SPRING IS HERE AND FRESH TASTES ABOUND

Betty Jo Schuler

Have you planted your Spring garden yet?  Lots of good eating from the season…and some of it is ready to pick and eat 

I’ve always loved reading and can lose myself in a good book.  I got my first bee sting when I was a preteen sitting in a porch rocker and a pesky ‘fly’ kept bothering me and I kept swatting at it.  Yeow!  I still read a lot but open my eyes to buzzing sounds.

Another passion of mine is collecting recipes and preparing new dishes.  There were a lot of steps between the book and the bee and the book I wrote that launched my new career. 

My husband and I self-published it (an adventure in itself), had it printed and sent out flyers.  Creative Dieting, reviewed by a major tabloid, sparked a lot of interest and assignments for other publications. It was a science to write an appealing seven day diet with the exact calories and fat but I loved doing it. Then after a few years, Healthy Foods took center stage and the word “diets” almost disappeared, taking the fun and challenge out of writing them.

However, I still love recipes and I’d like to share them with you.

One of my favorites. 

CARAMELIZED BROILED ASPARAGUS   This great recipe caramelizes the sugar of the asparagus and really brings out its sweetness. Ez-Peeze to prepare.

1 pound asparagus (thicker spears)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat broiler.

On a baking sheet, toss the asparagus with the oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to coat. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer and broil 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the baking sheet occasionally until the spears are tender and slightly charred.

OVERNIGHT SALAD (So handy for picnics and potlucks)

½ lb. bacon

1 head cauliflower

1 head lettuce

1 C. Mayo

¼ cup sugar

2 or 3 green onions

Salt, pepper, grated Parmesan

Clean vegetables. Break cauliflower into small pieces. (I mostly remove the hard stem part.)  Cut up lettuce and green onions. Toss (no dressing yet).

Microwave the bacon. Break into bits.

Mix sugar and mayo (or Miracle Whip). Spread across the top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, grated Parmesan, and bacon. Cover and refrigerate for the next day. Toss when ready to serve.

CUCUMBERS IN SOUR CREAM (refreshing side dish)

2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

½ C. dairy sour cream

1 T. sugar

1 T. vinegar

½ tsp. salt

            Combine cucumbers and onion.  Stir together sour cream, sugar, salt, and vinegar.  Toss with vegetables.  Cover and chill, stirring occasionally.  Makes 3 cups.  (I like to use red wine vinegar and fat-free or “light” sour cream.)  Enjoy!

MINTED NEW PEAS

½ C. chopped green onions with tops

3 Tbsp. butter

2 cups shelled peas or 10 oz. pkg. frozen

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp salt and ¼ C dried rosemary, crushed

Cook onion in butter till tender. Add peas and rest of ingredients plus 1 Tbsp. water. Cover and cook till peas are just tender (10 to 12 mins)., adding a little more water if needed. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon twist.

So here’s one more dish that you might want to make for company…

LETTUCE WRAPS OR CUPS   So versatile and less calories than burritos, they’ve become quite popular. This is a recipe my sister-in-law used to serve with Fritos for dipping. But you can serve it over lettuce and it’s more like a main dish.  I like shredded lettuce.  There are so many types of lettuce and then there’s spinach and other kinds of greens.  If you need help distinguishing between them, ask the produce manager.

PARTY CHICKEN SALAD

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.

½ C minced celery

¼ C. minced onion

2 big dill pickles, minced (or sweet if you prefer)

½ C. sour cream (regular or fat-free)

½ C. mayo or mayo-type salad dressing

Salt, pepper, dash sugar

Dash of dill pickle juice  

            Cook chicken and cool.  Process or grind chicken, celery, onion, and pickle.  Mix sour cream, mayo, salt, pepper, and sugar together, then stir into the chicken mixture. Chill for several hours so flavors blend.  (I use fat-free sour cream and fat-free Miracle Whip in this recipe and it tastes delicious. (I just can’t ditch the diet director role. LOL)  

Male Wanted by Betty Jo Schuler

Link: http://amzn.com/B005G5VCRY

Taylor Gayle advertises in The Town Crier for a male to date, but Max Stuart misprints her ad to indicate she’s looking for a “sadomasochistic male to mate” and includes her address. To atone for his mistakes, Max becomes her live-in protector. Now, who’s going to protect this high school librarian from the unbelievably sexy newspaper editor? And who’s going to save Max from this feisty Plain Jane’s charms?

            IS your mouth watering YET?   Thanks for reading and “eating” with me. Betty Jo 

Schuler 

.

New Releases at Books We Love, and don't forget to enter our contest to win a Kindle Fire while you're visiting. www.bookswelove.com

We've had some terrific new releases this past month.  From the story of a plantation owner's son who sets out on a terrifying and perilous journey, determined to find the Ohio River and freedom for his best friend and his friend's parents, despite the fact that all three of them are slaves that belong to the young lad's father.

Then we have another of Juliet Waldron's amazing historicals.  This one, the first of a two book set, is based on the early years of Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the United States Treasury

Cheers, Chocolate, and Other Disasters will be sure to delight young adults, and with the way the smart and timely way this book deals with issues like bullying and BFFs, it's sure to be appreciated by young readers and parents alike.


For historical fans, Diane Scott Lewis' historical mystery, suspense is an absolute treat.  Readers love Diane's books, and this one is really special.  I'm a mystery reader myself, and I can tell you that this is one book you're going to really have to work to figure out the puzzle before the author finally reveals all.

And Fantasy is definitely on the table. Jane Lane-Walters treats us to two more of her flights to other worlds.  Temple of Fyre and Dragons of Fyre, take us to the mysterious and very scary Island of Fyre.  You won't want to miss these two treats for Fantasy fans.

Frank Talaber, a new to Books We Love author has thrilled us all by bringing his novel based on a legend direct from Haida Gwaii culture.  Set in what was formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, this Native mystery will have you turning the pages as fast as you can.  Raven's Lament is based on a legend as old as the culture.

The second book from ever more popular romantic suspense author Kelly Janicello is sure to delight romance and mystery fans alike.  If you've read, Remember Me? then you're already well acquainted with this authors sharp and witty style, and if you haven't read it yet, then this is a perfect opportunity for you to click the cover of Roses are Red, and get them both.  All BWL new single releases are released as Amazon exclusives and priced at only $2.99.

Last, but definitely not least,  the long awaited Lee Killough, second edition update to The Doppleganger Gambit has finally been released at Amazon.  A very realistic police procedural science fiction... talk about rare, and from a  Hugo nominee, it's a real treat.  As one reviewer said: 

“Police Procedural SF is rare — that makes Ms. Killough’s fun romp all the more appreciated. The characters, plot, indeed the whole future society are very well developed in this novel.” SF Review 34  

CLICK TO BUY		CLICK TO BUY		CLICK TO BUY

I Dare You. I Double-Dog Dare You! by Tia Dani

Time's Enduring Love, our historical time-travel is a 

Books We Love 2014 best seller.

http://amzn.com/B00EVXABV0

The fact we've been writing together for a very long time still amazes us how well we work together. The reason? There's a strong bond of trust between us and, as we've always said, "Our friendship is imperative", beyond any other emotion or personal quirks.

What's one of those quirks, you ask?

Well, we're a bit competitive.

Pushing our limits has become a challenge. For example, we are "dogged" determined to dig deeper and deeper into our current story in progress. Which makes it kind of difficult since, at the moment, we're working on two stories at once. One is a paranormal and the other a futuristic. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Have we mentioned before we're eclectic? Yep, it keeps things interesting for us.

Anyway, back to our competition. We call it our Double-dog Dare. Here's what happens.

An initial story gets written.

So far, we're good with what's on the pages, but it really needs to zing.

Tia, ever thirsty for drama and spine-tingling action, takes off and inserts all kinds of spooky, weird, unusual, and not your run-in-the-mill happenings. "Hmmm," she chortles and rubs her hands. "What disaster can be added to intensify the story?"

Dani, however, forever the romantic, plunges into the protagonists' love quandary. How she can push the boundaries and build their relationships. She loves to dream about how passionate our hero and heroine can have it and build the sexual tension. She smiles and asks…"What incredibly sweet or spicy thing can I do to them before disaster strikes?" With that, she blissfully types away.

Dani calls this the fun stuff. Tia calls it the gooey, hooey stuff. Uh-oh, our personalities are showing.

Working together and daring each other to push harder is how we create realistic characters, strong emotion, and a story line that keeps our readers entertained all the way until the end.

Take for example our paranormal story we're working on right now. The story involves quite a bit of Apache Indian culture and Arizona history. The story didn't start out that way. It originally started with the hero and heroine meeting on a guest ranch in northern Arizona. 

Okay, simple, but not exactly a hand wringer.

Then we into competition mode. And one chapter developed into another.

The hero and heroine soon find themselves drawn into a battle of metaphysical beliefs. Two Apache lovers have been trapped in time by a shape-shifter's curse. The lovers? Well, Dani won that round…lots and lots of emotional and physical love scenes.

Once Tia gives in to Dani, she insists there has to be a twist. Ensnared within her own spell, a jealous Apache woman vows that no one will ever free her captives.

Sounding stronger…BUT…the bar has to be raised higher. Tia pushes for the past-life regressions to be dangerous and scary. Dani agrees, but insists the heroine and hero must find themselves strongly bound together through time and other lives.

Kinda of a draw wouldn't you say? Round one to Tia. Round two to Dani. Round three. A mutual agreement: The love between the hero and heroine must be strong enough break the curse cast by the evil one.

To find out how it happens...you'll have to read the book.

One more thing though.

Before this book is ready to send to our publisher, we have one more step to achieve. Make sure our historic storyline stayed believable all the way through. So, off we went the world acclaimed Heard Museum in Phoenix for research. It ended up being a wonderful adventure. Not only did we discover some Apache objects to enhance our story, we also learned that many of the incidents we wrote were darn near spot on. (Spine tingling and lifting neck hairs hit us both.)

Some of the Native American jewlery on display at the Heard Museum.

 Apache wedding dress.

Navajo blanket robes. The Apache traded for goods and would very likely have blankets like these.

Apache footwear on display.

It was a perfect day to enjoy lunch on the patio and make some notes. We have learned the hard way...write it down while fresh in our minds.

We also enjoyed a glass of Twisted Cedar Native American Wine. http://heard.org/

Final round to the competition? To our powerful channeled spirits who helped us become one with the book.

As far as the futuristic…that's an article for another time…After we manage to say farewell to our Apache spirit guides and attempt to contact our space-aged, highly-advanced guardians for more help. Won't that be fun?


To find out more about the writing team Tia Dani and our books visit us at:
http://bookswelove.com/authors/dani-tia/  
http://tiadanismusings.blogspot.com/

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/TiaDani 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiadani.author

Bio: 
Tia Dani is the multi-published writing team made up of good friends Christine Eaton Jones and Beverly Petrone. Together they create endearing and realistic characters, humorous dialogue, and unusual settings. And…best of all…they’re having the time of their lives.

Storytelling has been a passion for Christine (Tia) since childhood when she regularly enthralled the neighborhood children with make-believe fairy tales and wild adventures.

Always the lover of a good romance, Beverly's (Dani) goal is for you to step into the shoes of her heroine, fall head-over-heels in love with her hero, and most of all believe in the magic of love.

Tia Dani happily calls Arizona home where they play in the sunshine and dance in the twilight of the beautiful Sonoran desert.