Sunday, April 14, 2019

Sanibel Sunday: April 14, 2019


Good morning from Sanibel! It's mid-April and spring has seemingly given way to summer. As I type at 8:45AM, it is 78 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 85 and 88% humidity. This is warmer than normal (whatever that is these days!) but there is talk of a cold front approaching. In the meantime, my beach walks are happening a little earlier.



Finished this week//


by Hannah Kent, narrated by Morven Christie

Popular a few years ago, this ebook had been languishing on my kindle for years. I recently snapped up the audio version when audible offered it as a daily deal. It was quite an experience as a  read/listen combination... and I mean that in a good way. Look for a book brief later this week.



Current reading//

by Tessa Hadley

A country home, a family gathering, and, yes, secrets! I read the first chapter of this novel last night and my hopes are high. I'll share more as I get into it this week.



Listening to//


by Joan Biskupic, narrated by Carrington MacDuffie

My Supreme Court kick continues. After finding a wait list for Biskupic's The Chief, her new book about John Roberts, I discovered her 2014 work about Sonia Sotomayor. I was impressed with Sotomayor's memoir My Beloved World  and, since reading it, I have wanted to learn more. Only 45 minutes in now, but will continue listening as I walk this week.


On the blog//

Scenes from the Naples Botanical Garden
Current reading: Burial Rites  by Hannah Kent
Recent Reading: Four Book Briefs


In the kitchen//


My SIL is gluten free, so I made this Strawberry Almond Flour Cake from King Arthur when she was here for dinner last week. Almond flour is pricey, but the cake was easy to make and delicious. I know she appreciated having a GF dessert.




I've been making coleslaw frequently this winter... my daughter and FIL can't seem to get enough. Publix periodically has bags of broccoli slaw in their salad section and I though that might be a more nutritious option. This recipe for Honey Mustard Broccoli Slaw is from the Skinny Kitchen website and was quite a hit. I did not have light mayo, so used the full fat version. It may not have been quite as skinny, but it sure was tasty!


The week ahead//

This is laptop week! Mine is dying a slow and painful death... we're off to the Apple store tomorrow! I also have a haircut scheduled and am looking forward to a midweek neighborhood gathering. We don't have any more visitors scheduled, so things will be a little more relaxed until we head north in late May or early June.

How was your week? What have you been reading?


41 comments:

  1. That cold front has hit us already and I'm glad for it - it was too hot too early in my opinion. I bet it's a treat to eat at your house!

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    1. Kathy - That cold front is supposed to reach us tonight... fingers crossed for temps in the 70s tomorrow!

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  2. It's cold here, too. Last night I had to turn on the air conditioning and this morning I had to turn on the heat.

    Burial Rites was the rare thriller I read a few years back. I thought it was surprisingly good.

    I've never been one for coleslaw, but I think I might love broccoli slaw. The flavors sound delicious.

    Have a great reading week!

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    1. Deb - Burial Rites surprised me, too. I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did... such a sense of place and time, too!

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  3. We had our first warm (and even a little muggy day yesterday, and thankfully they're now predicting nicer weather for the Marathon tomorrow. I like the look of the broccoli slaw...I'm not the biggest fan of coleslaw but I'm goig to try it. BTW, I made the almond flour brownies from the KAF site. They were good! (if a little crumbly...) Not sure if they're gluten free (does cocoa powder have any flour added in it?) And I had bookmarked this cake so I'm glad it has your endorsement!

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    1. Audrey - I hope they have good weather for the marathon tomorrow... it was pretty miserable last year I think. My daughter's very good friend is running tomorrow, so I'm hoping for the best. I will look for the almond flour brownie recipe.. need to use the rest of it before we head north. Not sure whether cocoa powder contains gluten, but I'll look into it. I could just make that cake again, too.

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    2. The weather report is getting better! Your daughter's friend will be running right past my windows so I'll be sure to cheer for her! :)

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  4. We were heading for summer weather, our first 90-degree days, but a cool front blew through yesterday, and it feels wonderful today. I'm not quite ready to be hot!

    I am not a fan of broccoli in general, but now I'm curious about broccoli slaw.

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    1. Lisa - That cold front should hit here tonight and I'm ready! I keep saying that after all my complaining about winter, I will not say a word about the heat here... but thank God for air conditioning! ;-)

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  5. That photo is beautiful so I can only imagne how it was in person! Your food looks really good.

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    1. Thanks, Vicki. I am always so thankful for the natural beauty that surrounds me here.

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  6. Nice that you're having summer. We're barely having spring. :) and :( I've seen that Burial Rites book around. Who knows but I probably have a copy on my Kindle somewhere too. Knock on wood, my laptop has been surviving. I'd like to say I've been reading a lot, but it just isn't true. Reading that I had planned today is being pushed off until tonight, maybe even tomorrow. We'll see. Reading James Herriot's All Things Wise and Wonderful. Did read a little today from a book called Leaving Church: A Memoir by Barbara Brown Taylor today as part of Lenten reading.

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    1. Bryan - My laptop is so old it won't even accept updates and every day it seems like a new favorite website stops working. It will be such relief to finally get a new one. I remember loving James Herriot's books when I read them year ago. Just looked up Leaving Church and that sounds like one for my Lenten list next year.

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  7. I love that photo...and can visualize the walk on the beach. Thanks for sharing...and for your condolences on my blog.

    I am intrigued by your books...and good luck at getting just the right laptop. My old one died last October.

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - I remember when you were having problems with your laptop. Fingers crossed my transition to a new device is smooth.... sometimes I really hate technology :(

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  8. Such a beautiful photo! A walk in the beach sounds so nice. I was hoping this would be the weekend we took up walking in the evenings again, but we haven't managed it yet. Evening walks during the week are impossible, unfortunately. I am glad you enjoyed Burial Rites. I want to read that one. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. The Strawberry Almond Flour Cake looks delicious! I am glad it turned out well. I hope you find a computer you like! I am not sure how mine has managed to stay working as long as it has. It has its quirks, but is hanging in there. I am grateful because we don't have the money to replace it. :-( Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Wendy - I've put off replacing this laptop for a long time... seems like there is a new issue with favorite websites daily now, and forget about watching most videos. Hopefully changing to a new device won't be too traumatic. Fingers crossed!

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  9. Burial Rights is still on my TBR list, which I feel a little badly about. The mid to high 70’s is about average for autumn days here, but it’s cool in comparison to summer.

    Have a great reading week

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    1. Shelleyrae - Burial Rites is definitely worth the read. I'll post a review Thursday or Friday.

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  10. Your recipes always make me hungry!

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  11. The trauma of a new laptop will end with the joy of getting to know your new one. I don’t even use a laptop any more. I love my iPad so much...but if you are getting anything Apple it will be awesome. I enjoyed The Past...I hope you do, too. Yummy coleslaw. Cabbage is really good for your body!

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    1. Patty - Now it looks like they can fix my MacBook Air... I made another appointment for Wednesday!

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  12. We've got fairly seasonal temperatures, but the wind has been crazy and driving me nuts. I love that broccoli slaw mix and use it in stir-fries and soups too. Good luck on the new laptop.

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    1. Beth F - What a good idea to use broccoli slaw in stir-fry or soup... thanks!

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  13. The Past sounds pretty good. A country home and secrets? That's for me.
    Gluten free flour is pricey but Trader Joe's brand is very affordable.
    I'm trying to get There There read but there are many other books I want to read at the same time.
    Weather has been gorgeous here. Makes me a tad resentful that I am stuck in the office today.

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    1. Ti - I'll check Trader Joe's for GF flour when we are in NY, there isn't one near us in this part of FL. The Past is very good so far.

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  14. Nice beach! The weather has been similar here in Tempe, but without the humidity. I love broccoli slaw, though I haven't had it in a while.

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    1. Katherine - I'm not a fan of humidity, but that's all we get during the summer here. Hoping there is more broccoli slaw in the store this week!

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  15. So lovely! I wish it was summer here. We had nice warm weather for a few days, but today it's back down to the 40's.

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    1. Carol - We are FL residents now, but still have a home in NY. We probably won't head north until Memorial Day... the snow should be gone by then! ;-)

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  16. I wouldn't mind some summer-like temps right about now! It's still chilly (40s) and rainy, but we had a bit of sunshine a couple of days ago. We're on the road again for 3 weeks, heading up to Washington (Kitsap & Olympic Peninsula) after a few days at a new campground southest of Portland. We love our time on the road!

    Enjoy your last month or two in Florida. Your time down there seems to go very quickly!

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    1. Les - Another road trip... how exciting! I'll be sure to keep up with your travel photos on instagram. Hope you're having a wonderful time. :)

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  17. That is an absolutely stunning photo!! Beautiful. My dad just got back from that area a few days ago!

    The Past looks like a great read! And that Almond flour cake sounds delicious. Have a fantastic week!

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    1. Crackercrumblife - I hope he had good weather while he was here... it's been beautiful again this week. The Past is really good, although I haven't had as much time for reading as I'd like. Isn't that always the case though...

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  18. Catching up on blog posts, so happy you've enjoyed your FL months. MY SIL gets home this week. I'm big on cole slaw and chopped salads so I will try this recipe sometime - full fat mayo for sure LOL

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    1. Diane - Of course there was no broccoli slaw in the store yesterday, but I'll keep checking. Strange it's not an item they regularly stock... I love chopped salads, too!

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  19. JoAnn, great to hear you've been enjoying some warmer weather, good food and some good books too. It's still pretty cold here, but I have been enjoying some great, new one-pot recipes and some lovely books too. I have just finished reading historical fiction The Tudor Crown by Joanna Hickson.

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    1. Jessica - I like to cook one-pot recipes, too. Skinnytaste is popular here and she recently came out with a new cookbook called One and Done which is full of one pot dishes. Hoping to add it to my collection soon!

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  20. I hope you got a great laptop. I still love my MacBook Pro from Apple. So it sounds like you are in Sanibel a while longer but I'm sure it's getting Hot there. The North is warming up and I'm loving being outside without all the winter gear! Enjoy your books.

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    1. Hi Susan - I was just at the Apple store today (again) and they've managed to fix my nearly six year old MacBook Air. It's still very slow... fingers crossed this takes care of things!

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