Saturday, June 13, 2020

A Peek At My Week 6/13


We are back home, after being away 6 months and a day snowbirding in Florida, well over a week now, and we are just about finished settling in.

Grocery shopping is done, we set up the deck, planted flowers, visited my older son, daughter-in-law, and the grandkids on their deck (had not seen them in 6 months), and have enjoyed the cooler weather (as compared to Miami) for taking walks and sitting outdoors. 

I'm sharing a book review, A TV series review, and 2 vegan/gluten-free recipes.


I'm playing Canasta online

What I'm Reading:  Ten Green Bottles by Vivian Jeanette Kaplan


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This very fascinating true story of the life of Nini Karpel who was a  young adult in Vienna in the 1920s. The story follows her life into the 1930s where she and her friends frequent the opera, enjoy political discussions at coffee houses, and spend time skiing and enjoying a cultured lifestyle. When Hitler invades neighboring Germany and things begin to change for people of the Jewish faith, Nini (who is Jewish) and her friends do not feel threatened because they feel nothing could happen to the Jews of Vienna who were so modern, educated, and sophisticated. As the climate worsens and all human rights are taken away from the Jews, Nini and her family are able to escape to one of the few countries who were accepting immigrants at the time: Shanghai!! With great struggle, they were able to obtain tickets and barely escape before the Nazis put all the Jews in concentration death camps. It is an amazing story of her family's life in Shanghai along with 20,000 other Jews who found refuge and were saved from death as well, only to end up living in another war-ridden country in extreme poverty, unsanitary conditions, with challenging life-threatening diseases, lack of food, and an unsafe lifestyle that hey had never imagined. Eventually, after many long difficult years, they are rescued and able to immigrate to Canada. Truly a fascinating and historical read about life in Shanghai in the 1940s from an immigrant's perspective.

What I'm Watching: A Place To Call Home



The show takes place in Australia in the early 1950s and is about an attractive and very educated nurse with a very secretive and seductive past. The acting is superb in this suspenseful drama. The main character becomes involved with a wealthy widower whose controlling and exceptionally wealthy meddling mother is intent on breaking up their relationship. Feeling that the woman is not of their social status or religion, the powerful mother tries to manipulate everyone in the town to be suspicious of this newcomer and drive her away. In additon, this grandmother rules the roost of her family and estate. The saga of the other family characters and many scenarios make for an exciting series whose characters are trying to evolve with the challenges of a changing world. I highly recommend it.  

My friend recommended this series. It is on Acorn TV which is part of Amazon Prime.  It costs extra to join but they are giving a 7-day trial which we took, so we could see the show. My husband and I have enjoyed it immensely but are planning to cancel the 7 day trial as soon as we finish binge-watching it. ** A few days after watching on Acorn TV, I saw that the entire series is available on Hoopla from the library. 



What I'm Cooking: 


Recipe: Vegan and gluten-free
 Lemony Greek Stuffed Tomatoes or Peppers


















These delicious stuffed tomatoes and stuffed peppers are a perfect meatless summer dish that is flavorful and tangy. It is adapted from a family recipe that I veganized. It makes a spectacular presentation and is a perfect side for when you have an abundance of summer tomatoes.


Recipe: Vegan and gluten-free
 Tomato, and Cashew Salad with lemon and mint dressing


















This is one of my favorite salads. The crunchiness and creaminess of the cashews add something special to this colorful summer salad. Lemon and mint make a light but flavorful dressing. 


Sharing on Weekend Cooking hosted by The Intrepid Reader every Saturday where anyone can a food-related post. 



Sharing on Linking up to Sunday Salon There are no real requirements for linking up at Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is simply a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. Sunday Salon is a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 




28 comments:

  1. Stuffed vegetables are a great vegetarian main course. Recently, I stuffed some peppers with kasha, which I cooked according to the package directions for the pilaf with vegetables. It’s not as sticky as the usual fillings for vegetables, but tasted very good. Enjoy being back home!!

    be well.... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Mae,
      That is such an interesting idea to use kasha to fill stuffed vegetables.

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  2. Thanks for this, just "popped" over to my library and borrowed Ten Green Bottles.
    I am going to watch A Place to Call Home. John signed up for Amazon Prime last year and we definitely get our money's worth.
    I found a gluten free fried chicken place this week!

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    1. Jackie,
      Let me know if you like the book and the series. They both deal with WW2

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  3. East, west, home is the best :-)) The stuffed tomatoes look so fresh and tasty!

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    1. The stuffed tomatoes are really delicious and are served hot! They make a wonderful side dish Angie.

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  4. I'm interested in that saga on Acorn TV. I'll have to see if our library has it. Honestly, if we ever move I'd love to get TV feed to see some of these cool shows.
    Canasta online? I never thought of that, cool!

    Love your stuffed tomatoes, I am about to go back to mosty veggie meals after some medical issues. Clearing out the fridge as I won't throw out any food.

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    1. Tina,
      I saw that it is available on Hoopla in the library downloads.

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  5. It must be good to settle in at home after six months away!

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  6. Looks like you are settling in well. I will look for that book as I read a novel featuring Jewish immigrants in Shanghai https://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-book-tour-stops-here-review-of-song.html and found it fascinating. I'd like to read a true story about it. I'll also check out that series. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Deb,
      Yes, I think you will like the book and might even find some talk of food in it. I don't remember

      Delete
  7. Off to research snowbirding. Cheers

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  8. Ironically even though I think I would love it I have never watched A Place Called Home. It does feature some of our biggest names in Australian television, especially the actress playing the mother.

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  9. I noticed that my library offers Acorn TV. A Place to Call Home sounds excellent. I will have to look for it.

    I've been reading about the Holocaust a great deal lately. My library does not have Ten Green Bottles, so I'll add it to my Amazon list and see if I can find it elsewhere. I think the attitude of the Jewish people in Vienna is often our own attitude; it can happen other places, but not here.

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  10. Those tomatoes and peppers look yummy and perfect for summer. I hope you have a great week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  11. I love your deck area, it looks so cozy. And I'll check out that show you mentioned:)
    @theglobaldig.blogspot.com

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  12. I love tomatoes and peppers, but have never had a stuffed tomato so will be looking for a recipe. I also love salads (when my family orders pizza, I order a salad) and my favorite nut is cashew so I'll be making that salad too! Have a great week!

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  13. The Green Bottles sounds like a very good book. I love those kind of history books. My Sunday Salon post

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  14. Your deck is gorgeous and that salad looks delicious. I can't believe you had not seen your kids/grandkids for six months. That's a long time.

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  15. Ten Green Bottles does look good. I didn't realize Shanghai took in that many Jews fleeing the Nazis. I recently started a nonfiction book called Last Boat Out of Shanghai about the mass exodus out of Shanghai in the wake of China's 1949 Communist revolution. I think it'll be good. Thanks for sharing about Ten Green Bottles. what a story!

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  16. What a fun post! I find myself reading vintage crime books, particularly those wherein the crime has remained unsolved. I'm not sure what that says about me. ;-)

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  17. Thank you for recommending A Place to Call Home. I had Acorn TV for a trial do that I could finish up Doc Martin. Your meals look colorful and delish! Thank you for your visit to my blog. ❤️

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    1. Hi Kitty,
      I really like A Place to Call Home and Acorn TV is available for free on Hoopla if your library has Hoopla.

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  18. Ten Green Bottles sounds fascinating. A great reminder to always be thankful for what we have.

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  19. Wow, you have really been busy with fun things to do! I have been picking up more 'hard' books. It hurts my eyes to read novels on a screen. I love the salad that you've been nibbling on too! Love this post, Judee!
    Stay safe,
    Roz

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    1. Yes, the salad was good. I notice my eyes are bothering me more too.

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  20. I am glad you made it safely home and are settling in.I am glad you were able to reunit with family you haven't seen in awhile. My mom and I were talking on the phone the other night and realized we haven't seen each other since early January. I am not sure when we will be able to see each other again.

    Ten Green Bottles sounds like something I would like. It does sound fascinating!

    I hope you have a great week!

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  21. the salad looks great! Welcome back home. Best place ever.

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

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