This {_______} life

Review: Don’t Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz

I received an advanced copy of Don’t Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz in exchange for my honest review.

Since meeting Mr. Gregg Hurwitz at the Punta Gorda Library earlier in the year, I have read three of his books. I started with The Tower, which was good. Second I read “Troubleshooter” which was a high octane shoot em up police procedural story. I was excited to get a chance to read “Don’t Look Back”.

After her husband leaves her for another woman, newly single mom, Eve, decides to go on the trip of a lifetime to the jungles of Mexico. She hopes to rediscover the woman she lost in her marriage.

At the resort, Dias Felices Ecolodge, Eve and her fellow visitors shop for native crafts and explore the jungle. During one of their outings, Eve witnesses a man mistreating an indigenous woman. While investigating the man and the disappearance of the previous occupant of her hut, Eve discovers the mans identity as well as the lengths that he will go to to keep his identity secret.

The brutality of this stranger is a contrast to the beauty of the jungle surrounding them. Visitors Eve, Jay, Will, Claire, Sue and Harry and their hosts Neto and Lulu are thrust into a life and death struggle to escape from a man who has everything to lose if they get away.

I had a terrible time putting this book down. I found myself wanting to give up sleeping and eating in order to finish.

“Don’t Look Back” will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the very, unexpected end.

The book is scheduled for an August 19, 2014 release.

Thanks for reading.

Find it on Amazon at Don’t Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz

My go to recipes.

Everyone has a set of “go to” recipes that they make when time is short. Here are some of my easiest and tastiest go to recipes.

BROWN SUGAR PORK CHOPS

I got this recipe for Brown Sugar Pork Chops from Weight Watchers many years ago. It is yummy andy you can make it with bone in or boneless chops.

Ingredients

2 pork chops (boneless or bone-in)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp brown sugar

a sprinkling of low sodium soy sauce

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray casserole dish with Pam and place chops in dish.

2. Top each chop with 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp brown sugar

3. Sprinkle with low sodium soy sauce.

4. Cover casserole with tin foil. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes.

5. Remove tin foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes.

6. Serve chops with sauce made by butter, brown sugar and soy sauce.

We enjoy this served with a side of rice and some vegetables or a salad.

Orange and Rosemary Chicken

I don’t remember where this recipe came from. I played around with the original recipe until I got it just right. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved (or 1 can of white whole potatoes)

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 clove garlic, smashed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 oranges (squeezed halves reserved)

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-highheat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside. (Skip this step if using the canned potatoes)
Crush the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and put in small bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 orange and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken, cover and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining orange. Add the squeezed orange halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Pork with mango barbecue sauce

I didn’t have any barbecue sauce in the house, so I came up with this tasty recipe. This recipe is great for those days when you are working late and will not have time to “whip something up”. It is also great for pot lucks.

Ingredients:
4 pound pork roast
1 cup mango rum
1 pkg frozen mango (or 2 fresh mangoes cut up)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce to taste

Place pork roast in crockpot. Season with salt and pepper
Place the rest of the ingredients in crockpot.
Cook on Low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours
Take pork out of crockpot. Place on plate and shred with fork (watch out it is hot). Return shredded pork to crockpot.
You can eat like a stew or place on a tasty roll.

Kathy’s Awesome Chili

INGREDIENTS:

“Here’s a chili recipe you’ll love using meatloaf mix.. Other ingredients include beer, strong-brewed coffee, unsweetened cocoa powder and ground cumin.”

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground meatloaf mix

1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer

1 cup strong brewed coffee

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

3 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15 ounce) can navy beans

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, and ground meatloaf mix in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
2.	Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt. Stir in 1 cans of the beans. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Let me know if you try any of these and then share YOUR favorite go to recipes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!! – Barbecue for two.

With no family nearby, planning a 4th of July barbecue is a little lonely. What is a girl who loves to cook to do??? Make a special barbecue for her husband and herself.

I started up the charcoal grill and threw on two turkey burgers and two steak burgers.

While the burgers were cooking, I sliced up some onion and dusted them with flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. I then fried them until they were golden brown and crispy. I also spiral cut a zucchini and did the same.

When the burgers were cooked, I threw American cheese on the steak burgers and some feta cheese on the turkey burgers.

Here is the steak burger with bacon, frizzled onions, and cheese on a pretzel bun.

Here is the turkey burger with frizzled zucchini, onions, and tzatziki on a pretzel bun with some frizzled zucchini on the side.

Both of us were FULL….but we left a little room for dessert.

Mike had strawberry shortcake.

Since I am allergic to strawberries, I had black cherry shortcake. It was delicious because I cooked some fresh black cherries in some black cherry balsamic vinegar. OH YUM.

So, it is possible to have a delicious, gourmet 4th of July barbecue for two.

I have to make special mention of the turkey burgers. Heartland turkey burgers from Walmart were a BIG surprise. Delicious and juicy without that weird turkey taste. I recommend them highly.

Happy eating!

This meal inspired me to post again!

It has been so long since I posted a food blog. I have been feeling rather uninspired. Until today!

After a wonderful visit to the Punta Gorda History Park Farmers Market, I was inspired to make something delicious with corn on the cob. After looking around to see what other ingredients I had on hand, I decided to make Frogmore Stew or Low Country Boil.

New red potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and shrimp boiled in a pot with Old Bay Seasoning. I did not have the hot sausage that the recipe I found called for, so I substituted chicken and apple sausage.

I cut the original recipe from 12 servings to 2 servings.

4 cup water
2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
10 new red potatoes
2 corn cobs cut into 3 pieces each
2 chicken and apple sausages cut into pieces
12 shrimp

Place the 2 tbsp of Old Bay Seasoning in the four cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes. Add sausage and boil for 5 minutes. Add corn cobs and boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and boil for another 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Drain and enjoy.

Dinner was delicious and it has inspired me to start keeping up with my food blog again.

How to be a good library patron

I have been working in a public library as a Library Technician for 5 years and I am still shocked at how poorly people take care of the materials they check out. Today we had a patron return a book he had just checked out because when he started to read it he noticed pencil marks throughout the book. I will now be spending several hours erasing all of the markings in a 200 + page book. Torn pages, spaghetti sauce, sand, water damage – you name it, we see it. My favorites are books returned with water damage that are still damp, but the patron claims that it was this way when they checked it out 9 weeks ago. Yeah…right.

I thought it might be good to create a “how to” list to help people be good library patrons.

HOW TO BE A GOOD LIBRARY PATRON

Don’t lie. If you spilled something on the book you checked out, bring it in to us. We are more than willing to work with you if you are honest.
If you know that your dog likes to chew on books, don’t leave your library books where your dog can get them.
READ the circulation policy handout we give you. This will help you avoid fines. Claiming we never told you that late fines for DVDs are a dollar a day per movie is not an excuse. We give EVERY new card holder a copy of our circulation policies.
Peanut butter & jelly + little fingers + DVD = a DVD that won’t play. Please supervise your children when they are using library materials.
We understand that you need to study for your GED, SAT, Praxis, nursing exam – but please don’t check out the study guides and never return them. There are others that need to study too.
Writing in library books is NEVER acceptable. If you want to write notes in the margins of books, buy your own copy.

Review: The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Chase is the follow-up to The Heist, introduced us to tough-as-nails FBI agent, Kate O’Hare and master conman, Nicolas Fox, who have been forced to work together to catch the world’s most wanted and untouchable criminals.

In The Chase, Kate and Nick are targeting Carter Grove, a former White House Chief of Staff who has a collection of stolen artwork, one of which is about to set off an international incident with China. How does one go about taking down such a powerful and dangerous man? With more con-artists, Kate’s ex-military father, and a lot of explosions.

The chemistry between Nick and Kate is palpable. Nick is forever flirting with Kate, who is always reminding herself that Nick is a criminal. I really like these two characters together and I am looking forward to seeing how their partnership blossoms.

As a Jersey girl, I enjoyed the Stephanie Plum character in Evanovich’s other novels. However, I like the Fox and O’Hare novels much better. Maybe it is the lack of New Jersey stereotypes that are in her other books, but I found The Chase and it’s predecessor, The Heist, to be much more enjoyable.

I received a free copy of The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for reading.

Some of my favorite Young Adult Dystopian novels

I have to admit that I’ve been reading a lot of YA (young adult) dystopian novels. Dystopian fiction, or apocalyptic literature, depicts a horrible or degraded society characterized by a focus on mass poverty, squalor, suffering, or oppression. In these novels the main characters are often faced with terrible danger. To me, they are a refreshing change from young adult books about sparkling vampires and rich, spoiled teens.

The young adult dystopian novels that I have found most compelling are the ones that I could actually see occurring. Some of my favorite novels and series, in no particular order, are:

1. The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – In a post war future, citizens are separated into different districts based on the type of industry that they specialize in. To control the citizens after a rebellion, the government gather one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen from each district each year, to take part in The Hunger Games, where they have to fight to the death until only one participant, or tribute, remains. This violent, yet compelling story, follows what happens to the heroine, Katniss Everdeen.

2. Gone by Michael Grant – In this six book series, all persons 15 and over in Perdido Beach disappear. They are gone and the town and surrounding area is encased in a giant bubble. Some of the children left behind develop “super” powers. The protagonist, Sam Temple, is set up as the leader of the children. During the series, the children must deal with hunger, disease, bad guys and an evil entity called the Gaiaphage. This series caught my attention and kept me involved right up to the end. It does have a lot of violence and there is a hint of teen sex, which is not graphic.

3. Starters by Lissa Price – This two book series tells the story of Callie and her brother Tyler. They are “starters” or young people whose parents both died in the Spore Wars. With no grandparents to take them in, they are considered “unwanted”. In order to obtain money to take care of her sick brother, Callie signs on as a “body donor” with Prime Destinations. This company allows the older generation, or Enders, to rent out the bodies of the Starters for some fun by using a chip implanted in the Starters brain. The owner of Prime Destinations has a sinister plan and Callie must figure out what that plan is before it is too late. The story continues in the follow up book Enders.

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth – Currently being made into a movie, Divergent tells the story of a future society where the public is separated into groups or “factions” based a particular virtue. At the age of 16, teens are allowed to select the “faction” they would like to belong to, the one they grew up in or a different one. The main character Beatrice, or Tris, has a secret to hide which can be deadly. In Divergent and the two follow up books of the series, Insurgent and Allegiant, the war between the factions heats up and comes to an unpredictable conclusion.

These are just some of the YA dystopian books out there. While not great literature, they are generally a good read.

Thanks for reading.

Most memorable books I read in 2013

I have read some excellent books in 2013. Some I have reviewed here on my blog. Others I have just recommended to people in person. As I make my list of the best I’ve read in 2013, I have to point out that they were not necessarily released in 2013 but were read by me this past year. Some were bits of fluff and some were serious books. All had a way of touching either my heart, soul, or brain in some way. I hope that you all will take the time to read some or all of these books and then share, in the comments section, the books that made your Best of 2013 list.

I branched out and read genres that I don’t normally read. I have never been a fan of non-fiction but this year I read several excellent non-fiction books. Here are the four that stand out:

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan – The author was working as a reporter when she started to show signs of psychosis. After waking up in a strange hospital bed having no memory of her month of madness. She pieces together what happened to her when her immune system attacked her brain and caused her to swing back and forth between violence and catatonia. A scary and fascinating story.
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida – This book gives great insights into the autistic mind. As a person with multiple family members “on the spectrum, this book was inspiring and extremely moving. If you ever wondered why an autistic person acts the way they do, this book, written by a 13-year-old autistic boy, will give you insight and useful tips for dealing better with those around you who are on the spectrum.
Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly – As a struggling Catholic in a world that revels in bashing Catholics, this book has been a great handbook for getting excited about my religion again.
Karma Gone Bad: How I learned to love mangos, Bollywood, and water buffalos by Jenny Feldon – I am not a fan of self indulgent, whiny autobiographical books like Eat, Pray, Love (probably one of my least favorite books) and it’s “poor me”-isms. Karma Gone Bad is not that kind of book. I have reviewed this book in a previous blog (read it here). I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it highly.

I was all over the place with my fiction reading this year. From murder mysteries to juvenile fiction, there was nothing out of bounds. Here are the ones I found most memorable:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio – Yes, I am starting with a juvenile fiction book. I can’t help it. I loved this book. Working in a library certainly does open me up to books that I normally wouldn’t read. Wonder by R. J. Palacio was one of those books. It has been a long time since a juvenile fiction book has mesmerized me in such a way that I feel compelled to tell people to read it. The last book to do this was “Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls. Wonder is the story of 10-year-old Auggie, who was born with severe facial disformities. His parents decide, after years of homeschooling, that Auggie should go to school. Auggie is both excited and afraid. We then have the pleasure of following Auggie and his classmates through his first year at school. I could NOT put this book down and lost several hours of sleep reading it. Sad and triumphant, this book is…a WONDER.
Inferno by Dan Brown – I loved all of Dan Brown’s previous books. Inferno made the list this year because I was so excited when I heard that it was going to be released and it was such a disappointing book. Mr. Brown is either loosing his touch or trying to pull a “Patterson” by riding on the coattails of his previous EXCELLENT books. The puzzles and symbolism that made his previous books so great were sorely lacking in this installment. I actually wanted to get my money back on this one.
The Walk by Richard Paul Evans – Let me start this by saying I hate sappy books. I have always put Mr. Evans’ book in the Sappy Crap category. At one point during the Summer, I was without a good book to read and The Walk was a Kindle Deal. I went for it. The main character, Alan Christoffersen, decides, after a series of personal and professional set backs, to walk from Seattle, WA to Key West, FL. It, of course, has a “cliff hanger” ending which made me read the next book in the series (Miles to Go), the third (Road to Grace), and the fourth (A Step of Faith). I currently am hanging there waiting to read the fifth and hopefully last of the series (Walking on Water) which is scheduled to release in June 2014. While they are not great literature, they were pleasant books that kept me involved and interested enough to want to read the next book.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – I waited until the hype died and broke down and read this book. What stands out about this book is the fact that there is not one likable character. Even in the most horrible stories you can normally pick one sympathetic person that you can identify with. In the end, I wished that they had all killed each other.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman – I have always been a fan of myths. Each culture has it’s own myths, from the Native American’s to the deepest jungles of Africa. Mr. Gaiman has a magical way of telling updated stories of these myths. Anansi Boys tells the story of two brothers, Fat Charlie and Spider. They meet after their father Mr. Nancy, dies. In typical myth fashion, Spider takes over Fat Charlies life – from his job to his girlfriend – and the two get discover and get tangled in a coworkers embezzlement scheme and a mythic struggle between good and evil.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter – A struggling inn on the Italian coast is visited by a beautiful young actress, who is there to rest because she is “dying”. Pasquale, the innkeeper, falls in love with the actress, Dee Moray. She, unfortunately, is involved with the famous husband of a famous actress in the movie in which she is an extra. A thoroughly entertaining book which the characters interact with two Hollywood legends.
Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant by Veronica Roth – I know, I know…not another YA (young adult) dystopia (noun. An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror) triliogy. This trilogy follows the story of Beatrice Prior from her Choosing Day ceremony in which she chooses which of the five personality based factions she joins. She can choose the faction she was born into (Abnegation) or one of the other four (Amity, Candor, Dauntless, or Erudite). I enjoyed the first two books so much that I actually pre-ordered the third book. Divergent has been made into a move which comes out in March 2014.
When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey – Nine-year-old Leah’s invisible friend starts telling her to paint pictures that predict things that are to happen. From the winning lottery numbers to a storm that will change the lives of those in her new town. Is her invisible friend God or something sinister? This question is asked by those around her.
While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax – The story of the residents of the swanky Alexander apartment building forge a bond while watching the weekly episode of Downton Abbey. Not my normal type of book but I was missing Downton Abbey. While I wouldn’t give it high marks for literature, it was a pleasant book and will kind of give you a Downton Abbey fix.
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green – There are some young adult authors who are NOT writing clique novels about rich guys and girls who have everything they want and still want more. John Green writes books about realistic teenagers and their lives. My favorite of his books is The Fault In Our Stars, the story of Hazel and Augustus, who meet in a Cancer Kids support group. Moving and well written, I advise you to keep the tissues handy.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – I decided to read King’s fantasy about time travel and the Kennedy assassination when everyone was talking about the 50th anniversary of the assassination. What would happen if you could go back and stop the assassination? You might be surprised at King’s take on the idea. Great read.

That’s all I can think of now. If I think of any additional books I forgot, I will add in the comments.

Please share your favorites of 2013.

Thanks for reading.

Epcot Food & Wine Festival Day1

After arriving at Port Orleans Rverside around 9am, Mike and I headed to Downtown Disney to await a text message saying our room was ready. After a leisurely stroll and some fun shopping, we headed back to the resort to check in our room around 1:30pm.

At 4pm we decided it was time to head to Epcot. First I have to say – WOW are there a lot of people here. If you don’t like crowds, don’t bother to come for the food and wine festival.

Our first food stop was Hawaii for Kalua Pork Sliders with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Cutney and Spicy Mayonaise. This was a tasty little morsel that proved that Mike CAN eat mayo and not have it kill him. We shared a Kona Brewing Company’s Big Wave Golden Ale, which I enjoyed a lot but Mike said was “okay”.

Next we tried Dole Pineapple Fritter, which were so good I forgot to get a picture of them.

Our first “must try” spot was Canada for some Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. I wanted to get a vat of this delicious soup. With the soup I tried some La Face Neige Apple Ice Wine. This was a very strong and delicious wine reminiscent of hard apple cider.

Since the foods we tried were just little bites, I was feeling hungry and knew what I was going to have when I saw “Fish n Chips” in England. This was the second best fish n chips I ever had. (The best was Sullivan’s Gaslight Inn in Franklin, NJ.) I even tried it with malt vinegar. YUM!!!

We continued through the countries and shops and, in America decided FUNNEL CAKE! Even better…pumpkin spice funnel cake.

It was the best funnel cake I ever ate. This is what did us in. After our funnel cakes, we were full. No mas food in ze belly por favor.

We road the Three Caballeros boat ride and hobbled back to the resort with our eating plan ready for tomorrow. Watch out Poland…you have some Keilbasa & Potato Pierogis with MY NAME on them.

Looking forward to visiting the Epcot Food and Wine Festival

My wonderful hubby, Mike, and I are finally heading to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival next week. All week I have been checking out the menus and pictures of the food that they are serving this year.

Check out the website here: Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Stay tuned for blogs from the festival. You may want to cover your keyboard with a towel…you will be drooling.