Fall is fast approaching and there are some things I really look forward to during fall! Strolls along the boardwalk without the summer crowds. Apple and pumpkin picking. Visiting either Holland Ridge Farms or Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm to pick sunflowers. I think I look forward to the sunflower picking the most and I can also pick up some pumpkins at those farms as well! What about you? What are you most looking forward to for the fall season? P.S. If you also love Jersey Shore boardwalk strolls, grab your copy of the At the Shore contemporary romance box set of three full-length novels for only 99 cents at https://amzn.to/47y0GE9.
Do you want a piece of a Hallmark movie?
One of the most exciting things I experienced in my writing career was watching the filming for the Hallmark movie based on my SOUTH BEACH LOVE novel. It was interesting to see how the process works and to also meet the various actors and actresses in the movie. They were all so friendly and welcoming. I also got to meet some of the behind the scenes staff and was lucky to score some of the props that were used on the set. I have extras of the signage that was used at the heroine’s restaurant: Munch. I was thinking of having a giveaway of that signage. What do you think about that? Would you take part in that giveaway? P.S. If you haven’t read SOUTH BEACH LOVE it’s specially priced at 99 cents at https://amzn.to/47v8jeA.
This or That: Tacos or Burgers
My daughter has the ritual of having tacos on Taco Tuesday but I’m not as regimented as that. I normally make tacos whenever I pull some ground beef from the fridge. But when I do that, it also gets me thinking that maybe I should make a burger instead. Such a tough choice because I love both tacos and burgers. I have to confess, however, that burgers are probably my favorite food so you know what my this or that choice would be. How about you? If you had to choose whether tonight’s meal would be tacos or a burger, what would you choose? P.S. There’s no doubt that CIA Agent Bill Santana from THE FIFTH KINGDOM would choose tacos, especially since he’s in Mexico, tracking down terrorists who want to get their hands on an ancient relic that supposedly has secret powers. You can grab your copy of this action-packed romantic suspense novel for only 99 cents at https://amzn.to/4d2SWv6. P.P.S. I’ll be announcing the winner of last week’s gift card a little later this week!
Shoutout Julie Miller
This Saturday I want to give a shoutout to my friend and fellow Harlequin author Julie Miller who has a new romantic suspense release this month! K-9 DEFENDER features a wounded detective, traumatized woman, and her trustworthy service dog. I love stories with K-9s and heroes who have to overcome their personal demons to find their happily ever after! I can’t wait to read this one. If you’d like to check out an excerpt, please visit http://www.juliemiller.org/Excerpts.html or grab your copy of Julie’s book at https://amzn.to/4eoRqEw.
Potato Gnocchi
For many years I tried to make potato gnocchi with no luck but I refused to give up on making these tasty potato dumplings. It wasn’t until my husband’s grandmother gave me this trick that I finally got them to come out right: use baked potatoes not boiled. Wow, what a difference that makes because you don’t have all that extra moisture from the water. So today, I’m sharing a simple recipe for potato gnocchi! P.S. If you love books with lots of food and chefs, check out SOUTH BEACH LOVE, my Hallmark Movie featuring two chefs battling for a possibly life-changing magazine spread while falling in love Even better, it’s specially priced at 99 cents! Grab your copy today at https://amzn.to/3MHno2W.
Ingredients
3 large baked potatoes (Russetts work best)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg (beaten)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Scoop out the potato insides and place them in a ricer. I found I had to do this a little at a time or it was difficult to get the potatoes through the ricer.
Rice the potatoes into a bowl. If you don’t have a ricer, just mash the potatoes. Normally you’d put the flour on a board, make a well, and add the egg and potato. I dumped the egg and flour into the bowl and worked the dough in there until it held together.
Then I dumped it out onto a slightly floured board and kneaded it for about 3-4 minutes until it was no longer sticky and holding its shape. Don’t add flour if it’s sticky as this will make the gnocchi very heavy. Just work the dough until it comes together.
Cut the dough into 5 or 6 even pieces and then roll out each piece into a rope about as thick as your thumb. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cut 1-inch pieces from the rope. Gnocchi usually have a distinctive striation that is made with something called a gnocchi board. The board looks like a small cutting board with a handle and striations cut into the wood.
You don’t need anything that fancy. Place a fork tines down and just roll your 1 inch piece across the tines to create the striations.
Place your gnocchi on a lightly floured baking pan. Let them sit for 20-30 minutes before boiling. To cook, place in salted boiling water. The gnocchi are ready when they float to the surface which only takes 1-2 minutes. Yes, that fast!
Serve with your choice of sauce. I made these gnocchi with pesto, but they’re great with any sauce. For a variation, make with sweet potatoes and serve with brown butter sauce and sage for a fall version!
Happy National School Picture Day
Ah, the days of school picture day. What will you wear? How will you look? Remember, that photo is going to last forever and everyone is going to see it! LOL! I had to dig around but I found this photo from my high school yearbook. This photo is of the young women of Leader’s Club. Leaders were student-athletes who would assist the gym teachers in various ways and also had good academic backgrounds. That’s me in the front row, second from the right! In my senior year, I was the President of the Leaders and we had the opportunity to help usher in the changes brought about by the passage of Title IX. Thanks to that, female student-athletes finally were a part of our high school’s Booster Night celebrations and received awards much like the male athletes had received for years. Momentous and not without some conflict. P.S. If you like strong women and stories with friendship, check out the At the Shore box set of three full-length novels. It’s specially priced at 99 cents! You can download it at https://amzn.to/3XmfFfQ.
Never Forget 9-11
As you can imagine from yesterday’s post, this time of year is always rough for me because my mom is no longer with me. But then came 9-11 and so many things would never be the same. My husband and I were in New York City that fateful day. My husband had called me early that morning to tell me that a plane had flown into one of the Towers. A short time later, I watched from the windows of my office as the second plane flew down the skyscraper canyons of Manhattan and then plowed into the second Tower. It was almost as if we were seeing a movie only it was anything but that. The fear was real as we rushed to leave the city and get home to our daughter. The fear was real in the days after. But then fear turned to anger and pain at the loss of so many innocent people. The weeks after 9-11 were difficult on multiple levels. It was hard to see the posters with the smiling faces of the fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, and friends who would never come home. I will never forget 9-11-2001. I will also never forget 9-11-2012 and the attack in Benghazi that took the lives of four Americans. Terrorism is an evil thing and I pray that one day we will no longer have that scourge in our world.
