Reviews – Page 18 – The Pajama Chef

Book Review: Love in Disguise

August 15, 2012January 15, 2013 Sarah

So, over the past five days or so I’ve been sick. Not that being sick was much fun, but it did allow me to be lazy, have Ben prepare all my [boring] meals, sleep, and read alot. One of my recent reads was Carol Cox’s Love in Disguise. I received this book through the blogger review program for Bethany House Publishers, a well-respected publisher of Christian fiction and other Christian titles.

Here is the description of the book from the publisher:

Jobless and down to her last dime, Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it’s the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use. Disguised as both Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, and her dazzling niece Jessie Monroe, Ellie begins her investigation into the theft of silver from Arizona mines. When the thieves come after both characters, Ellie isn’t safe no matter which disguise she’s wearing. Should she give up and reveal her true identity? What will mine owner Steven do when he realizes the woman he’s falling in love with doesn’t really exist?

As with my usual style… here’s my five point review!

This was a totally unique storyline. I’ve read plenty of mysteries in my day, but never anything about an actress using her talents to pose as a detective–and play two characters in the Wild West at once! I’ve been an avid reader literally all my life and rarely read a completely new plotline. Score!
I’m not usually a fan of the Wild West, mining, or books set in the late 1800s. I don’t know why, but that era just doesn’t appeal to me. But Carol Cox did a fantastic job blending historical drama with time-tested cares and concerns of life, love, and faith.
This book was a delightful mix of romance, mystery, intrigue, and humor. All my favorite genres at once. My only complaint was that I didn’t really think it was possible to solve the mystery as the character does because the story is all from Ellie’s point of view… no additional information is given. I always like to try to figure it out first, but the solution came out of nowhere.
Christianity wasn’t a huge part of the storyline, but Ellie’s growth as a person into maturity was attributed to a renewed relationship with God. This relationship [like it is for so many people–fictional or not] is hindered by childhood events, so the faith that was part of the book was realistic. In my eyes, that is much better than the cheesy tales where girl loves Jesus but wants a boy so prays for one and then falls in love with boy too and then grows in her relationship with God because He gives her a boy. Possible? Maybe. Realistic? Not so much. This story? Could happen.
The author, Carol Cox, has such a great writing style. Relaxing, inviting, polished. I’ll definitely be checking out some of her other books, and hope you will too!

What are you reading lately?

Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book for free!

Reviews

Book Review: My Stubborn Heart

July 11, 2012January 15, 2013 Sarah

Another day, another installment of Sarah’s semi-embarrassing reading habits. Sigh. At least I’m honest about it. 🙂 Like I mentioned before, I recently signed up to review books for Bethany House Publishers, a well-respected publisher of Christian fiction and other Christian titles, through their blogger review program. The most recent title I received was Becky Wade’s My Stubborn Heart.

Here is the description of the book from the publisher:

Kate Donovan, burned out and in need of an adventure, is only too happy to help her grandmother restore her old childhood home. But when she encounters the man hired to renovate the house–a former hockey star who’s wounded and hiding from everything and everyone–Kate discovers bringing him back to life might be the best and most daring job of all.

And what did I think about this book? Well, in five points… here you have it.

This is a book I can hardly find fault with! I just want to live in its pages and experience Kate and Matt’s love story for myself [even though my own is pretty great too :)]. Matt is the former hockey star turned historic home renovator referenced above, by the way. As I kept reading, I just didn’t want this story to end! Sequel, sequel, sequel. 🙂
That being said… the major fault with this book was that I didn’t necessarily agree with how the author dealt with faith and Christianity. Yes, Kate prayed and went to church but I felt like overall the faith part of the book took a backseat to the romance, which is fine, but it’s just something to be aware of. One other theologically questionable part was that Kate practiced yoga frequently. I know that’s an iffy subject in some Christian circles, but my personal convictions lead me to wary about yoga even as a form of exercise due to its origins. If you are a Christian, this topic is between you and God and I urge you to research this subject and make an informed decision.
I loved learning about how Kate’s character grew as a result of her blossoming friendship and romance with Matt, as well as her grandmother and her grandmother’s friends. Even though the book treats faith on a surface level, it was pretty obvious that Kate was growing and was letting God shape her path in life, even through the hard times. Definitely an encouragement to me!
I won’t give away any spoilers, but this book and the outcome is NOT as predictable as 95% of the Christian fiction out there. And I absolutely love that!
Lastly, I love Becky Wade’s well written yet relaxed, casual writing style. Her style fits so well with the quirky, spunky characters of her story… this is the perfect summer Christian chicklit/beach read. I don’t usually reread Christian fiction because some of it’s pretty lame, but this book is one I’m definitely keeping on my bookshelf. I hope you’ll check it out too!

What are you reading lately?

Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book for free!

Reviews

Book Review: The Messenger

June 7, 2012January 15, 2013 Sarah

Instead of “Book Review: The Messenger,” this post should perhaps be titled “Confessions of my [Semi-Embarrassing] Reading Habits.” This is not my usual sort of post, I realize, but I recently signed up to review books for Bethany House Publishers, a well-respected publisher of Christian fiction and other Christian titles, through their blogger review program. When I signed up, I got to choose the categories of books that I was interested in, and every so often I receive emails from the company when they have titles available for review. Then, if I want, I can request a book and they send a complementary copy to me, in exchange for a review. Since I love reading [I did go to library school, after all–though reading is not in the job description of any position I’m applying for… too bad!], I thought it would be fun. Recently I received and read my first book: The Messenger by Siri Mitchell.

Here is the description of the book from the publisher:

Hannah Sunderland has never questioned her unwavering Quaker beliefs…until the Friends forbid her to visit her twin brother in jail. But when Jeremiah Jones, a Colonial spy, seeks her out to help rescue her brother and other Colonial soldiers, she’s forced to confront her beliefs—and her unexpected feelings for Jeremiah—head on. As lives hang in the balance, must Hannah choose between forsaking those she loves and abandoning the bedrock of her faith?

So, what did I think of the book? Rather than writing paragraph after paragraph of review, I want to do this bullet-point style. I think reviews are more effective that way and I hope Bethany House doesn’t mind! I tend not to read loooong reviews so I want to make this to the point.

These are my top five reasons why I loved this book, and hope you will too!

I love Siri Mitchell’s writing. I’ve read several of her other books and really enjoy her style. I feel like she does a great job developing her characters, and I like how the perspective of the story changes chapter by chapter. Siri Mitchell is thorough, detail oriented, yet so elegant in regard to style and tone.
Obviously this book is historical fiction. Revolutionary War era, to be exact. I don’t think I’ve read anything from this time period since reading Felicity’s stories in my American Girl doll youth. [Side note: I had Kirsten, and she is now retired. I am so sad! Did anyone else have a beloved American Girl doll?]. My favorite war period to read about is World War II [my favorite war? How nerdy does that sound?]. Since this is fiction, obviously the storylines are not precisely accurate with what really went on. However, Siri Mitchell’s attention to detail and references in the book really made me feel as if she had done a good job researching to make the book as historically accurate as possible. I feel like historical fiction has such potential to make history come alive, and this book is a fabulous example of that.
I love how applicable the struggles faced by Hannah and Jeremiah as they work for the patriot cause–together and separately, with different motives that somehow mesh together so perfectly. I don’t want to say much else on that, for fear of giving away too many spoilers, but these struggles raise so many questions. This book has caused me to wonder how this applies to today–why we believe what we believe in this politically-charged era, not so much unlike colonial America? How do we let causes and positions impact the bedrock of our faith? This is a decision we all must make, both collectively and individually.
My only complaint about the book [except for the fact that it ended… sigh…] was that I felt the first couple chapters were a little slow and a bit confusing, simply because there are so many characters and I wasn’t familiar with Quaker vocabulary.
That being said… my favorite thing about the book was the romance. [Cue the cheesiness… and the semi-embarrassing confession.] When I read fiction for fun, I don’t want to have to think too hard and I want happy endings. End of story. This usually draws me to cheesy Christian romance novels, heart-wrenching World War II romances, or chicklit. Anyone else with me? The romance between Jeremiah and Hannah [no, this is not a spoiler–you couldn’t possibly expect that the romance wouldn’t be a focal point of the story, now could you?] is subtle, sweet, and at times–infuriatingly slow. However, that is real life. Subtle romance allows for the highly narrative, action-packed plot to shine.

I hope you love this book as much as I did. I thought Siri Mitchell’s The Messenger was simply captivating.

Okay, okay… the semi-embarrassing confession goes beyond not thinking hard and wanting happy endings. One of my college friends and I [who I had the pleasure of seeing over the weekend at another friend’s wedding] have this running joke of texting each other lines from our latest cheesy Christian romance novel. For real.

One of the best was regarding a man with a prosthetic arm stroking the face of his lady friend. For the record, I have nothing against prosthetic arms [I know several people who have them, actually.] The tone of that story though was just classic cheese, that’s what got me. 🙂

But back to my friend [who shall remain nameless so I don’t go blabbing her embarrassing secrets all across the internet]. We have big plans of one day writing a book of cheesy Christian short stories, holiday themed… as in, Arbor Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc. It’ll be a best seller, I tell ya… and maybe one day you’ll be writing a review of it on your blog! That’s the goal! 🙂

What are you reading lately?

Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book for free!

Beans, Main Dishes, Reviews

A Budget… and Perfect Black Beans

January 11, 2012January 28, 2016 Sarah

So, once upon a time, after I graduated from college in 2007, I heard about a blog from a friend. She said Money Saving Mom was written by a young Christian woman named Crystal, and on it I could learn about how to get free toiletries at CVS through something called Extra Care Bucks. So even though I wasn’t a mom, I was just a wee bit intrigued… seeing as I was starting my first job and wasn’t anticipating having tons of money to blow. It wasn’t until 2008 that I really got into the drugstore game, as it’s called, and it wasn’t until Ben and I were married the following year where I really understood the benefits of being meticulous in rolling store rewards so as to stretch a budget as far as possible. I was hooked–and there was no turning back. Since 2008, I have hardly purchased any toiletries, dental care products, school supplies, or other drugstore items for full price [or even close to it]. Pretty crazy, huh?

The drugstore game takes so little work–just cutting coupons from the Sunday paper, and looking up deals that are posted on MSM’s blog, and going to the store of course–that to me, it is totally worth it. My frugality [and time spent] has allowed us to spend extra money on things that our grad school/young professional budget would otherwise not allow for: pricy Greek yogurt, extensive selection of herbs/spices, some organic foods, etc.

There are a lot of other great things posted on Crystal’s blog as well, including free samples you can sign up for, links to hot coupons, and series where she inspires readers to save money in many different ways. So when I heard that she was writing a book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, and offering copies to bloggers for review, I was psyched.

This book is not just a copy of her blog–though it does reiterate much of Crystal’s philosophy about spending, saving, and paying off debt. This book is a great mix of practical tips and inspiration to get out of debt [if you have it] or to work to avoid it by living a frugal lifestyle. Crystal does a great job of outlining specific steps to take to move towards a workable budget and providing reasons why this is important–even though this is not a belief many Americans have. One of my favorite chapters was chapter seven, where Crystal provides 25 tips for saving on groceries without using coupons. By teaching ourselves to use less than what the companies tell us we “need” to use, eat meatless more often, look for seasonal produce, and other strategies, grocery bills go down as habits change. So if you are looking to improve your finances in 2012, I highly suggest you check out Money Saving Mom’s blog and new book.

In order to go along with such a fabulous book, I thought it was only appropriate to share a frugal recipe… and what is more frugal than beans? Especially cooking dried beans? I mean, how perfect is this?

Though I do not necessarily put “beans and rice” on my menu plans, it’s honestly a meal we eat several times a week–for a quick work lunch, for a “leftover” night, for those nights where I just don’t feel like cooking. We usually make rice and beans bowls consisting of some combination of brown rice, black beans, some Mexican-style seasonings [garlic, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, cilantro], avocado, bell peppers, spinach, salsa, and cheese. It’s easy, filling, healthy, and inexpensive, and while it wasn’t a meal I grew up eating, it is now one that I love.

We used to make these bowls with canned black beans, but I had heard so many good things about the flavor of dried beans that I wanted to try them. The first time I made dried beans I tried the old “soak and cook on the stove f-o-r-eva] method. The second time, I knew there had to be a better way. So using the beauty of google, I found out that it was possible to cook black beans in the oven in hardly any time at all. It is so easy, and so tasty, that even though it isn’t much of a recipe [more like a cooking method], I just had to share it. I love making the beans en masse and then freezing some for the future. They taste so much better than the canned variety and contain much less sodium too. If you haven’t tried to make dried black beans before, or have had a lackluster experience, then try it this way–you won’t regret it.

Perfect Black Beans

Servings: 5 cups
Time: 90 minutes
Print

from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black beans
1-2 teaspoons salt
cold water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Rinse and sort the black beans, picking out any pebbles or broken beans. Place beans in a 3+ quart Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt and then fill with cold water, covering the beans by one inch.

Place in oven and cook for 75 minutes, then remove and stir. If the beans are tender enough, they are done; if not, return to the oven [with the addition of some hot water if they seem to be drying out] for 15 minutes at a time until they are. This process should take no longer than 2 hours total.

Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to one week, freezing what you will not use. I usually freeze leftover black beans in quart size freezer bags by the 1 3/4 cup increments [approximately 15 ounces by volume] so that I can easily pull a bag from the freezer for recipes.

Giveaways, Reviews

Chobani Review + Giveaway

April 1, 2011January 15, 2013 Sarah

Confession: if you were to peek into my refrigerator at any given time, you would find the middle shelf jammed full with a carton of eggs, a 12 pack of assorted sodas/ice tea/lemonade, a jar of olives, spreadable butter, and approximately 13 million containers of yogurt. Yes, 13 million as an exact figure. See, Ben and I are obsessed with yogurt. Literally. I go through withdrawal if I run out. I can’t tell you how many times Ben has made “emergency” grocery trips after work for yogurt. Or milk or produce, but that’s another story.

In the past, I have always resisted from buying the good stuff. I stocked up on Kroger brand yogurt or snatched up the name brand stuff on sale with coupons, stockpiling a zillion containers on the aforementioned middle shelf for the coming weeks. A few times I had purchased greek yogurt [usually Yoplait or Dannon] on sale with a coupon, and enjoyed it, but couldn’t justify spending the extra $$$ just for yogurt. However, in the back of my mind I always thought about the big enchiladas of the yogurt world, like Chobani, that I had heard so many good things about via blogs and friends.

And then, one day not so long ago, my life changed. Forever. One bite of Chobani 2% Pineapple greek yogurt scored after a 10 for $10 sale at my local grocery store and I knew I couldn’t go back. Each bite was so delicious… so rich and creamy, with the perfect amount of real fruit in each bite. Think pomegranate arils or crushed pineapple. I couldn’t believe what I had been missing all these years. Silly frugality. [Kinda… :)] I drank the Kool-Aid, and I needed more.

Soon after this auspicious event, I emailed Chobani to let them know how happy their yogurt made me, and Emily hooked me up with a sample pack of their three newest varieties: Mango 2%, Black Cherry 0%, and Lemon 0%.

Ben and I promptly had a taste test of all three flavors to decide which was the best.

Mango was the clear winner, followed closely by Black Cherry. We loved the natural sweetness of the Mango, and found the real cherry flavor in the Black Cherry variety to be the best either of us have ever had. And that’s saying alot, since we are yogurt connoisseurs. The Lemon was not my favorite due to the inclusion of the actual lemon pulp, but it wasn’t inedible. I think it will be great to use in baking or in a smoothie. Even though we had clear favorites, all flavors of Chobani are winners due to these fun factoids:

All natural. No preservatives. No artificial flavors.
Free of synthetic growth hormones: No rBST-treated milk.
Includes 5 live & active cultures, including 3 probiotics.
Made with real fruit.
Twice the protein of regular yogurts.
A good source of bone-building calcium.
Gluten-Free and Kosher-Certified.
Safe for people with corn, nut and soy allergies.
10% of profits donated to charities worldwide.

Now Emiliy, on behalf of the nice folks at Chobani, has graciously offered to provide four (4) of my readers with three (3) free coupons each. Each coupon is good for a 6 oz cup of Chobani and can be redeemed at your local grocery store.

There are up to two entries possible for this giveaway. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so it is properly counted.

Here’s how you can enter.

Mandatory: Leave a comment telling me what flavor of Chobani is your favorite, or if you haven’t tried it yet, what you think your favorite will be.
Optional: Subscribe to my blog in a reader or by email. Links are on the right, underneath the search box. Already a subscriber? That works too! Just let me know how you subscribe in the comments.

Entries will be accepted until Saturday, April 9, 2011 at midnight Eastern time. Winner will be selected randomly through Random.org and will be contacted via email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before an alternate winner will be chosen.

Giveaway open only to residents of the United States.

Thanks and good luck!