I like to take pictures. Actually love to take pictures is really more accurate. Today, on a cold day, a day that is overcast and kind of drab- I find this picture. A picture that reminds me that spring, butterflies and flowers are not as far off as they seem. And that makes me happy.
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.
Happy Reading & Bookishly Yours,
T @ Traveling With T
Photo Credit: Goodreads
Today, Traveling With T is a stop on the DAYS OF WINE and ROQUEFORT by Avery Aames blog tour sponsored by Escape With Dollycas. This tour has multiple stops- guest posts & giveaways! There is a big, huge tour-wide giveaway happening (with a great prize- 4 Cheese Shop Mystery Books PLUS the 1st book in the Cookbook Nook series- written by Daryl Wood Gerber, who you know as Avery Aames!) Continue reading
Beth Albright, author of The Sassy Belles trilogy, has stopped by Traveling With T today to discuss: Belles, love and Valentine’s Day. Beth’s recently released novella, Saved By The Belles, is creating quite a buzz in the romance world. Beth has been steadily promoting the latest novella while also getting ready for the next trilogy- yes, the Belles will be back in summer 2014!
When Beth and I started talking about this post, I suggested a couple of different options- Belles and love, Belles and friendship- because both those topics really go hand in hand with Beth Albright’s trilogy. The friendships and the romance are something to remember- and after reading Beth’s books, you may find yourself craving sweet tea and a Southern accent. Continue reading
Photo Credit: Goodreads
It’s here! It’s time! The February She Reads Book Club Selection is………. THE WIFE, THE MAID, and THE MISTRESS by Ariel Lawhon (one of the geniuses behind She Reads). Recently released and already generating tons of buzz in the book world- this book should be a popular pick with book clubs around the world. Want more proof? Read the summary:
A tantalizing reimagining of a scandalous mystery that rocked the nation in 1930-Justice Joseph Crater’s infamous disappearance-as seen through the eyes of the three women who knew him best.
They say behind every great man, there’s a woman. In this case, there are three. Stella Crater, the judge’s wife, is the picture of propriety draped in long pearls and the latest Chanel. Ritzi, a leggy showgirl with Broadway aspirations, thinks moonlighting in the judge’s bed is the quickest way off the chorus line. Maria Simon, the dutiful maid, has the judge to thank for her husband’s recent promotion to detective in the NYPD. Meanwhile, Crater is equally indebted to Tammany Hall leaders and the city’s most notorious gangster, Owney “The Killer” Madden.
On a sultry summer night, as rumors circulate about the judge’s involvement in wide-scale political corruption, the Honorable Joseph Crater steps into a cab and disappears without a trace. Or does he?
After 39 years of necessary duplicity, Stella Crater is finally ready to reveal what she knows. Sliding into a plush leather banquette at Club Abbey, the site of many absinthe-soaked affairs and the judge’s favorite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocks-one for her and one in honor of her missing husband. Stirring the ice cubes in the lowball glass, Stella begins to tell a tale-of greed, lust, and deceit. As the novel unfolds and the women slyly break out of their prescribed roles, it becomes clear that each knows more than she has initially let on.
With a layered intensity and prose as effervescent as the bubbly that flows every night, The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress is a wickedly entertaining historical mystery that will transport readers to a bygone era with tipsy spins through subterranean jazz clubs and backstage dressing rooms. But beneath the Art Deco skyline and amid the intoxicating smell of smoke and whiskey, the question of why Judge Crater disappeared lingers seductively until a twist in the very last pages.
Want to read this book? You are in luck! Traveling With T just happens to know of several giveaways! She Reads is giving away 5 copies (plus shot glasses- super cute!), Goodreads is giving away 30 copies, and because Doubleday Publishing is the cat’s pajamas- for the She Reads Twitter chat where we chat with Ariel Lawhon (hosted by me!)- 10 copies of the book will be given away that night! The Twitter chat is February 27th- 8pmEST. #srbkchat is the hashtag (while all are welcome to join in the fun of the Twitter chat- the giveaway portion is limited to US only (sorry!)
Want to read what others are saying about The Wife, The Maid and The Mistress? You are in luck! Check out She Reads Blog Network and see what they are saying!
Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,
T @ Traveling With T
Photo Credit: Goodreads
This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review.
After I’m Gone
Felix Brewer is a man with a plan- he has big dreams. Wants to have a fancy house, money and security, all the creature comforts of life. Felix is not afraid of hard work- he’s also not afraid of breaking the law and bending the rules to get ahead in life. When Felix meets Bambi- there is an instant attraction. Bambi is Felix’s idea of a perfect woman- cultured and beautiful.
Felix not only has no problem bending the law for his own gain, he also does not have a problem breaking his vows- which he does with his mistress, Julie. When the law finally catches up to Felix, he does what a man with shady business connections does- he takes the money and runs- leaving behind, Bambi, his 3 daughters and Julie. 5 women- 5 women whose lives were irrevocably changed after Felix left. Bambi also feels that Julie knew more than what she let on- and resentment builds. 10 years after Felix disappears, Julie leaves- most think to join Felix in the new life he’s made. Until Julie’s remains are found- which shines a spotlight on the day that Julie disappears.
Enter Roberto “Sandy” Sanchez- former police officer- now he works on cold cases- he has a good track record following up with the clues and finding justice- even after everyone else has given up. When Sandy begins to search for clues about Julie’s disappearance- the trail twists and turns along with Felix’s disappearance and life of crime. Felix’s daughters and his wife, Bambi, all have reason for Julie to disappear. But, years later, would any of them had the ability to make this happen? Or is there more to this story than meets the eye?
Sandy knows the truth is out there. And he knows he’s the person to find out the answers.
Traveling With T’s Thoughts:
This was my first Laura Lippman novel- and I thoroughly enjoyed AFTER I’M GONE. A man disappears, his mistress disappears 10 years later- common sense tells you the 2 are together. But common sense meet Laura Lippman- she takes a story that has been told before- and creates a story with intrigue and mystery- a story that the reader will devour.
AFTER I’M GONE is told in “current time” and flashback tales- with clues and suspects littered throughout the story. The story, while the main focus is on what happened to Julie, the subplots of how Felix came to disappear and how life without Felix shaped the women he loves lives without him make for a great addition to the storyline. As the reader follows the clues with Sandy- they must question everyone and everything.
Recommended.
*This book, AFTER I’M GONE, was sent to Traveling With T by William-Morrow Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Today is Literary Friday- the best day of the week!
I’ve got much to talk about- so let’s get to it!
1. First, before I get into the fun of #literaryfriday- Traveling With T has had a “face lift”- yes, a new theme has been applied! While Matala ( my paisely print theme had been a very good theme to me- I did love the bright colors!), the new theme, Sorbet, looks to be a winner. It’s a bit more customizable- even without having to buy all the upgrades, etc- so I hope Sorbet and I are happy for quite some time.
2. Deep South Magazine and their #literaryfriday- Wiley Cash interview (and giveaway of A DARK ROAD TO MERCY), 50 Books by Women Authors and much more! Continue reading
Photo Credit: StarAngels’ Reviews
A few weeks ago, Closed The Cover put out a call to bloggers- StarAngels’ Reviews was putting on a big release blitz for Season Vining’s BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS, and they needed some extra bloggers.
So, today is my stop on the BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS tour- as part of my stop on the tour there will be a synopsis, excerpt and links to a huge Rafflecopter giveaway! Continue reading
First, I must say that authors are my rock stars. I love reading their work and when I actually get to meet them, well, hello cloud nine!
But…. I want to talk today about “friending” authors on Facebook- and why or why not it may not be so cool. In today’s time, an author has to have SUCH a social media presence- a Facebook Author page, Twitter page, website, Pinterest page, G+ and more. Not all authors create all those pages- but most will definitely have either the Facebook Author page or the Twitter page. On Twitter, it’s so easy- you just start following the author and bam! You know what the author is thinking, what they like to retweet and more! Continue reading
Kristin @ Always With A Book- eek! She’s so great- we have similar book tastes, both She Reads bloggers, and love scrapbooking! Kristin was featured back in July as part of Bloggers Made of AWESOME feature at Traveling With T- and she has become a treasured bloggy friend!
2014 is here and I have quite a few areas I am going to concentrate on…
Reading:
* This is going to be the year I read my own books…as of Jan 1 I have 241 unread books sitting on my shelves and 84 unread e-books on my iPad. While I while still be participating in blog tours and taking review books, I will be more selective as to those I agree to take on. I would really like this number to be considerably down by the end of the year.
* For those review books I do agree to take on that have a set review date, I am going to try to read ahead of schedule. This past year I found myself reading them at the last minute and feeling a bit frantic writing up the review – no more of that!!!
Blog:
* Organized…I need and want to be more together this year. I have my blog planner/calendar and am going to try to be better at scheduling things ahead of time. Some of this goes hand in hand with making sure books that need to be read by a certain date are read in a more timely fashion!
* I want to try to branch out more with different types of posts – this is still a book blog and will continue to remain so, but rather than always just reviews and giveaways, I’d like to do more feature posts and excerpts, even more author interviews and even more discussion posts relating to all things bookish.
Bookish Events:
* I am hoping to attend a book events this year, including BEA – my first time going!!!
* I also hope to continue attending as many author events that are near me as I can – I so enjoy going to them and getting to know those authors I love to read on a more personal level.
Fitness:
* I am training to walk my first 1/2 marathon and am super excited…my eventual goal is to walk a full marathon.
Be sure and check out Kristin’s blog- Always With A Book!
Traveling With T 