January, 2012 Books Read

I did it!  I hit my goal of reading 8 books this month!  I wasn't sure if I could do it because I have never read that many books before, but I actually finished early and took the last few days off.  Below are links to my reviews if you missed them.

1. Toys by James Patterson

2. Worst Case by James Patterson

3. Veil of Night by Linda Howard

4. Protecting Their Baby by Sheri Whitefeather

5. Treachery in Death by JD Robb

6. Born to Die by Lisa Jackson

7. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

8. Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

If I had to pick favorites, I would probably pick Veil of Night, Treachery in Death and Private.  But all of the books I read were great.  I can't wait to see what great books February brings!

Did you read any books in January?  If so, which one was your favorite?

Chicken Maison Restaurant

My mom and I wanted salads the other day while visiting my grandparents, and we found a neat little restaurant near them called Chicken Maison.  It is located in Peninsula Center off of Hawthorne Blvd.

Their menu consists of soups, salads, rotisserie chicken, kabobs and some Mediterranean foods.  My mom ordered a Chinese chicken salad and I ordered a chicken Caesar salad.

I have to admit I ate some of my mom's mandarin oranges..they were so good!

You can't tell from the picture but there were HUGE chunks of chicken in there...definitely 1-2 breasts worth!

If you ever find yourself in Peninsula Shopping Center in Palos Verdes, you should definitely check this place out!  They are delicious and reasonably priced :)

I found this place on the internet.  They have no idea I blogged about them and they gave us nothing other than the food we ordered!

Cakedy Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of a 2-pack from Cakedy!

Elizabeth - elizabeth@xxx.com

Hash Brown Casserole

We make hash brown casserole all the time in my house...I can't believe I have never blogged about it!

2 pound bag of frozen hash brown potatoes
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (or cream of anything soup)
1 pint sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1 stick of butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Combine all ingredients (minus the butter) in a bowl and mix until well blended.

2. Melt butter in a 9x12 baking dish.  Spread butter in pan and pour the rest into the bowl to mix in.  Add mixture to the 9x12 pan.

3. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until brown on top.

Yum!  One of our favorites :)

Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Yay for a new series by James Patterson.  The Private series is about former Marine Jack Morgan - who runs a private investigation company named Private.  Private is the debut book in this new series.

Private revolves around Jack Morgan and all of the cases his company is working on.  In his book, the company is working on a serial killer who is killing schoolgirls, a huge NFL scandal, and the murder of Jack's best friend's wife.  Wow.  It is awesome to have a book that revolves around so many cases.  You are definitely never going to be bored while reading this book!

The next book in the series is out in hardcover so I will be waiting to buy it when it comes out on paperback!

Progress toward:

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge - 8/50

100+ Books In a Year - 8/100

Carrot Casserole

I have to start by saying I hate carrots.  I don't like them cooked or raw.  I have no idea why I like this carrot casserole - but I absolutely love it!

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
1 cup flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Boil carrot pieces in water for 25-30 minutes. They should be very soft. Drain and mash with a potato masher.

2. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until well blended.

This is what the batter should look like before you pour it into the pan.

3. Pour into a springform pan (or many little pans like I did) and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean!

Enjoy! :)

It's a Heron!

So for anyone who was on my blog yesterday, I asked about a mystery bird.  It was a heron!  I think that is the first heron I have ever seen.  Really neat :)

Do you have any cool looking birds in your area?