Sharon Wray's Blog, page 39

December 2, 2022

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Camembert with Cranberry Orange Compote

In one of my most recent releases, Home for the Honeymoon (found in the Let’s Get Naughty Limited Edition Romance Anthology), my hero and heroine (Jacob and Clara Mosby) have a Christmas Eve wedding… in the middle of a snowstorm. Here is the blurb for my story in this USA Today bestselling collection:

Home for the Honeymoon

How far will a man go to save his marriage?

Jacob Mosby is getting married the day before Christmas Eve and is desperate to be alone with his bride. Except when a blizzard cancels their flight and closes the mountain roads, they’re forced to honeymoon in their small hometown of Kingsmill, VA. Unfortunately, his house is under renovation, all the rooms at the inn are booked, and Clara, his beautiful wife, is desperate to save their plans.

Clara is terrified if she doesn’t have the perfect honeymoon their marriage will end before it begins. While it’s a ridiculous thought, past betrayals have made her determined to have a perfect wedding night. Except now that they’re stuck in Kingsmill two days before Christmas, with no place to sleep, her fears may come true. Especially when their friends and family insist on “helping” with the new honeymoon plans, her teenage daughter goes missing, and a dangerous snowstorm puts those she loves in danger.

Now Jacob must convince Clara that true love, especially at Christmas, doesn’t promise a perfect life. It only promises a lifetime of imperfect happiness. A promise that’s worth sacrificing everything for… including the wedding night she’s always dreamed of.

So this month on the Hungry {Romance} Writer, I’m going to share some of the recipes served at this beautiful wedding. The first recipe served at this Christmas reception is a warm Camembert cheese topped with a cranberry orange compote. It’s not just delicious, it’s beautiful as well!

Sharon Wray

Serves Serves 8

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Camembert with Cranberry Orange Compote

I first had this recipe at a Christmas wedding in New England. Over the years, I tried different recipes, adapting them all, until I figured out what I think is a great match for the original appetizer I loved. I serve this with a sliced orange and a sliced fresh baguette. It's has a beautiful presentation and is perfect for a holiday party.

5 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

Save Recipe Print Recipe var print_b = document.getElementById('mpp_print_button'); var save_b = document.getElementById('mpp_saverecipe_button'); print_b.onclick = function(){ zlrPrint( "mpprecipe-container-248", "https://sharonwray.com/wp-content/plu...", "mpprecipe-design18", "1", "#" ) }; save_b.onclick = function(){ window.open('https://sharonwray.mealplannerpro.com...' + window.location.href); return false; }; My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

Cranberry Orange Compote¼ cup brandy¼ cup granulated sugar8 ounces fresh cranberries (divided)1 naval orange – zested1 tsp fresh thyme (packed)dash of ground clovesKosher salt & freshly ground black pepperCamembert1 (8 ounce) wheel Camembert Cheese1 Tablespoon brandy1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1 large naval orange, washed and sliced into 1/4" slicesCrackers and fresh baguette slices for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.CompoteHeat the stove to medium-high heat. In a small, heavy saucepan, stir together the brandy and sugar. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil.Stir in half of the fresh cranberries. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6 minutes and the cranberries begin to burst. Stir in the remaining cranberries and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.Remove the saucepan from the heat and place on a towel on the counter. Stir in the orange zest and thyme and dash of ground cloves.Add a small pinch of salt, to taste. Leave the pot uncovered and push aside until it cools completely.CamembertPlace the camembert wheel onto the parchment-line baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a cross hatch pattern in to the top of the cheese with evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and brandy and a small pinch of salt. Pour this mixture over the cheese.Bake the cheese in the preheated oven between 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is soft in the middle and beginning to ooze.Meanwhile, line a baking dish with the orange slices, leaving one slice aside for garnish.Remove from the oven and allow the cheese to rest for at least five minutes. If there's any brandy liquid left on the pan, spoon it over the cheese.After five minutes, transfer the cheese to the orange-lined serving dish and spoon some of the compote over the top. Add the last orange slice on top as garnish.Serve with crackers or a sliced baguette.7.8.1.2248https://sharonwray.com/the-hungry-writer/the-hungry-romance-writer-camembert-with-cranberry-orange-compote/ { "@context": "http://schema.org/", "url": [ "https:\/\/sharonwray.com\/the-hungry-writer\/the-hungry-romance-writer-camembert-with-cranberry-orange-compote\/" ],"name" : "The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Camembert with Cranberry Orange Compote","description" : "I first had this recipe at a Christmas wedding in New England. Over the years, I tried different recipes, adapting them all, until I figured out what I think is a great match for the original appetizer I loved. I serve this with a sliced orange and a sliced fresh baguette. 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Published on December 02, 2022 03:30

December 1, 2022

Prep & Plan: Regroup Week

Just like last year, this week after Thanksgiving feels so incredibly short. Maybe because I’m tired of cooking and cleaning. Maybe because I see the calendar counting down to Christmas (and all the cooking and cleaning and shopping and wrapping and decorating that has to be done). So this week and month, since we’re knee-deep into the holidays, I tend to focus more on planning than prepping.

One of my favorite annual habits that I perform every year, the week after Thanksgiving, fits in with our Prep & Plan schedule. I call this my “Regroup Week”. What does this mean? A regroup week is when I stop doing any major Prep & Plan chores, like organizing closets, counting cans in the pantry, worrying about drinking water, etc. This is a week where I carve out time to sit down with a cup of tea and a notebook. I know we’ve been using our legal pads, but for this event I use a notebook that I pull out throughout the year after every major holiday or family event. It’s a cheap notebook I got at Dollar Tree. So there’s no reason to run out and purchase an expensive notebook with matching pens and washi tape (yes, I’ve done that). Or you can keep this in your notes app on your phone, on Trello, or any other place where you keep track of things you want to remember next year.

This notebook (either in print or electronic) will be for an annual review of holidays and other large family events. And, you’ll need a piece of paper for a shopping list. I am currently using the back of a bill envelope to write down the things I need at the grocery store this week. In this notebook, I mark a new page with the title Thanksgiving 2022. Below that, I begin listing things that worked and things that didn’t. I’m talking about food, cleaning, guests, etc–anything that you had to do or deal with on the day or through the weekend. In my case, I went to my sisters house for dinner, but had sleepover company stay for a few days so I had to cook other meals for. made dinner for. I use this list as a total brain dump. As I drink my tea, and eat a piece of leftover pumpkin pie, I write down anything I can think of that went right, went wrong, and what I would do differently next year that I know I’ll forget if I don’t write it down now. I also note anything I need to buy for the next round of company/guests, or for next year’s Thanksgiving. If I need it for next year’s feast, I can start looking for post-Thanksgiving sales (yes, they’re a thing!) or shop for it throughout the year. As I work in this notebook, I use the separate shopping list to write down anything I ran out of and need to pick up before Christmas. (This year I ran out of fresh sage leaves, cranberry juice, Coke Zero, and tissues)

What I Wrote in My Notebook:Buy new pillow cases for the guest roomReduce the number of pies. We had too many leftoversSend my Thanksgiving linens to the dry cleanerBuy new bathroom floor mats for guest roomOrder new table pads for the dining room table.Reduce the appetizers by one dishBuy Aperol as soon as it’s back in stockThe gewürztraminer wine my step-father brought was perfect with the turkey. Buy 4 bottles (for 12 adults) instead of 3.Make sure to have more lunch options, including a pot of soup, for the men while the women shop on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.Next year, make reservation for Sunday night dinner before Halloween.Don’t buy the cheap cocktail napkins. There was a reason they were so cheap!Maybe make 1 cranberry bread next year. Next year, buy extra ice in a bag and keep it in the outside freezer or a cooler on the patio. We went through ice faster than my ice maker could make it.Running a load of dishes during the dinner worked great. It made clean up easier. I love Ina Garten’s do ahead turkey recipe. It was fabulous, and I am definitely doing that again next year. I had a 24 pound turkey this year for 12 people. I wouldn’t go any smaller than 22 pounds. It was almost all gone and I didn’t have enough leftovers for lunch while the women shopped on Friday and Saturday. While I have enough bones and leg meat for soup, I still like to add in white meat. This week, check the price of leftover turkeys at the grocery store. If I can find one at 29 cents a pound or less, I may grab one and throw it in the deep freezer. We ate at 3:30 pm, the earliest we’ve ever eaten. I would definitely do that again. We has some older guests who wanted to get on the road before it got too dark.

So you get the idea…. it’s a list of all the things in your head that you’ll be grateful you kept note of when you begin preparing for next year’s holiday.

TRACKING THE BUDGET:

Once I finish my list, and leave some room on the next page for things I’ll think of next week, I take the next few blank pages and tape in the receipts for everything I bought for the weekend. From laundry detergent, to the turkey, to the tickets for the lunch the women in my family attended on Friday afternoon. Yes, I keep all those receipts–but I didn’t always do that. Years ago, the habit was recommended by a Certified Financial Planner I know and it’s been eye-opening. Because I use one notebook for about five years worth of family events (I keep track of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Family Reunions, and birthday parties), it’s easy to see what I’ve spent over the years and track the inflation. As I plan for next year’s events, being able to see what I paid makes it easy to budget ahead. Yes, keeping receipts is kind of “extra”, but it does help me when I do the household budget for next year. It also helps me keep track of the “emotional” last minute purchases. I didn’t need the flowers. They were beautiful, but we ended up having to move them to the kitchen to make room on the table. Although they do look lovely on my desk as I write this post.

So that’s the homework for this week. Start a Family Holiday Notebook and, if you still have them, add the receipts. From that work, begin a shopping list of things you need to replenish in your pantry for the week, for the upcoming holidays, and next year’s celebration. You can do this exercise in less than 30 minutes, and you’ve set yourself up for an even better prepared Thanksgiving 2023.

If you’re interested in catching up on the Prep & Plan homework, read Prep & Plan: Week 7 to catch up on any homework you may have missed. If you want to keep up with the Prep and Plan posts, you can subscribe to the blog in the sign-up block below.

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Published on December 01, 2022 03:30

November 30, 2022

NaNoWriMo Last Check-in

Just like last year, I’m not going to ask you if you won NaNoWriMo. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. NaNoWriMo is a great event to help spur your creativity and offers community in order to encourage writers to get their words down. It’s also a great way to build a writing habit alongside your peers. And as a professional writer, I know how hard the fight is to get new words on the page.

But NaNo isn’t simply a month-long writing party. It’s a way to change the mindset, for the better, of writers who struggle. All writers including those who write for a living and those who write as a hobby. It also helps those who scratch words in the dark to keep themselves sane.

What I love about NaNo is the preparatory work in October that helps me focus on a new story or a story I’m currently working on. I also love the camaraderie in sprint groups on Facebook and Discord servers. I have won NaNo in the past and there have been some years that I’ve been editing a book and I didn’t add a single word. Yet the word count doesn’t matter. The most important thing that NaNo does is that it validates the act of writing itself. NaNo reminds us that writers can change how people think about the world around them. NaNo reminds us that writers can change the world. But there’s a caveat–NaNo reminds us that writers can only do those things if they actually commit the words to paper.

As for my check-in, I wrote 20,000 words on a new short story, wrote a 7,500 word shorter story, and added words to my WIP, a big southern gothic novel. Oh, and I made the USA Today Bestseller List with Let’s Get Naughty, a collection of fun and sexy Christmas romances that my writing friends and I published. (Some of the friends I met in previous NaNos!) . While I have no idea how many words I changed, cut, edited, and rewrote on my BIG manuscript, I was able to move forward with my plot. And in the long run, that’s more important than word count. So, I didn’t technically “win” NaNo. And that’s okay. Because I worked and wrote and edited. For the month of November, I reminded myself that my words count and the stories in my head will one day sit in the hands of readers. For the month of November, I reminded myself that writing is what I’m meant to do with my life. For the month of November, I reminded myself that, despite the difficulty in getting words down, I am not alone.

NaNoWriMo ends today but the act of writing down words continues because our words matter. Our words can affect lives. Our words can change the world.

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Published on November 30, 2022 03:30

November 29, 2022

Sarah Munro’s Black Cherry Bark Cough Tea

It’s the coughing time of year! As someone who is susceptible to coughs, I’m always looking for herbal remedies that help soothe my coughs and allow and me to sleep. After doing some research, I found and old remedy in the Farmer’s Almanac: Black Cherry Bark Cough Tea. While the article gave extensive directions for foraging the bark of the black cherry tree (Prunus serotina, also called wild black cherry or rum cherry), I buy mind already dried and sifted from Amazon and other health food stores. It’s more expensive than foraging bark for free, but it’s much easier and safer.

So why use Black Cherry Bark in a tea to help with coughs? Because the bark from this tree has numerous benefits.

Anti-inflammatoryAntispasmodicAstringentCirculatory tonicCough suppressantHeart tonic similiar to hawthornDigestive bittersDigestive tonicExpectorantSedative

When you make the tea, and add a dash of local, organic honey, you have a powerhouse drink filled with all sorts of anti-cold goodness. This tea helps ease cough spasms fairly quickly, but it is not an antibiotic. If the cough continues, or you think you have an infection in your lungs and chest, go see the doctor. I don’t recommend this tea for children because it can mask an infection. This is purely an adult beverage to be used to ease the spasms so you can rest or sleep–as long as you pay attention to your own health and seek help if you even suspect any kind of chest infection. This is also a strong tonic and you shouldn’t drink more than 3 cups in 24 hours, and for no more than three days in a row. Again, because it could mask an underlying infection. If you’re pregnant, check with your healthcare provider before taking any herbal supplement.

This infusion will smell like almonds. If it smells more like moldy sawdust, throw out the bark and purchase a new bag. The dry bark has a shelf life of 1 year from harvest. Because herbal teas were prized by the early American colonists, Sarah Munro, (my PhD historian and heroine in book 2 of the Deadly Force series, ONE DARK WISH), has added Black Cherry Bark Cough Tea to her collection of DIY herbal recipes.

Sarah Munro’s Black Cherry Bark Cough TeaIngredients:1 teaspoon Dried Black Cherry Bark, coarsely chopped (it should have an almond-like scent)1 cup filtered waterHoney (enough to sweeten to taste)Directions:

Bring the water just to a boil.

Put the dried cherry bark into a tea diffuser and add to the boiled water. Cover for 10 minutes.

Strain the tea into a mug and sweeten with honey, to taste.

To use: Drink 1 cup of black cherry bark tea to help soothe a cough. Can be used up to three times a day. This hot infusion will give off an almond-like smell. If it smells like moldy sawdust, the bark is too old to use. Toss the tea and make again with newer dried bark.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER ABOUT WILD PLANTS, FORAGING , AND MAKING HERBAL REMEDIES:

I am not a medical professional and nothing written on this blog is medical advice. None of my statements have been evaluated by the FDA (I am legally required to give you this disclaimer).

It is important to do your due diligence before foraging, harvesting, and/or consuming any type of medicinal plant.

If you are taking any medications, talk to your doctor about any potential drug interactions.If you are allergic to anything, make sure whatever you are foraging is not in the same family. Example: While dandelions are typically considered safe, those who are allergic to ragweed, latex, daisies, or any other plants in the same or similar families, may not be able to consume dandelion.

Always research potential side effects, dosage recommendations, and how to properly prepare and consume each medicinal plant.

Always make sure you are foraging what you believe to be. Fully prepare and study the anatomy before harvesting wild plants.

Always make sure your kitchen/work area is clean and that all materials are sterilized.

Do not forage plants from areas that have been sprayed within the past 2 years at the very least.

I am not legally or morally responsible for the health of any of my readers. Please do your own research!

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Published on November 29, 2022 03:30

November 28, 2022

A Season for Advent

An edited repost from the archives.

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. And although I love Christmas, and go all out with my decorating (I even put up two trees!), I come from a tradition where Advent–those four weeks before Christmas–were treated as a mini-Lent. My grandparents never decorated their trees until Christmas Eve, and the actual Twelve Days of Christmas started on December 25 and were celebrated until the Epiphany on January 6th. Growing up, my parents slowly let the Christmas creep in and we started decorating earlier and earlier. But never before the first week in December. And we certainly didn’t decorate before Thanksgiving. Now, with a family of my own, I like to take the holiday season slowly and appreciate what Advent has to offer.

So, what is Advent? In Latin, Advent means “coming towards” (“ad” = towards, vent = coming) and around the middle of the fifth century, it became a 40-day period of fasting and spiritual preparation, starting on St. Martin’s day (November 12) and ending on December 25. Advent traditions became popular during the middle ages when candles were lit to show that despite the growing darkness, God would always provide a light for our spiritual journey, especially in the winter season. Advent is about waiting with faith for God’s promise, while Christmas is about the promise fulfilled. The former is a time of contemplation and prayer, the latter is about joy and celebration. And once upon a time my grandparents (and their grandparents) understood this.

Although the tradition of fasting during Advent has waned, there a number of devotions that support both prayer and contemplation during this time. The most popular are the Advent wreath, the Advent calendar, and setting up Nativity scenes. But others have regained their popularity, such as the Jesse Tree, Stir-it-up Sunday, and celebrating St. Lucia’s Day. Since my trees aren’t up yet, here are a few of my Advent decorations.

Advent wreath: I have two Advent wreaths. The first sits on my kitchen table. It’s a simple wreath of greenery with four candles, three purple and one pink. We light the first candle on the first Sunday of Advent, then each week add another candle, allowing the candlelight and the day’s lections to guide us towards Christmas day. Purple is a penitential color, reminding us that the celebrations are yet to come–but not yet. And the pink candle, lit three weeks into Advent, is for Gaudete Sunday. The word Gaudete, which means “Rejoice” in Latin, reminds us that in spite of the darkness, joy is coming soon.

My second Advent wreath is much simpler. It is a wooden spiral wreath with 25 candle holes. A small wooden cut-out of a pregnant Mary on a Donkey follows the lighted candles, reminding us of our own spiritual journey during this time.

Jesse Tree: The Jesse Tree, which also dates back to medieval times, tells the story of Christ’s lineage. The Jesse Tree, named after King David’s father, represents a direct ancestral line from creation, up to King David, then straight through to the Nativity. Every night during advent, the kids place Jesse ornaments, representing Jesus’ ancestors, on the tree and read the corresponding bible story. The interesting thing about our tree is that I thought the kids would lose interest the older they got. Instead, now that they’re young adults, they’re the ones who want to keep up the devotion.

St. Lucy’s Day Celebrations: This is the festival of lights celebrated on December 13 in honor of St. Lucia of Sweden, a young girl who was martyred around the year 303 AD, during the reign of Diocletian. When I was a kid, we used to process around school (a public school!) holding real candles (how did we ever survive the 70’s and 80’s?!?) which represented St. Lucia’s triumph over darkness. Then we’d get hot chocolate and St. Lucy’s Buns in the cafeteria. Now, on this is the day, I plug in the lights on my Christmas Dickens Village and my Christmas trees. Once the tree lights are lit, we start decorating them while we eat St. Lucy buns and Christmas cookies. (sometimes homemade and sometimes store bought, depending on my schedule and mood!)

Nativity or Manger Scene: This one is easy and the kids love helping me. I bought this set not long after we were married and we even took it overseas when my husband was stationed in Korea. Now my kids put this up every year and hide the baby Jesus until Christmas morning. They also take turns moving the Wise Men around until the Epiphany on January 6th.

Finally, the music. I love Christmas music but can get sick of it quickly. So instead of jumping into the all-Christmas music all-the-time model, I start with some of my favorite Advent Hymns. Yes, some of the oldest Christmas Carols are actually Advent hymns. Maybe you’ve heard of “Lo! He Comes”, “O Come O Come Emmanuel”, “Come thou long expected Jesus”, and” People Look East”. Here is my favorite from youtube.

However you celebrate this season, even if you don’t, I hope you have a safe and happy December filled with love, light, and happiness.

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Published on November 28, 2022 09:26

November 25, 2022

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Slow Cooker Turkey Dumpling Soup

The day after Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite days of the year. It’s a day where we all rest, eat leftover pie, and do something fun like go on a hike or head to our favorite thrift shop in the mountains. Regardless of what we do, I know I’m going to have to feed lots of people. So I usually find my crock pot and figure out a solution that will make all ages happy!

This year I’m making Slow Cooker Turkey Dumpling Soup, and I’m borrowing another crockpot so I can double the recipe. That will give me a warm, satisfying dinner for 16 people. It’s an easy dinner to serve on trays for those who want to sit around the outside fire pit, or for the kids who want to watch Christmas movies in the family room. I always serve this dish with a green salad on the side, and follow up with leftover pies for dessert. It’s a perfect way to end the day with family and friends!

Sharon Wray

Serves 8

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Slow Cooker Turkey Dumpling Soup

This is a recipe I adapted from a chicken and dumplings recipe I received from one of my sisters-in-law. It's a perfect recipe to use up leftover turkey, and it's even better if you make the turkey broth yourself from the leftover bones. I make it in the slow cooker, but it can also be made in a stockpot on the stove. I usually serve this with a green salad on the side.

20 minPrep Time

6 hrCook Time

6 hr, 20 Total Time

Save Recipe Print Recipe var print_b = document.getElementById('mpp_print_button'); var save_b = document.getElementById('mpp_saverecipe_button'); print_b.onclick = function(){ zlrPrint( "mpprecipe-container-246", "https://sharonwray.com/wp-content/plu...", "mpprecipe-design18", "1", "#" ) }; save_b.onclick = function(){ window.open('https://sharonwray.mealplannerpro.com...' + window.location.href); return false; }; My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

Soup4 cups turkey or chicken stock1 cups cook, cubed turkey1/2 cup heavy cream2 large carrots, diced2 celery stalks, diced2 Tablespoons flour1 Tablespoon olive oil2 garlic cloves, diced1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves, chopped2 bay leaves1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon pepperDumplings1 cup flour2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1 Tablespoon salted butter, melted1/2 cup whole milk1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

Instructions

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the carrots and celery. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes, until fragrant.In a slow cooker, add the turkey stock, cooked turkey cubes, sage, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir in the sautéed vegetables.Stir and cover with the lid. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (2-3 hours on high).1 hour before the cooking is finished, begin the dumplings. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix in the melted butter, milk, and rosemary, stirring until well combined.About 50 minutes before the cooking is finished, stir the heavy cream into the slow cooker. Stir well.Place Tablespoon-sized blops of during batter into the soup. Give each dumpling space so they to overlap. Cover the slow cooker and continue cooking until the dumplings are fully cooked.Serve immediately.7.8.1.2246https://sharonwray.com/the-hungry-writer/the-hungry-romance-writer-slow-cooker-turkey-dumpling-soup/ { "@context": "http://schema.org/", "url": [ "https:\/\/sharonwray.com\/the-hungry-writer\/the-hungry-romance-writer-slow-cooker-turkey-dumpling-soup\/" ],"name" : "The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Slow Cooker Turkey Dumpling Soup","description" : "This is a recipe I adapted from a chicken and dumplings recipe I received from one of my sisters-in-law. It's a perfect recipe to use up leftover turkey, and it's even better if you make the turkey broth yourself from the leftover bones. I make it in the slow cooker, but it can also be made in a stockpot on the stove. I usually serve this with a green salad on the side.","prepTime" : "PT20M","cookTime" : "PT6H","datePublished" : "2022-11-07 13:37:22","recipeInstructions":[ { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the carrots and celery. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes, until fragrant." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "In a slow cooker, add the turkey stock, cooked turkey cubes, sage, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir in the saut\u00e9ed vegetables. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Stir and cover with the lid. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (2-3 hours on high)." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "1 hour before the cooking is finished, begin the dumplings. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix in the melted butter, milk, and rosemary, stirring until well combined. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "About 50 minutes before the cooking is finished, stir the heavy cream into the slow cooker. Stir well. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Place Tablespoon-sized blops of during batter into the soup. Give each dumpling space so they to overlap. Cover the slow cooker and continue cooking until the dumplings are fully cooked. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Serve immediately." }],"keywords" : "The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Slow Cooker Turkey Dumpling Soup","recipeIngredient" : ["4 cups turkey or chicken stock","1 cups cook, cubed turkey","1\/2 cup heavy cream","2 large carrots, diced","2 celery stalks, diced","2 Tablespoons flour","1 Tablespoon olive oil","2 garlic cloves, diced","1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves, chopped","2 bay leaves","1 teaspoon salt","1 teaspoon pepper","1 cup flour","2 teaspoons baking powder","1\/2 teaspoon sugar","1\/2 teaspoon salt","1 Tablespoon salted butter, melted","1\/2 cup whole milk","1 teaspoon fresh rosemary"], "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https:\/\/sharonwray.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2-2.jpg" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sharon Wray" }, "nutrition": { "@type": "NutritionInformation", "servingsize": "8 serving"},"@type": "Recipe"}

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Published on November 25, 2022 03:30

November 24, 2022

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope this day, and the rest of your year, is filled with love, laughter, and more blessings than you can count. To help you celebrate, I’ve added one of my favorite Thanksgiving poems to this post. This poem, Thanksgiving, was written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919). Ella Wilcox was a hugely popular writer because her stories and poems were filled with optimism and hope during difficult times (Civil War, Reconstruction, Gilded Age, Industrial Revolution, the Titanic, and WW1). All of her poems were published in the collections Poems of Passion (W.B. Conkey Company, 1883) and Poems of Peace (Gay & Bird, 1906). But her poem Thanksgiving is still one of her most beloved and famous because she talks about blessings and gratitude in a way that transcends all cultures and faiths. I hope you enjoy it!

This poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox is in the public domain so I reprinted it below.Thanksgiving

We walk on starry fields of white
   And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
   We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
   To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
   Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Our cares are bold and push their way
   Upon our thought and feeling.
They hand about us all the day,
   Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
   We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives,
   And conquers if we let it.

There’s not a day in all the year
   But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
   To brim the past’s wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
   Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
   While living hearts can hear us.

Full many a blessing wears the guise
   Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
   Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
   To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
   To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
   Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
   Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
   As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
   A grand Thanksgiving chorus.

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Published on November 24, 2022 03:30

November 23, 2022

Gratitude Journaling

This is an edited repost from the archives.

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I thought I’d share one of my favorite practices for this time of year. There are many types of journals–diaries, travel journals, food journals, etc, but there’s another kind of journal that does more than keep track of your life. There’s a journaling practice that’s been proven to reduce stress and improve happiness. It’s known as Gratitude Journaling.

There’s no doubt that every day we’re bombarded with negative images and messages. Everything in the world is (and always has been) dire. Everyone is stressed. And all of us eventually have to do things like pay taxes and attend funerals. If we only listened to the world around us, we’d never believe that anything good ever happens. We’d only believe that life is hard and then it’s over.

But there’s another way to look at life. Despite all of the difficulties found in adulting, there are also good times. There are weddings and comedy clubs and birthday parties. There’s the surprise reunion with an old friend and a last minute cup of tea with your neighbor who just happened to bring over homemade cookies warm from the oven.

A Gratitude Journal is one of those things in life that’s simple yet not easy. (Like dieting!) It’s nothing more than a daily record of your blessings, of things you’re grateful for, or even just the things that made you smile. It’s an accounting of the good things and people and moments of your life. Keeping a gratitude journal takes you out of the chaos in your head and allows you to clearly see the truth of your life, not what the mass media want you to believe.

There are no rules to keeping a gratitude journal. On simple way is to start by keeping a notebook by your bedside table and every night, before you go to sleep, write down five things you’re grateful for. It could be as simple as the fact the leftovers you had for dinner tasted better the second night. Or the unexpected text message with smiling emojis you received from a friend. It doesn’t matter what the five things are, just that you mentally review your day and record them. Below I’ve offered a few tips to help you succeed!

Tips for Gratitude JournalingWrite frequently, at least three times a week. Daily is even better. Regardless of how often you journal, pick a time of day and a place in which to work and be consistent. Do you want to journal in bed before going to sleep? During lunch in the patio behind your office building? Before dinner while your food is in the oven? Just pick one that works for you!

While you’re recording these five things, be as specific as possible. When you read the entry over later, you don’t want to just remember the event or moment. You want to remember the emotions associated with it. Being specific amplifies gratitude. Saying you’re grateful that your neighbor brought over homemade cookies after she heard about your horrible day at work brings forth more emotions than just saying you appreciate your neighbors.

Record events and moments that were complete surprises and how grateful you are for what happened. I don’t mean just surprise parties. It’s more about unexpected moments like someone paying for your coffee or a pretty card received in the mail.

If you find yourself being grateful every day for the same thing (and that’s okay!), try to focus on a different aspect of this thing so you can elicit a different emotion. When good things happen, we often experience multiple emotions. See if you can describe the hidden ones.

Treat all of these recordable events as gifts. Not like birthday presents, but like small gifts you weren’t expecting. Treating these moments like gifts helps foster gratitude.

Don’t be afraid to list negative things that you’re grateful for. Sometimes negative things are a blessing in disguise, although it may take us time to realize that. But when you do suddenly realize why you didn’t get that job or why that person you dated once didn’t call you back is actually a good thing, write it down!

Keep it pretty. This is not a rule, just a suggestion. By using different colored pens and washi tape and adding in small photos and postcards, etc, the journal becomes even more personal. Besides, sometimes it’s fun to write in different colors! For those who don’t like to decorate, choose a journal with paper you love and the perfect pen. When you love what you’re writing with, it becomes a joy instead of a chore.

Don’t be a perfectionist. While it’s fun to make your journal pretty, I know that making things perfect can paralyze us. We’re so afraid of making a “mistake” in our journals, that we don’t even start. But this journal isn’t about perfection. It’s about what you are grateful for–the beautiful and the messy. DOn’t let perfection drag you down into procrastination. That only leads us into a the “trying-guilt-shame” circle which is the very mindset this journaling practice is meant to eliminate.

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Published on November 23, 2022 03:30

November 22, 2022

A Feast for Music

November isn’t just a month to give thanks for our blessings, it’s also offers us a day set aside to celebrate Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Saint Cecilia, a Roman noblewoman who lived in Rome during the 3rd century, was one of the earliest Christian martyrs. Historians say that Cecilia (a particularly beautiful young woman) vowed her virginity to one of God’s Angels. She was an extremely devout Christian and had a close relationship with God. After making her vow, she wore sackcloth and fasted continuously. But because she was a beautiful woman with money, from a powerful Roman family, her parents married her against her will to a man named Valerian, the son another powerful Roman family.

Jacques Blanchard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cecilia, not happy about the upcoming marriage, beseeched the angels to protect her. Unfortunately, she was forced to marry Valerian. During the wedding ceremony, Cecilia silently sang to God in her heart. When it was time for the wedding night, she told her new husband about her vow of virginity and that an angel protected her and her choice. Valerian wasn’t particularly happy. So he said to her that if he could speak to this angel, and this angel corroborated her story, he’d abide by her vow.

Cecilia told him the only way he could see the angel was if he traveled to the third milestone on the Via Appia (Appian Way) and was baptized by Pope Urbanus. Valerian agreed, and after his baptism he suddenly saw a vision of Cecilia talking to the angel. The angel crowned Cecilia with a crown of roses and lilies. It was such a powerful vision, he converted on the spot. Then he convinced his brother Tibertius to covert. Once Tibertius was baptized, he also saw the vision and converted.

Both brothers then dedicated their lives to burying the martyrs–Christian men and women who being killed daily by the Roman prefect Turcius Almachius. Of course, Turcius Almachius wasn’t happy with what the brothers were doing. So he arrested the brothers and told them to make a sacrifice the Roman gods. When the brothers refused, Turcius Almachius executed them.

After Cecilia’s husband and brother-in-law were buried, Cecilia began to preach about Christianity. In her lifetime, she converted over 400 people, most of whom were baptized by Pope Urban. But, eventually, Turcius Almachius decided Cecilia was causing too many problems and arrested her as well. He condemned her to death by suffocation in a Roman bath. Cecilia was shut into a bath for 24 hours while the fires were stoked to an impossibly high heat. But Cecilia survived and didn’t even sweat. When Turcius Almachius heard she survived, he was furious and tried to burn her at the stake. When that didn’t work, and she didn’t burn, an executioner was sent to chop off her head.

The executioner struck her three times but was unable to decapitate the poor woman. He left her on the floor of the baths, bleeding out, where she lingered for three days. Crowds of people came to visit her while she preached and prayed with them. Then, miraculously, she began to sing the heavenly song she sang at her wedding. Once she died, Pope Urban buried her. The date we celebrate her death (in the Gregorian calendar, not the Julian calendar) is November 22, now known as her feast day.

In 1599, her body was exhumed and she was found to be incorrupt. She is the first known of the all the incorrupt saints. Even her clothes, a gold embroidered vest and silk veil, were still completely intact. The officials who examined the tomb also reported a “mysterious and delightful flower-like odor which proceeded from the coffin.” Her remains were transferred to a 5th century church in the Trastavere neighborhood in Rome, not far from where she grew up. Her tomb is still under the high altar.

Because St. Cecilia heard and sang heavenly music during her wedding ceremony and on the eve of her death, she is considered the patroness of music and musicians. Now musicians all of the world dedicate their work–including many of our favorite Christmas hymns–to St. Cecilia. And since this is a month of gratitude and holidays, dedicating a feast day to the patron saint of music seems an appropriate way to remember a grateful woman who lived–and died–with a song in her heart.

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Published on November 22, 2022 03:30

November 21, 2022

Sarah Munro’s Autumn Chai

When the weather gets colder, I tend to crave hot drinks with warming spices. And when those spices offer immunity-building elements, I’m even happier. Chai tea is one of my go-to drinks in the winter, and this recipe in particular is one of my favorites. It’s filled with wonderful spices and is a perfect drink for a cold Autumn or Winter night. Although the word “chai” means “tea” in Hindi, convention in the U.S. calls this drink Chai Tea. For those of you unfamiliar with this drink, it’s a combination of black tea, milk (dairy or non-dairy), and spices that originally came from India. It’s delicious and each ingredient offers properties beneficial to your health and immunity, especially the black tea, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Every one makes Chai Tea differently–that means it’s easy to change up the spices to make your own perfect drink. The recipe below is my favorite combination of flavors, but it’s also easy to substitute and eliminate flavors you don’t like.

So what health benefits do the ingredients in Chai tea offer? Well, here’s a list:

Antioxidants Boosts Heart Health with flavanoids found in black tea and cinnamonImproves DigestionIncreases energy and alertness Reduces inflammationGood for your skinGood for your teethFights off colds/ Boosts Immune SystemSoothes headachesSoothes period painSoothes sore throatsPrevents Brain FogReduces muscle aches and painsEases nausea

Although the chai tea we drink now didn’t become popular in the U.S, until around 1900, American colonists were obsessed with tea. Since both tea and sugar were both scarce and expensive in the colonies, they often adapted, making their tea “stretch” by adding other spices. For that reason, Sarah Munro, (my PhD historian and heroine in book 2 of the Deadly Force series, ONE DARK WISH), has added this Autumn Chai to her collection of DIY herbal recipes.

Sarah Munro’s Autumn ChaiIngredients:2 parts black tea leaves3 parts broken up cinnamon sticks (or buy them already “chipped”)2 parts ginger chips2 parts pink peppercorns1 part dandelion root1 part burdock root1 part star anise1 part whole cloves1/2 of 1 part ground cardamon 1 part nutmeg (from a whole nutmeg cursed in a mortar and pestle)Directions:

In a glass bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. To store the dry tea mixture, place them in a glass mason jar with a two-piece, tight-fitting lid.

To use: Using a tea infuser, use 1 Tablespoon of chai tea blend for every cup of water. (less if you prefer a more mild tea). Steep the tea for 20 minutes.

Serve with your choice of steamed milk (dairy or non-dairy). If you prefer a sweeter tea, add a bit of honey or brown sugar. Garnish with powdered cinnamon and star anise.