cookbooks

Recipes For Life

2011-10-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Some cause happiness wherever they go; whenever they go. -Oscar Wilde

Since my work base is Milwaukee and I spend so much time there, I thought I would give you the tourism overview of things to see and do.
The The Milwaukee Food Tour: a 2.5 hours progressive food meal with a taste of history-all foods & drinks included. 800-979-3370. www.milwaukeefoodtours.com
The Wisconsin Cheese Bar Cheesemart, established in 1938. Cheese Store during the day, Cheese Bar at night! 1048 N. Old World St, Milwaukee, WI 53203. 414-272-3544. www.wisconsincheesemart.com
Harley Davidson-experience the anatomy of an engine with a motorcycle tour of their factory. www.harley-davidson.com/experiencew or 877-883-1450
Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion-represents the epitome of America's Gilded Age splendor in Milwaukee For a museum-2000 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233 or 414-931-0808

More to come on Milwaukee

Appetizers for the Party Season:
Slow-Cooker Spinach Dip (my favorite from the Food Network)
Mix 1 cup grated smoked mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 box thawed frozen spinach, 1 jar artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

Recipes for Life

2011-10-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Abandon the search for Truth, settle for a good fantasy.

Clos Montmartre-There's a vineyard that still exists in the middle of Paris, in Montmartre, the last survivor of the many, mostly abbey-owned, that were in the city when it had walls, few bridges and a great iron cauldron near the river in which counterfeiters were boiled alive in oil. The vineyard is at the corner of rue des Sai;es amd rie Saomt Vomcemt, a few streets from Sacre'-Coeur. It is small, producing only five hundred bottles of wine a year that are sold on in the mairie of the 18th arrondissement and also at auction. The wine is not expensive and not great, but from the heart of France.

I saw an advertisement for Chey Boyardee canned pasta recently and I knew I had to try it. Chef Hector Boiardi(real name) was the original "Chef Boyardee", and he catered the wedding of President Wilson in 1915-with Ravioli Lasagna.

Ravioli Lasagna

Pam No-Stick Cooking Spray; 1 cup frozen loose cut leaf spinach; 2 cans (15oz each) Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli; 1 can (14.5oz) Hunt's Diced Tomatoes, drained well; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning; 1 cup 1 % low-fat cottage cheese; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray 8x8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place spinach in microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 2 minutes; squeeze spinach dry. Combine ravioli, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in microwave-safe bowl. Cover in plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is hot. Combine cottage cheese, spinach and black pepper in bowl. Place half of ravioli mixture in bottom of baking dish. Top with half of cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 15 minutes or until is bubbly.

Now of course this is the updated version-you didn't have Pam Spray, you would have buttered the dish and we all know there weren't microwaves that early and of course you would have had to shred your own cheeses. But what a great recipe to use that canned pasta that your kids love into a new dish!

Recipes For Life

2011-10-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

My mind works like lightening, one flash and it's gone.

Peaches have been around for more than four thousand years. Originally from China, where it was considered both a symbol of immortality and of female genitalia. To reach maximum sweetness, peaches must ripen on the tree. Those sold at supermarkets have often been picked too early and then shipped. A ripe peach will yield slightly to finger pressure. Those much softer will spoil quickly. Both yellow and white peaches are good for eating fresh. Yellow are better in pies and can be bought a bit harder for easier slicing, since they'll soften during baking. Size doesn't matter.

Recently on one my overnights, I ate at the O'Malley Pub in the Holiday Inn in Arlington, VA (Crystal City). We went for Happy Hour, which offered the typical fried Happy Hour foods. Instead, my friend and I took advantage of the regular menu, priced as bar menu's are. The food was excellent, hot and flavorful. I had a huge steak quesadilla, that was made with Philly Cheesesteak and my friend had a wonderful Angus Burger. Worth stopping by and having a meal.

The next day, I went to the Crowne Plaza Rooftop Restaurant in Dayton, Ohio. The food is average, the service was excellent and the view was spectacular. 365* degree view of all of Dayton. The place was packed with locals, who come for the view and the excellent Happy Hour prices with wines offered by Sycamore (truly memorable).

Can you fight Cancer With A Cookie? It's not too early to start planning your next bake sale. Launched in 2008, Cookies for Kid's Cancer, helps people organize bake sales to raise money for pediatric-cancer research. Founded by Gretchen Holt-Witt, whose son died of pediatric cancer this past January, she has helped to raise over 4 million dollars in the past 3 years by asking others to host bake sales nationwide. For bake sale kits, logos, signs, tips and recipes, go to www.cookiesforkidscancer.org

Recipes For Life

2011-10-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Genius has it's limitations. Insanity... not so much.

I am neither, but I like the sound of this.

On September 18th, 1999, Dr. Percy Spencer, an electronics expert was inducted posthumously into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. His reputation rested mainly on his invention of the microwave oven, which grew out of research on radar after World War II. Standing over a magnetron, Spencer realized that chocolate candy in his pocket was melting. To confirm the magnetron's heating ability, he placed popcorn kernels nearby and watched them explode. The first microwave oven in 1947 weighed 750 pounds, was as big as a refrigerator and was used only in restaurants, but over the following decades it was made much smaller and more versatile.

A cookbook review of a very hard cookbook to find: "Treasured Armenian Recipes" published by the Detroit Women's Chapter of the Armenian Benevolent Union. It was originally printed in 1949 and was in it's 20th printing in 1972. I had saved this cookbook for a friend of mine who was of Armenian descent. Typical Armenian recipes for everyday cooking. It took me a year to find it in my towers of cookbooks, but when I gave it to my friend, she said it looked just like her mother's. A yellow spiral cookbook, typical of the 1970's.

Recipes For Life

2011-10-18T17:34:00.003-07:00

I'd have a longer attention span, if there weren't so many shiny things.

Yesterday, I had lunch at the French Market Buffet at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. It was free, free is free. The brisket was tough, and the homemade pistachio ice cream was not homemade, nor did it have any pistachios in it. But free is free.

For happy hour I met 3 of my girlfriends at Sedona IV in Las Vegas. Finally we have found a bar/restaurant that wants middle-aged women and their money. We have had many experiences (my girlfriends and I) at happy hours that don't mind 3 or 4 middle aged women in their bar, but never a dozen. We change the tone of the bar/restaurant. They become no longer young and hip-specifically Rhythm Kitchen of Las Vegas, owned by Scott Ghormley. He made it very clear to us that our business was not welcome. Onto happier things, Sedona IV at Flamingo and 215, welcomed us with open arms. We had a pleasant happy hour with drinks and food. A limited menu for happy hour, but they invited us to join their Loyalty Rewards program and next time we come, we each have $20 to spend on food and drink.

I'm in Milwaukee tonight, getting ready for my trip tomorrow. For dinner tonight I had homemade chicken salad with tortilla chips. Originally this recipe came from Susan Hinton, but once you change it, the recipe becomes yours.

Homemade Chicken Salad: 2 chicken breasts, de-boned and ground up with my handy dandy food chopper, 1/4 cup chopped finely onions (I like them really ground up, so again my food chopper, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. I use whatever is handy-this time colby/monterey jack. Blend this all together and serve with tortilla chips. I have never baked this, but I bet you it would be good.

Did you know: "Seedless" in the citrus trade, doesn't mean there are no seeds, but that there are five seeds or fewer per lemon, orange or grapefruit.

Recipes For Life

2011-10-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

Recipes for Life

2011-10-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Life isn't about finding yourself. It's mostly about chocolate.

Here I am The Big Cluck as promised.

Last night we went to the Canal Street Restaurant at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. Classic New Orleans Style dining with a hefty price tag. My friend, Patty received a 2 for 1 coupon for early dining 5-7pm. But we didn't look at the tiniest of prints until we were presented with the check. Not 2 for 1, which the big letters stated, but 50 percent off the second entree. This happens a lot in Las Vegas. Live and learn, right!

Food review of the day: Stonemill Kitchens Artichoke & Parmesan Dip? I think it is meant to be a dip, but I have found that I love this product and use it as a side vegetable. It's got lots of garlic in it-it'll keep those vampires away. When heated as a vegetable, it resembles creamed spinach. This side has been great with chicken and beef. What an added flavor. I purchased this at Smith's, which is also Kroger's and many other names.

Recipes for Life

2011-10-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Things are changing here at Cookbook Val. I haven't done my blog for quite awhile. I'm not selling cookbooks on EBay for the next 2 months. Too many complaints about the mail service offered during holiday time periods. Plus, I'm working a lot, to save for Christmas and my upcoming 2-week cruise to Hawaii in November.

But I do find the need to write. So maybe I can have it all, writing, reviewing and most of all "recipes for life".

I am still working for the same discount airline in Atlanta. Living in Las Vegas, working out of a Milwaukee base. I've been home for the last 8 days, since I called in sick to work for a few days. After working plenty of extra hours, my pay check was shorted due to new accounting procedures implemented and new taxes implemented by the US Government. So not only did I work more, I worked for FREE. Or at least that's the way it seems. It created a stressful situation for me, which led to a case of Vertigo. I always seem to have inner ear infections and with the added stress of a downsized paycheck, I was definitely wobbling all over the place. Better now and a life lesson for me. Maybe working too much is not good for the bottom line.

Bunco last night. For those of you not familiar with bunco, it is a dice game, with a little similarity to Yahtzee. Though I tried my hardest to get the most wins, most buncos, most mini-buncos or the biggest loser (a title, I have been given more than once), I couldn't win. But we all put into a side-pot and what do you know I won-$75. My $26 investment paid off. It was a Halloween party and I came as a big Chicken. Cluck, cluck, cluck. I was hoping for a picture of my big cluck, but it hasn't been posted yet.

Food for bunco. I brought Greek Pizza appetizers, but while I really like these, they weren't a big hit. Feta cheese is not for everyone. My frozen chocolate cream pie though was a big hit! I used a homemade peanut crust, with the inside filled with chocolate pudding and half a container of Cool Whip, mixed it together, froze it and then left it out on the counter for 30 minutes before serving. It turned out to be a cool, refreshing pie for a hot Las Vegas evening-rich and delicious.

Last month for bunco, I made an old favorite from the 70's. Sweet and Sour Meatballs. This included one 48 ounce bag of frozen, pre-cooked meatballs thrown in the crockpot. Add to this, 16 ounces of grape jelly and 16 ounces of chili sauce (like Heinz found in the ketchup section). Let it warm up for about 4 hours and you are ready to serve. This is my old stand-by, for when I'm invited to some one's house and I have no time to be really creative. People love this recipe, they forget about it over and over again, until I bring it to another party. Then they say, oh, I should be making this!

2010-11-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

I've only been home for 3 days and I'm back to work again. I over booked myself this weekend, so no rest for me. Got home mid-day Friday, ran errands and went to bed. My body is all out of wack right now. Not usually a problem for me, but up at 6am each morning now. I did volunteer work at HOPE-a homeless shelter for Teens in Henderson, NV and then did volunteer work at the Opportunity Village-The Magical Forest.

The next day was filming two more baking pie videos with my camera crew (sounds good, doesn't it). Still not on u-tube. Spelled my name wrong on videos and so now new editing takes place. More baking pie videos scheduled to be filmed next Sunday. Then I was off to a Big Fat Greek Dinner at my friend's Barbara and Duane. There were about 20 of us-the food was tremendous. I brought Shish Kebab, both chicken and beef. Good friends, good wine, good food.

Now, I'm off to work-flight in two hours so I better get moving.

That's all for now.
Cookbook Val
Valerie Brown of Las Vegas, NV

2010-11-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

EBay cookbooks is done for the next couple of months. With a holiday work schedule-not enough time off and the stress of the holidays, I have decided not to sell cookbooks until after the holidays. I'm sorry about this and appreciate everyone's business, but my other "real" job is what pays the bills. Besides with the holidays coming, media mail which I ship by USPS takes forever and then people get mad at me. Too much stress. But I am going to continue with my blog.

I will continue to report on new books that I find. Then maybe you can find them locally or put them on your wish list until after the holidays.

About 5 years ago, my son developed an interest in cooking. So each birthday and Christmas now, he gets one cookbook for whatever level of cooking he is at. This has turned out to be his favorite present. He so looks forward to what I get him. Now, I have a new daughter-in-law and she wants her cookbook too! She has heard so much about Nicky's cookbooks that she wants in as well. So consider this idea for Christmas presents for your family members. One of my sisters is really into low-carb cooking, so I have her Christmas present too!

I have two Pillsbury Crescent Rolls burning a spot in my refrigerator, so I need to do something with them. I had the big book on Pillsbury Dough Magic in my EBay listing-Valerie2901, that nobody bought, so it's now mine. Hundreds of recipes to try with their products: Biscuits, Crescent Dinner Rolls, Breadsticks, Pie Crusts, Pizza Crusts, Cookies & more. I'm sure to find something to make. Last time I had some, I made the crescent rolls, stuffed them with cooked scrambled eggs & cheese and served them to a breakfast brunch with friends. All 24 disappeared in minutes!

Martha White products is having a big recipe contest for any of you that want to enter. Go to: www.marthawhite.com. I actually made a wonderful recipe for this contest only to find that cornbread recipes are not allowed for this contest. But I will share it with you.

Sweet Cornbread-Five Pepper Cheese Miniature Muffins

1 7oz. Martha White Sweet Cornbread Mix

1 egg

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped finely jalapeno, red, orange, yellow pepper

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Heat the oven to 375F. Prepare the miniature muffin pans by greasing with garlic powder (1 tbsp butter with 1/8 tsp garlic powder-I used leftover Papa John's garlic butter). Set in hot oven for 5 minutes.

Combine the cornbread mix, egg, milk & sour cream, mix until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese, peppers, black pepper-blend all together. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm. Makes 24 miniature muffins.

Yesterday, I went to my friend's home-Vernalisa who had a big soup gathering. She made Italian Meatball Soup for 30 of us and everyone else brought something else. My contribution was the above cornbread muffins-they also disappeared very quickly. (So also did my beautiful white bowl that it was presented in, but I found it hidden away eventually in the dishwasher).

The cooking videos are coming along, still not out on U-Tube. You know the bottom line is that I want to be a food sponsor for someone in the future. So keep my name in mind if you know anyone in the food business.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

aka: Valerie Brown of Las Vegas, NV

2010-10-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

I am almost finished reading COOK OFF by Amy Sutherland. Though published in 2003, it is a little out of date (will explain in a minute), but well worth reading. It is a story of those who enter food recipe contests. It follows the lives of the some of the truly big contesters (that's what they call themselves), their big prizes and some of their secrets. One of the interesting things I read was that people create recipes on their computers, submit them to recipe contests and actually win big prizes without every making them. Can you imagine.
This book will not go on sale, but I recommend you try and find it and read it-you will be inspired. This book is going to a friend of mine, Marsha White in Dallas, TX, who has suffered in the recession, like many of us and thinks that maybe entering cooking contests is a way to make some extra money.
It has inspired me, when I get home from this trip, I'm going to start dabbling in some of these food recipes contests and maybe win some good prizes.
Many of the big name/big cash prizes written about in the book have fallen away to the nation's economy, including The National Chicken Cook-Off, The National Beef-Off (though they may re-open this in 2012) and Pillsbury is still having their bake-off, but recipes are to be submitted Jan-April 2011, but the Bake-off, will not be until sometime in 2012.
There are still some big prizes out there, but because of the computer age, they now receive tens of thousands of entries, instead of hundreds.
When the book listings stop in the next few days, they will re-start on October 15-I have to time everything, so that I'm home when the EBay sales come in, because I know you want your books right away. Look for Valerie2901 for lots of new listings of cookbooks on EBay. Again thanks for your sales and remind me about feedback.
That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

2010-10-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! I'm finally getting somewhere with my cooking videos. There "should" be one out on U-Tube on Tuesday night. Please send to all your family and friends, I need lots of support with this.

On my EBay-Valerie2901, I have lots of new cookbooks out. I have a lot of International Cookbooks that won't last long-Irish Cooking, African (from 7 African Nations), Singapore, Israel and more. Thanks again for your support and purchases. Please remind me if you want feedback.

Finally things are moving and so must I.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

JAM TARTS

2010-09-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I went to a friend for Sunday Brunch. There about thirty of us and we all had to contribute some food item. I contributed two items: Jam Tarts & Scrambled Eggs & Cheese in Crossaint Rolls. The egg dish was a last minute dish. The hostess was afraid she would not have breakfast dishes so I offered to make something else-scrambled eggs & cheese in a butter crossaint. This was a hot item and went quickly,

The jam tarts were enjoyed and appreciated, but it's hard to tell people the kind of effort that went into making them. It took making three different batches to get the tarts I wanted. I used miniature muffin pans-the first time greased, the next two times, not greased. I made miniature pie crusts three times. The first batch fell apart; the second batch was too much pie crust and the third batch was just right.

JAM TARTS

Take 3 ounces of cream cheese and mix together with 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Add 1 cup flour and 1/8 tsp salt. Mix together, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Take less than a tablespoon, but more than a teaspoon of dough, flatten out with floured hand and place gently in minature muffin pan.

Fill each pie crust with less than half of a teaspoon of jam or preserves. Too much and the jam overflows the muffin cup and makes it impossible to get tart out of tin. Any type of preser works. I happened to have on hand: apple jam, raspberry preserves, strawberry preserves and orange marmalade.

Bake at 400F for 16 minutes or until the pie crust is golden. Move to a cooling rack and get tarts out as fast as you can onto a plate. If you leave them to cool off, they will fall apart later.

Nobody appreciated the effort I made in making these tarts-3 days worth of learning and re-doing my work. Buying triple the amount of ingredients orginally needed. All they saw, was what looked like a simple pastry filled with jam. It was so much more....

2010-09-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Cookbook Review:
The Spice Necklace by Ann Vanderhoof

I'm at work on a trip, so I probably won't have a lot of cookbook reviews this week. In the meanwhile, I'm entertaining you with The Spice Necklace. The Spice Necklace was sent to me by a New York publisher, in hopes for maybe a review and passing it on to a local book group.

If you can swing a 7-year Caribbean adventure on a sailboat, than this book may be a primer for you. The Author & her husband lead us through adventures with Caribbean cooking, eating and island life. It was a little slow at first, it is still an inside look at life on the various Caribbean Islands. Grenada is the author's most memorable stop. With lots of history in the foods of Grenada and it's chief export-nutmeg. Grenada's export of nutmeg is only to Indonesia ( nutmeg's world largest producer and exporter). In Chapter One, she has included two recipes-one for Ginger Spice Cookies and Grenadian Banana Bread with Chocolate, Nutmeg & Rum. Both have too many ingredients for my cooking, but the 2nd recipe does sound intriguing.

More to come....

2010-09-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

I have been gone for 3 days, but now I'm back. At least for a couple of days.

Cookbook Review:
Weight Watchers Shortcut Cookbook

This was printed in 2003 by the Oxmoor House. Based on Weight Watchers Current Point System, there are 141 recipes to choose from. Beautiful color photographs of some of the finished recipes are included.

For 5 points in the No Cook section, you can prepare a Grilled Chicken Greek Salad in 6 minutes. Or in the No Mess section, for 6 points, you can prepare and serve Cheese Ravioli in Pesto & Tomato Broth in 14 minutes. Or in the Last Minute Supper Section for 4 points, you can prepare and serve Polenta with Mushrooms, Zucchini & Mozzarella in 21 minutes. You get the picture. Other sections of recipes include: Make Ahead Meals, Dinners for Two, Family Favorite Recipes, Easy Sides, Sweets & Treats & Beverages & Snacks. You know what! These recipes are so good & easy to prepare-you don't even need to to be on a diet to enjoy them.

Spent the last 3 days in Kingston, NV. This town is divided into two sections-Kingston 1 and Kingston 2. Neither is very big-maybe a couple of hundred people in each, but definitely divided. We stayed in Kingston 1 at my friend Patty's retreat. She bought this place 5 years ago, because she is a big fisherman/woman and the lake is five minutes away is stocked yearly with trout.

The big draw in the surrounding towns is the Gold Mine. They just found a new gold vein and more workers than ever are being employed to work it.

We passed through Goldfield, coming and going to Patty's place. This was the original capital of NV, now a small but thriving town.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-09-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm back again tonight, but I will be gone for two nights. I'm driving up with friends to Northern Nevada for some fishing on the river.

New picture update! My hair is not short, just pinned up. Remember when I told you I was shooting cooking videos for U-Tube. Well, I've shot four so far and they're still not on U-Tube . Now there is an editing process. I think I'm just going to them on my own with my little web-camera and tripod.

Tonight I went to a friend's house, where there were 16 of us for Desserts & Cocktails. I brought a Coconut Pie. Along, with 3 different types of Lemon Cakes, Rum Cupcakes, Texas Sheet Cake, Chocolate Mousse and more. Too many sweets to try!

Cookbook Review: Betty Crocker's Cookie Book

Though printed in 1987, cookie recipes do not go out of fashion or style. Adjustments are rarely needed. Christmas is coming and it's not to early to start planning your Cookie Exchange Party. It's only the first part of September and I'm already invited to two Christmas Cookie Parties in December. I'd say there are about 150 recipes for cookies in this book, including Bar Cookies, Rolled Cookies, Drop Cookies, Molded Cookies, Refrigerator Cookies & Pressed & Fried Cookies. My favorite cookies to make & eat are Russian Teacakes.

Look for this cookbook and all my cookbooks on EBay-Valerie2901.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-09-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here I am back again. "Trying" to post every day. This morning, I attempted to hit garage sales in Las Vegas. Today, I hit Central Las Vegas, on the west side and was very disappointed. Clearly, the recession has hit this area hard and the yard sales I went to-well, not very much and what there was, overpriced. I'll try again next week in a different area.

Today, I went to a Luau party at Barry and Jacqueline's. They host a monthly meetup group focused on Wine in their home. Finally, an affordable wine group, that I can afford to taste new wines. Each month is a different criteria and prices for wines. Today, it was wines over $10. The food was so good, always grilled and healthy and the wines were wonderful.

Cookbook Review:

House & Garden New Cook Book: At first glance, looking through this cookbook, I found some good recipes, but mostly I saw a cookbook published 43 years ago! But then, I started seeing other things, cooking history, food lore and techniques; like rolling & stuffing hams, making puff pastry from scratch, homemade pasta & how to prepare truites farches parisienne (stuffed trout in pastry), challahs & so much more. Over 400 recipes! I have bought & sold this book at least 4 times. The next one I find, I'm keeping for my cookbook library (I have already exceeded my personal cookbook quota for this week). Of course, if it doesn't sell quickly (but I know it will), then I will get to keep it. Please note that this cookbook has been well used, but is still completely intact & still in very good condition.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-09-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am back from an easy trip to Wichita, KS and a few days in Savannah with my son, Nick, his fiancee, Jen & her three boys, Ethan-8, Clayton-6 & Trevor-5. This was my first time meeting the boys & I forgot how active little boys are. Great kids.

Dining experiences: Ate at the Green Mill Restaurant in the Holiday Inn in Wichita. Their dinner special was a half of a turkey club with fries for $5.99. What made this sandwich so special, the bread used was cranberry-Wonderful. In Savannah, we ate at a Longhorn Steak House-your average great meal and at Fiddler's Crab House down on the River Walk. I had a Caesar's Salad with blackened, grilled shrimp (lots of them, not the usual 4-6, I get in other restaurants) and Jen had fried oysters & fries. We sat outdoors on the 2nd floor patio overlooking the river, as a gentle breeze caressed us & most importantly-NO Humidity!

New within my blog: I am going to "try" and write a book review on at least one cookbook a day that I am currently selling on EBay on my listing-Valerie2901. So keep checking my blog everyday!

Cookbook Review: Samantha's Cookbook from The American Girls Collection. Activities from the past for girls of today. This is a peek at dining in the past with meals you can cook today. Enjoy the same gingerbread, ice cream snowballs and other treats Samantha loved in 1904. This cookbook is filled with full-color photographs, simple-to-follow recipes and elegant party plans. This book has been used, but it is in very good condition. Besides the great recipes, there are four different ideas for tea parties. I don't have a little girl, but it sounds like something I might want to do.

Remember to tell me if feed back on your EBay sales are important to you, because I am very bad about doing this otherwise.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-08-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever, but getting these U-tube videos done is taking longer than I thought. And my baking pies and "bringing back the pie" segment is being professionally done. Originally, I was just going to have some friends shoot and present it on U-tube, but other options came up.

Videos will be shown on U-tube, new, once a week-at least that's the plan. I will hook them as they come up to this blog as they come in.

Sales are slow on EBay, but what sales I have, thank you very much. Please look for my EBay listing-Valerie2901. Lots of new books listed-so keep your eyes out for them.

That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

2010-07-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

New topic: How do you pack a pie for shipping? There are lots of books that tell you how to ship cookies, cheesecakes, brownies & more, but I have never seen one on how to ship pies. Any suggestions?

When selling my cookbooks on my EBay listing-Valerie2901, I always include a number of diet books, because most include recipes for this particular diet. One of the diet books I have listed is Numbers by Jean Simpson. The idea is that to lose weight quickly and safely using numerological principals. A different idea for diets. The author lost 30 pounds doing this diet.

Favorite foods of Celebrities: Angeliana Jolie-Cherrios & McDonalds, George Clooney-Steak, Britney Spears-Pasta, Tom Cruise-anything Italian, Barry Manilow-Baloney Sandwich.

Something to think about. When I travel I place q-tips in a small plastic bag. About every two weeks, I have replace the bag because the bottom of the bag has opened up. I also store band-aids in a separate plastic bag which wears out after about six months. Makes you wonder what is placed on the q-tips to have them eat through a plastic bag.

For those of you who want to shoot videos for You-Tube & such-look at the Sony Webbie MHS-CM1. This is what it's specifically been designed for. I have been trying to get one on EBay for about a week. New in package is $129, but I want a deal, so I'm still bidding.

I'm surprised no one has picked up my "Boston Cooking School Cookbook on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. Should be in everyone's kitchen library.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

2010-07-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am going to try and write more in my cookbook blog. I know I've said this before, so I just keep trying to do better.

While in Columbus, OH the other day, the nearby Holiday Inn was doing an antique showcase for the Antique Roadshow on PBS. Viewing and appraising antiques, they appraised and helped sell a guitar for $28,000. Lucky person.

Remember to remind me to do feedback for you on my EBay listing at Valerie2901. A total of 226 c00kbooks are listed-75 never listed before.

I had a new salad from Wendy's, which was excellent. It was a chicken-apple-candied pecans on mixed greens with feta cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Hmmm.

My you-tube video on baking pies has not been started yet, but soon. My friends have spent alot of time discouraging me from doing this. They're afraid I'm going to become famous and move away from Las Vegas. But, I'm more determined than ever to do this now. Hopefully, in this next week.

My first video will be focusing on the crust, which is made out of chopped peanuts, butter and a little sugar, with a dark chocolate pudding as the filling. The peanuts though are what sells the pie.

Funny story. I in Tampa last week and blamed the Hilton for food poisoning. I was so sick. Then I got sick from Dim Sum & a chicken biscuit in Las Vegas. Turns out I had a stomach virus-my face was red. I had done a lot of complaining.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Happy Father's Day-one day too late!

2010-06-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers out there! I was mother and father to my son, so yesterday I spent Father's Day with my son and his fiance in Savannah, GA. I had told them, I would take them to a nice brunch anywhere in the city. I figured this would be one expensive bill. Instead they chose a small family owned restaurant called Clary's Cafe in downtown, Savannah. Remember the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil-this was the restaurant that was frequented by John Cusack & the infamous Lady Chablis. I had the Hoppel Poppel, which was about 4-5 scrambled eggs with green peppers, onions, potatoes & chopped Kosher Salami served along with homemade biscuits, real butter and breakfast potatoes. For a full reading on this great cafe, go to: www.frommers.com/destinations/savannah/D35846.html

Since this was a quick visit only, I then attempted to get home from Savannah to Las Vegas on a stand-by visit. I started at 3pm, Eastern time and ended up back in Las Vegas at 11:30pm, Pacific time-one long day. Standing by with Delta to Atlanta, I missed 4 four flights, due to the numerous number of stand-by passengers. Finally, I gave up and headed over to American to try and go to Las Vegas through Dallas. Made the 1st flight with American Eagle-my 1st 45 psgr aircraft (wasn't scary at all) and then managed to snag first class on the leg from Dallas to Las Vegas. I was the last stand by passenger boarded, but life is good and I made it. Sat next to a beautiful young woman, named Jaxie (6'2"-wow, tall or what), who told me all about her romantic commuting relationship, she had with her boyfriend who lives in Jacksonville, FL while she lives in Las Vegas, NV. Go Jaxie!

My first you-tube cooking video will be postponed for a few days, because I am not prepared. Preparation is everything and I want this to work. For those of you who know me out there-I am not postponing this video, because I have stage fright! But I do want to put my best foot forward and I am not ready-for many reasons, but not because of stage-fright (I have been known to have stage fright in the past when performing for different reasons).

Again, please let me know if feedback is important to you on my EBay website-Valerie2901. New books, include a group on Baking Bread & Barbecues so far. I have so many cookbooks to list, I'm trying to do them in groups.

All of you people from Louisiana last week were sleeping, when I sold a cookbook by Chef Paul Prudhomme. Someone from New Orleans on Toulouse St got a terrific buy on this book-$.99. You never know what will come onto my listing area, so keep looking and shopping!

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Bailey's Irish Cream

2010-05-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Bailey's launched its Irish Cream Liqueur in 1974, after years of development. The cream liqueur is based on an old Irish recipe using all-natural ingredients, including cream that is produced just for the Bailey's company. In fact, becasue the product line has become so successful, Bailey's accounts for one-third of Ireland's entire milk prodcution. More than 4,000 farmers supply the 40 million gallons of milk used annually in prodcuing cream for the liqueur. For recipes using Bailey's, go to www.baileys.com

Again, thanks to everyone who continues to purchased books from me on my EBay site-Valerie2901 or under the general heading of cookbooks. Also, remind me to do feedback for you.

A couple of interesting books listed this week are a new diet book (not new-from the 70's, but new to me)-Martini's & Whipped Cream & The Allergy Cookbook-recipes within this cookbook include no wheat, corn, milk or eggs.

On Wednesday, I went to the local Premier of the movie Sex and the City2. I actually liked this movie better than the first one. Thousands of twenty-somethings dressed like Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda showed up. And quite a few women came looking like Jennifer Hudson in the first movie. My friends and I missed out on the appetizers, but there were plenty of Cosmpolitans for everyone and a chocolate fountain that never stopped.

May 22, forever I know-I will do better!

2010-05-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going to add some pictures of Chichen Itza, but somehow I erased them from my pictures on my computer, as well on digital camera. I am so technically challenged.

Thanks again for everyone's support and purchase of books on EBay website-Valerie2901. Again, if feedback is important to you, please let me know-otherwise I probably won't leave it. Some of my books listed in the last week or so have had a 7-day, 5-day and 3-day listing. I have done this to accommodate my work schedule when I am out of town. I needed to leave adequate paypal time for you to pay and me to ship out. So don't miss out on any of my book listings. They will come around again soon, but I'm still working on my June work schedule, so it may be awhile yet. Some good books to look at are: The Book on Champagne-quite a comprehensive book on the subject. Though written ten years ago, it is still used a great reference guide. For you grilling enthusiasts, The Great American Grilling by Omaha Steaks is a very special book. Also, one I have seen before-Healing with Chinese Herbs-not a cookbook by any means, but certainly interesting to read.

In my last post, I mentioned how much I love the Mr. Food Cookbook series and received a comment back from them. They do have autographed cookbooks available for sale, if you are interested. Also, a website worth looking at- http://www.mrfood.com/ .

Many of you are familiar with Morton's Steakhouse. This is a pretty pricey steakhouse, great steaks, but pricey. But now....they have Happy Hour prices with food and drinks that I love. Locations all over the U.S. with bar drinks starting at $4 and Bar Bites at $5. I have been to the one in Las Vegas twice in the last 3 weeks. Very nice settings, great service & great food at a price I can afford. Check out for a Morton's near you at http://www.morton/ .

I would never have thought of dining at a Culinary School, but this is actually a big thing with a low price menu. Recently some friends of mine had lunch at the Culinary Art Institute in Henderson-a complete set menu, from appetizers to dessert for $9.95. While looking up information on this, I found other culinary schools that offer student trained meals-Le Corden Bleu-Las Vegas, Western Culinary Institute-Portland, OR, CA Culinary Academy-San Francisco, CA, Maui Culinary Academy-Kahului, HI, American River College-Sacramento, CA, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts Restaurant-Vancouver, BC & the Art Institute of Seattle-Seattle, WA. Now these are only a few on the west coast. I would never have thought of looking at Culinary Schools for a new dining option.

Food Lore-Hard Rock Cafe: When the first Hard Rock Cafe opened in 1971 on Old Park Lane in London, England, not one guitar or gold record decorated the walls. The burger joint was the inspiration of two Americans Peter Morton and Issac Tigrett, who couldn't find a decent American-style hamburger anywhere in London and decided to do something about it. The restaurant soon became famous only for its food, until along came Eric Clapton, who donated his guitar as a joke. Up on the wall it went. Not wanting to be outdone, Pete Townsend of The Who soon offered up a guitar of his own to be hung on the wall next to Clapton's with a note: "Mine's as good as his". That started a wave of donations from rock and rollers through the decades and thus was born the world's first theme restaurant.

Now, I am not a senior citizen (yet). But I found out recently that many states allow senior citizens to attend/return to college for "free-completely free". Ages vary by state and various universities and colleges within the state. So maybe you know someone who would like to return to college-pass this along.

I have a BBQ competition that I am going to tonight. My brisket is wonderful, the barbecue sauce-three different trys and is probably not prize winning, but at least I'm trying.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

May 4, 2010

2010-05-04T18:39:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's been a long time since my last blog. Between work, vacation and life in Las Vegas, I have been very busy. I just got back from a week in Cancun, where we stayed at the Mayan Palace in Rivieria Maya. Beautiful facility, great pools. We did a driving tour of Cozumel, saw the Pyramids at Chitzen Itza, & went shopping in Cancun.

I'm off on a work trip tomorrow and won't be back until late Sunday night. Hard flight trip, so I won't be on the computer much.

For all of you who have bought cookbooks from me on my Ebay website-Valerie2901-thanks again. But let me vent for a moment. I don't see what the big deal is about the feedback. People get all upset with me if I don't leave feedback. I list about 300 books per week, ship out another 40-100 and this is just a part-time hobby. You buy a cookbook from me, you like it-great, you don't-you complain. What does the feedback really do for you-a pat on the back for buying something on EBay? Do you contact every store you shop at and leave feedback? No, of course you don't. I read an email yesterday that said I was a terrible seller on EBay, because I didn't leave feedback. Now, if someone specifically asks me to leave feedback, I will. And once in a while (very infrequently), if I have some spare time I will leave some feedback until I get bored. So I'm through venting and if you want feedback, remind me to do it for you.

New in Las Vegas-at least new to me-I went to Changs Hong Kong Restaurant on Decatur for Dim Sum. They brought out so many dishes (there were 9 of us), we all thought the bill would be $100 per person. Actually, it was only $16 with gratuity-not bad and very good food. I even ate duck-that is until I knew it was duck-it was very good, but I won't eat duck knowingly. Just a phobia I have.

Went with a friend today and saw the "Back-Up Plan" with Jennifer Lopez. She doesn't have much luck with movies does she. It was okay, just not great and not really funny-I was in the mood for a comedy.

I have about 200 books still to list, it never seems to end. So many great cookbooks, so little time. My personal favorite these days is the "Mr. Food" series-I'm saving all of his, so unless I get duplicates, you won't see any for sale.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-04-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2010-Happy Easter a day late.

For Easter I met friends at the Brio Tuscan Grille in the Town Square in Las Vegas, NV. We had a wonderful brunch-there were 18-21 of us (the numbers varied on who showed up at different times). They gave us a private dining room, because our group was so big and it was marvelous.

On Friday, I met friends and we had tapas and Sangria at the Barcelona in Southern Highlands (a golfing community in Las Vegas). Again, we had a big group and this was a little harder to accommodate us, but we had wonderful tapas. I tried for the first time Figs wrapped in Bacon in a wine sauce-to die for.

This past Thursday (I have been very busy), I went and saw Luke Jermay, Mind Reader-at O'Sheas on Las Vegas Blvd. He is featured quite a bit on the Mentalist TV show. Amazing show, he truly has a gift and enjoys what he's doing. Alot of it is a carnival act, but surprisingly he brought out many things in the audience from their childhood. If you don't laugh at his jokes(British humor), he just laughs anyway. Now, his assistant Kathleen took a dislike to me for whatever reason. She had every person in the audience, but me, fill out information for Luke Jermay to think about (though honestly, he never used it), but that's besides the point.

And the other day I had a massage at the European Massage School with Kelly. Now when Kelly started the school massage program-she had a gift. A gift for massaging, now she has a technique. Take away the gift-it is so sad.

What else-on my Ebay website, starting today and every day through April 11th, I will have over 100 new books listed. This is in addition to the other 350 I will have listed. Lots of gems in here. Please look under Valerie2901 on EBay or under the general heading of cookbooks. And for you cake decorators out there-there are four older Wilton Cake Decorating Annuals, still in top condition. Did you know that Wilton Cake Decorating has been in business since 1929? I would never have guessed. Look for new seafood cookbooks on the 7th. And new Christmas books; Christmas books sell for 10 months out of every year-I'm amazed by this.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

The Next Chapter

2010-04-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

As I said earlier, I'm back and since I won't be selling as many cookbooks in the next few days, I will be busy with my blog. Cookbooks will be back selling on April 6th. Please visit my website on EBay at Valerie2901 for new, different & fun books.

On the 6th, I've decided to start with Diet and Dessert Cookbooks. I know opposite ends of the universe, but I'm quirky that way. I have so many new books now, you'll just have to keep checking back each day for what's newly listed. All my prices still start at $.99, so there are some real bargains out there, if you pay attention.

For those of you trying to lose weight (arn't we all), there is a new website that will give you information of other websites that will pay you to lose weight. Actually 5,000 people have already signed up for this. Go to: www.livelighter.org/get-paid-to-lose-weight-in-2010/ . Getting paid to lose weight-that may be the motivation that will work for me!

Another one is where the top 10 weight loss winners win a vacation for two to an exotic destination: www.uweightloss.com/contests.aspx .

For you dessert lovers and chefs out there, here are some new contests for you to enter:

Your Signature Dessert Recipe Contest-$1,000. Go to: www.mixingbowl.com/group/contest/rules.castle?g=1728985

The Great American Cake and Wedding Show Competition, May 1-2, 2010

www.greatamericancakeshow.com

Did I ever tell you that I joined Houseseats.com in Las Vegas. They also offer it in Reno and Phoenix. Well, for a yearly fee of $89. I can 2 tickets to so many available shows in Las Vegas. I have been a member about a month and I have already paid for my membership. I'm not sure if you have to live in Las Vegas to participate in this, but it doesn't hurt to check it out, next time you're in town. Tonight, I'm going to see Luke Jermay, Mind Reader. Maybe the not the show for you, but they have usually 3 children's shows listed daily, lots of comedy shows, magic shows, variety shows and today I could have gotten tickets to see Melissa Etheridge on Saturday, but I have another commitment. Something to think about.

I'm in my pasta stage right now and I'm going to share a recipe with you.

Ziti with Three Cheeses

1 pound ziti, 1 (15ounce) container ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, 1 clove garlic, minced, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp. basil, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Cook ziti in boiling, salted water following package directions, drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and basil together in mixing bowl. Place in greased casserole dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Hmm. Good. I've been craving Baked Ziti for about a week now. Enjoy!

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Quick Note Only

2010-04-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

I will blog later today, but I wanted to send off this quick note. No, I am not out of business on my EBay website, I just don't have any books listed right now. New books will come out again on April 7th. Because I pushed all my work dates together this month, I knew I couldn't ship out the cookbooks in a timely manner. So I'm taking a break, until books start again on April 7th.

Please be patient, new information, lots of fun contests & much more-later today.

That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

Another day, a week later

2010-03-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm changing things up again in my blog. Still finding my voice. Right now, I am home sick with either a head cold or sinus infection (can't tell). So, I'm living on Dayquill right now. I'm getting all caught up with the couple of hundred cookbooks that I still need to list for my EBay website-Valerie2901. Lots of new/used cookbooks. Good cookbooks-just keep checking back. Hopefully, I will have all of the new books listed by Tuesday night and then I'm taking to take a break and sit back for awhile.

I've pushed (or will be pushing) all my trips together in April, so I only have to commute once back and forth from Las Vegas to April-probaly be gone for 13 days. During this time, you may not see alot of books listed. I just don't want to promise I can mail books, when I can't-if I'm not in Las Vegas. Friends keep telling me to get an assistant for when I'm out of town, but I'm not doing that good selling cookbooks. Maybe some day, I'll have an assistant.

Then I'm off to Cancun, Mexico for a week with friends, at the end of April. Sun, fun and hopefully no drama. I also have one trip (as a flight attendant) to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. And maybe some fun San Juan, Puerto Rico layovers coming up.

The sun is definitely shining in my life. Las Vegas weather is perfect right now. I've even had a few days of my convertible top down.

I've picked easier trips for next month and while I'm away for 13 days, I'm going to concentrate on my dieting and some exercise. (I can only carry so many books with me-so I might as well exercise and my time to good use). I also have my laptop with me, so you can follow me on this new journey. Maybe someone will pay me $1000. every time I lose a pound, like they did for that woman on the Biggest Loser.

A Star Studded Foodie Event: April 8-11, 2010-Pebble Beach, CA Third Annual Food & Wine Festival. Featuring 250 wineries and a lineup of 60 chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Jacques Pepin, Hubert Keller, Thomas Keller, Alex Stratta and many, many more. For more information go to www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com

Noted Las Vegas Chef and show favorite, Les Kincaid is leading food and wine tours to Italy June 16-29 and Napa Valley, October 8-10, 2010

Blacksburg, VA-May 1, 2010 will have their 2nd Annual Blacksburg Fork and Cork, Food, Wine and Art Festival, featuring more than a dozen local wineries, cooking demonstrations and live entertainment. For more information go to www.blacksburg.org/fork

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

2010-03-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Another day and it's raining in Las Vegas. I've been very busy in the last week and a half. Last night I want to "Maria's" Tamale Party, where I had tamales for the 1st time in my life. Maria made 100 chicken tamales from scratch. Wonderful tamales, about 30 of us at the party enjoying drink and food. My contributions were a fruit salad and a grilled chicken salad-no one ever brings anything healthy. My salad with the grilled chicken was a big hit, because I made it for only $3.50 to serve 20 people. Shopping at my favorite $.99 America store, I bought 3 heads of lettuce for .99, a package of 5 ripe tomatoes for .99, and 2 chicken breasts that I grilled and I bought for $1.99 a pound (from Smith's)-bought 3 pounds worth, 8 chicken breasts later. Anyway, I used a huge oval platter (that was a casino gift), tore up all the romaine lettuce, placed quarter tomatoes around the outside rim, then I had leftover mushrooms, that I sliced up and placed around the platters, next to tomatoes, some leftover onions, sliced and placed next on top of lettuce and then the grilled chicken, grilled and shredded on top. I added a few croutons on top that I had in stock and 1/2 cup shredded jack/cheddar cheese. I paid $1.50 for 2 cups of grated cheese-it was just to make it look pretty. And then I made a vinaigrette dressing of leftover olive oil, spices & red wine vinegar. People wanted to know how I could afford to make it for a party, so I told them my secret.

Up next-Who wants to own their own restaurant? NBC is casting for innovative ideas for a new reality show. Go to www.NBC.com/casting. or 213-630-6530 ext 295

How about Seeking the Best Bakers for a new reality TV Show. This is an on-going Best Baker Search. Go to www.bestbaking.wordpress.com.

I also went to McCormick and Schmick's on Wednesday for their happy hour. Not like it used to be. There was a group of twenty of us and the only way they could serve us was if it was all on the same bill. First problem-there is always someone who doesn't pay the tax and tip and others get stuck with extra fees. Second problem-if you didn't ask for happy hour drink prices, you got charged double the price-many people got stuck with very high liquor tabs. Me, I always ask for happy hour prices, but that's just me. The menu has changed too. It used to be $1.99 for all happy hour foods, but now, it has a sliding scale-up to $4.95. I had the cheeseburger platter for $2.95 which is still a great deal and it was very good. But overall the experience could have been handled a little better. McCormick and Schmick's is a nationwide seafood house, that does happy hours Monday-Fridays-3:30pm-6:30pm.

I also went to a timeshare experience last Monday. The woman who spoke with me, sounded like if she didn't get people there, she would lose her job. So I gave up two hours of my life and left the timeshare experience feeling very bad. The sales pitch was very good, but I had no intention of buying-I was told no problem, by this voice on the phone, plus you'll get great gifts. Like I said the sales pitch was very good. The timeshare program started at $25,000 and many sales people later, it was down to $4,900-how can this be? Plus their gifts all had strings attached and I was told there were no strings attached for these gifts. I guess timeshares are a good value for their money for some people, but the maintenance fees have gotten so high-do people really take expensive vacations every year? I think if you had bought a timeshare years ago, you were locked into the maintenance fees and even if you didn't use the timeshare one year, it wasn't such a great deal, but now....

I made weiner schitzel yesterday with chicken instead of veal and it was wonderful. I didn't realize it was so easy. Basically, dredge the chickens in flour, egg wash, bread crumbs and fry in peanut oil-I can do that over and over again.

Lots of new cookbooks on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. Some great buys, lots of new and unusual cookbooks.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

2010-02-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you Donna from NH. Donna has purchased close to 100 cookbooks from me. Which means I make some money and now I need to list a lot more books to make up for those sales. Actually thank you everyone for supporting my blog and my EBay website-Valerie2901. I appreciate all sales, not just the big ones.

So lots of new cookbooks being listed, keep your eyes out for some special ones. I only have a few minutes today, because I need to get ready to meet some friends for Mexican dinner.

I think I said I was going to take a TransAtlantic Cruise in May, but that has been postponed, because a friend is taking me to Cancun in April-all expenses paid. Can't refuse that-maybe I'll take that TransAtlantic in the fall-starting from Europe.

I have put a Twelve Volume Set on EBay-Contemporary Cooking, selling it one volume at a time. I would have liked to sell it all together, but EBay won't let me add the shipping in that I need for twelve books. So if you are interested in a complete cooking series-look at my website-Valerie2901.

I went to a Fat Tuesday party the other night and we all had to bring a Cajun/Creole dish. I brought Baked Shrimp Cajun style (was very good, but still not a keeper) and a Southern Homemade Pecan Pie. Remember those pecans I shelled for hours and hours. Well that pie as always was wonderful.

Not brand new, but worth considering, a new cookbook being listed: "The view from Grandma's Kitchen". Written by Janet Beyer and Phyllis Higgins, both from Vermont. Each chapter is based on recipes and stories given to them by their grandmothers. Or maybe it's a book you should be looking for in a brand new condition to give as a gift. Definitely something to look into.

Last, but not least, I saw the movie last week: With Love From Paris, with a bald John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys-Myers. Action packed, a little gory, but funny too. After the movie we went to the Blue Martini at the Town Center. With your ticket stub, you get any free drink you want. I had a very expensive merlot.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

2010-02-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Here I sit, the night before Valentine's Day, Saturday night sitting at the computer with no date before me. Oh well, sigh... I did have a date for Valentine's Day, but alas, no more. Sigh....

In the meanwhile, I have some great cookbooks being listed under Valerie2901 on EBay or under the general heading of cookbooks. I have an original printing-1960 of the Ladies' Home Journal Cookbook (792 pages later-minus the dust cover) & a Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 1973 with a dust cover (but the dust cover is in bad shape). Somebody who is paying attention, is going to get some good buys on these collector items (starting price .99).

I also have an exotic cookbook listed: The Czech National Cookbook by Hana Gajdostikova, I have never seen a cookbook before from this country printed in English.

I also have two gift books in brand new condition for someone in your life: Food by Ogden Nash and illustrations by Etienne Delessert & The Pleasures of Wine & Sprirts by Ambercrombie & Fitch.

On other topics, I went to the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino for lunch the other day and ended up at the Top Of The World Restaurant. This is a fine dining revolving restaurant that takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to revolve completely giving you views of all of Las Vegas-wonderful lunch. I was actually looking for Roxy's Diner-didn't know the name at the time, but a diner, where the waiters and waitresses sing throughout your meal. Another time.

I need some what I thought was major dental work. Very expensive, most of which is not covered by my dental plan (a piss-poor plan anyhow), but it's all I've got. Anyway, I had been told to search out the Dental Schools in this region and found the highly respected, University of Nevada Dental School here in Las Vegas. I am now a patient and eventually after the crowns are done, the fillings are filled, there will be either an implant or bridge in my life or in my mouth at half-the normal price. In fact, all of the services are half or less than half of the regular price of dentists. When I lived in GA, my friends told me they were going to the big dental school in Alabama. I didn't believe it was worth it, but now I have seen the error of my ways. So if you have great dental insurance, than visit your local dentist, but if you have a poor dental plan or none, I would recommend researching the dental schools in your area or nearby state.

I'm on vacation now, taking care of many things, including dental work and listing probably 200 more cookbooks in the next few days. Business is good, thank you very much.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

2010-02-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

I try and keep my starting prices low on EBay-Valerie2901 or under the general heading of cookbooks. And sometimes, my customers get some real bargains for $.99. Thank you to those of you who have actually emailed me and told me they appreciate the low prices. I make a little, I make alot-it's all the same, as long as you enjoy the cookbooks that I'm selling. They also appreciate the media mail which sometimes takes a little longer, but it sure is a lot cheaper than first class and priority mail.

Speaking of media mail, I scored one for me. I go to the same small post office here in Las Vegas 2-3 times a week to mail out my cookbooks. Same people every time. And every week they threaten to open my packages of cookbooks. Go ahead and open them, I tell them, as long as you re-package everything properly. This postal facility finds it hard to believe, that I ship out 40 or more cookbooks a week. Obviously these people don't cook. So after a year of this abuse, I contacted the US Post Office in Wash D.C. and explained my problem here. And the problem has stopped. I still tell them that I am shipping media mail, but no threats now-though they do touch each envelope or parcel to make sure there is a book inside. Media mail for those of you not familiar with it applies to any printed matter, sheet music, DVD's, CD's-anything to do with media. My local post office has told me it doesn't include magazines, but I looked up the definition of media mail and there is no statement saying you can't ship magazines as well at a reduced media mail price.

Every once in awhile, I get in a corn tortilla frenzy, but then when I'm finished with it, I have the problem of what do I do with the other 25 corn tortillas in the package. You get a lot for your money with corn tortillas. I now have my answer found in Joan Lunden's Healthy Choices Cookbook (look under Valerie2901 on EBay). "My Cracker". I am forever trying new crackers, because most of the crackers on the food shelves now have so much starch in them. I can actually taste the carbs and preservatives. Though this recipe is titled "Tortilla Chips", this will be my new "Cracker" for awhile. It's great with salsa, cheese, dips.

Tortilla Chips

8 corn tortillas, non-stick vegetable oil spray, sea salt to taste.

Spray the tortillas lightly on both sides with the vegetable oil spray. Cut each one into 8 wedges and sprinkle with sea salt (not too heavy) and then bake them in a preheated 350F oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted and crispy. Try other seasonings too.

Only 67 calories for 8 tortilla chips-that's not bad and very tasty.

I know this isn't unique, but I have always only made tortilla chips out of flour tortillas. So it's new to me.

Another book I'm promoting to today (again listed under Valerie2901 on EBay) is Vintage Feasting by Joy Sterling. The author's story is a vintner's year of fine wines, good times and gifts from Nature's Gardens. Listen to this entry from the book:

February 14. The vineyards are asleep. Daphne, a flowering shrub, is blooming, and our Valentine's Day feast is fresh, cracked Dungeness crab soup cooked with Fume' Blanc, served with garlic mayonnaise and bubbly...

Charming. The book is a little dry sometimes, but overall worth reading.

One other thing I'm promoting today. I have a meet-up group for women who enjoy cruising together. Men can come as well of course. I'm not making any money on this, but I enjoy cruises and if someone wants to come along, then come along-you'll at least know me on the cruise. The website is www.meetup.com/WomenTravelingTogetherOnCruises . I have a cruise scheduled for July 23-Alaska Inside Passage and a Southern Caribbean Cruise on Oct 11th. If you would like me to email you some info on it, let me know at crazyvalbrown@yahoo.com. I started this group, because I have traveled all over the world by myself-it's not hard for me, but it is hard for other women to do this. For whatever reasons.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

My Internet Connection Has Been Down Forever!!!!

2010-01-31T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another day without Internet. Here I am on the Public Library system, while I wait for my Internet to be repaired in my apartment building. It has been down for a week now-modems,lines, etc. But supposedly, it will be up and running and I can get caught up on business.

Sorry there's not much listed under my EBay books-Valerie2901 or under the general heading of cookbooks. Again, it has been hard with only one hour per day on the library computer to do all the work I need. I have about 200 books to be re-listed and at least 100 new ones to list. So keep checking back and they will be listed and re-listed soon.

I have a new recipe to list, that you might want to try. It is from a book that is not listed yet-Cape Cod Kitchen Secrets by the Monomoy Branch Cape Cod Hospital Aid Association. I had fresh cranberries that needed to be used up soon and this fit the bill. Easy, took only a few minutes to throw together. Just the sweet I needed:

Cranberry Apple Crunch

6 tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup raw cranberries, 2 medium apples (peeled and sliced)

Boil the sugar and water together for one minute. Add the cranberries and boil two minutes more. Add apples. Put everything into a baking dish.

Topping:

1/2 cup rolled oats,3 tbsp melted butter or margarine, 1/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt.

Combine dry ingredients. Add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes. Serves four. Can be topped with ice cream or whipped topping.

When I was making this, I didn't think there would be enough topping, because it only covered about 3/4 of the dish-but I was wrong. The topping is just a taste with to be included with the simple fruits included.

On Friday night, I went to a Chili/Macaroni and Cheese Bake-Off at a friend's house. I was impressed. About 50 people showed up and there a dozen chili entries and 6 macaroni & cheese entrees. Alas, I didn't get to have an entry this time. A specific size was required for the macaroni and cheese and my oven was too small to accommodate the dish required. Maybe next time. In the meanwhile, the food was great and I met many new people. Lots of fun.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-01-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

I was a very lucky woman last night. My musician friend arranged for me to go see Barry Manilow and I had a front row seat. What a wonderful musician and singer. Last night was a promotion with QVC the shopping network, to plug his latest CD-Romantic Love Songs. Barr will soon be starting at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas (March 5th). Hopefully more comp seats will come my way.

It's tax time and I did my taxes-how about you? Taxes put the fear of God in me when I do them and truly I have nothing to every worry about, but I still worry. So it's done and now behind me. Prior to moving to Las Vegas, I was living in GA, where I didn't do my state taxes for many years, but they caught up with me. Honestly, it was enough each year just to get my federal taxes done. So now I'm being audited by the State of GA, but we (State of GA Revenue Dept. & me) agreed, that by the time we're done, they will owe me a nice check.

I've also started my own Meetup group www.meetup.com/WomenTravelingTogetherOnCruises

I have joined some other meet-up groups, this is the new thing now. Look in your city for meet-up groups for things that you enjoy. It's been a wonderful opportunity for me to meet new people here in Las Vegas. My meet-up groups are the Romance Writing Group, Magicians (I'm not a magician, but I love magic), The Chef's Table (meeting in different homes & restaurants, sharing food) and the a Travel & Social Club (does day-trips, cruises & meets at different restaurants for socializing). So I decided to start up my own group. I love cruising and I know alot of women are intimidated by traveling alone-so "men" and women-if you want to join me on my cruises, come along. At least you'll know one person-me!

Now for my plug for my EBay listing-Valerie2901 or under the general heading of cookbooks on EBay:

2 books that haven't sold, but should have:

From Sunrise to Sunset, a hardback book down as a fundraiser for the Sunrise Children's Hospital Foundation in Las Vegas. It is such a well-presented book with original art and sketch's of children. For you bread makers out there, there are over thirty original bread recipes. Over 200 great recipes can be found in this book-unique, new, clever and very tasty.

Casual Entertaining by Good Seasons (the salad dressing people)-this is not a big book, but it does have 59 fresh and super simple recipes, with beautiful color photographs. If this one doesn't sell soon, it's going to go in my personal collection.

A new festival to attend: Alabama Chicken & Egg Festival-April 10-11, 2010. They will have wing eating contests, clucking contests, chicken motorcycle run, and much more. www.chickenandeggfestival.com It sounds like alot of fun.

So do you think you make a great barbecue sauce. In just two weeks, applications will be online for the 2010 American Royal Barbecue Contest. This is an invitational contest where individuals are able to secure applications on Feb. 10th and team applications on March 8th. www.arbbq.com

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

I'm On A Roll With Blogging!

2010-01-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

Almost 3 days in a row, that I have been blogging-this is almost a new record for me.

Lots to talk about today. I've been busy-running errands, picking up new cookbooks to list, etc. I will also be listing music books I picked up from an estate sale today. I have quite a few song books for vocal, guitar and piano, but it will take me awhile to get it all sorted out. My musician friend was upset to hear I was selling these on EBay. I explained to him, that actually I was sharing the music, in my way. Most of the people that purchase my song books when I have them are from Montana, North Dakota or Alaska-in areas where they probably don't have access to purchase them . I make very little money off these and I do like to think that I'm sharing these with someone else. Probably some collectibles in here for music buffs.

Remember when I told you yesterday about the Romance Writers' Conference I went to. A fact I forgot to mention, but I find interesting-most of the published writers there, are with Mensa (the super smart group of people). Unfortunately, I don't fit in that catalog-hopefully I can still write mynovel, finish it and then get it published.

Today, I finally got to a free art exhibit that is being offered at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Right off the hotel lobby, as you come into the Casino. Celebrate with Harlequin. You know those romance novels. This exhibit featured 60 years of Harlequin Cover Art, 1949-2009. It was very well done. I don't know how long the exhibit is going to last, but more information can be found at http://www.harlequincelebrates.com/.

I am going to share three cookbooks, that are worth looking at on my EBay listing-Valerie2901 or general heading of cookbooks: Cool Cooking-Recipes of Your Favorite Rock Stars by Roberta Ashley. Many rock stars of the 70's included personal favorite recipes. A few of them are: Elton John, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Helen Reddy and many, many more. Impressive list.

Also today, I listed a book Middle Eastern Cookery-Foods of the World/Time/Life series. There are very few books on Middle Eastern Recipes-so this may be one for your collection. Beautiful photographs and travel stories are also included.

And lastly German Cookery by Hans Karl Adam. This cookbook was translated from German to English in 1970 and includes recipes for foods from Berlin, North & East Germany, Hesse, Westphalia, Thuringin, A Silesian Childhood, Bavaria, Swabia. Also included are stories and legends about eating and drinking in Germany.

Something to consider if you are in the Detroit area, Feb 20, 2010-the 3rd Annual Glass Slipper Ball. The Zonta Club features the best of Detroit Metro Chefs. For more information, go to http://www.zontasouthfield.org/.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Happy Saturday!

2010-01-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

I have had a long tiring day and I'm glad to be home. Nothing to do with cookbooks though. I went to a Romance Novel Writers' Conference here in Las Vegas, put on by the Cactus Rose, the Las Vegas Chapter of Romance Writers of America. Sometime in this lifetime, I will write my romantic adventure. Actually this was a large group and there were wannabe writers and published romance writers, but also a children's writer and male mystery author. Looking for new ideas to write their next book. I was pleased at all the workshops included and I have learned a lot. Now I have to just write the book. I won one of the door prizes and I received a basket full of writers' type prizes: books on writing, chocolate, wine, pens, notebooks, etc. Actually I did get a very good book, Breaking Into Fiction-it gives you a template to show you exactly what publishers want. One of the published authors in the room, said this is how she finally got her first book published by Penguin (one of the big ones)-by using that darned template.

The other night I went with friends to the Boulevard Bar & Grill on Las Vegas Blvd S near the South Point Casino. I had this wonderful dinner-Chicken Francois. Chefs, you should pay attention. They had their regular dinner menu and then they had a 24-hour/7 days a week special menu. Approximately 10 items on this special menu-all for $7.95 each. Mine-Lightly breaded chicken breast (huge chicken breast) sauteed in a wine sauce over linguine. I will be back to this restaurant to try this dinner again and maybe some of the others. My wine bill was bigger than my food tab. Maybe chefs you can't offer 24/7-but in this recession, maybe a few simple dishes offered for less, will bring the customers back to your restaurant. After all, what did my dish cost, maybe $1.37-1.50-maybe.

For those of you wondering, I'm still on my starvation diet, but you only live once. I was with friends and that alone is a reason to enjoy a good dinner, in the company of others. Plus I had only had 150 calories earlier in the day-I was saving up for dinner calories.

A new contest to enter on July 23, 24 & 25, 2010, make it with Garlic. The Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA is in it's 32nd year , with attendance over 108,000 in 2009. I'm sure the area smells heavenly for weeks after the festival. The money prize is not big$1,000 to the top prize winner, but amateurs from all over the U.S. compete for an opportunity to win in this contest. Lots of publicity for those wishing to surpass their amateur standing.

And a plug for my EBay listing-Valerie2901 or under a general heading of cookbooks. I am going to feature a cookbook from my listing that hasn't sold and should have: Great American Menus Cookbook from Pillsbury. This book features Regional American Foods and their menus. In fact, I tried one of their low-calorie recipe and I loved it: Iowa Corn Stuffed Tomatoes.

1 1/2 cups Green Giant Niblets frozen corn, 4 medium tomatoes, Pepper, 4 oz (1cup) shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tbsp dry bread crumbs, 1/4 cup diced green pepper, 1 green onion, thinly sliced, 3 tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F. Cook corn as directed on package. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise. Spoon out seeds; discard. Sprinkle cut surface of tomatoes with pepper. In small bowl combine cooked corn and remaining ingredients. Fill tomato halves with corn mixture. Place stuffed tomatoes in 15x9 inch baking dish. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until center is hot. 8 servings. 150 calories per tomato half.

This was a special treat for me on my starvation diet of 1250 calories per day. I am not a true lover of baked tomatoes, but I do love anything with cheese in it.

And one of my favorite chefs from the Food Network: Giada De Laurentis. You may or not be aware that her grandfather is the well-know film producer Dino De Laurentis. I enjoy her show, but don't watch too often, because she makes me hungry (for food). I do have her cookbooks-love her cookbooks. www.giadadelaurentis.com Check her out, easy, great Italian recipes.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2010-01-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hi! Busy today, shipping off the many cookbooks that have sold this week on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. Thanks again for the sales! Many new cookbooks to be listed, as soon as I find the time.

Yesterday, my first day back from my trip and I booked an amazing massage with Christa at the Las Vegas Hilton Spa. There are not many masseuses that can relax me enough to make me fall asleep, but Christa did and I am totally relaxed from it. The mysterious aches and pains in my knees and calves are gone.

I was reading something forwarded to me today that I found interesting and wanted to pass it along. If you know any women receiving Chemotherapy, there is a cleaning service that provides free housecleaning for 4 months. You're required to get a note from your doctor faxed to Cleaning For a Reason and they will contact the cleaning service in the zip code of the woman.

www.cleaningforareason.org. Honestly, I can't believe it doesn't, but this group does not include men in this free house cleaning, though I am sure there are exceptions allowed. It's part of the breast cancer group and is offered nationwide.

The starvation diet seems to be working-I lost 5 pounds last week. I'm not really starving myself, but it is limited calories to 1250 per day and to me that's starving myself. I have found a new sandwich bread that travels so well. Orowheat Sandwich Thins is the name, stays fresh longer than most breads, try not to refrigerate-dries it out, but for people who travel, this is a great little bread to carry around. It's hard to find in the grocery stores,-so keep checking back-100 calories per sandwich bread (2 slices). And I don't know if turkeys cluck, but I have eaten so much turkey breast, that I feel like clucking!

Always looking for new ideas to heat up in a coffee pot in the hotel or on the plane-one of my friends brought a can of french onion soup, poured it in a plastic bag, added some croutons and a slice of provolone cheese and re-heated/cooked in the coffee pot water-amazingly good!

A new chef website you may not be aware of www.chefjeffcooked.com. He is on Sunday afternoons on the Food Network and has a new cookbook out.

A food event you may or may not want to attend-August 4-8, 2010 Testicle Festival in Clinton, MT. The Rocky Mountain Oyster festival, serving deep-fried bull testicles. I think I will skip this one!

This food event sounds a little better: March 6-7, 2010, The Festival of Chocolate in Orlando, FL. Be a kid in the candy store and enjoy two days of chocolate treats at the Orlando Science Center. The event will have competitions, demos by awarding winning pastry chefs, & a Kids-4-Chocolate area.

I sell a lot of biography's (not just cookbooks) on my EBay listing that I have already read. Not read yet, but I'm looking forward to reading is an early book done by Louie Anderson, the comedian. Titled Dear Dad-Letters From An Adult Child. Once finished, I'm hoping to get this autographed by Mr. Anderson at the Excalibur Hotel, where he performs nightly. Look for this in the next week or two if you are interested in purchasing it on my EBay listing-Valerie2901.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

January 8, 2010

2010-01-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last night, I met a group of people and we went to the new City Center in Las Vegas. This complex is supposed to be a city within a city. We parked at the Bellagio and took the tram over to Crystals (which is the first stop of the City Center). The Crystals is a giant shopping center with very, very expensive designer stores, few customers, but very pretty to look at. No restaurants open yet either. It is multi-level and circular, which leads you back to the tram. Next we moved on to Aria which is the hotel and casino. The entrance to the Aria on one side is a wall of water convulsing down over and over-very impressive. The hotel does have restaurants, I don't think they have the ventilation system quite fixed yet, because we could smell fish or sushi everywhere. The casino, very nice, nothing special-another casino with lots of high dollar machines. There is an impressive Fine Arts exhibit that is free and worth seeing, starting with a sculpture by Henry Moore, as you enter the Aria from the Crystals level. Comdex was in town (biggest consumer computer/gadget convention of the year), so there were lots of people staying at the Aria. But I think this new City Center is going to take about 2 years or a heck of lot more advertising, before they see any business.

Living in Las Vegas has been interesting to me. The recession has been good to me. I say this because now that the City Center is complete, there is no new construction of any kind here in Las Vegas-no housing, no hotels, no casinos. Where are these people with all of the others going to find work? Even McDonald's can hire only so many people.

Sales are still up on my EBay listing Valerie2901. And now the van is here to take me to the airport, so I will try and blog more later.
That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

Happy New Years!

2010-01-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a few days late, but I have been flying the friendly skies for many days now-spent New Year's Eve in West Palm Beach at the City Place at the BB Kings Blues Club. Music and fine wine-what a wonderful combination. The City Place in West Palm Beach, FL is an all-inclusive little town on its own, with numerous restaurants, night clubs, comedy clubs, music venues & boutiques. All within an easy walk. Plus we were staying at the Marriott, though a 15-minute walk away, they were kind enough to drop us off and pick us up.

I still have the horrible cold or at least the chest congestion, that never gives up.

My EBay business is going great. Over 50 cookbooks sold last week! Please look under the general listing of cookbooks or Valerie2901 at EBay. Still over 200 great cookbooks listed for you to buy. Lots of great finds, celebrity cookbooks, collectibles, specialized cooking.

Today, I will promote vegetables and vegetarians. I don't have a lot of vegetarian cookbooks right now-they go as quickly as I get them in. The vegetable cookbooks, well, so many of them can be used for the vegan-not everything is prepared with chicken or beef broth or pork lard. Some very good recipes-each unique in its own way. I liver a vegetarian lifestyle for weeks at a time, but I still love my steak, chicken and shrimp. Have you read the book "Skinny Bitch"? Supposedly it's a diet guide, but really the book is to convince you to become a vegan. Nothing wrong with that. Promotes the Morningstar and other Vegan products. I love Morningstar products-when they are on sale. Otherwise they are a little pricey for me on a regular basis.

But back to my cookbooks for sale on EBay:

The Vegetarian Guide to Diet & Salad by Dr. N.W. Walker-publishing date unknown

Of These Ye May Freely Eat-A Vegetarian Cookbook by JoAnn Rachor, Pub 1999

Favorite Salad Recipes by Publications Intl, pub 1986

The Art of Salad Making by Carol Truax, pub 1968

Classic Potato Dishes, edited by Lisa Dyer, pub 1996

Sunset Ideas for Cooking Vegetables by Sunset/Lane Pub, pub 1974

Better Homes & Gardens All-Time Favorite Vegetable Recipes by BHG, pub 1977

Great Taste, Low-Fat Vegetables by Time/Life Series, publishing date unknown

Simple Foods for the Pack by Vikki Kinmont & Claudia Axcell, by Sierra Club Books, pub 1976

Vegetable Cookbook by Nitty Gritty Publications, pub 1975

Zucchini Cookbook by Nancy Ralston & Marynor Jordan, Garden Way's Pub, pub 1977

The Carrot Cookbook by Audra & Jack Hendrickson, Garden Way's Pub, pub 1987

Cookinb with Herbs by Patricia Lousada by Bloomsbury Books, pub 1987

Totally Chile Pepper Cookbook by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham, Celestial Arts,pub 1994

Hot & Spicy Recipes by Cookbook Publishers, pub. 1998

Have you seen the advertising by Taco Bell? They are advertising their DriveThruDiet. Their Jarrett of Subway fame is now Christine who lost 54 lbs by eating the Fresco food items offered by Taco bell. Interesting, maybe there is something to this. www.DriveThruDiet.com

I've spoken before about my favorite food at El Pollo Loco-the Taco Al Carbon (flame grilled chicken on corn tortillas with cilantro & onion) is only $.79 each! It won't fill up the average guy, but for me, 2 of these are perfect for lunch, 307 total calories and no fat.

Next time you're in Tunica, MS for a little gambling, make your way over to Harrah's for Paula Deen's Buffet. This buffet features many Southern favorites, including hoecakes and biscuits to fried chicken and collard greens. I can't go there too often or I will never get my weight off.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

December 26, 2009

2009-12-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

Just a few more days, before the beginning of the New Year. Have you started making any new goals or resolutions. I have many short goals & some long-term goals. I have finally given up on one of my long-term goals. After six years, without going into details-it's time to call it quits. I hate to give up, but sometimes enough is enough. So today, I realize that I am a very lucky woman, but I am also a failure. I have always achieved all of my goals in life, until now.

So now, I have to figure out a new long-term goal. One of my goals in the long-term, at least 10-15 years from now will be a cruise-around-the-world. Unfortunately, my budget and work won't allow it any sooner. A short term goal that I have is to lose some weight-one pound at a time. Actually, I have been doing the starvation type diet for the last week, even with being sick. I have grown to enjoy turkey sandwiches with mustard on diet bread, as well as twenty-five calorie scrambled egg whites.

I have many weight loss books under Valerie2901-on my EBay listing-too many too list, if this is one of your New Year's resolutions-to lose weight or to take control of your body.

Yesterday's blog was about eating more often at home and bringing the casserole dish back. Recession type eating. Look under the general cookbooks heading on EBay or Valerie2901. Here are some more books to pursue with lots of casseroles to make:

Around the Kitchen with Club Mad-for a group at Northeastern State Univ., OK-published 1994

Vintage Recipes of the Northwest-Rose City Historical Society, Portland, OR-published 1992

Cooking With OCEAn-OnslowCounty Emp Assn, Jacksonville, NC-published 1996

30 Minutes or Less-from Home Economics Teachers-published 1999

Miracle Blender Cookbook-Tested Recipe Publishers-published 1967

I have to tell you I'm impressed-already some of the casserole cookbooks I have recommended have been bid on. Remember casseroles are not just about ground beef!

The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, attached to the Mandalay Hotel had 20 gingerbread houses displayed with a working carousel in the middle. Done by the chefs at the Four Seasons, these gingerbread houses were sold to benefit the American Cancer Society in Las Vegas. An impressive display, so well done, they didn't look real. They raised over $6,000-kudos to the Four Seasons.

The applications for the National Pie Championships are now in. Visit www.piecouncil.org/Events/NationalPieChampionships/ for information and applications. There are 4 categories: Commercial NPC/Independent Baker NPC/Amateur NPC (my category)/Professional NPC & Junior Chef NPC.

It's probably a little late to enter the competition, but there a NY Cake Convention scheduled for January 2-5, 2010 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan, NY. Go to www.cakeconvention.com. Actually there is still time to enter if you're ready with that great recipe, but if you're in the area, it would certainly be fun to attend and plan for next year.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2009-12-25T16:18:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to All!

New day, new excuses. I have been home for the last 4 days, but I have had a miserable cold and only now starting to feels better. Since this cold started last week at work, I have barely have had energy to do anything. But today, I am starting to feel better.

Unfortunately, this meant I didn't jet off to my son's in Savannah, GA for Christmas. So here I am by my lonesome on Christmas Day. With no presents surrounding me, but I have had many friends and family calling me today and I feel better, so Christmas is not a total loss after all. My son woke me up at 7:30 am today to find out what his Christmas presents were (they were only mailed yesterday-when I decided I was to sick to fly out). Waking me up at 7:30 am-you would think he was 6 years old and not 26 years old. We spent an hour and a half talking, just like any other Christmas morning and a couple of times since. So today has been pretty good after all. My son's Christmas present to me was a much needed GPS-I get lost all the time-I wander the streets, until I finally find a main road-not too bad during the day, but at night it's kind of scary sometimes. He said he will do all the computer installations for me, set it up and then send it me-what a good son.

Lots and lots of new & used cookbooks on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. I have been busy during my cold, trying to get cookbooks uploaded and for sale. Today's push is going to be based on today's economy. Where are the one-dish meals and casseroles of the 70's & 80's. Trying to save money on food, try this kind of food-combining. You don't have to used ground meat for every casserole dish, there are lots of new and old and exotic recipes out there that you can try. Most casserole dishes are meant to feed a family of six. Not that many in your family, then use those freezer dishes in your cupboard or those seal-a-meal bags and start making freezer portions. First I try the casserole, then if I like it, I will portion my food into freezer bags for later meals. So what if you eat it once a week for the next 4 weeks-it was good the first time. And if it doesn't taste good, then toss it. You live and learn which foods work for you/and your family.

One of my co-workers made a comment recently on eating out. In my business, you bring your own food and eat in your hotel room or you eat out. She had been eating out alot recently and was on a tight budget, what with going to school full-time and working full-time at the airline and her mother said "What are you a celebrity? Only celebrities eat out all the time. Start saving money and bring your food from home" These days, everyone it seems wants to be a celebrity-eating out all the time. Yes, we are working alot more, but if you really want to save money in this depressed economy-then maybe eating at home a little more will help to save money.

So these are some of my one-dish casserole cookbooks for sale. I wouldn't be surprised to see some restaurants go back to this type of food servings. We love our big portions when we eat out and this with a salad, would save restaurants more money too. Everybody, every business is suffering in this recession.

Casserole Treasury by Lousene Rousseau Brunner-published 1964

30-Minute Meals by Ortho Books-published 1982

Great American Menus Cookbook by Pillsbury-published 1984

Sunset Potluck Cookbook by Sunset-published 1988

Incredibly Easy One Dish by Favorite Brand Name-published 2006

Classic Recipes for Everyday Cooking by Better Homes & Gardens-published 2005

The Complete Main Course Cookbook by Johna Blinn-published unknown

Casserole Cook Book by Better Homes & Gardens-published 1968

Healthy Favorites from America's Community Cookbooks-published 1996

Chili Madness by Jane Butel-published 1980

Easy as 1-2-3 Family Favorites Cookbook by Ladies' Home Journal-published 1985

I will try and put out more on my next blog, because there are so many. This is a good start: to a healthy nutritious money saving budget.

I saw the movie "Did You Hear About The Morgans?". Really bad, just one bad comic line after another. No real continuity to this movie. They did a good job on advertising it though, because the theater I was in was packed. I'm surprised it didn't go straight to video.

So everyone have a happy, safe and Merry Christmas!

Cookbook Val

2009-12-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

I have lots of things to promote today that can be found under my EBay listing-Valerie2901. Usually, I do just cookbooks, but when I'm finished reading other books, I include those as well. I'm a big autobiography fan-so here a few, I've recently finished:

Losing It by Valerie Bertinelli-a Jenny Craig Superstar
Still Hungry-After All These Years by Richard Simmons-a Weight Loss Giant Superstar
Knee Deep in Paradise by Brett Butler-a Comedian Superstar
Lots of superstars today.

Like I said there's lots to promote today. First up is the Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook-a very unique cookbook-featuring Authentic Early American Recipes for the Modern Kitchen. Recipes come from 1829 and are adapted to modern measurements, ingredients & techniques. As well as a fascinating history of early cookbooks.

Next is a book called Carefree Cooking by Jacquelyn Reinach. For anyone, who has a summer or winter home- in reality 2 residences, an easier carefree way to survive the extra work involved. Lots of charming stories, great food plans & fun ideas. I remember my summers on the Muskokoa River in Ontario, Canada and the opening & closing of our cottage each summer.

I am promoting these books, because they are different from the norm, something new or interesting. Saucepans & the Single Girl by Jinx Kragen & Judy Perry. Reprinted in 1996, but this is the original book for the gal on the go-and on her own for the single girl in the big city. Lots of fun recipes, menu plans to hook the millionaire, plan a picnic or just comfort food. Well worth buying just for the entertaining stories included.

And my last promotion for the day: The Lean Rotisserie Cookbook by Ron Popeil. You remember Ron Popeil, he does those infomercials late at night. Actually this book sells fine all on its own, but I have included it because Rotisserie cooking is so in, right now and so healthy for you.

So lots of promotions. Book sales are up-thank goodness.

I love Las Vegas! Got to gamble at 2 casinos today, spent no money of my own, won at Bingo and had a deluxe Prime Rib dinner, courtesy of one of the casinos. It doesn't get any better than this!

I haven't done much cooking this week-other than baking chicken wings in my toaster oven. My toaster oven has a 30 minute timer on it, so they baked all day off and on when I was home and are so tender and much better for me. I slipped the finished chicken wings into a plastic bag, threw in some hot wing sauce and coated them. Hmm...

Christmas is coming-back to Savannah to be with my son and his friends. This time he has planned a Ham with all the accompaniments. I'm still not ready, who is-who has any money either.

I love Wolfgang Puck, not much in his website-other than promoting his restaurants, but here it his- www.wolfgangpuck.com. But he does have some great restaurants and great food. Lots to use from.

Not much going on otherwise. That's it for now.

Cookbook Val

2009-12-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Did I tell you, my son the new cook, said that cookbooks are obsolete. Everything you need is on the Internet. To my son: there are still cookbooks out there worth buying, owning, reading and re-reading like a novel. An adventure to dream about and then to experiment with food and recipes. I will say, that I have copied recipes off the Internet-it is a new world out there, but there is no adventure in it. They are just recipes, the authors are unknown, contributed for the most part with no kitchen testing. Even on the Food Network, you watch the chefs make different foods and you enjoy watching them-otherwise they wouldn't be there. And these chefs enjoying working with food. Discovering new and old recipes, tweaking them for their public. Also, each birthday & Christmas, I contribute a new cookbook to my son's collection, based on his current skills in the kitchen. I think he would be very disappointed if I stopped this ritual, we've had going on for the last couple of years.

I am still reading "The Lazy Lady's Easy Diet" by Sidney Petrie. I will say it has caught my attention. The diet is all over the place-1st, Mr. Petrie wants you on a modified low-carb diet, that allows you up to 250-300 carbs per day, and has you losing 40-50 pounds over a 6-month period. This part is actually pretty interesting, with the case studies indicated throughout the book. But then, if you want to lose weight fast, then you need to do 800 calories per day. Like I said, the book is interesting. He also believes in that you need to believe in the beauty within you, if you're going to see the new beauty on the outside, once you lose the weight. He has lots of special "me" weekends, planned completely-with food, home spa tips and solutions. Lots of old-fashioned remedies to bring the youth and beauty to the front. Did you know that strawberries (mash them up), can be used as toothpaste and to help reduce discoloration of the teeth (whitening them) . Lots of tips for home facials, fading skin discolorations and lots of info on important vitamins that your body needs, whether from food or over the counter. It's alot to take in, but I'm half way through it.

I still want to be famous for doing nothing. I'm not working hard on it, but I'm thinking about it.

I wanted to let you know that the Sour Cream/Sherry Chicken dish, is even better when it's reheated. Richer-so lovely to taste. I guess the flavors really need the time to combine, to get this new taste.

And the pomegranate dip I made with the plain yogurt. A little tangy and tart. I don't think I will make this again.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2009-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry that I've been out of touch lately, but so many things going on since Thanksgiving.

I went to the Mega Bingo at the Gold Coast with my sister-total value of prizes over two days-$500,000. My sister and I didn't win anything, but it was alot of fun.

I went to the Pahrump Winery in Pahrump, NV. Only 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas, but it took going over two mountains to get there. I bought a bottle of there Cream Sherry, which is excellent, but I'm using it for cooking mostly-more about that later. The winery is small, compact and surrounded on two sides by homes & though their grapes come mostly from CA, they are doing a very good job on their wines.

Also, we went to Bootlegger Bistro on Las Vegas Blvd. I was trying to talk my sister into going to the bar, so she could meet some men. But she thwarted me and insisted on the dining room, where I had an excellent Pollo di Saltimbocca. Which translates to chicken stuffed with cheese and Genoa salami, rolled in egg batter and sauteed with mushrooms & wine. I'm going to say the cheese was cream cheese and I'm looking for the recipe. It took forever to cook, but it was well worth the wait-the best.

Plus, I've been working on my EBay website-Valerie 2901 and now have 156 books listed. It's taken alot of time and is great. Lots of really good books listed, more than to come. I have at least 100 more great books to list. And back to media mail, with .99 listing. The sales are back-thank goodness and I may start making money again.

I have two books listed, worth looking into. They've already been bid on-so you need to be quick. The 1st book is Edible Wild Plants in Eastern North America. Actually, I got the book for a friend of mine, but she's in Idaho, where she works in a gardening place. I thought this book was for edible wild plants all over America-my mistake, but lots of people are watching this book.

Also, Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin. This book is a memoir of a New York hostess, who remembers recipes from the 60's & 70's with charming stories of past dinner parties. Look under EBay-Valerie2901 or general heading of cookbooks.

My picture on this website, is couple of years old & about 20 pounds heavier (but it does show my smile). I still need to lose more weight & I'm searching for the diet for me. I looked into Skinny Bitches, which is really a book that wants to turn you into a pure vegan-not for me. Now, I'm reading The Lazy Lady's Easy Diet, published in 1969, to see if this is the right fit. Anyway I need your support-everyone's support to make this diet work. I only need to lose weight for me, not for anyone else & that's the best reason to diet! My health is great, but I hate exercise, but may succumb to it-we'll see. Pictures will be published eventually. You know what diet works if you like fruit, including alot of mango & papaya-The Beverly Hills Diet-the original one. I've done this diet before & I can eat fruit, just not alot of mango & papaya. But this diet does work.

So I decided that I want to be famous like Paris Hilton and Khloe Kardashian-famous for doing nothing. I may be middle-aged, but I can do this. So if anyone knows anyone, who can put me on a morning TV show or anything. I'm going to be famous too, for doing nothing.. This is my new goal in live.

So my first recipe, using Cream Sherry: Cream Sherry Chicken

So wonderful, very rich, worth trying.

1 cup sour cream, 1 can cream of mushroom, 1/2 cup dry sherry, chicken pieces, salt, pepper, garlic powder, 1 can whole mushrooms, mild paprika

Combine sour cream, soup and sherry. Arrange chicken in baking pan and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour sauces over chicken. Pour canned mushrooms over top. Sprinkle lots of paprika on to top to give it color (otherwise it will look kind of gray looking). Bake in a 325 to 350 oven for about 1 hour. This sauce as stated above is for about 6-8 servings-I served it with rice. Also, I only planned about for 4 servings-way too much sauce for 4, but oh so... good.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Happy Post Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

And how did your Thanksgiving go? Mine was fabulous! The journey to get there and back though was incredibly long. I had slept my normal sleep up to the morning of the 25th and then did not sleep again, until late on the 26th. Didn't sleep on the plane, didn't sleep on the 4 1/2 hour drive to Savannah. Got a 30 minute nap in at my son's. Didn't sleep on the long drive back from Savannah. Finally got to bed/sleep about 10pm. So I was very sleep-deprived for a long time.

As I said before, my son made Thanksgiving dinner and the turkey was spectacular! He pulled a recipe off the Internet and it took him 2 days to complete. He did a wonderful job with the turkey-so moist and tender. Interestedly enough, the recipe said not to go by the timer/pop-out indicator. The recipe said those turkey pop-outs weren't reliable enough. The only time he wanted my help with the turkey, was when he wanted to make sure there wasn't any pink inside. The rest of the dinner was boxed, bagged, canned and pre-baked. He said the turkey was all he could focus on for this menu. So we had boxed instant mashed potatoes, canned cranberries, canned cream corn, package rolls, package stuffing-that you add broth and butter to, jar of gravy and pre-frozen pumpkin pie. He wants to do Christmas this year too. With Ham and a small turkey breast, and real mashed potatoes.

This is from the child I raised, who hated my experimenting with recipes while he was growing up. He pretty much grew up eating just cereal and chicken. Look at him now-all grown up-26 years old and experimenting with his own recipes. I am so proud of him. He has just set up his Christmas tree and he texted me its completion. After congratulating him on the Christmas tree, we discussed his Christmas dinner. Plus he wanted some of my recipes for a Christmas Party, he will be giving. I have at different times in my life-operated a catering business. With my speciality being Appetizers. I have been very successful with this in the past. I just don't have a large enough anything at this point here in Las Vegas to start again. Kitchen isn't big enough, no extra freezer, etc.

My ebay cookbook web site, is dying with very little business-so I'm going back to my listings starting at $.99 and media mail. And then I'm going to let the buyers decide if they don't mind waiting for media mail delivery or do they want to put extra money out for Priority or Express mail. Look for me on EBay at Valerie2901 or under general heading of cookbooks.

Our Lady's Kitchen from the Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church is my book to promote today. Look for it on EBay. It has over 225 pages with 2 or 3 recipes on each page. Must be 500 recipes in it. The uniqueness of this book is that many of the recipes are from the priests and friars of this Church. With very unique recipes, I guess Priests have to eat too and experiment with many unusual foods.

Company coming in town today, so that's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

Off to Savannah. Have a nice Thanksgiving everyone!

Cookbook Val

2009-11-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

Life on EBay is slow, but there are still sales. Not alot of books listed right now. Come January, I'll switch back to media mail and $.99 listing and then there will be many more books available. So if you are in the need of a cookbook, please look under Valerie2901 on EBay. Actually, there some good books listed.

Two books I'm going to promote are Chili Madness by Jane Butel and The Stew Cookbook by Johnrae Earl & James McCormick. Chili Madness has more than 35 best & tested recipes, plus legendary origins & spiritual beginnings. Also controversies & further craziness, & peppers & powders. Learn about the soup of the devil, the "strictly American" brew. The other book-The Stew Cookbook, because it's wintertime and though stew is good all year round, right now a good stew will keep your stomach, filled and warm. Learn about mulligan stew, basic stews, veal, lamb & mutton stews, fish & seafood stews, vegetarian stews, common'st creature stews, gourmet stews, wild game stews, the strange stews and stews from around the world. Did you know there were so many stews.

More Elvis/Las Vegas trivia: Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel on May 1, 1967 (Lisa Marie was born exactly nine months later.

Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, lost more than $1 million per year gambling at the Las Vegas Hilton.

On February 18, 1973, during Elvis' midnight show at the Hilton, four men rushed the stage, apparently intending to do harm. Elvis, employing his long-practiced karate skills, helped fend off the attack.

Ongoing is a recipe contest by California Wild Rice- www.cawildrice.com. The grand prize is $5,000. So what is your speciality using CA Wild Rice? Look on the website for complete rules.

I have come across one problem with all this cooking that I've been doing lately.... I AM GAINING WEIGHT. So the solution seems to be less cooking or cooking less. I am trying to get back to my one big meal a day while I am home-one big meal that I eat for lunch & dinner and some fruit for breakfast. I guess that means no more chicken wings for awhile and I do love chicken wings.

So what are your Thanksgiving Day plans? Mine will be in Savannah, GA with my son at his new home. This is his first Thanksgiving dinner to put together. My sister, Leslie will also be there from Atlanta, as well an assortment of my son's friends. So late tomorrow night, I will take the red-eye flight to Atlanta, my sister will pick-me-up at the airport and then a 3 hour drive to Savannah. Stay for about 6 hours, drive back to Atlanta for the red-eye flight and fly back to Las Vegas. Do I sound like a jet-setter or what?

What can you do with lemons: For Oily Skin, get a gorgeous glow with a lemon facial.

Lemon regulates excess oil, and cornmeal exfoliates skin so it's extra-soft.

Place a warm washcloth over clean face for 5 minutes. Mix 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp. water, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup cornmeal. Massage onto face for 1-2 minutes, rinse and pat dry.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

THE MOVIE 2012

2009-11-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went to see the movie 2012. The story is weak, but the special effects are tremendous. Plus it was almost 3 hours long-worth the movie theater dollars. Best disaster movie in a long time. Everybody was very quiet after the movie. Makes you really think about global warming and the long term effects it may have on this planet.

I made my pasta with mascarone cheese and walnuts-good, but still not the pasta dish I want. I want a pasta dish that will make me crave it over and over again-a nice vegetarian dish. I am definetly meat eater-I love steak, but some days I am a part-time vegetarian too. Macroni and cheese is probaly the only pasta that I crave so far, but only if it's fresh made. The box kind has too many chemicals in it now.

The Annual National Pie Championships will be held April 23-25, 2010 in Orlando, FL with Professional, Amateur and Commercial Divisions. Applications and more information can be found at www.piecouncil.org/Events/NationalPieChampionships/ . I may just enter myself for next year.

That's all for now. I'm on the plane, in the air.
Cookbook Val

Tonight Pasta Shells with Mascarpone Cheese and Walnuts

2009-11-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

I listed a book by Suzanne Somers today on EBay, under Valerie2901 called "The Sexy Years". Women, look for this book. It explains so much about menopause, whether you are in it or not and the menopause that men go through. I have read almost every book Suzanne has written and you have to take some of what she says with a grain of salt. But in every book she does do her homework and the research. This has nothing to do with cooking, but it is a book I recommend.

Again not cooking, but at least something to do with food. Soften your feet with a lime and sea salt scrub. Sea salts smooth out tough calluses, the vitamin C in the lime brightens your skin tone and Epsom salts reduce excess swelling.

Dampen feet. Dip half a lime in sea salts and scrub over calluses. Fill a basin with warm water and 1-2 cups Epsom salts. Soak for 10 minutes. Dry and moisturize with a foot cream.

My chef for today is Brian Boitano. Not that well known, but he is on Food Network. Brian is a Former Olympic Figure Skater. His website is www.brianboitano.com , which will link you to the Food Network and his recipes. He has alot of fun with his cooking and the recipes are easy to produce and very tasteful. This is a chef worth knowing more about.

Last night I made chicken wings again, but I think this is the last time, I will be deep-frying them. Set off the smoke alarm many times-I'm sure my neighbors loved that whiny sound of the smoke detector. This time, I took the time and made my favorite wing sauce.

My wing sauce: 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 bottle Louisiana hot sauce, celery sticks, blue cheese dressing.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add the hot sauce; stir until well-blended. If you like your wings hotter, add the rest of the hot sauce bottle.

After chicken wings are fried & drained, place in a serving bowl. Pour sauce over wings, mix well. Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing on the side.

Does it get any easier than this!!!

Tonight I will be cooking Pasta Shells with Mascarpone cheese and Walnuts. Why don't you make some too and we'll compare notes:

4 tbsp butter, 6 oz mascarpone cheese or double-creme, 1/2 lb pasta shells, cooked and drained, 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 2 oz shelled walnuts, chopped coarse, salt, freshly ground black pepper.

In a heatproof serving dish, melt the butter and cheese. It must gently heat, not boil.

To this mixture, add the cooked pasta. Turn it round and round adding half the Parmesan cheese. Add the walnuts and and add salt to taste. Sprinkle liberally with pepper. Serve remaining Parmesan cheese separately.

Start planning now for the Whoopie Pie Festival, September 18, 2010 at the Hershey Farm Restaurant & Inn in Lancaster, PA. There will be a Whoopie Pie Treasure Hunt, Whoopie Pie Race, & so much more. www.whoopiepiefestival.com

And last but not least, more trivia on Las Vegas & Elvis Presley:

Many people assume that Elvis lived in Las Vegas between 1969 and 1976. In fact, he performed her just eight weeks (often spilt between January and August).

Elvis helped design the Imperial Suite on the 30th floor of the Hilton, where he stayed during his engagements. The suite no longer exists (it does really, but now it's the Barry Manilow suite).

In 1964's Viva Las Vegas, Elvis marries Ann-Margaret at Little Church of the West. The church, in operation for almost 70 years is the oldest structure still standing on the Strip.

More to come.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Pasta to die for!

2009-11-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

You all know I love Pasta. Well, I have the best Alfredo sauce ever for you to try. It came from the book The Joy of Pasta, which is available for sale on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. This book has incredible recipes, that are rich and creamy and oh sooo... easy to make.

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 pound butter, 1 cup heavy cream, salt, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper, pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, 1 pound fettuccine pasta

In a heavy heatproof casserole, combine the butter and 1/2 cup of the cream. Simmer over low heat until the butter has melted; this should take less than 1 minute. Turn off heat.

Prepare pasta, drain, then transfer to the casserole with the butter and cream. Turn the heat on under the casserole and with 2 wooden spoons or forks, lift the pasta and toss well, coating it completely with the sauce. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cream, Parmesan cheese, some salt and pepper to taste,l and nutmeg. Toss briefly for another minute, correct the seasoning and serve immediately with more Parmesan cheese on the side.

Don't take any shortcuts with this recipe. It changes the flavor alot. This is a very simple, but delicious recipe and will only add about 5 minutes to your cooking time.

Last night I went with a friend to the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay. They had the best happy hour special. Ever heard of the 1-2-3 deal. $1-beers, $2-well drinks & $3-house wines. Plus all the appetizers were half off. Lots of people, no one famous, but food was good, and there was plenty of music to listen too.

Make your whole body velvety with an oatmeal and shea butter treatment! Oatmeal gently lifts away rough dry skin and rich shea butter makes skin feel extra-supple!

Mix 1 cup ground oatmeal, 1 cup olive oil and 1 tbsp honey. In the shower, massage scrub onto skin. Rinse and pat dry. Massage in a rich shea butter cream or lotion.

Chef of the Day: Rachael Ray-visit her website and blog on www.rachaelray.com. In 2006, Rachael launched a non-profit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Pomegranates-what are they?

2009-11-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Today I discovered pomegranates at the 99 America store, that I go here to in Las Vegas. The Mexican produce guy called it Granada (maybe the spelling is wrong), but this is how it sounded. I wasn't sure what to do with pomegranates or much about them at all. I have had pomegranate juice, but that is my total knowledge of the fruit. I have learned that each pomegranate provides about a half cup of juice, but it's the seeds that are the best thing. You don't rinse them or dry them-you just eat the seeds as they come of the pomegranate. They can be frozen, whole as they are for future use. The health benefits seem to be that the juice provides 16% of your daily Vitamin C requirement and is a good source of B5 (pantothenic acid), potassium and antioxidant polyphenols. In addition to that, studies show that pomegranate juice is effective in reducing heart disease, reducing blood pressure and dental plaque. I have found some recipes to try-Sticky Red Wings with pomegranate juice and seeds and a pomegranate yogurt dip, to be served with vegetables. I will let you know how they turn out, after being made.

Have super-silky hair with a mint and lemongrass treatment! Mint boosts circulation so hair grows faster and lemongrass oil leaves hair soft and shiny!

Steep 4-6 mint tea bags for 10 minutes. Let cool, and pour over dry hair and scalp. Blend 1-3 drops of lemongrass oil into a cup of olive or sunflower oil and massage into scalp. Apply shampoo directly to oiled hair (do not rinse first). Lather well, thoroughly rinse and condition as usual.

My recipe of the day is for Blackberry Pie. I used frozen, which worked out wonderful and I would highly recommend vanilla ice cream to be served with this.

3 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, 1 cup sugar, 3 tbsp flour 1 tbsp grated lemon rind, 4 tbsp butter.

Combine flour, sugar and lemon rind. Add to the berries. Using your favorite crust, line the pie tin. Dot with 2 tbsp butter. Pour in berries. Dot with with remaining 2 tbsp butter. Cover, with a lattice crust. Bake in a hot oven (400F) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for 20-30 minutes more. Hmm delicious.

The cookbooks on EBay are starting to sell again. Thank you! I have a bunch of really good ones that I'm going to be listing over the next few days, so keep your eyes out for them under my EBay listing of Valerie2901.

Chefs of the day are Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger. They own two restaurants in Los Angeles-Borders Grill Santa Monica & Ciudad and one restaurant in Las Vegas-Border Grill Las Vegas at the Mandalay Hotel. I'm not familiar with these restaurants, but they must be doing something right. So I'm going to give them a try in the next week or so. Keep up with Chef Jeremy Tummel news at www.marysueandsusan.com/newsletter.htm.

New York was lots of fun and I have those Tiffany knock-off necklaces for great Christmas gifts.

More Las Vegas trivia: Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient remnants of early man can be found throughout the park in 3,000-year-old petroglyphs. The park is located 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

2 Days In A Row!

2009-11-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm getting better at this, 2 days in a row. Lots of new information coming along.

The chef of the day is Mario Batali. For those of you with excess time and money on November 16, 2009, Mario will be hosting a dinner with wine tasting with winemaker, Chiara Leonini at the Babbo Restaurant in New York City. $495 per person, includes wines, food, tax & gratuity. For more information, please call 917-715-3599. www.mariobatali.com

Up is a cheese dip recipe that I tried last night. Very, very good-but you have to keep this hot, to keep the flavor going.

Val's Cheese Dip

1/2 cup diced onion, 1 cup regular or non-alcoholic beer, 8 oz shredded Cheddar cheese, 8 oz shredded Pepper Jack cheese, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning, 2 tbsp chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 1 cup sour cream, tortilla chips for dipping

Place onion and beer in a heavy medium-size saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. In a large bowl, combine cheeses, flour and taco seasoning. Slowly add handfuls to hot beer until melted, stirring constantly. Repeat until all of the cheese is used. Stir in chipotle pepper and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

My recommendations: this takes alot of work, to get this really hot-I would place the finished product in a chafing dish or fondue pot and let it go on its own. I have never worked with chipotle pepper in adobo sauce before, it smells so wonderful. I will have to find more things to use it in.

Extra smooth hands with a butter, sugar and squalene oil treatment:

Stir 3 tbsp sugar into 1 tsp softened butter. Massage sweet scrub onto hands for 1 minute. Soak a kitchen towel in very warm water, squeeze out excess water and wrap around both hands. Leave on for 3 minutes. Wipe away excess scrub and wash hands with moisturizing hand wash. Pat dry and massage squalene oil into cuticles and hands.

Las Vegas Strip Trivia:

Gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931.

Howard Hughes moved to the Desert Inn in 1966.

The world-famous inexpensive Las Vegas buffet debuted at the original El Rancho in the early 1940's.

March is the busiest month for tourism in Las Vegas. Except for Christmas and New Year's, December is the slowest month.

Visitors arrive by car (41%), air (44%), bus (8%), RV (6%) and train (0.4 %).

Useless, but interesting information about the town I am living in now.

Still working my EBay cookbook listing, but sales are way..... down (almost non-existent). Look for me at Valerie2901 or under the general listing of cookbooks. 117 cookbooks listed , there must be something you need!

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

No news is good news!

2009-11-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile, but life happens. Here I am today and let me tell you, I have been cooking up a storm.

Remember the Coconut Pie I made-what a success & so easy. Try this sometime, it tastes like a macaroon cookie.

1 cup sugar-2 eggs-2 tbsp flour-2 cups milk-1 cup grated coconut-3/4 tsp vanilla extract-1/4 tsp almond extract-1 baked deep pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, flour, milk, coconut, vanilla & almond extract. Pour into a deep, 9-inch pie crust. Bake until golden brown.

I made adjustments to the recipe-like I always do, so now it is mine and yours.

And remember the electric fondue pot, I bought awhile ago. Last night, I christened it, making chicken wings. It would only hold 3 large drummettes at a time, which I defrosted from frozen to cut down on the cooking time. Normal size chicken wings would probably hold 4 or 5 at a time. But I was making this just for me, so it was perfect. The only thing that was disappointing was the chicken wing sauce. Normally, I make my own chicken wing sauce (after all I am from Buffalo, home of the chicken wings), but I decided to use Frank's Chicken Wing Sauce (again home of the original chicken wings, from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY). Obviously, the economy has hit Frank's Chicken Wing Sauce-you could tell it's now being chemically produced, with very little real butter in the sauce. Sad, how we have to cut out the key ingredients in certain products to make a profit these days.

In keeping with food ingredients (not necessarily cooking, but a cooked up recipe)-try this f0r your dry skin: PINEAPPLE FACIAL!-why it works: Bromelain, an enzyme in pineapples, quickly softens, hydrates and brightens your skin.

Wash your face with a moisturizing cleanser. Wet a washcloth in warm water; squeeze out excess and place over face for 5 minutes. In a blender, puree 3 pineapple slices, 1 tbsp plain yogurt and 3 tbsp honey. Smooth mask onto face, leave on for 10 minutes, rinse and pat dry.

When I can find them, I will now list Chef's newsletters and blogs. To start with I have Emeril Lagasse, who has a new cookbook out "20-40-60", and soon to be promoting it nationwide with a book tour. www.emerils.com

Last week layovers included New York City. We stay near the La Guardia Airport and I was not prepared to go downtown, clothes wise, now that it's getting colder. I have another layover next week and I'm ready this time. Stops planned-1st Canal St-where you used to be able to get the best knock-off's in purses in the US. Now the item to buy if the Tiffany necklace, still in sterling silver, but only $10 each (bargain, baby). I will be buying some for Christmas presents next week. Also, a new store to look out for is Century 21 Department Store. A cross between Ross and TJ Max, located at 22 Cortlandt St (between Church & Broadway), New York, NY 212-227-9092.

That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

A New Day, A New Beginning

2009-10-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Lots of changes for me. The blog as it is, is not giving me what I want. I want to speak my mind about many things and I have allowed myself to be restricted in my blog and my life. Changes come slowly-so all we can do is try.

I will still be promoting cookbooks that I sell on EBay, but my listing site will also have changes and new prices. I have been trying to keep everyone happy with low starting prices and media mail prices, but that is not working out so good now. Everybody wants something for nothing (me included). So unfortunately, I have to increase my starting prices and I will now be switching to USPS Priority Mail shipping, which is definitely higher costs. And my customers want books packaged now more securely. I understand this, I really do, but packaging costs money. So sales will be slow. Cookbooks will still be new and used and used means used. Sometimes with writing inside, sometimes with previous water damage. Used is used and brand new is brand new. It doesn't get any easier than this.

Over the next few days, new shipping prices will be started, prices raised, new & exciting cookbooks will be available for sale. But it all takes time & lots of energy. So please be patient with me, as I re-start, re-invent this blog and my EBay listing-Valerie2901. I will try and blog more often, if not for you, but for me.

Right now, I'm away on a trip on a Denver layover. As many of you have guessed, I am an aging Flight Attendant. I work with a discount Airline, based out of Atlanta. My crew and I have planned for dinner at Uno's down the street. Because the happy hour has 2 for 1 drinks & $1.99 appetizers. Such is the life of a glamorous flight attendant.

I made an easy Coconut Pie the other day (finally), but by the time it was cooked, and chilled it was time for me to start this trip. I don't have the recipe with me, but after I sample and taste it, I will print it and post the recipes and result. I also made chicken trying out one of many El Pollo Loco recipes. El Pollo Loco is a fast-food, fresh made grilled (never fried) chicken place, available in many major cities. I have tried the dark meat, used it on salads for work-it was wonderful. Still haven't tried the most important part-the chicken breast. Will have to let you know how it goes.

I want to go on an Around-The-World on a Cruise. If you know of anyone who wants a paid companion for this, please let me know. At this stage in my life, I personally can't afford it, but would love to do it. I have been around the world many times, but always by flying in out of different cities.

Cute story on the plane today. At the end of de-planing, this woman was taking quite a bit of time, getting her things together. I asked her if she needed assistance. She laughed and said no.
She had in her hands, a stuffed Moose. This was a family stuffed moose and traveled everywhere with different family members. Since she was traveling to Denver and the moose had never been to Denver before, it was her turn to entertain the stuffed moose. She had just taken pictures of the moose, strapped into the seat belt. And told me that the moose was going snowboarding the next day. The family has a huge photo album of all of the moose's adventures.
How much fun is that.

Cookbook Val

The Pineapple

2009-10-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

January 11, 1813, the first pineapples were planted in Hawaii. They may have originally come from Brazil, though other sources say that Columbus encountered them first in Guadeloupe, their true home. As if in tribute, it was also on this day in 1935 that Amelia Earhart took off from Honolulu to make the first solo flight from Hawaii to California.

Fragrant and impressive to look at, most pineapples now come from Hawaii. Fifty years ago the Royal Hawaiian Hotel had a fountain in the lobby that provided fresh pineapple juice.

Pineapples do not continue to ripen after picking. They will keep for some weeks but should not be refrigerated-temperatures below 45 degrees F are not beneficial. A distinctive aroma is one indication of a good pineapple as well as being heavy for its size. The fruit is sweeter at the bottom, so if is to be served plain, it should be cut lengthwise.-Life is Meals by James and Kay Salter.

A week later. That seems to be all I can do these days. But it's better than nothing. After the sinus infection, I developed a head cold, that is thankfully all gone now. Seems to be my year. But I am a lucky woman, sinus infections and colds aside-I am a very lucky person. So not to say, that I have ever won the lottery or I even win at Bingo very often, but I am a lucky woman.

I don't know if I mentioned before, but as I joke, I did a stand-up routine on me being "A middle-aged sex goddess". I do not want to do this as a career, but it seems there is a need in life for a middle-aged sex goddess-I've even been offered paying jobs. It just won't be me. Instead, I'm trying to talk my sister into doing this or my girlfriend in Dallas. Both very funny people, with attitudes that could work on stage. Not me, I want to be Paris Hilton. A woman who is famous, for doing nothing.

Selling lots of cookbooks lately-doing something right. Today, I'm going to promote Chocolate. I have 3 interesting Chocolate books that haven't sold:
Hershey's Cocoa Cookbook
White Chocolate by Janice Wald Henderson-the cover alone should make you want to buy it
BH&G Chocolate
All with luscious desserts and treats await you. Look under Valerie2901 on EBay or under general heading cookbooks.

Live a little, love a little, be happy.
Cookbook Val

2009-10-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

I have a new plan with my blog and cookbooks that I sell on EBay. Listing the books each week is so time consuming and wears out my tiny little brain, trying to think out new and exciting things about each and every book. So I have 63 books left to list and then I'm going to take more time actually trying out recipes in some of these books. I will still sell books on EBay, just not as many, since I will be going into a slow time anyway. Look for my cookbooks non EBay-Valerie2901 or under the general heading of cookbooks. And I will still do my blog and maybe become more creative in my writing.

Today, I'm going to talk about Crepes-when was the last time you made Crepes? In the 70's or 80's maybe? But these delicious little French Pancakes can be an economical family meal or elegant party fare at so little cost. I have two of these books available and I highly recommend both of them. Try something different, something new. Look under cookbooks or Valerie2901 on EBay: You Can Do Anything With Crepes or Better Homes and Gardens Crepes Cook Book.

I have more to say, but it will try and do on a separate post today. I have been locked in this house long enough and need to lie out in the sun for awhile.
Cookbook Val

Small Cookbooks

2009-10-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

You know those cookbooks, the paperbacks found by the cash register that cost $3.99 and up. I consider those small cookbooks-small gems. Typically those cookbooks hold about 100 pages in recipes. The average hardback cookbook is about 125 pages. And yet, I sell these small gems 5 for the price of 1 and people rarely buy them. These are pretty good buys, at least I think so. I probably have 100 that I keep for me. If you are a future Pillsbury Bake-Off Contestant, you should be getting some of these small books-at least for some ideas. Look under Valerie2901-EBay or cookbooks

Speaking of Pillsbury Bake-Off Contestants, one of the girls I work with, was one of the finalists a few years back, and her sister-in-law actually won it one year. She lived (still lives) in Kansas and she said entering food contests, was a way of supplementing the family income. I have never had any of my recipes considered for the finalist competition, but I'm going to keep trying.

Last night in a hurry to get to Bingo-I am not obsessed with Bingo, just something to do in Las Vegas with big returns, I got out of my car and heard the car next to me still running, I thought to myself how odd. Locked the car door and realized, it was my car still running with the car keys still inside. What a mess! I walked home (thank goodness it wasn't too far), retrieved my extra keys and 30 minutes later, got back into my car. Must have something to do with the blonde hair. Didn't make it to Bingo last night. I did go this afternoon, playing cheap Bingo and still won $17 (cheap bingo is a small buy-in-mine was only $10). So I won my money back and a little extra.

Today, I started going through clothes I haven't worn in a year. Tossing those I would probably never wear again into the Goodwill bag-filling the Goodwill bag.

It was pretty cool today in Las Vegas, almost to the point of being cold. The weather has definitely changed here in the dessert.

My sinus infection is almost gone. It just takes alot of rest and some sun for me to get better.

I have received an Internet message, I am about to lose Internet-high winds in the dessert. More later.
Cookbook Val

Weight Watchers Unite!

2009-10-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Weight Watchers has done so much for its customers over the years. Constantly changing their programs to meet today's needs. I have many Weight Watchers Cookbooks and I'm going to list them for you to pursue. Whether you're on the Point Program, the Quick Start or whatever program they've had in the past and now continue to operate, their recipes and their cookbooks are well worth owning. You can see these under Valerie2901 on my EBay website or look for me under general heading: cookbooks. Keep it up Weight Watchers and America and the rest of the world will continue to lose weight!

Weight Watchers Favorite Homestyle Recipes

Weight Watchers Quick Success Program Cookbook

Weight Watchers Meals In Minutes Cookbook

Weight Watchers Fast & Fabulous Cookbook

Actually these books sell quite well on their own, but who knows maybe this is something you're looking for and didn't know it.

Well, Christmas is coming, lots of mail delays and my prices will be increasing due to this. So buy up all you can now and save. Starting November 15th-January 1st, my starting price will be $1.99 per book on EBay-Valerie2901. Shipping and handling will only be by U.S. Priority Mail, which is much more expensive than media mail. Last years experience taught me that during the holidays, media mail can take up to a month and by then my buyers were very mad at me. Multiple shipping will also be by Priority Mail, using the expensive Envelopes, Medium and Large Flat Boxes. Most Priority envelopes, can only handle 1 regular size book. Medium boxes can hold 2-4 books and the Large Box only about 6 books. Keep this in mind for sales after November15th. I know sales may be slow for that 6 week period, but I'm planning for it.

What's new and different. Well, last week on a plane, I received 2 spider bites, that made my arm swell twice its size. Most have come out of some carry-on boxes, that passengers bring on board. My arm is finally down to normal size, but I am down with a sinus infection, but living in Las Vegas, I am blaming it on the Santa Ana winds.

I have been trying to read different food memoirs and am struggling to get through Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin. The narrative is good, the recipes questionable, but I will continue to read it through. I ran across another interesting book for you beer drinkers out there: Travels with Barley-A Journey Through Beer Culture in America by Ken Wells-a former Pulitzer Prize Winner. Selling it on EBay-Valerie2901, looks very interesting, but I am not a big beer drinker and their are so many other food memoirs I want to read.

Last night I won at Bingo-$50-made my night!

Cookbook Val

Today is Friday, September 25th

2009-09-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

G-G-Green Chartreuse-Anthony had lost his stammer in the deep waters of his old romance. It came flowing back to hi, momentarily, with the coffee and liqueurs. "Real G-g-green Chartreuse, made before the expulsion of the monks. There are five distinct tastes as it trickles over the tongue. It is like swallowing a sp-spectrum.-Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh, 1945.

When I feel stress in my life or I am exhausted, I sleep-walk. I have done this all my life. Last night I went to bed hungry. Woke up to find a food bowl and napkins, next to my bed and a open tortilla chips bag in the kitchen. Turns out I nuked shredded cheese on tortilla chips last night & then ate them-sleep eating. I guess it's a combination of stress and exhaustion that starts the sleep eating, not the first time this has happened. But it is the first time, I used the microwave while sleeping.

I know there are people reading my blog out in Internet Land. I appreciate it. Makes me feel less alone.

I'm surprised that my Christmas & Holiday cookbooks haven't sold yet. Christmas is coming. So tonight, I'm going to list my cookbooks for the Holiday season. Look for it under Valerie2901 on EBay or under the general heading of cookbooks.

Best of Holiday Recipes by Taste of Home Magazine

Ladies Home Journal Handbook of Holiday Cuisine

Holiday Cookbook by Miriam B. Loo's

Homemade Christmas-a fundraiser for Marine Toys For Tots Foundation

Treasury of Christmas Recipes-From Your Favorite Brand Name Companies

The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan

So what about that 18 pound baby? Poor mother, I can only imagine her pain at childbirth.

Offered free tickets to Gino Vanelli on Sunday night. Unfortunately, I will be in Los Angeles. I would really like to see him again. Nobody ever offers free tickets for Barry Manilow either, wouldn't mind seeing his show either.

Well, I had plans to make Coconut Custard Pie, but I have run out of time today. Maybe on Tuesday, when I get back from my next trip. Lots of people don't like coconut, but I do.

Cookbook Val

Five Days Later!

2009-09-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Five days later, I am back to this. Really hard to do this, when I'm on a trip. Not much energy on my down time, the airplane pressurization is really getting to me these days.

Choosing The Wine: Red Bordeaux is like the lawful wife: an excellent beverage that goes with every dish and enables one to enjoy one's food. But now then a man wants a change...-My Life and Loves, Frank Harris, 1922-27.

In my ode to fund raiser cookbooks, I have four new ones for you to look over. There are gems in here I tell you.

Hip Kids Cook! by the Junior League of Omaha, NE-standard recipes for kids functions & parties, but a new twist to some familiar recipes

Gourmet Gallery Cookbook by the Stuart Society as a fundraiser for the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, FL. 440 pages of recipes-there has to be something in here for everyone.

Seasoned With Love by the Women's Ministries of Calvary Christian Center of Buena Park, CA

From Our House To Yours by the Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley Assn. of Realtors of Huntington Beach, CA

Look for these cookbooks and other cookbooks on EBay under general heading of cookbooks or my listing area-Valerie2901. Many times, people have asked me about my listing name. I have had this EBay listing area for many years and as much as I would love to change my listing name, to something like Cookbook Val, but every time you do, you need to open a new bank account for the new name. Too much work.

I just finished a book (now listed on EBay), that I thought was fiction, but in fact turned out to be a memoir (definitely non-fiction). Psychic Junkie by Sarrah Lassez. It actually was quite interesting, though a little slow at times, it was worth finishing. A true story of a women addicted to psychic readings.

So while on this past trip, I'm in my bed and look down and see something black with legs. We've had some issues lately at work with hotels and bed bugs, so immediately, I jumped up and stripped my bed for other little creatures. The thing is though, I didn't feel any bites, and anything that sucks blood out of me, I definitely feel. So I look again at this black thing and realize it is one of my mascaraed coated eyelashes-that's me with the "blonde hair". I found another one later (I rub my eyes too much, hence the loss of eyelashes-luckily they grow back fast). Speaking of which, I have yet to talk to anyone who has used that new product Latisse. I'm interested in feedback on this new prescription only product that grows long great eyelashes.

I really have lots to say, but it's bedtime now. Cookbook Val

True Connoisseurs

2009-09-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

True Connoisseurs-As long as the wine is in the mouth, one receives a pleasant but indistinct impression; it is only when one has finished swallowing it that one can really taste, appreciate and identify its particular bouquet; and a short while must elapse before the gourmand can say: "It's good, or passable, or bad. Bless my soul! It's Chambertin! Good grief! It's Suresnes!"

connoisseurs sip their wine; for as they pause after each mouthful, they obtain the sum total of pleasure they would have experienced had they emptied the glass at a single draught.-La Physiologie du gout, Brillat-Savarin, 1828.

I have more to say, but out of time.

Cookbook Val

2009-09-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.-Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway, 1932.

Today I went to the Greek Food Festival at Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Greek Church in Las Vegas. The music was great, the food was fabulous (I had a gyro, with a cucumber type sauce and greek fries), but it was 110 F in the sun and I couldn't stay longer than an hour. I don't usually eat lamb, but this was seasoned and sliced very thin.

I just finished a cookbook mystery called Bread On Arrival by Lou Jane Temple. It was very good and will now be listed on my EBay website-Valerie2901. The mystery was based on bread bakers in Kansas. I'm going to include a recipe from the book. Most were about baking breads, but I quite enjoyed this one:

Vegetable Root Bake

1 lb. each turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, new potatoes. Other options are "Granny Smith" apples, rutabagas, butternut squash & acorn squash. Apple cider. Heavy cream. Parmesan cheese. Kosher salt and white pepper.

Slice the root vegetables and layer them in a non-stick sprayed casserole with the apples somewhere in the middle. Season with salt and pepper on each layer and cover roots with apple cider. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes at 350 F. Remove from the oven, uncover and add enough heavy cream to cover the vegetables. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and cook to tender, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Cookbook Val

Venting A Little, Venting A Lot

2009-09-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Explosive cork-The sound of thy explosive cork, Champagne, has, by some strange witchery, of a sudden taught men the sweet music of speech. A murmur asof a rising storm runs round the table: badinage commences, flirtions flourish...We might tell of breakfasts, and of suppers, suddenly converted from Saharas of intolerable dullness into oases of smiles and laughter by the appearance of Champagne.-Wit, Wisdom and Morals-Distilled from Bacchus,Charles Towey.

Let me vent for a minute. As I have said before I love cookbooks and I enjoy selling them to others on EBay. Yes, to make some money, but it's not alot of money. I buy some of my books at yard sales, but mostly at thrift stores-my maximum purchase price is $1.00 per book. When I sell them on EBay, the starting price is $.99. Look under cookbooks, as a general category or Valerie2901, where my books are listed. I have a single book shipping price, media mail of $3.99 regardless of weight. For multiple purchases I charge $1.99 per each additional book shipping. My local post office sees me once or twice a week, and though I am not Chinese, they refer to me as their Chinese shipper. Why? The Chinese historically sell things for a little bit, but they sell alot and that's how they make their money. Most of my books sell on EBay for $.99, some for more-I'm happy that people want to buy them and to find that unique recipe. On a single book, I make $1.00-1.50 profit. Sometimes with multiple shippings, I make a little more. But people forget about the gas to drive to the thrift stores, yard sales and post office runs every week. Or the supplies I need to purchase to package these. Or the re-listing of some books, week after week and the amount of time, I spend in listing and relisting. Or the fees I pay Paypal, when the book is sold. So its not a big profit, but I'm doing something I enjoy doing, with a product I enjoy selling. So when you ask for big discounts on my books, I think I'm already being fair and after reading this, I hope you will think so too. End of venting.

I really love the quest I have for searching for cookbooks. Today, I bought a Times Life Library series for me. At least for now. Most of these are International cooking books and I look forward to reading them. It was quite a find for me at $1.00 a book for 8 books. Actually, if I had bought the set last week, I would have had all 12, but alas, since it was a purchase for me, I had to think about it for awhile.

So those gems, I told you about before-those spiral cookbooks, used for fundraisers. I think these are the best deals going. Who knows what you're going to find. Here a few more to look for on my EBay site:

"Homemade is Bestmade" for the Sunset Ward in Henderson, NV

Treasured Recipes from Charlotte Hill Elementary School in Las Vegas, NV

Deseret Recipes from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, UT

Cooks in Print, Taft Branch Library's 10th Anniversary, Orange, CA

More to come!

I didn't make it to the Lets Make A Deal Show. It is so hard for me to get up early, after coming back from 4 days on the road. I really wanted too, but the energy wasn't there. Maybe next week. The show seems to have the tickets available, so I will see what my energy level is next week.

More to come. Cookbook Val

Another Day

2009-09-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

For two minutes, lovers or comrades, to spend a quiet evening with a magnum, drinking no aperitif before, nothing but a glass of cognac after-that is the ideal...The worst time is that dictated by convention, in a crowd, in the early afternoon, at a wedding reception.-New York Vogue, Evelyn Waugh, 1987.

It's not so easy writing a book. I got my 1st five pages done and since then I have blanked out. I will persevere.

You know all of those spiral cookbooks that are used for fundraisers. I sell lots of them on my EBay site-Valerie2901 or look under a general listing-cookbooks. People tend to overlook these books and there are some real gems of recipes in there. Sometimes handed down family recipes, sometimes from contest winners-all worth scavenging for the perfect new recipe to try. Here a just a few of the ones I'm selling:

What's Cooking At Saint Mark's by St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Carmel, IN

The Epiphany Preschool Cookbook from Vienna, VA

A Haven of Delights for Child Haven, Las Vegas, NV

Culinary Capers-Volume Two for the Nursing Division, San Luis Obispo County Health Dept., San Luis Obispo, CA

Look for more cookbooks like these in my next blog.

The GA Dept. of Revenue is still auditing me, but they are being very nice about it. I don't know about you, but doing my taxes always sends me into full panic mode. I know I don't ever owe anything, but still...

Cookbook Val

In the Name of Bacchus

2009-09-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

A man who sets you down to a dribble of champagne-who gives you a couple of beggarly glasses between the courses, and winks to John who froths up the liquor in your glass, and screws up the remainder of the bottle for his master's next day drinking-such a man is an impostor and despicable snob... If money is an object to you, drink water...but if there is to be champagne, have no stint of it, in the name of Bacchus... When people have had plenty of champagne, they fancy they have been treated liberally. If you wish to save, save upon your hocks, Sauternes and Moselle's, which count for nothing, but disappear down careless throats so much toast and water...

Incomparably the best champagne I know is to be found in England. It is the most doctored, the most brandied, the most barley-sugared, the most winy wine in the world.-Miscellaneous Papers, William Makepeace Thackeray, 1885.

Today's book promotion is Fondue-big in the 60's & 70's, dinner this way seems to be a way of the past. The Melting Pot, with restaurants throughout the country is one of my favorites, also one of the few still serving fondue, allows an intimate sharing of appetizers, dinners and desserts. I only have one Fondue book-Gourmet International Fondue-The Fine Art of Fondue, Chinese Wok and Chafing Dish Cooking. Look under cookbooks on EBay or under Valerie2901. Looking for ways to spice up your romance? Try an intimate fondue party for two.

Earlier this week, I had dinners with friends and we had brisket and corn relish. I thought when was the last time I had corn relish-I love corn relish. So I came up with this recipe which is supposed to be served hot (the way I like it) or can be eaten cold later. This is considered a summer salad.

Corn and Red Pepper Salad

2, 15.25 oz. can corn, drained, 1 jar roasted red bell peppers (drained), cut into small pieces , 3/4 cup chopped Spanish olives, 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. oregano.

In a medium pot, add 2 tbsp. of oil, corn and bell peppers. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add olives, remaining oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix to combine, then serve.

Makes 4 servings. Hmm, hmm, good.

My mother's missing diamond ring, showed up late yesterday and retrieved today. Yeah! My hair color has had some added highlights, which covered up some of the brassy parts from stripping before and using cheap hotel shampoos to try and strip more color. Back to being dark blonde, looks good.

I am off for a 4 day trip and will try and post, but while away, I use one of those new real small laptops and my fingers are bigger than the letters on the keyboard. It's frustrating to use and write with, but the 2.5 lbs works in my travelling luggage better.

I said yesterday, I was going to try out for Lets Make A Deal on Thursday, didn't mention, that I made it into the costumed audience, about 20 years ago (showing my age), but wasn't selected for games. Last time, I was a playboy bunny with bunny ears, outfit, serving tray and all (back when the Playboy Club was in vogue and I was still young and pretty enough to carry it off). Let's hope as "Gaudie Gertie", the funky chicken, I will get picked for the games this time!

On a final note, how many of you have the George Foreman Grill, in one size or another? One of my friends, told me, that she uses hers' to make pressed sandwiches. I never thought of that before, but it is perfect for that. I bought some gorditas, that would be perfect to make some stuffed pressed sandwiches with!

Cookbook Val

The Sparkling Touch

2009-09-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Champagne is for cheer, for formality. Champagne, and only champagne, is an adequate potable for the Special Occasion when an engagement is announced, or a marriage culminated-when you have sold your first book, been made a partner in the firm, or written a successful play, broken par, or own a Derby winner-or been granted a divorce, or become a father. It is drunk because you desire to usher in the New Year properly, or when you drink a toast to the sainted Robert Burns or Guy Fawkes. An ingenious citizen can manufacture a reason for tippling champagne at the drop of a magnum, but the drinking thereof should be delightfully formal, spiced with a little spurious dignity, predicated on traditional formulae.-Esquire Drink Book, edited by F.A. Birmingham, 1957.

'You know my way with the women; champagne's the thing; make 'em drink, make 'em talk;-make 'em talk, make 'em do anything.'-The Paris Sketch Gook, William Shakespeare Thackeray, 1840.

I should write more in the daytime. In the nighttime, I am tired or cranky and writing doesn't come as easy. I think I'm about to write and finish my first novel now. Twenty pages a day, that's what they say you should aim for-double spaced. All my un-finished novels will remain un-finished for now, I'll come back to them. All my cookbooks will remain the same-un-finished for now. This is at the perfect time for me in life now-no real responsibilities, except to work 3 or 4 days a week and to work on selling my cookbooks on EBay.

Speaking of which, I am going to focus on Pasta today, because I am the only one that likes Pastas cooking I think. It doesn't seem to be in fashion right now and yet, it is the perfect accompanient to a main dish or by itself. Today, I made a pasta dish, that I found on the back of pasta carton, but I added a few things extra to it:

Pasta with Tomatoes & Corn

1 box mini pasta, 1 can (15.5 oz) diced tomatoes (drain any juice), 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp chopped onion 1 can (15.5 oz) drained corn, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, 4 leaves basisl, chopped, salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add tomatoes to skillet and simmer for 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add corn and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Stir in cheese and basil before serving.

Nice, light, & tasty!

As I said before, I am selling cookbooks on Ebay-Valerie2901 or you can find me under cookbooks. I have three pasta books available: Better Homes & Gardens Italian Cook Book-a good primer for the beginning cook; Italian Cooking by Poppy Cannon that focuses more on the vegetables and sauces in different regions in Italy, but does offer traditional pastas, I also found a unique recipe with a different twist for Fettuccine Alfredo, that I'm going to try; Great Meals in Minutes by Time-Life Books, that has traditional pastas, but also things like Mozzarella Tart in it.

These books have not been selling and they should, for anyone that loves pasta.

In the last week, I have seen the movie "All About Steve" with Sandra Bullock-was supposed to be funny, lost my mother's diamond engagement ring (first I lost it down the sink of my hotel, was retrieved later that morning, now supposedly in transit with Federal Express), now Federal Express has lost it, threw out my blood pressure medicine by mistake (but it turns out after 5 days, my blood pressure is normal-so the doctor is going to keep me off it and monitoring the situation & I'm being audited by the GA Department of Revenue on Monday. Though I only was given notice of the letter today, to show up Monday morning at their office. I don't think they know I live in Las Vegas right now.

Next week, Lets Make A Deal with Wayne Brady starts filming in Las Vegas and I have tickets. I am going as "Gaudie Gertie", my persona in my chicken wings cookbook. Will post a chicken of me in a funky chicken suit, in the next few days. Actually, I have 2 tickets for the taping, but there is only me going at this time. If there is anyone in Internet land in Las Vegas for next Thursday for the 12 pm taping, that wants to go with me, let me know. I want to win a wonderful exciting trip somewhere or a new car or a new house or just about anything!

Cookbook Val

The Martini

2009-09-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I don't really drink Martinis, too strong for me. One time, I had a severe head cold, was out with friends and they convinced me to have 3 martinis-the next time my head cold was gone. The alcohol was so...strong, it killed all the cold germs in me.

There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish that I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth-
I think that perhaps it's the gin--Collected Verse From 1929 On, Ogden Nash

Last night, after my blog, I think I had the best "box" pizza I have ever had! All Natural French Pastry Pizza Singles-goat cheese & onion. Vegetarian, no trans fats. It is put out by Alex & Liz, founders of Olive Street Table LLC in Santa Barbara, CA or www.tfppc.com. The pastry was actually a light fluffy pie crust. Honestly, it was the best pie crust (or pizza crust), I have ever had, so rich, buttery-perfect.

Today, I spent some time and money at the Palazzo in Las Vegas. It is beautiful, but I'm trying to figure out what the big deal is about it. Very understated, in an elegant way. The marble tiles in the bathroom were good. And unfortunately, I don't have the monetary budget for their shopping arcade. By the looks of the lack of traffic in the stores, neither does anyone else. I did win and lose hundreds of dollars for a couple of hours and ended up breaking even-thank goodness.

I got my bi-monthly pedicure and then went on to the shop next door to get my hair layered. The hair-raisers shop is at Jones & Flamingos in the Smith shopping Center. My hair dresser, Debbie, a former showgirl, now in her 40's, proceeded to give me a teased, big bouffant hair from somewhere in the 1960's. Is she kidding me or what! Plus the sign, said haircuts, $13.99. My bill came to $35.00, plus tip-needless to say, her tip may been bigger, but not when she charges me more than double the price, plus an out-of-date hairdo, shes lucky she got any tip at all. Being the nice person I am, I left without saying anything, went to my car and flattened out my hair. Luckily, I have good hair, that responds to just about anything.

Tonight, I made this great easy chicken recipe that you need to follow exactly:

Burnt Mushroom Chicken

1 to 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 to 3 tbsp. butter or margarine, 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, 4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Melt butter and lemon juice. Saute' chicken breasts and mushrooms on medium heat. Remove chicken when done (3 to 4 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside). Continuing saute'ing mushrooms until crispy (burnt). Serve with mushrooms on side or top of chicken.

I used no salt or pepper, and this was wonderful. I will definetly use this in the future.

Now, a plug for my ebay cookbooks website-Valerie2901. 3 books that have not sold in a long time and they should have. "Quick from Scratch-PASTA" by Food & Wine Books. Easy pasta, tasty menus, little time. Another Pasta book-"Great Meals in Minutes-Pasta Menus". Pasta is just not in these days and I don't know why not. The third book is "Classic Recipes For Everyday Cooking" by Better Homes & Gardens-a great starter book for the new cook in your family. All have great, easy recipes, some simple, some elegant-all wonderful. Pasta does not sell easily. I love cooking pasta, in fact I have made many pasta recipes from the Food Network with Giada-great cook, easy recipes. My thing with pasta is easy, a few ingredients, not too greasy, even light if possible.

Tonight, I also went to a show at the Southpoint Htl & Casino to see Ronn Lucas, a ventroliquist. I have seen him many times on cruise ships and always enjoy his show. He will be playing there for the next 5-6 weeks on Thursday night at 7:30pm, well worth the small fee of $20 per person. Maybe the best and least expensive show in town right now.

Cookbook Val

My niche in life

2009-09-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

I think I have found my niche in life-filling you with useless and not-so-useless information. As well as recipes to keep you cooking and your stomach filled. I think that's it. That's what this blog is for, my unrequited need to teach people about food and the flavors, tastes, scents and seasonings.

My Wine Tribute: SHERRY: A self-willed wine!

Sherry is a self-willed wine which gives a good deal of trouble to its guardians during its early years; it must have its own way, but like many a difficult child, when Sherry reaches the age of sweet reasonableness, it is the most amenable of all wines, the only one that will not let its nose be put out by being left overnight and even for some days in a decanter; the only one to put up cheerfully with cigarette smoke and over-scented women-A Wine Primer, Andre Simon 1986.

This next book up, I would love to own, but I'm afraid if I did, I would use it all the time. Look for the next 2 books under cookbooks on EBay or Valerie2901. "Mini-Fryer Cookery" by Barbara Melhven. 211 tested recipes from hot appetizers to main dishes, beef fondue to desserts-all deep-fried. Just the way I like it. I had chicken wings about 2 months ago and felt so guilty. I still have french fries once in awhile, that is my comfort food, when I'm not feeling good-so I save it for that time. I think my writing my chicken wings cookbook is the way I can warrant eating chicken wings once in awhile, because I have to test the recipes.

The other book I can recommend is: "Grilling With The Perfect Flame Cookbook". The author is the Grill Company published in 1995. It is not a big book by any means (only 36 pages), but good easy grilling recipes, great marinades, sauces and ideas.

An example: Key Lime Shrimp

1 lb. large raw shrimp, 1/4 cup- lime juice, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1 tsp. garlic, minced.

Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact and thread shrimp on skewers. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Grill skewers for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Brush on sauce while grilling. Arrange on platter and serve immediately.

I don't even have to make this recipe, to know it will work and taste good.

I spent the day scouring thrift stores for cookbooks and hit the mother lode at the Outreach Community Center on Lake Mead Blvd in North Las Vegas. Overall today, I bought approximately 70 new and used cookbooks.

I also hit the Poker Palace for bingo-me and all the old people. Of course, I didn't win, I never do, but I was throughly entertained.

Cookbook Val

Kashmir Sapphire-Is it really a Kashmir Sapphire

2009-09-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

The search for a colored stone appraiser with experience in Kashmir Sapphires continues. My buyer is still interested, but frustrated with his efforts to find an appraiser. Kashmir Sapphires originate in Northern India, with weather conditions similar to the Himalayas and the region is only accessible 1-2 months per year. I had tried to make a quest there on my own, but the region has now been taken over by a terrorist cell (believed to be part of Osama Bin Laden's group), so sapphires are occasionally smuggled out of there, but no visits for me in the near future.

APERITIFS-Soda-water should never be mixed with the most popular and violent aperitifs, which are generally called 'pastis' or 'amis'. They are made by secret processes and are generally green (but the Greek equivalent, ouzo, is white and some Provencal home-made pastis is orange). When in bottle, they are clear, but as soon as water is put with them, they become cloudy. They taste of aniseed, and until you are used to them they have a violently stimulating effect. They are among the most questionable and habit-forming drinks known to man, and in their strongest forms are forbidden even in France. In their original strengths they were called absinthe's, and contained wormwood, which is provably a deleterious substance-The Plain Man's Guide to Wine, Raymond Postgate 1951.

I found a new book, which I will not be selling, but would recommend if you can find one. Family Circle, Great Chicken Recipes-207 recipes. Lost recipes I have never seen before, when you were allowed to have skin on your chicken breast. Published in 1968, most recipes will be very easy to update with a lower fat content (in other words, boneless skinless, chicken breasts). A great book, I look forward to trying out many recipes.

One of my favorite authors is Katie MacAllister, her latest book I have just finished is "Sex and the Single Vampire". Normally, I don't read books about vampires, but I read everything by Katie MacAllister. Her books are funny, far-fetched and sexy.

One cookbook, I will recommend that I am selling on EBay (cookbooks or Valerie2901), is "Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorite Pies". This is my pie bible and where I learned how to make pies. I create my own recipes, now, but I still refer back to this book and its 169 recipes when I need new ideas.

Tried a chicken and pasta recipe, a friend recommended tonight. Sauteeing 1 lb. of chicken tenders in 2 tbsp. olive oil. Then adding a can of fat-free chicken broth, roasted red peppers and 1 container of Alouette Garlic & Herbs Cheese, cook until warmed through and then pour over a box of cooked bowtie pasta. I made it and it's good, but not great-I feel my friend must have left out an ingredient, but I can't figure out what. If anyone knows, let me know. I know it definetly needed salt and pepper.

Cookbook Val

Fun Coffee Foodlore

2009-08-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Not my fault. I was going to do my blog last night, but Internet usage wasn't available at my hotel, due to local weather.

I think the reason I haven't been cooking, is because I have lost my appetite . I go in spurts like this, lose my appetite for 3 or 4 days and then its back. I could lose weight if it lasted for more than 3 or 4 days. I don't know what brings it on.

But I'll be just fine, just fine.

Anyway, I've just started reading this book. If you can find this book, read it. And it won't be sold on the Internet on my website, until I'm done with it. The name is Life Is Meals by James & Kay Salter. The book is everything I want to do. It is filled with lots of food facts, which I will include now in my blogs.

The coffee tree, a small evergreen with fragrant white flowers and dark red pods, each containing two beans, is thought to be native to Ethiopia, and East Africa remains a producer behind South America, where Brazil is the leader. The beverage was made of the roasted, crushed beans and probably developed in Arabia. It is then moved northward to Egypt and Turkey where it became essential to daily life that in Constantinople, denying a wife her coffee gave her grounds for divorce. When it arrived in Europe and the Americas in the 1600s, it was the thick, unfiltered liquid still served in Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East. Gradually, as it travelled, its preparation was adapted to the taste of its public by filtering or adding milk, sugar, or flavorings.

Always valued for its stimulating effect, coffee contains more caffeine than any other drink. There are about 110 to 150 milligrams of caffeine in a cup of coffee made by the drip method and 65 to 125 in a percolated cup, nearly twice the amount found in tea, Espresso, though stronger in taste because it is more concentrated, actually has less caffeine than regular coffee. Decaffeinated, which has been around for one hundred years, accounts for about twety per cent of coffee sales in the United States.

Cookbook Val

Eventful Week for Me!

2009-08-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

I have had a week full of events in my life. Starting with some Kashmir sapphires I bought many years ago in India. I have found a buyer for them and if all goes well, I may have a small fortune on my hand. On the other hand, if they are appraised and I was sold glass (which I don't think I was), I will have as much as I had before-very pretty stones that need setting.

Besides cookbooks & cooking in my life, I have been collecting gemstones for years, waiting for the right time and enough money to set them all. Now, I think its time to look for barter, buyers and some more jewelry lessons to set some of them.

I read a book recently called The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow. It was a hard book to get into, but once I did, it was very moving. Sappy Val showed up at the end. It doesn't take much to get Sappy Val out and crying these days.

Today, I took a drive into the desert to the Gold Strike Casino in Jean, NV. They offered me a free buffet and a much needed long drive in the desert. The buffet was good, good country food, quite the hot spot in Jean, NV. For $4.95 per person, every table was filled very quickly and as well as open seats at my booth. The drive was needed to clear my head, about sapphires and relationships and new horizons ahead. I'm still not there yet, but soon will be.

My cookbook of the day, "Farewell To Fat" by Richard Simmons. Who is described in this book as the Yankee Doodle Dandy of aerobics. This man should receive an award, for everything that he as done and contributed to the weight loss community. Yes, he's a little over the top, but he has contributed so much in the 70's, 80's & 90's! The recipes in this book are steeped in American tradition-dishes passed on from one generation to another and now updated with flavorful twists from Richard's own kitchen. Look for this book on EBay, under cookbooks or Valerie2901-my little part of EBay.

Cookbook Val

Clay-Pot Cooking

2009-08-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling sorry for myself for awhile now, but that's over. It's time for me to start travelling and visiting new places again. I have always loved to travel. Right now, I'm trying to decide what city I can afford. I'm looking at Berlin, never been or Ixtapa, Mexico (to go to the pyramids). Next week I have some time off, so I need to make a decision tonight.

Today, I came across The Clay-Pot Cookbook by Georgia MacLeod Sales & Grover Sales. If you have an unglazed clay pot, then this is the book for you! You can bake, roast or simmer with the recipes in this book (look on Ebay, under cookbooks or Valerie2901). The Beef Stroganoff in this book is to die for, so easy, so few ingredients and honestly this could be down in a crockpot (slow-cooker) just as easily. With this clay-pot, you can bake bread, make pies, or hearty chowders. If you don't have one of these claypots, look in the expensive kitchen ware departments or maybe your local thrift store.

I also found the book Brunch Cookery by Pat Jester. Over 200 recipes to please friends and family during brunch. So many options: quiches, souffle's, omelets, appetizers and so much more. Something for everyone in this book.

I'm still not cooking, but by tomorrow I will be. I need to get some bread crumbs, to take some leftover ground Turkey into Turkey meatballs.

CookbookVal

Life goes on!

2009-08-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

From living in Las Vegas, I have been an occasional gambler, nothing exciting, just $20-40 a day when I'm home. I think though I am finally gambled out. I no longer need to gamble, except for the occasional bingo game, which I never win at.

Still working hard on my cookbook listings, lots of good books, but nothing really exciting. I want something new, something special to try. I may make a coconut cream pie this week-I love coconut, but I know it is not a favorite of alot of people.

Sorry, about not blogging yesterday. Just coming back from my trip and I was just too tired to focus or concentrate on being somewhat articulate.

Life goes on-a long-term relationship is finished and I have to decide where to go from here. I'm thinking of moving back to Los Angeles or Boston. Los Angeles, only if I can be on the water. Boston or somewhere in Mass. somewhere on the water. Or maybe I'm just running away again.

Or taking a cruise around the world, that has always been one of my dreams. Somebody recommended a freighter cruise-more affordable, but I don't know if I am a freighter kind of gal.

Cookbook Val

Southern Fried Banana Pies

2009-08-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

I have learned of a new place in Las Vegas.At the Hard Rock Hotel, in the pool area, on Sunday is the hot spot for the young and single..It's called Rehab. For $150 a person,you have unlimited drink & food & you can party like a rock star.. When I questioned some people about the cost, they said it was well worth it, they could drink that much alone. I guess everyone wants to be a rock star or at least party like one.

I had a piece of my newly made raspberry pie, with a chocolate graham crust and it was beyond wonderful.

One of my co-workers gave me her grandmother's recipe for fried banana pies:

a rolled out pie crust

1 cup of sliced thin bananas or 1 cup mashed bananas

1/4 cup sugar

Mix the sugar with the bananas. Set aside. With a drinking glass, rim coated in flour, cut out as many circles as you can on the pie crust. Place a teaspoon to a tablespoon of banana on each circle(depends on size of glass rim). Fold the pastry circle in half. With the fork tines, close up the half circle. poke a couple of fork tines in top to let air out. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Place banana turnovers in pan and fry until brown on both sides (you may need more butter). Eat plain like that or sprinkle a (little) confectioner sugar on top. Good eating's from a southern home.

Cookbook Val

Turkish Cookery by Inci Kut

2009-08-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Turkish Cookery is my cookbook to talk about today. Listed on my EBay website-Valerie2901 under the general headings of cookbooks. I have been to Turkey a couple of times, so I'm really enjoying reading this. The culinary art in Turkey is made of a great variety of delicious dishes which are a mixture of various delicacies inherited from different regions of the vast Ottoman Empire. Among different parts of Turkish Cookery, the most notable are hors d'oeuvres (meze), pastries (borek) filled with meat, cheese, vegetables or any other filling, stuffed vegetables and vine leaves (dolma) of two different kinds with meat or rice, broiled or roasted meat dishes (kebab and kofte), different kinds of rice dishes (pilav) and finally vegetables cooked in oil (zeytinyagli). There is so much more in this book to learn about the food and culture. One of my exotic books.

I thought of another cookbook that sells really well: George Foreman cookbooks! I love my George Foreman Grill-use it all the time. The books are well worth getting.

One of my favrite places to eat in Las Vegas is at Ellis Island Casino-one of the best deals in town-for $6.99, you get a 16 ounce beer from their micro brewery on site, a large salad, a baked potatoe and a 10 ounce top sirloin (and the steak is really good). What a deal!

Also, yesterday, besides picking up the fabulous rasberries, I picked up a bag of 6 pears and a bag filled with a dozen plums, for $.99 each.

That,s all for n0w.
Cookbook Val

Raspberry Pie in a Chocolate Graham Crust

2009-08-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

There were raspberries available today, so today I made a raspberry pie. But, it had to chill for 3 hours and I don't eat usually after 6pm. It looks delicious. I'll try a piece when I'm back in town on Sunday.

I found an interesting cookbook to tell you about today. I listed this on my EBay website Valerie2901. So, the cookbook is called Centel's Classified Cooks, a bicentennial collection of recipes from the employees of Central Telephone Company's Nevada Division. I was a little daunted by the 1st recipe I came across: Busy Mother's Recipe for Roasting Rabbit, but I pushed on and I love this book! My favorite: Down Home Tennessee Barbecue:
1st Day:
In Crock Pot (on low):
2 1/2 lbs. beef roast, cut in chunks
2 1/2 lbs. pork roast, cut in chunks
salt and pepper
After at least 10 hours, (may need to skim off some juice), add: 2 tbsp. chopped fine onions and 1 clove garlic (chopped)
2nd day:
Add 1 bottle barbecue sauce (hickory suggested) or 18 ounce homemade
3rd day:
Add 1 large head cabbage, shredded. Continue cooking at least 4 hours after cabbage added.
May be cooked in roasting pan in oven at 150 F. for 4 days. Cook meat and onions and sauce, 3 days, add cabbage 4th day.
Stirring is not required.

Is this a great recipe or what! I can so see this working!

I also found two other recipes in this book I love: Corn Cob Jelly, using real corn cobs & Irish Moss Jelly, for the treatment of rheumatic affections. Do you love this or what?

Anyway all of you out in the land of internet. I don't have alot to say today. Up way too early, wanted to go see Don Rickles at the Orleans, but not in my budget. Just swimming, working on my great tan. I am so fair, I will never be dark-dark, just light tan with lots of freckles.

That's it for not.
Cookbook Val

Soybeans-another Protein?

2009-08-20T20:32:00.001-07:00

I don't eat much in the way of beans. Occasionally, I may have some chickpeas in my salads, but that's it. But today in listing my books on my EBay website-Valerie2901, I came across two new books that seemed interesting. One was The Art of Tofu and The Proteins for Pennies Cookbook-the first book of gourmet soybean cookery. Over 200 delicious, super-nutritious recipes. Did you know that soybeans contains three times as much protein as roast beef, but none of its built-in fat? Soybeans are filled with all-important minerals and iron and it's virtually starch-free. It still hasn't convinced me to be a soybean eater yet, but it's something to keep in mind for the future.

And interestingly enough, my biggest purchasers of vegetarian cookbooks are those living in Canada, not California. Times are changing. I can remember going to Canada to a local drugstore (similar to Walgreen's), and there would be 2-3 full store aisles of diabetic foods available. Family has a summer cottage in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada-I didn't want you to think I only ever went to one drugstore in Canada and this was my full perception of the health and lifestyle of the average Canadian. Like I said, times are changing, so are eating habits.

Is anyone out there reading this? I spend all day trying to think up topics and ideas. But again, this is good for me, it's getting me to write again. Even if it is only to myself.

The only cooking I've done this week is grilling some turkey hot dogs, and chicken-filled polish sausage (not bad, actually). I just can't seem to get motivated to bake or do real cooking.

You may not know this, but I am a great wine drinker. Did you know that you get a liter of wine at Trader Joe's for $2.99 per bottle (sometimes great, sometimes not so great) and at Wal-Mart for $2.49 per bottle. Again, sometimes very good, sometimes not so good. Some Kroger's stores (Smiths stores out west) have become competitive with a $2.99 bottle, but usually only those close to a Trader Joe's store. Kroger's wine is actually pretty good most of the time.

On September 5, 2009... there is going to be a Bridal Show at the Green Valley Resort, Spa & Casino. I so want to get married. It's not going to happen, but I so want it. Anyway, things planned are a Bridal Gown Giveaway, Bridal Fashion Shows-all day long, One-Stop Planning, Battle of the Bakers-Wedding Cake Bake Off, Catering Contest (free food) and more. I'm going, everyone needs a little pain and free food in their lives. Maybe I'll win the Bridal Gown, then I just need to find a man to marry me-I'm halfway there! If you need more information, please go to www.lasvegasbride.com.

That's all for now.
Cookbook Val

No cooking today!

2009-08-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

I am trying to find time to cook and for the last 2 days, all I have done is run errands. Plus I can't decide what recipe to use next. Since I can't decide what to cook, I'm going to tell you about my EBay site-Valerie2901. I have always sold one thing or another on EBay, but when I moved to Las Vegas, I decided to focus on one thing-cookbooks. I have a couple hundred of my own, plus I like reading cookbooks. So I decided to give it a shot. I am doing very well with this.

The best sellers for cookbooks are: Grilling/Barbecuing(you're all probably saying, yeah, I get that), then making homemade bread/bread machines (who would have thought so many people had time to still make bread) and then exotic cookbooks (ex: Indian Cooking (like from India), Slow Cookers would be next and then all the Sunset/Southern Living Annuals (this I expect, you usually get 400 + recipes in these books).

One book, I am going to focus on is The Victorian Kitchen-Best of Milk & Honey. A pretty book with lots of color photographs, perfect for planning your next Tea Party. The thing about this book is it only has 30 recipes! And yet, I know this will be sold in the upcoming week, with only 30 recipes. This book reveals the recipes and the techniques perfected by the Victoria cook and shows you how you too can transform milk and cream into elegant syllabubs, pale and interesting blancmanges, luscious homemade ices and rich ambitious desserts. This could almost be described an an exotic book-not from a foreign land, but a past time. I have to study up, because at this point I don't know what syllabubs and blancmanges are.

That's what is so interesting about cookbooks. Reading them, being inspired to cook-I love it.

No longer a redhead, but back to being blonde again. After the hairdresser literally stripped the red color out of my hair and not applying another color, I ended up with dark golden blonde-just the right color.

If you ever come to Las Vegas-look at Craigslist under free tickets. Lots of shows that need to fill showrooms will offer free tickets. Mostly comedy clubs and magic shows, but occasionally big names pop up. Recently I saw the Dixie Dooley Show-the man has been performing magic for the last 30 years, the show was great. Geared towards the family audience, I was entertained and enthralled. The Mayor of Las Vegas, even made November 13th-Dixie Dooley Day, to honor his commitment to magic and longevity in Las Vegas. Also, if you're in Las Vegas for Halloween, October 31st, Dixie is going to have a seance and to try and contact Houdini-this is the only seance, endorsed by the Harry Houdini family.

That's all for now. CookBook Val

People Get A Grip!

2009-08-18T22:22:00.001-07:00

Once again, I am politically incorrect. I am so sorry, that I have an opinion in life. All's I want to do is enjoy life, sell cookbooks (EBay-Valerie2901), and have my own cooking show someday. I have opinions on many things in life and America has become so sensititve to each and everything. You make a comment about an individual and you're a racist-except you weren't making an opinion based on the race of the individual, or the nationality, just about the individual. Or you're a major gossip. People, if you don't want personal information passed around, you should stop bragging about your sex life and such. There is such a thing as saying "don't say anything, this is between us", but if you don't say anything, then all is fair game.

When I was young and beautiful, I made a career out of dating spies-CIA, DEA & FBI. I had a documented profile, that said I had a big mouth and to qualify anything that shouldn't be repeated. Again, if you didn't qualify confidential information, then it was great gossip to pass among my friends.

Moving on, releasing the anger. Every cook needs an apron. Why, to keep the spills and splotches from getting all over your clothes, while you're cooking. That's going to be my christmas present to friends and family this year. An apron, with their name embroidered on it-like Chef Nick (for my son). Everyone will be a Chef this year.

I'm back in Las Vegas, shipping and packing off all my cookbooks for EBay and visiting my thrift stores. Today, among many, I visited the New Vista Emporium on W. Charleston. Their best buys are the great leather couches (sets) that they receive as donations. Selling for an individual sofa from $200 to a 3 piece set for $800. I keep trying to catch one of them, but I haven't achieved it yet. I just see them as they are getting packed off to the new owner.

Do you ever think you receive signs from above? I do, but I'm trying to find out the latest signs and their meanings. When I reached my home late last night, I found a white feather (in my home) and a set sapphire. The white feather suppp0sedly means cowardice-me or someone else and the sapphire. The sapphire was already set in white gold. Now, I set gemstones, especially sapphires, but this wasn't one of mine that I set. I have housekeeping, so I assume that the sapphire was left in error by the housekeeper. The white feather is another story, still looking up what it might mean.

But I have had other signs, the most recent was on my laptop. A few months ago, I lost the letter V on my laptop, it just popped off. I let it go. Not the end of the world, just have to press down harder on the letter V. On Friday, 6 new letters popped off, all at once, within minutes of each other. I contacted Dell to see if my warranty was still intact and they arranged for repair. The warranty is set to expire in less than 2 weeks! The repair man said, if I had to repair this on my own, the hardware would have cost more than a new computer.

Two months ago, my battery died on my car. Found someone to help me jump the car. Next day, went to the auto repair place and he said the battery was fine. 2 hours later, someone hit my car in a parking lot at a superstore & then waited for me (miracle all on its own). While getting my car info available for insurance company, found out my tags were expiring in 5 days. Now, I would have been very upset, if the police had stopped me and told me my tags were expired and fined me additional money-which I couldn't afford at the time.

Many other signs. I have to keep reminding myself that I am a lucky woman. I have so much more than most. I have a good career, good health, family and 2 men who love me (son & someone else). What more do I need in life!

Still looking for a recipe which features almond paste-something unusual untried, something with chicken or beef involved. I have found a pie recipe I would like to try, but so many ingredients-this would be one expensive pie.

That's all for now. Cookbook Val

People Get A Grip!

2009-08-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Apology for being polictly incorrect

2009-08-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

In my last blog, I referred to a group of mentally retarded young men and women (in reference to: Opportunity Village). I have just been told, the correct term is disabled. I do apologize if I offended anyone. People are so sensitive these days. Today, I encountered a young boy with sensory issues (bottom-line-autistic). I know what autistic is and I know how to assist the needs of an autistic child/adult. I don't know know how to assist an all-encompassing disabled or sensory sensitive individual. We are way too sensitive these days.

Alright, how many of you drink diet coke or diet products with aspartame in them. Next time you drink one, look on the side panel of ingredients. Look for the word phenylalnine-translation: embaling fluid. The FDA requires products with aspartame to list this preservative. It is the consumers responbility to know what they're drinking. I discovered this, because a colleague of mine, convinced me that by not drinking diet coke, I would actually lose weight. She had lost 33 pounds in a one-year period, losing diet coke,detoxifying her body of it. Note-she didn't need to lose weight, she had other health issues. So, I looked it up on the internet and came up with embalming fluid. While I have only lost 5 pound in the last 6 weeks, she predicted I would lose all my back fat first-which I did, in the 1st 4 weeks. Now I see little pockets of fat lost in my stomach-not overall, just pockets.

Two weeks ago, I dyed my hair red. Then I changed my mind and decided to go back to dark blonde. The hair color box assured me that I would go from red to blonde. I even bought the expensive hair color..Red beats blonde. Still red haired, I've decided to strip my hair color with cheap hotel shampoos. Will keep you posted on the cheap shampoo stripping of color.

This week's cooking will include almond paste. I have one recipe for stuffed chicken breasts, stuffed with almond paste, mozzarella cheese. & bread crumbs & sauteed in a sherry cooking sauce, that is incredible. I will try and find something new to do with almond paste this week.

Peace be with you.

Cookbook Val

Spicy Avocado Dressing?

2009-08-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love the chicken at El Loco Pollo or is it El Pollo Loco (translates-The Crazy Chicken) & one of their salsas/sauces they serve is a spicy avocado dressing-which they won't divulge the ingredients. I thought maybe it was really just a jalapeno dressing, but that isn't it. My wish list also is to have their marinade that they put on their chicken, prior to grilling. The best grilled chicken in town. They have fast food stores (but all grilled chicken) in most major cities.

I'm in Charlotte, NC, sitting in a hotel on a Sunday afternoon with no TV reception, due to the pouring rain outside. I'm surprised the internet has held up with all the thunder and lightening outside. My flight will be delayed tonight, I can see it already.

I'm amazed how many people are obessed with weather. Did you know that there are 3 hurricanes in the Atlantic right now. My co-workers are constantly huddled over their Blackberry, tracking the progress. Like maybe it will fly off its path and maybe hit Charlotte, as we lounge in our hoel rooms.

Back to my thrift store shopping in Las Vegas. No, I'm not obessed with it, but I do enjoy the buys, I sometimes find. The Oppotunity Village on Main St. Not the best of areas. It seems to be a fledgling art/antique district. The store is located next to a Bail Bonds office. Inside the store it is kept neat and clean, with 3-4 supervisors on duty and approximately 15 mentally retarded young men & women. The staff is amazingly so patient with their workers-while teaching them basic skills in a retail environment. This store has some local connection with Pier One Imports and donations. Lots of new Pier One stuff sold here all the time for $.99 and up. I have bought some future good Christmas presents here. They also recently got a huge brand new wedding dresses donation-in every size from $20 & up. Every time I visit, there is at least one future bride trying on a wedding dress that she can actually afford to buy. It is so sweet to see!

I know some people are reading this now. It feels good to be interactive (is this a correct statement) on the internet.

I am alone out there?

2009-08-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Since m0ving to Las Vegas, 8 months ago, I sometimes feel all alone. There's no one there but me. I fill in my time, in between business trips out of town, making the thrift store runs for my cookbooks that I sell on EBay, cooking, and lying by the pool working on my tan.

I am out of town now on a business trip and won't be back until late Monday night. Then back to shipping and packing those cookbooks from orders that came in out over the weekend. Lately, the EBay cookbooks selling is alot of work. But then again, the more cookbooks I sell, the less I may have to work at my real job. At least that's the plan.

I enjoy searching for the cookbooks in the thrift stores. There are great thrift stores in Las Vegas, the land of living to excess.

I cook alot while I'm home, sometimes for my own personal cookbook, sometimes for fun. My second cookbook when finished will be a 20 year collection of chicken wings. After all I was raised in the land of chicken wings-Buffalo, NY.

As far as my great tan goes, my friends and family are horrified (or maybe jealous). I keep the sunblock on my face and the rest of my body is out in the sun to gather more freckles and darken enough to make all the freckles seem to join together. I need the sun and heat so badly. It is so cold here in the land of air conditioning.

I do make it out to shows occasionally, but they are not in my weekly budget.

Cooking tip I ran across- When measuring peanut butter, first spray glass or cup with non-stick cooking spray. It will slide right out, no muss, no fuss.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Banana Cream Pie

2009-08-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

I made a banana cream pie the other night and finally got around to tasting it last night. The taste was wonderful, the looks, not so good. In many fruit pies, you can use over ripe fruit and it doesn't make any difference. But not so with bananas-I had used bananas starting to go to mush, sliced them up in my pie and when the pie was sliced, that's what I saw-small pieces of light brown mush bananas. I will know next time-firm ripe bananas only.

Last night I tried a recipe called Chicken on a Diet. It sounded good. 3 chicken breasts baked at 325 F for 1 hour with 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 can of orange soda. The chicken was tender, but otherwise no distinguishable flavor to it. Then again, you don't know how it's going to work out, until you at least try.

I don't know where I'm going with this blog. Just writing to keep the creative juices flowing. For years, I wrote travel articles pubished in newspapers all over the U.S. Now, I write this. Maybe this will inspire me to finally write my Romantic Adventure Novel or maybe this will lead to a cooking show that I want to do. Or maybe I'll just cook my little heart out and finally finish my cook books. In the meanwhile, I am writing this for me, a place to talk about my cooking adventures.

I live in Las Vegas and I found a new store chain here where everything is priced .99. Not the Dollar Tree, the $.99 store. All there vegetables and produce are all $.99. Fresh raspberries, blueberries, asparagus, red, orange and yellow peppers-I am so amazed at this. Of course, you have to be there at the right time and place. I have watched women buy 20 pints of blueberries and then eat them in the check-out line like candy. This is obviously the place to buy fruits and vegetables in Las Vegas. They said new shipments come in Tuesdays, but I tried one of the big stores, at Charleston & Decatur and I didn't notice more or less. I do know not to go in Saturday afternoons for fruits and vegs, because everything is gone. Even their food in the frozen section-which is adequate, but nothing to write about.

I also found a thrift store chain I like for kitchen ware called Savers. I have noticed they get alot of commercial kitchen equipment. So I'll be there each week checking out the kitchen ware. They also have clothes, furniture, etc, but I'm be there for the kitchen ware. I found the other day, a heavy duty sauce pan I need for $5.99 with cover, thought it looked good, felt heavy. Found it on the internet as Professional cookware. The next day, I went to pick up some more pieces and they were already gone. I did manage to get an electric fondue, perfect for some deep frying, when you don't want to use a big pot or fryer for $4.99 and a solid 24-inch one-piece wooden rolling pin for $2.99. I love getting great buys.

Your friend on the internet, Cookbook Val

Marlboro Country Cookbook

2009-08-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

No, I am not a smoker and I am not advocating smoking, but this is a good looking cookbook-Morning Fires, Evening Lights. As I said before, I sell cookbooks, new and used on EBay-look for me at Valerie2901. When I picked up this book, I was very impressed with the photography and recipes in it. I placed it for sale on EBay, but then decided to save it for myself. For my 26 year-old son for Christmas-it was basic enough for him-a fledgling cook ,but by the time I got back to my website, the bids were already in. I wasn't quick enough and now have lost out on what could have been a great Christmas present! Again, it is a basic cookbook, but the pictures are beautiful and if you can run across another one, I would grab it.

One recipe I did snag, bef0re mailing this off was for a Rum Fruit Jar:

In a clean, sterilized jar, place leftover fruit in season(sliced, diced, etc), 1-4 cups of sugar (I had alot of seasonal fruit leftover, so this allowed for less sugar) and fill the rest of the space with rum or brandy. Keep filling with rum or brandy as needed to keep the fruit covered. Place in a cool, dark spot for at least 6 weeks. Use on pound cake, french toast, pancakes or waffles.

What a great way to use fruit that was going to be uneaten anyway.

Today, I was talking with my TV Producer friend and he told me what a great cook I was. To which I replied, I am not a great cook, but I am a "enthusiastic cook". When I make mistakes, I just keeping trying. Some things work, some things fail. But my friend only remembers the things that work (thank goodness) and he tells me that I make him so hungry all the time, describing flavors and different ingredients that I work with. That's how I feel about Rachel Ray and Paula Deen-they are "enthusiastic cooks" and they bring that across when they are cooking. Especially Paula Deen, she makes me laugh when she tastes her own food and expresses them to the audience. I know just how she feels. So we did talk again about a cooking show for me and I said I was willing to have a stationary show, if I could be the Queen of Pies-only making pies. Once again, me trying to control things, my way only, but I do love making pies. Maybe next season.

In the meanwhile, I have bought some kiwi to make a pie with and can't find a recipe that interests me. Why, kiwi-again the price was right-6 kiwi fruits for $.99. And did you know, you can keep kiwi in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to 6 months! So my quest for a baked kiwi pie continues. Most of the recipes I have come across are either tarts, or just placing kiwi on top of a cream pie. Not too exciting.

Cookbook Val

My Cooking Show

2009-08-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Since this is my blog and the chance of anyone reading it is slim, I can express my hopes and dreams in the land of cooking. One day, I want my own Cooking/Travelling Show. I have had TV producers interested in my concept before, but then they want to change it to their concept, of me on a cooking show-that's it. I don't cook everything, I cook whatever I'm in the mood for. Though I can be a little flexible, the type of show I want someday will be held in different cities of the U.S. each week. I will find some restaurants (possibly 2 per 30 minute show), find out what the specialities of these restaurants are and then have the chefs show me and the audience how to make it. I was asked for an example of what I meant and the TV producers were located in Palm Springs, CA, so I started with restaurants in Palm Springs. What I came up with was Sherman's Deli & Bakery, in business since 1953. For this restaurant, since it is a kosher restaurant and I'm not jewish, I thought they could show me how to make Beef'n Latkas and also how to make Passover Honey Cake. The other Chef I was interested in was actually a local caterer, who was well known for his Malayasian appetizers-Chef Heng Ngooi-he could do various appetizers in his commercial kitchen for me.

Right now I'm in my pie baking phase, testing pie recipes for my pie cookbook that I am writing. If anyone has a pie recipe to forward to me and I use it, you will get credit for it. So the other night I made a pear pie, but the topping wasn't quite right. It was supposed to be a crumble topping, but a friend had suggested I melt the butter, before mixing it with the flour & brown sugar. What a mistake, it was good to taste, but gooey and wouldn't cover the whole top of the pie. This time I will cut the butter into the crumble topping and it should work out better. I had never had a pear pie before, but the price was right for a bag of pears, so I decided to try it. Firm pears take alot longer to cook, then soft going to mush pears-more cooking time needed for this recipe. And pears when cooked actually taste alot like apples.

CookbookVal

my cookbooks

2009-08-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

I watched the movie Julie/Julia & I'm inspired. Not to master the art of French Cooking. Too many foods involved, that I would never cook. But I do sell cookbooks on Ebay-Valerie2901 and I enjoy cooking so much. My family and friends ask me when my own cookbook will be finished. But there are 3 cookbooks, almost finished. Like Julia Child, I try and re-try recipes. So here is my blog diary. Maybe someday, someone will read this, maybe not, but it my creation, like my un-published, un-finished cookbooks. The day before yesterday, I made a pear pie. While making it, I thought oh-my-god, this smells better than sex. But when completed, it still needs work. Sex is still better, but working with almond extract/or almond paste comes to a close second.