Memorial Day 2012
The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.
~Walt Whitman
Weekly Weigh-In and a bit of Miscellany….
Well I gained a pound this week, but frankly, I am pleased! I have a friend in from out of town and while we were very good (far better than we’ve ever been), we did have a couple of “splurge days”. I am back on track as of today though so I expect a loss next Sunday!
We went to the RenFaire again yesterday (our visiting pal had never been) and though I’ve been for 5 years,
Her Majesty the Queen has a bit of a slide, Georgia Ren Faire May 26, 2012.
I have never seen Her Majesty the Queen having a bit of fun like this…so glad I captured this shot!
Wednesday starts my summer term, and for once, I am not anxious to get back, I could use another 2 weeks to let my brain rest. Oh well, it will fly once I start I know.
I am anxiously looking forward to my upcoming whitewater rafting trip, which will be over the 8th-11th of June. Class 3 and 4 rapids here I come! Expect many awesome pics…
If you are off today, enjoy! If you are like me and have to head to work, have a great day at work! 
Book Love V
In an attempt to not have a HUGE entry like last time, it’s that time again. So, order is just order read, with most recent on top.
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman – 4/5 stars - young adult/apocalyptic/coming of age/magical realism – Rather poetic, lyrical writing centers on this moody, shy, young woman and her family. Tragedy, survival, and introspection. It’s quite lovely but if you are not a fan of magical realism, I do not recommend it. It is rife with that and poetic descriptions which may seem overkill to some, but I felt contributed fine to the atmopshere Hoffman wanted.
Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass – 3/5 stars – forensic mystery – This is a duo, and one of the duo is Dr. Bass – who actually started the “Body Farm” facility at UT. He uses actual cases as inspiration to write these forensic thrillers. It was solid and I even learned something (google adipocere). If you like crime, forensics, southern writing – you should peek into these.
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb – 2.5/5 starts – mystery/romance/futuristic – Book one of a series by Nora Roberts writing as JD Robb, the mystery portion was pretty good, as was the slightly future world. Where it bored me and fell apart was the otherwise strong female lead becoming romantically interested in the possible suspect. That’s all I will say without spoilers. The romance was too cliche.
Iron House by John Hart – 2.5/5 stars – mystery/suspense – Normally, I’m a John Hart fan. However, his most recent publication just missed with me. I felt it was more transparent, more obvious and more labored. The female love interest just baffled me altogether. I think if she was removed and the story line focused on the two men, it would have been A LOT better. I would still recommend him if you like suspense, Southern-tinged mystery – however, I would say start with “Last Child”.
Recipe: Jack, Pepper and Mango Quesadilla
So yum and only 3 points per serving. I did a few subs/add-ins and they will be noted in bold.
The Stuffs:
cooking spray
16 small corn tortillas (I found mine on the ethnic food aisle)
1 cup shredded, reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups roasted red peppers (packed in water), chopped – I only had red bell pepper so i diced it with a bit of green bell pepper I had left over and used that.
2 cups mangoes, chopped - My market had none so I subbed canned peaches (in water).
The How-To:
Lay 8 tortillas on a work surface; top each with 1 tablespoon cheese, 1/4 cup pepper and 1/4 cup mango. Sprinkle each with 1 more tablespoon cheese; top with remaining tortillas.
Coat a very large skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in pan and cook until speckled brown on bottom, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip quesadillas and cook until speckled brown on other side and cheese melts, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a wire rack, cover to keep warm and repeat with remaining ingredients. Slice each quesadilla into 4 pieces and serve. Yields 2 pieces per serving.
*You can tweak these almost any way you want, just remember the points may change if you do.
