Wednesday Recipe - Tex-Mex Turkey Soup

Pulled this from Allrecipes.com where it was submitted by SStrawder when looking for something a little different to do with leftover turkey.  We've finished the leftovers from Thanksgiving, but I have a small turkey in the freezer that I'll roast to get in a lot of meals for the holidays.  We love spicy and this soup sounds interesting, so I'll give it a try with the leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 4 cups water
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup salsa
• 4 cups shredded cooked turkey
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Toppings:
• 6 cups corn tortilla chips
• 3/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Stir in water, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, shredded turkey, parsley and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until bouillon cubes dissolve. Add black beans, corn, sour cream and cilantro. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Serve soup with crushed tortilla chips, chopped green onion, shredded cheese and additional cilantro and sour cream.

Monday Updates!

Had a wonderful weekend and though edits await, I took a little downtime on Friday.  I think I'd reached the 'fried' point and this morning I feel ready to tackle edits and lots of other stuff!

Saturday was a book signing at Barnes & Noble with the delightful Jeanne Stein and Bernadette Marie.

Left to Right:  Moi, Jeanne C. Stein and Bernadette Marie

Thank you to all our friends and family who came out to support us and to the new readers we met.  Our table was setup close to the Nook counters and let me tell you, there's going to be a lot of happy readers Christmas morning.  Non-stop traffic asking questions and walking out with packages in their hands.  A number of them stopped and talked with us and asked if our books were available in eBook too.  Yes, yes and yes again!!!  Of course, the Powers at B&N have not, for whatever reason, added the e-book of Beyond Magic, but All Romance eBooks has it in a format that will work for the Nook.

And I'm happy to report, the newly re-release of Making Christmas is available at Amazon for Kindle now.  http://www.amazon.com/Making-Christmas-ebook/dp/B006E3MONS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1322489425&sr=8-6

Today, I'm focused on edits and thankful there are lots of leftovers so cooking won't be a distraction.  And remember, Wednesday a new recipe and this Friday, the Chocolate Diva, Joleen Allis will share more with us on the 8th food group!

Hope you have a terrific week!!  Would love to hear what you're up to!



Making Christmas Now at Musa

Making Christmas, a Civil War Historical is available at Musa Publishing now.  http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=61

Even during the Civil War, Christmas is made with love.
Wounded in a skirmish, Callie Marsh’s disguise as a Confederate soldier is discovered by the doctor who treats her. Working with him in the hospital she learns no matter what color uniform a soldier wears, they all miss family during the holidays. And that an enemy doctor can be the man of her dreams.

Dr. Tom Kent knows the safest place for the woman is working by his side. Their constant interaction has him wanting more than is smart considering their division of philosophy. His determination to keep her safe is hindered by Major Henry Ash’s decision the young prisoner would make an excellent aide could put her in danger of discovery.

Will Callie be able to set aside her dislike of Yankees to make Christmas for the enemy and especially for the man she’s come to love?

Thomas Kent filled his tin cup with a stiff shot of whiskey and slipped the bottle back into its hiding place at the bottom of his satchel.  He’d never been much of a drinker before he joined the Union Army.  Now the haze of alcohol was the only way he could get any sleep.

What had possessed him to give up a thriving medical practice in Maryland?  His fiancée had asked the same question in the one letter he received from her.  She didn’t bother to wait for his answer.  By the time he sat down to attempt to explain his determination to help save the Union, Beth married the shopkeeper in their small town.

The last gulp of the rot-gut tasted no better than the first, but it didn’t matter.  Since they’d left the devastation of Atlanta, he’d gone through most of the stash he’d brought with him.  With luck, the scavengers who went out each morning to purge the countryside would find a still.  Granny’s hooch was better than nothing.

Whoever said “war is hell” had it right.  Even if he wasn’t on the front lines facing life and death, he dealt with the results every day.  The blood, the gore and the death.  Some he could save; a lot of others he couldn’t.  Those were the ones who kept him awake…them and the others who said they wished he’d let them die instead of taking their arm or leg.

Emptying the cup, Tom reached down to the bag beside the table he used as a desk.  Shouts for Dr. Kent stopped him from pulling out the bottle his hand had been clasped around.

“Doc, we got us a wounded Reb here.  Just a kid really.”  Sergeant Johnny Oaks entered the medical tent with a young boy thrown over his shoulder.

Poor kid didn’t even earn the luxury of a litter.

But litters weren’t carried by scouting patrols.  They needed to move as quietly and unnoticed as possible.

“Yeah, I told him not to bother, but you know how stubborn the sergeant is.”  Corporal Sam Jones swiped a blood-crusted hand across his mouth, leaving a streak of blood, and looked in disgust at the sergeant.  “I mean if the kid don’t bleed to death, he’s going to wish he had.  Not only did he take a couple of bullets in the shoulder, but looks like he lost some of his man parts too.  Think I’d rather be dead than gelded.”

“Put him over here, Sergeant.”  Tom ignored the corporal’s comments and moved the stack of blankets from the cot where he wanted the boy.

Sergeant Oaks eased the kid down and Tom saw what Jones meant.  Blood dripped on the dirt from the injured arm.  Tom made a mental toss on which needed attention more from blood loss…the arm or the splotch of red covering the front of the boy’s pants. 

“If it’s okay with you, Doc, I’m going to see about getting a bite to eat.  We were gone longer than anticipated and ran out of rations.”

Tom nodded and Sergeant Oaks headed for the tent entrance.  Jones, on the other hand, craned his neck for a better view.  Some people were attracted to gore, a side of human nature Tom didn’t understand.

“Thank you Corporal.  You should probably join the sergeant and get something to eat.”

“Yeah.”  Jones hesitated and disappointment registered on his face that he wouldn’t get to see how bad the damage was to the boy’s private parts.  He cast a glance in the doctor’s direction and shrugged.  “Guess I’ll do that.”

Tom pulled the tent fly closed behind him.  Jones would be spreading the news and a bunch of prying eyes weren’t needed.

Alone with his patient, Tom laid out the instruments he thought would be needed:   sharp scalpel, the prod to fish for bullets if necessary, strips of cloth, a bottle of ether and opium for the pain if the kid came to.

He pulled the stool he used to work on patients up close to the low cot.  He studied the boy for a brief minute then sprang into action.  

Might as well start here.  The shoulder looks pretty bad and is bleeding more than his other wound.

Tom didn’t waste time unbuttoning the shirt.  He ripped it open, scattering buttons onto the dirt floor of the tent.  If he was honest, he was delaying his examination of the mutilated organs between the boy’s legs. He needed time to adjust to the idea.  He’d never had to remove someone’s manhood before and the thought made him uncomfortable.

“What the—?”

Read another excerpt:  http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=61

Happy Thanksgiving

Off to finish my cooking for the items I'm taking to daughter's gathering.  I'm thankful for so much in my life and feel truly blessed.  Here's to a wonderful day for all whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.  It would be great to have a world filled with peace, but let's make the best of the one we have and focus our thoughts and energy to that happening some days.

Recipe Wednesday -- Yep, More Holiday Calories!

The Twix cookies that Toddler and I made last week were a major hit with all who tasted, including me.  That's why they will be made only for large events where they are consumed in large quanties by someone other than me.

Yesterday, I made the Pumpkin Soup recipe I posted a few weeks ago.  YUM!  DH went back for seconds and given he's trying to cut back after wolfing down so many of the cookies from last week, think it got an A+ from him.  I will confess it is spicy, so if you're not into a lot of spice cut back on the hot sauce and the chili powder.

Today, I'm sharing a cream cheese cookie recipe that is different than the one I've made for years.  Think I may try this for our annual cookie bake the first weekend in December though I know Daughter will make the traditional ones...her fav!


Cream Cheese Cookies With Caramel Topping
(from SouthernFood.com)

The cream cheese cookies are more like pastry, made with a simple flour, cream cheese, and butter formula, but they get plenty of sweetness and flavor from the caramel and chocolate topping. Make these cream cheese cookies for Christmas, Halloween, or any occasion.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 37 minutes

Yield: 2 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 20 to 28 pecan halves
• 1 bag (14 ounces) caramels
• 1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• sprinkles or colored sugar, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.Place softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Gradually add flour to form a dough. Chill dough in refrigerator. Roll out and cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter; arrange on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and press a pecan half onto each cookie. Place an unwrapped caramel on top of each cookie. Return cookies to oven and watch closely, baking just until caramels are melted, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave.
Using a buttered knife, slightly flatten caramels. Stir the melted chocolate chips and spread about 1 to 2 teaspoons over the top of each pecan half. Top each cookie with sprinkles or colored sugar, if desired.
Makes about 20 to 24 2-inch cookies.

Monday Starts a Week of Thankful

This Monday kicks off a week of celebration here in America, Thanksgiving week.  Granted, we should be thankful every day; this time of year brings home the focus of grateful. 

Our week of thanks actually started Saturday when three of our granddarlings came for a sleepover.  Ranging from Teen to Toddler, the interest levels are varied, but the one thing they have in common is all three think the Nana and PopPop are cool.  The teen informed me on a short shopping outing with just the two of us, that we are fun because we don’t want to just sit around.  She’s grateful for grandparents that like to do things, watch fun movies or talk about books…imagine that! 

Later is week, we’ll have a gathering of the local clan and friends.  Daughter and SIL will host the gang and we’ll overeat, laugh a lot, referee kid disputes and be exhausted at the end of the day.  But we do this every year and it builds memories, some of which my adult children share with their darlings from their younger years, and that’s what makes it all worthwhile. 

Here’s a few of the things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving and every day. 

My husband -  A man who makes my life so much easier through his support and encouragement of my dreams.   

My children -  All four have grown in to adults I’m proud to say “they’re mine” when I have opportunities to introduce them.

My granddarlings -  Eight of the little delights ranging from teens to toddler.  All of them loving and caring, but still kids who can drive you crazy at times.

My friends -  I’m blessed to have people in my life that have been around a lot of years, who I can depend on to listen and have my back.  It’s a two-way street because they are that important to me.

 My career -  Yes, this year brought a setback with the publisher that had most of my work, but I’m going to use that as motivation to produce better work.  The out of contract novellas I’m going to rework the ones that time has given me insight on making into better books.  I’m very grateful to be in an era where one can self-publish.  I’m also blessed to have publishers step forward and offer a home to any I want to send their way.

And my fans -  I’m blessed to have made new friends through my writing.  There have been several who have read my books and written to tell me how much they enjoyed them.  Through our exchanges, a friendship has developed.  In addition to cherishing my old friends, I love to make new ones.

Now it’s your turn to answer my question.   What are you thankful for?

Recipe Wednesday -- Twix Your Holiday Sharing

On my recent trip to South Dakota, daughter-in-law shared a recipe for a take on Twix candy bars.  There are other recipes on the internet that call for making your own shortbread (the base for Twix), but if you’re short on time this turned out pretty well.  This one calls or peanut butter added to the chocolate, but I think my next go round we’ll try them without the PB, maybe add half & half to the chocolate chips to keep them smooth and creamy for spreading/dipping, instead. 

Be forewarned, this recipe makes a LOT!  This is an excellent recipe for the Holidays for cookie exchanges and parties.   And since I love the tasty end results and am trying to cut back on sweets, my neighbors are lovin’ me on this batch…LOL

Homemade Twix the Shorter Way     

2 Rolls sugar cookie dough

1 bag caramels

1 can sweet condensed milk

1 stick butter

1 bag chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter

Smash cookie dough into a jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes and cool

Melt caramels with sweet condensed milk and butter and until caramels are smooth, stirring frequently.  Spread over baked cookie dough and refrigerate to chill.

Melt chocolate chips with peanut butter.  Spread over caramel.  You can also cut the caramel/cookie base into slices and dip in chocolate for a fancier appearance.

My changes:

I didn’t have a pan deep enough so used 2 9x13 glass baking dishes which required a longer baking time.  In the future, think 3 pans of this size would work better since the cookie base turned out a little thick.  Also, lining the pans with a quick release foil could make the finished product easier to get out of the pan and cut on a cutting board.

But all things considered, the end result put a smile on the face of all who sampled around here.  Thanks DIL for a great recipe to add to my store when I need a yummy that I for a large gathering. 

Monday Musings - The Sad with the Glad



I’m excited to learn Musa Publishing is rereleasing Making Christmas on November 25^th.  The novella set during the Civil War and Sherman’s march through Georgia received good reviews, including a recommended read from one reviewer.  So thank you, MUSA for offering me a contract.

I confess to being down a little over the past several months.  Few things are more disheartening to an author than having to deal with publishing issues and being forced to take down books from their website because of those issues.  But if the publisher ceases to furnish documentation on royalties earned or not earned to their authors and then payments become later and later to the point they cease altogether, then action by the author is needed. 

So yes, I joined a lot of author in removing my books from my website and contacting 3^rd party sites requesting they remove my works listed from that publishing house.  Now I look at a website with 2 books listed and feel as if I’m starting over on my adventure into the world of publishing.  It makes me sad, but it’s better than sales that are on the level of pirate sites as in no payment to the authors, though with a sinking publisher there is a contract that says authors should be paid.

The past may be frustrating, but the future looks good.  By the end of 2011, hopefully, the covers of four additional books will be joining the current two on my website.  In addition to Making Christmas, Emerging Magic the 2^nd book in the Magical Love series should be available (at last, but my fault), as well as a Christmas short with Passion in Print Press. In addition, a revised and expanded version of the award winning Struck by Lightning will be self-published in eBook under a new title.

But today, join me in celebrating the upcoming rerelease of Making Christmas on November 25^th.  Let's all push away the sad and focus on the glad and on making this holiday season a good one in all areas of our lives! 

Today's Guest--- Emlyn Chand!

Today's guest is Emlyn Chand, author of Farsighted, a paranormla YA that I loved.  Do yourself a favor and check out Farsighted as well as lots of information at the end of Emlyn's blog here.  You won't regret it!!! 

Take it away Emlyn Chand, author of Farsighted

 

Did you resolve to read more this year?  Maybe you've dubbed this year as the year you finally start your own book club.  To be successful with either of these goals, you'll need to keep that all-consuming passion for reading alive.  Here are five examples of what NOT to do.

I have been guilty of each and every one of these bibliophile misdeeds. To avoid making these mistakes, it helps to be cognizant of what they are and how they may put-off your love of reading. My list is, of course, not exhaustive. Please feel free to add other ways in which your enthusiasm for the written word has been destroyed or derailed.

1. By taking too long to finish reading a particular book - many a decent book have been utterly destroyed for me simply because I took too long to get through them. Sometimes this is because of a busy work or personal life that interferes with my time that is generally allotted to reading; others it is because I am reading the wrong book.

2. Because of reading the wrong book—what makes a book wrong? Some people say that if a book does not grab you in the first 50 pages that you should give up reading it. I don’t know if I, however, subscribe to an exact number of pages that must be read before giving up. Sometimes books get started a bit late. Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Everything is Illuminated” for example takes a while to get heated up, but once it’s there, this is one of the most incredible books.

3. Through turning your leisure activity into a chore—if reading as a hobby is very important to you, it’s best not to subject yourself to reading materials that can be deemed more as work than pleasure. A classic example of this phenomenon is graduate school. I am not suggesting that you forego higher education to maintain your zeal for the written word; rather i’d like you to understand that you may undergo a 2-, 3- or even 5- year hiatus in this instance.

4. In choosing to miss out on other activities to sit at home and read—so you’re a book-worm that probably means you, like many others who share your passion, are an introvert. That’s great, but don’t use reading as an excuse to miss out on some of the other things life has to offer, like a social life. Don’t get too caught up in the fictional realm that you forget that life exists outside of the pages of a novel!

5. Upon assigning too much meaning to fictional characters—Loved ‘Twilight’ and now find yourself pining for a boyfriend just like Edward Cullen? No man even comes close? Surprise, surprise. Never measure real people up to invented ones, everybody loses. Similarly, if you find a glimmer of someone you know in a villainous character, you may start subconsciously assigning some of the fictional player’s deeds to your real-life loved one. Don’t do it!

Blog Tour Notes

THE BOOK:  Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.  When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).

THE CASH PRIZES:  Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.

THE GIVEAWAYS:  Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.

THE AUTHOR:  Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!

MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!

Recipe Wednesday --- Cranberries and Meatballs!!!

This recipe is now on my ‘to be made’ list and probably one of the healthier ones, if you want to call it healthy, that will appear here over the next few weeks (after all, it’s the holiday season).  I love cranberries and the tangy bite of the BQ sauce only makes me want to try it move.  My tweak will be to use ground turkey instead of ground beef.  Also, I’ll substitute Agave for the brown sugar.

The suggestion on the All Recipe site is to serve as an appetizer or along with the turkey dinner, but I can see this as a stand-alone meal, especially when the granddarlings are over.  Add potatoes and a veggie and voila…the gang will be happy campers.  

Cranberry Meatballs  

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C).

2.  Mix together the hamburger, bread crumbs, eggs, soy sauce, pepper, garlic powder and ketchup. Form into small balls and bake for 30 minutes.

3.  In a saucepan over low heat, combine the cranberry sauce, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice. Simmer and stir until smooth. Add meat balls and simmer for I hour. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 718 | Total Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 171mg

Playing today with Vamps, Weres and Faeries!

Stop by and say hi today and enter to win a signed copy of Beyond Magic.  I'm at http://vampireswerewolvesfairiesohmy.blogspot.com/?zx=1951a24b7760e10b

Monday Musings!

 I returned from son's home in Sioux Falls late yesterday with fingers crossed I don't come down with the evil stomach virus attacking the granddarlings. There's too much to do accomplish to devote any leisure time to devote hours in the bathroom or huddled under the covers.

The trip was fun, even with sick kids and I discovered my son is an excellent cook.  I knew he cooked…he developed the ability as a teen when he and his siblings were assigned a night each to be in charge of making dinner.  In the past, the meals he prepared had been calorie bombs of fat and carbs, but he’s now focused on healthy and oh my!  The turkey breast he made Thursday night was melt in your mouth tender and the pork tenderloin Saturday night…I could have stayed at the table stuffing my face longer if my stomach would have cooperated.  Delicious!!!  Even the veggies he made to go with it had me going back for seconds.

Now back to the real world.  Laundry to get out of the way and a couple of other things that have stacked up (yes, DH knows what a dishwasher is, but he seems to forget how to stack it) and catching up on emails.  From there, back to work on the Christmas story.  Sure, I took it with me on the trip, but didn’t get much work done.  By the time I turned in at night, I was more than ready for sleep.  It’s amazing how visiting can wear a body out.

So, hope your week is a great one and I’d love to hear what’s happening in your life.  I fell so out of touch!!!!!

The Chocolate Diva Shares in Time for Thanksgiving!

This month Joleen Allis, our chocolate diva is sharing a cool receipe that you can serve in addition to (or instead of) pumpkin pie.  Warning...reading does not add calories to your daily intake!!!

Also, Joleen's prize for the November drawing is Dove Chocolate Discoveries White Chocolate, Pear Flavored Cider!  How's that for a seasonal treat to YOU!  Don't forget, all it takes to enter is comment to any or all posts during November.  The more you comment, the more chances to win!

Chocolate Pumpkin Dessert Cake –

Forget the turkey – this is all you will need for Thanksgiving…

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch Bundt pan.

2.     In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together 3/4 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, applesauce, and eggs. Mix in 1/2 cup heavy cream and pumpkin. Stir into the flour mixture just until blended. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

3.     Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan over a wire rack. Invert cake onto a serving plate.

4.     Place the brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/3 cup heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring to blend until smooth. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, and drizzle over the cake immediately.

Recipe Wednesday -- How About Sweet Potatoes?

Growing up in North Carolina I ate a lot of sweet potatoes.  They still are one of my favorite comfort foods, but in addition there is a lot of nutrition packed in those tubers.  

My husband loves to nosh at night, so I came up with the brilliant idea a few weeks ago to buy sweet potato chips.  They’re made from healthy produce, so why not convert him from corn chips since he does like sweet potato.  Well, as in lots of good ideas you need to read the package my friends…fried, the little slices of goodness is in there with regular potato and corn chips on calories, fat and salt. 

Then I put my mind to work on something other than paranormal creature and/or sexy stories.  Why not try to make my own by oven roasting them.  I went out on the internet and searched for recipes and ideas and got the basics down.  From there I gave it a try yesterday with one sweet potato…after all, if my efforts flopped I didn’t want to destroy good food.  I’m happy to say it didn’t!  Darling Husband loved the end result! 

Here’s what I did:  Washed and dried a sweet potato and then sliced it with a gadget (a mandolin I think it’s called) and threw the thin slices into a bag with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and shook them for a light coating.  Popped them into a 400 degree oven and baked for 12 minutes.  Turned the slices over, dusted them with sea salt and put them back in the over for another 10 minutes.  Once they cooled, they were crunchy and I read somewhere if you don’t eat them all right away, pop them back in the over for a few minutes to re-crisp.  So now I have a healthy snack my husband and I both enjoy. 

What’s even better, they’re good on Weight Watcher diets (1 point, but I forgot the amount), diabetics can enjoy them since sweet potatoes are recommended over regular spuds for them and for us addicts of the yummy tuber, the chips are just plain good. 

Here are a few links with additional recipes so you can see how this very delicious veggie can work in other ways too.  And yes, I know everyone doesn’t like sweet potatoes (I have a daughter who falls into that category…that is until I made Sweet Potato Balls for Thanksgiving one year), but if you may discover there are some combinations that work for you. 

http://www.informationaboutdiabetes.com/Sweet_Potato.htm

http://www.laaloosh.com/2009/02/02/weight-watchers-baked-sweet-potato-chips-recipe/

October Winner & November prize

I'm happy to announce the winner for October is Jennifer Mathis!!!  Congratulations, Jennifer.  I've sent you an email requesting your mailing address so I can send out your Lizzie 'goodies' and the Chocolate Diva can get her prize out too!

Now for the November prize...not sure what the Choclate Diva has up her sleeve, we'll find that out when she blogs on Friday.  But from Lizzie...how about a dozen of her infamous cookies?

It will December when the winner is announced and also the month a lot of baking goes on in Lizzie's kitchen.  So make sure to comment to posts during November to get into the drawing for cookies as well as some NICE promo goodies from my author friends!  Here's the chance to Treat YOU to something special for the holidays!