Evening Edition! Free Kindle Book!

Yes, it’s another cook book! But the list of recipes sounds really good to me right about now. I love Hungarian food, and there are just not a lot of Hungarian places in the cities I’ve visted lately. Lots of Tex Mex and plenty of BBQ --- but the last time I was in a specifically Hungarian restaurant was when I was in Ohio a couple of years ago! I’m wanting myself some Chicken Paprikash!

Free now on Kindle is the Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks, Expanded Edition

Review

.,."introduces the reader to a culinary wealth of truly great recipes... Featuring not only recipes with meticulous instructions, but also memories, traditions, and lore..., Hungarian Cookbook is very highly recommended for anyone seeking to learn about, create, and taste the flavors and culinary traditions of Hungary." --Midwest Book Review "Midwest Book Review"

Product Description

Low-fat and more readily available ingredients are included in these 125 Hungarian recipes, which include classics such as "Chicken Paprika" and "Hungarian Goulash" as well as "Bean With Sausage Soup", "Walnut Torte", and "Dilled Cottage Cheese Cake". Special foods for ceremonies are also included.

I was enjoying the pool this afternoon after the class was over….Beautiful blue sky, hot hot sun, about 4pm. Doesn’t this look inviting?

This is the pool at the Kenilworth Lodge. I swam a bit, lounged a bit, talked to a friend on the phone with my eyes closed while basking in the sun….but within 20 minutes..I couldn’t feel sun anymore, only shade! Peeling one eye open and glancing up revealed that the sun was now covered by mean looking quickly approaching clouds!

Within 5 minutes, the clouds were definitely rumbling overhead and I know enough to not be by a pool when a thunderstorm is rolling through..and let me tell you…it is HOSING RAIN out there as I am writing this post!

SO here I sit, in my room….dreaming of Chicken Paprikash, and wishing I had brought some handwork in from the car with me….can’t go get it now…it’s ACROSS The parking lot…and it is COMING DOWN…

NOTE TO SELF : Whether you think you will need it or not, never NEVER EVER leave your busy bag in the CAR!

When the rain slows down, I’ll run out and get dinner…..and spend the evening stitching….I’ve got the pictures from today’s Star Struck workshop to edit down and will post those in the morning…we had so much fun today!

Toodles for now!

Hello, Sebring!

This picture is an aerial view of Lake Jackson, Sebring, Florida!

I should Never never never trust a Tomtom ((yes, even my new one)) to get me to somewhere I’ve never been before!

Well, or….maybe only trust it as far as you can throw it. And then…..double check with google maps to be sure!

Yesterday morning, after my fiasco with nary a hotel luggage cart in sight to help me load my “way too much needed stuff” back into my car….I keyed in the address for the Women’s Center where the guild meeting was being held, and headed on my way.

((Yes, it is a HUGE pet peeve when people take the carts and keep them in their rooms over night....Other people NEED them TOO, ya know? GRRRR!!))

I had no idea WHERE Sebring was on the map, really….just that it was about 90 miles from Brandon, and off I went. It was pretty much an easy jaunt, out into the countryside! I’ve never seen much of the agricultural side of Florida, and this was so fun seeing cattle, horses, fields, orchards…very different from the high rises and sprawling beaches of the gulf coast!

And I let Tomtom take me…..16 miles PAST where the meeting really was, on a DIFFERENT Lakeview drive, out in the middle of nowhere! And I was at this point nearly running late.

In desparation, I pulled out my trusty iphone, googled the women’s center……and used the GPS on google maps to get me where I was REALLY supposed to be. And all was well. And we had a great time!

It was SO stinking hot, my car thermometer registered 100…I was SO glad when temps dropped as a storm rolled in right after our dinner!

I am staying at the NEATEST old hotel-- You know how I love historic places, right? Well…get a load of the Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring, FL!

This is a post card from 1940….

This is the picture I took today!

Other than the parking lot, it hasn’t changed much!

The hotel was built around 1916. It’s like stepping back into time as you climb the steps and see the chairs on the veranda…

It was SO SO SO hot though, that I couldn’t wait to get into the lobby for a bit of “COOL!”

Beautiful stair case! My room is on the second floor, so I’ve been up and down these stairs a few times already. The sewing stuff? I left most of it in the car. I did bring the hexagons in with me, and a couple quilts to bind should the mood strike, but after the storm, I decided to put on my running shoes and go pound some pavement…

On my way back out I took these pictures in the lobby as well:

Do you know who else has stayed here? There is historic memorabilia all over the walls, and I found THIS list while exploring:

You may have to click it to biggie size it. And I admit I didn’t know many of the names in the left column, but as I followed the time line into the right hand column, these names caught my eye:

Very cool!!

So out I went to enjoy the cooler evening temps after the rain…in a bit of a hurry because sunset was quickly approaching! Down the side walk, along the lake…and found a public beach access!

Lonely empty shore of Lake Jackson! I loved the look of the pier going out over the water, so I wound my way around and found how to get onto it…

Evening colors are so brilliant!! There was still some rumbling of thunder going on in the clouds across the lake, but here the rain had stopped and it was just beautiful out.

This is the view from the end of the pier back toward shore…just catching the last rays of the sunset reflecting here! It was a great evening to squeeze in 5 miles…..come back to the hotel, take a shower, relax in the room, take care of email, and get ready for today’s Star Struck workshop!

And They Came Prepared!!

I have to tell you I was mercilessly teased by the Brandon group after my post regarding how much STUFF we take to class with us! I was so worried I had offended some…but I am so the same way! We have to bring it ALL because what if there is something we don’t bring and we find out we needed it all along? It’s always better to bring it all, and bring too much, than not enough, right? RIGHT!!

So…..for a 6 hour small wall hanging class, how much fabric do YOU bring? I think this Quilter was right on the money with her wheelie cart loaded with four huge bins of scraps and crumbs….it’s all about the variety you know? But still….I’m not sure how many of these tubs actually got opened up and pawed through! :cD

One gal said she read my blog and decided to leave some of her stuff at home. Did I shame her into it? I hope not…and I hope what she needed was not IN the bins that she left at home!

We just need our stuff. To be surrounded by it. To be able to dig through it. And sometimes, simply to know it is there, even if we don’t open that box or bag at all.

I had to laugh out loud at one comment that was given toward the end of the day:

Nancy: "It's all YOUR fault!"

Me: "MY fault? Why?"

Nancy: "I've worked really hard at getting Claudia to let this stuff GO, convincing her we can't save it ALL...and you've RE-corrupted her!!"

We just have to have it all, no explanation needed! :cD

My own sewing this trip has been much the same. I brought two quilts to bind. Have I sat at them yet? Nope.

I’ve been on the road since last Thursday. I have sewn ONE evening out of 4. ONE. And I am hauling this stuff hotel to hotel to hotel! But you know what? If I decide to, if the mood hits…it’s here. And it’s ready.

My only dread is not being able to find an available luggage cart to haul it all BACK to the car in one trip…lol!

We had a lovely lovely fast paced time for yesterday's workshop! I hope you will enjoy the slideshow of the projects in progress!

		Love Shack Workshop, Brandon FL 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I’ll be in Sebring until Thursday when I move on to Lakeland! Bring it on……….let’s keep quilting!

Hello, Tuesday!

How did it GET to be Tuesday already? I’m not quite sure, but let’s just say that Sunday, as a day off, flew by while I enjoyed the Florida sunshine and surroundings!

The street scene you see here is of Ybor City, where we went for dinner Sunday evening...that part of this post continues further down the page, so continue reading!

I missed a whole day of posting yesterday ((Monday)) as I was just NOT here to write!

Could be I just NEEDED a time out for this?

I took some time out Sunday afternoon for a massage – and though it sounds blissful, and mostly was…my main objective was some deep tissue work because of a knot in my right hamstring that has been causing me issues. It really bothered me after my walk/jog Sunday morning…and I just didn’t want to deal with it the rest of this week, so I planned myself a visit. I have a membership to the Massage Envy in Winston Salem, and what I like about it is that I can visit any massage envy anywhere, so it works with my travels. The therapist was great…even if she did bring me to the point of tears a time or two! It’s 2 days later now, and I can really feel the difference.

It’s like this…..our cars need oil changes, lubes and filters, tires rotated, etc to keep running. Our bodies need the same. You gotta take care of it to keep it functional. I use my body hard. It’s not just about pampering, but maintaining function as well!

I chose THIS location in St Petersburg, because it was only 4 miles from THIS:

White sands, gorgeous aqua blue ocean, dark blue sky…..and a bit of room just for me to do this:

Are you tired of seeing my legs?!? I planned this so beach time happened between 4-6 pm when the sun is not so intense. I can’t do more than 2 hours….I don’t EVER sit still for that long! But I read my kindle, I dipped into the ocean and out again….read some more…got really HOT…and went way deep swimming! It really was nice.

Sunday evening I had a dinner date with Bev and her hubby! We went out to Tampa’s Ybor City and walked the historic streets before enjoying our dinner at a Greek place….

Look at these hexagon sidewalks!!

Some of them even have names and dedications on them, so you can purchase your own little part of the sidewalk and say what you want to say. There were quotes, inscriptions, names and dates, and memorials for loved ones long gone. Some of the sidewalks had white on black..and others:

Black on white!! I think you can see the name and date on this one….lower left hand corner.

It was a very fun place! We dipped into the Columbia restaurant for refreshments and to look around! The décor was beautiful!

You have to walk through….just to see the tile work inside, it was incredible! The Columbia was established in 1905 and has quite the history in this area.

We eventually ended up at our Greek Place…the Acropolis Taverna! We walked right in to find a couple of guys who were playing Greek music and supplying just the right ambiance. The food was terrific, and we were also entertained by THIS lovely……do you know how hard it is to get a picture of a belly dancer that is NOT blurry? LOL!!

Almost got the skirt in motion there! Maybe we should try it one more time!

It was just really fun, and the food was great! After this big adventure – the massage, the beach, the trip out to Ybor City for dinner…I was asleep by 10:30pm!! Which was really okay….I had to be up for a Love Shack workshop, followed by dinner out, followed by an evening lecture…..and I needed my sleep!

I’ve still got pics of the workshop to edit down….that will have to wait til next post! And this morning I’m moving on to Sebring for my 1pm lecture there…time to pack up the hotel room and move on to the next town!