Saturday Share Recipe - Savory Bread and Corn Pudding

I bought some fresh corn on the cob yesterday with the thought of boiling some to serve on the cob.

The rest I'll use to make this Savory Bread and Corn Pudding, a delicious hot, cheesy casserole that's hearty, and it serves 8.

Ingredients

8 cups stale bread, preferably a rustic bread, crust on, cut or torn into half-inch cubes (usually takes about a pound of bread)

3 cups whole milk

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

5 eggs

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter + 1-2 teaspoons to butter the casserole dish)

1 1/2cups fresh corn kernels (usually 2-3 ears of corn)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (if you use dried herbs for these fresh ones, use half the amount)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut or tear the bread into cubes.

2. Grate the Gruyere.

3. Beat the eggs.

4. Clean the corn and cut the corn off the cob.

5. Preheat oven to 375° F. (190° C.) and use the 1-2 teaspoons of butter to prepare a 9x13 casserole dish.

6. In a saucepan, heat the milk, fresh chopped herbs, and black pepper until the milk begins to simmer. turn the heat off and let the mixture cool.

7. In a large skillet, heat the butter, stirring constantly until the milk solids begin to brown which takes about 4-5 minutes. 

8. Add the corn kernels and salt and stir over low heat about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

9. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well then stir in the cooled milk and mix well. Then stir in the bread, the cheese, and the corn mixture. Blend well.

10. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Press down on the bread to make sure it's submerged in the batter. Let the dish set for 30 minutes until the bread absorbs the liquid.

11. Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the dish and back 20 minutes until golden brown.

12. Serve to acclaim!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Anyone who likes bread, cheese, and eggs will love this. Store any leftovers in covered containers in the fridge.

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases. Next issue goes out Friday.

SIGN UP TODAY.

All About Azaleas

At last, my azaleas are blooming! I was afraid the sudden cold snap we had a couple of weeks ago destroyed the buds.

In case you didn't know, Houston is famous for its azaleas. Every year, thousands of people flock to the Azalea Trail. This yera it runs from March 6–8.

Organized by the River Oaks Garden Club, it  features tours of private gardens in the River Oaks/Tanglewood areas and the historic Bayou Bend and Rienzi gardens.

ARE AZALEAS RHODODENDRONS?

Azaleas are not Rhododendrons, but they are part of that genus that has over 10,000 varieties.

These gorgeous shrubs thrive in acidic, well-drained soil with dappled shade, and they're known for spring blooms. They can be evergreen or deciduous. Amazingly, they've been around for 50 million years. They symbolize femininity, passion, fragility, and temperance and are native to Asia, Europe, and North America.

You should know that all parts of the azalea plant are poisonous to humans and pets because they contain grayanotoxins. They can grow from small dwarf shrubs to large bushes reaching 8–10 feet in height and are often called "royalty of the garden."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Most of my azaleas are the Formosa variety shown above—large shrubs covered with blooms. I have some medium height azaleas that bloom red.

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases.

SIGN UP TODAY.

Review - The Night Agent 3 - Netflix

Read The Night Agent, Amazon

 Thankfully, Season 3 of The Night Agent on Netflix is infinitely better than Season 2.

The Night Agent was a big hit for Netflix when the first season premiered on March 23, 2023. It was so popular that it was renewed in its first week of broadcast.

Fans of the thriller series couldn't wait for Season 2. Unfortunately, that season was underwhelming.  In fact, it was so disappointing, I didn't immediately watch Season 3 when it hit the small screen last week.

However, this past weekend when we were searching for something to view, we clicked on it. I'm glad we did because it was as compelling as Season 1 had been.

WHY WATCH SEASON 3 OF NIGHT AGENT

Better story. Better drama. Better new characters. Better pacing. Interesting villains.

It was great to see a character from Season 1—Secret Service agent Chelsea Arrington (Fola Evans-Akingbola )—who helps ground the series emotionally. Her character is likable, smart, and brave. She does the right thing even if it means her career is at stake. 

Honesty in a character is so refreshing. She had a big part in Season 1 but only a cameo in Season 2. They were smart to bring her back because for whatever reason they haven't brought back Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) whose relationship with Peter (Gabriel Basso) was a big part of the Season 1 success.

 WHY NOT BRING ROSE BACK?

Showrunner Shawn Ryan made the decision not to bring Rose back in order for Night Agent Peter to be a lone wolf focused only on his assignments. Blah blah blah. I see it as another James Bond persona with no relationshiips except fleeting one-night stands. Peter though isn't finding a woman in every destination. 

Emotionally, he still has his demons—still trying to prove his loyalty to his country. He seems lonely and has no "real" life. Maybe Season 4 will change all that. We can only hope to see some emotional growth in a compelling character.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for action, adventure, and thrills, definitely watch The Night Agent 3. If you don't have Netflix, read the book.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases.

SIGN UP TODAY.

Saturday Share - Brunch Quiche Cups

Today's recipe is packed with protein and is great for breakfast or brunch.

Brunch Quiche Cups

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, grated
• 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teeaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  1/4 cup diced ham or crumbled bacon *Optional

Directions

1. In a 12 cup muffin pan, line each cup with a foil baking cup and pre-heat the oven to 350° F. (176° C.).

2. In a small saute pan, saute the red bell pepper and the onion in the butter until soft.

3. Microwave the spinach on high for 2-3 minutes. Drain the spinach well and squeeze all the liquid out of it.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Add the cheese, spinach, onions, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. If you are adding meat, toss it in now.

5. Evenly divide the mixture into the 12 muffin cups.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Serve immediately.

You can make these ahead of time and reheat in a microwave. Store any leftovers in a plastic storage bag in the freezer.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

These make a nutritious and delicious snack so make a bunch of them and keep them in a freezer for an easy breakfast or a snack as you need them.

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases.

SIGN UP TODAY.

Ordinary Marvels - Navel Oranges

I slept late today because I stayed up late watching Olympic highlights. Amazing athletes doing amazing things.

Like many, I particularly love the ice skating events. Maybe that's because I've never ice skated before, and I'm in awe of those who do.

TODAY'S TOPIC

I'm not here to talk about the Olympics. I want to talke about things that are ordianry yet amazing.

Like the navel orange I peeled for breakfast. I was stripping away the rind from the orangish-pink flesh when I started wondering how the navel orange came into being. I was pretty sure that it had to be have been created by some kind of hybrid technique so I looked up the history.

Yes, it was a hybrid—created by Mother Nature. Surprise!

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

In 1820, in a Brazilian monestary garden, someone saw a mutated orange growing on a tree. This was a  seedless mutation, possibly derived from a Selecta orange tree.

The mutated tree produced a small "twin" fruit at the base of the fruit—something that looked like a human navel thus the origin of the name.

Horticulturists began grafting the mutated tree to other trees until there were enough for export. It took more than 50 years for the navel orange tree to be introduced in the U.S. 

When the newly-formed USDA received 12 cuttings from Brazil, someone there gave 2 cuttings to  Eliza Tibbets of Riverside, California. She planted them in 1873 which gave birth to a billion-dollar industry.

TREE TRIVIA

The mutation of the orange tree means its fruit is seedless and sterile so all navel orange trees are technically clones of that original 1820 tree,  continued through grafting.

The trees planted in California were named Washington Navel Oranges because they came from the USDA in Washington, D.C.

The trees planed in California thrived because the climate was perfect for the, and the citrus industry in the state simply boomed.

The "belly button" at the bottom is actually a conjoined twin fruit that aborted during development.

The original tree planted by Eliza Tibbets is now a California Historic Landmark.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Learning all this made the sweet navel orange I ate even more delicious and satisfying. Have you eaten an orange lately?

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases.

SIGN UP TODAY.

Time's A-Wasting: Live Your Dream

Today, for Hump Day, I'm reflecting on recent events and on something that happened many years ago.

In the wake of wildfires, blizzards, senseless shootings, and other life tragedies, I think of a spring day many yeras ago when tornadoes cut a swath through the South.

My mother was afraid of storms and especially fearful when spring seemed to bring the worst of them. I remember trying to soothe her anxiety.

Later, I told my husband about this, and I quipped, "If it's your time to go, then there's not much you can do about it."

He said, "It may not be your time, but if you're hanging out with someone whose number is up then you're just screwed, and you'll go too."

For some reason, that whole incident really made me think. You never know when your number is up. I'm sure all those people killed in natural disasters and senseless violence thought they had plenty of time to do all the things they wanted to do.

Just like me, they probably had plans and dreams about what they wanted to do with their lives.  Maybe they talked about it, thought about it, dreamed about it, but hadn't yet done anything about it. They thought they had plenty of time.

I was like that. Big dreams. I talked about it, dreamed about it, but I hadn't really done much to turn a dream into reality. 

What if, without warning, my time was up? A storm could hit the 50 foot pine tree in my neighbor's yard. If it fell on my house, and I was in my house, I'd be a goner. Boom. Just like that.

That day, I decided I didn't want to be cowering in a hallway while a tornado roared overhead and thinking: "If only I'd had the courage to write."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

American Journalist Sydney J. Harris once said: "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases.

SIGN UP TODAY.

Review - The Wrong Paris - Netflix

For Valentine's weekend, I chose to watch a romcom, The Wrong Paris, a Netflix Original directed by Janeen Damian and starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé.

When the film began, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the stereotypes and clichés associated with Texas. I was about ready to stop the film, but I decided to give it another 5 minutes.

I'm glad I did because the movie proved to be delightful in its portrayal of a billionaire Texan and the woman who found herself stuck on a reality TV show that wasn't what she thought it was.

The premise of the TV show is the same as The Bachelor. Instead of a rose, this Texas cowboy gives his approval by giving the woman a—no, I won't tell you what, but I found it funny.

The supporting cast of Madison Pettis, Torrance Coombs, Frances Fisher, and Yvonne Orji are excellent, but the story and the charm belong to the 2 stars, Miranda Cosgrove as Dawn and Pierson Fodé. as Trey McAllen

THE DETAILS

The screenplay was written by Nicole Henrich, produced by Brad Krevoy and Michael Damian, edited by Scott Hill, and with Cinematography by Graham Robbins. 

The music was by Nathan Lanier, and some of the scenes—I'm thinking of the scene where Trey McAllen (Pierson Fodé) is tending his horse—has pop music that makes the scene hysterically funny.

The Production companies involved were MPCA and Brad Krevoy Productions with distribution by Netflix. The film was released in September of 2025. I don't know if it was on Netflix immediately. If it was, it simply wasn't on my radar.

The "famous" critics panned the movie with some harsh comments. A couple of critics said rather dismissively that it was for "hopeless romantics" which was the most flattering remark about those who might find the film worth watching.

What? Hopeless romantic? I'm not that. I'm a HOPEFUL romantic! And I bet you are too!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for a fun movie that is a hopeful romcom (is there any other kind?), watch The Wrong Paris on Netflix. It will entertain and delight you.

Love to read? Subscribe to Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases.

SIGN UP TODAY.