The Collectors

The Collectors is the second book in David Baldacci's Camel Club series. Same characters, new adventure! Like the others, it's set in Washington DC which only makes me want to go back to DC for a visit. I haven't been there in 5 years. Anyway, onto the book......

Caleb Shaw, Camel Club member, works in the Rare Books division of the Library of Congress where his friend and colleague Jonathan DeHaven has been found murdered. Caleb is named as the executor of Jonathan's personal rare book collection. While going through his house to catalogue the books, Caleb et al notice some strange goings-on next door with Jonathan's neighbor. Of course, Caleb, Oliver Stone, Reuben Rhodes, and Milton Farb find themselves in a heap of trouble with many bad guys after them while trying to figure out who killed Jonathan and the speaker of the House (who also died under mysterious circumstances) and try to do so while stating alive.

Meanwhile, con artist Annabelle Conroy is attempting to pull off the biggest con of her life. She intends to steal $30+ million from Jerry Bagger, Atlantic City casino king, for wronging her in the past. Some time ago, Annebelle and Jonathan had been married. Upon word of his death, she heads to DC to pay her respects and ultimately assist the Camel Club in solving their mystery.

I enjoyed the introduction of Annabelle in The Collectors. Her background is captivating, even though I already knew she'd come into the picture since I started with the most recent book. This story was not quite as exciting as The Camel Club but I still found it a suspenseful read. We learned more about the characters in the Club and their pasts which I liked. The interactions between each man and Annabelle were also entertaining. Give this a try if you liked the first one. Keep on going! Taking a break from the series for a couple other reads for now. Don't worry....they'll be back!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to you!

Cookouts, pool openings, fun! Also remembering those who served our country. Don't forget them. That's important. The other day my mom asked if we were going to a parade today. This brought back screaming memories of my marching band days. Through 4 years of high school I didn't get to sleep in today like everyone else not in band. Oh no, I was suiting up in my uniform at 8:30 am to march a few miles. Playing the same patriotic songs on loop, in wool, while keeping my knees high and my toes pointed. And it was usually around 80 degrees with 100% humidity. Ooooo-weeee those were some good times! So, "No" I said to my mother, "We're not going to a parade."

Enjoy the day!

Recipe Re-blog #21

It was a carb-y kind of week here at Chez G. The best kind of week, in my opinion. I have had this Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for years and have never made a single recipe from it. Actually, I think John brought the cookbook to this marriage. Not sure who thought he'd be doing the recipe testing from it.....

English Muffin Bread: I always forget that I like English muffins. We never ever buy them but put one in front of me and I am all over that with some jam or honey. Mmmm! While I didn't feel like weighing and shaping each individual muffin, I figured I could certainly handle one loaf. The original recipe makes two loaves but I halved it. Also, an important tip is to make sure you have yeast on hand before starting, which I did not. This mixed up easy enough but let me tell you, my loaf had no nooks and crannies. This was a dense beast of bread. John loved it. I suppose it had a good flavor but it was not what I envisioned and also didn't match the picture in the cookbook. That always makes me feel like a failure.

Puffed Oven Pancake: John is the pancake maker around these parts. Every Sunday, without fail, he offers up pancakes or waffles fresh from scratch. This is what the guests of the Chez G B&B have to look forward to. Breakfast is included and our reservation book is currently empty....hint, hint. I myself have never made pancakes but having come across this recipe in the same BHG cookbook I thought it looked easy enough for me to handle. No flipping necessary! Well, it sure was tasty but it didn't exactly puff up except for on the sides. The recipe doesn't say so but I always wrap my pan handle in foil before I put it in the oven, just in case. They had a good flavor anyway but I'm not sure I need to take over the pancake making.

World A'fair

This past weekend John and I met some friends downtown at the Convention Center for the World A'Fair. It's a HUGE international festival where countries represent themselves at booths with food and wares to sell. There are dance and musical performances and lots of other things to see. I have wanted to go every year we've lived here and finally made it. Mostly, we were headed there to eat. Well, we also watched some dancing too. We saw the Greeks dance, which was basically them grape-vining around in a circle. We saw the Indian dancers which my friend teaches. They were really good! Cute little girls in colorful costumes dancing to a happy song. But my favorite was the Scottish group. There's not much else I like more than a good Scottish step dance. I could watch that for hours. Do you think it's too late for me to learn how to do this? The calves on those kids! So much jumping! Kilts! After them, we left when the southern Slavs took the stage. Their music and dance were super depressing. After the first song, the narrator talked about how the music told the story of a girl searching for her lost love but would never find her. Pass! Onto the food......

We wanted to sample cuisine from around the world so we weren't planning on getting a full meal anywhere, just nibbles from everywhere. Here is the caloric embarrassment we consumed. Keep in mind that John and I split everything. That makes it better.....right?

• Philippines - Banana Roll: this is basically mushed banana in an egg roll. We started off sweet unintentionally


• Columbia - Arepas: This is cheese melted inside cornmeal cakes and fried on a griddle. Yes, please!


• Hungary - Cabbage Roll: I only had one bite of this to appease John. I don't like cabbage. Not even in roll form


• Ethiopia - Lemonade: I have a sneaking suspicion that Ethiopia cannot take credit for the invention on lemonade but I was super thirsty by now. Let me tell you something, here in the states, Ethiopians move S-L-O-W. They will also hand you your cup of lemonade and then re-fill a cup shoved in their hands by some thug who will stand way too close to you before they take your money. They will then give you all ones in change for your $20. At a snail's pace. Also, their lemonade has zero flavor.


• Korea - Bul Go Gi: This is kind of like teriyaki beef. It was tasty!


• Vietnam - Fried Rice and a Shishkabob: Fried rice in Vietnam is the same as everywhere else. I couldn't tell you what kind of meat was on that kabob but it was good. Also in Vietnam, I inadvertently cut a line of about 15 people to get this food. I honestly had no idea what I had done until I was walking away. Then, I felt really dumb and should have apologized to everyone behind me...but didn't.


• Southern Slavs (all lumped together over there) - Kifle and Rum Ball: We were looking for something sweet. This was cheap and didn't disappoint.


• Scotland - Shortbread: Like the dancing, this was the highlight of my day. Is there anything better than a cookie full of butter? I don't think so.


• Holland - Appelflappen: This is an apple slice fried and then doused in powdered sugar. De-lish! Also it's super fun to say.

I'm not sure how much we spent on all this. Nothing was more than a couple bucks. It was $5.00 to get in with the Kroger discount tickets. So, all in all, a fun day!

What are your plans for the upcoming holiday weekend? We're having a stay-cation! There will be shopping and eating and drinking. Hopefully you can find something equally as fun to do!

P.S. I just discovered that Blogger has spell check, after 2 1/2 years. I am a great speller but I know I've had typos in the past. My apologies.

Wine Night: 14 Hands

Another installment of wine night! Our gracious friends were hosting this one so we told Sadie to hold down the fort and headed on down to their house. We were instructed to bring a certain type of wine from a specific winery. I didn't ask what the theme was prior to getting together so I was concocting many different options based on this bottle. All wrong, mind you. The bottle we brought was 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon. Finding this is might be hit or miss. I ended up having my wine shop order a bottle for me but I know they carry many 14 Hands varieties at the other store we frequent. The theme for the food played into the flight of wine as all 4 bottles that evening were from 14 Hands. I had never had anything from there before but, I'll try anything! 14 Hands is in Washington, if you're curious. Oh sorry, dinner was "food you eat with your hands." Get it? Hands and 14 Hands? Stay with me, folks. The menu was delicious! Steak and veggie kabobs, chicken satay skewers and crispy potato fries after a fantastic appetizer spread. Yum, I'm hungry all over again.

Onto the wines....

Hot to Trot White Blend: I think blends get a bad rap. Yes, they are typically comprised of barrel leavings but don't let them fool you. Those unwanted left-behinds can be whipped into something quite nice. This was delightful and perfect for the wonderfully warm evening we had that night. Crisp with a clean finish.

Riesling: This was a crowd favorite, although I liked the blend better. (Odd for me, a Riesling lover) Melon and peach and other things I can't remember. I did still like this one too though.

Hot to Trot Red Blend: Oh, this was smooth. John's fave of the night. Not at all tannic and particularly easy on the palate. We'll be buying this one again.

Cabernet Sauvignon: This was tasty too although John confessed that he doesn't really care for Cabs. This is news to me! Cabs are my fave go-to red. No wonder I'm usually responsible for drinking those bottles.

Great offerings from 14 Hands in a reasonable price point, somewhere between $12-$16 range I believe. Previously we have selected a country, region or type of wine so it was nice to do a flight from one winery. I really liked this concept and will be stealing it for a future wine night. Give 14 Hands a try!

A Trip to Kroger

John, bless his heart, does the grocery shopping alone every Friday. What a guy! I loathe the grocery store. I had to go alone a few months ago after not having been in a long time. It was torture. I couldn't find a thing and I had trouble managing the cart, list and coupons. He's just so efficient at it I should never have to go again. I would start going again if I were a stay-at-home dog mom but let's be honest, that ain't happening any time soon.

In the checkout lane..........

Bagger: (picks up box of pasta shells) You puttin' cheddar on this?
John: No, I'm making vodka sauce.
Bagger: Cheddar's really good though.
John: I know but I'm in the mood for vodka sauce this week.
Bagger: You're putting vodka on your pasta?! Blech.
John: It's good.
Cashier: How do you make vodka sauce?
John: (here he explained the recipe, I won't re-type that)
Cashier: If you put too much vodka in do you get drunk and full at the same time?
John: No.
Bagger: I'd still put cheddar on it.

Now read it again knowing the bagger was special.

Sew what, it's a valance!

It seems I'm often being commissioned by my sister for sewing projects. Some are easier than others but I don't mind helping out. I often learn new sewing techniques with these projects anyway. Somehow though, I never get paid for these commissions. What's up with that? Love ya, B!

She wanted to spruce up the kitchen with a new color scheme. The cheery yellow fabric is from Tonic Living. It's called Emilio and retails for $16 yard. I followed this tutorial to sew the faux, or fixed, Roman shade. It came together a little slower than I had anticipated. I was given very specific measurements. Since the shade appears in a prominent position in her home, I didn't want it to look wonky. I spent a lot of time fixing the folds exactly. When you start gathering up the fabric for these folds, you lose a lot of yardage. She sent me a yard of fabric and I, luckily, eeked out a 20" drop from the rod. The picture below is post-shipping halfway across the country so don't mind the creases.

Pretty cute, right? I like it so much I think I'm going to make one for my own kitchen window, if I could ever latch onto fabric that I like for that space. Orange walls are hard to coordinate sometimes.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the sunniness it brings to your kitchen, B! Also, even more exciting than my finishing this project and now being able to move back to sewing projects for myself, is that I will be in Austin to visit this curtain in less than two weeks. Can't wait! My nephew is nearly 10 months old. We'll see if 4 days with him changes my views on children........