Morning Meanderings… A Book Sale and A Bike Ride

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)52 Comments

Good morning!

Yesterday was a blast at the Brainerd book sale.

I arrived around 6:50 am and secured the first spot at the sale as per crazy book girl tradition. 😛

First three cars in the library parking lot!

Soon to follow – two of my awesome friends joined me at the 7:00 am hour.  YAY to Dawn and Amy!

Here we are – me, Dawn, and Amy…. holding down the first three spots tot the sale.  Did I mention it did not open until 9 am?  😛

As the hour neared 9 am… the line wrapped around the library.  They let in the first 50, then as people leave the sale, they replace them with people still waiting.  It is quite the system 😀

And then we were in and it was AWESOME!  Paperbacks and hard covers alike are 50 cents a piece.  Here is my haul:

I am thrilled with my take away!  I am excited especially about City Of Ashes, the Margaret Atwood books (I have yet to read her…) and Anita Shreve’s Weight Of Water – which many of you have said is one of Shreve’s best.  I am hopeful that many of these other titles are incredible too… I just dont know it yet!  😀

Tomorrow morning I go on probably my favorite bike ride of the year, the Camp Benedict Ride.  Two days… 150 miles… possibly 175 if I do the optional 100 the first day, which I really hope to do as I have not ever done a century in one day before and that was the plan at the MS ride in June, but unforeseen happenings made that not be possible.  😀

One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

This book sat on my shelf for YEARS and I just never got around to it.

Then I seen it on audible.com and bought it to listen to on audio…. now

with tears in my eyes, I wonder what took me so long.

Sheila

Jake Bryan was a God-fearing man.  He loved his wife Jamie, and his daughter Sierra with all of his heart.  Jake was a fireman in New York City but made it a point to always be home to put his daughter to bed, and spend time with his wife.

Eric Micheal’s was a business man through and through.  When early in their marriage he and his wife Laura,lost their new-born daughter right after she was born.  They were told if they had brought Laura in earlier for more care, they could have prevented this but at the time they did not have the insurance to help pay for doctors appointments.  Eric vowed never again would they be in want of anything.  Now, years later, Eric works all the time…. working his way up the corporate ladder and not looking back.. barely noticing that he is leaving his beautiful blond wife and 6-year-old son behind.  Eric once believed in God – but since his one day old daughter died, Eric really had no time for a God who did not deliver.  Time after all was money.. and money was security.

Then, one Tuesday in September, Eric was on a business trip in New York at the World Trade Center when a plane mysteriously hit the other tower.  Baffled, Eric watches the smoke billow from the building and calls home to tell his wife what happened.  When she asks him to leave the building, he says there is no need – he is safer where he is and continues his work…

just as a second plane comes on to the TV screen aiming for the tower he is in, as his wife screams “Eric!  Watch out!”

and then

silence.

Hours later on this September day, Jamie receives a phone call.  Jake has been found… alive.  He is in the hospital and he has amnesia.  Jamie is so grateful, but Jake does not recognize her.  And as days turn into months, Jamie’s heart breaks again and again as the man in her home tries to remember… but can’t.  And odd flashes are coming to him… of a blond woman… and a little boy….

Twin Towers.... coming up on ten years.

When I recently found this book on audible.com I was thrilled to finally get to know what this book was all about.  When I announced on the Monday What Are You Reading Meme that I would be listening to this, Martha from Martha’s Bookshelf commented that she was about to listen to this too… we teamed up to do our reviews together.

One Tuesday Morning is a phenomenal read centered around the events of September 11th and the tragedy of The World Trade Center.  Author Karen Kingsbury does a wonderful job of handling a hard subject with great care.  The words play out and word after word, I find myself there…experiencing it almost again, but from a different view.  A few times, this book brought me to tears.

One of the questions I had asked Martha for her review was did she find this book believable?  To answer this myself, I did.  What happens in this book through the terror and the grief, and the hope for a miracle… I could see something like this happening. 

Martha asked me if I felt the faith based issues were blended easily into the story or if they felt forced (more preachy).  I would say… a little of both.  For me, I like faith based books with some meat to them – not fluff and all is right with the world…. real life issues, messy even and I think Karen Kingbury delivered… after all, we do have a mix up of identities and a man living with another mans wife -falling in love with her.   There were a few moments in the book that felt a little forced, but I would not say over done – just enough for me notice the push. 

It’s not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one.  Even if you are not a reader of Christian Fiction I think you would find this book a great read.  There are two more books in this series, and I will go on to read the second one Beyond Tuesday Morning, because I loved the characters and seeing what happens next is very appealing to me.  However – you don’t need to feel that this book left you hanging on for another book… it doesn’t.  You could easily stop right here with this one as it comes to a wonderful close.

Please check out Martha’s review – I asked her a couple of question for her review and thought she had great answers.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include One Tuesday Morning

I purchased this from audible.com

Morning Meanderings… BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Good Morning!  😀

Up early… prepping to go the library sale that opens at 9.  A couple of friends and I are going and we will be there around 7, just because it is so fun to get our lawn chairs and COFFEE CUPS and hang out like we are waiting for concert tickets.  It really is the event to be at this morning.  😛

Yup – had to mention it.  Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming in September.  LOVE THIS.  It is a fun time to recognize some of your favorite blogs/bloggers as well as a time to meet some new.  I am all about community so this is AWESOME!!!

Be sure to stop be the BBAW website to register so you can vote and participate.  You will also be able to check out the categories so you will be able to start thinking about who you would nominate for what.  😛

Here are the categories – but please go and check them out on the BBAW category page as well.

Featured Categories

Best Written Book Blog
This blog is consistently well-written, clear, and engaging, no matter what the subject.

Best Author Interviews
This blogger does his or her research and asks the questions no one else does. These interviews are top-notch. Note that this award reflects the quality of the interviews, not the popularity of the person being interviewed.

Best New Book Blog
This blog was launched on or after September 1, 2010. The blogger has already made his or her mark in terms of the quality of the reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content on the blog; it’s hard to imagine the book blogging world without this blogger.

Best Book Blog Meme
This weekly or monthly meme is one that you never miss. You look forward to contributing on a regular basis and/or to reading the participants’ posts.

Best Book Blogging Event
This event, whether it focuses on blogging, reading, collecting reviews, or building community, inspires everyone to join in. It brings bloggers together for fun, learning, reading, or mutual support and help.

Best Book Blog Feature or Series of Posts
This weekly or monthly feature is something that an individual blogger does on a regular basis, but that does not include the community participation of a meme.

NICHE Categories

Best Eclectic Book Blog
This blog doesn’t specialize in any one book genre. It is known for consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in a variety of genres.

Best Kidlit Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content for books written for young children through middle-grade readers.

Best Young Adult Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content for books written for a young adult audience.

Best Nonfiction Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in nonfiction. It may cover a variety of areas or focus on one particular field.

Best Speculative Fiction Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in fantasy, science fiction, horror, and/or paranormal books. The blog may cover several of these subgenres or just one.

Best Literary Fiction Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in literary fiction.

Best Classics Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in classics.

Best Romance Book Blog
This blog offers the best reviews and specialized content in romance books of any subgenre, from historical to contemporary.

Best Historical Fiction Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in historical novels. For the purposes of this award, consider historical anything from 1945 (World War II) and older.

Best Mystery/Suspense/Crime Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in mysteries, suspense, and/or crime. The blog may cover several of these subgenres or just one.

Best Horror/Thriller Book Blog
This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in horror and/or thrillers. This blog may cover both of these subgenres or just one.

Best GLBT Lit Book Blog
This blog features the best reviews and specialized content in GLBT books. This blogger may or may not self-identify as a member of the GLBT community, but he or she focuses on GLBT literature on the blog

Best Cultural Book Blog
This blog features the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in books and/or authors of a *specific* cultural identity. This blogger may or may not self-identify with the culture featured on the blog but focuses on that culture’s literature.

Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Nonfiction Book Blog
This blog features the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in the graphic medium.

Best Publishing/Industry Blog
This blog features the best content on the publishing industry and is written by an industry professional.

Best Published Author Blog
This blog features the best content written by an author. This is an author who keeps an active blog that engages his or her readers.

Best Spiritual, Inspirational, or Religious Book Blog
This blog features the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content on books that address a life of faith. This blog is not necessarily associated with an organized religion and may discuss either fiction or nonfiction books.

Best Audiobook Blog
This blog features the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content on audiobooks.

Best Poetry Blog
This blog features the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in poetry.

Best Bookstore Blog
This blog is associated with a retail bookstore, offering book news, staff recommendations, and other content of interest to people who love to shop for books.

Best Bookish Miscellaneous Blog
This blog has a specific focus that is related to books, but doesn’t include reviews of books. It might focus on book cover design, books in culture, trends in books, hidden treasures in books, etc.

 

I have to start thinking about my nominations as well.  😀

Have a great day – I have to go get ready for the sale…. pics of the haul and the event will be up tomorrow in the meandering…. I mean… in the morning 😀

Between by Jessica Warman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Elizabeth Valchar rocks the three “P’s”… pretty, popular, and perfect.  She has six close friends, all of them who come to celebrate her eighteenth birthday with a little partying and a sleep over on her family yacht.  In the wee hours of the following morning, Elizabeth is awakened by a thumping sound.  Annoyed that she is the only one who seems disturbed by it she slips out on to the yachts deck to investigate…

what she finds, changes everything.  What she thought she knew about life, her friends, and everything in between…. all comes to a halt after she discovers the

“thump thump thump”

Two other covers I found on line... I prefer the one on my book which is the one I used for this post


Ok really?  How could I read a synopsis that includes a mysterious thump thump thump and not want to know more?  What goes thump?  How does it change Elizabeth forever?

Well… that’s for me to know and you to find out.  😛

I picked up this book in May at BEA.  I was drawn to the cover immediately…was it a paranormal thriller?  Dystopia?  definitely YA…. yet it went into my book box and remained there until a few days ago when I noticed this book was coming up for release on August 1st.  When I pulled it out of the box and read the synopsis I was instantly pulled in.  I had to know and yes, a couple of books were sat to the wayside so I could pull this one to the front. 

It’s been a long time since a book kept me up late into the wee hours of the morning, but that is what happened with Between. 

Elizabeth’s character in short order reminded me a bit of Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall.  In my review of Before I Fall I had to laugh because I started that review almost the same as I did this one… in that book it was Samantha that has the looks, the popularity… and she too was in for a rude awakening (ok… that may not be the best word…. 😉 )

Elizabeth, while stuck on herself, is likable.  She is quick to see the error of her ways, and I found I liked her and trying to solve the mystery behind the thump (you got it – I am not giving it away! 😛 )  A secondary character comes into play early on, and Alex who also attended Elizabeth’s school and was quit the opposite of Elizabeth, poor, unpopular…. becomes almost as much of a lead character as Elizabeth is herself. 

It’s hard to write about this review without giving moments away that while are given up early in the read, are so good to discover on your own – I don’t wish to be the one who tells you.  😛 

Between will surprise you.  Occasionally I thought I had it all figured out and then a couple of pages later I felt I knew nothing again.  Author Jessica Warman is able to keep her readers on their toes with every turn of the page.  A YA read that was just the perfect mix of mystery with a sprinkle of paranormal.

 

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

 

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include Between

I received this book at BEA in May 2011

Morning Meanderings… A Book To Win… A Sale To Conquer!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Good morning!

What’s happening in your corner of the world?

Pretty normal around here.  😀  The weather has been nice, 80’s but not killer humid, and other than work this week, I have done a little house keeping and DEVOURED the book Between by Jessica Warman (which was released yesterday).  My review will be up yet today.

Are you a Shelf Awareness reader?  I love this little email I receive on weekdays by 7 am.  It lists book and author reviews, book store happenings, upcoming bookish news, and usually a chance to win a book or two.  This morning they announced a little incentive for others to sign up:

Subscribe to Shelf Awareness and enter to win a free book!

Since I had nothing witty or spectacular to say this morning… I am going with the Shelf Awareness sign up.  😛  I will put this in my sidebar too for those who are interested, get on board by clicking and entering…. you wont be sorry. 

In other news, the big Brainerd Library sale is tomorrow morning at 9 am.  I will be there by 7 am.  Yes, as a freind of the library I could have helped set up the sale and get first pick of the books… but if you know me… I like the adventure of the hunt.  Besides, as I told my friend on the phone yesterday, they may frown apon how many books I would like to have “first pick” at. 

I will take my chances in the crowd.  😀

Here is what happened last fall during the wait for this sale:

Waiting for Library Sale August 2010

 

Whats the craziest thing you have ever done for a book/ author event?

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Darcy was born beautiful.  Really… it’s true.  Just ask her.  She will be the first to tell you that she is perfect.  She loves that men find her attractive so it’s no big surprise that she is stunned to find that her fiance friend Marcus takes work.  Oh but never fear, Darcy continues to work her magic until she gets her way… only to be truly shocked and offended when she finds out fer fiance Dex, has also found his way to another… her best friend Rachel.

Oh the nerve of some people!  While yes, Darcy to has cheated with Marcus (more than once but really who is counting) she is still appalled to think that Dex and Rachel had done the unthinkable to her.  Yes… once again it is all about Darcy…

and as the title suggests….

she turns out to be pregnant with Marcus’s child… a child he does not want… and in fact he’s pretty tired of Darcy’s uppity ways as well.  Darcy quickly finds herself without a place to stay, so she packs her bags and goes to London to stay with her writer friend Ethan… only the life lessons continue as Ethan’s flat isn’t “all that” and he is not about to put up with selfish behavior.

Oh whats a girl to do…. and a pregnant one at that….

The character of Darcy is desribed as 5' 9" and 124 pounds. I had to Google such a body type to get a visual... and here she is .... "A Darcy"

Occasionally I enjoy a bit of a fluff read.  Just a fun, no thinking involved read.  When I found this audio on Amazon I thought I would give this audio a try.   A series of emotions came forth as I listened to this audio:

disbelief

annoyance

horrified

disgusted

cautiously optimistic

passive

accepting

Ugghhh…. it’s almost like the stages of grief.  😛  I started out not liking Darcy at all.  Really there was nothing to like.  She is an extremely self-centered character who only cared about making sue all men had eyes only for her, always wanting what she could not have until she got it… and then drinking while pregnant just about pushed me over the edge.  Fictional character or not, I was about to take Darcy out. 

Then…. slowly…. she began to change, in an almost predictable way, she learns the errors of her ways and well… you will just have to read it to see exactly what that means.

This is the sequel to Something Borrowed which I have not read.  ( I heard it was a movie and I was going to try to see it before I listened to this audio but I did not… I still may watch it at some point.) However I don’t think I missed anything by diving into this one, the characters were easy to figure out where they stood. 

In recap…. I didn’t hate it.  It actually grew on me a bit.  Not so much as I would pursue the series, but in the end I may have been able to have lunch with Darcy without stabbing her in the neck with my fork. 

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I have updated the 2011 WHERE Are You reading map to include Something Blue

I purchased this audio from Amazon


Morning Meanderings… Its Going To Be A Big Book Week

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Good morning! 😀

This past weekend I was up North with a couple of friends.  It is a tradition to go the last weekend of July and one of the reasons I love this trip is the Silver Bay Book Sale.  Yup, at 8:45 am on Saturday the three of us waited in a short line to get in the library when the doors opened at 9. 

Here is what I walked out with:

Now to bad at a 25 each on the paperbacks and $1.00 for the hard cover.   Two books I am really excited about are Shanghai Girls as I have yet to read Lisa See and A Night To remember because I am fascinated with all things Titanic.

Brainerd’s library sale is this Thursday.  It is a much bigger sale and I am quite sure I will have a larger pile than this to post on Friday.  😛 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)92 Comments

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between!  D  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too!  As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme.  I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited.  **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

Last weeks winner:

Joy from Joy’s Book Blog


WOO HOO!!!!  Please choose an item out of the Reading Cafe Grab Shelves  and email me your choice with your mailing address as well!   journeythroughbooks@gmail.com

In case you wonder why I offer a book giveaway for those who visit others who do this meme, it is because I LOVE community.  Book Blogging is all about sharing our love for books with one another.  By visiting some of the other participants – you never know where you may find that next awesome read – or a blog that becomes one that you want to read more often.  :D

This past week was a short week as I took off Thursday to go to the North Shore with a couple of friends.  I took a book along but have very little reading time and left Lap Top at home, which is unheard of… but I needed a break from the internet :D.  Here is what I accomplished this past week:


Good Bye Happy Potter song and VLOG winner (SO FUNNY AND SO GOOD!!!)


Fire Monks by Colleen Morton Busch


Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo (audio review)

The Best Book Club Picks Mid Way Through The Year


What Can I Bring? Cookbook by Anne Byrn and a chance to win a copy!

That was the week.  Now this week I am looking forward to the following:

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family’s yacht, where she’d been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, one that is also a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

First of all… what is the thumping noise?  I really want to know!  This book releases to the public on Tuesday!  Diving in today!

 

 

 

 

15-year-old Devon has been a good student and an outstanding soccer player, and her life is all about control and not messing up. But as the story (Viking, 2009) by Amy Efaw opens, Devon is found by the police lying on her family sofa, bloody after giving birth to a baby which was found in the dumpster by a passerby. The story moves through Devon’s arrest, her confusion about what is happening to her, and the preliminary court proceedings to determine whether she will be tried as an adult for attempted murder or in juvenile court. Rebecca Soler does a fine job of varying her voice to reflect Devon’s various states of consciousness and conscience. Most prominent is the flatness of Devon’s voice as she responds to the demands and interactions of those around her, such as her lawyer, who loses patience at Devon’s resistance to assist in her defense.

I have heard good things about this one!  I am really looking forward to starting it.

 

 

 

 

More the gourmand than the gourmet, former New York Times food critic Bruni takes us through his love/hate relationship with food and catalogues everyone who ever fed him and what they served, every diet he went on and his fraught—even dangerous—relationship with food in this excellent memoir. Bruni is a talented reader with an intelligent voice, a perfect pace, impish humor and a contagious passion for his topic. Dieters may crumble under the weight of so many lavish descriptions of luscious treats, but Bruni’s frank depiction of his eating disorders and his charismatic delivery make for memorable listening.

This is another memoir that sounds fun and interesting. 

 

 

 

 

I think that is where I will leave it for this week as my weekend is really full next weekend with a 150 mile bike ride and reading during that time will be slim. 

Now I want to know what you are reading!  Please leave your link to your “What Are You Reading” below where it says “click here”. 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

 

Oh and one more thing…. this is my 98th Monday What Are You Reading so in two weeks for the 100th we are going to up the fun…. mark your calendar 😀

What Can I Bring? Cookbook by Anne Byrn (And a Chance to win a copy of this book!)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)75 Comments

Over 200 great-tasting, easy to tote dishes for parties, picnics, potlucks, barbeques, holiday dinners, and any get- togethers.

I purchased this book recently on a  trip to the North Shore.  Browsing through the books being offered in one of the many (MANY) touristy type gift shops… my eyes landed on this book.  It was pricey, (I can tell you I paid over double what I see it is on sale for at Amazon now…) but I really was drawn to this book.

I am that girl who has a stand by item or two that I bring to every outing we are invited too.  One is my baked bean dish.  You know the one that has baked beans, bacon, lima beans, hamburger…. yup that’s my “go to” dish to bring to outings… when I have time to mess with it.  When I do not have time, I make my fresh salsa and grab a bag or two of good tortilla chips. 

Nothing that I bring is “the dish”.  I am not the coveted person that has to attend because what I bring makes the party.  Nope, if not for my witty and fun personality, I may not be invited at all ( ha ha – I jest).  I think…. 😯

So now you see the need for this book to get into my hands.  Hard cover, square, appealing to the eye book with almost 500 pages of ideas…. I could not wait to read!

Author Anne Byrn is known to millions of fans through her Cake Mix Doctor, The Chocolate Cake Doctor, and Dinner Doctor cookbooks. She has had over 200 television appearances on Good Morning America, Roker on the Road, QVC, as well as local stations.

Ok… in my opinion, this book is a rave!  From fun down to earth parties like back yard potlucks and kids parties, to house-warming gifts, or something a little more formal this book covers it all from, packaging, transporting, serving…  LOVE IT.  Each page has a right side bar space to record who you made the recipe for, prep notes, what not to forget, special touches and if this is an item you should bring again.  It is a book that makes me want to go through and try everything just so I can make notes.  😀

So here are a few little items that caught my eye (there were many more…. but this is a sample)

 

 

French Toast Slices (to be used for bruschetta, or spreads)

Slice a loaf of French bread diagonally about 1/4 inch thick.  You should get two to three dozen slices depending on loaf size.  Place on baking sheet and lightly brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle bread lightly with kosher salt (if desired), or dust with Parmesan cheese before baking.  Bake at 400 until slices are crisp and browned – 15 to 18 minutes.  These will store in plastic bags for up to three days.

(I may make this tonight to go along with spaghetti)

 

 

 

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 large head of iceberg lettuce

 1 tablespoon vegie oil

1 pound ground chicken

3 med garlic coves, minced

1 cup chopped scallions (green part only from a bunch)

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

4 tsp. soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian (dark) sesame oil

3/4 cup finely chopped water chestnuts

Fresh cilantro (optional)

Use a small paring knife and cut the core out of lettuce.  Wash and dry on paper towels. 

Place the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Combine in the chicken, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until the chicken is cooked through – 4 to 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Stir in the scallions, ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and water chestnuts.  Cook this filling over medium low heat stirring until it bubbles and is heated through – 2 to 3 minutes.  Keep the filling warm if you are serving immediately. 

When ready to serve, carefully pull apart the head of lettuce to separate the leaves.  Pat the leaves dry with paper towels and pile them around the outer edge of a large platter.  There should be at least 12 large leaves.  Spoon chicken filling into the center of the platter and garnish with cilantro.  Serve at once.  To eat – spoon chicken mixture into lettuce leaf and wrap the lettuce around it and eat like a burrito. 

Ok scrap the spaghetti idea for tonight… I may try this one instead if I can find the Hoisin sauce.

 

 

 

Taco Ring

*you can prep this ahead of time and not bake until you arrive to whatever event you made it for…)

For Taco Ring:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 – 2 pounds ground lean turkey or lean beef

2 packages taco seasoning

1 cup water

2 packages refrigerator crescent rolls (reg or reduced fat)

For serving:

reduced fat sour cream

shredded iceberg lettuce

chopped tomatoes

shredded cheddar cheese

Guacamole

Pre heat over to 375.  Place the olive oil, if using, in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the turkey or beef and break up with a wooden spoon.  Cook, stirring, until cooked through – 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the taco seasoning and stir to mix.  Then add the water.  Increase heat to medium high and cook stirring until all liquid has nearly evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.  Take off burner and set aside.

Unroll the crescent rolls; you will have 16 triangles of dough.  Place an ungreased baking sheet or pizza stone about 14 to 16 inches, ona work surface.  Arrange the dough with the large side of the triangles facing the center of the sheet and the points hanging over the edge.  Leave a 3 – 4 inch empty space in the center.  Press dough together where the triangles meet to connect them.

Spoon the turkey beef mixture in a ring on top of the joined dough, leaving the center empty (you can put a bowl of sour cream there when serving).  Carefully pull all the points of the of the crescent rolls, twisting them together to seal over the filling.  Do not get too fussy about this as after the taco ring bakes, it looks gorgeous no matter whether the filling os completely covered by the rolls. 

Bake the taco ring until golden brown – 20 to 25 minutes.  Let it cool 3 to 4 minutes before transferring to a serving platter.  If you do not have a platter large enough, cur sturdy cardboard into a large enough piece and cover with foil.  Put bowl of sour cream in the middle and arrange the rest of toppings in pretty little bowls around the ring.

*Note – it is just as easy to make two rings as it is one.  If baking later, cover with plastic wrap and keep cool.

Ok – scratch everything I said above… I am making this tonight!  😀

These few recipes are barely scratching the surface of the recipes that caught my eye in this book…. main dishes, sides, appetizers, desserts, breads, soups, marinades…. and party planning.   I will get many years of use out of this new treasure in my home.

 

To win a copy of this book:

In my excitement over my new find – I am offering a copy of this book to be mailed to one lucky commenter between now and Thursday morning.  Open internationally – I will mail directly to you from Amazon.  *Simply leave in the comment section what your favorite item is to take along to a potluck or gathering type event. 

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

The 2011 WHERE ARe You Reading map has been updated to include What Can I Bring? Cookbook

I purchased this book in Grand Marias Minnesota… “Mini” Girls Weekend

This review is part of Weekend Cooking – the awesome weekend meme

hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Morning Meanderings… I Am Back!!!! And stuff is going on!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)32 Comments

 

Good morning! 

*BIG sip out of COFFEE CUP*

I came back from the North Shore yesterday evening.  Two of my friends, Heidi and Sara, and I went to hang out at the cabin for a couple of days and do a little exploring around the small towns of Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Beaver Bay, Schroeder, Little Marais, and then the big town of Grand Marais. 

Me sitting on the rocks looking over Lake Superior

 

 

Tettegouche state park

It was a lot of fun just checking out the little shops…. in one I bought blueberry salsa (epic…. EPIC fail, so nasty!) and in another I bought a Mediterranean dip that made up for the grossness of the blueberry salsa.  I also – of course bought a couple of books while visiting the stores… one was:

I dove into this baby right away and plan to continue to do so today.  I may even have a review up today on it…. 

and I also picked up Secrets To Longevity… hundreds of ways to live to be 100:

Now before you fall off your chair laughing – its just a book of tips like – what spices and herbs relieve stress, what to eat to keep your memory strong, orange juice bulks up your bones….  anyway… I find this stuff interesting 😀

 

There was also a book sale at the Silver Bay Library which I try to attend every year.  But that -is a different post.  Lets just say…. it was successful.  😀

 

Now that I am back home I am going to spend a little time catching up on emails this morning ,write a review, shampoo my carpets at some point here… roller blade, and maybe take in a movie…. I have not decided yet. 

What are you doing with your Sunday?