Trinity College Dublin. She currently lives in London with her husband, where she works in publishing. THE LEGACY OF EDEN is her first novel and she is currently working on her second.

My Opinion:

Oh the evil than can be wrought with the best of intentions. That is the story told with this dark and troubling book. Aurelia is a large farm built from nothing and its master is dying. He calls back his prodigal first son and despite the fact that his second son has worked his heart out for the place, it is left mostly to the first born. You can imagine the rift this causes between the brothers.

Cal has an affair with the local doctor's wife, Lavinia and they eventually marry creating the dynasty that makes Aurelia great but behind that facade lies a history of secrets. Secrets told to Meredith, one of Lavinia's granddaughters as Lavinia lay bedridden. Secrets Meredith wanted to know up until they reached the time of her family. Then she didn't want to hear any more - but Lavinia forced her to hear it all.

The book is told as the stories of four main players in the history of Aurelia through the voice of Meredith. It got slightly muddled at times trying to figure out whose voice was doing the telling but overall this was a compelling tale of mostly unpleasant people. Despite there being no one to really root for, I found it hard to stop reading. Most of the characters were so flawed they had very little to redeem them. No one got along, at least not for very long. All was done for the sake of Aurelia as if it were a living being instead of a farm. Lavinia had big plans for herself and for the farm and she did everything in her power to see that they were fulfilled. Needless to say she was not a warm and fuzzy matriarch.

Meredith is not really happy about returning the Aurelia because it has too many memories for her - both happy and sad. She has settled into her life and managed to put her childhood behind her but she and her sisters are now the only ones left when their cousin dies and the estate is left in debt. The lawyer calls to see if she wants to retrieve any of the family belongings. She heads out to do so and that is what starts her remembering of what her grandmother told her. This is not a happy story by any means but that does not mean it is not a good story. It is well written and you truly feel the pain and anger of the characters as they live through Lavinia's machinations.

You can purchase The Legacy of Eden on Amazon.com

One lucky reader will get to read this novel of a very troubled family.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of Legacy of Eden from Media Muscle gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Dressing Up the House

2012-02-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

I remember when we bought our first house one of the biggest thrills was putting out the mailbox with our name on it. I was newly married, I had my new house and I wanted everyone to know where I was. Times were different in the dark ages when I got married - heh - and I wasn't afraid of some crazy person attacking me in my sleep. It was fun to look at custom address plaques to find one to suit the style of our house and neighborhood. I found some with just the house number and then there were the truly fancy ones with cut outs, the name and the house number. There were so many to choose from!

Our second house was a Victorian from the turn of the last century so that required something altogether different. Old houses have such character and presence and I suspect that had I been in the market I would have looked at bronze address plaques for that house. Bronze would have set off the beauty of the house and been quite lovely with the color scheme of cream, khaki and oxblood. Residential address plaques will always dress up a house no matter the material - not to mention make it easier for the delivery companies to find your house.

Now we live in our little yurt in the middle of nowhere. I suspect that the goats don't need me to get them personalized address plaques for their goat pens although one never knows with AbbyGoat! She might like having a special sign on her pen. Here the house number has to be on the mailbox and the house is so far from the road a plaque wouldn't be seen anyway. Such is life. The delivery guys know where we are 'cause I get so many books sent. I'm not concerned that they won't know where I am.