Reading with Michelle-online book club January through April

In January I started a book club on Facebook.  I decided to pick a book every month and you could read along, or pick and choose what you wanted to read or whatever.  It is your club, do what you like, I am just providing some guidance.  I did not think of adding it to my blog until now..so here it goes.

January's pick was a beautiful book.  I admit I picked it because I LOVE the cover, but also because I had seen advertisements saying it was going to be GREAT.  I admit I had no idea what it was about because I rarely read the synopsis on a book cover.  The book is about Selina who seems to have it all.  She does fall for a penniless young man, but of course she has to marry the rich guy because that is what people in her social class do.  The book will take you through her love affair with the painter, and her marriage and then up to a death.  It was beautiful!!





February's book was almost as good as January's pick. I admit I was inspired to pick this because Jenna Bush Hager said it was fabulous, but also because the cover looked so fun.  Ok, that is where the fun ended, Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash.  This book talks about how he copes with this life knowing he is the only one to make it.  It also zig zags back to the day of the plane crash.  You get to know many of the passengers and see what rescue workers experienced when they found the wreckage and how they felt about finding Edward.





March started this whole Covid 19 thing.   I was looking for something that would be an escape from what was happening to take over life, no thoughts, just words and hopefully a good story.  March's pick was the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  I was attracted to it because it said it had an old Hollywood/Elizabeth Taylor idea.  I loved that idea.  Evelyn pretty much summed up what I thought Elizabeth was like in terms of husbands, pretty much changed at the drop of a hat.  Evelyn married for reasons every time though, love, convenience, a child, but she never married her true love.  You do get to experience what her life was like with the love of her life and why they broke up and what life or fate had in store for them later.  While it was different than I expected, I did like it and there was a twist I was NOT expecting. I love twists.


April's book dropped a little early because of the Covid 19 virus, and because everything was off kilter I dropped two books in April.  Woo hoo!  The first one was They called it Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton.  I love her books!  She always tends to choose a topic that interests me and I tend to devour her books in a day or two.  This one I read last year and could not wait for it to be released so I could share it with the world.  It is all about Jackie Kennedy and her meeting, courtship and life with JFK.  The conversations they have make you feel like you were there with them watching their relationship unfold.  It was kind of magical and it was a bit like I thought their relationship would be. I think any Kennedy or Jackie fan would love this, maybe someone that doesn't know much about the Kennedy family would too because this is a great fresh take on how they operate and how much family means to them.

My second pick for April was Recipe for the  Perfect Wife by Karma Brown.  OH WOW!! I simply could not put this one down.  It takes place in two time periods.  One is Alice in present day.  She and her husband, Nate just bought this cute little house in the suburbs.  Alice immediately finds boxes of vintage 1955 stuff in the basement and her life will change dramatically because of that box.  The other timeline is the 1955 story, which takes place in the same house.  The box of stuff in Alice's basement belonged to Nellie, who in 1955 was married to Richard.  I did predict what would happen,  but I still LOVED it!  I adored this book!





If you want to join  the club, find us on Facebook. May's book will be coming soon.   
 

Another recipe for your quarentined days

 This recipe is from my mom and it is superb.  I have made it time and time again, with the basis of the recipe, but I often change things around to suit how I feel today.  I think it is good year round, but others prefer in cold temps, like the temps Kentucky is experiencing right now. 


 Chocolate Chili (yes, chocolate) 

1 pound ground round
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup hot water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained\
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Combine ground round and onion in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring,
until beef is browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer cooked beef and onions to slow cooker. Stir in water, tomatoes, kidney beans, black
beans, corn, chocolate chips, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook on High until chili
begins to bubble, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to Low, and cook until thick, about 2 hours.
3. I used Laura's lean beef, sub tomato juice (mine) for water, used reg tomatoes and added garlic,
also added about 1/2 c choc chips.  Did rest about the same but added spices to my taste. Made
on top of stove, not crock pot.

And the last one I found on the internet, it is super easy and super delish.

Doritos Casserole

This Doritos casserole is layers of crushed Doritos tortilla chips, ground beef, salsa and cheese, all baked together to golden brown perfection. An easy dinner option that the whole family will love!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
• 1/2 cup onion finely diced
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheese I used cheddar and Monterey Jack
• 4 cups Doritos chips I used nacho cheese flavor
• 1/2 cup tomatoes diced
• 1/4 cup green onions sliced
• cooking spray
• sour cream, cilantro and other taco toppings for serving optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 2-3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beef and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just browned, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
• Add the onion and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
• Stir in the taco seasoning and red salsa. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
• Lightly crush the Doritos. Spread 1/3 of the chips over the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 1/2 of the meat mixture on top of the chips, then add 1/3 of the cheese in an even layer.
• Repeat the process with another 1/3 of the chips, the rest of the meat, and 1/3 of the cheese. 
• Add the remaining chips, then the final layer of cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
• Sprinkle the tomatoes and green onions over the casserole, then serve. Top with additional taco flavorings such as sour cream, olives, etc. if desired.  Enjoy your home cooked meal tonight.