05 May 2013
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Loose id, M/M Fiction, Recipes, Riptide Publishing, samhain press, Science Fiction, Shifters, Supernatural, Uncategorized, Vampires
Tags: m/m fiction, lovers reunited, m/m romance, Missouri Dalton, Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov, GLBTQ fiction, m/m supernatural fiction, friends to lovers, T.A. Chase, m/m contemporary fiction, m/m paranormal fiction, gay lovers reunited, m/m supernatural romance, John Inman, Mickie B. Ashling, Erin Lane, City Mouse, His Heart To Reap, The Hellfire Legacy, Shy, Fire Horse, Leaving Home (Home series), gay characters with SAD, gay cowboys with addiction, gay bullriders, gay reapers in fiction, gay detectives, gay polo players in fiction, established couples
This year we have had a real, honest to God or Goddess spring. The weather has been seasonally cool, with light winds and rain as appropriate. No snow (sorry, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan), no heatwave, just spring and we are not sure how to deal with this phenomenon. How quickly we have forgotten that it is not safe to plant annuals before the first week of May. And board shorts and flip flops won’t be needed really until the end of May or June. But one thing is always constant. And that is that spring and summer always herald is the advent of the grill season.
We started grilleing a week or two ago just as the weather started turning lovely and the ponds and small spring in the backyard called to us to come out and sit a while. And up until yesterday, all of our grilled dinners were delicious and uneventful. Then we decided that planked Salmon would be just the thing for Saturday’s dinner. Off we went to Harris Teeters to buy our fresh salmon and asparagus, then home to soak the planks and get everything ready. I had gotten another flat of red double begonias for the bed in the front yard (needed some extra pop of color), and the cedar planks were in the sink, soaking away. We had the glaze mixed and ready to go. When the time came, the salmon and asparagus cooked beautifully and perfectly on their planks and the meal was wonderful. We sat outside, with our wine, salmon and Bogle Sauvignon Blanc, and dogs of course and basked in the serenity of the gardens and afternoon sun. Then my own special hell hit me with a ferocity that would make the Hulk blink.
You see I keep forgetting that salmon hates me or that my insides hate such a rich and fatty fish. I can eat it about once a year but no more and I already had my one salmon meal earlier in March. Oh the idiosyncrasies of my aging mind , yeay, that’s what I keep telling myself it is but really, I just wanted that darn salmon. It started ominously just a few hours later. A slight twinge and a “oh no, maybe it will pass” thought. But I knew I was not to be so lucky and by early evening, I was commode hugging, Bluto frat boy sick. I mean I haven’t been that nauseous since my college days of Old Frothingslosh and cemetery running. Don’t ask.
By 10:30pm I was actively praying to the gods of Bacchus or anyone else that would listen, to let me just die in my bed before I had to race back to the bathroom, hoping desperately to make it there in time for some more porcelain worshiping. Willow was hiding under the bed, watching with great fascination, Kirby was racing with me, thinking it was a game and Winston of course was sleeping off his bits of salmon. Oh to be a dog, eat some grass and go on about one’s business. And finally it passed, leaving me a wreck in the bed, and thinking “never again”. Sigh.
So that was the great salmon attack. But for those of you lucky enough to eat salmon with a nonchalance I admire, I have included the recipe at the end of the post. Try it out and let me know what you think. We used honey and it was delicious but the maple syrup would be great too.
So here is the week ahead in book reviews:
Monday, May 6: Fire Horse by Mickie B. Ashling
Tuesday, May 7: Leaving Home by T.A. Chase
Wed., May 8: Shy by John Inman
Thursday, May 9: The Hellfire Legacy by Missouri Dalton
Friday, May 10: His Heart To Reap by Erin Lane
Saturday, May 11: City Mouse by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov
So there you have it. It looks to be a great week. Now if I can just stay away from those oysters……
Here is the Planked Salmon Recipe from Epicurious.com:
yield: Makes 6 servings
active time: 30 min
total time: 2 1/2 hr
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons mild honey or pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 (2-pounds) salmon fillet with skin (1 1/2 inches thick)
Equipment: a cedar grilling plank (about 15 by 6 inches)
Cooking:
Soak cedar grilling plank in water to cover 2 hours, keeping it immersed.
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure . Open vents on bottom and lid of charcoal grill.
Stir together mustard, honey, rosemary, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Spread mixture on flesh side of salmon and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
Put salmon on plank, skin side down (if salmon is too wide for plank, fold in thinner side to fit). Grill, covered with lid, until salmon is just cooked through and edges are browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Let salmon stand on plank 5 minutes before serving.
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16 Feb 2013
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Contemporary fiction, Cook Books, Fantasy, Historical, Less Than Three Press, Loose id, No Boundaries Press, Recipes, Riptide Publishing, samhain press, Uncategorized, Vampires
Tags: author bios, author interviews, Author Spotlight, creating believable characters, process of writing fiction, writing fiction, writing process
I always read the author bios at the end of every book I read. Why? To get some understanding into the person who wrote the book I just read, hoping to get some information that tells me how that author was able to pull that fiction out of themselves and put it on the page. It’s the same reason I read authors blogs and interviews. More insight into the author and the process of writing a story.
When I read a Sarah Black story, I know that she is as familiar as her characters with the locations in her stories. And if she is writing about Marines, it’s because she knows them intimately. It is the same with Abigail Roux. She travels to the places her characters will visit so that it is authentic right down to the streets and bars located on them. Amy Lane knits and look at the knowledge that brought to her Knitting series, but just maybe that side passion instigated that series to begin with. The authors pour themselves into their stories, we know that. But how do they do it? Do the characters whisper in their ears, fully born or do they form slowly as character bits swirl into place, one at a time. How is a location chosen and why?
But RJ Scott lives in England and she has a wonderful feeling for locations she has never traveled to. And Charlie Cochrane? Well, needless to say, I don’t think she has promenaded down a street in 1900′s Cambridge lately but you would never know it from the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries series. In those books, England in the 1900′s seems as fresh as present day. So how do they do it? Research obviously but in such a way that it feels real and true instead of a visit to a library. Do they visit museums? Bribe their way into the inventories so they can touch and feel the clothes and artifacts of the era they are writing about? Hmmm, Charlie Cochrane, do you have a hidden list of museum back entrances and docents able to do your bidding? Hmmmmm……
Characterizations will either make or break a story. You can be a marvelous world builder and create a new universe or world full of inventive and wonderous minituae. But if it is then filled with one dimensional characters who all talk and act alike, then your story will lie lifeless on the floor. Characters are the heart and passion of any story, regardless of whether they are human, alien, or something totally different. And it’s the manner in which each author creates the people in their stories that fascinates me. An upcoming author interview with Sarah Black will talk about her process in building her characters. I am sure each author has their own methods to make their creations so believable that we lose ourselves in their lives and stories. I want to know how, how do they bring these beings to life with such force that I still think about them months, perhaps years later.
So, tell me what questions you would ask these or any authors if you had the chance. Is it about world building or characters or both? Do you want to know what a character reads or what bars they visit? How doe they chose what they name their characters? Does it help define the person when you know what music they listen to? I know it does for me.
So gather your thoughts and send me your questions. I will add them to mine in time for the next author spotlight. I am hoping you will be there when the next author spotlight rolls out.
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09 Dec 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Favorite Recipes, M/M Fiction, Recipes
Tags: Amelia C. Gormley, Amy Lane, Andrew, Bailey Bradford, Breathless Press, Cassandra Gold, Charlie Cochet, Dreamspinner Advent 2012 Stories "Evergreen", Isle of Pine winter cocktail recipe, Lee Brazil, Love Land Books, R J Scott, S.A. Garcia, Sarah Black, Total E Bound Press, winter cocktails
I am definitely in the mood for the holidays this year. I am singing carols under my breath, holiday songs are playing on the radio, the tree is getting decorated, and the aroma of Frasier firs and cinnamon waft through the house. Of course the last bit is because our tree is a Frasier and cinnamon Glade was used liberally in every room Kirby ran into after rolling around in some dead guts he found in the backyard. In all my 25 plus years as a naturalist, I have smelled some rotten things but nothing prepared me for Kirby as he ran past me back into the house.
You know they talk about a delayed sense? That was the horrendous smell that kicked in once Kirby was well past me and up the stairs into the living room. And then the smell hit and nausea followed. And there is no way to chase a dog when you have a cane and no breath, so he romped his merry way through the house spreading foul odors and gunk as he went. Yeah not a pleasant afternoon, following him with bleach and towels. And then he had to be sheared to get rid of the smell that not even tomato juice helped with. But not even that deterred me from my Christmas cheer! I am a most determined elf!
So I decided to pile on the pressure and have two reviews a day this week. One a Holiday story and one regular book. The end of the week will find me making the first Winter Cocktail recipe that can be found at the bottom of the page. Let’s try it out together, shall we?
Monday: New York Christmas by RJ Scott
Acceleration by Amelia C. Gormley
Tuesday: Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
Esau (Leopards Spots 6) by Bailey Bradford
Wednesday: Snowbound in Nowhere by Andrew Grey
Cupid Knows Best by S.A. Garcia
Thursday: Lessons Learned, Wishes Earned by Cassandra Gold
Gregori’s Ghost by Sarah Black
Friday: The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott
Willow by Lee Brazil
Saturday: Mending Noel by Charlie Cochet
Colors of Pastor Saul by S.A.Garcia
Winter Cocktail: The Isle of Pines Cocktail:
Ingredients
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup white rum
1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
Ice cubes
Preparation
Bring pomegranate juice and sugar to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Cool syrup.
Pour 2 tablespoons syrup, 1/2 cup rum, and 1/4 cup grapefruit juice into cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; shake vigorously. Strain into 2 Martini glasses. Repeat to make 2 more drinks.
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit!
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02 Dec 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Historical, Less Than Three Press, M/M Fiction, Recipes, Science Fiction, Shifters, Supernatural, Uncategorized
Tags: BA Tortuga, C. Cardeno, Change of Heart series, Christmas advent stories, gay cowboys, m/m Christmas stories, m/m contemporary, m/m contemporary romance, m/m holiday stories, m/m romance fiction, m/m short stories, Mary Calmes, Private Dicks anthology, RJ Scott, Roughstock series, Sanctuary series, The Week Ahead, Torquere short stories
Every year seems to go by more quickly than the last and 2012 is almost gone. It has been a tumultuous time here at home, in Maryland, and the entire northeast. From the scorching heat and drought of the spring and summer months to the recent Derechos which brought high winds and flooding, it has been a regular smorgasbord of geological happenings and meteorological events. We have had a major earthquake from which the National Cathedral and the Washington Monument and other buildings have still not recovered from. A heat wave and drought that killed much of the harvest from land and sea, with water levels down from lack of rain and snow to heat which baked the land and everyone on it. We had high winds, tornados and of course flooding that still did not mitigate the low water table. Really, 2012 has been our version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and it’s not over yet.
Amazingly it was a year ago yesterday when I rolled out by my first blog, scrambling to get my feet under me and figure out what I wanted to say, what I wanted to review, and everything in between. It took me a while to get my voice and now the mutterings can’t stop! The thoughts keep tumbling out, rolling over one another like pebbles in a stream caught in a swift current, some concerned with vocabulary, others focused on eBook covers and design and more still on book content, reviews to be exact. I hope I have helped some of you find your way to new authors or rediscover old ones that you have forgotten. Later this month I will be rolling out my Best of 2012 lists, from Books to Covers. I bet you have been making your lists too. Let me know what book(s) is on them, and do you have a favorite cover artist, like Anne Cain, or even a favorite model? Inquiring minds and all that.
So here’s to the beginning of the end of 2012. I love this time of year, so much to reflect on and yet so much still to look forward to, including the holidays no matter which one you celebrate. I’ll be talking to you soon. In the meantime, look what’s coming up this week:
Monday, 12/3: Private Dicks:Undercovers Anthology
Tuesday, 12/4: The Journal of Sanctuary One (Sanctuary #6) by RJ Scott
Wed, 12/5: Crucible of Fate (Change of Heart #4) by Mary Calmes
Thursday, 12/6: Too Careful By Half, a Roughstock story by BA Tortuga
Friday, 12/7: Eight Days by C. Cardeno (a Christmas story)
Sat., 12/8 3 Dreamspinner Christmas Advent Calendar stories
So now I will leave you with a Vodka Christmas Cake recipe. You simply have to try this…
Once again this year, I’ve had requests for my Vodka Christmas Cake recipe, so here goes.
Please keep in your files as I am beginning to get tired of typing this up every year!
(Made mine this morning!!!!)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1…bottle Vodka
2 cups dried fruit
Sample a cup of Vodka to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Vodka again to be sure it is of the highest quality then Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point, it is best to make sure the Vodka is still OK. Try another cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the fruit up off the floor, wash it and put it in the bowl a piece at a time trying to count it. Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver Sample the Vodka to test for tonsisticity.
Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something. Check the Vodka. Now slift… shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don’t forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
Finish the Vodka and wipe the counter with the cat ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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25 Nov 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Favorite Recipes, Less Than Three Press, Loose id, M/M Fiction, No Boundaries Press, Recipes, Science Fiction, Shifters, Uncategorized
Tags: Amy Lane, Andrew Grey, Gay Holiday Stories, GLBTQ fiction, KC Burn, Left Over Turkey Recipes, m/m contemporary romance, m/m fantasy fiction, m/m fiction, m/m fiction series, m/m science fiction, m/m short Holiday stories, m/m short stories, m/m supernatural fiction, Megan Derr, Taste of Love series, Tere Michaels, Week Ahead in Reviews
Thanksgiving is over, the leftovers have been divvied out to family and friends, and the thought of cooking at the moment leaves me a little numb. On top of everything, I ended up the next day in an emergency care after hours clinic for a fever, sore throat and massive ear aches. So yeah, there’s that too that seems to go with the holidays.
Still the memories of family and good times are warm even if the leftover turkey isn’t and it leaves me plenty of time to read, review and knit a scarf or two as presents for the nieces. The cold weather here in Maryland is bitter, the bird feeders stocked to the brim, and the terriers are snug in their (meaning my) bed. If you need some books to fill your eStockings, here are some I definitely recommend:
Monday 11/26: Mourning Heaven by Amy Lane
Tuesday 11/27: A Slice of Love (Taste of Love #4) by Andrew Grey
Wednesday 1128: Cherish (Faith, Love, & Devotion, #4) by Tere Michaels
Thursday 11/29: Spice ‘n’ Solice by KC Burn
Friday 11/30: Black Magic by Megan Derr
Saturday 12/1 Holiday Stories
Dad’s Leftover Turkey Pot Pie (from allrecipes.com)
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Servings: 12
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup sliced celery
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked turkey meat – light
and dark meat mixed
4 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place the peas and carrots, green beans, and celery into a saucepan; cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer over medium-low heat until the celery is tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the vegetables in a colander set in the sink, and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup of flour, salt, black pepper, celery seed, onion powder, and Italian seasoning; slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens. Remove from heat; stir the cooked vegetables and turkey meat into the filling until well combined.
4. Fit 2 pie crusts into the bottom of 2 9-inch pie dishes. Spoon half the filling into each pie crust, then top each pie with another crust. Pinch and roll the top and bottom crusts together at the edge of each pie to seal, and cut several small slits into the top of the pies with a sharp knife to release steam.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. If the crusts are browning too quickly, cover the pies with aluminum foil after about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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12 Nov 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Cook Books, eBooks, Recipes, Uncategorized
Tags: Apple Braid Recipe, Bread Smut, Juvenile Humor
Now I am sure this is scrumptious but you know, my mind just has to go somewhere much smuttier. What do you think the finished product looks like?
apple braid
by JENNA on APRIL 19, 2011
Hi all, I’m Rachael from La Fuji Mama and am tickled to have been asked by Jenna to share one of my crazy concoctions here on Eat, Live, Run! Jenna is very brave! I’ve had apples on the brain lately, partially due to these three handsome little fellas sitting on my counter top waiting for me to decide what they would become.
I love a good apple pie, but wasn’t really in a pie mood. Then, when I woke up one morning craving homemade bread, inspiration struck. Apples + Homemade Bread = An Apple Braid! So I sliced up the apples into pieces,
tossed them with cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice and threw them in the oven to start cooking while I made the dough for the braid.
When the dough was ready, I rolled it out into a big rectangle, then cut each side into strips. Next I spread the apple filling down the uncut center of the dough, and then crisscrossed the strips of dough over the filling to create a braided effect.
The finished braid went onto a baking sheet into the oven until it was a nice light golden brown. Then I brushed a vanilla cream glaze over the hot braid and set the braid aside to finish cooling. This was the hard part—waiting for the braid to cool. But it’s worth the wait, because the glaze will have time to set a bit, and the filling will have time to cool so that you don’t burn your tastebuds off trying to eat a slice!
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02 Sep 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Less Than Three Press, M/M Fiction, Recipes, Riptide Publishing, Science Fiction, Silver Publishing, Uncategorized
Tags: Amy Lane, Amylea Lyn, Berengaria Brown, Dawn Douglas, football, Gambling Men the Novel, GLBTQ fiction, Jewel Bonds series, m/m contemporary romance, m/m fantasy series, m/m science fiction, Megan Derr, One Day At A Time, Sidecar Cocktail, Solid As A Stone, Summer Sizzle, supernatural fiction, Vocabulary Gone Bad series, Washington Redskins
It’s Labor Day weekend here in the States, a time to hunker down and celebrate the end of summer. For some families this means a last dash to the beach or the start of school. It is also the start of football season. It’s the start of tailgating parties, stadium crowds and team colors. Mine used to be red and yellow, the colors of the Washington Redskins, my family’s team. It all started with my Dad. He loves the Redskins. We have been fans through thick and thin as they say. I can even remember Dad taking me to a Redskin home game when they were coached by Vince Lombardi. That was 1969. My dad and his friend Tom Cox had a group of season tickets and when one of “the gang” couldn’t go, Dad brought me. What a thrill. Redskin fans are beyond fanatical, they are legendary. And every game, RFK shook from the ground to the rafters with their fervor. I will never forget it as long as I live. Screaming until I was hoarse, the people towering around me as all stood to watch a play on the field and then the ride home, Dad’s either thrilled because we won or furious with a loss. Later on, the ride home included Dad listening to Sonny and Sam (that’s Sonny Jurgenson and Sam Huff) dissect the day’s game. We had Redskin blankets, hats, and scarves. We went through the George Allen and Jack Pardee years before we arrived at the Golden Age. That would be owner Jack Kent Cooke, affectionately known as The Squire, Bobby Beathard the GM, and Joe Gibbs, the Winningest Coach of them all. From 1981 to 1992, we basked in the glory that was the Redskins and quite frankly made up for all the years it took to get there.
But 10 years ago, the Squire died and Dan Snyder bought the team. I hung in there as long as I could but the soul went out of them that day. Dan Snyder single handedly has ruined the Redskins for me (and many others). How can you back a team when the owner sues it’s fans? When die hard season ticket holders could no longer afford their season tickets because of the economy (some losing everything), the Redskins sued their fans to recover the costs of the passes, even a grandmother living on retirement! No other team did that. Made the headlines, they recanted, a bit. Still did it though. Then a small free newspaper takes Dan Snyder to task over his actions. He sues the newspaper! I guess free speech is not to be tolerated in Snyder territory. On and on it goes, one man’s arrogance and bad karma wiping out half a century of fans adoration and goodwill.
And now I give up. I won’t root for them any longer. Some will say the very name “Redskins” is cursed. Perhaps they are right. It’s long past the time to retire a name offensive to so many. Maybe I will look around for another team to root for. The Ravens don’t do it for me. I like the Packers and the Saints. So who knows? In the meantime, I have the Capitals and Ted Leonsis to cheer for. And The Washington Nationals have risen above their “Natinals” days to become an inspiration and a team worthy of cheering for and not just because they are winning, but winning in the right way! Go, Nats! Without football, perhaps I will have more time to knit, certainly to read. And reflect on the past.
This coming week’s reviews are:
Monday: Solid As A Stone by Amylea Lyn
Tuesday: Gambling Men, The Novel by Amy Lane
Wednesday: Jewel Bonds series by Megan Derr
Thursday: One Day At A Time by Dawn Douglas
Friday: Summer Sizzle by Berengaria Brown
Saturday: Vocabulary Gone Bad Looks at Sexy(Not) Dirty Talk or Spank Me Harder, Bunny Poo!
Our last summer cocktail to finish out the summer this Labor Day weekend for those of you in the States is the Sidecar!
The Sidecar.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 lemon wedge
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) Cognac
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Cointreau or other Triple Sec orange liqueur
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 cup ice
Directions:
Spread superfine sugar on small plate. Rub lemon wedge halfway around rim of chilled martini or coupe glass. Dip moistened side of glass in sugar to lightly coat outside rim of glass. Set aside.
In cocktail shaker, combine Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into prepared martini or coupe glass and serve.
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26 Aug 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Less Than Three Press, M/M Fiction, Recipes, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Uncategorized
Tags: (Un)Masked, Anyta Sunday and Andrew Q Gordon, Dreamspinner Press, Edward Kendrick, GLTBQ fiction, Lashings of Sauce anthology, m/m contemporary roamnce, m/m fantasy, m/m series, m/m supernatural fiction, Megan Derr, Partner loss, Rodney Ross, Sazerac cocktail recipe, series, Shelton series, Shelton's Homecoming, Silver Publishing, The Cool Part of His Pillow, UK Lashings of Sauce, Weekends, Wick
So, here we are again. It’s a rainy Sunday in Maryland, perfect day for reading and snoozing with the pooches. I was out earlier in the week, gallivanting around and made a quick stop into one of our local nurseries to check out their perennial sale (50 percent off woo hoo!) and what did I behold? A zen froggy waiting for someone to take him home. Really how could I pass him up? Here’s are 2 pictures. He is now perched in all his zen-like concentration behind the fish pond to Kirby’s everlasting confusion. I watch Kirby looking at him every time he goes out and can just see the slow wheel turning in our third smartest dog’s mind. Like “hmmmm, didn’t see that before, wonder if it is edible” “will he play with me?”. Cracks me up everytime. So I believe our zen froggy deserves a name. Any suggestions?
Now on to the Week in Reviews. There were just some lovely books this week. Lashings of Sauce was a standout based on just the shear number of great authors who contributed to this anthology. We run the gamut from contemporary romance to supernatural lovers this week:
Monday: (Un)Masked by Anyta Sunday & Andrew Q.Gordon
Tuesday: Shelton’s Homecoming by Dianne Hartsock
Wednesday: Wick by Megan Derr
Thursday: Lashings of Sauce-a British Anthology
Friday: Weekends by Edward Kendrick
Saturday: The Cool Part of His Pillow by Rodney Ross
Cocktail of the Week: The Sazerac
The Sazerac, created in New Orleans in the 1800′s, an American Classic Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce) club soda
1 sugar cube (preferably rough-cut and unbleached*) or 1/2 teaspoon raw sugar, such as turbinado or Demerara
4 to 5 dashes Peychaud Bitters
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) VSOP Cognac
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) absinthe
1 cup ice
1 lemon
Directions:
In chilled cocktail shaker or pint glass, pour club soda over sugar cube. Using muddler or back of large spoon, gently crush sugar cube. Swirl glass until sugar dissolves, 20 to 30 seconds, then add bitters and Cognac and set aside.
Pour absinthe into chilled double old-fashioned glass or stemless wineglass. Holding glass horizontally, roll between your thumb and forefinger so absinthe completely coats the interior, then discard excess.
Add ice to cocktail and stir until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain cocktail into chilled glass rinsed with absinthe. Using channel knife, cut thin 4-inch strip of peel from lemon directly over glass, then place peel in glass and serve.
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05 Aug 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Fantasy, Favorite Recipes, Historical, Less Than Three Press, M/M Fiction, No Boundaries Press, Recipes, Riptide Publishing, samhain press, Science Fiction, Shifters, Silver Publishing, Supernatural, Uncategorized, Vampires
Tags: Ava March, bisexual fiction, Brook Street: Thief, Carina Press, contemporary romance, Georgie Leigh, GLBTQ fiction, Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane, M. A. Church, m/m novels, Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael, Olympics, Pimm's Cup, Priceless, Serena Yates, short stories, Suicide Point, The Druid Stone, The Florist
It’s August, it’s hot and dry here in Maryland. Normal right? Well, except for the 100 degree days, but the dryness? That’s becoming typical too. We are down about 8 inches here from our normal rainfall, but compared to some of the other states now experiencing record drought conditions, that is nothing. As we hear of farmers and ranchers selling off stock they can’t feed and the Mississippi is down 20 ft in places, along with Lake Michigan recording a water temperature in the 90′s, I think Maryland is getting off easy comparatively speaking. But we will feel it, make no doubt about it. Higher food prices, higher costs in transportation, we are all woven together. A small ripple here becomes a tidal wave there.
So I would like to think that the Olympics in Great Britain are generating tidal waves of good feelings that are crashing upon the shores of many nations. I love watching athletes from all over the world competing and (mostly, what was with those badminton teams?) giving it their best. Did you see that rower from Niger? Never been in a boat, never rowed before, came in dead last and grinned like crazy! And then there is Michael Phelps putting on a show of remarkable physical ability, great team spirit and a happiness that I will remember for some time to come. So many wonderful moments this week from the women competing whether it was gymnastics, swimming, Judo, weightlifting, or women in head scarves running like the wind. I am just glued to my set and don’t see that changing until the very last whistle is blown and the torch goes out. How about you? Are you watching?
So this is what I have been reading in between watching the Olympics:
Monday: The Druid Stone by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane
Tuesday: When Forever May Not Be Long Enough by Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael
Wednesday: The Florist by Serena Yates
Thursday: Priceless by M.A. Church
Friday: Suicide Point by Georgie Leigh
Saturday: Brook Street: Thief by Ava March
Now on to this Sunday’s Feature Cocktail. In a nod to the British Olympics, here is the recipe for a Pimm’s Cup. This recipe is for one drink. Make as many as you like!
Pimm’s Cup Ingredients:
About 1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) Pimm’s No. 1
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ginger beer or ginger ale
1 cucumber slice
1 sprig fresh mint (5 to 6 leaves)
Directions:
Fill highball glass with ice. Add Pimm’s, then top with ginger beer, garnish with cucumber slice and mint sprig, and serve.
Now I am off to watch the Olympics and finish Megan Derr’s Poison, the 4th book in the Lost Gods series.
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29 Jul 2012
by melaniem
in Book Reviews, Books, Contemporary fiction, eBooks, Favorite Recipes, M/M Fiction, Recipes, Riptide Publishing, samhain press, Science Fiction, Shifters, Silver Publishing, Supernatural, Uncategorized, Vampires
Tags: Amy Lane, Andrew Grey, Anthologies, Hank Edwards, Jamieson Wolf, Lee Brazil, London Olympic games, Mary Calmes, Milky Way Martini, Opening Night of Olympic Games in London, Shira Anthony, Shira Anthony and Venona Keyes, summer cocktail recipe, summer cocktails, The Week Ahead
So things are happening all around this coming week. I have been glued to the Olympics in London along with millions of others and that opening night still has me thinking. Words like stupendous, mystifying, amusing, and outright flabbergasted swirled in my head as the spectacle unfolded. Loved the symbolism of the Oak Tree on Glastonbury Tor but wondered how many people went “huh”. The Industrial Revolution and the molten river was very cool. And who doesn’t love Kenneth Branagh reading a passage from The Tempest? Hmmm…dancing doctors and nurses, and hospital beds for the NHS? I am told it is a “veddy British” thing and it must be as that and the “creepy” big baby had me stymied! Mr. Bean had me in stitches from first sight right thru his Chariots of Fire run. I will pass over the digital revolution. I loved, loved the songs! Singing my heart out along with them. But was it only me that it seemed as though I was watching people watch a large tv on tv? Don’t know. Maybe it was just getting late at night. Then came that eye opening, yelling for others to come see, smashing tour de force at the end. Wow! From the torch arriving with David Beckham (scream of joy) on a fast moving boat to the young athletes acknowledging and saluting their past, the older Olympians, to the lighting of the Olympic Flame (so incredible). Then it is all topped off by Sir Paul and Hey Jude singalong. Let me just say I was a totally happy camper when the lights finally went off. And how great was Her Majesty and her corgis, even the fat one?
So I am watching the events this week and with the permanent generator being installed, yes a permanent generator, on Monday. ”Take that Pepco! I should send you the bill.” We are assured of a constant stream of power. A great thing really considering the storms that arrive every night, bringing hail, high winds, and torrential rain to some parts of the area, we just never know where it will hit. So happy dance on Monday, might even post of pic! And no problems getting my posts up – knock on wood. So to the tune of the Olympics theme, here’s the lineup this week:
Monday: Reaping Shadows by Jamieson Wolf
Tuesday: The Man Trap by Lee Brazil
Wednesday: The Trust by Shira Anthony and Verona Keyes
Thursday: Three Fates Anthology by Andrew Grey, Mary Calmes and Amy Lane
Friday: A Foreign Range by Andrew Grey
Saturday: Hired Muscle by Hank Edwards
So we are still trying different cocktails to entertain with and break the heat. Today we are going into outer space for The Galaxy also known as The Milky Way:
Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cups ice cubes
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 2 fluid ounces vanilla-flavored vodka
* 2 fluid ounces white Creme de Cacao
* 2 fluid ounces irish cream liqueur
* 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
How to make it
Chill a martini glass by filling it with 1/2 cup of ice and cold water.
Place 1 cup of ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour the vanilla-flavored vodka, white creme de cacao, and Irish cream liqueur over the ice; cover and shake vigorously. Dump the ice and water from the martini glass and drizzle the inside of the glass with chocolate syrup. Strain the cocktail into the glass to serve.
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