Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general.

Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.

If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM. TMST is a laid back meme – join in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.

Question: Comfort foods and comfort reads. Now that the weather is getting cooler, share some of yours.

Answer: Cold winters are new to me (after almost 30 years in FL – now living in WA state) so cold weather comfort meals are somewhat new to me. In FL. Winters used to me mean strawberry, citrus and farmers market season - the exact opposite of comfort food.

But if I must adapt to colder weather - there's no better way than through soups and stews.

I’ve become a huge fan of my Instant Pot and our absolute favorite meal is this Chicken and Dumpling recipe from Dessert for two. I double all the ingredients and make it in my 6qt pot instead of the 3qt she uses and reheat any leftovers with a new batch of dumplings the next day.

A new favorite (also from Dessert for Two) is her Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff recipe. Everything, including the noodles, is cooked in one pot.

Veggie noodle & pea soup are favorite standby’s too. Again, the Instant Pot is my secret weapon. Just toss everything in and it’s ready in under 10 minutes.

And, of course, bread - any kind of warm bread! I just ordered a bread machine and I'm looking forward to whipping up a loaf at any time!

As for non stew/soup comfort foods – I love warm cider with caramel drizzle from the local coffee shop. I haven’t had it yet this fall, but the cold, rainy weather has already started so I expect to get there soon. We always grab one and a biscotti to take for our walk by the water.

Comfort Reads: Honestly, I just read whatever but I will always feel most comforted by a sweet romance

Do you have a cold weather comfort food or read?

Monday Minis: I’m Dreaming of a White…October???

I’m not usually a big seasonal reader - and I'm reading the wrong season lol - but give me all the sweet, Hallmark holiday, HEA, romance vibes right now!

These two check all those boxes and were pretty flipping adorable.

First up…

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (Pine hollow #1) by Lizzie Shane ~ Goodreads Ben, an overwhelmed single dad (Uncle to his orphaned niece) has a meet cute with Ally Gilmore, a photographer who heads back to her small hometown to take care of her aging grandparents and to help save their animal shelter of misfit canines after funding is cut off right before Christmas.

This book was just adorable and heartwarming. Ally and Ben get off on the wrong foot (& he’s quite the grumpster at first) but end up having this slow burn friendship/romance while they both learn to put their trust in community, friends, family and each other. It was just the sweetest but also had a lot of great life messages. And puppies!!

This seriously needs to be made into a Hallmark movie! 

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren ~ Goodreads “One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.”

That summary suggest a love triangle vibe but that’s a bit misleading so no worries there. 

Mae Jones always spends Christmas with her (divorced) parents with their family friends in a cabin in Utah. Her best friend is Theo while she secretly pines for his brother Andrew, who sees her as a little sister.

After a drunken kiss with one of the brothers, Mae’s life is thrown into a tailspin – and a Groundhog Day scenario where she keeps reliving the trip until she can figure out exactly what the universe is trying to get her to do to make things right.

This was pretty hilarious. Each restart produces a different set of problems for Mae but she does her best to heal her friendship with Theo, get the man of her dreams and save the cabin and figure out what to do with her life.

The whole cast was great, the setting was fun and Chistmasy with a touch of magic.

My one teeny-tiny complaint would be that I didn’t think one character was given enough depth and it weakened the story a bit but otherwise it was absolutely delightful and fun!

Are you reading holiday stories yet? Or is it #TooSoon?

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Originally hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings, Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is a weekly feature where we talk about books, blogging, and life. Heidi is on an extended hiatus and is allowing a few us to take over the running of TMST until she decides to come back. 

This has been one of my favorite memes to participate in. It's VERY low key - you just join in when you feel like it, the questions cover a range of topics and often give me a prompt when I otherwise don't feel like blogging. There's NO PRESSURE. Just jump in or out as the mood strikes.

Jen from That's What I'm Talking About, Linda from Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Berls from Because Reading is Better than Real Life, Roberta from Offbeat YA, and myself, got together to create the weekly topics/questions in advance. 

This week we have a linky for anyone who wants to participate and link up – just to get an idea of who participates - but we won’t be doing that every week and you are not required to link up.

We have a brand new AWESOME graphic designed and donated by Michelle with Limabean Designs. Please visit her shop: https://mylimabeandesigns.com/. Thank you Michelle!

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

If you are participating in TMST and want to leave your blog in the linky, please join in!