Surrounded by appalling exes and fawning students, the only thing keeping professor Katherine Roberts sane is Jane Austen and her personal secret love for racy Regency romance novels. She thinks the Jane Austen Addicts conference in the English countryside is the perfect opportunity to escape her chaotic life and finally relax...
But then she encounters a devilishly handsome man at the conference who seems determined to sweep her off her feet. Is he more fiction than fact? Or could he be the hero she didn't know she was looking for?
About the Author:
Victoria Connelly’s first novel was promoted in Germany to celebrate World Book Day and was adapted into a TV movie. Her second novel was published as a lead title in the UK and chosen as a “hot pick” in Closer magazine. Her new trilogy is her first foray into Jane Austen related fiction. Connelly lives in London.
One lucky reader will win a copy of A Weekend with Mr. Darcy! How do you win? Just click on "read more" and jump on the Rafflecopter. If you are here by direct link the 'copter is waiting!
Old skin can sometimes get a bit flaky even if it is well moisturized. I am not going to tell you HOW I know this, I just do. Ah-hem.
So it is nice to have an all natural product that smells yummy to help get rid of all those flakes. I had the pleasure of trying Tropical Traditions Skin Exfoliator. It is available in two scented options; lavender and citrus mint and unscented. I chose citrus mint and it was a refreshing choice! The product is a mixture of sea salt and rich organic oils that left me feeling smooth and moisturized. The essential oils used were bright and well, minty.
Here is a bit about the product:
Filipinos are well-known for their youthful appearance and soft skin, even though they live in a climate that exposes them to the sun’s rays year round. Coconut oil is their main dietary oil, and is also the main ingredient in their skin care products.
All of the Skin Exfoliators that Tropical Traditions offers are made with organic Virgin Coconut Oil and Virgin Palm Oil. No other products on the market are made with finer oils as their base. Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil is traditionally made from fresh organic coconuts, and independent laboratory tests show that it has a higher level of antioxidants than other coconut oils.
Virgin Palm Oil contains high concentrations of a powerful form of Vitamin E called “tocotrienols” which published research has shown is 40–60 times more potent than alpha-tocopherol (the most common form of Vitamin E found as an additive in most skin care products.) In addition to these powerful Vitamin E tocotrienols, Virgin Palm Oil is also rich in natural carotenes. It is one of the richest natural plant sources of carotenes with concentrations of 500–700 ppm. It is 15 times more retinol-equivalent than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes, for example.
Just remember, as with any salt based scrub if you have any open cuts you will feel a sting from the salt as it enters the wound. Paper cuts especially - I had a couple when I tried the product. Ouchie! The sting stops as soon as you rinse the salt away.
One lucky reader is going to win their choice of Skin Exfoliater! How do you win? It's easy! Just jump on the Rafflecopter!
Disclosure: I received a sample of Skin Exfoliater gratis from Tropical Traditions. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
Eva Ward is a modern woman thrown back three centuries to 1715 only to find that might be exactly where she belongs. There she finds true love with Daniel Butler, but the discord surrounding Hanoverian King George plunges the lovers into a world of intrigue, treason, and love.
About the Author:
Susanna Kearsley's writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her books have been translated into several languages, selected for the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader's Digest, and optioned for film. She lives in Canada, near the shores of Lake Ontario.
My Opinion:
I do love a good time travel novel and this is a good time travel novel. Eva Ward has just lost her beloved sister Katrina, and she takes her ashes to be scattered where they spent their childhood together - at Trelowarth in Cornwall. While there Eva starts experiencing very strange distortions in time - she finds herself at Trelowarth but in the 18th century.
In order to enjoy this book you just need to totally suspend any sense of reality and logic and just go with the flow of the magical writing and the possibility of a love that spans two times and two worlds. If you stop trying to figure out how it could possibly work and just let the book be you will find yourself drawn into a truly wonderful story. The characters are interesting, the love story divine and the twist at the end - well I truly did not see that coming at all! This is one of those books that you would want to read again, knowing the ending so that you can smile to yourself as you pick those little things up along the way that you missed the first time through.
So I invite you to come along to a special rose garden on the coast of Cornwall where you never know what might happen. At the least you will have a delightful reading experience lost in the magical world Susanna Kearsley creates.
Disclosure: I received a copy of The Rose Garden gratis from Sourcebooks. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
This has been an exceptional year for eggplant from the garden. I can't believe how much eggplant he keeps bringing me - on Saturday he brought in another 5lbs. That is a LOT of eggplant.
Eggplant is a vegetable that does not keep well; it does not freeze well, it does not dry and rehydrate well and when I went looking for canning options I found only one. Fortunately it was a good one!
The original recipe can be found HERE. I have altered it quite a bit as I can't eat peppers. And I must admit that each year it changes a bit as well. I think I have hit on recipe perfection this year. I use this throughout the winter as a spread for crackers, a filling for ravioli, a sauce for pasta and an add-in for risotto. This is the first year I have been able to can two types - hot and mild. He has brought me so much eggplant that I have two and half cases of half pints canned with enough eggplant roasted and ready to go for another case of half pints. I will be in tapenade heaven this winter! In past years I have barely canned half a case!
Woo hoo! So here you go:
Since I make this with whatever he brings in from the garden my measurements are really on the fly and "to taste." It takes a long time in the pressure canner as you will see and I have learned that if you are going to use it as a spread for crackers it really improves with a spritz of lemon juice added - it brightens it up considerably. It is also not the prettiest looking thing you will ever cook, that's for sure. It's basically mashed eggplant...so it can be a bit grey. But it tastes DELICIOUS so don't let that put you off.
Preheat the oven to 350°
I trim the eggplants and cut a slit in the sides so they don't explode in the oven. That would not be good. Put the eggplants in a baking dish and rub them will olive oil.
The garlic is hiding
Then I decide how much onion and garlic I will need compared to how many eggplants the hubby has gifted me with; I usually do one onion and two cloves of garlic to 5 eggplants. I roughly chop the onions and leave the garlic cloves in their skins. I put it all in a baking dish and add a bit of olive oil and mix it all up.
This was one of three....LOTS of eggplant!
I roast the eggplants until they are very soft and look like the above photo. The timing will depend on the size of your eggplants.
I keep the onions in until they are very, very soft. The garlics will be perfect.
Put the whole eggplants (if they don't fit just cut or break them up) into your food processor with the steel blade. After you have processed all of the eggplant just put it into a large bowl.
Add in the onions and the soft, roasted garlic from inside the skin. Process this until it is well chopped.
Add it to the eggplant in the bowl. Don't let your camera batteries die when you are trying to blog about something you are making.
*sigh*
Into the onion/garlic/eggplant mixture I add salt and pepper to taste. If I am going to make it "hot" I add in red pepper flakes. For some reason I can eat these. If I want it to just be mild I start my canning here.
Prepare your jars and pressure canner per usual. Fill the hot half pint jars and leave 1/2" headspace. Place in the pressure canner and following the directions for your canner and your altitude can for 85 minutes.
It does tend to settle a bit after canning for that long. It also darkens in color. But trust me, this stuff is DELICIOUS! You could also just make up a small batch and use it right away. I did that when I made my eggplant raviolis.
The hubby LOVES salmon. It is his favorite fish. I try to make it for him when I can but living here in cow country it's a bit tough. I have bought frozen fillets and he enjoys them but I fear that thanks to Anderson Seafoods he is now well and truly spoiled.
You will recall my recipe using the uber-delicious Chilean Sea Bass that arrived at my door FRESH and ready to cook. In the same box was some delicious salmon. I could not cook all the fish at once so I popped the salmon in the freezer for another night. I will tell you right now that even though it had been frozen it still tasted fresh - the hubby was THRILLED.
This is restaurant quality fish, delivered to your door and it is yummy!
I always feel when you have a high quality cut of fish it is best to let it shine so here is a pretty simple recipe for Salmon with a late Summer Salsa on Brown Rice
For the Salsa:
I simply cut up:
1/2 an avocado two small tomatoes 1/2 a green pepper 1/2 a seeded cucumber 2 TBSP chopped onion
I put it all in one bowl with salt and pepper and a splash of white vinegar. Everything but the avocado had come out of the garden. I let this sit as I made the rest of dinner.
I put 1 cup of short grain brown rice in about two cups of salted, boiling water and let it cook.
I preheated the oven to 350°.
I put some brocolli in a baking dish with a little bit of olive oil and salt and put it in the oven to roast.
Now for the salmon! I had let it thaw in the refrigerator during the day.
It was beautiful fish. A lovely light pink color with bits of that good-for-you fat running through it. I sprinkled both sides with salt and pepper and let it sit while I heated up my frying pan. I added about a teaspoon of canola oil to the pan. You want a fairly hot pan for this to work.
I put the fish in, skin side up and let it cook for about two minutes.
Then I turned them over and cooked them for two minutes on the other side. Now I popped them into the oven while the rice finished cooking. It was about 10 minutes.
I pulled the fish and the broccoli out of the oven. I let the fish sit for about 5 minutes.
DON'T FORGET THAT WHEN YOU PUT THE PAN IN THE OVEN THE HANDLE WILL BE HOT. ALWAYS USE AN OVEN MITT.
Don't learn the hard way!
I put the rice in the bottom of the serving dish.
Then came the perfectly cooked salmon.
Topped by the Late Summer Salsa.
With a little roasted broccoli on the side.
He loved it! There wasn't a speck left in the bowl. I tried the salmon and it was delicious and I am not a fan of salmon. I am going to make another meal tonight with the second fillet and I might just eat it! That is saying something. This fish is THAT good - it will take a salmon hater and turn her into a salmon lover.
So head over to Anderson Seafoods and check out the salmon and everything else they have to offer. You WON'T be disappointed!
Disclosure: I received a box o'fish from Anderson Seafoods gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
Or wish to do something a little special for someone?
Well, maybe you will be able to fulfill one of those wishes!
The Fairy Hobmother flits around the blogosphere from blog to blog granting wishes one by one. I am sure that had the Hobmother visited Pricilla she would have wished for more apples.
She does love her apples!
So what do you wish for? Leave a comment and The Fairy Hobmother might just come by your blog and pay a visit!
Disclosure: The Fairy Hobmother visits from Appliances Online UK and I was gifted with an Amazon GC for this post. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and they were not impacted by my receipt of the GC.
The chilling story of Lucrezia de Medici, duchess to Alfonso d'Este, His Last Duchess paints a portrait of a lonely young girl and her marriage to an inscrutable duke. Lucrezia longs for love, Alfonso desperately needs an heir, and in a true story of lust and dark decadence, the dramatic fireworks the marriage kindles threaten to destroy the duke's entire inheritance–and Lucrezia's future. His Last Duchess gorgeously brings to life the passions and people of sixteenth-century Tuscany and Ferrara.
About the Author:
Gabrielle Kimm is a graduate of the creative writing master's program at the University of Chichester. She is writing her second novel, The Courtesan's Lover, which features one of the characters of His Last Duchess as the heroine. www.gabriellekimm.co.uk
My Opinion:
This is a tale of love and lust. Ms. Kimm does an excellent job of weaving the strings together to create a compelling story of love gone very wrong and lust unsatisfied. At least within the confines of the marriage of Lucrezia and Alfonse. That does not mean it isn't found elsewhere. Based on the poem by Robert Browning called, His Last Duchess, Ms. Kimm recreates the sixteenth century in its glory.
Alfonse d'Este is desperate to produce an heir so that his 900 year old family line will continue. He is also a bit mad. He marries Lucrezia de Medici, a very young girl from a family he considers quite beneath him but she comes with a very large dowry. History shows Lucrezia dying a few short years after the marriage and poisoning was suspected.
Ms. Kimm creates a life for Lucrezia, rich in backstory and told with attention to detail. The main plot involving Lucrezia, her relationship with Alfonse and the painting of a large fresco in the castello was intriguing and page turning. The subplot involving a young pregnant woman was too contrived for me. It seemed to be inserted as a means to the ending. In spite of this I did, overall enjoy this book. I will look forward to Ms. Kimm's next novel, The Courtesan's Lover which will include characters from His Last Duchess.
Disclosure: I received a copy of His Last Duchess gratis from Sourcebooks. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
The goats love this time of year as the garden comes to its end. They get a lot of the dried stalks, leaves and leftovers. We also have some very kind neighbors that bring over their garden leftovers for the lucky critters. I have very spoiled goats....
Pricilla was especially thrilled with some red cabbage that our neighbor brought over.
It was almost like she was maaaaing, "Is that for ME?"
Abby enjoyed the cabbage as well. Abby NEVER turns down food. Of ANY kind.
Buster Brown was another goat who enjoyed his first taste of cabbage.
Thelma and Louise went a bit crazy of corn husks. ALL of the goats love a bit of corn husk. It's a special treat for them. They love the stalks too.
They are just waiting for the leaves from the broccoli and cauliflower. They are Happy Goats!
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
How many times a day do you Call a friend? A lot, right? Are your cell phone bills going through the roof? How would you feel if you could cut those bills yet still have great service and a fantastic phone? Well, with Straight Talk you CAN have both! You can have an Android on Straight Talk! Just check out this video
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You have nothing to lose by checking it out. Looking doesn't cost a thing.
I must admit that I do not love the onion. BUT I do love what a bit of onion can do to a soup or a stew so I asked the hubby to grow some. Last year he planted some onion sets and the haul was great; I had onions all winter long when I needed them. Shallots too.
This year he went a little crazy. He decided to try growing them from seed as well. THIS is the second harvest. The ones grown from seed
It is slightly SMALLER than the first harvest from the onion sets.
These are a mild, yellow onion that are supposed to be good for storing. There were a few more but that was before the chickens decided they made a tasty snack and stole some from the drying table and pecked them to pieces.
Stupid chickens.
I don't think I have to worry about having onions this winter. Or possibly next.
Flushy, Trashy and Sinky. Don't you just love the names? I thought they were so cute I just had to try these natural household cleaning products. You know that the hubby and I are trying to live as eco-friendly a life as we can and with these great products from Natural House we are taking another step in that direction.
I am no scientist and can't begin to explain what goes into making these products what they are so I will leave it to the experts:
Natural house probiotic cultures are naturally occurring beneficial organisms have been selected from balanced natural ecosystems in nature. These probiotics have maintained life’s subtle balance on earth and they are now helping maintain that same balance in your own home.
The surfaces in your house are like a garden. If you don’t seed with good plants, weeds will grow. You have the same choice with your household surfaces : sanitize for a moment with harsh chemicals leaving your surface open to recontamination or seed with probiotics to continuously weed out the bad micro-organisms. Traditional cleaners “clean” a surface for a moment in time; the second the rag is finished wiping the surface, that surface is almost instantly polluted once again with ambient dust, dirt, and micro-organisms. Natural House probiotics creates mini-ecosystem on a microbial level that produces enzymes which break down odors, dirt, fats, oil, grease, food scraps, waste and toilet paper products on a continuous basis between applications. This creates a natural, clean, balanced environment that is safe for even the most sensitive members of your natural house.
Natural House uses carefully selected non-pathogenic and non-toxic probiotic bacteria combined with natural, plant-based, biodegradable synergistic ingredients to plow through the toughest cleaning problems in your natural house.
You can also check out this very cute video:
And just for you, my loyal readers...you can see my toilet! Not just anyone gets to see that! Actually it's my toilet with Flushy about to go in action. (You really didn't want to see my toilet, right?)
You just drop Flushy in once a week and he? (she? it?) foams up with a very pleasant aroma to clean and freshen the old throne. It's also good for your septic system if you have one and I do.
You can see all the lovely blue bubbles erm, bubbling.
Then you just go in there with your scrub brush and swish around a bit and voila! a spiffy clean bowl. Easy, right?
I will tell you, it was!
Next I tried Sinky. Oh how we LOVED Sinky. I did not use Sinky on my kitchen sink. That gets all the clean up from my soap making so it sees a fair bit of lye/goat's milk mixture going down so it stays pretty clear. My bathroom sink, on the other hand is a nightmare. We had to keep the plunger out so it would be handy to use on a daily basis. This sink was a slow drainer in the worst way. I thought, what the heck, it can't hurt, it can only help.
And help it did! Both my husband and I were AMAZED at how Sinky cleared the drain and got the water moving again. We were both highly skeptical going in but we are now both converts and I am going to order a big supply so that the sink stays open. I am all about the Sinky right now.
Again, it's so very easy to use! You just drop it in the sink and run hot water on it for 5 - 10 seconds. It has a delightful citrus scent.
Lots and lots of bubbles....oooooh bubbles.
Next up was Trashy. I did not take pictures of my icky trash can. No one needs to see that! It's easy to use; you just spray it in your can and it eliminates nasty odors. It does. And that's that!
I was very happy with all of the Natural House Products. They were all easy to use and effective. They are easy on the environment. What more can one ask of one's cleaning products.
One lucky reader will get to try the same products I did! How do you win? It's easy! Just click "read more" and jump on the Rafflecopter. If you are here by direct link the 'copter is waiting for you!
This novel was originally published under the title The Wolves of Andover.
In the harsh wilderness of colonial Massachusetts, Martha Allen works as a servant in her cousin's household, taking charge and locking wills with everyone. Thomas Carrier labors for the family and is known both for his immense strength and size and his mysterious past. The two begin a courtship that suits their independent natures, with Thomas slowly revealing the story of the role he played in the English Civil War. But in the rugged new world they inhabit, danger is ever present, whether it be from the assassins sent from London to kill the executioner of Charles I or the wolves-in many forms-who hunt for blood. At once a love story and a tale of courage, The Traitor's Wife confirms Kathleen Kent's ability to craft powerful stories from the dramatic background of America's earliest days.
About the Author:
Kathleen Kent lives in Dallas with her husband and son. The Heretic's Daughter is her first novel.
Most of the books that have influenced and touched me the most are historical fiction. When I was a child I read a lot of Dickens, Poe and H.H. Monroe. Some of my favorites from the past are The Quincunx, by Charles Palliser, Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears, The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve, and The Source by James Mitchener. I also read everything by Annie Dillard, Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry. Currently I'm re-reading a book called The Long Home by William Gay who is, to me, one of the best writers in American fiction today.
My Opinion:
I have only recently become a fan of American historical fiction and it is books like this that keep me wanting to know more. The early Puritan colonists in this country lived a harsh life in difficult conditions and while I have read many books looking at the history of England during the period of time from Charles I through Cromwell through the Restoration of Charles II I had never once considered the history of the colonists during that time period.
This enthralling novel takes me into the life of one of Cromwell's soldiers who now lives is Massachusetts colony. He and others like him are protected by a spy ring that rivals that of King Charles II. Thomas Carrier is living in the house of one of these men where he meets Martha, a cousin to the man's wife. Their love story is the heart of the book.
And it's a love story to savor; love does not come easy to these two as neither one has had an easy life. But their love builds slowly through looks and conversations and you just know that they will have an abiding love.
Ms. Kent spares nothing in her tale of colonial life; it was a harsh time and this is at times a harsh tale but it is so worth reading. The characters are fascinating and this story of her ancestors kept my interest from the first page to the last. I have her first book, The Heretic's Daughter on my shelf and I look forward to reading it to continue the tale of Martha and Thomas.
Disclosure: I received a copy of The Traitor's Wife from Hachette Books gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
I remember when I was a teenager - yes I can remember that far back! Ah-hem. There would be magazine articles all about facial masques and the good they would do for your skin. Now, I was a very lucky teenager - I had no acne to speak of, my skin was clear, bright and I had a little dusting of freckles across my nose. Aaaah, those were the days. Now I am old and I need all the help I can get....
I was sent three different masques to try. My first choice was the Fruit Smoothie 'cause I like fruit and I just knew it would smell good. And it did! Here is some information:
Bursting with healthy goodness, this thick smoothie treat of Raspberry, Mango, Apricot, Peach & Pomegranate isn't a drink but it is bound to leave you in a smiley mood.
I tried it one night when the hubby was out because I just didn't want to listen to him jabber about the "gunk" on my face. As I said it smelled good, really good. I left it on until it dried. I could feel the "tightening" as it dried. After I washed it off my face felt clean and soft. I didn't feel the need for any moisturizers. My skin looked bright and my pores all tight. I was happy. I'm still old though. Bummer.
Tonight the hubby is going out again and I am going to try the Warm Exfoliating Crystal Masque. Here is a bit about it:
With Honey and Sugar Cane crystals, soothing Passion Flower, invigorating Dead Sea salts and Argan Oil, this warm exfoliating masque leaves skin radiant, soft and smooth.
I'm looking forward to relaxing and feeling beautiful - if only for a few minutes. heh
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
