Another day, a week later

Well, I'm changing things up again in my blog. Still finding my voice. Right now, I am home sick with either a head cold or sinus infection (can't tell). So, I'm living on Dayquill right now. I'm getting all caught up with the couple of hundred cookbooks that I still need to list for my EBay website-Valerie2901. Lots of new/used cookbooks. Good cookbooks-just keep checking back. Hopefully, I will have all of the new books listed by Tuesday night and then I'm taking to take a break and sit back for awhile.

I've pushed (or will be pushing) all my trips together in April, so I only have to commute once back and forth from Las Vegas to April-probaly be gone for 13 days. During this time, you may not see alot of books listed. I just don't want to promise I can mail books, when I can't-if I'm not in Las Vegas. Friends keep telling me to get an assistant for when I'm out of town, but I'm not doing that good selling cookbooks. Maybe some day, I'll have an assistant.

Then I'm off to Cancun, Mexico for a week with friends, at the end of April. Sun, fun and hopefully no drama. I also have one trip (as a flight attendant) to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. And maybe some fun San Juan, Puerto Rico layovers coming up.

The sun is definitely shining in my life. Las Vegas weather is perfect right now. I've even had a few days of my convertible top down.

I've picked easier trips for next month and while I'm away for 13 days, I'm going to concentrate on my dieting and some exercise. (I can only carry so many books with me-so I might as well exercise and my time to good use). I also have my laptop with me, so you can follow me on this new journey. Maybe someone will pay me $1000. every time I lose a pound, like they did for that woman on the Biggest Loser.

A Star Studded Foodie Event: April 8-11, 2010-Pebble Beach, CA Third Annual Food & Wine Festival. Featuring 250 wineries and a lineup of 60 chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Jacques Pepin, Hubert Keller, Thomas Keller, Alex Stratta and many, many more. For more information go to www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com

Noted Las Vegas Chef and show favorite, Les Kincaid is leading food and wine tours to Italy June 16-29 and Napa Valley, October 8-10, 2010

Blacksburg, VA-May 1, 2010 will have their 2nd Annual Blacksburg Fork and Cork, Food, Wine and Art Festival, featuring more than a dozen local wineries, cooking demonstrations and live entertainment. For more information go to www.blacksburg.org/fork

That's all for now.

CookbookVal

Another day and it's raining in Las Vegas. I've been very busy in the last week and a half. Last night I want to "Maria's" Tamale Party, where I had tamales for the 1st time in my life. Maria made 100 chicken tamales from scratch. Wonderful tamales, about 30 of us at the party enjoying drink and food. My contributions were a fruit salad and a grilled chicken salad-no one ever brings anything healthy. My salad with the grilled chicken was a big hit, because I made it for only $3.50 to serve 20 people. Shopping at my favorite $.99 America store, I bought 3 heads of lettuce for .99, a package of 5 ripe tomatoes for .99, and 2 chicken breasts that I grilled and I bought for $1.99 a pound (from Smith's)-bought 3 pounds worth, 8 chicken breasts later. Anyway, I used a huge oval platter (that was a casino gift), tore up all the romaine lettuce, placed quarter tomatoes around the outside rim, then I had leftover mushrooms, that I sliced up and placed around the platters, next to tomatoes, some leftover onions, sliced and placed next on top of lettuce and then the grilled chicken, grilled and shredded on top. I added a few croutons on top that I had in stock and 1/2 cup shredded jack/cheddar cheese. I paid $1.50 for 2 cups of grated cheese-it was just to make it look pretty. And then I made a vinaigrette dressing of leftover olive oil, spices & red wine vinegar. People wanted to know how I could afford to make it for a party, so I told them my secret.

Up next-Who wants to own their own restaurant? NBC is casting for innovative ideas for a new reality show. Go to www.NBC.com/casting. or 213-630-6530 ext 295

How about Seeking the Best Bakers for a new reality TV Show. This is an on-going Best Baker Search. Go to www.bestbaking.wordpress.com.

I also went to McCormick and Schmick's on Wednesday for their happy hour. Not like it used to be. There was a group of twenty of us and the only way they could serve us was if it was all on the same bill. First problem-there is always someone who doesn't pay the tax and tip and others get stuck with extra fees. Second problem-if you didn't ask for happy hour drink prices, you got charged double the price-many people got stuck with very high liquor tabs. Me, I always ask for happy hour prices, but that's just me. The menu has changed too. It used to be $1.99 for all happy hour foods, but now, it has a sliding scale-up to $4.95. I had the cheeseburger platter for $2.95 which is still a great deal and it was very good. But overall the experience could have been handled a little better. McCormick and Schmick's is a nationwide seafood house, that does happy hours Monday-Fridays-3:30pm-6:30pm.

I also went to a timeshare experience last Monday. The woman who spoke with me, sounded like if she didn't get people there, she would lose her job. So I gave up two hours of my life and left the timeshare experience feeling very bad. The sales pitch was very good, but I had no intention of buying-I was told no problem, by this voice on the phone, plus you'll get great gifts. Like I said the sales pitch was very good. The timeshare program started at $25,000 and many sales people later, it was down to $4,900-how can this be? Plus their gifts all had strings attached and I was told there were no strings attached for these gifts. I guess timeshares are a good value for their money for some people, but the maintenance fees have gotten so high-do people really take expensive vacations every year? I think if you had bought a timeshare years ago, you were locked into the maintenance fees and even if you didn't use the timeshare one year, it wasn't such a great deal, but now....

I made weiner schitzel yesterday with chicken instead of veal and it was wonderful. I didn't realize it was so easy. Basically, dredge the chickens in flour, egg wash, bread crumbs and fry in peanut oil-I can do that over and over again.

Lots of new cookbooks on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. Some great buys, lots of new and unusual cookbooks.

That's all for now.

CookbookVal