Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

My blog will return after the holidays!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

God bless everyone!

Anne-Marie

Recipe of the week - Three Bean Chili

Three Bean Chili

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 pounds lean ground round
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 16-ounce cans Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 16-ounce cans Pinto Beans
2 16 ounce can Black Beans
1 14.5-ounce chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Sour cream to garnish
Sliced green onions to garnish

Brown ground beef in Dutch oven or stock pot. Add chili powder while browning and mix in well. Add onion and pepper to meat and brown for 2 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions.

It'll warm your insides.

Enjoy!

Sound of Music Live with Carrie Underwood

Did any of you watch the Sound of Music last Thursday, the 5th?

I did. Sound of Music is my absolute favorite movie of all time. I've seen it probably a couple of dozen times and know the dialogue, what happens when, and where and when songs are sung.

The live version was good, but I can't help feeling a bit dissappointed, let down. So much of the original movie was culled and things didn't happen where they happened in the original movie. Songs were added, songs were cut.

Yes, I realize the producers and writers never intended it to be a remake of Julie Andrew's version, but I think they should have given the new production a different name.

Did you like Carrie's version? Or did you feel let down? Do you think they should have renamed Carrier's version instead of stealing the original title?

Recipe of the week - Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
2 large or 3 medium baking potatoes, baked or microwaved
Cooked crumbled bacon
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced green onions

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth and evaporated milk. Scoop potato flesh from 1 potato (reserve potato skin), mash. Add pulp to broth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture comes just to a boil. Dice remaining potato skin and potato(es), add to soup. Heat through. Spoon into bowls. Sprinkle each with toppings.

Yummy!

Always a day late...

like this post...

I just returned from an extended Thanksgiving vacation with my in-laws. It was great giving thanks for an almost healthy family and seeing everyone for our yearly visit. As you can guess by my Monday blog posts, I spent some fun time baking and cooking for 16 people.

On to the scary part of the trip. :)

I went shopping on black Friday while visiting in South Carolina. Some great power shopping in extremely crowded stores. Belks always has early bird specials until 11:00 am with extra savings only available up to then. Here I go, arms loaded, trying to make my way to a long check out line. Yep, you guessed it. The clock strikes 11:00 am, and where am I? In the back of the other couple of dozen of people trying to make their purchases before the deadline. Thank goodness the store honored the sale for everyone standing in line, or I would have been sunk and out of a couple of hundred dollars in savings.

Have you ever had that coupon or discount stuffed away that you didn't need the item quite then and without realizing it, try using it the day after it expired? Chances are you didn't get the opportunity to use it.

Just a FYI, Bed Bath and Beyond 20% discounts don't expire. Stock them up to use at a later date. Also, Kohl's cash doesn't expire, either. Yes, there are expiration dates on the discount coupons and Kohl's cash, but they're honored at anytime. I'm still using some with expiration dates from two years ago.

Have you ever been a day late on saving money?

Recipe of the week - Beef and Mushroom Stew

Beef and Mushroom Stew

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pound beef top round, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped (white part only)
1 clove garlic, minced
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced (baby portebellas are best)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, halved and sliced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 can reduced sodium beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup hot, cook brown rice
Green onions, chopped

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Drain and set beef aside.

Add remaining oil to Dutch oven. Add onion, leek and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until onion is tender. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in celery, carrots, seasonings, broth, wine and browned beef. Heat to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender. Stir in peas. Increase heat to medium. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 Tablespoon cold water; blend cornstarch mixture into stew; and cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened and bubbly.

To serve, ladle stew into individual bowls. Top each serving with 2 Tablespoons hot, cooked brown rice, then garnish with chopped green onions.

Yields six servings.

This is one recipe I never tire of. Freezes great.

Bon appétit

Who's your favorite fictional hero

Does he have black, blond, brunette, or auburn hair, or is his hair color unique only to him and displays who he is? (green, purple, etc.) Does he keep it short, shoulder length or does his hair swirl lusciously down his muscular back to stop above  his slim waist or firm buttocks?

What color eyes draws you into him? Green? Hazel? Blue? Brown? Or are his eyes as unique as his hair choice.

Is he physically flawless, perfect in every way? What's his greatest accomplishment? His biggest fear?

Is he a doctor, lawyer, insurance salesmen, bookstore owner? Or one of our brave police officers, firefighters, or in the military? A duke? A viscount?

Alpha? Beta? Or somewhere in between?

I tend to read what I write. In romantic suspense I love to read and write about the strong cops who keep our heroine out of harm. But as a switch up, in the book I'm currently writing, my hero is a psychic with visions that scare the daylights out of me--and him. This hero is unusual for me to write, but I'm finding myself very comfortable with him. :) I've never written a book where my hero has auburn hair and a scar on his face. To me, he's the perfect hero, definitely strong and alpha with a twist of vulernability. The scar added distinction and his story drew me in. He's a man fighting his inner demons, torn but all too ready to help the police stop a serial killer before he takes his next victim. And, of course, saving his beautiful heroine and helping her find her true self. Awww...my hero. :)

What type of hero do you like to read about or write? Is the hero who initially draws you into a story?

Happy reading and writing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Recipe of the week - Vegetable Medley

Vegetable Medley

Makes 12 servings

1 16-ounce can garden peas (sweet petite peas)
1 12-ounce can shoe peg corn
2 16-ounce cans French style green beans
1 large onion finely chopped
1 cup celery finely chopped
1 16-ounce can green lima beans
2 2-ounce jars chopped pimentos
1/3 cup corn or canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or Raspberry wine vinegar (my personal favorite)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Drain canned vegetables into a large bowl. Mix vegetables with onion, celery and pimento
In saucepan combine oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Pour dressing over vegetables and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

This dish will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Actually gets better the longer it marinates. :)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

True stories that make for a great comedy

Like locking yourself in the bathroom unable to get out. You have no phone, towel, robe, no nothing. Oh, wait, you can knock on the wall to get your neighbor's attention. You finally have their full attention, and yes, talking to you through your jammed bathroom door. And aren't you lucky. Since they can't get you out, they insist on being a good Samaritan and call the fire department to release you from your dungeon. Yep, and opening up a hole you wanted to bury yourself in because the firefighter saving your naked butt is drop-dead gorgeous. Oh, yeah, the neighbor was male as well. Don't ask. lol

Or the time when you're performing a professional dance routine with your model (real male model) dance partner in the good 'ole disco days. (Okay, I'm showing my age.) Add in the fact your stiletto heel breaks off, down you go with your wrap around skirt swallowing you whole and revealing everything, well almost everything except for your scant pair of panties, the good Lord gave you. Hmmm...I think I'm seeing a routine here. :)

I'd like to say the above two incidents were fiction. Truly I would. Awww...those moments you'd like to forget. Don't you agree that they'd make great scenes in a comedy. With a different face. Different body.

Come on, spill. What's happened in your life that would make for a great comedy?

Okay, you can quit laughing now. :)

Until next time.

Recipe of the week - Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

5 Sweet potatoes
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teasponns apple pie spice
marshmallows
raisins
1 1/4 cup water

Boil potatoes. Peel and slice. Make syrup out of sugar, flour, butter, water and spices. Put layer of potatoes in casserole dish, add some syrup, and a thin, sparse layer raisins. Cook at 400 degrees until bubbly. Cool. Cover with marshmallows and brown.

Enjoy!

Most Memorable, Heartfelt Moment

My husband and I used to dance quite a bit in our younger days, but for some reason as we grew older we got out of the habit. Caught up in other things, we somehow forgot the small things in life.

The night that I was to undergo a 75% liver resection because of primary liver cancer, the nurses piped music into my hospital room and my husband and I danced what possibly could have been our last dance together--forever. After spending three out four months of my time in the hospital and time away from my husband, we refused to let another wasted second tick by of those small things that had meant so much to us. I died on the operating table and God gave me a second chance to cherish sharing other dances with my husband.

It's a moment in my life that will forever remind me of the smaller things in life.

What's your most memorable, heartfelt moment that changed your life forever and how you view life now?

Recipe of the week - Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons caramel topping, divided
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (16 oz.)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons pecan pieces, divided
1 cup milk
2 pkg. (4 serving size) Vanilla flavored instant pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
t teaspon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tub (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed, divided

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans

Beat milk, dry pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Spread into crust. Top with remaining whipped topping.

Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with pecans and drizzle remaining caramel with fork.

Yields 10 slices of delicious pie.

Happy eating!

Seasons

Since I live in Florida, sometimes we go straight from summer to summer. Hot to hotter. :) Hopefully, this year we'll have a cooling down period. Please give me 70 degrees all year long. :)



Before I moved to Florida, my favorite season was autumn.  The trees are absolutely gorgeous with their vibrant colors dancing in the cool fall breeze.

My next favorite season was winter, with all the wintry white (and I don't mean blizzards) sprinkling delicate tree branches and dusting the now baron ground. Just cold enough to bundle in my favorite flannel jammies and drink a nice cup of hot chocolate with the sweet little marshmallows melting on top. Nope, don't care to drive in it or shovel it. :)

Spring back home was always a beautiful season, too, with all the trees, fruit trees and flowers blossoming, freed from their winter hibernation.

Here's a picture of my Angel's Trumpet, which blooms throughout the year--or at least it does in Florida. It's a night garden flower with a nighttime exotic scent.

All breathtakingly beautiful.

What is your favorite season? Why?

Recipe of the week - Twice-baked Zucchini

Twice-baked Zucchini

4 whole zucchinis cut in half lengthwise

3 cups of Italian seasoned bread crumbs

4 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I prefer mild)

1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese

1/2 cup of finely minced onion

2 eggs beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

Whole zucchini cut in half lenthwise

Bake zucchini halves in water @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft

Scoop out zucchini flesh to make a boat

In a mixing bowl combine zucchini flesh, bread crumbs, cheddar cheese, 2/3 of the parmesean cheese, eggs, onion, salt, pepper and paprika.

Once mixed thoroughly, place mixture in boats, dot tops with butter and sprink remaining parmesean cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until light brown on top, approximately 30 minutes.

Yields eight servings.

Enjoy!

Do you believe in things that go bump in the night?

All I can say is as of late there are some strange things going on in my usually quiet little house. Well, quiet except on the weekends when my sons, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren visit. :)

A few months ago around one o'clock in the morning, my husband and I were sitting in the living room watching a late night movie. All is peaceful, so peaceful we smell coffee being brewed. I should say creepy because neither my husband nor myself had made coffee. We decided to investigate. The closer we got to the kitchen the stronger the smell. You guessed it. No coffee, and about that time I sure could have used it.

A week later, a drawer, which is impossibly difficult to open, slid open by itself. That same week, I was outlining my newest novel on my plot board in the living room. I'd filled one half of it with sticky notes. Different colors. One color each for my heroine, hero, villain, romance arc and suspense plot. I left it in the living room for the night. The next morning I got up to find all my stickies on the opposite half of the board.

It seems that each time my darlin' plot and critique partner, Connie, comes over for our weekly, bi-weekly get together, her computer shuts down without explanation--without warning.

At least it's a harmless ghost, although a bit messy.


Do you believe in things that go bump in the night? Have you had unusual, unexplained things happen to you?

Happy Halloween!

Recipe of the week - Creamed Corn Casserole

The next several weeks I'll be posting recipes great for Thanksgiving, and brrrr, baby, when it's cold outside.

Creamed Corn Casserole

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Mix eggs and sugar together.

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 can evaporated milk

1 can whole corn (drained)

2 cans of cream corn

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb melted butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

To fragment or not to fragment

I personally think fragments are necessary to achieve a certain tone, for emphasis, or to break up monotonous narration and introspection. But when I write a fragment, my old English Lit teacher from years and years ago, (did I mention years ago?) is preaching in my ear at a very high pitch. She really needs to step down from my shoulder. She's killing it. No, actually, she's trodding on my creative juices. I'm not saying I go overboard, because I don't and am aware of when I do it and why.

And one line paragraphs... I love them--when they're necessary. But that's a totally different blog post. :)

We speak in fragments, don't we? Or am I the exception rather than the rule. When you read, do fragmented sentences pull you from the story? Stop you flat? (My bad, a fragmented sentence, but I couldn't help myself. :)) Do you write with fragments? Why and when do you use fragments?

Recipe of the week - Seafood Newburg

Serves 4 to 6 (I won't mention the calories. :))

Ingredients

1 pound frozen shrimp, cooked and coarsely chopped      *Scallops can be used as a substitute
4 to 8 oz. crab or lobster, thawed, drained, and diced
2 tablespoons of sherry (yum)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 stick butter = 6 tablespoons
1/3 cup of floour
2 cups half and half
1/2 teaspon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix the seafood with sherry, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; blend in flour then stir in the half-and-half. Add salt and continue cooking and stirring until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Combine beaten egg yolk with heavy cream. Add to the sauce, stirring constantly. Add cheese. Continue to cook, stirring, untill well blended and cheese is melted. Add the seafood with its marinade. Heat thoroughly, about 10 minutes longer. Serve over patty shells, rice, or toast points. If too thick, thin with a little milk.

I add chopped green onions to the top for flavor and garnish.

Story development and dreams

Or should I say nightmares...

A lot of people, writers, critique partners and readers alike, ask me where I come up with my story ideas. Sometimes I feel silly responding that my plot ideas come to me in my dreams. Or should I say my nightmares. I write romantic suspense and romantic thrillers, and I have to admit my villains creep me out into the earlier hours of the morning.

If I'm lucky, real lucky, my story will play completely (well, almost) out through my mind after a few nights with little or no sleep. I've tried meditating before I go to bed, but my villains are impervious to the fact that I need rest. After a short fight, they convince me, or at least they think they do, that I can survive on little sleep and that I can sleep when they do. Afterall, they have a backstory to exploit and a story to tell. :)

What type of villains do you like to write or read? Do they keep you up by demanding an audience or making you too frightened where you can't sleep at all? Leave a comment and tell us about your favorite villain, crime, and what drew you to that special villain?