Semi-Homemade Holidays

I woke up this morning and felt the chill of the upcoming fall season. I cannot wait. Mind you, by noon today it will be 90+ degrees, but I can enjoy the morning chill while I drink my morning pot of coffee. Then suddenly, the chill brought thoughts of wrapping paper and spending WAY too much money on Christmas gifts.

The thought has crossed my mind several times to have homemade Christmas, or a limit on gifts. That is hard with kids. You love your kids and want to make them happy. And with that in mind, I am going to attempt a compromise. We are going to have a practical/Semi-Homemade holiday season.

What is that you ask? I am not sure, but my ideas are:

• Price cap on overall gift cost. My oldest is 8, and understands that if he gets 2 BIG gifts and the little ones get 8 small gifts that he was not shorted somehow by Santa.
• 1/2 the gifts need to be practical gifts. (Examples: Books, clothes, new bike gear, Scout gear, gift cards for roller skating rink, Sonic, etc... all places that my kids love to go all year round.)
• Limit the amount of toys. With an 8, 4 and 3 year old - we, as parents probably won't buy ANY toys since that is the go-to with Grandparents, aunts and uncles.
• My oldest (and I) will go at least once (hopefully more) to volunteer at a place in need. My youngest will pick out and take at least one gift to a kid's shelter.
• We will make homemade gifts for Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Teachers, Friends, etc. (Not Popsicle stick frames, but we will get Pinterest crazy and make cool gifts.

I do hope to keep this a tradition. I don't think we will ever be a completely homemade/material gift free family, because lets keep it real - Christmas offers some amazing sales and gifts are fun!  Anyway, wish me luck! I am going to be starting now, because the other thing about this idea - you can't wait till the last minute. Lucky for me, I work retail - so for me, Christmas starts in September anyway.

Merry Christmas!!! And all ideas are welcome...

Cupcake Pot Pies and My Issues with Chicken...

Chicken. I love chicken. But, I am picky with my chicken.

I don't want skin, and I sure don't want a bone. I don't do fried chicken. Well, I can cook some mean fried chicken - but, me eat it? No thank you! The texture of the skin - not my thing. I can't eat chicken off of a bone. In fact, I don't really like meat on a bone. I can eat ribs, but I am always told I waste meat. Something about maneuvering around a bone weirds this lady out! So, I have chicken on a bone with skin marinating for my family to eat tomorrow night for dinner while I work late at work. I don't want them to suffer for my weirdness with foods!  (Chicken rant over! Ask me one day about pickles...)

Chicken Pot Pies on my Birthday Bucket List to make. So here goes my attempt. I am going to make Cupcake versions for my kids for lunch. Wish me luck!

Ingredients

Prepping for the Pot Pie Cupcakes

• Canned Biscuits (I used my family's favorite & want I had on hand - Honey Butter Biscuits)
• Mixed Veggies of your choice (My kids love Sweet Peas & Carrots)\
• Chopped up chicken, cooked
• Can of Cream of Chicken coup (I had Cream of Potato with Bacon, so that is what I used - plus, you can NEVER go wrong with bacon)
• Cheese (which I omitted because we are a family who is 80% lactose intolerant, and the soup will be enough)
• Spices (Onion powder, garlic salt and basil)

HOW TO

Very simple:

• Take EVERYTHING, sans biscuits and mixed it up.
• Press the biscuits into your cupcake pans and press up the sides.
• Scoop your mixture in, and fill it up good.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes depending on your biscuits and voilà!

RESULTS

Final Product

And the results... The kids LOVED it. :) Bacon was a great addition. I had extra mix, so I also made a larger one for dinner! This will become a regular in my meal planning rotation!

29 things to DO before I hit the BIG 3-0!

28 things in my 28th year FAILED. Haha, I accomplished  6 of them. Six? Come on Catherine! You are better than that! Six?

Anywho... Here comes year 29! And it's a BIGGIE. Last year of my 20's. When did I get old? A few amazing things came out of my list last year:

1) I made it back home to California. I got to spend some amazing time with some amazing people. Stayed with my BEST FRIEND, Beckie; stayed with my amazing older brother, Paul and his beautiful wife and daughter; stayed with my beautiful Mom, and my awesome Stepmoms drove all the way down and we visited with family we haven't seen in years. My Aunt Dawn and Uncle Ed are some of my favorite people! Drank a LOT of coffee during that trip. Lots of good, long overdue coffee.

2) Our Book Club Rocks! We are on our 3rd book, and just had our 2nd meeting. Good food, good drinks and good people. So what if it started off with like 12 people, and then there were Four. We are Four Strong. Maybe that should be the name...

3) I love painting. Went to Easley Amused with Kristyn, and I want to go all the time and paint all the time.

Now on to my "29" list.

1) Florida. This has been on my list since I moved to Mississippi 6+ years ago. Had the opportunity to go this year, and then life got in the way.
2) Garden. - We are in a new place, and I would like to start my garden again. I am going to do herbs in the kitchen, and I shall figure out some stuff to plant outside. Get the kids involved too. Maybe we can find some stuff to recycle as planters.
3) Pot Pies. - You know, this has been on my list for 2 years. I am going to do it this year. I think the kids will LOVE that they can be individual. Maybe, I will make a dinner party out of it. A POT PIE POT LUCK!
4) Go Wine Tasting with the Mister. - I <3 Wine. The Mister is new to it. I am going to find a place to take him tasting as a date. *FINGERS CROSSED* he will like it!
5) Go back to school. - I know what I want to do, and the kids are old enough now to allow me time to concentrate. I am going to do what I need to do to get back, even if it is just part-time to start.
6) Maintain Book Club. - We are 3 months in, and I would love to be able to have maintain this new and improved group ALL year. Themes and all. :)
7) Family Pictures. - This will only take ONE day and has been on my list for 2 years now. HAHA, I take more pictures that I will ever need, but I have like 12 in total of ALL five of us. That needs to change STAT!
8) Become a Member at Church. - This takes 4 Sundays. I usually work Sunday's, I will find 4 to get this accomplished.
9) Date Nights. - We make time. Which I truly do think is key, but I would like to make MORE time. More regular.
10) Become more routine. - I have started this with set bedtimes, and trying to wake up times, and small routines. In the next 2 years, I will have 3 kids in school. Well, that seems like it might be easier - this will require more work. Homework, afterschool activities and such. I am going to routine all 3 together early.
11) Kick the soda. - I need to kick caffeine. And this is an easy way to maintain/lose weight. Plus, if I had to choose between a soda or a beautiful cup of coffee - Coffee wins EVERY time.
12) Write more letters. - When unpacking, I found all these awesome hand written letters from grandparents, cousins and friends. It was awesome. My kids were in awe of these "letters." In a world of Tango, Skype and Facetime, handwritten letters are things of a museum. I love Snail Mail.
13) 5k. - I love to walk. I miss doing these with Beckie.
14) Mom's Night Outs. - Like our Book Club, I would like these to become regular. And more drunk. LOL
15) Take a Family Trip. - Anywhere.
16) Quit biting my nails. - I have a feeling this one will ALWAYS be on my list.
17) Send out Christmas cards. - I actually made Christmas cards and found them months later. Guys, you will probably get cards from us in November, but it will be this year! Haha
18) Figure out how to work in Books/Reading. - With the demise of book stores, I need to explore other options.
19) Tattoo. - at least ONE of my many planned.
20) Go to the beach. - I went to San Diego this year, and didn't go. CRAZY!
21) Go to the Romance Writers Convention that I believe is in New Orleans this year. -  Or one in Houston. Whichever is more convenient for Kristyn and I. I need a FANGIRL moment bigger than my heart can handle.
22) Paint. Easley Amused or elsewhere.
23) Make a memory quilt. - Shirts, baby blankets, curtains, wedding stuff. I want to make an AWESOME memory quilt.
24) Buy a "new" car. - New is in "new" because it just needs to be new to me. LOL
25) Have a BFF trip. - Weather it is seeing 50 shades in Texas, celebrating the big 3-0 in Vegas, me and the BFF are seeing each other this year!
26) Make tamales, at least once this year. - this is probably the thing I missed the most about the holidays as a child. Helping make tamales, and it has been 2 years since I have made them in a larger quantity. Maybe New Year's...
27) Plan a trip to visit my Dad in Montana. - Malakai really wants to see where Grandpa lives, and I just adore small towns. And I adore my Dad. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Also, Malakai thinks he wants to live there when he is 18. (Mainly because the fishing license is cheaper there than in Mississippi. But I told him he could look into going to college there. He liked that idea.)
28) Send ACTUAL Birthday cards, on time. - Back to the Snail Mail. And the fact that I love Birthdays. And I think everyone does too. It is your day to feel special. I would like to help with that!
29) Read my Bible. - I have started, I would like to finish. I think it is very important. I choose to read it a little each day to ensure I understand it all. And I think, the kids and I will talk about it too.


What would be on your "BUCKET LIST" if you took the time to make a list? I would love to know. Maybe, it will be on BIG 3-0 list.

The Mother of ALL rants... today, at least!

My blog is a lot of fun for me. I love finding awesome and FRUGAL stuff to do with my kids. I adore my husband, and LOVE my Crockpot. My books, they are like my boyfriend. And my husband occasionally gets jealous of the time spent with the books on my shelves. But, when he is gaming and I am reading... All is well in the Crook World.

THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE BLOGS! This is a WHAT IRKS me today blog... Enjoy!

1) Retail should be a REQUIRED class before graduating high school.

Call me crazy (I will answer!) I love retail management. I cannot do the same thing over and over. Drives me up the wall. You don't get that in retail. You get all different kinds of customers and all different kinds of employees. And I love it. Even the crazies. I have been called everything from a pregnant bitch to a racist, and yet I still come back. In defense of the lady who called me a pregnant bitch:  1)Yes, I was pregnant. 2) Yes, I was a BITCH after, and only after having to deal with you. (Ask my co-workers!) In defense of the lady who told me I would not help her because she was of a different ethnicity: 1) I tried to help. 2) Not that it is ANY of your damn business, but my husband and THREE kids share your ethnicity.

With that being said, I understand that you are the customer and I work to ensure you have a pleasant time in my store. I actually enjoy that fact. It is a controllable, and I love being able to control the controllables. But, you would never believe what else is a controllable? Your attitude! Your ability to treat us retail employees like human beings. I am constantly approached by people who don't understand why I can't help them THIS second. (I am helping someone else THIS second, and think for just a second how you would feel if I stopped helping you to help them!)

Just trust me, Mr. President - make everyone work ONE holiday season, Black Friday included before you release the wolves to the rest of us, and everyone will be happier. I know that retail employees are NOT magic elves. Just because you think we can give you that item at 90% off because that is how YOU read the sign, doesn't mean we can. And please, call the BBB on us. I am sure, those kind folks who have probably worked retail before are going to TOTALLY going to understand how you interrupted the sign.

Final note on #1, this is my REAL JOB! You calling my job any less is insulting. After all, if I wasn't there to take the brunt of your abrasive and abusive talk, your husbands and wives would probably leave you!

2) Door Knobs

This rant is partially due to the lack of sleep I got this morning due to a door knob! I understand the security purposes of door knobs. The books and PS3 in our house are grateful for not being stolen due to doorknobs, but in the house. EVERY door knob (bathrooms in particular) should have a secret parental unlock button on the outside.

Scenario:

Enter 3 year old who locks himself in the bathroom.

Enter Mom working on 4 hours of sleep with hammer.

45 minutes later, 3 year old out and Mom blogging half asleep with a demolished door knob next to her laptop.

END RANT #2.

3) GOOGLE

This last topic today is more brought to you by the jealously I have that my children will never know card catalogs at the library or the insane amount of time "googling" research in those damn encyclopedias. I think kids need to know our pain. I had to hear about how our parents had to walk so and so miles in the snow to school everyday. YEAH, I am sure guys: We lived in San Diego, California. If it snowed, the entire city would shut down! And also, I walked to school! Plus, you didn't have cell phones and email. Well, I had a pager. And we had to make codes for letters from the numbers. At a young age, my generation was bilingual in "Pager Talk" 1 70173 17 or 143637. We still had to be creative! My 3 year old can work my phone and the Ipod better than me. My kids can lock me out of electronics! (and bathrooms, see #2!) Yeah, ok... I am jealous! But, I do feel better now... :) Thank you Interweb for listening...

A New Series and Ramen Noodles in my Crockpot!

Hello y'all!

Today marks a new adventure for me. I have decided to venture into the world of Ramen noodles. A must have for my daughter. She would eat them EVERYDAY if I would make them for her. I have the cookbook, '101 things to do with Ramen Noodles,' but I want to take it a step further and utilize my handy dandy Crockpot. Wish me luck!

On another note, I have found a new series with a new Fictional Boyfriend for me to go GA-GA over! The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. It stars a strong female lead, by the name of Catherine. Just call her Cat. Unless you are Bones, a Vampire who is a bounty hunter of sorts; he calls her Kitty, Kitten or just about anything else that she doesn't want him to call her. His English accent is heavenly and together, Cat & Bones makes an epic team. A 1/2 Vampire who hates vampires, and the vampire who loves her.

I am just about done with the 1st book, and I have gone ahead and ordered anything else I could find with this series. There is the series itself, along with novellas and a spin-off series where your favorite supporting characters become the lead. I love that concept after how much I fell in love with the Love at Stake series and that type of approach.

Anywho, I will keep you updated on my reading of this series! If you are looking for a new good book, try this out!

Jeaniene Frost's page!

Love at Stake..

Have you ever wanted to know how to Marry a Millionaire...Vampire? :)

I will be honest, Romance has never been my genre of choice. And then I was introduced to the paranormal genre a few years ago. It was more paranormal with a romantic undertone. And slowly with Karen Marie Moning's Highlander books, I found myself reading Romance with a paranormal undertone. I LOVE IT!

Kerrelyn Sparks mastered this with the Love at Stake series. While packing, moving, unpacking, full-time job hours and full-time Mom of Three hours; I managed to read the first 11 books in this series in about 10 days. She leads the series off with a Millionaire that you find it hard to not fall for. He loses his fang in a VANNA doll (read to find more out about Vanna White & Vanna Black!), and desperately needs to find a dentist who has vampire friendly hours.  

Enter Shanna. Conveniently, she is immune to the powers of mind-reading vampires, and that is intriguing like nothing else to Millionaire scientific genius, Roman. (YUM!) These two are polar opposites, and yet you root for Roman in his pursuit of her. 

You find yourself either loving or hating the many faces in the supporting cast of this first book. And to my hesitant excitement, I was eager to keep reading once I realized that I would be reading about a different person in each installment while the characters I became attached to in the previous book would become a supporting character! The thing about paranormal romance that keeps me reading is the "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE" aura that comes with these story lines. Each "world" is different depending on how the author sees it. Ms. Sparks hit one out of the park with her vision of the Vamp world!

 The world she created is so much like ours, you find it hard to think that this isn't actually reality. You have DVN (Digital Vampire Network) with vampire soaps, and even in Vamps in the City, you have a storyline within a reality TV show, "Sexiest Man on Earth!" There are nightclubs, harems and so much more. Okay, the harem isn't par for the course nowadays, but these are some seasoned vampires. And what vampire series would be complete without some eager slayers? Unfortunately for the head of the government's STAKE OUT team, Sean Whealan (Shanna's father) these slayers are not as hardcore with their hatred of the undead. Sean and his team are immune to the mind-altering effects that vampires can have on humans due to varying levels of psychic ability. Throughout the series, the team slowly begins to disband as it comes to light that this world of evil, blood-guzzling (from a bottle) isn't the nuisance they were taught.

All the pairings are of the unlikely nature. (If they weren't, why would you continue to read?) Levitating children are born, were-panthers are adopted, some mortals are turned, the Malcontents continue to cause problems, the very thing that allows these Vamps to be civil bottle drinking beasts is threatened, and so many kilts and accents. Wow!

Sparks writes in vamps that are considered fledglings too.  "Gori" is one I never thought I would care to read much about. He is a playboy, a womanizer and a lover of disco. He is a newbie. His mother, a psychic who knows when you have found 'THE ONE' is still alive and worked with Roman before his son was attacked and turned to save his life. In his installment, "Sexiest Vampire Alive," you learn why he comes off the way he does and details in his past that having you rooting for his success with the daughter of the president. You read that right, the President of the United States of America! Ms. Sparks goes there.

When you think she has covered all she can, you are introduced to were-bears who eat Bear claws by the dozen, drug dealers turned good vampire just trying to take care of his family while claiming he is the Doctor of Love, and so much more. Every person you meet evolves throughout this series from Sean to the old grouch, Conner. Finally, I will close with how much I love the catchy and sometimes cheesy, pun-filled titles. The titles like "Eat Prey Love," "Vampire with the Dragon Tattoo," and "All I want for Christmas is a Vampire."

Kerrelyn Sparks has found a lifetime fangirl reader in me. I tell everyone about this series, find myself trying to figure out who the next book is going to be about! These books are so out of this world awesome, I could write a book about these books. But that would be silly, when I could just be re-reading these and daydreaming about if I could get my husband to wear a  kilt and pick up a Scottish accent! Until next time, keep writing Ms. Sparks! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS!!!

To check out this series, go to the author's website:
Kerrelyn's Website

Or to her Facebook Page:
Ms. Spark's FB Page

And may the odds be ever in your favor...

I have tried this before, the whole book club thing. And it was with only ONE person I personally knew, and I felt this overwhelming pressure to read and felt almost intimidated by the level of participation that some members were contributing. Plus, we were tackling the 101 Books to Read before you die - a little too heavy for this point in my life. (With 3 little kids, a full-time job and a full-time husband, LOL)

So, on to attempt #2. 'For the Love of Reading' is what it is called, until (and if) we ever come up with a more clever name. July has been our first month and we read THE HUNGER GAMES! The Facebook group has been casual and laid back. A good amount of book chatter and I am excited to visit it when I have the extra time. It is made up of 5-10 people who all know each other personally or through someone else. I think this time we found something that works for us. And if you ask me - I could not be happier.

On to the book.

I worked at Borders for years, and was there during the Hunger Games craze, and apparently - I am too cool to follow the popular crowd, and read what they are reading. This makes me both sad and relieved. Sad: How did I wait so long to read this? Relieved: I would have never made it through having to wait for the 2nd or the 3rd one to come out! I would have been in a straight jacket with padded walls. For real! Suzanne Collins is a genius. This genre has never appealed to me, but the emotions I felt for the characters in District 12 and the others I met throughout the 74th and 75th Games. Brilliant. It was a roller coaster for 3 solid books. There was little to none when it came to smooth sailing with this series;  even with the main character, Katniss, was all alone in a tree with just her thoughts - you were on edge. I felt like I was Katniss. I felt the confusion that young love brings. I felt the pain she felt when Primrose's name was called at the Reaping. I felt the anger and the excitement as she prepared for the Games. I felt myself fall for that damn bread boy. I felt it ALL. And I couldn't take my eyes off the pages until I knew what happened next!

I felt right with Katniss and the rivaling emotions with Peeta and Gale. My mind goes back to a conversation that Peeta and Gale had, where Gale tells Peeta something along the lines of "Katniss will choose who she needs the most." I was torn with this statement for many reasons:

1. Throughout the trilogy, Katniss was the stronger of the 2 tributes. Peeta is smart with regards to the camouflage, but a warrior - no.
2. Gale is a provider, a hunter and a "man's man."
3. I thought this statement was meant as a blow to Peeta at the time. I felt like Gale knew he was the smarter choice. The one (in a survival state of mind) that Katniss would need the most.
4. Peeta is a more privileged Baker's son. I feel like they always thought they were beneath him.

In the long run, I think Peeta was always the one. She never forgot what he did. He has this unending desire to take care of her. It might not be in the way she is used to, with the coal miners - but she is not the normal girl either. There were little cues throughout the book that were unspoken signs of her feelings for him. With Gale, it was more of losing her best friend.

I looked throughout several discussion questions that were given in regards to these books. And I just relived them all over again. What happened to Cinna, the Avox's, the controlled environments of the districts, and the raw emotions. The one thing that killed me, even more than the death of Rue; was Prim's seemingly unnecessary death. It broke my heart on so many different levels. And the fact that it was left unanswered as to who was at fault. I know that was a pivotal point in the relationship of Gale and Katniss - I just hated it.

Finally, overall, I give this entire series a FIVE. It was so well written, and I cried and died a little inside for the characters.  Even though this series had an epilogue, which I despise - it was what the readers needed to have closure. I wanted a book about how Peeta and Katniss got to that point. I love the details, the background and more.

Our 1st book club meeting was at Cheddar's! (Nom nom nom, Monte Cristo!) It was fun, casual and very laid back. We talked about who we loved, the differences in the book and movie, which characters were your favorites and not so favorites, saddest point and how we would have done it differently. It was only 4 of us this time, but still a blast!

For the month of August, we are reading Life of Pi and having book club at Mugshots! :) Cannot wait!

My imagination has ran WILD!

When I started reading the Stephanie Plum series, I swore to you I saw Ranger and his endless supply of Rangeman vehicles in their signature black EVERYWHERE I drove. (Mind you, I do not live in New Jersey, and I am sure he has zero reason to be in Mississippi.) I dreamt of Dublin for weeks while reading the Fever series, and saw flashlights and headlights (MacHalo) everywhere I turned. I am definitely more sarcastic when reading Darynda Jones, my co-workers would vouch for that. And the list could go on. I take on what I am reading with FULL FORCE. I don't think it I mean to. It kind of reminds me of when certain people go on vacation and come back sounding Canadian. (Eh?)

That is me with books. When I visit new towns, countries, dimensions - I lose myself. I spent 6 books with Richelle Mead in Montana and a few other places like Russia. Currently, I have to concentrate really hard to find a gateway so I can visit the Shadowlands with Michael and Nikki. (Thanks Michelle Rowen) I need to invest in a world map, and place thumbtacks where I read-visit. :)

I am starting the Hunger Games book as the start to our "For the LOVE of Reading" bookclub. It is our first choice, courtesy of Katy! I just love that a group of almost and barely 30's WANT to take the time out of life to talk books. It just warms my heart like nothing else quite can. I am so excited for the end of the month for when we first meet up!

Reading has also caused me to find PINEREST-like crafts for bookcases and such. I am gathering supplies for some awesome stuff. I am LOVING life, even with all its bumps. I will see you soon blog! Very soon!

An 8 Year Old, a 4 Year Old and a 3 Year Old...

A broken laptop and 50 Shades of Grey can cause someone like me to be MIA in the blogverse for 6 months. BUT... Have no fear:

my kids may still be 8,4 and 3... But, my laptop is working and I am done with the obsession known as Fifty Shades of Grey. :-) I am still Crockpot Crazy, Frugal as I can be while working full time and finding time to sleep when I am not reading. Which leads into my next portion of the lost 6 months...

Fifty Shades, Crossfire, the Host, a little Janet Evanovich, some Karen Marie Moning and Real Vampires with Gerry Bartlett... I have been all over the world in the last 6 months. While my husband will claim I haven't left the couch... These books took me places. Almost 2 years since Borders shut their doors, and I am still the crazy person who packed FIVE books for an 8 day vacation with my 2 youngest. I read TWO! Charlie Tango sighting ever since. One day, I will find myself embracing the book world for a living again. I ask one thing of each of you - DO NOT forget the adventures you had reading Goosebumps or Hardy Boys. The love you felt reading Twilight, for you TWIHARDS. Or the first time you stayed up til 2 in the morning reading a sci-fi book because you couldn't figure what was going to happen, and YOU couldn't go to sleep not knowing. I remember in 10th grade, when I first picked up Harry Potter. That was 1999-2000, and it wasn't until 10 years later when the saga ended. It was a part of my childhood. And if you read on your Nook, Kindle or that good old fashion PAPER book, don't ever stop. Our kids need to love getting lost in a book. My kids love bookstores and libraries. (THANK GOD for that, or they would be bored at the amount of time I spend in them.) I hear parents talking their kids out of the book they are asking for and offering a toy instead. ARE YOU CRAZY? Your kid wants to read!!! Embrace it. When they are in high school and have to read Dickens, Austen, Shakespeare and so on... They will have no fear... and NO cliff notes at the last minute in lieu of the novel...*off my literary soapbox now*

In short, I am back and curious as to what I am going to cook in my Crockpots next... For now, I am off to work y'all! Have a margarita for me on this chilly Cinco de Mayo!

Til next blog...

sMashed Potatoes (#24)

Thanksgiving Eve.

Just got off work, heading to the store for the items I forgot when I was pre-planning. Haha. I am doing a lot of firsts this go around. I don't do pies and I am making a low-fat Chocolate Cream pie and a Gluten Free Sweet Potato pie for my little sister-in-law. :) (And an apple pie!) Thinking I will head to the store in the morning, and try my hand at a Strawberry pie - kind of in a pie mood.

But the magic happened in my Crockpot. My in-laws are the masters of instant mashed potatoes. They are good, but this gal grew up with boiled, peeled and mashed deliciousness of homemade smashed potatoes. Crockpot mashed potato recipes are all over the Internet, but most start with boiling on the stove. I consider it a CP recipe if I cook it ALL in my partner in crime, Sir Crockpot.

Finally, I found one. I didn't add all the extra ingredients that the author of the recipe did. I just needed to know how long they needed to cook in the CP. I like potatoes enough to know they don't need all the bells and whistles.

What you need:

*5 pounds of potatoes (I used russet this time, but Red and Yukon's work great too!)
*2 cups of chicken broth (or 2 cups of water and a bullion cube)
*Milk
*Fat Free Cream Cheese

The How:

1)Quarter the potatoes and toss into the Crockpot.
***You can peel or leave the skins on. I am a fan of the skins and I use the excuse with others who don't like them, that they are where you get the good stuff from. You can also cut them smaller if you need them to cook quicker. Add your chicken broth, or water if you prefer.

2)Cook on high for 4-5 hours, low for 7-8 hours - and then mash. (Depending on the amount of liquid left in the potatoes, you might want to drain. I had very little, and left most in for flavor)

3)The rest is really to taste. Everyone has a preference with smashed potatoes: fluffy, thick, chunky, etc. You add 1/2 block of FF cream cheese, and blend. (More or less to your taste) And then slowly add milk until you reach the consistency that you love.

I have to tell you, these taste incredible. And plus, it left a spot on the stove top open and allowed me to nap while I was waiting for the oven to open up for my bird. I love turkey. :) I hope everyone has an incredible holiday. Make sure you thank God, not only today - but everyday, for all he has and will continue to bless you with. My pastor said something that has stuck with me all week:

"If you woke up this morning with only what you gave thanks to God for yesterday, what would you be left with?"

Now, that is food for thought! Till next time...

How Do I Feel About Food?

That is a BIG question for me.

 

In the last several years I have realized this is how my Mother showed me her love, as well as my Grandmother. Being raised in a Mexican household, this love consisted of tons of lardy tortillas and plates that large enough to feed a small army. Even when combating diabetes and other health problems, my family never budged on their style of eating.

 

When I entered adulthood and moved to Mississippi, not much changed. In the South - love = food in the form of fried chicken and just about fried everything. I found that I one of the ways I show Michael I care is making sure I cook dinner every night. The kids and I love to cook together. It is one of my favorite times with them. Yum! In 2010, I began the fight. And I was very successful. And proud of how I looked and felt.

 

During the last year, I have slipped quite a bit. Not in the weight department so much, but on how I was eating and feeding my family. The result was a sluggish feeling throughout the day, and feeling tired after a full night of sleep. I woke up this morning, and realized that is how I used to feel. And I did not like it then, and I certainly do not like it now, especially since I am well aware of how awesome the extra energy and less pounds feel.

 

11/18/12

marks the day that I make the permanent change in our lives. Yes, there will be some things I cut out completely that I will not expect my husband to cut out, like soda. Although, since I do the majority of the cooking, this change will be for everyone in my house. I am very excited to begin again, and I look forward to the extra energy.

 

A few things that will become staples in my life will be:

 

1) No soda. I don't particularly like soda. I am a social drinker. (Haha, sounds funny - but true) I genuinely love ice cold water, and I will just get used to the crazy looks I get when I order just water.

 

2) 3 miles of walking or running - 3 days a week. I am going to work my Netflix workouts back in too, but the little ones make it difficult to commit to a certain amount each week.

 

3) Pack my lunch EVERY day.

 

I look forward to updating my blog with my success that I am sure will be incredible. :)

 

4) - Positive thinking.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup (#23)

On nights when Michael works, the kids and I can indulge in soup. My hubby is not much for soup eating. I, on the other hand, LOVE soup! And tonight, we have Loaded Baked Potato Soup in the Crockpot!

The finished soup, garnished with basil
from my kitchen herb garden!

The Ingredients

2.5 Pounds of Russet Potatoes

2 Cloves of chopped Garlic

1/2 Chopped Yellow Onion

32 Ounces of Chicken Stock (low sodium)

1 Block of Cream Cheese (fat free)

Bacon (low sodium Turkey bacon)

Parmesan Cheese

 

 

Chop up your potatoes, we like bite-size chunks in our soup, so ours are a little bigger than we see at the restaurants. It is really what you prefer. I also leave the skins on because it is the good for ya part of the potato, and they are YUM. Toss in your garlic, onion and chicken stock and cook on low for 8 hours.

 

The first time I made this, I followed the recipe to a tee. They instructed to puree the cream cheese in the soup. It was more dishes to transfer the soup to puree it, and I found that having the cream cheese sit for about 30 minutes, and adding it to the Crockpot works wonders. It does require a little attention with the stirring, but I prefer to keep the large chunks of potatoes. Makes the meal seem more filling that way.

 

On to the garnish. :-) My favorite part. I substitute pork bacon for Turkey bacon, our local store has an amazing low sodium Turkey bacon that is to die for. My kids don't really know pork bacon, so they don't taste a difference. I chop up the bacon, cook it and stir it in the soup. True, that doesn't make it a garnish really, but I like bacon throughout. Low-fat Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on top and served.

 

This is one of my favorite soups, and GREAT for those cold winter days. I do hope you enjoy this version of Loaded Baked Potato Soup. So happy for it to be winter and the soup making to commence! Until next time...

 



Beer Chicken!!! (#22)

I have been in a rut! I have resorted to a good 10 to 12 Crockpot meals that are a guaranteed win for this family, and have not really ventured out of my comfort bubble. While watching all the morning shows that I do not normally get to watch with work - I heard someone talk about their 'go-to' meal of Beer Chicken.

Hmmm.... Can I do this in the Crockpot?

Yes I can, according to a fellow blogger at http://www.mydailydish.com/.

The Ingredients!!!

Ingredients

4-6 Chicken Breasts (You can use a whole chicken also, fresh or frozen.)
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 bottle Beer






Toss it all in your Crockpot and walk away. How long do you ask? It depends:

FRESH CHICKEN
3-4 hours - HIGH
7-8 - LOW

FROZEN CHICKEN
4-5 - HIGH
8-10 - LOW

The recipe I found used Garlic Powder, Basil, Paprika, Salt and Pepper. She also stated, she used those because that is what she had. :-) Good deal, because I was out of Paprika, and we LOVE LOVE LOVE Crushed Red Pepper in the Crockpot! So please, take chances with the spices you and your loved ones enjoy! You know your taste buds best!!!

The finished product!
 

The Verdict:

YUM! Kids ate it with Mac & Cheese, Hubs ate it with Beans and Rice, and I ate my wrapped up in a corn tortilla. Totally a new one in the Crook Family rotation!!!

Crock Pot Pie (#21)

Hello Birthday Bucket List! #15 - COMPLETE!!!

Amanda will be proud, I finally made a Pot pie, and it was AMAZING.

The Ingredients

Ingredients

Chicken - 2 skinless, boneless breasts

Corn - 1/2 cup frozen

Peas - 1/2 cup frozen

Onion Powder - dash

Milk - 1/2 cup

Basil - dash

Butter - 2 Tablespoons

Flour - 3 Tablespoons

Chicken Broth - 1/2 cup

Salt - dash

Pepper - dash

Canned Biscuits - 1 can

 

 

I didn't have Cream of ANYTHING soup, so I had to improvise, and that is where a lot of the ingredients came from.

 

{1 Tablespoon of butter and  3 Tablespoons of flour to make a base. Ass the 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of Chicken Broth, salt and pepper and ta-da  - you have a substitute.}

 

The Finished Crust <3

First, you want to spray your Crockpot, and toss in cut up chunks of chicken. [I read in several recipes that many prefer dark meat, but we only had breasts] Next I added the frozen corn and peas. Again, every recipe had different veggies, and most had celery. This is what I had on hand. Add the spices of your choosing to the pot as well. Finally, you add your soup or soup substitute and mix well. Several different recipes had awesome dough recipes, and options to take your Crockpot liner out and toss the biscuits on and toss in the oven. I didn't have the time or the oven. I took a can of biscuits, and placed them on top of the filling. Added some honey to sweeten the "crust." Placed the lid on top and put a knife between the lid and pot to eliminate the condensation on the crust. Times varied from 3-4 hours on high to 6-hours on low. I choose 3-4 hours on high. At 3 1/2 hours the filling was smelling delicious and the crust was perfect.

 

I really did enjoy this recipe, and with the weather finally feeling like Fall - it was a perfect warm feeling meal. The kids loved the chicken and sauce. I loved the biscuits. Overall, a win for this family and I cannot wait to play with other substitutions with veggies and adding potatoes.

 



The Finished Plate

As you can see, I made a small portion. I was not confident in this recipe. It is something I was never made or ate in my life. You can just adjust the amounts accordingly. This was enough for 4 servings with a side of mashed potatoes.

 

Enjoy Y'all!

 

 

Lord of the Flies (#2)

Lord of the Flies

Made it through 1984, and I am very eager to start...

 Lord of the Flies.

We are having our first Book Club get together today... doubling as a BBQ for my birthday. 7 kids, 4 adults = I think we have NO chance. :-) But, 3 Crockpots going (2 at my house, one at Kristyn's) and the men are BBQ'ing - life is good!

Crockpot Honey Cola Ham (#20)

As a mother of 3, I face struggles daily with picky eaters. I make shaped sandwiches, foods have silly names, and there are rewards systems for trying new foods. (Sue me! I know there are not supposed to be rewards attached to foods, but it works!) My biggest struggles right now are Malakai and his inability to try new things. At 7, he thinks he knows what he likes and that it that. And he knows he DOES NOT eat ham. (Sheesh, that is a harsh thing to hear for a Thanksgiving Dinner loving gal like myself) And then my sweet diva-like daughter, Alannah doesn't want to eat meat unless it is turkey bacon or grilled chicken bites.

While Malakai is at school today, and the kids and I have a play date, my Crockpot will be slaving over a Cola Ham. Let's see how this turns out.

 

Ingredients

These is how it looks PRE-Crockpot! <3 (Brown Sugar
is in the Cupcake)

Boneless Ham (size accordingly to what you need)

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

4 Tablespoons of Honey

I Tablespoon of Mustard

2 (8oz.) cans of Cola

 

You are going to want to make a paste out of the brown sugar, honey and the mustard. This will be rubbed on the sides of the ham that have been scored. (Keep in mind, you can score both sides - just don't go any deeper than an 1/8 of an inch.) Put that rubbed on ham into your Crockpot and pour the 2 cans of cola into the pot. Be careful not to pour directly onto your ham, otherwise all that rubbing will have been a waste. Toss the lid on, turn that knob to low and ENJOY your day for the next 7-8 hours. Alannah, Kal'El and myself are off to the park for a play date while our partner in crime, Crockpot, slaves over the ham.

When this is done, Alannah and I will whip up a quick bowl of Honey Mashed Potatoes. (Regular Mashed Potatoes with honey swirled in. The kids ADORE them!)

***SIDENOTE: I do use a lot of honey. And if you are curious as  to why - here goes. I grew up in a family with very little allergies. When we moved to the South, my little family's allergies exploded. And I was told a teaspoon of local honey will help fight the allergies. And honestly it does. I give them a straight up teaspoon sometimes, but cooking with it is fun. Now, the honey bear - Alannah and Kal'El love Sir Honeybear, so I pour the local honey into a cleaned out Kroger Honey Bear container, and they know to grab honey bear. :-) I love my kiddos!

THE VERDICT:
We all loved it!!! I used a pre-sliced ham, so that was even less work that I needed to do. :-)

My life POST 1984...

I read it.

Mission accomplished.

My thoughts:

Topic #1: E-Books
I can't do it. At least not right now. I like the feel of pages. The smell of the pages, and until Kirkland's brings back the sachet that smells like books, I can't do it. Topic over. :-)

Topic #2: Readers
I am excited that we have a new reader, Amanda! We worked at Borders together also. Unfortunately she can't meet with us because she moved her happy behind to Florida. But, she is super friggin smart, and brings a lot of good points (and explanations) to the online discussions!

Topic #3: 1984
This book did a lot of things - none of which made me want to read it again. I questioned my own government quite a bit. Considered how much of our history is a false or altered telling of what actually happened. It also made me grateful for the freedoms we have that often get overlooked: free thought, will, and speech. This book was a very extreme Nazi like government controlled society.

There were days I felt for Winston. When he began to question Big Brother, I had hope. I love a good rebel, almost as much as a good love story. Enter Julia. (Or the dark-haired girl to start) Is she a spy? No, she is a rebellious insider. They form this relationship and receive help to continue this relationship by a Mr. Charrington. (My favorite character throughout almost the entire book.) Winston and Julia are in love. And to top it off Winston meets with O'Brien and learns of the Brotherhood who is against Big Brother, and he plans to join and basically live happily ever after. In a world of chaos and no freedom, you get the sense of hope with the relationships taking place. With all this going on, I still don't become attached to any of the characters, I just don't get a lot of development or emotions to latch on to - which leads me to continue to hope to see a glimmer of emotion or a character I love. The one character I find myself liking, Mr. Charrington turns out to be a member of the Thought Police which leads to the capture of Winston and Julia. Winston is then tortured in the worst ways imaginable - rats!

The issue that I have wrapping my head around this book is that the characters in the books I normally read are the "I will die for you" in love type of characters. The fact that Julia and Winston turned on each other just breaks my heart. (Maybe they should find themselves a vamp, shifter or a Fae. They love hard. :-P)

Then after all the torture - you are released, and after everything you fought and did not believe in is suddenly OK in your world. 2+2=5 now. What in the world??? It just switched. Ended. Oh man.

*deep breath*

Topic #4: Final Thoughts
When all was said and done, Amanda (being her smart, insightful self) brought up an interesting thought:

Was Winston ever released? Throughout the novel, there were several hallucinations. What makes you think he was actually released, and that he is not just imagining freedom? Perhaps as a coping mechanism. Now, my mind continues to wander.

And thus, my first check mark on the list of 101 Books You Should Read Before you Die.

Birthday Bucket List

For the past couple years, I have made a 'BIRTHDAY BUCKET LIST' that correlates with how old I am turning. Last year, I had 27 things to do during my 27th year. Needless to say, it was not very successful. Haha, my 27th birthday was 3 days before we shut the doors to my Beautiful Borders Store #0472. Which was followed by me being UNEMPLOYED and UNPLANNED for the first time since I began working. I was blessed God to only be unemployed for 6 whole days. Haha. Then came the hard part, we moved during this 6 days of unemployment which followed Malakai having to switch schools twice! (If you have not had to deal with a situation like this, NIGHTMARE!) Plus, I felt like I had been ripped from my entire family. I will not dwell on the loss of my favorite place growing up, and my favorite job thus far, but anyone who worked at Borders would agree that we were a loyal to the core group of people, and we were never there for the money. (HA!) We love those damn books and all their glorious plot twists and turns. I am grateful to still have quite a few of those people still in my life today, a WHOLE year later. I honestly did not expect it. There was a lot of drunken talk at our farewell party that we would never talk again. A year has passed and I have some amazing new co-workers, and even some awesome friends. I have been continuously blessed. We have found a church home, and the kids are all growing up so fast. We are a diaper-free zone now, and I never thought that would happen. Haha. I am happy to say that I did not put on the 40+ pounds I worked so hard to lose during this year of ups and downs. And my husband says I read WAY more now that I can't check them out. Funny how that happens. I look forward to this upcoming year, and I WILL complete my BIRTHDAY BUCKET LIST this year, so here goes it. (There will be some returning characters from last years list that are important to me to complete!)

1) Get my 3 planned tattoos.
2) Get my butt into the friggin' state of Florida. (I live too close to have never gone.)
3) Make a raised bed, and maintain my garden.
4) Be a part of a Book Club that meets once a month. I would LOVE it to be themed meetings, yep. I am a dork. So sue me! (Kristyn, can we do this???)
5) Complete at least one 5k and one 10k.
6) Create the reading corner in my room, like I keeping planning. (It's pretty awesome in my head!)
7) Skirts. (I am going to learn to sew, Alannah and I need more skirts!)
8) Have a garage sale.
9) Take a family picture. We have family pictures, but I mean like a photo shoot. :-)
10) Create and stick to a simple workout routine. (Now that the babies get up when they hear me get up, it's a LOT harder to work out after getting Malakai on the bus!)
11) Decide if I am serious about my store plans, I think I am. But 28 seems like a good year to decide what I need to do to go forward.
12) Go home to visit! LONG overdue, and my brother has a baby and a wife now. All these babies back home that I have NOT snuggled with yet!
13) Learn how to do the canning and preserves stuff. :-)
14) Go roller skating.
15) Make pot pies (Yes Amanda, they are easy - I just didn't do it last year. :-/)
16) Have a date NIGHT or DAY once a month. Even if it is a Wednesday, lol. Once a month.
17) 149, enough said on that one. :-)
18) Quit biting my nails.
19) Make some outdoor patio furniture.
20) Make/Find a vanity for Alannah.
21) Make/Find a fort(clubhouse) for the Boys.
22) Collect the cheesy plastic to-go cups from wherever I go!!!
23) Go to Easely Amused... Even if it is by myself.
24) Go back to school.
25) Volunteer somewhere with Malakai.
26) Host Marchgiving. I was an EPIC failure this year. I blame it on the morning of Borders. :-)
27) Blog more! (Twice a week, so 104 posts by my 29th birthday.)
28) Make a quilt.

1984

After a LONG day of figuring out how to use an E-Book.
Haha, I guess I am pretty content with my paper pages.

Here goes nothing!

My friend, Kristyn, and I are doing what most people hate... We are reading the books those crazy schools require you to read when you should be tanning at the beach, or whatever kids do during the summers now. We found a list titled, "101 Books to Read Before You Die," and we are doing two a month. Tonight I start reading 1984. A book I have always wanted to read for no particular reason other than the simple fact that it was the year of my birth. Silly reason - YES! So, like I said before...

Here goes nothing!

101 Books to Read Before I die...

Hello World, Blogging about cooking has not been on my to-do list lately. I have been cooking, but nothing SPECTACULAR. I vow to get back into the groove, but with a kid to get ready for 2nd grade, a diva who keeps finding a way to cut her hair, and potty training the baby - there hasn't been a ton of time to experiment in the kitchen. I have been relying on my Ol' Faithfuls. I did receive a Cake Pop maker, and we have been enjoying Pancake Balls, Corn Dog Bites, Cheese Ball Bites, Muffin Balls and all that fun stuff. Kids (and the Hubbs and I) enjoy bite size foods! But this post is not about the kitchen - it's about my MISSION: MISSION BOOK BUCKET LIST...

Below is a list that has been made of the 101 Books they (whoever "THEY" are) suggest one should read. The plan is to tackle them at the pace of - 1 per TWO week period. I am not going to abandon my Vampires, the Fae, the New Jersey Police Department, Wares, Sidhe-Seers, Vampyres, Bounty Hunters, etc... so the book per 2 week period is in addition to the book I always carry in my bag. (Not purse, my husband claims I look like a BAG lady with my totes... Haha, I adore my totes!) So, here goes the list. I have read a few of these, but it has been a LONG time... so RE-reading is a must. I am hoping to get this fellow friend of mine to join me, in hopes that I can be able to vent about how terrible the book is, or how much I love it!!! We will see if she joins me. (Plus, then we can go out to eat every 2 weeks... YUM!) It will take about 4 years to get through the list - EKKK, that is a big commitment for someone who took a year to complete the 60 day photo challenge. HAHA Wish me luck! (Luck for completing, and luck for buying 100 additional books to the 5 or so I buy every 2 weeks...Do you think Michael will notice the additional packages? Haha, feel free to send me y'alls copies!!!! Save a nerd some money!!!)

1. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
4. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
5. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
6. Perfume by Patrick Suskind
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel G. Marquez
8. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
9. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
10. Atonement by Ian McEwan
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
12. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
13. Beloved by Toni Morrison
14. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
15. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
16. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
17. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
18. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
19. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
20. Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
21. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
22. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
23. The Crow Road by Iain Banks
24. Dracula by Bram Stoker
25. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
26. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
27. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
28. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
29. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
30. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
31. An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan
32. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
33. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
34. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
35. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
36. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
37. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
38. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
39. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
40. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
41. Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
42. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
43. If This Is A Man by Primo Levi
44. What A Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe
45. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things* by Jon McGregor
46. An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
47. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
48. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
49. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
50. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
51. In Patagonia* by Bruce Chatwin
52. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
53. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
54. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
55. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
56. *Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
57. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
58. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
59. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
60. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
61. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
62. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
63. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
64. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
65. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
66. The Monk by Matthew Lewis
67. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
68. New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
69. Northern Lights* by Philip Pullman
70. The Odyssey by Homer
71. The Outsider by Albert Camus
72. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
73. Possession by A.S. Byatt
74. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
75. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
76. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
77. The Reader by Bernard Schlink
78. The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg
79. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love* by Raymond Carver
80. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
81. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
82. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
83. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
84. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
85. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
86. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
87. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
88. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
89. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
90. Stalingrad by Antony Beevor
91. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
92. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
93. Touching the Void by Jow Simpson
94. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
95. Waterland by Graham Swift
96. The Unbearable Lightness of Being* by Milan Kindera
97. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
98. The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
99. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
100. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
101. A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor