Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
Only one more week until the fabulous Day of Wine and Romance at the Brook Hollow Winery in Columbia, NJ! I’ll be there with my fabulous daughter (and her new books) as well as several of my author friends! Look for me at the Friday night Meet and Greet and at the book signing on both Saturday and Sunday. I’ll have copies of lots of my books, some fun book pins, and swag. Hope you can make it!
I felt inspired the other day as we were cleaning out some things from my mother-in-law’s home and I discovered a very old ravioli wheel cutter. I suspect that it was my hubby’s grandmother’s tool which made it very special for me. Because of that, I decided to give it a go and make some ravioli. Since I had an eggplant and some mushrooms in the fridge that needed to be cooked, I decided to use them for the filling! I was a little worried about how it would work out, but they came out very well, although I have to confess I used pre-made lasagna sheets for the pasta dough instead of making it myself. Still, nom nom. They came out very tasty and I will definitely make them again! P.S. – If you like seeing recipes like these, you can visit my Cook’s Treat section on the website or download a copy of Recipes for the Romantic Soul which contains recipes and excerpts from some of my books. It’s available for free with Kindle Unlimited!
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 pound mushrooms, cut in half
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Lasagna/Pasta Sheets (usually available at Italian specialty stores like Pastosa or Uncle Guiseppes)
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan
Olive oil (as needed)
Salt and Pepper to taste
I find that roasting vegetables always imparts a lot more flavor and so I decided to roast the eggplant, mushrooms, and garlic. I roasted the eggplants and mushrooms separately since mushrooms have a lot of water and I didn’t want the eggplant to steam instead of roast. I roasted the garlic with the eggplants.
To roast, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the eggplant and garlic with oil and some salt and pepper. Place on a greased pan and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Repeat with the mushrooms.
Cool the roasted vegetables until room temperature. Once cool, place it into a food processor and chop until almost like a pate.
Place the eggplant/mushroom/garlic mix into a bowl. Add the ricotta and parmesan and mix.
Layout your pasta sheets. Make sure to keep the sheets you’re not using under damp paper or kitchen towels as they will dry out and be difficult to work if they dry out.
Place around 2 tbsp of filling about 2 inches apart on the pasta sheets. Wet the area all around the filling with water in order to get a good seal. Place a sheet on top of the sheet with the filling and press down to create a seal. Also, try to ease out any air from around the edges since too much air around the filling will cause them to explode in the boiling water. Press down around the edges to seal.
I used a sharp knife to cut the ravioli into squares and then used grandma’s ravioli wheel cutter to seal the edges with that distinctive fluted edge you see on ravioli.
While I was roasting the veggies, I made a quick marinara sauce in a large flat skillet. Why flat? Because I wanted to give a last minute or two of cook to the ravioli in the sauce. Lately I do that a lot with my pasta because I find that it gets a lot more flavor when I finish the pasta in the sauce.
Back to the ravioli! Since it’s fresh pasta, it will cook quickly. Usually only a few minutes. You’ll know when the ravioli rise to the surface. At that point you can remove them and give them those last few minutes of cooking in the marinara sauce.
Remove from the sauce into a pasta bowl. Spoon some sauce over the ravioli and top with fresh basil and more parmesan! Bon Appetit!
OMG, I’m jumping with joy since there are only 26 days until the release of SABOTAGE OPERATION, my 30th book for Harlequin, and the first in the brand new South Beach Security K-9 Series. These romantic suspense books are all standalone with uplifting endings and connected characters. I can’t wait for you to read them! Today I’ve got a little teaser for you! In this scene, Teresa, Matt and Butter have tracked their attacker’s scent to a nearby house when a storm breaks out and they are forced to seek shelter. What follows next is how the storm of their emotions finally breaks loose! I hope you enjoy it. You can pre-order Sabotage Operation at https://books2read.com/SabotageOperation.
A security expert and his K-9
Will protect a stable owner at any cost
Owner of a thoroughbred racing stable, Teresa Rodriguez is about to testify against her former trainer. Is he the one behind all the recent sabotage? When security expert Matt Perez joins the investigation, Teresa is grateful for the extra protection he and his K-9 offer. Now, as Matt and his dog, Butter, stand beside her 24/7, the attraction between them can’t be denied. Even as the danger escalates.
He walked to shut the door against the rain that continued to pound the house.
“We’ll call the police. Storm may take another half hour to clear, though. Are you dry and safe for now?” she asked.
He glanced at Teresa, who was still shaking from the wet and chill. “We’re safe. Dry not so much. We’ll stay here until the police arrive.”
“We’ll have some warm food waiting for you when you get here,” Mia said and ended the call.
He issued a hand command for Butter to stay, and before she settled herself down, she shook the rain off her short fur.
Returning to Teresa, he sat beside her and scooped her up into his lap.
She came without protest and burrowed into his warmth.
He wrapped his arms around her and little by little her body stopped shaking. She peered up at him, and this close he could see the lighter green shards in the depths of those jewel-tone eyes. And that perfect nose and those full lips. Natural lips, not fake, model ones.
She can be a model, she is so beautiful, he thought, cupped her cheek and ran his thumb across those tempting lips.
*
TERESA HAD BEEN grateful for the heat his body had provided, but now there was a different kind of heat building between them.
The butterfly-light pass of his thumb on her lips was as intimate as any kiss, and her body responded to it, nipples tightening against her damp T-shirt. Heat and wet pooled at her center.
It had been too long since she’d been with a man, and it hadn’t been a man like Matt. Big. Hard-bodied. Complex. She mimicked his action and cupped his jaw.
His skin was beard-rough beneath her palm. Hard much like the rest of him, but as she met his gaze, it was impossible to miss the need in his sapphire eyes.
Need that mirrored her own and she wasn’t about to deny him or herself.
I am honored to be taking part in the Strength & Honor Anthology with several of my friends. We’ve all contributed to this anthology that will raise funds for an organization that helps stop soldier suicides. I hope you will take a moment to check it out and possibly pre-order a copy so you can start reading on May 7th when the anthology releases! Here’s a little teaser for my steamy story about a Navy Seal who is coming home after various deployments to a wife that is nothing like the young woman he left behind. You can get your copy at https://books2read.com/Strength-Honor.
He was the kind of man that every woman would want . . .
Sexy and handsome Rafael Castillo was a star athlete and honor student. Everyone knew Rafe was going places and would make his hometown proud. Elena Martinez dreams of the day that the friendship she shares with Rafe will turn into something more. When that moment comes she doesn’t hesitate to grab it, and Rafe, with both hands.
She was the woman he’d dreamed of and whose life he’d ruined . . .
Rafe has been in love with Elena since the fifth grade when she stood up for him and stopped bullies from teasing him for being different. In the years since then, Rafe has watched Elena grow into a smart, beautiful, and desirable woman. He had hoped Elena would be a part of his future and was determined to show her how special she was to him.
Can they forget the past to build their future?
A fateful night of passion will change the future both Elena and Rafe had envisioned. Forced into marriage by an unexpected pregnancy, they find themselves separated by the demands of impending parenthood. Rafe enlists in the Navy Seals to support his new wife and the child who is on the way, but Fate is determined to throw them another curve. After Elena’s miscarriage and years of separation during Rafe’s tours of duty, have they grown too far apart or is love still possible between them?
Please welcome fellow Harlequin Author Anna Grace who’s visiting with me! Anna writes for Harlequin Heartwarming and she’s here to share a little bit about her fabulous new romance series!
Hello Book Lovers!
I’m thrilled to join you on Caridad’s page! Quick intro: my name is Anna Grace, award winning author and lifetime educator. I’m a huge fan of snacks, art museums, and other people’s dogs. Like most Oregonians, I spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking, rock climbing, or just dodging the raindrops. I’m the author of the Love, Oregon series, and that title pretty much sums up the feelings about my home state.
Today marks the launch of my second series with Harlequin Heartwarming! I’m so excited to introduce folks to Pronghorn, Oregon. Five energetic young teachers are recruited to revive the high school in a tiny, anything-but-idyllic town. Love and mayhem ensue.
The Teacher Project is near and dear to my heart. I was 22 when I started teaching high school and had no idea the job could hold so much drama! The friendships forged in those early days are reflected in this series.
Want to know more about book one? Here’s a teaser for Lessons From the Rancher
A second chance…
With his first love?
Single dad and rancher Colter Wayne has moved mountains to bring teachers to Pronghorn, Oregon. Willa Marshall has turned her life upside down for the opportunity to help revive a failing school in the tiny town. The one thing they never expected was to have to work together again. Can Colter and Willa learn to let go of the past and embrace the future…together?
Much of the inspiration for this book came from thinking about the inspiring educators I’ve learned from over the years. Do you have a favorite teacher from your past? Comment below, and let me know what made them special. (Bonus points if you tag that former teacher!) I’ll draw two lucky winners for a free book!
Find out more about me and my books at https://anna-grace-author.com/
Happy Earth Day! As you may know from following me, I am an avid gardener but I’m also a ruthless one. If my plants don’t give me either flowers, interesting leaves, or vegetables, they are gone from my garden. The main reason for that is that in my new forever home I only have a small space to grow things and so I really have to get a big bang for my buck. What about you? Do you like to garden and if so, do you prefer to plant flowers, veggies, or both? I do a lot of both and some of my favorite things to plant are pansies which remind me of my mom and tomatoes. Nothing tastes better than a sun-ripened tomato straight off the plant! These are photos of some of the things I’ve grown in my little garden! P.S. In one of my favorite romantic suspense books – MORE THAN A MISSION – the heroine is a chef who grows a lot of what she cooks and serves to her patrons.
Boy, it has been a whirlwind the last few days! Travel to Denver and the amazing Readers Take Denver Convention. I hope to share some photos from that later this week after I have a moment to get settled. Today we’re on the way home and I can’t wait to settle into my happy place in my office and get to work on a new book. I want to wish you all a very happy and blessed Sunday! Have a great day!
