Going......

....going.....

...gone! 

I really love a good cookbook and Gooseberry Patch has been a favorite for years.  It looks like I was collecting them..but not intentionally.  Really. 

Gooseberry Patch cookbooks have more to them than just recipes.  They are filled with family stories, ideas for decorating, gardening tips and fun exchanges between women.  I've read them and they are now going to another home.  This is good!  My goal to downsize is coming true.  Tomorrow I will tackle another book shelf and maybe another closet.  I'll keep updating the progress and maybe you will be encouraged to do the same kind of pairing down.  It feels good!

What is "Orangette?"

Getting a book for Christmas is a gift that keeps on giving.  I received the book, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, from Keith.  It immediately spoke to me!  Look at the cover..the colors...the title and the statement just under the authors name: The creator of Orangette.  Well....what does that mean?  Guess what I found ?  A blog! Molly is one of us! 

Do check her out!!  http://orangette.blogspot.com/

A Homemade Life is not the usual cookbook.  Each recipe is spoken of from Molly's life and the kitchen  at the center of the family.  It is the kind of book that can be picked up for a few minutes of reading, or read slowly for hours while curled up in the warmth of home. Whether you are a great cook or not...you will enjoy the stories that come from Molly Wizenberg.  You will also want to do some cooking after reading about the recipes.  I'm particularly interested in the Fennel salad with Asian pear and Parmesan on pages 238-239! 

Barbara Fairchild, Editor in Chief, Bon Appetit Magazine says this, 

"Molly Wizenberg writes with wit, style and heart.  Her delicious recipes are a special gift to every reader and home cook."

If you enjoy good food and want further inspiration, please go to my nephews blog Feast.  When we have a large family meal..... Keith brings the most interesting of all the dishes.  We are lucky to have a cook like this to FEAST with!   

Thanks, Keith!

Prayer Power by Peter Lundell

A blog tour to help strengthen your prayer-life

In Prayer Power, author Peter Lundell shares his own personal struggle with communicating with God and provides insight from examples in Psalms and the gospels for Christians to examine to bulk up their prayer life. Lundell ends each chapter with growth gauges and suggested prayer activities to encourage and establish routine prayer time. You'll find his honest approach to prayer refreshing, his transparency encouraging and his instruction helpful and practical.

In the crazy world around us, our prayers may too often seem ineffective. PRAYER POWER is the tool you can use to build a more powerful and dynamic life of prayer.Intensely practical and straightforward, PRAYER POWER helps you improve on thirty essential facets of prayer such as passion, routine, fasting, praying with others, listening to God, handling distractions, and spiritual warfare. In each brief chapter you'll be inspired by stories of people whose lives of prayer give us powerful examples.PRAYER POWER can be used as a month-long devotional, a prayer guide, or a reference for help in specific areas. Whether you're a new believer or think you've heard it all, this book's refreshing and honest insight will guide you to a deeper connection with God.

Peter Lundell, a former missionary to Japan, is a pastor at Walnut Blessing Church in Walnut, California. He has an MDiv and DMiss from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the founder of the Walnut Valley Pastors' Prayer Network. Lundell is the author of two books, and his articles have appeared in magazines such as Guideposts and Pray!

GRAND PRIZE BUNDLE INCLUDES:
(leave a comment for an opportunity to win this great package)

Prayer Power by Peter Lundell
When God Turned off the Lights by Cecil Murphey (Cec is one of Peter's mentors)
Committed but Flawed by Cecil Murphey
Also includes: Prayer Journal, Pen, and Candle

Please share this blog tour with other interested bloggers you talk with along the way this week! I will draw a name from all who have commented and send it on for the grand prize drawing at Willis Communications. http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/ Publisher: Revell (1/1/09)
Language:English
ISBN-10: 0800732634
ISBN-13: 978-0800732639
240 pages
Retail: $12.99

For Bees & Me

Some of my favorite cookbooks come from Gooseberry Patch. The title that I find myself thumbing through each summer is For Bees & Me. There are some tasty recipes in this cookbook that help me use my garden produce! On page 223 there is a recipe that looks quick, easy, and sounds like something we would eat. First, I take a walk out to the garden to pick fresh basil and tender zucchini.

Next, the recipe......

then.....all mixed up, put in a pie plate and ready for the oven.

Fresh from the oven, I added Parmesan cheese and watched it melt into the savory dish.

It came out of the oven as my husband walked in the door, and in ten minutes the casserole was gone! I guess this recipe is a keeper!
Gooseberry Patch has so many cookbooks and they are as fun to read as any magazine. Take a moment to check-out the web site at http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/.

He who plants a garden plants happiness.

Old Chinese Proverb

Herb Day....Monday

Over the years my collection of herb and flower books has increased. By far my fondest books on the subject of herbs and flowers are written by a woman who lives on San Juan Island, North of Seattle, Washington. I only met her once but she made an impression on me. Lee Sturdivant is her name. The books I mention are "Profits from your backyard Herb Garden," and "Flowers For Sale." Each book is still in print and worth purchasing if you are as enamored with flowers and herbs as I am, or want to turn your garden into a business operation. Amazon carries both of these books, and I see there are a couple new reprints . Now, for one of my favorite herbs! Scented Geraniums! They are tender perennial plants that become very large with the summers heat! Their use is in baking, potpourri, and fresh arrangements. I like to tuck them in a brides bouquet to give a scent that is soft and romantic. The two types of scented geraniums that are pictures are Altar of Roses and Grey Lady, both smell of wild roses. There are many, many different scents including, lemon, lime, chocolate, mint etc. You may find that scented geraniums could become a favorite to you too! Altar of Roses pictured on a cold rainy Memorial Day in Oregon!
Lemon Balm....nice plant..but you only need one! This herb will reseed itself everywhere! It has a fresh lemon scent and can be used in cold drinks ,baking and flower arrangements. Remember, just one plant...next year you will have all the plants you want!!

Happy planting and reading!!

Library Day!

In any given week there is at least one trip to the library for me. At present I have over 30 books checked out and I owe $4.10 in overdue fines! I'm doing my part to help support the library! In our county the local libraries are given funds based on how many books are checked out throughout a year. It is my job to keep checking out books and keep reading. I want to insure jobs for the wonderful people who work in our library. The hours and days the library is open have been cut back drastically and it's really a shame to our community. Is it a reflection on our society? Is it a reflection on education? Is it politics? What do you think? How is your library system funded?