I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Down in New Orleans, we rarely use recipes. It’s a pinch of this, a little of that, a spoon of this, and some of that…. Ewee, that’s good! In honor of Evangeline and Gabriel’s first date, I decided to cook gumbo.

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Creole’s Gumbo

Ingredients:

A heaping amount of music (yes, you read that right. Music, like cooking, in New Orleans is just another one of the things we are known for. The food responds to the music. I recommended pairing gumbo with Dr. John, Fats Domino, or even Tab Benoit. He has an excellent version of “We Make a Good Gumbo” that the gumbo especially seems to enjoy. Plus it’s always fun to dance while you chop, fry, and whisk your roux!)

2 pounds smoked sausage (you can substitute this with Andouille sausage or even hot sausage, depending on your preference), sliced into rounds

2 pounds smoked ham, cubed

1 ½ pounds smoked turkey (or you could also use chicken… this is a gumbo, a melting pot of so many delicious foods, you really can’t go wrong.)

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 large onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers (about 4 cups), chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 cans (14.5-ounces) diced tomatoes (or 4 ½ fresh tomatoes, cubed. Keep all of the juices. I prefer to use fresh. Simply because fresh gives the gumbo a really, really stellar taste.)

2 bags frozen okra (20 ounces), defrosted

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (I love Tony Chachere’s)

1 teaspoon thyme

2-3 bay leaves

1/3 cup flower

2 ½ boxes of chicken broth (48 ounce boxes.)

How to make a good gumbo:

Brown sausage, smoked ham, and if you are using chicken, in a stock pot (or if you’re like me, a Magnalite pot) over medium heat until browned. You want to make sure you cook the sausage until it gets a nice brown coating, because this is what’s called “gratin”. It is going to give your gumbo such a delicious flavor you’ll lick your lips! C'est bon!

(If your meats are sticking, add 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil. It shouldn’t, though. The fat from the sausage should coat the pan just fine.)

Remove your meats, set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil, onions, bell peppers, celery, and all of your seasonings to the pot (except for the bay leaves), and sauté until tender. Once tender, remove from pot and mix with meats. Set aside.

Now it’s time to make the roux! This, along with your gratin, is going to give your gumbo that beautiful brown color. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and flour to your pot, stirring with a whisk. Stir until the flour has absorbed the oil and it becomes nice and brown.

Add broth. Make sure you stir well, incorporating all those flavors—the roux will not only color your gumbo beautifully, but also thicken it. No soupy gumbo!

Stir in your meat (if you are using smoked turkey, add it now)/vegetable mixture, tomatoes with juice, and bay leaves. I like to start by cooking my gumbo on high, until it starts rolling, and then gradually turn the level of heat down. Simmer on low- medium for about 90 minutes, occasionally stirring.

At the ninety-minute mark, add your okra. 15 minutes later add you shrimp. Cook just until your shrimp turn pink, about 10 minutes. If you overcook shrimp, they become little rubbery monsters. Keep a close eye on them.

Serve over rice. Garnish with parsley and Gumbo Filé if it makes you smile.

And there you have it, Creole’s Gumbo. I hope ya’ll enjoy.

P.S. Gumbo freezes beautifully, and it’s always better the next day!

Do you believe in the power of dreams?

Way down south on Marigny Street in the heart of New Orleans, the land of Catholic intercessions, purgatory, and supernatural superstitions, young Evangeline Chenier dreams of a radiant boy who saves her from a storm. She takes the dream seriously – in her family, dreams are sometimes more than dreams. Sometimes they foretell the future. Sometimes they create it.

Years later, Eva is no longer the same wistful girl but a hardened woman who no longer believes in dreams. Losing faith in her gift, she becomes lost in a nightmare of emotion, mourning her son, separating from her husband, and stewing in a dead-end job. And then fate brings her an unlikely surprise: one of the most famous movie stars in the world, Gabriel Roberts.

Caught by something in his eyes, Eva agrees to show him the real Big Easy on his last night in New Orleans—an evening that turns into four dreamy days spent recapturing lost faith and discovering a love neither expected. Realizing Gabriel is the boy from her childhood dream, Eva must leave everything behind—her husband, her family, her history, and the beautiful city she calls home—and gamble it all for the dream that has saved her on MARIGNY STREET.

~ ~ ~

www.annierosewelch.com

I’m here to spice things up. My Taco Soup is easy and it freezes very well which gets bonus points in my book. I always make it in giant batches and freeze it in single servings and larger ones too. I’m also including my homemade taco seasoning recipe that you can use instead of the store bought seasoning packets.

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SJ’s Taco Soup:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

1 yellow onion diced

1 can black beans with the juices from the can

1 can corn

28 oz crushed tomatoes

8 oz plain tomato sauce

1 pkg taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning to taste (start with 1 T)

Brown the meat, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer. That’s it! Serve with taco chips and a sprinkling of cheese and sour cream too if you’d like.

SJs Taco Seasoning:

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg

Make this seasoning your own. A few ideas include increasing the chili powder if you want it hotter, eliminating the salt or doubling the salt.

Lydia’s father walked away from her when she was eight. She’s struggled to not let him affect her, but fears she wasn’t loveable enough to make him stay. Jake wants to love one woman, but after scaring the last woman he met outside of the club, he doubts he deserves the right. She protects her heart by sticking with her fantasies and he lives by a set of rules that excludes women who choose a vanilla lifestyle.

The two will be kept in a conference room working together until their special project is complete. If Lydia and Jake hold tight to their bland lives, they’ll always yearn for love that is out of reach. Together they find common ground, passion, and a reason to take chances. Once they discover the grand possibilities of the love they desire, they find themselves in the very place they tried never to be again, facing unguaranteed loved.

~ ~ ~

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As a personal trainer (when I’m not writing romances), I am constantly asked for healthy recipes. And this time of year people also ask me what they can do to stay healthy during this cold and flu season. Answer to both of the above question.

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BECKY’S MIRACLE SOUP

(it might look ugly, but it works)

I use fresh vegetables when available, but frozen works fine, too.

Throw together into a big stock pot or crockpot:

A bag of spinach (not the plastic bag, just the greens inside LOL)

2 zucchini, chopped not peeled

2 cups or so of green beans

2 cups or so of broccoli

1 chopped leek

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

Any other green or white vegetable you have in your fridge

Organic vegetable stock to cover

--Bring ingredients to a boil. Simmer until very tender (about 10 minutes).

--Pour into blender in batches to puree. (Tip: put a towel over blender lid so hot veggies don’t spill through.)

The soup is good eaten as is. I keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, and warm up a mugful instead of drinking tea or coffee in the afternoon.

Variations when warming it up:

--Stir in soy milk or almond milk

--Stir in the milk and add a pinch of curry powder

If you drink a mugful or eat a bowlful every day, you’ll help strengthen your immune system to help you fight off all the crud that’s going around. And if you’re currently sick, it’ll help get you strong again (unless you’re throwing up. In that case, the look and smell of this soup will make you want to throw up more.)

Enjoy and stay healthy, my friends!

Are you confused by all the contradictory diet information out there? Do you just want a simple and easy and FUN way to lose weight and improve your diet? Do you like making lists? Well, look no further than The Checklist Diet.

No more counting points or calories. No more depriving yourself of your favorite foods. No more dealing with hunger pains, because guess what? On The Checklist Diet, if you’re hungry, you get to eat! How cool is that?

This is the last diet plan you’ll ever need, because it’s not a diet. Diets are meant go on and off of. This is a way of eating you can stick with for life because it’s so easy, it’s so basic, and it’s so fun

~ ~ ~

http://rebeccajclark.com

Chilled Strawberry Soup is a special dish I usually serve for Valentine's Day Dinner but it's an equally delicious treat at a summertime brunch or any time you want to try something a little bit different.

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1 cup dry white wine or sparkling cider (if you need to make it kid safe)

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups strawberries cut and pureed in a blender

1 cup orange juice

1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

fresh mint sprigs

- Place the wine and the sugar in a saucepan.

ring to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove

from the heat. This is not enough heat to cook off the alcohol.

- Add the pureed strawberries, orange juice, and cardamom to the wine mixture

- Chill completely.

- Before serving beat the whipping cream and swirl with the chilled soup. Garnish with mint sprig and serve.

A story about lost love, second chances, and revenge...
When Jeani crash lands on a backwater world, she knows she's in trouble. The slave trader Hothi is looking for her, and her bosses are going to eat her alive if she screws up another mission.

Discovering she's half a world away from the planet's only space port is a blow - but it doesn't rock her nearly as much as her reunion with a man she barely remembers, from a past she wants to forget. Can she do the right thing, and leave him again?

~ ~ ~

www.lianabrooks.com

I love food, but I'm not a big fan of cooking, so this simple and easy recipe is just my style. It can almost take care of itself while I'm wrestling my characters into submission.

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Easy Minestrone Soup

4 beef bouillon cubes

One medium-sized onion, diced

Small can tomato sauce

One can stewed tomatoes

Two cans water

Cook all of the above for 20 minutes.

Add one pound hamburger as stock is boiling. Cook another 20 minutes.

Add one can Veg-All mixed vegetables.

Add one cup uncooked orzo. Simmer until orzo is tender.

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby Atwood's personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life – no pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father?

But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.

Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.

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www.AllAboutTheWriting.com

This recipe came from my mother-in-law, although I’ve modified it for my family. We use turkey sausage instead of pork, reduced sodium vegetables, and more potatoes than the original. It’s a healthy, hearty meal!

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Turkey Sausage Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1lb turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 14 ¾-ounce can creamed corn (reduced sodium)
1 15 ¼ -ounce can whole kernel reduced-sodium corn, drained (I don’t use a whole can – maybe half)
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (can also use skim evaporated milk)
Directions:
1. In large pot, cook sausage over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes more.
2. Add potatoes, water, seasoning, and pepper and stir. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered about 20 minutes (until potatoes are tender).
3. Stir in the corn, creamed corn, and evaporated milk. Heat through.
Leftovers freeze fairly well, although potatoes can get mushy in freezer.
When it comes to sex, Bella Massey wants a man who’ll get down on his knees and beg. And although she’s got the hots for firefighter Marcus Aiello, she can’t believe an alpha male like him could have a submissive bone in his body.
Marcus isn’t looking for a relationship, but Bella is not like any woman he’s ever met. When he discovers what the sexy librarian is really looking for in a man, he’s even more intrigued. But giving up control is difficult for Marcus—no matter how much he desires it.
Despite their intense attraction, Marcus and Bella’s budding relationship is at an impasse. Until a weekend at a unique B&B offering all manner of naughty nightly activities teaches them both just how good it can feel to lose control…
This book contains scenes of both Femdom/male submission and male Domination/female submission.

~ ~ ~

www.jodiegriffin.com

The smell of food cooking all afternoon is soothing. Call me crazy, but it does! This recipe has the benefit of not only smelling great all afternoon, it's also something the whole family will enjoy – in one simple dish!

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Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine
2 cups milk
Family sized can of chicken broth
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped up (I usually make this dish after baking chicken for another night, cuts the prep time. If you're cooking from scratch, bake the chicken for 30 minutes until done and then chop)
1 can Ro-Tel Tomatoes (Mild, Medium, HOT, your choice), drained
8 oz Velveeta cheese cubed or shredded
4-5 oz Mexican blend or Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder (3-4 tsp if you like really spicy)
Salt/Pepper – to taste
5-6 tortillas, cut into 2" strips

Preparation:

Spray the crockpot sides with cooking spray and turn it on low if you have all day, if you only have a couple of hours, medium or high). Toss all the ingredients except the Colby-Jack cheese and tortilla strips in and close the lid. Stir every half hour. About 15 minutes before dinner time, deep-fry the tortilla strips until they are a golden brown; each batch of the strips should take only 15 seconds or so, but they burn easily so small batches are better than tossing them all into the deep-fryer. If you don't have a deep fryer, use a large frying pan. Cover the bottom of the pan in canola oil, heat and fry. Again, only about 15 seconds. Drain the strips so they aren't greasy.

Serve:

Spoon a ladle of soup into a bowl, add a handful of the shredded cheese and then another ladle of soup. Place several tortilla strips on top (this is to your taste, add a lot or a little, your choice). Serve.

**Note: I like my tortilla strips to get a little soggy, so I put the tortilla strips in the middle with the shredded cheese. My husband likes his strips crisp so he leaves them on top. Your choice.

Esmerelda Quinn has been looking for a place to belong since her parents were killed in a car crash when she was young. The closest thing to home has always been Aunt Constance's villa in Puerto Vallarta, so after a string of dead-end hotellier jobs, she's coming home to run the villa.

Santiago Cruz has called the villa home for as long as he can remember. In between surfing events, Constance has always had a room for him. Color him surprised when Constance decides to retire - and leaves a joint interest in the villa to both Santiago and Esme.

Esme isn't thrilled to share ownership of the villa with the the youngest Cruz brother - especially when she learns Santiago's brother has been after the villa for years. But Santiago has grown up while she's been away at school and soon she finds herself falling for the rich boy down the hall.

~ ~ ~

Website: http://www.kristinaknightauthor.com

This recipe is a mainstay of the fall for my family (even the most finicky will slurp it) and, when I actually drag out the good tureen, the soup is a centerpiece of our Thanksgiving table, orange and golden and autumnal, beautiful soup.
(The hardest part of this is peeling the hard shell of the squash. So if you see it already chunked up for you in the produce section, go for it. I won’t tell.)

~ ~ ~

1 butternut squash, peeled and chunked
1 onion, peeled and chunked (sensing the pattern here?)
2 apples, peeled, cored and chunked
6 cups of chicken broth
3 cups of water (you can adjust the liquid up and down for texture and taste)
1 piece of white bread (no crust)
(You can use a potato, peeled and chunked instead of the bread – it’s the starch that counts)
Pinch of crumbled rosemary
Or, you can use a potato, peeled and chunked
Heavy cream (You be the judge – I sometimes make this without the cream, and don’t process the veggies quite so much. It’s a whole different texture. A whole different soup. The cream makes it all smooth and velvety, more elegant and decadent, less rustic.)
Throw it all in a pot (except the cream) and simmer until the squash is tender. Then put it through the processor or a blender. You will probably have to do that in batches. Return to the soup pot. Add cream to pot just before serving. (You can add another little sprig of rosemary for garnish. But you don’t have to.)
In mystic Sleepy Hollow, succubus Lily Night put her prom date, Campbell Jones, into a coma after a night of wild, unbridled sex. She has steered clear of mortals ever since, afraid of damaging them or worse, not to mention the inconvenience of knocking out the power every time they have sex.
Successful architect Campbell Jones has lived with strange powers and a sexy secret since that prom night. He’s buried himself in work to forget the woman who’d dumped him at the ER then vanished from his life without a trace.
Neither Lily nor Campbell have forgotten that night or the love they’d shared. Will a 1Night Stand help them bury their past?

~ ~ ~

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Good morning everyone! Today I’ll be sharing a cup of comfort in honor of fall and because I just think feeding a loved one is one of the sexiest things ever. Please, enjoy my Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup.

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1 Rotisserie style chicken (I get mine at WalMart) boned and shredded
6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped
4-6 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2T olive oil
2-3 quarts water
6-8 chicken bouillon cubes
2 bags cook in the bag rice--any brand, I use Success basmati or jasmine
salt and pepper to taste
2-3T parsley
2-3T dill (dry or fresh)
Juice of one lemon

Sauté all chopped veggies in the olive oil in a stock pot, if they seem a bit dry, just splash in a bit more oil. (see how I cook? I think that's why it's homey and comforting) Once they are softened up a tad, add your water and simmer until veggies are tender then add your water (I always microwave mine so it's already hot and the cooking process isn't stalled). Toss in that chicken and simmer for, oh, at least 30-45 minutes, but this can go all day. (You can even put it in the crock pot at this point if you want) After the at least 45 minutes rule, open the rice bags and add the rice--the cooking directions estimate of time is pretty accurate here just test it for doneness. Toss in your herbs and finish with the lemon juice.

Piper McGee can smell a set up a mile away. She can smell a Marine even further. Born to a dual-enlisted couple who divorced before she was old enough to remember a single family holiday together and proceeded to redefine the very definition of family through several marriages and even more step-siblings, Piper has made it her life’s promise to herself to never become involved with one of the few and the proud. They’re among the most irresponsible people she knows, leaving destruction in their wake and broken hearts paving the way to their next duty station. And in her opinion, Alec Douglas is just another example, until he pries her heart open along with other parts of her, making her question everything she's ever let herself believe about honor, courage, and commitment.

~ ~ ~

http://realmanticmoments.blogspot.com

Granted, soup is not what everyone is making at this time of year when the sun is shining. Personally, at home we’re big on bbq and fresh salads and fruit right now. But when I think of my book, FAR FROM BROKEN, I think of cold, snow, and comfort food, so here goes:

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French Onion Soup

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

4 large onions sliced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili flakes
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 cups beef broth
3 tbsp brandy

6 (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices of baguette

1/2-lb Gruyère, Comte, or Emmental Cheese (or hey, why not a little of them all?)

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook onions in oil and butter on medium heat until soft and starting to brown. Add thyme, bay leaves, chili and salt over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are well browned, about 25 minutes. Add flour to coat onions. Stir in wine and stock, bring to the boil. Skim off foam from the top and lower heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. (This is what my mother’s recipe says, but I find it doesn’t usually take that long. Maybe 25-30 mins—Then again, I could be doing it wrong.)

While soup simmers, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and preheat broiler. Put French onion soup dishes in a shallow baking pan.
Ladle soup into bowls, then float a crust of bread in each. Grate enough Gruyère/ Comte/ Emmental to cover tops of soup and bread, allowing ends of cheese to hang over rims of the bowls, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

FAR FROM BROKEN

Soldier. Spymaster. Husband.

Colonel Jasper Carlisle was defined by his work until he met his wife. When the prima ballerina swept into his life with her affection, bright laughter and graceful movements, he knew that she was the reason for his existence, and that their love would be forever.

But their world is shattered when Callie is kidnapped and brutally tortured by the foes Jasper has been hunting. Mechanical parts have replaced her legs, her hand, her eye...and possibly her heart. Though she survived, her anger at Jasper consumes her, while Jasper's guilt drives him from the woman he loves. He longs for the chance to show her their love can withstand anything...including her new clockwork parts.

As the holiday season approaches, Jasper realizes he must fight not just for his wife's love and forgiveness...but also her life, as his enemy once again attempts to tear them apart.

~ ~ ~

Website: www.jkcoi.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jkcoi

(Also writing Dark Fantasy for young adults as Chloe Jacobs www.chloejacobs.com)

I'm not the greatest of cooks, but there are a handful of things I do well and that even my fussiest child will eat. This is one of their favourites - and mine - with a dash of cream for luxury. As a note, I'm also not very accurate with my measurements, so feel free to adjust your version as necessary.

~ ~ ~

1 medium onion diced

2 large leeks (or up to 5 small)

3 large potatoes (or 5 small)

2 handfuls of lentils (split red/puy etc)

1 vegetable stock cube (or use 500mls of homemade stock instead of the water)

500mls water

300mls milk

100mls single cream

A large knob of butter

Cooking oil

1. Dice the onion, slice the leeks, and peel and chop the potatoes into approx. 1 inch cubes.

2. Melt the butter in a large soup pan (or similar) on a low heat. Then add all the chopped vegetables and stir until they're all coated in the butter/oil mix.

3. Place a lid on the pan and leave the vegetables to 'sweat' on a low heat for 5 minutes.

4. Add the water, milk, stock cube and lentils, and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce the temperature to leave it simmering gently for approx. 20 minutes, checking that the potato pieces are cooked through.

6. Use a hand blender to reduce the soup to a smooth consistency. Add additional seasoning like salt and pepper as your taste requires. Add the cream stirring steadily to prevent it splitting.

7. Suggestion - serve with cheesy or garlic bread and enjoy. :)

Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.

But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?

~ ~ ~

http://pippajay.blogspot.com/