#FuturisticFriday review: The City Baker’s Guide To Country Living by Louise Miller

the city baker's guide to country living- T Aug

Photo Credit: Pamela Dorman Books

This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

The City Baker’s Guide To Country Living

Summary: A full-hearted novel about a big-city baker who discovers the true meaning of home—and that sometimes the best things are found when you didn’t even know you were looking

When Olivia Rawlings—pastry chef extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she escapes to the most comforting place she can think of—the idyllic town of Guthrie, Vermont, home of Bag Balm, the country’s longest-running contra dance, and her best friend Hannah. But the getaway turns into something more lasting when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, offers Livvy a job. Broke and knowing that her days at the club are numbered, Livvy accepts.

Livvy moves with her larger-than-life, uberenthusiastic dog, Salty, into a sugarhouse on the inn’s property and begins creating her mouthwatering desserts for the residents of Guthrie. She soon uncovers the real reason she has been hired—to help Margaret reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest.

With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.

But then another new arrival takes the community by surprise, and Livvy must decide whether to do what she does best and flee—or stay and finally discover what it means to belong. Olivia Rawlings may finally find out that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better. Continue reading →

{Book Spotlight} Chef Q in Paris: The Fall Collection by Didier Quemener

Today the book spotlight is a bit more foodie-licious than normal at Traveling With T! Velvet Morning Press is releasing their first cookbook and ya’ll if the guest post that Didier Quemener wrote does not make you want to travel to Paris RIGHT NOW- well, I don’t even want to talk to you anymore 😉 😉 As a bread lover, I feel that my first stop will be the bread places that Didier mentions (next stop: CHOCOLATE!)

Prepare to drool.. starting in 3,2,1…… Continue reading →

Recipe For Disaster by Stacey Ballis

Photo Credit: Goodreads

This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

Recipe for Disaster

Summary from Goodreads:

To an outside observer, Anneke Stroudt is a mess—her shirts are stained, her fingernails stubby, her language colorful. But, despite her flaws, Anneke’s life is close to perfect. She has a beautiful historic house to restore and a loving fiancé who cooks like a dream.

Until Anneke’s charmed existence falls apart when she loses both her job and her future husband in one terrible day. In need of a new start, she packs up her disgruntled schnauzer and moves into her half-finished home, where she throws her pent-up frustration—and what little savings she has—into finishing the renovation.

But at the first step into the house’s overhaul, Anneke is sidetracked when she discovers a mysterious leather-bound book, long hidden away, filled with tempting recipes and steamy secrets from Gemma Ditmore-Smythe, the cook for the house’s original owners. Slowly, with the help of some delicious food and Emma’s life lessons, Anneke begins to realize that, just like a flawless recipe, she’s been waiting for the right ingredients to cook up a perfect life all along…

Continue reading →

Thursday Mashup

Get your bloggy, crafty and foodie links here in Thursday Mashup! Plus a giveaway or 2!

Bloggy:

-Last week during Bloggiesta, I talked about Did You Need A Facebook Page For Your Blog and you responded- some of you were in favor, some not. If you liked the idea of having a Facebook page, the Blogger Babes have Simple Tips to Help Promote Your Facebook page.

– Looking for Spring Reads? Book Bloggers International has suggestions!

– While Rebecca @ Love At First Book did not LOVE the book WHEN THE CYPRESS WHISPERS, it is one of Katie’s @ Doing Dewey Futuristic Friday selections. After reading what Rebecca posted about it being “a light read” I’m a bit more curious to check it out!

Crafty

– H2O Bungalow has a sweet Some Bunny Loves You sign made (with a free template!)

– Fresh Idea Studio has a beautiful DIY Easter wreath/Spring Wreath (gorgeous!)

– My Crafty Spot has a DIY Hexagon clock that has me doing a happy dance over the color!

Foodie

– Kleinworth and Co has Toasted Coconut Brownie Torte that looks so delicious, you might just want to lick your screen! (No judgment- it crossed my mind!)

– 30 Handmade Days has an easy (did you hear me? I said EASY!) recipe for Melt In Your Mouth Cheddar Biscuits. Now, listen, there is about nothing better than sinking myMelt In teeth into a good Red Lobster biscuit- except for the drive and the fact that I always have a craving at the most inconvenient times. So, I’m def ready to try this!

Giveaways

– Traveling With T has BOOKS and CHOCOLATE (thanks Harlequin) to giveaway! Books and chocolate!

– Great New Books is giving away THE MOON SISTERS by Therese Walsh!

– Traveling With T has an Contemporary Romance E-book set from Harlequin to give away!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you found some cool new links to check out! If you did, I would love to hear about it!

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

Murder With Ganache by Lucy Burdette

Photo Credit: Goodreads

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Murder With Ganache

Hayley Snow, food critic, maid of honor for her BFF’s Connie upcoming wedding, cupcake maker and referee for her family’s tiffs with one another, has her hands full. Trying to juggle all that is giving Hayley fits and that is before her stepbrother, Rory, turns up missing. Rory left that night to walk Duvall Street a bit and when he never returns, Hayley is mad. Then worried. The next day, when Rory is found- unconscious and beaten- Hayley kows there is trouble. And getting to bottom of trouble happens to be her speciality.

While Rory is in the hospital, Hayley tries to find clues to help piece together the night before. When Hayley finds a dead teenage girl’s body- she gets a sinking feeling. What happened to Rory that night? And how does this girl’s body play into it?

With Haley’s family up in arms over the Rory situation- you’d think Hayley would be relieved that Connie postponed her wedding- nope, not even a bit. Because she can smell a rat and can’t decide how Connie’s father showing up for the wedding festivities might play in the postponement?

And, on the work front, Hayley’s cute boss, Wally, says he supports her and family comes first- but he keeps throwing more work at her while she’s dealing with the other fires. What gives, Wally?

All in all, what’s a girl to do? Why go to her favorite tarot reader, of course. But, when that fails, Hayley finds a new one and gets a whole new look at life. If she can live long enough to enjoy it, that is.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Cute. Fun. Love Hayley. The recipes are yummy sounding and the setting of Key West is sublime. There is a good mystery and some sparks of romance to keep this story going. By the end of the story, readers will want to book a flight to Key West to join Hayley for some Café Con Leche and trip to see Hemingway’s cats (which Evinrude does not appreciate!)

If you like cozy mysteries, I highly recommend you discovering the world of Hayley Snow, food critic. If you already are a fan of Hayley’s- you’ll love this!

Now pass me a dessert and find Lorenzo to read my tarot cards while I impatiently await the next Key West Food Critic mystery!

*Thanks to Lucy Burdette for sending Traveling With T a copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

Guest Post: Avery Aames, author of Days of Wine and Roquefort (plus giveaway!)

Today, as part of the Days of Wine and Roquefort by Avery Aames blog tour sponsored by Escape With Dollycas, Traveling With T has Avery Aames stopping by with a guest post for you foodies and a giveaway for you readers! Avery’s sharing her recipe for Roquefort Bosc Pear Quiche (and doesn’t it look fab?)

Guest Post from Avery Aames:

SAY CHEESE, ANYONE?

From Avery Aames aka Daryl Wood Gerber

People often ask: where do you get your ideas? For one, I have a very vivid imagination. It scares my husband sometimes. I often think: what if? What if that woman is really a spy? What if that man is having an affair?

When I write A Cheese Shop Mystery, however, I start with what cheese? The cheese makes me come up with a fun title, like DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT (a play on the old movie, “Days of Wine and Roses”). And then I think, what if?

At the beginning of book five in the series, Charlotte’s cousin Matthew and his twins have moved out of her house, and she’s now alone. What if she decided to finally get to all her to-do projects? What if one day she came home to find a friend of Matthew’s, a former sommelier, attacked and dying in her workshop? Between the sommelier’s hotheaded ex, the cagey owners of the winery, its jaded manager, and a wily reporter, Charlotte has her pick of suspects, but she needs to act fast—this is a mystery that only gets more dangerous with age.

Of course, Charlotte will need sustenance to solve the crime. What could be better than dining on a savory Roquefort & pear quiche?

Roquefort Bosc Pear Quiche

(Serves 6)

1 pie shell (homemade or frozen)

2-3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) Roquefort cheese (or good blue cheese)

½ cup whipping cream

3 eggs

¼ cup sour cream

1 ½ cups milk

Pinch: nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger

Pinch: salt and pepper

1 Bosc pear, peeled, sliced

1 teaspoon honey

Remove the Roquefort cheese from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

In 425 degree oven, bake the pie shell for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, mush the Roquefort cheese with 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream. Add the rest of the cream and beat for 1 minute.

Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is blended, but not whipped to a froth. Add the sour cream, milk, spices and mix until blended.

Peel, core, and slide the Bosc pear in 6-8 slices. Arrange the slices on the bottom of the baked pie shell. Drizzle with honey. Put the pan on a baking sheet. Stir the egg and cream mixture once, then pour the mixture on the pears. Carefully move the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the quiche is puffy and lightly brown on top.

Remove from oven and cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Question: What is your favorite snack food when working on a project or reading?

Giveaway:

Each tour participating in the DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT are getting to host their own giveaways- with 1 copy of DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT going to a lucky person (US only, sorry!)

Visit the Rafflecopter link for details on how to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading & Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T