Book Launch Celebration!

Saturday was the book launch party for my latest release, Rescuing the Texan's Heart.

The family and I gathered at our local Mardel store. Let me tell you, the people at Mardel rock. 

They print up posters and cards and even Facebook and Tweet your event.

My family all wore the Adventures in Pink t-shirts we had made for my first book.

Three of my favorite guys.

Wanting my readers to have a token of my appreciation to take with them, I made cookies.

Homemade chocolate chip cookies, two in each bag, all tied with a pretty ribbon and a card they can pass on to tell other people about the book.

Then, after a wonderful afternoon and the opportunity to chat with so many fun people, it was back to the house for another celebration with some friends and family.

A few weeks ago I was watching the Pioneer Woman and saw her make this Mexican Macaroni Salad that I just had to try.

So I did.

And it was AWESOME!

Which means now I have to share it with you.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 pound elbow macaroni (I used a 13.something oz box of the Dreamfields brand. You know, the one that's perfect for those on low-carb or gluten free diets)
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped black olives
• 6 Roman tomatoes, chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 of a red onion, diced
• 1 cup jarred salsa
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• salt and pepper

Cook your macaroni according to package directions.

Drain and set aside to cool.

I rinsed mine a bit to help start the cooling process. Or more to the point, to STOP the cooking process.

While my pasta was cooking, I cooked my corn.

Ree suggested grilling it, so, being one who follows directions, I did.

An indoor grill pan is preferred, but I don't have one, so it was either the George Foreman grill or fire up the gas on outside. 

Decisions, decisions...

As you can tell, though, I opted for the George Foreman. Surprisingly enough, I was even able to close the lid.

If you do not have a grill, indoor or out, at your disposal, fear not.

Use your preferred cooking method, just make sure the corn is still crisp.

I have to say though, the grilled corn was really yummy.

Once the cooked corn is cool enough to touch, cut it away from the cobs.

Holding the corn vertically, just run a sharp knife down the sides. 

Easy, peasy.

Now, put your cut corn in a large bowl along with the black beans, olives, tomatoes, green onions and red onions and mix to combine.

Yes, this is very similar to a salsa recipe Missy has shared with us before.

You can find that recipe here.

Add your pasta and mix together.

Don't you just love a colorful salad?

Now on to the dressing.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the salsa, sour cream, mayo, cumin and salt and pepper.

You can adjust the seasonings to your own taste. I used a mild salsa, a good teaspoon of salt and a scant teaspoon of pepper.

Pour dressing over the salad and fold together until everything is coated.

Then chill until ready to serve.

And though I failed to take a picture, I served it in a pretty clear glass bowl so everyone could see all those colors.

Man, oh, man...were the compliments flying on this one.

Wish I could have taken credit, but I'll have to let those fall to Ree.

The blend of flavors was superb. Very festive and definitely not your mother's macaroni salad.

So good. Especially alongside some sliders, buffalo wings and bbq wings.

Luckily, there were leftovers. Because come Sunday, all I wanted to do was become one with my recliner and celebrate the fact that football was back in season. Even if the Cowboys do stink.

Oh, well...there's always next season.

Just Keep Swimming...

It's been an interesting week around our house. One filled with lots of good things, yet really nothing at all. And definitely no cooking. In this 100 degree heat, it's been nothing but salads, salads, salads.

At the beginning of last week, my husband called a guy about refinishing our pool. The white plaster was stained and quite unattractive and we'd need to redo it anyway before putting the house on the market in a couple years. May as well do it now and enjoy it.

So the guy comes out, takes some measurements, gives us some samples and, later, calls with a quote. Pleased with his price, we call him the next day to let him know our choice of finish. He says he's in the area and will be over in an hour.

Great!

When we asked him when he thought they could start, he told us he had a crew on the way.

What? But, it's 100 degrees. I won't be able to swim for at least a week.

Well, by the end of the day, our pool was completely drained, acid washed, bad spots were chiseled out and they'd added a bonding coat.

Early the next morning, this was sitting in front of our house.

You mean all those bags are for our pool?

Yep. And they've got their nifty mixer and pump on the back.

This is how our pool looked at they prepped for the new surface.

For a time, I thought we were getting a zipline.

Awesome!

But no.

Of course, Maddie had to inspect everything.

Finally, it was time for the new finish.

Well now, this was interesting. They ran a hose from the pump on their truck all the way to back of the house and SPRAYED the new surface.

Then they smoothed it.

The guys were all wearing rubber boots with giant spiked plates affixed to the bottom. 

Interesting.

They got everything smoothed out, then, as it dried, tiny pebbles began to appear.

Keep in mind, this all within the first 24 hours of saying, "Let's do this."

Talk about instant gratification.

By noon Saturday, we were filling it back up again.

And yesterday, it looked like this.

Uh-mazing!

If only everything in life were that quick. Like, say, writing a book.

Speaking of books...

I am delighted to announce that the September LIs are now on Walmart shelves.

Whoo-hoo!

Like I told Tina on FB, we get to hangout together all month.

She says we can talk about food and boobs and girl stuff.

Her words, not mine. I would not make that up. 

Nor would I use the word boobs on FB, but that's just me. :)

I gotta tell ya, though, I'm loving this lineup. Three hunky cowboys, cute kids and a snowy scene that's sure to cool me down during this heatwave.

Oh, and there's one more thing...

SCHOOL STARTED YESTERDAY!!!

Pool party's at my house!

Cute Puppies, Cute Kids and Exciting News!

Ever have one of those weeks where things just don't go according to plan? 

One that's filled with the unexpected?

Well, mine apparently spilled over into this week, because I'm not able to bring you the post I had planned.

But I still have a few things I'd like to share, so I hope you won't click to the next blog just yet.

First, I haven't showed you a Maddie picture in a while. She's gotten so big since she was last here.

She and Dixie are best buddies.

One thing that did go according to plan last week was the 4th.

We got to spend it with our favorite firecracker baby. 

Elijah turned three this year, so Old Glory and Superman teamed up to make the best birthday cake ever.

I found a nice surprise on my doorstep last week, courtesy of the UPS man. 

Whoo-hoo!! I love the smell of new books.

Unfortunately, the rest of you will have to wait until Mid-August/September.

To pre-order, click here.

But the BIGGEST and MOST EXCITING news of all--and you're hearing it here first--

Drumroll, please.

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I received a two-book contract from Love Inspired Books!!!!!!!

I'm still happy dancin'.

Titles and release dates are yet to be determined.

So while I may not have a recipe today, we do have virtual cake and punch, so I hope you'll join me in celebrating. Shoot, you can even have seconds, because virtual cake has absolutely NO calories. :)

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Tex is Back (With a Cover Reveal!)

Boy, does it feel good to be back in the cafe. Even though I still can't eat most of what we're fixin' (I'm up to a wonderful soft-foods diet), I'll sneak what I can.

First, I have something I can't wait to share with you.

My September release!!!!!

I can't tell you how in love I am with this cover. 

The way Love Inspired's artists did the lights in the town add almost a Kincaid-esque feel.

As someone said, makes you want to curl up with a blanket.

Which can mean only one thing. We need soup!

Now y'all know that I've had more soup in the last month than I had all last winter. Cream soup, to be exact. And after a while, that canned stuff just got old. So as soon as I was feeling well enough to cook, I determined to make my own soup. Something creamy, with no chunks.

Then I remembered having this amazing butternut squash soup at an ACFW Conference. Thus began my quest for a recipe, ending with a lovely Roasted Butternut Squash recipe. I mean, if there's one thing we've learned here at the cafe, it's how yummy those roasted vegetables are.

Here's what you're going to need:

• 4 lbs (about 2 medium) butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 8 fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 tsp rubbed sage)
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (yes, Kav, this is a recipe for you!)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/3 heavy cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees and arrange rack in middle of oven.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the squash halves cut side up. 

Brush with one tablespoon melted butter and season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until tender, about 50-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel, core and cut the apple into a medium dice. Dice the onion. Melt remaining butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the apple, onion, sage, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and set aside.

When the squash is ready...

Set baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash in cool enough to handle. 

Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into the Dutch oven with the sauteed apples and onions. Discard skins.

Add the broth, water and measured salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, breaking up any large pieces of squash.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the cream.

Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth.

You can also use an immersion blender.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Y'all, this was the most flavorful meal I'd had in weeks. And because of the fiber in the squash, the most filling. Which mean I was able to eat about a half a cup.

But think of how yummy this would be on a cold autumn night. Which is why I froze half of what I made. 

I'm avoiding soup for a while now. Opting instead for things like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, yogurt and, of course, my Trim Healthy Mama smoothies. I've even been able to have some dark meat chicken, so long as it's chopped very fine. That'll carry me to the end of June, but I'm just grateful to be able to chew again. It really is those little things in life that make us happy. :)

But every cloud has a silver lining, right?

My silver lining is that I've lost 15 pounds. However, I don't recommend the liquid diet plan.