Tranquillity Initiative - Joan Meijer, Author
3:18 PM Posted by MAC
Stewed Chicken
(This was my favorite of my grandmother's
recipes and is well known in my family as "Gonny's Chicken.")
One chicken, whole (remove the skin if you want, it will taste less sinful)
1 can black olives if they're small 2 if they're big
2 jars green olives with pimento (without juice or it will be too salty)
1 large chopped onion
10 cloves of garlic whole but peeled
1 8-oz can stewed tomatoes
25 sliced mushrooms
2 green peppers chopped
1 cup water or chicken broth
2 bay leaf
2 t. dried parsley, oregano, and basil
allow everyone to salt and pepper to taste
Put in large pot. Cover. Cook all ingredients simultaneously over low heat for 2 hours or until chicken is falling off the bone.
My grandmother taught me to cook with a pinch of this and a dash of that. She also taught me lots of whatever's in the icebox cooking. There are never any true amounts in this recipe - It's kind of a refrigerator delight. If you have carrots or other root vegetables throw them in. You can add potatoes or sweet potatoes to the mix. If you don't like peppers don't throw them in. The stewing in the vegetables is what makes this marvelous - and using different vegetables if you have them adds to the flavor. The one I wrote at the top is my personal favorite.
If you want a thicker gravy take the chicken out of the pot. Melt 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in one tablespoon of cold water, add to broth in the pot and stir over medium low heat until the gravy thickens
Serve with Quinoa or rice and salad. If you eat potatoes it goes really well with mashed potatoes.
Depending on the size of the chicken it serves 4-6 people.
One chicken, whole (remove the skin if you want, it will taste less sinful)
1 can black olives if they're small 2 if they're big
2 jars green olives with pimento (without juice or it will be too salty)
1 large chopped onion
10 cloves of garlic whole but peeled
1 8-oz can stewed tomatoes
25 sliced mushrooms
2 green peppers chopped
1 cup water or chicken broth
2 bay leaf
2 t. dried parsley, oregano, and basil
allow everyone to salt and pepper to taste
Put in large pot. Cover. Cook all ingredients simultaneously over low heat for 2 hours or until chicken is falling off the bone.
My grandmother taught me to cook with a pinch of this and a dash of that. She also taught me lots of whatever's in the icebox cooking. There are never any true amounts in this recipe - It's kind of a refrigerator delight. If you have carrots or other root vegetables throw them in. You can add potatoes or sweet potatoes to the mix. If you don't like peppers don't throw them in. The stewing in the vegetables is what makes this marvelous - and using different vegetables if you have them adds to the flavor. The one I wrote at the top is my personal favorite.
If you want a thicker gravy take the chicken out of the pot. Melt 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in one tablespoon of cold water, add to broth in the pot and stir over medium low heat until the gravy thickens
Serve with Quinoa or rice and salad. If you eat potatoes it goes really well with mashed potatoes.
Depending on the size of the chicken it serves 4-6 people.
The Tranquillity Initiative – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds
According
to his records in the administration office, the young man, dressed in
the color-coded coveralls of a porter, was a civilian who had been
recruited by an independent contracting company from the Philippines.
In reality, he had been raised in the suburbs of Astrakhan and had
traveled to the Philippines to live with a distant cousin in hops that
he would be recruited to work in the American action. Because he was
wall-eyed, and darker than most of their local recruits, he appeared
unintelligent to the Americans. They never looked at him twice. In the
far corner of the Quonset hut, near the exit reserved for garbage
collection, the young man unobtrusively removed the two red, white and
blue
Tranquillity bombs from a regulation canvas shoulder bag. It was a
familiar bag, one that he – like the other native workers – used for
picking up garbage around the base. Quickly and skillfully, he
transferred the flag-colored bombs to the ragged native carrying case in
which he stored a warm jacket and his lunch. It was a tight fit
getting them in, but he managed. Stealing from the U.S. Air Force was a
well-organized activity at this base. The young man and his friends
had been taking bits and pieces of armament for months. To date, he had
been most proud of the small surface-to-air missile he had managed to
spirit off the base. He had believed that a theft of such gigantic
proportions would probably remain the high water mark of his life. He
had not counted on the portability of Tranquillity.
When it appears that the
war with Astrakham had no
end, a group of men inside the high loops of the US Government took it
upon themselves to re-up the Tranquillity Bomb. They all agreed that
this would be the best way to end the war as well as show others that
the US would prevail no matter what. The group had no doubts as to the
destruction that would be inflicted upon Astrakham if the Tranquillity
Bomb was used. This particular bomb was designed to silently disburse
the deadly disease known as Anthrax. The one thing the group didn’t
count on was theft of two of these deadly bombs.
The bombs looked like
bowling pins and decorated in red, white and blue were easily smuggled
out of the country and into New York City by a group of young people
posing as bowlers that carried their own balls as well as their own
‘lucky’ pins wherever they went to compete. What they didn’t expect was
to find the real threat of
the bombs. This came when one was opened in the attempt of removing
the explosives, which were non-existing. When they realized their
mistake, it was too late. Their fate and deaths were sealed. The only
thing left to do now was to take revenge on the US by dropping the 2nd bomb from one of New York’s highest buildings. This will be payback for the destruction inflicted upon Astrakham.
Senator Richland Powell
and CDC doctor Cassandra Williams find themselves in a race for not just
their own lives but the lives of millions as they attempt to find who
has the second bomb. In a city the size of New York, their chances are
slim. Powell feels there is a connection between the Anthrax in
Astrakham and that in New York but can’t quite prove it. Cassandra
feels the connection too, especially since it was her own grandfather
who invited the
Tranquillity Bomb. His interest in Anthrax flowed down to Cassandra as
well as her own father, making them two of the most renown experts in
the field. With that, Cassandra knew the two cases were connected. She
just had to prove it and find the other bomb before time runs out and
the terrorists have a chance to seek their revenge.
This book will scare the
heck out of you because it’s possible. It will scare the heck out of
you because it’s typical. It will scare the heck out of you because if
it happened the people of the US would most likely receive no warning.
This book has the making of a great movie! It’s simply so real that you
find yourself actually seeing the events as being possible. I really enjoyed this book.
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, germ warfare, Joan Meijer, politics, terrorist attack, Tranquillity Initiative
"This book is made up of 3 individual stories. All three are short reads and other than the setting, which is Mexico, all three are completely different."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"You'll follow Logan as she tramples through kudzu, goes to her first Testicle Festival, rents a room from a woman who runs around at night in the nude and connects with a wolf. You will also follow her as she gets her man, or should I say men."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Will the people of Hollow Gap pull together and defend themselves from the Indian up-rise or will they fall apart. Find the answers to these questions and more when you read this book of taming the West through love."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I would NEVER have guessed the turn of events that make up the last 20 pages of Fresh Frozen. The hiring of the spy will surprise you and the murder will surprise you even more. So if you love a good mystery, this book is definitely for you."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I felt as if I was a witness watching this evil man do the things he did to these young women. As I read through the trial I felt like one of those ready to convict him. As I listened to the comments by his wife, I could feel her pain and confusion."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"After reading Breaking My Silence I saw Jane as a strong person who was determined to do whatever was needed to get her children back into her life and to do whatever it took to make her life as complete as possible without the prostitution. This was one of the most informative books I've ever read about a subject that is normally kept behind closed doors."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"
While reading Genesis Beach I found myself not wanting to put it down. Each page had a piece of evidence that would help me solve the mystery before Logan. I really thought I had pin-pointed the murderer. Boy was I in for a shock."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I've enjoyed reading this book. It's a cross between a "fiction" and a "true crime." So if you enjoy either genre you will enjoy A Study in Red. Do keep in mind that this book is very descriptive."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"The story captured me from the beginning, the evil of Rovella never ceased to amaze me, and the love that was always there but didn't surface due to guilt made me feel the pain that I'm sure she felt. The ending was perfect."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"This has been a really enjoyable book.
I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Beth, don't change your way of writing! I've really enjoyed reading Basket Case and will be reading more of Beth's books."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I feel this is a wonderfully written book that would be helpful not just for young people who are overweight but also for those who look at a person, no matter the age, call them names, shun them and refuse to accept them as they are."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Bertha Speaks Out is a very enjoyable book to read. Bertha finds herself in positions that will make you laugh and cry. You will feel her pain but also feel her pride when she stands up for what is right. It’s a must read for children as well as adults.
"
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Read Thicker than Water and ask yourself these questions. Did the wife make the right choice? Was her decision worth 15 years of her family’s life? Would you have made the same decision?
I highly recommend Thicker than Water. As I said, it was a joy to read."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I kept asking myself “Who would put out a hit on David and why?” “Who are The Chosen Few and what do they have to do with David?” “Will Max get to David before it’s too late?” You will have to read The Chosen Few yourself to find the answers to these questions."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"This book has taught me that life is like a chain. Everyone we meet becomes a link in our chain. Some links may be weak, but the strong ones keep the chain from breaking. And as memories and secrets are shared with those strong links, they become even stronger."
(Martha A. Cheves)
I'm from Georgia, moved to North Carolina by way of Florida. I've been in Charlotte for 14 years and love it. The recipes in my book Stir, Laugh, Repeat are all tested by "Food Testers" of which I now have 24. They try a dish and rate it from 1-10 with only those scoring at least an 8 making the book. My website is a holding place for my 2nd book Stir, Laugh, Repeat... Again. Please visit my site to find new recipes and tips. All recipes are easy, using common ingredients and according to my testers, great!
January 25, 2012 7:54 AM
Yoou have such a wonderful blog Martha and it is so wonderful of you to support upcoming authors.
I have awarded you the 7x7 Blogger Award. You can see the details here: http://writewhatuknow.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/the-7x7-award/
Congratulations and keep up the great blogs. I love finding new books to read as much as I love to write!