Winner for The Sound of Sleigh Bells

Let's give a big Congratulations to Holly-she is the winner for The Sound of Sleigh Bells.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Sometimes you read a book that speaks to you from the heart, The Help is one of those books. Author Kathryn Stockett brings to life the story of three women living in Jackson Mississippi in the early 60's as the civil rights movement was reaching the deep South.

For me, I was able to picture the women, the homes they lived in and their friends. First time novelist, does a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life. The women are seemingly as different from one another as can be, but come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Each woman has her own cross to bear and social graces to maintain. Skeeter, a recent college graduate returns to her parent's home after graduation. Yearning to be a journalist, her mother is more concerned about Skeeter's clothes and hair and the trust fund that she find her a suitable husband. Hoping to land a job at a publishing house Skeeter writes the stories of black maids in Jackson. Her main ally is Aiblileen, an older wise maid raising her seventeenth white child. Aibileen is troubled that the children she raises may become an extension of their parent's racism. Suffering from the loss of her own child, she empowers Mae Moberly to realize, she is important, smart and beautiful. At the risk of being fired she teaches the little girl lessons about Martian Luther King and that love comes from what is inside of you. Minny, Aibileen's best friend is the best cook in Jackson, but loses her jobs because she sasses the missus back. Together the three women rally the black maid community to tell their stories.

What fascinated me about the book was the author's impetus for the story. Raised in Jackson herself. Her family had a maid, Demetrie. Stockett loved her maid, after her parents divorced her maid was a surrogate mother for her. Someone's shoulder she could cry on or a lap to crawl on.

To quote Stockett " Our family maid, Demetrie, used to say picking cotton in Mississippi in the dead of summer is about the worst pastime there is, if you don't count picking okra, another prickly, low-growing thing. Demetrie used to tell us all kinds of stores about picking cotton as a girl. She'd laugh and shaker her finger at us, waring us against it, as if a bunch of rich white kids might fall to the evils of cotton-picking like cigarettes or hard liquor." Demetrie was born in Lampkin, Mississippi, in 1927. It was a horrifying year to be born, just before the Depression set in. No-one ever asked Demetrie her story, what it was like to work for a white family.

There is one line in The Help, the author truly prizes, which brings home the point of the book. We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.

If you can fit one more book onto your bookshelf for the year. Chose The Help.

Thank you to Sheila, at One Person's Journey through a world of Books. To read her review click here. She chose the book for our Word Shakers On-Line Bookclub.

Vegetarian Gandi Bowl

There is something about rice bowls that just seems healthy. All those fresh vegetables and a curry sauce how could I resist. A few weeks ago I bought a cookbook from restaurant Native Foods, which is a local vegetarian restaurant in Southern California. I had eaten there once for lunch and really enjoyed my meal.

The cookbook has recipes for condiments, dresses, sauces, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwhiches, entrees and side dishes. Of course let's not forget the sweet treat and speciality drinks. With entrees titled, tempeh provencale, sweet and sour nuggets, oopa moussaka, how was I going to decide what to choose. When I saw that the Gandhi Bowl had a curry sauce there was my answer.



This is quite an easy recipe to make.

Gandi Bowl (adapted from Native Foods Cookbook)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups steam mixed veggies
1/4 cup Curry Sauce
1 package tofu cooked


Curry Sauce
1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 garlic cloves
2 THSP curry powder
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp chrushed red chili

Blend the curry sauce ingredients in the blender and puree. Transfer the sauce to a deep sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Drain the water from the tofu and cut it into cubes. Add 2 TBSP olive oil to a seperate pan and pan fry it for about 5 minutes. Cook the tofu separtely while making the curry sauce. After cooking the tofu add it to the curry sauce over low heat for about 5 minutes.



While the tofu is simmering in the curry sauce, steam your vegetables. You can add whatever veggies you choose. I pan fried eggplant and steamed cauliflower, carrots and broccoli.

You can add more curry and chilis to make the recipe spicier.

Add the curry sauce with tofu to cooked rice and top with the vegetables.

5 favorite Children's Books: Hosted by Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile

Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile is asking us to list 5 childhood books

My favorite 5 childhood books:

1. Charlotte's Web
2. Madeline
3. Caroline
4. Curious George
5. The Witch The Lion and The Wardrobe.

Dewey's Mini-Read-a-Thon-Challenge Perspectives

Dewey is having a fun read-a-thon challenge: Here is how it works:


Perspectives Mini-Challenge
Time Slot: 1pm to 4pm eastern(US)

Prize: Two books, paperback: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon & A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, as well as a mini bonsai kit & book thong

Challenge: Name three books that are told from a different world view, a different perspective, that you have read and enjoyed. Give a one sentence summary of the book, and another sentence that explains how the book shares a unique perspective. The prize books are great examples of this different perspective. In “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”, the story is told from the perspective of a book who has autism- he sees the world very differently than someone without autism. “A Prayer for Owen Meany” tells the story of Owen Meany- a boy with a entirely unshakeable certainty about the future…he knows his own ultimate fate, and sees things in a whole different light because of it.

Here are my three books.

The Twenthieth Wife-Inda Sundarsen-told from the perspective of Mehrunnisa-who became the Twentieth Wife to the Salim during the rule of the Mughal empire.

Someone Knows my Name-the story of a slave from her time in Africa to being brought to America to going to England and working with the abolitionists.

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel-is told from the perspective of Eastern Jewel-a Chinese born woman sent to and raised in Japan who spied for the Japanese-quite intriquing.

Cheerleading the Readathon

Where are you reading from today? I am reading and cheerleading from Southern California. I did not sign up officially to cheerleading-oops but I will be doing more cheering than reading. I have reading to do-but not the type anyone enjoys-I need to file a legal brief and oops there is a little bit of procrastinating going on. It is more fun to hop around the blogs and see what everyone is reading than sitting down and do some reading and writing.

3 facts about me … That no one knows already? size 6 shoes. as an adult I hate getting lost in the mall (having my husband wander off-weird issue from getting lost at the mall once as a child) and being left behind once at a restaraunt at a children's birthday store. I was also locked in a candy store once-not as fun as you would think-I did not eat any candies-and when the store was finally opened the owner sold me the candy I wanted. And to think that getting locked in a candy store is a childhood fantasty.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Right now, I am reading AMBERVILLE by Tim Davys. I decided to concentrate on thrillers today, so I have about 6 lined up, though I doubt I will get to them all.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I have a book I woul like to finish The Help for an online Book Club at Book Journey. I am enjoying the book so that will get done, but my main focus is on cheerleading.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time? I have never done a readathon. Read what you are in the mood for is my thought-my reading moods change-there should be a reading mood bookmark.



#readathon is a trending topic on Twitter!

Kabul24 by Henry Arnold and Ben Pearson Review

Kabul 24 tells the story about the hellish nightmare eight Western aid workers and sixteen Afghanis endured during their captivity in Afghanistan by the Taliban. The workers came from around the world, Germany, Australia and the United States. They were men and women from different professions, nurses, teachers, engineers and artists all with a goal-helping the people of Afghanistan have a better life. The Westerners were all with a mission, Shelter Now.

One day, in the weeks leading up to 9/11 they were quickly picked up off the street and from their homes. For three months they were held in captivity and moved around Kabul to different prisons, including the notorious Pulicharki Prison. While the Westerners were never beaten and tortured they were very conscious of the torture inflicted on the Afghani workers who were accused of converting to Christianity.

I found this book to be a fantastic read, chronicling the group's time in captivity. What amazed me most about the group was their faith in God. Throughout their ordeal they would find solace in prayer and their beliefs. The women would gather together for prayer and singing hymns. I cannot imagine the ordeal the group went through being subjected to psychological terror as the Taliban would drive them to the execution square never saying where or why they were leaving the prison. I am not a huge reader of Christian literature. This book does not preach to the audience, it quietly tells the group's story. After their release, one of the workers returned to Afghanistan to continue his work.

On a lighter note, at one time, a British female journalist is thrown into custody with the women. She insults the Taliban by hanging her underwear in the courtyard to dry. Refusing to submit to the Taliban, the journalist notes that the Taliban could be driven out of Afghanistan if people would just run around waving woman's underwear.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

Butter Chicken: Guest Post from Crazy Asian Gal

Dear Readers, Today you are in for a special treat, from my friend, Palidor over at Crazy Asian Gal. Palidor has some amazing recipes that reflect her mixed Asian heritage on her blog. I enjoy leafing through her recipes looking for something to cook. As our blog friendships developed we discovered our passion for kitties, food and the strange coincidence of having worked at the same law firm, although 20 years apart. I am sure you will enjoy this post as much as I am. Click on over to Crazy Asian Gal to discover a international flavor of food.

I am very honoured to be writing this guest post for my friend, Esme. With fall upon us, the weather is downright chilly… at least here in Ontario! But I like the change in seasons. It not only allows us to change our wardrobe, but also to change our usual cuisine. Indian curries, while sometimes too heavy for summer, are perfect for autumn. There’s just something very warming and comforting about all those aromatic spices, and how they infuse the meat. My favorite go-to spice blend is a mix of coriander, cumin, and turmeric.



One Indian dish that I like in particular is butter chicken. I’ve had this dish at a few places, my favourite being Matagali restaurant in downtown Toronto. I don’t think there’s any consensus as to what constitutes authentic butter chicken. Some use butter and cream. Others, like a recipe out of Suvir Saran’s book “Indian Home Cooking,” contain neither ingredient, and claim that butter chicken is actually what Indian people call “chicken tikka masala.” What does seem common is that the sauce is tomato-based.

I set about creating my own recipe, trying to recapture the flavours that I tasted.



Butter Chicken

Marinade
4 cloves garlic
2-inch piece ginger, peeled
1 small onion, quartered
½ hot cubanelle pepper
½ teaspoon garam masala
1/3 cup plain yogurt

2 lbs chicken, cut into bite-size pieces (I used boneless chicken breasts)



Puree all the marinade ingredients together until smooth. Place the chicken in a large bowl and evenly coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.

1 large red onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2½-inch piece ginger, peeled
1/3 cup oil
salt to taste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, pureed
¼ cup butter
½ cup half & half cream (you can use whipping cream for a richer sauce)



In a food processor, puree the onion, garlic, and ginger until smooth. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion paste, and cook until it turns a rich brown color, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. You may need to reduce the heat as the paste cooks to prevent it from burning.



Add the salt and spices. Cook until the spices brown, about another 2 minutes.



Add the chicken and the yogurt marinade. Continue to fry until the chicken browns on all sides, and most of the moisture from the marinade has evaporated.



Pour in the pureed tomatoes and stir to combine all the ingredients. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

After the chicken has simmered, remove the lid and stir in the butter and half & half cream. Bring everything to a boil once more and let simmer for additional 5 minutes. Your butter chicken is ready! Serve with steamed Basmati rice or naan bread.




I had some black tiger shrimp sitting in the fridge, so I marinated them as well. I added the shrimp to the pot almost at the very end of cooking. They don’t take long to cook at all, about 3-4 minutes.

I really liked the flavours and the sauce, while slightly creamy, was not too rich or heavy. This is definitely a wonderful dish to enjoy on a cold fall or winter evening.

Supreme Courtship by Christoper Buckley Giveaway

A BIG THANK YOU to Valerie at Hachette Book Group, for giving me up to 5 copies to giveaway.

Book Description:

President of the United States Donald Vanderdamp is having a hell of a time getting his nominees appointed to the Supreme Court. After one nominee is rejected for insufficiently appreciating To Kill A Mockingbird, the president chooses someone so beloved by voters that the Senate won't have the guts to reject her -- Judge Pepper Cartwright, the star of the nation's most popular reality show, Courtroom Six.

Will Pepper, a straight-talking Texan, survive a confirmation battle in the Senate? Will becoming one of the most powerful women in the world ruin her love life? And even if she can make it to the Supreme Court, how will she get along with her eight highly skeptical colleagues, including a floundering Chief Justice who, after legalizing gay marriage, learns that his wife has left him for another woman.

Soon, Pepper finds herself in the middle of a constitutional crisis, a presidential reelection campaign that the president is determined to lose, and oral arguments of a romantic nature. Supreme Courtship is another classic Christopher Buckley comedy about the Washington institutions most deserving of ridicule.

The number of entrants to this giveaway will determine how many copies of this book I will giveaway:

1-10 entrants= 1
11-20 entrants= 2
21-30 entrants= 3
31-40 entrants=4
41 or more entrants=5

Here are the rules:

PLEASE POST EACH ENTRY SEPARATELY

1. For one entry, leave a comment on what your favorite book, movie, or play courtroom drama or comedy is. You must do this to be entered! Please be sure to include your email address (if it isn't available in your profile), so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't find your email either in the comments or your profile, you will be disqualified!

2. For one more entry, post about this giveaway on your blog and leave link to your blog post in the comments.
You will also get an entry for each person who tells me that they learned about this giveaway from you.

3. For another entry, tweet about this-you can tweet daily-just leave the tweet here.

4. For another entry follow my blog.

5. For another entry follow me on twitter @cococroissants.

Good luck

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
The winner’s mailing address: NO P.O. Boxes.
Only one entry per household/IP address.

This giveaway will end on November 5th . The winners will be notified by email, so remember to include your email address in the comments, if it isn't available in your profile! Winners must respond within 48 hours or will be disqualified.

Other People's Giveaways

She Reads and I Read have a giveaway for The Heretic's Daughter. A Sea of Books and A Circle of Books is hosting a giveaway for The Heretic's Daughter.

Luxury Reading has a giveaway for Run for your Life.

Books and Needlepoint is giving away The Heretic's Daughter.

At Home with Books has a copy of The Queen's Mistake up for grabs.

The Sweet Bookshelf is offering a copy of Life After Genius.

My Own Little Corner of the World has a copy of The Heretic's Daughter and Breaking the Bank.

Scraps of Life is giving away a copy of The Crowning Glory of Lily Ponder.

In My Mailbox Mondays

Thank you to The Story Siren and The Printed Page for hosting In My Mailbox Mondays. This will be a quick post-as I have two birthday parties to run off to. My mailbox was packed this week. I am going to have to really spend some time reading and catching up. My reads are exciting and I am looking forward to all of them.

Thank you to Ana at Hachette-for The Swan Thieves-the second book by Elizabeth Kostova. There are many giveaways for her first book, The Historian, which I highly recommend going on currently.

Thank you, to Valerie at Hachette, who sent me a copy of Supreme Courtship for review and I will be posting a giveaway for it, probably tomorrow.

From FSB Associates I received a copy of The Recipe Club to review. Yippee-more recipes to make.

Belle Bridge Books sent me a galley of Primitive by Mark Nykanen-a thriller just in time for Halloween.

I won a copy of The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy and Shimmer by Eric Barnes. I started reading The TIme it Snowed in Puerto Rico and am loving it.

What did I read this week-besides the law?

Kakbul24-fantastic-a review will be coming and Descartes' Bones-interesting but a little heavy.

What am I hoping to read: The Heretic's Daughter is on the wish list.

What did you read this week?

Happy Diwali

Today marks the celebration of Diwali in India. Known as the Festival of Lights, it is the most important celebration to Hindus, celebrating the triumph of good over evil. A few years ago I was in India and able to celebrate this colorful and noisy festival. Indians typically celebrate the festival by lighting of firecrackers, displaying lights and spending time with family.



My trip to India was on a photography tour. The entire trip was one of the most wonderful trips I had ever taken. Prior to the trip I developed a great friendship with a girl from India who would be on the trip. We would be on the flight from Singapore together. We started emailing back and forth-what clothes were you bringing-what camera equipment to bring? This would be my first major trip with my digital Nikon. I bought new lenses just for the trip. I was so worried about power surges, I purchased a surge protecter.

Let me tell you about that investment. First time I plug it in I manage to blow all the fuses in my room. Oops. I called down to the front desk and a nice fellow responded. Within seconds he had my electricity working. Okay let's try this again-oops this time the was a kaboom and smoke billowing from my surge protector. Very bad, Very bad, the nice man told me. Oh well, glad I lugged that piece of equipment across the Pacific and half of Asia.

R. and I have never been on another trip together. She now has two children and still travels. We do keep and touch and send photos of our travels back and forth.

Another great friend I made was C. He lives on the east coast. We see other other quite often. We visit each other at our respective homes, have traveled together and sometimes spend time with him when he is playing golf close by. C. loves sweets and photography as much as I do, so we are always eating something sweet and sharing many wonderful photos.

My first day in Delhi, was Diwali. Our group went out to the old market to take in the festivities. All the shops were decorated with brightly colored orange streamers. Children were letting off firecrackers. As we walked through the narrow maze of streets my eyes were drawn into the beauty of it all.



Little narrow stalls with merchants selling their wares, Other stalls had food vendors. The smell of curry wafting through the air, beckoning me to take some nan and dip it into the cauldrons. Women of amazing beauty with shimmering blue and green eyes would walk past in their brightly colored saris. All of India is a kaleidoscope of color.



For me, the country appealed to all my senses. Smell, touch, sight and ears. Curry is one of my favorite foods. People are out cooking everywhere. Every street vendor pulls you in with the scent of their food. Noise! The entire nation is a cacophony of sounds. Firecrackers popping. Horns honking. I enjoyed the chaos of it all.

Diwali was a wonderful introduction to a country that I would spend my next three weeks in. Children would stop and pose for us. They were delighted to be able to see themselves on the back of the digital camera. Everyone was excited by the festivities of the day. We were like children ourselves. Our head would whip around at every sights. Each store more beautiful than the one we had just seen. Streamers and brightly colored decorations.

Later that night, the tour operator, Ajay was one of the kindest men I had ever come across. He invited our group to his home to celebrate with him and his family. His wife was slightly younger than me, spoke English fluently and had traveled the world as a pilot. Her daughter, wanted to know all about America and Disneyland.


We were honored to participate in the religious aspect of the holiday. A holy man was at the house, leading them through the ceremony. Afterwards we were treated to Indian food, wonderful conversation and lots and lots of fireworks. Ajay has been to the US and I was fortunate enough to be able to spend an evening with him. Hopefully one day he will bring his family and we will go to Disneyland and watch fireworks again.


Happy Diwalli, May good always triumph over evil.

Wild Mushroom Soup: Let's Celebrate "Gourmet"

Julie at A Mingling of Tastes had a great idea to celebrate the voyage of "Gourmet magazine". Cook one of your favorite recipes from Gourmet. The hardest part about participating in this event would be what dish to cook.

The first dish I recollect making from Gourment was a trifle, years ago. I think it was my first year of law school and I had purchased the magazine for my flight home during the Christmas break. I carried that recipe around for years. Another year for Christmas I made Black Forest Cake. There were so many recipes to choose from.



After spending the weekend in San Francisco, the answer came to me. At Ferry Market Building there is a mushroom shop. It is amazing to me the varieties of mushrooms that they sell. If I lived in San Francisco, I would be in funghi heaven. The possibilites to mushroom dishes would be endless.



Since returning home, we have had cool cloudy days. Days like this, when you need to wear a sweater are a rarity. I wanted to have a cup of cider and wrap myself in a blanket. This would be the perfect day for wild mushroom soup. After looking at all these mushrooms how could I resist.

While I started my affair with Gourmet by sampling something sweet, I would savor the savory, a hearty bowl of wild mushroom soup. It is the perfect dish to warm you up on a cool cloudy day. I am sad to say goodbye, and feel rather jilted, how could their last publication be the Novemeber's issue. The December issue was always my favorite, with all the Christmas recipes. Could they not wait until December to stop the press? I have my bowl of soup to keep me warm on a cool Autumn day.





WILD MUSHROOM SOUP (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons cup olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of sage
1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 pound shitake mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons madiera wine

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium flame. Add the onion, garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown. Add the herbs

Turn the flame to high and add the white mushrooms and shitakes.

Cook for 10 minutes, during which the mushrooms will give off their liquid (which should evaporate quickly due to the high heat) and deflate significantly. Stir occasionally.

Add the chicken and beef stock.

Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the herbs, then add the cream and madiera wine.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.

A baguette for dipping is the ony utensil you need

Fall Recipe Exchange: Pumpkin Apple Granola

Amy, over at My Friend Amy has started the FIRST hopefully annual Fall Recipe Exhange. With the leaves turning colors and the days getting cooler, the weather is perfect for apple cider, pumpkin loaf and pie and other culinary delights. If you want to participate, head back over to My Friend Amy and leave a link for your fall recipe. Even if you do not have a recipe to post, head on over there are some great recipes posted.

Autumn is ideal for any recipe that calls for pumpkin. I love it all, pumpkin soup, pie, cheesecake, so why not pumpkin granola?




PUMPKIN APPLE GRANOLA

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw pumpkin seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces chopped pecans, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
2 teaspoons alomnd extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried apples.
1/2 cup agave syrup

You can leave out the agave syrup if you want. I initially tried making granola bars. To make the bars add 1/4 cup packed brown sugar. Adding sugar is necessary to make the bars stick together. I just do not like the idea of adding sugar so I ended up with granola instead of bars. If you are making bars-then butter a small glass pan and follow the directions.

Spread the oats, pumpkin seeds, pecans, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven at 350 degrees F. and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Add the dried apples, along with the almond extract and nutmeg and agave syrup. Mix the syrup in well and bake for about 20 minutes longer. Be careful not to overcook the apples.

Serve with milk or yogurt.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall Review and Giveaway

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak? (From the Publisher).

The Sound of Sleigh Bells is the story of two single Amish women. Beth works alongside her aunt Lizzy in the dry goods store. Lizzy is concerned that one year later her niece is still deep in grief over her fiance's death. Try as she might Beth will not let go of her black wardrobe or socialize with the younger people in the Amish community. What is not known to others in the Amish community is the secret that Beth is harboring.

In an attempt to get Beth out amongst people, Aunt Lizzy sends Beth on her annual shopping trip. Here she comes across a carved sleigh that ignites a spark in Beth. Noticing this little spark in her niece, Aunt Lizzy finds hope that the sleigh and it's carver may be the way for Beth to start enjoying life again.

The book is a quick easy read, that gives readers a glimpse into the Amish community. Given the book is only 194 pages it moves rather quickly and there is little time to develop the story line without moving it along. Personally I would not describe this as a Christmas read. I am not familiar with the Amish community, however Henry the deceased fiance is described as very controlling. Beth did not seem to be able to reveal this side of his personality to the community and was discouraged from revealing it. The book left me wondering if domestic violence is common in the community.

Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah for providing me with a copy of the book to review. They have also generously given me a second copy for a giveaway.

To enter: Comment on this post with your favorite Christmas story or movie with your e-mail address.

Extra Entries (please post each entry separately: Winners will be notified by e-mail and have 48 hours to respond.

- Follow this blog
- Blog about this giveaway
-Twitter about this giveaway

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

Deadline to enter is midnight on October 30th.

Other book tour stops and places to win the book:

My Friend Amy
Window to my World
Tina's Blog about Homeschool and Family Happenings

In My Mailbox Mondays

Monday is here again. Given today is Columbus Day and the courts are closed I am lollygagging. Last week was a busy week, helping my friend with trial. We lost the trial. To quote my friend 'That's fine, everyone is going home. When I was in Vietnam not everyone got to go home". That is a great way of looking at things.

I must say that by Friday I was tired and exhausted, yet excited as we hopped on a plane for a fun weekend in San Francisco. I tell you it was a weekend of eating and more eating. More on San Francisco later in the week.

My mailbox was full when I left and there were a few more goodies upon my return.

So, What arrived?

Thanks to Publisher Andrew McMeel, I received a copy of Venizia and Apple Jam. Tessa Kiros puts out a great cookbook. I reviewed one of her other books, falling cloudberries, a few weeks ago. I can hardly wait to bake some recipes from these books.




From Dina at Just Another Blog, I received A French Woman For All Seasons from her giveaway. I will be making some of the recipes from here for sure.

Random House sent me two copies of white picket fences. We all know what two copies means, one for me and one for one of my readers. I will be participating in a blog tour for this book the week of November 9-13th. Come back then for the giveaway.

Waterbrook Mulnomah Publishers sent me three books for an upcoming blog tours, Leaving Carolina, Limelight and What Matters Most. This tour is coming up soon in early November.

To satisfy my food cravings I was really fortunate to win a $100 restaurant gift card, from Angel in the Kitchen. Wow, that was a generous giveaway.

What did I read last week? Not enough, Any Minute, The Calligrapher's Daughter and Someone Knows my Name. Out of the three, Someone Knows my Name is the only one I would recommend. The Calligrapher's Daughter was a real disappointment. I had taken it with me to S.F. Yesterday I decided that I needed a book for the plane. I thought The Calligrapher's Daughter would last me the weekend. I think that when I do not like a book I rush through it.

Off to the Border's by my hotel I went. There is nothing worse, than asking a sales assistant for assistance and receiving bad advice. If you are working in a book store, I would think you would know books. Just a thought. She could not really suggest anything. I did not have anything in mind, as those books were at home. I mentioned to her, what I had recently read and really enjoyed. No that did not help. So what does she do? She suggests something that is out and then admits to me she did not like it when I pressed her for more details.

I did not end up buying anything. I thought that I needed to eat first and then return. In the end, I ate, checked out of my hotel and realized that we were running way late and relying on the BART to get us to the airport. Instead I just played on my MAC during the flight. Better than sitting with a mediocre book.

Thanks to The Story Siren, for hosting In My Mailbox Mondays.

When Elephants Dance

My review of When Elephants Dance is a tribute to the residents of Philippines. The Philippines has been in the news given the destruction they have suffered Typhoon Ketsana. Currently the Philippines Red Cross is involved in emergency relief efforts.

Born to Filipino migrants, author Tess Uriza Holthe tells the story of of the Karangalan familiy and their neighbors and friends. The group finds themselves huddled together in a cellar during the last days of the Japanese occupation in the Philippines before Japan's surrender to General MacArthur.

While the group would probably not come together during times of peace, their close proximity is a result of the war. Their story is told thru the voice of three narrators, thirteen-year-old Alejandro Karangalan, his older sister Isabelle, and Domingo, a guerilla commander.

Alejandro tells us, Papa explains the war like this: 'When the elephants dance, the chickens must be careful.' The great beasts, as they circle one another, shaking the trees and trumpeting loudly, are the Amerikanos and the Japanese as they fight. And our Philippine Islands? We are the small chickens. I think of baby chicks I can hold in the palm of my hand, flapping wings that are not yet grown, and I am frightened" (p. 3). From here is the title of the book.

Through their storytelling and the magic of Filipino myths the group is temporarily distracted from the sounds of nearby explosions and the attrocities of the war. These myths give the group strength, resilience and courage to survive the hardship of war. Each myth contains a lesson both for the group and the novel's audience.

In writing the book, author Holte relied on stories she heard as a child from her grandmother and her father who was not only but also largely on the stories she heard as a child from her lola (grandmother) and father, who was captured by Japanese soldiers outside Manila, tortured, and released.

From page to page readers will find themselves in the cellar, mesmerized by the stories of ghosts and enchanted forests while a turn of the page will shake their nerves as they are forced to face the horrors of war. When Elephants Dance is a beautifully written book the combines Filipino mythology with the stark reality of war.

In My Mailbox Mondays

In My Mailbox Mondays is hosted by The Story Siren. UPS rang my doorbell a couple of times this week with some true gems.

From Sassy Brit at Alternative Read I received an autographed copy of Cleopatra's Daughter. Can you say excited? I need to prioritize. THere are some other books that I need to read first before reading this.

From Karen at Bookin with Bingo I received The Fruit of Her Hands, another historical fiction book. Given that the weather dropped to a low "67" today. I even wore a sweater and put the heated seats on in my car. Pretty sad for a expat Canadian living in Southern Californian. I can hardly wait to huddle under the throw with a cup of hot chocolate and start reading this book.

Cecilia at The Epic Rat let me choose two books from her stash. My choices were Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp and The Late Lamented Molly Mary. The beauty of living in Southern California is today I may have a sweater on but tomorrow I could be laying out by the pool again. These will be the perfect pool reads. (I may save them for my trip to Cabo in February-more on that later-hopefully trial will not get in the way).

From Nelson Thomas book publishers I received a review copy of Kabul 24. Check back again for my review.

Plum Cake and Preparing for Trial

Honestly this cake tastes much better than it looks in this photo. As much as I enjoy photography I find it unbelievably difficult to take great photos of food. This cake was delicious. Inspiration for this cake has been in the making for awhile. Last month I participated in Cook the Book and read and baked a recipe from Confections of a Closet Baker. The author had a recipe for Zwetschgendatschi. Culinate also featured a recipe for plum cake. The recipe that took the cake was from Heather at GirliChef. (You really need to visit Heather's blog-her cake looks really pretty) I needed to have my own bite of plum cake.

This time of the fall brings some of the best plums. Green plums, pluots and Italian plums. This is their time of the year. It was time for me to bake the cake. If you can still find some plums you really should try your hand at this recipe. When baked the plums have a sweet yet tart taste. My husband enjoyed the cake so much he had some for breakfast. Cake for breakfast I said? He thought it was so delicious why wait for dinner. Cake for breakfast gives you the entire day to burn off the calories.

I am currently helping a friend with a federal civil rights trial. Federal court is a whole different ball game than state court. Formality reigns. Do not even dream of going into court unprepared. Trial is this coming week. We met in my conference room for our final preparations. Transcripts, yellow legal pads and plum cake. My friend was ecstatic. There is something about a nice slice of cake that makes trial preparation a little more enjoyable.

ITALIAN PLUM CAKE adapted from Heather's recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tablespoons 1/2 and 1/2
5 Italian Plums (halved)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 9" spring form pan.

Cut the plums in half and remove the pit. Be careful to remove the entire pit, sometimes it seems that the pit crystallizes. You do not want someone to have a piece of pit in their cake. Gesine from Confessions of a Closet Master Baker says to cut out a little v in the top of the plum. Why, because that is what her mum did.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and cinnamon ) and add to bowl and blend in. Alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the 1/2 and 1/2. Pour the mixture into the greased pan.

Add the plums face down to the batter.



Bake cake for about 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Bingo Award

I would like to give Yvette at True Crime Book Reviews a big thank you for this award. Yvette you guessed it, likes to review crime books. She is truly a generous blogger with some very interesting reviews. The award was started early this summer by Bingo over at Bookin With Bingo.




This award means:
B: Beautiful - Purple Girl at So Many Books, So Little Time
I: Informative - Jo Jo at Jo Jo loves to read
N: Neighborly - how I choose just one there are so many - everyone is neighborly. Wendy at Musings of a Bookish Kitty aka Literary Feline
G: Gorgeous - Joanne at Slice of Life
O: Outstanding - Vera at Luxury Reading.

Winner for Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Sheila from Giveaway Round Up is the lucky winner of Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

Baked Garbanzo Beans with Onions and Tomatoes

Give me a recipe with tomatoes and I am baking away. I have had my Falling Cloudberries for less than a week and it was time to start baking. How could I resist after flipping through the pages and looking at the the wonderful dishes. As I had indicated in my earlier review of the book, the chapters are divided into countries.

I came home from the beach and found this recipe that could be baked for dinner that night. The original recipe called for lima beans, I must confess I am just not a fan of legumes. I am not even sure if I really like garbanzo beans. If I am saying that I probably do not enjoy them too much-I like hummus-I just do not want them tasting like garbanzo beans. You probably think me strange for choosing a recipe with an ingredient I am not fond off. The photo hooked me in. I could not resist the beans simmering in the tomato juices. I do appreciate the nutritional value of beans and almost any food combined with the right ingredients tastes good.

My suspicions were right, given I was baking the beans with tomatoes, the tomatoes dominated the dish. I ended up liking this dish a lot. It is a great companion to any roasted or grilled meat dish.

BAKED GARBANZO BEANS WITH ONIONS AND TOMATOES (adapted from Falling Cloudberries, Baked Lima Beans with Onions, Tomatoes, and Parsley)

INGREDIENTS: serves 8 as a side dish
3 cups garbanzo beans (drain the liquid)
1 bay leaf
10 tablespoons olive oil
2 small red onions finely chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped
1/1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes and coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves

PREPARATION:

Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Gently saute the onions until they are lightly golden and softened, stirring so that do not stick. Remove from the heat and mix in a bowl with the celery, garlic, tomatoes and remaining olive oil. Mix in the beans and cover with tinfoil. Bake for about 45 minutes, checking to make sure the mixture does not dry out.

Falling Cloudberries: a world of family recipes review

This is one of my cookbooks that I recently purchased thank you to Sheila's magical powers over me inducing me to go on a book shopping spree. I have had my eye on Falling Cloudberries for awhile and finally I could no longer resist the temptation to purchase it.

Author Tessa Kiros has put together a beautiful collection of recipes and photos. The book is a potpourri of recipes of family recipes spanning the world. Kiros has given us her memories from a life in many countries and a collection of family recipes from a family that enjoyed their time in the kitchen. Her recipes travel the globe from Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa to Italy. She closes the book with a chapter titled A Suitcase of Recipes comprising of a reflection of her own travels and the gifts of friends she has found in these travels.

Born to a mother named Sirpa Tuula Kerttu Peiponen and a father named George it should come as no surprise that she has collected a kaleidoscope of recipes. Cooking was a tradition with both Kiros' grandparents and parents. From her Finnish mother Kiros learned the tradition of Scandinavian cooking, from her Greek-Cypriot father and his family she learned the flavors of Mediterranean cuisine. Add to this a childhood spent growing up in South Africa and another chapter is written into her book. Readers will be able to sample zabaglione semifreddo, fried potatoes and artichoke bottoms, lachmajou (middle eastern pizza) and Sipi's strawberry cake to name a few of the recipes. Even if you have no inclination to pull out a pot and turn on the oven you will find yourself wishing you could make all the recipes in the book.

Sometimes I choose my recipes by the photography and other times it is their names or ingredients that have seduced me to stand at my stove. How could you resist a cookbook titled "Falling Cloudberries". Everything about this book is enticing from the photography, to the ingredients, to the names of the recipes. Who would not want to bake risotto with artichokes and Italian sausage.

I have already made my first dish from the book. Her preparation directions were easy to follow and understand. While her recipes may be exotic the ingredients are quite commonplace.

This is a book that will spend many hours on my kitchen counter or on my bed side table. If you are looking for a gift for someone who enjoys cooking or collecting cookbooks I would highly recommend this book. I am sure your recipient will be as smitten with the book as I am. This time please judge the book by its cover.

Thank You to Those Who Stopped By Ruby Loves Adventure

Yesterday I asked people to stop by Ruby loves Adventure and let her know we were thinking about her during the stormy weather she was receiving in the Philippines. She has been wet and had some adventure. So thank you for stopping by and letting her know we were thinking of her. She wrote a post about the last few days.