Day: March 31, 2011

Categories
Everything Else Reading

Shanghai Girls & Friday Night Knitting Club

I finished these two books over a month ago. This post has been pending in “edit posts” since 3/9. So I guess that might clue you in to my thoughts on these. While I enjoyed both, I haven’t felt pulled to rush online to tell y’all!

Shanghai Girls by was our March book club book. It was a little slow for me to get into but once I set down to read it my I’ll-only-read-for-10-minutes-before-bed plea to Jason easily turned into 45 minutes flying by as I got all into their story growing up as Beautiful Girls in China. Once they venture to America {not giving away spoilers, its on the cover}, it slowed down for me as I kept waiting for great things to happen, especially to the main character Pearl. It was still interesting as I don’t know that much about the NW during that time for Chinese Americans. And just as I thought it was getting to a great, exciting, page-turning part, the book ended. Is there a part two on the way? No clue, but Shanghai Girls definitely left me wanting more.

As for Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jones…this book has been in my TBR pile for a while. I’d received it from paperbackswap at some point last year. After seeing some of my favorite bloggers knitting this year, I picked up this book. It was a quick read in a chic lit don’t have to really think a lot kind of way. That is a compliment from me. I read occasionally to make me think or see something differently. But usually I prefer reading as a fun, light escape from the daily routine. This book did just that.
While it did inspire me to take up knitting {well at least to look at the section in Michael’s before getting overwhelmed}, what the book really left me with was the thankful happiness that I have awesome, caring women in my life much like the ladies of the Friday Night Knitting Club. My college sorority sisters, my local Chi O alum ladies, my own book club women & more recently the great friendships that have taken off through blogging & twitter.

I’m currently dragging my way through Never Let Me Go slowly. I’ll do a review of it once I {hopefully} finish and after the book club’s discussion next week.

What I’m excited to read next: Matt Logelin & Ree Drummond’s new books are on their way to me from Amazon!

Categories
Everything Else Food

Beano’s Sauces Review

A couple of weeks ago, I got in contact with Cara from Beano’s Brand on twitter then emails. She kindly let me pick out three of their sauces to try. Y’all I had a tough time choosing. Check out all they offer & see what you’d pick. I ended up getting Buffalo Sandwich Sauce, Southwest Sandwich Sauce & Original Submarine Dressing.

I plan to spice-up frozen chicken tenders, make Buffalo chicken sandwiches with the Buffalo sauce, or even using this Beano’s recipe for Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas. But I haven’t done any of those yet. I promise I’ll update with photos of those when we enjoy them.

The Southwest Sauce grabbed me first. We love spicy in our house {if you couldn’t already tell by other recipes I’ve posted & the Beano’s sauces I chose}. Although their website offers recipe suggestions, it was Sunday night & I was feeling spicy but lazy {anyone recognize that blue box in the background?}. So I chose to marinate our basic boneless skinless chicken breast in the Southwest sauce for around 30 minutes then top with a little more sauce before baking for 40 minutes. It was delicious! If we’d had leftovers {Jason was a member of the clean-plate club}, we both commented that leftover chicken would be great as a sandwich with a little more of the sauce.

The sweet & spicy flavor was great for chicken & I really want to trying the Beano’s recipe for Southwest Buffalo Chicken Salad Wrap.

Mondays are busy for me. I only have 45 minutes between work and my small group Bible study. This Monday I decided to through in Harris Teeter shopping trip {it was the next to last day of super doubles}. I really had no time to make dinner. Instead I purchased subs for us both, but chose to have them made pretty basic {meat, cheese, lettuce & tomato} so I could try out the Original Submarine Sauce. The sauce made the sandwich. Like from blah sub to holy-crap-this-is-awesome sub! The blurb online says in stays on your sub without soaking your bun. This was so true even after I’d loaded it up with the sauce. Don’t you love when a product is as good as they say?!

I ate half the sub Monday night then took the other half {& a small container of the sauce} with me to work for lunch Tuesday. My next grocery trip I plan to buy deli meats & bread so we can make our own yummy Beano’s’d up subs at home.

If these look yummy to you, check out their Facebook page. Or even better, find which stores near you sell Beano’s. I know I’ll keep an eye our next time I’m at Walmart, Food Lion or Lowes Food to pick up additional sauces. I’m hooked.

Beano’s Brand did supply us with the sauce but that did not sway my review. The way to this girl’s heart might be her stomach, but these opinions are honest & all mine.