Tuesday Treats – Slow Cook Mexican Lasagna

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Silver James

This is really healthy. No. Really. It’s a bit of a pain to set up but then you forget about it until dinner time–which means most of the day to get your NaNoWriMo word count done. 😉

Slow Cook Mexican Lasagna

crockpot-lasagna4-6 Quart slow cooker
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground turkey or 93% lean beef
1 diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 Tablespoon processed minced garlic)
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. low fat cottage cheese
8 oz bag shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided into 2 oz. portions
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
9-10 whole grain lasagna noodles (I use just regular ones because I’m a rebel like that 😉 )

Brown meat in oil, add garlic, seasoning, tomato sauce, and pinto beans. Stir well and set aside. Combine cottage cheese with half of the Mexican cheese and all of the spinach.

Layer in the slow cooker like this:

1/4 of meat mixture
1/3 noodles, broken where needed to cover meat
1/3 cheese mixture
Repeat two more times, ending with the remaining 1/4 of meat mixture

Cook on low for 5-6 hours, until noodles are soft. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top, cover, and allow to melt.

You can serve with sour cream, chopped green onions, and/or chopped cilantro.

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First Monday of NaNo

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Silver James

Yes. It is that crazy time of year when writers and would-be novelists all go a little bit crazy. I’m behind. For the first time ever. But that’s okay. I fully intend to catch up but expanding my daily word count until I’m back on track. This is my month for multi-tasking. I have line edits due by November 10th. So…not much time for social media for me until later in the month. I’ll be here. There will be NaNo inspirations posted to my Facebook. I’ll still be doing #1lineWed on Twitter on Wednesday. Maybe. If I can find some good lines about weapons. shifty-eyes-ani2fasterAlso, I’m at Avery Flynn’s Facebook party celebrating the release of her new book, HOLLYWOOD ON TAP. Click HERE to join the party. I’m hosting between 1:30-2:00 EST, which is 12:30-1:00 CST, 11:30-12:00 MST, and 10:30-11:00 out there on the left coast. 😉 The party starts at 10:30 eastern and there are a LOT of authors gonna be there throughout the day with lots of swag and books being given away. Warning, there will be major doses of mancandy, too. Just sayin’…

DPL sign Blue closeup 680So…weekend wrap up. The James Gang minus Baseball Boy, who was working, roadtripped to my hometown where I was the featured author at the 4th Annual Duncan Public Library’s Local Author Festival. My little friend Blue helped us find the new library. He was all dressed up for the occasion because he wanted to celebrate the upcoming release of COWGIRL’S DON’T CRY so he was wearing his Red Dirt Royalty costume. I was really lucky. The lovely librarian in charge of the event, Amy, put me at a large round table by the front door. I had lots of room to spread out.Silver-2 DPL 680 I sold and signed several copies of SEASON OF THE WITCH, visited with a very nice lady who put her name down to be the first to check out the Faerie Reign books once the library put them into circulation, and I visited with several young people who want to be writers about fan fiction, sparkly vampires, dragons, and witches. They’d not heard of Anne McCaffrey’s DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN so we talked about them and Andre Norton’s Witchworld series. I hope they’ll check those series out. I also visited with an old high school buddy and got to meet his lovely wife. That was fun! We reminisced, talked about the directions our lives had taken, and wondered where old friends we’d lost track of might be. I also visited with a nice gentleman who was interested in my Wolves but he doesn’t read digitally. I promised once I got them into print, the Duncan Library would receive a copy so he could read them. In the course of our conversation, I suggested he give the In Death series a try. Have I mentioned that I love talking about books?!? Yeah. I really, really do.

Red Dirt Blue1 680Since we were on the road, and I napped for several hours after we got home (since I couldn’t stand to watch OSU get slaughtered–it IS a rebuilding year, dammit!), I didn’t get one word written for NaNoWriMo. I had very good intentions of catching up on Sunday. I…didn’t. I did get words done but I found myself procrastinating by researching the damn Navy SEALs. I know, I know. *hangs head in shame* I broke my own cardinal rule of NaNo. I’ll do better!

I’m off for a quick coffee meeting with my CP and then it’s home to spend the rest of the morning on line edits and the afternoon on MOON SHOT, my NaNo project. I leave you with one last pic from the weekend. Blue is doing his best Chance Barron imitation in that black Stetson and bandanna. Don’t forget you can click on the pic to get a blow-up. 😀 So tell me, how was your weekend?!?

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Friday Sinema – Middle Earth Style

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Silver James

Best. Airline. Safety. Video. EVER!!!! Even though it’s Halloween. This is a much better video to be watching and…and…COSPLAY! 😉

Now I REALLY want to go to New Zealand! Not that it isn’t already on my bucket list as soon as I win the lottery. Where do you want to visit?

Have a great weekend! *heads out to buy lottery ticket*

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Universal To Do or Don’t

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Silver James

universeI had to think about this one for awhile.

The thing to remember, Silver, to always remember, is that what you do, or don’t do, today, is what matters most.

Start your engines,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Right now, Silver.

I finally decided that what today’s message means, at least to me is this: It’s not the time you have, it’s what you do with the time you have. And with National Novel Writing Month starting at midnight Friday night, and with having just received my line edits for THE COWGIRL’S LITTLE SECRET, due November 10th, I will definitely need to do, rather than don’t do.

And one of the things I need to do today is wish The Only a very happy birthday! 😀

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Wednesday Words: Coffee Wisdom

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Silver James

He wants coffeeI haven’t talked about coffee in…oh…a day or so. On Facebook. I talk about it all the time over there. Here? I mostly talk about other things but I thought I’d catch up on some the sayings, etc. gleaned from my Coffee-a-Day calendar. 😉

Forever: time it takes to brew the first pot of coffee in the morning. ~Anonymous

That Anonymous person is sure smart sometimes.

Do you know how helpless you feel if you have a full cup of coffee in your hand and you start to sneeze? ~Jean Kerr’s character in Mary, Mary

Been there, done that, wore the coffee stains on my T-shirt.

Coffee squirrel

Murphy’s Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something that will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy speaks for all of us.

You make good coffee… You’re a slob, but you make good coffee. ~Cher, Moonstruck

I can forgive a man a lot of sins as long as he does…
coffee-crack-cat

It is inhumne, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. ~Dave Barry

Starbucks. Every time I walk in the freakin’ door!

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Tuesday Treats – Hungry for Chinese

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Silver James

I’m feeling like a little Chinese and while this is a quick recipe, you need the ingredients on hand. Again, haven’t made this in awhile so no picture–at least not of the food. 😉

Quick Chicken Lo Mein

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups of water
1 16 oz. package Oriental style mixed vegetables (or stir fry veggies)
1 4.8 package Pasta Roni Angel Hair with Herbs
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute chicken in the butter for 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.

Stir in water and vegetables, bring to a boil.

Stir in past and season package. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Gently boil uncovered 4 to 5 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in teriyaki sauce. Let stand 3 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

And for dessert…

Jamie-Outlander

You’re welcome. 😀

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Monday Rewind

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Silver James

funny-dog-pictures-not-ready-for-monday Well…maybe I want it to be over a little bit. 😆 I’m actually looking forward to this week. Wait?!? What??! No, really, I am. This is the downhill slide to NaNoWriMo starting on Saturday. I’ve got some things in the works and I’ll be getting all my ducks in a row this week.

after-book depressionAs for my weekend…I was totally lazy. TOTALLY! I pretty much stayed in bed all weekend. Did some household-y stuffs but then went back to bed. And read. An entire series, though there are more books coming. What literary beast ensared me? Kit Rocha’s Beyond series. These books are hedonistic. Dark. Violent. Pretty much X-rated dirty-sexy. And yet, with each one I finished, I immediately reached for the next one, and the next–burning through the novels and the novellas until I finished the last available story, the one that had me in freaking tears, even though I knew there was no way the authors (it’s a writing team using the Rocha pen name) would take the story to a place of no return. They still made me believe they could…and would go there. So I’m blubbering. And that’s why this series keeps hitting the lists. People can write them off as dystopian porn, and they might be, but the characters are so well-defined, so fracking real that I’m able to suspend belief, absorb the wall-to-wall sex, and look beyond it to the story, to the characters, to the reality of that world. And trust me, it’s all there! Anyway, I’m totally hooked. The next one comes out November 10th and I’m already in the throes of book withdrawal/hangover.

Other news…I’m now on Wattpad. I don’t quite know how to explain Wattpad. It’s a place to put up WIPs, for random people to read and give feedback. I’m putting up the Wolves’ MC book(s) there–in two versions. PG-13 so new readers can find me, and R, which is the version that will be the published version. Evidently, Wattpad started life as a teen fanfic site but has evolved. I may even post short stories from my various worlds–stories that will never be “published” but will be available there for free. We’ll see.

That Ol Black Magic 680Those of you on Facebook saw my news about THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC. It placed FIRST in the International Digital Awards Short Paranormal Fiction category. CHRISTMAS MOON place 3rd! 😀

I also broke down and signed up for MailChimp so I can send out the occasional Newsletter. There’s a link up there on the right side if you haven’t signed up already. Also, you’ll note I’m doing a blog hop with Nightowl Reviews in November. More about it when we get closer. I have other upcoming appearances, both virtual and in person. If anyone happens to be in Southwest Oklahoma on November 1st, I’m on the featured authors in the Duncan Public Library’s 4th Annual Local Author Day. I will have books there. 😀 November 3rd, I’m “at” a Facebook party hosted by Avery Flynn. More details about that one and my November 10th Facebook party with the 12 Brides’ authors as they become available.

So that’s my news for the day. What’s up with y’all?

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Friday Sinema – Lindsey is Stirling

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Silver James

Lindsey Stirling is one of my favorite instrumental artists. Her latest video is determined to be one of my favorites! Between the music and the “story”, I’m hooked. Enjoy! And have a great weekend.

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Universal Gifts

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Silver James

universeSome forty years ago (I keep tellin’ you people I’m older than dirt!), I took a vacation with my parents. I was in college, which made things a little awkward, but they were going to Colorado so why would I decline? Seriously, people. Colorado! Anyway, Dad parked the Airstream on Turquoise Lake outside of Leadville. I rode one of our trail bikes into town to the local “emporium”–combo drugstore, general store, lunch counter, etc. The place had a huge wall of magazines, newspapers, and PAPERBACKS!!!! I discovered a couple of books that intrigued me.

Now realize, the first adult book I ever read was THE SPY WHO LOVED ME by Ian Fleming. I was ten. Oh, yeah, that book set me on my path for sure! So, when I caught a glimpse of the Mack Bolan/Executioner books, we’re talking reading crack for me. I snarfed up the 3 or 4 books on the shelf, rode back to camp, and devoured those books. I read the series up through somewhere around #100. I ended up donating all of them to the local library when I had to make a massive move. Today, I’m kicking myself! But I digress…

I recently acquired the first book (in original condition) of this series. THE EXECUTIONER #1: WAR AGAINST THE MAFIA. Originally written in 1969, I stumbled on the series in a later reprint, around 1972. It’s politically incorrect. People smoke. Whores are whores. The Mafia thugs are thugs. Bolan is a Viet Nam-era soldier who defines his duty in black and white.

Which leads me to today’s message from the Universe:

Silver, would there be any point in giving you the gift of imagination, the freedom to think as you choose, and dreams that set your soul on fire if even a single one of them couldn’t come true?

I think not.

I love you too, too much.

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

Silver, think of the implications.

The Executioner books lodged in my imagination–that glorious gift from the Universe. I see shades of Bolan in my Alpha Heroes™, especially my Wolves. I have the freedom to think politically incorrect thoughts and even write them down–imbuing heroes and villains with attributes that are just as black and white as Bolan’s world. I can fall into a world I’ve created–my soul on fire–and make my dreams come true there. And if I’m really-REALLY lucky, I can entice a reader to fall in with me.

So thank Ian Fleming and Don Pendleton (The Executioner’s creator). I wouldn’t be here without their influence.

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Wednesday Words – Weather

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Silver James

In between really good words I find as I read, I thought I’d bring #1lineWed here. If y’all are on Twitter this is the hashtag that the members and friends of the Kiss of Death RWA Chapter uses on Wednesdays to share lines from our books. For those of you who don’t tweet, you can share here in the comments. Or just comment on my lines, because y’all know what an attention pimp I am. 😉

So today’s theme is: WEATHER

Here are my lines:

From COWGIRL’S DON’T CRY, which is available for PREORDER and for WANT TO READ on Goodreads (you know, in case you want to mark it or anything… 😉 ):

Fat cotton balls of snow drifted across her view—it was like being a tiny person trapped inside the Swiss chalet in a snow globe.

In the near distance, a sheet of rain filled the space between cloud and ground, marching across dusty fields. The first fat drops splattered in the dirt at his feet.

From THE COWGIRL’S LITTLE SECRET:

The wind kicked up a wicked dust devil made of red dirt and spun it across the bare expanse of the well site. Rather than cooling the air, the wind seared everything in its path like a blast from a furnace.

The weak winter sun poked at the clouds riding low on the eastern horizon and touched the light dusting of snow with a handful of sparkles.

Chance’s breath fogged the air until the brutal north wind shredded it. The temperature kept dropping, the sun a pallid circle behind thick clouds.

What about y’all? Any weather references, descriptions, etc. in your current WIP? Share!

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