Southern Living Cookbooks Giveaway

I loved these two cookbooks so much I'm giving a copy of each away:)))))))))))))
How to Enter:  Simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite recipe! [one entry per person please!] :)
This giveaway will close next at the end of next Thursday. 


**the cooksbooks are provided by YC Media

5 on Friday

Here ya go..............................

1. Gone Girl
I just finished Gone Girl the other night at like 4am. It took me awhile to go to sleep because that was some effed up $@!*
FOR REALS. I still don't know how I feel about what happened. All I can tell you is the two main characters are seriously screwed up. With that being said, I totally recommend it. Worth the read, especially since the movie will be coming out in a few months.

2. A Good Bargain
I happened to stop by Macy's this past week and ended up buying these two for work. When I go shopping, I often tend to gravitate toward work clothes. Tell me I am not the only one who does this, no??!?!?!  Both of these tops cost me a whopping total of 28 bucks and some change. Left is Charter Club; right is INC.

3. Peonies!!!! Peonies are my fave. I was feeling a little under the weather last week, and my SIL was so sweet and surprised me with a little pick-me-up! Not only did they fill up the room with their wonderful fragrance, but they also made me feel better:) I decided to put them in an antique crystal vase that my great aunt gave us as a wedding present. 

4. Newest Snack Binge My last snack binge was Hostess cupcakes [if you remember that post. ha!]. I decided that those little chocolate with the white swirl delicacies probably weren't the most healthy and were pretty processed. I decided to snack on what I had in the pantry/fridge because I refused to buy said processed treats. And pictured above is what I came up with. It's so yummy that I haven't even missed the cupcakes to be honest, and it reminds me of my honeymoon. The historic hotel we stayed at had a wine and grapes and cheese hour. 

5. Catching up on Game of Thrones Sucks being behind everyone else. We don't have HBO, so we have to wait for Netflix to get it. This means staying a season behind:/ We just started watching season 3. I've read all the books though but the hubs hasn't. I'm really hoping that Martin is able to finish the series before he dies. He's older and SUPER SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW at writing. If you like GoT and haven't read the books, you totally should. fyi- in the books, tyrion's nose is basically mutilated and not just that surface scratch they gave him in the show. [<----see i told you the books were worth reading! ;) ]

300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes review

I say every summer that I am going to learn how to cook. However, I think I will leave the cooking to my husband. He's really good at it! Cooking is so grey. You can add this or that or more of this or less of that. Baking has to be exact! I need precise directions---black and white, no grey!

I was given the opportunity to review 300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes. And, due to my need of preciseness [<---is that even a word? lol.], this book delivers! It's described as "The step-by-step candy bible for beginners and accomplished candy-makers alike."

One thing I really like is that it includes Basic Things to Know, The Science of Candy Making, Skill Levels: What Do They Mean?,Stages of Sugar, etc.

Of course I fall into the Novice, Super Simple skill level! Each recipe in the book is categorized according to skill level which makes choosing a recipe less overwhelming for me. Another thing I absolutely LOVE is that the author included a page of her "Top 40," and she also categorized each recipe title into a skill level category. Awesome for someone with a skill level as novice as mine.

I decided to be brave and go off grid from the "Top 40" AND to choose a "novice, easy" recipe which is a *tad* above my skill level. It looked simple enough for me.

2 1/2 years post-wedding, and this is first time I've used my china;) 

Triple Delight Marshmallow Squares

Remember! I'm no foodie blogger who has amazing food photography skills. I'm sure they could make it look much prettier!

This recipe was great because it contained only 4 ingredients and required minimal skill level which is perfect for a novice at a super simple level like me! 

This dessert took very little time and was very easy to make! Not to mention, it is yummy:)))

I would recommend this book for novices starting out as it has recipes that are simple and easy enough for us;)

Book Info: 

300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes

Jane Sharrock

Robert Rose, Inc.  

**Disclaimer: I received this book from Robert Rose publishing for review. I did not receive any financial compensation for this review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. 

New Book Boyfriend:)

Really, I should be sleeping right now. State testing starts tomorrow. And it never fails, I am nervous every year. My test isn't til Friday, but yet, here I am still awake.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reading about the Civil War to prepare for class. I mean like overkill reading. I needing something to kill some of my brain cells since they'd been all stimulated from feeling like I was back in college again--you know studying.

Anyway back to the whole book thiing, my number one classic literary boyfriend will always be Mr. Darcy. I'm not sure anyone, in that genre, can hold a candle to him!

Well, with a need for a quick, brain cell-killing read, led to the break-up of said brain-cell killing book boyfriend Christian Grey. Grey was quick to warm my heart with his incessant need for keeping ladies safe, charm, and charisma. He is a *tad* over the top. BUT, Braden Carmichael came along and so came to the demise of Mr. Grey. Braden is more relatable, not so over the top, and quite endearing. Not to mention, he's Scottish, and well, that's kinda hot.

If you're looking for a non-life changing or a non-insightful but need a brain dump kind of read, I suggest On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. If you read it, let me know what you think:)

5 on Friday:)

Don't forget to enter to win the Southern Living cookbook I'm giving away here.

5 on Friday:)))))

1. Touch and Feel... When we went to Auburn University's Museum of Natural History last week, they had a "touch and feel" table. It was really neat! An ocelot is sooooooo soft. And, I forget what type of seal it is, but it was unbelievable soft as well. I was thought this was a good place to check out because I was not down for the table across from it. SNAKES. This lady doesn't like snakes. No, I don't want to pet one; No, I don't want to let one rest on my neck; No, I do not want to hold it. Thanks, I'm good. That's how I felt when we went in the arachnid room. My hubs was asking the arachnid curator questions, and some of the grad students had the spiders out on the table. One asked if I'd like to "pet" the tarantula. No, I don't PET tarantulas. I'm good. K.THX. Lord, help us, if we have boy(s)...

2. Steinbeck. Yes, Steinbeck has been sitting on my nightstand for about 3 or 4 years now. I can't believe it's taken me this long to start reading East of Eden. Normally, when I start to really get into a book, I plow through it. This time, I am refusing to do that. I am reading carefully and taking breaks. This book literally started going after page 5... And the fact that I broke out the highlighter speaks volumes for me. I'm halfway through the book. 

3. Violet Crumble. Never would I ever say $3.99 for a candy bar is okay. Butttttttttt, for a Violet Crumble, I sing a different tune. VC is one of my fave candy bars. The only good thing that came out of the relationship with my Aussie ex-boyfriend in graduate school was introducing me to candy he enjoyed back home in Oz. I picked this up at the World Market in Auburn. Ours, in town, closed. I just so happened to stash this in my purse since we were going to the movies. I felt kinda bad, but when I saw that a thing of Reese's Pieces was 4 bucks, I no longer felt bad. That's highway robbery!

4. Cider Mill. It's where it's at for fall! With the temps being in the 60s this week, I've swapped out the summery scents and started out with a bang. Fresh apples, crushed pumpkin, simmering spices...Cider Mill hits the spot for that fall, cozy smell. Yum!!!

5. PUGGGGGGYYYYYYY! I saved the best for last. It's my little baby. Puggy says, "C MAH SMILE. U SHUD POST PICTUREZ OV ME MOAR OFTEN!"

No Taste Like Home Cookbook giveaway:)

I have a surprise for you! The publisher is letting me give one away:)))))

How to enter: 

• Be a follower of this blog (mandatory)
• Leave one comment on what you'd like me to post more about (optional)

PLEASE LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY! THAT IS HOW THEY WILL BE COUNTED. 

Giveaway ends Monday, October 21st. 

No Taste Like Home...

No Taste Like Home is written by Kelly Alexander. She is a food writer and author of the critically acclaimed Hometown Appetites: The Story of Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer Who Chronicled How America Ate. 
No Taste Like Home is an exquisite journey for the palette visiting six southern regions without leaving the comfort of your home!  The regions include:  The Heart of Dixie Cajun Country Big, Bold Texas The Piedmont & the Mountains The Bluegrass, Bourbon & Barbecue Trail The Coastal South

Each region starts with a background or history of it per se. And when introducing each city in the section, a little blurb is included as well. I really like how the recipes include tidbits about the person who crafted the recipe or a little background about that specific recipe. For example, Matthew Sweet, all you people my age know who I'm talking about, is included with the Bluebird Cafe's stir-fry with grits recipe. He remembered taking visitors from out of town to the Bluebird and having breakfast there with the likes of R.E.M., the B-52s, and others. The people Kelly includes in the book range from chefs (like my local chef--Kelly English!) to actresses such as Eva Longoria to musicians like Miranda Lambert to even Miss Kay Robertson.  I think those little excerpts are what makes this cookbook not just a cookbook, but a good read as well!

I was also very excited to find that my hometown, Memphis, was in the book. But in all reality, what's a southern cookbook without Memphis in it?!?!?!  And only a Memphian can appreciate the recipe for "The Fat Elvis" given by a local. A peanut butter and banana sandwich was one of Elvis's faves!!!!! You're not a "real" Memphian if you don't know that:) And I absolutely love the picture Kelly included with this recipe. Elvis---young, handsome, Graceland in the background...

Instead of boring you with more words and blah blah blah about the cookbook, I thought I'd show you actual items that we maybe i should be honest and say my husband cooked.

We started off with a little guac. Guacamole's a good fat, right? At least, that's what I'm going with:)

Guacamole recipe from the San Antonio section

Beef Fajitas with Pico de Gallo from the Dallas section
I've never had flank steak, and I was surprised at how tender it was! Definitely will be our recipe rotation from now on. 

Sara Evans's Cheesy Potato Soup from the Birmingham section
This is seriously some of the BEST potato soup I have ever eaten. In fact, it was so delicious that I wanted to eat it for lunch and dinner til it was gone much to my husband's chagrin. I did however manage to have a bowl a day til it was completely depleted. 

This is just the beginning of our culinary journey through the South with this book. I ahem, i mean my husband plan on making many more recipes from this book. It enables me to explore southern regions I've yet to visit without leaving the comforts of my own kitchen:)

**i was given this book for review. i was not financially compensated. all thoughts and opinions are solely my own and not influenced by the publisher and/or author.