Cheryl Howe's Blog, page 2

Gluten-Free Pork Chops Piccata

I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, because I haven’t found anything blog worthy though I’ve been trying new recipes. At a recent doctor visit, I was told I should try to eat more greens. Though I’ve been religiously gluten-free, I’ve strayed into eating too much gluten-free cookies and bread. I think it’s easy to treat ourselves to too much processed food with floury, sugary stuff because of all that us gluten-free people think we miss out on. At least that’s what I did. But I’ve recommitted to eating well with lots of fresh greens. I found this recipe in the March 2013 issue of Good Housekeeping. I converted it to be gluten-free. They used orzo pasta and I substituted it with quinoa pasta shells. Both my husband and I loved it and you can get in a lot of spinach without being overwhelmed by it. Here is my version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

8 oz Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta Shells (I was able to find this in my local grocery store)

4 boneless pork loin chops (the recipe calls for them to be 1 inch thick, but I found thin sliced that were a little less than that)

2 tsp. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free all-purpose baking flour

3 tsp. olive oil

lots of fresh spinach (The recipe called for 5 to 6 oz package, but I found a 16 0z bag and used 3/4 of it. I wish I would have used the whole bag because the spinach shrinks up that much.)

1/2 cup white wine

2 tsp. of minced garlic (I uses the kind in the jar to save time)

1/4 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I probably used 1/2 cup parsley. I used to not be a fan, but then I learned it’s loaded with vitamin K, something I’m looking for with all this green stuff. I always think of parsley as a unnecessary garnish, but the flavor works well here.)

2 Tbsp. capers

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Start heating the water for the quinoa and follow package directions. I boiled for six minutes and drained it because it will cook more. While the water is heating, season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour. I probably used more flour and oil than the recipe called for. Heat some of the oil in the skillet. Add the chops and cook 3 to 4 mins on each side. I probably went a little longer to get them slightly browned. I transferred them to a plate and covered with foil to do the rest so be careful not to over-cook because they will keep cooking like the pasta.

When the pasta is done, dump the spinach into the boiling water with the pasta, then drain immediately. Transfer to a bowl. The recipe calls for seasoning the spinach/pasta mixture with a little pepper and olive oil. We found it a little bland on its own so next time I’m going to add salt and some parmesan cheese.

In the skillet that you cooked the pork chops, add the wine and garlic. Simmer for 2 mins or until the mixture slightly reduces. Remove from the heat. Stir in parsley, capers and lemon juice. Return the pork chops to the skillet and coat with the sauce. Serve the pork over the spinach pasta mix. Next time I’m going to cut the pasta amount in half and use the whole bag of spinach. This recipe seems like a lot of steps, but it’s really easy and it comes together quickly. It’s going to be a keeper for us.

Have a Happy Friday. Improper Pleasures will be available for free on Amazon tomorrow, March 16-20th. Sorry for the lack of links. My cursor keeps jumping and putting anything I try to link at the top of the page. I need to figure that glitch out. It did let me post a new song from Fun below so enjoy.

Happy Flowers

March is my new year. Sumer is my favorite season and Spring lets me know it’s on its way. January and February still feels like last year to me. I’ve learned to roll with the energy and try to make it as productive as possible. I think about what I did last year that I was happy with, and what I completely neglected. One of the many things on my list for this year is my garden. Even my sad little chives have died. I made my cabbage rolls the other night and had to use dried minced onions. They still were delicious, but I have too many empty pots waiting to be filled with plants. I was so focussed on making my books digital last year, I ignored my garden. I’m going with a lot of flowers this year, and some of my favorite herbs. I tried tomatoes two years ago and they were a lot of work. Those suckers get huge. So in the interest of balance, something I’m lacking, and the reason I chose the theme for this blog in the first place, I’m adding gardening back into the schedule.

And I get to see things like this when I work in the garden. It’s a humming-bird on top of our dolphin fountain. Actually I think I was doing a final read-through of The Pirate and the Puritan which will be available mid-March.

I planned on getting this out earlier in the year, but I decided not to be a crazy lady and ignore my family, my health, and the chives plant I plan to buy to replace sad little chives.

In the mean time, Improper Pleasures will be free on Amazon March 16-March 20, 2013.  I’m pushing the third Pleasures book back to late summer/early fall. I’m working on getting new covers for all the Pleasures books so they’ll be easy to identify. The digital version of The Pirate’s Jewel will be available in July. After that, I’ll be working on a new manuscript that probably won’t be available by the end of the year. Thanks to all the readers who have enjoyed my books and even thanks to the ones who didn’t. At least you gave my work a try, and I’m grateful. It’s still amazing to me that I get to sail with Drew on a pirate ship one day, and romp with James in the gazebo the next.

Today and tomorrow my friend’s erotic vampire novella,  is free on Amazon. Sheri is an evocative writer with a different take on vampire lore.

And turn forward your clock on Saturday. Spring has sprung. And just in case you are like me and are just adjusting to 2013, you are not alone.  According to this article  New Years was celebrated as March 1 until 1752 in Brittain and her American Colonies.

Let me know if I am not alone. When does your New Year get started?

Reflect

Please excuse the yucky part of my side yard in the background, but I love this picture. Here is the behind the scenes action.

We are having an exceptionally sunny day and the birds are chirping happily. I like birds and I see a lot of them flying overhead since I live on top of a hill. This is the sunniest day we’ve seen this new year and the wild things and my dogs get it. It’s not even close to noon and Texas Jones wants to catch the first ray of the bright almost spring sunrise. It’s about 10:30 actually. Me and Mr. Jones walked earlier and we were both a little awed about the brightness of the day. Jenny came out to snuggle against Tex and he snuggled back. Jenny’s big yawn is at me coming out and taking their picture. Tex tossed his head back and smiled upside down wich I didn’t get.

Here is another photo I love. Seasons are changing, and the sun is moving out of range. Even so, I’m longing for Spring. I’ve decided to plant tons of flowers this year. And I’m still planning and replanning my publishing/writing year. I wanted to get The Pirate and The Puritan out earlier in the year, but it will be out in mid-to-late March. I decided to edit the story a bit, and get extra eyes on it before it goes live. Here is the first reveal of the cover. personally, I love it.

A Few Favorite Books from 2012

I had a great year in reading. I became a writer because I am an avid reader. My BFF, Michelle Sandlin, recently sent me a slew of old pictures where I either had a romance novel in front of my face or strategically placed in the picture which means I only put the book down for a few minutes. There was an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry is negotiating with Elaine and Puddy to get back together so he’ll still get a good deal on his car. Elaine has to agree to attend one of Puddy’s softball games and NOT read a book. I realized that was me! I’ve read a book walking the dog, getting ready for a party, cooking dinner, watching TV with the family.  Or at least I used to. Writing takes so much alone time along with reading and editing what you wrote, I just didn’t feel like I had time for pleasure reading. But then I realized I wasn’t fully being me or tapping into the thing I needed most: the pleasure of getting lost in a story.

So I decided to make reading a goal. I started out with the intention of reading 50 books in 2012. Fifty, interesting? And yes, I read that and I liked it. I kept thinking, he’s not really going to spank her with serious spanking intent, is he? Imagine my surprise. But I love to be surprised. And I am happy to say I found several new authors I absolutely fell in love with last year. Here are the standouts from so many good books. Oh, I ended up reading 64 books. I went on reading vacations. I began to let my husband know that I would be reading all day. I balanced my reading vacation days with doing that other stuff, like walking the dog, working– which is writing for me, doing semi-occasional laundry, making regular dinners, and being present while with others. I’m making my reading goal this year 52 books. Only fiction novels count. And it must be for pleasure which has led me into so many great new authors. I also read friends’ work for input, marketing books, and research stuff, but I didn’t count that because my writing goal was more about nurturing my desire for creativity and story in a medium I loved unconditionaly before I labeled it as work.

So here are some amazing authors I’d never read before that I discovered last year. Not all were published in 2012.

One of the books that blew me away last year was Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Lord of Scoundrels came out in 1995 and has become a classic. I had heard of Loretta Chase and how good her books were but for some reason, I had never read her. I must have seen someone’s all time favorite historicals and found Lord of Scoundrels. Loved the characters. The hero really had a huge arch. Historical romance fans should not miss this.

I don’t usually read romantic suspense because it’s a bit stressful. I’m trying to avoid anxiety causing emotions at all cost, but I loved Jill Sorenson‘s novel Tempted by her Target and Stranded with her Ex. The edginess and sexual tension with Tempted blew me away. I loved Tempted so much I had to read Stranded with her Ex though I wasn’t sure about a divorced couple reuniting. Well, Jill really brought it with a heart breaking yet hugely uplifting novel, great setting and a happy ever after that I was rooting for. Tears were shed.

The big surprise of the year was my addiction to New Adult novels. I haven’t been in college in quite a while, but I was just awed by Tammara Webber ‘s EASY. Great girl power story and a beta hero I fell for.

And last but not least, I really enjoyed The Price of Innocence  by Susan Sizemore. It’s a historical romance set in Victorian England and features an American heroine paired with an Earl with a pirate past. The story starts with a flashback and is told in the present and in the past. That would usually lose me from the start but Susan does it so well. Gripping story with interesting secondary characters.

Hope you get a chance to read some of these. I’m looking forward to another great reading year and many more new discoveries. And a special thanks to all the readers who have been enjoying my books and stopping by my blog. It means the world to me to know readers are getting sucked into my stories like I have so many other great authors.

Happy Reading! For those who are interested, I’ll be posting about my writing schedule for 2013 soon. Look for The Pirate and the Puritan in late February. Maybe sooner, but I’m doing more editing than I expected. I’m amping up the pace and the sexy stuff!

Here is a Maroon Song 5 that inspired me to pick up my guitar and strum along.

Jambalya

I almost convinced myself not to post this recipe, because I’m not sure how healthy it is, but since I’m also blogging about balance, it’s a good one to have for convenience and yumminess. I made it on New Years day and it would be great for a Super Bowl party. If you started from scratch, you could make Jambalya much healthier, but using Zatarain’s Jambalaya Mix makes an easy crowd-pleasing dish. Though the mix is gluten-free (despite listing soy sauce on the label), it contains Monosodium Glutamate.  It’s low on the list of ingredients but lots of people have huge sensitivity to MSG so be warned. I add a lot of veggies, chicken and turkey kielbasa so it dilutes some of the negative stuff. Plus, I get raves about the Jambalaya. Not sure if the same recipe would fly in Louisiana where I grew up but my California friends dig it.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken tenders

1 package turkey kielbasa

1/2 onion

1 green bell pepper

4 sticks of celery chopped

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Zatarain’s Jambalya Mix (Reduced Sodium)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

14.5 oz fire rosted diced tomatoes drained  (my sister-in-law Janet does this and I tried it and it really adds to the mix)

Saute the chicken in a non-stick skillet in a bit of oil  (about 3 mins on each side)  and season with salt and pepper. After the chicken is browned and cooked put it in a large bowl, then brown the sausage in the same pan.  Add the browned sausage to the bowl with the chicken. Saute the onions, bell pepper, and celery until soft. In a dutch oven, add chicken broth and vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and add the rest of the ingredients. Reduce to simmer for 25 minutes. Lets sit for 5 mins.  This is really great except if you have a bad reaction to MSG. |You can double the recipe if you have a crowd.

Here is a picture of the dogs soaking up the sun in between winter rain.

When I tried to take a picture of Texas Jones on the other side, Jenny went and sat right in front of him. He doesn’t seem to mind. He’s used to Jenny sitting on him. We all are.

I know a lot of people are feeling the jolt of the New Year like jumping into a mountain stream fed pond. Here is a song that references sunshine that I can’t get out of my head. Happy New Years everyone.

Relax, Rejuvenate, Reverence

Nature provided her own light show for Christmas evening. I took this picture at 5:45 pm and the last one I’m going to post at 6:03.  The colors kept changing all that time.

The above picture was taken at 5:49 just after the sun sank behind the horizon. The sky lit up with gold and red.

   Texas Jones needed his walk and below is the sky at my back while an almost full moon was bright and visible in the east. I felt blessed and reverent for getting to see such a gorgeous site on such a sacred day. It did feel like a gift.

Hope you all are getting the chance to relax and rejuvenate after such a busy and eventful holiday season. I plan on taking a few days to read, reflect, catch up with long-distance friends and just recharge for next year.  How about you?

Gluten-Free Creamy Spinach Salmon

This is a picture of an ornament from my husband’s childhood. We even have the original box, clearly from the Sixties. I tossed out the light set because the wiring scared me, but I put all the ten little plastic Santas on the 2012 lights. The box says the white lights are flashing which might be a little scary if you ask me. I tease my husband that these are evil Santas. Their eyes are shifty. And imagine another ten staring at you with flashing white light’s behind them. All in a row.

Thanks for all the readers who have been stopping by and checking out my blog. It’s a work in progress so I hope you are finding what you need.  And for my gluten-free homies, here is the recipe part of the post:

This is so tasty and so simple, and it’s pinkish (almost red)  and green for Christmas.  I make this dish often and I’m sorry I don’t have a picture. The last time I made it my camera was buried under Christmas decorations. I’ll be making it Saturday for a dinner where some people don’t eat meat. It’s easy to make on the stove and most of the ingredients are frozen. Here is a sunset picture and then I’ll get right to the recipe.

The play of dark and light seems appropriate for yesterdays Winter Solstice

I found this recipe in a package of Trader’s Joe’s frozen sockeye salmon. I usually prefer to use fresh everything, but this works so well and is easy, healthy and quick. It works for folks who don’t eat meat as well as gluten. The only thing I did to change it to gluten-free is to use tamari (which is soy sauce made without gluten) instead of soy sauce.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz package  chopped frozen spinach

1/2 cup of half and half (The recipe calls for 2 cups of cream or half and half but I’ve never used that much.)

2 tablespoons of tamari or gluten-free soy sauce

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoons of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb frozen boneless salmon filet (Of course you can use fresh, but with the flavors of the sauce the frozen tastes fine and the theme of this recipe is EASY.

half a lemon

In a 12” non-stick skillet combine all the ingredients except the salmon and lemon. Place salmon atop the spinach mixture skin side down. Cook 20 to 25 minutes at a slow simmer occasionally spooning spinach over the salmon. Make sure the salmon is cooked through.

Hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season.  Here is a very un-Christmas song to get you festive. We’ve been doing this at Zumba.

 

 

The Next Big Thing

I went to the Harbor Parade last Sunday and here is a picture. Thanks to my little brother for taking us out for a cruise. It was a bit cold and damp which shows in the picture, but you get a glimpse of the beautiful San Diego skyline.

And on to The Next Big Thing.  One of the things I like best about being an author is the amazing friends I’ve collected over the years. Chris Marie Green is not only a great friend but my hero. She’s written over 40 books under three different pen names. She also gives great TV recommendations. I never would have dreamed of watching Sons of Anarchy if it weren’t for Chris. So when Chris tagged me to participate in The Next Big Thing blog, I was both honored and humbled. She’s that awesome, y’all.

Here are my answers to the same ten question Chris answered.  Hop on over to her blog to read about her next big thing, Strange Spirits.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?

Uncommon Pleasures

Where did the idea come from for the book?

While working on Improper Pleasures,the first in the series, I fell in love with the secondary characters, Ivy and Darien,  which led to Secret Pleasures.  For the third book, I wanted to write Marcus’s story. I felt sorry for Kerra Bainbridge, a commoner, being thrust on every man with a title.  I wanted to write about the title-seeking commoner that seems to be used often in Regency romances. I think I gave her great motivation  and who else to pair her with than Marcus, the duke in Secret Pleasures.

What genre does your book fall under?

historical romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

My characters take on a life of their own and they have to breathe for me. It’s hard for me to even pick a photo for cover art, so thinking of movie stars is tough. For Kerra, I think I’d choose Scarlett Johanson and for Marcus, Clive Owen.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Kerra Bainbridge, a title-seeking commoner, is caught in a compromising act with Marcus Lamont,  the Duke of Huntingdon, who marries her despite believing he is unable to love.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m going to self-publish.  When I had my first book published in 2003, I couldn’t have imagined the changes to the publishing industry.  The idea that I can select my own cover and make it available to readers is mind-blowing. I’ve learned a lot this past year and have three books currently available for Kindle.  It’s been an adventure and forced me way past my comfort zone but I’m really enjoying the process.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Um, I’m still working on it. I tend to get 3/4 of the way through a draft and decide it’s going nowhere. I start working on something else and then it comes to me later. I do at least four drafts so I always seem to be editing something while I’m working on a first draft of something else.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

With  all the books in the Pleasure Series, I tried to take some of the standard Regency plot lines and give them a bit of a twist. In Uncommon Pleasures, I spun the title-seeking commoner  trope and tried to look at that in a different light. My stories are a little dark and angsty. Not sure what book I would compare this to. My books tend to be dark, sexy and emotional. I love to take antagonists and make them the hero or heroine of their own story.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The characters themselves. I always want them to get their happy ending no matter how stuck I get on a draft.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Uncommon Pleasures is set in the wilds of Scotland and has a very alpha hero. I write both alpha’s and beta-ish heroes. When an alpha like Marcus shows up, I know he’s going to be trouble.  He already came with a lot of baggage from the other books so I had to work with what I had. I find it sometimes hard to make an alpha male loveable but it’s so much more fun to watch them fall for the heroine. Look for Uncommon Pleasures in the Spring of 2013.

Coming soon is Lorelle Marinello’s Next Big Thing blog post. Lorelle was one of my first critique partners. She writes Southern women’s fiction with small town settings and a touch of romance. Check out her latest release Fairhope.

Gluten-Free Green Enchilada Sauce

Aren’t sunset pictures nicer than fog pictures?

I haven’t had a great success rate with new recipes lately. I somehow managed to mess up a Chicken and Spinach Enchilada recipe but discovered a great gluten-free, pre-packaged green enchilada sauce. I looked at about four different products that all contained wheat before I finally found Fontera Green Enchilada Sauce at Sprouts.

I made my enchiladas in a slow cooker and layered them instead of rolling. The flavor of the recipe was great, but the texture didn’t work at all. I was in a hurry and I’m sure I did something wrong. Even so, both my husband and I ate the mush ball result because of the flavor which had to be due to the sauce.

When I looked up Fontera’s website, I was thrilled by what I found. Not only can you buy their product online, they have a multitude of items with whole ingredients and recipes. Though not a strictly gluten-free company, I’ve found that a focus on whole ingredients lends itself to being gluten-free rather than stuff you don’t recognize as food. I’m going to try to make the Green Chile Shrimp Enchiladas.

And for an update on my gluten-free Thanksgiving: I’m happy to report I did a great job with sticking to safe foods. No stuffing, no bread, no gravy. But I didn’t feel deprived knowing from experience that if I blew it, I’d be feeling tired and stuffy for days. I might even risk getting a migraine headache. Though I didn’t make the Chocolate Pecan Pie I mentioned a few posts back, I’ll be doing that before Christmas and posting the results. My step-mom was thoughtful enough to get me a gluten-free pumpkin pie. It was great and it was nice to have dessert with everyone else.

Since my stress-less Thanksgiving success, I feel a lot better about surviving the holidays gluten-free. No more dreams of eating gluten so far.

Here is my current favorite song by Bruno Mars. Though I’ve posted this song before, it’s grown on me enough to meet favorite status. I love the part where you get to grunt if your singing along.

Walking In A Cloud or Dementors on the Loose

This is the flip side of all the sunset pictures I post. Usually, the fog will burn off but this day it lingered longer than usual. I put off walking Texas Jones for as long as possible. The air was thick, wet, cold and the visibility only a few feet. Plus, my mood sucked. There I said it. That’s what I was getting at anyway. Hence, the Dementor reference. If you’re not a fan of Harry Potter (you should be), Dementors are those nebulous things that steal your joy and eventually your soul.  They are surrounded by a cold, dense fog and sneak up on you, freezing you in your tracks.

Above is Texas Jones’s take me for a walk now face which is followed by shrill barking. While I was walking Tex on this wet, foggy day, I noticed several neighbors putting up their Christmas lights the day after Thanksgiving. What are y’all doing to me?

But now it’s the 5th of December and resistance is futile. Christmas is everywhere. Since it’s officially December, I can’t begrudge my kickbox instructor for putting on the rocking Christmas tunes during the sit-up portion of the class. I do like Christmas better than sit-ups. Now it’s not the idea of Christmas that upsets me. I love it in theory and I can even embrace the commercialism. It’s the flip side that hovers above the forced merriment and drags me into the fog. The side behind the merry. The side that won’t be able to be with all the people who are important to me at that special time of the year. My favorite classic Christmas song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas performed by Judy Garland. Listen to the words. That song is sad. So bear with me Christmas Lovers. I’m going to try to get on your band wagon this year. Because do you know what defeats the Dementors? Happy, happy thoughts. The best Happy thoughts ever. And if you can’t drum up any of those, you can watch 40 episodes of Parks and Recreation like I did this week.

Here is a semi-appropriate song by The Fray which doesn’t mention Christmas.