First Word

  Every spring and summer, my mom would make her famous potato salad. When I was a kid and a much pickier eater, it was my favorite dish. As I grew up, and I wanted to ask for her to make something special, her potato salad always got requested.  Now that I'm doing the nutritional challenge, I wanted to make it for the cookbook and immortalize her recipe. What makes Mom's salad so special is she adds hard-boiled eggs. Most salads only add potatoes. I love the addition of the eggs, because it tastes similar to Mom's other specialty, "eggy" sandwiches. I know you're thinking "eggy"? Well, she always called it by that moniker. So, stay tuned for Mama's "Eggy" Sandwich recipe coming soon.  Mom's home-cooked meals always seemed to be on a rotation -- some I foods I loved, others not so much. She used canned vegetables (it was the era, after all). For the longest time, I hated vegetables -- that is, until I discovered that fresh vegetable...

Did you know that research shows that laughter is the best medicine? People who are happy have lower levels of inflammatory gene responses and higher levels of antiviral gene responses. Want to prevent contracting Covid-19 then find things to laugh about—and what better way to laugh than through a funny, new book titled Costco As You Like It – A Well-Played Romantic Comedy by first-time author Casey Giffen. This romantic comedy set shares the story of two lonely hearts, a librarian named Paul and a teacher and counselor named Maddie, discovering each other over their mutual love of books in the Costco aisle. As is the case in life, the road to love is not always paved with hearts and flowers. Both fearful to give away their hearts to each other, they instead focus on other “things” (a proposed arts center) and other people’s love lives.  While Paul shyly tries to meet and date Maddie, it doesn’t go quite as planne...

The following excerpt is taken from the forthcoming Thriller titled The Abused by Michelle Gamble. Release coming in Spring 2020. For more information, visit 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com).   17 Stanley Lentwood stared down at the rose garden. He noticed the crazy lawyer Finley Sullivan walked all around the hedges in a nervous pace. Stanley wondered if Finley’s drug use had damaged his brain. Just then a knock came to the door. “Come in.” Robert Scoffer opened the door with his usual bravado and strolled into the room with his cool confidence. Stanley turned and took a seat in front of the sofa. Robert just dropped down to the sofa. He appeared bored and put out that he had to do therapy. “So you going to give me some of that God crap?” asked Robert. “Pray for me … all that?” Stanley looked at Robert puzzled by his sudden comment. “Why would I do that?” “Eh, I went to this therapist once with Lynn—” “The woman you conned.” “Yeah, t...

3 That night, I went home tired. Denise wasn’t home, as was mostly the case these days. She and her boss spent most nights together, leaving the apartment partially paid for by her but virtually vacant. She kept some of her clothes here still, but it was all for appearances. She had set up camp at her boss’ home in Calabasas. I was fine with it. I was working late and fully consumed in my professional life. I didn’t want any distractions, and Denise was – if anything else – good for distractions. She was either getting dressed to leave or talking about her latest work drama that was heightened by the affair with her boss. I mostly listened and laughed at the dramatic subterfuge she managed to conjure up. I was eating some leftover lasagna when a knock came to my door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I was surprised to find Letty standing there when I opened the door. She had dyed her hair purple and was wearing chic white sunglasses that were a throwback to ...

Review: ***** Are you looking for something to escape the world? Do you live in the greater Sacramento Valley? Right in the Central Valley roughly 30 miles south of Sacramento in Lodi (between Hwy 99 and I-5) sits Wine and Roses , an extraordinary vineyard escape. Combining hair, nails, spa services, lodging and even some boutique shopping, this hidden treasure offers first-class luxury to vacationers and business professionals alike. An oasis unlike anything in the Central Valley, this hotel and spa's campus is a dream combination of pine and oak trees and water features. Please also visit the salon and ask for "Candace". She will lovingly and artistically cut, color and style your. For more information, call (209) 334-6988 or email info@winerose.com. Tell them Michelle Gamble sent you via the 3L Publishing blog ( www.3LPublishing.com ).

The Destination Unknown this week was to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a place that is special to my fiance and I since he proposed to me on the upper deck. The aquarium is constantly changing with new exhibits added to keep it fresh. The baby sea-turtle display (see picture) was all new. I thought the turtle was cute, and I had to follow him around the aquarium a bit before I could snap off this shot. The aquarium now charges $39 for each adult and $24.95 for children. It's a great place for kids and adults alike to stroll through at a leisurely pace and check out the displays. Stacked in three layers, you see everything from the sea-bird preservation enclosure to penguins of all of all types, and of course the adorable sea otters. In the spring you enjoy seeing the babies. Sweet, itty-bitty sandpipers run around the bird enclosure. This year the most captivating exhibit was the octopus display. The octopus was suctioned to the glass, and that made quite a sight. After an after...

I like nothing better than to jump in the car and take a road trip -- destination unknown. Feel like going to the ocean? Okay, let's go ... and off we went. Which beach? Stinson Beach, an old favorite located near Marin and Mt. Tamalpais. The only detractor about Stinson Beach from the San Francisco side are the hairpin twists and turns down the coastline (if you suffer from motion sickness it's almost guaranteed you'll get sick unless you take Dramamine). After a lazy afternoon in Stinson, our next destination unknown took us along the Sir Francis Drake Road and into the small town of Fairfax. I had no idea a place called Fairfax existed. I found the town to be a curious place. First, the restaurants seemed to take bragging points for foods like an alligator sandwich and boar ravioli, which for all intents and purposes could be an old country favorite I have never heard about or just an odd combination ... you decide. Next in the "strange" land was this pla...

Slate showers with cobblestone shower pans were part of the eco-friendly design. Rating: ****1/2 The recently remodeled Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, CA is a major winner. Before I get into the review, I want to say that overall I've always found the city of Santa Cruz to be slightly grungy and prefer Capitola just a few miles up the road. Santa Cruz has a rundown quality that can't quite match up to its sister coastal cities like Capitola, Monterey or Carmel. At the same time, it offers a fun shopping area in the downtown and is center to many activities. Wanting to try something different than tried-and-true favorites, I spotted Hotel Paradox online on Expedia that had a great offer for $180 a night, which is not the standard rate, which is closer to $250 to $450 per night. Taking the last-minute offer, I booked a room based on the room pictures that showed an enticing, clean and well-decorated room. The gamble paid off. The redone 1950's-style hotel had been reno...

Yours truly enjoys the delicious French Toast Casserole with other breakfast goodies. Selland's Market Rating: ***** Selland's Market , my favorite location in El Dorado Hills, hits the sweet spot of good, clean food at an economical price. As a business woman I'm going to tell you what this establishment does right from a marketing perspective since this isn't a restaurant review site. What they've done is create a chic family atmosphere with organic and upscale products that fit perfectly in the demographic. At the same time, they offer value with their prices (they have a great $25 dinner special that comes with a bottle of wine). The location itself sits right in front of the manmade pond below, and in the summer and warmer months, you can sit on the patio. They keep costs low by offering counter service and bringing your meal right to your table. Forks and utensils sit on each table, and outside it's a help-yourself table near the entrance. The sma...

Come out tonight (April 25) to meet author Scott D. Roberts as he celebrates the launch of his creepy new thriller Vengeance is Now ! The general public is invited to enjoy food, fun and pick up this exciting book. Grizzly Rock Cafe and Grill 4905 N. Golden State Blvd. Turlock, CA 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Looking forward to seeing all of you.

Yours truly and author Scott D. Roberts. It's official! We launched Vengeance is Now by Scott D. Roberts at Bar West in Sacramento. It was a very nice party, and we had a decent-sized crowd show up to celebrate. Next up we head to Turlock on April 25 to launch in Scott's hometown. Information is as follows: Book Launch Party -- April 25 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Grizzly Rock Cafe and Grill 4905 No. Golden State Blvd. Turlock, CA Please come out if you live in the Central Valley and join the celebration. We will enjoy food, fun and frolic (lol ... I just liked the alliteration so I added the word "frolic"). The book received some press on KFBK on the Kitty O'Neal show, and Scott and I were interviewed on Central Valley Talk. We have another radio spot coming up on the 20th on Straight Talk Express . Then on April 26th, we hit the road for a 45-day book tour across the United States with our first stop Kansas City for the RT Book Lovers Convention on Apr...

Bo Bradley, operations manager Bo Bradley, operations manager, 3L Publishing , and I went to Disneyland mid-week to enjoy a respite from the daily grind and to unleash our inner children. A dear friend of mine suggested that if we were truly to unleash the kid beneath, eat ice cream! Of course on a hot summer day, the suggestion sounded perfectly apropos, so eat ice cream we did. And since any true girl would choose chocolate and strawberry, I obliged my spirit of youth and added those flavor to my sundae. What better way to start our Disney sojourn then naturally to eat ice cream and ride the Pirates of the Caribbean. And that my friends is how we work around here. Come eat ice cream with us ... you're always invited. Send us an email at info@3LPublishing.com .