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Afternoon Delight Fig Bars — so good!

February 6, 2021 By Terry 2 Comments

If your house is anything like ours, you’re always on the lookout for something in the afternoon to keep you going until dinner. We’ve found a great solution in these Afternoon Delight Fig Bars. They have just a bit of crunch and some sweetness, so they help satisfy those mid afternoon urges while keeping the calories low. These bars are easy to make and even easier to enjoy! If you’d like to see more gluten-free recipes, click here.

Afternoon Delight Fig Bars

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Dough

1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour we use Bob’s 1-1 Gluten-free flour

Filling

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup boiling water
About 9 oz dried figs chopped (1 cup)

Topping

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp cold butter do not use margarine
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional, could use any chopped nut

Instructions

Preparation

Begin by making the topping. It can be refrigerated while finishing the dough and filling.
Cut stems off of figs and chop into small pieces (by hand or in a food processor)

Dough

Heat oven to 350°F. Lighty grease a 9-inch square pan with a dab of butter.
In small bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
On low speed, beat in 1 cup flour until soft dough forms.
Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until center is set.

Filling

While dough is baking, cook filling ingredients over medium-high heat 5 to 10 minutes in a medium saucepan. Stir frequently until figs are tender and most of liquid is absorbed. Spread over crust.

Topping

In small bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, the brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter,
Use a pastry blender, fork, or whisk on an electric mixer to blend until crumbly. Stir in oats and walnuts (if using). Sprinkle over filling.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly and topping is light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

Notes

Looking for an afternoon snack with some crunch and a bit of sweet? These fig bars might be just the ticket. Original recipe from goldmedalflour.com.

Keyword Easy

Beware the temptation to skip the Covid-19 vaccine line

February 6, 2021 By Terry Leave a Comment

Image for skip the covid-19 vaccine line courtesy of https://mynews4.com/news/local/prominence-health-plan-warns-nevadans-of-vaccine-scammers — Image courtesy of https://mynews4.com/news/local/prominence-health-plan-warns-nevadans-of-vaccine-scammers

There are only two ways to get a Covid-19 vaccine—wait your turn or skip the Covid-19 vaccine line. As if coronavirus wasn’t enough, scammers are taking advantage of the public’s vaccine anxiety. Here’s what you need to know to avoid becoming the victim of a scam that could cost you.

The legit route – wait your turn

It’s pretty simple, right? For many, this is the best route to follow. Age, profession, and even geography can impact how long someone has to wait for a vaccine. I consider myself lucky to have gotten my first dose on January 30th. But, what about those who aren’t in my age group? Or who don’t have the right kind of job? Or who simply live in the ‘wrong’ place?

Vaccine hunting – the semi-legit route to skip the Covid-19 vaccine line

If you’re not eligible to receive a vaccine right away, there’s a new phenomenon called vaccine hunting. Vaccine hunting came about because some vaccine doses were spoiling and ending up in the trash. With their desire to see no dose go to waste, enterprising vaccine hunters started calling pharmacies to see if they might have extra doses on any given day. The process is very time consuming. Beware, it might even be necessary to stake out a pharmacy early to grab a place in line. Some vaccine hunters are so committed to this approach that they’ve created Facebook groups to help others. Not everyone agrees that vaccine hunting is ethical, but it’s certainly legal and it does make sure otherwise lost doses don’t go to waste.

The money route – not always legit or safe

Where there’s money, there are scams. The Ohio Better Business Bureau reported that they’re getting reports of people receiving phone calls telling them they’re eligible to receive a vaccine. The catch? You have to pay money or give up your health insurance information to get the shot.

In Nevada, a health plan is warning its customers if they get a call that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. The stories are the same across the country as these Covid-19 scams proliferate.

Three tips to avoid a Covid-19 scam

1) Hang up on robocalls. Scammers are calling to pitch everything from fake coronavirus treatments, to work at home schemes to get your money, and personal information
2) Ignore offers for vaccinations and home test kits. Right now, scammers are selling products to treat or prevent the coronavirus with no evidence that they work
3) Fact check information. Scammers, and sometimes well meaning people, share information that hasn’t been verified. Before you pass information on, check trusted sources like federal, state, and local government websites
https://mynews4.com/news/local/prominence-health-plan-warns-nevadans-of-vaccine-scammers

Did you like this scam tip? If so, check out last month’s scam tip, Three coronavirus scams and how to avoid them.

Friday Fotos – beauty everywhere at Easo, Lifou botanic gardens

February 5, 2021 By Terry Leave a Comment

Botanic Gardens on Easo, Lifou — Tropical flowers are everywhere in the botanic gardens on Lifou

When we began planning our trip to New Zealand, I laid down one rule—I would not fly both ways. The rule might seem kind of strange, but consider the two options—crammed in a jet for half a day or spend two weeks being pampered on a cruise. That’s how we wound up spending a month on the MS Noordam. One of our first stops on our return trip to the US from New Zealand was the port of Easo on Lifou Island in New Caledonia.

Like most South Pacific islands, Lifou Island was gorgeous. Lots of green, beautiful flowers, and friendly people. As you might expect, there’s not a lot to do on a small island, so rather than choosing some wild activity, we kept it slow with a trip to the botanic gardens. These gardens are a very popular spot with tourists (like us) who want to see what nature has to offer without traipsing all over the island.

As botanic gardens go, the one on Easo on Lifou Island is small, but it’s glorious in its beauty. I’ll have another shot from this part of our trip next week!

Learn more about Lifou Island and Easo here. Want to see more photos from our trip? Here’s a link where you can check out all the entries in our travel journal.

Review of Death by Intermission

February 4, 2021 By Terry 2 Comments

From the publisher of Death by Intermission

Abby McCree spends a summer showing family films under the stars—only to end the season with an unexpected slasher flick …

Ushered once again onto another committee by the mayor of Snowberry Creek, Washington, Abby is tasked with keeping the box office receipts of the town’s Movies in the Park nights. Cut to the director’s chair from where she’s suddenly organizing the summer’s last feature. From the opening scene through the final credits, Abby feels she’s earned nominations for best volunteer, best movie date with her tenant Tripp Blackston—and best daughter for ignoring her mother Phoebe’s own movie date with Owen Quinn.

Unfortunately, Abby and the others are treated to a post-credits scene: the body of local insurance agent Mitchell Anders. This discovery is followed by a plot twist revealing that the murder weapon comes from Owen’s food truck. With her mother’s boyfriend suspected of murder, Abby starts her own investigation determined to shine a spotlight on the real killer …

My review

This is the first book in this series that I’ve read and, while I had no difficulty getting up to speed on the series, I found myself asking what I’d gotten myself into. With the exception of the constant bickering between Abby and her mother, this was an enjoyable cozy. The problem was the amount of tension between Abby and her mother. Quite honestly, it felt way over-the-top for a cozy and sadly realistic. This was truly a case where less would have been much better.

Overall, I liked the protagonist and her approach to the crime. Dialogue felt realistic. Her motivation for investigating was also believable. I did find the writing style to be a little too explanatory for my taste because it slowed the plot. Overall, I’d have enjoyed this one more with less angst in Abby’s personal life and a little more mystery in the plot, but for fans of the series, it’s a good read.

FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher. Want more book news? If so, click here to read my Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.

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Pursuit of the Truth by K.D. Richards

February 2, 2021 By Terry 2 Comments

K. D. Richards is the pseudonym for Kia Dennis. Kia was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs just outside of Washington, D.C. A writer since a young age, after college she earned a law degree and worked as an attorney and legal instructor for fifteen years but never stopped writing fiction. Pursuit of the Truth is the first book in Kia’s West Investigations romantic suspense series.

Behind the story of Pursuit of the Truth

Kia said, “I can’t really remember when the plot of the book began germinating in my mind but the character of Nadia Shelton grew out of my childhood dream of owning a hotel. That dream died pretty quickly once I realized owning a hotel was a lot more work than merely staying at one! And I love New York City so setting the novel there just made sense.”

Pursuit of the Truth revolves around family secrets that end up coming to the forefront and being important. Kia said that Nadia, the heroine, starts out a bit too trusting. “Nadia maybe turns a blind eye to things her brother has been involved in which lands her into hot water.”

Renvention might be the key to publication

“The most important things to me are my family,” Kia said. “I also like to keep reinventing myself. I have an uncle who once said to me ‘every ten years I reinvent myself’. That’s stuck to me. I like to keep busy, to keep moving forward, and to try new things.”

Kia said that prior to _ Pursuit of the Truth_, she’d written a few manuscripts, but she never pursued publication. “Maybe it was because I’d just turned forty but I finally got up the nerve to submit this manuscript and Harlequin bought it. So I’d say to anyone reading, if there’s something you want to do but you’re afraid or doubting yourself, do it!”

Mystery writers say the darnedest things

“I was doing some research for a manuscript about a law librarian so I arranged a couple informational interviews with legal librarians. At one of the interviews the librarian gave me a tour of the new library that happened to have this gorgeous twisty staircase and balcony. My crime writer’s mind was immediately activated and I blurted out ‘this would be a great staircase to push somebody down.’ Luckily, the police weren’t called but my tour guide made sure to walk behind me down the stairs.

Learn more about K.D. Richards at kdrichardsbooks.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.

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Friday Fotos – Russell pillory — fun now, not then

January 29, 2021 By Terry Leave a Comment

Russell pillory is definitely not the place you'd want to hang out.

It’s been more than a hundred years since anyone actually was punished by being put in the pillory. In some cases, offenders had their heads shaved. These days, the town of Russell uses their pillory on the boardwalk as a great tourist attraction. And, by the way, Kororareka means “how sweet is the penguin”. Kororakeka was the name of the colony that eventually became Russell.

In today’s modern society it seems almost impossible that the pillory was once a form of corporal punishment. The sad truth is that when we consider what’s been happening to society in recent years, we haven’t progressed nearly as much as we think we have. The physical pillory of days gone by has been replaced by a virtual one on which a cyberbully can castigate or dehumanize another at will. Let’s face it, there are plenty of 21st Century citizens who are still living in a 19th Century world.

Let’s hope 2021 brings with it an incremental move toward a more enlightened world in which the pillory, both the physical and the virtual ones, are a thing of the past. (Oh, and just in case you’re curious—I did not try out the Russell pillory!)

Check out the history of Russell, New Zealand here. Want to see more photos from our trip? Here’s a link where you can check out all the entries in our travel journal.

Afternoon Delight Fig Bars — so good!