Book Review- Salsas and Moles by Deborah Schneider

I am still on my cookbook reviewing binge! It has been amazing in stretching my cooking repertoire and has reminded me of how much I love trying new recipes and reading through cookbooks. My latest review book is full of salsas and a multitude of other Hispanic sauces. Yum!

This book is the perfect choice for anyone who loves Mexican cuisine. There is a salsa or sauce to go with pretty much anything and it even has hints on what sort of food pairs well with which salsa. The vivid illustrations complement the bold flavors they are representing. Several of them had my mouth watering.

There are so many recipes that I can't wait to try but so far I have made the Simplest Enchilada Sauce. Yeah, I never want to use canned sauce again. The process was true to its title. It doesn't use any canned or processed ingredients yet it goes together with just enough work to leave you feeling accomplished, not worn out. I saved the leftover sauce in a mason jar in my fridge and had enough for a second 8x8 pan of enchiladas. It would be easy to adjust the level of heat by subbing in different peppers, I would think. There are charts about the different sorts of peppers, their flavors and heat levels for people like me who love salsa but don't know anything beyond the fact that jalapeños are spicy.

This book left me feeling very inspired. I make tacos on a regular basis and now I have all sorts of possible combinations to experiment with. If you have read any of my other cookbook reviews you'll know how much I enjoy a cookbook that is full of information. This one definitely qualifies!

I received a copy of this book to review from Blogging For Books. 

YA Buccaneer's Summer Reading Challenge Update

I haven't blogged about it until now, but I've been participating in the YA Buccaneer's Summer Reading Challenge. I've updated on twitter but I love talking about books so much I thought a post was in order.
It's not to late to join in the fun (there are some amazing giveaways going on including a fabulous two year anniversary giveaway).
Here are the basics. To check out the complete post, go here.

WHAT ABOUT A READING CHALLENGE?

Funny you should ask. It wouldn’t be summer without a YAB Summer Reading Challenge, and we’d love it if everyone would start reading with us today. Yes, today! Download a copy of our challenge card and choose a square. There are plenty of options and we want you to try for all of them. We’ve got non-fiction, books you’ve been meaning to read forever, and even a Rory Gilmore reading square. That girl had great taste!

Leave us a comment below to tell us which book you’re going to start with right away. Each Friday, we’ll do a check-in post to see how everyone is getting along. Tell us about a great new book you read, or revisit an old favorite and let us know if it was as wonderful as you remembered. We’re all about discussing books this summer, and we want the conversation to include YOU!

Here is the challenge!

So far I have read:

Book by Your Fave Author: Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

You can read my review here.

Freebie! Book of Your Choice: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book was not my favorite. I really wanted to love it... 

Set During the Summer: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

I loved the setting and characters in this book but being a mom with a very opinionated daughter, I found myself worrying about the teen years... This girl did a lot of things that made my mom heart cringe. The writing was gorgeous though and I'm glad I finally read it. 

Set On A Different Continent: One plus One by JoJo Moyes.

I listened to this on Audible and the narration was fantastic. One of the best I've ever listened to. 

I don't read many adult books and this one does have some language and adult content but the story is hilarious. I am so in love with the characters in this story! I chose the book for this category because it is set in Great Britain and Scotland but it is also a road trip story so if you need something for that square it would be a fun choice (think quirky family, rich helpful guy, big slobbery dog and every imaginable obstacle). 

I'm currently reading The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh for my Book with a Diverse MC. I haven't had much time to read but this one keeps calling my name. The main character is spunky, the setting is exotic and it's a retelling of 1,001 nights. Yup. I want to go read now. 

What are you reading this summer?

Book Review: Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

 

This poor book had to stare at me for over a week before I had a chance to read it, but once I started I read it in a day. It helped that we were on a road trip! Hearts Made Whole is the latest book in Jody Hedlund's Beacon's of Hope Series. I enjoyed the first one but this book is by far my favorite of the two.
   The book is about Caroline Taylor, a young woman who has the world on her shoulders. Both of her parents have passed away leaving her to raise her younger siblings and take over her father's job as a lighthouse keeper. She loves keeping the light and is competent at it, but the man in charge of her area is dead set against having a women as the head keeper.
 When a civil war vet is hired to replace her, she wants to hate him for being there to take the job she needs, but there's something about him, something beyond the fact that he turns to drugs and alcohol to dull his pain. She sees past his injured hand, past everything, to the man he is beneath and she can't help but have compassion on him.
 Ryan Chambers just wants peace and quite after the war. He wants to forget his past and just exist. Caroline and her family's presence in his life begins to change all of that. He doesn't want to take the job some else needs, but he needs it too.
  The book was such a fun read and had some great inspirational nuggets woven in. I love it when I finish a book and feel not only entertained but encouraged. The romance was perfect, Caroline's anxious yet compassionate personality is easy to related to and the light house setting makes it all even better. Hearts Made Whole is easily one of my top three favorite books by Jody Hedlund (A Noble Groom is my very favorite, in case you want to know!).

If you would like a copy, you can purchase this book on Amazon or your favorite book seller.
Oh, and just fyi, even though this is part of a series, this book could be read on its own and still make sense!

I received a copy of this book to review from the author and Bethany House Publishing. 

Grimm Tidings Cover Reveal

 I love participating in cover reveals but I'm extra excited about this one because the author is Katie Doyle, one of my longtime writing buddies! I love her writing (especially her characters) and I can't wait for her first two novellas to come out. 

Ashley "Ash" Prince hates using magic, but that doesn't stop her mother from forcing lessons on her. She resists except when it helps her stepbrother, Charlie.

Charlie is sick and none of the doctors knows why. When Ash has a witch dream, she is determined to find the elusive and rare Ghost Orchid—a flower that could be the key to saving him. Her mother begs her not to go because not only did Ash's dream reveal a way to heal her brother, it also hinted at her death. But when her brother gets worse, she refuses to sit around and let him die. In a race against time, Ash and a strange boy she met in a coffee shop go in search of the Ghost Orchid.

Only someone doesn't want her to find it. Family secrets are revealed and Ash has to decide whom to trust—the mother that raised her, or the boy she just met.

Love and family collide in this Cinderella retelling. 

Both books will be available on all platforms. 

Currently

The idea was to post this yesterday but the last few days were extra busy, so today it is! Thanks again for restarting this Katy Upperman!

Loving...

I'm loving watching the tiny tomatoes on our plants grow, my six year old discovering that she can read the Ramona books on her own, cuddling with my almost four year old in the early mornings, watching my oldest son teach his sister how to ride a bike.

Reading...

I read Magonia by Maria Dahvanna Headley. What an unusual book! I think my mouth dropped open a few times. I loved how unique and unexpected it was. Today I finished reading The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West and it was sweet and light like I was hoping. I'm now reading The Cage by Megan Shepard. 

Watching...

I finished watching Forever and I'm in mourning that it was canceled. I loved everything about that show but the characters were the thing I'll miss the most. I watched the pilot episode of Wayward Pines and it was creepy and compelling. 

Listening to...

I've been listening to a variety of folk music or music with a bit of that sound mixed in. 

Thinking about...

I've been thinking about summer and what I want to work on with my kids during our summer school session. We homeschool on an all year schedule so while we will have some extra time off, we will still be doing lessons. I want our summer lessons to be hands on and fun, not overly bookish. 

Anticipating...

I'm excited for June and JuNoWriMo.

Wishing...

I want to take my kids to see a waterfall. We see the ocean all the time, and its beautiful but my younger two don't remember waterfalls. Maybe we will find one when we go on vacation.

Making Me Happy...

Taking my kids for bike rides, watering the flowers I planted under the front windows, reading in the evenings, learning about the characters in the book I'm planning, learning how to do different sorts of braids on my daughter's hair.

Currently...

I have been suffering from major What's Up Wednesday withdrawals so I'm going to join some of the other bloggers and post a Currently post every other Tuesday. Thanks for starting this back up Katy Upperman!

Loving...

I'm loving my front patio and all the flowers and herbs growing there, wandering the beach and finding sea stars, having coffee with friends and reading with my children.

Reading...

I've been a bit scattered with my reading but I'm reading Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier for myself and Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore to my children. I was surprised with a copy of Magonia by Maria Dahvanna Headley from Epic Reads today which caused an impromptu dance party.

 I also have A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West waiting for me. Happiness!!!

Watching...

I'm watching Gilmore Girls while I wait for a new episode of Forever. 

Listening to...

I've been listing to Disney Princess Songs and not by choice! My daughter is obsessed. When I pick it's Mumford and Sons or Bastille. Oh and I listen to The Phantom of the Opera over and over. Each time I listen I get more ideas for my next WIP.

Thinking about...

I've been thinking about the story I'm planning to write for JuNoWriMo next month and how to allude to the classic it's inspired by but still keep it original. 

Anticipating...

I can't wait for my daughter's dance recital this weekend. She is so excited!

Wishing...

I've been wishing for my parents to come visit. There are so many places I'd love to show them, especially my dad since he hasn't been down here yet. 

Making Me Happy...

Walking in the dark, listening to the frogs.

Stacks of books waiting for me to read them.

Learning the names of the local birds and plants with my children.

Strawberries. Fresh basil. Coffee.

Book Review- Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break

  One of my favorite ways to relax is by having coffee with a friend. Another of my favorite things is to sample food from far away places. This cookbook is perfect! So perfect that I already ordered a copy for a gift.

   Fika is the Swedish tradition of having coffee with something sweet to eat. It is about making coffee a break, not just adding it in as you run through life. I love everything about this concept. The book is full of information on Fika and it's place in Swedish culture. It is informative, yet cheerful and relaxing to read. The illustrations are charming and fit the simplistic style of the book.

  When I first saw the title, I figured it would have recipes for baked goods and coffee drinks. I was half right. It is full of baked goods ranging from traditional Swedish cookies and breads to more modern takes on the tradition. It even has a section for holiday treats and one that contains recipes that are substantial enough for lunch. There is not a single recipe for a stovetop latte, which is fine by me. It leaves more room for breads and cookies spiced with cardamon and toped with hazelnuts or pearl sugar. Yum!

   So far I have drooled over several recipes in this book and I've made two, pannkakor (Swedish Pancakes) and chokladbollar (chocolate balls). Both were delicious! I even invited a friend over for chokladbollar and coffee. It wasn't as relaxing as portrayed in the book because we had five children racing in circles around us, but it was fun!

  Several recipes in this book require ingredients that might not be in every American kitchen but they aren't so exotic that you can't find them. I was pleasantly surprised at how basic most of the ingredients are. I can see myself serving friends baked goods from this book for years to come.

  You can check it out on Amazon here or Goodreads here.

I received a copy of this book to review from Blogging for Books.