Book Review: The Cake Mix Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn

Book Description:

What could be better than a phenomenon? The return of a phenomenon. Ten years ago Anne Byrn's The Cake Mix Doctor began its extraordinary run as one of the most popular baking books of all time. Now Anne Byrn is back with the all-new Cake Mix Doctor Returns! From the beloved author who showed home bakers how adding a touch of sweet butter or a dusting of cocoa powder, a dollop of vanilla yogurt or flurry of grated lemon zest could transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Here are 160 brand-new recipes—that’s right, 160 amazing cake mix recipes—for luscious layer cakes, sheet cakes, brownies, bars, cookies, and more.

And the book is needed more than ever. Today 90 percent of home cooks use prepackaged mixes, while the economy is creating a perfect excuse to let them eat cake—cake equals happiness. And what cakes! 40 layer cakes, from Tiramisu Cake to The Best Red Velvet Cake, Strawberry Refrigerator Cake to Chocolate Swirled Cannoli Cake. 35 sheet cakes. 38 bundt and pound cakes. 16 cupcakes and muffins, plus the cult classic Whoopie Pie. And brownies, bars, and cookies, including Spice Drop Cookies, Angel Food Macaroons, and Chocolate Espresso Biscotti. There's even a wedding cake, a frequent request from the author's passionate online community.

The Cake Mix Doctor is back—just say ahhhhh!

My thoughts:
I have been a fan of The Cake Mix Doctor since I discovered her a couple of years ago and own many of her cookbooks.  I was excited to see The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!: With 160 All-New Recipes.
There are several things I like about her books (beside the wonderful recipes). The first is that she included a picture of every recipe in the front of the book. Usually, I get stuck right there trying to decide which one looks the best and that I need to make. The second is her section of how to use the book. I have learned sooooo much from these sections of her books. There is so much information about cake mixes, chocolate, the best cake pans, cream cheese and so much more. I do want to add here if you are a genius in the kitchen you probably know everything included here, but for the cooking illiterate like myself, I found this to be a treasure trove of information! The third is all the little hints that are interspersed throughout the book. Hints include such topics as substitutions, greasing your pans, storing your cakes, dressing up your cakes, cupcake baking tips and many more.

If you never have looked at one of the Cake Mix Doctor's cookbooks, I highly recommend you give one a glance. You can start with The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!: With 160 All-New Recipes or the one I rely on the most,  Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor. 

Book Review: The Faceless Fiend by Howard Whitestone

Faceless Fiend, The: Being the Tale of a Criminal Mastermind, His Masked Minions and a Princess with a Butter Knife, Involving Explosives and a Certain ... Misadventures of Emmaline and Rubberbones)

Book Description:

Pioneering aviatrix Emmaline and her bouncy pilot, Rubberbones, are back for the second installment in the Mad Misadventures series. For the time being, they're safe from the headmistress and monsters of St. Grimelda's School. Their relative calm in the Yorkshire dales, however, is about to be shattered. A ruthless master criminal known as the Faceless Fiend wants very much to kidnap their haughty houseguest Princess Purnah, and it's obvious he'll stop at nothing (after all, he has no face to lose). With help from Aunt Lucy, the heroic butler Lal Singh and the hapless Professor Bellbuckle, Emmaline and Rubberbones devise an escape plan so bold, so clever, so completely insane that -- things get a lot worse. Follow our friends into the maze-like depths of darkest Victorian London as the villainous plot to abduct Princess Purnah leads to desperate chases, food fights, ridiculous costumes, balloons over London, famous fictional detectives, rat-killing contests and assorted mayhem.

My thoughts:
I am making my way through this series since Carrie at Reading to Know gives it high recommendations. Faceless Fiend, The: Being the Tale of a Criminal Mastermind, His Masked Minions and a Princess with a Butter Knife, Involving Explosives and a Certain Amount of Shoving and Pushing by Howard Whitehouse continues the story of Emmaline and Rubberneck. It is full of fun, adventure and amazing exploits with some very suspenseful and tense moments interspersed. This is a book that I think both children and adults will enjoy.

Book Review: Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy

Book Description:
Glowing Sun has never met a man she didn't pull a knife on--including the man who's determined to marry her.

Glowing Sun, a white woman raised by the Flathead Indians, is one of a handful left alive after the people of her village are slaughtered. When those remaining blame her for bringing on the killing spree, she is forced to leave her tribe.

With a vague memory of her life in the white world, which eventually, includes a name--Abby Lind--she declares her life as Glowing Sun over. But where does she now belong?

Wade Sawyer, having broken ties with his cattle-baron father, make himself responsible for Abby's survival. But can he win her heart when she pulls a knife at everything that moves?

When Wade receives word that his father may be dying, he heads home, with Abby reluctantly following behind. Neither is aware that land hungry killer slink in the shadows of the Sawyer Ranch.

Will Abby be able to keep the mild-mannered Wade out of trouble? Will Wade's rescue reflex get in the way of his common sense? Can they stay alive long enough to fall head over spurs in love?

My thoughts:
Wildflower Bride (Montana Marriages) by Mary Connealy is the third book in the Montana Marriages Series. I enjoyed the story of Wade and the knife-throwing Abby. I also enjoyed that the same characters from the other books were still involved in the story and you can see what is happening in their lives.

I do have to share my one difficulty with the character of Wade Sawyer, which probably won't be a problem to anyone else. When Wade Sawyer is introduced in the first book, Montana Rose (Montana Marriages Series #1) as a drunk and a coward, I instantly thought of the cowardly son that Dennis Hopper plays in the film, The Sons of Katie Elder. I had a very hard time imagining the person he had become as portrayed in the book. I know that because of Christ, Wade's life was turned around, but it just goes to show how strong an image can be.

I can't say enough how much I enjoy Mary Connealy's writings. She is so funny and definitely has a way with words. If you love to laugh, I highly recommend Wildfire Bride and the other books in this series.

A-Z Wednesday

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicky of Reading at the Beach. To join, look here.

This weeks letter is: O



Oliver Twist (Puffin Classics) by Charles Dickens

Book Description:
Nine-year-old Oliver has spent his life in a workhouse orphanage, where he becomes notorious for daring to ask for more food. Frustrated and hungry, he runs away to London, where he falls into the company of a gang of clever pickpockets, including Fagin, Bill Sykes, and the Artful Dodger. OliverÂ’s future looks uncertain, until a mysterious plot against him is unraveled by the kind Mr. Brownlow. What will become of poor Oliver Twist?

My thoughts:
Here is another book I have yet to read that is sitting patiently waiting to be retrieved from my shelf. (sigh)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading.



Wildflower Bride (Montana Marriages) by Mary Connealy

Either someone was trying to kill him, or...he'd found his woman.

Or both. p. 243

Homeschooling Update: Term 3 (09-10) - Part 2

Destini - Term 3

Math:
Math-U-See Gamma.
Language Arts:
Easy Grammar Grade 3
All About Spelling Level 2
Phonics Pathways
Copywork/Handwriting:
Classically Cursive Book 1
History:
American History:D'Aulaire American Biographies
World History: Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall and Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
Geography
Sticker Atlas of the World
Library books about different countries and stories from different countries
Science
Exploring Creation with Astronomy by Jeannie Fulbright (narration)
Literature
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling (narration)
The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (online version)
James Herriot's Treasure for Children by James Herriot
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Shakespeare: Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
Additional Reading:
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Along Came a Dog by Meindert DeJong
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
along with other books.

We finished up:
D'Aulaire books:
-Benjamin Franklin
-George Washington
-Buffalo Bill
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges

She also read:
Kirsten's Story Collection by Janet Beeler Shaw
"B" Is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
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Check out Term 2 here.

Book Review: An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor

Book Description:

Readers of Patrick Taylor’s books know Mrs. Kinky Kincaid as the unflappable housekeeper who looks after two frequently frazzled doctors in the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo. She is a trusted fixture in the lives of those around her, and it often seems as though Kinky has always been there.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Some forty-odd years before and many miles to the south, the girl who would someday be Kinky Kincaid was Maureen O’Hanlon, a farmer’s daughter growing up in the emerald hills and glens of County Cork. A precocious girl on the cusp of womanhood, Maureen has a head full of dreams, a heart open to romance, and something more: a gift for seeing beyond the ordinary into the mystic realm of fairies, spirits, and even the dreaded Banshee, whose terrifying wail she first hears on a snowy night in 1922. . . .

As she grows into a young woman, Maureen finds herself torn between love and her fondest aspirations, for the future is a mystery even for one blessed with the sight. Encountering both joy and sorrow, Maureen at last finds herself on the road to Ballybucklebo---and the strong and compassionate woman she was always destined to become.

An Irish Country Girl is another captivating tale by Patrick Taylor, a true Irish storyteller.

My thoughts:
I have enjoyed Patrick Taylor's previous books and I was excited to see An Irish Country Girl. I need to say that I'm not too keen on ghost stories so I didn't thoroughly enjoy the book as much as the others. I did enjoy looking into Kinky's past and learning her bittersweet love story and how she came to settle in Ballybucklebo.