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Canada's Diabetes Meals for Good Health

Canada's Diabetes Meals for Good Health
Includes Complete Meal Plans and 100 Recipes
by Karen Graham, RD, Certified Diabetes Educator

Paperback, 320 pages

For people diagnosed with diabetes, the world can seem all of a sudden much more restrictive and confusing. After all, what we eat is so very personal and we tend to eat for so many other reasons than just straight hunger.

Karen Graham is a registered dietitian and diabetes instructor who has put together a book to teach diabetics how to plan their meals and snacks for optimal health without sacrificing flavour.

She starts with the most important rule for healthy eating - make it yourself. Restaurants, especially fast food ones, don't got your back - if you know what I mean. Just by making your meals at home you can control the nutrients that you consume. Karen shows you how to put together meals so that you can balance these nutrients without feeling too restricted, and live a healthier life.

Sample meal plans include:

    Dinner #22: Sun Burger, Kale and Orange Salad, Dream Delight
    Dinner #30: Roti with Curried Filling, Cucumbers in Yogurt, Coconut Meringues
    Dinner #33: Thai Chicken, Poppy Seed Spinach Salad, Summer Fruit Cream
    Dinner #38: Pork Chop Casserole, Grilled Tomato, Mandarins and Cottage Cheese

Canada's Diabetes Meals for Good Health
Book has easy steps for:

    LOSING WEIGHT – More than a month of daily meal plans from 1,200 – 2,200 calories.
    MANAGING DIABETES – To help you manage your blood sugars.
    KEEPING YOUR HEART HEALTHY – Reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.
    REDUCING YOUR RISK FOR CANCER – Shows high fiber and nutrient-rich meals.
    HEALTHY LIVING – Lots of tips for making lifestyle changes in a positive way.

Book Includes:

    Beautiful life-size full-color photographs.
    70 CALORIE-EQUIVALENT MEALS.
        15 Breakfasts
        15 Lunches
        40 Dinners
        Hundreds of snacks
    100 everyday delicious recipes
    Nutrition information for each recipe – calories, carbohydrate, protein, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
    Diabetes exchanges (Food Choices) for each meal, as well as total carbohydrate and fiber.
    32-page guide at back of book shows food and beverage portions and helps you interpret food labels.

Try these sample recipes in your home, to see how simple taking control of your diet can be!

Prairie Quiche
The Prairies and Great Plains grow a large amount of the world’s wheat, which is ground into the flour that we bake into bread. Prairie Quiche has a bread crumb crust, which is much lower in calories and fat than a traditional pastry crust. The quiche takes about 45 minutes to prepare and cook, so it’s perfect when you have a carefree morning ahead. This recipe is delicious and satisfying, but because it’s high in fat it should be an occasional treat.

Makes 2 large or 3 small servings

1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) margarine or butter, to grease the casserole
1⁄3 cup (75 mL) dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 slices raw bacon, fat partly trimmed off, chopped
1⁄2 cup (125 mL) skim milk
Pinch of black pepper
3⁄4 cup (175 mL) sweet red pepper or broccoli (or a combination), chopped into small pieces
1⁄2 cup (125 mL) light shredded cheese

1.    Grease the sides and bottom of a 6-inch (15 cm) casserole dish with margarine or butter. Spread the bread crumbs on the bottom of the casserole dish.
2.    In a bowl, combine eggs, chopped bacon, milk, pepper and vegetables. Pour on top of the bread crumbs. Top with the shredded cheese.
3.    Bake in oven on the middle rack at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes.
4.    Once cooked, remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently remove slices with an egg turner.

A small glass of orange, apple, grapefruit or cranberry juice is served with the Prairie Quiche. Juice is an excellent source of vitamin C, but is a high source of natural sugar and lacks the fiber found in fresh fruit. It can be chosen for an occasional breakfast choice instead of a fresh fruit. (See page 13.)

Per 1⁄2 quiche
Calories    310
Carbohydrate    21 g
Fiber    2 g
Protein    20 g
Fat, total    16 g
Fat, saturated    7 g
Cholesterol    214 mg
Sodium    615 mg

Tip: Where shredded cheese is an ingredient in recipes, you can use a 4- or 5-blend, which may include cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and specialty cheeses.

Excerpted from by Diabetes Meals for Good Health, Second Edition by Karen Graham © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.


Chinese Stir-Fry

Makes 4 cups (1 L)
(2 large meal servings)

1 small onion
1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 to 6 cups (1 to 1.5 L) loosely packed vegetable pieces
3⁄4 cup/175 mL (or 6 oz/175 g) raw lean red meat, chicken or fish, thinly sliced
1 packet (4.5 g) reduced-salt chicken or beef bouillon mix
2 tbsp (25 mL) water
2 tsp (10 mL) cornstarch
1⁄4 cup (50 mL) cold water
1 tbsp (15 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce
1⁄4 tsp (1 mL) ground ginger

1.    Chop up or slice your onion, garlic and 4 cups (1 L) of
vegetables. I usually put in one bowl the vegetables
that need the most cooking, such as carrots and broccoli. In a second bowl I put the vegetables that need less cooking, such as bean sprouts. Put the bowls of vegetables to the side.
2.    Place the raw meat (or other protein choice) in your cold wok or frying pan. Sprinkle the bouillon mix on your meat and stir. Add 2 tablespoons (25 mL) of water. Heat up your wok or frying pan and cook for about 3 minutes. If you are using cooked leftover meat instead of raw meat, it doesn’t need to be cooked first.
3.    Add the onions, garlic and first bowl of vegetables. Stir at high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until cooked. Now add the second bowl of vegetables.
4.    In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) of cold water, soy sauce and ginger. Add this to your wok. Cook for another minute or two.

Per 1 cup (250 mL)
Calories    120
Carbohydrate    16 g
Fiber    3 g
Protein    12 g
Fat, total    2 g
Fat, saturated    0 g
Cholesterol    18 mg
Sodium    293 mg

Tip: Put your rice on to cook before you start making the stir-fry.

Excerpted from by Diabetes Meals for Good Health, Second Edition by Karen Graham © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
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Soleto: Solid Italian and Housemade Limoncello in Downtown LA

The South Park district in downtown Los Angeles is getting more and more exciting with two new restaurant openings. One of them is Soleto, an upscale Italian restaurant from the IDG Restaurant Group which took over the old Zucca space. Soleto is run by Executive Chef Sascha Lyon who is also in charge of the kitchen at Delphine.

I say it's upscale, but Soleto has a pretty great happy hour (M-F, 3-7pm), especially where the food is concerned. There were quite a few items that were all really cheap and good! The portion sizes are quite good as well. Here are some of the happy hour items we tried:

Shrimp Oreganato ($5)
IMG_0277
This whole pot of shrimp for $5? You can come here for an early dinner during happy hour and have a feast!

This Sauteed Calamari with Anaheim chili and tomatoes is also only $5!
IMG_0289
Much more interesting and better than the typical fried calamari.

I also recommend the Charred Cauliflower, Grana Padano, parsley ($3)
IMG_0286
Grana Padano is a hard Italian cheese, similar in texture to parmesan cheese but milder. You'll see this cheese in many of Soleto's dishes.

For drinks, there are sangria and "cello spritzer" (one of their housemade limoncellos/orange-cellos with soda) for $3.
OK, so that's happy hour. Now, on to dinner.

You won't really find duplicates from the happy hour menu here. The popular appetizers include Grilled Oyster Mushrooms, grana padano, white truffle lemon vinaigrette ($12)
IMG_0295
These earthy mushrooms were made even better with the sprinkling of grana padano cheese. I can definitely eat these all day.

Read more »
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Giveaway: Robert Mondavi Wants to Give You FREE GAS!

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Wines wants you to explore the beauties of the California Central Coast, where their Private Selection wines are made. You can take a virtual tour of the Central Coast by following their Facebook page, where they will showcase the best of Central Coast - food, views, and everything else. But why not take a trip and discover the region (or a place like the Central Coast closer to you) on your own? 
Robert Mondavi  wants you to! So, they want to give you a $25 gas card, which you can use to take a road trip to you nearest wine country. If you live in Southern California, that would be the Central Coast, but if you live in another state, just use to visit the equivalent of the Central Coast!


Oh, and I'm trying out this new widget for you to enter giveaways, so try it out below and let me know how that works out! Good luck!


*UPDATE: I realize that with the Punchtab giveaway widget, a lot of people were getting comment entries without actually commenting on the post. If your comment entry is picked but you didn't actually comment, I will redraw the winner. And I probably won't be using the punchtab widget again ..




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Armchair Novel Review: Let the Devil Sleep

Let the Devil Sleep
A Novel
Written by John Verdon

Hardcover, 464 pages
Also available as an eBook

Author John Verdon has been celebrated for bringing back the impossible puzzle mystery. He weaves a tight and taut story that will keep you guessing until the very end. 

Let the Devil Sleep is his third in the Dave Gurney series, following the critically acclaimed novels Think of a Number and Shut Your Eyes Tight. 

Dave Gurney is a highly decorated police detective who is trying to adjust to being a retired man of leisure in the upstate New York farmhouse that he shares with his wife Madeleine. 

Not well suited to boredom, Dave finds himself easily drawn deep into mysteries that challenge his mind and quite often his life. With connections to the police force, notably his friend and makeshift partner Jack Hardwick, Dave is able to tap into resources (however illegally) to help him solve these complex mysteries. 

In Let the Devil Sleep Dave has been contacted by an old friend, the very journalist who made him famous as a "Super-Cop" when he was on the force. Her daughter is doing her thesis on a well-known serial killer from ten years ago, The Good Shepherd, and her project is being picked up by a large media empire. Dave is talked into going along with her to the interviews as an adviser, and soon finds himself immersed in a puzzle so deep that his very own life is at stake as well as the lives of those he holds dear. 

Let the Devil Sleep is the most personal of the Dave Gurney books and a great keep-you-up-late read. 

Visit John Verdon's website here. 
John Verdon's facebook page
Read an excerpt of Let the Devil Sleep
To read his recently published essay on the appeal of novels featuring serial killers, click here.
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About Me {I Should Have Done This A LONNNNNG Time Ago!}

Why hello there!

Welcome to my blog, and thanks for reading and caring what I have to say. I appreciate you taking the time to check out my little corner of the blog world. Hope you like what you see!

My name's Desiree (you can call me Desi or Des for short) and I am a 28 year old girl, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I'm currently working towards my Masters degree in community counseling at Xavier University, where I also went for my undergrad. I'm loyal like that :)





















I am engaged to my wonderful fiancee, PJ, whom I have been dating for 12 years - yep, we're high school sweethearts. See? Loyal, I told ya. You'll be hearing about him all the time I'm sure. He is always a part of my cooking endeavors.















Pictures like this happen a lot with us. Closed eyes, blurry, or eyes wide open  :) And no, we really aren't wine drinkers. This was a rare occasion.
















We bought our first house a few years back and I am still trying to make it into a home. I'm not really the crafty, decorating type, but I want to be, so I love catching up on all kinds of crafty home blogs. And fashion blogs. But mainly food blogs of course!!

I started this blog originally to review new restaurants that I wanted to try. Then I came across this blog one day and fell in love. I knew that I had to be doing that too. So then I started cooking more and adding those recipes to the blog. So that is what this blog focuses on...  recipes and restaurant reviews, with a little randomness from me here and there.

I also enjoy writing stories and poetry. You can check out my poetry blog where I share a little bit of my own poetry as well as others I like.

A few words to describe me....  I'm indecisive, messy, a night owl, emotional, guarded at times, an introvert, shy, impatient, stubborn, sarcastic, and pessimistic at times, yet loyal, detailed, empathic, silly, intelligent, hard working, friendly, humble, mature yet a kid at heart, open-minded, and thoughtful.


Things I like:
    the color pink
    elephants
    monkeys
    reality tv
    Parenthood (I cry on every episode!!!)
    Monday Mornings
    The Walking Dead
    Bachelor and Bachelorette .... yes I just listed 4 shows, and reality tv, and dvr
    DVR - I can't imagine a world without it now
    scarves
    books
    bookstores
    cookbooks
    school (nerd alert!)
    celebrity gossip magazines
    grilling out
    lists and crossing things off them
    making up my own words
    collecting sunglasses
    babies
    kayaking
    Aaliyah
    margaritas
    Bud Lite Lime
    UFC
    Pro football + The Bengals (Who Dey!)
    blogging
    Dr. Pepper
    bacon
    breakfast food
    steak n potatoes  :)


Things I dislike:
    cleaning
    racist people
    arrogant people 
    being on time (if you know me, you know this all too well, and I'm sorry!)
    public speaking
    bugs
    snakes
    exercising
    the dentist
    things that replace books (Kindle, E-Readers)
    bad customer service
    slow drivers (ok I don't dislike you, actually. My fiancee is one of them, so obviously I like him.  I like you and all, I just may cuss you out on the road if you are driving too slow for my likings. We can still be friends though.)


Now on to the important people in my life. I've already told you about PJ, my #1 and also my main taste tester.

















Also my Mama, whose good ole Southern cooking has influenced me deeply. Love that woman, she's pretty amazing. I would do anything for her, she deserves the world!

















My brother Jr is very important to me and we are pretty close, even though we are 15 years apart. I like to take some of my treats over to him and he's always thankful.

















I also get to dote on my niece Kalyn, who is about to turn 18 this year. I can't believe that I can remember when she was born! Aka I'm getting old.













I love my Daddy too, of course. He likes to supply me with goodies from his garden. He doesn't like his picture taken though so...


PJ's mother, Amy,  (my future mother-in-law) is so supportive of my blog and just the sweetest lady ever! She can cook some good food, too.















And of course my bestie, Marcey. We have so much fun shopping, checking out bookstores, eating, and enjoying some alcoholic beverages together.

















I'm sure you'll be hearing about some other great friends and family too but these are the main ones in my life that I tend to talk about on the regular.

Well, that's just a little bit about me. I hope you'll subscribe to my posts so you can get to know me a little better, and never miss a recipe  :)


So glad you're here!


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Nieve de Mango con Limon

Nieve is Spanish for snow, which I - as a Canadian - was able to glean from its resemblance to the French word Niege. Nieves are icy treats that help keep Mexicans cool in a hot climate and I am all for that!

We have had banner heatwaves already up here in the Great White North. Actually, we seem to see less and less white up here year round. I think I shovelled three times last winter. Not that I am complaining. Rain is so much easier to deal with than snow. Than heat, actually.

But heat we have so I have to make my own snowy treats to cool down. Like this Nieve de Mango con Limon. Wow, mango sorbet sounds so much sexier in Spanish.

I made mine as Rick directs, though I omitted the orange rind, used frozen mango pieces and brown sugar - as that is what I had on hand. I'm all for using what you have! I also used my ice cream maker - because I have one. If you don't - use the scraping directions below.

The ice is so wonderfully delicious! The lime is just enough to perk up the mango and tickle the tastebuds. This would also be wonderful at the bottom of a long glass, topped with prosecco or cava. Mmm, now that's a summer treat!

Mango Lime Ice
Nieve de Mango con Limon

Rick Bayless, Frontera Recipes
Makes about 4 cups, enough for 6 to 8 healthy servings

Tropical fruit ices, fruit popsicles called paletas, ice milks and ice creams are a way of life in Mexico.  Places like Oaxaca are legendary for their slushy ices and ice milks in every flavor imaginable (avocado, corn, roses, burnt milk, even crumbled crispy pig skin), canisters of which are spun in salty ice baths, stirred occasionally with big paddles, then served as a thick slush or soupy granita.
 

Mango is the perfect fruit to choose when making an ice by the still-set (rather than an ice-cream machine) method, since its dense flesh turns out an almost creamy textured ice that’s tangy from the lime and just sweet enough to soothe a tongue that has enjoyed a lot of spiciness.  My thanks goes to Harold McGee in The Curious Cook for explaining the intricacies of making fruit ice.  Using this method, you’ll want to start the night before serving, or at least early in the day of your dinner.    RB 

Ingredients

4 large (2 1/4 pounds total) mangoes, peeled, fruit cut away from the pit and coarsely chopped (you need about 2 heaping cups)
The finely chopped zest (colored rind only) of 1 orange
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

In a food processor, combine the mangoes, orange zest, sugar, lime juice and 1 cup of water. Process to a smooth puree, then press through a strainer into a stainless steel bowl or 9x9-inch pan. Freeze until the mixture is firm 2 inches in from the sides, about 2 hours. Whip with an immersion blender or scrape into a food processor and process until slushy. Repeat the freezing and beating 2 more times, then freeze at least 1 hour before serving.

It is best to eat the ice within a day, because it will become progressively more icy. If the finished ice has been in the freezer for several hours, soften it in the refrigerator for half an hour before serving.

Variations and Improvisations.  This same process works well with 2 heaping cups of coarsely chopped, not-too-watery tropical fruits like mamey, guanabana, chirimoya, black zapote and chico zapote; they may not need as much lime juice to bring out their flavor. Guava is best cooked with the sugar until tender, then strained; it will need less lime juice. Juicier fruits like papaya, nectarine and peach should be used in larger proportions (2 1/2 heaping cups) with less water (about 2/3 cup). Sugar on all these versions can be varied, depending on the sweetness of the fruit, though if you eliminate too much, the ice will be icy.


Rick Bayless @IHCC button roundedIHCC
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The 4-Day LA Food and Wine Festival Returns Aug 9-12, Recap of 2011 Lexus Grand Tasting

The LA Food and Wine Festival is a four-day extravaganza with various lunches and dinners around town featuring celebrity chefs, with two days of a grand tasting event on Saturday and Sunday. This year's events include an Italian fiesta with Giada, an Asian Night Market with Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern, a champagne and caviar night, and dinners with Graham Elliott, Ming Tsai, the Voltaggio brothers, Michael Chiarello, etc.The full event listing can be seen here, and you can buy tickets for each event separately.

Oh, let's not forget the most important part. These events benefit St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels. They provide about 3000 meals a day for seniors!

Last year, thanks to Lexus, I was lucky enough to attend a lunch featuring the Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto at WP24, and one of the Lexus Grand Tasting Event. While most of the food festivals in LA features LA's best chefs and restaurants, the Lexus Grand Tasting Event brings some from out of town, so we get to try food from some of the best in the country. This year's out-of-town list includes Gale Gand from Tru (Chicago), Francois Payard, and Stephan Pyles.

Here are some photos from last year's Lexus Grand Tasting:

Duroc Pork Tenderloin, corn pudding, gremolata or bacon and corn, blackberry cipollini by Bradley Ogden's root 246.




The Lexus lounge is definitely worth a visit, offering some of the more luxurious items like foie gras (well, I guess not this year...), lobster, and truffles.

Foie gras lollipops, almonds, cocoa nibs, banana cotton candy

Read more »
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Some Stuff

Hi there.

Did you guys notice anything different? Yep, I put up a new header and navbar. I'm enjoying it better and liking not having to see my giant face everytime I come to my blog lol. I'll just move that photo to the 'about me' section I'm drafting up (late, I know!). You can click on the words on the navbar to get to that link. I hope you guys enjoy the newer look.

Oh, now on to the real reason that drove me to post this tonight... 

I messed up and accidentally deleted some photos from my Picasa web album, cuz a message popped up telling me I had reached my photo limit and that everytime I uploaded a photo to Blogger, it saved it in Picasa web album... or something like that which I wasn't aware of. So I never knew I had this photo storage limit! The worst part is that I accidentally pressed the delete button too soon before I read the part about it deleting the photos from my blog too. And when I realized that is what it said it was too late. I've googled and everything pretty much says that I'm out of luck and will have to re-upload all the photos myself, if I even have them! Um, I already know I don't have all of them.

I may be screwed.

So if you're looking at some posts and the photos aren't there, I'm working to re-upload them. This could take awhile, depending on how many were deleted. I'm guessing I have to go into each post and see if the photos are there or not. If anyone knows an easier, better solution... please, do tell!

And for the ones where I don't have the photos anymore because they were on my old computer and so long ago, I guess I'll just have to leave them be, or delete them altogether if they aren't even worth it. Maybe I can go dig up some old memory cards.

Does anyone have any advice with this or has it happened to any of you? And what would be the best solution for the future? 

Anyone? Anyone?  :)

Update: Ok I found many of the photos on very old memory cards at least. Good thing I save em! But there are some that I still don't see. It's looking better than I thought and could be much worse, right? I've got the sidebar back to normal, and some of the older posts but still have like a month and a half worth of posts to update again. Boy are those old photos rough! It's funny to go back and see the photos I took before. 

But if anyone does still have any advice on an easier way to do this, let me know. Thanks!

Night night.

Peace, and bacon grease!





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Book Review: The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie

I've decided I'm starting a new series on my blog where I review books. One of my resolutions for the year is to read at least 5 books. I know, big whoop. But as much as I adore reading, it's hard for me to find time to do it. But it's totally doable. I borrowed the idea to review the books I read from Stephanie over at Confessions of a City Eater, except that she has the goal of reading 52 books in a year! Wowza! I WISH! I also love the idea of having a written journal of all of my thoughts and maybe even quotes I love from certain books. There are so many books I've loved in the past that I wish I remembered to a tee, or was able to look back and remember how exactly I felt about them while reading. So I'm doing it!



I actually read this book for the 2011 challenge, so I'm a tad late posting this. It is called The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie. I know what you're thinking, depressing choice, right? I agree. But ever since I found Vee's blog, I've been interested in widows' stories. How they go on with their lives, how they cope with the everyday life, how, how, how. As I was reading this book, I just kept thinking about Vee and her story, her actual "novel" that was her new reality. I just kept thinking, this is a fiction book, but that is Vee's actual life. I think that makes a great book... when it can touch you and feel so much like real life that it scares you. That if the events of the book were to actually take place, you wouldn't know how to cope. That's how I feel when I read Vee's blog. I wouldn't know how to do it. I wouldn't know how to be strong, like she is. 

Except that the book is fiction, and Vee's story is not. 

Please take a moment to stop by Vee's blog and read her story, about the loss of her husband while she was pregnant, and then her brother not too long after, and about her life, and her strength to get through each day. Vee in her own right is a beautiful writer, her words always touch me so much, that I can't even try to put it into words. Every post is soul wrenching, beautiful, painful, brilliant, eloquent, and honest all at once. She has a way of bringing every visual to life, whether we want to envision it or not. And I think it's beautiful that she allows us into her thoughts. She is strong, she is beautiful. She is one of my heros, and I don't even know her. I'm forever touched by that girl.

Well, this book ended up being nothing like I imagined. Not a bereavement guide for widows, simply a captivating fictional piece of work. In the novel, Sarah lost her husband David in a kayaking accident. The body was never found, and though they had a memorial service for him, she never fully had closure since they never buried his body. She kept seeing him everywhere... in the grocery store, in her house, in the mirrors, outside her window or door. I imagine that is how I would feel if this happened to me. Especially if they never found the body. I would always be yearning and hoping he would show up. That he would have just been lost for a long time, but finally found. Finally home.

The beginning had me emotional and doing some inner soul searching. You would think I wouldn't want to read books like these, because I am an emotional person who is easily brought to tears. But I like to think about how special and important my fiancee is in my life. I like to remember it always, and books like this and stories like Vee's make me cherish every single moment I have with him. I cherish the love he gives me, because I know how it could be taken from me. And I never want that. Ever. They say you don't know what you have until it's gone... well, I don't want to ever have to know that. I want to know what I have before it's gone, and adore it every waking moment of my life.

Now I don't want to give away too much of the plot, in case anyone decides to read it. Let's just say that it became less "heartbreaking" as the story went on. This book that I originally thought would have me crying tears of sadness really wasn't meant to be a sad book after all. If you were turned off by the thought of this being a gut-wrenching grief-filled novel, don't be. It's really not like that at all. If you like suspenseful fictional novels with a touch of love, drama, and mystery, you will like this book. I could have done without some of the plot (such as a predictable affair), but I didn't want to put the book down so that's a good thing.

Overrall, I enjoyed the book thoroughly. Especially the ending, which I think I fully understand. This book will keep you guessing all along... is he a ghost, is he real, is it all a huge dream? I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fiction novel, but not to someone who is looking to this book for some guidance on handling widowdom. 


4 of 5 stars false


Stay tuned for more book reviews. And make your own reading challenge goal here!


Peace, and bacon grease!


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Crispy Empanadas and Pickled Pig's Feet at Panchita (San Felipe, Baja, Mexico)

You find gems in unexpected places. Even in places you already expected to be good, you can still find unexpected dishes. Such was the case with Cenaduria Panchita in San Felipe.
During the last Baja trip, our host took us to Panchita for the best empanadas in town, but to our delight we also found ... pickled pig's feet! This specialty of Jalisco was quite a treat, with the bright pickle flavors counteracting the fatty pig's skin. Very different than the sweet Chinese style I'm used to.
Of course, there are the empanadas. After all, that's what Panchita is locally famous for. They also serve taquitos and other things, but I didn't find those particularly memorable.

Here, the meat-filled empanadas are fried (according to Street Gourmet LA, this is more Baja style than Jalisco).
What I really loved about these empanadas was the thinner skin, and of course the crispiness from the frying. These were some of the best empanadas I've had recently. I wish I could've taken some back to LA but they would've gotten soggy. I guess I'll just have to return to San Felipe to have them for breakfast!

Iced Jamaica, much needed in the hot San Felipe summer

Cenaduria Panchita
Calle Ensenada #201
San Felipe, Mexicali, Baja California
Mexico, CP21850
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Cross That Off The Bucket List! {Get a photo accepted on Tastespotting}

Yay, it happened!

Tastespotting finally gave in and accepted one of my photos!





















This was a goal of mine on my blog bucket list. I have tried to submit other photos since, but only that one got accepted. I'll take it though.

I am now proudly displaying their badge on my sidebar. Hopefully I will be able to add more submissions to that gallery.

Now, if the folks at Foodgawker and Dessert Stalking could only be so kind...


Peace, and bacon grease!




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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

by Rachel Joyce
Hardcover, 336 pages
Also available as an eBook

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a magical book about love and loss and change. Coming to terms with who and what you are, and where you are in life.

Harold Fry is a recently retired gentleman living an empty life with a wife who can barely tolerate him. Without the structure of work to sustain him, he has taken to sitting in the house. To doing nothing at all.
One day he gets a letter from an old friend, Queenie. If he could even call her a friend. He's not sure. She was kind to him once and he has never thanked her properly. Now she writes to say she is dying and goodbye. Stunned, Harold can't put to paper a reply he can live with. He jots something down and walks to the post office. Then the next post office. Then the next town. Soon he is on a very unlikely pilgrimage indeed. An old man in boat shoes walking 400 miles to say goodbye in person, convinced that if he does this unlikely thing, then Queenie will live to receive him.

On the journey, Harold finds his emotions welling up in different ways - and the puzzle pieces of his unexamined life starting to piece together. Back home his wife, too, goes through emotional transformation at having been left behind.

I loved this book. It stirs something up deep inside. Absolutely wonderful. 


An Interview with Rachel Joyce
The author, Rachel Joyce, has written over twenty original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and has created major adaptations for the Classic series and Woman’s Hour, as well as a TV drama adaptation for BBC2. In 2007 she won the Tinniswood Award for Best Radio Play. Joyce moved to writing after a twenty-year career in theatre and television, performing leading roles for the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, The Royal Court and Cheek by Jowl; and winning a Time Out Best Actress Award and the Sony Silver. She currently lives in Gloucestershire with her family and is at work on her second novel.
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Simmzy's Takes Over Long Beach

Simmzy's had just opened in Long Beach and it was already as popular as their first location in Manhattan Beach. We came on a Saturday and their open dining room was packed, with a waiting list for tables.
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Lucky for us, we were being hosted by the restaurant, so we didn't have to wait for a table.

The place is also already popular enough for them to put up this sign!
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At Simmzy's, you gotta order from their 31 rotating beers on tap (they also have 10 wines on tap). We had a beer flight with Allagash Victoria, Lost Abbey's Lost and Found, Monkish Anomaly, Hangar 24 Essence
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This was the first time I tried a beer from Monkish, a new brewery down in Torrance, and it was pretty good. The Essence is a double IPA and too hoppy for me (I'm not big on hoppy beers), so I stuck with Lost Abbey, possibly my favorite Southern California brewery. We also tried Karl's Flan-diddly-anders, a Flanders red from Karl Strauss Brewing, which was lightly sour.

The kitchen sent out a sampler of their appetizers:
Ahi tartar with spicy soy, avocado, scallions, fried wonton. Seared tuna, jalapeño, and shrimp in spicy sauce
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I quite liked the seared tuna, topped with a slice of jalapeno. I didn't see this on the regular menu, but the treat shows what the kitchen can do.

The appetizers at Simmzy's are big and meant to be shared. If you've never been to a Simmzy's before, this one is a must order:
Blue Cheese Haystack ($6) - shoestring fries tossed with homemade blue cheese dressing, garlic, and a touch of spicy sauce
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The crispy fries were the perfect vehicle for that blue cheese+spicy sauce mixture. A dangerous snack to have on the table.
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July's Secret Recipe Club - Homemade Twix Bars

Happy Monday to you!

First things first.... shameless plug! I just started a facebook page and would love for you to come like it :) You can click on the link above or click on the icon in my sidebar to the right.

It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club.

I was assigned to Chris's blog Mele Cotte, which I learned means "baked apple" in Italian. She has an array of recipes that anyone would want to try! How about some Marinated Mushrooms, or Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake? So many sounded delish but I decided on her Homemade Twix Bars

























Cuz I don't even think it is possible for me to pass up chocolate and caramel.

I did put mine in the freezer to get them nice and firm, more like a Twix bar. Then I stored them in the fridge so they would stay firm. At room temperature, they get softer. But they were good that way too! I just prefer mine firm from the fridge  :)


Homemade Twix Bars
ever so slightly adapted from Mele Cotte

Shortbread Base
  • 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup castor (fine) sugar (or pulse granulated sugar in a food processor, then measure)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel Filling
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 14- oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Chocolate Topping 
  • 11.5 oz milk chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray and line the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

For shortbread, combine flour, softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed until the batter starts to come together. Do not overbeat. While together but still crumbly, transfer dough to the prepared pan and press evenly and firmly to make the base. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, make the caramel filling. Place the butter, sugar, dark corn syrup, and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently. Once the sugar dissolves, increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat back to medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Pour over the baked shortbread base and let cool for 15-30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to cool and firm completely. Once firm, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl until melted, stirring frequently. Cool slightly. Pour over the caramel and spread, creating an even layer. 

Chill to set. Cut into desired bars.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Makes about 16, 4-inch sticks.


These bars weren't difficult to make at all. Make a golden shortbread base, cover it with a sweet caramel filling, and top it off with some chocolate... reminiscent of a Twix candy bar. Except homemade is always better. 

And you can give them away to people to show them you care. Chocolate and caramel do that, ya know  :)


Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!


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