Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 15
November 9, 2015
Eat– for Good Health
Friends, sometimes the best recipes are the easiest. My method for Chicken Pot Pie uses light cream of chicken soup and pre-made pie crust. On Saturday we hosted a double birthday party of son Johnny and daughter-in-law Jan who both have November birthdays. In addition to our grandchildren, Roxanne and D’mitri, my sister Beth an husband, Jeff, were in the area. Daughters Janice and Marla were home– so Gerry and I expanded our dining room table to seat ten.
The weather in Southern California is cool enough to serve hot food. Temperatures drop into the fifties at night!
I made four Chicken Pot Pies with previously baked chicken breasts, chopped, and plenty of vegetables– green beans, carrots, onions, potatoes.
Directions–
Heat oven to 425°F. I baked pie shells for ten minutes (bottom crusts).
In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes. Lightly boil vegetables and drain. Heat 1 can soup with 1/3 can low fat milk.
Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
November 3, 2015
Wordsmith– I also write books
Are you challenged with writing a back cover blurb for your book? After completing my second round of edits for Deadly Alliance, a romantic suspense contracted with Tirgearr Publishing, I am re-writing my blurb. My headlines for my heroine and hero make a promise. What do they want?
“At a glance” paragraphs have the look of fast pace. My voice emulates suspense and emotion. The snapshot of my story needs a powerful rhythm to convince readers to buy my book. Can you snap your fingers as your read it? My focus is on what Deadly Alliance is about, not on what happens. It’s a love story with a background of ISIS domestic terrorism combined with regular gangs. I stir up human emotion and sizzle. Will he get there in time to save her?
Will readers want to read the first section and then reach for their wallets? Here is my blurb for Deadly Alliance:
AMY KINTYRE does whatever it takes to support others, including the caretaking of her comatose ex-boyfriend, Les. After his death, she emerges with a dream to relaunch her sportswear design business. A bookkeeping position fits her need for a nine-to-five, and she seeks employment with Les’s rugged, opinionated former partner.
FIN DONAHUE is dying to know who steals money from his company. The former army ranger rocketed to fame after a stint in Iraq, but now fights to stay afloat. After the shooting of his shady partner, Les, cash is syphoned at a regular rate. When Amy Kintyre applies for his job, Fin suspects she knows about the company drain and hires her.
Amy unearths Les’s secret bank account, used for Irish gang money laundering, and shares it with Fin. After Amy witnesses a sword fight between a fundraising arm of ISIS and the Irish Waterfront Roaches, she plunges into their crosshairs. Fin offers refuge. Sparks fly between them as danger escalates.
Les is alive. Cheating the Irish Roaches drove them to shoot him, but mistaken identity allows him to wheel and deal with domestic terrorists. Backed into a corner, he must trade Amy for their forgiveness. Stakes are high. Will he get there in time?
October 27, 2015
Eat– for Good Health
Today our daughter Janice put in a dinner request for Chicken Cordon Bleu. Below is my lighter version of the traditional recipe.
Ingredients
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 slices deli ham (1 ounce each)
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup fat-free milk
1 cup crushed cornflakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
SAUCE:
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Sprinkle with pepper; place a ham slice and 3 tablespoons of cheese down the center of each piece. Roll up and tuck in ends; secure with toothpicks. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In another bowl, combine the cornflakes, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Dip chicken in milk, then roll in crumbs.
Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the soup, sour cream and lemon juice until blended; heat through. Discard toothpicks from chicken; serve with sauce. Yield: 8 servings.
October 17, 2015
Eat– for Good Health
A light and high-protein vegetarian egg dish, easy and fast, which can be enjoyed hot or cold with a green salad for lunch or some whole grain bread for breakfast. I love to eat this after a hard workout or bike ride. Serves 2 but easily scalable. Cut in half and serve with toast, a small salad, or some fresh fruit.
Here’s a list of ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, 2/3 cup 1-inch pieces broccoli florets, 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped, 1/2 sweet onion, chopped, 6 marinated olives, chopped, 2 Large Egg Whites, 2 tablespoons whole milk, pinch of salt and pepper, ¼ cup feta cheese.
Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir broccoli, bell pepper, and sweet onion in hot oil until hot, about 3 minutes. Place a cover on the skillet and continue cooking until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes more. Stir olives into the vegetable mixture.
Beat eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper together with a whisk in a small bowl; pour over the vegetable mixture in the skillet. Sprinkle feta cheese over the egg mixture.
Replace cover on the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the egg is lightly browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip the frittata and cook until the bottom is again lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes more.
October 15, 2015
Wordsmith– I also write books
My work-in-progress, Moonlight Alliance, is a romance love triangle. Sometimes as authors we plot too far off the charts, and this is like “man overboard.” I do understand the psyche of the typical romance reader– middle class values! I don’t want to write a book that doesn’t sell, and today I had to pull myself back. I fell into a “bait and switch” but after thinking it over, knew it wouldn’t work in the market. Moonlight Alliance is not a friendship triad or ménage a trois. There’s a place in the genre for that, but those “cooperative” implications differ from my core conflicts. In Moonlight Alliance two women are rivals for one man but don’t know about each other until the last act. The man, Grady Fletcher, is ensnared in a modern day arranged engagement. His childhood sweetheart, Samantha, is the daughter his parents never had. Samantha, however, is an ambitious star who hooks up with a loan shark to fund her publicity. Grady thinks he and Samantha are done when he falls for another woman, Lily. The two women discover each other. Here’s where I veered off the charts– Lily deciding to kill off Samantha rather than the other way around. The reader already doesn’t like overly ambitious Samantha. Lily is the one a reader wants as a best friend.
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October 14, 2015
On Saturday I will doing a group who are making quilts fo...
On Saturday I will doing a group who are making quilts for kids in foster care. My quilting experience is limited to making simple rag-tag quilts, but can cut out squares! I’m looking forward to pitching in.
October 8, 2015
People craft– taking care of yourself
Where are you on the neatness scale, 0 to 10? I’m here to talk about mess, the absence of mess, and the impact on self-esteem. When it comes to writing, I’m organized. I have a story outline, synopsis, and write a blurb prior to writing the actual book. A messy mind is a time-waster, but I’m talking about our physical environment. With house neatness, I’m about an 8. It looks like a 9.5 if you walk in the door. The refrigerator and draws could use some help. I drool over my friend, Mary Alice’s garage!
People Appreciation
Why are refugees fleeing? People are running for their lives. As always, people flee from dangerous oppression and gravitate to freedom, Germany has welcomed almost a million desperate refugees. In Germany they find jobs and safety. Other countries are working to support refugees as well.
That being said, why the heck have 2,000 Westerners travelled to Iraq and Syria (some via Turkey) to join ISIS? Over 100 are from the U.S., about 500 from the UK, and more than 700 from France? These estimates are from the CIA and authorities in those countries? The answer is that they are lonely and desire friendship. Isn’t that frightening.
October 6, 2015
Eat– for Good Health
After four days in San Francisco, I am still craving seafood! Here is a delicious concoction of seafood and risotto. No fail! 
ingregients:
5cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
2cups Arborio rice
3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 large tomatoes (1 pound), finely chopped (2 cups)
2½ to 3 pounds mixed raw seafood (12 ounces cleaned shrimp, 1 pound cubed halibut, 1 pound mussels)
2tablespoons chopped tarragon, plus leaves for garnishing
Crushed red pepper, for garnishing
Directions:
Heat oven to 400° F. Combine the broth and clam juice in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until very hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
Combine the rice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the hot broth mixture in a 4-quart baking dish and stir. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the rice is almost cooked through and slightly soupy. Stir in the tomatoes, shrimp, and halibut and arrange the mussels on top. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes longer, until the rice is tender and the seafood is cooked through. (Discard any mussels that do not open.)
Mix the chopped tarragon with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a small bowl. Drizzle the tarragon oil on top of the risotto. Garnish with the red pepper and tarragon leaves.
September 20, 2015
Eat– for Good Health
The number one leafy green in my garden is not lettuce or spinach, but the rustic Mediterranean green known as arugula or rocket (Eruca sativa). …. I brought the seeds from London and have tried successfully here in home. My salad below consists of arugula drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss and shave thin pieces of Parmigiano over the top.
