Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Sister Eve, Private EyeThanks to Jocelyn Kelley of Kelley & Hall Book Publicity, I am giving away 3 copies of ‘Sister Eve, Private Eye’.

Book Description:

Sister Eve always says God moves in mysterious ways. And Eve adores a good mystery. Especially a murder. 

A member of the Benedictine Order in Pecos, New Mexico, Sister Evangeline has been feeling disconnected and a bit uncertain about her calling. She’s not thrilled when she must return home to Madrid, New Mexico, to care for her testy, ailing father, but she’s also invigorated to take on some new challenges.

Retired Police Captain Jackson Divine is in trouble. “The Captain” is a Private Eye specializing in finding lost people and he’s been hot on a case. But his diabetes has spiraled out of control, requiring surgery. Just before the crisis, he was hired to find Chaz Cheston, a missing Hollywood director. But when Cheston turns up dead—murdered—the stakes for The Captain are raised. Suspects abound, including Cheston’s mistress, a young starlet and most recent client of Captain Divine.

About Lynne Hinton:

Lynne Hinton received a Masters of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. She has served as a hospice chaplain and church pastor. Hinton is a regular columnist with The Charlotte Observer. Her latest series is already striking a chord with audiences.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on December 9, 2014.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Most of my readers know that I am a vegan of over 25 years.  I turned vegetarian at the age of 10 against my parents wishes.  I love to cook and whenever a new vegan cookbook comes out, of course, I want it!  Especially if it is a cookbook by Chloe Coscarelli!  Chloe did us vegans proud by being the first vegan chef to win a competition on the Food Network!

ChloesBook Description:

Popular vegan chef and winner of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars Chloe Coscarelli digs into her Italian roots to create more than 150 recipes inspired by the most popular cuisine in the world.

If you think a healthy vegan diet means giving up pasta in creamy sauce, cheesy pizza, and luscious tiramisu, think again! Following her hit cookbooks Chloe’s Kitchen and Chloe’s Vegan Desserts, Chef Chloe goes to her family’s homeland to veganize its time-honored delicacies—and add some distinctively delicious twists.

Sumptuous mains like Butternut Ravioli with Brown Sugar and Crispy Sage and Red Wine Seitan on Ciabatta let you show off your kitchen skills, and her inventive pizza creations include Crumbled “Sausage” and “Mozzarella” Pizza as well as Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Apple Pizza. And vegans can once again enjoy comfort favorites with Chloe’s Potato Gnocchi, Lasagna Bolognese, and Eggplant Parmesan. Known for her surprising twists on favorite desserts, Chloe’s got your classics covered with Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti and Italian Wedding Cake, and she turns up the dial with new delights like Mint Chip Gelato Sandwiches, Banana Coffee Cupcakes, and Pomegranate Mint Italian Soda—sure to win over omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike. Chloe also includes directions for making her recipes allergy- and gluten-free so that you can feast on all your favorite foods, no matter your diet.

With fresh vegan takes on classic Italian cuisine illustrated by gorgeous full-color photographs throughout, and her bright and lively personality on every page, Chloe takes you on a delectable trip to Italy—one you’ll want to go on again and again! Buon appetito!

My Thoughts:

I have tried several recipes in the book and have taken photos of how they turned out for me. Please note, I am a good cook but not a professional chef.  I am much slower in the kitchen then professionals and my presentation could definitely use some work.  The following photos are just to give you an idea of how some of the recipes turned out.  The book itself has a lot of beautiful photos of many of the recipes within.

Since Bill and I are both over 50, our metabolisms have slowed down, luckily our appetites have slowed down as well.  We will always be vegan foodies but it doesn’t take as much to fill us up.  In fact, when we go out to eat, most of the time we share an entrée.  By contrast, in our younger years we called ourselves “vegan vacuums”. LOL!  So, soup and salad makes a nice winter meal for us.

The following are the soup recipes I made:

Spicy Tomato Soup (With Croutons)

Spicy Tomato Soup (With Croutons)

I love tomato soup and this recipe is my new favourite!  It was very easy to prepare and along with a basic salad, made a nice lighter meal for Bill and I.  It is also a very inexpensive soup to make for those on a budget and it sure beats the leading name brand of canned tomato soup, by a mile!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Here’s another soup that clearly beat out canned soup.  Actually, I won’t eat canned soup.  Soup is one of the easiest things to cook and is so much better home made!  Okay, so I know the picture doesn’t do it justice but beleive me when I say it was divine!

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Brussels Sprout Leaves

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Brussels Sprout Leaves

This time of year is perfect for squash soups!  When Bill and I first started dating, he told me he loved pumpkin but hated Brussels sprouts.  Well, it turned out that he had only had the frozen over cooked variety. LOL!  When they are fresh and roasted, he agrees, they are delicious.  This soup recipe is another keeper.

I also made the Cauliflower Soup With Pesto and Shells, except I didn’t make the pesto.  It’s hard to get nice looking fresh basil this time of year and it was not in good shape at the store. We both loved this soup as well.

So, Bill and I give all 4 of the soups that I mae from this cookbook a 5 out of 5!

Now for the Pastas’ of which I made two.

Mama's Spaghetti and Meatballs

Mama’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

First I made the ‘Mama’s Spaghetti and Meatballs.  I have to say that the meatballs were a bit difficult to get right.  I followed the directions exactly but they turned out mushy on the inside. I had leftovers that I hadn’t cooked, so the next time I made them, the “batter” had been refrigerated.  After I fried them, I put them in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and they turned out much better.

The pasta sauce is from a jar which she has you doctor up a bit.  Overall, this was a good dish and I would make it again.

Pasta Alla Norma with Ricotta and Salad

Pasta Alla Norma with Ricotta

This pasta was delicious!  I am glad I could find some fresh enough basil to make the Ricotta because it really made our taste buds pop!  Bill is the salad maker in our house and I just served it with his salad.

Creamy Polenta with Roasted Vegetable Ragu'

Creamy Polenta with Roasted Vegetable Ragu’

Another nice winter dish we enjoy is polenta.  Like soup, polenta feels like a warm hug to me.
Chef Chloe’s recipe is by far the creamiest I have ever made and along with the roasted veggies made it such a treat!

White Wine Risotto with Shitake Mushrooms and Peas

White Wine Risotto with Shitake Mushrooms and Peas

There are some things that I like to keep a lot of in my pantry and that includes a variety of pastas and risotto.  If I don’t know what to cook one day, I can always come with with a pasta or risotto dish.  We really enjoyed this one.  Bill said that it was my best ever.  Though the recipe called for fresh shitake mushrooms, I used dried that I reconstituted and it turned out fine.  Neither one of us felt like making a special trip to the grocery store we knew carried fresh.  We usually only go to that store when we have other things planned in that neighbourhood as well.  We try to be as environmentally friendly with our car as possible.

Desserts:

Chocolate "Cherry" Coffee Cake

Chocolate “Cherry” Coffee Cake

Our friends invited us over for dinner and as usual, I offered to make dessert.
I had been wanting to try out this recipe and decided it would be a good time to try.
So, the recipes called for fresh or frozen cherries, which I didn’t have.  However, during berry season I buy fresh berries and freeze them to have all year long.  I decided to use blueberries.  The recipe also called for chocolate chips and in hindsight, I would have preferred to use raspberries or omit the chocolate chips.   You couldn’t taste the blueberries in it because the chocolate was too dominant.

Marmalade Pancakes

Marmalade Pancakes

Okay, so we actually had these pancakes twice. Once for a Sunday brunch with hash browns and vegan sausage and once as a dessert.  Both times they were delicious!

Overall, this cookbook is a winner.  I just have a couple small complaints.  It assumes that you have a pasta maker and an ice cream maker.  I have a lot of appliances and gadgets in my kitchen.  However, I don’t have an industrial sized kitchen and there are a few things I don’t have.  I have contemplated getting both an ice cream maker and pasta maker but have weighed how often I think I would actually use them versus, how much room they would take up. I would have loved to make the raviolli but it requires a pasta maker. I would also caution that while most of the recipes are easy to prepare, there are a few that are not for beginners.

I think that this cookbook has great recipes that are sure too please anyone’s palette, even meat eaters.  Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and use readily available ingredients.  Above all, they are wonderful!  With the holiday season upon us, I have to say that Chloe’s vegan Italian Kitchen would make an excellent gift for anyone who love to cook and eat great meals!

I am giving it a 4.5/5 just because the meatballs have a bit of room for improvement.  Otherwise it would have been a perfect score!

Buy ‘Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen’:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository

 

 

 

TragedyofFidelCastro nova jpegThanks to the author, João Cerqueira, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Tragedy of Fidel Castro’.

Book Description:

Beverly Hills Book Awards 2014 Winner in Multicultural Fiction
The USA Best Book Awards 2013 Winner in Multicultural Fiction

Beverly Hills Book Awards 2014 Finalist in Literary Fiction
The USA Best Book Awards 2013 Finalist in Historical Fiction
ForeWord Book of The Year Awards 2012 Winner in Translations (Bronze medal)
Nominated for the Montaigne Medal 2014
Winner Global Ebook Awards 2014 – Fantasy Historical Setting

When God receives a request from Fátima to help prevent a war between Fidel Castro and JFK, he asks his son, Jesus, to return to Earth and diffuse the conflict. On his island, Fidel Castro faces protests on the streets and realizes that he is about to be overthrown. Alone, surrounded, and aware that the end is fast approaching, he plays his last card.

Meanwhile, Christ arrives on Earth and teams up with Fátima, who is convinced she can create a miracle to avoid the final battle
between JFK and Fidel Castro and save the world as we know it. At the end, something really extraordinary happens! 

“Humorous, rich with metaphor, and refreshingly imaginative”, The Tragedy of Fidel Castro was chosen as the book-of-the-month and book-of-the-year by Os Meus Livros magazine.

Praise for ‘The Tragedy of Fidel Castro’:

“Novels like The Tragedy of Fidel Castro are the untamed mustangs of fiction that, unlike most other books, run wild and free, contemptuous of the confinement that the corral of ordinary classification would imprison them in”-The American Culture
””The Tragedy of Fidel Castro” is very much recommended reading for those who like religious and alternative history reads, not to be missed”-
Midwest Book Review

”This book is worth a read and I recommend it”-Wilderness House Literary Review 

“João Cerqueira’s novel is an energetic, bizarre, and extremely clever take on two heavily fictionalized leaders”-Bullet Reviews

The Tragedy of Fidel Castro is a phantasmagoric odyssey through a highly imaginative prose universe of discovery and inquest. It’s a magic realism hybrid of sacrificial lambs and Revolution, capitalistic decadence, and celestial consequence. I expect that this rich and unique narrative voice will illuminate a phosphorescent trajectory in the future annals of the New Millennial World Lit!”-Mark Spitzer – Toad Suck Review Editor, Professor of Writing at the University of Central Arkansas

“The author brilliantly balances the formal tone and themes of capitalism, socialism and religion with an appropriate dose of the ridiculous. […] The feeling I got with each page was one that I compare to the first time I read The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. I might not get it completely at first but it all ties together by the end and there’s a feeling of having expanded my world view a bit on every page. […] If you’re a fan of satire, history, or generally good literature, I highly recommend this novel”-Rabid Readers Review

”Cerqueira shows potential to be a big name in the future”-Contemporary Literary Review India

About João Cerqueira:LIVRO

João Cerqueira has a PhD in History of Art from the University of Oporto. He is the author of seven books. ‘Blame It On To Much Freedom’, ‘The Tragedy of Fidel Castro’, ‘Devil’s Observations, ‘Maria Pia: Queen and Woman’, ‘José de Guimarães’ (published in China by the Today Art Museum),’ José de Guimarães: Public Art’.

His works are published in Open Pen, Toad Suck Review, Hypertext Magazine, Cleaver Magazine, Danse Macabre, Contemporary Literary Review India, The Liberator Magazine, BoldType Magazine, All Right Magazine, South Asia Mail, Linguistic Erosion, Sundayat6mag, Calamities Press, Literary Lunes.

This giveaway is open worldwide and ends on December 6, 2014.  Please use Rafflecpter to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway