Life, After - Review

I want to thank Aurora for recommending Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman. This is a piece of young adult fiction not to miss. It is the story of 15-year-old Dani Bensimon and her family, living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After 9/11 in the US, the markets collapse in her country, her father loses the family business, and her solidly middle class family struggles not to fall into poverty. Her uncle in New York urges the family to emigrate, and after nearly hitting rock bottom, they apply for visas, and leave the only home they've ever known for a new life. Landing just outside New York City, Dani has to learn a new language, a new school, and a new culture all at once.
Though the author could easily have become bogged down in the heaviness of the issues, the book stays positive with Dani showing the funny side of her struggles (for example, one of her new friends at her NY high school takes off his shoe and pretends to put it in his mouth to act out the mystifying idiom "putting his foot in his mouth" when he says something that comes out totally wrong and accidentally insults her.) The book deals with so many issues - domestic terrorism, losing a loved one, depression, bullying, autism - all in ways that are so integrated into the story that there's no judgment or preaching. The result is a book that ultimately leaves the reader feeling hopeful.

Avenue Eat & Drink Review

March 19th hubs and I had an early dinner at Avenue Eat and Drink here in Tallahassee. I had been looking forward to trying it since my friends Jenn and Rich had pointed out their philosophy of supporting local farmers: "Our Goal is to source 70% of our product locally and achieve a product that is 50% organic and green." Our meal was very good, and the service was outstanding. Everyone at the restaurant went out of their way to make us feel welcome. For our appetizer we shared Pan Seared Scallops:

Pan-seared scallops, served on sweet corn pancakes with a smoked bacon cream sauce, sauteed spinach and balsamic syrup

For dinner, he had the roasted half chicken with Meyers Lemons [Pan-seared, semi-boneless half chicken rubbed with fresh herbs and served with Anson Mills cheese grits (yum, cheese grits)] and I had the Lemon Grouper: 

Pan seared fresh Gulf grouper with grilled Meyers lemons, seasonal vegetables and potatoes (as you can see I wasn't patient enough not to try it before I photographed it!).

We didn't have dessert but we did each enjoy a nice glass of wine. Our server's wine suggestions were spot on. Next time we go I want to try a drink recommended by Rick: the Pearini: Goose Le Poive, Limoncello, Pear Puree and a Splash of Fresh Squeezed OJ with Ginger Root Garnish. Give Avenue Eat and Drink a visit; you won't regret it!

Quote of the Week

source

Peanut-Lime Chicken

We had Peanut-Lime Chicken for dinner tonight. We hadn't had it in a while, and had maybe forgotten how good it is... which made me want to share the recipe.

Lime-Peanut Chicken with Jasmine Rice

For the marinade:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

3 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed

4 cups jasmine rice, prepared as normal

Combine the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well. Place the chicken in the bowl and stir well so each piece is coated with marinade. Cover and chill for 2-4 hours or overnight. Stir after one hour. 

Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto wooden or metal skewers. Oil the grill well and then cook 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with jasmine rice; garnish with a sprig of parsley or cilantro. 

From Charcoal Companion's International Grilling Cookbook

Chocolate Tweetup for Refuge House Recap

What a great fun event we had yesterday for Refuge House! LeRoc Bistro Cafe was a great location with its funky decor and delicious food (I had the pressed Tuscan sandwich - yum - and large enough that I could save half for later). They are also very lucky to have a creative pastry chef who prepared this platter of chocolate goodies for us:

We had such an awesome group for the event - we even overflowed the section that the restaurant had set aside for us! We added extra chairs and had space for all nineteen of us.

Much of the credit for the success of the day goes to Danielle (on the left, below). Not only was having a tweetup for Refuge House her idea, but she also helped organize, and recruited lots of friends and co-workers to attend! It was great to meet some of the people she works with at the Florida Chamber.

Thanks to the generosity of author Elin Waldal, we had a signed copy of her book Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and Its Effect on a Woman's Life as a door prize. (Danielle and I didn't take part in the drawing; I held the bag of entries while Danielle picked the winning ticket... and here she is: Jessica was our lucky winner. 

Altogether we raised $125 in cash donations for Refuge House and collected 4 towel sets, a twin sheet set, 2 pillows, 2 bean bags chairs and 2 bins full of gently-used bed linens. Amazing! Here is my attempt to fit it all in one photo:

I want to thank everyone who came out, supported Refuge House, and helped us have such fun! A special thanks to Nicole for bringing her favorite chocolates (Dove, milk and dark) to share and thanks to her and and to Tara for helping take photos. My attempt to embed Nicole's photo aren't working but you can view it at http://plixi.com/p/94553863. Though they weren't with us in person, Alicia and Jennifer helped behind the scenes and were with us in spirit. And Paula is the mother of tweeting up for a cause in Tallahassee - thank you for your support and for the great chocolate twitter icon for the event!

Related posts: http://twtvite.com/chocotally, Chocolate Tweetup preview post and my review of Tornado Warning.

Tweetup friends to follow on Twitter:
@AleciaDaNay
@biggreenpen
@bmds99
@CWRiley01
@Danielle_Gulasa
@_Living_Light_
@lyonsdigital
@MeaganDougherty
@penguintrax
@saraannhart

@RefugeHouse
@LeRocBistroHD

The Power of Words

This moving video comes courtesy of Katya's Non-Profiting Marketing Blog.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Review

Tuesday, my long-time friend and #AXO sister Maura recommended The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen. Wednesday I downloaded it to my kindle and read over half of it at bedtime. I had to get up and put it in the bathroom so I would stop reading. Thursday I finished and am ready to recommend it to you too. The author's use of language captivated me!

"He smiled. Then his smile turned into a laugh, which was an ashy roar, like a large fire."

"...charm sparkled around him like sunlight"

This description is courtesy of amazon.com:
"Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in."