The News is Sad Tonight

I was somewhat idly scanning my Facebook feed and came across a post from my friends at Litfuse Publicity Group informing their blogger network that they are closing. I am so sad to see this. I've so enjoyed working with the staff at Litfuse. They offered a wide-ranging array of books to review and were friendly, efficient and all around great to work with. I searched my posts and saw that I started working with them in 2014 and reviewed 29 books, including the beloved classic novel, Christy. I've still got one more title to review later this month -- I'll keep the title for a surprise -- and that will be a review and a giveaway.

Thanks, Litfuse for great books to read, fun genres to explore and hope and encouragement from inspirational titles. You introduced me to new authors --  Sarah Sundin -- comes to memory immediately and you gave us all happy hours of reading. Many, many thanks! I will miss you.

In addition to Litfuse, I received an email this week that Blogging for Books would be closing in April. I didn't work with them as much as I worked with Litfuse, but I had the good fortune to review books for them as well. Thanks, too, friends at Blogging for Books.

I know that the only thing that is constant in life is change, but seeing two book blogging groups closing doesn't portend well. I worry about the future of blogging, but as long as there's a format I plan to be right here in Buttercupland. I will be looking for new opportunities for book reviews and will continue to share titles that I believe my friends in Buttercupland will enjoy. One occurred by serendipity today, but that's a post for another day.

It's still winter, which seems to be lasting eternally. I know that in two weeks it will really feel like spring, but these last days of winter seem endless. I love living in New York, but I have a bit of envy for my friends in warmer climates at this time of year.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.       

The More of Less

This is a long overdue post. It's actually the post I meant to write the first week of January when I was contemplating the year ahead. Now the year is almost one-twelfth finished, but the thoughts that Joshua Becker shares in The More of Less are certainly no less relevant.

When I was younger, acquiring was so much more attractive. But somehow as the years went by, all the acquiring -- "getting and spending" as Wordsworth described it -- became a burden. Stuff seems to be everywhere and it seems at every turn we're encouraged to get more and more. I've written steadily about my decluttering efforts and though I've made headway, I'm a long way from the less cluttered life I'd like to live.

I found the More of Less a good guide, both in the lessons of Joshua Becker's life and the practical suggestions that are offered. I'm especially enamored by this quote, "the beauty of minimalism isn't what it takes away, but it's in what it gives."  My goal is to live a life that isn't sparse -- I still want books and pictures around me -- but one that gives me time to read, enjoy the out of doors and spend time with people I care about. I'm going to test this out during my vacation. I've made great strides in vacation souvenirs, but my limit is three for this trip, and preferably small and useful.

I'm just about set for my trip. I've got a few last minute trip related things to do and not very much scheduled in the next few days. I'm packing light and will put everything out on Thursday night to make sure I'm not scrambling at the last minute. A light suitcase makes a happy traveler.

We had one of our few snowy days today. It snowed, but it wasn't slippery and I really enjoyed being outside and walking. I'm hoping Friday is clear, so there are no weather delays with my flight.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!

Please note: I was given a review copy of The More of Less by Blogging for Books in exchange for my thoughts. My thoughts are all mine.

What Do You Cook When You Don't Know What to Cook?

It's a (relatively) cold, rainy and slightly dreary day in Manhattan. It's a good day to cook and prepare meals for the week. I've got chicken, four different vegetables and I'm just about ready to prepare dinner. But I've come to the end of my cooking creativity. What do I do?

 

Thanks to my friends at Blogging for Books, I turn to Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix, and I am inspired. There are seven hundred recipes for every type of food. I can pick chicken recipes that include the ingredients and spices I have on hand and mix and match them. It's not an easy choice. Thanks to fabulous photos, each dish looks better than the last. I'm leaning to Chicken with Olives, Tomatoes and Parsley, but Chicken with Asparagus and Mustard is also calling my name. There's no asparagus in the kitchen, but it looks that a swap out for broccoli might work well, too. The sections for chicken include chicken breasts, chicken cutlets , chicken parts and for those days that I splurge, fried chicken. Mark Bittman, where have you been all my life?

Actually, I've been following Mark Bittman's columns in the New York Times for years, but the Kitchen Matrix makes me feel that Mark is in my kitchen and is answering my question, "What do I cook for dinner?" It's very readable, has great ideas, and did I mention that the pictures are among some of the best I've seen in cookbooks? I know I did, but it's worth repeating. I don't use a lot of my cookbooks, but I'm definitely going to use this one.

I'm making chicken tonight. What's for dinner at your house?

I got my miles in this morning, grocery shopped, met a friend for coffee and now it's time for blog visits. After my chicken dinner I'm planning a few uninterrupted hours with Aimee Leduc in Murder in the Sentier.

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a wonderful Sunday evening.

Please note: I received a copy of Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are all mine.

Random Five Friday Autumn in New York

This isn't an official Random Five Friday where I link up with other bloggers, which seems just right for a day that didn't feel like an official autumn day. The Random Five linkup is no longer -- alas -- and the almost eighty degree weather capped off by a thunderstorm was more summer than fall. But I've got some snips of the week to share, not quite enough for a post each, but fun for a Friday evening. Shall we begin...

 

1) The pumpkins are out and I am so happy to see their patches of color as I walk down Broadway. I've been reading about a possible pumpkin shortage closer to Thanksgiving and will be picking up a couple of cans of pumpkin to have for treats throughout the season. I love pumpkin, ginger and all foods of the autumn.

 

2) I was delighted to discover that Awesome Annie, a favorite Weight Watchers leader is back from her summer hiatus. We had a great session this week discussing goals.

 

 

3) Besides tonight's thunderstorm the weather has been great this week. This is the scene outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If I had a scrap of wall space I'd be searching here to fill it up. I'm always intrigued when I walk by.

 

 Fifth Avenue on a perfect autumn day

 

 

4) Last winter before I traveled to Japan and Korea I attended a wonderful lecture series on Japanese art. This fall I've been fortunate to sign up for a series of lectures on Asian Art. This was one of the topics last week and Thursday the topics were Korean Art -- fabulous! -- and Chinese Jade. I'm eager to start exploring the galleries and see the pieces that have been discussed. Yes, there will be a post and pictures to share.   

 

5) Sneak preview for "Fiction Friday" The official kick-off is next Friday, but I'm opening the series with thoughts on "Ruby" by Cynthia Bond.  Thanks to Blogging for Books I've had the opportunity to read this thoughtful and haunting -- in the best sense -- work of fiction. Generally the books I write about are much lighter, but "Ruby" is the antithesis of light reading. It looks at issues of poverty, racism and the long and lingering effects of trauma. The characters, especially Ruby Bell, the title character and Ephram Jennings, who has long loved her, are memorable and their pain and humanity will stay with me. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read this book. It's not light reading, but definitely worth reading and thinking about. 

 

That's this week of autumn in New York. The weekend is quiet and I hope to be back to complete peppiness by next week.

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a sweet weekend.

 

Please note: I was given a copy of "Ruby" by Blogging for Books for review purposes, but the thoughts are all mine.

Foodie Friday: My Perfect Pantry

When I was growing up I lived in a house that was built in 1924. It had a big kitchen and a pantry, both of which were standard for life in 1924. It was great for our family life, too. We moved to this house in 1957 and my mother loved all the space in the pantry. She could keep her large collection of pans and cooking implements, as well as take advantage of sales. My mother was a cook and a baker and liked to  have supplies at hand to keep us fed.

In 2015 I live in a small New York apartment and I have a galley kitchen and three shelves in place of a pantry. I like to cook, too, but I don't have space for everything I would like. I was delighted to have the opportunity from Blogging for Books to review "My Perfect Pantry" and get advice about items I could easily keep on hand that would translate into great food.   

If you're a fan of food shows on television you're familiar with Geoffrey Zakarian. I was eager to translate some of the great food from his restaurants into my own meals and I was pleased to see that the ingredients he suggests as pantry essentials are neither expensive or esoteric. I keep tuna, cider vinegar and peanut butter all the time and I can add barley, lima beans and chicken stock. I do need to add some spices, but with some basics there are great recipes. From my regular stock of canned tomatoes I'm planning to make braised green beans with tomatoes. I'm also going to buy dried lima beans and try the lima bean hash. I think it will be a perfect meal for these cold, cold winter days.  These are not especially simple recipes, but I can definitely see making most of them. There are great baking ideas, too, including a fabulous one for chocolate muffins.

I was delighted to have this opportunity to get my kitchen and "pantry" in order and stock up on foods that  will actually translate into delicious meals. Thanks, Geoffrey Zakarian and Blogging for Books for this great opportunity.

Today was an errand day and warm enough for a walk outside. The temperatures are dropping quickly -- my phone reports that it feels like it's ten degrees outside -- and I can hear the wind. I may just keep warm and cozy indoors tomorrow and drink lots of herbal tea.

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. Keep cozy!

Please note: I received a copy of "My Perfect Pantry" for review purposes. The opinions are all mine.

Vibrant Food Foodie Friday

I have a shelf of cookbooks in my apartment and it's a long shelf. I don't use them all that often anymore, turning more to the internet to look for a recipe, but there are times a cookbook comes along and I remember why I used to spend happy hours cookbook reading. Thanks to my friends at Blogging for Books I've had the good fortune to discover "Vibrant Food" by Kimberly Hasselbrink, and once again found a cookbook to spend happy hours with, reading and cooking.

I like to eat and cook with the seasons. The summer is a wealth of blueberries and peaches and watermelon and in the autumn I turn to apples and squash and pumpkins. I haven't been very creative in my autumn cooking this year and having "Vibrant Food" has made me expand my autumn horizons considerably. The book -- with gorgeous photographs -- is divided by seasons and each season features five or six foods. The autumn section does include tree fruits and winter squash, but it adds figs and persimmons. I am a fig fan, but I do little more than simply eat them as a snack, and I am looking forward to trying the turkey burgers with balsamic figs. Persimmons will be a new food for me and with the encouragement of "Vibrant Food" I will be adding them to my shopping basket. I don't want to get ahead of myself but the citrus recipes in winter do look good.

A cheer for persimmons, apples and pears and winter squash and a big cheer for "Vibrant Food."

What is your favorite autumn food? Do you stick with traditional recipes or look for new ways to serve favorites?

Autumn has definitely arrived and New York has been very fortunate to have been so far been spared the early winter weather. It was cool today -- definitely time for gloves -- but not windy and I got in a long walk. I'm trying to keep as active as possible before I worry about slippery sidewalks.

For those of you who have snow, please be safe and keep cozy. For everyone, have a great weekend! Thanks so much for visiting and take good care.

Please note: I received a copy of this book to review, but the opinions are all mine.