Tag: pineiro

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Caridad’s Guacamole on #FoodieFriday

Long before hipsters and others discovered avocado, Latinos were eating them in droves (when you could find them if you didn’t live in an ethnic enclave). Now avocados are ubiquitous, although I still find it hard to find Florida avocados. What’s the difference? Florida avocados are bigger and have smoother skin. They also have significantly less fat, but the fat in avocados is a healthy fat in the form of oleic acid. In general, avocados have lots of fiber, vitamins, can help reduce inflammation, improve good cholesterol . . . I could go on and on, but you get it. Avocados are good in moderation.

So when are avocados ripe? For the Hass ones which are more common (they are the small bumpy skin ones), don’t rely on color! If they’re brownish they are probably way far gone. Just gently press at the top near where the avocado connected to the tree. If it’s a little soft, that’s good and give it another day or so for it to be ripe. If it is ripe and you’re not ready to eat it, put it in the fridge! It will keep for a week or more in the fridge until you’re ready for it.

We always have a simple avocado salad on Christmas Eve, but one of my fav things to do is to make a nice guacamole with them!

Caridad’s Guacomole

Ingredients

    3 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped into big chunks
    1 clove garlic, chopped
    1 10 oz can ROTEL diced tomatoes and green chiles (drained)
    2 tbsp Olive Oil
    2 tbsp apple or white vinegar
    Juice of either 1/2 a lemon or if you have 1 lime
    1 ripe tomato chopped
    1/2 tsp salt
    Pepper to taste
    A few good shots of Cholula hot sauce

Directions

Place your salt and garlic in a mixing bowl. Mash together with a fork until close to a paste. Then add the oil and vinegar and mix. Add the avocado chunks and mash with a fork, but leave some nice chunks in there. You may want to put in half and mash it well, and then add the second half and only partially mash it. Add the Rotel tomatoes and chiles plus and mix. Add the ripe tomatoes and mix. Finish with adding the lemon or lime juice and Cholula. If you like it spicier, add more Cholula or a shot of Tabasco.

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#TeaserTuesday – What Happens in Summer

Sourcebooks Casablanca What Happens in Summer Contemporary RomanceWhat Happens in Summer, #2 in the At the Shore Contemporary Romance Series, is now available for pre-order and will release in early June. I absolutely love this sexy and emotional tale between a laid back surfer dude billionaire and an uptight uber responsible NYC lawyer. I hope you will as well and today I’m giving you a little teaser from the book!

Teaser

Connie had vowed never to make the same mistakes as her mother . . .

As the only daughter of a single mom, Connie Reyes knows how hard it is to raise a child alone and without prospects. At an early age Connie vowed she would never put herself or her child in a similar position. But Jonathan Pierce is oh so tempting and a night of passion leads to unexpected consequences with a man she has been unable to forget. But loving Jonathan may upend Connie’s law career and all that she’s worked so hard to achieve.

Jonathan Pierce has always marched to the beat of a different drummer. . .

Jonathan Pierce left home at nineteen, determined to explore his dreams and leave his unhappy childhood behind. A father who was always absent at work and a mother who left them her boys without even a goodbye. His only redeeming family connection is his big brother Owen. In the weeks leading up to the Owen’s wedding, sexual tension sizzles between him and the bride’s best friend Connie. Jonathan would love to show the uber responsible and work-a-holic lawyer that he’s a changed man.

When opportunity presents itself the night of the wedding, mutual desire will bring a lifetime of possibilities. Can Connie and Jonathan find a way to balance their very different personalities and build a loving family together?

Excerpt

Prologue
Sea Kiss, New Jersey

Playing it safe was far worse than taking a risk on what you wanted.
Jonathan Pierce knew just what he wanted.

He grabbed hold of the gnarly branch of the decades-old wisteria vine that climbed the side of the Sinclair mansion and boosted himself up.
He’d made the journey so many times this past summer, he could do it blindfolded.

He scrambled up the vine, finding the familiar foot and handholds until he vaulted up and over the second floor railing, and landed silently as a cat burglar on the balcony. It ran the length of the immense oceanfront mansion, with elegant French doors offering views of the sea.

The first darkened doorway was Maggie Sinclair’s room. He rushed past it quietly; Maggie belonged to his older brother, Owen. Not that Owen had acted on it yet, but Jonathan had known for years that the two were meant to be together, family feud be damned.

The next doorway was usually Maggie’s dad’s, but the old man had stopped coming down to the Shore as often as he once had, so it was a good bet that room was unoccupied.

Reaching the third room, he saw the curtains wafting in the summer breeze and the dim light from behind the partially closed French doors.

He smiled and his heart raced with pleasure.

Connie was waiting for him. Ever-responsible, ever-loyal Connie had broken her own rules to fall in love with him. Or at least he thought it was love. It definitely was on his part. With barely a week left before the girls all went back to school, he intended to let her know just how he felt.

He slipped carefully through the open doors and shut them behind him. He’d gone no more than a step when she launched herself at him, laughing and kissing him as she said, “What took you so long?”

“I missed you, too,” he said, knowing it was more about the separation to come in a week and not about the long hours since last night.

He bent his head and kissed her, his touch tender and caring, and she answered in kind, her lips soft and coaxing.

Although Maggie had been bringing her friends to the Jersey Shore every summer since they’d met freshman year in college, he’d never really paid much attention at first. He’d had his share of girls from his high school class fawning over him.

But when Maggie and her friends had come back the next year, he had finally, gratefully, noticed what a real woman should be. Like Connie: all luscious curves; also proud, smart, and independent,

As impatient as he might be to make love to her tonight, he wanted her to know how much this meant to him. How this wasn’t only a summer romance for him.

He leaned over her, his gaze locked on her face. He wanted to say the words—Lord, how he wanted to—but they stuck in his throat and so he let every kiss and touch tell her what he couldn’t voice.

You Can Order Here:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: Coming Soon!

Special Pricing on #1 – One Summer Night

Don’t forget that we’ve got special pricing going on for #1 in the series, One Summer Night which was a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Fall Romance and featured in the NY Times. You can pick up #1 here and also read the first three chapters for free at Radish!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

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#ManCandyMonday – Alexander Dreymon

Without much of anything to watch while I was finishing #3 and editing it, I came across a fabulous historical on Netflix – The Last Kingdom. It’s the story of the son of a Saxon nobleman who is captured by Danes and raised by them only to find his adopted family slaughtered one night. The lead in the series is played by Alexander Dreymon and boy did he capture my attention. The story is also fascinating and has lots of intrigue, action, and of course, romance. I highly recommend it and the very handsome Alexander! Thanks to the Last Kingdom Facebook Page for this photo!

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#FitnessFriday – Get Fit! 5 Tips that have worked for me!

My goal for the last year or more has been not only to lose weight, but to get more physically fit so that as I get older, I’ll be healthier. With that in mind I started eating healthier and being more active. That’s proven successful for me and I feel so much better and stronger. So today I’m sharing some of the things I’ve done that I think have help me get more fit.

    1. If you sit at a desk all day long like I do, get a timer and have it go off every 30 minutes or so to remind you to get up and move. I do a quick stroll around my office to drop off mail and files when I do my walk. If you have a tracker like the Fitbit, you can set an alarm. I just get so involved that I don’t notice it and need something louder, like a timer with a bell.

    2. Try to do at least 10,000 steps a day of walking. I stay true to that thanks to my Fitbit. Disclosure I own some stock for it, but I bought the stock because I loved the product. If you want to join me on Fitbit, you can find me here: https://www.fitbit.com/user/3GZT48. I’m friends with several people and we often challenge each other to a Workweek Hustle or Weekend Warrior challenge to inspire us to be more active.

    3. Find an exercise/walk buddy. If you’ve got a partner to do it with, you help each other stick to it. Hubby and I hit the Y together almost every day and then do walks/workouts together on the weekend.

    4. Find something you like to do. I like to walk and lift weights. Also like the elliptical and biking. My sis loves yoga. If you stay active with something you like instead of something you have to do, you’re more likely to keep it up.

    5. Develop a habit of being more active. Whether it’s going to the Y or for a walk around the neighborhood, make it part of your daily schedule.

I hope these tips help you too to become more fit!

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#TuesdayTip – Why Should You Consider the Traditional Publishing Route Today?

There are a lot of people who don’t think taking the traditional publishing route today makes sense. I’m not one of those people. Ever since my first experience in publishing when the line I was writing for was closed down, I’ve always thought it makes sense not to have all your eggs in one basket. For that reason when it became possible for me to try more than traditional publishing, I did, but I also kept my foot in the door in the traditional area because the market is too volatile to turn down opportunities of any kind.

In addition, who doesn’t want to get paid in advance and have the assistance of experienced editors, cover artists, formatters and publicists to help you produce your work? I, for one, love working with seasoned veterans who bring out the best in my writing. I also want to spend more time writing and not running a business, especially since I still work full time and my free time is limited.

So how do you get together with a traditional publisher considering many of them won’t talk to someone without an agent? Going to a conference where agents and editors take pitches is one way. Putting on my President’s hat, the upcoming Liberty States Fiction Writers conference has over a dozen agents and editors who will take pitches for various genres. Taking off that hat, the national RWA conference is also a great place.

But like I said, not all the eggs in one basket which is why I’ll be doing a workshop at Liberty States about box sets and also joining some friends to offer a similar workshop at the National RWA Conference.

And speaking of eggs and baskets, I’m trying something new with some fabulous writers – a story bundle! Here is the info on it and I hope you’ll take a moment to try it out.

A Little More About the Bundle

The initial titles in the Sorcery and Steam Bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:

  • Alchemy and Steam by Fiction River
  • Familiarity by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
  • Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger
  • Blood and Magic by Ann Gimpel

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all four of the regular titles, plus SIX more!

  • Specters in the Storm by Pauline Baird Jones
  • Rare Stakes by Michelle Fox
  • Valkyrie’s Vengeance & Hunger Moon – Ragnarok: Doom of the Gods 1-2 by Melissa Snark
  • Ghosted – Nikki Ashburne – Book 1 by Dayle A. Dermatis
  • Alys of Asgard by Catherine Banks
  • For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Pineiro

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi and .pdf) for all books!

It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

  • Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
  • Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
  • Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
  • Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to AbleGamers!
  • Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook.

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#ThriftyThursday Fight Back Winter with a little bit of summer!

OMG I HATE THE WINTER! Yes, I am screaming! I am so not a fan of the cold and the wet. It makes so many of the things I love so hard to do, like walking to work or taking a stroll along the boardwalk. That’s why I’m counting down the days until spring. If you feel the same way, how about fighting back winter with a little of summer! ONE SUMMER NIGHT is only 99 cents and WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER will be out in June, just a few months away!

So don’t miss the special pricing on ONE SUMMER NIGHT and if you’d like, read the first three chapters for free at Radish!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER is now available for pre-order at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: Coming Soon!

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