I’ve just turned in the first book in the South Beach Security K-9 series, tentatively titled Rescue at Redland Ranch. Now I’m finishing up some research so I can start writing the second book in the series, tentatively titled Escape the Everglades. I love doing the research, especially since the Everglades is such a fascinating location. Many years ago we did an airboat tour and I’m excited to include some of that experience in the opening scenes of the book. I think that if you liked Decoy Training, you’ll love seeing the dogs in this new romantic suspense series. The SBS K-9 division series will be available in 2023, but I hope you’ll check out the first book in the SBS series. Lost in Little Havana will be available in November 2022! You can pre-order your copy today at https://www.caridad.com/books/suspense/caridad-little-havana/.
“Grown-up” Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
When the day is rainy and we can’t go out for a walk on the boardwalk, hubby and I will often hunker down and watch some of our favorite cooking shows, namely Cook’s Country and America’s Test Kitchen. We love seeing what Bridget and Julia will be cooking up and have often tried to replicate the dishes. On this rainy day the ladies were cooking a creamy tomato soup and fancy grilled cheese. They looked so good that we decided to replicate the recipes and are we glad that we did! The tomato soup was fabulous. The only changes that I made were to use a Vidalia onion as I didn’t have shallots and a touch of paprika instead of allspice, again because I didn’t have any at home. As for the grilled cheese, we used plain white bread instead of rye, but the sandwiches were still delicious. So if you’re in the mood for a grown-up version of grilled cheese and some amazing tomato soup, try these recipes! You can find the videos at https://youtu.be/YeyHV-PPpPU (soup) and https://youtu.be/VzbODAaf0Vk (grilled cheese). FYI – you did need some wine for the grilled cheese sandwich so I used this Friuli Pinot Grigio from Costco. Totally delicious wine for under $6.
Help Your Kids Love to Read
I love to read and I think one of the reasons is that my mother and grandmother were avid readers. They taught me to love reading and reading opened up so many new worlds for me in the books that I read. Because of how important reading was to me, I made a point of trying to pass on that love to my daughter. It wasn’t easy because she wasn’t a big reader at first, but little by little reading and writing became an important part of her life. I was so relieved when that happened. Today I’m sharing some tips on how you can help your kids love to read!
Happy Visits to Miami and South Beach
The South Beach Security series was inspired in part by my family’s trips to Miami and South Beach over the years. We used to love spending time there and popping over to Little Havana as well as some of the tourist attractions like the Miami Seaquarium. I’ve included some of those spots in books like South Beach Love and also the upcoming SBS series. On this Throwback Thursday, I’m sharing one of my favorite pictures taken during one of our visits to Miami. When I was a kid and we visited, we would always go to the Miami Seaquarium because it was the home of Flipper the dolphin. I even had a large dolphin plush doll!
Meet the Gonzalez Family from South Beach Security
I can’t wait for you to meet the Gonzalez family from the South Beach Security series. Actually, you met some of them already if you read Cold Case Reopened when tech gurus Sophie and Robbie Whitaker (cousins to the Gonzalez family) helped Jackson Whitaker and Rhea Reilly discover the truth about her sister’s disappearance. In the South Beach Security series you’ll get to see Sophie and Robbie help their Gonzalez family solve crimes revolving around murder, human trafficking, domestic abuse, fraud, and hacking! I decided to make this little family tree to show you the relationships between the family members and their books. Oldest son Trey (since he’s the third Ramon) is the hero of the first book Lost in Little Havana. Middle brother Ricardo (Ricky) finds love in the second book Brickell Avenue Ambush. Baby sister Mia is the star of the last book Biscayne Bay Breach. You’ll also get to see more of the Gonzalez siblings and Whitaker cousins when SBS decides to establish a K-9 division. I’m also hoping to give Sophie and Robbie their own stories when they visit Jackson and Rhea in Colorado and find themselves caught up in more suspense! I hope you’ll check out the South Beach Security series which is now available for pre-order at https://amzn.to/3e5qr7I. The first book will be out on November 29, 2022!
Chicken Marsala
I love recipes that are quick to make but come across as if you spent all day cooking! Chicken Marsala is one of those recipes and it’s something I make pretty regularly, especially when the weather turns a little colder since boiling the pasta helps to heat up the house. LOL! The only thing that can take a little time with this recipe is soaking the dried mushrooms, but you can skip this step if you want or can’t find dried mushrooms. So for this Tuesday Tip, I’m sharing my recipe for Chicken Marsala. This recipe is for either 4 or 2 depending on your hunger.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms (soaked and drained)
1 large onion sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dried mushroom liquid
2 cups marsala wine
1 cup flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp granulated garlic
4-6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
Directions
At least an hour ahead, place dried mushrooms in warm water and soak to soften them. When you are ready to cook, drain the mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid. Make sure to gently squeeze the mushrooms to remove any excess liquid. If the mushroom pieces are too big, do a light chop.
Place 1 cup flour, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic into zipper bag. Mix.
Slice chicken breasts into thin, evenly thick medallions. Place in zipper bag with the flour and toss until all pieces are covered.
Place 2 tbsp olive oil in frying pan and heat. When the oil is shimmering, take medallions from the zipper bag and shake to remove excess flour. Keep the bag with the flour for now.
Add chicken to the frying pan and cook until lightly brown. Remove from the pan and place to the side.
Add another 2 or so tbsp to the frying pan and heat again until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and onions and cook until softened. Add dried mushrooms that you soaked to the mix and heat for about 2-3 minutes.
Take two tbsp of the seasoned flour from the zipper bag and sprinkle it over the onion, mushroom, garlic mix. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, wine, and reserved mushroom liquid and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half. Add 4 tbsp butter to the pan and stir the mixture. Once the butter has melted, add cooked chicken and any juices and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Serving Instructions
You can serve the Chicken Marsala over either rice or pasta. If you’re going to serve it with pasta, like a ziti or or other short pasta, I usually cook the pasta for a few minutes less than recommended and finish cooking the pasta by adding it to the pan with the marsala. I made the marsala this time with a De Cecco Fusilli Corti Bucati (what a mouthful) that really held the sauce well.
Which Cover is Your Favorite?
Woo hoo! I have the covers for all three of the upcoming books in the South Beach Security Series. I can’t wait for you to meet the Gonzalez family and the security agency that they run in Miami but back to the covers. I’m trying to decide which one is my favorite and that’s hard to do. I love the purple in the cover for Lost in Little Havana, but the hero on the cover for Brickell Avenue Ambush is hot. I also love the mansion shown for the third book in the series Biscayne Bay Breach and the heroine is just like I pictured her! What is your fav cover?
