Right nown on Amazon for those of you with Kindles, you can download Vintage Cake Recipes  by Amy Renee for FREE! If you don’t own a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for other devices.

Here’s the book’s scrumptious description:

For those of you who enjoy reading books as a family, here is the start of my 2012 book list containing my top family books for the year to read! Hoping we can read more than this…but thought it would be wise this year to keep it a little smaller than I have attempted previously!  I enjoy reading the same books as my children read as it’s a great way to get involved in a family time conversation and we have a lot of fun discussing the books we read.

Currently reading: The Hunger Games (trying to get it finished before the movie comes out on Friday the 23rd.)

The Help by Kathryn Sockett

Big Nate Series by Lincoln Peirce (our son’s read 3 out of ? in the series)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond (Ree is a a great inspiration when it comes to cooking and managing life on the farm.)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Chrystallia by P.M. Glaser (we met P.M. Glaser at the Sacramento Autorama this past February. He was signing autographs in front of the car that was used in the Starkey and Hutch television show. Boy, I guess that dates me. )

Freckles by Gene Statton Porter

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (the kids got to meet the author when we lived in the Bay Area and we all received autograph copies of Eragon.)

The Cupcake Diaries by Coco Simon

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I didn’t get as much done this week as I had planned, but that’s okay. Life happens. This is going to be one of our frugal weekends where we spend time on the farm catching up on all the work that has to be done…mowing lawns, cleaning the chicken coop, tending to the garden, finishing cleaning the garage (to make room for that extra fridge/freezer) and of course I’ll be spending some time cooking up some new recipes.

I can’t say that we’ll spend the weekend doing all work and having no play. There will be plenty of time for swimming in the pool or watching a family movie. I’m even getting back into the luxury of making time to read a good book. Even when my schedule doesn’t allow for it, I’m going to try sneaking in a few pages of reading, if not a chapter. Awhile back, I mentioned it would be kind of fun to start a Family Meals Book Club. I hope that you’ve taken a little bit of time out of your busy schedules to enjoy a good book. I made a few summer reading suggestions for July and I found another great book that I just started by Kathryn Stockett, called The Help. So far, I’ve read the first chapter and I’m already enjoying it.

As far as recipes go, I’ve got a few ideas for this weekend. Tonight we’re starting off with Frugal Meatball Sandwiches, an easy frugal meal for any family. I’ll be posting the recipe later but until then…

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Friday Everyone!  This week has ended great! We drove to Silver Springs, NV. yeterday to see our niece graduate from high school. Such an overwhelming feeling of happiness and excitement for students and their friends and families. For those of you who have loved ones graduating, congratulations!

As I mention a couple days ago, I thought it might be fun to start a Summer Book Club. We’re choosing from a variety of books from every category. Since we are finishing our last week of June I wanted to get these posted for everyone. To make it easier to find, I’ve added the books to my Amazon Store and they can be purchased from: A Busy Mom’s Kitchen ( or if you find them elsewhere, that’s fine too) Enjoy!

 

When Did I Get Like This?: The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I’d Never Be
By Amy Wilson

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Description:

What kind of mother feeds her kids dinosaur chicken nuggets . . . three times a week? What kind of mother lets hand washing slide after using the toilet, as long as it was just Number One?

When Did I Get Like This?

 

The Four Corners of the Sky: A Novel
By Michael Malone

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Description:

Twenty years is a long time to be without a father, and for Navy pilot Annie Peregrine-Goode the sky has become a home the earth has never been. So when her father calls out of the blue to ask for a dying wish—one both absurd and mysterious—no is the easiest of answers. Until she hears that the reward is the one thing she always wanted…

Thus begins an enchanting novel that bursts with energy from the first pages, and sweeps you off on a journey of unforgettable characters, hilarious encounters, and haunting secrets. Malone brings characters to life as only he can, exploring the questions that defy easy answers: Is love a choice or a calling? Why do the ties of family bind so tightly? And is forgiveness a gift to others…or a gift we give ourselves?

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
By Elizabeth Gilbert

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Description:

This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls “Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

The Whole Family Cookbook: Celebrate the goodness of locally grown foods
By Michelle Stern

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Description:

Note From Noel: Michelle is a wonderful person who’ve I’ve known for the past two years in the online food and family community. She shares my passion for family dinners and cooking with kids. I finally had the chance to meet her in person this past month at the Doof-A-Palooza Family Festival. She is truly a great inspiration annd I’m sure you and your kids will enjoy her cookbook.

There’s no better way to teach your children to eat fresh, healthy, organic food than with recipes you can cook and eat together! Written by the founder of San Francisco’s premier children’s cooking school and award-winning, green-parenting blogger Michelle Stern, this cookbook gives your family the resources you need to cook delicious, local food in any season, including:

• Practical advice like how to pick the best of local and natural food without spending too much time or money.
• Color-coded instructions that guide kids of all ages through age-appropriate steps in every recipe.
• More than 75 organic, family-friendly recipes and beautiful 4-color photos that will get everyone excited about what’s for dinner!

Whether you’re cooking Summertime Kabobs on a balmy June evening or Sweet and Savory Turnovers for a toasty winter breakfast, your family will learn to love the wholesome food–and priceless memories–you can make together.

Today is the first official day summer vacation kicks off for the kids. Summer is a great time to spend that quality time with the family. You may spend the time camping, hiking, entertaining, having fun at the lake, cooking more with your kids or just simply relaxing; summertime is for creating fun memories with your family.

For me, it means having some more free time to relax, have fun with the family and lounge around by the pool occasionally. Having kids, working full time, managing a home, planning meals and a website, etc. doesn’t always give me time or many of us moms time to sit down and read a good book; but I like to find the time to sneak in a paragraph here and there. I know there are other busy moms out there who do the same.  So, I’m excited about introducing The Family Meals Summer Book Club! As busy moms, we deserve a break once in awhile. I’m thrilled to be sharing some great books with all of you.

Since many of us have different schedules with our families when it comes to preparing meals, cooking, having our meals, trying new recipes and want more time for family, I thought it would be a fun and great idea to read and share books with my readers based on meal time, food, recipes & family related topics. To help us learn and think about the foods we love and our family on so many different levels. And of course, share with others. Maybe you know a trick or two that I don’t or vice versa.

So, here are my ideas:

At the begining of each month, I’ll announce in a post a list of books for us to read (suggestions are welcome, send me an e-mail ). There will be a variety to choose from and all the above topics will be chosen of course. Choose one to read or if your a rapid reader, choose them all. If you’ve already read the book, even better. You have an insight on the book and I’d love for you to start up the discussion I thought it would be fun to choose a book from every category which include:

Cookbooks (of course): Let’s cook together! Maybe review a recipe, or review the cookbook/author ( I have a few in mind).

Fiction: As I browse the book store, library or even the retail stores, I find books that include characters who share a joy for cooking, family and even include recipes throughout the book.

Non-Fiction: Let’s expand our knowledge on topics related to food, food choices, living a healthier lifestyle and spending quality family time.

Children’s Books: My favorite! There are lots of children’s books out there related to food, recipes, meal times and since I want to include my children in this adventure, I thought why not include them too?

Let’s share with everyone  in the group what your thoughts are on the books we’re reading. We can start the discussion on Family Meal Matter Cooking Club Facebook Fan Page and also by leaving comments after the posts. It will be a fun and informative way to share our thoughts on any one of the books featured so we can get a discussion going. You may laugh, you will may and you may totally relate to some part of the book.Each week on Friday, I’ll write a post update on at least one of the books featured so we can start the conversation. But by all means, feel free to jump right in and make a comment on the fan page. I hope you’ll join me in this fun book club!

I’m excited about starting the summer off with a book club (even if it is online) and hope you are too. I thought a giveaway a month might be kind of fun too! Feel free to spread the word on the book club and stay tuned for the book list on this Friday’s Kitchen Apprection.