Snappy Meals

Lunchtime at work is supposed to be a time for refreshment and relaxation; however, on some days, it seems just like more work. Another sandwich? Terrific. I'll add it to the other 10,000 I've eaten in my life already. Another container of yogurt? Fabulous. If only the lunchroom gods would shine upon me and there will be a clean spoon available in the silverware drawer instead of challenging me to eat yogurt with a fork, once again.

So, when I saw recipe for Potato, Chicken, and Fresh Pea Salad in this month's Cooking Light, I felt like lunch could be reborn! I made the recipe over the weekend and it came together quickly and easily thanks to the precooked and chopped chicken. The resulting dish filled the kitchen with an appetizing aroma thanks to the dressing of mustard, onions, and French-style seasonings. Eating it the next day during lunch was a welcome break from the sandwich monotony! With chicken and potatoes to add substance, snap peas to give it a crunchy texture, and a flavorful dressing to punch up the taste, I would recommend this salad for lunches or potlucks! One thing to note, if your job requires interacting with people, you might want to pack a breath mint along with this in your lunch. Gotta love onions!

Weeknight meals can also fall into a rut and this weekend's new recipe, Chicken Tamale Casserole, was a delicious remedy for dinner boredom. The bottom layer, made of corn bread, diced chilies, and cream corn, was baked and then topped with enchilada sauce, shredded chicken and cheese. The combination of flavors and textures was very satisfying and we will be making this again soon!

Old and New Favorites

Old Favorite: One of our favorite local eateries is Brothers' BBQ, shoehorned into a nearby strip mall in Palatine. We love the slightly spicy sauce and often purchase a jar to use at home. My favorite meal is the Pulled Pork Sandwich with a baked potato (instead of the less-healthy potato wedges my husband prefers). The people are no-nonsense and friendly and the atmosphere expectedly hole-in-the-wall complete with a bone bucket at the center of the few tables available. They offer a variety of party packs and meals and appear to do a brisk carryout/delivery business.

New Favorite: Tonight, we were excited to spot Jason's Deli, also in Palatine since we had enjoyed a visit to the Omaha location a few months ago. Always mindful of customer service thanks to my day job, I was impressed that we were quickly greeted with a menu and instructions on the ordering process. This type of service is always important to welcoming first time guests and goes a long way to building repeat business.

Jason's Deli is like a healthy, more appetizing version of my college cafeteria. Options include ordering sandwiches, pastas and more at the counter that are then delivered to your table and/or choosing the fully-stocked salad bar. As a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, I am very appreciative that Jason's Deli provides nutritional information for a few items, as well as designating vegetarian meals and organic items. They also offer to make 1/2 sandwiches and smaller portions. Finally!

As soon as I saw a Muffaletta on the menu - I was sold! We've made our own version at home with Muffaletta mix from the local farmers' market - but never have we ordered one in a restaurant! It was wonderful - so wonderful that my husband was disappointed that he did not get one, too!

A quick visit to the website reveals cool social networking features such as video messages about high fructose corn syrup, an interesting blog and a Twitter feed as well as the option to order online.

Long story short - for a wide variety of food and some healthly options, check out Jason's Deli. The decor is bright and cheerful and invites you to enjoy yourself with friends and family.

The complimentary ice cream doesn't hurt either.

Party Favors

Party anticipation is never complete without the careful consideration of what dish to bring to the occasion! Should I go with a tried and true favorite or try something new? Stick with a theme or go out on a limb?

I had just such a debate when determining what to take to this evening's St. Patrick's Day party hosted by our good friends. As a previous post indicates, my first attempt at a theme related dish was a bit misguided. My dilemma seemed perfect work lunchroom conversation fodder (safer than politics or religion, I say) and soon recipes were raining down on me: Irish Soda Bread and Guinness Stout Ginger Cake! I thought, why not? Add to that my husband's family recipe for Almond Poppy Seed Bread (which is as much a dessert as it is a bread) and I knew I had the perfect dessert platter to add to the party mix.

Well, perfect might be stretching it a bit, it turns out. The Irish Soda Bread would have turned out perfectly - if only I would have let it bake for 10 more minutes. The toothpick test failed me and I ended up with a soda bread loaf with a soupy middle. Think Jelly Doughnut but much less appetizing. Consequently, it was benched for the last minute replacement of Jewel seasonal cupcakes. I watch Top Chef enough to know when to keep a dish in the kitchen, if you know what I mean.

Next, I discovered that the never-fail Almond Poppy Seed Bread does, in fact, fail if you leave out the almond extract. OK, I admit that it did not completely fail since it still tasted good, especially with the sweet almond glaze (I remembered the almond by then) that creates a wonderful and tasty crust.

The big winner today was the Guinness Stout Ginger Cake! With ginger, Guinness and molasses as main ingredients the finished product was dark, flavorful and ultramoist.

All-in-all, we had a fun night with great friends and great food. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Spicy Sweet Nighttime Meals

Nothing drains my energy more than pondering the question "What to make for dinner tonight?" So, this week I decided to find some interesting and fast recipes to try out for weeknight dinners. Each meal turned out well enough to be considered in future meal rotations!

First, we tried Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney. This meal came together fairly quickly with me sauteing the apple chutney on the stove top while Stacy grilled the pork chops. The final result was a pork chop with a kick that combined well with the sweet fruity chutney. Next time I will serve something other than the long grain wild rice with this meal - maybe white rice or a green vegetable would be a better choice.

Next up: Sweet Orange Salmon! We need to eat more fish, but we are often daunted by the idea of preparing it. We fear no more! This recipe was fast, easy and seriously delicious. We used frozen salmon fillets and rubbed the sweet orange mixture (brown sugar, spices, orange zest) on prior to broiling in the oven. We loved the spicy, slightly caramelized topping on the fish and it was so easy to make! Watch the broiling carefully, however, as I let it get a little too caramelized, if you know what I mean. (Hence there is no picture!)

Kitchen Gadgetry

I have a love/hate relationship with kitchen gadgets. I love finding great tools (big or small) with a perfect purpose in mind just for them. I enjoy receiving them and giving them as gifts. However, I hate storing them. I hate remembering, too late, that I had the perfect tool for something that I had to struggle through on my own.

In my recent recipe investigations, many of the recipes I wanted to try required the use of a food processor. So, after much research and debate, I bought a food processor (which actually was a great gift from my mother-in-law). So, as I picked out two new recipes to try, I made sure one of them required my new food processor, henceforth referred to as "Little Red."

First, I made Tuna Pan Bagnet (Cooking Light) for lunch. Made with tuna, lemon juice, olives, red onion, fresh basil and tomatoes, it was a light, fresh sandwich full of flavor. I would make it again, especially for one of my book club luncheons. What makes this sandwich interesting is that after you put the filling inside the bread, you wrap it in plastic wrap. Then, you let it sit for about 20 minutes so the flavorful liquid seeps into the bread, hence the name pan bagnat - which means "bathed in bread" in French.

A great accompaniment to this sandwich would be my second new recipe of the weekend - Lemony Hummus with Spicy Whole-Wheat Pita Chips (Cooking Light). This was Little Red's first tentative step in the Uden household and it performed wonderfully. I have never made hummus before and I still cannot believe how little time and effort it took with the basic ingredients (lemon juice, spices, garlic, and chickpeas) and my magnificent new food processor.

The result was a delicious hummus with just enough heat from the pita chips to make it interesting! I would make this dish again in a minute - which I might need to since I started eating it as soon as this picture was taken...I hope there will be some left for Stacy! This would be a great appetizer to take to a party. One thing - be sure to buy pitas that are easy to slice horizontally, otherwise you make a mess of everything.

Speaking of gadgets, last week I bought my first grapefruit spoon. A couple of years ago, a friend told me I was too young to buy a grapefruit spoon, but I think I am old enough now. Of course, when I was at grocery store I saw that Florida Department of Citrus is currently offering a deal where you can get free grapefruit spoons (with purchase of grapefruit). This is the season for citrus, so sign me up! More gadgets!

Lime Time

I have a St. Patrick's Day party to attend this month and I have been searching for the perfect dessert to take to the party. My first option - Fresh Lime Chiffon Cake. So, I make it for my monthly staff meeting to test it out. Making this frosted, three-layer cake was not as time intensive as the recipe and reviews on Cooking Light.com made it sound; although grating the lime rind got old after awhile. I think I need to investigate purchasing a better grating tool. I did thoroughly enjoy using our antique juicer for the lime juice and remembered fondly receiving it as a gift at a wedding shower about 1000 years ago.

The cake did not turn out as I imagined it would, even with the picture on the recipe. First of all - it was yellow! I had, for some reason, expected it to be green! Silly me. That's one strike against it winning the St. Patrick's Day Dessert Challenge. The taste was good, light and "refreshing" my staff members said (of course, I am paying them so what else would they say?). I, being impartial, did like the taste as it was uniquely tart and limey.

The recipe also suggested garnishing the cake with blueberries and mint - which I might try sometime. Reviewers on Cooking Light.com suggested using a different type of filling between the layers, which is an interesting idea. However, what would be a good jam/jelly/curd flavor to combine with lime?

Feast or Famine

This weekend I had the pleasure of trying several new restaurants (or new to me). Here's the rundown:

The Pita Inn - Wheeling, IL: On a field trip for work I tried this busy Mediterranean fast food restaurant. I had no idea what to order, so I got the Business Lunch Special which was enough food for me and three friends, quite honestly, with a combination of shish kabob, kifta kabob, shawarma, and falafel. All of the food was delicious, especially the pita bread! Unfortunately, a few hours later a friend and I both realized that the Business Lunch Special probably wasn't the best way to kick off the first Friday in Lent. Alas, the food was wonderful and I can't wait to take Stacy back there some day!

Agio Italian Bistro - Palatine, IL: Stacy and I joined two wonderful friends to try the newly opened Italian restaurant. We were warmly welcomed at this elegant, upscale restaurant that is the newest incarnation of the previous "Slice of Chicago" restaurant. The service was great, friendly and accommodating without hovering. We had a lovely dinner, each of us trying a different salad (beautifully presented) and pasta dish. I had a (huge) angel hair vegetable primavera dish with a white wine and garlic sauce. The noodles and sauce were delicious, although I could have used a few more vegetables. The dish made me think of what I could make at home once the Palatine Farmer's Market returns this spring!

We were all very impressed with the service, decor, and food and all plan to return in the future. At $12-22ish for entrees, we'll probably also consider getting carryout from the Slice of Chicago storefront next door (same owners).

Finally, while it wasn't a new place - we had a another fun visit to the Donkey Inn after our bowling night! Here's an article that can do it better justice than my pedestrian attempts.

Mint Julep

Tonight I had dinner with a friend at a wonderful local restaurant - Mint Julep in Palatine. With rain pouring down outside and lightning flashing overhead, it was easy for us to feel like we were, indeed, settling in at the cozy restaurant in the South. After a long day at work, the wonderful cocktails on the menu were tempting, but I knew I had to try their sweet iced tea (my favorite drink). I also strong-armed my friend to let me order Fried Green Tomatoes for an appetizer since I have always wanted to try them. I was not disappointed! Of course, what isn't good fried, right?

Next, we both tried the soup of the day, a curry-ginger carrot soup that was smooth, creamy, carroty with a hint of spice. Even though I had the soup, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try the Brunswick Stew for my main entree. This hearty Southern stew made with barbecue beef, chicken, peas, and corn in a rich tomato sauce was the perfect meal for a stormy night. I brought some home with me and forced Stacy to try some before I even took off my coat.

At $10-$20 an entree, large portion sizes and a delightfully cozy ambiance, this would be a great place to recommend to Check, Please!

Next time, I am definitely going to have a Mint Julep.

Quesadillas, Rum, and Restaurants

Don't try to fool me - you're still reading because the rum caught your attention! This weekend we tried two new recipes and one new restaurant. Since our Saturday afternoon was cold and snowy - I decided to make cookies! However, looking through recently collected recipes revealed only doughs that needed time to chill. No time for that, I thought, and I decided to make the much anticipated Butter-Rum Pound Cake from Betty Crocker! But, alas, we were both disappointed. It had a nice texture and decent taste, but we both were looking for a moister cake with more rum flavor - something similar to the tasty goodness of Stacy's mom's recipe for almond-poppy seed cake that turns out rich and moist due to drizzle added during the last step of the recipe. We might try something similar with a Tastefully Simple pound cake to experiment.

While the cake was cooling, I tried another new recipe for our dinner - Roasted Corn and Goat-Cheese Quesadillas. Stacy loves quesadillas, but I cringe everytime he eats them in a restaurant since they are always served dripping in cheese and grease (no offense, quesadilla chefs of America). I also thought this would be a good dish to try to make using our new panini press. In the end, we were both satisfied with the meal that also included Rice-a-Roni Mexican rice (yum!) and black beans. The quesadillas were tasty, although a bit heavy on the goat-cheese side...probably because my container of goat-cheese contained slightly more than the recipe called for (but not enough for me to go to the effort of removing - .3 oz). Using the panini maker resulted in melted quesadillas, but they weren't as crispy as they probably would have been using the skillet as the recipe indicated. I do think I would make a variation of this again, however. The recipe was fast and easy to make, as well.

On Sunday, I needed to go to work unexpectedly so, for a special treat, we visited a new local restaurant and had a very nice time. Toscana Restaurant and Lounge in Rolling Meadows is a nice, intimate sit-down Italian restaurant. We had delicous bread, more bread in the form of bruschetta (my ultimate favorite) and I had Pollo Limone and Stacy had the Tortellini Paesano for our main entrees. It's special occasion spot, with entrees running from $13 and up, although maybe we will try their lunch and/or take-out menu sometime as well. The service was outstanding; the staff were friendly and attentive. I look forward to trying their version of garlic pizza. It is very nice to find a nicer place in our area - we're still looking for our "Cheers."

Re-inventing the Ramble

One of my New Year's Resolutions a few years ago was to give up doing New Year's Resolutions. Now I just make and break resolutions all year through! Right now, one of my mini-resolutions is to become a culinary and organizational genius.

What's that mean? I need to cook and clean more. Therefore, the last few weeks I've been making an effort to cook new dishes and "weed" various collections throughout our house. Therefore, I've decided to bring my blog back and document my progress - if nothing else than for my own amusement.

The most recent culinary experiment was Korean-Spiced Beef and Cabbage Rolls - a recipe that I saw last year in Cooking Light magazine. It was winning recipe from one of their readers that was inspired by my husband's favorite food from Nebraska - the Runza! I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon putting this recipe together and, thankfully, Stacy helped by making dessert - a rum pound cake also from CL. The dish was relatively easy to make - just a little more time consuming that I would usually like.

Honey was one of the dough's main ingredient, resulting in a light, sweet dough that I would consider using for other dishes as well. Overall, the Korean flavors were tasty, yet subtle. I would like to experiment with making the rolls smaller to create more of an appetizer snack bite, although I hope they won't be too hard to fold together. Additionally, I want to try adding different things to the filling - more vegetables and a little cheese.

The rum pound cake was carefully created by Stacy as he channeled his inner chemical engineer. It turned out ok - our favorite part was the mild taste of Captain Morgan's. Thankfully, a colleague at work shared a similar recipe with me today that might be a good one to try this weekend.

Maple Monday

You know what they say - "When in Canada eat maple stuff." So I did. Amy choose to take a more discerning path as we explored charming Charlottetown. By the way, in Canada exploring means shopping. At least it does in our Canada-American dictionary.

So, first stop - Tim Horton's, which wasn't hard to find since there is one on every corner. My choice - the Maple Glazed. It was the best doughnut I have ever had. Seriously. Amy was quite fond of her cinnamon bun. We're hopeful Tim will invite us by again tomorrow.

The rest of the day was spent debating over which Anne of Green Gables souvenirs will couldn't leave the Island without, as well as visiting the popular Cows Ice Cream shop (Moople Walnut & Wowie Cowie). It was udderly delicious.

We also had a chance to enjoy the harbour walk around Charlottetown, including spotting a beautiful working lighthouse near our hotel. You can see the lighthouse right next to our hotel below.


Just kidding. That wasn't really our hotel. Even though we've enjoyed our stay - the view of our actual hotel room left a little to be desired.

Finally, after dinner (scallops with a maple-citrus sauce, naturally) we ended the evening with a visit to the Anne of Green Gables Musical. We met some kindred spirits and the performance was wonderful. I'll admit it, a few tears might have been shed in our section. Those of you familiar with our Anne know what events in the first book might have brought a tear to our eyes.

We hope you have enjoyed our blog posts as much as we have enjoyed our trip! See you soon! Here's one of our favorite shots from the trip - and look for more pictures on my Flickr site after we return. Amy and I are available for guided tours of the Island at any time.

Anne Sites and Singing Sands

Day One of "Amy and Ryann's Anne Tour 2008" saw the fearless duo traversing the bucolic countryside in search of all things Anne. Here is a brief recap of the day's events:

Green Gables Heritage Site / Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish National Historic Site
Here we walked through a restored version of the home that inspired Green Gables. At the nearby historic site, we walked through the author's old homestead and spoke with one of her relatives. Favorite Highlight: Spooky golfers hiding in the Haunted Wood.

Anne of Green Gables Museum
This was the site of L. M. Montgomery's wedding and a house that she always enjoyed visiting. The Lake of Shining Waters is also located here. We even saw the Enchanted Bookcase that the author herself imagined seeing a friend in the reflection - just like Anne!

Favorite Highlight: Seeing Matthew Cuthbert in a striped shirt from JCPenny.

Singing Sands
We stopped at this beautiful, casual beach near the northern tip of the island to experiencing the wonder of a beach that sings! Don't believe us? Turn up your volume and watch this video (listen for the "zipper" sound).

We Have Arrived

Bonjour!

We have arrived in Anne's land - successfully navigating through a our flight to Halifax (where we assisted our teenage flight attendent with the safety demonstration), a damp trip through Nova Scotia, and the long Confederation Bridge to get to beautiful Prince Edward Island. Now that we are fed we can plan all of our exciting Anne of Green Gables activities for tomorrow.

But, first, we need to figure out the thermostat. It's cold in here! Can anyone help?

My Doughnut Personality

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

Morning News

In this busy world - it's hard to stay in the know about city, state, and world events. I, being both techie and old-school, still depend on television news and newspapers to keep me informed. Lately, I've become a CBS 2 Chicago watcher both morning and night. I like both the local and national anchors and this morning I was thinking that job shadowing Dave Price would be very interesting since it seems like he is a different place everyday. Another great show to check out - CBS Sunday Morning. I love the quirky, thought provoking reports.

Here's the quiz I took today to see which of the local anchors I would be most like:

Top Ten Books

What would be on my Top Ten Books list? A hefty question, that. For me, a favorite book is the result of the work itself combined with the time and place it came into my life. Not necessarily literary merit, but a measure of how the work resonated with me. A glance over the bookshelves (and even décor) in my house and on my Good Reads page illustrate the books I love the most (in no specific order):

1. Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery.
Who doesn't love fiesty, unlucky Anne and her beau-to-be Gilbert? Amy and I are traveling to Anne's land next month. First on my to-do list: take a carriage ride with Matthew Cuthbert (creepy, yes but I wouldn’t miss it).

2. Suzanne Brockmann's Navy Seal series (Troubleshooters, Inc. and Tall, Dark, and Dangerous) Romance and adventure mixed with some historical fiction make up these steamy military novels. Hubba hubba.

3. Nora Roberts books. Yes, Nora Roberts. Don't judge me – just admire my honesty. Specifically, I love these series: The Gallagher's of Ardmore (Irish Trilogy), Born In... (Irish Trilogy), and The Chesapeake Bay Saga. Love set on the shores of Ireland or New England - sigh.

4. The Lord of the Rings series. One of my best ever memories - Amy and I getting tickets to the Lord of the Rings movie marathon when the third book was released! Frodo lives!

5. Walk Two Moons/Bloomability by Sharon Creech. Huzzah, huzzah. Lyrical language and touching stories are the draw for me in both of these wonderful novels. The audiobooks are terrific, as well.

6. Truman by David McCullough. Ok, so I haven't actually finished it yet - probably because the a few hundred pages literally fell out of the book. For an inside look at a president as well as the historical perspective of the day - there is no one than McCullough.

7. The Ender series by Orson Scott Card. I read Ender's Game on Christmas Day while driving from Denver (away from the hospital) to Omaha. The complex and compelling science fiction saga of young, genius Ender being taken to the military school in the sky was just the thing to distract me during the 9 hour trip. I also really enjoyed Ender’s Shadow. Go Bean!

8. The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. The perfect fantasy series complete with a courageous and naive assistant pig keeper/hero, a clever princess, a wandering bard who just happens to be a king, and a smelly creature always looking for more crunchings and munchings.

9. Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe Books (Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, Protector of the Small, Daughter of the Lioness) I've read and listened to these series more times than I can count. I have several favorite scenes - Alanna standing up the bullies, Kel's friends following her when she goes AWOL to save the people she vowed to protect, and more!

10. Harry Potter / His Dark Materials. Of course.

Honorable Mentions: The Thief series by Turner, The Cassen Family books by McKay, the Chicago Stars series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and I suspect the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins will soon rate up there as well.

Palatine Area Community Marching Band

Stacy and I broke up the monotony of our lives as a computer guru and librarian by joining the newly formed Palatine Area Community Marching Band.

Started by two local teachers, it was billed as park district class and ended up being fun, challenging and inspirational. We practiced twice a week throughout June and marched in the Palatine 4th of July parade (on July 5th thankfully since we were already committed to a parade on the 4th). Stacy even volunteered to play the bass drum since too many trombones and not enough drummers were in attendance.

We had a lot of fun - more than I anticipated I would. I realized that I miss playing in a group just as much as I miss performing. We received lots of positive feedback along the parade route as we marched and also as Stacy and I walked back to our car after visiting the food tent. Most of all, I was touched when I realized how many people had been watching for us - friends that knew we would be marching and made an effort to keep an eye out and even take pictures for us. As transplants to this area - that meant a lot.

Watch for us (or join us) next year!

Missed the parade? Check out the Pictures (some ours and some courtesy of Amy and Kevin) and Video (via YouTube and taken by knapp216) and more video (both songs)!

The Best Show You Are Not Watching

In this summer of reality show spin-offs, prime time game shows, and the return of mundane re-runs you should treat yourself to the best show that no one (I know) is watching. My Boys, on TBS, is a comedy starring P.J., a female sportswriter, and her group of mostly male friends. Complete with quirky and endearing characters, witty dialogue and the Windy City setting - this show is definitely TIVO worthy.

A quick visit to the website revealed some cool blogs, too. Finally - I needed a new obsession this summer and housecleaning was just not doing it for me.

(Other shows with re-runs worth watching: How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. Seriously funny.

What Are You Reading Now?

It used to be that I could only read one book at a time, but sometime during the last few years (grad school?) I graduated to reading several at once. Here is what I am reading now...feel free to chime in with your current reads!

Loose Lips: A Novel of Love and Espionage by Clarie Berlinski

This novel is the story of a aimless intellectual who is floundering in the occupational ocean after receiving her doctorate and ends up working for the CIA. As she goes through her training, she learns many lessons about trust, betrayal, and the real reason why they teach people to "Admit Nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counteraccusations." I bought this book at the Spy Museum in D.C. and I was surprised by the complexity of the story at the end...and how I am still thinking about it! I'm excited to learn that she has written more!

Truman by David McCullough

You might guess that Harry Truman's life is the story contained in this award winning book. I'm turning over a new, nonfiction, leaf this summer!

Life As We Knew It

After a rousing and thought provoking discussion about Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, I offered to post some of the titles mentioned here in this blog. Feel free to add others in the comments if I missed any! I'm hoping to put together a wiki for us to use that will be a little more interactive and useful for our bookclub!

Author Information: Susan Beth Pfeffer's Blog

Suggested Read-alikes for Life As We Knew It:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Other Titles Mentioned:

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Movie Link: http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (There is a page on IMDB about a movie...who knows if anything will come of it!)
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
Them Bones by Carolyn Haines (Southern belle version of Stephanie Plum)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Future Books:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D. H. Lawrence