Easy Recipe- Leftover Casserole

     We had dribs and drabs of several meals , so Bob  made a leftover casserole  . He called paella casserole because he put in:
 Yellow Rice,
 a little bit leftover of canned shrimp
 a little bit of chopped ham
 one can chopped tomatoes
 He also added a partial can of yellow corn

 We stuck in the oven, and during the last 10 minutes we put some shredded Cheddar cheese,  It was quite tasty!  We baked it for 30 minutes at 350, served with applesauce. 

Making Easter Gifts!

   Every year I try to make a little something for all the girls( my Mom, my sistier and sister in law's , my niece,  ) So this year I decided to make pot holders ( again) . But I figured you can never have to many potholders. I did most of this by hand and then finished them up by machine.  I used blues , yellows, and pinks- all the springy colors.
  I find it very relaxing to do both hand and machine sewing. Usually they come out very nice. So I have a nice handmake gift to f give that is also useful!  What could be better than that?

Decorating for Easter

 Last year we had some decorations we put up.  This year , with our new living room arrangement, we have several more places to decorate.  Our 'dining area' looks so great with the table in front of the window and our Easter placemats . Check it out to see how good it looks!

  Then in the kitchen   with our new table ( from Christmas tree shop)  we have another set of placemats that also look very springy and great for Easter!  All of these placemats we got several years ago when they were on sale for $1.00 each so they are really very budget friendly!

Cook Book Review- Sheet Pan Dinners

    This cookbook, Sheet Pan Dinners ( Gilbert , 2014) provides excellent ideas for an easy way to get dinner on the table with not a lot of cleanup.  Molly Gilbert , who began as a blogger of Dunkandcrumble.com has an easy going style. Her recipes are divided into chapters with like entrees. I want to try them all!

   The recipes are short with mostly just a few ingredients that you may already have on hand, or can easily get. Nothing to exotic or fancy or expensive.  I really like the fish and chicken recipes because that is what we mostly eat.  Soy Mustard Salmon & Broccoli and Honey Orange Shrimp with Bok Choy are fabulous!
Pepperoni French Bread pizza ( and our own variations) are a regular Friday night staple at our house.

  The sides section is also great because it helps you come up with some new and different side dishes. They are easy to prepare , throw in the oven, and easy to clean up.

  Any way I think this is a great book.  And a wonderful shower gift. get this book, a sheet pan, make  pot holders and you are good to go!

Book Review- A Touch of StarDust

   Julie Crawford heads to California with dreams of being a screenwriter in the early 1930's.  Julie lands a job ( but not as a screenwriter) for a demanding producer David O. Selznick , who is busy directing  "Gone with the Wind". She meets Carol Lombard and then goes to work as her assistant. Carol marries Clark Gable and Julie becomes involved in their lives.
  And Andy. Andy Weinstein works also for David o. Selznick in the fast paced movie environment

 Based on memoirs of Carol Lombard and  Sam Jaffe ( Movie agent & Producer) this novel shows how the movie business was during those early days of big movies.   The story reads easily and is interesting twists and turns  lead to a finally satisfying conclusion .  

Book Review- The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell- Book Review

   Part biography, part fiction, The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell ( Klaber, St. Martins Press, 2013) tells the story of Lucy Ann and her struggles to live as she wanted.   Set mostly in Sullivan  County , NY and nearby Pa, there are many references to places that I am well aware of. So part of this was why I enjoyed the book so much.
    Lucy Ann walked away from her home to escape  a marriage that we did not want .  She dressed as a man, and took jobs that were men's jobs . She wanted to be able to provide a good life for the daughter she had left behind with her parents and siblings.
    Lucy Ann worked as a cook's helper, a dance and violin teacher, and enjoyed the company of men who were prominent in the different communities she lived in.

   Klaber researched Lucy's life with  help from an old friend, and weaves facts into fciotnw in an easy read to describe Lucy Ann defied conventions of a 19th century women . This is an easy and informative read for those who like historical fiction and  women's rights.

ReadifForward.com

      Readitforward.com is a very interesting and exciting site. It is a great place to discover new books that have just been released . It is also a site where users can 'read it forward" and tell other readers when you discover a books that you absolutely love.

    On Readitforward , you can discover the next best seller even before it is out in books stores and libraries.  Weekly, there are behind the scenes  articles from authors and booksellers.
Also each week,  there is a Read it first giveaway. You can enter for a chance to win an advanced reader copy.

   There are two weekly newsletters that you can subscribe to: Read it forward book giveaways and what we are reading.  Other tabs on the main page to check out are: author essays, your reading life, bonus book content, and most read blog posts.

   Check this out and see if it is for you.
  

Book Bub- for those who do ereading!

Book Bub is a free daily email that gives you notices about ebooks with a deep deep discount.  ( like 2.99, 1.99 &; .99)  There are many categories  to choose from : mysteries, actions, advice, biographies, children, cooking, historical fiction, history, horror , just to name a few.

  Book Bub features bestsellers and bestselling authors and books that have received good reviews from both critics and readers.  You can customize the types of books that you receive emails about.

  There are also links to Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble,  apple books, & Goggle p[play so you can easily get the ebook for your specific device.

  At the bottom of the page, you can see links to free ebooks and free kindle books.  There is a bookbub blog which has informative and easy to read articles  about books and authors.   Also on the blog are tabs with must read articles, book lists by categories, links to most popular posts and quotes from authors and best selling books.

Book Bub is a great place to explore if you read a lot of ebooks!

More photos from Taco Night!

 I fianlly got the photos on so I could share with you! I did a lot of figureing out before I could do that.

 Here is the salsa making  part of it! We did  tomatoes, onions, a few slivers of green peppers, and hot sauce,

Making Taco Bowls

 Last week we made taco bowls.  They were so much fun, Unfortunately my photos did not come out so well  but I will show you what I did get.  We got these taco bowl makers at Aldi , and Bob made them ahead of time.    You just  brush with a little olive oil or use some pam type spray,  They bake for about 4 to  6 minutes and they are done.   Here are the finished products  still cooling on the sheet pan.

Then we made the taco seasoned  ground turkey which also come out good.  And  last but not least , Bob used the Ninja and made his own salsa from tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

 That night we had a taco bar with shredded lettuce. cheese,  salsa and chips . It was tasty !

Ninja Blender- Review

     I love my Ninja blender !  As you can see from the photos it is well used!  ( and abused) . My husband accidentally dropped it  and then glued it back together again. ( craft glue)

     I have made hummus, bread dough,  roll dough,  pizza dough, and bean dip. There is a 2 level blade, a dough paddle, and a batter paddle. We have this bowl ( shown below) and also a larger bowl that holds more  food.

   My husband like to make smoothies in the morning- The smoothie usually has milk, an egg,  a banana and a little Honey or agave.  Sometimes he also adds strawberries if we have them.

    The machine is wonderful- it crushes , blends, and even whips( I have not tried that yet)    We got a cook book with the machine and have also got another Ninja book.   Ours was purchased from Kohl's when it was on sale and when we had  a coupon for money off.