Sunday, October 24, 2010

Mailbox Monday-- One Thing Led to Another


My favorite weekly meme is on tour. For the entire month of October you'll be able to find Mailbox Monday on She reads and reads. If taking a look at the books other people discovered in their mailboxes intrigues you, and if you'd like to participate, this just might be the meme for you. Thanks for hosting, Avis!

I almost had a good week... until I decided to buy a Cuisinart loaf pan from Amazon. One loaf pan led to purchasing an art book and a couple of slow cooker cookbooks, and... eh! You know the drill already! I sent 5 books to new Paperback Swap (PBS) foster homes and received 4. (Which sounds good unless you remember the book buying I've done the past two weeks.)

Here's the scoop on the books that made their way into my mailbox last week:


  1. The Indian Slow Cooker by Anupy Singla (Amazon). "This unique guide to preparing Indian food using classic slow-cooker techniques features more than 50 recipes, beautifully illustrated with full-color photography throughout. These great recipes take advantage of the slow cooker's ability to keep food moist through its long cooking cycle, letting readers create dishes with far less oil and saturated fat than in traditional recipes. Anupy Singla shows the busy, harried family that cooking healthy is simple and that cooking Indian is just a matter of understanding a few key spices. Her "Indian Spices 101" chapter introduces readers to the mainstay spices of an Indian kitchen, as well as how to store, prepare, and combine them in different ways. Among her 50 recipes are all the classics — specialties like dal, palak paneer, and gobi aloo — and also dishes like butter chicken, keema, and much more. The result is a terrific introduction to making healthful, flavorful Indian food using the simplicity and convenience of the slow cooker."
  2. The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard (PBS). "When she was just three years old, Jody Linder lost both parents in one night, when her father, Hugh Jay—eldest son of the wealthiest rancher in the small town of Rose, Kansas—was killed and her mother, Laurie, vanished. Raised by grandparents, Hugh Senior and Annabelle Linder, and with loving support from three uncles, Jody spends years collecting human detritus around the area’s towering Testament Rocks, where authorities once searched for clues to Laurie’s disappearance. Jody’s world is rocked 23 years later when Billy Crosby, the vicious drunk convicted of her father’s murder on circumstantial evidence, is released for a new trial; his return to town brings events to a head."
  3. Quiltscapes II by Rebecca Barker (Amazon). "Full-page photos of Rebecca Barker's remarkable and colorful acrylic paintings capture the images of traditional quilts imaginatively integrated into landscapes, seascapes, still lifes and farm scenes. Instructions are given for making the block or blocks featured in each painting. The more than two dozen full-sized pieced and appliqued blocks include Vermont Maple Leaf, Poppy, Prairie Flower, Dove in the Window, Lady of the Lake, Windblown Star, Waves of the Sea, Flower Basket, and more. Just looking at the exquisite photographs is a delight. And having quilt block patterns to sew is a wonderful bonus. This book would make a great gift for quilters and non-quilters alike."
  4. The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone (Amazon). "Finally a book that combines the fresh, exuberant flavors of great Italian food with the ease and comfort of a slow cooker. Michele Scicolone, a best-selling author and an authority on Italian cooking, shows how good ingredients and simple techniques can lift the usual "crockpot" fare into the dimension of fine food. Pasta with Meat and Mushroom Ragu, Osso Buco with Red Wine, Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms: These are dishes that even the most discriminating cook can proudly serve to company, yet all are so carefree that anyone with just five or ten minutes of prep time can make them on a weekday and return to perfection."

There you have it: what I found in my mailbox last week. (I do have to admit that I purchased the book on Italian slow cooking because of several reviews I've read on various blogs.)  I think this might very well be a first for me because this time crime fiction was not the primary resident of my mailbox.

Hopefully your interest is piqued on a title or two. Perhaps you've even made a note about possible Christmas gifts for readers on your lists.

Now comes the fun part: checking out all the other participants' goodies in their mailboxes!

23 comments:

  1. The Scent of Rain and Lightning sounds good! Have to admit that I'm a cook but rarely cook at home at all.. But The Italian Slow Cooker sounds promising! Have a great week!

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  2. Those cookbooks immediately brough Thanksgiving to mind - if only I could do that in a slow cooker :) I'm reading book 2 of a series this week IMM http://blog.juliealindsey.com/
    Thanks for sharing your IMM!

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  3. So what night did you say I could pop over for Indian? Yummo.

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  4. I completely agree with Elysium the Scent of Rain and Lightening's synopsis sounds really good.

    I call dibbs on the Indian Slow Cooker since I love curry & masala in all its shape and tastes.

    My Mailbox is full of Hello Kitty :)
    http://aisleb.tumblr.com/post/1386401970/mailbox-monday-in-my-mailbox

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  5. The Italian Slow Cooker sounds like a wonderful cookbook!

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  6. I haven't read Pickard, but The Scent of Rain and Lightning has captured my interest. Hope you enjoy your books, and I know about what happens when I click on Amazon, too! LOL

    Here's my Monday:

    http://laurelrainsnow.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/monday-memes-mailbox-what-are-you-reading-oct-25/

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  7. I'm totally coveting your cookbooks!

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  8. I love slow cooker cookbooks! The Scent of Rain and Lightning looks good too! I was bit by the Amazon bug too. It happens! Enjoy!

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  9. I'm rather surprised that you bought 2 cookbooks and a loaf pan! Are you turning into a cook?

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  10. The Indian Slow Cooker sounds good. Happy reading!

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  11. Ooh, the Indian Slow Cooker sounds especially intriguing! I'll have to see if my library has a copy.

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  12. Enjoy your new books! Hopefully you'll post pics of your food creations! ;)

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  13. I love the food ones! Happy reading! My mailbox is at The Crowded Leaf.

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  14. I keep thinking Nancy Pickard's books sound great, but I've been disappointed by the two I've read so far. Hope you enjoy yours (which sounds great)!

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  15. I did not think of Indian cooking and slow cooking together. Your quilt book also sounds really good.

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  16. Have fun with your cookbooks and slow cooker!! Sounds like an adventure for sure!

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  17. Elysium-- I hate to cook and love my slow cooker, so I have high hopes for these two cookbooks!

    Julie-- I have a British husband (and no other family), and he doesn't expect Thanksgiving dinner, so I can use my slow cooker if I like!

    Bernadette-- I have to buy a horde of spices first, and then I'll send you an invite!

    Aisle B-- My husband loves Indian food, too. Me not so much, so you can see whom I bought the cookbook for. (Or at least who will benefit from it!)

    Mary-- I have high hopes for it.

    Laurel-- 95% of the time, I'm strong, but that other 5%....

    Audra-- They both look really good.

    Beth-- I wonder if anyone's looking for an antidote to the Amazon Bug?

    Kathy-- I will never, ever turn into a person who enjoys cooking. I might like it a bit if I could ever find someone who would do the clean-up 100% of the time.

    Kate-- I've paged through that one, and it does look very promising.

    Erin-- Good luck!

    Anna-- I suppose I could do that. Using the Indian Slow Cooker will be more of an odyssey as far as gathering ingredients.

    Alayne-- Thanks for stopping by!

    Avis-- Ack! I'll keep my fingers crossed!

    Mystica-- The quilt book is gorgeous, and I agree-- I'd never heard of Indian cooking and slow cooking being compatible.

    Staci-- Especially with The Indian Slow Cooker!

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  18. The Italian Slowcooker sounds fantastic. Enjoy!!

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  19. Holly-- Italian and Mexican: my two favorite food groups!

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  20. I loved The Italian Slow Cooker, hope you enjoy it.

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  21. Ryan-- It won't be long before I test it, so we'll see!

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  22. OMG, love the sound of both those slow cooker books. Weekend Cooking??? Even if you don't want to post, I hope you let us know what you thought about the books.

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  23. Beth-- One way or the other, I'll let y'all know!

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