Cake Balls, A New Indie Book, and Me!!!

So I made these wonderful cupcakes, homemade, searching for the perfect white or golden cupcake recipe....

"Betty Crocker's Light Golden Cake"

and then decided not to use the convection setting on the oven because it was already hot in the kitchen.

BIG MISTAKE.

So THEN we salvaged as much as we could... :)

Tossed the dark bottoms to Libby-the-Poodle...

And crushed the remaining cupcakes into crumbs.

I had Casey make butter icing:

1 cup soft butter
4 cups confectioners (powdered sugar)
3 teaspoons almond or vanilla (she used almond, I love this girl!!!)
1/4 cup milk

Mix butter and sugar on low, add milk and flavoring, whip on high for at least five minutes.

Add frosting to crushed/crumbled cake in bowl, just enough to be able to shape the cake/frosting mix into balls.

Now came the fun part:

We took three bowls and divided up the crumbled mix.

I added 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam to one

I added 1/3 cup caramel sauce to the other.

I added 1/3 cup white chocolate chips to the third bowl of mix.

We formed each bowl into fifty-cent size balls, about an inch in diameter. But the size doesn't really matter, because now you're going to dip 'em.

We melted white chocolate chips in one bowl over hot water...

And dark chocolate Ghirardelli over the other pan of hot water.

And then we rolled those bad boys in various chocolates to see which would be crowd-pleasing faves.

OH MY STARS!!!!

Casey and I made so many people happy yesterday.

It was MANIC how happy they were!!!

:)

These are raspberry/vanilla filled:

These are caramel cake filled:

And these are white cake/frosting/white chips filled:

We turned our lemons into lemonade. We turned bad cupcakes into SERIOUS good eats!!!

We saw the glass as half full.

We...

Well...

You get it!!!!

And then there's this, which is pretty exciting and I have to share it:

This is the cover for my first independent book release,

Try, Try Again....

I LOVE IT!!!

I'M HAPPY DANCING IN UPSTATE!!!

I LOVE THIS STORY... And some folks worried a "reunion" story wouldn't sell...

But guess what's HOT right now???

SMILING!!!!

Reunion stories...

I love reunion stories. I love second chances... New beginnings.... old love, rediscovered...

SUHWEEEEET!.

I'm so excited. I could barely type this, because I'm that excited... to have this wonderful book set in New York City take a place on my kindle shelf next to all my beautiful Love Inspired books...

I'M DAZZLED!!!!

To have two more Kirkwood Lake books coming out this year.... SMILE!!!!

To have a beautiful Christmas historical coming out with Summerside Press in October.... SMILE!!!

And two independently published Ruthy-books about to hit the shelves....

COLOR ME HAPPY!!!!!!

And then there's this:

Clearly chairs are over-rated, LOL!!!!

And then this:

Mary Ruth and the dinosaurs in the Great Lagoon...

Reasons to smile at Ruthy's?????

Too many to count, LOL!

Puff pastry pinwheel cookies.... Sorta.

Hello, everybody!! The Fresh Pioneer is back again with a bit of a kitchen fail.

 

Oh, this photo? It has nothing to do with anything. I just like to start off every project with some lovely Jonny Lee Miller. *sigh*

Okay, let's begin.

The original recipe called for milk and yeast and waiting...

And then rolling and kneading and chilling.

And then flattening and folding and refolding.

And then putting in whole cubes of fresh butter and folding and chilling and folding some more.

 

Let me just say the entire process was about as exciting as watching grass grow. Really. And I don't think the final result was any better than store-bought puff pastry. So, unless you have allergies to anything in the store-bought stuff, I'd recommend just skipping the first few (say, seven) steps and going straight to this next one...

Make into a square about 4 inches by 4 inches. Cut into each corner, toward the center, but not completely. (Got that? Really clear? That's 'cause I'm a writer!)

Now, the puff pastry from the store doesn't need to rise, but this one did. So, in the original there was ANOTHER step of about an hour. Let's pretend it didn't happen. Take each lower corner and bring it to the center and pinch it down, repeating until it looks like a pinwheel. Add in your homemade (or not!) raspberry jam.

Ok, theses weren't really beautiful, but they were very tasty!! I want to make some with lemon curd and powdered sugar. Mmmmm....

 

And just one picture of Mr. Knightley. Why? I have no answer to that question. But I'll sit here eating my buttery jam pinwheels and stare at his picture, working on a response.

Until next time!!

Harlequin and My Mom - A Long History

Tex here, and today I'm talking more memories than food. You see, my men have been gone for the last eleven days, returning last night, so I haven't done a whole lot of cooking. Of course, I rustled up a big batch of chocolate chip cookies for their homecoming. You can find that recipe here. And since I was making cookies anyway, I made extra for y'all. So grab a cookie and pull up a chair while I tell you about my Mom's long history with Harlequin Books.

This is my mom, and we celebrated her 80th birthday this past Saturday.

 

Mom loves to read, but alas, it's now a bit of a challenge for her. But does that stop her from trying? Of course not.

 

Mom has always been an avid reader. I don't recall ever seeing her without a book. When I was a teenager, I used to make fun of her for reading all those Barbara Cartland romances. I still remember the picture of that woman - dressed in an evening gown, stretched out on her chaise with her little dogs. At least I think she had dogs. I do remember her opulent surroundings, though, and used to wonder if she lived in a castle.

 

But I digress.

 

Mom always had boxes and boxes of romance novels in the basement. I probably shouldn't reveal her secret, but she worked at a five and dime (no, that's not her secret). But when the books they carried didn't sell in a certain amount of time, they would tear the covers off to send back. Except she'd keep the books. She didn't care if they had a cover or not. She read every last one of them, starting a new book every day or so.

 

But then the store closed and she quit working. But that didn't slow down her appetite for romance. Instead, she discovered Reader's Service.

 

Recently, we had to move Mom to an assisted living and I had to cancel her subscriptions with Harlequin. The gal I spoke with on the phone commented about how long Mom had been with them. But don't feel bad for Mom, she still has plenty of books to read.

 

 

It's hard to tell, the way I have them packed, but there are over 300 books here, every one of them a Harlequin romance. Lots of all three Love Inspired lines, some Intrigues, Super Romance, and who knows what else. I found all of these while cleaning out her apartment, and she's probably only read a quarter of them.

 

Of course, she enjoys some of our most favorite authors.

 

I imagine God had a bit of a chuckle when I used to tease Mom all those years ago. Because only He knew that I would one day write those same books?

 

Guess the nut doesn't fall far from the tree, because I love LOVE.  

 

Thanks, Mom.

 

Blueberry Buckle!!!

In the mid-west, June means strawberries, but July means blueberries!!!!

(Continued sympathies to the Fresh Pioneer on her shortage of blueberries this year.)

I bought these at Sam's Club. The price was good, and they're pretty good for grocery store berries - my only option for now.


But seeing these in my fridge, awaiting recipes, took me back to my earlier life - when I was growing up in southwest Michigan in the 1960's and '70's.

Boy, those were the decades, weren't they? We were all so busy storming into the future that we lost many of the traditions, not missing them until twenty or so years later....

But some traditions never died, and one of those was the yearly trek to Leduc's Blueberries in Paw Paw to pick pounds and pounds of berries to freeze.

If you've never been to western Michigan, you're missing out on some of the best fruit anywhere - berries, apples, cherries, peaches...on and on. Between the Lake (that's Lake Michigan) tempering the winter winds and the sandy soil, it's a perfect place for orchards. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the vineyards! If you're into wine, Michigan rivals California in quality, if not quantity.

But my foray into my childhood memories was complete when I found that Leduc's is still around - check it out here: http://www.leducblueberries.com/

I was sad to see they no longer allow U-Pick. The last time we went picking there was when the children were small - but with four children and my mom along, we picked enough blueberries to last all year in no time!

And even though we now live miles and miles from southwest Michigan, if I'm visiting in July, we'll pick up some berries to bring home! I have an aunt and uncle who drive from Missouri to Michigan every year to fill their freezer.

A highlight at Leduc's are the recipes they supply (available on the website). On Saturday I tried one I had never tried before - Blueberry Sour Cream Cake.

When I got to this point, I thought maybe something was wrong.

The cake layer was a lot like a cookie layer, but I kept going.

It looked okay. It even tasted okay - but it was a bit dry. I'll keep experimenting with this recipe. I have a feeling something was left out when the recipe was printed....

But - never say die, right?

Sunday I made a tried and true Leduc recipe....

Welcome, Blueberry Buckle!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

topping:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream 1/4 cup butter with 3/4 cup sugar, then add the egg and beat well.

In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cup flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with 1/2 cup milk, beating until smooth.

Fold in blueberries, and pour into a greased 9-inch square pan.

For the topping, combine the ingredients and blend well to form crumbs, and then sprinkle the topping over the batter.

Bake at 375° for 35 minutes.

The buckle came out of the oven at 6:00 Sunday evening - just in time to take it to share at our Sunday evening service.

Oh yes, it was delicious.

And those who walked in at the last minute? Well, they shared the crumbs with me :)

This is a quick and easy recipe. Do you know what really makes it, though? That bit of cinnamon in the topping. Mmmm.....

And it's a good thing I have a couple more cups of berries left - more buckle tomorrow!

Gone With The Wind

I’m in Atlanta this weekend for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) National Conference. Now, I know what you are thinking: Gone with the Wind.

But I write WWII medical romance aimed at the inspirational market.  So I envisioned my time here as a bunch of women in 1940s suits and bottles of coke.

It's been lovely to see some of the contributors to Yankee-Belle and other writers I know.  I am taking some great classes and meeting with friends who live in the area.  It’s a good time to be in Hotlanta.  The weather has finally turned back to good old Southern heat and humidity.  But the hotel is really cold.

Yep, this is what it feels like in my hotel. I am glad I painted my toenails. Otherwise, they would look blue.

Trying to figure out what I can eat with my allergies is always difficult at conference events.  I pack emergency supplies of almonds, eat a lot of salads, and drink plenty of water.  You can only live on so much plain chicken, the main conference food group.  Gluten free was not a choice. Sigh. I'll need to talk to someone about that.

But the major issue for a lot of conference attendees isn’t what they eat but what their families will eat while they are gone.  You can't enjoy yourself in a workshop entitled "Making a Lasting Impression Writing A First Kiss" if your spouse is texting, "We're starving. Middle child is about to eat the baby." Telling him to get a bag of Hershey's Kisses, enthralled as you are in the workshop topic, is not an acceptable answer.



Now some spouses, like Man O, are thrilled to be on their own with no nutrition police around.  He heads off to the ballpark for hotdogs, ice cream and a Triple A baseball game.  I try not to think about Man O's cholesterol levels in my absence.

But those with tiny tots and growing teens often are not so fortunate. Panic ensues if Mom/Dad isn't around to cook. So instead of packing suitcases, days before conferences are spent making meals to stock in the freezer.  Pantries are filled to overflowing. Extra treats are bought due to mommy guilt. I remember those days. I feared the house catching on fire and burning like the torching of Atlanta if the family cooked something complicated.

Here was my go to list of "Mom's away" items:

• Stouffer's Lasagna
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (yes, in the blue box. Don't judge me because my kids ate the neon orange stuff.) 
• Baby carrots, grapes and bananas
• Sandwich fixings including peanut butter to go with the bananas
• Spaghetti fixings with the ground beef pre-cooked and put in the freezer
• Coupons for pizza delivery (I was trying to be realistic) 

The list actually kind of makes me shudder now. But the kids and Man O survived and greeted my return with loud trumpets, applause...and requests for real food.  After making me think they barely survived on the land, had to make their clothing out of curtains and...oh, that's Gone With The Wind. 


So, what do you fix in advance for family if you are "gone with the wind" and away from home for work or other reasons? Or do you leave them to their own devices? And if you are like me, how do you make do at work functions where the food isn't quite in line with your diet?

Chopped Salad with Tina Radcliffe!

Missy, here. Posting this ahead of time as I'm in Atlanta for the Romance Writers of America National Conference. Today is a crazy busy day, including a Harlequin book signing, lunch with my Senior Editor, a Love Inspired Meet & Greet with authors and editors, the RITA and Golden Heart reception sponsored by RWA, and a Harlequin Pre-party event for RITA finalists as well as milestone achieving authors. And all that is followed by the big fancy party Harlequin hosts for their authors, this year being held at the Ritz-Carlton (I'll share photos of spectacular desserts next week!).

Knowing my head would be spinning, Tina graciously offered to cover for me. Thank you, Tina! Now, here's her amazing recipe...

Chopped Salad with Tina Radcliffe

1 head iceberg lettuce (rinsed and shredded)

1 can black beans- drained

1 small can (or ½ a regular can) corn)-drained

Tortilla chips or strips about ¾ of the bag

Small can sliced black olives (2.25 oz.)-drained

Package shredded Pepper Jack Cheese ( 8 oz.)

Two chicken breasts grilled then shredded

Ranch Dressing ½ to 1 cup

Salsa ½ to 1 cup

3 tablespoons any “tangy” BBQ sauce

Mix all ingredients right before you serve, including shredding salad. If you are taking it somewhere then wait to add the chips and stir in with a wooden spoon breaking them up right before you serve.

TIPS FOR A BETTER SALAD

-- Early in the day wash the lettuce and dry well and store in zip bags or a covered bowl to chill in the fridge.

--Drain and rinse the beans or they make the salad overly soggy.

--You can grate your own cheese, but be warned, Pepper Jack is soft so this is rather tedious

--Some palates prefer the chips layered on top but I like mine mixed in and moist.

--I have also used Tyson frozen Southwestern chicken strips which I microwave and add.

--Vegetarians, this tastes great without the chicken.

--I like my salad very moist and add the full 1 cup of Salsa and salad dressing

That’s it! Enjoy.

Tina Radcliffe writes heartwarming and humorous romances for Love Inspired. Her latest release is Mending the Doctor’s Heart. You can find her at www.tinaradcliffe.com

Grilled Brussel Sprouts

Talk about prosaic!

My buds are off to Atlanta, schmoozing and partying at RWA 2013 and what am I doing?

Writing about brussel sprouts.

DO NOT MOCK ME.  It's really not nice to do because maybe my brussel sprouts are every bit as good as a writers' conference... great restaurants... Atlanta, a city ripe with history and great baseball... and my buds are there, Seekervillagers, gathering. Toasting. Laughing. (Note that my attempts at self-comfort are LAME.... )

But here's the thing: Grilled Brussels are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

I'm not kiddin' youse, I'm not joshin', I'm 100% sincere!  (Bear in mind I won sales awards in my day, therefore taking anything I say with a grain of salt is highly recommended.)

I started with some infused olive oil I bought at one of those cute olive oil/vinegar shops that our mothers would have laughed at...

But regular olive oil would be fine and dandy!

Then I sprinkled one of Dave's favorite seasonings, heavy on black pepper....

and grilled over medium-high heat, rolling them around every couple of minutes.

I did discover that if they're BIG sprouts, they take longer. I like them a little better done, and this batch had sprouts-on-steroids, you know MUSCLE-BOUND BRUSSEL SPROUTS, so I should have given them a little longer.

I didn't because I was so starving to death! (melodramatic, par for the course around here).... And here's a pic of our picket fence project, aka: how to keep teenage girls busy and creative in July!!!!

And behind the house, back in the hollow, is a room.....  Peeks at the new family room courtesy of Bob Dean Remodeling, #SO EXCITED!!!!

First, here is what is left of the laundry room:

Talk about rustic appeal, right????  :)

This old window is staying forever because I love it:

The side windows open as "doors", swinging back. This used to be a kitchen window in this 159 year-old house!

So that wall-papered and boarded up wall is the new entry into the family room.... And here is the room with walls, windows, roof, insulation, beams... Do you love those prairie windows????  I do!

And the swamp beyond is home to my peepers, frogs, snakes, birds, critters of all kinds. I'm hoping for visual science lessons from inside as needed!

And this is 'Lijah, cooking:

While "Z-Z" drives off to rescue people in his big, black truck:

I'd let that little hero rescue me anytime!!!

So the construction zone continues, but SO EXCITING!!!!!

Dancing in upstate!