Cajun Pot Roast

Easter Sunday pot roast, but we wanted something different. There really isn't a recipe more just how you do the roast. On Saturday I sliced some onions, shallots and green bell pepper. Along with creamer red potatoes and baby carrots I added them to a large bowl. Then in my mortar bowl I added 3 teaspoons of my Cajun spice mix and 1/4 tsp of Salt and 1/4 tsp of ground pepper and ground together until fine. I mixed 1/2 the seasoning with the vegetables. Then I slit about 6 slices in the roast and rubbed the rest of the seasoning into the meat. Then placed the roast in the bowl and sealed it and refrigerated over night.

As you can see in the Crockpot above, everything is nicely coated with the seasoning. I cooked on high for 6 hours.

Serving:
4 Oz Pot roast 243 Calories
NLEA Serving of Baby Carrots - 30 Calories
Creamer potatoes (Approx. the same size as a medium potato) 154 Calories
Cajun seasonings and onions peppers approx. 15 calories

Enjoy!

Anna J. Stewart in the Garden today!

Good morning everyone! Please welcome our very busy special guest Anna J. Stewart. Please grab yourself a chair, or settle on the grass. We have wine and other refreshments, please help yourselves.

Mary: Before we move on to the auction, please tell us a bit about Anna. Where did you grow up, when you’re not assisting with the auction, what do you do?

Anna:  First, thank you for having me!  I grew up in San Francisco, but moved to Sacramento shortly after high school.  Unlike most people who make that move, I don't miss the city at all. I go back occasionally with friends, but I really love the Sacramento.

When I'm not working on the auction (which during this time of the year, isn't often), I'm an aspiring writer.  My main hobby for about ten years has been dollhouse miniatures.  I'm also an avid movie and TV junkie, voracious reader, and collect dolls.  Oh, and I'm addicted to the Food Network.  There's never any bad news on that channel.

Mary: I met you when I first donated something to Brenda Novak’s Diabetes’s Auction. How did you meet Brenda? Please tell us how you became involved with her auction. Do you assist with other things, or only the auction?

Anna:  I've known Brenda for about ten years--she was one of the first people I met when I joined the Sacramento Chapter of RWA.  We were casual acquaintances until a few years ago when, after serving my first term as chapter president, Brenda asked if I'd be interested in working as her assistant.  Of course I jumped at the chance...the best of both worlds. That was about four years ago.  My main job is maintaining the auction site (contacting donors, listing donations, coding all the information, etc), but I also assist her in some of the "busy work" of writing (entering contests, mailings, etc).  As I heard another author's assistant call herself, I'm a "gal Friday".  Whatever she needs me to do.  It's truly
 the best job I could have ever hoped for--I'm working in the industry I'm hoping to break into and helping to raise money for a cause.  Plus, Brenda understands I'm striving for publication, so she lets me set my own hours, which gives me writing time.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Mary: How long does it take to set up each yearly auction? Do you solicit donations, or is it so well known that people come to you?

Anna:  In the last year or so, the auction has become a year-round task, but the first six months of the year is our super busy time, with June being what I call "hell month".  That's when we're contacting all the donors to let them know where to send things and how to contact their winners.

We start gathering items officially in January although we are always on the lookout for new offerings.  We have an extensive list of our previous donors, but when it comes to raising money for research, that list can never be too long.  Every dollar we raise brings us that much closer to a cure for this disease which affects millions of people, including some in my own family.  Fortunately, some come to us as well, and a lot of times that opens up new venues.  So yes, we definitely solicit donations.  Constantly.

Anyone need a refill? Let’s take a stretch break grab some more appetizers and settle back.

Mary: All set, everyone? Anna, how can someone help raise money for Brenda’s Auction?

Anna:   In so many ways!  We eagerly welcome items we can auction off online between May 1st and May 31st.  We'll accept pretty much anything and everything, given it's all brand new.  We've had people donate autographed books, gift baskets, designer purses, and some have donated stays in their time shares or vacation properties.  This year, I've seen a recent influx of hand-crafted items--photographs, knitted scarves and hats, jewelry...the list goes on and on.  We have items geared toward writers, readers, for everyone.  We try to offer a wide selection to appeal to the biggest shopper base.

Some donors really get involved by hosting their own categories.  Dianna Love (along with Sherrilyn Kenyon and Mary Buckham) was one of the first to do this, and now we have a whole list of captains who help us fill up our auction, including literary agent Kristen Nelson, NYTimes Bestselling author Cherry Adair, and Bestselling author Anna DeStefano (who offers a selection of COACH purses every year).   And that's only a few!

Of course we're always thrilled to receive cash donations, but people don't have to actually donate money or items to make a difference--getting the word out about the auction through social media sites like Facebook (@Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes)  or Twitter (@bnovakauction and the hashtag is #bnda) is a huge help!  The more word spreads about the auction, the more people we hope to entice to either donate or  drop by and maybe even register as a shopper.  There's no obligation to bid, but once you see all the fabulous stuff we have up for auction, I dare anyone not to!  Every year there are some amazing deals to be found.

Oh, and we also have flyers people can print out and post at their local Starbucks or favorite bookstores (brendanovak.com/auction).  There are also widgets and banners for people to post on their websites.  We try to make advertising the auction as easy as possible.

Mary: Anna, you may have answered this already, but do you write? If so, what genre? Where can we find you? Do you have a web site or blog? Yes, I know 20 questions in one!

Anna:  I do write and chose the name A.J. Stewart.  My mom had always hoped my nickname would be AJ, so I thought it was a natural choice.  Although I'm not published yet,  I write paranormal romance, but I also have interest in writing romantic suspense.  I recently launched my website www.AJStewart.net.  I'd love for people to stop by and maybe even "friend" me on Facebook.  An author can never have too many friends!

As far as a blog, my critique partners and I are actually in the process of creating one.  Each of us will have our own topic--from historical research to what's going on in the industry, to keeping inspired.  My focus will be on pop culture, mainly movies and television (I have to put my useless font of knowledge to work somewhere!).  I'll have a link posted on my website once it goes live.

Mary: Now let’s get down to some good stuff. Do you like to travel? Where in the world would you like to go, and why?

Anna:  I do like to travel...once I get there.  I'm a terrible flyer and that seems to be getting worse as I get older.  I've been fortunate enough to travel pretty extensively as my grandmother, who helped raise me, was an avid traveler.   I've been to England, Scotland (land of my ancestors), Ireland, and Wales.  I've also been to the Middle East--Turkey, Egypt and Israel (in the mid 80's--well before so many beautiful places were destroyed), but my favorite place on earth (so far) has to be Greece.  I was only 15 at the time but to this day, Santorini is by far the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. A close second is the Highlands in Scotland and the Isle of Skye.  I've also been to Hawaii a number of times and a few years ago I hit Alaska.  And I can never go to Disneyland enough.  I go at least every other year.  It's funny--I think I've been more places outside the US than inside.  I should think about fixing that.

I have yet to take my dream trip...Australia and New Zealand.  Someday.  After I sell a couple of books.

Mary: If any of us were to visit your neck of the woods, do you have a favorite restaurant you’d recommend? Do you have any favorite recipes you’d like to share with us?

Anna:  My friends and I do a lot of restaurant exploring here in Sacramento.  Depending on what you're looking for, I'd suggest the following:  For Italian, Michaelangelo's on I Street (nice little hole in the wall with fabulous risotto); The best Thai food in Sac is at A Taste of Thai on Broadway.  For burgers?  Hands down, GATSBY's on Alta Arden (they were recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri).

As far as recipes, I have one that I share a lot and it's my go to favorite for holiday gifts.  It's a 5-minute rocky road fudge.  Seriously, 5 minutes.  All you need is a package of melting chocolate (like almond bark or KandiQuik--it's usually in the baking aisle), 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of peanuts and 1 bag of mini marshmallows.  Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave according to package directions, stir in peanuts, stir in marshmallows, then spread over a parchment paper lined baking sheet (cookie sheet is good for thin fudge, brownie pan for thicker).  Stick it in the fridge for about a 1/2 hour, cut and serve.  So easy and SO yummy!  Plus it freezes great--like it ever makes it that far.

Mary: I think I gained ten pounds just reading that recipe, but I can't wait to try it! Maybe for Easter. Is there anything you’d like to share with us, that I haven’t asked?

Anna:  I think you've covered just about everything.  Thank you again for asking me to do this.  This was my first blog...what a fun place to start.  And thank you for your donations (this year and in the past) to Brenda's auction.  Every donor, every dollar, brings us that much closer to a cure.  Cheers!

Thank you, Anna, for joining us today. I’ve had a blast getting to know you better.

Just an FYI everyone, I have donated a Classic Movie Basket for Brenda's auction. Check it out here.

Signed copy of Classic Murder: Mr. Romance By Mary Martinez
4 DVD’s Classic Movies starring Cary Grant:
CHARADE
TO CATCH A THIEF
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (50th Anniversary Edition)
ARSENIC & OLD LACE
and some yummy treats for movie watching, including popcorn, licorice, Hot Tamales, Boston Baked Beans, and Junior Mints.

Easter Egg Sandwich

What do you do with all those hard boiled eggs? Here's a tasty solution, and easy to pack for lunch.

Easter Egg Sandwich 4 servings
3 Hard Boiled Eggs
Remove shell and using a fork mash up and set aside.
Dressing:
Mix:
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sage
1/4 tsp Crushed chili
1/2 tsp Basil
1/8 tsp Dill
1/2 Tsp Chive
Crush together and stir in, 8 tsp Salad Dressing (Miracle Whip)

Add egg to mixture and mix thoroughly. Makes four sandwiches.
1 serving 106 Calories (plus whatever bread you use) Total fat 9g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 165 mg, Sodium 120mg, Carbohydrate 2g, sugars 1g, Protein 5g.

Enjoy!

Jambalaya in the garden

I used to think I was Irish in another life, now I'm not so sure. Or maybe I was Irish. Then the next time I came back I was Cajun and now I'm just a mutt. What do you think?

Jambalaya (4 servings)
2 link hot sausage sliced
1/2 lb shrimp tail off
3 Tsp. Cajun Seasoning (Below)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper chopped
1/2 cup Onion Chopped
1 1/2 stalks celery sliced
1/2 Jalapeño chopped
1 1/2 cup rice (minute)
1 Tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 can Chicken Broth 98% fat free
3 Tomatoes chopped
2 bay leaf
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp oil
Slice sausage place in bowl with shrimp, add Cajun seasoning and mix and set aside. Add oil to skillet and add peppers, onion and celery simmer until tender then add shrimp and sausage. Cook on medium until tender. In a sauce pan add broth, pepper, salt, bay leaf, tomatoes, garlic, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce stir in rice. Cook until rice is beginning to be tender and then add meat and vegetable mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally until rice is done.

Serve with rolls or garlic bread and Riesling
Calories 338, Total Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 121mg, sodium 901mg, Carbohydrate 24g, dietary fiber 2g, sugars 4g, protein 26g. Vitamin A 24%, Vitamin C 52%, Calcium 8% and Iron 15%

Cajun Spice Mix I found this on About.com (I added a bit more Cayenne to mine)
Mix the following pour into a jar with a tight lid and store in dry place. 1 TBSP servings (13 calories)
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Coriander
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/3 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup Paprika
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp basil


Hope you enjoy!

Jeff Posey is visiting the garden

Good morning everyone. I hope all is well. We have Jeff Posey in the garden, he’s an author and conference coordinator. I’m not sure that is really a title, but he was in charge of the DFW conference I attended in February. Wonderful conference. As always before we start our chat, everyone please visit the refreshment table. Make sure to keep your jackets handy it’s still a bit cool in the Garden.

Mary:  To begin, Jeff, please tell us a bit about your growing up and background.

Jeff: I grew up with a research-chemist father who liked to draw diagrams and equations on napkins. That propelled me into the world of writing straight through a bunch of rocks. Literally. I have a degree in geology and worked for five years as a petroleum geologist before I woke up one morning and realize I was a word man, not a rock man.

So I spent a full year working full time on a masters degree in journalism, but signed on with D Magazine, the city magazine of Dallas, as an intern one summer, after which they offered me a job. After five years of having the glorious opportunity to ask almost any question to almost anybody I wanted as City Editor, I moved to American Way magazine, where I started up and ran the short-fiction section. I also taught fiction writing at the University of Dallas. From there, I earned an MBA in corporate financial analysis (impelled because I felt ignorant about how business really worked).

Now I do Marketing/Communications Project Management for various clients. (If you’re on LinkedIn, connect to me Here with the code words “Mary’s Garden,” and I’ll quickly link back.)

Mary: How did you find yourself involved with the DFW Conference organization?

Jeff: I learned long ago you get the most out of volunteer organizations when you volunteer. Soon after I joined the DFW Writers’ Workshop, I asked to help on the annual conference. The second year, in 2010, I agreed to be co-director, which put me into the director’s chair for this spring’s 2011 conference.

Mary:  What is the hardest part organizing such a big event? Do you have a committee?

Jeff: Working with people is always the hardest pzart of organizing anything of any size. Especially writers. I mean, writers aren’t conference organizers. They’re writers. They can sit around and talk and argue endlessly by email, but staging a complex event like an efficient business? Uh, yeah. That’s completely different.

Having a good, right-sized executive committee and a strong volunteer ethic is critical. We had five members, including the guy I call the Director Emeritus — he started the first DFW Writers’ Conference (which we call DFWcon) and has been involved in all four to date. He’s our institutional knowledge, our historian, our keel. Also on the committee were a treasurer, the 2011 co-director, and the person who had already volunteered to direct the 2013 conference. We were lucky to have a lot of continuity lined up.

We split duties. I handled communications, facilities, and finances; another handled registration; another education and speakers, and yet another invited and worked with all our publishing professionals (agents/editors/publishers).

Mary: There were many diverse genre’s at the conference, I loved being able to choose among such great topics. How did you choose the workshops? Did you have people apply or did you solicit the guests?

Jeff: Organizing the education and speakers is a tough job. You have to do a lot of research, ask a lot of questions, and turn down an awful lot of potentially good speakers who just don’t fit the bill for whatever reason.

Every year, we try to take two giant steps forward in professionalism, so we always look for better-known, more-polished, better-credentialed speakers and teachers. Most of them were located by good old-fashioned networking — asking writers, agents, and editors we know and trust who they recommend, tracking them down, and simply asking them.

The main direction I gave as director was, “I want to have a balance of classes about the Business of Writing and the Craft of Writing.”

Mary: Everyone, okay on refreshments? Stretch your legs and fill up your glass or plate. Okay Jeff, tell me the big secret, how did you get Sandra Brown to give your keynote? I’ll admit she was the decision maker when I choose my yearly conference.

Jeff: It was dramatic! It was like magic! It was superhuman!

No, really, it wasn’t. We just asked. Not me, but one of our more charming volunteers simply tracked down her publicist and asked about a year in advance. Sandra came back quickly and said “yes.”

We’d asked her every year before, and I think the fact that we kept asking, and the conference kept growing in quality and attendance, finally convinced her to give in to our annual torment.

Mary: So persistence worked, good to know. How long did it take you to organize the conference? And did your writing have to be put on the back shelf?

Jeff: A year-and-a-half. Normally, it would take a little more than a year, but this was a big step up in quality and a more professional location for us, so we spent an extra six months organizing it.

And that’s an interesting question about my writing being on hold during the conference. The answer is yes, I sacrificed the time it would have taken me to complete a second novel, maybe more. I estimate the time that went into the conference from all our volunteers, not just me, at about the equivalent of six or eight novels.

When you attend a conference put on by volunteer writers, they sweated something more valuable than blood to bring it to you. They sacrificed their own words.

Mary: What genre do you write? How long have you been writing?

Jeff: I’m not the kind of guy to see ghosts. But one day while visiting the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, I put my arm out to keep my young son from running into this kid who charged across our path. The kid did a one-armed vault off a cliff to our left. I ran over and looked down to a pine-needle-padded place where any kid worth his salt could land like an acrobat.

The kid wasn’t real, of course. I’d conjured him after getting the tour of what these people had done a thousand years ago. I asked myself, “What if this kid changed everything?” After a lifetime of being a short-story writer, I suddenly became involved with writing a historical novel that has taken me thousands of miles and eight years in research and writing.

I’m on the verge of submitting the novel to four agents who requested the work at DFWcon (that’s part of the advantage to being the director of a writing conference — a little extra attention from the VIPs).

Mary: Here in the garden we love to relax. When you and your wife want to get away from writing, the day job, everything, where do you go? And what do you do? Any good travel stories? We’d love for you to share.

Jeff: Ah, that takes me back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. My wife and I travel there once or twice a year. We own a small city lot where we hope to build a little house one day.

As a young geologist, I started hiking the nearby Weminuche Wilderness, the second-largest designated wilderness area in the contiguous United States. I’ve hiked nearly every trail and worn out three pairs of hiking boots (and my knees) on what I learned much later had been the northern stomping grounds of the Anasazi Indians a thousand years ago. I have a strange emotional pull to that place and those people. So, even in getting away, we get pulled toward the research for more writing on our vacations.

Recommendation: Fourmile Trail about fifteen miles due north of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Walk up it a few relatively easy miles to where you’ll see two thin waterfalls at the head of the valley. If you’re adventurous, continue all the way up to Upper Fourmile Lake, which is one of the most beautiful spots on the planet in my not-so-humble opinion.

Then when you go back into town, get a bite at JJ’s Riverwalk Restaurant & Pub, literally on the bank of the San Juan River. We’ve had nothing but outstanding meals there.

Mary: My husband has family from Pagosa Springs, we've never been. It sounds like it's time to visit. If any of us travel to your neck of the woods what would you recommend we see or do? Any good restaurants?

Jeff: We live in Roanoke, Texas, north of Fort Worth. And we’re not your typical eaters. We are vegetarian and almost exclusively buy our produce from locally grown organic farmers and gardeners (and we grow much of our own, grasshoppers and summer heat willing).

We spent three years visiting every farmers’ market in the region and decided the best is the Coppell Farmers Market, open every Saturday morning during growing season. If you’re in the area, stop by. The people are friendly and the produce is outstanding.

Mary: Is there anything that you’d like to share that I haven’t asked?

Jeff: Yes, in fact. The biggest lesson I learned from running DFWcon is that most writers put far too much emphasis on their agent “pitch session.” I believe that’s an enormous mistake. It’s like getting ten cents of value from every dollar you spend on the conference. The way to get ten dollars of value from every dollar you spend is to use it as an education and networking event. Talk to every experienced publishing professional you meet and ask them this one simple question (then be quiet and take good notes): “Who else do you recommend I talk to?” There’s very little in the publishing business more powerful than being able to say, “[Person you know] recommends I talk to you.”

Thank you so much, Jeff, for visiting my Garden. We all wish you much success with your writing career.

Got Curry?

Good morning, I know it's probably too early for curry, but, hey I say it's never too early. I've been experimenting again. And I didn't burn down the kitchen.

Curry Stuffed Pork Chops and Rice 2 servings
2 2" thick pork chops slit up center
1/4 cup onion chopped
1/4 cup Red & Green bell peppers Chopped
1/2 stalk celery chopped
1 Serrano Pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cup Half & half fat free
1 tbsp land of lake butter w/canola oil
1 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Ground pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
Melt butter and whip in flour, add spices stir into half & half and let simmer until thick. Saute veggies until tender and add to curry sauce.  Scoop two tbsp into the center of each pork chop. Secure the edges with two toothpicks in each. Place in oil sprayed pan, pour 2 tbsp. of sauce over the tops of chops and place in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Turn the meat over half way through cooking time and add another 2 tbsp of sauce on top. Prepare rice, when done stir in the rest of the curry sauce to rice.

Serve chop over rice with a side of your favorite veggie! A white Riesling offsets the spice nicely.
Enjoy.

Gumbo in the garden

Can you say nervous? We went to our friends home for dinner. Last time I took a dish using one of my own recipes I had everyone running for water because I'd added too much pepper. I was worried that I'd blow it again, but I volunteered to bring a pot of gumbo and a side of cornbread. And it passed the 'Bill' test. Bill shoots from the hip, if he doesn't like it, he won't sugar coat it. Much to his wife's mortification.

Without further ado:

Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo 8 / 1 cup servings
1 lb Shrimp (tail off)
3 links Sausage (Andouille or Cajun)
1 Medium onion chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper Chopped
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper Chopped
2 clove garlic
1 12 oz. pkg of Okra (fresh if you can find it)
1 bunch of green onions chopped
1 stalk celery sliced
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup flour
4 oz butter light
4 cups water
4 tsp tomato bouillon
2 Tablespoons Cajun Spice Mix (See below)
In large pot, melt butter and blend in flour simmer until darkened. Add drained and thawed okra. Gradually add all the vegetables. Add browned sliced sausage. While mixture is simmering in another saucepan bring water to boil, then add in bouillon. Mix and pour over vegetables mix in large pot. Add spices and bring to a boil turn down to simmer for about 60 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer another 30-40 minutes.
1 cup 327 calories, Total Fat 21g, Saturated Fat 8g, Cholesterol 129mg, Sodium 530mg, Carbohydrate 13g, Dietary fiber 2g, Sugars 4g, Protein 21g, Vitamin A 30%, Vitamin C 55%, Calcium 8% and Iron 12%

Cajun Spice Mix I found this on About.com (I added a bit more Cayenne to mine)
Mix the following pour into a jar with a tight lid and store in dry place. 1 TBSP servings (13 calories)
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Coriander
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/3 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup Paprika
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp basil

Honey Corn Muffins 9x11 pan - 12 servings
2 Cups Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup Cornmeal (Yellow)
1/2 cup Honey
3/4 cup Half n Half fat free
1 egg
8 oz Butter light
21/2 Tsp baking Powder
1/4 tsp Allspice
Back 375 for 20 -25 minutes (depending on oven)
1/12 piece - serving
Calories 350, total Fat 15g, Saturated Fat 7g, Cholesterol 20mg. Sodium 155mg, Carbohydrate 49g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 21g, Protein 4g. Vitamin A 15%, Calcium 2% and Iron 9%

Pour Gumbo or Rice or add a bit to the center. Ribs complements nicely for a southern flavor. Pairs well with a Riesling.

Marie Higgins in the garden

It's still chilly in the garden so I hope you brought jackets. And I believe there's more snow in the forecast, when will it be spring? I have coffee and tea, grab some and help yourself to some tea cakes and let's get started. Today, Marie Higgins is in the garden with us.

Mary: Tell us about Marie the person, not the writer. What do you do to relax? What are your favorite foods, etc.?

Marie: Relax? Am I supposed to relax? Well...I work ten hour days, and come home to make dinner for my family. I've lived in Utah all my life, and I work for the state of Utah.My relaxing time is from 7-9:30. Needless to say, not a lot of writing gets done during this time. I live for my three-day weekends, though!  But what free time I do have, I spend with my grandkids. I'm married with two daughters and a stepdaughter, and three adorable grandkids. I'm grateful they all live close by.

My favorite foods? I guess it depends what kind of mood I'm in. lol  I love Chinese and Mexican (as long as it's not spicy). My favorite tv show is NCIS, but I probably only watch it once a month because I'd rather be writing than watching. lol

Mary: Tell us a bit about Marie, you’re background.

Marie: I've been writing romance novels for a little over 15 years. But really, it started way before that without me even realizing. When I was a little girl playing Barbies with my sister, we would make up stories (usually funny stories). As I got older, I wrote skits for my church which were performed and judged. I received awards for "Best Written" and "Funniest". This evolved into writing romance novels, which I just love to do! I have three books out with my publisher, Walnut Springs Press - and two more scheduled for this year.

Mary: What books shaped your desire to write? Who are your favorite authors?

Marie: I have to give credit to Kathleen E Woodiwiss because she was the first romance author I read. I was hooked from there on out. My earlier favorite authors were her, Judith McNaught, LaVryle Spencer, and Jude Deveraux. Now I have so many new favorites it'd take up most of this page just listing them. lol

Mary: How on earth did you come up with the concept of Hearts Through Time?

Marie: Well...about three years ago, Fangs and Fur was popular with the paranormal genre. I'm not really into vampires, and I wasn't in the mood to figure out a werewolf story, either. However, I was all right with ghosts. I wanted my heroine to be the ghost, and the hero the one to help her. One idea led to another, and soon a mystery took over the story. Since I love to write historicals, I knew I'd have to have the hero go back in time... lol One thing led to another, and wa-la!

Mary: Anyone need a refill? Let's stretch our legs a bit. Now we're read to move on to your story's! Instead of the blurb from the jacket, can you tell us a bit about your book?

Marie: Abigail is a ghost from 1912 who needs to find the person who killed her in order to pass over. Her grandmother (who had dreams about people) warned her that something bad would happen - but a man with the initials N.M. would help her. Nearly 100 years of being a ghost, Abigail finally finds the man who will help her, but the more she and Nick Marshal work together, the closer they become...and the more Abigail starts to feel real to Nick. As they start finding clues to the 100 year old murder, something happens that whisks Nick back to 1912 before Abby was murdered. Now he has the timeline - knows the suspects - but still can't figure out who killed Abby. He's racing against the clock to save her, and at the same time make her fall in love with him all over again.

Mary: So what is your next project?

Marie: The next story Walnut Springs will get is about a romance writer who can't find Mr. Right because she compares all of her boyfriends to the heroes in her books - and her boyfriends come up lacking. But the one man who she'd fashioned her first hero after comes into her life and disrupts her completely.  He wants to know why she used his name and identity in her first book...and he's willing to take her to court over it.

Although there is humor in this story, it's also very heart-wrenching because of what the hero is going through and trying to win back the love of his adorable twins.

Mary: Oh I can't wait for that one, sounds great. Now without further ado... I have read Marie's Hearts Through Time and I'm giving it my own personal review! I can tell you that Marie is not on my auto buy list.

I give Hearts Through Time 5 Orchids!
Abby and Nick have a connection and chemistry from the first moment she 'appears' in his office. The story takes you back and gives you a wonderful timeless love story. It's full of twists and turns, that I will not reveal because I do not want to spoil anything. I recommend reading this book! Check out the trailer.


And here is how:
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Lime Chicken in the garden

Something I threw together for dinner. I love when I can't figure out what to make and I just grab stuff I have and it turns out. That isn't always the case.

Lime Chicken 2 servings
2 Chicken breasts (6 oz each)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 medium Onion chopped
2 Serrano Peppers chopped (seeds optional)
2 Tbsp Lime juice
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp. Savory
Make small cuts in chicken and pat drive. In bowl mix broth, veggies and spices. Place chicken and roll to make sure it's covered. Spoon veggies over the top and cover bowl. Let marinate for a couple of hours. Spray fry pan and add everything. Cook on medium until tender. Serve over rice. Pairs well with Riesling.

Calorie per serving 194, Total Fat 3g, Cholesterol 105mg, Sodium 227mg, Carbohydrate 6g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 2g, Protein 42g. Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 23%, Calcium 2% and Iron 7%.

Enjoy!

Yummy in the garden

Well it's here. It turned out great and the grandkids loved it, they loved their mom's. Who knew that some one could kidify a Shepard's pie? Ron and I enjoyed it though.

Buffalo Shepard's Pie 1/8th of pan
8 medium potatoes (skin left on optional)
1/2 cup 2 % milk
2 Tbsp Butter (light canola oil)
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
Cube potatoes and then boil. Mash with milk, butter and Garlic and set a side.

Meat Mixture

2 lbs. Bison
1 Med. onion chopped
1 Med. celery stalk chopped
2 Med. carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic chipped
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 egg
Spray fry pan add meat and brown while chopping veggies. Drain meat, add veggies to the pan and cook until beginning to get tender. Add meat back in. Mix tomato sauce and egg and then add to meat. Grind together spices and then stir into meat.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan, spread meat mixture evenly. Scoop out potatoes in equal portions onto meat mixture then spread over the top. Add cheese and bake for 1 hour on 350 degrees. Slice into 8 equal portions.

Calories 410, Fat 17g, Saturated Fat 7g, Cholesterol 101mg, Sodium 389mg, Carbohydrate 34g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g, Protein 32g. Vitamin A 64%, Vitamin C 55%, calcium 14% and Iron 19%

Goes well with a salad and a Spanish red wine. Enjoy!

Beta in the Garden

Do you use a beta reader? Why? What is the deference between a beta reader and a critique partner? I'm not sure what that would be, I've always been a bit blurry on the topic of beta reader.

My thoughts on the subject if forced to say what a beta reader is would be; someone who reads through your story as if they were a 'reader'. They would look for plot holes, sagging middles, changes--such as your hero had green eyes in the beginning and blue in the end. If something didn't make sense. They would be honest tell you if certain parts were boring. Not enough excitement, too much excitement. Basically give you an accounting of the finished product.

I decided to do a little research on beta readers. I wanted to see how close I was. When I did a Google search I came up with several sites.

Wikipedia and FanFiction seam to have the same definition for Beta Readers:
A beta reader (or betareader, or beta) is a person who reads a work of fiction with a critical eye, with the aim of improving grammar, spelling, characterization, and general style of a story prior to its release to the general public.

What? I thought the above definition described a critique partner. This is not even close to what I thought, except maybe for the general style part of the definition.

I asked myself, so then what the hell is a critique partner for? I Googled that and came up with:
Nothing...

I put in Critique partner and came up with many links about finding one. I put in What is a Critique Partner, and came up with the same links. I found a blog article on "How to be a good one" and "The critique partner from hell" and several others. Many on agent blogs and eHarlequin. But I could not find a definition in the dictionary, wikipedia or FanFiction.

If they are the same thing why do you need both? And do you? What are your thoughts on the subject?

Guest recipe in the garden

In Utah some of our schools are on year around. Meaning the kids have 3 to 4 weeks off at a time throughout the year. I've had grandson's over this last week and all of this week. Needless to say my playing with recipes is a little limited, especially when the boys are such picky eaters. Today I'm posting one of the recipes my friend Cindy from the Airport Hilton sends me.

I asked the boys what food they liked other than burgers and fries and they surprised me by saying when they said Sheppard's Pie. Tonight I'm trying my hand at composing a recipe for the pie. If it turns out, watch for the recipe on Friday!


MINI SALMON BURGERS

1 Egg Beaten
1 Can (15oz) Salmon, drained, flaked
¼ cup Miracle Whip Dressing
20 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed (about ¾ cup)
1 Green Onion, sliced
12 Mini Whole Wheat sandwich rolls (3 inch) partially split
3 plum tomatoes cut into 4 slices each
1 cup Baby Spinach Leaves
¼ cup Thousand Island Dressing

Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended, shape into 12
(3 inch) patties, Refrigerate 2 hours.

Cook in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 to 4 min. on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

Serve in rolls topped with remaining ingredients.

Prep time: 10 min.
Total time 2 hrs. 12 min.
Makes 12 servings

Enjoy!

And the WINNER'S Are.....

Congratulations!

To the winners of the

Jess S

and

Lisa - Book worm

I will be contacting both of you via email about your prize. I hope all of you had as much fun as I did. And thank you so much for your support. 

I will be participating in a Mystery We Write Blog tour all summer with 12 other authors. There will be a lot of giveaway's so stay tuned!

Fool for Books Giveaway Hop

No this is not an April fool's joke. No recipe today. I'm really participating in the Fool For Books Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Bookish Snob.  It will take place on April 1st and 2nd. Click on the button to see all the blogs participating.

Classic Murder: Mr. Romance

Adam enjoys a lifestyle most men only dream of. Then one day he wakes up to find the morning headlines blaring, "Another victim falls prey to Mr. Romance. Who is next?" He suddenly realizes his way of life is not only frivolous, but deadly.

Dubbed Mr. Romance by New York society for his romantic adventures, Adam Fernando Russo loves women. But lately he realizes how lonely it is coming home to an empty house. Can he settle for only one woman? After he makes a list of qualities worthy enough to merit giving up his desirable existence, suddenly recipients of his coveted attention mysteriously fall prey to a murderer. The murders seem unrelated with one exception--all the victims have recently returned from a fabulous weekend rendezvous with Mr. Romance.

Adam’s assistant, Katie Sinclair, knows Adam is innocent with airtight alibis. The police are at a loss so Adam and Katie work together to discover the link between the murders. As luck would have it, their plan to prove the murderer is copying classic Cary Grant movies goes astray just as Adam realizes his perfect woman has been by his side all along.

Check out the trailer and excerpt here!

Because it's April Fool's, I'm going to tell you my favorite story about April 1st. It may only be funny or cute to me, but it's one I grew up with. Every year, my Mom would pack a 'special' lunch for my dad and send him off to work. She'd practically dance all day with anticipation to hear all about how he enjoyed her 'special' lunch.

If April 1st fell on a weekend, then she would make me, my sisters, and any of the neighbor kids who happen to be at our hours, hot dogs. No they weren't Oscar Meyer, they were rubber. This worked once, but every year? Finally we advised her that it wasn't a surprise or a joke any longer.

Then of course poor dad would come home from work. She'd meet him at the door with a giggle, waiting to hear how his 'special' lunch was. He'd shake his head and say, "Gertrude, you only a pack a lunch for me once a year, and it always has a piece of wax paper in the middle." You'd think she'd give up. Not my mom.

I'm giving out two give-aways. A free eBook of Classic Murder: Mr. Romance and a $5 gift card to Barnes and Noble/Nook or Amazon/Kindle.

What do you need to do to be in the drawing for these two giveaways? Follow this blog and comment on your funniest April Fool Story, don't forget to add your contact information. Good luck!

And don't forget to go to visit to find more blogs, and giveaways!