Free Book Friday! 2/22/13

I promise I will start posting more than just the Free Books, I have several things to update soon :)

Today, however, is for the love of (FREE) books! Just click the picture of each book to be taken to the download page, and remember you do not need a Kindle to enjoy these. There are free reading apps for your computer, tablet, phone, or other device!  So start downloading!

*Please note that these books are free at the .com address of Amazon at the time of this posting. Book prices may change at any time, and these books may not be free on the .UK, .CA, or other countries Amazon websites.*

**All descriptions are taken from Amazon and not my own words**

The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables," is an essential reference book for anyone interested in maintaining optimal health and overcoming disease. The book contains concise and comprehensive listings of hundreds of herbs, vitamins, and supplements that can cure common medical conditions. This book has quick and easy references to the all information you need to maintain excellent health the natural way.

*Bella's note: This awesome reference book is a whopping 813 pages, which makes my bookworm heart squee in delight!*

John Bartley’s days are filled with working in the mill or the garden, and he can’t wait to see Zella at the next barn dance. But when he stumbles through a hidden portal in the forest, everything he’s ever known falls behind him. 

A hundred and thirty-four years behind, to be exact.

Tess can’t quite believe John’s tale of time travel. Does he really not know what a cell phone is? A car? Indoor plumbing? To convince the girl he’s swiftly falling for that he’s not crazy, John must delve into Tess’s history—his future—and solve the mystery of his hometown’s demise. 

But when they learn its fate, each faces a wrenching choice. Save their love or save the past?

My father abandoned me when I was an infant.

My friends have turned against me. 

My uncle beats me.

The most powerful men in the world want me dead.

They all have one thing in common.

They think I'm turning into a monster.

I'm starting to worry they're right.

*Bella's Note: This one ^ looks really interesting!*

Chicago wife, mother and finance executive Claire Cummings, arrives at work one morning to discover her friend Julia has embezzled millions and vanished. Blindsided and devastated by the betrayal, she’s sent home pending further investigation. Claire’s bizarre death the following day sends everyone reeling, guessing and looking for her in all the wrong places. In no time she's addicted to an enchanting menagerie of tricks and techniques for getting the living's attention, but most people are harder to reach than she'd ever dreamed and even harder to set free. 

She was still a mother, a wife, a daughter and a friend... she'd move heaven and earth to keep it that way.

Sheri Meshal’s Swallowtail is a haunting story about life, love, loss and just how far we’ll go to control it all.

This debut from a thought-provoking new voice in fiction begs the question… what would you do if all the rules changed, and you were suddenly bestowed powers beyond your greatest imagination?

After experiencing a precognitive dream that shatters her engagement and changes her life forever, young California psychology professor Laurel MacDonald decides to get a fresh start by taking a job at Duke University in North Carolina. She soon becomes obsessed with the long-buried files from the world-famous Rhine parapsychology experiments, which attempted to prove if ESP really exists.

As she teams up with another charismatic professor, they uncover disturbing reports, including a mysterious case of a house supposedly haunted by a poltergeist, investigated by another research team in 1965. The two professors and two exceptionally gifted Duke students move into the grand, abandoned mansion to replicate the investigation, unaware that the entire original team ended up insane... or dead.

America is falling, ready to join the Roman Empire as a distant memory in the annals of history. The year is 2027. Tired and desperate, the American people are deep in the middle of The Second Great Depression. The Florida coastline is in ruins from the most powerful hurricane on record; a second just like it is bearing down on the state of Texas. For the first time in history, the Middle East has united as one and amassed the most formidable army the world has seen since the Third Reich. A hidden army of terrorists is on American soil. This is the story of three men: Howard Beck, the world’s richest man, also diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Richard Dupree, ex-Navy SEAL turned escaped convict. Maxwell Harris, a crippled, burned out Chief of Police of a small Texas town. At first they must fight for their own survival against impossible odds. Finally, the three men must band together to save their beloved country from collapse.

Men Cry In The Dark is an entertaining and realistic novel about fatherhood, interracial dating, and the fear of love and commitment from a man’s perspective. Michael Baisden has courageously defied the stereotypes to prove once and for all that men love their children, cherish their women, and yes, even cry.

Old sins leave dark and lasting scars...

Hannah Stuart thinks she's safe within the dark and private rooms of Kenninghall, her friend Milo's rambling and secluded Washington estate. Here she hides from the outside world, nurturing her depression, and lost in a past and painful tragedy she can't let go. She lives her days by rote, each day the same as the one before.

But change, for good or ill, is both relentless and inescapable.

Milo dies, leaving Hannah a fortune and three letters. Letters telling of old sins and ugly lies, now tangled anew in more shocking depravities. Letters the rich and powerful will kill to suppress. Letters Hannah is driven and honor bound to expose—and time is running out.

When Milo's long-lost relatives and former business partners start showing up at Kenninghall, Hannah doesn't know who to trust. In desperation she turns to the mysterious Yates Lang.

Yates has the experience to help her, but he also has secrets of his own—and a compelling reason to destroy the letters.

He may be falling for the reclusive beauty of Kenninghall, but when love gets entangled in existing loyalties, bad blood, and a perfect evil, it can get you killed. 

300 years ago, Raven St. James was hanged for witchcraft. But she revives among the dead to find herself alive. She is an Immortal High Witch, one of the light. A note from her mother warns that there are others, those of the Dark, who preserve their own lives by taking the hearts of those like her.

Duncan Wallace’s forbidden love for the secretive lass costs him his life. 

300 years later, he loves her again, tormented by hazy memories of a past that can’t be real. She tells him of another lifetime, claims to be immortal. Though he knows she’s deluded, he can’t stay away. And the Dark Witch after her heart is far closer than either of them know.

These substitutions for common ingredients will help you cook amazing dinners even if you are missing a few key groceries. Everything from eggs to yogurt.

Lucidine, a drug that could save the world...or destroy it.

Former ER doctor Grace Moran has been through a lot. After witnessing her husband's murder and barely surviving herself, she's left medicine and become a prisoner of her own house and mind. Until she wakes up in her old hospital, told that she has a brain tumor that can only be treated if she agrees to participate in an experimental drug protocol using Lucidine.

Grace sees her brain tumor as a blessing rather than a curse. It's a chance for her to die and be reunited with her lost love, her soul mate, her husband.

Before she can flee the hospital, she stumbles on two critically ill children whose lives are also at stake. Will Lucidine cure them or kill them? The three work to unravel the mysteries behind the experimental drugs and the strange effects it has on patients but unwittingly unleash a madman intent on murder.

Their only allies are the ghost of Grace's murdered husband, a time-traveling Jesuit, and an ancient Irish warrior queen as they are pulled into a world where time is meaningless, fate is fluid, and love never dies....

Calling all funny and disorganized women!!

• Do you have hostility towards your laundry?

• Do you feel like you are drowning in a sea of clutter?

• Are you sick and tired of "trying" to get organized?

Finally, a book written on how to get organized written by an expert--an expert in disorganization.

In this "Laugh and Learn" book, you will discover:

• Who you can blame for the mess.

• Top ten procrastination techniques of all time. 

• The truth: do disorganized people have more fun?

You will discover your unique organization personality, and finally, how to Get Organized NOW! or at Least Sometime Before You Die. . .

In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, the realm of Granada is in crisis. The union of Fatima, granddaughter of the Sultan of Granada, with the Sultan’s nephew Faraj has fractured the nation. A bitter civil war escalates and endangers both Fatima and Faraj’s lives. 

All her life, Fatima has sheltered in lavish palaces where danger has never intruded, until now. A precocious child and the unwitting pawn of her family, she soon learns how her marriage may determine her future and the fate of Granada. Her husband Faraj has his own qualms about their union. At a young age, he witnessed the deaths of his parents and discovered how affluence and power offers little protection against indomitable enemies. Guilt and fears plague him. Determined to carve his own destiny, Faraj struggles to regain his lost inheritance and avenge his murdered family. 

Throughout the rugged frontiers of southern Spain, the burgeoning Christian kingdoms in the north and the desert states of North Africa, Fatima and Faraj survive ruthless murderers and intrigues. They unite against common enemies bent on destroying the last Moorish dynasty. While Fatima and Faraj establish a powerful bond, the atmosphere of deceit creates opportunities for mistrust and tests their love.

Lucy Albert is not your ordinary maladjusted suburban adolescent. Born into the era of the Black Plague in medieval Italy, Lucy is chosen as a mate by the sinister vampire Sebastianus against her will. Struggling to survive in a modern world she cannot identify with, Lucy isn't looking for attention.

Welcome to Forever Fifteen, where a lonely girl seeks refuge in a world awash in everyday brutality, a world where only blood and death can sate her hunger. Journey into Lucy's past as you experience the terror of the Black Death and the harsh reality of womanhood in the Middle Ages. Enter Forever Fifteen, the fast-paced thrill ride that is redefining vampire horror.

Though the plot of this female-protagonist driven novel has similarities to Twilight, Forever Fifteen is NOT recommended for children because of gore, violence, and erotic content.

A great love story that pulls you in and are sad to see it end. Set in the western days, about a girl who's dreams become the truth. She is engaged to a man that wishes to own her and if she does not marry him, he will destroy her family. The only one who can save her is a dark skin Indian who is more than he seems.

So there you have it! I hope you are able to pick all of these up, and come back and let me know how you liked them! Have a great weekend!

Ten Things Thursday: Blogs I love!

I am a little late tonight, I know, but after a hectic week, I took today just do pretty much nothing. It was nice to not have to do much of anything. I deep cleaned yesterday, well, the living room, kitchen, and office area, so there was nothing nagging in the back of my mind to get up and do something. I almost did not blog today, but I did mention on the fan page last night that I would post today, so here we go.

Today I am going to be brief, because the blogs I am going to direct you to will speak for themselves. I love reading other people's blogs, and these are just ten of those. These are in no particular order, and do not feel left out if your blog is not listed here, as I intend to do this list once a month this year. So without further ado, here is the first installment of Blogs I Love! ( Click the title of each blog to be taken to that blog, it will open in a new window! )

1. Aoibheal's Lair

I know I add Vickie to all most every list I make for these types of things, but she is seriously one of my favorite people on this Earth and I love her blog very much, and I would even if we were not good friends. She writes about all kinds of things. Magic, and recipes, and life in general, both the light and the dark side. She and I are very much alike *in my opinion* and I just love her. Go check her out, and you might love her blog too!

2. The Secret Life of the American Working Witch

As I am  sure most people know, this is Kallan Kennedy's blog. She lights a fire in me, to learn, to stand up for what I believe in, for justice, and many other things. Her weekly "Sunday Stew" is something I look forward to all week!  The more I get to know her, the more I love her.

3. Down to Earth

This blog is amazing. It is all about living simply, and having practical skills like cooking, knitting, soap making, gardening, sustainable living, budgeting, the works. It gives the feeling that you are reading your grandmother's blog. ( I mean this in the best way possible! )

4. Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock At A Time

I love the way Amber writes. She is hysterically funny, realistic and down to earth, and she is one of my  all time favorite blogs to read. She also has some the most adorable kids I have ever seen.

5. The Oddly Normal Life of a Pagan Mom

This is a new find for me, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. I enjoy the way she writes ( Long and detailed posts, which I love to read and write. The fact that social networking has reduced a lot of people's attention spans to gnats, which results in a lot of two-short-paragraph blog posts irks me. ) When I read  her posts, it feels like I am listening to a dear friend tell me about their day or what is happening in their life. It feels natural. I enjoy it immensely!

6. Merlin's Magical Mistress

This blog has a little bit of everything. Magic, recipes, tips, music, great pictures, and a lot more!

7. Daddy Doin' Work

I guess you would classify this as a "Daddy Blog," but I consider it so much more. He is funny, intelligent, kind and loving, adores his family, and is one of the most upbeat and positive bloggers out there in my opinion. I love this blog!

8. Pray to the Moon

This is also a recent find for me, but I am enamored with this blog already. Magical, with lots of images and various "Moon" related things,  it is a blog that will engage the senses.

9. The Country Cook

Y'all know I had to throw a foodie blog in there at some point, right? Great recipes and gorgeous pictures make this a very yummy blog!

10. Bohemian Valhalla

An art blog of sorts, Bohemian Valhalla is a photo heavy experience in beautiful chaos. Making art from found treasure, there is always something new and wonderful to be seen. I can spend hours there!

There you have it folks! Ten  blogs that I love to read and spend time at. Do you have any favorites that you want to share with me? Leave them in the comments!

Ten Things Thursday: 10 Things I am Grateful For.

Today I decided to do a Ten Things I am Grateful For post. Things have been tough here, which I have written about, but there are a lot of things I am very thankful for, and I thought this week I would list them, partially as a reminder to myself that when things get crazy, there are things to hold on to that will get me through.

1. Family

Both blood and chosen, I am so grateful for my family. Jack is my rock and the kids are my world, they are the reason I get up every day, the reason I keep trying, when sometimes I just want to run away or sleep it all away. I am thankful my Mother still walks this Earth, even if we do not always get along. I am thankful that the last eight years with my Dad were so good before he passed. I am so thankful for my chosen family, my friends, my adopted brothers and sisters. The ones who give me their unwavering love and support, even when I am moody and grumpy, or weepy and hopeless, or stressed out and pulling my hair out. Without them, and their love, support, encouragement, and assistance, I would be lost.

2. My home

I do not have a very large and glamorous house, but I have a comfortable home. We are not rich, or drive a fancy vehicle, but our truck is reliable and gets us where we need to go. We do not have a lot of money, and a lot of the time we have to scrape up enough to make ends meet, but at least we have those things. So many are without homes and vehicles and enough food to eat, and while times can be tough, we have those things, and I am so thankful for that.

3. The Internet

I know it may sound frivolous or cheesy, but without my net I would probably go insane. It is how I talk to my friends, it is how I write, it is how I learn and stay informed, and it is how I stay entertained. My life would be much more lonely and boring without the internet.

4. Writing and Blogging

I am thankful I have the ability to write. To release, to inform, to make people laugh, to be a part of different communities because of my writing. I have met some of the most amazing and dear to me people due to me being able to string together cohesive sentences in my little corner of the internet. Writing is like breathing to me; vital, important, and necessary.

5. Alex's Amazing School and Teachers

Alex is in a small Charter School, and I am so in love with it. It is small and dedicated to it's students. It is a Science and Art focused school, which is perfect for the creative soul that Alex is. Her teachers are all totally amazing, and they go out of their way to make sure Alex and the other students get the attention they need to truly be successful, and I feel it is because of them that Alex loves school so much. I am so thankful for them.

6. Books

I am a bookworm, and books have been my friends when there was no one around. I have read books that literally changed my life, and some that may have even saved it. Books make me happy, they fill me up, and now, in the digital age, I have more books on my computer and other devices than I can probably read in what is left of my lifetime, but I still add more daily. Books are like my children, precious and needing love. I am thankful that I love to read, and have so much material to work with.

7. Food and Cooking

This one ties into the home one in a way, as I am glad we finally have enough food to eat, but it goes beyond that. I love to cook, and I enjoy food. It engages all of my senses, and the act of cooking grounds me and I am in an almost zen state when I am in the kitchen working on a recipe. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than when I have made a recipe that everyone loves. If I were to win a Pulitzer one day, the truth is, if you told me my dinner last night was the most amazing thing you have ever eaten, it would probably make me three times as happy as winning the award lol.

8.Love

Again, it may sound cheesy, but I am the woman who felt for most of my life that I was not good enough, that no one would ever really love me for who I am, instead of who they think I should be. I have been through a lot of pain because of a lack of love, and it colored my whole life, so now, that I am surrounded with love and acceptance, it is a miraculous thing to me. I have a wonderful husband, amazing kids, a few solid family members, and the most AMAZING friends that anyone could ever ask for. They are all so diverse and intelligent and talented. Luckily they seem to feel the same way about me, so the fact that I am surrounded by love, and can finally give love in return, makes me feel that my life is so much richer because of it.

9. Being able to roll with the flow

This year, ( and others in my life ) have been tough, but I think I have gotten pretty good at riding the waves in the ocean of my life. There have been times I felt I would drown in the turbulent seas, but so far I have been able to keep my head above the water, and I am proud of that fact. Being bi-polar and prone to fits of depression and apathy, it would be rather easy just to sink beneath the waves and stop fighting, and to be honest I have considered it more than once. Something in my spirit will not let me do that though. It commands me to fight, to reach the surface once more, to keep trying to reach the shore. In my past, the easiest way to deal with my problems was to run from them, pick up and start over, instead of trying to fight for what I had.  I am thankful that I have the will to stand my ground now, to dig in my heels and push back when life starts trying to engage me in a shoving match. I am so much stronger and so much more whole than I used to be. Now, with the love and support I have, not only from my friends and family, but FOR MYSELF, I feel that I can get through anything.

10. You

That's right. You. The one sitting here reading this. I am so grateful for YOU. Each and every one of you, that come here and share my world with me. You have laughed with me, some of you have even cried with me. You have shared in my triumphs and have felt sympathy for my despair. I write for myself, meaning even if no one ever read a word I have written, I would STILL write...but you...knowing you ARE here, reading my words, helps me to feel connected to something so special. Some of the closest people in my life I have met right here, through this blog. I have been given so many wonderful opportunities because of you. So today...while I am thankful for you all every day....today I am especially grateful that you are all here, and are a part of my life. You make my world a richer place to live in. Thank you.

Foodie Friday: Cuban Potato Balls (Papas Rellenas )

Hey guys and gals. Time for another edition of Foodie Friday!

Today I made Cuban Potato Balls. This is a new recipe for me, and while the prep work was a bit time consuming, the end result was pretty good. In the interest of full disclosure, this recipe needs a lot of tweaking in my opinion. I will give my comments after I post the recipe.

Ingredients: 

8-10 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tbl. milk

3 eggs

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 pound ground meat of your choice

1 medium green bell pepper, finely minced

1 medium red bell pepper, finely minced

1 medium onion, finely minced

1 tsp. each of the following: Salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic, chili powder

4 tbl Worcestershire sauce

Juice of one lime

Vegetable oil for deep frying


Preparation:

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks for boiling. Place in large pot, fill pot halfway with water and rinse the starchy white water away. Fill pot with clear water, a pinch of salt, cover, and bring to a boil.

While you are waiting for the potatoes to boil, start browning the ground meat in a large skillet, and finely mince the onion, red and green bell peppers,( yes I am still using the frozen peppers from my huge farmers market haul lol ) and add them to the meat mixture.

Give this a good stir and cook until the meat is browned. Then add your spices and the Worcestershire sauce, along with the lime, stirring until incorporated.

Let this cook for about 5 minutes longer, then turn off the heat. You want the filling to be cool.

Now it is time to return to our potatoes. Once they are done, drain them into a colander and return them to the pot or to a large bowl. Add the milk and a dash of salt and mash them until smooth. Do NOT add any butter, oil, or more milk, we want the potatoes to be stiff and clinging to the spoon so they will hold their form for the balls.

Let the filling and potatoes cool to room temp, then stick them in the fridge for about 30 minutes. While you are waiting, line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the three eggs. In another medium bowl, add bread crumbs and flour, mixing them well. Set aside with the baking sheet.

Once the potatoes and filling are cool, we are ready to form our balls. This part was a bit tricky, and I only have a couple of pictures because it is impossible to do most of the steps without both hands, and I did not have anyone to help me take pics this time. Scoop a tablespoon of potato ( an ice cream scoop would work wonders here, but alas I do not have one, we do not eat much ice cream here, so we never bought one! ) into the palm of your hand and form it into a ball.

Once you have the ball formed, take the back of the spoon and flatten the ball in your hand, making an indentation in the center of the potato. Add a spoonful of filling into the center. Use the fingers of your other hand to compress the filling into a ball in the center of the potato, and fold the edges of the flattened potato around the filling, adding a bit more potato from the bowl if needed. ( I do not have pics of the smooshing of the filling or folding...as it takes two hands lol. ) When you are done you will have a white ball with the filling inside. Place finished ball on the baking sheet.

Continue this process until you have used all of the potato mixture. Depending on how big you make the balls, you could have 15 to 25 balls, give or take a few. I had meat mix left over, so I just stuck it in the fridge, it will be a good addition to a dish later in the week.

Now it is time to coat the balls. I did a test at this part of the recipe. I double coated half and single coated the other half, to see which held together better and which had the best texture. Double coating was the winner. The balls held together better and had an almost hush puppy texture.
So to double coat, first take a ball and roll it in the egg wash, then roll it in the bread crumb mix. Then place the ball BACK in the egg wash and BACK in the bread crumbs a second time. Transfer the coated balls onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the balls are double coated.

Once the balls are coated, you need to stick them in the fridge for 2-4 hours. You can also freeze the balls at this point, and use at a later date. I left mine in the fridge for three hours. This step is VERY important as it binds the ingredients together and helps them hold their shape.

After at least two hours, it is time to get the oil ready for frying. In a large saucepan ( or deep fryer if you have one ) add enough oil to cover the balls, 4 inches or so. ( I VERY rarely fry anything, but this recipe will not turn out as well if you bake it in the oven. It turns all mushy and bleh. ) Heat the oil to 375 degrees.

With a slotted spoon, place the balls one by one in the oil. USE THE SPOON as the balls are heavy and will splash if you drop them and if you let go to slowly you will burn the crap out of your fingers. Trust me. I did it, twice, before I USED THE SPOON!

Do NOT overcrowd the pan. Just add three or four at a time. Let them cook until golden brown, turning them every so often so they brown on all sides. I found that when they were pretty much ready, they started to float. Once they are golden, remove them with the slotted spoon and place on a paper towel ( or cloth if you do not use paper goods ) covered tray or plate to drain. Once mine were drained I placed them on a clean paper towel lined baking sheet.

Repeat until all the balls are done and let them cool for 5-10 minutes as they are HOT inside for quite sometime. I did not use a sauce for reasons I will explain shortly, but they would go great with some sort of spicy sauce.

That is all there is to it!

Now, as I said, in the interest of full disclosure...this recipe needed some work. I always make a recipe exactly the first time, no matter where it came from, be it a cookbook, a website, your grandmother, or crazy Aunt Martha, or your next door neighbor's mother's best friend's cousin, and then I add to it later if it needs it or if I want to make changes. These balls were good, but they were not GREAT. When I think of all the Cuban food I have had in the past, from either a restaurant or someone well versed in the culinary culture and has cooked for me, the one thing about all of it was that it was BURSTING with flavor. Your tongue was dancing in your mouth. These balls, as is, did not do that for me. The filling was not very intense, and the barely salted potatoes made it all kind of bland. It tasted more like meatloaf and mashed potato balls. Not bad, but not CUBAN.

I know that liquid can not really be added to the potatoes because they need to be stiff, but it could use some seasonings for sure. More salt, some pepper, maybe add some of the seasonings from the filling to the potatoes as well. Lemon pepper came to mind for some reason when I bit into the potato part. Something to brighten the flavor a bit. My next thought was " This needs some kind of cheese, and some hot peppers for a kick!"  I would have to do some research to see what spices, cheeses and peppers would keep in line with the Cuban flavors, but while not Cuban, I was talking the recipe over with a bestie and she recommended cream cheese and jalapenos. Not Cuban as I said, but my mouth watered at the flavor combo. So I can see the potential for the recipe, even if you stray away from the authentic Cuban flavors. You could use the basic recipe and experiment with a lot of great flavor combinations and come up with something totally unique each time you changed something.

So that is my take on this recipe. The prep work seemed daunting at first, because there is that chill time in the middle, but you can make the balls the night before and just pop them in the fridge until you are ready to fry the next day, and that would be fine. Now that I know what I am doing ( as it was the first time I had made them! ) it would not take very long to make these, especially if I did the main part the night before.

There you have it! Have you made or eaten these before, or something similar? Anyone out there have any ideas how to make this recipe POP? If so, drop me a comment, maybe we can create something together that is even better!

Have a great weekend everyone!