Today is Friday, September 25th

G-G-Green Chartreuse-Anthony had lost his stammer in the deep waters of his old romance. It came flowing back to hi, momentarily, with the coffee and liqueurs. "Real G-g-green Chartreuse, made before the expulsion of the monks. There are five distinct tastes as it trickles over the tongue. It is like swallowing a sp-spectrum.-Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh, 1945.

When I feel stress in my life or I am exhausted, I sleep-walk. I have done this all my life. Last night I went to bed hungry. Woke up to find a food bowl and napkins, next to my bed and a open tortilla chips bag in the kitchen. Turns out I nuked shredded cheese on tortilla chips last night & then ate them-sleep eating. I guess it's a combination of stress and exhaustion that starts the sleep eating, not the first time this has happened. But it is the first time, I used the microwave while sleeping.

I know there are people reading my blog out in Internet Land. I appreciate it. Makes me feel less alone.

I'm surprised that my Christmas & Holiday cookbooks haven't sold yet. Christmas is coming. So tonight, I'm going to list my cookbooks for the Holiday season. Look for it under Valerie2901 on EBay or under the general heading of cookbooks.

Best of Holiday Recipes by Taste of Home Magazine

Ladies Home Journal Handbook of Holiday Cuisine

Holiday Cookbook by Miriam B. Loo's

Homemade Christmas-a fundraiser for Marine Toys For Tots Foundation

Treasury of Christmas Recipes-From Your Favorite Brand Name Companies

The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan

So what about that 18 pound baby? Poor mother, I can only imagine her pain at childbirth.

Offered free tickets to Gino Vanelli on Sunday night. Unfortunately, I will be in Los Angeles. I would really like to see him again. Nobody ever offers free tickets for Barry Manilow either, wouldn't mind seeing his show either.

Well, I had plans to make Coconut Custard Pie, but I have run out of time today. Maybe on Tuesday, when I get back from my next trip. Lots of people don't like coconut, but I do.

Cookbook Val

Five Days Later!

Five days later, I am back to this. Really hard to do this, when I'm on a trip. Not much energy on my down time, the airplane pressurization is really getting to me these days.

Choosing The Wine: Red Bordeaux is like the lawful wife: an excellent beverage that goes with every dish and enables one to enjoy one's food. But now then a man wants a change...-My Life and Loves, Frank Harris, 1922-27.

In my ode to fund raiser cookbooks, I have four new ones for you to look over. There are gems in here I tell you.

Hip Kids Cook! by the Junior League of Omaha, NE-standard recipes for kids functions & parties, but a new twist to some familiar recipes

Gourmet Gallery Cookbook by the Stuart Society as a fundraiser for the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, FL. 440 pages of recipes-there has to be something in here for everyone.

Seasoned With Love by the Women's Ministries of Calvary Christian Center of Buena Park, CA

From Our House To Yours by the Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley Assn. of Realtors of Huntington Beach, CA

Look for these cookbooks and other cookbooks on EBay under general heading of cookbooks or my listing area-Valerie2901. Many times, people have asked me about my listing name. I have had this EBay listing area for many years and as much as I would love to change my listing name, to something like Cookbook Val, but every time you do, you need to open a new bank account for the new name. Too much work.

I just finished a book (now listed on EBay), that I thought was fiction, but in fact turned out to be a memoir (definitely non-fiction). Psychic Junkie by Sarrah Lassez. It actually was quite interesting, though a little slow at times, it was worth finishing. A true story of a women addicted to psychic readings.

So while on this past trip, I'm in my bed and look down and see something black with legs. We've had some issues lately at work with hotels and bed bugs, so immediately, I jumped up and stripped my bed for other little creatures. The thing is though, I didn't feel any bites, and anything that sucks blood out of me, I definitely feel. So I look again at this black thing and realize it is one of my mascaraed coated eyelashes-that's me with the "blonde hair". I found another one later (I rub my eyes too much, hence the loss of eyelashes-luckily they grow back fast). Speaking of which, I have yet to talk to anyone who has used that new product Latisse. I'm interested in feedback on this new prescription only product that grows long great eyelashes.

I really have lots to say, but it's bedtime now. Cookbook Val

True Connoisseurs

True Connoisseurs-As long as the wine is in the mouth, one receives a pleasant but indistinct impression; it is only when one has finished swallowing it that one can really taste, appreciate and identify its particular bouquet; and a short while must elapse before the gourmand can say: "It's good, or passable, or bad. Bless my soul! It's Chambertin! Good grief! It's Suresnes!"

connoisseurs sip their wine; for as they pause after each mouthful, they obtain the sum total of pleasure they would have experienced had they emptied the glass at a single draught.-La Physiologie du gout, Brillat-Savarin, 1828.

I have more to say, but out of time.

Cookbook Val

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.-Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway, 1932.

Today I went to the Greek Food Festival at Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Greek Church in Las Vegas. The music was great, the food was fabulous (I had a gyro, with a cucumber type sauce and greek fries), but it was 110 F in the sun and I couldn't stay longer than an hour. I don't usually eat lamb, but this was seasoned and sliced very thin.

I just finished a cookbook mystery called Bread On Arrival by Lou Jane Temple. It was very good and will now be listed on my EBay website-Valerie2901. The mystery was based on bread bakers in Kansas. I'm going to include a recipe from the book. Most were about baking breads, but I quite enjoyed this one:

Vegetable Root Bake

1 lb. each turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, new potatoes. Other options are "Granny Smith" apples, rutabagas, butternut squash & acorn squash. Apple cider. Heavy cream. Parmesan cheese. Kosher salt and white pepper.

Slice the root vegetables and layer them in a non-stick sprayed casserole with the apples somewhere in the middle. Season with salt and pepper on each layer and cover roots with apple cider. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes at 350 F. Remove from the oven, uncover and add enough heavy cream to cover the vegetables. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and cook to tender, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Cookbook Val

Venting A Little, Venting A Lot

The Explosive cork-The sound of thy explosive cork, Champagne, has, by some strange witchery, of a sudden taught men the sweet music of speech. A murmur asof a rising storm runs round the table: badinage commences, flirtions flourish...We might tell of breakfasts, and of suppers, suddenly converted from Saharas of intolerable dullness into oases of smiles and laughter by the appearance of Champagne.-Wit, Wisdom and Morals-Distilled from Bacchus,Charles Towey.

Let me vent for a minute. As I have said before I love cookbooks and I enjoy selling them to others on EBay. Yes, to make some money, but it's not alot of money. I buy some of my books at yard sales, but mostly at thrift stores-my maximum purchase price is $1.00 per book. When I sell them on EBay, the starting price is $.99. Look under cookbooks, as a general category or Valerie2901, where my books are listed. I have a single book shipping price, media mail of $3.99 regardless of weight. For multiple purchases I charge $1.99 per each additional book shipping. My local post office sees me once or twice a week, and though I am not Chinese, they refer to me as their Chinese shipper. Why? The Chinese historically sell things for a little bit, but they sell alot and that's how they make their money. Most of my books sell on EBay for $.99, some for more-I'm happy that people want to buy them and to find that unique recipe. On a single book, I make $1.00-1.50 profit. Sometimes with multiple shippings, I make a little more. But people forget about the gas to drive to the thrift stores, yard sales and post office runs every week. Or the supplies I need to purchase to package these. Or the re-listing of some books, week after week and the amount of time, I spend in listing and relisting. Or the fees I pay Paypal, when the book is sold. So its not a big profit, but I'm doing something I enjoy doing, with a product I enjoy selling. So when you ask for big discounts on my books, I think I'm already being fair and after reading this, I hope you will think so too. End of venting.

I really love the quest I have for searching for cookbooks. Today, I bought a Times Life Library series for me. At least for now. Most of these are International cooking books and I look forward to reading them. It was quite a find for me at $1.00 a book for 8 books. Actually, if I had bought the set last week, I would have had all 12, but alas, since it was a purchase for me, I had to think about it for awhile.

So those gems, I told you about before-those spiral cookbooks, used for fundraisers. I think these are the best deals going. Who knows what you're going to find. Here a few more to look for on my EBay site:

"Homemade is Bestmade" for the Sunset Ward in Henderson, NV

Treasured Recipes from Charlotte Hill Elementary School in Las Vegas, NV

Deseret Recipes from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, UT

Cooks in Print, Taft Branch Library's 10th Anniversary, Orange, CA

More to come!

I didn't make it to the Lets Make A Deal Show. It is so hard for me to get up early, after coming back from 4 days on the road. I really wanted too, but the energy wasn't there. Maybe next week. The show seems to have the tickets available, so I will see what my energy level is next week.

More to come. Cookbook Val

Another Day

For two minutes, lovers or comrades, to spend a quiet evening with a magnum, drinking no aperitif before, nothing but a glass of cognac after-that is the ideal...The worst time is that dictated by convention, in a crowd, in the early afternoon, at a wedding reception.-New York Vogue, Evelyn Waugh, 1987.

It's not so easy writing a book. I got my 1st five pages done and since then I have blanked out. I will persevere.

You know all of those spiral cookbooks that are used for fundraisers. I sell lots of them on my EBay site-Valerie2901 or look under a general listing-cookbooks. People tend to overlook these books and there are some real gems of recipes in there. Sometimes handed down family recipes, sometimes from contest winners-all worth scavenging for the perfect new recipe to try. Here a just a few of the ones I'm selling:

What's Cooking At Saint Mark's by St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Carmel, IN

The Epiphany Preschool Cookbook from Vienna, VA

A Haven of Delights for Child Haven, Las Vegas, NV

Culinary Capers-Volume Two for the Nursing Division, San Luis Obispo County Health Dept., San Luis Obispo, CA

Look for more cookbooks like these in my next blog.

The GA Dept. of Revenue is still auditing me, but they are being very nice about it. I don't know about you, but doing my taxes always sends me into full panic mode. I know I don't ever owe anything, but still...

Cookbook Val

In the Name of Bacchus

A man who sets you down to a dribble of champagne-who gives you a couple of beggarly glasses between the courses, and winks to John who froths up the liquor in your glass, and screws up the remainder of the bottle for his master's next day drinking-such a man is an impostor and despicable snob... If money is an object to you, drink water...but if there is to be champagne, have no stint of it, in the name of Bacchus... When people have had plenty of champagne, they fancy they have been treated liberally. If you wish to save, save upon your hocks, Sauternes and Moselle's, which count for nothing, but disappear down careless throats so much toast and water...

Incomparably the best champagne I know is to be found in England. It is the most doctored, the most brandied, the most barley-sugared, the most winy wine in the world.-Miscellaneous Papers, William Makepeace Thackeray, 1885.

Today's book promotion is Fondue-big in the 60's & 70's, dinner this way seems to be a way of the past. The Melting Pot, with restaurants throughout the country is one of my favorites, also one of the few still serving fondue, allows an intimate sharing of appetizers, dinners and desserts. I only have one Fondue book-Gourmet International Fondue-The Fine Art of Fondue, Chinese Wok and Chafing Dish Cooking. Look under cookbooks on EBay or under Valerie2901. Looking for ways to spice up your romance? Try an intimate fondue party for two.

Earlier this week, I had dinners with friends and we had brisket and corn relish. I thought when was the last time I had corn relish-I love corn relish. So I came up with this recipe which is supposed to be served hot (the way I like it) or can be eaten cold later. This is considered a summer salad.

Corn and Red Pepper Salad

2, 15.25 oz. can corn, drained, 1 jar roasted red bell peppers (drained), cut into small pieces , 3/4 cup chopped Spanish olives, 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. oregano.

In a medium pot, add 2 tbsp. of oil, corn and bell peppers. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add olives, remaining oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix to combine, then serve.

Makes 4 servings. Hmm, hmm, good.

My mother's missing diamond ring, showed up late yesterday and retrieved today. Yeah! My hair color has had some added highlights, which covered up some of the brassy parts from stripping before and using cheap hotel shampoos to try and strip more color. Back to being dark blonde, looks good.

I am off for a 4 day trip and will try and post, but while away, I use one of those new real small laptops and my fingers are bigger than the letters on the keyboard. It's frustrating to use and write with, but the 2.5 lbs works in my travelling luggage better.

I said yesterday, I was going to try out for Lets Make A Deal on Thursday, didn't mention, that I made it into the costumed audience, about 20 years ago (showing my age), but wasn't selected for games. Last time, I was a playboy bunny with bunny ears, outfit, serving tray and all (back when the Playboy Club was in vogue and I was still young and pretty enough to carry it off). Let's hope as "Gaudie Gertie", the funky chicken, I will get picked for the games this time!

On a final note, how many of you have the George Foreman Grill, in one size or another? One of my friends, told me, that she uses hers' to make pressed sandwiches. I never thought of that before, but it is perfect for that. I bought some gorditas, that would be perfect to make some stuffed pressed sandwiches with!

Cookbook Val