Finished Expanding HOME RUN

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I got my rights back on two sports novellas a little while ago when they went under. Amazon took out a lot of great small presses and I am super sad about it.

The first of my two sports novellas is a baseball player who meets a person who coordinates wishes for sick and dying children. It’s a different sides of the tracks story. That includes a crazy relative who is determined to break them up.

Even when they move to get away from crazy, well, they can’t run far enough or fast enough. Crazy decides to follow them. Then their world gets upended when sabotage of a kind that can destroy reputations and careers.

Only their grit, determination, and huge dose of good luck can they overcome the obstacles that a crazed relative places in their path. Will they strike out or do they have the makings for a Grand Slam home run? Only time will tell.

So, the novellas were originally about 25K or so, give or take a 1K or two. I’ve added about 30K words to them. I’ve just finished spell-checking them. Once I do another read through, I will send it off to an editor. Hopefully, good things will happen editing process. I want a good editor because this will be the beginning of me trying to publish my own stuff. I am hoping that this having been published makes it easier to make that happen.

I am also on the hunt for a good contemporary cover designer. I like this cover. I like have a little tagline on it. I want this book and the next one I am expanding to have the same cover as any others I might do in this series. The next book is called HAT TRICK and centers Emma from Book 1 and Silas, who plays soccer. And the names for my third book is HAKA AND HOOKERS. It’s about a rugby player with a big secret and a doctor who’s too old for him and should know better.

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In other news, I am STILL waiting to hear back on my Paranormal Romance with shifter and vampires and witches and stuff. It’s an Otherkind universe book and the beginning of all the sides being drawn between the normals and the Otherkind. In the end, will finding out that they are more alike than different be the catalyst for new understanding? Or will it portend the beginning of the end for one side or the other?

I am still working on my Contemporary Suspenseful Thriller. It’s set in Atlanta with some hot guys who drive hot rods, race hot cars, and customized hot rides. Events that seem unrelated turn out to be super related. The thrill ride turns from fun in the sun to dangerous cliff drop-offs in four seconds flat. Can they keep their woman and themselves safe enough to ride into the sunset or will it be lights out?

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo w/ Cilantro Rice

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There’s something about gumbo that is just fabulous. It’s like gumbos are America’s soups. You can’t find gumbos of any sort in other parts of the world. Not like these. With roux or filé powder made from the sassafras root or okra. Sometimes, you can find all three in one. Like a whole trifecta.

There are gumbos made from chicken and sausage like this one. And then there are seafood gumbos made with delicious fruits of the sea, like crab or shrimp or some fishes, even. No matter what the gumbo is made with, they are all served with some sort of rice. Now, you can serve gumbo with plain rice, but why? This is a great opportunity to kick it up a notch. Those boys and girls down in Louisiana are not shy about their spices. They like their heat. A lot.

Cajun and Creole cooks CAN hit you over the head with some heat and things, but they can also be masters of the nuance. Not all gumbos are hot spicy. Some of the are just well-spiced and so yummy that you can’t stop eating. Invariably, you run out of gumbo or rice. Depending on which, well, you might be making more rice or freezing up some gumbo for later. Either way, it’s a delicious dilemma.

Fried Chicken & Sausage Gumbo w/ Cilantro Rice

  •  1.25 cups plus 2 tbsp. canola oil
  •  1 (3 1/2–4 lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  •  2.5 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  •  Kosher salt, to taste
  •  2 cups flour
  •  1.5 tsp. dark chile powder
  •  1.5 tsp file powder
  •  1 tsp. cayenne
  •  1 tsp. ground white pepper
  •  1 tsp. paprika
  •  3 cloves garlic, minced
  •  3 stalks celery, minced
  •  1 green bell pepper, minced
  •  1 jalapeño, minced
  •  1 poblano pepper, minced
  •  1 yellow onion, minced
  •  12 cups chicken stock
  •  1 lb andouille sausage, halved and sliced
  •  12 oz. okra, trimmed and sliced 1/2″ thick
  •  Sliced scallions and cilantro, for garnish
  •  Cooked white rice with cilantro, for serving
  1. Heat 1.25 cups oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Season chicken with 1 tsp. black pepper and salt; toss with 1⁄2 cup flour. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden; transfer to paper towels to drain.
  2. Add remaining flour to Dutch oven; whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, whisking, until color of roux is dark chocolate, 1–1.5 hours. Add remaining black pepper, the chile and filé powders, cayenne, white pepper, paprika, garlic, celery, bell pepper, jalapeño, poblano, and onion; cook until soft, 10–12 minutes. Add stock; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally and skimming fat as needed, until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Add reserved chicken; cook until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Add andouille; cook until chicken is falling off the bone, about 1 hour.
  3. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a cutting board and let cool slightly; shred, discarding skin and bones, and return to pot. Heat remaining oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high. Cook okra until golden brown and slightly crisp, 8–10 minutes, then stir into gumbo; cook 15 minutes.
  4. Add cilantro to cooked long grain rice. Do not add cilantro to the rice before cooking. Stop to combine and to let the cilantro release its scent and flavor. Scoop into a low bowl. Ladle gumbo around the rice. Garnish with scallions or more cilantro. Sprinkle with cajun spice.

Brief Author Update

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I have submitted Haven:Bondmates to Entwined Publishing. They published the two novellas, FarSeen and Night Blind, in the same universe that the book is set in. Haven:Bondmates delves deeper into the magic of the parallel Otherkind universe and begins a suspense mystery which is killing the OtherKind and interfering with their mate bonds. A coalition of humans and OtherKind are medically and magically experimenting on the OtherKind learning how to kill the mate bonds, which has the potential to alter the very fabric of their world. As more and more OtherKind turn up dead, the race is on to find out who is behind these nefarious acts and why they are engaged in these experiments. This is a multi-book series that is as hot as it is fast paced and suspenseful. Entwined have had it for almost three months and I am having a nervous breakdown. Fingers crossed that they love it and agree to publish it!

I have the rights back to both books in my Name of the Game series, Home Run and Hat Trick. I have taken the first steps to revise them from novellas into novels. They will be expanded and rereleased at some point this year. I have an editor and now I need a cover designer. I have also a mapped out two more books in the series. One about a male rugby player, Hookers and Haka, and a female basketball player, Hang Time. Be on the lookout for the rereleases and the new ones as well. This is my first foray into self-publishing and it should be interesting to say the least.

I am in the process of editing a huge new romantasy saga. Can’t wait to share all the deets. Also, I am editing a contemporary suspense thriller, Drive, while I write book two, Shift, in the LG Custom series as well. More to come on that.

Clam Chowder, New England Style

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There are some clam chowders that are so delicious it makes you sad when you get to the bottom of the bowl. Then there are other clam chowders who you wish had never been made much less served up to you.

A good clam chowder is sublime. There is a play on the potatoes and the clams and the little pieces of corn. And the best clam chowders aren’t always the most expensive. What they are is made with fresh ingredients, seasoned well, and served with bread. I feel like it’s almost a mortal sin not to serve a good chowder without a hunk of break and delicious butter. You slather the butter on and then you dip the whole thing into the warm chowder which is thick and clings to the bread so you have to lean down to eat it without dripping it all over yourself. THAT’s the kinda chowder I’m talking about. And if you can make it look pretty… so that my eyes have a visual feast to gnaw upon? Shoooo.

Best Damn Chowder

  • 2 slices of thick cut bacon, diced
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 6 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 ear of corn, kernels removed.
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ⅓ cup all purpose flour
  • 4 bottles clam juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 large sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 lbs red skinned potatoes, diced
  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped clams from 6lbs cherrystone clams, reserve a few clams
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • fresh chives and/or parsley minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • crusty bread for serving
  1. Start the bacon with just a touch of bacon fat in the bottom of dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. When it’s start crackling, you can decide to keep cooking it and then removing it and using it as a garnish or just adding in the onions.
  2. Once the onions have gotten coated with bacon fat and started on their way to cooking, add in the celery and the carrots. Give it a good stir. After a couple of minutes, add in the garlic and the flour. Stir again.
  3. Once everything is again coated with bacon grease or flour, add in the clam juice and water. Scrap up any bits that have gotten lodged. Then add in the thyme, bay leaves, corn, and potatoes. Add in a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. Bring this to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender. In the last 5 or so minutes plop in the reserved clams and then pull them out as soon as they’ve opened. Set aside with the bacon if bacon has been reserved.
  4. Remove from the heat, and take out the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Add in the cream, fresh chives and/or parsley. Stir. Taste and correct the seasoning.
  5. Ladle into bowls. Top with some cooked clams. If using reserved bacon bits, top the bowls with them here as well. If not, sprinkle with more herbs and serve.

Tomato Basil Soup with Blue Cheese Crumbles

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a creamy tomato soup
Photo by Sacha Moreau on Pexels.com

Soups soothe the soul and they make you feel good. Even when it’s hot, soups seem to be the thing sometimes. Especially, if the soup isn’t too hot. Or maybe served cold. Or just above room temperature. Soups are so versatile. they can be exotic or like a well-loved friend.

Tomato Basil Soup is perfect when summer’s bounty furnishes lots of beautiful red fruit. And basil seems to be the perfect complement to the acidic flavors of those ruby globes. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my tomato soup scorching hot, but slightly less. And I will chunks of blue cheese to add a salty umami-ness that I think this soup perfectly supports. When it gets too hot, tomato basil soup with blue cheese crumbles are about all I want to eat. I can’t stomach too much when I am sweating. I want something to take the edge off my hunger, but not make me uncomfortably full. The heat is already making me uncomfortable enough. I don’t need my food adding to the discomfort. What I need IS comfort.

Tomato Basil Soup

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  •  2 tablespoons butter
  •  1 medium onion (chopped)
  •  1 clove garlic (minced)
  •  1 dash Italian seasoning
  •  2 (28 fluid ounce) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes (with juices)
  •  1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  •  1/2 cup heavy cream (or to taste)
  •  fresh basil (torn)
  • blue cheese crumbles
  •  Salt & pepper (to taste)

Instructions 

  1. Over medium heat, add the oil to the pot first and then add butter. When the butter is melting, add onions. Sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes or until it’s lightly browned.
  2. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for one minute. Then add in the tomatoes and chicken broth. 
  3. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it’s rapidly boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, covered, with the lid slightly ajar. 
  4. Let the soup cool. Blend the soup until it’s smooth. Do it in batches if using a standard blender. Or you can do it right in the pot with an immersion blender.
  5. Stir in the cream and basil and season with salt & pepper as needed. 
  6. Add blue cheese crumbles on top.

It’s Hot so Pisco Sours are Up!

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Many wonderful things come from Peru. Potatoes, lomo saltado, music, colorful clothing, and so much more. But the thing I might love the best is the national liquor of Peru, called Pisco.

It’s a brandy is our Pisco. Which might make it seem too refined for mixing in a cocktail. I mean, after all, aren’t we used to brandy being in snifters and snobby people drinking it after pretentiously swirling it around a large glass which has been warmed over little candles. But not Peru’s brandy. Oh, no, my friends. Pisco is for all of us.

The best way to have Pisco is in a sour. Now, I didn’t invent the Pisco Sour, but I think I have a pretty damn good recipe for said Pisco Sour, if I say so myself. And I do. I like these with or without food. I think they are an excellent mid-afternoon cocktail as you think about evening plans.

Some tips before we go into how to make them. You can use fresh egg whites. I have. But I actually prefer store bought egg whites which have been pasteurized. Also, I hunted down the Amargo Chuncho bitters which are made with Peruvian ingredients. You do not need to be so particular. It is perfectly okay to substitute bitters readily found in most markets. Peychauds would be good. Peychauds aged bitters might be better. Aromatic bitters would be perfectly acceptable. Barrel-aged aromatic bitters might be better. Obviously, the Amargo is the best and preferred. But if you can’t get your hands on it, it’s cool.

Pisco Sour

  • 3 oz pisco
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • .5-.75 oz simple syrup
  • 1 egg white or the carton equivalent
  • 2 dashes amargo bitter and more for garnish

Put all the ingredients into a shaker with one or two ice cubes. Shake until frothy and the ice has melted. Add more ice and shake properly. Many people dry shake without the ice cube or two, but I have found the foam better with it. Pour over fresh ice. Garnish with 3 drops of bitters on top. Enjoy!

I Can’t Tell You How Great Smoke on the Water Is

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I think the first time I had a Smoke on the Water I was eating tacos by the dozen. Sadly or luckily or whatever, I wasn’t drinking Smoke on the Waters by the dozen. But I did start having a hankering for them while eating tacos on a hot summer day.

Once you love tequila, it’s not that far to acquiring a mezcal fetish as well. Then when you stumble upon a cocktail at a joint that is particularly good and the name of the cocktail is particularly clever, well, you hunt down that recipe. Tout suite. To drink. Even when you aren’t eating tacos. And the weather isn’t particularly nice outside. Because the memory of that drink is on your mind and making it recreates those feelings that were present the first time you had it. At least, that’s the way it is for me.

The recipe calls for fresh-squeezed watermelon. Which I think is cool if it’s summer. If it’s not, there are perfectly acceptable alternatives. Also, some juiceries have fresh-squeezed watermelon juice available. I think shortcuts are the spice of life. If you find one that works cool. Also, this recipe calls for hibiscus syrup. You have to make this in advance and cool it before making the drink. Not all the way, but it can’t be boiling. And ideally, it should be down to room temperature or too much ice will melt in the mixing. And the balance between the ingredients of a cocktail and water are super important.

Smoke on the Water

  • 2. oz mezcal
  • 1 oz Cointreau
  • 1.25 oz watermelon juice, freshly squeezed if possible
  • .75 oz hibiscus syrup, recipe below
  • .75 oz lime juice
  • dried lavender or soaked hibiscus or a pickled watermelon rind or a tiny watermelon wedge

Add big ice to a rocks glass. Then add all the other ingredients to a shake with ice, and shake for 40-60 seconds. Double strain over the big ice. Garnish.

Hibiscus Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • .5 cup hibiscus flower or 4 bags of hibiscus tea

Combine water with sugar in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Take off the heat. Add the hibiscus. Steep for 10 minutes then strain into a glass jar or jug. Keep in fridge for about a month.

Gooseberry Margaritas Are New For May

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Margaritas are really up there for being a favorite Spring and Summer drink. I love them with more than Mexican food. I think they blend well with LOTS of different types of cuisines. And of course, they are spectacular on their own or with salty, deep-fat fried foods.

Over the course of some years, I have found my favorite margarita recipe. And I have experimented with lots of different variations. I’ve made blood-orange margaritas, skinny margaritas, spicy margaritas, and so many more. Then I stumbled upon the gooseberry margarita. Mostly because I was living in Kuwait and most of my produce was coming from Europe and Africa. My go-tos for produce when I was in the Americas weren’t readily obtained. So, I discovered the cape gooseberry

Cape gooseberries are these cute little berries which are in a paper cover and are this vibrant, orange color. They are not like those sour green ones. Perfect for cocktail making, imo. Well, they both are but for different reasons. As soon as you find them in the supermarket, run out a grab some.

Cape Gooseberry Recipe

  • 2 oz tequila
  • 1oz lime juice
  • .75 oz Cointreau
  • .5 oz agave syrup
  • 6 cape gooseberries
  • lime wedges

Muddle 3-4 cape gooseberries in a shaker with the agave syrup. Let it sit a minute or two for the flavors to incorporate. Then add the rest of the liquid ingredients. Shake, Shake, Shake. Double Strain into a rocks glass that has fresh ice and few cut up cape gooseberries. Taste. Squeeze a lime cheek into the glass, if needed. Otherwise, just add a few lime wheels for garnish. I wouldn’t add salt because this is a sweeter margarita. But if you’d like, add the salt to the rim of the glass before the ice and pouring.

Warm Weather means Cool Spritzes

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Warmer weather always ushers in the season of the Spritz. It’s just goes hand in hand with the higher degrees outside. For me, it also brings up memories of Italy and good times. But it’s not just me. I was out for a girls’ night the other evening and I saw two ladies enjoying a spritz or two. They were having them in the normal big bulbous gin glasses and not the one I used for mine in this picture. The glass is less important than the ingredients.

The one pictured is a Campari Spritz. Which I love. But I have been known to enjoy other spritzes as well. The Spritz is great using Aperol instead of the Campari making it an Aperol Spritz. You can used St. Germain and make an elderflower spritz. Bonus points if you make it in their carafe with the proportions written on the outside. There is a new kid on the block, a bergamot- savory orange- forward liqueur called Italicus, which makes a pretty good spritz as well. I prefer the Italicus Spritz with gin to tame the sweetness. And lastly, my cocktail club–Shaker & Spoon–have a spritz called the Myrtle Spritz made with spiced blueberry syrup. No matter which spritz you chose, it is sure to be refreshing.

Campari Spritz

  • 1.5 oz Campari
  • 2 oz Prosecco/Sparkling White Wine
  • Splash of Sparkling water/Soda water/Fizzy water
  • garnish with a slice of orange and a green olive

Add the Campari and the Prosecco to a gin glass. Add green olive and stir. Top with ice cubes. Add splash of Sparkling water. Put orange slice along the side of the glass. Add a straw. Give it a small stir. Enjoy!

You can substitute Aperol,/St. Germain/ Italicus+Gin for the Campari in the recipe above. I would start with the same proportions and then add or subtract depending on your palate and whether you like it sweeter, more bitter forward, etc. With the St. Germain and Italicus+Gin, I would leave off the olive as a garnish. And maybe play around with some cool bitters. A peach one or a juicy orange one. Lots of new ones on the market out there. There is no end to the experimentation possible. And a whole Spring, Summer, and Fall in which to try things out.

Even out of Season, Bees Knees are Just That

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You wouldn’t think honey and gin and lemons would turn into something magical, but they do. It’s the Bees Knees, y’all. Really. No, really. It’s super delish.

I use Barr Hill Gin because it’s made with honey. But more importantly, they donate a part of the proceeds to sustaining honey bees. It’s a total win for me, for the bees, and for our planet. I can’t tell you how important it is to us and our plant to keep the bees around all happy producing honey and being like little flying sunshine nuggets. If I have to drink Barr Hill Gin to help out the bees, well, I can be a helpful bitch. I really can.

To make this yummy concoction, you will need a martini glass or a large coupe and a shaker.

Bees Knees

  • 2oz Barr Hill Gin
  • .5 oz honey
  • .75 oz lemon juice

Put all the ingredients into a shaker, fill with ice, shake for 45-60 seconds, Pour into a martini glass. You can garnish it with a lemon twist. Or you can just drink it down. Either way, know you are doing good for the world.