Tuesday Treats: Bacon-Ranch Bread Bites

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Silver James

Since we’re all stuck at home, now is a good time to binge watch that series on a streaming service, or read a good book, or play games. Whatever you’re doing to entertain yourselves, this bundle of munchies will hit the spot!

Total Time: 3 Hr.
Prep Time: 30 Min.
Cook Time: 2 Hr. 30 Min.
16 servings

We’ve got a recipe for cheesy bacon-ranch appetizer bread bites even non-bakers can make. (Get out the frozen bread dough!)

What You Need

1 loaf (1 lb.) frozen bread dough, thawed
2 tsp. oil
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 pkg. (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing mix
1 pkg. (12 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Center Cut Bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces, cooked

Let’s Make It
1 – Roll bread dough into 1/2-inch-thick rectangle on lightly floured surface; brush with oil. Cut into 1-inch pieces; place in large bowl.
2 – Add cheese, dressing mix and bacon; mix lightly. Place on baking sheet; shape gently into oval loaf. Let rise in warm place 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
3 – Heat oven to 350°F. Bake bread 20 to 30 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Note: For best results, cook bacon just until done, but not crisp.

Tip 2 – Reviews talk about it being salty. Maybe dip pieces?

My Tip – You can pour out a variety of dipping sauces and if you’re polite, use toothpicks to stab and dip. (Rhys says, “Forget that! Just grab a plastic fork.)

To get all the nutritional info and reviews, CLICK HERE to head over to My Food and Family. Who remembers Celie Monaghan from BLOOD & FIRE? She and her Wolf mate Rhys Kendric might be out in the Texas boonies but he’ll head straight to town to buy the ingredients for what is turning into his favorite snack. Rhys likes salsa or buffalo wing sauce. Celie likes the added flavor of Ranch dressing for dipping. If you haven’t caught up with this couple, grab their book, Blood & Fire, a Moonstruck Wolf Novel. It’s standalone so a decent intro to my world. Their’s is a case of mistaken identity, revenge, and…well…read the book! 😉 Just click on the title or the cover and zip over to Amazon to buy it or read for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. What are y’all munching on these days? And what are you doing to stay occupied?

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Monday, Day Whatever of My Normal Life

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Silver James

My days tend to run together under the best of circumstances. These definitely aren’t the best. I hope everyone out there is coping with their forced vacations, and/or managing to work from home. And I hope y’all have less trouble remembering which day it is. If I didn’t occasionally turn on the TV or glance at the calendar to check the date, I’d have no clue what day it is. I know that today is March 30th. And I know it’s Monday because I set this blog up yesterday and it was Sunday, which I know due to morning programming. Anyway…

Welcome to the new normal. We’ll adapt. We’ll perservere. And we’ll overcome. I’m a full-time writer. Well, I am when Iffy (my Muse) decides to cooperate. She has strict standards on when she will or won’t work. Right now, she’s adjusting to life with company. Yeah, yeah. Lawyer Guy lives here. But now he’s working here. It’s been…interesting. For both of us. I’m used to being alone in the house with just the critters. I can talk to them–or imaginary people–out loud with no repercussions. But LG is here. He talks on the phone to people. And he does Zoom meetings. And so I can’t wander around muttering. Loudly. And I have to remember to turn down the volume on my audio books. Yeah, yeah. First world problems. But it’s my life. I know lots of people aren’t used to the isolation and this is hard on them, especially given all the uncertainties of jobs and family and stuff. But as I remind my kids, this too shall pass. Life might become a new normal, but it will be normal as we get used to it.

Spring is making headway. Red tulips are putting bright, happy punctuation on the story of my garden. They make me smile. And wisteria. I have wisteria lacing up an ancient oak tree, dancing in the breeze and scenting the air with a delicate fragrance. I hope the honeysuckle starts to bud and bloom too. It’s a favorite scent and I have a large bush outside my office window. I’ll be putting the hummingbird feeder out soon.

TV and sports are…weird, given the circumstances. We watched St. Louis Blues hockey last night–a game from last October, but we hadn’t seen it and had no clue who won. There are some classic STL Cardinal games on periodically. It’s not much of a fix but better than nothing. I hope this season of The Masked Singer was already in the can before social distancing started. Last week, the T-Rex was unmasked. She was a cute character with bundles of energy. She was revealed to be JoJo Siwa. I had to look her up. She was on Dance Moms for a couple of seasons and then became a YouTube personality. She’s cute. The final nine starts this Wednesday. I suspect the White Tiger will be next to go, but who am I to actually guess?

Thank goodness for comfort reads–especially when the series is 50+ books! Why yes, I am listening to the entire In Death series. Why do you ask? 😉 I did listen to AJ Hackworth’s THE LIBRARY OF THE UNWRITTEN. It was interesting. I’m on hold for a few other titles at the library that I’ll intersperse with Eve and Roarke when they drop. Nothing like a good cup of coffee, a window to glance out of it and a good book.

Since I’m having trouble finding new words, I should do something productive. Like clean out my closet. But then I’d have to figure out what to do with the stuff I no longer need/wear/want. The garage is full. Cleaning out the garage holds the same problem. Ah well. I do plan on kidnapping Stormy sometime this week. Give his parents a break. I do need to renew my driver’s license. It expires tomorrow. I can do it on-line due to the stay-in order but I know a DPS employee that gave up after 2 1/2 hours of trying. I’ll just run up to our neighborhood tag agent. They need to make money too. And we can social distance in their office. And that’s the sum total of my plans for the week. A couple of errands, some take-out food, usual dinners, a trip to the grocery store, listening to books, and with luck, some words. I’d add Starbucks, but all the ones near me are closed. Poor Jake misses his puppacinos. He also misses getting to go into places with me. He’s too much of a people magnet so no service dog appearances for him. I do let him go in the car with me because…he’s a car dog. 🙂

That’s my world. What’s going on in yours?

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Friday Sinema: Domino Cats

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Silver James

If you are stuck inside during this week two of social distancing here’s an idea of something to do. Or just watch. What are you doing to wile awhile the time?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Advice

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Silver James

Today’s message from the Universe is short, to the point, and, IMO, rather sweet. During these trying times, it’s also rather apropos.

Guidance, attention, help, maybe. Love, always. Criticism, never.

What to give others, Silver.

Love always,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Isn’t it fun being you, Silver!

Some days it is fun being me. We can social distance physically, but let’s never let that keep us apart. Reach out to people–virtually–and let them know you care. Hey, y’all!?!? I CARE ABOUT YOU! Sending virtual hugs and 😘.

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Regularly Scheduled Words–Oops!

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Silver James

So…I thought I’d be all smart and “pre-load” some blogs for this week. Yeah…that never works well because that takes “braining” and we all know my brain looks like Swiss cheese. So… Today’s Wednesday’s Words: Put a Ring On It posted late Monday afternoon. Here, have a funny meme* to brighten your day instead.

FYI, if you missed it, CLICK HERE, zip over to the post, and read the snippet of new words from MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL.

*Why, yes, I am Southern. Why do you ask? 🤣

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Tuesday Treats: Chocolate Cake Waffles

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Silver James

I love waffles and have a family recipe handed down for several generations. I’ve also been known to indulge in chocolate. This recipe covers all the bases. A friend of mine stated that in times like this, no guilt for consuming the yummies! I totally agree. We need to take care of ourselves and each other and occasional indulgence is worth the calories! Besides, we all know chocolate is a stress reducer. Can I get a “Hell, yeah!” on that?

Prep/Total Time: 25 mins
8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg (15.25 oz each) Duncan Hines® Classic Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

1/2 cup water

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

chocolate syrup and Reddi-wip®, for serving

DIRECTIONS
STEP ONE: Blend cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large mixing bowl on low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds). Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

STEP TWO: Spray grids of waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat according to manufacturer’s instructions.

STEP THREE: Pour batter into waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions. Cook for about one minute, until cooked through and crispy.

STEP FOUR: Remove waffle from iron and serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish with strawberries, chocolate syrup and Reddi-wip as desired.

OTHER SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I’m allergic to strawberries. Feel free to substitute other fruits like raspberries or blueberries. Add a dollop of peanut butter. Use Karo syrup (corn syrup) instead of chocolate syrup on top. Get creative! 😉

I found this recipe at READY, SET EAT. Click on over to get all the details. I’m not the only one intrigued by this dish. Leigh Daniels, the heroine in NIGHT FIRE, is an arson investigator–or was before she became Smoke Jenner’s mate. She notes that the guys in the firehouse loved this easy meal–whether for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or midnight snack. Leigh goes on to say, “And when I fixed a bunch for the Nightrider old ladies, you’d think I’d won Miss Congeniality.” Fix yourself a batch, grab NIGHT FIRE, and treat yourself. Don’t have a copy of the book? Grab it by clicking on the cover or the title. It’s available from a whole slew of on-line book stores. Finally, today’s food debate is: Waffles or pancakes? Which would y’all choose?

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Wednesday Words: Put a Ring on It

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Silver James

Another week, more words. And guess what? These are new words (and unedited so ignore any gaffs)! Today’s theme is **RING**. So many avenues to explore with that word. Me? Well…keep reading and you’ll see which direction I took it. To set the scene, these events happen way back in the beginning–back before Hannah met Mac. But this isn’t about them. It’s about Duke Reagan and Dalton/Surfer-boy. It’s about what happened to the SEALs in the Nevada desert. Sort of.
****
Treading water in the massive tank, Duke watched Dalton. Only a red exit light illuminated the room, but the other man’s face appeared pale. “No pressure. No underwater shit.” He raised his hand, stretching his arm to full length above his head. “Air.” He dropped his hand and his palm slapped against the surface, spraying water. Dalton jerked his head away. Yeah, the guy was totally freaked. Motherfuckers.

Duke pushed his head back and brought his hips up so that he was floating on his back. Now that the salinity levels were correct, this was as easy as basking in a tidal pool. After very long minutes, Dalton followed suit. Duke knew the rest of the men well. Hell, they’d started BUD/s training together—only to have it interrupted when they volunteered for this god-forsaken bullshit. He didn’t need to add air quotes. His team received orders to report to the desert of Nevada and here they were. He knew their strengths and their weaknesses, because he made it his mission to know. They didn’t have an officer, had no one to take their backs. So being him, he stepped up.

Dalton had come after. After one of the original test subjects allegedly washed out. Duke knew better. He was combat hardened, the reason he signed on for SEAL training. He knew what burning flesh smelled like and the incinerator had worked overtime two days after Gardner supposedly washed out. A week later, Dalton was dumped on them. And he had to go through all the medical bullshit alone.

Their silence drew straws to see which of them would break first. Duke wasn’t surprised when Dalton’s voice whispered across the water. The kid’s question? That shocked the shit out of him. “Did you ever want to ring the bell?”

While he knew the kid would break first, that was not the question Duke expected. During BUD/s training, and especially during Hell Week–which occured four weeks into the course, any trainee could quit. All he had to do was go ring the bell. Literally. There was a bell with a rope attached to the clapper. Only honesty would get this kid through their current predicament.

“Yeah. I thought about it.”

More silence stretched before Dalton spoke again. “There’s no bell here.”

“No, kid. There’s not.”

“Only life or death.”

“And a lot of hell in between,” Duke agreed.
****
I have to admit, it’s kind of fun to revisit the SEALs and Hannah, Mac, and the whole crew and follow along their time lines. And I love being able to add cut scenes and brand-new scenes to the books, tying them even closer together. So, writers, any ring words? Readers, what sort of ring do you like to read about? And yes, it’s a trick question because there are wedding rings, bell rings, fight rings, ring-around-the-rosies, one ring to rule them all… 😉

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Monday: Day 7 of My Typical Life

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Silver James

I’m a writer. I’m a hermit by nature. I don’t like people. You have to adult around people. And brain. I don’t do either of those well. Since I live pretty self-contained anyway, this isn’t a big hardship on me. Except Lawyer Guy is home. All day. It takes some getting used to.

Moving on. While I’m not making light of the world situation, y’all have to remember–I’m former military, law enforcement, and fire service. My sense of humor treads on the dark side. Like M*A*S*H. Goodness, the theme song for that show was “Suicide is Painless.” Dark humor, remember? Luckily, I passed it along to my child. Only is the one who shared today’s meme with me. I laughed. Because I write thrillers and paranormal and if you’ve read SEASON OF THE WITCH, there’s a murder of crows in that book. So…

Moving on again. TV. Should I admit to binge watching on “Paranormal Caught on Camera,” “The Unexplained Files,” and whatever the new one on the Travel Channel that’s hosted by Robert Englund of Nightmare on Elm Street/Freddy Krueger fame is? I refer you to the paragraph just above. Also, LIVE PD is in reruns, America’s Top Dog finished last Wednessday–congrats Kai, but I was rooting for Mattis because he was the old man of the group. Mattis did come in 2nd, so that’s a win in this old lady’s book. America’s Most Wanted was new with the 3 hosts contributing via computer from their various homes. Smart. The Masked Singer provided excellent entertainment but the reveal didn’t mean that much to me. Bella Thorne was the Swan and I admit, I don’t know much about her.

I did a little writing. Very little. My mind doesn’t want to settle on one thing. I thought about doing something for my readers–like a brand-new serial story that would come out once a week or something in my newsletter. Then I remembered I haven’t done a newsletter in like a year and don’t have that many subscribers. And I’d have to write the darn thing. And edit. And I do have projects I should be working on and…coffee. I need coffee. And the dogs want out. Or in. And the birds are singing and…it would require braining and adulting. I refer you to the first paragraph.

My wow moment of the week: Stormageddon turned 6 yesterday. SIX!!! How is that even possible? Sadly, his parents had to cancel his party with promises of a big one once the ban on gatherings is raised. He picked out his “birthday cake” for the drop-by/drop-off presents that is happening at his house today (which is when I wrote this). He wanted a “cookie cake”–one of the big chocolate chip cookies the size of a pizza. And he picked out St. Paddy’s day colors and decorations. I love that little dickens.

Now is a good time for comfort reads. What’s your go-to chicken soup book? As y’all know, mine is NAKED IN DEATH, the 1st book in the Eve Dallas/In Death series by JD Robb. I’ve embarked on a relisten of all 50+ books and novellas because…comfort read. Yes, she’s a futuristic homicide detective. Yes, there’s death and destruction. Yes, I’m weird because this is chicken soup for me. And for the final time, I refer you once again to the beginning of this dissertation.

That’s about all that’s going on in my world. What’s going on in yours? Here’s hoping this finds you healthy, safe, and at least partially sane. I’m good as long as I have coffee! 😉

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Friday Sinema: Log Lines

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Silver James

Yesterday was the Spring Equinox so I thought we’d celebrate nature today. A man in Pennsylvania set up a trail cam and filmed for a year. He edited all his footage down to a series of 5-minute videos. This is one of them. Take a time-out, grab the beverage of your choice, sit back and enjoy a peek at nature. There are critters! And that bear! ❤

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Billboards

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Silver James

These are scary times. I’m not particularly worried. By the time I need more toilet paper, hopefully, the panic will be toned down. At this point, I don’t have to get out except…Starbucks. And fresh air. And cabin fever. I also worry for the owners/workers of the small restaurants we frequent. We’ll start doing takeout to help them but I am NOT a fan of Chinese takeout. I ❤ Chinese food, but it just doesn't taste the same if I take it home. Anyway. I'll do it for our friends. I will need dog and cat food in a few days. This said, while so many people fret and worry and fear this pandemic, we all have other fears that are just as pressing, looming, frightful. When this message from the Universe hit yesterday, I had to share it today.

Silver, have you noticed it, too? How fears are a lot like highway billboards?

The faster you’re moving, the quicker they approach, the larger they get, and the more they block your view of what’s real and alive. To the point that they tower above you, larger than life itself, giving you pause and more reason than ever to turn around and retreat to safety.

Yet if you muster the courage to stay the course, in just a blink they’re behind you, put into proper perspective. And then as quickly as they appeared, they completely vanish.

If you want to stay the course, then please, just stay the course.

Tallyho, ho, ho –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, that’s why we did away with billboards here a long time ago. Besides, no one uses our highways.

Makes sense, doesn’t it? And a great analogy but…we ARE dealing with the Universe so… I’m breathing easier these days, no pun intended. Stress tightens my chest and it hurts to breathe. Things are looking up and a few of my billboards are in the rearview mirror. I’m looking forward, slowing down a bit to see the scenery and realize that life is pretty darn good. The depression is still with me but I CAN look on the bright side so I have hopes that this, too, shall pass, and it’ll be just a big ol’ honkin’ billboard–like that talking on in that Steve Martin movie–that waves goodbye as I drive by. How are y’all doing during these weird and wacky times?

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