Book #8: Monster's Chef by Jervay Tervalon

What can I say?   It held my interest, it was suspenseful but it also made me scrunch up my nose and become a little nauseated. 

 The story of sordid happenings at a “washed upped” rock star’s home and the chef he employees.  Definitely not what I thought it would be.  It took me forever to figure out who the author’s role model for Monster was.  I actually had to read a review of it and then I was like “Oh yea!”.  I never said I was quick people.

 I read the book in two days.  Easy read for sure.  Definitely an adult novel!

Have you read it?

What’s the last book you read?

 

 

Book #5: Worthy Brown's Daughter by Phillip Margolin

The question is, is Worthy Brown's Daughter worthy of a review?

I'd say yes.

I was lucky enough to win this book from Sweeps4Bloggers.  If you haven't visited her website...go, go, go!  Trust me, daily contests to win & this is the second book I've won from her giveaways.

Anywho back to Worthy.  Set in Oregon in the slave days right before Lincoln took office, it's a story of a free slave who was promised his daughter would be free as well.  Things do not go a planned thus the tale.

While the book kept my interest, I really feel it focused on a side story rather than Worthy.  He was included but at a bare minimal.  The story flows well, has excitement, intrigue and a love story. 

I don't want to give away the ending so I will say that I just wished they focuses more on Worthy and his daughter.

Is it worth a read?
Sure thing!

Tell me, what are you currently reading?
Or leave me a comment with a book you recommend I read.

Book#4: Spelling it Like it Is...A Must Read!!!

Book 4 of 2014 (I’m about to start book 6! ) is Spelling It Like It Is by Tori Spelling.

What a great book!

 

Most of you are probably thinking Tori Spelling? Really?

Yep.

Really.

I think she is just so likable and girlfriend truly keeps it real.

From talking about how her family calls each other to look at their poop (don’t judge…if you have a man in your house, just try to deny he hasn’t called you to look at it! ) to her stint in the hospital with her fourth child, she does not disappoint on the realism of family life with kids.  I read this book approximately the time that her marriage was in the public eye recently.  It didn’t change my opinion on how good of a dad her husband appears to be or how he treated her during the events of the book.    
 

The book definitely kept me turning the page to see what antics her family is up to next.  I’ve read all her books and this was my favorite by far.    It’s an easy, light read.  Definitely vacation reading if one is in your near future and if not, it’s must read regardless.

Tell me, what have you read lately?

Book #3: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Psst: Before anything I want you to know I use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because in the immortal words of Liam Neeson's character from taken: "If you plagiarize me I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you"  J/K.

Book #3 of the year: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of Jennier Weiner’s writing. I’ve read most of her books and have enjoyed them all. This one included.

A story about two best friends, torn apart by a high school incident, but brought back together by an adult mystery.

Definitely a page turner, but not suspenseful as much as cute. You want to see what mess they get themselves into next and how they get out of the biggest mess of all.

Well written, funny, adorable in parts, definitely chick lit!

So if you are in the mood for some dorky girl bonding, a interested sheriff (not just in the case interested either) and a sweet tale of friendship, then this is the story for you.

Tell me what are you reading lately?

Book #2: The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay

 

 

I have finished book #2 of 2014.  Well, honestly, I've finished book #3 but am only up to writing about #2.

 

The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay.

The same author who wrote Sarah's Key...which I loved.

 

The story is an ongoing letter to the main character's long deceased husband.  The story takes  place during the "modernization" of Paris. 

 

Keeping my interest from page one, the story has it's ups and downs, funny parts and sad parts.  The author definitely creates a neighborhood among pages.  Rose, the main character, gets you to fall in love with her and the misfit cast of neighbors that she encounters over her years in the house.  Feeling pain for the people who are losing their homes is just one emotion in this rollercoaster ride.

 

 

While I found the book to keep my interest and the build up exciting, the ending was just as momentous but yet lacked something.  It was like a curtain was pulled on the screen and that was that.

 

I want you to make your own opinion tho.

Would I recommend the book?

You bet your sweet bippy I would.

 

Check it out & let me know if you like it.

 

Even better tell me what you are reading now.

I am always looking for good books.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Pinterest Fail? No! Pinterest WIN!

Ok, how many of us collect all kind of things on Pinterest & never do anything with it?
I'm guilty of it.
I'm a Pinterest hoarder.

Well not anymore.
I have decided to start doing, instead of collecting.

My first do:

From this great blog: HighHeelsandGrills

It has literally 6 ingredients.

12 oz green beans (I used fresh...frozen may produce too much water)
4 chicken breasts (diced)
1lb red potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 (.6oz) Zesty Italian seasoning packet
salt & pepper

The next steps are too easy.

Preheat oven to 350

Layer green beans, chicken & potatoes in 9x13 inch baking dish. Cut your butter into 12-16 slicer & spread evenly thoughout the pan.

Sprinkle the Italian seasoning evenly over the entire pan.
Add salt & pepper to taste (I think you can omit this but I did do it).

Like so:

Now bake for 1 hour.

Here is the end result:

Looks yummy.

Guess what?
I served this to Bob & Cheeks.  (Chris was at his mom's house)

Bob told me I need to make it more often and then proceeded to eat what was left in the dish.

I had a small helping & thought it was super good.
I might cook it a bit longer for the potatoes to not be a bit crunchy but then you run the risk of drying out the chicken...so you take your chances.

This will definitely be going into my cooking rotation.
Although I will increase the amounts due to feeding all men in my house.
Especially Bob...he just kept eating it, eating it & eating it! 

So I say this was a Pinterest Win for sure!!!!!

What have you made from Pinterest?

First Book of 2014: The Winter Palace by

One of my resolutions this year is to keep track of the books I have read.
See how many I can complete in a year.

The first book I have finished this year is:

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak

It's a novel about the rise of Catherine the Great. 
The author writes a great, fictitious tale of the rise of Catherine and her royal tongue, Varvara.  It is told from the point of view of the royal tongue.  A bookbinders daughter, orphaned and taken in by the Empress of Russia.

Intriguing at times, catty at others.  I enjoyed the book.  Made me wonder how madness doesn't over take those in power.

I tend to read historical novels.  I'm certain I was born in the wrong century.  LOL
Vivid images are painted of The Winter Palace allowing the reader to feel as if they are there, spying along with the royal tongue!

So would I recommend this book?
You bet your sweet bippy.

Check it out.
Better yet, tell me the last book you read & if I should read it!

I highly recommend...

For those of you who have been reading the ole bloggeroo for awhile (like my mom...HI NANA!) you know I love to read.

We have a little library in our dept. at work.

I found this little gem in the box:

This is a page turner
BUT
No for reasons you would think.

It's not suspenseful, it's not romantic...it just is.

It just is an extremely wonderful emotional rollercoster ride.

The story of a man, who lives alone, runs an orchard and is getting along ok. 
Two young girl wonder into his orchard and life is never the same for him.

I didn't want this story to end.
That's when you know it's a good book...you are so involved in the characters lives that you want to k now what goes on after the book ends.

If I were you I'd check this one out.  I almost cried (but I was reading at work..shhh! don't tell).

What have you been reading lately?

Hey Philly! It's Here!!!!

Hurry!
Hurry!
You don't want to miss the Greatest Show on Earth.

Really, it's the Greatest Show on Earth.
How do I know?

The Aunt Erin, Cheeks & I hit up Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus last night.  It's showing at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.  I love the sports complexes...they are like 15 minutes from my home in Jersey.

What an absolutely fantabulous time.

It was the Aunt Erin & Cheek's first time at the circus.  Cheeks kept saying to me..."This is Awesome" about every 10 mins & the Aunt Erin kept snapping phots.  I just sat there & enjoyed. 

We all the best time.

How could you not when it starts out like this?

 

Then they break out the Tigers (Cheeks thought they were going to wrestle..he was a tad disappointed they did not)

Of course, a high wire act always makes my tummy do somersaults since I am a wuss & can't stand heights...even for other people...Oy!

 

 

A circus worth it's name, always has a girl shot out of a canon!

 



 

Of course, the piece de resistance...CLOWNS!

If I were you and you are in the Philadelphia area, check out the circus while it's in town because my family had THE. BEST. TIME. EVER!

*Disclaimer: I was given complimentary tickets to the show.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Crockpot Pumpkin Bread Experiment

Fall is just about here.
Days away really.
It's my fav, fav, fav season!

Along with my fav season, it is time to bake.
While the weather has been quite autumnal lately, the one day I really wanted to bake was about 90 with 90% humidty...gotta love Jersey!

So I thought, hmm, I've had this recipe for awhile I should give it a go.

Break out the crockpot kids....it's time for Crockpot Pumpkin Bread. (click for recipe).

Let's begin:

Gather thy ingredients:

Mix ingredients together.

Refer to recipe because it's wet ingredients, dry ingredients, then combine....yada yada yada.

 



 Pour into greased loaf pan & place in crockpot with approx 1/2 of water around loaf pan.
Viola:

 After 3 hours you get pumpkin bread:

My verdict:

Not bad but honestly, I'd rather just make it in the oven.  Less mess & less time.
This recipe was very good for a hot day because the crockpot doesn't heat my kitchen up at all.

Bobster liked it.
PopPop Bob liked it too.  Even the Nana.

Would I make it again?
Yes, but in the over.

It was very, very moist.

So, tell me, what is your go to crockpot recipe?
I love my crockpot & am always looking for new things to cook in it!

Leave me your recipe & I just might feature it!!  Total creds to you.

Late Summer Reading

I wasn't planning on reading this book.
No intentions.
Thought the movie looked dumb.

Then my boss bought the book.
She liked it, told me to read it.
So I did.

What book you ask?

I usually go for more chic lit, light hearted, whimsical books.
I read for fun...not knowledge...don't judge.

I started it Tuesday of this week.
I finished it yesterday, at 4:30.

I must say...really, really, really good.

While you may start the book thinking far-fetched by the middle you are thinking to yourself, this could be believable.

It's not really gory.  It's just enough to make you go "ew" but nothing to make you go "Get out of the way I have to throw up"

The author knows how to draw you in, he fluctuates between his "version" and "actual" Abraham Lincoln diary entries.  There are even a few photos thrown in here & there for good measure.

So my recommendation is "Read it!"

Tell me, what books have you read lately?

Breakfast on the Fourth & Forever

Happy 4th of July!

Can you believe it's July already? Doesn't it seem like we just got the Christmas decor down?

I digress.

This morning the fam hit up a new local eatery.

Amy's Place in Cherry Hill, NJ.

It's new to Camden County but not new to NJ.  They have a place down the shore & in Burlington County.
Today was our second visit.
Bobster & I hit it up last Friday when we had our "date day".

For the 4 of us to eat this morning (Bobster, moi, Chris & Cheeks...Tim was working) it was only $35.00.

Here is what Bobster got:

The bacon was a gift from me.
Bobster actually got scrapple as a side.
For those outside the Philly area, scrapple is all the scraps leftover from the pig that's not used, it's mushed up & fried.
Definitely an aquired taste & you either like it or you don't.
No in between.
I like it but it has to be thin.
Bobster...thick.

The eggs were over easy...cooked to perfection as Bobster said.
The homefries, while I didn't order them, I stole some off of his plate & OMG! Delish!!!! Best home fries I've had in a long time.

He also got toast with his meal. 

Now onto my entree:

Country Stuffed French Toast.
What is it stuffed with you say?
Lemme tell ya!
Strawberry Jam & Cream Cheese.
Not to mention the bread is actually raisin bread.

Died & gone to Heaven.
To be honest, you didn't even need syrup!

I didn't get a pic of the boys food because well they are boys & couldn't wait.
Christopher got the Jersey sandwhich.
A kaiser roll with pork roll, sausage, bacon, cheese & egg.
Basically a heart attack on a plate...but when I say well worth it, believe you me, well worth it!!!!

Cheeks had the Mickey Mouse pancakes.
Came out looking like the big mouse himself.
Bobster tried them & said they were excellent.

So if you are in the area, even Philly, stop on by Amy's Place you will NOT be disappointed!

Tell me, what is a fav of yours for breakfast?

Why I love you Chic fil A

Tonight I hit up Chic fil A with Cheeks in tow.
I also had Fifty Shades Deeper with me.
Cheeks plays, I read.
Perfect for the both of us.

Well they were having family night.
Make a family tree.

It was messy so Cheeks was all over that action:

And the girl was as patient as the day is long.
He was very good.

He had to list his family members.
He did.

In case you can't read it, he listed:
Cheeks
Mom
Dad
Nana
Pops (The Grandpop)
Pop (Poppy)
PopPop (obviously, the PopPop)
Tim
Chris
&
Uncle Chuck.

Then he ran out of apples.
Thanks goodness, I would have had to take home a whole orchard.

This is why I love ChicfilA.
They are, without a doubt, the cleanest fast food place.
Every worker I have ever encountered is just a sweet & nice as can be.
And they are extremely family oriented.
Love it!

Next week is super hero night.
Um...yay!
I will not have a moments peace.

Tell me, what is your fav fast food place?

Afro Circus

Cheeks & I got the opportunity to see a movie over the weekend.
A special engagement if you will.

What did we see you ask?

Well...

Madagascar 3!!!

This movie had me from the very beginning.
Started off with great action scenes & got to the plot extremely quickly.
I like that in kids movies (actually I like that in all movies!...don't ask me about the movie Haywire...shudder! Did. not. get. to plot.)

We got to see it in 3D.
To be honest, I think this one was the best in the franchise.
My fav.

Cheeks stayed in his seat & pretty much kept his eyes glued to the screen.  Even kept his glasses on.

Also, very funny.
No over the top adult only humor.
Good, old fashion fun.

Tell me are you planning to see it?

21 Jump Street ~ 2012

Not gonna lie, I was hesistant to see this movie.

1.  I was a huge fan of the original series.

2.  I am not a big fan of Jonah Hill.

3.  It looked dumb.

Well I can eat my words because this movie was hysterical.

Seriously.

I saw it Friday night (although I wanted to see The Hunger Games, I was vetoed).

The theater was packed.

Laughter ruled the audience.

While the language is pretty foul it was just too funny!

I was also happily surprised by the cameos.

That's all I'm sayin!

Have you seen it?

What movie have you seen lately?

Anything worth me seeing?

Tsk, Tsk, What a Let Down

Tonight was Bobster's turn to cook.
So you know what that means...ordering out.
You know, cause that's how we roll...like Rockefellars with the money.

I digress.
So we agreed on pizza but wanted something that would feed the 4 of us.
One hubs, 2 boys, & me.

We decided on this:

Oh Pizza Hut
Much like my ex-husband, you showed such great promised but the disappointment was all mine

When I say this wouldn't feed 2 birds eating on a budget, I am not kidding.

It's 2 medium pizzas
OR
The equivilant to one box of Ellios.

It included 5 breadsticks...that was the highlight of the box.

It also included 6 bonless wings.
6.

One pizza we asked for pepperoni on it.
The other...half pineapple.
It was covered which allowed me to remove the pineapple so the 5yo would eat the pizza.
God forbid he eat pineapple.

Overall, this deal is worth maybe $12.
Not $20.
Photos are very deceiving...again reminds me of my ex-husband...I saw a photo first...should have run.

So Pizza Hut thanks for building up the anticipation and failing to deliver.
Again, ex husband.

Anyone noticing a theme?

So, tell me, what do you think of Pizza Hut?

I read, do you?

I love to read. I must...I was an English major in college.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the latest book I devoured!

What an absolutely mind absorbing book.
It's non fiction and grabs you from the first line.

Henrietta Lacks is aka HeLa cells. The cells that helped developed the Polio vaccine and many other medical advancements.

This is the story of her family and how they found out.

 Some of the chapters are developed to biology and I felt like I was in high school again, trying to just pass with a C. Science is not my strong point.

The majority of the book is dedicated to the story of Henrietta's family. The history and present day. Henrietta's family didn't question doctors about anything. The consequences are told through out the book.

While reading I was actually appalled at how the medical community treated the Lacks. Treated "blacks" as a whole back in the 40's. Growing up in the 70's & 80's, even today, I am amazed that humans were treated like this. I can't fathom it. My jaw slacked open quite a few times while reading, especially the end.

So if you need a good read, not a light read, a good interesting read then check this book out.

It doesn't disappoint!

Tell me, what are you reading now?

I. Can. Read.

So I do.
Here is what I just finished reading:

Can I just say...what a great book.
Yes.
Losing It by Valerie Bertinelli is really good.


By the title one would think it would be about losing all the weight she did.
Nope.
It's an autobiography.


She talks about life growing up, life in Hollywood, life with Eddie Van Halen & life as a mom.
I never lost interest.


I was astonished at some of the things she admits.
Her image doesn't really fit with what her life was really like.
Her writing is like listening to her speak on a talk show.
You can hear the sweetness in her voice as a writer.
Which is one thing I definitely admire.


Very easy read as well.
One that I didn't want to put down.
Sad say but her life is a page turner!


If you are looking for a light read to keep you going this summer, then get this book!


Tell me what have you read lately?


Ciao!

What I've Read Lately

The Borgia Betrayel by Sara Poole
At first many characters are introduced so it was a bit much but all the characters are a vital part of the story.  Set in 1493, Rome Italy, the tale follows that of the Pope's Poisoner, Donna Francesca and her plight to stop the murder of the Pope.

Many twists, turns and attention to detail of that century pepper this novel.  Donna Francesca is a character you can relate too but one that makes you stop & think, hmmm. was a woman really this "powerful" in this century? Perhaps she was, we will never know.

What I really liked about this book is that it makes you want to turn the page, find out what comes next.

What I didn't like, was the ending.  Sara Poole leaves the ending open for sequels.  Smart for her, sucky for me as the reader.  I like a good clean ending.  Tie up all the loose ends.  Happy endings are my type!

Tell me, what are you reading this summer?
Give me a suggestion for my next book.

What I'm Reading Now: Here, Home, Hope by Karia Rouda

Let me tell you about this book...love it!
It is such a fun read.


Here's a little background about it:

Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but exhausting.

This book is a fun, easy, relatable read.


For the first time in a long time, I relate to the main character. She wants something to call her own, do what she wants to do, loves her dh, her kids & takes in a daughter of her friends. Hello...that's me. I've taken in peeps before. That is just what I do.


Kaira Rouda writes with such ease that I feel like I am in the book. You know it's great when you get that involved. Not to mention I am sneaking, reading it at work. Tsk tsk...that's a no no but my boss is great & she is also an avid reader.


Kelly seems a lot like me. She wants to help others, wants to help herself, please her husband, raise good kids, & decorate all at the same time. Anyone whose followed my blog for awhile knows I am trying to redecorate on a budget...ha...that's means I am not doing anything because we have no budget for decorating but I digress.


Anywho, if you'd like something that is an easy read & will keep your interest make sure to check this book out. You will not be sorry.


Leave me a comment & tell me what you are reading now.
Give me ideas for my next book!

*I received a copy of the book for review from One to One Network. All opinions are 100% mine.