Never Forget 9-11-2001

It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since the terrorist attacks against the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and the bravery of our American heroes on United Flight 93 and our first responders. It’s a day that I will never forget and as long as I live, I will honor the lives lost on that day.

And now, something I rarely do, but I think has to be done. I’m going to get political, so if you don’t want to read any more, I will understand.

It’s sad to say that I think most Americans believe they are less secure now and that in the last 8 years our country has seen multiple terrorist attacks. Fort Hood. The Boston Marathon bombings. Chattanooga. Benghazi.

We have a void in leadership that has resulted in a maelstrom of misery in the Middle East that is affecting every corner of the world. We have little or no security at our border and policies which are encouraging an influx of people into our country. When I did research for FIGHT THE SHADOWS, I was shocked to find out just how many gang members crossed the border time and time again with little resistance.

Edmund Burke said “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

We have been doing nothing for eight years and look at where we are. We need strong leadership. We need someone who will do the right thing regardless of how hard it is to do and how unpopular that might make them. It’s time to stop leading by poll numbers and start leading by what’s best for this country and for the world.

God bless you all and God Bless America.

#ThrowbackThursday Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today would have been my mom’s 89th birthday. Unfortunately, I lost her when she had just turned 55 to lung cancer. If you smoke, please please stop so you can have lots more time with your family. It’s hard to imagine, but my mom has now been gone from my life more than she was in it. She was my best friend, a role model, and a mentor. I miss her every day of my life. Today’s Throwback Thursday is my lovely mom, who will be forever young.
MomFun

Grilled Radicchio, Romaine & Chicken Salad #FoodieFriday

Yes, you are reading that correctly. It’s not just the chicken that’s grilled, but also the radicchio and romaine! You’ll think it’s crazy, but that slight little char on the green stuff creates an amazing flavor. It takes a little longer to make your salad, but it’s worth the effort. This recipe is for two, so double the greens and/or chicken as necessary.

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts – Halved lengthwise
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
radicchio head – halved
romaine head – halved
Salt
Shaved parmesan curls (As much as you want)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Marinate the chicken breast in the mustard and juice from one lemon. If you can, do this for about an hour.

Oil your grill and pre-heat it.

Rub 1/4 cup olive oil on all sides of the radicchio and romaine heads. Salt, but not too much since the parmesan has a lot of salt. Put a skewer through the 3 garlic cloves.

Place both the radicchio, romaine and skewered garlic on your grill. You want to leave them on there until you get a little bit of char on the leaves and cloves. Maybe 5-10 minutes depending on your grill. Once the first side is grilled, flip on the other side until you get the first bit of char, then remove from heat.

Place the marinated chicken breasts on the grill. I halve them so they will cook faster, but they could dry out, so watch them while you prep the rest of the salad.

Chop the radicchio and romaine and place in bowl. Chop the garlic and add to greens. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts and parmesan curls over the greens. You can make parmesan curls by running your vegetable peeler across a nice chunk of parmesan. Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and the juice of the remaining lemon over the greens.

Once cooked, slice the chicken breasts lengthwise and place over the salad. Voila! A very different salad for you. To change it up, try using blue cheese instead of parmesan and/or add craisins or other fruit. You’ll love it!

grilledsalad

#ThrowbackThursday A Tropical Honeymoon

Wow, it seems like yesterday, but it isn’t! Hubby and I treated ourselves to a honeymoon in Hawaii and had a lovely time. So much so that we did another visit to Hawaii for an anniversary. Our first trip was to Oahu and our second was to Maui. I have to say I liked Oahu a lot better since there was more to do. Hubby and I are not sit by the pool people. We like to see and visit local spots and Oahu certainly had a lot of them. Besides Pearl Harbor, which was an incredibly moving experience, we enjoyed snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and an intimate luau (Just us and 5,000 other close friends!). Okay, it wasn’t 5000, but it certainly wasn’t “intimate.”

Here is a photo of us on that first trip! I think this was on a dinner cruise that we did.
hawaii_Cropped

#FreebieFriday Last Chance for free copy of JUST ONE NIGHT #Military #Romance

Just One Night Sexy Military RomanceGood morning and Happy Friday. It’s Freebie Friday and this is your last chance to download one of few e-copies left of JUST ONE NIGHT.

This is one of my fav stories and the first one in the Take a Chance Military Series. To download your free copy of JUST ONE NIGHT, just go to http://www.instafreebie.com/free/mpx6b.

If you read and enjoy JUST ONE NIGHT, please take a moment to leave a review for me!