Book Review - The Wedding People

 

I don't even remember how I came across this book.  I think it was in an email from Amazon or maybe I was just on Amazon's website and saw it.  It sounded interesting so I thought I would check it out.

Here is the synopsis:

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan―which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

This book was so good! There were only 2 things I didn't like about it but luckily improved as the book went on.  In the beginning, there was quite a bit of gratuitous and unnecessary foul language.  Also, the writer was constantly using the lead character's name way too much.  Ex: Phoebe decided to put Phoebe's feet in the pool and Phoebe thought it felt good to Pheobe. Phoebe walked into the room and saw a chair. Phoebe decided that that would be a great place for Phoebe to sit and look at the ocean. (not direct quotes but you get the general idea).

This book started out intriguing, you didn't really know what Phoebe was going to carry out the plan of why she came to the Cornwall Inn or if she'd change her mind about it.  The entire inn, except for her room has been reserved and rented out by a wedding party.  The wedding events take place over a whole week, because the bride's father left her a huge inheritance and she knew he'd want her to spend it all on the wedding of her dreams.  

When Phoebe arrives in the lobby and sees all the wedding people, she gives them little names based on their appearance.  Two of the bridesmaids were waiting to check in and they had just arrived from the airport.  One hade a high bun on her head and the other had a neck pillow still around her neck so they were deemed "High Bun" and "Neck Pillow".

The book describes the characters and setting so well that you feel like you are there in the Inn yourself and seeing the people and your surroundings. You can just picture yourself in her room with its beautiful view from the balcony.

Right away, Phoebe meets the bride, Lila, who initially thinks she must be a guest because EVERYONE is...when she finds out she isn't and why she is really there, the bride is not a happy camper and at first comes across as a spoiled brat. 

But as the book progresses, you learn a lot about Lila and she and Phoebe form a bond.  Lila trusts her and confides in her because she really doesn't feel all that connected to High Bun and Neck Pillow or her own mother.  She somehow feels it is okay to confess and talk to this lady she barely knows.

It's funny at times, thought provoking at times and just overall an entertaining book - I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

Chemo Cap #1

The Winship Cancer center is across the street from our church & asked if we’d knit some hats for their patients. 

I just finished this Comfy Beanie using Caron Simply Soft yarn in the colorway “Pistachio”

Cenise Shawl CAL - Finished

Thursday, the first row of the border was released for the Cenise Shawl CAL.  Yesterday, the 2nd row of the border was released, but I have the .pdf of the full pattern so I went ahead and completed rows 3 and 4 of the border as well (I didn't want to wait another week).

I love the finished shawl but it's really long.  However, the reason it is long is because it is more meant to use as a wrap.

So here is the front - see how long it is?

Here is the back of the shawl - I love the open lacey look

And finally, here is the shawl how it would look if you wrap it around.

I honestly am not sure what I will do with this shawl/wrap.  I could pray over it and give it away as a prayer shawl.  I could give it to someone as a gift, or I could keep it myself.  I'm not one to wear shawls that much though so not sure if I would wear it a lot.

I do love the color, it's probably not a color I would normally select, but I'm glad it was suggested, and I ended up using it.  I saw some other shawls in progress and not to brag, but I think this color is the prettiest.  

I guess time will tell.  

 

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler - aka Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cobbler

 

This summer has been a PEACHY summer for me.  I don't know why, but I can't seem to get enough peaches. 

I decided I wanted a peach cobbler but I didn't want to bother with peeling and cutting fresh ones so I decided to use Paula Deen's recipe from her first Lady & Son's Cookbook.

Some people call this Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cobbler, because you use a cup of sugar, a cup of flour and a cup of milk, then add your fruit.  

I love this recipe because you just dump it all in a pan and don't have to even stir it.

You can click on the photo above for a bigger/readable version.

 

 

Basically, put your butter in a baking dish and put in a 350 F degree oven until the butter melts.

 

Mix together the sugar, flour and milk and pour on top of the melted butter (do not stir)

 

Pour the canned peaches over the top (do not stir)

 

I always put a baking sheet on the bottom oven shelf and then put the cobbler on an oven shelf about that.  The cobbler will most likely spill over a little and it will make clean up much easier!!

Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden brown.

So good!!

 

NOTE:  I've made this with different brands of peaches and also made it with pears.  I have found that I prefer the Dole brand of fruit over Del Monte, pictured here (but that is a personal preference).

NOTE 2: You can sprinkle with Cinnamon Sugar right after it comes out of the oven if you'd like, which I do.

Taco Tortellini

As I've mentioned before, I like quick and easy recipes. Kennedy Chugg, on Instagram (and I believe Tik Tok, although I'm not on Tik Tok) often posts 5 Ingredient, 20 minutes, $10 dinners, perfect!

I came across this post on Instagram.  She didn't really give the recipe a name, but I call it Taco Tortellini because it's Tortellini with seasoned Taco meat.

Taco Tortellini

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey - I usually prefer turkey)

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted or mild), but can also used diced tomatoes

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix 

Shredded Cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Blend)

1 family sized package of Tortellini (I used 3 cheese but can use any kind)

Directions:

Cook ground beef or ground turkey until brown and no longer pink. Drain fat (another reason I like turkey, there is hardly any fat to drain).

While meat is cooking, boil pasta until done (note: fresh pasta in the refrigerator section doesn't take long to cook, when it starts to float, its done). Drain pasta.

Add a can of undrained Ro*Tel tomatoes. If you'd like it a bit less spicy, substitute regular diced tomatoes. I like the extra kick that Ro*Tel adds to the flavor.  However, I do prefer the mild version or the fire-roasted version.  I don't like it TOO spicy.

Add the ground beef/rotel mixture to the cooked tortellini, add shredded cheese and stir.

You can top with extra cheese and some sour cream if desired.  Enjoy!!

Cenise Shawl CAL - Part 3 Completed

 The 3rd part of the Cenise Shawl was released, which was Wing 2.  You'd think it would be easy to complete since it was basically the same as Wing 1, which I already completed, with the decreases on the opposite side.  

Well...that was going perfectly fine, and I put it away for the evening with about 32 rows left to crochet...but I was tired and was getting sleepy.  I woke up about 3 am and couldn't sleep so decided to finish Wing 2.

Let me tell you, if you wake up at 3 am to crochet, resist the urge.  The next day, I looked at my work and realized from row 32 - 60, I did the decreases on the WRONG side of the wing!  Ay ya ya!  It was all lop-sided.  So, I had to frog it.  Frog is a knitting/crochet term when you rip out the stitches you already did...you "rip it, rip it, rip it" - which is similar to the sound a frog makes so it's called frogging your work.

So, I had to re-crochet rows 32-60 again, but the right way this time.  

Here is the WIP after Part 3 of the CAL has been completed.

Easy Cast Iron Skillet Shrimp Scampi

I was browsing Pinterest one day and stumbled upon Cooker of Deliciousness - a website maintained by a guy out of Kentucky.  He posts quick, easy videos. I assume he is on Tik Tok and you can find him there but I don't use Tik Tok, so luckily he has a website where I can find all his quick and easy recipes.

While browsing through his website, I saw what seemed to be a quick and easy Shrimp Scampi, using a Cast Iron Skillet, so I decided to give it a try.

I'm all for recipes that use few ingredients and this was one of them. I revised the recipe a bit to better suit the items I had on hand and personal preferences.

I actually had DanOs Cheesoning on hand in my pantry.  I recall that I bought it for a different recipe but now, for the life of me, I can't remember what it was.

Easy Cast Iron Skillet Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs jumbo shrimp peeled, de-veined
• DanO's Cheesoning
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
  
• 6 oz Land O' Lakes Garlic & Herb Butter
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  
• Wipe moisture off shrimp with paper towel and cut off tails
  
• Place shrimp in bowl and season with DanO's Cheesoning and mix well
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Place shrimp evenly in cast iron skillet
  
• Drizzle olive oil over the top 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Pour chicken broth evenly over the top
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Place dollops of butter evenly in the pan
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Add grated Parmesan on top
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, until shrimp are pink and opaque
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  I served it over Pasta-Roni (Olive Oil and Herb flavor), which I made according to package directions while the shrimp was in the oven.

  
  

  Let me tell you....this was SO GOOD.  It tasted as if it came from a restaurant.  It is definitely a keeper recipe.  Especially since dinner can be ready in less than 30 minutes. I think if you add a vegetable, such a steamed broccoli or a vegetable medley on the side, it would be a nice dish to serve when you have company.

   

  I heated the leftovers up in a saucepan the next day and it was just as good as the day I made it.
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

Cenise Shawl CAL - Part 2 Completed

I completed the 2nd part of the Cenise Shawl - called "Wing 1" - it is the first half of the side of the shawl.  It may not look like much right now, but it will start coming together soon.

The next part of the pattern (Wing 2) was released today...so I'm working on that now.

CAL - Cenise Shawl - Part # 1

 The first part of the Chenise Shawl crochet-a-long was released, it was the center motif square. 

First, I did a gauge swatch, which I don’t normally do for a shawl, but since the yarn was hand dyed & special ordered, I don’t want to take a chance of running out.

My gauge was a little big, so I decided to switch from the recommended 5.0mm hook, to a 4.5mm. I didn’t re-check the gauge so I hope I went down in hook size enough.

I really like this yarn, it’s such a beautiful shade of blue, with little darker blue specks throughout. The pictures don’t really show how pretty it is.

I also liked the square motif pattern. It was well written, easy & fun to crochet.

Project Life - July 2024

July was a fairly quiet month.  Highlights were going to the Center for Puppetry Arts, visiting mom (even though it was because she had been sick) and going to the New Kids on the Block Concert!

I want to create some layouts for the concert.  In fact, I thought I had, but I couldn't find them so maybe I just had a dream that I made the layouts. Ha Ha!

I worked more hours than usual, hence a lot of kitty cat pictures this month.

You can click on the photos to enlarge.