Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

 

I kinda got off my normal routine of fiction, non-fiction (and a classic when I can) rotation on this one.  But, I am in serious need of reading up all of my borrowed book club books and I've noticed that most of the books in rotation tend to be fiction...hmmmm...interesting.  Regardless, I finished this book recently and l-o-v-e-d it.

CeeCee Honeycutt is the preteen daughter of a traveling salesman and a certifiably crazy former beauty queen.  Tragedy strikes at the beginning of this book, where CeeCee's mom dies.  Because her father doesn't really "know" CeeCee and because he's overwhelmed in his own life (crazy wife, alcoholic, etc.), he doesn't know what to do with a young daughter.  Throw in his wife/her mother dying and he's really thrown for a loop. 

Luckily for CeeCee, her great-aunt Tallulah (lovingly nicknamed Tootie) shows up to whisk her off her feet.  Tootie offers to take CeeCee in...not that CeeCee has much choice once her father gladly agrees.  The bulk of this story involves the hilarious southern characters that surround Tootie's (and now CeeCee's) life.  After growing up in a household where CeeCee was unable to act like a normal child because she was too busy trying to take care of her mother since her father was constantly absent, she is now coveted and spoiled as the child she was all along.

This book makes you feel an entire gamut of emotions.  You will want to cry in sympathy and then laugh out loud two pages later.  Let me just say, there is a hilarious scene regarding slugs, a pancake flipper and lingerie that had me cracking up out loud.  Priceless, let me tell you.  And I'm not even going to go there regarding the bra photography scenes.  Got your interest yet?

Even though the storyline is very different from these, I would compare the style it's written in to Fried Green Tomatoes, The Help and Steel Magnolias.  You see what I mean about laughing and crying?  Each of those does it to me every time.

I highly recommend this book...and the best part?  It's super short!  I think I read it in all of 36 hours.  Go pick it up, you won't regret it!

A Bunch of Blueberries

Before we get going, I just want to announce that today is a very exciting and happy day for David and I.  As it's our two year wedding anniversary, I wanted to share one of my favorite funny wedding pictures of us.  This is one of those silly poses and we were, literally, laughing through it!  I love my hubby and we've been so blessed thus far in our marriage!

Now, back to business.  Ahem.  Blueberries are fully in season right now and I took advantage of this and purchased a ton!  Blueberries are a favorite around this house, so I thought I'd make some old favorite recipes along with some new.  Via Pinterest, I decided to give this healthy snack a try...

Source: fluffimama.blogspot.com via Crystal on Pinterest

The recipe consists solely of blueberries covered in Greek yogurt with honey, then you freeze 'em.  You can buy the already flavored yogurt, but I just bought the regular kind and added local honey since I had another recipe I wanted to try with Greek yogurt sans the honey flavor.  Also, when you have allergies like I do, incorporating local honey is a must.  Here was my layout.

And here's what my waxed paper-covered cookie sheet looked like when I had coated all my blueberries and they were ready to be frozen.

And post-frozen...

 

And the verdict?  They're pretty good, but not an absolute favorite.  Because it's such an easy "recipe" I'll probably be making them again.  However, they won't be an all-the-time must-have around this household.  And forget about it with David, he hates yogurt as a general rule!

My next blueberry pin was this one.

Source: epicureanmom.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Here's what mine looked like going together.

And here's the delicious final product.

I really enjoyed these.  David, eh, not so much.  If you would like the recipe, simply click on the original pin and it'll take you there.  I actually only used 8 oz. of cream cheese and added 8 oz. of Greek yogurt to semi health-ify this dessert...hence, the Greek yogurt comment listed in the first recipe.  It turned out great, but you're welcome to try the original or my adaption.  Either way, it's an excellent way to enjoy fresh blueberries!

Now, I want you to know that I have officially saved the best for last.  This next recipe I got out of my Food Network magazine and it is to-die-for.  Blueberry-Poppy Seed Loaves.  Seriously, print this recipe and try it out...now.

I didn't have mini loaf pans (shocker, I know) so I made one regular-sized loaf and some muffins, just to give this recipe a go.  This recipe works well for both of these alternatives as well as for the original mini loaf suggestion.  And yes, I went out and bought mini loaf pans as soon as I knew this recipe was a winner.  Here's what mine looked like coming together...

Let me just say, that because of what I think is the key ingredient: almond extract, this recipe makes your kitchen smell divine.  Here's everything halfway through the baking process.  I was also baking two banana bread loaves while these were in there.  Do you ever get in baking moods and just make a whole ton of stuff?  I do...every time.  It's almost physically impossible for me to bake one thing at a time.

These turned out beautifully...and deliciously.  If you don't believe me, just take a look at these pics...

Heaven.  These are definitely a new Dave's Fave, in case you were wondering.  Again, print this recipe and try it soon.  Simply click here to do so!

Beneath a Marble Sky

Have you ever wondered why the Taj Mahal was built?  Before this book, I had never been curious and therefore, never looked into it.  It is widely believed that the Taj Mahal was built by the emperor, Mumtaz Mahal, as a mausoleum for his third wife, who died during childbirth.  This wife was the emperor's favorite and because of his heartbreak, he commissioned the building of the beautiful Taj Mahal.

The book, Beneath a Marble Sky, is a historical fiction novel surrounding this true historical event.  The eldest daughter of this emperor and third wife just happens to also be their favorite child.  Jahanara grows up seeing the love that her parents share with each other despite the fact that their marriage was arranged.  Such love is unlikely in most marriages of political means and Jahanara hopes for what these two possess.  True love.

Unfortunately, Jahanara's arranged marriage does not bear fruit.  She begins trying to avoid her husband when her mother becomes pregnant yet again.  Because her mother knows of her unhappiness, she requests that Jahanara keep her company in the final weeks of her pregnancy.  Well...I think you can probably guess what happens next...Jahanara's mother dies in childbirth when labor finally begins.

The emperor, Mumtaz, is distraught for weeks until he decides to begin the process of building a worthy mausoleum.  An expert architect, Isa, is summoned and Mumtaz details his request.  Mumtaz wants a building that has never before been built; something that will be as beautiful to gaze upon as the emperor's former wife.  Because the emperor must run the country, he tells Isa to report to Jahanara for the day-to-day issues surrounding such a huge construction project.

This is a love story, it even tells you that in the subtitle.  So, of course, Isa and Jahanara begin to have feelings for each other.  But, because Jahanara respects her wedding vows, even though she doesn't care for her husband, and because Isa feels the same way, the novel takes an interesting turn.  While the two begin to have true, romantic feelings for each other, they manage to keep their relationship platonic.  When this finally begins to eat away at Jahanara, she turns to the only person she feels she can truly discuss the mechanics of love with...her father.

I'll leave you hanging at this point...because if your interest is piqued, then I imagine you'll pick this book up and I don't want to ruin it for you.  One thing I like about this book is how it's told.  Jahanara is relaying this story to her granddaughters.  So, in some regards, you know how some of this story is going to end...but, Shors just gives you enough information to wet your appetite for what really happens.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I really enjoyed it.  While this isn't my favorite book of all time, I still think it's pretty darn good.  Overall, I'd give it three out of five stars and recommend it for a good summer read.

Peppers, Peppers, Peppers

I've been hanging out in my kitchen quite a bit lately.  Partly because my garden is being fruitful and partly because there's a ton of good fruit out there in farmer's markets and the grocery store. 

I wanted to update everyone on our red chili pepper plant.  The little sucker was producing in droves, but has kinda slowed down for a bit.  Probably because of this crazy heat.  However, if he's anything like our last one, I know there will be another huge burst at the end of summer. 

What I like to do with these peppers is dry them and then, later on, make them crushed red pepper flakes.  You know, that stuff people like to sprinkle on their pizza to spice it up?  At least, that's David's favorite thing to put on his pizza.

To start this process with our peppers, I need to dry them.  I started out with a needle, thread and one of the peppers.  I poked the needle through the base of the stem, then wrapped the thread around the stem, then poked through the base of the stem again.  It's kind of hard to see, but here's what it looked like.

 

After the first one is knotted, you just start going through your pile and hook the stems through the base of their stem.

After a while, it looks nice with a pretty even line of peppers falling to each side.

After I had gone through my whole pile, I loosely knotted the top and hung the peppers in my dining room to dry.  This way, I can loosen the knot when I get more and add them to the already semi-dry, older peppers.  Towards the end of the summer, I'll crush them all and contain them in something.  In the meantime, I think they're kinda cute and give the dining room a little bit of a southwest flare!

The Millennium Series

This series has been a long time going with me.  I, initially, had absolutely no interest in reading the Millennium Series.  A couple of close friends had tried to read the first book and said it was just way too boring.  Then, while David and I were living in San Antonio, I befriended one of David's co-worker's wife.  Christina told me that her favorite book of all time was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I was shocked...and you would be too if you saw the girl that said this. Christina is super petite, very sweet and as nice as can be.  These books are known for being very gritty...mostly because of the extremely graphic and ugly rape scene in the first book.  When I mentioned the rape scene and how supposedly horrific it was (I didn't really know since I hadn't read it yet), Christina simply looked at me, paused, and said, "Weeeell, yea.  But, the story is just so good."  Ummm...OK.

So, I decided to put it on the back burner and read it at a later date.  I mean, Christina is a big reader too and every other book we talked about we pretty much agreed upon.  So, I waited to give 'er a go.  And then a couple more girls in book club gave this series a try.  They were very good reviews...and one of the girls' review I wouldn't be exaggerating at all to say that it was "rave"; she actually hugged the books as she described Lisbeth and the story.

At Christmas time, I took the first book home at book club and started reading.  And let me tell you, they're not kidding about the rape scene.  And there's not just one, but two!  And the second one is 100x worse than the first!  I thought I was done after the first one, but oh no, fast forward another 20-50 pages and wham!  Disgusting.  Grotesque.  Horrific.  All of those things and more.  However, while I was reading this, I remembered what my dad always tells me about books and/or movies.  If you're going to have an exceptionally and wonderfully awesome "good guy," then you absolutely have to have an equally despicable "bad guy."  So, knowing this I continued to read.  And the story just gets progressively better and better!

The storyline is incredibly complex and thrilling.  Lisbeth is probably the most highly unlikely heroine you will ever read about.  She's maybe 100 pounds dripping wet, has very goth clothing and make-up/hair and keeps to herself.  And yes, I'll give my opinion on her mental state of mind, since it's one of the big discussions with this series.  No, I do not think she has Asperger Syndrome.  Lisbeth is very anti-social and incredibly intelligent (she has a frickin' photographic memory, hello awesome!), but she chooses to be anti-social and chooses to treat people the way she does.  Plus, her reasons for treating members of authority become extremely obvious as the series progresses.  I can't say that I would treat the police and doctors the was she does if I had been through everything that she had, but I'd probably feel as much disdain as she does in a similar situation.

At the end of book one, like in many trilogies, I think you could stop with this story, if you'd like.  So, if you wanted to just "try this series out," then you could just read the first book and let it go.  You'd be satisfied with the ending and wouldn't feel obligated to continue.  A lot of the time, I feel like authors are just trying to "cash in" on a continued cash cow.  However, I know this isn't true in this case, simply because it's widely known that Larsson submitted all three transcripts to his publisher at the same time, prior to his death.  But, I feel that the first book adequately introduces you to Lisbeth and the other main character, Blomkvist.  If you're intrigued enough by Lisbeth at the end of book one, I highly recommend continuing.

Everyone I know that's read this series has stated that book two is the best of the three.  So, I went in with high hopes...and they were kinda dashed.  Maybe it's because my expectations were so high...or maybe I would have felt this way regardless.  Who knows?  But, I did love the book...I just didn't love it AS MUCH as the first.  Now, the second book leaves you hanging...big time...so, if you are reading (or going to read) it, then be sure to have book three handy when you are finishing the last page of The Girl Who Played With Fire. 

That leaves us with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  Awww...bliss.  Have I mentioned this series is amazing?  And that Lisbeth is amazing?  I love how saucy and butt-kicking she is...what a great female role model for women.  With that being said, I would NEVER let a young girl read this series.  Mostly for the rape scene, but the main characters are also very comfortable and free with their sexuality as well.  And really, I kinda think Blomkvist is a male slut.  But, hey, that's just my opinion.  I would recommend this series for maybe a late teen, early twenties girl (at the earliest).

The story wraps itself up in a nice little bow and I really feel that Lisbeth, as well as other main characters, really mature and develop nicely.  I would say that I loved books one and three equally well and that book two, while still being good, was more of a traditional transition book than anything.  I mean really, when is the middle of a trilogy ever as good as the beginning or end?  Hello?  And I might be dating myself with this comparison, but Star Wars and Back to the Future?  Yea, both transition movies were not as good as the others.

Overall, in synopsis, the rest of the world (when this book became crazy popular) weren't out of their minds.  It's a very, very good set of books and I highly recommend them.  However, there is extremely adult content and you need to be prepared, when you pick it up, to read a gritty, thrilling and complex storyline.  And have I mentioned that it's amazing?  I don't fault Christina at all for it being her favorite book of all time.

Homer's Odyssey

Because it's summer and there is just so much to do, places to go and people to visit, I feel like my reading has really lapsed.  With that being said, I do want to update you on my most recent read.  Homer's Odyssey had been on my to-read list for what seems like forever.  My friend, Nicole, originally reviewed this true story way back when and absolutely loved it.  We're both big animal people, so needless to say I immediately jotted it down for a future read.  I'm currently trying to read stuff on my to-read list that's been on there the longest...haha, that's a bit of a joke in some respects.  But anyway...

The gist of this story is that a tiny, sickly, two-week-old kitten is found by a couple who immediately take it in to the nearest vet to be euthanized simply to end his suffering.  The vet does a quick examination and she quickly realizes that the only thing wrong with the poor little guy is an eye infection.  Because he is only two weeks old, and therefore has never opened his eyes, the vet informs the couple that she could simply remove his eyes and he would be able to live a full, healthy life albeit as a blind cat.  After a quick glance at each other, the couple rejects this idea and decides to simply leave the kitten with the vet, so that she can figure out what to do with him.  This vet goes ahead with the surgery, removes his eyes and stitches his lids closed so that he will forever appear to have his eyes closed.

After the procedure, the vet spends a lot of time on the phone...going down her list of people that have displayed interest in animals that come into the office needing a home.  No one is interested in the blind kitten.  She even had a special list of individuals that expressed a desire to adopt an animal with "special needs."  None of them are interested either.  So, what to do? 

Eventually, the vet calls Gwen Cooper, an excellent customer who is a young philanthropic women that already has two cats.  The vet knows Gwen has a soft heart, but Gwen only agrees to come look at the poor little kitten, qualifying that she probably won't be able to adopt the little guy.

I think you know how this story goes...of course, Gwen immediately falls in love with the little kitten and informs the vet she will pick him up when he's medically ready to leave the vet hospital.  The rest of this book is the adventures and escapades of Homer, the blind kitten's new name, and Gwen along with her two other cats. 

Homer is special in more ways than I can relay in this blog post.  You will laugh out loud with this book and also feel all fuzzy inside for this sweet animal.  I have to say, my favorite part is when Gwen explains how Homer discovers rubber bands and how she has to "make" him an empty tissue box guitar with rubber bands.  And the way he acts when a rubber band breaks from said guitar...h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s.  Seriously.

I love to read about all animals, but especially when I read about cats I feel kinda bummed that I can't have one.  Unfortunately, I'm allergic and can only be around them for short periods of time.  This is hard for an animal lover like me, but I've resigned myself to the fact that it will simply never be.  Instead, I enjoy my friends' cats (in small doses) and will continue to enjoy reading books about extraordinary cats.

Before I close with this review, I also would like to add that this book does not include Homer dying in the end.  That's always the worst part about animal books to me, and I appreciate that this book does not close with that end of life message.  Gwen Cooper's purpose in writing this book is to display how Homer taught her to love and how she found the man she is currently married to (with her 3 cats).  And once she is married at the end, the couple and 3 cats kinda live happily ever after.  I appreciate that and really enjoyed the theme.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you're looking for something short and sweet with a few good belly laughs throughout.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

I have a favorite pulled pork recipe and David has another.  So, I tend to go back and forth between the two when we run out of what I end up freezing.  This one is MY favorite because it's got a nice zing to it.  This recipe is the Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded/Pulled Pork recipe.  If you'd like to see her pretty pictures and view the printable recipe, simply click here.

This past Sunday, I threw this pork butt in the oven on our way out the door, headed towards church.  When we came home, the house was already smelling divine.  After slow cooking for about seven hours, I pulled it out of the oven and it looked like this.

Trust me, this stuff smells like heaven.  At this point, I start to carefully removed sections of the pork in order to shred it.  Oh yea, and separate the fatty bits.  Here's the pan I shredded the meat in, the upper right-hand corner is all fat.  Ewwww....

After all that shredding, I like to throw the meat back in the pot so it can continue to soak up those juices.

 

After a good little bit of soaking, it's suppa time!  I like to include some avocado with a dollop of sour cream on my pork tacos!  And what kinda summertime Mexican plate would it be without a little bit of salsa?

After we were done stuffing our faces with this deliciousness, I packed up the pork.  Most of it went into food storage bags (via our Food Saver), but I also set aside enough for leftovers for the next couple days in a plastic container.

Now, we'll be fully prepared to have pork tacos any night we'd like, at least for the near future.  Try this recipe out, it's super easy and super yummy!  Again, for the printable, just click here.