Serials and Scenarios ~ Gardein Beefless Ground ~ Reviewed and Recipe

Again, thank you, Target for selling Gardein products at the best prices around. 

Now, onto Gardein Beefless Ground. 

Look at that picture. Totally looks like hamburger doesn't it? I don't think anyone would guess it's not the real deal if it's in a recipe. Maybe a taste comparison side by side with no seasonings etc. But who does that? We want a meatless replacement to go into our favorite family dishes and recipes. Right? 

Gardein will do that. I am so impressed with all the products I've tried and this one is no different. 

With the Beefless Ground I made a hearty "Bear" Soup (I have no idea where that name came from, my husband's grandma I think.) Bear Soup is hamburger potato soup. 

I used 1 Cup of the Gardein Beefless Ground
1 small to medium onion finely diced
1 TBSP oil (I used grape seed)
2 finely diced celery stalks
3 garlic cloves minced
4 Large or 7 small to medium diced potatoes)
8 Cups of broth (my broth was no salt added so I added salt to taste)

This will feed 4-6 depending on appetite.

In a dutch oven or soup pot sauté the onion, garlic, and potatoes until golden and crisping. Add the other ingredients and simmer for at least a half hour or as long as needed. 

If you need a hamburger substitute I suggest Gardein's Beefless Ground. Texture and taste are hand down winners. Also the bag will probably make 2-3 solid multi-serving meals. At under $5.00 that's cheaper than beef. Also, it's gluten free. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Slithery

only okay type of snake I've ever met.... See the size of the tiny leaf? 

 I'm pretty sure I've made my hate affair with snakes clear. 

I detest them, they creep me out and I pretty much freak out around them. 

Back in the day, though, when my kids were little I tried to tolerate the horrific reptiles. Toad-boy would find snakes pretty much everywhere. And he'd study them. I remember once discovering him jotting down notes on a dead snake he found at my parents. He began to pry it's mouth open. When I voiced my motherly concern he suggested that I not watch the experiment. 

Another time we went camping and he found a garter snake at a lake. He measured the writhing and very unhappy snake. So then I notice scratches all over his arms. What in the world I wondered out loud, Then the snake struck and grabbed his arm and he pulled it away leaving a new set of scratches. UGH!!!!! 

However, there were cute (I know, right?) little ringneck snakes that the kids would find on occasion. Little worm-sized gray things with an orange little stripe around the neck. The only issue I had with these little guys was the habit of the kids to bring them in the house and then lose them. 

So yesterday afternoon I spied a ringneck. I had to take a picture and send it for nostalgia's sake. And I told the kids I was tempted to bring it inside and let it lose for old time's sake. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ A Different Take on Training.

Charlie is a smart one. 

Let's think this one through shall we? Lil Laura is going to be at Charlie's licking level for a few years. He's probably seen how messy children's faces get. He's maybe seen children in high chairs tossing bits all over the place. 

I think that Charlie is training Laura to share. And while he's at it, teaching her the beauty of a good game of fetch. And making sure she knows who her best friend truly is. 

Oh, yeah, it's not the smart move of tossing toys to the baby, it's the baby training behind the ball game. 

Thanks Mom for sharing the video. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Just a Paws...

Last night while working on my post for today my computer decided to be challenging. So here's a puppy paw. That's all. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ drips coffee/gallery - review

 I have been negligent, again. How could I go to a coffee shop many, many times and not review it?  

I will rectify this now. 

drips is the most unique coffee shop I've ever been in. For starters, there are limited coffee house sounds such as screaming, steaming milk. When coffee is ordered the owner/artist, Tres, grinds the perfect number of beans and crafts a delicious pour over. 

Pretty much, those who want frou-frou with chocolate or caramel drizzle with meh coffee shouldn't plan on having that itch scratched. However, fans of coffee...the real deal with all the diverse qualities that make each estate, each coffee growing region unique will adore Tres's pours. Tres chooses beans with coffee lover palates in mind. And he's more than happy to talk about the subtle and not-so-subtle qualities of the coffee. 

Tres also experiments with other drinks, I watched him make an iced coffee yesterday, and I've heard about some amazingly decadent creations that include things like butter. 

Right now he is serving a unique bean and he updates his Facebook Page often.  He even offers a little historical coffee information about the limited-time newest bean offering. 

drips atmosphere is cool and ever changing. Different artists hang their pieces in the gallery, and Tres often is hard at work on his own creations. 

I think drips is the only non-chain coffee location in Council Bluffs. If you are a coffee lover you owe it to yourself to check it out if you are a Council Bluffs or Omaha resident or visitor. Located in the historic Main Street section of Council Bluffs, it's near the Dodge House and infamous Squirrel Cage Jail. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Just Cute Dogs..

 When I got home yesterday I found bonus dogs. Ha Ha. Lily and Lola visited while I was at work. I miss those girls. Then I looked at pictures of more cute pups. http://www.boredpanda.com/growing-up-before-and-after-dog-photos/

Serials and Scenarios ~ If You're Looking for Something to Read...

 I've got three book recommendations for you.  (BTW Gertie gives each of these books a solid 4.5 tail wags) I'm linking the books to an online bookseller so you can read the back cover copy and other reviews. But I'll give you my thoughts. 

Lisa Wingate's The Story Keeper. Lisa Wingate's novels have become some of my favorites. 

She has this cool story within a story thing that has presented itself in the three novels of hers that I've read...  an unfolding mysterious story line within a story where a heroine needs to solve the mystery to enhance/change/find hope/healing etc in her life. Wingate writes as smooth as high quality chocolate and some of her paragraphs/scenes are as satisfying. In this particular novel, The Story Keeper, Wingate introduces us to Jen, a newly hired editor at a highly respected small publisher in New York. Jen has a secret past, though. One that is painful and haunts her at very inconvenient times. A file ends up on her desk and once she opens it her story begins unfurling and her carefully guarded past slops over into her present. One of my all time favorite books is Francine Rivers's The Last Sin Eater. Wingate's story within a story is set in the hills of Appalachia and the cadence and mysterious beliefs and language of the people of the hills reminded me of the beauty of Rivers's novel. If you love great writing and powerful stories, give this one a shot. 

Next: Marvelous by Travis Thrasher. 

Thrasher creates complex, living breathing characters and puts them in some pretty sticky situations. Brandon, the summer before his senior year, is working two jobs to repair/replace the car his friend borrowed and crashed. Marvella is a new, funky girl in town.

The two of them meet at the quirky record store where both need a job. Brandon had already snagged it, but inspired by instant attraction for Marvella, he interviews her and offers her the job. Brandon then has two jobs but only gets paid for one. But he receives another form of payment, time with Marvel and her friendship. And if the story was just that it'd be sweet and adorable, the end.

But that's not the story line. 

Marvel is loaded with dark and twisty secrets that will rock Brandon's world as she shares them as their friendship grows. Brandon has a shameful secret of his own. And unsettling things are happening all around them.  A former classmate is found in the river and it's not an accidental drowning, is there a serial killer living in their small town? Then Brandon ends up on half the football team's whuppin list when he stands up to a gang of bullies. Marvel finally reveals a piece of the puzzle to Brandon, that she is destined to save people and that destiny is galloping toward them. 

Whew. This is a page turner. It could be too intense for younger teens because of the subject matter. However, those who love nitty gritty fiction should adore this one. The writing is tight enough to bounce a quarter off and Thrasher has come up with a page turner. I was so disappointed when Marvelous ended because I now have to wait for the other shoe to drop. Or shoes, there are four books in the series.

Finally. 

Prime of Life written by P. D. Bekendam. 

This one was a huge surprise. Okay. Call me snotty, but my expectations weren't high. It's written by a doctor. (I work in medicine, and though my docs are brilliant and wonder and all that, the focus and dedication to medicine doesn't leave a lot of time for the focus and dedication required to write well, just saying.) My interest was piqued because a purchase = a donation to a terrific cause though. I put the novel in my purse and to read when I had wait times during my activities of daily living. 

However, once I began reading the novel it became a must-finish-this-book-as-soon-as-possible read. The writing clips along nicely. The characters are quirky with a capital Q. Prime of Life is a charming read. Moments of deep or melancholy pepper the book along with loads of humor and sarcasm. The one caution I have is that there is a little bit of curmudgeonly humor that might offend more sensitive readers.