Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
Happy Sunday! It’s so cold and windy out there and after my weekly brunch date, I’m going to hunker down for some self care, namely some writing and reading! How about you? P.S. – Check out the new cover for To Catch a Princess! What do you think? This is one of my fav books because it’s set in Monaco (a place I’d love to visit) and it has a car chase, arranged marriage, secret prince, and romance, of course! Writing it was a blast! You can find out more at https://amzn.to/3SeKpOi.
Today’s Saturday Shoutout is to my Harlequin Intrigue friends Nicole Helm and Julie Miller whose latest fabulous releases hit the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List. Congratulations, ladies! That is so awesome. If you want to check out Nicole and Julie’s books, please visit https://amzn.to/48inMOJ. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed!
Hey, you know what’s not fun? Being afraid of heights like I am! So share if you have a fear of something while I tell you what I did about my fear of heights when I found myself in Mexico City, staring at the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon in Teotihuacan. For some reason, I knew I had to climb! Not an easy feat since the Pyramid of the Sun is one of the tallest in the Americas. I huffed and puffed my way up to the top, and even posed for an epic pic along the way. But the real test was getting back down. I’m talking steep slopes that made you feel like you’re free-falling! I decided to slide down on my butt, but hey, I did it! Not only that, the trip inspired Aztec Gold, a story about a missing archeologist, the woman who is determined to find him, and an Aztec demon demi-goddess who threatens their happily-ever-after! You can read more about Aztec Gold at https://amzn.to/3HfLYFA. It’s free on Kindle Unlimited!
As an author you have a number of things on your bucket list and I don’t think I know even one author who doesn’t want to see one of their books as a movie. I’m luckier than most authors in that I got to see that happen with Hallmark decided to turn South Beach Love into one of their Hallmark Original Movies! WOW! It was so so exciting to get that call and then the one that followed which said we’d be able to visit the movie set to watch the filming. Unfortunately, because it was during COVID, I didn’t get to do a walk-on as some authors were able to do. In addition, there were intense COVID protocols that we had to follow, but still, it was AMAZING. The director, film crew, and cast were so nice and we loved being able to see how things work behind the scenes. It was also so nice to meet the actors and actresses who were playing the various characters in the books. Today I’m sharing some photos from the filming and if you haven’t had a chance to read the book, there’s good news for you! It’s now available for FREE on Kindle Unlimited or specially priced at 99 cents for a limited time. You can download it at https://amzn.to/48xDjKD.
Tell me what you’re reading and it’s okay if it’s not one of mine! LOL! But if you do need something to help chase away the winter chill, check out Just One Night, my steamy novella about a soldier who is about to leave on his first deployment and has just one night to prove to his love that anything is possible. It’s only 99 cents at https://amzn.to/3TU4gUm.
Our traditional Christmas Eve meal is roast pork and I always make a baked ham so that we can make Cuban sandwiches with the leftovers. Cuban sandwiches are tasty grilled sandwiches that contain pork, ham, and swiss cheese. They are made on Cuban bread which is a light bread made with lard and similar to Italian bread. The main difference is that Cuban bread is wider and the crust is much lighter, making it perfect for grilling. In this video I’m using Media Noche bread which is a soft, sweet, and eggy bread! In the books in the South Beach Security Series, the characters head to Little Havana to have some Cubanos!
3-4 thick slices roast pork
3-4 slices baked ham
2-3 slices Swiss cheese
yellow mustard
thin-sliced dill pickles
6-8″ long piece Cuban bread (or Italian bread/hero roll)
Slice open the bread and layer it with the roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, and pickles. Spread a thin layer of yellow mustard on the top slice of the bread. Personally, I never ate mine with pickles and mustard since I’m not a pickle fan. Lately, I have been eating my Cubanos with mustard. It does add some pep to the taste!
Close the sandwich and butter the outside of the bread. If you have a panini grill or other kind of sandwich grill, use that to flatten and toast the sandwich. You should let it cook for at least 10 minutes or so to let the meats and cheese heat up.
If you don’t have a panini grill, lay the sandwiches on a greased baking sheet. Cover the sandwiches with aluminum foil and place a heavy cast iron pan on top. Press down and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or so.
P.S. – Did you know that both Miami and Tampa lay claim to the invention of Cuban bread? You can click here to read more about the origins of Cuban bread in Tampa.
Lately I find it hard to do a lot of reading because I am so busy writing! That’s both a good and bad thing, if you get what I mean. I’m so in awe of people who do find the time to read and romance readers, in particular, are voracious readers. That’s what has me wondering how many books you read in 2023. Was it less than a 100 or over 100? Do you have a reading goal for 2024? Well, if you need more books to read, Harlequin is running a special right now! If you buy 4 books you can get 2 more free with code HQN2024. Check out my latest Harlequin books in the South Beach Security series or pick up the SBS K-9 Division spin off books at https://bit.ly/HQN-CaridadPineiro.
