Hummingbirds & Cake How Divine 🐦 🎂



Well, the last few days have been Humm Drum 😒 mixed with a bad case of Insomnia😴, not a good mood boost to say the least. As always a good book can get you through😀. The latest book I've "read" listen to borrowed from OVERDRIVE is THE SECRET TO HUMMINGBIRD CAKE Celeste Fletcher McHale. Now anyone who knows me knows this my favorite bird is the hummingbird and well cake pretty go too😋 So when I saw this title, on Book Bub I had to know more, so I checked out a digital audio from my library. Libraries📚 are one of the greatest things ever🙌


So here's the synopsis:


“Why won’t you just tell me what’s in that cake?” I’d been trying to get Laine’s recipe for years. We all had.


When all else fails, turn to the divine taste of hummingbird cake.


In the South you always say “yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am.” You know everybody’s business. Football is a lifestyle not a pastime. Food—especially dessert— is almost a religious experience. And you protect your friends as fiercely as you protect your family— even if the threat is something you cannot see.


In this spot-on Southern novel brimming with wit and authenticity, you’ll laugh alongside lifelong friends, navigate the sometimes rocky path of marriage, and roll through the outrageous curveballs that life sometimes throws . . . from devastating pain to absolute joy. And if you’re lucky, you just may discover the secret to hummingbird cake along the way.


This book has a Steel Magnolias with a side of Fried Green Tomatoes feel to it.

I'm guessing the author is a fan of those authors books. So if you like that type of books/movies than this books for you.  The plot was a very moving good idea story. However, the first half of the book the character development was over done and situations that could be easily wrapped up quickly was long suffering😣. I was thinking can't quit now it got to get better and pick up pace thankfully it did, or I would have DNF it🙅 I'm so glad I keep going because the storyline was strong enough that I gave it 3.75 stars out of 5.☺ If the plot would have been weak it would have been a 2 star main character was to whinny and not likable most of the time. Although the book didn't have a recipe for Hummingbird Cake, I want to share mine with you. My Hubby absolutely love 💙 it, so enjoy read The Secret to the Hummingbird Cake and enjoy a slice of the cake.


Hummingbird Out,🐦

Angie




Hummingbird Cake

Prep Time15 minTotal Time1 hr 55 minServings15
Ingredients

Cake

1can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, well drained, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

1box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ lemon cake mix

1cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 medium)*

1/2cup vegetable oil

1teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 Eggs

Homemade Vanilla Glaze OR

1cup powdered sugar

1to 2 tablespoons milk

1/2teaspoon vanilla or clear vanilla

Easy Vanilla Glaze

1/2 Cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening; lightly flour or spray with baking spray with flour.2 Drain pineapple in colander set over a bowl, pushing pineapple against side and bottom of colander with back of spoon to squeeze out as much juice as possible; reserve juice. Drain chopped cherries on paper towels; pat dry.3 Add enough water, if necessary, to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1/3 cup. In large bowl, beat cake mix, pineapple, bananas, oil, cinnamon, pineapple juice mixture and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 2 minutes. Stir in cherries. Pour into pan.4 Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.5 To make the Homemade Vanilla Glaze, in medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and the vanilla. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until smooth and consistency of thick syrup.6 To make the Easy Vanilla Glaze, spoon frosting from container into microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High about 15 seconds or until frosting can be stirred smooth and is thin enough to drizzle. (Or spoon frosting into 1-quart saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until thin enough to drizzle.)7 Spread glaze over top of cake. Store cake loosely covered at room temperature

It's my Party and I'll Cry if I Want 2 But I Don't Want 2

Well, its that time of year again. Yup, it my Birthday🎈🎂🎁🎉
I'm 39 yrs. old....Hmmm.... How do I feel about that? Well, the first word the comes to mind is Grateful. Grateful? you ask Why Grateful? Well life is a gift and as I've gotten older I've realized you should embrace middle age and beyond; besides you don't want the alternative😂 Oh, sure I could cry and say I'm not 20 something but when I think about it I don't want to be.  Twenty something is still navigating through life. Excited about the future and sometimes so head strong in certain view points they really don't realize, the world isn't that way at all or that simple.
When you reach 35 and over you begin to see in 3D with more perspective and hopefully more wisdom. Some of my niece & nephews are in their 20s and I want to say Hey don't do that or believe that but as much as I want to protect them, this is where as I did they start to get that 3D perspective. If I interfere they won't grow and develope different concepts they'll need for later years.
So do I want to go back Heck Nawh 20s is almost as bad as growing pains of teen years. I think I'll keep my age because unlike my 20s, I'm at a point in the life( all you older folk can relate to this) I no longer worry what people think there's always some who like you some who don't. So cherish people who like you. Don't worry about the one who don't. So all you 20s enjoy and don't worry about mistake to much, it paves the way to a better wiser you. As for me I love the saying Listen to All and Follow None. Just remember to practice a little common sense because unfortunately in this day and age it's considered a gift or a talent, when it's supposed to be every day Knowledge.
Well I guess I'll go celebrate cause next year there might be a little crying 😭 IT'S THE BIG 4 0😱

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME🎶📻🎤🎵
A FERRET'S NOVEL TALE

#saveourcozies #readathon

Hello, Everyone this past Saturday I participated in my very first readathon, I have to say it was awesome🙌 I unexpectedly won a book. MURDER MOST FOWL EDITH MAXWELL. Thank you so much Edith😁 You can follow her on Twitter @edithmaxwell  &  @wickedcozys she share a blog with other authors https://wickedcozyauthors  so go show these lovely Ladies some Love & Support💟
I want to give special thanks to THE ANGRY GREY CAT for hosting this shindig👏 You can find her on Twitter @fanficfan44
https://angrygreycatreads.com/ Readathon @saveourcozies
Thanks to all who participated in the cozy readathon. Congrats, to all the winners👏 I hope this makes a difference with the publishers. It's sad to lose any genre of books because we all like different reads and should have a choice in our reading content. For me I'd be crushed if I lost cozy mystery, there's a reason it's called cozy they are the definition of the word. I read almost anything I love variety in my books. However, if cozies were gone it would be like losing an old friend😭 So let's don't stop with the readathon. Support your cozy authors, by either buying their books; or if you can't afford to do that, then alert your local library of the issue and see if they and buy the books. Maybe start a cozy mystery book club and as always free to do spread the word to others. Let's always #saveourcozies

Happy Reading Everyone😎
Angie  AKA  A FERRET'S NOVEL TALE

Vinegar with Sweet Originality

Hello, everyone I'm so excited #saveourcozies starts in a couple of hours. So what better way to get in the book mood, with book review😀 I was kindly sent VINEGAR GIRL ANNE TYLER from Blogging for Books for an exchange for a honest review. Thank You Blogging for books. I gave this book 3.5stars out of 5. After the cozy read athon is over go pick up this book.

http://www.bloggingforbooks.com/




Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler is a re-imagining of the Taming of the Shrew in modern times. Kate is stuck taking care of her father’s household, a scientist relegated to the corners of academia, on the verge of a breakthrough, who relies on his brilliant lab assistant Pyotr. Kate works at a preschool during the day and in the evenings tends to the garden as well as making sure her younger sister is studying at least somewhat instead of just mooning over the neighbor boy.

When Pyotr is slated to be deported (visa expiration), her father suggests the unthinkable in this day and age – marriage – to keep him here. The two men try to win her over and Kate ultimately ties the knot, as we know she would. And now the fun really begins.
I've heard other people say it wasn't true to Shakespeare, although I agree that's what I like about it. I've always liked Anne Tyler so this book doesn't disappoint. I found it refreshing that she made it her own. I usually don't like retellings because for me the stories feel rehashed and if I wanted exactly like Shakespeare, I should just read Shakespeare. There's a few author who get a retelling right and Anne Tyler is one of them, way to tell a story Ms.Tyler👏 I enjoyed this read and would and will recommend to others.


Until Next Time,
Angie
aferretsnoveltale@yahoo.com

A Paw-sible Theory

Hello, all hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July🎆
We had a hectic time, our dog Diesel 103lbs.didn't like the noise.
He was pacing and hard to keep calm. Have you ever tried to keep a puppy as big as yourself calm, not easy to say the least😱
I'm been training for the cozy readathon, in doing so Cozy Cat Press kindly sent me a PDF of A PAW-SIBLE THEORY - ANNA KERN for a honest review. Let me just say this definitely got me in the cozy training mood, this is a gem of a book. Here's the synopsis: When Ethan Hille discovers his mother Alyx slumped over her kitchen table, bleeding profusely from a gash in her head, he suspects foul play. Who would want to hurt Alyx? Surely, her three cats––two small females, Misty and Pooky, and the old master, Murfy––couldn’t know, although they do seem very distressed over their mistress’s condition. The police investigator, Detective Smarts, is immediately suspicious of Ethan, wondering if the young man bashed his mom in the head earlier and then left, only to return a short time later to “discover” the injured woman. Neighbors had heard mother and son arguing––ostensibly about Ethan’s spending habits. The evidence quickly mounts and, before Alyx recovers and is released from the hospital, Ethan has been accused of attempted murder and is sent to jail. Unfortunately, Alyx did not see her attacker and has no way to exonerate her son––or does she? Maybe if she’d just pay attention to “advice” from her cat Murfy, who is trying with all his might to tell her the real story of what happened––and what might yet happen––she might just save herself and her son. At least, that is one PAW-SIBLE THEORY.

This book  keep me guessing until the end. It had a strong who dun it element to it, which it a major plus for me (after all my favorite board game is CLUE) so it had the clue feel to it. I always felt the author maybe have been influenced by Carole Nelson Douglas  author of Midnight Louie mystery series with a mixture of Hercule Poirot  tone to the book if Poirot was a cat. I look forward to more of Murfy adventures. So to all mystery readers or cozy readathon participants check out Anna Kern

A Paw-sible Theory: A Murfy the Cat Mystery

This Book is a breathe of fresh air 4 out of 5 Stars

Thank You Patricia Rowell from Cozy Cat Press for the chance to review this book.

Until Next Time,
A Ferret's Novel Tale ☺

Hello, good morning or evening depending on where you live.I wanted to  do a short blog.
 They say smartphones are smart but I don't think so. my internet has been out for 2 days my company says that it's some kind of outage in our neighborhood and they're working on it. so I'm having to use data on my phone. it doesn't seem like phones do the same thing as computers least mine doesn't. please excuse grammar and punctuation errors. do to my disability I have to use speak text on my phone and my phone is not as smart as it thinks it is. when I try to tell it a punctuation it says the word instead of the symbol. so this blog is probably going to look very Elementary sorry for that. since my internet is down, I am not able to review a book Cozy Cat Press  www.cozycatpress.com  kindly sent me a PDF, so without internet I cannot download it to my tablet right now. as soon as I can I will read it and review it. I hope everyone has a happy Fourth of July but please be safe.  To all the readers go cozy up with a book, maybe find a patriotic theme in cozy mystery. I couldn't get my twitter to link to my blog correctly. So for now I'll place it in this blog. Angie (@aferretsnovelta)

Signing Out,😸
A Ferret's Novel Tale🎆