'Pictures of Hollis Woods"

"Pictures of Hollis Woods" is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie that is a fictionalized version based on a true story.  It is a wonderful, heartwarming movie about Hollis Woods, a twelve year old girl, who was abandoned as a baby and has been moving from foster home to foster home.  She thinks she's blown her chance to be part of a "forever" family but her encounter with a retired art teacher, Josie, changes her perspective.  Edna, her social worker, has had experience in the past with Josie who has been a foster mother to young girls so places Hollis with her.  Hollis has a talent for drawing and she and Josie hit it off almost right away.  Unfortunately, Josie is developing dementia and Hollis may have to be moved again.  She tries to hide Josie's forgetfulness from others but it soon becomes too much to hide so that's when Hollis takes matters into her own hands with surprising results.  pazt

"Sensational Salads"

"Sensational Salads" is what I've always longed for so I checked out this book by Barbara Scott Goodman.  I grew up in a household where, when we did have a salad, it was some greens - mostly iceberg lettuce -- and French dressing - which I hated!  No wonder it took me a while to discover that salads could be delicious -- especially those found in restaurants.

However,  I want to be able to make my own really good salads so I started reading "Sensational Salads" and came of with some great ideas.  Since I don't eat meat, I could skip over the seafood and poultry and meat chapters.  However, I was able to find some other ideas to try.  I may not try her recipes as written but I did find ideas for adding fruits and veggies to salads that sound yummy! 

Since I also avoid oil and I think every recipe in this book calls for extra virgin olive oil or some other oil, I am going to have to look for a replacement for that but I believe it is doable so now I'm excited about venturing into the field of good tasting and healthy salads.

The author also tells how to toast nuts and roast beets and cauliflower among other things and finishes the book with some dressing and vinaigrette recipes.

I couldn't find a bean salad that appealed to me but the Wild Rice, Apricot, and Pecan Salad would be great for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I think.  I do want to try her Green Bean, Yellow Bean and Red Pepper Salad as well as the Tropical Fruit Salad and the Mango, Blueberry and Ginger Salad.  My taste buds are watering just thinking about them!  pazt

"Thug Kitchen - Eat Like You Give A F_ _ _ - The Official Cookbook"

"Thug Kitchen - Eat Like You Give a F_ _ _ - The Official Cookbook" may offend some of our sensibilities with all it's swear words but it is a great resource for those trying to eat healthier.  There are some delicious looking recipes that I have yet to try but they are on my future menu list.  Unfortunately, I eat plant based, no oil so I will have to make some adjustments to eliminate the oil in the recipes because they still include oil.

I think what I love most about this cookbook is the basics they teach.  Here are some examples:

How to make a simple tomato sauce,
How to make a basic pot of beans or cook grains,
How to make basic green smoothies where you choose the ingredients,
How to build a salad,
How to build a bowl,
How to cut a mango and how to cut vegetables,
How to bake tofu,
How to make veggie broth with scraps,
How to roast garlic or your own bell peppers...

Where will I start?  My husband has Stage 4 esophageal cancer which the medical community has no cure for - only palliative care -- so we're doing our own alternative treatment.  Since he sometimes has difficulty swallowing whole foods, we have been making a lot of smoothies and I've been trying different recipes.  This book gives me the confidence to try my own smoothie concoctions using their basic formula.

I also am excited about some of the dessert recipes -- pudding types should be easy for my hubby plus he seems to have no difficulty getting cookies down so I may try one of the cookie recipes this week, too.

If you have trouble with the swear words, try to find a way to replace them in your mind and take a look at this book as I think it's worth it!  pazt

"The Christmas Train"

"The Christmas Train" is a movie I've been waiting for from my local library for a long time.  It's one of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas movies and billed as "Believe in Second Chances."

When the hero of our story, a journalist, boards a train to fulfill a promise to his father who recently died, he doesn't expect to run into Ellie, the love of his life.  They were together as war correspondents for six years then she left and life has never been the same for either of them.

Not only does love happen on this train but miracles and friendships are part of the "Christmas Train" experience.  However, there is a twist at the end of this love story that even I didn't see coming.  This is a Hallmark movie not to miss!  pazt

"Vintage Murder"

"Vintage Murder" by Ngaio Marsh is the fifth Roderick Alleyn mystery in the series I am reading in order.  This mystery is set in New Zealand where Alleyn is supposed to be vacationing.  However, he is traveling with a theater company and, when the co-owner of the company is murdered in full view of everyone at his wife's birthday party, Alleyn finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation -- as a witness then on loan to the New Zealand police.  It's another intriguing Alleyn mystery where we have most of the facts but still aren't quite sure who the murderer is until Alleyn pulls it all together at the end.  pazt

"The One That Got Away"

"The One That Got Away" is Leigh Himes first novel and I loved it so I am hoping she is working on a second one.  My husband and I did a one night getaway last night and I had time to read all of her book without interruptions from my "to do" list.

Abbey Lahey is an overworked and underappreciated married mother of two who also holds down a full time job OR is she?

Maybe she's Abbey Van Holt, wife to a gorgeous congressional candidate from a wealthy family and mother of two who doesn't have to work or lift a finger.  She has it all and more!

Which is the real Abbey and which life will she choose?  You'll have to read the book to decide!  pazt

"The Poisoned Chalice Murder"

"The Poisoned Chalice Murder" is the second Black & Dod historical mystery in a series by Diane Janes and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book, "The Magic Chair Murder."  Since this second book was just published in 2018, I think I'll have to wait a while for her third book in the series but all hints at the end of this mystery point to their being a third Black & Dod mystery.

Tom Dod's Aunt Hetty has called on Tom and Fran to do some sleuthing in the sleepy village of Durley Dean where she lives.  There have been three recent deaths of members of the St. Agnes Church that Aunt Hetty attends.  Although they appear to be accidents, all three individuals took a stand against the new Reverend Pinder who has made some controversial changes that have not set well with all the members.  Some members have left the congregation but the three that died all were part of a group that wrote a letter to the hierarchy complaining about Rev. Pinder. 

In the midst of trips to stay with Aunt Hetty, Fran has also learned that her estranged husband's live-in girlfriend is pregnant and she has decided to give him a divorce so that the child can be legitimate.  However, it is going to have an impact on time she spends with Tom because of the archaic laws in place at this period in England.  She cannot seem to be in a new relationship or she might be tied to her ex-husband for life.

Tom and Fran do discover that there are some evil forces at play when one parishioner is charged with poisoning his wife and another is attacked in his yard but this time none of the attacks are aimed at them.  Will they be able to figure out who is behind these "accidents" and get the police to listen to their theories?  Another great mystery from Diane Janes with insights into England after the first world war.

"Just In Time For Christmas"

"Just In Time For Christmas" is a Hallmark Hall of Fame DVD billed as a "charming romantic fantasy."  Lindsay is a professor who has just received a once-in-a-lifetime job offer to teach at an Ivy League college thousands of miles from her small hometown.  It's also likely her thesis will be published by them and become a best seller.  Her positive philosophy for good shines through in her classroom and her life and is the theme of her thesis.  Right after she gets the offer by phone, she meets her boyfriend, Jason, for dinner and he proposes.  Now she's in a quandary as to what to do.  She doesn't think she can have it all but fortunately for Lindsay.....someone mysteriously appears to take her on a ride in a horse drawn carriage and this stranger is played by William Shatner.  Unknown to her she gets the chance to glimpse three years into the future and that glimpse just might be what she needs to come to a decision.  Her Grandpa Bob is played by Christopher Lloyd and he was the perfect choice given his "Back To The Future" roles!  I love this movie and I think it might just be one of my all time favorite Hallmark movies!  pazt