Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Holidays Can be Stressful #ASMSG #free #cookbook


Rember to spend some time with the ones you love.

Sing a few Christmas carols. Some of them can bring back special memories of time you spent together in the past. "I'll be home for Christmas is one that can make me cry every time I hear it."

No one likes to be alone.


Or if you're like me and can't play the piano and get a cold every Christmas so my sing voice goes on the fritz.

Why not just have a relaxing evening by your Christmas tree or in front of a roaring fire?

Don't make it fancy or a lot of work. Just a simple time to enjoy the company of the one you love.
If you don't like either one of these ideas, try lying in bed with a good book--the hotter the best.

Wild Rose Press is having a number of books on sale this month. Check them out and sign up for the newsletter for even more deals.

Also remember to download free the Wild Rose Press cookbook.http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=180&products_id=6574

Anita Philmar
www.anitaphilmar.com

Friday, December 11, 2015

Diana Rubino's #HolidayRecipe and From Here to Fourteenth Street

Christmas treats
Photo by belchonock from depositphotos.com
Diana Rubino is here today to share her grandmother’s #HolidayRecipe for Strufoli (Italian for honey balls) and to tell us about her historical novel set in Turn of the Century New York. The honey balls look delicious!


Can anDR-FromHeretoFourteenthStreetSmaller
Italian sweatshop worker and an Irish cop fall in love on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1894? The answer is a big YES, and once they’re enjoying wedded bliss in their Greenwich Village brownstone, they spend their first Christmas together feasting on her Strufoli! (Italian for honey balls).
In FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET it’s 1894 on New York’s Lower East Side. Irish cop Tom McGlory and Italian immigrant Vita Caputo fall in love despite their different upbringings. Vita goes from sweatshop laborer to respected bank clerk to reformer, helping elect a mayor to beat the Tammany machine. While Tom works undercover to help Ted Roosevelt purge police corruption, Vita’s father arranges a marriage between her and a man she despises. As Vita and Tom work together against time and prejudice to clear her brother and father of a murder they didn’t commit, they know their love can survive poverty, hatred, and corruption. Vita is based on my great grandmother, who left third grade to become a self-made businesswoman and politician, wife and mother.
Vita’s hero Tom McGlory isn’t based on any real person, but I did a lot of reading about Metropolitan Policemen and made sure he was the complete opposite! He’s trustworthy and would never take a bribe or graft.
Pre-order FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET in paperback from The Wild Rose Press.
Or buy an e-book from Amazon Kindle.

DR-HoneyBalls
Here’s Vita’s Honey Balls recipe:
When my grandparents came from Naples and landed at Ellis Island in the early 1900s they brought many recipes with them, but only in their heads. No one brought cookbooks or written recipes on the boat along with their possessions. A favorite Christmas treat is Struffoli, better known as Honey Balls. One Christmas when I was a kid, I watched my grandmother make them and scribbled down the ingredients as she sifted and mixed and baked and drizzled. Here’s an accurate recipe in English!
Ingredients
Dough:
•2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
•1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
•1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
•3 tablespoons sugar
•1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
•1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
•3 large eggs
•1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•Canola oil, for frying
•1 cup honey
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
•Vegetable oil cooking spray
•Sugar sprinkles, for decoration
•Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Directions

For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way.
Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don’t have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).
In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.
Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a wreath shape.
Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the platter and serve.

Note: To toast the hazelnuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely before using.
Total Time: 4 hr 12 min
Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Thanks for sharing,

Anita

Monday, December 7, 2015

Texas Passion by @AnitaPhilmar #StressReliever #historical

Looking for something to read?

Why not try out this short story?




Blurb
Home from a long cattle drive to Abilene, Trent McCall just wants to unwind. But in his absence, his father's been making wedding plans...for Trent. The last thing he wants is a spoiled and pampered socialite for a wife. What he wants is a hard drink and a willing woman. An uncomplicated woman who understands a man’s need for release after a hard ride. Good thing he’s got one waiting for him.

Four years back East haven’t changed Catherine Turnberry’s mind. Her heart is set on neighboring rancher, Trent McCall. When an end-of-the-trail party threatens to put him into the arms of another woman, Catherine grabs the bull by the horns. Taking the place of the whore hired to pleasure Trent, she intends to give him a welcome he'll never forget and show him what Texas passion is all about.
Excerpt:

“Well, now, did you think I’d ever arrive?” He shut the door and tossed his hat onto the table by the door. Dark curly hair circled his head, and his dark brown eyes met hers.

“I had no doubt you’d get here eventually.” Her hands shaking, Catherine laid her book on the rocker and tried for a more seductive tone. “But I’d like to know what delayed you.”

One corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked grin, he stepped forward, and then paused. “Wait a second, don’t I know you?”

Catherine nodded and toyed with the knot holding her robe together. Should she shed her robe and try to seduce him first? Or just tell him her name?

He tilted his head slightly, and a frown formed on his lips. The subdued lighting of the lantern didn’t mask the lines marring his brow.

Apprehension slithered over her skin, and a lump the size of Texas grew in her throat. “I…uh…”

“Catherine?”

More of an accusation than a question, her name echoed in her head. “Yes, I…” She edged closer.

He shuffled backward until his back hit the door. “What the hell are you doing here?” His gaze dropped to swell of her breasts, and the cattywhumped expression on his face registered. Clarity filled her head. The man might deny it, but the heat in his eyes proved he found her appealing. Energy pulsed through her, and she untied the knot at her waist. “I decided, since we’re practically engaged, I didn’t want you sleeping with another woman.”

“Whoa, don’t even think about removing that robe.” He held out his hands to stop her, but his tongue slid over his parched lips and the blaze in his eyes sparked higher. Catherine’s confidence grew, and the doubt that had plagued her for the last few hours faded. He might resist, but she’d show him this was what they both wanted.

Read 1st Scene 



Anita
www.anitaphilmar.com

Saturday, December 5, 2015

A Skylar Drake #Mystery - Strange Markings by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger



STRANGE MARKINGS
by
Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger
Summary
The Pacific breezes blow many things in from the ocean, this time its power, greed, and murder. At the dawn of the television age in 1955, Skylar Drake is called to identify the remains of a fellow movie stuntman found buried in a shallow grave. While there he is shown mysterious wounds and strange tattoos on two additional bodies.
A wealthy Bel Air matron sends her enticing niece to enlist Drake’s help in locating a missing nephew. The search takes him back to pre-statehood Hawaii where he stopped off on his way to the hell of the Korean War. Unexplained deaths, politics and superstitious locals turn the tropical paradise into a nightmare where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.  

Excerpt:

The two men looked directly at me.  “I’m Drake.  Can I help you?”
Dolan stood right behind me.
“I’m Agent Miller, this is Agent Tanner.” They flashed their badges, “We want to talk to you Mr. Drake.” Miller looked past me and frowned at Dolan.
“I’ll just wait out...” Casey moved toward the door.
I put my hand on Casey’s shoulder. ”This is my partner Casey Dolan, anything you have to say to me you can say to him.”
They shrugged and stepped inside.  “Let’s go in your office.” I  showed them inside, as sweltering as it was.
Miller put his hat on top of the file cabinet.  Tanner kept his on.
“We are investigating the disappearance of a Mr. Ted Stone.  You're a known associate of his.  Is this true?”
“Sure, I know Teddy.  We worked on a few films together.” I sat back in my chair while Casey stood by the door, “His sister Florence and I used to do stunts for Prestigious Studios a while back.  Teddy started about a year later... you say he’s missing?”
“His sister reported him missing a year ago.  Our records show you were one of the last people to see him before he disappeared.” 
“You said a year ago?” I thought for a moment,  “Yeah, that sounds about right.  It was a war movie.  There was a battle scene and we had to fall out some windows and off a moving truck like we’d been shot, y’know.  This was before...” I stopped myself.  They didn’t need to know about my law suit with the studio brass.
“Before what?” Agent Tanner asked.
“Before my last stunt gig with Flo.”
“And the victim?”
“Victim?  I thought you said he was missing.”
“Just tell us about your last job.”
“Well, Teddy and I shared a dressing room.  It was about midnight when we finished the night scenes.  After we changed and dropped our costumes off at wardrobe, we left for breakfast.  That was about two in the morning.  I took the bus home, and I guess he drove.  I never saw him again after that.  Flo and I did a shoot at the studio the following month.  She told me she was going to Washington to get married.  That was that.”
The two agents took notes on everything I said.

When they met it was murder... like a real Hart to Hart. Authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and her husband Will Zeilinger just released the second novel in the Skylar Drake Mystery series, Strange Markings, a Noir mystery set in 1950's. They have been writing separately for over a decade and have two more Skylar Drake Mysteries in the works
Contact information:  www.janetlynnauthor.com
                                   www.willzeilingerauthor.com

Thanks for Sharing,

Anita

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Men Don't Always Make Us Happy - #Excerpt from Black Dragon's Blood




See Amanda's reaction to the arrival of her father at the local bar where she was visiting with her cousin.

Excerpt -

“Where do you plan on living? His house or yours?” Dee’s question was interrupted when the bell over the door sounded again. She glanced in that direction. Her jaw clenched. “Don’t look now, but I think you have more trouble headed your way.”

Amanda didn’t have to turn to see who’d come through the door. She knew by the loud rumble of the man’s voice. “Hey, neighbor.”

She balled her hands into fists. “Pickled herons, I could have gone all day without seeing that man and been happy.”

Her father greeted Dee from across the room. “Dee, my darling child, bring your dear grand pappy a pint.”
Dee smiled and walked to the bar, where a drink was already waiting for Seth Butterfield. The local bartender knew Seth’s likes. Her father probably came into the café everyday.


Read the first scene on my website.
http://www.anitaphilmar.com/bdbchapter.html

Anita
www.anitaphilmar.com