Sniff sniff.
Do you smell any testosterone?
Nope.
Just womanly smells of perfume, potpourri, and Aveda candle!
Karen and I had a dinner party tonight without Matt, who is still playing cowboy up in Montana. [It’s almost scary to think about how many miles separate us!]
We cracked open some merlot for the occasion
And dined on a Tofu Parm with Quinoa and Kale
Karen brought over the tofu, which was inspired by this recipe: Tofu Parmigiana.
She pan-fried some sliced Twin Oaks tofu that was dredged in egg and herby panko bread crumbs. Then she layered it with tomato sauce, mushrooms and mozzarella and baked it at 400* for 25 minutes until the cheese started to brown. Serves 4. It was delicious!!
I made the kale by lightly steaming it and tossing in soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire and garlic gold. It was a wee bit salty though. Red quinoa was cooked plain and served under the parm.
We’re about to watch Eat, Pray, Love and sip minty Numi tea!
When I was in college, I read all of Lavyrle Spencer romance novels. Cheesy or not, they were fabulous. Having been inspired by Montana, A River Runs Through It, and Legends of the Fall, I’m itching to read a Western romance again. Do you guys have any recommendations for fabulously written ones? [Is there such a thing!?].
Or just a good cheeseball. Because a good romance is a good romance.
{ 88 comments… read them below or add one }
Fabulously written Western romances? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Just kidding. Have a great weekend.
Love your blog, Kath. Keep up the good work! (PS I always wanted to be the first to comment!)
I haven’t read it myself, but I reckon True Grit might be a good read. The movie was great.
That parm looks amazing. And romances ain’t my bag, so I got nothin’.
Tofu Parm sounds amazing
Enjoy your evening!
Enjoy Eat, Pray, Love! Love the red napkin.
Have you ever read Lonesome Dove??? I just finished it and it was so so so good. And Montana is definitely involved!
No!!
I agree. McMurtry is an excellent author for books about the American West. He has several smaller books as well, like The Last Picture Show.
That was going to be my suggestion too! We read it in an English class at UCLA, so you know it’s not total crap
Really long, but really good.
Oh geez, I didn’t read through these and totally just posted Lonesome Dove… So I thought I would throw my vote in… READ IT
Already ordered from Amazon!!!
All of McMurtry’s books are good. The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy is good (and a must-read!). If you want a more of a real “western romance” feel, “Conagher” by Louis L’Amour might work.
Read it! It is a wonderfully written story and a great Western escape.
Girl nights are fun every once in a while! Have fun with Karen!
Looks like good food, good company, and a good plan. Have fun!
No book recs, but dinner looked fantastic!
cute. i wish i lived close to my mother in law!
I love a good romance!
Whoa, that tofu looks amazing! I thought it was lasagna!
I love how close you and and Matt’s mom are! I’m interested to hear what you think of EPL- I thought it was beautiful but kind of frivolous.
the pioneer womens new book! ive read the online part and couldnt stop reading it… not good when you have a final the next day!
I was going to recommend this one as well! I read a lot of the story when she posted it online and I couldn’t stop. It comes out on February 1st.
Sounds like a fabulous evening Kath!
I love that you two are so close-what a blessing!
If you want a fabulous romance/adventure/historical novel/just all around excellent story, I recommend Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It’s long, but soooo totally worth it. It’s the first of a series that just keeps getting better. It’s not a western, but it’s awesome. I started reading the series when I was in college and I had to stop because my homework was starting to suffer. It’s that good!
That is a good series. Unfortunately, when I finished the third one, there were no others out. Now there are more and I feel like I need to re-read the series.
Love Outlander! They are fabulous.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Outlander series. Not a Western, but definitely worth it. Every girl needs a Jamie Fraser.
Linda Lael Miller has written quite a few western romance novels. This is off topic, but I always enjoy sharing books with other people who like to read. If you like time travel stories, A Knight in Shining Armour by Jude Deveraux is one of my all time favorite books! Do you have a Kindle? I love mine. The best part is that I will no longer have to lug a few books with me when I travel. I always worry that I will be stuck somewhere without something to read1
I was totally going to mention A Knight in Shining Armor, too! I’ve never known anyone else who read it, but it’s one of my fav romances (and I’ve read, um, a ton). It’s sort of a Harlequinized Time Traveler’s Wife. Good rec!
Aw, how lovely! It’s so nice to get along wonderfully with your mother-in-law
What kind of perfume is that?
(truth be told, my husband wants to know…he liked the bottle!!!)
Juicy Couture!
Wow, that tofu looks INCREDIBLE!
Redeeming Love! It takes place during the gold rush in California and is absolutely amazing!
Read “Lonesome Dove”. Excellent Western {and I don’t even like Westerns} and the mini series is good too… But the book- AWESOME!!
Tofu parm.. what an interesting idea. Looks great!
Kath , do you mean LaVyrle Spencer? She is a Minnesota author. I love her books and many are Minnesota based. You can’t beat a good romance novel.
YES! Typo – thanks!
Ah, sometimes there’s nothing better than having a girls night in.
Wow best looking dinner ever. Yummy!
Tofu parm sounds and looks amazing!! I never thought about going that route, love it!
What a great night!!!! I love girl dates
That tofu parm looks simply scrumptious!
Mmm, tofu parm sounds right up my alley! Good to see you back to your normal routine meals and activities
Eat, Pray, Love was a lot better than I thought, in fact, I really enjoyed the message and plot. Hope you enjoy it and have a lovely evening!
what an awesome post!
perfume, potpourrim, and Aveda candle = right up my alley
kale
a girls night
romance books/movies
FUN!
I remember reading the book A Sweetness to the Soul by Jane Kirkpatrick (Oregon Trail era) and loving it.
It’s not your typical romance but I just read “Hearts of Horses” and it was great and really different.
When using soy sauce, try avoid salting before a test taste. Soy sauce has salt in it. The food looks amazing though. I love tofu and always on a look out for new recipes
That dinner looks amazing and I love girls nights. I hope you and Karen have a great evening!
I second lonesome dove! Only western to win the pultzer prize. My other favorite epic tale is the thorn birds. Great story!!
I was going to recommend the Thornbirds, too. Love it!
I’ll be curious to see what you thought of EPL. It took me over a year to finish reading the book. Didn’t care for it or the movie and everyone always seemed to be raving about it. I finally asked my friends and it turns out they didn’t like it either. I was so relieved not to be the only one.
Oh – I love the idea of using tofu like this!!
Whoa… tofu parm sounds pretty good! I may try that this next week!
Mmm that tofu parmesan looks really good! Eggplant parm is my fav, but tofu sounds delish too! Sounds like you and Karen are having a great evening!!
Lonesome Dove. Read it. Super long but oh my gosh so good.
Have you read the “Hunger Games”?
Have you read The Loop by Nicolas Evans – he wrote The Horse Whisperer too. Both are set in Montana + The Loop is all about wolves + romance. i loved it. It’s a few years old now but worth a read if you haven’t already read it.
Nicholas Evans writes good books (The Horse Whisperer is the most famous), mostly set in the West, from what I remember. I don’t think they’re really romance novels but they’re excellent.
Whoops! Didn’t read this post before posting… I’ll just say, “ditto”.
So how did you and Karen like the move? I’ve heard mixed reviews… What about The Horse Whisperer? I read it a million years ago and it was a really good light read. I can’t remember where it took place, but it’s somewhere up that direction!
I absolutely loved Annie Proulx’s short story Brokeback Mountain (the movie is one of my favorites as well). Is it your typical romance? Clearly not… but it is well-written and a beautiful – though emotional – story.
Karen is just awesome! The tofu dish she made looks incredible! What a fun night ; )
I hope Matt is doing good!! Im sure he will be excited to get home to you !
Yum, that tofu parm looks delicious! I don’t like being a part from the husband for too long, but sometimes 1 night is a nice amount of time to get “me” time or girl time!
I tried to tell you this last night, but my phone would not take the comment. Dinner looks amazing! Quigley Down Under with Tom Selleck is a great Western! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your girl’s night!
Mmm…your dinner looks fabulous. Nothing like a girls only night. My sister and I did the same last week and we also watched Eat, Pray, Love. I thought it was just okay, but *loved* the book.
That tofu recipe looks delicious! Glad you had a good girls night.
You might also like Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose or the fun mystery/romances of Virginia Swift. Tofu looks yummy!
I normally loathe tofu, but this version looks very good.
I’ve never tried red quinoa before, if it’s anything like the usual.. then I’m sure it’s wonderful! My husband and I have had to be about for about 6 months in total since we started dating, then he was all the way across the Atlantic, sniff sniff… (he’s swedish!) I hope the time apart doesn’t feel like too long for you! I know it’s hard.
Yay for girl’s night! Have fun!
Your dinner looks so delicious!!! So cute that you had a girls night with Karen!
That tofu recipe sounds great! I have been looking for ways to cook it so I can get the Husband to eat it!
I can recommend a great Western Canadian book, The Outlander by Gil Adamson. It’s fantastic. (and not be be confused with Diana Gabaldon’s book of the same name…)
I have a new found love for tofu.
I have a new found love for tofu!
I have been reading your blog for over a year but have never commented until now…I must join the crowd and say Lonesome Dove!
Aw, yay for girls nights!!! I know I don’t like it when Ryan travels… so it’s nice to have company over!
That looks sooo good, all parts too! You rarely have a dish without any sweetness involved so this dish is a nice change.
It’s not a book, and it takes place in Australia, but my very favorite movie is “The Man from Snowy River.” Romance, horses, mountains…I think you’ll like it!!
Oh man, I read ALL the LaVyrle Spencer books the summer I was 13. I also recommend the Outlander series, although as others have mentioned, they’re not westerns. They are SO GOOD. There’s 8 now, and even though they’re at least 1,000 pages each, I read the whole series last January.
I love Juicy! Definitely one of my favorite perfumes. I got their newest one for Christmas and I think it smells even better than the original!
Johanna Lindsey has a few good western romances, try ‘Angel’ or ‘A Man to Call my Own’. Or check out the blog: http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ because they always have excellent recommendations and hilarious reviews! (especially look up the review on ‘The Playboy Sheiks Virgin Stable Girl’. Simply amazing.
Kath– you should read the Susan Elizabeth Phillips books. There’s a football series that is really funny, cute, and romantic. Heaven Texas was a good one. But, they’re all good. They’re not Westerns, but they are truly funny. I have reread all of her books several times, and they’re always fun.
I found Twin Oaks tofu at my Whole Foods here in Ohio this week! I didn’t buy it as they only had the Italian herb and I was making an Asian stirfy, but may pick some up to try out this recipe. Sounds delicious!
I’ve got to cast another vote for the Outlander series! So, so, SO good.
I know quinoa is great for you and everything, but I just can’t make myself eat it … it looks a little worm-y to me.