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I love to read.
When I find a book I love, I sink down into it and roll around in it, enjoying every word, scene, and character. I stay up way past my bedtime devouring it, and I keep it within arm’s reach so that I can sneak in a few words at every idle opportunity. I become obsessed.
This doesn’t happen very often, fortunately for my family. Since Grace was born, there have been only three books that really pulled me in: Little Earthquakes
, A Thousand Splendid Suns and Gods in Alabama. Now, add Sweet Life to that list.
, A Thousand Splendid Suns and Gods in Alabama. Now, add Sweet Life to that list.Let me pause to say that I am obsessed with Hawaii. A colleague moved there last year, a friend just found out that her husband is being transferred there in the spring, and I’ve always wanted to visit for a vacation. Or maybe move to Hawaii some day? Who knows.
So, back to Sweet Life. From early on, it reminded me a lot of Jennifer Weiner’s style and her book, Little Earthquakes. Both books are clever and real, with well developed characters who live in today’s world. They are women you could find walking down the street anywhere and women you want to befriend.
. From early on, it reminded me a lot of Jennifer Weiner’s style and her book, Little Earthquakes. Both books are clever and real, with well developed characters who live in today’s world. They are women you could find walking down the street anywhere and women you want to befriend.In Sweet Life, Marissa is a fabulously successful and worldly New York business woman whose husband accepts a transfer to Hawaii. She leaves her job, her friends, her life to accompany him on the move. Then he leaves her, saddled with a dilapidated house, the care of their eight-year-old daughter, and virtually no money. What is she to do? Feeling like she’s lost everything, Marissa comes up with a plan and soon discovers that the sweetness in life isn’t at all where she expected.
, Marissa is a fabulously successful and worldly New York business woman whose husband accepts a transfer to Hawaii. She leaves her job, her friends, her life to accompany him on the move. Then he leaves her, saddled with a dilapidated house, the care of their eight-year-old daughter, and virtually no money. What is she to do? Feeling like she’s lost everything, Marissa comes up with a plan and soon discovers that the sweetness in life isn’t at all where she expected.I love everything about Sweet Life. I love the characters, especially the girls who become Marissa’s friends and a handsome cowboy named Tom. I love the descriptions of the volcanoes and geology of Hawaii. I also love that the author, Mia King, has included recipes in an appendix for many of the dishes mentioned in the text and a website with even more. How cool is that? You could make the Spambalaya that the girls enjoy for dinner or the macadamia nut energy bars that they snack on. The first one that I’m going to try is the Hawaiian Style Crispy Dumplings with Ginger Chili Sauce, which I’ve included below. Yum!
. I love the characters, especially the girls who become Marissa’s friends and a handsome cowboy named Tom. I love the descriptions of the volcanoes and geology of Hawaii. I also love that the author, Mia King, has included recipes in an appendix for many of the dishes mentioned in the text and a website with even more. How cool is that? You could make the Spambalaya that the girls enjoy for dinner or the macadamia nut energy bars that they snack on. The first one that I’m going to try is the Hawaiian Style Crispy Dumplings with Ginger Chili Sauce, which I’ve included below. Yum!Hawaiian Style Crispy Dumplings with Ginger Chili Sauce
Crispy Dumplings Ingredients:
25 round wonton wrappers
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions (about 1 stalk)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/4 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage
1 1/2 cups oil, for frying
Crispy Dumplings Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients, except for wonton wrappers and oil, in a large bowl and stir until well mixed.
2. Please 1 heaping teaspoon of filling mixture into each wonton wrapper.
3. Moisten edges with water and fold edges over to form a half-moon shape. Roll edges slightly to seal in filling. Set dumplings aside on a lightly floured surface until ready to cook.
4. Set a 12-inch wok or 10-inch skillet over high heat and pour enough frying oil to cover the wontons. Heat the oil to 375 and deep fry the wontons, no more than 10 at a time, for
2 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
2 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
5. Transfer to paper towels and drain the excess oil.
6. Serve with Ginger Chili Sauce (below).
Ginger Chili Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons chili sambal
2 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sushi vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
3 slices ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Ginger Chili Sauce Instructions:
1. Mix all ingredients together and serve.
The author of Sweet Life, Mia King, has generously agreed to sponsor a giveaway on my blog. One lucky Feels like home reader will win an incredible gift basket straight from Mia in Hawaii! Can I tell you how jealous I am? I totally want one for myself. Mia is also doing a giveaway on her blog, so you should go check that out for another chance to the same prize.
So, what’s the prize? From MiaKing.com:
Hawaii’s premier gourmet candy and cookie company, Big Island Candies,
has partnered with me to offer an amazingly sweet give-away to celebrate the release of my second novel, SWEET LIFE.
Valued at over $80, our “Life is Sweet” Hawaiian gift basket includes:
- one small gold box of Chocolate Dipped Original Shortbread Cookies
- one gold box of Kohala Brownie Assortment
- one petite box of Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Rocky Road
- one petite box of Combination (Dark and Milk) Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
- three Dark Chocolate Dipped Original Shortbread cookies
- one Original Biscotti with Milk Chocolate waves
- one Original Biscotti with Dark Chocolate Waves
- one signed copy of GOOD THINGS
- one signed copy of SWEET LIFE
- an assortment of temporary hibiscus tattoos, tropical key chains, monogrammed GOOD THINGS and SWEET LIFE pens, and bookmarks
All of this comes in a lovely keepsake woven basket for you to store your favorite Mia King books.
She’s also offered to throw in some Hawaiian stickers for your kids. Or for you, just don’t tell us if you hoard them.
Dear Reader, I know you’re dying to know how to win this amazing prize. All you have to do is leave a comment that tells us why your life is sweet. Also, please make sure that there’s a way for me to contact you. If I can’t find you, you can’t win.
On September 27, 2008 (Mia’s 40th birthday), I’ll use a random number generator to select a winner from all of the eligible entries. If you don’t answer the question or leave a way for me to contact you, your entry will be ineligible. The winner will have 7 days to send me his or her postal address. After that, I will select a new winner and start over.
Mia’s legal disclaimers are here. US residents only.
More tempting recipes at Blessed with Grace
© 2008 – 2010, Feels Like Home Blog™. All rights reserved.
This website uses affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
{ 244 comments… read them below or add one }
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My life is sweet because I am fortunate to be a Sahm to my 2 boys!
My life is sweet because I am fortunate to be a Sahm to my 2 boys!
My life is sweet because I have the most beautiful daughter in the world who i love with all of my heart! And I have a husband who is an amazing father! And i get to be a SAHM and raise her! Life is sweet!
ladeebug224 at hotmail dot com
My life is sweet because I have the most beautiful daughter in the world who i love with all of my heart! And I have a husband who is an amazing father! And i get to be a SAHM and raise her! Life is sweet!ladeebug224 at hotmail dot com
my life is sweet because I have my family and even sweeter because I wake up each day and see the sunrise and not a toe tag on me
my life is sweet because I have my family and even sweeter because I wake up each day and see the sunrise and not a toe tag on me
My life is sweet because I have a great family and so many caring friends. We have really been blessed.
michelle at northofthe49 dot com
My life is sweet because I have a great family and so many caring friends. We have really been blessed.michelle at northofthe49 dot com
I’ve got a sweet life b/c I married a man who wants me to be happy, I have a beautiful, healthy, spunky son and a little girl on the way…life is good!!
gomeggo[at]gmail[dot]com
I’ve got a sweet life b/c I married a man who wants me to be happy, I have a beautiful, healthy, spunky son and a little girl on the way…life is good!!gomeggo[at]gmail[dot]com
My life is sweet because I have a terrific husband and baby, and I just started a new job that I really hope I’m gonna love. And… I love to eat chocolate, so that keeps things sweet too!
crt4book[at]yahoo[dot]com
My life is sweet because I have a terrific husband and baby, and I just started a new job that I really hope I’m gonna love. And… I love to eat chocolate, so that keeps things sweet too!crt4book[at]yahoo[dot]com
My life is sweet because I have a loving husband to hold me and I have the hope of seeing my little boy we are adopting again soon!
heatherlbrandt (at) verizon (dot) net
My life is sweet because I have a loving husband to hold me and I have the hope of seeing my little boy we are adopting again soon!heatherlbrandt (at) verizon (dot) net
Oh wow, such a great giveaway! My hubby and I have a trip planned to Hawaii next summer so this would be great to help me get even more excited (is that possible??). Anyways, my hubby is what makes my life so sweet! He takes such good care of me, including making ME dinner so I can study and do homework! jeepcutie82 at msn dot com
Oh wow, such a great giveaway! My hubby and I have a trip planned to Hawaii next summer so this would be great to help me get even more excited (is that possible??). Anyways, my hubby is what makes my life so sweet! He takes such good care of me, including making ME dinner so I can study and do homework! jeepcutie82 at msn dot com
My life is sweet because i wake up everyday and smell the flowers…Literally!! I take my dog out and walk around our yard and enjoy my herb garden and all of our roses:)
cyclona66@aol.com
My life is sweet because i wake up everyday and smell the flowers…Literally!! I take my dog out and walk around our yard and enjoy my herb garden and all of our roses:)cyclona66@aol.com
My life is sweet because I get to spend a lot of time with my daughter. Right now I am breastfeeding her as I type. I only have to work part-time, so we have a couple of days a week just for each other.
the_other_alice_(at)yahoo.com
My life is sweet because I get to spend a lot of time with my daughter. Right now I am breastfeeding her as I type. I only have to work part-time, so we have a couple of days a week just for each other.the_other_alice_(at)yahoo.com
My life is sweet because all my needs are currently being met. I have food, shelter, and lots of love in my life. Things are sweet.
thundercloudgirl[AT]hotmail[DOT]com
My life is sweet because all my needs are currently being met. I have food, shelter, and lots of love in my life. Things are sweet.thundercloudgirl[AT]hotmail[DOT]com
My life is sweet because I have a beautiful baby girl and wonderful husband to share it with.
My life is sweet because I have a beautiful baby girl and wonderful husband to share it with.
With 3 gorgeous children and a fantastic husband my life’s just very sweet. Thanks for this great giveaway!
ann dot guns at mac dot com
With 3 gorgeous children and a fantastic husband my life’s just very sweet. Thanks for this great giveaway!ann dot guns at mac dot com
Oh, I’m obsessed with Hawaii too. I love it there. Life there is sweet but my life in Indy is sweet too b/c that’s where my family is. My hubby, my parents, my inlaws, my siblings, neices, etc.
Oh, I’m obsessed with Hawaii too. I love it there. Life there is sweet but my life in Indy is sweet too b/c that’s where my family is. My hubby, my parents, my inlaws, my siblings, neices, etc.
My life is sweet because I have to sweet, beautiful nieces who I get to love on.
My life is sweet because I have to sweet, beautiful nieces who I get to love on.
my life could definitely be sweeter, but i have a pretty sweet family and friends!
my life could definitely be sweeter, but i have a pretty sweet family and friends!
My life is sweet because I have people in it that love and support me because of who I am not what I do or what I have. Thanks for making me take the time to remember and be grateful for all that I have.
oreo89 [at] gmail [dot] com
My life is sweet because I have people in it that love and support me because of who I am not what I do or what I have. Thanks for making me take the time to remember and be grateful for all that I have.oreo89 [at] gmail [dot] com
My life is sweet because I appreciate the little things and find so much beauty in them. My life is sweet because I love my teaching job (high school english). My life is sweet because my boyfriend is amazing.
My life is sweet because I appreciate the little things and find so much beauty in them. My life is sweet because I love my teaching job (high school english). My life is sweet because my boyfriend is amazing.
I just had my first baby in February and now I am living the Sweet Life. I love being a Mommy because everyday is a new adventure. I would love to win this so I can treat myself to something sweet!! THANKS
newmommyin08@yahoo.com
I just had my first baby in February and now I am living the Sweet Life. I love being a Mommy because everyday is a new adventure. I would love to win this so I can treat myself to something sweet!! THANKSnewmommyin08@yahoo.com
My life is super sweet! An adoring husband, two precious kids, two cute kitties, and fall is almost here!
Thanks for the amazing prize pack!
Megret
musesofmegret (at) gmail (dot) com
My life is super sweet! An adoring husband, two precious kids, two cute kitties, and fall is almost here!
Thanks for the amazing prize pack!Megretmusesofmegret (at) gmail (dot) com
My life is sweet because I have 2 wonderful sons!
My life is sweet because I have 2 wonderful sons!
my life is sweet because I just was able to celebrate my 45th birthday on Wednesday. I have met a health crisis and I have survived. everyday since then has been a gift.
my life is sweet because I just was able to celebrate my 45th birthday on Wednesday. I have met a health crisis and I have survived. everyday since then has been a gift.
My loving family and friends make my life so sweet! And a regular helping of brownies or cookies…
My loving family and friends make my life so sweet! And a regular helping of brownies or cookies…
my life is sweet because i have the best friends and family. there truly is nothing sweeter!
my life is sweet because i have the best friends and family. there truly is nothing sweeter!
I have a terrfic husband a two wonderful teenagers. Even though life has its ups and downs, we have many more ups! I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks for having the giveaway!
I have a terrfic husband a two wonderful teenagers. Even though life has its ups and downs, we have many more ups! I wouldn’t change a thing.Thanks for having the giveaway!
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