Recipe and a book review

 Recipe

As my friend AnnMarie would say, this recipe was "yummo!"  I had three recipes in front of me and kind of smooched them together. I'd never had lamb until I went to Ireland a couple years ago. Wow, the lamb stew I had in a Dublin pub was awesome! I had to order it a couple more times while we were there and it was just as good at a restaurant in Killarney and at Cabra Castle. I finally decided to try my hand at  lamb stew today and it was heavenly!  My husband thought it would be good with rice, but of course being half Irish, I boiled potatoes:) The meat was so tender it quite literally fell off the bones. I think adding potatoes to the crock pot would have been even better.

Lamb Stew

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons flour

2/3 cup beef broth (or chicken broth)

loin lamb chops

1 can diced tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

1 scant tablespoon tomato paste

1 green chopped, chopped

1 Vidalia onion sliced into rings

1 tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

chopped parsley

Heat oil in frying pan. Coat lamb chops with flour and brown quickly. Transfer chops to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients to pan and bring to a boil. Pour over lamb and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, then on LOW for 5-7 hours. Taste to check seasoning and sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

Book Review

I like this author, I just knew I'd like this book... but sadly I did not. It is a romantic suspense set against a backdrop of archeology and Mayan artifacts, which sounded perfect for a history major right? Well, I got to page 84 and finally gave up. I found it tedious and there were innuendos and subtle humor and witticisms that I just didn't 'get.' The story moved too slowly for my taste as well. I want a book to grab me and keep me on the edge of my seat waiting to turn the page, and this book did not deliver.

Another Page Turner!

Another great read! Wow, such a thoroughly engaging plot. The Russian Maffia, murder, Witness Protection, a cold, uncaring mother and a warm, funny man for a love interest. I love it that the woman was the hero and saved herself!

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

I just now finished reading this book and I literally could not put it down I was so intent on finishing it. I just LOVE reading that kind of book. It had a terrific plot that was not another predictable love story. I read a lot of mysteries and am pretty good at figuring out what will happen. Not with this book! It definitely has the Wow factor down pat. I love the kind of story that keeps me on the edge of my seat and Mary Kay Andrews didn't fail! I've liked all her books, but this one is one of my favorites.
http://marykayandrews.com/the-books/books-by-mary-kay-andrews/spring-fever/

I'm Back in my Studio

Recovering from knee replacement and my only child moving clear across the country has been kind of depressing. I’ve spent most of the last two weeks holed up in the kitchen. I’ve been trying new recipes like crazy. I'm surprised I haven't gained any weight! I think I better quit while I'm ahead! Yesterday I took a bunch of things from my stash to a gift shop (on consignment). This seriously depleted my inventory so today I am back in my studio working away. However, I'm walking every day, doing my exercises and climbing stairs (up to 16 times).

Ohhhh and I read the BEST book! "The Cinderella Deal" by Jennifer Cruise. It's a love story, but not one of those sappy romances where the plot is soooo predictable. It's very well written, and the characters are so well defined.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and “getting to know the characters.” This is so not like me – I usually read non-fiction or mysteries. The mystery I read last week was by an author that I like, but it really scared the pajeebers out of me. Now, I admit to being a total wuss. I hate scary movies, why even Jurassic Park scared me silly. You know the part where the Tyrannosaurus Rex eats the guy and you can hear it crunching him up? Well, that gave me nightmares! I guess being sad lately has made me more sensitive. So, I’m going to lay off the mysteries for a while.

What is it with Fiction Series?

I'm recovering from knee replacement surgery, and have to "rest" a lot, and spend hours and hours in Physical Therapy. So my artwork has been seriously curtailed this last week.  It's a good thing I love to read!

When I first began reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series I LOVED them! I could not get enough of them, quickly buying the next one before I finished with a current book. Long about book number 15 or 16 I began to get really weary of the whole Shephanie/Ranger/Joe thing. Her character is so static, it never changes.  She still just limps along barely paying her bills, and she can't choose a man. I mean what's up that?  I'm so over it.  I did not buy the last two books, I quit.

Then there was the Flower Shop Mysteries by Kate Collins. I really loved this series too! The characters were fun, the mystery plots were good and there was a love interest that kept me going... for a while.  The 12th book comes out this fall, and I'm kinda tired of waiting around for Abby to decide to commit to her hunky boyfriend Marco.

I like dynamic characters that grow and change. Just because a character gets married doesn't have to spell the end of the series. James Patterson does it right, in my opinion. His Women's Murder Club series is one of my favorites. His characters are so dynamic, it provides another layer of interest to see how they will grow. The main character just got married in this year's installment, and it worked beautifully with the plot.

While I've been laid up with the knee, I've begun a new series, Madelyn Alt's Bewitching Mysteries. I got over the whole, 'Oh my gosh they are witches' thing and told myself they are FICTION. I enjoyed the first two, but again, this main character is so.... stuck!  ahhhh

Note to authors: Let your characters change and grow like all people do, it adds more interest to your books!