If you think French food is complicated, decadent, and heavy, think again!
If you think learning and exploring another language is difficult or boring, think again!
And if you think cooking French food and learning French at the same time is impossible, teacher and home cook Elisabeth de Châtillon is here to prove you wrong. It might sound too good to be true, but THE HANDS ON FRENCH COOKBOOK is full of healthy, simple French recipes that you can make for friends and family while you learn not only the French language but also a little bit about French culture in a relaxed, fun, tasty way.
***
REVIEW
HALL WAYS REVIEW: The Hands On French
Cookbook is magnifique! Author Elisabeth de Châtillon's background in
education is clear as she takes her readers through the mechanics of how they
can learn French while cooking the simple but delicious recipes. While some
might be inclined to skip those intro pages of text to get to preparing those
dishes (all presented in beautiful full-color photos), I don't recommend
it. Châtillon thoroughly explains her methodology to make for easy recipe
reading and throws in some fun French phrases, too. And merci
beaucoup to the author for providing conversions from the metric
system because cooking is enough of a challenge for many of us without adding
math to it.
Once we get into the recipes, I learned a lot, not just about
preparation techniques or expanding my French vocabulary but also my English
vocabulary. I had no idea what spelt flour was, but Châtillon not only
explained it, she also adds a Remplace (replace) section
to each recipe with ideas for substitutions. Each recipe is thoroughly
explained so there is no question as to how long each will take, start to
finish, or what utensils and ingredients will be needed. And readers are sure
to have learned the basic commands after just a few recipes since the they are listed, defined, and learned through performing them.
Other handy features are chef's ideas for ways to
change-up the recipes and the recommended ideal season for preparing each recipe so cooks
can optimize in-season ingredients. (For example, one might ditch le
saumon (salmon) in favor of always in-season le chocolat if one
decided to also ditch the healthy aspect. But one might be smart to instead
just skip to les desserts if the sweet tooth is calling,
especially because Châtillon encourages us to lèche la
spatule [lick the spatula] when making chocolate mousse.)
As an admitted Francophile, I enjoyed every single element of the
book: the author's French style, reading the text in French (and then checking
the translation), the simple-to-prepare French recipes (miam miam!), the
additional cultural tidbits about where ingredients and dishes come from, and
the beautiful photographs and fun illustrations. I devoured this cookbook,
mais hélas, I didn't consume a calorie -- yet. I intend to take it with me on
an upcoming trip to my Francophile daughter's house, and we're going to
practice our French while cooking together.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elisabeth de Châtillon
was born in France, has an MA in Education and Marketing,
and has taught extensively in both the USA and Europe.
She is also an accomplished home cook
who enjoys sharing her love for French cooking
by feeding her family and friends simple, good food.
Her book, THE HANDS ON FRENCH COOKBOOK,
was born from her combined love of teaching and cooking
—and a desire to share that love and knowledge.
When Elisabeth isn’t working or cooking,
she likes stepping on her yoga mat,
meditating, swimming in the ocean and lakes, walking in the beautiful outdoors, and traveling.
She currently lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband, Ron, and Minou, her bilingual cat.
To find our more, please visit her website.
Follow her on Facebook, on Instagram, or on LinkedIn
***
GIVEAWAY!
2 winners will receive a print copy of this book
US only; ends 2PM, CDT, October 3, 2021
You can enter the giveaway here
or on any other book blog participating in this tour.
Visit/Follow the participating blogs on Facebook/Twitter,
as listed in the entry form below, and win more entry points!
T. Boone Pickens, legendary Texas oilman and infamous corporate raider from the 1980s, climbed the steps of the Reeves County courthouse in Pecos, Texas in early November 2016. He entered the solitary courtroom and settled into the witness stand for two days of testimony in what would be the final trial of his life.
Pickens, who was 88 by then, had made and lost billions over his long career, but he’d come to Pecos seeking justice from several other oil companies. He claimed they cut him out of what became the biggest oil play he’d ever invested in—in an oil-rich section of far West Texas that was primed for an unprecedented boom. After years of dealing with the media, shareholders and politicians, Pickens would need to win over a dozen West Texas jurors in one last battle.
To lead his legal fight, he chose an unlikely advocate—Chrysta Castañeda, a Dallas solo practitioner who had only recently returned to the practice of law after a hiatus borne of disillusionment with big firms. Pickens was a hardline Republican, while Castañeda had run for public office as a Democrat. But they shared an unwavering determination to win and formed a friendship that spanned their differences in age, politics, and gender.
In a town where frontier justice was once meted out by Judge Roy Bean—“The Law West of the Pecos”—Pickens would gird for one final courtroom showdown. Sitting through trial every day, he was determined to prevail, even at the cost of his health.
The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens is a high-stakes courtroom drama told through the eyes of Castañeda. It’s the story of an American business legend still fighting in the twilight of his long career, and the lawyer determined to help him make one final stand for justice.
“Think you know T. Boone Pickens, the larger-than-life business titan,
energy trader, and corporate raider? Think again. The attorney representing
Pickens in his final major court battle and the business writer who covered him
most over the decades reveal a whole other T. Boone that few people outside his
bubble could have ever imagined.” —Joe Nick Patoski, author of Austin to ATX and host of the Texas
Music Hour of Power
“Chrysta Castañeda and Loren Steffy have accomplished the
remarkable. They’ve taken issues most familiar to lawyers and judges, woven
them into an incredible story and presented to all an enjoyable journey through The
Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens.” —Craig Enoch,
Former Texas Supreme Court Justice and founder of the Enoch Kever law firm
CHRYSTA CASTAÑEDA is a Texas trial attorney specializing in oil and gas disputes. She formed her own boutique law firm in 2014 after more than twenty years as a partner and associate in some of the world’s top law firms.
LOREN STEFFY is a journalist and author of four other nonfiction books: Deconstructed: An Insider's View of Illegal Immigration and the Building Trades (with Stan Marek) (Stoney Creek Publishing, 2020), George P. Mitchell: Fracking, Sustainability and an Unorthodox Quest to Save the Planet (Texas A&M University Press, 2019), Drowning in Oil: BP and the Reckless Pursuit of Profit (McGraw-Hill, 2010) and The Man Who Thought Like a Ship (Texas A&M University Press, 2012). His first novel, The Big Empty, was published in April 2021.
By PRESTON LEWIS Categories: Western / Historical Fiction Publisher: Five Star Publishing Pub Date: August 18, 2021
Pages: 336 pages
Scroll for the Giveaway!
With Lincoln County teetering on the edge of lawless
turmoil, small rancher Wes Bracken avoids taking sides, but his goal is
complicated by his devotion to what he sees as justice and by his friendship
with William H. Bonney, who’s developing a reputation as Billy the Kid. As Lincoln County devolves into explosive violence, Bracken
must skirt the edge of the law to guarantee the survival of his family, his
spread, and his dream. But dangers abound from both factions for a man refusing
to take sides. Before the Lincoln County War culminates on the banks of the Rio
Bonito during a five-day shootout in Lincoln, Bracken is accused of being both
a vigilante and a rustler. As the law stands idly by, Bracken’s ranch is
torched, and his wife is assaulted by the notorious outlaw Jesse Evans.
Survival trumps vengeance, though, as Bracken tries to outlast the dueling
factions aimed at destroying him. At every turn Bracken must counter the devious ploys of
both factions and fight against lawmen and a court system skewed to protect the
powerful and politically connected. Against overwhelming odds, Bracken
challenges the wicked forces arrayed against him in hopes of a better life for
himself, for his family, and for New Mexico Territory. And throughout it all,
Bracken stands in the growing shadow of his sometime pal, Billy the Kid.
Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of 40
westerns, historical novels, juvenile books and memoirs. He has received
national awards for his novels, articles, short stories and humor.
In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters
for his literary accomplishments. Lewis is past president of Western
Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association.
His historical novel Blood of Texas on the
Texas Revolution earned a Spur Award as did his True West article on the Battle
of Yellow House Canyon. He developed the Memoirs of H.H. Lomax series,
which includes two Spur finalists and a Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for
western humor for his novel Bluster’s Last Stand on the battle
of Little Big Horn. His comic western The Fleecing of Fort
Griffin and two of his YA novels have won Elmer Kelton Awards for best
creative work on West Texas from the West Texas Historical Association.
He began his writing career working for Texas daily
newspapers in Abilene, Waco, Orange and Lubbock before going into university
administration. During his 35-year career in higher education, he
directed communications and marketing offices at Texas Tech University, Texas
Tech University Health Sciences Center and Angelo State University.
Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor
University and master’s degrees from Ohio State in journalism and Angelo State
in history. He lives in San Angelo with his wife, Harriet.
From the author of the award-winning book A Delightful Little Book on Aging comes a new self-help memoir Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women. In her new book, Stephanie Raffelock liberates mold-defying midlife women, tired of the oft-inaccurate characterization of the “old crone,” to amplify the resounding strength within. Ever since Eve was banned from the garden, women have endured the oftentimes painful and inaccurate definitions foisted upon them by the patriarchy. Maiden, mother, and crone, representing the three stages assigned to a woman’s life cycle, have been the limiting categories of both ancient and modern (neo-pagan) mythology. And one label in particular rankles: crone. The word conjures a wizened hag—useless for the most part, marginalized by appearance and ability. None of us has ever truly fit the old-crone image, and for today’s midlife women, a new archetype is being birthed: the Creatrix.
In Creatrix Rising, Raffelock lays out—through personal stories and essays—the highlights of the past fifty years, in which women have gone from a quiet strength to a resounding voice. She invites us along on her own transformational journey by providing probing questions for reflection so that we can flesh out and bring to life this new archetype within ourselves. If what the Dalai Lama has predicted—that women will save the world—proves true, then the Creatrix will for certain be out front, leading the pack.
Author Stephanie Raffelock reads an excerpt from Creatrix Rising
PRAISE FOR CREATRIX RISING:
“The perfect topic at the perfect time, Stephanie Raffelock’s self-help memoir, Creatrix Rising, identifies a new archetype, the Creatrix, that transcends the old archetype of Crone. Her stories and insights about how far women have come is nothing short of inspirational. A must-read for any woman who wants to embrace the strength and creativity of midlife.” -Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Women’s Soul
“Poetic and philosophical, Creatrix Rising will inspire readers to claim the courage and confidence that already lives inside of them. An intimate story of transformation, of journeying through life on your own terms without apology.”
-Richard Blanco, 2013 Presidential Inaugural Poet and author of How to Love a Country
“The new archetype Stephanie Raffelock assigns to midlife women underscores the assets and wisdom older women bring to our culture and to the greater good. Creatrix Rising is an affirmation and celebration of the feminine story taking place in leadership and creativity throughout our country.”
-Gabby Reese, volleyball legend, Nike’s first female spokeswoman, and New York Times best-selling author
"We weave together tales of our past and present, helping us make sense of the ideal we strive for: the freedom to do life on our own terms."
Reading Stephanie Raffelock's book -- part memoir, part call to action -- was so powerful and empowering. Her fascinating life stories, and how she learned and grew from them, force the reader to reflect upon her own life stories and the people who helped mold her into what she is today. Raffelock reminds us that we can break those molds at any time or stretch them to fit who we want to be. But more importantly, Raffelock shows how women all have the potential to evolve and take their rightful places in the world by throwing out the horrible accepted norms and definitions of mid-life women.
I'm past the mid-life point, and Raffelock's pointed (and more subtle) questions she poses for self-reflection are ones I will keep revisiting as I continue to reinvent myself and grow.
Highly recommend CREATRIX RISING for ages 40+ women -- and for the men who are in their lives.
Stephanie Raffelock is the author of Creatrix Rising, Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women, (She Writes Press – August, 2021). She also penned the award winning book, A Delightful Little Book on Aging.
A graduate of Naropa University’s program in Writing and Poetics, Stephanie was a contributor to The Rogue Valley Messenger in Oregon. She has blogged for Nexus Magazine, Omaha Lifestyles, Care2.com, as well as SixtyandMe.com.
A former i-Heart Radio host, she is now a popular guest on podcasts, where she inspires women to embrace the strength and passion of their personal story. Stephanie continues to build her speaker’s resume by giving presentations for groups like The Ashland Literary Arts Festival, Breaking the Glass, WINS at Charles Schwab and Southern Oregon University, Friends of the Hannon Library. Her commitment to uplift women extends to teaching personal development classes for incarcerated women and non-profits, including Dress for Success, Austin.
A recent transplant to Austin, Texas Stephanie enjoys an active life with her husband, Dean, and their Labrador retriever, Mickey Mantel Raffelock.
