Piney, woodsy, and enough to make me conjure up all sorts of delights. When I'm in the backyard, I make sure to run my hand over a branch. Cheap perfume of the best kind.
Did you know you can strip the needles off a stem, leaving a few at the tip for presentation, then sharpen the other end and use the stem for a skewer for grilling? Shrimp and Chicken both work well.
In one of my books that has yet to spark a response from an editor, rosemary and lavender play a role in the meeting of the gentleman and lady who will fall in love in a very romantic way.
There are many herbs I love, lemon verbena and basil being two. Some lend their flavor best to cooked dishes, like oregano and thyme. Mint is another great one and comes in tons of flavors now including chocolate.
I once had several scented geraniums and made a pound cake with the leaves placed in the bottom on the pan so they came out on top. My family frowned at the idea of eating geranium leaves and they don't like chive blossoms in their salad. None of the geraniums were hardy enough to survive my less than great gardening skills and the wonderful herb farm where I bought them went out of business after the death of the owners.
Heading north sometime this month. Having grown up in northern US, I miss the far vistas of fall's brilliant leaf colors.
From my heart to yours.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Big Wind Didn't Blow Down The House
On Friday the dire predictions about Hurricane Irene cancelled our weekly grocery shopping. No sense in filling the freezer and frig with more stuff if we might lose power.
On Saturday Irene made landfall in an almost direct line to the West of us. Thank heavens the winds had slowed to a Cat One level. We got a few gusts, some rain, some downed trees and limbs, but it wasn't the Big Bad Wolf threatening to blow our house down.
My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one and to those who may have suffered damage to their abode.
This time we were blessed.
On Saturday Irene made landfall in an almost direct line to the West of us. Thank heavens the winds had slowed to a Cat One level. We got a few gusts, some rain, some downed trees and limbs, but it wasn't the Big Bad Wolf threatening to blow our house down.
My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one and to those who may have suffered damage to their abode.
This time we were blessed.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Stunning Movie
The Help. It will make you laugh--more than once. And it will make you cry--more than once.
I did not read the book before seeing the movie. Which is always my preference when a book is made into a movie so my mental image of the book characters doesn't conflict with the movie characters.
My Saturday late afternoon was spent in a movie theater watching this incredible movie. Not sure if it is more of a chick film or not. I didn't take my husband as he ruins movies for me if he doesn't like them so I don't have his reaction to go by. But there were a lot of men in the audience. It's a long movie. I don't have the exact running length, but it started at 3:10 (not sure if that time includes the ads and the upcoming previews) and by the time I got back to my car (steps from the theater) it was after 6. The acting is incredible. And the movie never drags. At least it didn't for me.
For the first time in a long time, (although its may be my choice of movies or the times I attend) the theater was near full. A mixed race audience. And a very responsive (in a good way) audience.
I'm just glad I didn't see this movie with the two youngest of my four daughters. They both would have been sobbing--with no restraint.
Even when the days and times look dark, I pray that decent humans stand at their peril against wrong.
From my heart to yours.
Susan Ralph
I did not read the book before seeing the movie. Which is always my preference when a book is made into a movie so my mental image of the book characters doesn't conflict with the movie characters.
My Saturday late afternoon was spent in a movie theater watching this incredible movie. Not sure if it is more of a chick film or not. I didn't take my husband as he ruins movies for me if he doesn't like them so I don't have his reaction to go by. But there were a lot of men in the audience. It's a long movie. I don't have the exact running length, but it started at 3:10 (not sure if that time includes the ads and the upcoming previews) and by the time I got back to my car (steps from the theater) it was after 6. The acting is incredible. And the movie never drags. At least it didn't for me.
For the first time in a long time, (although its may be my choice of movies or the times I attend) the theater was near full. A mixed race audience. And a very responsive (in a good way) audience.
I'm just glad I didn't see this movie with the two youngest of my four daughters. They both would have been sobbing--with no restraint.
Even when the days and times look dark, I pray that decent humans stand at their peril against wrong.
From my heart to yours.
Susan Ralph
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Confessions of a Romance Writer
Steamy, spicy? Nah. My books are sweet and tender and short. At least for now.
But, about my Lady Aruleius, who has progressed no farther than she had the other day, she may be a bit more scintillating than my previous heroines. A bit of wildness lies beneath her proper demeanor.
And about my chicken salad. I am really into Ina Garten's cooking. She made chicken salad (I think her dressing calls for tarragon which I don't like) one day. She recommended roasting the chicken breasts on the bone for flavor. Always before, I have poached the chicken. Yesterday, I roasted the chicken breasts and will use my forever favorite chicken salad dressing.
I also made her lemon chicken which calls for boneless breasts with the skin on. No such thing in my grocery so I had to bone out the breasts, a tedious and messy and, if your not careful, a painful job.
I seem to have recovered from whatever was affecting my ability to stay awake. Got in some good writing yesterday on my latest contemporary.
Winners never quit, and quitters never win, says this characters mother. Which is oh so very true in the fiction writing business. Writer's write for years, suffering rejections from many different agents and publishers and writing contests, but perseverance can result in one accomplishing the goal of having an agent or a publisher say we love your story and we want to represent or publish it.
Keep going. Learn. Improve. Stay focused.
From my heart to yours.
Susan
But, about my Lady Aruleius, who has progressed no farther than she had the other day, she may be a bit more scintillating than my previous heroines. A bit of wildness lies beneath her proper demeanor.
And about my chicken salad. I am really into Ina Garten's cooking. She made chicken salad (I think her dressing calls for tarragon which I don't like) one day. She recommended roasting the chicken breasts on the bone for flavor. Always before, I have poached the chicken. Yesterday, I roasted the chicken breasts and will use my forever favorite chicken salad dressing.
I also made her lemon chicken which calls for boneless breasts with the skin on. No such thing in my grocery so I had to bone out the breasts, a tedious and messy and, if your not careful, a painful job.
I seem to have recovered from whatever was affecting my ability to stay awake. Got in some good writing yesterday on my latest contemporary.
Winners never quit, and quitters never win, says this characters mother. Which is oh so very true in the fiction writing business. Writer's write for years, suffering rejections from many different agents and publishers and writing contests, but perseverance can result in one accomplishing the goal of having an agent or a publisher say we love your story and we want to represent or publish it.
Keep going. Learn. Improve. Stay focused.
From my heart to yours.
Susan
Thursday, July 28, 2011
"Help!" Shouts Lady Aruleius
"Wait, wait, I'm on my way," I reply.
How cruel of me to have put a fictional female in danger and then abandoned her to the wiles of an attractive fictional male.
Sometimes the way to move a story forward seems too difficult, too tedious.
However, I am determined to get to the HEA this romance story requires. And to save the fair maiden at the same time.
Right now, my Lady Aruleius has been kidnapped and is imprisoned in a dark, musty dungeon--for her own good, of course. Or so her captor, the arrogant and insufferable Viscount Randell tells her.
Did I mention, she is a beauty and not quite the proper lady she pretends, and he is handsome and not quite the altruist he pretends? So what does he want from her, and what is she willing to give him?
Sunk into ennui, I edit and re-edit already written pages and then escape into one of my new Georgette Heyer books. But guilt clouds my pleasure.
So today, I pledge to the muse of writers, I will write one new page. Tomorrow I will confess my success or failure.
From my story to yours.
Susan
How cruel of me to have put a fictional female in danger and then abandoned her to the wiles of an attractive fictional male.
Sometimes the way to move a story forward seems too difficult, too tedious.
However, I am determined to get to the HEA this romance story requires. And to save the fair maiden at the same time.
Right now, my Lady Aruleius has been kidnapped and is imprisoned in a dark, musty dungeon--for her own good, of course. Or so her captor, the arrogant and insufferable Viscount Randell tells her.
Did I mention, she is a beauty and not quite the proper lady she pretends, and he is handsome and not quite the altruist he pretends? So what does he want from her, and what is she willing to give him?
Sunk into ennui, I edit and re-edit already written pages and then escape into one of my new Georgette Heyer books. But guilt clouds my pleasure.
So today, I pledge to the muse of writers, I will write one new page. Tomorrow I will confess my success or failure.
From my story to yours.
Susan
Saturday, July 23, 2011
An overcooked chicken save
My attempt to salvage my dry pesto slathered chicken breasts worked....YAY!
I scrapped off some of the pesto and then diced them into small cubes.
And here is the dressing recipe that is the key.
6 TBS fat-free mayonnaise--okay I don't have fat free and used full fat
2 TBS fresh lemon juice (and do use fresh)
2 tsp Dijon mustard (yummy)
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/8 tsp white pepper (black would work fine)
3 cups cooked chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil.
This recipe calls for 6 cups of fresh spinach as a base for the chicken salad. I used a mix of lettuces dressed with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. And the recipe also says 1 1/2 TBS pine nuts (optional). I used walnuts.
This is my forever chicken salad recipe when there is fresh basil in my garden--probably even better with properly cooked chicken.
From my kitchen to yours.
I really have to stop cooking and start writing.
Susan
I scrapped off some of the pesto and then diced them into small cubes.
And here is the dressing recipe that is the key.
6 TBS fat-free mayonnaise--okay I don't have fat free and used full fat
2 TBS fresh lemon juice (and do use fresh)
2 tsp Dijon mustard (yummy)
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/8 tsp white pepper (black would work fine)
3 cups cooked chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil.
This recipe calls for 6 cups of fresh spinach as a base for the chicken salad. I used a mix of lettuces dressed with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. And the recipe also says 1 1/2 TBS pine nuts (optional). I used walnuts.
This is my forever chicken salad recipe when there is fresh basil in my garden--probably even better with properly cooked chicken.
From my kitchen to yours.
I really have to stop cooking and start writing.
Susan
Friday, July 22, 2011
Basil Pesto: One success-One failure
I love the herby frangrance of my basil pesto. The leftover portion from my successful use catches my eye whenever I open the refrigerator door.
Must use it. Must use it pretty soon. But for what? I'm low carbing except on Wednesdays. Pasta sauce is the logical choice, but I also have a batch of fresh tomato sauce with lots of garlic and lots of fresh basil.
Then I remembered a couple of years ago I'd slathered chicken breasts in pesto and cooked them. So I google it and get a couple of recipes with instructions. Unfortuantely the cooking time on the one I followed was way too long and they were dry. I'm pondering trying to remedy this by making a basil chicken salad with them.
The first use of my first batch of the season pesto, I used in a Rachael Ray recipe....good grief that girl can cook. Haven't tired one of her recipies yet that wasn't great.
The day I saw her do this on her TV show, I went to the food network site to get the full insturctions. Turns out it is a shortened (faster) version of a recipie she'd made before.
Here is the basic idea. You get pesto (commercial). But I made mine this time. You get Italian sausage (ground or links that you open up and take out the meat). I got mild. You get tiny mozzarella balls (they have an Italian name). I couldn't find them at the store I was in so I got a good quality mozzarella and than cut off small chuncks. Now the idea is, you encase a piece of the cheese in a portion of the meat (I think she made twelve for four servings) and form a meatball. These bake in the oven. In the meantime, you mix basil pesto into a can of tomatoes for the sauce and heat it up. She made some cheesey mashed potatoes and roasted garlicky broccoli to go with it. Me, who is low carbing and it wasn't Wed. didn't make the potatoes.
These meatballs with the sauce were delish. And one of the fastest things I every cooked. If you want the real recipe, you can find it on FN site.
And pesto slathered chicken breasts can be delish too, but not if they are overcooked.
From my stove to yours.
Susan
Must use it. Must use it pretty soon. But for what? I'm low carbing except on Wednesdays. Pasta sauce is the logical choice, but I also have a batch of fresh tomato sauce with lots of garlic and lots of fresh basil.
Then I remembered a couple of years ago I'd slathered chicken breasts in pesto and cooked them. So I google it and get a couple of recipes with instructions. Unfortuantely the cooking time on the one I followed was way too long and they were dry. I'm pondering trying to remedy this by making a basil chicken salad with them.
The first use of my first batch of the season pesto, I used in a Rachael Ray recipe....good grief that girl can cook. Haven't tired one of her recipies yet that wasn't great.
The day I saw her do this on her TV show, I went to the food network site to get the full insturctions. Turns out it is a shortened (faster) version of a recipie she'd made before.
Here is the basic idea. You get pesto (commercial). But I made mine this time. You get Italian sausage (ground or links that you open up and take out the meat). I got mild. You get tiny mozzarella balls (they have an Italian name). I couldn't find them at the store I was in so I got a good quality mozzarella and than cut off small chuncks. Now the idea is, you encase a piece of the cheese in a portion of the meat (I think she made twelve for four servings) and form a meatball. These bake in the oven. In the meantime, you mix basil pesto into a can of tomatoes for the sauce and heat it up. She made some cheesey mashed potatoes and roasted garlicky broccoli to go with it. Me, who is low carbing and it wasn't Wed. didn't make the potatoes.
These meatballs with the sauce were delish. And one of the fastest things I every cooked. If you want the real recipe, you can find it on FN site.
And pesto slathered chicken breasts can be delish too, but not if they are overcooked.
From my stove to yours.
Susan
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