Kristin Harmel's Blog, page 4

What I’m Loving Right Now…

You know me… Terrible at keeping up with a blog schedule! One of my problems is that on Mondays in particular, I like to simply dive in with writing first thing in the morning, and that doesn’t leave me with a whole lot of time (or, really, brain power!) left to blog. So I thought I might try something new. Perhaps on Mondays — or every other Monday — I can blog about stuff I like, because I often discover these things over the weekend! So here goes….

Cornhole: Okay, I’m 33, and I realize it’s fully ridiculous that I’ve never played this game before. But I finally learned how yesterday at a barbecue at my friends Kelly and Dan‘s house, and what do you know… I’m not terrible! I kind of can’t wait to play again.
Big 10-4: Speaking of Kelly and Dan, Dan is the lead singer of an incredible (and underrated) band called Big 10-4. Love these guys… Check them out! Their web site has a great music player that features one of my favorite songs: Good Girl. Here’s a great clip of a live acoustic version of the song.
Where We Belong by Emily Giffin: Emily Giffin’s latest, due out tomorrow (July 24), is her best novel yet, I think! She’s a wonderful writer, and a wonderful person, and I couldn’t be happier to see her doing so well. If you’re looking for an excellent summer read, this is a great choice!
The Chi Air 1″ Flat Iron :  I. Am. Obsessed. I’ve always avoiding getting a Chi because they’re so darned expensive. But after battling with my current flat iron for the last few months (Note: The flat iron — not my hair — always wins), I decided to suck it up and give the buzzed-about Chi a try. I should have known…. It’s finally the perfect weapon for straightening my hair and taming my all-over-the-place bangs. Now, when I look like I stepped out of a hurricane tunnel, you’ll know I have no excuse at all.

Okay, yes, I know, that was a completely random assortment of things. But I have Monday-Brain. Tune in next Monday for more of What I’m Loving Right Now!

 

 

 

Foodie Fridays: Tilapia Ceviche

Sometimes, I’m craving something so strongly that I manage to override the little voice in my head saying, “Are you sure you should be cooking that yourself?!” In this case, the culprit was ceviche, which is raw fish “cooked” by soaking it in lime juice. I’ve had it — and loved it — in restaurants many times before, but I’ve always hesitated to make it myself. After all, you’re not applying any heat to the raw fish.

And although I completely understand the concept — the acids in the juice actually denature, or change the chemical composition of, the fish — it still freaks me out a bit. So I did a lot of paranoid Googling (even specifically searching out what the FDA had to say about ceviche) until I was finally comfortable with attempting it.

The result was fantastic; I made this five-star recipe by the Food Network’s Marcela Valladolid, and it was out of this world. I marinated the fish for longer than she suggests — three hours, just to make sure it was fully denatured — and I subbed a bit of V8 for the Clamato, since it was what I had on hand.  I served it with homemade baked tortilla chips (Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice corn tortillas into quarters. Lay them flat on baking sheets in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and a bit of chili powder, and bake 12 minutes. ). I’d highly, highly recommend it…

Here’s the link to the recipe. Enjoy!

Things to Do in the UK During the Olympics

Are you lucky enough to be going to the Olympics this year? If so, please consider packing me in your luggage and taking me with you. I fold up nicely. Really! Otherwise, check out these tips, which I shared today on Life Love Shopping (a new television shows which airs weekdays at 9:30 a.m. EST on WE tv). There’s plenty of advice for before, during and after the Olympic games. Enjoy! Check out the tips here.

Foodie Fridays: Easy Sauteed Lemon Shrimp Dinner

It’s summer, and that means the less time I spend heating up the kitchen, the better. Precooked jumbo shrimp were on sale at the grocery store today, so I figured I’d incorporate them into tonight’s meal, but merely serving them with cocktail sauce felt boring. So how about whipping up this super-quick and super-easy sauteed shrimp recipe and serving it with corn on the cob and a quick tzatziki pasta salad? For the pasta salad, just use 1/4 cup storebought tzatziki (Greek cucumber yogurt dressing), and toss with 3/4 pound cooked macaroni, 1 chopped seedless cucumber, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 tsp dried dill weed. Use some of the extra tzatziki to drizzle over the shrimp before serving, if you like. Here’s how I made the shrimp (of course this would be better if you sauteed raw shrimp, but I worked with what I had on hand!):




Easy Sauteed Lemon Shrimp



Print





Recipe type: Entree
Prep time: 8 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Serves: 2
One of the yummiest ways to use up precooked shrimp — a 10-minute dinner from start to finish! Or extend the cook time if you just have raw shrimp on hand.

Ingredients

1 lb. precooked large or jumbo shrimp, chilled
3 Tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. chives, finely chopped



Instructions


Peel and devein shrimp, if this isn’t done already. Feel free to leave tails on.
Melt butter over medium heat in a medium frying fan.
Sautee garlic in butter until it starts to brown.
Add precooked shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes, just until warm. Be very careful not to overcook them. Toss constantly.
Remove from heat and toss with chives. Serve immediately.




2.2.6

 

Get my new e-recipe book FREE!!!!

THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING comes out in just under four weeks, and to celebrate, we’re running a very special promotion. For anyone who pre-orders the book, or tweets about it, or pins about it on Pinterest, or posts about it on Facebook, you’ll receive a totally free copy of the companion ebook, SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES FROM HOME.* Just click here.

SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES FROM HOME features 20 recipes written for THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING‘s main character, Hope, by her grandmother, Rose. Each recipe is easy and flavorful, and each is introduced with a note from Rose that give you a sneak preview of the book.

Speaking of sneak previews, the first chapter of THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING also appears as a bonus in the back of SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES FROM HOME!

So pre-order THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING and help me spread the word about the book today! I hope you’ll enjoy SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES FROM HOME, which is my thank you gift to you. Thanks for your support!

*(Pins, Tweets or Facebook posts must either link to the book on my web site (http://kristinharmel.com/books/the-sweetness-of-forgetting/) or to the book’s page on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/The-Sweetness-Forgetting-Kristin-Harmel/dp/1451644299/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336487273&sr=8-1)

Click here for more details about how to get your free e-book!

New interview about The Sweetness of Forgetting

Hi folks! Lovely journalist Jennifer Purdie of the web site Miss A just posted this fun interview with me, about THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING. Check it out! Thanks, Jennifer!

Catch me tomorrow, Wednesday, July 11, on The Daily Buzz!

I am VERY excited to be guest-hosting THE DAILY BUZZ tomorrow morning with two of my favorite people: hosts Andrea Jackson and Andy Campbell! I’ve been a regular on the show for years (first as a book expert, then as a travel expert), but I’ve never actually hosted before. I’ll be on for all three hours (it airs live from 6-9 a.m. EST in many markets, and on tape-delay in other markets), so I’m looking forward to a morning of fun, news and great conversation! You can join in the fun too; while I’m on the air, you can tweet us at @dailybuzztv or leave a comment for us on The Daily Buzz’s Facebook page, and we may just read your comments live on the show!

The Daily Buzz airs in more than 170 markets across the United States. I’ll also be making a very special announcement about my new novel, THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING, which comes out four weeks from today!!!

Find out where The Daily Buzz airs in your city here. Or watch the live feed from 6-9 a.m. EST here.

Check out my friend Andrea’s new show

Hi folks. As usual, I’m slacking off on blogging. I get so caught up in actually writing (working on my next book) that I get sidetracked. Sorry! But I wanted to give a quick shout out to my friend Andrea Jackson, whose new show, Life Love Shopping, launched today on WE tv! How cool is that? I’ll be appearing once in a while on the show, but if you’re ever around at 9:30 on weekday mornings, it’s definitely worth a watch. Andrea is great, and the show is really fun. It offers cool tips for things like working out while you shop, and financial rules to live by. I always like to see good things happen to good people… and Andrea is definitely good people!

Talking to students is so fun!

Just got back from a wonderful day of talking to high school students at the University of Florida’s Summer Journalism Institute, a great program that brings creative teens to UF’s campus for an intensive journalism program. I love talking to students!!! Here’s a great picture from my friend, uber-talented photographer Steve Johnson, of me signing books for some of the wonderful students today!

Photo by Steve Johnson, via Instagram

Woo hoo! A good Publishers Weekly review!

In the publishing industry, Publishers Weekly often sets the stage for how your book will be received. So it’s wonderful to get a positive review for The Sweetness of Forgetting! I’m very grateful! PW says in their issue out this week:

“Harmel (After) manages to deliver an immersive and evocative tale of generations struggling to survive. Recipes sprinkled throughout the book allow readers to experience firsthand the sweetness of Hope’s journey.”

Looking forward to the book’s release on Aug. 7; it will be great to hear what other readers think about it too!