Month: April 2014

April 8, 2014

Raincoast Board Book Bundles #review & #giveaway

It should not come as much of a surprise that we love books in our home!

Books have a special way to take us on an adventure. They teach both adults and children a like important moral and life lessons. Reading together also helps to build bonds between parents and children as well as building language skills.

We received a Raincoast board book bundle that we fell in love with at first sight. In the bundle we found the You Are My Baby collection, A Tree for All Seasons, Daddy Wrong Legs and Peek a Zoo. Each board book is strong and durable with bright colours as well as an unique design. The board book bundle is suited for ages 1-4.

Our favourite out of this collection was the You Are My Baby series that included ocean, farm and garden animals. This series of books pairs a larger board book with a smaller inset book. The larger portion contains the images of the adult animal and the smaller portion has their baby.We were able to turn each page and our youngest was able to learn how to match up the animals based on the images and the sounds they make. We also had a great time making all the accompanying sounds!

A Tree For All Seasons shows the life of a tree in a year. The book is designed to look like a tree and the top part of the tree opens up with each turn of the page. It was a very unique design (my first time seeing a tree shaped book!) with easy words and pictures.

Daddy Wrong Legs will provide lots of comic relief! The book opens in two and allows readers to mix and match Daddy’s legs to the appropriate upper body. We also had fun making silly matches with the legs to the wrong upper body. Even our eldest son got in on this and had fun with the match ups!

In Peek-a-Zoo by Nina Laden readers are able to read the clue, guess the animal and then start all over ago. This book is colourful and full of rhymes. The little windows on each page allowed us to get an even better picture of which animal was waiting for us next.

You can purchase your own copies of these books at Amazon, Indigo and KidsBooks. You can also follow Raincoast books on Facebook and Twitter.

Raincoast Books is offering my Canadian readers the chance to win the book bundle featured in this post! You can enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned board books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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April 7, 2014

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April 7, 2014

Tide and Tempest by Elizabeth Ludwig #review

Murder, love, honour and secrecy. Tide and Tempest by Elizabeth Ludwig has it all!

Tillie McGrath and her fiance leave Ireland dreaming of a better life in America. During the trip over, her fiance falls ill with a severe illness that takes his life. She is left alone in a new world with only memories. Although difficult, Tillie finds new friends at her New York boardinghouse and begins to pursue her dream of opening a home for orphaned children.

In steps, Captain Keondric Morgan, that despite two years having passed that fateful trip still remembers the girl who left his ship heartbroken. When one of his crewmen reveals a secret on his death bed, Keondric learns that this young lady’s fiance was murdered. The captain now knows he must contact her and fill her in on what he knows. His attention to Tillie draws the notice of others as well, the same dangerous men that took her fiance’s life! They believe she has something in her possession that could potentially expose their crimes.

Tide and Tempest by Elizabeth Ludwig was full of adventure and suspense. I literally could not put it down! I had to know what happened next especially with all the great twists! Elizabeth writes so well and gives just enough at each stage of the book to have you craving more!

Tillie’s story was one of forgiveness, selflessness and self discovery. You could not help but love her! After all she suffered through, she still thought of others before herself. You just want to grab her and give her a giant hug and help her for a while. I wanted to see the romance blossom earlier between her and Keondric but the way it developed suited the story perfectly.

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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April 7, 2014

Savory Custard #Recipe Inspired by a Beauty So Rare

This week I wanted to share with you this delicious recipe inspired by the novel I reviewed, A Beauty So Rare. Here is a delicious savory custard inspired by Eleanor Braddock.

Most people think quiche originated in France. Not so. It’s originally a German dish and people referred to them as “savory custards” in the 19th century. Which is accurate since the egg-based mixture forms a luscious-like custard as it bakes.
In the novel, A Beauty So Rare, the second standalone novel in the Belmont Mansion series, the heroine, Eleanor Braddock, is “a cook with a dream.” But her dreams don’t quite turn out like she thinks they will. However, her savories always do! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe (or “receipt” as recipes were called in the 1800s) from A Beauty So Rare. For more about A Beauty So Rare and for recipes from all Tamera Alexander’s novels, visit www.TameraAlexander.com.

Ingredients
1 old-fashioned unbaked pie crust (recipe below)
1 large onion, diced (or sliced if you like larger pieces of onion in your savory)
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound cooked ham diced into cubes (if using bacon, use 8 slices, fried chewy, not too crisp)
8 large eggs
1-1/2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste (I always go heavier on the pepper, personal preference)
1 3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
Sauté onion in the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Chop the ham into bite-sized pieces (or fry your bacon until chewy, then chop). Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pie crust and press into a deep dish pie plate. A medium-sized iron skillet works wonderfully for making a savory custard (and is what Eleanor used). The crust comes out divine. I just happened to use a pie plate this time.

Whip the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then mix in the onions, ham (or bacon), and cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Cover the pie plate (or skillet) lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown. QUICK BAKING TIPS: The quiche may still seem a little loose when you first remove it from the oven, but it will firm up nicely once removed from the heat. Also, watch that lovely crust so the edges don’t get overly brown. I use a silicone pie crust shield if that starts to happen. Those are a fabulous invention (but foil crimped around the edges works just as well).
Remove from the oven and allow the savory custard to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before diving in. It’s so good, and just like Eleanor Braddock would make. It’s also delicious left over and warmed up the next day.
Disclosure: This recipe was shared with permission from Tamera Alexander, please visit her website for more delicious recipes from her novels!
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April 6, 2014

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander #review

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander follows the story of Eleanor Braddock. Eleanor has been brought up to be practical and has always thought of herself as plain and not a typical Southern beauty. Due to her age she feels she will never marry. Impoverished and struggling to care for her father and his mental decline, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion. Belmont Mansion is home to her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America and also one of the most demanding. Adelicia is determined to find her niece a husband but Eleanor wants to follow a different path. From one act of kindness, Eleanor begins to take care of the widows and fatherless children from the Civil War, something she knows her Aunt will never understand nor approve of.

Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life that he dreams of instead of the one that has been preset for him. He hides his royal heritage so that he can follow his passion for nature and combining this with architecture. His dream is to develop the most marvelous building in American history.  He begins to work on the home that will help Eleanor care for the widows and their children and this begins to draw them closer together. They find so much in common and begin to fall in love.

A Beauty So Rare was a fantastic read from start to end. Eleanor was a character that you could easily relate to and connect with. She is a tad bit unsure of herself, determined to make her own way and go against society norms. Throughout the novel she is forced to struggle with her father’s mental decline which many can relate to and understand the difficulties that can arise with dementia. This is not an easy topic but throughout the novel she cared for him and did all she could for him.

Eleanor selflessness was one of her most admirable traits. She was always ready and willing to give more. She came to Nashville with little money in her pocket but she still cared for those less fortunate. Despite dreaming of owning her own restaurant she cooks and cares for those less fortunate. Her character really shows us that as Christians (and people in general) we are always called to care for others and give where we can. It has inspired me to help out more in my own community!

The love that blossomed between our two main characters was simple and sweet. The two characters made you smile, laugh and shake your head. Similar to moments in our own relationships with our significant others today!

A Beauty So Rare was full of historical places, people and information. This really helped to draw you into the story and see into Eleanor’s world. Tamera does an excellent job of re-creating society in this time period fully immersing you into this historical period.

Eleanor shows us that true beauty comes from within and shines through all of our acts of kindness and selflessness. A Beauty So Rare is a definite must read!

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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