Lower Fat/Carb Mac & Cheese

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? It’s the kind of comfort food that warms the belly and calms the soul, but oh man, talk about fat and carbs.

There is a way to cut back on both and still have a hardy and rewarding meal with a little less guilt or worry. This is my version of a lower fat/lower carb Mac and cheese. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Ingredients

4 cups Cauliflower
1/2 pound pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 chopped onion
3 cups 1% milk
2 cups cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs

Directions

Cut the cauliflower into one inch pieces. I was able to find an orange cauliflower at a local farm stand for only $2.00! Yes, I love being frugal also! Steam the cauliflower until just a little tough to a poke with a fork. It will cook some more when you bake it. After steaming, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Cook the 1/2 pound of pasta until al dente. I used cavatappi since they hold the sauce and add a little fun to the mix. After draining the water, rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the ham and cook in the olive oil to get rid of that extra moisture. Then add the onion and cook until just translucent. Turn down the heat a little and add the flour. Mix it all up until it’s a little on the dry side. If you’re using some kind of cast iron stove to oven pan, this will happen quickly from the pan retaining the heat, so really turn it down until you add the milk.

Add the milk to the ham, onion, and flour mix. Stir until sauce is thick enough to coat the spoon. Add the cheese and stir. Then add the cauliflower and pasta and mix well.

If you haven’t used a stove to oven baking pan/dish, place the mixture in a greased baking dish. Top with the Panko and if you’d like, some additional cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and then broil for about 2-4 to brown the top! Voila, you are done!

October 8, 2014

#WriteWed Lunar Eclipse Inspiration

This morning I was up in time to catch the start of the lunar eclipse. I’m attaching some of the photos for you to see.

People often ask me where I get the inspiration for my stories. Sometimes it’s just every day things like a news item or an interesting name I see. Sometimes it’s things like today’s lunar eclipse.

If vampires could come out to play during a solar eclipse, I wonder who comes out when there’s a lunar one? Or could some kind of alien invasion happen as the earth block’s the sun’s rays on the moon?

What do you think? Time for a sci fi kind of novel?

Post by Caridad Pineiro.

October 7, 2014October 30, 2018

#TeaserTuesday ALPHA IMMORTALS #Boxset

Alpha Immortals Box Set I have a new #boxset being released today, but unfortunately it’s been caught up in the fight between my publisher and Amazon so we could really use your support for this set to make up for not being available for pre-order.

ALPHA IMMORTALS is a collection of tales about sexy bad boys! Here is a teaser for it:

TEMPTED BY FATE by Kate Perry: Pursued by a relentless evil, Willow seeks help from San Francisco’s most dangerous detective.

FANGED & FABULOUS by Michelle Rowen: Made into a vampire by the worst blind date ever, Sarah now finds her sizzling-hot, fanged friend Quinn trying to turn her self-defense lessons into make-out sessions.

DARKNESS BOUND by Stella Cameron: A werewolf who fights his animal nature, Niles prowls the woods to stop an ancient evil-and to find the woman who stirs his primeval lust.

DARK AWAKENING by Kendra Leigh Castle: Shapeshifting vampire Tynan is ordered to find a human Seer with the power to secure victory for his clan. But when he has Lily in his grasp, her touch awakens within him a hunger like he’s never known.

RENEGADE by Nancy Northcott: Top sheriff Valeria must hunt down Griffin, a traitor trained in dark magic. But when the fugitive mage suddenly risks his life to save the beautiful cop, both will find themselves running for their lives.

THE LOST by Caridad PiÃ±eiro: When paranormal enemies hunt Adam for his lethal gifts, he must escape with Bobbie, a sexy woman who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined.

SEX & THE IMMORTAL BAD BOY by Stephanie Rowe: Cursed by Satan, Paige will lose her soul unless she can convince shadow warrior Jed to sneak her past the pearly gates.

My contribution is THE LOST, the third book in the SIN HUNTER series. Here is an excerpt for you from THE LOST. If you can’t see the excerpt below, you can click here to read THE LOST excerpt.

The LOST Paranormal Romance by Caridad Pineiro by Caridad Pineiro

You can purchase ALPHA IMMORTALS at the following retailers:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/BNAlpha
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNAlpha
iBooks: http://bit.ly/iBooksAlpha
Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboAlpha

October 6, 2014May 10, 2017

#ManCandyMonday Trevor from ONE LAST NIGHT

I am so excited to say that I just finished ONE LAST NIGHT, the next novella in the Take a Chance series. Now it’s a final read, review by my copy editor, create a cover and have it ready for you by October 19th!

Yeah! ONE LAST NIGHT is the story of Marine Lieutenant Trevor Mason who has just a few days left before he returns to duty. In that short time, there is just one thing he wants to do: reconcile with his estranged father. The last thing he expects is to meet up again with Maggie Sullivan, a young woman who he knew from his days in high school.

What happens between Maggie and Trevor is sudden and sexy, but also emotional and uplifting. I hope you’ll feel the same way after reading the novella.

This is a standalone novella, although you will find out what’s happening with characters from the earlier two novellas, JUST ONE NIGHT (a Top 30 Military Romance! THANK YOU!) and ONE SPECIAL NIGHT.

Since it is Man Candy Monday, I’m sharing a photo that I thought represented what Trevor might look like. What do you think? Handsome, right?

Man lying in bed smiling

Also, if you have a social media account and would like to help us out with getting the word out about our new 99 cent box set, SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS, would you mind taking part in our Thunderclap?

October 3, 2014May 10, 2017

#FreebieFriday Desire Calls from The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novels

My contribution to the Seductive Supernaturals Paranormal Romance Box set is VAMPIRE REBORN, one of the novellas in The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novel series.

If you haven’t read any of the books/novellas in the series, here is your chance for a free read!

The complete novella for DESIRE CALLS is available as a free online read. Just click here for the free novella.

For those of you who have read the books in the series, here’s a chance to get another dose of two of my favorite characters in the series: Stacia and Blake. You’ll get to see more of Blake in VAMPIRE REBORN and FIGHT FOR LOVE (early 2015) and I’m actually considering bringing back Stacia for FIGHT FOR LOVE.

Do you think I should?

October 1, 2014

#WriteWed What Inspires Me to Write? You, the Reader!

Yes, you read that right. Look in the mirror and you will see who inspires me to write.

Why? Think of it this way: If a tree falls in a forest and no one sees that, did the tree really fall?

So, if I write a book and no one reads it, did I really write it?

One of the most rewarding things about writing the books and sending them out into the world has been YOU, the reader. I have loved chatting with you, meeting with you and hearing from you.

I love that you love the stories and that you don’t. I love that exchange of ideas and that we share a common love: books.

So if you’re ever wondering again why I write, it’s because I love giving you stories to read and getting to know you better in the process.

Speaking of stories, I am in the home stretch on the new novella in the Take a Chance series. This one has been a tough one to write because of the characters and the very emotional reason they get together. Yes, it’s erotic romance so you can expect lots of sexiness, but I hope the takeaway from this book will be much much more for you!

I hope to have it ready for you in late October so that you can snuggle under the blanket with a bucket of Halloween candy glommed from the kids and chase away the chill with Maggie and Trevor’s story.
Mirror

September 30, 2014May 10, 2017

#TeaserTuesday Sexy Excerpt from VAMPIRE REBORN

Good morning! It’s Tuesday and you know what that means – a Teaser! Today’s teaser is a sexy excerpt from VAMPIRE REBORN from The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novels. This novella is available as a standalone, but also as part of the Seductive Supernaturals box set.

In this scene, Ryder has been out earlier in the night to try and find out more about what is happening to him and now he’s coming home to Diana. As it is with them, he is impatient to have time with his newlywed wife and sexiness ensues.

Warning, this excerpt is for Mature Audiences Only!

Click here if you can’t see the excerpt below from VAMPIRE REBORN!

Vampire Reborn Novella Excerpt by Caridad Pineiro

VRMeme3