Author: Seniye Groff

Butternut Squash Barley Risotto

Posted on by Seniye Groff

I love to try new recipes.  You will often find me tearing out recipes in the latest magazines.  Of course, lots of people do that but I actually make the recipe.  Tonight I made Rachel Ray’s Butternut Squash Barley Risotto that was in her latest issue.  Check out the recipe here.  This was an easy recipe to make and the kids actually ate it (squash and all).

I also made Madelines.  Again, a super simple and delicious cookie that is easy to make.  You will undoubtedly have all the ingredients in your pantry.  They look so impressive and when you serve them, the recipients know they are getting something extra special!

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10K

Posted on by Seniye Groff

Yesterday I ran my first 10k race.  Even though I have been running 10k practice runs for a while, there is something heart-pumping about running during a race.  First of all, the conditions are not usually ideal given that you are up at the crack of dawn and running immediately.  Although, that is what I do during the work week, on Saturdays, I like to be a little more relaxed about when I run.  I usually have my coffee, cull through my emails, dilly dally a little bit and then run.

Also, race day almost always guarantees I will be running a faster pace–which is a good thing!  My competitive spirit jumps to the forefront when I am surrounded by other runners suffering just like me!  I like to end my runs with a sprint, but with the faster overall pace, it makes sprinting much more challenging.

I always know I have had a good race when at the end, I want to sign up for another race.  That is exactly what I felt after yesterday’s race.  I felt really strong during the race and knew that my consistent training had paid off.  Of course, runs in the winter in the Pacific Northwest almost always guarantee wet running and I am not sure I am up for that.  So, I think I will keep training and sign up for a 15k in the spring.  Any takers?

Beautiful Ruins

Posted on by Seniye Groff

Jess Walter’s “Beautiful Ruins”  will pull you right in.  The year is 1962 and Cleopatra is being filmed in Rome with Liz Taylor, Richard Burton and supporting actress, Dee Moray.  Richard has a wandering eye and gets involved with Dee.  The producer, Michael Deane, is quick to rid the set of Dee by sending her several hours away to an almost- deserted, fishing town in Cinque Terre.  Pasquale, the innkeeper of Hotel Adequate View, readily accepts the young starlet into his hotel.  Pasquale is a twenty-year old man who just moved home to take care of his mother after his father’s death.  Pasquale instantly falls in love with Dee.  The actress is taken away almost as quickly as she showed up and Pasquale and Dee wonder if the entire time was a figment of their imagination.

The story introduces you to a cast of characters all with their own stories and challenges.  The book’s chapters go from 1962 to present day and Walter’s is adept at making this work in this book.  If you have ever struggled with doing what you want versus what is right, this book will pose some interesting perspectives for you.  You will be entertained by 1960’s and present day Hollywood, small village life in Italy and characters that grapple with secrets, desires and ambitions.  This is a must read!

Popovers

Posted on by Seniye Groff

My friend, Melissa, is always touting the merits of popovers.  I have never made them but decided tonight to give it a try.  I made homemade vegetable soup and wanted to pair it with something special–something to elevate the status of mundane vegetable soup.  So, I decided popovers would definitely make the meal special.  I used The Joy of Cooking’s recipe, even though there are tons of other recipes out there.  I wanted a good basic recipe.  Now that I mastered the basics, I definitely will add other ingredients such as herbs and cheese next time.  They really were delicious and what was most amazing is that when you look at the popover from the bottom, you will see it has a huge, airy hole in it…amazing!

The New College Reality

Posted on by Seniye Groff

A co-worker loaned me her book, “The New College Reality” by Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder.  Although I have seven years before my older daughter goes to college, the book looked intriguing.  There has been lots of press in the media lately about the true value and benefit of a college education.  I do believe in college.  I think the college experience is valuable for any young adult since they will be faced with lots of “grown up” situations such as learning to live on a budget, managing their time and being strategic about what classes to take.  I worked all through undergrad and managed to finish school without any debt. If you have watched the nightly news, you will see many stories of students saddled with thousands of dollars of debt, with no meaningful job in sight to pay that debt down.

So, yes, I have seven years until the college drama happens, but according to Snyder, this is the best time to start thinking about college and how you will pay for it.  Snyder offers many intriguing ideas and examples.  This really is a great book to help you distinguish the dream of college versus the reality–especially if you need to figure out how to pay for it.  She starts off with ways to minimize your time in college by taking AP courses, CLEP credits and dual enrollment options.  These three things can reduce your time in college which obviously reduces your tuition bill.

The second insightful thing the book focuses on is to think about the career first, college second.  She gives the example of how kids visit the career center right before they are about to graduate (me included).  But, instead, the career center should be your first stop when visiting a college campus  or when your college life begins.  In other words, know where you want to end up and plan accordingly.  Kids need job skills that are in demand…save the art class for an extracurricular activity.

The third idea that I gravitated towards was how financial aid works.  Wow, what an eye-opener!  Parents that are thrifty and conscious of saving and spending really get dinged with the way the financial aid process works–especially if you are middle class.  Snyder suggests some proactive, legal measures to look better on paper.  Having a college degree is no longer enough and thinking you can wait until the last-minute to figure out financial aid is going to leave you with our pants down and a very disappointed child, too.  Buy this book!  I read it in two hours!

Who’s Leading Innovation

Posted on by Seniye Groff

The October issue of “Chief Learning Officer” contained an interesting article on the elusive skill of driving innovation.  The authors cite a DDI/Luma Institute survey and found data that leaders are challenged to:

  • “Inspire curiosity
  • Challenge current perspectives
  • Create freedom
  • Drive discipline.”

What is interesting is that everyone wants the next “great” idea but so often our corporate environments are all about cutting costs, doing it faster and avoiding risks at all costs.  And heaven-forbid that we are blamed for a bad idea and lose our jobs!  Yet, what really differentiates us in the world marketplace, I think, is that we are a country that values creativity and risk and the next great idea.  So leaders’ biggest challenge is to create a safe, yet innovative, environment where employees feel empowered to take risks and suggest the next outlandish “thing.”

Read the full article here.

Wife 22

Posted on by Seniye Groff

Wife 22

Melanie Gideon’s “Wife22”  will make you smile, make you laugh and even make you think about your own marriage differently.  Alice Buckle has been married 20 years and feels like she has lost who she is and the romance she once shared with her husband, William, has vanished.  Alice is asked to participate in a marriage survey anonymously as “Wife 22”.  Her caseworker is “Researcher 101”.  It all starts innocently enough with standard questions that Alice answers.  But then the questions get more personal.  Alice remembers how thrilling, exciting and sexy the memories of first meeting William and their early dating years were.  She suddenly feels lonely and unloved and Research 101’s flirting hits the right nerve.  Alice begins to flirt back realizing that all the anonymous confessions have brought back the thrill of an early relationship.  This anonymous, secret romance leads to an interesting, unexpected conclusion.  “Wife 22”  is written with modern touches of Facebook and Twitter posts.  Gideon writes with the contemporary world in mind and realistically tells the tale of what any couple married 20 years might feel.  “Wife 22”  is a must read for anyone who thinks their marriage, and life, might be a bit stale.   So read on to see how Gideon solves the marriage doldrums.

Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers

Posted on by Seniye Groff

In  “Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers”,  Brian Miller has developed an indispensable tool to get teams’ creativity juices flowing.  The flow of the book mimics the brainstorming process beginning with what brainstorming is, to asking a starting question to doing the activity, recording the information and finally prioritizing all of the ideas.  Miller proposes several techniques and lets the reader know the strengths and pitfalls of each style.   He summarizes content at the end of each chapter; which is especially helpful for the BUSY manager.  Miller even offers variations of every idea so, in fact, this book is loaded with way more than 50 exercises and strategies. 

” Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers”  is also equipped with lots of drawings so that the reader really gets an idea of what the author is trying to accomplish with each particular idea.  I love, love, love this resource!  Miller should be applauded for writing a concise, idea-filled, practical guide for the art of brainstorming.

The Rose of Winslow Street

Posted on by Seniye Groff

Elizabeth Camden has created a mesmerizing tale in  “The Rose of Winslow Street”.  Historical Fiction lovers will instantly connect with the main character, Libby Sawyer.  Libby lives a quiet, predictable, straight-laced life with her father in Colden, Massachusetts in the late 1800’s.  While they are away at their summer house, Michael Dobrescu breaks in and takes over the Sawyer house and claims it as his own.  Dobrescu is a Romanian immigrant with many secrets and desires and an entourage of people that have secrets of their own, too.  Libby is torn between loyalty to her father and an intriguing connection to Michael and the obvious love he has for flowers.  As the battle of the home’s true owner plays out in court, Libby finds herself helping Michael’s family while risking her reputation with the townspeople.  Camden writes with clarity and immense emotion.  The reader cannot help but fall in love with the characters of this engrossing novel.  The story has plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader wanting more.

The Shoemaker’s Wife

Posted on by Seniye Groff

Trigiani tells the story of the trials and tribulations of the immigrant existence in “The Shoemaker’s Wife”.  The story begins with Eduardo and Ciro and although they are orphans living in a convent, they live the idyllic country life in their homeland of Italy.  But when the boys are kicked out of the convent, Ciro decides to claim his future by sailing to the harsh reality of New York City in the early 1900’s to learn the trade of making shoes.  Ciro woos many Italian girls in Little Italy but his mind still wanders to a girl back home named Enza.  Meanwhile Enza and her father, Marco, are forced to sail to New York, also, so that they can earn money and send it home to help make ends meet.  A chance meeting between Ciro and Enza changes everything.  Trigiani weaves a tale so believable and so immersive, I could not put this book down.  She documents the hard work and the scrupulous saving that they immigrants went through in order to realize their dreams.