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The Rewritten Word - Aggie Villanueva, Author

12:35 PM Posted by MAC

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Chocolate Root Beer Float
  One of Aggie Villanueva's favorite recipes

Chocolate Ice Cream
Root Beer
Cinnamon
Finely Chopped Nuts

Place a couple scoops of ice cream in a tall glass.  Cover with root beer.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts.
Enjoy!


The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literacy Art no Matter the Genre – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘There is more to writing than putting many words to paper and more to rewriting than rearranging those words.  Dreaming about writing won’t get you anywhere, and writing a thousand words a day won’t help unless you know what to do with those words.’

I don’t write novels but do occasionally write short articles pertaining to a dish I’ve just created or some other food related topic.  So when Aggie Villanueva requested that I review her book The Rewritten Word, I had my doubts about the information pertaining to a cookbook writer like myself.  I was wrong.  

The Rewritten Word is broken into five lessons with the first four pertaining to all writings.  Her 1st lesson ‘Organization’ talks about “cutting to the chase” by eliminating rambling and teaches the writer to put their words in order of importance.  In lesson 2 you will learn how to cut unnecessary words to create a better flow.  I’m sure we are all guilty of over wording not just our writings but even our conversations.  Lesson 3 talks about passive phrases giving examples in “past tense vs. present.”   I’ve often noticed, through my reading as well as listening to speakers, the use of the word “I”.  This overuse tends to make me feel that the person speaking or writing thinks entirely too much of themselves.  Lesson 4 stresses the use of the right words.  Aggie shares the importance of using a thesaurus when choosing words.  I find this to be of value to me when choosing a name for a new recipe.  It needs to be simple and understandable but catchy at the same time.  And Lesson 5 brings all lessons together in the writing of fiction and setting moods.  

Rewritten Word is only 35 pages (electronic version, 60 pages in Amazon Paperback, 75 pages at Lulu) long but those 35 pages are packed full of useful information that all writers, I feel sure, will find useful.


The Rewritten Word 
2010
Cielos Rojos Publishing
35 pages
ISBN# 978-0-9825914-2-0

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Exit - Lilian Badd, Author

2:55 AM Posted by MAC

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EXIT and Stuffed Eggplants
  A Lilian Badd favorite
2 medium eggplants
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon oregano
1  teaspoon basil
1  teaspoon thyme
2  6-ounce can tomato paste
3 cans hot coffee (2 1/4 cups)
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Wash, dry and split two eggplants lengthwise. Place in a shallow glass baking dish flesh side down. Add a small amount of water to the dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the eggplants. Scoop out the pulp and place in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the Swiss cheese. Pack the mixture into eggplant shells and top with the Swiss cheese. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Slice across the eggplants for each serving.
Serves 8.

Exit – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh Repeat

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is costly, care for it.
Life is wealth, keep it.
Life is love, enjoy it.
Life is mystery, know it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.” (Mother Theresa)

If death came knocking at your door today, would you feel your life had been worthwhile and complete?  Would there be accomplishments that need to be fulfilled?  In Exit, Ondine Duquesne-Schmidt finds herself facing both of these questions and more.  She has spent most of her life doing exactly what was expected of her.  She followed the routine of being a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother.  But at what expense to her own self and her own dreams?  You see, Ondine has been diagnosed with 1st stage lymphocytic leukemia.  Her time is limited and there is so much she has not done and needs to do. 

Patients with incurable diseases normally pass through several stages:  rage, anger, bargaining with God, depression, denial and finally acceptance.  Ondine skipped the first stages and went straight to depression.  And with the depression came the attitude of doing whatever felt good.

These feelings take Ondine from her home in Paris to America to Mexico and then back home again.  But along the way she will recognize those things and people who have true meanings to her and her life. Awakening.  Allowing her to fulfill her dearest youth dream, "a dream covered by dust."  Becoming the woman she was meant to be.  Becoming a writer.  A rebirth through the illness.

Following Ondine as she finds herself has opened me up to feelings that I’m sure are felt by those sentenced to death but not knowing exactly when their sentence will be carried out.  One statement Author Liliana Badd makes in Exit has really stuck with me.  It is “My time is different from that of other people.  My years are being compressed into weeks, my days into minutes.”  I don’t believe any truer words could be used to describe the time left for those diagnosed with a terminal illness.  Exit has given me a new outlook on people around me, both ill and well.  It’s also made me take a look at my own life, looking for changes that I personally might need to make before my time comes.

Exit

2010
Trafford Publishing
340 pages
ISBN# 978-1-4269-3587-9
 

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Reticence of Ravens - M. M. Gornell, Author

2:23 PM Posted by MAC

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Mystery Writer’s Killer Carrot Cake
  A M. M. Gornell favorite

This is a heavy, sweet, and moist cake that’s “to die for!” Dieters
beware—eating only one piece is hard to do.

Cake:2 cups grated carrots (I use food processor)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup crushed pineapple
Approx 2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla flavoring
Approx ¾ cups chopped nuts (I use pecans and walnuts)
¾ cups raisins (I use yellow raisins-chopped)
Frosting:A box of powdered sugar (or less to taste)
1 stick (1/4 lb) softened butter
1 8oz. package cream cheese
Approx 1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional: Shredded coconut as topping.

Preheat oven to 350ยบ.

I use a stand mixer. First beat together oil and eggs, then add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well, but don’t whip. Fold in carrots and pineapple (including all juice in the can). Then fold in nuts, vanilla, and raisins.

Bake in greased and floured 9x13 or Bundt pan. The key to this cake is not to overcook! Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

Frosting—beat together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Then adding gradually, beat in powdered sugar. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle coconut all over if desired.

Reticence of Ravens – Review by Martha A Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh Repeat
 
‘Her hands were in her lap, clasped tight, as if she were a child being forced to sit quietly in church.  Her yellow cotton sundress, styled to recall a much different era with its puffed sleeves and ribbon sash, was covered in blood – and even in the muted light of Hugh’s living room, the now dry blood was a vulgar brownish-red and painful to look at.  “The nuns at Holy Trinity believe all good Catholics go to heaven when they die,” LoraLee said, her voice low, soft, and accepting.  “Their souls live forever.  Eternal.”  She smiled.
“The nuns also said pretty much everyone has to go to purgatory first.”  Then she fell silent; and Hugh let her be.’


LoraLee Turner’s father has been killed and she is the best, and only, suspect. So why is she sitting in Hubert James Champion, III's living room?  That is a question he too needs answered.  Apparently, LoraLee’s housekeeper, Marsha Portson, was present when the murder was committed and felt that Hugh was the only person she could trust to help this woman/child that she had taken care of for years and had grown to love as her own.  And Mojave County Assistant Sheriff – Audrey Boyes, didn’t seem to mind Marsha’s vote of confidence for this man she had known for just over a year but would like to know a little better.  Actually,
everyone wanted to know a little more about Hugh.  Starting with, why would a psychologist from Chicago move to the Mojave to become a desert rat?
 

Hugh does have a past that he plans to keep to himself, but when he looks into LoraLee’s eyes, he knows he can’t just walk away.  He moved to this god forsaken place to get away from life and it’s everyday problems only to find you can’t run away.  There’s always someone out there that will find you and bring your problems back to you.  And that’s what his cousin Della’s ex-husband does when he decides to open an antique store in a neighboring town.  And then there is Audrey’s deputy Neil Knight who feels he should have been made Assistant Sheriff.  Neil is determined to make both Audrey and Hugh look bad, stepping him into not only the Assistant position but also into politics higher up.  If that isn’t enough, Audrey’s brother Ted is an FBI agent who transferred to California and is searching for a group of robbers that he feels have connections in the area.
 

So, as pieces start fitting together and parts of Hugh’s past are revealed, I come to the conclusion that I have this story pegged, only to find a new curve in the road.  This story really kept me on my toes.  I knew there had to be a connection to the murders that end up taking place but M. M. Gornell kept it just out of my touch throughout the whole book.  Great job!  This was a very enjoyable twister!

This is the second book I've ready by M. M. Gornell.  The first one  was Death of the Perfect Man and I'm impatiently waiting on her next.

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat

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Talented Horsewoman - L. C. Evans, Author

10:50 AM Posted by MAC

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Simple chicken soup
  Another L. C. Evans Special

2 chicken breasts and 2 to 4 chicken thighs
1 large chopped onion
4 stalks chopped celery
4 chopped carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 chopped medium sized tomatoes
2 basil leaves
Few sprigs parsley (optional)

In a large pot saute garlic and onions in olive oil and then add chicken and brown lightly on both sides
Add the other ingredients except for the tomatoes. Then add water until the pot is about two thirds full. Simmer until thigh meat starts to fall off the bones. Remove bones from thighs and return meat to pot. Add the tomatoes and cook about ten minutes more. Serve garnished with parsley.

Talented Horsewoman – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘I turned to follow Tinker’s movement, hoping she wouldn’t head back toward Millie.  As I tracked the galloping form past the barn, a bundle of rags on the ground hardly merited my attention – until an instant later when I realized the bundle wasn’t rages.  With a jolt somewhere in the center of my chest, I forgot all about the horse and stumbled forward a few steps.  “Oh, my God, it’s Rita,” Millie sang out, echoing my thoughts.  She scurried over to grab my arm, her fingers digging in like pinchers until I peeled her loose.  I glanced sideways and noted her complexion was the color of an undercooked biscuit.’

After her divorce, Leigh McRae and her daughter lived on the horse ranch that they had once lived in as a family.  Both enjoyed raising and showing horses and had won their share of ribbons.  But the best shows were to come after Leigh bought Sonny Joe from Rita Cameron.  But now their horse days are being threatened.  After the death of Rita, Leigh’s ex-husband Kenneth has decided that horses are simply too dangerous for his daughter to be around.  He and his soon to be wife have decided that ballet was a more suited hobby.  And to push his point, he reminds Leigh that the ranch is half his as well as the horse Sonny Joe.  The ranch and the horses are to be sold and sold soon.

So, with this situation facing Leigh, the last thing she needed was to convenience herself that Rita’s death wasn’t an accident but that it was murder.  Biggest problem is to convenience the police.  To do this, she must find enough evidence to make them keep the case open and not rule it as an accident.

Rita was very well off.  She had inherited property and money from her grandparents and increased her value through smart investing.  Knowing this, Leigh makes a list of her suspects.  First on the list is Rita’s sister Maggie who was cut off by the grandparents and always in need of help and money.  Then Rita’s investment agent Parker Fielding shows up claiming that she had changed her will, writing Maggie completely out and writing him in due to the fact that they were in love and were to be married.  This was new to everyone that knew Rita and this story was pushed aside when her godchild Angie shows up claiming that she was to inherit the estate.

So, who killed Rita Cameron?  They all have motive – money.  As Leigh starts finding out, they all have alibis.  Is someone lying?  And how will she save her own ranch and horses?

L. C. Evans has done it again with her story of horsewoman Leigh McRae.  I simply love her light drama style of writing.  Evans keeps me in suspense without stressing me out as I try to decide who will end up being the murderer.  And Talented Horsewoman kept me guessing until the last few pages.

This story was especially interesting to me due to the setting/location.  I had the pleasure of living in Florida and the story takes place near and around the town I lived in.

2008
Draumr Publishing, LLC
251 Pages
ISBN# 978-1-933157-25-9

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Song of George - Jesse S. Hanson, Author

1:39 PM Posted by MAC

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Oven-Roasted Vegetables
  A Jesse Hanson favorite


I took this dish to work at the furniture store and it was such a hit, they demanded it every time we had an event where we brought food. It’s from Quick Vegetarian Cards which are available at  http://www.mandalapublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=288 I’ve loosened up on the ingredients a bit. The types of veggies are not set in stone, though they are certainly a good starting point.
The recipe calls for placing the vegetables directly on the racks. You can do it if you want, but I use cookie sheets. Much easier and the vegetables don’t have to be as large. Particularly with the little beets.

Serves 6, more or less, depending on the size vegetables used
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt or to taste
½ tsp. yellow asafetida powder or more to taste (available at Indian food stores – they call it Hing)
4 medium potatoes
4 medium carrots
4 parsnips
¼ medium-sized pumpkin squash, or any yellow squash, cut into large chunks
4 small sweet potatoes
6 or more baby beets (it’s important that they are baby beets or they won’t get cooked in time)
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 ½ Tbs. balsamic vinegar (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to Maximum
  2. Whisk together the olive oil, salt, and Hing
  3. Lay out the vegetables single layer across the cookie sheets
  4. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes or until tender (some of the tips will look burned but its okay
  5. Cool the vegetables slightly, then toss them in a large bowl with the parley and the oil mixture. Finally fold through the optional balsamic vinegar.
  6. Serve hot or at least warm


Song of George – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Within the same week he is released by the hospital and received by the Hennington County Jail, where he is to be held until his trial.  That turns out to be a period of eleven months.  He learns from his court appointed lawyer that he apparently broke through the glass doors of a Federal Building and vandalized an office there, miraculously avoiding the law enforcement units that arrived within five minutes of the building’s alarm call.  To top that off, when he fell into the street the morning following the break in, there was a four-car collision directly related to his fall.   At his trial the judge makes it clear to him that although he has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, further complicated with symptoms of severe manic depression, aka bipolar disease (all of which is surprising news to him, he was not aware of having undergone any psychiatric evaluation) he, being a danger to society as well as to himself, and for the multiple and habitual crime of reckless endangerment, as well as destruction of federal property, will be confined to the Wade Federal Correctional Institute; specifically to the mental ward of that institution for a period of five years, the sentence to be evaluated annually after the completion of the first two years.’

You’ve just met George, the prison’s preacher.  George as a preacher, preaching to those willing to listen as he attempts to open our eyes and make us understand that we are all living in a material world prison.  And there is only one way out, which is through divine intervention.  Not everyone agrees that the world is, in fact, a prison, or that there is even much wrong with the world, but it is just the age old conflict of matters of the world vs. matters of the spirit. But George does.


George gets the attention of most of the inmates as he shifts the book back and forth between his hands, sometimes shaking it in a gesture reminiscent of the puritan preachers of old.  But they love him and they listen to him.  These are facts that Ansel, Jeff and Ozwald learn as they conduct interviews with the inmates on the psych floors of the Wade Federal Correctional Institution.

They are conducting a study hoping to see what care is really being given to the men and women that are declared criminally and mentally incapable of living in society as free people.  From my readings of the Song of George, these people are kept mainly in a controlled state of mind which will most likely continue throughout their lives.  If and when they are released, they usually reenter the same or another facility of the same design.  But, if you look at the incarnation of these men as George does, isn't that what happens to all of us on the outside too.  Are we kept under control by those who govern our lives?  I believe George sees every move from one job to another, one home to another and even one car to another as moving from one prison to another.  Could he actually be right?

2010
All Things That Matter Press
235 pages
ISBN# 978-0-9846154-1-4

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The Secret Life of Walter Mott - Kal Wagenheim, Author

4:51 PM Posted by MAC

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Challah - a traditional Jewish bread
  baked for years by Kal Wagenheim 
 
Potatoes combined with eggs results in particularly moist, fluffy loaves that are less sweet than regular challah. Slices of the bread make fabulous French toast and grilled sandwiches the day after baking. This is a family-sized recipe, so plan accordingly. It can easily be halved.
Makes: 2 large free-form loaves or four 9-by-5-inch loaves

" 2 to 3 large (about 1 1/2 pounds) Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
" 2 cups water
" 1 1/2 tablespoons (scant 2 packages) active dry yeast
" 10 to 11 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
" 4 teaspoons salt
" 2 tablespoons honey
" 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
" 4 extra-large eggs
" 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glaze
" 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or poppyseeds, for sprinkling 

1. Place the potatoes and water in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid, adding more water if necessary to make 1 1/4 cups. Mash the potatoes, then set aside to cool. Warm or cool the potato water to 105 to 115 degrees F and pour 1/2 cup into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the potato water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 2 cups of the all-purpose flour and the salt, honey, butter, mashed potatoes, and yeast-potato water. Beat hard until creamy, 1 minute. Add the eggs and beat for 2 minutes. Add the remaining all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating on low speed until a soft, shaggy dough that just clears the sides of the bowl forms, switching to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and springy, 1 to 3 minutes for a machine-mixed dough and 3 to 5 minutes for a handmixed dough, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking. Place in a lightly greased deep container, turn once to coat the top, and covet with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Do not allow to rise more, as the dough has a tendency to tear.
4. Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 equal portions. With the palms of your hands, roll into 6 ropes about 14 inches long, tapering them at each end. Gently dust with flour. Place 3 of the ropes side by side and braid. Tuck the ends under and pinch into tapered points. Repeat to form second loaf. Alternatively, divide the dough into 4 equal portions, shape into rectangular loaves, and place in 4 greased or parchment-lined loaf pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost double in bulk, about 45 minutes.
5. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat an oven to 400 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven.
6. Brush the loaves with the egg glaze and sprinkle with the seeds. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Remove from the sheets to a rack to cool

The Secret Life of Walter Mott – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“Men, the company is faced with a crisis; a serious threat to the well-being of every employee and every employee’s family.  But before I reveal the nature of this crisis, I must remind you that this is a top secret matter; a matter of the utmost delicacy, which, if ever made public, could besmirch the good name and future of the company.”  “Men,” he boomed again, “at some unascertained time in the recent past, someone in this building became infested with a certain species of body louse, more commonly known as … crabs!”  “Men, I assume this happened because some individual – presumably one of the company’s employees – although I find it difficult to believe – became infested.  I also haven’t discounted the possibility that some subversive elements in our society, possibly in cahoots with the Soviet Union, are responsible, in order to demean and discredit our democracy and our free enterprise system.  It seems a strange coincidence – very strange – that this crisis should befall us, just at a time when the Soviets have launched the first missile to reach the moon.”  “Either way, this thing is catching and very prolific…. This morning, after visual reconnaissance, I would estimate that perhaps twenty-five percent of our five thousand, eight hundred and thirty-five employees are casualties, and it could jump much higher in the next few days.”

To quote an old saying from a TV show… “Did I Do That?”  In the past 10 years Walter Mott has lived secretly in his office, had an ongoing friendship with a woman named Stormy, who actually started this 6 legged infestation allowing him to infest hundreds of his coworkers, infested the money he has saved by not having to pay rent and utilities and ended up acquiring himself a small fortune.  Oh yeah, he has also met a young lady named Scarlett, named after the character in Gone With the Wind.

The Secret Life of Walter Mott is set in the fifties, while Eisenhower is president and Castro is still just a young Cuban rebel leader.  Drive-ins are a thing of the day, or should I say night, and the biggest fantasy in life is to work hard so that one day you can retire.  But Walter Mott has decided to speed this process up and retire at 40.  To take his fortune and see the world.  To never have to work another day for the “man” but enjoy life while he’s still young.  But as with all plans, there are pitfalls.  Walter’s biggest will come when he meets Scarlett.

While reading The Secret Life of Walter Mott I found myself laughing so hard at times that I actually had tears in my eyes.  Kal Wagenheim has written a very imaginative, humorous book that I simply loved.

2010
All Things That Matter Press
181 Pages
ISBN# 9780984615421
 

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Memoirs From the Asylum - Kenneth Weene, Author

2:03 PM Posted by MAC

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Asylum Beans - 
Kenneth Weene's favorite

2 28 ounce cans baked beans
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 14 ounce can pineapple chunks
1 11 ounce can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pot, leaving 2 Tablespoons fat, and cook the onion until golden and translucent. Stir in the remaining ingredients (including the liquid from the fruit) and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bacon during the last 10 minutes.Serves 10


If the asylum staff has made off with the bacon, you can add some old bologna. If the pineapple and oranges have disappeared, there’s likely a can of fruit cocktail somewhere in the kitchen. Old squeeze packs of mustard and ketchup left over from the staff’s fast food lunches can be fished out of the garbage. As for the molasses and pumpkin pie spice, just forget it - the inmates are too out of it to notice.


Memoirs From the Asylum – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘I was scared of trying things that I couldn’t do.  I’m one of those people who rehearses for getting up in the morning.  I go through the sequence: what I’m going to wear, which tasks I’m going to complete, even what I’m going to think about.  If something seems too difficult, screw it.  If there’s a bunch of too difficult things on the roster, well, screw the whole day; I stay in my bed – my safe, unchallenging bed  With my face turned to the wall and my knees hugged securely to my breast, I journey inward – to the safety of my within.’

‘Safety is a relative thing.  In the bigger picture, my life went from bad to worse.  But, I wasn’t in ‘Nam.  I wasn’t failing at a job.  I wasn’t getting into trouble with people.  I was simply being schizophrenic.  Disabilitied, Social Securitied, and indulged by parents hiding their loathing and frustration.  Being schizophrenic isn’t so bad – at least not until they, the great unspecified they that is society, say screw it, screw you, and lock you away in the warehouse of unloving dementia.’

Have you ever wondered what goes through the minds of those diagnosed  with being “manic depressives”, “obsessive-compulsives”, “schizophrenics” or any other mental disorder that would require them to be placed into an asylum?    Actually, I’ve never given it much thought until I started reading Memoirs From the Asylum.  I’m sure that’s probably the case with most of us unless we have had to deal first hand with someone in one of these mental incapacities.

The more I read of Memoirs From the Asylum, the more I understood how these people deal with their fears of life.  How they are able to withdraw into themselves.  Making a safe haven that allows admittance only to those that they invite.

After entering their own personal world, is there ever the possibility of  coming back?  Maybe partially?  And if they do come back into the real world, can the cope with a normal life?  Do they really want to?  Reading Memoirs From the Asylum gave me the answers to these questions, but then it didn’t, making this one thought binding book.  Kenneth Weene has so much insight into the minds of these people, leaving me with a feeling of "wish" and "dread".... Wishing I could sometimes slip into my own little world that would allow me to forget all of my problems but Dread because to go there requires you to relinquish control of so many things we are accustomed to.  This was one very intense book that I have to admit that I found quite interesting and quite enjoyable.

2010
All Things That Matter Press
189 Pages
ISBN# 978-0-9844219-5-4

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The Panamerican - Genie Bermudez, Author

3:04 PM Posted by MAC

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Cuban/Spanish Potato Omelet
  A Favorite Recipe from Author Genie Bermudez

Peel a pound of potatoes.  Cut into cubes.  Sprinkle with salt and let the potatoes sit for 5-15 minutes until they release their moisture.  Put in a strainer to dry somewhat.  Fry the potatoes in a moderate amount of oil.  Dice a medium-sized onion. Add the onions to the frying potatoes once these are 80% done, and fry the onions till brown along with the potatoes.  Pour off the excess oil.  Add 6 eggs lightly beaten, chopped parsley and salt and pepper. Cover and put an asbestos pad under the pan, so as not to burn, and cook at a low flame until the omelet is firm enough to turn over.  Cook only a minute more, so as not to dry it out.
This type of omelet is a often made in Cuban or Spanish homes.  Hope you enjoy it. Genie

The Panamerican - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘We hitchhiked down California’s scenic route 1 which skirts the coast, and spent the first night out camping off Big Sur.  The first time in what was to be our new home, our green nylon tent.  The next day we were right away given a lift by a lawyer from L.A. who put us up for the night and the next morning dropped us off at the bus station where we bought tickets for Tijuana.  We went as loaded down with preconceptions as we did with equipment.  Having prepared so much for this trip we had of course unearthed a million and one horror stories about Mexico’s thieves, police, germs, dogs, etc.  When we got off the bus in Tijuana and looked around us at all that confusion of travelers, loiterers, vendors and colors, paranoia set in and we panicked.  As if pursued we drag/hauled our way through the terminal and right away caught another buss to Mexicali where the Mexican train line begins.’

Genie Bermudez was born in Cuba in 1954, moved to the US at age 7 and ended up attending Boston University.  After her marriage to her husband John, they both decided to take a sabbatical.  They would start in San Francisco, California; travel through Mexico and into South America, ending up in Quito, Ecuador.  They mapped out their travel plans by way of the Pan-American Highway.   So, with their plans made, the couple set out in 1979 with $2,000.00 to their name and back packs that were filled beyond the brim. 

As a teenager I grew up during the hippie years.  During that time I met people that seemed to be unafraid of anything.  They did what “felt” right to and for themselves.  Many times I wished I had their courage but lived in such a structured life that it simply wasn’t possible to develop that feel of freedom.  After reading The Panamerican I’ve come to the conclusion that Genie and John are two people that started out a bit late for the hippie generation but still had the bravery to follow their dreams by way of being “free spirits” to the end.  The obstacles that they were faced with and overcame would have scared most of us enough to turn us around and head us back into the direction we came from. 

I have to admit that I don’t normally read personal travel memoires, but The Panamerican was one book that I simply had to keep turning the pages just to see what Genie and John would encounter next.  I say to both of you… you were two brave young adults to take on such a trip.

2004
Trafford Publishing
241 Pages
ISBN# 9781412025881

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We Interrupt This Date - L. C. Evans, Author

2:37 PM Posted by MAC

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Lemon Dunkers - A favorite recipe of L. C. Evans

Ingredients:
 
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 stick melted butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 teaspoons lemon extract

Topping: lemon curd

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in large mixing bowl
Mix wet ingredients in medium mixing bowl
Slowly add wet ingredients to dry and mix to form dough
Remove dough from bowl and on a flat surface mix and pat to form a loaf about 1 inch high. Cut loaf into small squares about 3/4 inch on a side (makes 30 to 36 dunkers). Place dunkers on a cookie sheet lightly greased with coconut oil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes until lightly browned.

They are good served warm or cold, but they do harden as they cool. Spread a dab of lemon curd on top before serving. Delicious dunked in milk or coffee.
 

We Interrupt This Date – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
 
‘My mother hadn’t stopped talking about my shortcomings and my need to plunge back into the dating world since the moment we’d stepped out the door of her condo.  “You’re already forty and not getting a moment younger.  Shall I tell Stanley you’re interested?   I increased my pace, nearly mowing down a touristy-looking couple.  “Mama, I love you, but the answer is no.  I do not need to energize my social life by going out with guys you dredge up for me.  By the way, men named Stanley do not make good dates.”  “Stanley is a wonderful man.  I met him at Sunday School.”  “And Stanley is so kind, so devoted to his mama.”   -    You have just met Susan Caraway’s very southern raised mother.
 
“You’re sure the breakup is for real?  After all, this isn’t the first time you and Baldwin have argued and you wouldn’t want to make another mistake. It’s not the end of life as you know it on planet earth.  We’ll find you a job and eventually you’ll be ready to move on.”  “Job?” DeLorean looked at me, with tears welling in the corners of her eyes.  I’m too broken up right now to even think about work.  Besides, you live a million miles from nowhere.  How am I supposed to get to work without a car?  I couldn’t possibly afford daycare.  I mean, it’s not like I’m qualified for a high paying job.  All my salary would go to keep Cole, probably in some understaffed nursery where he’d be lonely and neglected in a wet diaper all day.  I’ll just stay home with Cole and do your housework or something.  When he’s older, and I’m over the breakup, I’ll decide what kind of career I want.”   -   You have just met DeLorean, Susan’s much younger sister.  When DeLorean moved in with Susan, she brought her son Cole and her rather large dog Brad.
 
‘Christian wrapped his arms around me and awkwardly patted my back.  “I don’t mind telling you, it isn’t just DeLorean and Cole who need help.  Mom, we need to talk.”  I’d suspected from the moment he arrived that he had a problem that had brought him home.  I gripped the back of a chair and watched my knuckles change from beige to pearly white.  “What is it?”  I rasped out.  He favored me with his patented poor-worrywart-Mom look.  “It’s not like I’m into drugs or anything.  It’s only that I want to quit my job.  Right now, all I do is go to class, study, and go to work.  I need time to have fun once in a while.  You know, I want the full college experience, which I can’t have if all my time is booked with work and classes.  I thought you could come up with some extra money to pick up the slack.”  “Why don’t I simply get a second job?”(Susan said).  “Thanks, Mom, that would be great.”    -    You have just met Christian, Susan’s one and only son who has popped home for the weekend from college.
 
Who is Susan?  Susan is the wife that put up with a man for almost 20 years just to have him leave her for a younger woman.  She spent the last year, after her divorce, feeling sorry for herself and has finally decided to get back into life.  She has made the decision to take on a job offered by a friend to manage and run the ghost tours at the Blackthorn House in Charleston, SC.  Adding to this new beginning, Susan has decided to sell her house for smaller accommodations and possibly try a little dating.  But, when her mother falls, spraining her ankle, her sister needs a place for herself and son to live and her own son wanting more money for college, her life is turned completely upside down.  And to top it off, Jack Maxwell has moved back to Charleston. 
 
While reading We Interrupt This Date I’ve found myself laughing at some of the events that take place.  I’ve found myself wanting to slap her sister in hopes of making her grow up.  I’ve wanted to shake the mother in hopes of making her realize that she is using Susan by way of pity and I’ve wanted to kick her son in the rear hoping to make him see how spoiled he has become.  As for Susan, I just wanted her to wake up, put her foot down and stop letting people dictate her life.   All-in-all, the story and characters created by L. C. Evans is one that I can honestly say was very entertaining.
 
2009
CreateSpace
286 Pages
ISBN978-1448614622

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The Bermuda Triangle v. Captain Bob - Robet H. Stockel, Author

4:38 PM Posted by MAC

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NATHALIE'S SHRIMP CREOLE
  Captain Bob's Favorite 

1 LB PEELED AND DEVEINED LARGE COOKED SHRIMP
1/4 LB BUTTER
1 STALK CELERY
1 LARGE ONION
1 LARGE CAN OF PEELED TOMATOES
FLOUR
1 CUP WHITE WINE
SALT AND PEPPER
WORCESTER SAUCE

IN A LARGE FRYING PAN  MELT 1/4 LB OF BUTTER.  ADD DICED CELERY AND DICED ONIONS.  SIMMER UNTIL TRANSLUCENT.  ADD CAN OF TOMATOES, SALT, PEPPER, WORCESTER SAUCE. STIR THOROUGHLY.  ADD ENOUGH FLOUR TO THICKEN.  ADD WINE, SHRIMP AND SIMMER FOR 3O MINUTES. SERVE OVER RICE.

The Bermuda Triangle v. Captain Bob – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Captain Bob was born and raised in Long Beach, NY.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and N.Y.U. Law School.  He practiced law privately for twenty-three years and became an Assistant Attorney General in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. and an Assistant Attorney Corporation Counsel in Washington, D.C.  He has been an avid sailor since his early teens.  He lived aboard his beloved Dulcinea for twenty years in Northport, L.I. and St. Thomas.  He sailed extensively on Long Island Sound and the Caribbean.’

After writing his biography, Captain Bob decided to write a fictional journey of sailing into the Bermuda Triangle.  As everyone knows, the Bermuda Triangle is an area of ocean bounded by Bermuda, Miami, and Puerto Rico.  Even though there have been many mysterious disappearances of ships and planes in this water area, scientists and meteorologists have decided that these catastrophes are all caused by anomalies in the magnetic field surrounding the earth.  What happens to these missing vehicles?  No one really knows.

In Captain Bob’s story, he will encounter a thick gassy fog which has destroyed all but one passenger on the freighter The Albatross.  He and his crew will outlast a storm, fight pirates and end up finding the island of Atlantis.

As the story proceeds, with Captain Bob and crew continuing on through the Virgin Islands, I come to the conclusion that Robert Stockel is clearly a man who not only knows sailing but through his description of the islands are so vivid that you could close your eyes and see them for yourself.

2010
Strategic Book Group
83 pages
ISBN# 978-1-60911-981-2
 

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November - J. William English, Author

4:49 AM Posted by MAC

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Garlic, Herb & Cheese Bread one of
   J. William English favorite recipes

4 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup cottage cheese
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/2 small can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 large chopped clove of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Cayenne pepper
Cheddar cheese (a generous amount; shredded)
Other spices, herbs, and cheeses on hand that you so desire
4 cups flour; add more if necessary

Dissolve yeast in water and let sit for five to ten minutes. In small saucepan, warm the cottage cheese on low heat. Then add everything together in a large bowl, except the flour. Once it has been thoroughly mixed, add flour. Knead until a good consistency and form into a round ball. Cover with a cloth and let rise for half an hour to an hour. Punch down, and either let rise again, or roll out into a long, tube-shaped loaf. Place on cookie sheet or french bread loaf pan in pre-heated oven at °350F. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Serve warm in thick slices, with butter.


November – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘It was his mother who had wanted to call him November.  His father had called him Liam, after his grandfather.  And there was now only one person he permitted to call him by his middle name.  She could call him anything she wanted, and she knew it.  What she did not know was that she could do anything, ask anything, and he would do it.  If she had asked Liam  November O’Callaghan to leap in a loch on a winter morning wearing only his birthday suit, he would have done it, he thought ruefully.  If she had asked him to feed himself to Nessie, he would do it.  But she never asked him anything.  And she never really understood him.’

Liam has just graduated university and is now going to the family home, he now owns, in St. Dunstans, Scotland.  After his older brother running away from home, his mother’s death and his father’s constant flow of women, Liam talked his father into selling him the house they had all once called home.  He would miss his friends from school but he was looking forward to returning to St. Dunstans and reuniting himself with the only woman he had and ever would love.  Her name was Sara Mar.  He had met and fallen in love with her when he was only 9 and she was 14.  She would always be his true love and he would finally confess his feelings to her.  But first he must find a job to support himself and his dog Cara.  And since Liam is a writer, what better place to work than the local newspaper.

After securing employment with The St. Dunstans Chronicle, Liam starts to get back into his life before university by socializing with some of his old friends as well as a co-worker named Carra.  As for Sara and his dreams of their future together, she seems to be rejecting him which drives him closer to Carra.  With her rejection and the murders that have started popping up among his friends, Liam starts losing his faith in God.  And the further he gets from God the more he loses in life.  Is he savable and if so will he be saved before it’s too late?

 
When I met J. William English at a book signing this past summer I was extremely impressed.  He was 16 when he wrote November, in the Summer of 2008. The book's been out just about a year. Upon graduation from high school he will be going to university in Wales called The University of Wales Trinity Saint David.  This young man plays the bagpipe, travels the world, frequently and will be going to Switzerland on research for his next novel.  After reading November I can assure you that J. William English is an author to watch.  He can only get even more better than he already is.  And he's pretty good right now!

2009
Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC
362 pages
ISBN# 978-1-60799-870-9

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Rounding the Circle of Love - Harriet Tramer, Author

6:51 AM Posted by MAC

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No Fail Pumpkin Pie 
  a Harriet Tramer favorite 
3 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup honey
2 tbs. molasses
1/4  tsp. ginger
1 tsp salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can evaporated mil (or 2 cups scalded milk)
Mix in order
Pour into pie shell and bake
10 minutes at 450 degrees, then
40 minutes at 300 degrees, or till set
Variation
For a delicious pumpkin pie pudding, omit pie shell. Bake filing in buttered baking dish, and serve w/ vanilla ice cream or heavy cream.

Rounding the Circle of Love – Review by Martha A Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘When you keep an elder in her home, she receives more personalized care than might otherwise be the case.  Her world can be adapted to meet her needs in ways that might not be possible within an institutionalized setting.  You set the budget, so you can economize whenever possible.  And because it offers these obvious advantages residential care has become a national trend.  Yet, people who attempt making residential care work for their loved one often find themselves mired in more challenges – social, medical, financial – than they had ever anticipated.  And there is little margin for error, as any missteps they make could have disastrous consequences for both them and their elder.  They must remain constantly on the alert.’

After Harriet Tramer’s mother, who was in her 90s, fell and broke her leg, it was decided that after nursing home therapy, she was to come home.  This is when Harriet Tramer found out what was really involved with home care of an elder. 

Sooner or later, most of us will be faced with the decision of placing our parents, spouse and sometimes even our children in a facility or care for them at home.  In Rounding the Circle of Love, Tramer helps to make us aware of the problems we’ll most likely face, how to handle them and hopefully prevent a few now and then.  Through her discussion of medical situations you may be faced with, such as suctioning a tracheotomy or changing a diaper, helps prepare you for the possible and sometimes probable.  She discusses money, real estate owned by the elder, taxes, possible Medicaid help, as well as how to apply for financial help.  Tramer discusses how to choose a Home Health Care Agency if you decide one is needed.  But one thing that she really stresses is… ‘are you really ready, willing and capable of performing this full time job?’ 

To help you as a caregiver, Harriet Tramer talks about your own health and welfare.  What facilities are available to help you for support and how to find an Adult Day Care Center that will allow you to take a break now and then. 

There are so many pros and cons to consider when trying to decide to become a caregiver for your loved one.  In Rounding the Circle of Love, Harriet Tramer helps to make that decision a little easier by including questionnaires that will help make you aware of what you may be in store for.  She also includes questionnaires that will help you find the correct and safest facilities when needed.  Since we will all be faced with this at some time in life, this is a book that I feel needs to be placed in every doctor’s office and given out to all caregivers of the aging.  It really opened my eyes as to what my own children may end up being faced with as I myself age.

2009
100 pages
ISBN# 978-1-889409-504

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