SPICES AND SEASONS, SIMPLE SUSTAINABLE INDIAN FLAVOR by RINKU BHATTACHARYA @rararesources @wchestermasala

https://roomwithbooks.com/?p=36984

Spices and Seasons, Simple Sustainable Indian Flavors

By Rinku Bhattacharya

Rinku Bhattacharya combines her two great loves―Indian cooking and sustainable living―to give readers a simple, accessible way to cook seasonally, locally, and flavorfully. Inspired by the bounty of local produce, mostly from her own backyard, Rinku set out to create recipes for busy, time-strapped home cooks who want to blend Indian flavors into nutritious family meals. Arranged in chapters from appetizers through desserts, the cookbook includes everything from small bites, soups, seafood, meat and poultry, and vegetables, to condiments, breads, and sweets. You’ll find recipes for tempting fare like “Mango and Goat Cheese Mini Crisps,” “Roasted Red Pepper Chutney,” “Crisped Okra with Dry Spice Rub,” “Smoky Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Puree,” and “Red Harvest Masala Cornish Hens,” to name a few. As exotic and enticing as these recipes sound, the ingredients are easily found, and the instructions are simple. Rinku encourages readers to explore the bounty of their local farms and markets and embrace the rich flavors of India to cook food that is nutritious, healthy, seasonal and most importantly, delicious.

Purchase Links

US – https://www.amazon.com/Spices-Seasons-Simple-Sustainable-Flavors/dp/078181331X

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spices-Seasons-Simple-Sustainable-Flavors/dp/078181331X

GUEST POST

Hello! I am Rinku Bhattacharya the blogger at Spice Chronicles,on my quest to make Indian cooking manageable. It all about Spices and Season, Simple, Sustainable, Indian flavors today. One of the key things I try to do with my cooking is to keep the essence of authenticity, without losing my mind. I have been teaching Indian cooking for over 10 years to all kinds of audiences and Spices and Seasons, was developed to be a cookbook that offered a combination of classic and creative recipes giving readers a selection of their favorites along with ideas for something new.  So, right along with your Chicken Tikka Masala, Pork Vindaloo, Saag Paneer (Creamed Spinach with Indian white cheese), you have recipes for spice and herb roasted Chicken and a spiced golden cornbread, that I have fancifully labelled Masala Sunshine Cornbread.

I have also tackled a lot of the pet peeves in this book – I have simplified the basics to a group of 7 spices, that I am calling the essential spice pantry. This is a great start and works for several of the recipes in this book. People also like to see what a finished dish looks like, so there is a photograph for every recipe in the book. Other common points that I have encountered and addressed demystifying the myth of curry powder (yes, it is indeed a myth), addressing the flexibility of using spices and detailed sections on how to build and enhance your spice arsenal.

The seasons part of the book comes from the fact that at heart like most ancient cuisines, Indian cuisine is very eco-friendly and espouses eating and living with the seasons. There is an excitement about welcoming the seasons and the signature produce that is associated with each of the seasons. Now, here I have taken this excitement and translated it into the local offerings. Indians love their vegetables and we take a very Spartan approach to using the vegetables. To that end, you will find recipes for turnips, radishes and broccoli just to name a few overlooked vegetables and lots of ideas on how to use the greens that come with these vegetables. Speaking of vegetables – the book has several vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes. To make it easier for everyone, I have made sure that the recipes are all carefully tagged with the dietary restrictions and are perfectly indexed with separate vegan and vegetarian indexes. What can I say, I really want everyone to feel comfortable working with this book.

Overall, this is a fun time of the year to reach out for a copy of Spices and Seasons, it is May just when the markets are beginning to start full swing. It is that time of the year, you want to try new grilling ideas, such as my Pineapple Chicken Wings. A colorful and sturdy hard cover, the book certainly makes a great gift as well.

About Rinku Bhattacharya

Rinku Bhattacharya (spicechronicles.com) was born in India, and now lives in a house with a vibrant backyard in Hudson Valley, New York with her husband, an avid gardener, and their two children. Rinku’s simple, sustainable approach to Indian cooking is showcased on her blog, Spice Chronicles, and in her Journal News column “Spices and Seasons.”
Rinku has been teaching recreational cooking classes for the past nine years and works extensively with local area farmer’s markets on seasonal demonstrations and discussions. Rinku is also the author of The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles (Hippocrene Books, 2012), winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2013 for Best Indian Cuisine. She writes for the Poughkeepsie Journal, the Journal News, and several online sites, and is a frequent guest on CT Style TV.

https://twitter.com/Wchestermasala

https://www.instagram.com/spice_chronicles/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/rinkub/?autologin=true

https://www.facebook.com/spicechronicles

STARS ON RUBY MOUNTAIN by WENDY C JORGENSEN BOOK BLITZ

https://roomwithbooks.com/?p=36979

Wendy C. Jorgensen grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and began writing in second grade, furiously recording her hopes and dreams in a denim-covered diary. Besides hanging out at the library, she loved soaking up the rays—while reading a book, of course. During her sophomore year of high school, Wendy’s family moved to Carson City, Nevada, and she thought her life had ended. The desert, sagebrush, and cowboys were a far cry from the ocean, palm trees, and surfers of Florida. Fortunately, within six months, the family relocated to Lake Tahoe, and her outlook improved dramatically.

Wendy started college at the University of Colorado in Boulder, followed by a year at the University of Nevada in Reno and two years at Brigham Young University, where she worked as a reporter and copy editor for The Daily Universe. A decision to take a short break from school turned into a twelve-year college hiatus in Lake Tahoe. After a two-year stint in the civil engineering program at California State University in Sacramento, Wendy returned to Colorado and graduated from CU with a degree in English Writing. It was a long, but valuable, educational journey.

After twenty years in Colorado, Wendy recently moved back to Northern Nevada, close enough to Lake Tahoe to enjoy the beautiful scenery but far enough away to escape the heavy winters. She lives with a wonderful husband and a golden retriever who’s often mistaken for a sloth. Her two brainy and creative sons make her want to be smarter. Wendy hopes someday to journey to the stars.

~Facebook~ Website~

~ Twitter~ Instagram~

A teenage girl recovers in a Sacramento hospital, the sole survivor of a terrible accident that killed her parents—parents she can’t remember. All she knows for sure is she’s in danger. For the girl, known only as Angie, staying put is not an option.

After saving a friend from a vicious attack reveals she’s no ordinary human, Angie races to find a safe place. A chance encounter with the intriguing Michael Winter leads her over the Sierras to Lake Tahoe, where she’s nearly abducted. As she escapes to Colorado, she struggles to unravel who she is and where she came from; instead the mystery of her identity deepens.

Her only hope is to find the truth before it’s too late.

~Wendy’s Amazon page~

~Website~

Top Ten List:

Five Fun Facts about Stars on Ruby Mountain

1. The idea for this story originated in 2015 as Wendy and her husband drove by the turnoff to the Ruby Mountains near Elko, Nevada. They were driving a U-Haul as part of a move from Denver to Reno. Wendy had been pondering the storyline for the sequel to Scattering Stars, and the area seemed like a perfect place for aliens to hide out.
2. Wendy has always been fascinated by stories about people with amnesia, so it’s not surprising she decided to write one. The combination of amnesia and aliens was too tempting to pass up.
3. Part of the story is set in Truckee and Lake Tahoe, where Wendy lived for seventeen years. She rafted the Truckee River almost every summer, explored the pristine surroundings of Emerald Bay, and hung out on the beaches at Lake Tahoe more times than she can count.
4. The main character, Angie, has a unique swear word—kaja! The word popped into Wendy’s head, seemingly out of nowhere. After the book was finished, she happened upon a cake recipe she’d pulled from a magazine a couple of years ago. A woman named Chandra had submitted her mom’s recipe: “Kaja’s Pistachio Cake.” Everything we experience lurks in our memory banks waiting to emerge. BTW—the cake is awesome!
5. As Stars on Ruby Mountain was nearly complete, Wendy watched a Hallmark movie called Falling for Vermont. The movie is about a YA science fiction author, whose book/series about a girl with special powers has just been made into a movie. As the author becomes famous, her life spirals out of control. The character’s name is Angela (or Angie as some called her), she has a car crash, loses her memory, and rediscovers who she really is. Coincidence?

Five Fun Facts about Wendy C. Jorgensen

1. The abandoned dog in Stars on Ruby Mountain is named Truckee. A dog is featured as a character in every story Wendy writes because dogs rule! But cats are nice too.
2. Wendy fulfilled one of her bucket list items in July of 2017 when she attended the Roswell, New Mexico UFO Festival. She expected to find a huge costume party, but instead, she encountered lots of people who sincerely believe aliens have visited Earth—particularly during the Roswell Crash of 1947. 
3. Another one of Wendy’s bucket list items is to visit Scotland and search for Nessie—the Loch Ness Monster. As a child, she filled a scrapbook with every article she could find about the elusive creature. Who know what the future may bring?
4. Wendy’s mother had thirteen children, who were raised by seven different families. As far as she knows, none of them would be willing to help her search for the Loch Ness Monster. 
5. While she lived in Lake Tahoe, Wendy worked as a casino blackjack dealer for ten years. The best part of the job was meeting people and learning their stories.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MRS. MURRAY’S HIDDEN TREASURE by EMILY-JANE HILLS ORFORD BOOK TOUR

https://roomwithbooks.com/?p=36963

There is a hidden treasure in the grand old mansion on Piccadilly Street, in a place called London, but not the real London of English fame. There’s also a lot of mystery and a murder that’s been unsolved for decades. But it’s the treasure that captures Mary’s interest. 

Mary lives in this house along with her family, her Brownie friends and a ghost. When the ghost reveals her secret about the hidden treasure, there’s no stopping Mary, her Brownie friends, or her enemies from searching for this treasure. 

Why the intrigue? Apparently there’s a little bit of magic connected to this treasure. And so the adventure begins. Who will find the treasure first?

~ Universal Amazon Link~

Emily-Jane Hills Orford  s an award-winning author of several books, including Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She writes about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out her website at http://emilyjanebooks.ca.

~ Facebook~ Goodreads~

~ Website~ Twitter~ Blog~

Top Ten List

1. I have a very special muse – my dog, Duke. I take pleasure in our daily walks and the inspiration he provides me on these walks.
2. I love to cross-stitch. Mostly small projects, as I need the creative release after working on my long writing projects.
3. I love to read – a day without reading is like a day without sunshine.
4. I enjoy baking and browsing cookbooks. 
5. I used to ride horses and will occasionally enjoy a trail ride with my daughter.
6. When my children were young, we learned Highland dancing together.
7. An ideal outing for me is either a bookstore (new or used) or a garden center – or, better yet, both.
8. I spend most of the spring, summer and fall in my garden – at least, when I’m not writing.
9. I enjoy sharing creative ideas with fellow writers and artists. Networking is always good for the soul as well as the creative muse.
10. I really did grow up in a haunted house.

Snippet

“Ah! So this is where it’s hidden.” It was the unmistakeable voice of Miss Penelope. The girls shuddered as Mrs. Murray faded into the fireplace and disappeared. Brunny and Briddie turned around slowly to face their opponent. Mary hesitated before taking a cautious, timid look over her shoulder. Rosie moved closer to her friend and looked as well. There she was, in all her evil splendor, Elizabeth and Stocky standing on either side of her.

“And you thought I wouldn’t be watching.” She cackled loudly. Not the cackle that Mrs. Murray did when she tried to laugh, but a distinctly evil cackle that sent shivers up and down Mary’s spine.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LITTLE YELLOW MAGNET by JAMIESON WOLF

https://roomwithbooks.com/?p=36960

Little Yellow Magnet – A Memoir

Life can change in an instant. Jamieson learns this the hard way.

Waking one morning to find he has little-to-no motor control, Jamieson only wants the world to return to how it had been before. After a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, he thinks his life is over. What he doesn’t know is that it’s only just begun.

Trying to navigate through the world in a body he no longer understands, Jamieson must travel through the dark forest of depression while waging a constant battle against himself. Over time, he learns what he’s truly capable of, and what it actually means to be courageous.

Follow Jamieson as he loses himself…then discovers who he is really meant to be.

Buy Links:

Amazon.ca Amazon.com Kobo

Jamieson has been writing since a young age when he realized he could be writing instead of paying attention in school. Since then, he has created many worlds in which to live his fantasies and live out his dreams.

He is a number-one bestselling author—he likes to tell people that a lot—and writes in many different genres. Jamieson is also an accomplished artist. He works in mixed media, charcoal, acrylic and oil pants. He is also something of an amateur photographer, a poet, and a graphic designer.

He currently lives in Ottawa Ontario Canada with his husband Michael and their cat, Tula, who is fearless.

You can find him at www.jamiesonwolf.com Facebook Twitter Instagram

The world was falling around me.

Then again, I always fell. The ground would reach up to meet me, but I would get up and keep going. Having been born with spastic cerebral palsy, this was nothing new. But lately it happened with increasing regularity and without explanation.

Normally, if I were about to fall, there’d be a warning: a tightness in the muscles, a spasm, or a vibration running up my legs or down my back as if someone were playing an internal instrument, causing my muscles to gyrate.

Now there was none of that. I’d be walking one moment, then down I went the next. The ground wouldn’t welcome me in its embrace; it would pummel me, demanding a kiss. I wouldn’t even remember falling.

I also began having problems speaking. Just odd little turns of phrase of sentences I couldn’t get out properly. I’d want to say cup and ended up saying cuppy. I would try to say computer and instead said something like commuter.

This worried me more than the falling. I am a writer and words are my trade. I had always been able to turn out a quick phrase, public speaking never a hardship for me. I constantly had more words than the allotted time to speak—there had never seemed to be enough time to say all of them.

These days I was constantly tripping over my tongue. The words didn’t come out the right way. I was concerned but put off going to the doctor. I don’t like doctors; I’d seen too many of them as a child. I usually waited until the last possible moment to see one. I had narrowly avoided pneumonia a few times that way.

Then my mother called me. “Your brother has been diagnosed.”

I knew he’d been having health issues. As I didn’t speak to him, I got second-hand updates from my mother. He had been losing feeling in his feet and the numbness had moved up to his knees. He was having his own kind of difficulties.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“He’s been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” she said softly. I could tell from the sound of her voice that she had been crying. “They said it was progressive MS. You should get checked to make sure you don’t have it.”

“Is that likely?”

“You’re his brother, Jamieson, his twin. It’s very likely.”

I begrudgingly agreed that I would go. I had postponed it for as long as I could, but after a fall at work and another fall in my apartment, I gave in to the inevitable. I made an appointment to see my doctor. He’d been my family physician for a while now and while he wasn’t great, at least there was someone I could see when I needed to.

I explained everything: how I was falling more often and losing control of my body. How I was having difficulty speaking and getting the words out that I wanted to say. I told him about my brother’s diagnosis and my mother’s concerns.

He was dismissive from the word go. “You don’t have multiple sclerosis,” he said.

“How can you be sure? Aren’t there some kind of tests you need to do to prove that?”

He waved my concerns away. “You don’t have multiple sclerosis. I’m a doctor, I know these things.”

“What about my body?” I asked, growing slightly frustrated. “I know my body and I know my cerebral palsy. This isn’t cerebral palsy causing the falls. I know it’s not. There’s something else going on.” He stared at me with a somewhat bemused gaze. “I know my own body,” I said again. “What about my speech?”

“This is all in your head,” he told me. “All this hysteria is affecting you. I would suggest psychological help. That’s what you need. I can recommend a good therapist.”

I was shocked. I had never been talked to like I was an idiot. I felt quite hot under the collar now. “What about my speech?” I asked again.

He waved his hand once more. “I would suggest elocution lessons.”

I left his office furious, knowing without a doubt that I needed more than elocution lessons and therapy, but I had no idea what to do or who to talk to.

On December 30, 2012, my hand went numb.

I called my doctor again and got him to begrudgingly refer me to a neurologist, but the appointment was months away. Every time I smoked a cigarette my hand kept going numb. I would switch to the other hand, then I’d begin to lose feeling in that one, too. The cigarette would fall from my fingers. I would pluck it off the carpet before it burned a hole.

Since seeing the doctor that first time, the symptoms I experienced had worsened. I fell almost every day with no explanation and had more trouble with my speaking. I made jokes about it, but I was worried.

I looked forward to the coming new year and I decided to go to bed early so I would have plenty of energy for the day ahead. My body, however, had other ideas. I went to bed living one life and woke up living another.