Halfway Through.... The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

  I am officially halfway through The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, and I have to give a huge shout-out to my new friend at Bookalicious Ramblings!  I first read about this series from her and I can't say thank you enough! 
  So far, it is everything I was hoping it would be.  The setting - 1899 New York City - is my favorite setting of all to read about.  I get so caught up in the costumes of the day and the whole servant girl and society girl thing!  And I just LOVE reading about turn-of-the-century Manhattan!
  The Luxe is a series that has all the scandal of a yesteryear Gossip Girl, and I can hardly wait to start devouring the next book!

  Bookalicious Ramblings has also alerted me to an upcoming series by the same author, Anna Godbersen.  Coming in October of 2010 is Bright Young Things, set in the amazing Jazz Age of the 1920's in New York City and Long Island!  I keep thinking "Great Gatsby" for the younger set!  And since I grew up on Long Island, it's like reading about my own backyard!

  For now, I will bury my nose back in The Luxe, and look forward to October when Bright Young Things hits the shelves. (and keep whispering a quiet "thanks" to Bookalicious Ramblings for the awesome recommendation!)

Anything Can Happen Thursday, Part II... Book Review...Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook

  Since I didn't get to do a post yesterday for Hump-day Hodge Podge, I will double it up today!

  Anybody out there use a Crock Pot?  I love this appliance!  It is truly the easiest thing in the world to use, and I LOVE that when you come home after a day of work, shopping, kids' soccer games and what-have-you, you have a piping hot meal ready to go!  There are many different kinds to use, but they all basically do the same thing - slow cook your meal to perfection.

The cookbook that I most rely on to prepare my slowcooker meals is Fix-It and Forget-It.  Feasting with your slowcooker.  This is not a new cookbook by any means.  But there are a few different versions you might want to check out: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly, or Fix-It and Forget-It 5 Ingredients. 
All versions are written by the same authors - Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good.
I love this book for so many reasons.  First of all, as I said above, I really love using my slowcooker.  I happen to like the West Bend Slow Cooker because it uses a numbered system (1 - 5) as opposed to just a "high" or "low" setting. 
With a slowcooker (crock pot, if you will), you can basically just throw in all the ingredients and go!
What's not to love?  And when you get home after a long day of doing whatever it is you like to do, the heavenly aroma that greets you will have you jumping up and down knowing that your dinner is done and best of all, there was no fuss!

Crock-pots were all the rage in the 1970's and have made a huge comeback in the past 10 years or so.  More and more people are coming to rely on the ease with which to prepare a meal in them.

  If you're stuck in a rut and are sick of making the standard pot roast in your crock pot, you need to take a look at Fix-It and Forget-It.  Spiral bound, it offers over 800 recipes for the greatest appliance ever invented (personal opinion here)!
  Everyone always thinks that you can't do much besides the tired old pot roast standby.  But wait till you get a load of this book!  There are recipes for everything from applesauce and apple cider to New England baked beans and chicken tetrazinni!
  The recipes are displayed neatly in columns, with about 8 recipes to a page.  ALL of the recipes are reader submitted!  So you know they'll be good if other people have tried and tested them.  The best thing of all is that these slowcooker recipes tend to use simple, every day ingredients that you are likely to have in your pantry.  No exotic "extract of ___" that you'll need to visit 5 stores to find.  And for the most part, everything usually gets tossed in to the pot and cooks together, so there's not all kinds of casserole dishes, pots and pans to wash! 
  Easy preparation, easy clean-up, and flavorful, tender, juicy meals!
  A sampling of some categories in Fix-It and Forget-It:
- Appetizers, Snacks and Spreads
- Soups, Stews and Chilis
- Main Dishes
- Desserts
  There is no doubt in my mind that even the most discerning "chef" will find something enjoyable to serve in this bible of slowcooker fare.  So go ahead and dust off your old crockpot from 1976 and plug 'er in! In no time you'll be on your way to a homemade, no effort, and most of all, GOOD, TASTY dinner tonight that will have your family saying, "more, please!".

Anything Can Happen Thursday... I Got An Award!

  I would first and foremost like to thank my friend Emidy  at Une Parole !  How exciting to see my name on her list of award recipients! 

Now, I am still a babe when it comes to blogging, so please forgive my ignorance and naievete.  I hope I am doing this correctly!  I believe I am supposed to list  ten things that make me happy and then pass on this award to my deserving friends in the blogging world!  (How'm I doing so far?)

So, here goes:

1. 
   
   My family - my husband and my two boys are my life.
2. 
   
   My pets - Daisy, my Basset Hound and Coalie Cat, my fluffy footwarmer.
3. 
   
   BOOKS! 
4. 
   
   A hot bubble-bath with a book.  I love to read in the bath.
5. 
   
   Reading in bed.  Even more than reading in a bath.  My mom gave me a nightgown that says "A booklover never goes to bed alone".  That is a very true statement for me.
6. 
   
   Going on a cruise.  LOVE sitting on the Lido deck with a drink and a book on the open sea.  (I'm gonna need to book one soon!)
7. 
   
   A rainy day spent inside reading, or having dvd marathons of my favorite shows.
8. 
   
   Blogging.  And reading blogs!  I never knew that it could be this much fun!
9. 
   
   My iPod!  One of the greatest inventions ever!
10. 
    
    Riding my bike.  Not mountain biking or anything; just going out with my kids and riding the paths around the pond near my house.  It's relaxing and exhilirating at the same time.

I will humbly pass on this award to:

Dana at Rantings Of A Bookworm Couch Potato

GMR at Satisfaction For Insatiable Readers

Juju at Tales of Whimsy

RAnn at This That and the Other Thing

Holly at Bippity Boppity Book

Becky at Page Turners

Bookalicious Ramblings

Dollycas at Dollycas's Thoughts

Chris at Book-a-rama

My Book Barn

Once again, thanks to Emidy for including me!  I've only been blogging for a very short time, but I've already made some friends and hope to make a whole lot more.  I am so glad to have someone to "talk" about books with!  Thanks all!