Winter Reading List 2013-2014

Winter is coming....

Sorry, I couldn't resist a Game of Thrones reference. And for those of you located in the East Coast/Midwest, you have likely already had snow, and therefore, winter is already here. Time to snuggle up with a book by the fireplace.

I had tons of fun with my last reading list. It was a great way to make sure that I didn't let reading take over my life, as it so often did. I still have one additional book to review for Fall, but I will need a few days to recover from it. Sometimes books do that to me.

There are so many good books coming out, but so many older ones that I want to read. Winter is going to be a mix of these, I am thinking. It's not completely fleshed out, because who knows where my literary whims will take me this winter. I have left two open spots at the end of this list, so I can add things in as I go.

- The Chase 2/25/14 Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg. This is the sequel to The Heist, a new series by my dear friend, Janet E., who paired up with Lee Goldberg to write a police drama/comedy. I am not actually friends with Ms. Evanovich (I wish!), but I've read all of her books, so that kind of counts. It's a bit one-sided, this friendship.

The first one was a bit predictable, but I love a pairing of the bad guy meets kickbutt chick, so we will let that slide. I found the first one enjoyable, and am looking forward to a second helping.

-The Princes of Ireland, Edward Rutherford. I have to admit, I picked this one off the shelves of a bookstore randomly a few months back, but just haven't sat down to read it. It's staring at me as I type this, so I better get to it before it truly feels neglected. I'll let you know how it goes, because I truly don't know more about it than briefly glancing at the back cover. Sometimes, that's how I pick out books.

-The Blackberry Pie Murder (Hannah Swenson #17), Joanne Fluke. This is another adorable murder-mystery novel that always brings a smile to my face. And who knew there could be so many murderers in a small town? And there are recipes! Yum. The first ones are always on sale right before the newest book comes out, so I would check them out then (February), if you want a nice cold-weather pick-me-up.

-The City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1), Cassandra Clare. Another one that I've had around for a while, this one on my Nook, that I bought on super sale. They made a movie out of it, so it can't be THAT bad. Famous last words, I am sure. But, hey, I'm going to try it out. If I like it, I know there are more and I won't have to wait to read them. I won't blog about this one, so don't worry if you really don't care or already read it AGES ago.

To be honest, I will probably read two more books this winter, but I haven't set my heart on anything yet. There are a lot of authors that I've read before that I'm interested in reading their new books, but I've been burned before. I may also catch up on some other books I have stockpiled. If I read anything spectacular, I will be sure to let you know.

What are you excited about reading this winter? Any suggestions? And if you are looking for more ideas on what to read, check out my Fall Reading List for reviews.

The 25 Days of Free Gift Tag Printables

If you haven't been living under a rock, you probably have noticed that there are tons of ways to dress up your holiday presents. Half the fun of giving is all about the presentation. Kraft paper, designer wrapping paper, feathers, ribbons, twine, tags. They are all plastered over the 'net, in every magazine, and on TV. 

Okay, so this isn't twenty-five days of gift tags. It's more twenty-five of the cutest FREE gift tag printables available on the internet. And while the majority of them are Christmas-centric, some of them could be used for other holidays/events. Simply click on the link, print onto cardstock or sticker paper, and gift! I do apologize about the number of chalkboard tags. I'm a fan.

I found these from all corners of the internet, so please be respectful of the uber-talented artists and print/download directly from their pages using the links below the photos. Happy Wrapping!

1. Credit: Hey Look. View and print.

2. Credit: Three Little Monkeys Studio. View and Print.

3. Credit: Ellinee. View and Print.

4. Credit: Fellow Fellow. View and Download.

5. Credit: Poppytalk. View and Print.

6. Credit: The Stork is Coming. View and Print here.

7. Credit: Two Peas and their Pod. Click here to view and print.

8. Credit: Rebecca's Misc. View and Print.

9. Credit: Falala Designs. View and Print.

10. Credit: Living Locurto. View and Print.

11. Credit: Lilac & Lavender. View and Print.

12. Credit: Emmy + Gabbie. View and Print.

13. Credit: Lia Griffith. View and Print.

14. Credit: Ellinee. View and Print.

15. Credit: Love vs. Design. View and Print.

16. Credit: Packagery. View and Print.

17. Credit: Lia Griffith. View and Print.

18. Credit: Fellow Fellow. View and Print.

19. Credit: Love Vs. Design. View and Print.

20. Credit: Jones Design Company. View and Print.

21. Credit: Emily McDowell. View and Print.

22. Credit: The Handmade Home. View and Print.

23. Credit: Seventeenth And Irving. View and Print.

24. Credit: Eat Drink Chic. View and Print.

25. Credit: Love vs. Design. View and Print.

My Thoughts on New TV shows

Hey all! I wanted to do a quick thank you, because my little blog is quickly getting noticed! Thanks for helping make that happen!

I'd recently given up cable, and have had to completely change my TV watching habits. I was going cold turkey from the tube for a while, but The Man needed mindless distractions from his workaholism, and so we wandered back to TVland. We started watching a few new shows, and some of them we liked, some we didn't. Here's my take on the best, and the rest.

Note: I was going to save this post for later, because I have so many posts mostly written, it could be comical. However, I wanted to share this first TV show before you are unable to watch it for free online.

The Paradise: You know the public broadcasting station... back east we called it PBS, here it's OPB. I don't know what you call it, but have you heard of Downton Abbey? I confess, I'm wayyy behind, but I don't have the time to watch three seasons of anything right now. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not in college anymore.

Well, if you love Downton Abbey, or if you wanted to watch it but can't commit so many hours of your life, try The Paradise. The first season just aired (I caught it randomly at the tail end) and is available online for FREE until December 17th. There are only seven episodes in the first season (technically eight, but the first two were aired as one long episode), so it is perfect for those who are afraid of a long time commitment. And once you start watching, you will see why it was so urgent for me to get this post out to you ASAP.

Brief outline: Adapted from Au Bonheur des Dames by Emile Zola, a country girl moves to the city and starts working for a department store. Did I mention it was set in the late 1800s?

Almost Human: There have only been a few episodes yet, and the first few were rather choppy, but I am calling this a must-see. The casting is just incredible (and attractive), and the action is exactly what I need on a Monday night (at 8/7c). Catch up with the first four episodes here, and then get on the bandwagon.

Brief outline: Brought to you by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, anyone?), a no-nonsense cop with nothing to lose (isn't that how all action movie heroes are described?) needs an android partner, because the future is dangerous.

Agents of Shield: Another action show, this one brought to you by Marvel and Joss Whedon, who brought us the Avengers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (a personal favorite, don't judge). If you've seen any of the recent Marvel shows, then this is probably right up your alley. No outline needed, just watch it.

Super Fun Night, The Crazy Ones, The Millers, The Goldbergs, and Mom have also received a bit of attention at my house. But they unfortunately didn't make my must-watch-every-week list. I like humorous shows, and these all bring laughs, but they just haven't captured me fully, no matter how awesome Buffy Sarah Michelle Gellar is or how funny Fat Amy Rebel Wilson or GOB Will Arnett is. I watch them, when they are on and I notice, but they haven't captured me.

I know there are other new shows that I haven't mentioned. I am only one girl, and my interests are spread thin as of late. Any new shows that have sealed in your viewership?

Food Network's Pumpkin Pie Adventure

Hey Everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving (and got in a bunch of holiday shopping). I took Thanksgiving as an opportunity to break the diet and indulge, and have been having a bit of a difficult time getting back on the health food wagon. Leftovers!

The Man and I decided to have a quiet Thanksgiving with just the two of us, being that our families are on what seems to be the other side of the universe. And by the two of us, I mean us as a couple, and a medium-sized feast. As there were only the two of us present, I elected to make only one dessert. Pumpkin Pie.

You may be surprised, considering my love for all things sweet, but I had never made a pumpkin pie before. Mostly because pumpkin used to be classified, to me at least, as a vegetable. And before my health kick, vegetables were dinner foods and fruit (like apple pie) makes an awesome breakfast. You can see why this health kick was needed. To me, chocolate was the only item classified as a dessert. Before this health kick, I had spent my baking endeavors mastering all variations of chocolate pie, brownies, cookies (chocolate!) and frosting, I mean, cake. This grown-up me is all about tackling the pumpkin pie.

I decided to visit my friends at foodnetwork.com and see what sort of pumpkin pie deliciousness is available to me. I found this recipe, and I was sold. It seemed like the perfect traditional pumpkin pie. I followed the recipe, mostly. I didn't make the crust from scratch as recommended. It's not that the recipe for the crust seemed difficult, The Man just isn't all that particular, and I decided to take a shortcut. I purchased a pack of six mini pre-made pie crusts, because I figured that mini is cuter and mini means if I eat a whole pie, I won't need to cry about it later.

They don't look as good as they were. I haven't mastered pretty pie yet.

You can see on the right here the mini pumpkin pies in all their adorableness. Those were for The Man. The ones on the left, while not adorable by any means, are obviously mine. I really tried to be an adult about this, but apparently I have not completely reformed my old ways after five months of healthiness. I just felt like if this was going to be my only dessert until Christmas, it needed something. So I reached into my pantry and pulled out some semi-sweet chocolate chips (how did those get there?), melted them down in the microwave, and globbed the not-totally-melted chocolate onto my already delicious pumpkin pie. Side note: I know you are not supposed to melt chocolate in the microwave. Chocolate burns. I did put it in for 45 seconds, taking it out ever 8-10 to stir it up. If the pies weren't already cooling and I had this brilliant idea a minute and a half before I was about to eat said pie, I would have followed the rules. Probably.

So there are chocolate pumpkin pies out there. It's a thing. I'm not weird. And when covered with a "healthy" serving of whipped cream and eaten with Amy Grant's Christmas collection at a high volume, you have a dynamite dessert. Another Side Note: Amy Grant's Christmas music is my favorite ever. My family listened to it every year while decorating the tree, and now the nostalgia has ruined most other Christmas music. I like a healthy mix, but if I am going to listen to just one artist's Christmas collection, Amy wins.

Back to the pie. Because the pies were mini, the cooking time was dramatically reduced. I put the mini pies on a baking sheet and they were in the oven for 30 minutes. It was the simplest (and most delicious) pumpkin pie I've ever made. So what if it is the only one?

Except it wasn't. Because the amount pie filling that the food network recipe calls for makes a hefty pumpkin pie, and my mini pies barely made a dent in my big bowl of filling. And now I have no pre-made pie crust. And it's now the day after Thanksgiving, when dessert has again become taboo. What's a girl to do?

Well, I guess I felt like wasting all this refrigerated pie filling was like littering or something. There are starving children in Africa who don't even care about Thanksgiving. I must make another pie, and then eat said pie with The Man. (All of my food-related issues are coming out in this blog post, folks.)

I didn't have the patience to make the pie filling on the Food Network. Mostly because if I didn't make the pie this second, I might have doubts and not be willing to eat said pie when my firm resolve returns. But I had a box of Bisquick. And I found a Bisquick pie crust recipe quickly (it was the first entry on Google when searching for "Bisquick pie crust"). Instead of baking the crust before putting the filling in (because my filling needs baked too), I put the pie filling on the raw dough and baked them all at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. And it turned out great. The pie filling was a little shallow on the full pie, because it is missing six mini pies-worth. But don't worry, that was supplemented by a layer of melted semi-sweet morsels. I don't have a picture of this, unfortunately, because time was of the essence. It was a pie of shame. And no one Instagrams day-after Thanksgiving meals.

The Man liked the chocolate as a thin layer, but said that a thicker layer made the pie too sweet. I could have just had a pie with a chocolate bar filling, and would have wanted more. I'll lay on the couch about this little episode later. Did you try any good recipes for Thanksgiving? What's your favorite pie recipe?

Inspiration 12/1/13

As we enter the long, dark winter season, I wanted to leave you with a quick reminder:
If summers were endless, their beauty would be less appreciated.