Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Tempting Tuesdays ~ Homemade Sausage Gravy



After a month of sweetness, I decided to switch gears and give you some of my favorite breakfast items. An example of tasty, down home, country cooking is Homemade Sausage Gravy served over fresh buttermilk biscuits. I've made this recipe a combination of ways over the years, but the closest I've gotten to duplicating an old family recipe is one I found on Wifessionals.

Ingredients

16 oz roll sausage
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Serve over 6-8 buttermilk biscuits

Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, drain off excess grease by placing sausage on a paper towel lined plate.



Melt butter in skillet then return sausage to skillet and coat with butter. Add flour and mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.



Pour in milk and stir for about a minute. Add sage, onion powder, pepper, and salt then bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and let the gravy thicken for 5 to 10 minutes. The bubbling will help the gravy to thicken.



Transfer gravy to glass container and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, warm gravy over low heat on stove. Add milk to thin gravy if necessary. Add another pinch or two of salt to taste and serve over buttermilk biscuits.







Sunday, July 27, 2014

Sneak Peek Sunday - Jeanne McDonald


Cover Reveal
Renegade
as part of Branded: A Bad Boys Anthology
available August 28th, 2014
Cover Design: Jada D'Lee Designs


A chance meeting between a rookie cop and a common criminal.  

An unforeseen circumstance.  An instant attraction.  A magnetic connection.

Tattooed, pierced, and foul-mouthed, she can’t help but be drawn to him.

Two people entirely wrong for one another, yet so perfectly right.

When their worlds collide, Lucy Diamond will learn the true meaning of love and sacrifice as she embarks on the road of no return with bad boy Jude Wallace.  

Like a thief in the night, love will take them both by surprise.



Jeanne McDonald began telling stories at the ripe young age of five, when her mother considered the truth to be a lie due to her extensive embellishment to the retelling of an event.  She wrote her first short story when she was twelve years old, and at the age of sixteen she tried her hand at poetry.  She reconnected with her love for writing in 2010 thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend. 

Her passions include a "mild" Starbucks addiction, music, reading, quotes, movies, and romance.  When she's not spending time with her family, she can be found reading, writing, chatting with her friends or diligently working toward her bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology.  A proud Texan, Jeanne currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.


Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter
Goodreads   |   Amazon  |  Google+


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Saturday Snapshots - 7-26-14


Saturday Snapshots is a picture prompt brought to you by Author to Author, meant to inspire the creative genius within you.

Maybe you'll be moved to write flash fiction for it, perhaps it will kick start an old idea for a novel, or it may inspire a new short story. Whatever it does, we hope you'll enjoy these images around the web.

If inspiration does hit, we hope you'll post a snippet in the comments.


Today's image: Tattoos


Credit: ©  | Dreamstime.com

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Tempting Tuesdays ~ Rocky Road Cookies


I'm bringing my obsession with marshmallows and chocolate to a close with the most amazing recipe.  I know my favorite ice cream flavor is hands down Rocky Road. Chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts all in a creamy concoction. Now, I can have my favorite treat in cookie form and so can you thanks to this recipe I found Amandeleine.com.

Ingredients

3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 extra large egg whites
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2.5 ounces of sliced almonds (pecans or walnuts work too)
1 cup mini marshmallows

Recipe makes approximately 24 cookies


Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line two cook sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt.


Add egg whites, vanilla, chocolate chips, and nuts and blend well.


Drop portions by the spoonful onto prepared cookie sheets and press 3 to 5 marshmallows on the top of each one. Then place in the freezer for 5 minutes to set the marshmallows so they don't spread too much while baking.


Bake for 12-13 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown. Let cookies sit for about 5 minutes before placing on rack to cool.

These will be gooey when warm and that is the best way to eat them. Enjoy!




Sunday, July 20, 2014

Sneak Peek Sunday - Sherri Hayes


Available September 4, 2014
 from Sherri Hayes

Crossing The Line (Daniels Brothers #3)


“Sorry about last night.”

Megan looked up from the stack of baby blankets she’d been perusing. Rebecca was holding a bottle with little yellow bears in her right hand, a sheepish look on her face.

“What are you apologizing for? Ditching me, or making so much noise I had to spend most of the evening in the basement?” Megan grinned to lessen the harsh impact of her words. She wasn’t mad at her sister, but she hadn’t relished spending three hours hiding in their basement either. It wouldn’t have been so bad had she been able to talk to Paul the entire time, but she hadn’t. As it was, she’d ended up watching reruns of CSI. It was the only thing decent she could find on television. 

Rebecca placed the bottle back on the shelf. “Both, I guess. I mean we didn’t mean . . .”

“You’re still newlyweds. I get it.”

Her sister rubbed a hand over her growing belly and smiled. “It’s just, ever since I entered my second trimester I can’t seem to control myself.”

Megan snorted. “And you could control yourself before?”

“Okay, you’re right. Gage has always been able to . . . well . . .” To Megan’s surprise, Rebecca giggled. It was weird, but good, too. Her sister was happy.

“Yeah, I get it.” And Megan did get it. Those two make-out sessions with Paul had her craving more of his kisses. She could only imagine what it would feel like to have him inside her . . . surrounding her.

Walking over to a rack filled with little socks, Megan sighed. She missed sex. Battery-operated boyfriends had nothing on the real thing.


Check Out The Rest of the Daniels Brothers Series


Behind Closed Doors (Daniels Brothers #1)                                              Red Zone (Daniels Brothers #2)
   

About the Author


Sherri spent most of her childhood detesting English class. It was one of her least favorite subjects because she never seemed to fit into the standard mold. She wasn't good at spelling or following grammar rules, and outlines made her head spin. For that reason, Sherri never imagined becoming an author.

At the age of thirty, all that changed. After getting frustrated with the direction a television show was taking two of its characters, Sherri decided to try her hand at writing an alternate ending and give the characters their happily ever after. By the time the story finished, it was one of the top ten read stories on the site, and her readers were encouraging her to write more.

Seven years later, Sherri is the author of seven full-length novels and one short story. Writing has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create.

Connect with Sherri




Saturday, July 19, 2014

Saturday Snapshots: 7-19-14


Saturday Snapshots is a picture prompt brought to you by Author to Author, meant to inspire the creative genius within you.

Maybe you'll be moved to write flash fiction for it, perhaps it will kick start an old idea for a novel, or it may inspire a new short story. Whatever it does, we hope you'll enjoy these images around the web.

If inspiration does hit, we hope you'll post a snippet in the comments.

Today's image: Headphones


http://data.whicdn.com/images/21885370/cute-photography-pretty-Favim.com-278261_large.jpg

Photo credit:
http://data.whicdn.com/images/21885370/cute-photography-pretty-Favim.com-278261_large.jpg

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Tempting Tuesdays ~ Marshmallow in the Middle Chocolate Cupcakes


My marshmallow madness is getting worse. I found this recipe and could not stop myself from making it. I knew I had to share it with all of you. I found this tasty treat on The Shabby Creek Cottage.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcake Batter
2 jumbo marshmallows per cupcake
Chocolate Frosting
Graham Cracker Crumbs

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full. Place one jumbo marshmallow in the center of each cupcake and bake as directed.




When baked, there will be a crater in the middle. As soon as cupcakes are out of the oven, press another jumbo marshmallow into the center.




Bake for another 2 minutes.





Take the cupcakes out of the pan and cool completely.

Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting and garnish with Graham cracker crumbs. Eat and enjoy!






My daughter's cupcake she decorated herself!



Sunday, July 13, 2014

Sneak Peek Sunday - Lorenz Font






Coming soon from Lorenz Font


The Prodian Journey 

First book of Path of the Guardian Series


A young adult novel












Shannon
drew the curtain and I found myself trapped in the room, with only Madame Elizabeth
as my company for the next God knew how long. I glanced at the woman sitting behind
a round table covered with a velvet cloth. A stack of harmless looking cards
lay in front of her.

 “Hello, young man,” she greeted with an
elaborate flair of her hand. “Have a seat.”

I
retuned her greeting with a tight smile then, with great reluctance, sank into
the chair opposite her. To begin with, I had no idea what the heck this tarot
and psychic crap was all about, except the possibility of predicting one’s luck
or discovering what might happen in the future. Remaining silent, I rested my
clammy palms on my thighs.

“So,
what are you looking to see? Love, adventure . . . perhaps happiness?” she queried,
spreading the colorful cards across the table in a single sweep. The cards
fanned across the surface like fallen dominoes. In perfect sync.

“I
do—don’t know,” I stammered. A jerk shot through my tight shoulders before I
could stop it.

Madame
Elizabeth’s gaze met mine for a brief moment. Although her eyes were hidden
underneath red-rimmed glasses, it was obvious she saw my discomfort, and it put
me on the defensive. The woman was stunning in a disturbing way. It felt like
she could see right through me, as if she knew my secrets, and that in itself
was disconcerting.

I
studied her while she perused the cards. Her hair was tied in a loose bun on
top of her head and she wore a magician type tunic which reminded me of
mystical characters. I had the urge to roll my eyes when she began playing the
part, momentarily closing her eyes and breathing deep. Hands splayed on the
cards, she caressed each one before she finally collected the stack. Shuffling
the cards once, she then laid a few back down on the table with quick and
precise movements. With utmost concentration, she studied them, choosing one.

She
flipped the card for me to check. “What do you see?”

Considering
I had no idea what to look for, I stared at the card.  “I see a circle with four distinct colors on
the edges.”

Nodding,
she dropped the card and turned another one. This time, her thin, almost
invisible brows furrowed. “With every curse comes a blessing,” she said.

  The very moment she uttered those words, the
hair at the back of my neck rose and I experienced a ‘what the hell’ moment.



 About the Author






Lorenz Font discovered her love of writing after reading a celebrated
 novel that inspired one idea after another. She is currently enjoying 
the buzz from her vampire novels Hunted and Tormented, the first and second book of The Gates Legacy trilogy, Indivisible Line, a romantic thriller, and Feather Light, an erotic romance.


Lorenz’s
 perfect day consists of writing and lounging on her garage couch, aka 
the office, with a glass of her favorite cabernet while listening to her
 ever-growing music collection. She enjoys dabbling in different genres,
 with an intense focus on angst and the redemption of flawed characters.
 Her fascination with romantic twists is a mainstay in all her stories.


Lorenz
 lives in California with her husband, children, and two demanding dogs.
 She divides her time between her full-time job as a hospital office 
manager and her busy writing schedule.



Connect with Lorenz Font






Saturday, July 12, 2014

Saturday Snapshots - 7-12-14


Saturday Snapshots is a picture prompt brought to you by Author to Author, meant to inspire the creative genius within you.

Maybe you'll be moved to write flash fiction for it, perhaps it will kick start an old idea for a novel, or it may inspire a new short story. Whatever it does, we hope you'll enjoy these images around the web.

If inspiration does hit, we hope you'll post a snippet in the comments.


Today's image: Keeping Cool


©  | Dreamstime.com