Mexican Cabbage Salad
Mexican Cabbage Salad Mexican Cabbage Salad is another recipe I’ve tried to replicate from a favorite local restaurant in San Diego. Cinco de Mayo or anytime, it’s a family favorite. It brings back memories of leisurely dinners complete with margaritas, chips and salsa, and friends. We often enjoyed sharing one of these salads with our dinner order. Usually we make coleslaw with mayo, but this is so crisp and refreshing with oil and...
Top New Suspense Thrillers, Part 3: Mark Greaney
Mark Greaney, Author Bringing us Court Gentry Continuing the search for still more authors of thrillers, Mark Greaney’s Gray Man had to be on the list. You may be familiar with the author’s name. He has co-authored several books with Tom Clancy, including Command Authority, Threat Vector, and Locked On. Gray Man was Mr. Greaney’s first solo novel, and what a beginning. Court Gentry, the star of the series, is often...
A Song for Sunrise : Bob Marley
Picking a sunshine song from the great Robert Nesta Marley isn’t too difficult; most of his music has the glow of the dawn about it. I always turn to the glorious sun-baked Sun Is Shining to throw some light on the day. It dates from my favorite Wailers era – that period in the early 1970s, when, for want of musical direction (a cover of The Archies’ ‘Sugar Sugar’ and the similarly saccharine Dance Do The...
Album of the Year – Shearwater’s Jet Plane and Oxbow
Andy Royston reckons that the album of 2016 has already been released. “Shearwater strikes a proper balance between anxiety and artistry on this new record, a tenuous equilibrium that the world desperately needs to find on its own at the moment.” – Erik Thompson: The Line of Best Fit. Keeping up with new music used to be easy. There was a time when radio DJs played what they wanted to play instead of by-the-book...
The Prince of Los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco
A Miami Childhood. Little Riqui grew up to be Richard Blanco, who became the fifth inaugural poet of the United States becoming the youngest, the first Latino, the first immigrant and the first gay writer to do so. In this autobiographical book he tells about his childhood in the Cuban community of Miami. It’s a highly entertaining and very often a laugh-out-loud book featuring a wonderful range of lively characters and at the...
Shivers and Signposts: By Len Richman
The journey through life. Although this book could be described as a memoir, that would certainly be doing the author a disservice. It is far more than that. It’s also the author’s insights into a situation we all face – or will face; that of getting older and to the end of our official working lives. And at that stage, there is bound to be a certain amount of reflection on the years that have passed and the journey...
David Suchet Plays Lady Bracknell
From Hercule Poirot to Lady Bracknell. Actor Davis Suchet is probably best known for playing Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. But now he is taking on a very different role and, it must be said, a rather challenging one. It is the role of the totally wonderful Lady Bracknell is Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. He has exchanged his carefully manicured moustache for corsets and high heels. He...
PG Wodehouse: A Life
Was PG Wodehouse a Nazi collaborator? Now that would have seemed like a very odd thing to ask had it not been for the book you see here. Robert McCrum, the author of this book tells a story I had never heard before. I’ve read Wodehouse – the creator of the Jeeves and Wooster series- for many years but didn’t realise that during the Second World War he was accused of being aNazi collaborator. This was definitely a...
Valentine’s Day, or So They Say
Valentine’s Day, or So They Say When, again, is St. Valentine’s day? February 14, right? Yes … and no. Valentine’s day is celebrated on February 14, July 6, July 30 and June 12. Why so many days on which this holiday is observed? Valentine was a popular name within religious circles back in the days of the Romans. The beginning of this holiday was a liturgical celebration for one or more saints named Valentinus. The Anglicans...
Parents have daughter’s birthmark tattoos
British parents get tattoos of daughter’s birthmark A couple in England, whose daughter has a large port wine stain birthmark, have had her birthmark reproduced on their own bodies. The little girl was born with blotchy red colouration that extends from her foot to her lower back. They found that their toddler was being stared at and decided that they too would have the same birthmark on their own legs. This,they felt, would...
Who Was Lillie Langtry?
Lillie Langtry’s royal illegitimate baby. At various times in her life,Lillie Langtry was an entertainer, a racehorse owner, an American citizen, a resident of Monte Carlo and most notably, a mistress of members of the British aristocracy and royal family. But what is often forgotten is that she had a royal illegitimate daughter whose descendants are related by blood to today’s heirs to the British throne. Lillie was born...
Still Time to Plan a Romantic Escape!
Still Time to Plan a Romantic Escape! It is always a good time to take your mate away for a few days. Sometimes it’s to be alone without the kids, sometimes to get away from work, but as often it is just nice to be somewhere other than home, a special treat, where you can simply enjoy each other’s company and refresh. Of course weather is a consideration in many areas, but even then there is fun and adventure to be found for a unique...
City Girls
Think football (or soccer) and you think men: men shouting, waving, cheering, chanting, booing. But here in my home city, Bradford, West Yorkshire, many female fans of all ages attend both home and away matches. They come with their male partners or spouses, they come in female pairs, they come with their kids or grandchildren, and some come on their own. And they can be as passionate as the men about the game. In 2015 a local...
John T Betsch & Bessie Coleman
John T Betsch & Bessie Coleman John T Betsch’s grandfather was the first black millionaire in Florida. John himself was, in his daughter’s words ‘a race man’ who promoted the black community in the area. In 1930 he, as a member of the Negro Welfare League, sponsored and promoted aviator Bessie Coleman who went to Jacksonville to appear in an air show. You can read about Bessie Coleman here. If you’ve...
Strawberry Pink Camouflage Cake
Strawberry Pink Camouflage Cake Make a fun pink camouflage cake topped with strawberries for Valentines Day! I’ve never made a cake like this or a layered cake before so it was a new experience for me. It was different making the camouflage design but fun. I dropped each color of batter by spoonfuls into the pan. It looked really cool. Wait til you see the photos in the instructions. Tools you’ll need: Large mixing bowl...
Lana Turner & Johnny Stompanato
Lana Turner & Johnny Stompanato. Lana Turner was a Hollywood actress and pin up girl. She had a tempestuous life – she was married eight times – but probably her most famous relationship was that she had with Johnny Stompanato. Between husbands number four and five, Lana took Johnny to be her lover. He had underworld connections. According to Lana, Johnny was desperate to marry her but she objected to his life on the...
Elsie Frost: Fifty Years After Her Murder
On the afternoon of October 9th, 1965, fourteen year old Elsie Frost was walking along a country footpath not far from her home in Wakefield, Yorkshire. A few hours later her body was found, sparking off a huge police investigation. A man was arrested and accused of the murder but the court decided he was innocent. The murderer remains at large fifty years later. In the early months of 2015, as the fiftieth anniversary approached,...
New Orleans Beignets recipe
New Orleans Beignets recipe. If you’ve been to New Orleans,then the chances are that you’ve visited the Café du Monde in Jackson Square. And if you have, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that you enjoyed a plate of beignets. There are many very excellent reasons to visit New Orleans and the beignets are certainly on this list. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to recreate them at home? Or maybe you haven’t...
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce Oh, this is so delicious. It’s remarkably easy to make and the bourbon sauce elevates this from a family meal to a dessert you’ll be happy to serve to your guests – and they’ll love it. The crowning touch is by far the bourbon butter and this can be made in advance. The pudding itself takes about forty minutes to bake in the oven but only few minutes to prepare....
British television in the 60s & 70s
British television in the 60s & 70s Looking back at the television programmes some of us watched when we were growing up is like looking into another world. For one thing, almost everyone smoked. Almost everyone went to the pub. But what is really astonishing today looking back is how incredibly ‘politically incorrect’ everything was. Probably the most extreme example of this was the highly popular and successful...
Football Peanut Butter Cookies
Football Peanut Butter Cookies A fun thing to do for Super Bowl Sunday is to make treats for the gang. I thought it would be fun to make my own creation of a football decorated on top of peanut butter cookies. So I attempted to do just that. Here’s my story: I cheated and didn’t make the cookies from scratch. I used one of those store bought packages and followed the directions on the package to make them. I did, however, make...
Dada : Buffoonery and a Requiem Mass
Andy Royston takes us back one hundred years to the very birthplace of meaninglessness. The Cabaret Voltaire, opened on 5th February 1916 in a back room of run down old cafe in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. Freedom: Dada Dada Dada a roaring of tense colours and interlacing of opposites and of all contradictions, grotesques, inconsistencies; LIFE. Tristan Tzara : Dada Manifesto 1918 “What we are celebrating is both buffoonery...
Valentine Things To Make And Do Is A Lovely Craft Book For Kids
Valentine Things To Make And Do Is A Lovely Craft Book For Kids Valentine Things To Make And Do is my families most loved Valentine craft book ever! With 17 fun and easy Valentine things to make and do using the most basic of craft supplies, I have never been short on ideas for doing Valentine crafts with my kids or making last minute gifts. The crafts are easy for kids of all ages to do and are fun for adults too. I have even used a...
American Beach, Florida
American Beach, Florida American Beach is located in Amelia Island in Florida. Of course, Florida is well-known for its wonderful beaches – so what’s so special about this one? It was founded in 1935 by a local millionaire. It was intended to be a resort for the people he employed in his Jacksonville insurance company – plus others, of course. But not everyone. This was an exclusive beach. Why? The photograph below...
Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Whether an appetizer, a main course, or a side dish, stuffed mushrooms are a popular dish to serve at a meal. They look special, taste wonderful, and can be stuffed with your favorites, like cheese, olives, or other veggies. Or, if you love spinach as much as I do, you can stuff them with spinach. Any mushroom is delicious when stuffed, but the Portobello mushroom is large enough to be a meal. With...
Celebrate Homemade Soup Day
Celebrate Homemade Soup Day February 4th is officially designated as Homemade Soup Day. What a wonderful holiday to celebrate, at least here in the U.S. where it’s COLD almost everywhere and definitely perfect soup weather. Whether you go all out with a totally made-from-scratch homemade soup or if you cheat just a little by embellishing a can of store-bought soup (I call that a “homemade up” recipe), it’s easy...
The God’s Eye View: By Barry Eisler
Read this recommended and fascinating thriller! When a review copy of this book landed on my desk at JAQUO HQ, I admit that I didn’t start reading it right away. You see, thrillers aren’t really my favourite genre. But what a great book this is. And extremely timely. It’s the sort of story that would have sounded far fetched only a few years ago. Today, it is totally believable. And I must say that Barry Eisler now...
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day We are fast approaching that day where some people either look forward to early signs of spring or they are dismayed by the forecast that they are about to hear. In North America, we have this February holiday called Ground Hog Day, falling on the 2nd and causing usually normal people to act in ways that are to say the least peculiar! Canadians wait for Wiarton Willy and our American Neighbors look for Punxsutawney Phil...
Spinach Quesadillas
Spinach Quesadillas In another one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments, I happened to see a recipe for a quesadilla that included spinach. Spinach on a quesadilla sounds perfect, and I had never tried it. As soon as it was lunch time, I remedied that. After all I am never one to pass up a spinach recipe. You can browse some of my other spinach recipes here on Jacquo. In the recipe I liked that they included spinach, of...
Quick asparagus soup recipe
Yum Quick & easy asparagus soup When asparagus is plentiful, it’s easy to make this tasty, delicious soup. It has a wonderful flavour and although it tastes very creamy, it contains no dairy. (Sometimes I use butter in this recipe but you can substitute the oil of your choice if you wish.) I’ve made this soup with home made vegetable stock but also I’ve used plain water instead – the asparagus has such a...
The Alternative Phil Collins
Andy Royston takes a look at the other Phil Collins, the hipster who played on some of the most artful records of the 1970s. “And, you know, I never wanted to be a singer.” Phil Collins Think Phil Collins and it’s hard not to run away with your hands over your ears. He’s been out of the public eye recently, so there was no danger of him popping up on the TV getting all angst ridden with Against all Odds or...
Authentic French Onion Soup
Authentic French Onion Soup French onion soup is not difficult to make but the onions do need special attention and they have to be cooked properly before you make the soup otherwise they will be too sweet. French onion soup is eaten in France all year round and it is served with croutons and gruyere cheese, which makes it a very filling and nutritious meal. The beauty of this delicious soup is that once it is cooked it does not taste...
It’s National Puzzle Day
January 29th Means It’s National Puzzle Day On this day of celebration for puzzles of all kinds, let us remember how good they are for brain health as well. Exercising the mind may be as important as exercising the body. Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Omnibus, Volume 4 (The Los Angeles Times) Besides, they are fun. Whatever kind of puzzle you might enjoy, think of the pleasure it provides when you finish a game or a puzzle....
National Corn Chip Day
Corn Chips Chili Pie In 1986 an American food company was trying to discover the origins of a certain recipe. Frito-Lay were keen to discover the origins of the corn chips chili pie. The company thought they knew – they had an ‘official version – but wanted to be sure. This version said that it was the mother of the founder of the company who had first devised this recipe in the 1930s. This is rather quaint in that...
Ashtabula, Ohio – The Hometown of Urban Meyer and so Much More
Ashtabula, Ohio – The Hometown of Urban Meyer and so Much More. With the Ohio State Buckeyes’ huge win over Alabama’s Crimson Tide last weekend, people all over the country got a sneak peek at my hometown, Ashtabula, Ohio. So much attention was paid to Ashtabula because this is the hometown of Urban Meyer, the head coach of the Buckeyes. Ashtabula residents are proud of Urban Meyer and the city even had signs erected at the entrances...
Yukon Gold Potato Soup and Gluten Free Cornbread
Yukon Gold Potato Soup. This Yukon Gold Potato soup is gluten free as it does not use any wheat flour to thicken the sauce. It uses Yukon gold potatoes, pork sausage and leeks. You can use red potatoes and I have even used Russet potatoes as well as White Rose potatoes. I make my potato soup like my mother did without milk or cream as my brother was severely allergic to milk and dairy. So I learned how to make my potato soup with the...
Mom’s Creamy Potato Soup
Potato Soup. As a kid I remember my Mom making this potato soup often. She’d be in the kitchen getting the ingredients all cut up and ready to boil. Then later you could smell the soup boiling away. Oh how I couldn’t wait till it was done. I loved my Mom’s potato soup. It was always so creamy. The bacon bits were such an added touch. It’s nice to have Mom’s recipe to carry on the tradition in my own home....
Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
January 26: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day What would you say if I told you that bubble wrap didn’t start out as a packing material? What could the original intent for this time-waster come shipping material possibly have been? Wallpaper. Yup, wall paper. In 1957, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were trying to create a textured wall covering. Perhaps they were going for the sci-fi look in contemporary interior design? For some...
Pumpkin Patch Soup
My daughter Miss Norway made this great Pumpkin Patch Soup and I told her to take photos and I would write about it for Jaquo Magazine. This soup is so yummy for fall and winter! Save Print Pumpkin Patch Soup Rating 5 from 1 reviews Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds 3 slices of thick bacon cooked 1 onion chopped 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder or equivalent ½ teaspoon...
Baked Potato Soup
On a rainy or snowy day there isn’t much more satisfying than hot soup for dinner. Something hot warming you from the inside out. That’s when it feels like a requirement to experiment with soups. Which is how the recipe for Baked Potato Soup became a favorite of mine. Usually I use a crockpot for soup. It’s so easy to toss in whatever ingredients you like and let them simmer all day, enjoying the scents wafting from...
Tipsy Laird Recipe for Burn’s Night
Tipsy Laird Recipe for Burn’s Night There’s nothing more romantic than Burns night in Scotland. It certainly celebrated around the whole country, and if you are lucky enough to be in a Scottish highland hotel, then you’ll be celebrating in style too. Haggis, tatties, (potatoes) and turnips or neeps are served, there should be a piper in traditional Scottish dress, and of course a Ceilidh, so that everyone can dance and be merry after...
The Unknown Pleasures of Joy Division
Andy Royston takes a look back at Unknown Pleasures – a classic post-punk album by Joy Division, released in 1979. “What stunned me then, and still stuns me now, is how a band and their manager could have created a record of such awesome beauty and, by and large, fail to notice it” – Mick Middles: Factory – The Story of the Record Label I picked up my copy of Unknown Pleasures around my 18th birthday from...
Right or Almost Right
Right or Almost Right by John Haremza: Succeeding in network marketing. In your business, are you doing it right or is what you’re doing almost right? As the author explains, in business it’s those small details – those tiny steps – that make all the difference between success and mediocrity. Although the author refers to his working life an the field of network marketing, the ideas and methods are remarkably...
London at War: Black Americans
Black American soldiers in London in the Second World War. During WW2, many American soldiers were stationed in London and there’s one curious aspect of this that is very rarely mentioned in history books – the treatment of black American soldiers. In the 1940s racial segregation was a fact of life in the USA but not in Britain. This caused various problems. These had been anticipated by Britain’s foreign secretary,...
Dawn Langley Simmons
Gordon Ticehurst was born in England in 1922. He was the illegitimate child of a sixteen year old servant girl. The father was the household’s chauffeur and the pair were employed by homosexual author Harold Nicholson and his lesbian wife Vita Sackville-West. Now that is some start in life. But it was just the beginning of a remarkable life story. Gordon’s early life is something of a mystery. Although it seems that he did...
Clara’s War: The Story of Second World War Survival
One Girl’s Story of Survival: Clara Kramer. When you read this book, it’s hard to imagine what Clara’s life was like in her early teens. For almost two years in the nineteen forties, she and seventeen other people lived together in a tiny underground bunker. For some of that time, Nazi soldiers were living in the room right above them, not knowing that the Jews in the bunker could even hear them turning on a light...
Journey from the Middle of Nowhere to BFE
‘I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth’. Steve McQueen Where on earth is Bumfuck Egypt? We’ve all been there. So far off the beaten track that the word lost doesn’t even begin to describe it. The middle of nowhere. The back of beyond. Out in the sticks where Jesus lost his sandals. The kind of place that is so dense and confusing that the end of the earth surely can’t...
Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps Have you tried lettuce wraps yet? Pretty much anything that you can put in a sandwich or a tortilla works well in a lettuce wrap too. So if you are cutting back on your bread or carbohydrates, they make a great substitute. You might have seen my article on Chilled Lettuce Wraps here on Jaquo. These are three of my favorites. They were definitely not good choices for vegetarians. So today’s wraps are. The...
The Velvet Voice – Appreciating Richard Hawley’s Coles Corner
The Velvet Voice – Appreciating Richard Hawley’s Coles Corner. My grandma Lily loved those velvet voices. Visits to gran’s house were so often soundtracked by her favorite crooners from the late 50s. Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra were the cornerstones of her musical appreciation and of course this rubbed off on my mother who carried the torch (song) into the sixties with her own Roy...
In praise of sensational women – Debbie Allen
Andy Royston introduces a new series of articles on the women in popular culture who made his world quake. “I don’t have time for prima donnas. You want to become a dancer? You’re going to have to work.You’ve got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here’s where you start paying in sweat. I want to see sweat. And the better you are, the more sweat I’m going to demand. So if you...
Al Capone: The Man Who Created Scarface
How did Al Capone get his ‘Scarface’ nickname? Al Capone hated that nickname. And of course it developed because he had knife scars on his cheek but who did this and how did it happen? In fact, he was only eighteen when he received the injury that he would hate for the rest of his life. It was August 1917 and Capone was working at the Harvard Inn on Coney Island. The place was owned by Frankie Yale, a minor mobster....
Book Review: Death Without Company, by Craig Johnson
Sheriff Walt Longmire is Back Author Craig Johnson has a way of writing that drew me right into the plot of this novel, Death without Company. He makes you feel like you are with friends, even as you are reading about murder. His lead character, Walter Longmire, is a likable, ordinary man, as are most of the characters in his series. The Wyoming setting—temperatures and terrain–give it a Western flare, though it is written in...
Peter Procter
Peter Procter: Motorsport safety. Peter is the chap in the photograph you see on the right. He’s the one wearing glasses. This was taken at some time in the nineteen nineties and to the casual observer, there is nothing remarkable about these two men. He and Eric Jackson – on the right in the photograph – are friends from way back when and both have fascinating stories to tell. Both men are from Yorkshire and in...
Songs For Swinging London
Andy Royston takes a look at swinging London and picks out the songs (and videos) that defined the era. ” Suddenly life broke out in warm colors again, so young and beautiful that a lot of people couldn’t stand to look at it. For the first time ever, kids were teenagers. They had loot, however come by, and loot’s for spending. And where there’s loot, trouble follows.” – Absolute Beginners Colin...
Easy Ways to Organise Your Home
Organise your life and your home By taking just a few minutes every day, you can soon organise your home and your life. Do you think it’s impossible? Let me tell you what works for me. We have it much easier these days. Think about what our mothers and grandmothers had to put up with if they wanted to keep their homes and their lives in check. Just by spending a few minutes a day, you can make the world of difference....
Savory Red Lentil Soup Recipe
Savory Red Lentil Soup Recipe The nice thing about lentils is that they cook up rather quickly, and they don’t need to be pre-soaked; just rinsed and drained. I have made various bean soups before, and did the pre-soaking thing. Then one day I came across a lentil recipe in The Oh She Glows Cookbook. The lentils didn’t require any pre-cooking and once the soup came to a boil; it only needed to cook for another 20 – 25 minutes. The...
Dress Up Your Pet Day
Proper Attire for your Pet On January 14th we celebrate National dress up your pet day. If you have a small dog, or one with little or very short hair, you probably dress your dog often, but today is still cause for celebration. It is estimated that in the United States alone we will have spent over $58 billion in 2014. The year before the figure was nearly $56 billion. While the majority was spent on food and veterinary care, $13...
Peach Melba: Nellie Melba and her Prince
Peach Melba – Nellie and her Prince. Sadly, many of the recipes we see for Peach Melba today use canned peaches. These are all very well and good but when this recipe was developed by Auguste Escoffier in 1892 or thereabouts, the lovely, fresh fruit was used. Famously, the dish was created for Australian Dame Nellie Melba, a celebrated opera singer of the day. At the time, she was having a torrid affair with Prince Philippe, the...
Spicy Parsnip and Potato Soup
Spicy Parsnip and Potato Soup This is one of the most delicious and warming winter soups I make for my family. The ingredients are basic and extremely good for you because root vegetables are high in fiber and a good source of roughage. If you’re not sure what a parsnip is I can understand because they are not available everywhere. Here in Britain they are very common. We usually eat them roasted in the oven with potatoes when...
Holidays to India
Holidays to India. I have been looking at small group holidays to India by some of the world’s leading adventure travel companies and I have found some breathtaking examples. Getting off the beaten track to experience a country closely is an incredible thing to do and, if you choose do it in India, you will certainly come back enriched and enlightened. However, adventure travel is more than this – it is about responsible and...
The Bone Clocks: David Mitchell
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell: Review. The danger of picking up this book – delightfully – is that you’ll be tempted to put your life on hold until you’ve read every word. You’ll take the day off work, you’ll eat only food that you can grab from the fridge (no time to make a sandwich), you’ll turn off your phone. You might not even realise it at first. Oh, you’ll be interested when...
Teenagers need Regular Exercise for Health and Wellness
Teenagers need Regular Exercise for Health and Wellness I am very interested in this subject because I am a teacher and I know that teenagers who eat well and take regular exercise perform better at school. There is absolutely no doubt about that. I’ve seen it time and again and there has been a lot of research done on this subject. Some kids are full of energy and are happy at school with an active interest in all it has to offer but...
Clutter is bad for you
Official: Clutter is bad for your health People have been studying clutter a lot recently and many of the statistics about just what a clutter-filled society we are can be quite scary – and revealing. Did you know, for example, that the average British woman has twenty two items in her wardrobe that she has never worn? Studies are also being undertaken to help us understand exactly why we accumulate clutter in our homes or...
What Do Americans Think About Britain?
Raping nuns in the street, Muslim-only cities,vigilante police … The latest American to put his foot firmly in his mouth was a chap called Steve Emerson. You’ve probably never heard of him – I hadn’t either until recently. He is some sort of journalist or something. But apparently, this person went on Fox News and declared that the city of Birmingham in the UK is an entirely Muslim city and that non-Muslims...
Pear and blue cheese pizza
Pear and blue cheese pizza recipe. We love regular cheese and tomato pizza but for something different, try this tasty, healthy and easy-to-prepare pizza using the delicious and unusual combination of luscious pear and French cheeses. If you make your own pizza dough, this recipe would probably be even more scrumptious but for the sake of speed and ease, I use the ready-to-bake dough that comes in tubes.You need one tube for this...
Chunky Vegetarian Potato Soup
Chunky Vegetarian Potato Soup I love the flavor of the vegetarian potato soup. Before becoming a vegetarian, I used the older version of this recipe with chicken broth. Since then I’ve changed out the broth, and replaced and/or eliminated some of the other ingredients. For instance, I now add diced mushrooms to my potato soup for an extra savory flavor. My preferred mushrooms for this are the Baby Bella mushrooms, although I...
Forgiving David Bowie: China Girl
It’s a sign of how seriously I took popular music as a teenager that I would get so annoyed by a silly love song. A case in point was David Bowie’s smash hit in 1983 China Girl, which followed his Lets Dance song up the pop charts across the globe. Quite why I got so hot under the collar about it is because it was a song that – in my mind at least – had real depth and meaning, and Bowie had the temerity to turn...
Celebrity & Entertainment Obsession
Celebrity & Entertainment Obsession: By Michael S. Levy. What a fascinating book – and subject – this is. There can’t be many people who haven’t noticed that today’s interest in celebrities is more than just a passing one — it really is an obsession. Why is this? The author investigates thoroughly in this easy-to-read book. Until I read the book, I was under the impression that society’s...
Pea soup recipe from Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton’s fresh pea soup recipe It wasn’t until I came to the States that I realised just how much the British love peas. I would be surprised to find out the peas head to list of Britain’s favourite vegetables. So when I discovered this recipe for pea soup from Eric Clapton, that didn’t surprise me either. Often, pea soups are made from marrowfat peas or split peas but this delicious soup is make using...
The Capsize of the Prinz Valdemar
The end of the Florida Land Boom: 1926. In the middle of the nineteen twenties, a single ship ran aground on a sandbar and capsized. No-one was killed; no-one was hurt but this simple accident brought about the end of the infamous Florida Land Boom. Since the beginning of the decade, investors had flocked to South Florida. They could buy land cheap and sell it again and make fabulous profits. How could they go wrong? South Florida had...
Plan a spa weekend – at home
How to have a luxury spa weekend at home Spas are incredibly popular today. Some people love going to day spas to be completely pampered but the ultimate luxury is spending the weekend at a magnificent spa resort where your only goal is to be pampered and to relax. The problem is that this can be terrifically expensive. But with a few careful purchases and a little planning, you can enjoy a luxury weekend at home. Planning is the key....
Rod Stewart: The Autobiography
Rod Stewart: Autobiography. I definitely wouldn’t have considered myself to be a huge Rod Stewart fan- although I do enjoy his music – but I most certainly have become a fan of Mr Stewart himself after reading this fascinating and truly funny autobiography. There have been many books written about this famous singer but here you can discover the truth about the man, his career, his music and the women in his life from Rod...
Pirate Hunters: The Search for the Golden Fleece
Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson. An exciting true adventure. This would be a totally absorbing book if it happened to be a novel, but the fact that this is a true story makes it completely amazing. It’s written in almost novel-form and if you’re like me, you’ll be hooked from the very first page. Pirates, sunken ships and modern day treasure hunters The combination of present day and the seventeenth century...
iPhone Photography 101 – Silhouettes and Sunshine
iPhone Photography 101 – Silhouettes and Sunshine. As a beach photographer I find that I’m constantly looking for new ways to make my sunrise shots memorable. I take photographs every day, regardless of the weather, and I try to find different ways of capturing the moment. Silhouettes have become an important part of my workflow and have played a part in creating some very dramatic photographs. Here in Florida a bright sun...
Coconut Oil Softgels from Eukonic
My experiment with coconut oil capsules. I’d heard from my colleague Merry about the benefits of coconut oil so I have been using it occasionally in cooking. But when the opportunity came up to try taking coconut oil as a supplement, I decided to give it a try. I liked the fact that these softgels are organic but yes, I was sceptical I admit. There’s been such a lot of hype about coconut oil for quite a while now –...
The Blood Sugar Solution: The Book That Really Taught Me How to Be Healthy
The Blood Sugar Solution: The Book That Really Taught Me How to Be Healthy I used to have one of the worst diets ever. I’d typically drink fruit juices with almost no real juice, or sodas, with plenty of high fructose corn syrup. I almost never drank actual water. I’d mainly eat white bread, the fluffy soft kind. I’d eat candy all the time, ice cream for meals, or meals of goldfish crackers and chocolate mint cookies, and I loved fast...
Our Low Fat Hot and Sour Soup
Our Low Fat Hot and Sour Soup. Hot and Sour Soup variation by Sherry Atbutterfly and my daughter IoBlue [her pen name]. I LOVE Hot and Sour soup! I cannot remember when I first had it but I am guessing I was about 30ish when my boyfriend and I started to go to the local and extended area restaurants trying out their ‘house’ Hot and Sour soup. Each restaurant had their own version! It was the one soup that he loved to order...
Slow Cooker Refried Beans
Refried beans a favorite at our house, since they are easy to grab to make a quick and easy dinner. Mexican food always sounds good, but as you probably know, restaurant meals can be terribly high in calories. So more and more I am trying to create my own dishes in a healthier fashion. There are now fat free brands available at the grocery story. Still, I like to know just what ingredients are included in a dish, so I decided it was...
Does Your Stuff Slow You Down?
Does Your Stuff Slow You Down? I read an article a week or two ago where the writer said she was so energized after clearing out an area of clutter that she was inspired to make soup stock. What a great feeling that is. Think about how often we get in that situation. We tend to collect and accumulate, from mugs and dishes to small appliances to paper. All of it stacks up, takes up space and can bring us to a full stop. Let’s face it,...
Cream of Broccoli Deluxe Soup
Homemade Soup. What a fabulous broccoli soup. My sister made this while I was visiting her and I thought ‘I’ve got to get this recipe’. It is from a cookbook called Forks Over Knives that has plant-based recipes it. I gathered the ingredients, my blender and pans. I had to make the cashew sauce in a blender. The recipe calls for raw cashews but unfortunately my local store didn’t carry them so I looked for unsalted...
Times Like These: E.E. Smith
Times Like These: A delightful and entertaining read. Evelyn came from an unusual family. Her parents had married, separated, divorced, remarried (“at least twice to my knowledge”) and this book begins during one of their spells of togetherness – in 1945 when Evelyn was thirteen years old. Evelyn had been working since she was eleven years old as a summertime maid in a boarding house; she had lied about her age. As...
Lettuce Soup
Quick and Easy Vegetarian Recipe: Left-Over Lettuce Soup. This recipe for lettuce soup is part of my frugal cooking series, providing cheap, easy and healthy recipes for vegetarians. Soups are always great value both in health and cost terms and I am always experimenting with whatever I have in the house. So when I had half a head of iceberg lettuce left just beginning to go limp the obvious choice was to make a soup. I tend not to...
How To Get Started Cross Stitching For The New Year
How To Get Started Cross Stitching For The New Year As the year comes to an end what kind of crafts are you planning to make for the New Year? I’m a cross stitch lover so I’m planning on finishing up some ones I’ve been working on for a little while but also have some new ones planned. I like all sorts of designs so it’s hard to sometimes choose what will be next. I got to looking for some vintage designs and here are a few that...
Giving Candy to Strangers: Stan Holden
Over the years, I must have read hundreds of books about business, about selling and about relationships. But here’s one with a definite difference. You see, it’s not just that the author thinks that business can be fun, he also believes that by having fun and adding humour to your day-to-day business interactions you can increase your business, add to your client base and of course, enhance your own life. Makes sense!...
Bacon Spaghetti
The Irresistible Bacon. What is it about bacon that always appeals, even when we are trying to eat less meat? The word alone brings the wonderful aroma to mind, along with thoughts of each crispy bite. It’s no exception is this recipe. When I was growing up, and in need of comfort, mom would make Bacon Spaghetti. Something about it always made me feel better. The recipe must have been my Norwegian grandmother’s since my...
Ten tips for a healthier diet
Ten ways to improve your diet We all know what we should be eating. We’re bombarded with advice and I doubt there’s anyone reading this who doesn’t know what good, healthy diets consists of. But knowing what you should be eating – and actually putting it into practice – are two very different things. Even though we know what foods are ‘good’ and which are ‘bad’, well, we only...
I Love My Imac Desktop
I love my iMac Desktop. I am in love with my iMac desktop so much that I have two of them! That’s right I have one for me and another for my very, very lucky son. I must admit that his one is quite old and I used to run my business on it, however, he still uses it perfectly well to produce his electronic dance music and videos. So we have had years of use out of it. My son has named it his Apple iPie, and sadly it is on its last legs...
Easy Chunky Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Easy Chunky Vegetarian Chili Recipe Are you looking for a vegetarian recipe for chili that doesn’t use veggie crumbles, and just more vegetables? Congratulations; you have found it. Years ago, I was looking for the very same thing myself. I did find some different variations, and have finally modified the recipes to be more personalized to what we like. This chili recipe has colorful bell peppers in it as well as two intriguing...
Just a little musing for the last day of the year
Just a little musing for the last day of the year. Well it has arrived just as expected. We are at the last day of the Old Year and just at the Cusp of the New Year. I was thinking of all those things that we seem to do on the last day of the year, many of them steeped in old traditions that we are really not sure about anymore. We seem to remember the meanings, but not really…. I know my Best Girl Friend has to make sure that...
Two Free Printables For Last Minute New Years Eve Party Favors
Two Free Printables For Last Minute New Years Eve Party Favors Are you having a New Years Eve party or counting down to midnight with the kids? Here are two free printable New Years Eve party favors that are fun for people of all ages and take only minutes to make. 1. Printable Sparkler Party Favors A really fun and inexpensive party favor to hand out to your party guests are sparklers. Who doesn’t love watching the bright and...
Planning your garden
Planning your garden with Grammie Olivia Well Christmas has just passed and now we look forward to the New Year. No one looks forward more than Gardeners… Especially if you live in the North, where everything dies back and nothing is growing except the plants you brought in before the first frosty nights of October and November arrived. What a great time for gardeners, either experienced or not, to sit back and pour over the...
The Invaluable, Versatile Baking Soda
The Invaluable, Versatile Baking Soda Recently I discovered that baking soda has its own national day. Naturally I wanted to know why. What makes baking soda such awell used product? I’ve heard it recommended over the years for various things by various people. My Dad even used it for teeth brushing at times. These days with more people trying to get back to basics, we are seeing increased usage of it again. It’s a very effective...
Favourite Movies – Woody Allen’s Radio Days
“Like Preston Sturges and Billy Wilder before him, Woody Allen is a writer-director with a distinctive voice and a satirical thrust. I appreciate his tone, which is bitter-sweet and self-conscious. At their best his films reflect on the process of cinematic storytelling” David Evanier : PBS Interview Woody Allen emerged into moviemaking just after American Jews – who had pretty much build the American movie industry...
Card Playing Day
Today is officially “Card Playing Day” and it’s a good thing too. I am worn out from all the visiting, eating, drinking, laughing and just all around merriment of the Christmas season, to need a “day off”. One where I can play cards without feeling guilty or to have that itch to be doing something worthwhile. If you are anything like me, Card Playing Day is just coming around at the right time. It’s a time to sit back, relax, grab...
Organizing Made Easy: Christmas Decorations Ready for Next Year
Organizing Made Easy: Christmas Decorations Ready for Next Year This week is the time when most of us start disassembling all we did to decorate for Christmas. If you have had everything out since right after Thanksgiving you are probably ready. While most of us are anxious to get the decorations put away soon after Christmas, if takes only a little extra time to have it ready to go next year. That’s the main goal: that you won’t...
Party Hearty and Healthy
Party Hearty and Healthy: You can with these three recipes. Christmas may be over, but there are more parties in your future! In a few more days you may be celebrating New’s Year Eve. If not then, I bet many are gathering to enjoy football all day long (and into the night too). Before long it will be Superbowl Sunday. Clearly many reasons to party and celebrate. If you are like me, you have had plenty of treats the past few weeks,...
Tangy Lemon Pie
Lemony, Cream Cheese Goodness. Tangy lemon pie with cream cheese has been a hit with my family for over fifteen years. I’d been looking for another pie recipe using cream cheese, since Mom’s Strawberry Pie—also using cream cheese—is my favorite. I was pleased when I found this one. This recipe provides the tart lemon flavor much like you would find in a lemon meringue pie. Instead of the meringue, which I’m not crazy...
Earth’s Amazing Meteorite Impact Craters
Why so few craters on Earth compared with the moon? It’s well-known that the surface of the moon is covered with many thousands of impact craters. However, Earth appears to not have nearly as many. The reason for this is that the Earth’s weather and tectonic forces make most craters eventually disappear. Also, Earth’s surface is 71% water, and so many meteors, asteroids, or comets that have hit the Earth, have splashed into the...
Don’t Underestimate the Power of One
Don’t Underestimate the Power of One So often these days we feel helpless to change things that are happening around us. Whether a law, the government, or our community. We will tell ourselves we are just one person after all. What can we do? Here is a book that may change your mind about that. It isn’t a self help book. It’s a true story of a man and his wife who saved 50 children at the time Hitler was overtaking their...
Songs For London – Music Hall to Rock n Roll
Andy Royston puts on his titfer and whistle and wraps his britneys around some ding dongs. I should cocoa… Music hall songs are London’s folk songs. This is easy music, delivered in language as familiar to the elderly as to the child in the streets. Themes are interwoven with songs learned in the playground and the Sunday Schools, and delivered in the voices of the street barker and the barrow boy. They’ve borrowed...