Giveaway Winner, Book Review and Other News

And the winner of the Valentine/200th post giveaway is.....................

Well, before I tell you, let's take a look at all the names that were entered in the draw. As people posted, I wrote their names down on three-ring paper - every other line. There were a lot of you and I was so happy that so many had entered. Thank you!

Then I cut them up and at 6am this morning, I asked hubby to draw a name. First he mixed them up really well..........

Then he drew the name of the winner. And the winner is ....... drum roll, please......

Brandy at Mommy's Quiet Spot. Please drop in and congratulate Brandy for winning her first ever giveaway. Brandy, I will need your name and mailing address as soon as possible so you will receive this beautiful pink box before Valentine's Day.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter by commenting on my post. I always enjoy hearing from my friends and readers.

Our weather yesterday was nasty and dangerous. Highway 401 was littered with cars that had run into whiteouts while going too fast. At Woodstock, Ontario, about an hour and a half drive from Toronto, over 40 cars were in a pile up and east of Toronto at Belleville, there was another accident that involved cars and tractor trailers. Whiteout conditions were at their worst and part of the 401 was closed for hours.

Here, we couldn't see across the street. I haven't seen such bad conditions for years. The roads were covered in snow and were very slippery. Black ice was a danger to motorists. I have no statistics on injuries or fatalities, but I do know that at least one person was airlifted to hospital. Another man was trapped in his car for a half hour and many motorists were standing beside their cars in the frigid temperature.

Remember, if you're traveling in a snow storm, be alert and keep your speed down. The Ontario Provincial Police are blaming the accidents on speed and inclement weather. Arrive Alive! Reduce your speed in adverse weather conditions.

I have just finished reading Danielle Steel's Echoes. I used to be a big Danielle Steel fan, but had drifted away from her stories. Since I am taking part in the history reading challenge for 2008, I thought this one looked interesting. Though it wasn't on my list, I wanted to read it and checked it out of the library.

In the book, the guns of WWI boom in the distance for the Wittgenstein family during the summer of 1915. The oldest daughter, Beata, a Jewish beauty, travels to Geneva with her family and falls in love with a young French officer by the sparkling waters of Lake Geneva.

Beata's family is strongly against the young couple being together as her love is a French officer. Not only is he not Jewish, but he is Catholic. Beata follows her heart and leaves home to marry her love, which causes her to be banned by her family. They sit shiva for her, as to them she is essentially dead.

The young newlyweds create a life of their own and hide the fact that Beata is Jewish from everyone, including their daughters. But the guns of war loom again and Beata is frightened for her family. Even her daughter, Amadea, a Catholic nun, is in danger because of her Jewish ancestry.

As her mother, sister and friends vanish into the death camps, Amadea goes into hiding. Found by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp, Amadea begins a horrifying journey of survival when she escapes from the camp and is found by the French Resistance.

The story of Amadea and her family is set against a vivid backdrop of history and the horrors of being Jewish in Europe during WWII. This is the harrowing story of betrayal, love and war that will keep you turning pages to find out if Amadea survives.

On a much lighter note, my friend, Tammy, let me know that today was National Pie Day. How delicious. Grandma could make the best pie in the world. She made every kind of pie - date, raisin, apple, blueberry, cherry, lemon and more. So here is Grandma's recipe for apple pie, only I will give you the recipe that I use.

Grandma made her own pie crust from scratch. For some reason I never was able to make it come out right and it was very frustrating. I don't make pie often, but once in a while for hubby. I have diabetes, so unless I use Spl*nda or some other artificial sweetner, I can't eat much of it. So this is what I do.

Grandma always used Tenderflake lard to make her pies and Tenderflake pre-made pie crusts are available at the grocery store, so I buy those. I know it's cheating but it's so much faster and I don't have to go through the frustration with the crust.

Grandma Mary's Apple Pie

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Mix brown sugar and flour together. Place half of the mixture in a pie crust.

Wash, peel and slice Spy apples, or another type of baking apple until the pie plate is heaping.

When you have the apples sliced into the crust, add the remaining brown sugar/flour mixture.

Loosen the other pie crust from the tin plate and carefully place it on top of the apples.

Use a pastry wheel and a bit of warm water to seal the crusts together.

Trim.

Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the apples are tender when you insert a knife. Serve piping hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mouth watering delicious.