Terry Odell's Blog, page 211

What’s Cooking Wednesday — Chicken Chili Stew

Hubster found this recipe in a grocery store promotional mailing, credited to the store’s “Chef John.”

Chicken Chili Stew

Ingredients:

3 T. vegetable oil

2 green onions, minced

1 each red and green bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb cooked chicken (use a grocery store deli roasted chicken!) diced in ½ inch cubes

2 cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed

1 jar (16 oz) salsa

1 T chili powder

2 t ground cumin

1 t coriander

Garnish/Toppings

shredded cheese

sour cream...

A Recipe for Creativity

Today I welcome Gemma Brocato to Terry’s Place. In Gemma’s debut novel, Cooking Up Love, she shares a recipe for romance. Today, she’s sharing a recipe for creativity.

Thanks for having me over, Terry. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where to find inspiration. Occasionally ideas will grow, like a bowl of bread dough rising next to a warm stove, but never get set enough to become the yummy goodness I know they could be. Sometimes, it feels like the yeast isn’t working right. On those occa...

What’s in a Title?

What I’m reading: Murder Passes the Buck, by Deb Baker; Fatal Distraction, by Diane Capri

First, a huge thanks to Maggie Toussaint for her excellent discussion of reader/fan conferences. While she was giving so much of her time responding to comments and offering her advice and experience, I was able to type those two long-anticipated (for me) words to my third Mapleton Mystery: “The End.” It came in at 317 pages, and just under 89,000 words. Of course, that’s not the real “end” of the work. N...

Friday Field Trip — Night Sky in Divide

Jason came up hoping to get some shots of the Northern Lights when they were supposed to get as far south as Colorado. Although they didn’t appear, little stands in his waywhen it comes to finding something to photograph. And, believe it or not, he took these pictures at night when it was full dark. I have no clue why they look so ‘daytimeish.’ That’s why he’s the photographer and I’m just the mom.

Reader/Fan Conferences — Another Look, Part 2

As promised, Maggie Toussaint is back with the rest of her post. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

3) SHOPPING. Fan conferences often have an expanded shopping area in the “bookstore” area. In addition to the panelists’ books, I have observed more collectible books, jewelry, tchotchkes, shawls, hats, clothing, and more for sale at fan cons. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a small town gal, and we don’t have much shopping around here. I’m jazzed to have a conference venue filled with thin...

What’s Cooking Wednesday — Couscous Chicken Salad

In the current WIP, Book 3 in my Mapleton Mystery series, Angie invites Gordon over to sample some dishes she plans to serve in her new catering business. Here’s one that’s super-fast and easy.

Couscous Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 box couscous (I used whole wheat)

1 T olive oil

3 T. currants, raisins, or other dried fruit (chop anything bigger than a raisin into raisin-sized pieces).

3 T pine nuts or other nuts (chopped to pine nut size)

3 T chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

Cooked chicke...

In the Interview Room — A.R. Kennedy

Today I welcome A R Kennedy to Terry’s Place. A R Kennedy is a new mystery novelist. Her debut novel, ‘Gone…But Not Missed’, was released in November 2013.

What book(s) are on your nightstand/by your chair?

I currently have 3 books sitting on my nightstand– all from The King Family. I’ve been a Stephen King as long as I can remember. His newest release, Doctor Sleep, is sitting there. Also, both of his sons latest books are there. Owen King’s ‘Double Take’ and Joe Hill’s NOS4A2

What’s the strang...

Reader/Fan Conferences — Another Look

In my series about conferences for writers, I mentioned that my least favorite were the reader/fan based ones. Fellow Booklover’s Bench author, Maggie Toussaint took the opposite stand, and I asked her to share her thoughts. She did such a great job, her post will start today and finish on Thursday. Welcome, Maggie!

Fan/Reader Conferences – your mileage may vary

Me and my big mouth. That’s what to blame for this blog post. I made the remark that fan conferences were my favorite these days, and...

Friday Field Trip — Wintertime in Aspen

Jason spent Christmas in Aspen, Colorado. Here’s what he had to say:

We spent Christmas in Aspen, Colorado this year. I went into town right as the sun set to capture the lights of this mountain town. No celebrities were harmed during this shoot. I used a small camera (Nikon 1 V2) on a tripod, proving that if you’re in the right place at the right time, the camera doesn’t matter all that much.

(Note from me: Jason’s “camera that doesn’t matter” is likely much more than most of us have!)

Have a g...

Audio Editing

Today, I’m over at The Blood-Red Pencil again. It’s a blog that focuses on writing, especially editing, so I’m talking about the editing process when you’re creating an audio book. Not the same as when you’re writing! Hope you’ll stop by.

And I hope you didn’t miss this weekend’s extra post with ways to win cool stuff. If you did, click here.