Apple Ginger Crumb Cake | The Lost Girls of Devon

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What does one do in the midst of buying a home, renovating said home so it's livable, packing up their current home of 11.5 years, and moving? Reads a book, of course! But really, I've been extremely stressed out and on the verge of losing it, so taking an hour or two to escape in a good book here and there was just what the doctor ordered. Welcome to my TLC Book Tours stop for the latest novel by Barbara O'Neal, The Lost Girls of Devon.

Part mystery, part multi-generational drama, this book wound up being a rollercoaster of emotions (I even teared up once or twice). Four generations of Fairchild women make up this story, and we hear viewpoints from each—in order of generation, oldest to youngest, we have Lillian, Poppy, Zoe, and Isabel.

Abomination Tuna Sandwich | Lilo & Stitch #FoodnFlix

This month the Food 'n Flix club was invited by host Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla to take a virtual vacation to the islands. Instead of choosing one particular movie title or series, Camilla left the field open for us to pick anything set or filmed in Hawaii. Immediately two favorites came to mind, and I knew I'd be choosing one of them. I chose my favorite of the two. The one that we watched countless times when my daughter was little (because it was her favorite); the one we can still quote word for word and sing the entire soundtrack through—Lilo & Stitch.

Stitch is an alien experiment gone wrong who escapes his planet, crash-landing on earth—Hawaii to be precise.  Mistaken for a dog that has been hit by a car, he winds up in an animal shelter.

Coconut Shrimp | The Summer House

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to my stop on the TLC Book Tour for The Summer House, Lauren K. Denton's latest novel. This is the second book I've read by Denton, the first one being her debut The Hideaway, three years ago. They are very similar in a few ways. First off, both are set in sleepy Alabama towns you might initially overlook, but where you wind up finding your place...and your people...in the end. Both focus on women in different stages of finding themselves, each has a young woman trying to find their path with the friendship and encouragement of some wisened older women. Both have an arc of change and growth, through the sometimes murky waters of love and loss.

Palmiers | Midnight in Paris #FoodnFlix

It's that time of the month again; time to hop into the kitchen and create something inspired by a film...this month's film being Midnight in Paris, as chosen by our May Food 'n Flix host Debra from Eliot's Eats! So, much like Debra, I'm not a big fan of Woody Allen. That said, this is one film of his that I can tolerate, and maybe even slightly enjoy. I've seen it once before, and probably bits and pieces here and there on television, but this time I sat down to watch it with my eye on the food.

Except that there wasn't all that much food to be found. There were small mentions of it here and there—baguettes, James Joyce eating sauerkraut and sausage, and acknowledgement of a shared love of Indian food and pita bread. You can glimpse people eating in restaurants, parties, and even in hotel rooms (fruit and eggs?), but you really have to pause and stare hard to try and figure out exactly what it is they're eating most of those moments. I did glimpse a pretty white macaron sculpture with a dove perched atop, but it was far too sweaty here this week to attempt meringue.

Glazed Lemon Cake | #TheJaneAustenSocietyParty

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hey, remember me? Huge fan of the works of Jane Austen? You may have been clued in to this fact when I hosted the #JaneAustenBites event, or from my reviews and kitchen inspiration from spin-offs such as Clueless, The Jane Austen Book Club, The Austen Escape, or Chaos Comes to Longbourn. And just ask my family about the Austen marathons I hold at home—some version or another of the films or mini-series often being rewatched. Although oddly enough, I've never posted anything directly from the source herself, though in my head I'm constantly entertaining a year-long Jane Austen challenge (for myself) right here on the blog. That may still happen one day.

But that's a thought for another day. A few months ago I was invited to take part in a virtual party for a new Austen-inspired release called The Jane Austen Society by author Natalie Jenner, thrown by The Book Club Cookbook, and today...release day...the date has arrived! The Jane Austen Society is not a spin-off or new take on any of her classics, but rather a story centered around the impact that reading Jane Austen has had on the lives of a group of people.

Caldo de Camaron y Pescado

I feel like I'm a part-time pescetarian. And I have the sneaking suspicion that if pigs could swim, I'd have no problem whatsoever becoming a full-time pescetarian.

Although, you might find me holding swim lessons for chickens and cows in my spare time.

Ultimate Banana Cake | The Ingredients of You and Me

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

How does embarking on new adventures, cementing good friendships, moments packed with sexual tension, and getting your mojo back sound? Good, right!? I think so, which is why I adored The Ingredients of You and Me, the 3rd book in Nina Bocci's Hopeless Romantics series. To be fair, I fell for the residents of Hope Lake halfway into the first book when I read it last year, so that soft spot was just waiting for another installment.

A few months ago I shared this Garlic Parmesan Wings recipe inspired by book 2, and today I'll be sharing a book 3-inspired recipe with you as part of my TLC Book Tours stop!

Flaky Nectarine Pie | The Biggest Little Farm #FoodnFlix

Have you ever cried watching a documentary about farming? I mean, if you had, it'd be okay. I mean, we've all done it. Right? No? Just me? That's fine. I'm okay with possibly being the only person who cried while watching this month's Food 'n Flix selection...a documentary...called The Biggest Little Farm. The Biggest Little Farm tracks the life of John and Molly Chester as they start on the daunting "adventure" of a lifetime in 2010. And as John tells us in the film, it all begins with a promise to their rescue dog, Todd {sniff}.

Peppered Shepherd's Pie | Sweeney Todd #FoodnFlix

For this month's round of Food 'n Flix, our host, Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles invited us to head into the kitchen and pull our recipe inspiration from the vast selection of Tim Burton's filmography. I actually wound up watching a few this month—Sleepy Hollow, James and the Giant Peach (for the bazillionth time), and Sweeney Todd (for only the 4th or 5th time). I also contemplated watching either Dark Shadows...which I'd forgotten I actually owned until I was hunting through my dvds...or Big Fish, as well.

I've actually created recipes inspired by a few of Burton's films in the past...Beetlejuice, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, and Sweeney Todd. I had some fun recipe ideas from both Sleepy Hollow and JatJP, but alas, the current state of the grocery stores did not allow me to bring those ideas to fruition (but hey, there's always later). But I was able to create something inspired by Sweeney Todd once again, with only ingredients I already had on hand. So, that's a win.

Honey Thyme Butter | Salty, Bitter, Sweet

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to my TLC Book Tours stop for Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas. Okay, I'll start by saying that overall, I enjoyed this read. Our main character Isa(bella) lives to cook and bake, and is currently living with her papi and stepmother in France, making her way through an exclusive apprenticeship competition course throughout the book.

She mentions and creates tons of food throughout the entire story, making me both hungry and eager to head into the kitchen; both of which are always bonus points in my book. Just a handful of the food mentioned: apple clafoutis, soffrito, chicken legs in wine-butter sauce, lemon tarts, pie, Tagliatelle, mushrooms, white truffles, aged cheese, Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies, bacon cheeseburger, guava and cheese.

100 Turmeric Recipes

I go through phases where a certain type of food or ingredient sits first and foremost in my mind. Something grabs on and won't let go until I've explored it further by learning more about it and using it in several recipes or applications. Lately, it's been turmeric—specifically the fresh root, which is part of the ginger family.

I think it started when I saw a bin of the fresh root at the market, stared at it for a few minutes, then left without buying any. I didn't buy it because I didn't want it to go to waste. I have a tendency to pick up cool "new" ingredients, only to let them go to waste while looking for the perfect way to use them.

Recipes inspired by Nina's Heavenly Delights #FoodnFlix

Welcome to the roundup post for the February 2020 edition of the Food 'n Flix club! My choice for February was the 2007 British foodie-rom-com, Nina's Heavenly Delights. So, little did I know when I chose this film a while back, it is pretty hard to get your hands on a copy. Or at least an inexpensive copy. At the time, it was available to stream on Amazon Prime, but has since become unavailable. I got my hands on a dvd copy for about $10 a couple of months ago, so I consider myself fortunate. Most of the Food 'n Flix participants were not so lucky.

Scottish Curry | Nina's Heavenly Delights #FoodnFlix

I'm hosting the February 2020 edition of the Food 'n Flix club with the British foodie rom-com, Nina's Heavenly Delights. Nina comes from a fairly traditional Indian family, who lives and owns a restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. She grew up cooking with her father, learning to use her senses, and becoming a good chef in her own right.  As many young adults do, she leaves home to discover the world on her own terms (and to escape an arranged marriage).

When her father passes away from a heart attack, Nina returns home after 3 years of being estranged and living in London on her own. It's then that she discovers the restaurant is in financial trouble and will most likely be sold to another local Indian family of restauranteurs, which includes the son Sanjay, the man she was supposed to be married to. Remembering all of the memories in the restaurant, particularly learning to cook with her father, she is determined not to let that happen.

Join #FoodnFlix in the kitchen with Nina's Heavenly Delights

I'm excited to be hosting the February 2020 edition of Food 'n Flix this month with a new-to-me film, the 2006 British foodcentric rom-com called Nina's Heavenly Delights. This movie has been on my to-watch list almost since the inception of Food 'n Flix (about 9 1/2 years). It's usually included on those lists of "foodie movies" one can find floating around the internet.

It's about a young woman that returns home (after being estranged for 3 years) to attend her father's funeral. She also finds herself having to take over her the Indian restaurant that her father owned, which is apparently in some trouble. She and a childhood friend who now owns half of the restaurant try to save it by entering a national "Best in the West Curry Competition". I'm guessing it must have big prize money, not to mention the intrigue that comes with winning a title like that.

Kimchi Jjigae | Always Be My Maybe #FoodnFlix

I'm sliding in under the wire with my submission to the January 2020 (!) edition of Food 'n Flix, hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Okay, I didn't make it in under the wire. That was a lie. That wire was a few paces in the past. I'm coming in last. But that's just because the new decade started with a bang! I gave you a little sneak peek of this month's movie pick back in July when I made a dish inspired by it (this Glazed Spam and Rice)...but I'm excited to be able to share another recipe inspired by the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe with you today!

Childhood best friends turned sweethearts Marcus and Sasha are neighbors growing up. Marcus comes from a pretty close-knit Korean family who spend a lot of time doing things together. Sasha and her (Vietnamese) family live next door. Unlike Marcus's family, she spends most of her time alone since her parents are busy running their store.