The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto

From Goodreads:

Mitch Albom creates a magical world through his love of music in this remarkable new novel about the power of talent to change our lives

This is the epic story of Frankie Presto—the greatest guitar player who ever lived—and the six lives he changed with his six magical blue strings

Frankie, born in a burning church, abandoned as an infant, and raised by a music teacher in a small Spanish town, until war rips his life apart. At nine years old, he is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings. His amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, with his stunning playing and singing talent affecting numerous stars (Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley) until, as if predestined, he becomes a pop star himself.

He makes records. He is adored. But Frankie Presto’s gift is also his burden, as he realizes the power of the strings his teacher gave him, and how, through his music, he can actually affect people’s lives. At the height of his popularity, tortured by his biggest mistake, he vanishes. His legend grows. Only decades later, having finally healed his heart, does Frankie reappearjust before his spectacular death—to change one last life. With the Spirit of Music as our guide, we glimpse into the lives that were changed by one man whose strings could touch the music—and the magic—in each of us. 

A lifelong musician, Mitch Albom’s passion shines through on every page. Written with an ear for rhythm and cadence, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is a classic in the making. Heartrending and inventive, Albom’s latest is infused with the message that “everyone joins a band in this life”—and that music, like love, has the power to affect us all.

For the record-- I don't really  review books.  I don't feel qualified, BUT I do love to talk about them and like to feel part of the book blogging world and this is a good way for me to record my books.

 

From Me:

I wish I had the words to describe this book. Because I do not---I cannot do it justice. 

I loved it.

If you love music at all, you will enjoy this book.

I haven't loved all of Mitch Albom's books  (the 5 people you meet in heaven was one of the Totally Lit's first reads about 18 years ago---I didn't love it.  I was in the minority)

Wait, let me meander back---I didn't love the story, but his writing has always been good and I feel it's at it's best in this book.

 I really really liked this book.  He knows his way around music and a love story with more coincidences than normal life, but it all comes together at the end.

Oh yes!  I can't forget...the story is narrated by MUSIC.  That's right MUSIC.

 

I am torn between 4 and 5 stars.

 

 

The Lost City of Z

From Goodreads:

A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon.

After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century": What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett & his quest for the Lost City of Z?

In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the world's largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humans. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions inspired Conan Doyle's The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions round the globe, Fawcett embarked with his 21-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilisation--which he dubbed Z--existed. Then his expedition vanished. Fawcett's fate, & the tantalizing clues he left behind about Z, became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists & adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett's party & the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes or gone mad. As Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett's quest, & the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle's green hell. His quest for the truth & discoveries about Fawcett's fate & Z form the heart of this complexly enthralling narrative.

 

 

For the record-- I don't really  review books.  I don't feel qualified, BUT I do love to talk about them and like to feel part of the book blogging world and this is a good way for me to record my books.

 

From Me:

I'm glad I read this--- I understand they are making a movie of it to be released this year.  I first learned of this book during Non-fiction November and put it at the top of my 2016 list of books to read.

While sometimes non-fiction is dry and hard for me to read, this kept my interest and spiked my  curiosity of the area of the great explorer.

I saw that one reviewer said it reminded him of Johnny Quest and THAT'S IT EXACTLY!

It was like a wild ride---but true---on my favorite cartoon!

You know what it's about from the Goodreads  summary, but just know that it is Johnny Questish too.

A good read.

3.5 stars.

 

Wow! Just for me!

My friend Shelly took all my blog posts that have to do with my

Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown

and made me a book! 

I LOVE IT!!

This is just volume 1.  (thru 2014)

She's crazy like that!  Loves to do scrap-booking.

I 'think' of it,  but I don't do it.

Thank you Shelly.

As I've said before---it isn't about the recipes or the pictures, but it's about the people I love.

I would walk over hot coals for these people!

Well, that's perhaps exaggerating a bit--I would figuratively walk over hot coals for these people.  Real coals would be very HOT, and would HURT,but you know...I'd take a punch in the arm for these people!

One time, long, long ago (like 15 years ago)  in the Friday Friend 'notebook',  our theme of the day was  "whoop ass"  Which none of us ever say, but we spent the day making fun of that  line and writing silly emails back and forth saying things like "if they mess with you I'll open a can of whoop ass".

I'm not sure any of us understand WHOOP ASS, as we  were usually, working, taking kids to baseball and dance, having margaritas and wine with our friends, playing cards, board games, cooking dinner, etc.

Our lives didn't include whooping anyone's ass.

But....

I would, if I had to---open up a can of it for these wonderful women I have in my life!

Some scenes from volume #1 of the

Friday Friend Cookbook

The dedication page....to The Handyman, because he said that I would never EVER make all the recipes out of this book!

 I guess I 'll keep on cooking my way thru it!

Friday Friend Recipe #91 -- Zuchinni Relish

 

 

 

 

Friday Friend Recipe #91 -- Zucchini Relish

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook: I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends (from all over the county). At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.

 

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

 

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself?)--said,  "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

 

Which brings me to this... recipe #91

 

My Mom's

Zucchini Relish

 

 

 

This recipe of my mom's forced me to go completely outside my comfort zone: canning!!

This was the most challenging recipe for me  to date ( she also turned in carrot pudding in a steamer!!  with hard sauce.  Ugh.  I guess that will come in time)

 

My mom canned a little bit while I was growing up.  This relish was always a staple in our home (my dad loved it) and my mom made pickles.  And sometimes jam.  But usually we did freezer jams.

But I don't can.  It's been years since I helped my mom with anything too.  (she and my sister-in-law always did pickles together )   The last canning I did was grape jelly --40 years ago--back when you put paraffin wax on top of the jar.  I don't think they do that anymore.

Anyway,  I dreaded this recipe, and it turned out not to be that bad.

Of course,  I haven't eaten any of it yet.  I'm nervous of canning things.  Even tho my lids sealed and popped and they are STUCK on those jars---I am cautious.

 

Zucchini Relish

my mom, Bev Hambelton

Kennewick, WA

 

10 cups zucchini

4 cups onion

5 T salt

 

Grate zucchini and onion.

Add salt and soak overnight.

 

6 cups sugar

2 1/4 c. vinegar

1 green pepper--chopped

1 red pepper--chopped

2 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 T turmeric

1 T dry mustard

1 T nutmeg

2 T cornstarch

 

Drain the zucchini/onion and rinse.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring constantly for 30 minutes, boiling.

Put into jars at once and 'can' in water bath.

 

 

HOLD EVEYTHING!

I just opened a jar.  It was sealed so tight I had a hard time getting it open!

And it tasted.....good.

 

 

 

My mom's story.

Hmmmm.

Well, first, this is my mom's 14th time in the Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown.

You can see all her recipes here (just click)

 

I used to write my parents and my in-laws every week  and ask them 'questions' and once I asked them about gangs--- Here are my parents answers (they graduated in 1957, with a class of 32. They all remained close until the very end of their lives.  My parents are gone, but their best friends are still alive)

 

Gangs

from my mom:

There weren't any gangs when we were in high school.  In fact, there were no drugs or booze either.  If the boys wanted to drink, they would get a six-pack and go out on a dark road and drink them. So our gang was the biggest majority of our class.  We always ran with Jim and Betty and then Mike Hayes, Glynn Barbara Nuxall.  After any game or school we all collected at Davis's Café and drank pop and ate French fries.  We were really pretty dull.

 

When  our class were JR's  we crashed the Senior's sneak.

We all went out to Hayes and Mike's sister had enough pants for all of us girls as we weren't allowed to wear pants in school and then we went down to the Snake River.

It was a one lane dirt road going down a mountain.  We were with Jim and Betty in his old car.   There must have been 10 cars in our caravan, when we met a logging truck coming up the road. He backed up to a corner to let us pass as there was no room and one of his back tires was hanging out into space!!! It was really scary  When we found the seniors, they threw  all the boys in the river, but we had a lot of fun. 

The next day, Jim's brakes went out--so someone was really looking out for us!  All but three were expelled from school for one day and we could not have a sneak when we were seniors, but it was worth it!!

 

same question from

My Dad:

Jim and Betty, your mother and I went on a Junior Sneak (followed the seniors) to  a place called Cow Creek (actually, the whole class skipped and went with the exception of a couple of girls).  I think you've probably heard this story, but we all got thrown in the river but had a great time.  On the way back, the road was so narrow that when meeting a logging truck going the other way, he backed up to let us pass and his rear duals were over the side of a cliff.  Anyway, the next day Jim's brakes went out in his old '42 Chevy.

 

We didn't have gangs in Enterprise, but our class was pretty clicky (and with only 32 class members, hard to do).  Our 'group' consisted of Jim, Betty, Mike Hayes,  Your mother and I. Others from time to time, but we were very close as a  class and I guess you could say the entire class stuck together and pretty much still do. 

Where did we hang out?  The Lake, sporting events, the soda Shoppe and just doing a lot of cruising.

 

 

I think I've mentioned that they grew up on the same block together, so all their stories are the same.  I would always ask them separately and they would send in answers not knowing what the other wrote about.

The Handyman and I grew up in the same area, but not together (he's much older than me.  SORRY. I just have to tease him) so we can have the same memories of events and places if not there together.

 

I like that shared history.

 

What does my mom's story have to do with Food and Relish?

Both my parents mentioned Café or Soda Shoppe, so they must have had burgers  or hot dogs with RELISH!

See?  It all comes around.

 

That's my story.

 

 

 

Here are a couple of  pictures of my mom and dad taken at my son Luke's wedding about 9 years ago.

She was always happiest with family.

 

 

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

 

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile!

It's Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.

 

I am in the middle of 3 books. 

 

Audio:

 

 

Hardback:

 

Kindle:

 

And....I am enjoying them all.

I plan on finishing them this week.  We are taking a train trip over the Sierra Nevadas (Donner Summit) this weekend, so I'll have the time.

 

Then.....then.... so many books, so little time!!

 

 

 

Tiny Beautiful Things

From Goodreads:

Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice. 

Tiny Beautiful Things brings the best of Dear Sugar in one place and includes never-before-published columns and a new introduction by Steve Almond.  Rich with humor, insight, compassion—and absolute honesty—this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.

For the record-- I don't really  review books.  I don't feel qualified, BUT I do love to talk about them and like to feel part of the book blogging world.

 

From Me:

I loved Strayed's book, Wild, but I'm not into self-help books or advice books, so I don't know what drew me to this one---except that during Non-Fiction November, everyone was raving about it.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I listened to the audio version which was narrated by Cheryl Strayed,  herself----- this can be either really good or really bad.  In this case I thought it was really good.  I liked hearing the sound of her voice and since she wrote the book, she knew the right inflections, cadence and pauses, etc.   (when I first started listening, I thought she sounded choppy and it was bugging me.  Then I noticed I had the speed turned up to 1.5x and once I turned it to regular speed it made a world of difference)

This was more than just an advice column book, it was more like a mini-memoir, and I adore (for the most part) memoirs.   I thought she had so many good things to ponder in her 'advice'.   She really was compassionate, but honest. I like her life stories.

 

 Sometimes the language is a bit much.  Do we have to use that 'F' word so often?    I am not opposed to that word, I just think it's overused sometimes. AND that makes me seem old, I know.

The other thing that bugged me---and this is just a personal thing---is her use of pet names like Sweet Pea and Honey Bun.  I don't want someone I don't know calling me a nickname like that. SEE--I told you it was just personal. (I hate more than anything when a waitress calls me Honey!)  Strayed used those terms a lot and I had to get over it.  But now I notice that those pet names are on the tip of my tongue and I know I am going to end up calling someone Sweet Pea soon!

 

So, besides the "F" word and Pet Nicknames,  I really liked the book.  I liked how she can see issues from a different side.

She made me think about things.

3.85 stars!

 

Cookbook Countdown #84

 

 

 

I've never taken part in a Bloggiesta  Weekend, but I probably should.   I have so many posts to clean up in my drafts....as you can tell by this Fall colored fudge.  Yes, I made this back in October and it has sat in my drafts ever since.

I thought I was so smart in making 2 recipes from The Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook the moment I bought it.  And I made the two easiest recipes, so what took me so long to post?

I don't know.

 

BUT here it is now....  Cookbook Number 84!

It's been a while since I've recorded a cookbook for my cookbook countdown.

I'm up to 84 and I've made the decision to clean out and get rid of some.  Since I'm well over 300 cookbooks now, it's okay, but I do feel a little guilty --I feel it's cheating to toss them before cooking.

The Handyman says it's okay.  What do you think?

 

Cookbook 84!

 

 

 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime is a beloved collection of all the scrumptious supper recipes that make their way through my kitchen in regular rotation, from main dish salads to satisfying soups to hearty casseroles to comfort food classics . . . and everything in between. I lay out all the different ways I tackle dinner in my house, from super-quick 16-Minute Meals to make-ahead Freezer Food to irresistible pastas and a bundle of brand-new favorites of my crew.

 

To be honest, I love Ree Drummond's cookbooks most of all.  I love her photographs and how each one is kind of a mini memoir or mini auto-biography.

Plus she makes real people food.

 

Real people food that the Handyman likes.

Altho, he would have loved this fudge plain better. I sprinkled candy corn M&M's on it.

I would have liked to add some chopped walnuts to it, but he doesn't like nuts.

(weirdo)

 

 

Quick Fudge

 

3 cups good-quality chocolate chips

1 16oz can sweetened condensed milk

cooking spray--like pam

 

 

Before  you begin, line a square 8x8 pan with foil and spray with Pam.  In a medium saucepan or double boiler, over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips.

And pour in the condensed milk.  Stir them as they melt, taking care to scrap the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking or burning.

Once you can no longer see bits of chocolate chip, remove them from the heat.

Immediately transfer to the prepared pan, pressing it into a single layer.

Cover the pan with foil or plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once it's all set, pull the edges of the foil to remove the whole thing from the pan and peel off foil.

Cut into 2-inch squares.

 

*you can add a variety of crushed candies or nuts top off the fudge.  Just sprinkle and press them lightly into the fudge.

Suggested toppings:

M&M's

crushed peppermint candies

nuts

sprinkles

And then...

there is  "The Bread"

It's so stinky unbelievably easy that I can' believe she put a recipe for it in her cookbook.

Except that then I would never have made bread this way and now I do and it's

DELICIOUS!! 

The Bread

1 loaf of French or Italian Bread

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

 

Put an oven rack on the lower level on the oven and preheat to 325F.

Slice your loaf in half lengthwise and lay them cut side up on a baking sheet.

Smear I stick of butter on each half.  Yes she said 1 stick of butter per half.

Cover every inch.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until the butter melts and the bread has a chance to warm up.

Then crank up the broiler and return the oven to the pan and let it broil until the bread is a deep golden brown and almost starts to blacken.

Immediately cut The Bread into strips

and enjoy every bite!

 

Ree says there is no variation.  That this recipe is as good as it gets,

BUT,  you can add a bit of garlic to make it garlic bread and it's good too.

 

These are 2 of the easiest recipes in the book, but they are both great and something I'd make again and again.

 

 

I am going to link up with Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads!  YOU can too!

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.