12/14/2024

Time Marches On!

Cheers to all you Sunday Salon people and any others!  Sunday Salon is a weekly re-cap of what we've been reading and doing.  Hosted faithfully by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz

We are Marching inexorably toward Christmas, and Yikes!  Shopping to do, or else everyone will end up with a bottle of Lillikoi Syrup or Lillikoi Kombucha. Yes, the passionfruit are plentiful at the moment. Feel free to come and pick up some.

I missed a week which just means more stuff here.  Above you see the kombucha right before bottling.  After pouring it into bottles, some fresh passionfruit juice was added to create a second ferment.  That's why room is left on top, and a secure lid, so we don't get what they call a Booch bomb!

BOOKS READ:

Recipes for Love and Murder, by Sally Andrew, was set in rural South Africa, and interesting for the setting.  Not as insightful or profound as the Alexander McCall Smith series based in Botswana, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  I was continually flipping back to the glossary, looking up African words.  I mean if you write in English, why switch back and forth?  Just annoying.

The Marlow Murder Club, by Robert Thorogood, was a delight however.  Several women of a "certain age" unite to solve a murder in their backyard.  Intriguing mystery, capably written, the characters develop as the Murder Club evolves, including a harassed woman police officer.


Death comes to Kurland Hall is #3 in the Kurland St. Mary, Regency mystery series by Catherine Lloyd.  I loved the two previous ones, and this was enjoyable though a bit overcomplicated.  

The Gardener's Plot, a promising debut, by Deborah Benoit.  The bodies are piling up as our amateur sleuth, Maggie uncovers the plot, in the heart of the Berkshires.



In this latest, of my reading anyway, in the Martha's Vineyard mystery series(the third) the 92 year old police deputy (for her extensive knowledge of the area and its citizens),  down-to-earth, Victoria succeeds once more in helping to solve the murders.  Great characters, including a raucous toucan.  Luckily there are more to read!

NOW READING:


A debut by Clara McKenna, set in 1905, Hampshire, England.  We'll see, good so far.

MEMORABLE MEALS:


A pasta dish made with my new purchase, Tonnino Tuna Ventresca.  Apparently the high end of the tuna world, which I was persuaded to buy.  Good though, and worth it.


And a lovely, spicy Lamb Tajine.  Thankfully I made enough to provide for several meals.

FUN OCCASIONS:

We had a very well attended Art Studio Tour here, and the works were overall just fabulous!  Some really talented Artists.  I went with a friend and we had a great time, going from studio to studio, most with several artists represented.  I got a few gifts and some items to keep!



FROM THE GARDEN


Breadfruit, known as ulu here, dehydrating and dried.  Next stop flour!

Well, that's about it for now.  Enjoy the weekend everyone!


17 comments:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Yes, we are moving rapidly toward Christmas. We went on a mad shopping spree yesterday and then ran home and boxed everything up and set it off in the mail.

The Marlow Murder Club sounds excellent. I've been reading more and more books filled with characters "of a certain age."

Tina said...

This year has flown by, can't believe how close Christmas is now. Love your meals, those look like delcious dishes and I am a pasta lover so that would be a regular in my kitchen.

Mae Travels said...

We recently watched the Marlow Murder Club in the TV version. Not bad.

shelleyrae @ book'd out said...

Ive enjoyed Sally Andrew’s series, I like the authenticity the language brings.

Wishing you a great reading week

crackercrumblife said...

Ooo that pottery is amazing! I love buying gifts like that.

Jinjer-The Intrepid Angeleno said...

That Lillikoi Kombucha looks delicious!! Is it sweet or tart?

That lamb tajine looks good, too! I've never had a tajine but I looked the flavors up once and it sounds like my kind of dish. I love lamb.

Love the pics from the art show or art fair. Sorry. I don't know how to toggle from the comments page back to the post without losing the comments page so I can't flip back to see which it was. lol

Nicky said...

I'm always drawn by titles like Murder at Morrington Hall, given my love of classic/classic-alike mysteries... I hope it turns out good!

Claudia said...

Jinjer, when I tried the kombucha to see if it was ready to bottle, it was on the tart side. Then you add fruit juice or even honey for the second ferment. I'm doing it for the first time, and not sure when it will be ready to drink! An experiment!
It was a tour of various artist's studios, put on by their group organization, and there were several artists represented at each place. All in a fairly small area. The subdivision where I live. We have a lot of artists here, some of whom commute to NY and CA.

Harvee said...

Haven’t had breadfruit in ages. We used to roast it on an open fire and have with ackee and salt fish! In the islands.

Vicki said...

I love the pottery!

Claudia said...

Harvey, you must have been in Jamaica, that's the national dish there - ackee and salt fish. I've never seen ackee here in Hawaii, though that doesn't mean no one has a tree.

Yvonne said...

Your books look good. I read The Gardener's Plot and really liked it. Hope you have a great week!

Rachel @Waves of Fiction said...

You have a lot of nice looking mysteries to choose from! I've never had breadfruit, but I'd like to try it. Nice that you had extra to dry for the future. Have a wonderful week!

Marg said...

Your tuna dish looks great!!

Have a great week!

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

You must live some place tropical if you have bread fruit. Do you make it into flour? I have acquired a taste for it when I lived in a tropical climate. Oh, I see you live in Hawaii. I didn't have any when I visited there. I am very curious aobut how you use it.

Claudia said...

Anne, I use it as you would taro, or potatoes, when fully ripe, but green and firm. If soft ripe it can be made into something similar to sweet potato casserole with coconut milk and honey. To make more use of it I make flour. You can hit the search tab on my blog to look up my posts on breadfruit.

Hena Tayeb said...

The Marlow Murder Club sounds good.