Recipe: Cauliflower and Avocado Salad

I've been trying out different raw vegetable salads since I tried and liked the Broccoli Salad. So I looked in my fridge and took out a bunch of ingredients and thought this would make for an interesting cold salad. The dressing really made this taste good and I'll definitely be using it again. 

What You'll Need: 

3 large cauliflower florets, cut into bite size pieces

1 Large broccoli floret, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 Red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

2 avocados, chopped and divided

2 TBSP Cilantro, chopped

2 TBSP Fresh lemon juice

1 Green onion, chopped

1 tsp. mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. salt

What To Do: 

Add the chopped cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper and tomatoes into a large bowl and mix together. Add in 1 1/2 of the chopped avocados and mix together. 

In a small bowl combine 1/2 of an avocado that's been chopped and use a fork to mash it really well. Add lemon juice, mayo, green onion, cilantro, and salt. Mix really well and pour over salad. Mix until salad is thoroughly coated and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. I added a little roasted sunflower seeds to my bowl of salad and I really liked that. 

Does this sound like something you might try?

I'm a guest reviewer at I Smell Sheep!

Book Description

In a beautiful compound hidden away from the world, Emeline Sanchez tries to blunt the pain that has wracked her body ever since her terrifying ordeal in the labyrinth beneath the city—when she was forced to exchange blood with an evil master vampire. 

Now, it’s his voice that haunts her...that calls to her in the dark...that never lets her rest. And while the children that she helped to free from his clutches struggle to heal, watched over by their Carpathian protectors, Emeline knows one thing: She must sacrifice herself to keep them all from harm...

For her beauty is irresistible to the vampires, her psychic ability like a drug. Whipped into a frenzy, they’ll never stop coming for her. And only the taste of one Carpathian warrior—the rush of his blood—can save her...

I'm a guest reviewer over at I Smell Sheep where I reviewed this book. If it sounds good to you, go read my review. This is one of my all time favorite series.

You can find the review at I Smell Sheep.

Review: Naughty Boss by Whitney G.

Book Description

He definitely wasn't supposed to get that email...

Subject: My Boss.

Have I already told you that I hate my boss today?

Sexy as hell or not, this pompous, arrogant, ASSHOLE asked me to pick up his dry cleaning the second I walked through the door. Then he told me that I needed to take his Jaguar to a car wash that was ten miles outside of the city, but only after I needed to stand in a never-ending line to buy some type of limited, hundred-dollar watch.

I honestly can't wait to see the look on his face two months from now when I tell him that I'm quitting his company and that he can kiss my ass. KISS. MY. ASS.

All those former fantasies about him kissing me with his "mouth of perfection" or bending me over my desk and filling me with his cock are long over. OVER.

Your bestie,

Mya

PS--Please tell me your day is going better than mine...

Subject: Re: My Boss.

No, you haven't already told me that you hate your boss today, but seeing as though you've sent me this email directly, I know now...

Yes, I did ask you to pick up my dry cleaning the second you arrived to work to day. (Where is it?) And I did tell you to take my Jaguar to the car wash and pick up my thousand-dollar watch. (Thank you for taking five hours to do something that could be accomplished in two.)

You don't have to wait two months from now to see the look on my face when you tell me you're quitting. I'm standing outside your office at this very moment. ( Open the door. )

No comment on your "fantasies," although I highly doubt they're "long over."

Your boss,

Michael

PS--Yes. My day is definitely going far better than yours...

My Review

When I first read the blurb I knew I had to read this. It's hilarious. How awful would it be to have your asshole boss read an email about him? Yeah, really bad. I would have packed my stuff and high tailed it out of the office but this novella gave me so much more. 

Michael is the CEO of a publishing company and Mya gets hired as his executive assistant. Michael is known for being a playboy and being with a different woman every night but his name has been in the tabloids far too often so he's changing his ways so his name isn't tarnished anymore than it already is. 

In walks Mya and even though she's the best executive assistant he's ever had, he's a total douche bag to her. She puts up with him for over a year and then decides to start looking for work elsewhere. That makes her boss, Michael crazy. At first I didn't understand why he didn't just let her go but then he mistakenly gets sent an email that was meant for Mya's best friend and things definitely take an unexpected turn. 

These two were so much fun to watch and see inside their minds. The emails and banter between these two were hilarious. This is a short quick novella that is super steamy and fast paced. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I think I'm stuck in the corm."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I really didn't need a baff but I don't mind being a ratty burrito."

Review: Undaunted by Diana Palmer

Book Description

The only man she wants is the one who’ll never forgive her… 

Falling in love with her boss’s handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Emma Copeland. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that’s left Connor Sinclair reclusive and wary, Emma gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there’s something Connor doesn’t know: Emma is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever. 

Connor lives by rules intended to protect both him and his vast wealth. Emma’s innocence is the only thing that’s ever broken through his cold reserve, but now his trust is shattered. By the time he realizes how much he stands to lose, it might take a miracle to win her back. But it’s a challenge he’ll gladly face for the woman and the family he needs more than his next breath… 

My Review

Emma works as an author assistant and had a bad childhood growing up. She's not used to the rich people that her boss entertains. But one person in particular bothers her more than he should, Connor has never been very nice to her but that doesn't stop her from having feelings for him. 

Connor is cold and likes his privacy. He always seemed to be angry at one thing or another but that might just be his way of keeping people at arms length because he didn't want to let anyone close enough to hurt him. 

The banter between these two right from the start made me laugh. While Emma was young, naive and emotionally scarred, she still gave as good as she got even if it did upset her afterwards she didn't let him see it for the most part. 

Something happens to Connor and his personality changes, the next time he runs into Emma he's different and they start to hang out. This part made me a little mad because nothing good ever comes from lying. She should have just told him the truth right away instead of keeping it from him. 

Connor is a hard man to be around but it was nice to see the other side of him as well. Emma and Connor were just right for each other and I really liked how well they got along when he wasn't being a hardass. While I didn't really care for Connor all that much, I loved Emma. 

I was a little more than half way through the book and the story took a turn that really pissed me off. I actually had to put the book down for a few days. I've never had that happen before. But like I said earlier, she should have been truthful with him from the beginning because if she had maybe some of what she went through wouldn't have happened. But the stubbornness, one track mindedness and his thoughts about having a family made this story take a very sad turn and I hated it. Thankfully it's a romance and we all know that with romance reads we get an HEA or at least we expect it so I had to read more to see what would happen and I was glad that I did. 

I can only hope that Connor feels bad for the rest of his life about what Emma went through and makes sure that she is happy every day because she sure deserves it for putting up with this guy. He might not be your typical hero and he sure does have some flaws, some big flaws in his personality but he knows when he's wrong and makes up for it. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Video of the Week

This week I was going through some youtube videos and listening to some songs I'd never heard before. This is one of those song. It's one of my favorites this week.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

PCA Skin Acne Gel
Vichy Mineral 89 Skin Booster
Magnetic Air Vent Mount for Mobile Devices

I gave the Magnetic air vent mount to my daughter since I don't have a cell phone and she liked it, said it works really well.

I used the Vichy skin booster and it left my face feeling soft.

The PCA acne gel is just like other acne gels I've used as they dry out the pimple and in that way it seems to work just as well as any of the others that I've used.

Did you get any freebies this week?

Recipe: Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

I made a different version of this a while back and wanted to try it with other ingredients, so here's my recipe. 

You'll need

3 large broccoli florets

1 large cauliflower floret

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing

3 TBSP of your favorite salad dressing

2 TBSP Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. mayonnaise

Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 

Chop all ingredients into bite size pieces and add to a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss well. Let sit in the fridge for an hour before serving. Sprinkle a TBSP of sunflower seeds over salad right before serving. 

My daughter came over the day I made this and she loved it. It's one of my favorite things to make for lunch now because you can add so many different ingredients to it to make it how you like. And in case anyone was wondering, I used my favorite cilantro lime salad dressing in the dressing for this. 

Does this sound like something you would try?

Review: BirchBox- August

I decided to sign up for a Birchbox subscription box. It's only $10 a month and this month's box came with 5 products. 

In this box was...

Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel for eyebrows

GlamGlow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment for your face

Marcelle City Multi-Protection Tinted Cream with SPF 25

Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect Leave in Conditioner

Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo

All of these products are new to me so I was exited to start trying them out. I don't usually do much with my eyebrows (shocking, I know) and I've never plucked them (gasp!) so the fiber gel for eyebrows isn't something that I would normally buy but I did use a little of it and it looked fine. It wasn't too thick or weird looking, it just made my eyebrows look a little darker.

I used a little of the tinted cream and well as the hydrating treatment for your face and both are nice smelling products. The tinted cream really didn't have much of a tint to it but I appreciate the SPF 25 and the hydrating treatment left my face feeling soft.

I love leave in conditioners since my hair is long, it's nice to find different things to try to keep the tangles at bay.

The dry shampoo is another that left a fine white powder residue in my hair. I have dark brown hair so I really don't want to look like I've played in the flour or put baby powder in my hair so I didn't care for that.

This is my second BirchBox and over all I liked most of the products.

Does this sound like a subscription box you would sign up for?

Review: No Ifs, Ands, or Bear's About It by Celia Kyle

Book description

The first day of Mia’s new life in Grayslake, Georgia is not going as planned.

The house her grandfather left her looks ready to crumble, boxes cover every inch of the floor and—oh—there’s a bear cub in her pantry. It gets worse when the cub’s uncle comes by and busts out his fur and claws while on her front porch. Then it gets loads better because suddenly there’s a hot hunk of badge-wearing werebear on her lawn ready to rescue her. Yum. Of course, he has to ruin things by trying to take the cub out of her hands. Ha! The cub is hers… No ifs, ands, or bears about it.

Werebear Ty can’t seem to get the curvaceous, delectable Mia to understand that, even if she is one-quarter werebear, she isn’t keeping the cub. Ty is the Grayslake Itan, the clan’s leader, and the little werebear is going home with him… Unless it isn’t. It’s her smile. If she’d stop smiling and being gorgeous, his inner-bear would support him and Ty would get his way. But the beast wants to make their woman happy, so it’s perfectly content to let her do as she pleases. Then things change. Threats arise, danger comes close, and Ty demands she return to his den. No ifs, ands, or mates about that.

My review

This is the first book in the Grayslake series and I loved it. It's starts right off with Mia finding a bear cub in her pantry. Next thing she knows there's a drunk, angry shifter at her door demanding she give him the cub. But Mia knows that the cub is scared of this guy and right before things get really bad the police show up and cart this crazy guy off. Mia is part werebear and after looking after the cub for a little while she plans on keeping the cub but Ty, the clan leader isn't about to let her keep the cub. He thinks it'll just be that easy, he'll say no and she'll just do what he says but things are never that easy. 

Mia inherited her grandfather's home when he passed away, she knew about shifters since she is part werebear even if she wasn't able to shift. So she knows that there are shifters where she now lives but that doesn't make things easier for her when Ty wants her and the cub to come back to his home. 

I really liked Ty's brothers and some of the other werebears. Because Ty is the clan leader he's expected to mate with another werebear who can give him cubs that can shift. But because Mia is only part werebear and can't shift, it brings up problems for their relationship even if he and his bear want her because of what the clan expects from him. 

I really liked their romance, their relationship and the drunk uncle's story line as it unfolds. I really liked that Mia was so taken with the adorable werebear cub and fought so hard to keep him safe. It was also fun to see how werebear hierarchy and politics in the group worked. I really like the world that this author has built and I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"Human, let go of my cupcake. Don't make me bite you."

*Picture courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"I went shopping and got lots of treats."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"These check out lines are always so long!"

Review: How To Tame A Beast In Seven Days by Kerrelyn Sparks

Book Description

From the brilliant imagination of Kerrelyn Sparks comes a bold new fantasy romance series in which passion and magic collide. Behold the Embraced...

As one of the Embraced—one born with magical powers—the beautiful, innocent Luciana escaped certain death after her father hid her away on the Isle of Moon. Now, nineteen years later, her father has returned with a frightening request. He will be executed unless Luciana returns to the mainland and marries a man feared throughout the land: a terrifying brute known as the Beast.

Luciana accepts her fate and agrees to wed the Beast—Lord Leo—in order to save her father. Soon she learns that her betrothed is also one of the Embraced. With the ability to wield lightning, Leo’s immense power strikes fear into the hearts of men. . .and his mere touch can put an end to a woman’s life. But Luciana cannot deny the passion that burns between them. How can she resist the man who scorches her soul and makes her feel intoxicated with desire—even if surrendering to him could destroy them both?

My Review

Luciana spent her childhood on the Isle of Moon where she's been hidden away so no one would know she was a twin. But now she has a choice to make, take her sister's place and marry a man she doesn't know or let her father die for not doing as he's been ordered to do. 

Leo is one of the embraced. He'd been born with the power to wield lightning and most people are rightly terrified of him. 

Dragons also make an appearance in this book as well as a dog shifter and while the dragons aren't nice or cuddly, they are fierce and scary. 

I found this book to be a bit on the boring side and a lot long winded. Things were just very slow to progress and they didn't even officially meet until almost half way through the book. 

Things did pick up towards the end, I loved Leo because he wasn't at all what most people thought he was. I was wondering how they were going to get around the fact that he can't touch anyone without maybe hurting or killing them because lightning could shoot from his fingertips at any given moment but I really liked how they got around that. 

The secrets that Luciana is keeping finally start to come out and we get to see who the assassins are. Of course there are some twists along the way and you already know I love those. Now I don't usually read historicals and while the setting, clothes and the way women are treated really make this feel like a historical, I liked it because of the shifters, witches, ghosts, and paranormal aspects of the Embraced. 

So while this might not be the best book I've read this month it was definitely worth the read and I did enjoy it once things started to pick up. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Video of the Week

I don't know if most of you are Linkin Park fans but after Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, killed himself last month and it got a lot of people thinking about the lyrics of most of his songs. There's so much pain in most of them and this song which is one of his last new songs, really hit home with a lot of people. Anyone who has suffered with depression probably understands the words to this song very well. I know it hit home for me the first time I heard it because I've been in that dark place more times than I like to admit. I feel really sad that he saw suicide as his only way to get rid of the pain he was in. RIP Chester

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

Tummy Zen anacid tablets
Zzzquil
Orbit White Gum
Slimfast Smoothie Mix

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Target Beauty Box- August

This box was only $7 this month but I can tell you from experience that if bought separately, this would have been quite a bit more. Not a bad value.  Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. These boxes go fast so I try to grab one as soon as I see it being talked about on Twitter or fb.

This box contained: 

Dove Clear Finish Dry Spray Deodorant – 3.8 oz

SpaLife Nourishing Facial Mask – 1 ct

Herbal Essences Argan Oil Shampoo – 1.4 oz

up & up Facial Wipes – 25 ct 

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips -1 ct 

Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Scrub – 1oz

I really like getting the little trial size bottles of things like shampoo and make up remover to try out. I've found a few things that I've bought after getting a sample of it. But the full size Dove deodorant, Make Up Removing Towelettes and Face Mask really made this box worth getting. The Dove Spray Deodorant all by itself is $5 - $6 in the stores. 

The shampoo smelled good and worked great, the orange face mask smelled great and made my face feel soft, the make up remover towelettes worked great at getting even mascara off, the Biore pore strip is something I already use so I loved getting that and the Garnier facial cleanser worked great and didn't irritate my face. This was a great box. 

Have you been able to get one of these boxes? 

Review: The Texas Ranger by Diana Palmer

Book description

When Texas Ranger Marc Brannon returns to the line of duty, a high‐profile murder mystery pits him against a vibrant—and vulnerable—junior investigator from his past. Years ago, Josette Langley made no secret of the fact that she was desperately in love with the rugged lawman, and despite their differences, the rough‐hewn loner became drawn to the innocent young woman. Yet Marc and Josette parted on explosive terms when she made a shocking accusation that shattered both their lives.

Now they're back together again.... And this time, a lot more than just their hearts is at stake. The woman Marc once cherished is being targeted by a corrupt political figure who will stop at nothing to bury the truth. Can Marc and Josette set aside their stormy discord and see justice served—or will they both be caught in the crossfire?

My review

Before I get started on my review I wanted to let you know that the copy I'm reviewing is a copy I've had for years. It has a different cover than the one I found on Amazon and so I don't know if my edition and the newest edition are exactly the same. Anyway, I thought I might review some of the older books on my bookshelves that I've read years ago but really liked. I first read this book many years ago so a re-read was in order. This is one of my favorite authors for cowboy romance and I have a lot of her books. 

Sergeant Marc Brannon was working on a case and trying to tie a mob boss into a murder and finally get the guy in prison and lock him away. When he finds out he'll be working with Josette, he's not happy about it but deals with it. They parted on bad terms 2 years earlier but he's moved on, at least he thinks he has. 

Josette Langley just happens to get sent on the same murder case that Marc is working on. Their first meeting after a 2 year absence wasn't something she was looking forward to but she wasn't the soft spoken girl that Marc knew before. This Josette bites back and isn't about to let anyone walk all over her again. 

While these two used to be friends, they're little more than enemies right now. And even though Josette is still affected by Marc and he is as well by her, there's a lot of baggage between them. Marc hurt her emotionally and physically albeit accidentally because he didn't believe her. She has every right not to like or trust him and he kept trying to get a rise out of her or make her lose her cool. That part made me mad because Marc came off like a jackass sometimes. If he had just apologizes a lot sooner, I think I would have liked him a bit more than I did for the first half of the book. 

As they look into the murder and who could have motive to kill him, it becomes very apparent that someone doesn't like all the questions being asked. Josette and Marc become targets of someone who would rather this case be quietly pushed under a rug. But while they're working together trying to solve this murder, they start getting closer and the old feelings pop up for both of them...the good ones and the bad ones. 

I really liked seeing them move on from the past and start to get close again. The big reveal about who was targeting them and who was behind the murder was a great twist. I had a feeling that's who it would be but it was nice to see that I was right. If you're not paying close attention to the small details, you'll miss who it is until they figure it out and reveal it. 

This was a great murder mystery and a great romance. The pace of the story was great and kept me reading, wanting to know more and hoping they would find out some other juicy tidbit of information. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Recipe: Avocado Cauliflower Toast

I saw this recipe floating around FB and I followed the link back to the site where they had the recipe and you can find that original recipe here. 

So this recipe was pretty simple but like with most recipes, I changed it to suit my taste. 

What you'll need:

2 cauliflower florets

2 eggs, divided

1/2 an avocado 

1 tsp. lemon juice

pinch of salt

pepper to taste

2 TBSP oil

1 Tsp. butter

pinch of season salt

1 tsp. mayonnaise

What to do: 

Grate the cauliflower add one egg, a pinch of salt, season salt, and pepper. Stir until mixed well. 

Heat oil and butter in a pan and add cauliflower mixture to hot pan. Shape into thin patty. Fry on first side for about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and fry for 4 more minutes. 

In a small bowl add avocado, lemon juice, pinch of salt and mayo. Mash avocado and mix well. 

When cauliflower is done, fry 1 egg in the hot pan. 

Add avocado mixture on top of cauliflower patty and fried egg on top of avocado. 

It was an interesting idea but you have to make sure to season that cauliflower really good other wise it's pretty bland. It was good enough that I'll probably make it again. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of *martymousehouse.com*

"Let's talk about the world." 

*Photo courtesy of *martymousehouse.com*

*Photo courtesy of *Me- Mary Kirkland*

"I love my duckie so much, I sleep with him."

Review: Degustabox- August

DegustaBox is a monthly subscription box filled with food and drink products. The price for the box is $19.99 a month.  

You do not get to pick any of the products you get, it's a surprise each month. But they say each box contains 10-15 items and each box is worth at least $30. I like trying boxes like this because they usually contain products that I've never tried or haven't seen before. 

What was in the box? 

Nature’s Bakery Fig Bar

Welch’s Fruit Rolls

SunSpire Milk Chocolate SunDrops

Dole Peaches in Strawberry Gel (Kinda like jello)

Goya Golden Maria Sandwich Cookies

Sharwood’s Korma

Pasta Chips in Rosemary Flavor

Vintage Italia Pasta Bow Ties in Meatball Parm

Turkey Perky Jerky in Tasty Teriyaki

Goya Tostones Chips

Hummustir Hummus (Mediterranean Style)

Nuttzo 2go

So far the only thing I didn't like was the hummus. I made chicken thighs one night and we tried the Korma sauce and it was just ok for me. Ken and I both started opening packages right away and sampling everything. He liked the meatball parm chips while I liked the rosemary and the twice fried plantains. The jerky was really good too and even Falcor had a bite of that and seemed to enjoy it.

If you don't live in the US, they now have a Great Britain Website. Now here's a treat for you. If this box looks like something you'd like, you can use code MARYK-ACB and get your first box half off. That's a big box of food for only $10! and you can cancel anytime. So if you're interested, go to the DegustaBox site and sign up and don't forget to use my code to get your first box for just $10. 

I've never had hummus before so I was excited to try this. When I opened it, there were several packets that you squeezed into the tub and mixed. It even came with a wooden spoon for mixing.

This is what it looked like after it was mixed. Reminded me of glue and I didn't care for the taste. Ken said he plans on getting another flavor of hummus for us to try but even the texture of this was gritty and not my favorite experience. It looks like something I would patch holes in walls with, not eat. lol So this turned out to be something that we really didn't like. 

I also made the Korma simmering sauce with some chicken, steamed rice and sauteed broccoli. I don't eat rice often but I had a little that night. For me and Ken too this sauce was just alright. it wasn't good on the rice and I ended up not eating most of that but on the chicken it was just alright. Not something that I would buy again. 

Have you tried any of these products?

Favorite Video of the Week

I was searching for more music to add to my youtube playlist and stumbled across this song. They remind me a little of Judas Priest or some of the other metal bands back in the 80's. This guy can hold a note too, wow. He has a great voice and can sure reach some of those high notes.