Ragu has been a favourite of ours for many years, specifically the Tomato, Garlic, & Onion flavour. Even when we didn't like garlic or onions & didn't much care for tomatoes, somehow the blend of all three in this delectable sauce worked.
We put Italian seasoning in the sauce to take the edge off the garlic & onion; you may find that unnecessary. The beauty of this sauce is that not only do you get lots of vegetables (two per serving), but it's easy to fix. All we do is heat it on the stove for a couple of minutes (adding seasoning to taste); & a jar will do the two of us for three nights.
We've even tried using this sauce as a pizza sauce in our homemade pizza (see our review of Mama Mary's Pre-Made Pizza Crust); & while it was quite runny for pizza sauce, the taste (even when not seasoned) never disappointed.
'Return of Saturn,' No Doubt, 2000, Interscope Records. Cover: a bit of a gallimaufry, but it works. Bright pink stars on a deep blue background give the CD itself a futuristic look. Lyrics included.
Gwen Stefani wrote or co-wrote all of the songs in this album, & the listener can tell how deeply she's exposing herself through her lyrics. The CD begins with the driving beat of 'Ex-Girlfriend' & moves on to the softer, more introspective 'Simple Kind of Life.'
Themes include Stefani's struggles with identity ('Magic's in the Makeup'), her tumultuous love life (her confidence in 'Bathwater' contrasts nicely with her hesitation to say 'I love you' in 'Artificial Sweetener'), & her desire for marriage ('Marry Me').
Gwen Stefani's beautiful voice is accompanied by Tony Kanal on bass guitar, Tom Dumont on guitars, & Adrian Young on drums & percussion. No Doubt's
signature sound is replete in this CD, especially on 'Ex-Girlfriend,' 'Simple Kind of Life,' & 'Bathwater.' There's a picture of each band member inside, & Gwen Stefani's reflective lyrics, along with the engaging music, guarantee that you'll be singing along. This album is a must for No Doubt fans.
We have LOTS of books waiting to be read. Here are a few:
'Existence' by David Brin (SF) Tor Books
We're not exactly looking forward to trying this one, because we tried it before a few months back & just didn't get into it. But we're willing to give it another chance, as we heard that if we liked C.J. Cherryh, we might like David Brin. Here's hoping.
'Naked Heat' by Richard Castle (Mystery) Hyperion
Now, this we're looking forward to, as we read the first 'Heat' book by Richard Castle ('Heat Wave') & really liked it. We watch 'Castle,' as well, & thought the book was a good complement. Unfortunately, we don't have the entire series, so we'll be reading this out of order.
'Transformed' by Debbie Kump (F) World Castle Publishing
This is a new author for us, so this will be a totally new experience for us. The premise is promising, & we'd like to support the author if possible, as she's the cousin of someone in N3F (a SF & F club to which we belong).
'Steampunk II' edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (SF) Tachyon Publishing
We've been wanting to try steampunk for a long time now, & are really looking forward to this one. It's an anthology, & we're not big on short stories, but it's supposed to be a good introduction to the steampunk genre.
'Warriors: Into the Wild' by Erin Hunter (F) HarperCollins
This was given to us by a dear friend, & we tried it once already but were thwarted by our OCD. We're a bit better now with our OCD & are going to try to give this series another chance.
What about you? What's on your bookshelf waiting to be read this month?
