Carole Matthews's Blog, page 13

A Place to Call Home Mug Winners

Hi Everyone!

Wow. This competition is to celebrate the publication of A PLACE TO CALL HOME – which comes out this Thursday. And it was soooo popular. I had over 700 entries – all lovely suggestions of what home means to you. Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter.

After much deliberation, here’s the list of the 20 lucky winners. Your mugs – complete with your very own slogan – will be winging their way to you as soon as the printers have done their thang.

Congratulations!

Tawna Wickenden

Helen Norsworthy

Sharon Griffin

Karen Dunnell

Caroline James

Kristy Brown

Sharon Mead

Maria Sullivan

Dawn ‘angelfruit’ O’Brien

Fiona Flaherty

Angie Keeler

Sarah Fleck

Hayley Buckner

Alison Bentley

Ms R Hawkins

Vera Pope

Debbie Stanley

Jacqueline Plested

Julie Tallowin

Danielle Philpott

Much love. C : ) xx

 

 

Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

A gorgeous, heart-breaking calorie-overload that’s simplicity itself to make. This is so rich that you only need a teeny-tiny bit – even though Lovely Kev can demolish two huge slices and still want more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dark chocolate and ginger version – equally scrummy!

 

The lowdown:

Getting it together:

Cooking it:

Makes:

Gear needed:
10 minutes – but plan 24hrs ahead

15 minutes plus 3 hours chilling…

8 slices – or if you’re being good 10.

Food processor, 20cm spring form tin. non-stick baking paper, small heatproof bowl

What you need:

For the Cheesecake:

100g

50g

2 x 200g

284ml

250g

250g
Plain digestive biscuits

Butter, melted

White chocolate bars (Green & Blacks, Lindt)

Carton double cream

Tub full fat soft cheese such as Philadelphia

Mascarpone


For the blueberry sauce


275g

50g

1 tbsp
Blueberries, plus extra to serve

Golden caster sugar

Lemon Juice

Get Mixing (Up to 24 hours ahead) …

Break up the biscuits either with a rolling pin or in a food processor until they look like breadcrumbs. Stir into melted butter. Line the base of a 20cm spring form tin with a disc of non-stick baking paper. Tip the mixture in and press firmly with the back of a spoon to cover the base in a even layer. Cover and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to make the topping.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a small heatproof bowl. Put it over a pan of simmering water then remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the chocolate has melted. Don’t let the chocolate get too hot as it goes grainy. stir once or twice then remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
Gently beat together the cheese and mascarpone in a bowl until well combined. Then gradually stir in the cream -don’t over mix or it will go to stiff. Stir in the melted chocolate until the mixture is smooth. Spoon this mixture onto the biscuit base and put back in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Up to 3 hours before serving. Make the blueberry sauce. Tip half the blueberries into a food processor, add the sugar and lemon juice and puree until smooth. Press through a sieve into a bowl and set aside until needed.
Remove the cheesecake from the tin and cut into slices. Transfer to serving plates, drizzle with blueberry sauce and top with whole blueberries. (The sauce will look like it has set in the bowl but give it a quick stir and it will be fine.)

This sauce also works well with strawberries or raspberries.

You can make a dark chocolate version by substituting the white chocolate for plain. For a double chocolatey treat, use chocolate digestive biscuits.

This is also gorgeous made with 2 bars of Green & Black’s dark chocolate with ginger and gingernut crumb base. (Which is the photo shown) If you use gingernuts for the base, then allow 150g of biscuits. Use a couple of squares of melted dark chocolate to drizzle over the top to decorate.

Happy cheesecake eating! C : ) xx

Win a personalised A PLACE TO CALL HOME mug!

 

Hi Guys

Just a few short weeks until A PLACE TO CALL HOME is published in paperback on 10 April. Yay!

To celebrate, you could win one of twenty A PLACE TO CALL HOME mugs, personalised for you!

To enter all you have to do is tell me what ‘Home’ means to you by completing this sentence in less than ten words.

Home is…

For example: Home is where the heart is

To enter must EMAIL  ME by midnight on 3 April at camatthewsmail@aol.com and make sure to put A PLACE TO CALL HOME MUG in the subject line and include your details.

Love C : ) xx

As this competition is run by my UK publisher, unfortunately, it’s only open to UK residents. Sorry!

T&Cs apply

 

Reader Outing!

OUTING ALERT! I’m organising another reader outing to celebrate the paperback publication of A PLACE TO CALL HOME and, if you missed the last one, it was totally fab. We all had a very lovely, relaxed day.

This time I’m thinking afternoon tea at the lovely HOTEL LA TOUR right in the centre of Brumingham on Saturday 26 April. It will be with fizz – of course – and a signed paperback copy of A PLACE TO CALL HOME. Cost £29.00.

There’ll be about 20 places available so, if more people than that want to come, names will be drawn from the hat and then you’ll have a week to pay.

If you’re interested then send me an email to cmatthewsmail@aol.com and I’ll get the ball rolling.

C : ) xx

Hotel La Tour – Afternoo n Tea – Yum

 

 

VIP Stay at the Hotel La Tour

Hurrah! The winner of my A PLACE TO CALL HOME newsletter competition to win a fab VIP overnight stay at the HOTEL LA TOUR in Birmingham is the very lucky Emma Miller. Emma, your voucher is on it’s way. Have a fabulous time!

If you’re not on my newsletter list, then you need to be! There are some great competitions coming up. Don’t miss out.

If you weren’t lucky this time, then I’d still highly recommend a trip there. If you haven’t been to Birmingham, it’s a great place to stay. The shopping is excellent, great restaurants, a fantastic new library and many other delights. The ideal place for a city break. The HOTEL LA TOUR will also give you a warm welcome and the rooms are lovely. And they do a fab afternoon tea!

Sign up to my newsletter and stay connected!

C : ) xx

 

 

A Place to Call Home

Hi Guys

A slightly belated post to kick off the new year! My latest book, A Place to Call Home, came out on the 4th January and it seems that you’re already loving it. Thank you for all the kind comments and feedback.

The hardback and the ebook are out now. The paperback will follow on 6 April.

C : ) xx

In the dead of night, Ayesha takes her daughter, Sabina, and slips quietly from her home, leaving behind her abusive husband and a life of pain and heartache. Boarding a coach to London, Ayesha has her sights set on a new life for herself and her little girl.

Hayden, a former pop star, has kept himself hidden away for years. In all that time, he’s opened up his home to just two people – Crystal, a professional dancer with a heart of gold, and Joy, an ill-tempered retiree with a soft spot for waifs and strays.

When Crystal asks Hayden if Ayesha and Sabina can stay with them, he reluctantly agrees. As different as they may be, all these damaged yet loving people quickly form an unlikely bond. So when enemies from the past threaten their peaceful life, they will do whatever it takes to save their home and each other.

Tesco and Calling Mrs Christmas Win Christmas Comp – The Winner!

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to tell me their favourite things about Christmas. The prize, in conjunction with Tesco, was £500 to put towards your own Christmas. There were over two thousand entries! Oh, my word.

It was a really hard decision as there were some fabulous entries. But, finally, here’s the lucky winner. Congratulations to Angela Lindsay, who gave us a really lovely snapshot of her family’s Christmas. Hope you have fun spending your prize money, Angela, and that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas. Carole : ) xx

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

From being a little girl I have always loved Christmas. The anticipation and excitement, it’s only now that I fully appreciate how hard my mum and dad worked to make it special. My dad worked overtime to buy me an extra special gift. My parents may not have had stacks of money but they made it special and we were rich as we had each other.

Fifteen years ago this year I had my son on 22nd December, perfect for me a Christmas baby, who at 5 weeks early was in hospital for his first Christmas. This was different but absolutely perfect for one year!

As a family we have created our own happy memories and traditions.

For me Christmas starts in October as the first songs start to play in shops and Christmas novels hit the shelves in Tesco, I’m normally on my third by December – just to get me in the festive mood!

I get giddy when my local Tesco opens up the “Christmas aisle” (I’m sure they call it Seasonal but to me it’s the Christmas aisle). My husband laughs at me, my son rolls his eyes, well he is a teenager!

I love buying cards and presents for my family and friends, and since my son was little we’ve done a shoebox and supported the “Giving Tree” in Barnsley, where you buy a gift for the local women and children’s shelter. I’ve always tried to make my son aware that we may not have a lot but there are many who are less fortunate.

I love putting up the trees (not taking them down), to say I live in a terraced house and I have 4 trees I think you’ll get the picture just how much I love Christmas! The main tree for the living room didn’t look big in the garden centre but when we got it home we realised just how big it is, we laugh (well I do, my husband groans) every year when we start to put it together. Beautiful!!

I adore Christmas Eve, the anticipation and warm fuzzy feeling inside. The shops close and what’s done is done, brilliant! Curtains closed, naff TV on, and a mince pie and glass of milk out for the big man (I know, I know my son is nearly 15 but I love it!)

Christmas Day arrives and it is a day spent with my family, creating happy memories that will live on for a lifetime in my mind. Good food, good wine, and good memories! I may not have loads of money but I am still as rich as I was when I was a little girl because I have my family around me at Christmas and I wouldn’t swap it for the world!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Angela Lindsay

Milly’s Mince Pie Recipe!

Hi Everyone

I recently took up the challenge from The Sheffield Chronicle to try out fellow author Milly Johnson’s recipe for filo pastry mincemeat parcels. The results were fabulous. Very tasty indeed and really easy to do. Lovely Kev, who doesn’t even like mince pies, had two while we were taking the photos!

They’re nice warm and would be lovely served with some clotted cream – Milly’s suggestion!

I’ve modified the recipe slightly to include my own adjustments, so give them a go yourself! Yum.

Mincemeat Parcels

What you need:

Sheets of filo pastry cut into approx 5” squares (you’ll need 3 of these for each parcel)

Jar of mincement – I bought one with cranberries and brandy in it.

Ounce of melted butter

Icing sugar to dust when baked

What you do:

Place 3 filo sheets on top of each other at an angle so the points form a star pattern. The most difficult bit is getting separating the sheets of filo pastry without tearing them.

Brush a thin layer of melted butter between each layer. I was quite sparing with this so that they don’t go soggy.

Place a heaped teaspoonful of mincemeat in the centre of the pastry and gather up and press together the edges to form a parcel.

Lightly brush the parcels with butter and place in a pre-heated oven 190 C/375 F for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Sprinkle lightly with icing sugar when removed from the oven.

Eat with clotted cream – allowed as you’ve saved loads of calories by using filo pastry!

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Wish for you!

Hi Everyone

Just to let you know that my Christmas gift to you, a short story called A CHRISTMAS WISH, is free to download now for a limited time for all ereaders. If you don’t have an ereader, you can download the free Kindle App for phones, tablets, laptops and PCs – so no need to miss out! It’s available worldwide and for all ereaders. The links are listed below.

Can I also take this opportunity to thank you for all the support you give me. You say the kindest things about my books and brighten my day with your comments on  and Twitter. I do appreciate it. I’m a very lucky author.

So, put your feet up and kick back for 20 minutes and enjoy A CHRISTMAS WISH!

Wishing you all a very wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

Much Love C : ) xx

A CHRISTMAS WISH

“Last year, Hannah’s Christmas was full of love, happiness and romance. Things couldn’t be more different this Christmas. Broken-hearted and lonely, Hannah wishes she could be happy and in love again but she is struggling to find even a glimmer of her old festive spirit. Luckily for her, there’s some Christmas magic in the air . . . ”

A Christmas Wish is a heart-warming ebook exclusive short story that will make you a firm believer in the power of Christmas. So take twenty minutes for yourself and indulge yourself in this romantic and festive tale.

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Kobo Store

Free Kindle App

 

 

Best Christmas Ever!

Oh, my word, you lot have had me and Lovely Kev in bits again this morning as we’ve gone through the entries in the Best Christmas Present Ever competition. So many wonderful entries that have made us laugh and have made us cry. Who knew that there were so many Christmas babies too! Is there nothing on telly in March? And Christmas is always a terrible time to lose a loved one, so poignant. Our hearts go out to you.

It was nearly impossible to choose a short list and I’d love to be able to send you all a Christmas present. Thank you so much for taking part and sharing your personal stories.

The prize is a flower pendant on a Sterling silver chain made with pages of my novel CALLING MRS CHRISTMAS. They were commissioned from Kim Wedlock of Peaches and Pebbles who is a full-time carer for her mum. I’ve had just five made. Four were to be for prizes and one for me, but I’m going to award three prizes instead of two today as there were so many fab entries.

There will be two more up for grabs on Friday with the Worst Christmas Present Ever!

So here, with much deliberation and cogitation, are the winning entries:

Shona Scott: My best Christmas present ever was getting my final exam results just before Christmas last year, opening up a totally new future for me and my children. Closely followed by every present I give this year, bought with money I can afford to spend rather than on credit, because of the changes brought by the exam pass.

Sally Posh Bird: That crackling, time delayed phone call from Afghanistan saying thank you for the Christmas boxes and I miss you. Brings a lump to my throat when I think about it.

Tanya Morgans: The teddy bear my aunt bought for my 1st christmas, I will be 43 in Feb and can honestly say that teddy has been through all my highs and lows! And I am still known to hug it now if I am having a bad day xx

Well done, ladies! Let me have your address details at cmatthewsmail@aol.com and your Christmas presents will be on their way!

Much love C : ) xx (and Lovely Kev)

 

Also some lovely entries that reduced us to tears and made the shortlist:

Andrea Petch: My best Christmas was 1966 when I married William on December 17th, and have had 47 wonderful Christmases since.,xx

Kayla Oliver: Telling my family I was pregnant after 7 lots of fertility treatment yay. Xx

Helen Pengelly: My best Christmas present ever is my bosses giving me and my gorgeous other half Christmas day and Boxing day off together for the first time in 7 years this year. We are both ambulance crew and this is the best present. It means that we can cook and host Christmas dinner at ours for both sets of parents who are in there late 70′s and early 80′s a precious gift for us all xxx

Shirley O’Dwyer: My best Christmas present was when I was 10, a walking, talking doll called Linda, she was the first prize in the raffle at my dads office & every time we went to dads work I used to play with her. My lovely dad died suddenly a week before Christmas & the person who won Linda in the raffle gave her to my mum to give to me for Christmas

ShaBer Moss: A silver cross given to me by my nana when I was 13 that she left under the tree for me, but couldn’t give in person, as she passed away on the 9th of December. 25 years on I remember it clearly and I’ll cherish it forever. ♡

And some ones that made us laugh outloud:

Nicky Allen:  Mine was a sandwich toaster…….it was the best and the worst! For me it was the best as I had been craving toasted sandwiches during my pregnancy but the worst as my hubby got loads of stick for buying it for me…..funnily enough I haven’t used it since my daughter was born in the january

Jennie Bjelling:  when I was 11 years old and got a jigsaw with Abba on it, I was over the moon x

Kirsty ‘Watson’ King:  My best present was a pair of oven gloves (my husband the Fire Fighter), as hubby burned my last pair and nearly burnt the house down in the process.

Maddie Elaine M: My brother never used to buy us Christmas presents, then one year he randomly arrived with a didgeridoo for me!! I still have it & I love it, but I haven’t worked out how to play it yet x

Helen Quartly:  Getting a second hand record player when I was about 10. I cried and cried I was so happy but no one in the family could get a word of sense out of me and thought I hated my present

Sorry that you just missed out on a prize, ladies. But beautiful sad and funny stories and thank you for sharing! C : ) xx