The Walking Land by Callie Bates

The Walking Land by Callie Bates

Aug 22, 2017 · Leave a Comment

A book review of The Walking Land by Callie Bates. Post may contain affiliate links.

Book Review - The Walking Land by Callie Bates

The Walking Land begins with Lady Elanna being taken hostage by the King of Erin. She is taken from her homeland of Caeris to Erin, a rival land. She grows up learning the culture and customs of Erin and considers the people of Caeris (including her mother and father) as traitors. She is raised as a daughter to the King and in turn is hated by the King’s actual daughter. When the King dies under mysterious circumstances, his real daughter, the Princess wants to have her tried for murder. Lady Elanna has no choice, but to try to return to original homeland, Caeris.

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Grilled Pork Chops with Espresso Cardamom Rub

Aug 20, 2017 · 16 Comments

This espresso cardamom rub adds a deep earthy flavor to these grilled pork chops! This easy grilled pork recipe is perfect for weeknight grilling!

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Grilling Pork Chops on a Gas Grill

When it comes to grilling, I think you fall into one of two categories: I Love My Gas Grill or Gas Grilling is Not Grilling! I definitely fall into the I love my gas grill group. A gas grill makes weeknight grilling totally accessible.

Like these Grilled Pork Chops with Espresso Cardamom Rub. Using a gas grill, you can have these flavorful chops on the table in less than an hour and the majority of that time is letting the pork marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, while the gas grill preheats.

The secret to gas grilling pork chops is to create a hot and a cooler zone. You sear the chops quickly, just 3 minutes on each side and then move them to the cooler zone for finish cooking for about 10 minutes. This was for pork chops that were about ¾ inch, so your times may vary.

While you are grilling the chops, you might as well grill your side dishes too. How about a Grilled Kale Salad with Strawberries and Bourbon Maple Grilled Acorn Squash?! Or if you're not in the mood to grill your side dishes, this Scalloped Zucchini Salad or Zucchini, Green Bean and Chile Slaw would also be great!

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Luxie Kitty on the Bed

Aug 18, 2017 · 13 Comments

Do you remember last week, when I was lamenting about my crazy busy schedule? Keeping two blogs running, a third photography blog, a photography business and starting an Etsy shop all on my agenda? Well, I think I have come up with a blog schedule that is going to ease the load. And again, I have to reiterate that the crazy work schedule is totally self imposed. No one is standing over me making me blog or making me overbook my photography sessions. It's all me.

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Oat Bran Blueberry Crumble

Aug 17, 2017 · 10 Comments

This Oat Bran Blueberry Crumble is filled with all sorts of healthy things, like chia seeds and flax seeds, making you feel good about eating dessert! It's also vegan and makes a great, healthy after school snack.

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Healthy Snack or Dessert or Even Breakfast!

Last week I posted Blueberry Compote with Honeyed Yogurt and talked about my need for desserts. Some of you on Instagram agreed with my need for a dessert. A little something after every meal. A treat. I love sweets. I don't just have a sweet tooth, I have sweet teeth.

It takes every once of my willpower to not eat candy, donuts, brownies, and anything else that crosses my path. So, I am on a constant search for healthy desserts or snacks. Food that I can feel good about eating, like this one, Oat Bran Blueberry Crumble.

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Sedum, Zinnias and Roses

Aug 14, 2017 · 3 Comments

This lovely petite rose bush, Fairy Shrub Rose, has been a staple of my garden for years. Growing huge and sprawling - it's really a ground cover rose. All the rains this year, though have taken it's toll on it. You can see some of the black spot on the leaves in the corner. I've sprayed and sprayed and sprayed, but nothing seems to help. There are only a few blooms on a couple of stalks. If we loose this bush, I will be so sad. The roses are tiny, only about an inch wide, but they form on clusters at the end of the branch, just gorgeous.

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Rotation Wine Red Blend 2014

Aug 12, 2017 · Leave a Comment

A review of Rotation Wine Red Blend 2014 for Weekend Wine Reviews #348.

The Art of Vintage Rotation Wine Red Blend 2014

Rotation Red Wine Blend, 2014. Napa Valley, California. Wine Awesomeness. They say: 85% Zinfandel, 10% Old Vine Zinfandel and 5% Merlot. The grapes for this wine come from an old-California family arm that dates back to the early 1990's. In the 80's the farmers started making their own wine using Zinfandel grapes. While Zin is the main attraction in this wine it gets some support fro Merlot and Old Vine Zinfandel. With all of those combined you get a big, jammy and quintessentially California red wine. On the nose, freshly blown out smoke from a blueberry candle. On the palate, fresh and spicy, balsamic vinegar and grilled dark cherries.

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Coco Kitty on the Porch

Aug 11, 2017 · 17 Comments

This post is probably going to be short because as usual I am crazy busy. People often ask me how I like being retired. Well, yes, I retired from teaching, but I definitely didn't retire from everything else. I have 2 blogs, this one and Grey is the New Black. Those of you that blog, know how time consuming blogging really is. It's not just the blogging, it's all the social media that goes along with it. I actually get up at 6 am Mon-Fri and spend the first hour or so just on social media. I yum, stumble, tweet, pin, and flip all my posts from this blog and Grey is the New Black.

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Zucchini, Green Bean, and Chile Slaw

Aug 8, 2017 · 18 Comments

A fresh new way to use zucchini and green beans in this Zucchini, Green Bean and Chile Slaw.

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Zucchini, Green Bean, and Chile Slaw

Have you had your fill of zucchini yet? Have you zoodled yourself crazy? Well, don't stop yet. You have to make this slaw or salad or whatever you want to call it. It's amazing! Fresh zucchini is julienned, though you could use your spiralizer, I used my Julienne Peeler. Green beans are quickly blanched or steamed and then also julienned - I used my knife, but has anyone tried this Krisk Bean Stringer and Slicer or this Norpro Bean Frencher? I normally don't like one hit wonders in the kitchen, but this slaw was so good and the only time consuming part was slicing the green beans - so I'm considering them.

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Petunias and Million Bells for Garden Tuesday

Aug 7, 2017 · 4 Comments

Petunias and Million Bells

Back in May, I showed you these Supertunia Bordeaux and Superbells Blue Moon Punch that I received from Proven Winners. I thought it was time to check back in and show you how they are doing. If you have not tried Calibrachoa (also called Million Bells) - you really must. They look similar to petunias, but they are smaller and so prolific. I might actually like them better than petunias, but who should ever play favorites with flowers?!

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Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Olive Tapenade

Aug 6, 2017 · 11 Comments

The Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Olive Tapenade is a simple one pan roast chicken with sweet potatoes that gets a tangy kick from the olive tapenade!

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Easy Sheet Pan Supper

Is there anything nicer than a dinner that cooks all in one pan? I love sheet pan or one pan dinners. Here the chicken and sweet potatoes roast together.

This simple roast chicken is kicked up a notch with a green olive tapenade! The beauty of that is you can leave it off if that makes the dinner more kid friendly. Though as a kid, I loved green olives and still do, so kid friendly to me would have been with the tapenade. Even extra tapenade!

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Glory Days Zinfandel

Aug 5, 2017 · 2 Comments

A review of Glory Days Zinfandel for Weekend Wine Reviews #347.

Glory Days Zinfandel, Lodi, California, 100% Zinfandel. Wine Awesomeness. They say: Nothing screams red, white and blue more than a Dutch family making their way to US in the early 1900s and planting roots - literally and figuratively in California. This is the same family vineyard that brought us the popular Electric Red. This Zinfandel is picked from 50+ year old vines, planted by the family's patriarch, John Van Ruiten Sr. The old vines give the wine character like a cedar cigar box you find at a Brooklyn stoop sale. Inside the cigar box, you'll find fresh plums and maybe a candy apple. It's like eating a caramel candy apple while trimming a fragrant bonsai tree.

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Coco on the Laptop Case

Aug 4, 2017 · 18 Comments

This week's post is probably going to be short and sweet. A marauding bunch of blackbirds has discovered my bird feeder. Now, I am not prejudice when it comes to birds, but they literally just seem to rape and pillage the bird food. None of the other less aggressive birds can even get a chance to eat. So every minute or so, I have to run outside and clap my hands to shoo them away. Then the finches, cardinals and woodpeckers fly back in for a quick nibble before they are run off by the black birds again!

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The Girl in the Snow by Danya Kukafka

Aug 2, 2017 · 1 Comment

A book review of The Girl in the Snow by Danya Kukafka. Post may contain affiliate links.

The Girl in the Snow by Danya Kukafka is a murder mystery, but a murder mystery with so much more. The story is set in a small town in Colorado. The title of the story comes from Lucinda Hayes, a 15 year old girl who is found murdered at a playground. What sets this story apart are the characters and the way they are developed.

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Heirloom Tomato Salad

Aug 1, 2017 · 13 Comments

This Heirloom Tomato Salad is the perfect way to enjoy summer's gorgeous tomatoes! Plus it's vegan, gluten free and paleo!

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Heirloom Tomatoes and the Joys of Summer

I have never claimed to be anything fancy. You can probably tell that by the topics on this blog: simple food, books, cats, gardening and wine. These are the simple pleasures in life that fill me with joy.

While I pretty much don't care for summer, it's way too hot, I do love summer's produce. Especially tomatoes. I have loved tomatoes for as long as I can remember. I remember as a child at my Aunt's house, eating them like apples, still warm from the sun. Seeds and juice running down my arm.

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Sunflower Fields

Jul 31, 2017 · 3 Comments

Sunflower Fields

No, this is not from my garden! There is a place near us in Ooltewah, TN that has sunflower fields every summer. This year they were a little late because of all the rain we had. I drove by several times checking on them, and then I finally saw them starting to show up in my Instagram feed. Unfortunately they reached their prime on the hottest week of the year. It was temps in the high nineties with heat index above 100. I didn't schedule any photo mini sessions, instead just doing one morning session! Even at 8:00 in the morning, by the time we finished, I was hot and sweaty. You can see some of the photos I took on my business Instagram feed.

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Lekker Rosé 2017

Jul 29, 2017 · 1 Comment

A review of Lekker Rosé 2017 for Weekend Wine Reviews #346.

Lekker Rosé 2017

Lekker Rosé 2017, Western Cape, South Africa. Wine Awesomeness. 52% Grenache and 42% Merlot. They say: Lekker Rosé was handcrafted by winemaker Nico Grobler of Eikendal Vineyards & La Brune Wines in collaboration with Wine Awesomeness! It's the first 2017 Rosé on the market making it so fresh and easy drinking. This is the kind of wine that stains your summer memories. Once in your glass, you will find a nose of fresh Herbes de Province, watermelon and orange zest. Electrified pink lemonade, red pepper flakes and grapefruit rinds.

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Cats with Books and Laptop Cases

Jul 28, 2017 · 19 Comments

Do you meditate? I use the Headspace app on my phone and try to do 10 minutes every day. It does seem that when I meditate regularly that I am better able to handle stress. I also find that I can calm myself down in stressful situations by using some of the techniques that I've learned, like focusing on the breath. I also love the guy's voice. So, does Coco. Anytime I start meditating, she appears out of nowhere. I was meditating the other day, when I heard a rustling behind me. I turned around and found her in the bookshelf behind my chair!

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Cauliflower Risotto with Sage and Almonds

Jul 25, 2017 · 27 Comments

One of my favorite Cauliflower Recipes, this Roasted Cauliflower Risotto with Sage and Almonds is so creamy and delicious! It gets extra flavor from the roasting of the cauliflower!

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When is Cauliflower in Season?

Last July my CSA gave me a big head of cauliflower. I don't know about you, but I typically associate cauliflower with fall. Well after doing some research, it's clear that no one really has a handle on the Cauliflower growing season! For Tennessee, one site said July-November and another said October-December.

I looked up California and it is basically in season year round, which probably explains why you can pretty much find it at your grocery store no mater what time of the year it is.

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Nasturtiums and Other Garden Happenings

Jul 24, 2017 · 3 Comments

Nasturtiums and Other Gardening Happenings

Last week, I told you that I got my act together enough to sprinkle some zinnia seeds out in the flower bed. I also managed to do the same with nasturtiums! I had a section of my herb bed that had been filled and taken over by garden chives. When my middle daughter came home for a visit this spring, we pulled up every single garlic chive that we could find. So I was left with a lot of herb bed to fill. Nasturtium seeds are pretty large, reminding me of 4 o'clocks. Some people suggest nicking them a bit and soaking overnight before planting. I actually soaked mine for a couple of days and then just worked them a little bit into the soil. I have been rewarded with a huge mass of nasturtiums! I love the lily pad like leaves and the vibrant flowers. The flowers are edible, I just haven't figured out what to do with them yet!

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Chateau Bianca 2011 Pinot Noir

Jul 22, 2017 · Leave a Comment

A review of Chateau Bianca 2011 Pinot Noir for Weekend Wine Reviews #345.

Chateau Bianca 2011 Pinot Noir

Chateau Bianca 2011 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon. Wine Awesomeness. They say: 100% Pinot Noir. The Chateau Bianca Winery & Vineyard is lead by a fourth-generation winemaking family. They keep their production intentionally small so that they can focus on quality of quantity. This pinot noir is a prime example of both the family's history of winemaking as well as the complexity of an Oregon juice. On the nose: crushed sun dried tomatoes in the fresh farm air on a cool morning. Fresh grass clipping and dusty sun-baked raspberry notes. On the palette: Overripe cantaloupe with sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and candied ginger.

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Summertime and Kitties on the Porch

Jul 21, 2017 · 23 Comments

Is it hot where you are? It's supposed to get to 94 degrees today with a heat index above 100! Now, I grew up in St. Louis where it gets horribly hot and humid in the summers. Temperatures above 100 were common with humidity out of this world. When they found out I was moving to Chattanooga, TN my St. Louis friends all commented about it being in the south and the heat. But you know what, it's so much nicer in the summer than in St. Louis. I don't know if it's the mountains or what, but we rarely get into the 100's and our humidity is usually fairly comfortable. Today St. Louis is supposed to get to 104 - a full 10 degrees warmer than us. See what I mean?! But still, 94 is not my favorite temperature! Luxie and I spend most of our days in the air conditioning, but we venture out for tiny breaks on the screened in porch. We have the fan lazily moving a breeze for us, I have my iced coffee and she has some cool water in a bowl and it's summertime and kitties on the porch for us!

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Zinnias, Hummingbirds and Petunias

Jul 17, 2017 · 4 Comments

Zinnias, Hummingbirds, and Petunias

For the past few years, I have been a lazy gardener, relying on perennials to do all the work. While this might work for some gardens, it didn't for mine. My perennials were soon overtaken by weeds because they simply weren't thick enough to fill in all the empty spaces - and being lazy, I didn't mulch. I'm not sure what was different this spring, maybe all the wonderful rain that we got, but I managed to get my act together and plant some annuals. What a difference it has made. One of the easiest annuals is zinnias. As soon as we were past our last frost, I simply tossed some seeds into the flower bed by the mailbox. Barely even worked them into the soil. I have been rewarded with a riot of color.

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Lemongrass Pork Skewers with Peas and Rice Noodle Salad

Jul 16, 2017 · 16 Comments

Juicy grilled pork rests atop a salad of chewy rice noodles and crispy snow peas.

Click here to pin these Lemongrass Pork Skewers with Peas and Rice Noodles now!

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Lemongrass Pork Skewers with Peas and Rice Noodle Salad

Even though I don't like grilling when it's a zillion degrees outside, grilling kebobs is a whole other story. With meat cut in small chunks and skewered, they cook quickly, meaning less time at the grill. I was looking for some sort of salad summer type dish to use my snow peas from my CSA when I stumbled upon Lemongrass Skewers with Peas and Rice Noodle Salad in Donna Hay's magazine Oct-November 2014.

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Niro 2016 Pecorino Terre di Chieti

Jul 15, 2017 · 1 Comment

A review of Niro 2016 Pecorino Terre Di Chieti for Weekend Wine Reviews #344.

Niro 2016 Pecorino Terre Di Chieti

Niro 2016 Pecorino Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy. Wine Awesomeness. 100% Pecorino. They say: Pecorino is more than just cheese!! (I had no idea!) The white grape is native to Italy and is named after the sheep. "Pecora" is the Italian word for sheep. The sheep always try to eat the grapes when they ripen at the start of the harvest season. Many of the vines date back to the Roman Empire and this wine is a great example of ancient winemaking traditions.

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