Just Breathe

Are you looking for a good chick lit book?  Well, here's a good one, Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs.  There are no real dark issues, no twists or turns in the plot...just a fun, light, romantic read.

Sarah Moon is a comic strip writer and finds out within just the first few chapters of this book that her husband has been cheating on her.  They've been through some serious stuff in their marriage and each have taken a different route to cope...Jack, Sarah's husband, decided his coping method was to sleep with another woman.  So, Sarah leaves Jack and "goes home" to find herself...kinda like everyone other woman in every other chick lit book.

This was a nice, light read.  No great, but not bad...just good.  And exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up.  I haven't read a really good novel in a while and was getting tired of picking up mediocres, stinkers and snoozers.  I would recommend this if you're looking for exactly what this book is...some good chick lit.

Wacky Wednesday Walk Mix

I thought I would share another one of the shuffles mixes from my iPod today.  This one was from a walk last week where I walked 6 miles and felt pretty darn good around the end of it.  I've shared the videos from a couple of my favorites on this list.

Still - The Commodores
Inside Out - Eve 6
PYT (Pretty Young Thing) - Michael Jackson

Won't Go Home Without You - Maroon 5

Unknown - Lifehouse
Prayer - Disturbed
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Upside Down - Diana Ross
You Save Me - Kenny Chesney
Watch The Wind Blow By - Tim McGraw
Ticks - Brad Paisley
Runaway - Linkin Park
Voodoo Lady - Live

The World - Brad Paisley

Room 21 - Hinder
Duck and Run - 3 Doors Down
Music - Madonna
Separate Lives - Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
Dip It Low - Christina Milian
Drunker Than Me - Trent Tomlinson
Feels Like Today - Rascal Flatts
No Excuses - Alice in Chains
For the First Time - Kenny Loggins

Periodically, I'll shop the iTunes shop and add to my music library.  Here's what I've decided to add this week...I had a little throw-back I wanted this week...  Do you have any suggestions that you feel I should add to my library?  Feel free to share!

Through Glass - Stone Sour
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias
Lovin' You - Enrique Iglesias
No One - Alicia Keys
More - Usher
S&M - Rhianna
Hey Baby - Pitbull
Everytime I Close My Eyes - Babyface

Giving Him Something He Can Feel - En Vogue (I LOVE this video, it totally takes me back to grade school)

My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It) - En Vogue
Free Your Mind - En Vogue
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Let Me Be Myself - 3 Doors Down
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes

Mary Stuart - Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart - Queen of Scots, is a biography of the deceased queen.  Mary has been known as a bit of femme fatale and Guy was intent to write a accurate and highly-researched biography of said queen. 

This book is not for everyone.  Unless you are interested in reading about this type of subject...HISTORY...then, this might be a bit of a snooze fest.  However, I really enjoyed it.  Ever since my mom had me listen to The Six Wives of Henry VIII, I've been very interested in the different monarchies and how everything played itself out.

I would definitely recommend this book, if you are interest in learning more about the Queen of Scots.  I would also recommend The Six Wives of Henry VIII, in case you haven't read it either!

Salisbury Steak

What are your memories of salisbury steak?  Perhaps not good ones...a lot of school cafeterias attempt this dish and it doesn't turn out so well.  That was David's thoughts last night when I told him that I was making salisbury steak.  But, when the smells wafted into the living room from the kitchen, he immediately came to investigate the tasty aromas.  I tried this recipe from my Food Network Magazine (thanks for the subscription, Nicole!).  It was very good, so give 'er a go!

Salisbury Steak
Food Network Magazine

1 pound ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup) (I used two shallots)
7 saltine crackers, finely crushed (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage (I used dried sage)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dried parsley)

Gently mix the beef, egg, onion, cracker crumbs, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl using your hands. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into oval patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the patties, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and cook the mushrooms until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, scraping up any browned bits. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, then stir in 2 1/2 cups hot water and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes (it took longer than 2 minutes, at least 5). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, swirling to combine.

Return the patties and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the patties are cooked through, about 2 minutes (I cooked longer than 2 minutes this time as well, try 5-10). Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Per serving: Calories 352; Fat 21 g (Saturated 10 g); Cholesterol 141 mg; Sodium 428 mg; Carbohydrate 11 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 27g

The recipe suggested serving with buttery egg noodles.  I'll probably try that next time, but I served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli last night, yum!  This was definitely a winner, try it!

Crystal's Stuffed Peppers

Every so often I get a craving when I'm reading a blog.  This occurred earlier in the month when I read this blog post from How Sweet It Is.  I hadn't eaten stuffed peppers in...like...forever...when I read this.  I honestly probably had not had them since high school or longer.  And these looked so...stinkin'...good.  Mmmm...peppers...

OK, back to the subject at hand because my mouth started to drool a little bit in remembrance of this meal.  In fact, this became a Dave's Fave right off...with this being only my first attempt at this meal.  Do you know that David told me way back when he was a kid and didn't like peppers, his mom would just give him the filling?  Not that the filling isn't good, but isn't that the entire point of stuffed peppers?  Spoiled...that's all I have to say.  Rotten...spoiled rotten.  And still is by me and the other women in his family (and mine too).  OK, I've gotten it out of my system.

Basically, when I threw this dish together I included section's of the How Sweet It Is recipe along with a couple of others.  I, pretty much, took what I liked about each recipe and made it my own.  Here's what I came up with.

Crystal's Stuffed Peppers
Adapted mostly from How Sweet It Is

6 bell peppers (red, green, orange or yellow-I think red is best)
1 pound ground beef
olive oil
2 shallots, diced
1 head of garlic, minced
red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
parmesan cheese, to taste
1 can Rotel
1/3 cup cream
basil, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Slice the peppers in half (vertically) and remove the ribs/seeds.  Place in dish(s) with innard side facing up (like a bowl).

In a skillet over medium heat, head olive oil.  Add diced shallots and minced garlic, saute until soft and fragrant.  Add beef to the skillet and cook completely.  Drain fat.

While the meat is cooking, mix the Rotel and cream over low heat.  Stir in basil, to taste.

Add rice, red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese into meat mixture, mix.  Then add approximately 1/2 cup of tomato cream sauce to meat mixture, only adding enough to moisten the mixture. 

Add the meat mixture to the halved peppers, stuffing them as full as you can get them.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the tops of the peppers. 

Bake for 20 minutes uncovered.  Cover and bake for another 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Now your problem is figuring out what side dish to make...because this dish has it all...meat, starch and vegetable...  Hmmm...a quandary.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book...The Memory Keeper's Daughter.  I wouldn't say it was bad, but I wouldn't say it was good either.  The premise is good, but in a story like this I'm not sure there is a good way to finish it without a sad ending.

Dr. David Henry is driving his pregnant wife, Norah, to the hospital on the night of an intense blizzard.  Caroline Gill, Henry's nurse, meets them at the hospital where David is forced to deliver his own children.  Norah gives birth to healthy twins and while Norah is lucid as her son is born, when her much smaller, weaker daughter is born the drugs have already started to drift Norah in and out of consciousness.  David notices immediately that his daughter has Downs Syndrome...and makes a life-changing decision based upon his childhood growing up with a sister with Downs Syndrome. 

David's own family was torn apart when his sister died young, therefore he thinks that his wife would be better off never knowing the true fate of their daughter.  He asks Caroline to take his daughter away to an institution for such special needs persons and then proceeds to tell his wife that Phoebe, their daughter, was stillborn...a blue baby.

Caroline follows Dr. Henry's instructions at first...until she gets to the facility.  It's awful; there's no way she could leave this sweet baby girl in such a place!  So, Caroline makes the decision to run away and raise the child on her own.

The rest of this novel details the effects that David Henry's decision makes on everyone's lives.

The main question that I think this novel asks is Norah's predicament:

Is it worse to lose a child at birth

OR

to have a special needs child?

Which would you think is harder?  I think the answer to this question depends upon who you ask and can vary based upon that person's circumstances.  Regardless, I think this should have definitely been a choice Norah Henry was offered.  Everyone in this novel's life would have been dramatically different if Norah had been given a choice.

The Lifetime channel made this book into a television movie.  I have it recorded on my DVR and intend to watch it soon.  If you want to know what happens and don't necessarily want to read the book, check the Lifetime website and you can find out when the next showing is.  Here's the preview:

Now, back to the actual book...would I recommend it?  I don't know...like I said at the beginning of this review, this book left me feeling unsure.  This is definitely one of those topics that is very hard.  Have you read this book?  What are your thoughts?  If you haven't and decide to read it...let me know.  I'm still a little "hung in the balance."

Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins

I was looking for something new to make for David's breakfast treats and found this recipe.  The first time I made these Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins I actually forgot the cinnamon chips.  Oops.  To be honest, though, you could make them with or without the cinnamon chips.  They give a little "umph" to the flavor, but the muffins aren't totally lost without them. 

On another note...have you ever eaten these straight from the bag?

If not...you should, they're delicious!  I kept taking little nibbles throughout the baking process...I might have a new obsession.

I made a few changes to this recipe, simply because I don't bake with whole wheat flour...not because I'm against it.  It's just hard to have 15 different types of flour (i.e. all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, self-rising flour, cake flour, etc.) in your pantry.  I'll just stick with my regular ol' all-purpose flour.  If you want to try the original true-to-the-blog recipe, please click here.  My adapted version is listed below...

Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins
Adapted from Multiply Delicious
(above pic is from Multiply Delicious as well)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple pie spice
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 ½ cups tart apples, chopped (such as granny smith)
½ cup mini cinnamon chips

Topping and Middle Layer

½ cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, cold and cut in cubes

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners.

In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt, and apple pie spice.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla and oil. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Fold in cinnamon chips. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is like coarse crumbs.

Spoon ½ tbsp into prepared pan and top with cinnamon sugar mixture. Then top another ½ tbsp into muffin cups and finally top with more of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

These freeze great!

Enjoy!