Hump day?

Howdy,

Well today is the middle of the work week but as is usual for the area i live in, Northern Michigan, we have an extreme amount of snow which didn't start til after midnight and accumulated quickly enough that school was cancelled today.  So, while it may be hump day, I'm in serious need of a large dose of concentration.  My 4 kids are running a muck!  While my son is torturing the kitten, chasing her all over the living room, my younger girls are having tea parties and playing school in their room and my oldest has her music cranked as loud as it will go in her room.  Maybe i need to find a set of headphones and listen to my own music just to drown out all of them.   

Well since I've gotten nothing else done today but cooking for my monsters, I may as well share a recipe or two...



Now this first one was actually my 6 year olds idea as she is having her birthday this Friday and got it out of her coloring book and is sure we should serve it with our lunch at her party :)  (and no laughing at the name, it came from a kid's coloring book after all)


Panda's Pink Punch

2 liters ginger all
2 liters cranberry juice
1 gallon raspberry sorbet


In a large punch bowl, mix 1 liter chilled ginger ale and 1 liter chilled cranberry juice.  Next, scoop raspberry sorbet into the bowl.  Then pour remaining chilled ginger ale and cranberry juice over sorbet.   Serve



I can't say that I've ever made this before but since I'm such a pushover for my baby, we probably will have it for her birthday, lol. 



Now this next one I have made many many times and I do love it and it's super easy!


Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 Duncan Hines (or comparable) Butter Recipe Cake mix
1 8 oz. container sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. oil
1/3 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients together.  Bake in a greased bundt pan for 50-55 minutes until golden brown.

While still warm, drizzle with your favorite icing or glaze.  Serve warm or cold.  Makes a great breakfast cake. 



Happy Hump Day everybody!

Welcome to Monday Madness...

I have NEVER been a fan of Mondays.  I never wanted to go back to school after the weekend.  I never wanted to go back to work after the weekend.  Inevitably, it always seemed like the craziest day of the week, why is that?  Did everybody forget everything over the weekend and then have to scramble to catch up or prepare?  Well even if I'm not in school anymore or not going to work anymore, it's still crazy.  My kids never want to get up on Monday morning after they've sluffed off and played all weekend.  They are the definition of grumpiness, well they're like that every morning but more so after the weekend.  I, on the other hand love Mondays now only because the house is soooooo quiet and you know what that means?   Woohoo, that means I can run around half naked yelling at the top of my lungs....no wait, that's not it haha.  Well I suppose I could do that cause no one would know but sorry, not admitting to anything like that.  No, Monday is now the first day of a great writing week. 

It's also a good day for a recipe...or two!

** The first is credited to my wonderful teenager...

Fast Fruity Delight

Crust  (I always make from scratch):(you can buy too if you'd rather)
      1 package graham crackers, crushed
       1 stick butter, melted
       1 tbsp. sugar
   Mix and press into a deep dish pie plate, just the bottom is ok


Filling:
       1 box (3 oz) Jello, any flavor
       2 cups frozen fruit, coordinating with Jello flavor
       1 8 oz. cool whip
       3/4 cup boiling water

    Add boiling water to jello gelatin in a small mixing bowl.  Stir until dissolved.  Stir in the 2 cups frozen fruit until Jello starts to thicken.  In a medium bowl, add a 1/2 cup of the jello/fruit mixture to the 8 oz. cool whip.  Whisk until blended.  Spoon over the crust.  Top with the rest of the jello/fruit mixture.  May add more cool whip to top if desired.  Refrigerate til set up, a couple hours is good.

Slice and serve



** This one is thanks to my wonderful niece...

Lemon Pound Cake

Cake
1 Any brand Lemon cake mix (follow directions on box; substitute milk for the water)
1 box lemon jello
1 tsp. lemon extract

Combine the cake mix and the lemon jello together.  Add ingredients from the cake mix box, don't forget to substitute milk for the water and add the lemon extract. (I imagine you can use a loaf pan, or a bundt pan.)  Bake according to the box directions.


Icing
1 stick butter
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon extract

Melt butter on stove top, add sugar and lemon extract.  Spoon over top of cake while warm.



Hope you all enjoy and hope your Mondays are great !!

Krista

Finally Friday !

Happy Friday readers!!!  Today we have a great TMP backlist selection for you... and I truly love this cover  :)

Rebuild My World

by

Award winning romantic suspense author

Cheryl Norman

The third book in the Mustang Sally series (following Restore My Heart and Reclaim My Life) takes readers back to Drake Springs, Florida, where heiress and celebrity Taylor Drake is hiding from danger.  Can her brothers' chief deputy keep her safe?  Can he keep from falling in love with the daughter of his family's worst enemy?

More than anything Taylor Drake wants her life back. She’s returned to her family home, suffering from the agoraphobia that has plagued her since she was brutally attacked in her apartment. Once a confident and successful photogra-pher, she now cowers behind closed doors with a loaded pistol. She fears her attacker will find her and finish the job.

The last assignment chief deputy Adam Gillespie wants is to babysit the spoiled celebrity Taylor. He blames her father for his family’s financial ruin; and her brother, Wil Drake, is the incumbent candidate for Foster County sheriff, Adam’s dream job. Wil is out of town, though, so Adam can’t afford to let anything happen to the sheriff’s sister. Complications arise when someone murders the man he arrests for stalking her.

Adam learns things aren’t as they first seem. Taylor is hardly a pampered prima donna, rather a warm, intelli-gent, yet troubled woman whom he grows to love. Also, there are holes in the history of the feud between their families that need filling in. He has to reconcile the feud or any future with Taylor is doomed. But first he must stop the cunning killer who wants her dead.

Reviews

“Ms. Norman is a gifted storyteller. I loved Rebuild My World and eagerly turned the pages, excited to see what event would next happen to keep this story moving. Not only is it well plotted, but the characterizations draw you into the lives of these people. Ms. Norman tell a compelling tale that keeps you guessing.” ~Suzanne Barrett, Romance Author

4.75 of 5

Cheryl Norman unfolds a story of emotion and suspense; full of long concealed family secrets, I was drawn into the story from the very first ... This is an absolute must-read and I am looking forward to seeing what else this author has to offer.
~Night Owl Review

 About our Author: Cheryl Norman wrote her first mystery at the age of 13. After a career in telecommunications, she returned to fiction writing and won the 2003 EPPIE award for her contemporary romance, Last Resort. Her debut with Medallion Press, Restore My Heart, led to a mention in Publisher's Weekly as one of ten new romance authors to watch. Running Scared, a romantic suspense set in Jacksonville, Florida and Washington D.C., received a Perfect 10 from Romance Reviews Today. Reviewer Harriet Klausner calls her writing, “Mindful of Linda Howard...” Rebuild My World, is the sequel to Reclaim My Life.

Please make sure you visit Cheryl's world at  www.cherylnorman.com.  Additionally, make sure you don't miss this latest novel from the Mustang Sally Series.  You can find it HERE.



Another Recipe

Oooh I'm on a roll ~

            This one is thanks to my sissy  ~  this is also one of my favorites :)

Lori's Peach Cobbler

4 cups sliced canned peaches and juice

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place peaches in 9x9 or equivelant glass baking dish(larger if  needed)

Mix flour, sugar and milk, pour over peaches.

Bake until bubbly and cobbler is golden brown.

 

Serve while warm with vanilla ice cream, yummy !!!

 

 

Recipe Day!

Hi and happy almost Friday...but not Friday yet...

Still time for me to post a recipe...

        (Super Easy)



Cheesy Ham Broccoli Bake

1 box Stove top Stuffing
3 cups cubed ham
1 pkg. (14 oz.) frozen broccoli florets
         (thawed, drained)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add 1 2/3 cup hot water to stuffing, stir just until moist, set aside.

Mix ham and broccoli in 13x9 dish. 

Combine soup, milk and cheese, pour over ham mixture.  Add stuffing on top.

Bake 30 min. or until heated clear through.

Enjoy!

Finally Friday!

Well here we are again to Friday but today's backlist book from TMP just happens to be one of mine!!

That makes me SUPER excited !!

Love Takes the Cake

by Krista Ames

in the

Be Mine, Valentine

Anthology

 

Excerpt

"She knew for a fact he had been avoiding her as much  as possible and who could blame him?  They'd ended  their relationship very badly..."

"What his heart was telling him to do was wrap Annie in  his arms and never let her go but his head protested big  time.  He hated the way they'd ended their relationship  but....all they ever did was fight."

"The kicker was he never stopped loving her...but could  she really have changed?





Blurb:

A dozen short stories of love…just as good as roses. Maybe even better! This short story collection celebrates love—young love and old, mended love, secret love, and love enduring. Twelve talented writers share stories to touch your heart and soul.

Reviews
"...a wonderful mix of stories all wrapped around Valentine's Day. I have revisited some familiar authors and met others for the first time. They all offer stories of depth and passion to one degree or another. All will move you, and when you come to the end of the collection you will probably want to start reading them all over again." The Romance Reviews




“Be Mine, Valentine, a table full of delicious love goodies, has a wonderful assortment of love treats--young, old, saucy, sad, and sweet.” ~LASR Reviews



“Be prepared to smile, laugh, and cry. These stories will touch your heart. What better way to say I LOVE YOU than a gift that can be kept forever?” ~Amazon Review

I share this Anthology with 11 other authors:

Krista Ames, Suzanne Barrett, Elizabeth Chalkley, Marissa Dobson, Janet Eaves, Jennifer Johnson, Margaret Ethridge, Amy Le Blanc, Tracy March, Nancy Naigle, Cat Shaffer, Bobbye Terry

You can find them all HERE

Make sure you run out and get this great Anthology.  It's just in time for Valentine's Day. 

It's available at Turquoise Morning Press.  You don't want to miss this one !







A new Contest !!

Howdy and happy Thursday

Just posted a contest on the Contest page so make sure you check it out !!!

Have a great day


Krista

Finally Friday !

Dont' you just love Fridays?? 

It's my favorite blog day of the week because I get to share the TMP backlist book of the week !!!

This week we have another great author with a great book.... (i love this cover :))

Purrfect Voyage

by

Ruth Hartman



Kitty Carter is used to getting into strange situations when she chases her cat, Arthur. But this latest escapade is just too much! When Arthur chases a mouse at the marina while she's doing research for her book, she follows him down the dock and onto a yacht. Not entirely her plan, since she falls down some stairs and hits her head, and wakes to find herself out to sea. And she and Arthur aren’t the only ones on board!

Reviews
“This is a well-written, delightfully charming story with equal time given to Kitty, Arthur and George. It's obvious Ms. Hartman loves cats, and her natural humor makes this sweet romantic story sparkle. Trust me, you'll love the ending.” ~Suzanne Barrett, Romance Author

“Ms. Hartman also has a sense of humor. It makes her story fun to read. ~LASR Reviews

“I loved this book, laughed all the way through it, and look forward to more by this author.”~The Romance Studio

Author Bio: Ruth J. Hartman is a published author and licensed dental hygienist. She lives in rural Indiana with her husband of twenty-eight years and their two extremely spoiled cats. Ruth’s published works include a memoir, romance novels, and short stories which you can find at her blog.  You can also contact her directly here.  Feel free to follow her on twitter or on Facebook.

Trust me you won't want to miss this sweet romantic comedy. Buy Yours Today !!!