Kashmir Sapphire-Is it really a Kashmir Sapphire

The search for a colored stone appraiser with experience in Kashmir Sapphires continues. My buyer is still interested, but frustrated with his efforts to find an appraiser. Kashmir Sapphires originate in Northern India, with weather conditions similar to the Himalayas and the region is only accessible 1-2 months per year. I had tried to make a quest there on my own, but the region has now been taken over by a terrorist cell (believed to be part of Osama Bin Laden's group), so sapphires are occasionally smuggled out of there, but no visits for me in the near future.

APERITIFS-Soda-water should never be mixed with the most popular and violent aperitifs, which are generally called 'pastis' or 'amis'. They are made by secret processes and are generally green (but the Greek equivalent, ouzo, is white and some Provencal home-made pastis is orange). When in bottle, they are clear, but as soon as water is put with them, they become cloudy. They taste of aniseed, and until you are used to them they have a violently stimulating effect. They are among the most questionable and habit-forming drinks known to man, and in their strongest forms are forbidden even in France. In their original strengths they were called absinthe's, and contained wormwood, which is provably a deleterious substance-The Plain Man's Guide to Wine, Raymond Postgate 1951.

I found a new book, which I will not be selling, but would recommend if you can find one. Family Circle, Great Chicken Recipes-207 recipes. Lost recipes I have never seen before, when you were allowed to have skin on your chicken breast. Published in 1968, most recipes will be very easy to update with a lower fat content (in other words, boneless skinless, chicken breasts). A great book, I look forward to trying out many recipes.

One of my favorite authors is Katie MacAllister, her latest book I have just finished is "Sex and the Single Vampire". Normally, I don't read books about vampires, but I read everything by Katie MacAllister. Her books are funny, far-fetched and sexy.

One cookbook, I will recommend that I am selling on EBay (cookbooks or Valerie2901), is "Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorite Pies". This is my pie bible and where I learned how to make pies. I create my own recipes, now, but I still refer back to this book and its 169 recipes when I need new ideas.

Tried a chicken and pasta recipe, a friend recommended tonight. Sauteeing 1 lb. of chicken tenders in 2 tbsp. olive oil. Then adding a can of fat-free chicken broth, roasted red peppers and 1 container of Alouette Garlic & Herbs Cheese, cook until warmed through and then pour over a box of cooked bowtie pasta. I made it and it's good, but not great-I feel my friend must have left out an ingredient, but I can't figure out what. If anyone knows, let me know. I know it definetly needed salt and pepper.

Cookbook Val

Fun Coffee Foodlore

Not my fault. I was going to do my blog last night, but Internet usage wasn't available at my hotel, due to local weather.

I think the reason I haven't been cooking, is because I have lost my appetite . I go in spurts like this, lose my appetite for 3 or 4 days and then its back. I could lose weight if it lasted for more than 3 or 4 days. I don't know what brings it on.

But I'll be just fine, just fine.

Anyway, I've just started reading this book. If you can find this book, read it. And it won't be sold on the Internet on my website, until I'm done with it. The name is Life Is Meals by James & Kay Salter. The book is everything I want to do. It is filled with lots of food facts, which I will include now in my blogs.

The coffee tree, a small evergreen with fragrant white flowers and dark red pods, each containing two beans, is thought to be native to Ethiopia, and East Africa remains a producer behind South America, where Brazil is the leader. The beverage was made of the roasted, crushed beans and probably developed in Arabia. It is then moved northward to Egypt and Turkey where it became essential to daily life that in Constantinople, denying a wife her coffee gave her grounds for divorce. When it arrived in Europe and the Americas in the 1600s, it was the thick, unfiltered liquid still served in Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East. Gradually, as it travelled, its preparation was adapted to the taste of its public by filtering or adding milk, sugar, or flavorings.

Always valued for its stimulating effect, coffee contains more caffeine than any other drink. There are about 110 to 150 milligrams of caffeine in a cup of coffee made by the drip method and 65 to 125 in a percolated cup, nearly twice the amount found in tea, Espresso, though stronger in taste because it is more concentrated, actually has less caffeine than regular coffee. Decaffeinated, which has been around for one hundred years, accounts for about twety per cent of coffee sales in the United States.

Cookbook Val

Eventful Week for Me!

I have had a week full of events in my life. Starting with some Kashmir sapphires I bought many years ago in India. I have found a buyer for them and if all goes well, I may have a small fortune on my hand. On the other hand, if they are appraised and I was sold glass (which I don't think I was), I will have as much as I had before-very pretty stones that need setting.

Besides cookbooks & cooking in my life, I have been collecting gemstones for years, waiting for the right time and enough money to set them all. Now, I think its time to look for barter, buyers and some more jewelry lessons to set some of them.

I read a book recently called The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow. It was a hard book to get into, but once I did, it was very moving. Sappy Val showed up at the end. It doesn't take much to get Sappy Val out and crying these days.

Today, I took a drive into the desert to the Gold Strike Casino in Jean, NV. They offered me a free buffet and a much needed long drive in the desert. The buffet was good, good country food, quite the hot spot in Jean, NV. For $4.95 per person, every table was filled very quickly and as well as open seats at my booth. The drive was needed to clear my head, about sapphires and relationships and new horizons ahead. I'm still not there yet, but soon will be.

My cookbook of the day, "Farewell To Fat" by Richard Simmons. Who is described in this book as the Yankee Doodle Dandy of aerobics. This man should receive an award, for everything that he as done and contributed to the weight loss community. Yes, he's a little over the top, but he has contributed so much in the 70's, 80's & 90's! The recipes in this book are steeped in American tradition-dishes passed on from one generation to another and now updated with flavorful twists from Richard's own kitchen. Look for this book on EBay, under cookbooks or Valerie2901-my little part of EBay.

Cookbook Val

Clay-Pot Cooking

I've been feeling sorry for myself for awhile now, but that's over. It's time for me to start travelling and visiting new places again. I have always loved to travel. Right now, I'm trying to decide what city I can afford. I'm looking at Berlin, never been or Ixtapa, Mexico (to go to the pyramids). Next week I have some time off, so I need to make a decision tonight.

Today, I came across The Clay-Pot Cookbook by Georgia MacLeod Sales & Grover Sales. If you have an unglazed clay pot, then this is the book for you! You can bake, roast or simmer with the recipes in this book (look on Ebay, under cookbooks or Valerie2901). The Beef Stroganoff in this book is to die for, so easy, so few ingredients and honestly this could be down in a crockpot (slow-cooker) just as easily. With this clay-pot, you can bake bread, make pies, or hearty chowders. If you don't have one of these claypots, look in the expensive kitchen ware departments or maybe your local thrift store.

I also found the book Brunch Cookery by Pat Jester. Over 200 recipes to please friends and family during brunch. So many options: quiches, souffle's, omelets, appetizers and so much more. Something for everyone in this book.

I'm still not cooking, but by tomorrow I will be. I need to get some bread crumbs, to take some leftover ground Turkey into Turkey meatballs.

CookbookVal

Life goes on!

From living in Las Vegas, I have been an occasional gambler, nothing exciting, just $20-40 a day when I'm home. I think though I am finally gambled out. I no longer need to gamble, except for the occasional bingo game, which I never win at.

Still working hard on my cookbook listings, lots of good books, but nothing really exciting. I want something new, something special to try. I may make a coconut cream pie this week-I love coconut, but I know it is not a favorite of alot of people.

Sorry, about not blogging yesterday. Just coming back from my trip and I was just too tired to focus or concentrate on being somewhat articulate.

Life goes on-a long-term relationship is finished and I have to decide where to go from here. I'm thinking of moving back to Los Angeles or Boston. Los Angeles, only if I can be on the water. Boston or somewhere in Mass. somewhere on the water. Or maybe I'm just running away again.

Or taking a cruise around the world, that has always been one of my dreams. Somebody recommended a freighter cruise-more affordable, but I don't know if I am a freighter kind of gal.

Cookbook Val

Southern Fried Banana Pies

I have learned of a new place in Las Vegas.At the Hard Rock Hotel, in the pool area, on Sunday is the hot spot for the young and single..It's called Rehab. For $150 a person,you have unlimited drink & food & you can party like a rock star.. When I questioned some people about the cost, they said it was well worth it, they could drink that much alone. I guess everyone wants to be a rock star or at least party like one.

I had a piece of my newly made raspberry pie, with a chocolate graham crust and it was beyond wonderful.

One of my co-workers gave me her grandmother's recipe for fried banana pies:

a rolled out pie crust

1 cup of sliced thin bananas or 1 cup mashed bananas

1/4 cup sugar

Mix the sugar with the bananas. Set aside. With a drinking glass, rim coated in flour, cut out as many circles as you can on the pie crust. Place a teaspoon to a tablespoon of banana on each circle(depends on size of glass rim). Fold the pastry circle in half. With the fork tines, close up the half circle. poke a couple of fork tines in top to let air out. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Place banana turnovers in pan and fry until brown on both sides (you may need more butter). Eat plain like that or sprinkle a (little) confectioner sugar on top. Good eating's from a southern home.

Cookbook Val

Turkish Cookery by Inci Kut

Turkish Cookery is my cookbook to talk about today. Listed on my EBay website-Valerie2901 under the general headings of cookbooks. I have been to Turkey a couple of times, so I'm really enjoying reading this. The culinary art in Turkey is made of a great variety of delicious dishes which are a mixture of various delicacies inherited from different regions of the vast Ottoman Empire. Among different parts of Turkish Cookery, the most notable are hors d'oeuvres (meze), pastries (borek) filled with meat, cheese, vegetables or any other filling, stuffed vegetables and vine leaves (dolma) of two different kinds with meat or rice, broiled or roasted meat dishes (kebab and kofte), different kinds of rice dishes (pilav) and finally vegetables cooked in oil (zeytinyagli). There is so much more in this book to learn about the food and culture. One of my exotic books.

I thought of another cookbook that sells really well: George Foreman cookbooks! I love my George Foreman Grill-use it all the time. The books are well worth getting.

One of my favrite places to eat in Las Vegas is at Ellis Island Casino-one of the best deals in town-for $6.99, you get a 16 ounce beer from their micro brewery on site, a large salad, a baked potatoe and a 10 ounce top sirloin (and the steak is really good). What a deal!

Also, yesterday, besides picking up the fabulous rasberries, I picked up a bag of 6 pears and a bag filled with a dozen plums, for $.99 each.

That,s all for n0w.
Cookbook Val