TUXEDO FASHION, A HOLIDAY CLASSIC ©

  
By Polly Guerin, Fashion Historian

Ever wonder what to wear come the holiday season? In short order, borrow from the men! No, I am not suggesting that you go out and purchase a formal tuxedo, but rather to adapt its timeless appeal in modified versions. The tuxedo, casually referred to as a “tux,” is a timeless classic that translates easily into women’s wear, and it’s a spiffy way to look sophisticated and chic. Fashion designers have interpreted the tuxedo in a variety of ways that makes the style ready for any black tie event. Even show Biz personalities, like Josephine Baker and Marlene Dietrich adopted the “tux” to give that androgynous style to their stardom. The idea wearing black and dressing up for evening events is truly an American inspiration.


STYLISH TUXEDO LOOKS

A fashionable, nipped in the waist tuxedo jacket with satin lapels, is like a short black blazer. Worn with a red glitter bustier underneath and skin curving velvet tights it cuts a dashing figure at a cocktail party. When the occasion is even more casual, wear the jacket over denim pants. The bolero style, like a waiter’s short tux jacket has youthful flair when worn with Capri pants. This short tux also pairs well, as does the classic tux jacket, with a white satin blouse and a long; side slit velvet or satin skirt for theatre or opera events. Either jacket worn with black, chiffon palazzo pants is hostess staple.


A PRINCE OF A TUX

In early 1800s most gentlemen at that time dressed in a traditional white tie and tails, and it wasn’t until the late 1800’s that the “black dinner jacket” became fashionable. In the summer of 1886 James Brown Potter, went to England on vacation with his wife Cora and met the Prince of Wales at a court ball in London. The Prince invited them both to visit him at Sandringham, his sprawling 11,000-acre estate in Norfolk. James Brown Potter had no idea how to dress for dinner. So asked the Prince of Wales for his advice who put him in touch with his own Saville Row in London, Henry Poole & Co. where he was fitted with a short black blazer, which was quite an innovation from the formal “tails” of the time.

BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN TUX

At an autumn ball, October 1886, in the tony enclave of Tuxedo Park, New York, the guests at the Tuxedo Club were confronted by an unexpected shock. At that time, men’s formal dress consisted of the traditional white tie and tails. However, the Lorillard family, tobacco magnates and members of Tuxedo Park’s high society changed men’s formal wear with riveting results. Legend has it that Pierre Lorillard’s son Griswold and his spunky friends dressed up for Ball in striking red vests and the standard black dinner jacket with tails, and then cut off the tails. The butchered new short jacket created a sensation at the Ball, and garnered unrivaled fashion publicity in the papers. The story of the Tuxedo spread like wildfire across the country and new formal fashion was born.

The new style eventually became known in society circles as “the Tuxedo,” obviously named after the Lorillard’s birthplace Tuxedo Park.♥



Polly Guerin honed her skills as a fashion writer at Women’s Wear Daily where her accessories columns dominated the Friday pages. She is a former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Currently her historical “THE TALE OF TWO SISTERS,” will be featured in Vintage magazine’s fall/winter issue. Visit her at http://www.pollytalk.com/.

TWO FINAL RECIPES: BREAD & CHEESECAKE

  
FROM MEMBER & PRESIDENT KAREN CINO


RECIPE #1:   Kahlua Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Sifted Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or too taste)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
6 Tbs Kahlua (or too taste)
1 cup nuts (optional)


Directions:   Cream butter and sugar to smooth, then add eggs, cinnamon, kahula and baking powder. Add flour and mix until smooth. Grease and flour pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.




RECIPE #2:   Summer Cheesecake

Ingredients:

3 Packages Lady Fingers
1 Cup Sugar
1 Pint Heavy Cream
1 8oz Cream Cheese
1 Tbs Vanilla
1 Can Fruit or graham cracker (Crumbled) or fresh fruit


Directions:    Mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Then blend in vanilla. In another bowl mix heavy cream until still. Blend everything together. In a Spring Pan Only, line up lady fingers around in a circle, and then put a layer on the bottom of the pan. Pour in half the mixture and then layer lady fingers on top of it. Then pour in the other half. Put fruit or graham cracker crumbs on top. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.


Enjoy & Happy New Year!

RECIPE OF THE DAY: TORTE DI RICOTTA

  
FROM MEMBER LIS ENG


Torte di Ricotta

Ingredients:


Pasta Frolla:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour


Ricotta Filling:

1 1/2 pounds ricotta
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream


Directions:    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

1. For the pasta frolla: Combine sugar, butter, egg, milk, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour until it forms a ball. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or until firm.

2. For the ricotta filling: Place the ricotta in a large bowl stir in the sugar and cream, then the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla being careful not to over mix.

3. Roll the dough into a thin, even 14 inch disk. Treat a 9” spring form pan with a spray vegetable oil. Spread the dough over the inside of the pan up to the edge. Pour the filling into the dough crust pan filling to the edge.

4. Place the pan in the lower third of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees F. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown. A knife inserted should come out clean when done. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan.

5. After 15 minutes, remove the spring form. Sprinkle generously with confectioner’s sugar before serving. Serve warm, or at room temperature.


Enjoy and Happy New Year!

RECIPE OF THE DAY: NOODLE PUDDING

  
FROM MEMBER RUTH SEITELMAN


Noodle Pudding

Ingredients:

1/2 lb egg noodles cooked and drained (You can use broad noodles although I use fine noodles)
8 oz cottage cheese
16 oz sour cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine at room temperature
1/2 cup white raisins (optional)
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon-sugar to garnish


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and Grease a 1 1/2 qt glass baking dish.

2. Turn warm, drained noodles into a bowl and add cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, and raisins, mixing well.

3. Pour into greased glass baking dish.

4. Beat eggs well, then beat in sugar, milk and vanilla and pour, evenly, over the noodle mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon-sugar.

5. Bake in pre-heated oven for 1 hour.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

PLANS FOR PULSE AND REFLECTIONS ON WRITING

by Anne Elizabeth

“Dreams are worth pursuing . . .” This is the opening phrase to every library lecture I give. The room is usually packed with teens and adults, who read, draw, write, or celebrate the medium. The grins on their faces are evidence of their excitement. “I say that dreams are worth going for, because I began writing the story of PULSE OF POWER when I was in high school. This fictional place was fantastical and could be anything I desired. Thus, it was full of monsters, witches, animals, ghosts, human beings, and brand-new creature creations. Freedom reigns here and I’m the one in control of what could happen.”

My comic/graphic novels resonant with the themes of empowerment and living your power. Mainly, because this is how I live my life and this is one of the main values in my personal world. Everyone has challenges – work, school, bills, commitments, family, and friends – but how you pursue the desire or dream of your heart affects the reality of your goal coming true. If you are serious about your dream, take it as seriously as a job, exercise, or meal. Make it a definite choice to craft every day or several times a week or as often as you can. Make a timeline and stick to it. Encourage yourself and surround yourself with believers in your dream. Attend classes and lectures, and bring into fruition the goal that is your greatest desire.

So, how does this relate to the future of PULSE – which was the original question Maria asked me – each issue of the graphic novel will challenge the heroine Tia to live into the morals and values that are most important to her. THE PENDULUM coming in Fall 2011 will take her off-world and force her to face “fears” she didn’t realize were standing “like roadblocks” in her life.

This series is my dream. What are your goals? Are you pursuing them? How are you going to make your dreams come true, and where will your greatest desire take you?♥



Anne Elizabeth is a romance author, and the Columnist for RT BOOK Reviews Magazine covering the topic of comics, manga, and graphic novels each month. She has published multicultural and romantic fiction with Atria/Simon & Schuster and Highland Press. AE grew up in Greenwich, CT, and currently lives in the mountains above San Diego with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL. He was the inspiration for an anthology line that is published several times a year and contributes to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). Her graphic novel, PULSE OF POWER, was released through Dynamite Entertainment in August 2010. For more details check out http://www.anneelizabeth.net/ and http://www.pulseofpower.com/.

  

RECIPE OF THE DAY: MEATBALLS

   
FROM MEMBER C.H. ADMIRAND


MEATBALLS

This foolproof recipe is from my mother-in-law. My family loves them! I’ve tweaked the original recipe over the years.

Ingredients:

2 lb. ground beef (80-85% lean…more fat/more flavor )
1 cup dry Italian flavored bread crumbs
4 -5 cloves minced garlic (depending on your tastes)
3 tbsp parsley
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
½ cup grated parmesan/romano cheese (freshly grated is better)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 large eggs, well beaten
Vegetable oil for frying


Sauce: Your favorite Red Sauce –Marinara works best because you have all of those yummy flavors from the meatballs.


Directions:

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, kneading with hands. Shape into meatballs…1” to 2” in diameter.

Coat the bottom of your frying pan with vegetable oil and fry until browned all over, remove from pan and add to heated sauce and simmer until heated through – be careful to use a low heat, or your meatballs will stick and burn.

Serve with pasta, or on hard Italian rolls, or in a pinch…just a plate!

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

RECIPE OF THE DAY: CREAMIEST, RICHEST FETTUCCINI ALFREDO YOU'LL EVER TASTE

  
FROM MEMBER MARI MILLER-LAMB


Creamiest, Richest Fettuccini Alfredo You'll Ever Taste

Ingredients:

8 oz. package cream cheese cubed
1/3 cup parmesan (Kraft is fine!)
½-cup margarine or butter
½-cup milk or cream or half and half, whatever you have.
8 oz. fettuccine cooked and drained.


Directions: In large pan over low heat, stir together the first four ingredients until smooth, add to cooked fettuccine. Makes enough for one pound of pasta Particularly good with spinach fettuccine.

Note:   You can easily cut the fat in half by substituting low fat cream cream cheese, lowfat milk (or even skim!) and appropriate butter substitute. In a pinch, I've even used low fat sour cream in place of the cream cheese. Turns out just as rich and creamy. Every Italian restaurant I've ever been too has their own version. As far as I am concerned, this one's the best I've ever had and super easy to make.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

12 DAYS OF (A ROMANCE WRITER’S) CHRISTMAS

  
By Margaret Birth

What follows is a wish list of my favorite writing-related items, set to the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” tune (with apologies for the nonsensical meter):



On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
a renewed subscription to RT*.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
two Writer’s Markets**,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
ten hugs for encouragement,
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
eleven black Uni●ball gel-stick pens,
ten hugs for encouragement,
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
twelve romance novels***,
eleven black Uni●ball gel-stick pens,
ten hugs for encouragement,
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.♥


* RT, for anyone who doesn’t know, is RT Book Reviews, which is the premier publication reviewing genre fiction and women’s fiction in the US today.

**My favorite Writer’s Markets are the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market and the Poet’s Market; there’s also a more general Writer’s Market that also covers nonfiction (and all three are published by Writer’s Digest Books). A similar book to the general Writer’s Market that’s specifically geared toward the Christian writer is the Tyndale-published Christian Writer’s Market Guide. All of these books are revised annually.

***Although listed last, they are certainly not least—an entire dozen, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas!


Margaret Birth is a Christian writer who has been widely published in short fiction, short nonfiction, and poetry, both in the U.S. and abroad; in addition to working as a freelance writer, she's spent over a decade freelancing for multiple publishers as a manuscript reader, proofreader, and copy editor. It's all of this experience on both sides of the publishing desk that has inspired her column, "The Write Stuff," which has appeared regularly in RWA/NYC's newsletter, Keynotes, for the past ten years.


Photo by Maria Ferrer. 
The Stars at the Time Warner Building, 2010.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: MOM’S SUPER EASY GUACAMOLE

   
FROM MEMBER: ISABO KELLY (aka Katrina Tipton)


Comment: As mentioned, in my previous post: I’m an extremely lazy cook, and I don’t make real Mexican food. (All you lovely Mexican people out there, please don’t yell at me.) This recipe was given to me by my mom, who grow up in a community full of Mexicans (in Arizona) and she had tamales as their traditional Christmas lunch, so I can at least say I’m sort of following my mother’s holiday traditions.

Mom’s Super Easy Guacamole


This goes well with the Mexican Lasagna. Also, this is a recipe to experiment with as I never measure anything when I make it. Amounts will vary to taste but this is a place to start.


Ingredients:

2 ripe avocado
1-3 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp garlic salt
3-6 tbs tomato based salsa—pick your favorite but make it chunky


Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl using fork to mush up avocado (“mush up”” is a technical cooking term, right?) Start with a minimum of the salsa and build to desired amount. It’s easy to overdue the salsa part so work your way up.

Eat with tortilla chips, Mexican lasagna, nachos or anything else you might like guacamole with.


Buen Provecho & Feliz Navidad. Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

HOLIDAY TRIFECTA: RECIPE, EXCERPT AND GIVEAWAY!

  
FROM MEMBER LEANNA RENEE HIEBER


My favourite thing about the holidays is the scents. Scent is a powerful sense in my books, and the fact that one of the heroes of my Strangely Beautiful series, Professor Alexi Rychman, smells of clove tea and leather-bound books is one of my favourite details. And one of Alexi’s favourite things around this time of year is what his friend, Vicar Michael Carroll, concocts for the ‘darkest nights of the soul’; freshly mulled wine. Mulling wine is simple, and you can add delicious spices as you see fit:

RECIPE: Vicar Carroll’s Mulled Wine:


- Procure lovely red wine of your choice (we like a good Cabernet)
- Pour a bottle or two or five into a tall cooking pot
- Add cinnamon, nutmeg, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, possibly some orange peel, add amounts to taste
- Cook on a light, slow warm heat to get all those wonderful spices into the wine, just don’t overcook, the whiffs you’ll get while stirring it carefully are worth standing over the stove for.



EXCERPT:     My holiday novella “A Christmas Carroll” (Strangely Beautiful #2.5), featured in A MIDWINTER FANTASY novella shifts our heroic focus from Alexi to Vicar Carroll. In the timeline of the series, this novella occurs between the last chapter of The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker (Strangely Beautiful #2) and the epilogue of that same novel. The novella brings us into a Dickensian event, wrought by familiar spirits from the Whisper-World, that will force Vicar Michael Carroll, and the woman he has loved for nearly 20 years, Headmistress Rebecca Thompson, to be wholly and dangerously honest with one another, else the souls that hinge upon their happiness be trapped forever in purgatory.

Here’s how mulled wine stars in Chapter One of “A Christmas Carroll”:
(© 2010 by Leanna Renee Hieber)


Vicar Michael Carroll turned the ladle in his pot of mulled wine and let the scented steam rise to his nostrils, unlocking emotion, memory and all those forces that such smells do around the Christmas holiday. He glanced out the window of the kitchen in his small Bloomsbury flat, which looked unflatteringly down upon an alley, and was pleased to witness a solitary flake of snow brush the thick, uneven glass before vanishing. It would be the first of many firsts this season, if the fates allowed.

Drawing himself a heaping tankard of Josephine’s favourite Cabernet, procured from the stores of her café and heated with bobbing chunks of cinnamon, fruit and cloves, he moved into his small dining room. The corners of the chamber were plastered at uneven angles, having settled awkwardly at the beginning of the century when the building was new. The window here only gave half a view of the avenue beyond, but he could see lamplighters plying their trade and nearing his street. It was not yet dark, and a purple sky reigned over parapets and smokestacks that grew ever higher and higher, the churning wheels of industry cranking them upward to challenge twilight’s celestial throne.

He sat at a rough-hewn wooden table worn smooth by use, by company and the press of his own hands. Sliding his palms forward onto it, he eased into his chair, bracing himself and his heart, connecting with something solid and simple. The odd powers that had coursed through his body had once made his fingers twitch. Those powers were no more. Nonetheless, holding his palms firmly down, rooting himself to the table and to humanity, was one of his usual exercises. It brought him peace.

I hope you’ll check out what I think is a great holiday treat; A MIDWINTER FANTASY anthology, including “A Christmas Carroll” – available digitally in eBook form via all major vendors.

To keep abreast of the latest in my Strangely Beautiful series as well as my upcoming Victorian Gothic YA series Magic Most Foul, follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/leannarenee on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/lrhfbfan check out my blog at http://www.leannareneebooks.blospot.com/ and always at http://www.leannareneehieber.com/


GIVEAWAY:  

YOUR TURN:   What is your favourite holiday scent?!

Share with us your favourite holiday scent for a chance to win a copy of THE DARKLY LUMINOUS FIGHT FOR PERSEPHONE PARKER.

Happy New Year!

MAGIC

by F. Solomon

Once, I was fixated with the idea of what a writer reveals in their fiction. I do not think that fiction should be a mirror of who you are, but it is inevitable that there will be parts of you and the people that you know in your stories. Always struggling with the line of what is fiction and what is my reality, I have brought the same issue to photography.

I hate taking pictures; it has never been something that I like to do. Now that I have a camera, however, I am always taking pictures; and I see in my photos the things that I write about and the things that obsess me. Closeups of flowers, a pop art, a couple embracing--these I took from a midtown window, but I do not like pictures of myself.  I do like pieces of myself. Since I started taking pictures, I have a lot of parts of me or pictures of me taking pictures but very rarely pictures of my face.

There is always the eye or the ear or something that creates inspiration, but the inspiration will be what you explore and turn into a poem, story, monologue or dance performance. When I was going to college, I was thinking about acting so I performed a monologue about a female character I created, who was nothing like me, and it was so much fun to be that character. I had to really stretch to be that character in a convincing way.

It's the same thing I do now with photographs.  I take a piece of myself and I morph it into something that is a suggestion of me but not enough of me that you have a clear impression.

Today, I heard real life love stories that were so good I wished I had created them. That is a good sign because it shows that I am such a romantic, that I am provided this type of inspiration. It is all about how you see the world, even with rose colored glasses, even in photography when you are photographing, what is there and trust me I cannot do any tricks worthy of an actress who needs to look slimmer with any photo program. With that in mind, when people tell me I have an eye and that my photos are romantic it makes me see that that is who I am. In my words and photos and it makes me happy.

"All you need is love," people keep singing this to me these days, even before The Beatles were available on iTunes.

That's what I think too. The picture with this post is of my knees while I was sitting on the window of a cafe in the Lower East Side. What did you see before I told you?  It is all slight of word or photo. Artists are magicians.


Photograph by F. Solomon

She Always Gets Her Man: Creating Your Romance Heroine

Unlike the early years of contemporary romance, when the heroine – regardless of whether she was an historical, gothic or contemporary heroine – was generally a singular sort of gal - youngish; virginal; more often subjected to the whims of fate with little independence and often awaiting rescue by her dashing alpha hero - today's heroines run the gamut. Today’s heroines run a marvelous breadth of types. And the earlier strictures have been relaxed or abandoned completely in some cases, allowing us to create heroines that range from simple maidens, to eccentrics, to kick-ass killers and every permutation in between Contemporary Gals: They are designers, CEOs, waitresses, store clerks, cowgirls, detectives, singers, married, divorced, virginal and temptresses. They are strong, vulnerable, fierce, funny, ambitious, rich, poor, exotic beauties or the girls next door. Complex emotions, conflicts and motivations drive them – unlike their earlier romance ancestors who seemed constrained by wanting nothing more than the man of their dreams. Today's women can deal with the harsh realities of life, bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and while they are (sometimes) happy to share responsibilities with a hero, they don't sit around killing time while awaiting his arrival to “save” them or whisk them off to a safe, coddled existence. You can imbue your heroine with a wealth of personality – as long as you remember to keep her real and make her actions believable and sympathetic. Don’t stick to the mundane. Your heroines should stand toe to toe with your heroes. No woman we want to read about allows her hero to control her thoughts and daily existence – an existence that many women in 1950 lived. Remember the burning bras, NOW and the ERA! (Exceptions? But of course – the submissive gal looking for her Dominant Master. The heroine who has lived the prior life, but yearns for the freedom and independence you – the brilliant author – are preparing to give her! However, she's never a doormat and she always has a mind of her own and a hero who will listen and respect her). Historical Lasses: Where the contemporary heroine can be all that she can be, your historical heroine is still, to some extent, hamstrung by the history of the time in which your story is set. We all read historical romances that ask – in some cases demand – that we willingly suspend our disbelief and accept heroines’ actions that would never EVER have happened in a given time. But that’s why it is called fiction, right? Still, your heroine must be rich, and complicated. It can be a wonderful exercise to create a fairly accurate heroine within her historical time frame, yet one as complex as any contemporary heroine. Rather like a wonderful puzzle to develop a heroine who can be herself, within those confines, and yet be unique among her brethren. Paranormal Ladies: Another great opportunity to craft a delicious heroine lies in the paranormal genre – behavior, societal mores, even physical restrictions can be lifted or abandoned altogether to allow our heroines free rein in their thoughts, feelings, behaviors and desires. But the bottom line still exists: She can’t be unpleasant, nasty, stupid, or grotesque. Her beauty may lie in the eye of the beholder, your hero, but it must be recognizable and appreciated by the reader. She can be kick-ass, but she can’t be homicidal. [One of the most distinct of sub-genres in this category, urban fantasy, is the one that stretches the heroines to the limit – allowing them all sorts of behavior that would not get past the censors (tongue in cheek reference there) in any genre of romance. But she's a heroine of a different color there, and worthy of an entire discussion on its own.] Most fun of all, is that our heroines today can be flawed. Whereas feminine perfection seemed universal a few decades back, our gals can curse, get pissed off, get tipsy and enjoy the sensual side of life without guilt. They can learn the error of their ways through experience and their relationship with the hero – moving from a spoiled gal to a compassionate one; a selfish one to a generous soul; a mean girl to an older, but wiser woman. They don’t all yearn for home and hearth. (But if she does, even a heroine who longs for nothing more than a home and family will not yield until she gets her heart’s fondest wish. She is an active participant in her life and her fate. She never settles.) Some yearn for adventures in a galaxy far, far away, or the Chairmanship of a company, or the wicked pleasures of bondage play. They are complicated and just as courageous as their male counterparts. They fight, they strive, they dream and they love as hard as any hero. So, what kind of heroine do you write? Is your perfect heroine a lover or a fighter? A dame or a dainty maiden? What makes her special? What makes the hero yearn for her, fight for her, fight WITH her and in the end, win the heart and mind of this complicated woman?

RECIPE OF THE DAY: SWEET POTATO FRUIT MIX

  
FROM MEMBER: CATHY GREENFEDER

Sweet Potato Fruit Mix

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes
dried fruit mix (pitted prunes, apricots,apples)
lo-cal pancake syrup
1/4 stick of butter


Directions:

1. Cook the sweet potatoes; let them cool.

2. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks.

3. Plump the prunes, apricots, and dehydrated apples by heating them in water for five minutes.

4. Add sweet potatoes to a casserole dish.

5. Add in the fruit mixture.

6. Drizzle pancake syrup on top of the mixture.

7. Add 1/4 stick of butter.

8. Bake for 20 minutes.


Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: FESTIVE HOLIDAY QUICHE

   
FROM MEMBER POLLY GUERIN

FESTIVE HOLIDAY QUICHE

Here is an easy-to-make quiche sure to please your holiday guests.

Pre-plan: Purchase ready made pie shells (you'll need only one for this recipe or you can double the recipe and make two quiches, reserving one in the refrigerator for another day)


Ingredients for one Quiche:

l pkg. (9 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed
3 eggs
1 onion chopped, 1 cup
4 oz. sliced bacon
2 cups of sharp shredded cheddar cheese (prepackaged) You can also use Swiss cheese instead. (Save some of the cheese to later top the quiche.)
1 pint of heavy cream


Directions:

Starter: Preheat oven to 375F

Proceed: Cook bacon in skillet until crisp and drain on paper towels (save some to later top the quiche.
--Reserve 1 tbs. fat in skillet (discard remainder)
--Add chopped onion to skillet, cook until tender, crisp if you wish.

Blender: Put the 3 eggs, heavy cream and cheese into a blender as well as the thawed spinach and combine on blend speed. Remove from blender and then add the onion and bacon crumbles to the mix.

Pour: Pour this mixture into the pie shell

Finishing Touch: Top with additional bacon crumbles and cheese

Bake: Transfer the quiche to the oven and bake on a baking sheet until set and golden, about 30 minutes. Let it stand at least 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Delicious with a salad and a glass of Chardonnay.


Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

RECIPE OF THE DAY: EASY BAKED YAMS

FROM MEMBER ANNE MOHR


EASY BAKED YAMS

Ingredients:

Canned baby yams or cut up yams any size can depending on how much you want to make
Brown Sugar
Butter


Preparation:

1-- Deep baking dish that is large enough to hold the yams so they are not too packed in.
2-- Pour off half of the liquid in the can and transfer yams and remaining liquid into your baking dish
3-- Sprinkle a good amount of brown sugar evenly over the yams (depending how sweet you like it add more sugar)
4-- Cut pad size pieces of butter and layer them over the sugared yams (anywhere from and half stick to full depending on amount of yams).
5-- Bake in oven about 350 degrees till the yams are hot and the sugar and butter is melted.
6-- Serve hot as a side to turkey, ham, etc.


Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

DREADED AUTHOR QUESTION: WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS?

  
By Isabo Kelly

Why is this question dreaded? Well, if you’re asked this from a non-writer, they either won’t really care or they won’t understand. A writer’s process, the way they come up with stories, how they plot (or don’t plot), the way they create out of thin air, can be a difficult thing to explain. If you’ve never had any experience with attempting to write something creative, it can be pretty tough to imagine how that nebulous process works.

I actually did try to explain to my mother-in-law once. She didn’t ask my process directly, she asked, “So you just sit down and start writing and a story comes out?” But my explanation—“Sort of, sometimes, but I usually know some of what’s going on before I start typing.”—didn’t really clarify things for her. She shrugged and went back to watching TV. There was no point trying to explain further.

If the question comes from a writer—especially an inexperienced one—they’re often looking for a “magic bullet”, the secret technique that will make them good, consistent and published writers. When you tell them there is no magic answer, that the only way to reach their goals is to write all the time and practice until they get better…well, that’s not the answer they’re looking for.

The truth is, there is no secret trick to getting a book written. And every writer has a different process. In fact, for a lot of us, the process can change from book to book, with no two experiences the same. So why even bother with “process” at all?

It might be a tough question to answer, but for any writer’s sake, it’s incredibly useful to have at least some idea of what your own personal process is. Even if you can’t quite explain it to anyone else. Understanding what you do when you think up a new story line, when you sit down to write and plot and develop your characters, will help you when you get stuck. Going back to what usually works for you may well help you out of a hole. Also, knowing your process can help you come up with stories on request, rather than having to wait for inspiration.

Say a contest comes up, or an editor requests a story for a particular project. You can take advantage of these opportunities if you know where and how you start a new idea and what you absolutely need to bring that idea to the page.

Personally, I have to start with characters. How they come to me—whether it’s in a scene, a setting, a bit of dialogue, or just a sense of them—doesn’t much matter. Without at least one character, though, I can’t move forward. If I hadn’t discovered that I needed characters to start my imagination going, I would never have been able to take advantage of many of the opportunities that have come my way.

While trying to answer the question, “What’s your process?” may strike horror into the author’s heart, knowing your process is an important part of growing as a writer. Don’t assume this process will be set in stone—it rarely is—but give yourself a chance to figure out some of the basics. From there, give yourself some wiggle room to adjust the process for each new book.

And when someone asks you this dreaded author question, feel free to tell the non-writer, “It’s a little hard to explain.” Or give them a bit of where you start if you think it will help move them on to a different topic. For other writers, tell them, “The important question isn’t what I do, it’s what you do when you’re writing. This is what works for me, so what works for you?” If the questioner is looking for a secret, they’ll quickly realize you don’t have it. Then they’ll either move on or figure out what they do themselves when they write. If they’re going to succeed in this business, they’ll do the latter.

So for a little homework—and please don’t feel like you have to answer me directly (unless of course you really want to)—sit down and start to answer the following question: What’s your process? ♥

Isabo Kelly (aka Katrina Tipton) is the author of multiple science fiction, fantasy and paranormal romances. Her Prism Award Winning novel, SIREN SINGING, was released in paperback from Ellora’s Cave (www.ellorascave.com). For more on Isabo’s books, visit her at www.isabokelly.com

In this series, Isabo talks about the often uncomfortable questions every author gets asked, and how to handle those dreaded inquiries. If you have gotten any of these “dreaded” questions, please share them with us here. If you have an answer, all the better.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: BOURSIN CHEESE BALL

FROM MEMBER DEE DAVIS

Boursin Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried dill
2 tsp chives
2 Tbl lemon pepper


Directions:   Mix all ingredients together except lemon pepper. Chill. Form into a ball and roll in lemon pepper. Serve with crackers.


Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

RECIPE OF THE DAY: WEST INDIES CURRY

  
FROM MEMBER SYLVIA BAUMGARTEN


WEST INDIES CURRY (serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

3 lb. cut up chicken (or chicken breasts cut into chunks)
2 Tb. oil
2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. curry powder (or more, to taste)
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. raisins
2 c. orange juice
2 Tb. cornstarch
2 Tb. sugar
½ c. cashews
1 Tb. grated orange rind (about 1 orange should provide correct amount)
(Optional: segments from fresh orange)


Directions:

1. Brown chicken in oil. Drain off fat.

2. Sprinkle with salt, curry, ginger, garlic, raisins.

3. Combine juice, cornstarch, sugar. Stir till free of lumps. Pour over chicken. Stir over medium flame until sauce thickens.

4. Cover and cook over low flame, stirring and turning occasionally, about 45 min. Stir cashews and rind into mixture. Cook about 5-10 min. longer.

Serve with rice (and mango chutney, if desired).


Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

COMIC CON NEWS

by Anne Elizabeth



The New York Comic Con was
FAN-tas-tic! I chatted with comic and manga fans from around the globe, and gained the latest insights into the graphic fiction, animation, and gaming industries. The pre-conference was centered on the digital world and how products were becoming more global and user-friendly.

As a columnist for RT Book Reviews Magazine, I interviewed PC Cast (check the January Issue to read her thoughts and see the exclusive art). I spoke with publishers about their hottest titles and shared details on the RT Book Lovers Convention in Los Angeles, CA in April 2011. Here’s the scoop: there is going to be a day full of events at this year’s convention centered on comics, manga, and graphic novels including author chats with Dean Koontz and Gregg Hurwitz. Also, Sea Lion Books will be giving away a comic contract. That’s right! You could win an opportunity to be published in comic form. Participants in the contest need to be registered with RT before February 1st and the details will be going up on the site soon. Check www.rtconvention.com for more details.

On a creator/writer’s front, over 3,000 promo items were taken by fans and I signed over three hundred items and/or books. PULSE OF POWER books sold out on the first day to the professional crowd, and fans surged Amazon.com with orders on Saturday and Sunday. Here’s an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the book!

I signed a contract with Sea Lion Books to continue the PULSE series in seven more graphic novels – one a year for the next seven years. They will ALL release at the New York Comic Con. Hooyah! Please come visit me next year in the Author Anne Elizabeth booth. Power up!♥

Anne Elizabeth is a romance author, and the Columnist for RT BOOK Reviews Magazine covering the topic of comics, manga, and graphic novels each month. She has published multicultural and romantic fiction with Atria/Simon & Schuster and Highland Press. AE grew up in Greenwich, CT, and currently lives in the mountains above San Diego with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL. He was the inspiration for an anthology line that is published several times a year and contributes to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). Her graphic novel, PULSE OF POWER, was released through Dynamite Entertainment in August 2010. For more details check out http://www.anneelizabeth.net/ and http://www.pulseofpower.com/.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: ZUCCHINI QUICHE

FROM CHAPTER PRESIDENT KAREN CINO

Zucchini Quiche

Ingredients:

4 small zucchini's
4 eggs
1 stick margarine (regular or light)
1 onion
4 Tbs Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Bisquick (regular or low fat)
3 tsps parsley
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Peel and chop zucchini and onions. Add beaten egg. Melt stick of margarine and add. In another bowl mix all dry ingredients. Mix all together and place in a round glass pie dish. Bake at 350 for an hour or until golden brown.

Comment:  This is a low fat alternative to quiche made with heavy cream.


Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: COCONUT RUM CAKE

  
FROM MEMBER: WENDY CORSI STAUB


Coconut Rum Cake

Ingredients:                                                    Prep Time: 25 minutes

---Cake---
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

---Glaze---
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut rum


Preparation:

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for exactly 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. If you have a marinade syringe, inject the glaze into the cake as well as drizzling it over t he top. If not, poke holes in cake with skewer before you drizzle glaze over cake. Use a pastry brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.

Notes: I have a marinade injector that I use solely for making this cake. Injecting the glaze makes it even more moist than it would otherwise be--but if you don't have a syringe, poking holes will suffice. Just be sure to keep pouring glaze over and re-coating it as it runs off. Also, for each cake, I make a full recipe plus another half recipe of the glaze so that I have enough to both inject and coat the cake. If you choose to follow my lead, the measurements are:

3/4 cup butter
1/4 plus 1/8 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups coconut rum


Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

ROUND ROBIN: SANCTUARY HOLIDAY

ED NOTE:    Santa Byrnes has started us off on this Holiday Round Robin.  Please  read her post AND Read ALL the comments for new twists to the story.  THEN add your twist to the story.  Let's keep it going! ---mcf




Brenda stared blankly ahead, her forehead pressed against the cool glass of the bay window in her office.

“Is that what you’ve come up with for the event banner?” Sammi, Brenda’s assistant stared, hands on her hips, at the taped together banner above the arch of Brenda’s office.

The Great Council Would Like to Wish All Inhabitants of Sanctuary Ridge a Very Happy Post-Apocalyptic Holiday To All

“Do you think it’s too much?”

“Too much for a post–apocalyptic world? No, not at all. Too much for the Chamber of Commerce WinterFest? Ah, YAY!”

“I am drawing a blank here, Sam. It’s the same every single year. Same ol’ cardboard food. Same ol’ speeches a snooze alarm couldn’t rouse.” Brenda groused slumping back into her chair. “There’s got to be something we could shake up the event with. Attract more people. Really raise some serious money for the town.”

“We should have an auction. You know, like that show on public television, “One Man’s Junk/Another’s Treasure”. Folks can bring in stuff they find around the house and have their neighbors bid on them.”

“I don’t know. What else can we do?”

‘…Glory days. Glory dayyysss.’

“Tom, quit making that racket!”, Sam teased.

“Racket? I’ll have you know I was the champion of Battle of the Bands.”

Brenda stiffened in her seat.

Tom. As if this day couldn’t get any worse, she always seemed to have the president of the Chamber breathing down her neck –and never anyone else’s - about one thing or another. He’d have a field day if he learned she was having such a tough time getting this particular event together.

She sprang up to tear down her faux banner and ran head on into six foot four inches of vexed male.

“Um, what the hell have you been doing?”

RECIPE OF THE DAY: Hot & Yummy - Artichoke Dip

FROM MEMBER SANTA BYRNES


Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts
2 cups of mayo
2 cups of parmesan cheese (Kraft kind is fine)


Directions:    Put into a baking dish and mix together. Put into a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Serve with crackers.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

RECIPE OF THE DAY: FLM TACO DIP

FROM MEMBER: MARIA FERRER

Comment: This Taco Dip is a staple at all our family gatherings every holiday and birthday and picnic….well, you get the picture.


Ferrer/Lopez/Muniz Taco Dip

Ingredients:

2 bars of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3 tomatoes, diced into small pieces
1 small onion, diced into small pieces (optional)
½ lettuce, chopped into teeny pieces
1 bag 3-cheese Mexican grated cheese
1/4 cup of chopped olives (optional)
1/4 cup of chopped jalepeno peppers (optional)
1 can Chunky Salsa (the hotter the better!)
1 large bag of Taco chips


Directions:

1.  In a deep round dish with a lip, spread the cream cheese until the dish is covered completely.

2.  Pour the salsa on top of the cream cheese. NOTE: If your salsa is too watery, drain some of the water.

3.  IN THIS ORDER…..Spread the tomatoes, onions and then the lettuce over the cream cheese.

4.  Sprinkle the Mexican grated cheese over the lettuce.

5.  Chill for ½ hour – 1 hour for it to set.

6.  Serve with the taco chips.



Buen Provecho & Feliz Navidad.
Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

TRICKSY THE CHRISTMAS ELF

By John Lovelady

So often on the chapter’s blogs and websites and newsletter, and from our friends and fellow writers, we are exhorted to keep at it, don’t let rejections get us down, keep a stiff upper submission file, etc., etc.

I’ve been writing for a fair number of years and you would think had learned by now to take the down times in stride -- and pretty much, I do.

But our egos are fragile and as writing markets deteriorate and change under our trembling fingers, even a relatively stable writer can be shaken. Like one of those bottom-heavy rocker dolls, being knocked one way, however, can also send you swinging back the other way. Especially with a cheering section that emails you daily to keep at it, don’t let rejections get you down, keep a stiff upper submission file, etc.

It is the season for thanks, and I do so, gratefully and gladly, RWA/NYC. For though the good wishes and good hopes and good solid advice are always a balm -- sometimes it even leads to a sale.

And a cover.

And for the first time, I have a cover with my erotic pen name in big type. Another step along the rocky road that we all travel.

I can’t even find the original email now, but in September, someone sent out a link to a Dreamspinner Christmas Anthology call for submissions. The holidays almost upon us. I write better under pressure. Well, maybe not better, but I do tend to respond to the impetus of a definite deadline. Dreamspinner does “quality M/M romantic fiction.” I can do quality M/M.

So I hustled a quality couple of cute, quality stories out, -- one M/M, one M/M/F/F/M feeling very proud of myself for finally getting a hustle on and being extremely clever under pressure, and after a couple of weeks they just as quickly hustled a “your stories do not fit our publication needs” right back to me. So much for my hustling ability.

But somehow the chorus of positive thinkers in the back of my head and glaring at me from my emails spurred me on and I hustled on over to Erotica Readers and Writers Association, and, lo, there was another call for a Christmas Anthology from Evernight, a new epublisher of quality erotic romance. So, not expecting much -- so much so, that I didn’t even rewrite extensively, which is what I always do whenever I re-read a story of mine -- the two qualities were sent on their way, feeling not quite so cute.

Within hours, THE MAGIC COPY MACHINE was accepted. The contract was attached. The editor would be getting in touch. I stared at the computer screen. Thanksgiving was coming early.

Within a few more hours, the assistant emailed the editor’s initial comments. She basically wanted a different story -- a much cuter idea. The turkey was quickly growing cold. I had not worked with an editor in decades. I suggested the second submission, TRICKSY THE CHRISTMAS ELF, which was much simpler with fewer characters and could therefore, it seemed to me, more easily be bent in whatever direction she wanted the story to grow.

BL Brown, the editor, agreed, and we began the astonishing process of Word’s Track Changes, which I had never used before and which, it appears, appears differently on different computers and I was moving between PC and Apple and different OS’s.

Other than cutting my heart out at one point -- that’s a joke, remember I said I had not dealt with editors in decades -- BL brilliantly, and quickly led Tricksy through to a cleaner, crisper and much cuter Christmas caper.

That was satisfying enough, but expecting to be one story among many, I was totally surprised when it turned out ‘TWAS A DARK AND DELICIOUS CHRISTMAS was to be split in two and mine was one of three in the Man Love edition. Hence, the cover. With Troy Storm’s name prominently inscribed.

So…Happy Holidays everyone. Thanks for the good cheer during good times and not so and bless those manuscripts, every one. ♥



 TWAS A DARK AND DELICIOUS CHRISTMAS will appear on the EvernightPublishing.com website December 1st. As Troy Storm (and numerous others), John Lovelady has been eroticizing straight, gay and bi romances for decades. As Elizabeth Maynor, NEVER LOVE A NAKED P.I., a romantic intrigue, has been available on Hardshell.com and Amazon for almost as long. The Trues don't give writer by-lines. John/Troy/Elizabeth has been a member of RWANYC for almost as long as he's been published and has judged manuscripts for both RWANYC and RWA National.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: DECADENT FUDGE

FROM MEMBER: C.H. Admirand


COMMENT: WARNING: This fudge is highly addictive.
This fudge is extremely versatile and a family favorite. Pick your favorite chocolate: dark, milk, semi-sweet, white and add your favorite flavor: vanilla, orange, raspberry, or mint. Add chopped nuts and you have a delectable treat.


Decadent Fudge

Ingredients:

2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (the others just don’t have the same flavor)
1 tsp raspberry extract


Directions:

1. Heat the sweetened condensed milk in the top of a double boiler. Add the chips and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add raspberry extract.

2. Lightly spray a square glass cake pan or glass pie pan with Pam or in a pinch a dash of canola oil spread with a paper towel. You don’t need much, so be careful to wipe up any extra.

3. Pour melted mixture into the pan and chill 2 to 3 hours.

4. Options: Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans – goes especially well with orange flavored chocolate fudge.



Visit Colleen at http://www.chadmirand.com/.


Enjoy & Happy Holidays!                                  
Copyright 2010 C.H. Admirand

RECIPE OF THE DAY: SUPER EASY MEXICAN LASAGNA

FROM MEMBER: ISABO KELLY (aka Katrina Tipton)

Comment: My husband and I have started to create our own holiday traditions. Since I’ve had trouble eating poultry since I was pregnant and he doesn’t really like turkey, we’ve gotten creative with our “traditional” holiday meals. Instead of his—ham (Irish style, which is hard to find in the US)—we’ve gone with Mexican food. No, neither of us are Mexican. But my mom did grow up in a community full of Mexicans (in Arizona) and she had tamales as their traditional Christmas lunch, so I can at least say I’m sort of following my mother’s traditions.

But let’s be fair. I’m an extremely lazy cook. And I don’t make real Mexican food. All you lovely Mexican people out there, please don’t yell at me. I know I’m not making anything authentic. This recipe was inspired by my friend and fellow writer Kemberlee Shortland (thanks for letting me abscond with this, Kem!). Remember, all this is super easy. I prefer to eat on Christmas day. Minimal cooking is my ideal.



Super Easy Mexican Lasagna


Ingredients:

2-3 lbs Ground Sirloin Hamburger (you can use lean sirloin)
2 tbs powdered Cumin
4-6 large flour Tortillas
2-3 cups good grated cheese (I like Cheddar and Monterey Jack mixes—and get pre-graded! It’ll make your life easier. Also, use as much cheese as you like, you really can’t have enough.)
1-2 bottles Red Taco Sauce (in the US, I use Ortega Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce—get whichever heat level you like. I tend to use medium but it depends on who I’m feeding )


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Cook up ground hamburger with cumin until cooked thoroughly.

3. In a casserole dish, a glass pie tin, or any other convenient vessel that will go into the oven, layer a tortilla, some sauce, 1/3 of meat, cover with cheese, add next tortilla, more sauce, next 1/3 or meat and more cheese.

4. Make one more layer using rest of meat. Once last layer is finished, cover fully with one last tortilla, cover liberally with sauce and top with lots of cheese.

5. Put lasagna into oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese on top is thoroughly melted. (I like when the top layer of cheese gets a little brown around the edges—nothing better than crunchy melted cheese!)

6. Suggest serving with sour cream, guacamole and tortilla chips. Serves 4-6 normal people (in my family, this makes about 3 servings. )


Visit Isabo at http://www.isabokelly.com/.


Buen Provecho & Feliz Navidad.      Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

The Spasms Have Stopped

The spasms have stopped finally...

Exactly a week ago, I finished NaNoWriMo for the fifth time and was lachrymose when I was done this time. This time I was not sure I was going to be able to do it. The last three times I was pretty sure I was not going to be able to get it done. One of them I wrote about 35000 words in one week. This time I wrote about 37000 in less than a week. I dodged family for Thanksgiving so I could churn out 8500 words a day for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The time after that was spent knowing every time I had a spare moment I was either in front of my MacBook (pictured) or on my iPod touch where I edited in Google Docs and saved additionally on Word at home to Dropbox. Losing the file was not an option!

The spasms are reoccurring.

After NaNo, there was still the confusion every time I had a spare moment that I should be writing. Thinking to myself I can write now and then remembering I am done. I did it. Again. I was told I must work well under pressure. This one was hard to finish and was done for the deadliest of sins.

Pride.

After doing it the first four times I would have felt like a failure. I am asked constantly what did I get for completing NaNo? People do not understand it is the accomplishment. When writing is in the blood, it is like a poison that cures you. When I am writing there is nothing that can make me happier or more at peace. I love creating, coming up with the ideas and the process. There were parts of my NaNo story--that interconnected about five different stories--that I loved and am planning on revisiting. I thought when NaNo was done I would not want to write anymore. It is not true, I was at a concert and thinking about a story about a woman being played like a cello. But I do not write yet.

The spasms still reoccur every time I write for a prolonged period. My hands need a break, and I slept only about 12 hours in three days in that last week . My body needs a break too. It is starting to hurt to do this post but after my hand is over the trauma of all the typing it did, I will be back to my usual tricks.

I did it; am ready for next year.

I am also ready to be RWA PRO. It is not a New Year's resolution though, it is a promise...I do not believe in resolutions, I believe in doing like I did NaNo.

Hardcore.

Photograph by F. Solomon

RECIPE OF THE DAY: REBEKA’S SALMON WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE

FROM MEMBER: RUTH SEITELMAN

Comment: A favorite recipe of our bookish scholarly heroine, tossed back to the 17th century. Rebeka was ecstatic when she found the ingredients for this recipe on her friend Doward (the traveling tradesman’s wagon. Imagine her surprise when Lord Arik brought home a fine salmon along with a strong appetite. She couldn’t wait to tempt him with her offering(s). Luckily for both of them, this recipe takes less than ten minutes. Here is the 21st century version.

PS…Rebeka served the salmon to Arik in the Great Hall. Tantalized, he licked the sticky glaze from his fingers never taking his eyes off of her. But that’s a totally different story. Hopefully you’ll be able to read all about Rebeka and Arik when (we hope) To Hearth and Home is published.



Rebeka’s Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze


Ingredients:

¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat the broiler
2. Spray the rack of a broiler pan with nonstick spray
3. Mix the brown sugar, mustard and dill together in a small bowl.
4. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon and place on the broiler pan and spoon the brown sugar glaze on top. (You will not use all of it – it keeps forever in the fridge)
5. Position the broiler pan about 7 inches from the heat and broil just until its opaque, about 6 minutes

NOTE: Don’t turn the fillet. The glaze works well on chicken and pork.


Enjoy & Happy Holidays.

2011 Writing Goals

It isn’t too early to start thinking about your 2011 writing goals. It seems like I blink my eyes and another month has flown by. So instead of working on my writing, I decided to get a head start on figuring out my future goals. Here are my New Year's Resolutions: 1. Write every day. I’m going to set my goal of two pages a day on “Twilight Love”, my current work in progress. 2. Journal. I will also continue to keep my journal in which I write an entry every night. It is a great way to unwind before bed and to pile up all my thoughts and ideas for a future project. 3. Revisions. I have two manuscripts that need to be revised with the new fountain of information that I have gathered the past few years, being a member of the chapter and from the various workshops at conferences. 4. Walking. I will continue to walk every day to clear my mind and work out those plot challenges and revision problems I stumble upon every time I work on my writing. 5. Organizing. Now that’s a big one. I have to try my best to keep my writing confined to one section in my bedroom/office and not have it sprawled on my desk, credenza, dresser, nightstands and buckets on the floor. 6. Procrastination. I will stop procrastinating. I will send out my query letters and not fear rejection. (Come on I know you all feel the same way. I plan on overcoming my fears.) Leave it to me to post all my secret goals. But I know that my goals are similar to everyone else’s. We all do the same thing. When I choose cleaning my closet and cooking over working on revisions, then I know it’s time to get help and support from my fellow writers. We are all guilty. Sure, life gets in the way, but hell, there has to be at least an half hour a day of down time; be it staying up an hour later or setting the clock an hour earlier. It is my goal to accomplish the unthinkable this year and to fulfill all my dreams with a little help from my RWA friends. Happy Holiday. I wish everyone and their family and friends a happy and healthy holiday season full of love and happiness. Karen Karen Cino is President of the RWA New York City Chapter. She keeps her muse alive by walking every morning down at the South Beach Boardwalk in Staten Island. Currently, she is shopping for a home for her novels, ROSES and MYSTICAL WONDERS and is working on her next novel.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: MINNESTRONE

FROM MEMBER: Mari Miller-Lamb


Minnestrone

Comment:   This was my mother's recipe for minestrone, and I've had lots of other variations at different Italian restaurants since then. But as far as I am concerned, this is the best I've ever tasted; A real comfort food.


Ingredients:

Oil –just enough to cover the bottom of the pan
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 onion chopped
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
2 cloves of garlic. minced
1 can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
½ package frozen lima beans
1 can of garbanzo beans
Vegetable or chicken broth (maybe two cans, depending on your preferred consistency)
1 can of whole tomatoes
Dried oregano and basil to taste
Several tablespoons ditalini or some other small pasta
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Sauté onion, celery and carrots until vegetables are soft.
2. Add parsley and garlic and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add remaining ingredients except pasta, break up tomatoes with fork.
4. Cook for about forty minutes, add pasta, cook until pasta is soft.



Enjoy & Happy Holidays.