Connie Cox's Blog, page 10
August 5, 2011
Foodie Friday: Restaurant Coupons and Discounts
Today is day number 38 of temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday we were w/out electricity, therefore w/out A/C. So I'm officially declaring the kitchen closed due to heat wave.
But cooking isn't my only hobby. :Taking deep breath here: I confess. I'm a couponer, too. I will spend hours scouring the Sunday paper to save twenty cents on yogurt. But it's not the kill. It's the thrill of the chase, right?
Did you know you can get coupons and discounts on restaurants, too? And not just the chain places.
And this time, I've done all the hard work for you! Here are some legit coupon places that have discounts for restaurants in all price ranges.
Red Plum These are the guys who do the coupons in the paper.
Coupons.com Mostly for groceries, they have occasional fast food restaurant coupons
AllYou Not really coupons, but a list of chain restaurants that have 'Kids Eat Fee' nights. (LOVE this website. It's so –pink! Be sure to explore. It even has a book club section!)
Restaurant.com I just found this one as I was researching this article. Narrowed down the choices to my local area and found discounted gift certificates to my husband's favorite restaurant, Nicky's! I'm bookmarking this website now!
Woman Freebies.com I signed up for the newsletter which sends me more restaurant deals than I find on the website. Just got some great Quiznos coupons from the newsletter. (The website looks a lot like coupons.com but in different clothes)
I saved my all time FAVORITE for last:
Groupon –LOVE Groupon for all kinds of stuff. Had two massages and more than three meals for half price in the last month alone. I really like that it's location specific so I can get discounts for local places, not just chain stores.
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July 29, 2011
Foodie Friday: Cucumber Soup
It's too hot to cook and I have a deadline looming (I LOVE typing that). So here's the world's easiest summer soup.
2 cups plain yogurt (not the vanilla flavor. Just plain.)
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, pureed –many thanks to sister-in-law Sonia for the fresh cucumbers
1/2 tsp dried dill
Blend together. Let sit–covered– in refrigerator at least 3 hours. Overnight is better. (If you don't cover it, it will pick up all the refrigerator smells.)
Serve w/ interesting crackers that are only slightly salty and w/ ice cold cucumber water. (Water that has chilled w/ sliced cucumber in it for a bit.)
That's it! (Great for upset tummies, btw)
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July 21, 2011
Foodie Friday: Fresh Pear Cobbler
We have a magnificent pear tree in our yard. It's not much to look at, due to some broken limbs from springtime storms, but it gives a huge amount of fruit each year.
Despite the drought, this year is no exception. Except–the thirsty squirrels have been stealing those rock-hard, bitter pears, risking my noisy dachshund's energetic attempts to save them. So, I'm picking them even though they are still on the smallish side.
I don't know what kind of pears they are, but they're not the kind that get soft for munching off the tree. They are perfect for canning and cooking, however.
So, here is my favorite recipe for cooking pears. They can be hard as rocks, or mellow perfection and this cobbler recipe will still work:
2 to 2 1/2 cups sliced fresh pears
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 oz butter
3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice (just in case you left anything out)
opt. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ginger–this gives the cobbler a whole new attitude, taking it from country to sassy
(if you don't have one of more of these spices in your cabinet, just substitute more of one that you do have on hand–different every time that way!)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Mix pears w/ white sugar and let stand. Put butter in 2 quart casserole dish and place in 325 degree oven until melted. (This is important b/c you really need to get the dish warm, so don't go the microwave route here.)
Combine all dry ingredients, including the brown sugar and mix well.
Whisk together the milk and eggs. Slowly combine with dry ingredients to make a batter.
Pour over melted butter. Do not stir! Just let it sit in the bottom of the dish. Spoon pears over the batter. Still, Do not stir!The pears will spread out where they need to go on their own.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until nicely browned and pears are tender.
Serve hot w/ homemade vanilla ice cream.
Oh, I have been known to use mace in place of nutmeg. Get creative with it!
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July 15, 2011
Foodie Friday: World's Easiest Brownies
Yes, you could spend a lot of time making brownies, but why should you when you can make these really quickly! And the second best part, next to eating them? They make your whole house smell good.
When my daughter was as young as 3, she could smell the brownies cooking and would stand in the kitchen waiting for them to come out of the oven. (Yes, chocoholism hits early in my family.)
So, here's a keeper recipe to print out for a quick dessert. (I'm making a batch to take to a friend for tonight's get-together which is why I'm sharing this recipe with you today.)
Easy Brownies
1 c. sugar
1 stick butter (the original recipe called for a cube of magarine, so this recipe goes waaay back)
1 c. flour –not cake flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tb cocoa
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp (real) vanilla
optional 1/2 c chopped nuts
Melt butter.
Add remaining ingredients (no need to beat eggs first).
Pour into 8X8 greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Don't overbake.
Oh, another caveat. Don't try to double this. The brownies end up hard and flat. I have no idea why.
Voila'. Much better (and cheaper) than store bought. And you just can't buy that delicious aroma!
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July 12, 2011
Website Joy and Writer Bliss
Hurrah! for small things as well as big things!
To celebrate my 2 book sale, I updated my website. Then I broke it. But now I've fixed it! And my life is pretty darned good right now!
Hoping yours is, too!
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July 11, 2011
Website Sadness
I was just updating my website when–when–it did something funny and now I have to fix things. Will ponder before I experiment this time!
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July 10, 2011
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-10
Was playing around w/ my website until I finally screwed it up well. Now to fix/redesign. {sigh} #
My kind of day! RT @librarygurl: Knitting (@ Starbucks) http://4sq.com/nwcefA #
.@RomConInc Black Swan looked too scary for me! My last movie watched was THOR. #
Kensington is sponsoring their Brava novella contest again. http://bit.ly/mV3769 #
Foodie Friday: Traditional Baby Shower Punch http://t.co/yUlSpva #
It's Foodie Friday, y'all! Traditional Baby Shower Punch– http://fb.me/C7LIkz32 #
This book is set in New Orleans. What's playing on Pandora? Harry Connick, Jr, of course. #amwriting #
Hurrah Tracy Anne! RT @HelenBreit: 5-Star Review of Tracy Anne Warren's upcoming Regency! The Romance Review… (cont) http://deck.ly/~yCFem #
.@Jennie_Lucas Keith kinda sounds like Keenu? He looks like a Ken doll to me, but Ken's not very good. Cam, maybe? #
Happy Birthday Shiloh! RT @Limecello: Hey everyone- did you remember to wish @shilohwalker a very happy birthday today? #
Thanks, k@kimsamsin ! So glad you're following me now! #
.@MalloryGaile Thanks, Mallory! See you Sat at NOLA! #
Thanks! @corazane A big part of this victory was b/c you shared the info on the Medical Fast Track! Many thanks and much gratitude to you! #
.@elizabeth_ah Thanks Elizabeth! I'm really excited about being a new Harlequin author! #
.@SamanthaHunter Thanks! I'm now a Harlequin Medical Romance author! in reply to SamanthaHunter #
.@SarahMorgan_ Thanks, Sarah! Selling to M&B Medical Romance is a dream come true #
.@luvmybooks Thanks! I'm thrilled! I've always wanted to be a Harlequin author! #
. @kekaska Thanks! I missed last Friday's recipe b/c I was in NYC at #rwa11 but will post a new one this coming Friday. #
.@eliza_evans Thanks Eliza! They bought the stories from last Septembers Medical FastTrack. #
.@melissamcclone Thanks Melissa! #RWA11 was very good to me! in reply to melissamcclone #
I did it!!!!!! I sold TWO books!!!!!!!!!!! Remember that medical romance I was writing? The one where she… http://fb.me/198ANL3Sy #
Read Her Little Secret by Carol Marinelli http://bit.ly/mFf9pP #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-10
Was playing around w/ my website until I finally screwed it up well. Now to fix/redesign. {sigh} #
My kind of day! RT @librarygurl: Knitting (@ Starbucks) http://4sq.com/nwcefA #
.@RomConInc Black Swan looked too scary for me! My last movie watched was THOR. #
Kensington is sponsoring their Brava novella contest again. http://bit.ly/mV3769 #
Foodie Friday: Traditional Baby Shower Punch http://t.co/yUlSpva #
It's Foodie Friday, y'all! Traditional Baby Shower Punch– http://fb.me/C7LIkz32 #
This book is set in New Orleans. What's playing on Pandora? Harry Connick, Jr, of course. #amwriting #
Hurrah Tracy Anne! RT @HelenBreit: 5-Star Review of Tracy Anne Warren's upcoming Regency! The Romance Review… (cont) http://deck.ly/~yCFem #
.@Jennie_Lucas Keith kinda sounds like Keenu? He looks like a Ken doll to me, but Ken's not very good. Cam, maybe? #
Happy Birthday Shiloh! RT @Limecello: Hey everyone- did you remember to wish @shilohwalker a very happy birthday today? #
Thanks, k@kimsamsin ! So glad you're following me now! #
.@MalloryGaile Thanks, Mallory! See you Sat at NOLA! #
Thanks! @corazane A big part of this victory was b/c you shared the info on the Medical Fast Track! Many thanks and much gratitude to you! #
.@elizabeth_ah Thanks Elizabeth! I'm really excited about being a new Harlequin author! #
.@SamanthaHunter Thanks! I'm now a Harlequin Medical Romance author! in reply to SamanthaHunter #
.@SarahMorgan_ Thanks, Sarah! Selling to M&B Medical Romance is a dream come true #
.@luvmybooks Thanks! I'm thrilled! I've always wanted to be a Harlequin author! #
. @kekaska Thanks! I missed last Friday's recipe b/c I was in NYC at #rwa11 but will post a new one this coming Friday. #
.@eliza_evans Thanks Eliza! They bought the stories from last Septembers Medical FastTrack. #
.@melissamcclone Thanks Melissa! #RWA11 was very good to me! in reply to melissamcclone #
I did it!!!!!! I sold TWO books!!!!!!!!!!! Remember that medical romance I was writing? The one where she… http://fb.me/198ANL3Sy #
Read Her Little Secret by Carol Marinelli http://bit.ly/mFf9pP #
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July 8, 2011
Foodie Friday: Traditional Baby Shower Punch
Hi all,
Did you notice I missed last week's Foodie Friday? That's because I was in New York City–selling 2 books! I am SO EXCITED! The first book, a Harlequin Medical Romance titled The Baby Who Saved Dr. Cynical will be out February 2012 in the U.K. US release date still pending. Don't worry, I'll remind you 
It's just too hot to cook at my house, with 100 degree temperatures holding steady this past month and three more months of it to come, it seems. So, I'm doing no-cook stuff for a while.
So, about this weekend's recipe–This is the traditional Baby Shower, Bridal Shower and sometimes Wedding Reception Punch that makes these events worthwhile. (Now you know, I go for the food.)
Baby Shower Punch
1 gallon of Lime Sherbet (Raspberry is a completely different, sweeter variation. Orange is awful. So is Rainbow Sherbet.)
2 liters Sprite or 7-up
1 1/2 gallon pineapple juice
Put about 2/3 of sherbet in your Grandma's glass punch bowl. Use silver if you must sacrifice looks for taste
Add about 1/4 of the pineapple juice
Slowly pour in the Sprite or 7-up until the punch bowl is full (Sprite makes it tangier, my preference, while 7-up makes it sweeter.)
That's it! Serve! As you serve, add Sprite and pineapple juice and sherbet as needed.
This serves a polite crowd of forty-ish or a family crowd of about 15-20.
(I think I'll make some myself this weekend, invite over friends and family and serve w/ cake to celebrate the book sales.)
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June 26, 2011
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-06-26
In all the flurry of good writing news I've had lately (which I can't tell you about just yet, even though I'm… http://fb.me/PYcCXTDF #
I'm #reading The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry http://bit.ly/jefIjT #
RT @katehewitt1: Congrats to @LynnRayeHarris who is currently #1 on Borders series bestseller list
Kudos, Lynn! #I'm #reading The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry http://bit.ly/jefIjT #
Hurrah! Book turned in today! Now I can come out and play! #
I'm #reading How Dogs Think by Immanuel Birmelin http://bit.ly/jZZbbE #
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