The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart

***** SPOILER ALERT *****

I picked up the book pictured here at my church's Trash & Treasure sale a couple of years ago. It got buried on my bookshelf until I recently came across it again while deciding what to read next for the Cozy Mystery Challenge. Originally published in 1930, my copy is from the 1942 first printing of the "Pocket BOOKS" edition.

I was not familiar with Mary Roberts Rinehart, so I decided to look her up at Wikipedia before beginning the book. Can you imagine my horror and disappointment as I read the following!?!

The phrase "The butler did it", which has become a cliche, came from Rinehart's novel The Door, in which the butler actually did do it although that exact phrase does not actually appear in the work.

I'll never know to what extent this knowledge affected my opinion of the novel. Throughout the entire book I found myself constantly "watching" the butler. Perhaps that's why I found the cast of characters rather boring and difficult to relate to. In fact, some of the players downright irritated me, including the narrator! It took me over a week to get through what should have been a quick read. The plot wasn't that bad, though, and I think under different circumstances I would have enjoyed it much more than I did.

Has anyone else read this novel or any other books by Mary Roberts Rinehart?

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

When you hear the words "earthquake" and "United States" in the same sentence, what geographic area usually comes to mind? Most people automatically think "Pacific Coast".... specifically, California. Those of us living in the central part of the States know that the San Andreas Fault is not the only major fault line lying beneath the surface of the U.S. There is also the New Madrid Fault in Arkansas/Missouri/Tennessee which produced a series of major quakes in 1811 and 1812.

All my life I've heard dire speculation about how potentially devastating it would be if this were to happen now. Periodically items pop up in the news about it. The same article which can be found at this link appeared in my local newspaper over the weekend.

If you click here it will take you to my favorite site for tracking earthquakes around the globe.

Supreme Court Ruling

***** CONTROVERSY ALERT! *****

I imagine the majority of my blog readers are not in agreement with me on gun rights issues. So, I apologize if this post is offensive to any of you. That said, I was pleased with today's ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. For those who are interested, click here for the story.

Salmon Pot-Pie

I found a version of this recipe online and changed it around to come up with the following:

Salmon Pot-Pie

1 large onion, chopped
minced garlic to taste
3 Tablespoons butter, divided
1-1/4 cups 2% milk
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened, cubed
1 pkg. (12 oz.) mixed vegetables, thawed
1 can (15 oz.) diced potatoes, drained
1 can (14.75 oz.) pink salmon, drained and flaked
salt and pepper to taste
10 sheets phyllo dough (14 in. x 9 in.)

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Add milk; heat over medium heat until bubbles form around side of pan. Add cream cheese; stir until melted. Remove from heat; stir in vegetables, potatoes, salmon, salt and pepper.

Spray the bottom and sides of a 2-1/2 quart round baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Line with half of the phyllo dough. Pour in salmon mixture. Cover with remaining phyllo dough then brush with remaining tablespoon of melted butter. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.


We all thought it was good, but agreed that we would prefer it with chicken next time.

Think you know what's going on?

Last month I posted a Civic Literacy quiz to test your knowledge about the U.S. government. This week I received another fun quiz in an e-mail. I did a little better on this one, scoring a 10 out of 12. (and really shouldn't have missed one of those) It's a quick test, so click the link below and see how well you do. Keep in mind it relates to U.S. politics.

Political Quiz

On an unrelated note.... I watched Bolt this afternoon. A really cute movie! The animated dog in it reminded me of our Jed. (in looks, not intelligence!)

A Suzy update

Suzy made another trip to the vet this week for her final round of shots. The waiting room was packed when we got there so we knew there would be a bit of a wait. We sat down and things were fine until a man walked in with a young Labrador Retriever. He (the dog, not the man) was totally wired and would not behave. That's all it took for Suzy to decide she should take on every dog in the waiting room. The "terrier" in her came out in full force. She barked and growled over and over to the point I was almost embarrassed. Never have I had a dog that was so ill-behaved at the vet's office!! It was a relief to finally get called into an examining room. At that point she was an angel and didn't make a peep, even while getting her shots. She's up to 16 pounds now -- a 4 pound gain since we took her in.

Her personality has really blossomed and she is such a naughty girl! Since bragging on her in an earlier post there have been several accidents. Still.... I think she's learning. Chewing is a problem. Despite an abundance of chew toys in the house, there have been numerous incidents with the chair cushions in the sunroom. I was planning to replace them right before we took her in, but now I think I'd better wait. (I'm telling myself it is a phase and will pass!) We scoop her into our arms constantly, just because we can. It's a novelty for us to have a dog small enough to pick up. She's always very good-natured about it, too.

It's kind of funny when I look back at how naughty we thought Alice was. At this point, she's the good one! As for Mabel.... well, that can be an entire post in itself. She has "issues" and is one strange dog!

Here are some photos I took of Suzy yesterday when my daughter and I were playing double solitaire. In the last picture you can see that she really wanted to get in my daughter's lap to take her nap and wasn't allowed since it impeded the card playing!

Cornish Hens with Rice Stuffing

Much the same way I have a TBR (to be read) stack of books on the shelf in my living room, I also have a folder filled with recipes I've clipped over the years waiting to be tested. Some are "keepers" and end up in my permanent recipe file. Others don't pass the test and get tossed. Then there are those that are good, but probably won't be made again for one reason or another. The following recipe falls into the last category. It was printed on a piece of paper with no source listed so I don't know where it originally came from.


Cornish Hens with Rice Stuffing

1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-1/3 cups orange juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
2 Cornish game hens (1 to 1-1/2 pounds each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Set the seasoning packet from rice mix aside. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add rice and pecans; saute over low heat for 10 minutes or until rice is golden brown. Stir in orange juice, water, raisins and contents of seasoning packet; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice mixture into each hen*; refrigerate remaining rice mixture. Tie legs of each hen together; turn wings tips under backs. Place on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Melt remaining butter; brush over hens. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350F for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until meat juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted into stuffing reads 165F. Baste occasionally with pan drippings. Heat reserved rice mixture; serve with hens.

*I decided this was enough to stuff four hens and still have some to serve on the side.

Favorite Five - Card Games

When I did my Favorite Five - Board Games entry I promised I would also do one for card games. As a child I played my share of card games such as Battle (War), Old Maid, Go Fish, Slap Jack and others, but I don't think any of those will make my top five list.

1. Double Solitaire - Playing solitaire on the computer is a fun time-waster, but nothing beats the real thing ... except maybe double solitaire. That is when two people play together, each using their own deck, but playing off either player's aces as they surface. It can become a very physical game!

2. Spades - Following my college graduation I ran with a group that loved this game. We would have marathon sessions of Spades. When my friend Dennis and I were partners we were almost unbeatable! I don't think I've played in more than 25 years, though, so I wouldn't be a good partner anymore.

3. Spoons - This was something I played a lot as a teenager. Again, it's been so long that I really don't remember the rules. I just remember that lots of folks could play and that it also got quite physical at times.

4. Speed - We call this game "high/low" and play it a little differently than what is shown in the link I provided. Again, a potentially physical game. (am I seeing a pattern here?)

5. Pyramid Solitaire - Somewhere around my house I have a book that lists dozens of variations of solitaire. There are several versions I enjoy, but this one probably ranks at the top.

I always think of some I should have included once I read your comments, but for now these are my "worth mentioning": Rook, Uno, Blackjack, Freecell.

I do remember one card game I didn't like. When I was five years old my brother asked me if I wanted to play "Round Up". I eagerly said yes then watched as he tossed a loose deck of cards into the air announcing, "There are the cows. You round them up!". It must have scarred me for life since I can remember the day so vividly!

What Am I ? (#2)

1. Clouds of ammonia and ice in my atmosphere produce huge electrical storms that rage for weeks or months.

2. The largest of my moons has an atmosphere that may be similar to that of Earth in its younger days.

3. Moons cause most of the gaps between my rings which consist of water-ice particles (typically ranging in size from a few inches to many feet) that continually gather into clumps and drift apart again.

4. The Cassini Division - a dark swath between my broad A and B rings - looks empty, but it is actually a separate ring, just one with fewer particles.

Have you figured out what I am from my clues* ? Scroll down for the answer.


















I am the planet Saturn!




*Facts provided by the July 2010 issue of Discover Magazine.

Pecan-Peach Cobbler

Think you can stand one more recipe from me this weekend?

My daughter and I picked up some peaches in Ruston, LA this past week (some of the best in the world!) so I had to try a recipe I saw in the June issue of Southern Living Magazine.

Click here for the recipe.

I cut it in half and prepared it in an 8x8" baking dish. Mine doesn't look nearly as nice as the one they show with the recipe, but I'd be willing to bet it tastes just as good if not better than theirs! I think this would be good made with other kinds of fruit, too.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

If you don't enjoy food posts, I apologize. We've been on a cooking kick at our house lately and I like sharing what we've tried. So....here's another recipe! Since I can't remember where I found it, it will have to go uncredited. The only change I made was to omit the celery.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 package (5 oz.) spring salad mix
Bread toasts, optional

Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper in small bowl until smooth.

Combine chicken, red onion, squash, carrot, celery and tarragon in large bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture; stir until blended. Divide salad mix and chicken salad among 4 serving plates. Serve with toasts, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Human heads found

This was the headline (no pun intended) in my paper: "Human heads found in packaging at the Little Rock airport". Wouldn't you hate to have been the Southwest Airlines employee who made that discovery?!

If you want to know more, click here.

Fresh Herb Spoon Rolls

My daughter planned and prepared the majority of tonight's supper which included two new recipes. The Apple-Raisin Stuffed Chicken Breasts were good, but a big pain to make. Since they probably won't be repeated (and I didn't get a photo), I won't bother to post the recipe (unless someone really wants it). The other recipe, however, was delicious and will most definitely be fixed again! Don't these look yummy?!?

Fresh Herb Spoon Rolls
from Southern Living Magazine

1 (1-1/4 oz.) envelope active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110F)
4 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine yeast and 2 cups warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in flour and remaining ingredients. Spoon batter into 2 lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.

Bake at 400F for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 2 dozen.

Apple Pie

My daughter decided to make an apple pie from scratch this weekend. She looked through several of my cookbooks and decided on a recipe from my 1974 church cookbook. For the pastry she used the recipe I posted here. It wasn't a bad pie, but the apples didn't get quite done enough and it came out "juicer" than she wanted. I think we know what to do next time to make it better. Still...it tasted good, especially with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!


Apple Pie Filling:
5 or 6 golden delicious apples. Peel and slice thin. Sprinkle generously with lemon juice.

Mix together:
1 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 to 2 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash nutmeg

Mix with apples and put in pie crust. Dot generously with butter. Criss-cross with strips of pastry on top. Moisten pastry on top with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 325F for 30 or 45 minutes.

Oil Spill Prayer

The following prayer was used in our worship service this morning. When I asked the pastor where she found it she told me to Google "Oil Spill Prayer". In doing so I found quite a few prayers. If you want to see more of them you can click here.

Our LORD,
Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer,

You alone are sovereign over creation.
You alone created the heavens and the earth.
You alone sustain and hold all things together.
You alone are the redeemer and re-creator.

We praise You for Your wonderful creation,
But now plead with You for Your intervention.
In the face of great tragedy we turn to You,
We ask that You step in with works of restoration.

Be with the families of those who were killed,
May they be comforted with Your peace.
Be with those who were injured,
May they experience Your healing.

Be with those whose jobs are affected in an already tough economy,
May they receive Your provision.
Be with those who are working to contain and clean up,
May they be guided and directed.

What a shame that Your creatures should suffer!
LORD, please protect and heal them.
What a shame that Your creation should be damaged!
LORD, please protect and restore it.

As we ourselves are somewhat complicit in this tragedy,
Forgive us for our role in this crisis.
Teach us to reduce our own consumption,
That we might better care for and protect Your creation.

We again acknowledge Your sovereignty.
We pray that Your restorative work would be manifest,
That Your Kingdom come and Your will be done here and now,
That Your name might be glorified in all the earth.

We pray all this in the name of our LORD,
the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of all things.

Amen

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

Earlier in the year I was the recipient of a gift voucher from Amazon. Since I won it at Dorte's blog I decided to browse some of her entries and purchase a book based on what I found. I liked her review of a book by Donna Leon and ordered the first book in the "Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery" series, Death at La Fenice. The blurb from the back cover reads:

"There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. but the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Now all of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor who died painfully from cyanide poisoning during an intermission at La Fenice.

But as the investigation unfolds, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape - a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and shocking depravity. And the dilemma for Guido Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one...."

Often when I start a new series I enjoy the first book enough to want to continue on, but it may take me a couple of books to really get to know the main characters and feel comfortable with them. Death at La Fenice was an exception. I loved Guido and his wife Paola right away! Leon does an excellent job of portraying everyday life in Venice, not just the side that tourists see. Though I was totally satisfied with the conclusion of the mystery, I was sorry the book ended. I wasn't ready for my time in Venice to be over. The last thing I need to do is buy more books, so perhaps I can track down some of the other titles in this series at my library or used book store.

Susanna's Brown Oatmeal Bread

There's nothing quite like the smell of baking bread and it's been far too long since I treated myself to that heavenly aroma. I got this recipe from one of my internet friends and use to make it all the time. I don't think she'll mind me sharing it here. When I make a batch I usually do three plain loaves and one loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread. This bread freezes well so if I don't have someone to share with I can put the extra in the freezer for another time.



Susanna's Brown Oatmeal Bread

4 cups boiling water
2 cups old-fashioned oats

Pour boiling water over the oats and let cool for 1/2 hour or so.

Mix together:

2 Tbs. yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1-1/3 cup brown sugar OR 2/3 cup honey
4 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. oil
Oatmeal mixture

Add about 8 cups of bread flour OR unbleached all-purpose flour. Stir in and then knead in additional flour (up to 10 cups total flour) until bread is smooth and not too sticky. Put into large bowl or pan and add oil to moisten the surface of the bread. Cover and let rise until double in size. Punch down and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes. Make into 4 loaves in greased loaf pans and let rise until double. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Let cool several minutes before removing from pans.

For cinnamon-raisin bread:

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces after you have let it rest for the 20 minutes. Roll each piece out about 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface. Spread soft butter sparingly over it then sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. Roll up like cinnamon rolls, trying to keep it tight. Place in the loaf pan, seam side down, and let it rise before baking the same as the plain bread.

Favorite Five ~ Fast Food Chains

I realize that most of the time fast food fare is not healthy eating. That doesn't change the fact that I like it on occasion. As for the new regulations about posting nutritional information in these places? If I'm splurging on fast food, I really don't want to know how many calories or how much sodium I'm eating. Just let me enjoy my "bad for me" meal without the guilt trip!

Here are some of my favorite places:

1. Sonic

2. Taco Bell

3. Quiznos

4. Subway

5. Arby's

Monday stuff

Things have been going well with Suzy in the house. She gets along great with Alice and Mabel and as far as I know (unless there's something I haven't found!) there's only been one accident in the house. Out of all the dogs I've owned in my lifetime, though, she's the first "shoe thief/chewer"! Naughty girl!!

On Saturday my younger daughter and I hosted a bridal shower for one of her friends. I obviously didn't check the community calendar before I set the date and location. Turns out there was a "Bugs, Bands & Bikes" festival going on all day in the area adjacent to where we had the shower. I haven't seen or heard so many motorcycles in one place since the time we happened to be in Hot Springs during a Harley Davidson Convention! (Bugs = "mudbugs" or crawfish)

Remember the goose couple I mentioned in an entry awhile back? There have been several mornings my husband has seen the entire family, which now includes four goslings, marching down the middle of the levee road which circles our pond. I would love to get a photo of that!

We've had two new calves in the past week or so. We're a small operation, so it's always a big deal when there's a new arrival. Once upon a time I took lots of livestock photos. As I mentioned here, though, it's been ages since I took my camera to the pasture.

At least when something happens right here at the house I'm pretty good about getting out my camera. Jed was barking like crazy at something in the front yard yesterday evening. Turns out it was a snake. It kept a very close eye on me as I inched up to take its picture. It didn't appear to be a water moccasin or copperhead, so I let it go on its merry way after snapping a couple of pix. I noticed Jed didn't get too close. I guess he learned something from his last experience.

Oreo Truffles

Our older daughter's lack of culinary skill has always been a bit of a family joke. For that reason we were all surprised and delighted with one of the dishes she brought for our Christmas Eve celebration this past year. It was delicious and we knew if she had made it, it couldn't be too difficult. Since then, our middle child has made the recipe for a variety of occasions including a bridal shower we hosted this weekend for one of her friends. Commonly referred to as "Oreo balls" around our house, I've tried to class things up a little here by naming them "Oreo truffles"!

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. Oreo cookies
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

Vanilla Almond Bark

Chocolate Almond Bark

Crush the cookies very finely and mix in a bowl with the cream cheese. Roll by hand into small balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to an hour.

Melt the Almond Bark. Dip each Oreo ball into the melted bark and return to the parchment paper. Drizzle with the opposite flavor bark. Store truffles in the refrigerator. Makes approximately 60 - 80 balls depending on size.

Helpful hints: Don't try crushing the cookies in a ziplock bag since the cream filling will stick to the sides. Crush them in a large bowl then add the cream cheese. Bring the cream cheese to room temperature rather than using the "soften" setting on the microwave. Melt the Almond Bark on the stove rather than in the microwave. Finally, use tongs for dipping and a fork for drizzling.

Stieg Larsson

Last night I finished the third and final book in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. I thought the first book was good, but I really liked the second and third! The Swedish names and places slowed me down just a bit at first (I'm bad about trying to correctly pronounce things in my mind when reading), but soon worked through that issue. Rather than try and review these books myself, I'll direct you to a couple of bloggers who have already done a good job of that. Jenners recently devoted an entire week to the series, but this post and this post are especially good. Danish blogger Dorte has quite a few interesting posts relating to Larsson and the series which you can read here. I highly recommend these books, so check out the links I provided and see what you think.

The Rebel-Yankee Language Test

One of the interesting things about reading blogs from around the globe is seeing the differences in spelling and speech. For example, do you put your dishes in a kitchen cabinet or cupboard? Do you go to the movies or the cinema? (or maybe the theater...or theatre)

Talking to Debby on the phone last week reminded me of a "Rebel-Yankee Test" that I posted on my old 360 blog several years ago. I took the test again today and came up with a score of "83% Dixie". Considering I was born and raised in the South you'd think I'd be at least 90% Dixie!! I'm not sure how it will work for those who don't live in the U.S., but you could still give it a try. Click on the link below and see if you talk more like a Yankee or a Southerner!

The Rebel-Yankee Test

Virtual Wall

I'm just now going through my e-mail from the weekend and saw this wonderful site that a friend shared as a Memorial Day tribute.
It's truly worth taking the time to visit.

I suggest searching "by State & City".

The Virtual Wall