Tuesday Treats & Titles: Cross Cinnamon with Chocolate for Pudding

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Silver James

We’ve hit that season where summer is fading and fall isn’t quite here but we’re starting to crave those cooler-weather flavors. Here’s a recipe that fits both the hankering for something cool and light but with the flavors we want. Plus, it’s quick. This  treat will hit the spot. Be sure to stock up on supplies so you can indulge whenever the urge hits. Because this dessert is largely sugar free, it’s a winner in my book!

Total Time: 5 Min.
Prep Time: 5 Min,
4 servings, approximately 2/3 cup each

Healthy Living: Simply add cinnamon to a chocolate classic for a weeknight delight.

What You Need
1 pkg. (1.4 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Sugar Free Fat Free Instant Pudding
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Zero Sugar Whipped Topping

Let’s Make It
1 – Beat pudding mix, cinnamon and milk with whisk 2 min.
2 – Stir in COOL WHIP.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Substitute: Prepare using COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.

Tip 2 – Make Ahead: Desserts can be made ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tip 3 – Nutrition Bonus: Trying to eat right? Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy-to-make low-fat dessert.

This treat comes compliments of MY FOOD AND FAMILY. Click on over for the nutritional details. I happen to be a big fan of both cinnamon and chocolate, and anything I can whip together in five minutes to curb that craving? Oh, heck yeah! I’m totally on board. And I’m not the only one. Mariska needed soft food after a chemo treatment and was craving something sweet. Cory whipped this up because it’s quick and yummy. Turns out All the kids–including Maxim–think this is an awesome snack, and/or dessert. Cory shared the recipe with Meg and the two of them have been known to whip up their own servings when there’s no one else around. You can find out more about the kids and how Meg came to Key West with Kin in CROSSFIRE. The book is now available wide in most major on-line booksellers. Grab it while its “hot off the presses,” mix up some cinnamon chocolate pudding and enjoy! Simply click on the pic up top or the title to head to Books2Read to get the link to your favorite store. What about y’all? Cool flavors during hot temps: yay or nay?

**There is no individual cover pic like I normally post for TTT because weirdness is still happening–the pics are fine here on the blog and in my RSS reader feed but on Facebook? It gets weird! Let’s see what happens. 🙄

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Monday Murmurs

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Silver James

There are two more Mondays left in Spetember–today and next week. Then it’s October and winding up toward Halloween. Then it’ll be Thanksgiving. And OMG! Christmas!!! I’m not ready for this! FYI, Christmas is on a Monday and it’s 98 days away. In case you’re counting.

So, the office “upgrade” is mostly done. Yes, there is still clutter in three corners but my work space is fixed and I will be getting back to writing today. After my trip to Wallyworld because…groceries. I plan to stay on track and take an hour each day to work on the clutter. I’ll start on the small bookcase today. Or maybe tomorrow. If I get inspired by the writing, who knows. If I don’t, yeah, any excuse will do. LOL I’m very happy with the way things turned out. I can see out the whol window without craning my neck into weird positions. I can see the TV by glancing up from my computer monitor. The phone is behind me in easy reach and my desk is empy but for a lamp, a mug with pens, a glass business card “holder,” my coffee mug, and the mouse/pad. My inbox is on a different flat surface, the big write-on board is visible, though I do have to stand up to study it. I have a “portable write-on board and it’s within arm’s reach. Also, the cat perch sits between the end of the desk and the window which makes both Loki and Pete happy. The can sit up there and either watch birds or me while napping. Next project is the small bookcase that is mostly crammed full of note pads, sticky notes and other detrious. Then there are two more bookcases (moving around the room clockwise, my desk at 6 o’clock). Following that, there’s a 3-drawer plastic storage cart, a drafting table with much stuff stacked on top (under which is Jake’s office bed), another large 3-drawer cart that is all Only’s, the closet (of which I can get into so won’t touch at the moment), then the TV armoir (which does need attention top and bottom, then the last corner which is stack plastic drawer bins with many author copies of my Harlequin books. Before I mess with it, I have to clear Only Stuff™ off the shelf that runs along the top of two walls. That’s where the bulk of those books will go.

Wow. Exciting life I lead, huh? Moving on, now that I’ve bored you to tears. Much soccer this weekend–Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning. Stormy played well as a defenseman. Considering this team has only been together for about a month and the majority of them moved up from rec leagues, they held their own against some established teams. They came in second in their bracket and faced off against both of the teams who played in the finals. The #1 team, who NOKC Green played in the semis yesterday morning, scored 27 goals combined against two of their opponents. The boys held them to 5. A loss, yes, but one that shows how far they’ve come in just a short time. Next game is Friday night against a crosstown “rival” team. I’m not going to mention the other two sports/teams I follow. I keep reminding myself, “No pain, no gain.” 🙄

Sadly, not much else going on. I haven’t listened to my current “read” much. It’s the Graphic Audio (full cast) version of Ilona Andrew’s MAGIC BURNS. The third book just released in the GA version so yeah, any excue for a relisten. 🤣

No fun antics by cats or dog to share. No humorous anecdotes either. Life may be boring but no complaints because it sure beats the alternative. We’re having more seasonable weather–80s instead of 90s/100s. This also totally beats the alternative. I may actually start cooking again. I did last week. I made spaghetti and hot rolls one night. Another night, I did rolls and crab cakes. I’m thinking about doing a Cajun boil one night this week. I grabbed the stuff at the store today. I suspect most of the rest of what I fix will be our stand-by summer usuals. Ah well.

On that note, I will return you to your regularly scheduled Monday. May you have no commercial interruptions! And what are you planning for dinner this week? Suggestions always appreciated. LOL

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Testy Because I Can’t Drink Coffee — Yet

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Silver James

Still trying to figure out the photo glitch from last week. Those who know me on FB are aware that a picture of the cover of my latest release kept appearing when jet pack automatically posted to my FB author page. This happened even when I did NOT embed that picture. In the deleted test yesterday, I did NOT attach a pic. Today, I am. And today, you can just enjoy the meme. LOL Let’s see what happens when I hit [Publish]. 🤞🏼

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Friday Free-For-All: More Odds than Ends

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Silver James

It’s Friday. It feels like I haven’t done much this week and then I look at my office and realize WHOA! I did a LOT–just not wordy-nerdy stuff. Well, other than posting on this here blog every day. So now it’s Friday. I’ve been saving up this stuff as it comes to me and since I haven’t gone hunting for a video, I suppose I’ll subject you to this inanity. You do realise that there’s only one letter that separates inane from insane, right? Anyway, please fasten your seatbelts and return your seat and tray table to their upright positions for take-off…

Alien invasion RomCom book idea:
“When you’re supposed to take over the earth as the dominant species but you discover day drinking.”
I saw this on a meme (cat, looking slightly disgruntled, sitting at an outdoor table staring at a cell phone and a wine glass full of red wine). Someone much funnier than me totally needs to write this book!

Dad jokes that made me laugh in spite of myself:

What’s a frog’s favorite restaurant?  ….  ….  …. I-Hop.

What is a frog’s favorite type of shoe?  ….  ….  …. Open-toed sandals. (think about it and if you don’t get it then say it out loud)

Thoughts that occur to me as I drink coffee and stare out the window into the dark:

The word Queue is just a Q followed by four silent letters.

I don’t procrasinate, I delegate tasks to my future self.

I’ve never been held hostage but I have been in a group text.

I’m holding a cup of coffee, so yeah, I’m busy. (This is also true if holding a beer or a margarita, just sayin’…)

Sarcasm–one of the many services I offer.

Of course I talk to myself. Sometimes I need expert advice.

The fact that I am an adult is absolutely hilarious.

In my defense, I was left unsupervised.

****

Soccer tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. At least the weather is cooler! That pretty much defines my whole weekend. What’s on tap for y’all? 

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Busy Work

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Silver James

How many months **koffyearskoff** have I been talking about rearranging my office? And how long did it take me to write, edit, and publishe CROSSFIRE (I was affraied the war might end before that happened)? Yes, I was hanging out in the Land of Good Intentions and getting not much done slowly. Yes, there was the pandemic. Yes, there was a long, cold winter followed by a longer, hotter summer. Excuses, excuses. I look around as I type this and realize that I’m now doing what the Universe suggested…

Often, Silver, the very most spiritual thing one can do is get busy.

Physically busy. Hoeing, chopping, planting. Connecting, moving, grooving. Dipping, swirling, twirling.

Especially dipping, swirling, twirling.

2, 3, 4 –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Yes, Silver, “hoeing” is a word.

Hoeing IS a word. So is writing. And rearranging, sorting (yes, all my junk is getting sorted into Hogswart houses…Filendrawer, Trasherin, Snuffdust, and Donatesclaw) and summarily dealing with all the things. I started with six boxes of stuff. I’m down to one. I’ve got my sorting hat on and will finish off today. So yeah, I’m dipping, swirling, and twirling as I sort, put up, and toss and every once in awhile, I just stop and go, “Wow! Why the bloody blue blazes did I wait so long to do this?” Oh, don’t get me wrong. There’s still a lot to be done to convert this space totally into mine. There are still MANY remnants of Only’s life stacked on shelves and hanging on the walls. But that’s okay. My little corner is now all mine and I feel liberated and have new life and new energy and come next week, I plan on hitting the keyboard for the next project, MOONSTRUC MAFIA: BOSTON. Which is a working title but nothing else comes to mind. I’m open to suggestions. And like the Universe suggests, I’m going to stay busy. So tell me, what are you going to get busy doing today?

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Wedneday Words: Unavoidable

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Silver James

Technically, I should still be hyping CROSSFIRE. But new words are new words, even if they’re a week or so old. This was the #ThursdayThreads prompt from the last day of August: **Avoiding her was almost impossible.** It was a great prompt and filled in a big hole in Mick and Shannon’s story. Once more, the scene is pretty self-explanatory and not much of a spoiler.
****
Mick, looking back as he teased Declan, pushed through the front door of Clancy’s. A squeaky gasp caught his attention and he automatically reached out to steady the woman he’d all but mowed down. Avoiding her was almost impossible so he didn’t even try. The minute his hands settled on her waist, he froze. As did she. They stared at each other. Then his wolf stood up, did a big stretch while his tail waved like a pennant. Stupid wolf. This was just Shannon. Who worked in the pub. Man and wolf had known her since childhood.

He dropped his hands, she backed away. They both mumbled “sorry” at the same time then Declan and Sean pushed him on through the door. They brushed past, headed to the back of the room where their normal table waited for them. Mick? He stood flat-footed and watched Shannon sashay back to the bar. Gobsmacked. Yeah, he was totally gobsmacked.

His wolf nudged him and he mentally growled, What? Shannon had always been a looker and teenage Mick had tried more than once to get into her pants. When he finally got to third base, his bloody wolf killed his libido. Oh, he could get it up for any other girl in a Catholic school uniform but Shannon Maguire? Oh bloody hell no. After that fiasco, he’d treated her like a sister but now? He had a raging hard on and the His wolf growled deep inside him. Ours.

In a daze, he stumbled through the packed pub to the table where his mates sat. Before he could gather his wits, Shannon appeared, tray in hand, to distribute their drinks. His was the last pint she served. Was her hand shaking just enough to slosh the foam from the Guinness over the sides?

Without any of her usual banter, Shannon backed away and all but dashed for the safety of the bar. What had just happened? And then, like she’d been doused by a bucket of cold water, she knew. Moonstruck. Michael James Ryan O’Connor was flippin’ moonstruck. And she was Mick’s mate. Mother Mary and St. Brigid had to be laughin’ their bloody heads off.
****
Not sure just where this fits into the overall timeline but it’ll slide in there somewhere. I have many Mick and Shannon scenes because they’ve been dancing around each other and their feelings from the beginning. Now the fun truly begins! And yes, a few of those scenes are also already written, puzzler that I am. Writers, as always, grab the prompt and write if it helps. Readers, what are you trying to avoid today?

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Cookies in the Crossfire

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Silver James

Guess what!?! Fall is mostly here! Except in Key West. It’s still mostly summer down there and as a result, these cookies are perfect for a picnic on the beach. Or for light snacking on with your favorite beverage. And who doesn’t love lime? Or white chocolate? Which isn’t really chocolate but who cares when it takes so good, am I right?

Key Lime Cookies

Makes 12 Cookies
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 50 min

Ingredients
5 Graham crackers
Zest of one lime
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips (melted)
Sprinkles (optional)

Lets Make ‘Em
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend the 5 Graham Crackers until the crumbs are very fine, almost “flour” consistency. Once the crumbs are as small as the blender can make them, dump into a flour sifter and shift to make them even finer. Reserve 1/4 cup of the finest crumbs for topping. you’ve processed them to as small as they can be, use a sifter and reserve 1/4 cup of the finest crumbs. Set aside the other crumbs as well.

2. Add the zest* of one lime and 1/2 cup of sugar into your food processor. Process for about 2 minutes. You want the oils in the zest to mix with the sugar. (*Use the smallest “holes” of a grater to create the zest by “scraping” the lime across the grater. Stop when you get down to the white skin beneath.)

3. Add softened butter and 1 Tbsp of lime juice* to the food processor and mix until fluffy- at least 3-4 minutes. (*Squeeze the juice from the fresh lime you just “zested.”)

4. Add 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of the finely crushed Graham cracker crumbs, and 1/2 Tsp salt. Process until it comes together. It won’t be like cake batter so don’t worry if it’s crumbly. Scoop the mixture out on a lightly floured pastry board or countertop and knead until it forms a cohesive ball.

5. Roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Lightly dust with flour as you roll if the dough sticks to the rolling pin. Use a 2 inch cookied cutter to cut out the cookies. This dough is delicate and much bigger cookies could fall apart. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a lightly greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes on the pan before transfring them onto a rack. Once completely cooled, melt 1 cups of white chocolate chips*, and dip half of the cookie in it, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. (*Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until chips completely melted and chocolate is smooth.)

7. If you want to be fancy, use any remaining Graham cracker crumbs. You could also sprinkle with green sugar crystals. You can add a few drops of green food coloring to any leftover white chocolate and drizzle a pattern on the top of the cookies. Let the chocolate dry completely before eating. Store any leftovers in a cool place in an air-tight container. Yeah, like there will be leftovers! LOL

Tips:

1. If you don’t have a food processor–I don’t!–use a blender for the first two steps then transfer to a mixing bowl and use your mixer. I have a “fancy” Hamilton Beach hand mixer that has whisk attachments as well as paddle beaters and regular beaters. I use the whisk for step 3 then switch to regular beaters for the rest.

2. These are delicate cookies more suited for an afternoon tea than for major cookie snacking.

As you might can guess, these treats are a favorite with the newest girls to arrive in Key West. Mariska, Galyna, Larysa and Anichka love to make these, with Meg’s supervision–though Galyna and Anichka are becoming fairly proficient in the kitchen. Sometimes, they’ll each make a batch. FYI, the girls have been known to “force” both Kin and Maxim to join their tea parties. And you can bet Trouble the cat is right there in the mix. If you look close enough, you might even see a tiny pawprint on one or three of the cookies. If you haven’t figured it out, all the girls have their story, along with Meg and Kin, in CROSSFIRE. The Books2Read page has updated and it’s now available more places so just click on one of the pics or the title/B2R for the link.

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Falling into Monday

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Silver James

i

I’m excited for this week. According to the weather gurus, we’re going to have some actual fall weather! After the heat of this summer, I am more than ready for Autumn’s arrival. Today’s high is forecast for 75. And did I mention rain? Plus there’s a rumor that we might be in the high 60s and low 70s by the end of the week. Yippee! The AC needs a break and so do the people.

In productive news, CROSSFIRE released last week. I wish I could report that sales have gone like gangbusters but yeah, no. Not a total bust but slow. My fault for being so slow to get a new book out. I’m hoping to get back in the writing-ast saddle again. Next up is to finish MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON. I can’t decide if I need a better title for that or not. LOL I’m excited to get back to work. If you haven’t grabbed your copy of CROSSFIRE, just click on the title. The universal link finally updated to most of the stores where it’s available.

I did take the weekend off but it was also productive. I’ve been vowing to rearrange my office for a couple of year. Saturday, I finally got on that! I am THRILLED with the results! I’m not finished but My desk is where I want it and I just need to sort through 10 years of detrius, file what needs to be filed, shred other stuff, set aside for donation to the thrift store. What’s left will be shelved or put back up on the wall. LOL Before, my desk was in a corner with a low hutch and one end “covered” about 1/4 of the window. I should have taken pictures. Not being a smart social media influencer type, I didn’t. I will once things are back in place. Basically, I took the hutch off  and put it on the two one-drawer file/storage cabinets on the back wall. The printer stand went under the window and my desk, now just a writing-style desk butts up again the printer stand with a little inset for the cat tree. I can now see out the entire window by looking to my left and the TV but looking up. The room feels open and airy now and it is awesome! Plus, I don’t have to move any other furniture which is a HUGE plus.

In sports news, Stormy had two soccer games–Friday night and Sunday afternoon. This is a brand new team in an academy league so they are there to learn and move up to more advanced teams. And he’s playing well. But, being an actual league, we’re driving all over the metroplex for his cames. Reminds me of when Only played softball. Fun times. My OSU Cowboys beat Arizona State LATE Saturday night. Yeah, I fell asleep before the game was over. LOL Also, my Cards are now playing spoilers and have won several games. Too little too late but it’s nice to see them finishing stronger.

I finished listening to a fun book. And it wasn’t a romance. Shocker! I’m not sure just how to label it–fantasy, urban fantasy, fiction? It’s set in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There are dragons. It’s sort of a redneck D&D novel with lots of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Oh, yeah. It’s DRAGON HEIST by Alexander C. Kane. I’ll have to check out some of his other books. For now, I’ve defaulted back to my standard and I’m listening to Christine Feehan’s SHADOW DANCE. I’m barely into it but it’s typical of the other 7 books in her Shadow Riders series.

And no. I haven’t forgotten today’s date. It’s been 22 years but the scars still remain, healing has been slow, and I don’t feel any safer thanks to current attitudes. My heart goes out to the survivors and families and first responders of 9-11. We should never forget.

So that’s about all the news from around here. What’s new in your neck of the woods?

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Friday Sinema: For Kin

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Silver James

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been on my bucket list for at least half my life–and well before bucket lists were a thing. PBS used to present the Tattoo and I watched it, entralled. The massed pipes and drums of the British military playing in Edinburgh Castle? Be still my heart! And it’s not just music–there are demos and surprise military maneuvers and yes, Fraser “Kin” Kincaid, the hero of CROSSFIRE has appeared in the Tattoo, in a special “performace” by his SAS unit, long before he joined the Hard Target team. After the performance, the pipers and drummers march out of the castle and down the road. The person who made this video was in the right place at the right time. Just wait for it. And yes, Kin and both had to dab out our eyes. Just sayin’… Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Manifest

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Silver James

While digging through the draft pile for a message from the Universe for today, I stumbled across this one. Okay. Since my fingers were doing the scrolling and clicking, I didn’t exactly stumble. Maybe fumbled is a better word. Anyway. It’s Thursday and I needed thoughts because I’m basically in a perpetual brain fog due to my book hangover. All writers get one when a new release happens due to the stress, extra brain power, and the biggest ugh of all–marketing! Sadly, it rarely comes from drinking hard and partying because one made the best seller list. Though, if everyone who follows me here and all the usual social media places, gets my newsletter, or just happens to know me, I might actually make someone’s list. Somewhere. That said, I figure doing so is not something I’ll be marking off my bucket list. So yeah. New release. Jitters and worries that the book isn’t up to par, people will hate it, no one will buy it et cetera, et cetera. (And now I want to dig out my DVD of “The King and I.”) Ahem. Where was I? Oh, yeah. New book. New hero. Because I write romance and there always has to be a hero. At least in the romances I write. And a heroine. Don’t forget the heroine! But today, the Universe is talking about heroes.

Your heroes are your heroes, Silver, because they believed they could and they dreamed they did.

You can too.

Manifesting 101,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P. S. These are how I get my marching orders, Silver, and I’m ready to march for you.

My heroes at the moment are the people who have bought the book and they’ll be my forever heroes if they leave a review. This book was a long time coming and the fact that friends, fans, and family stuck with me makes my heart go pitty-pat. Y’all are all kinds of awesome and the entire reason I keep pulling words from my imagination and typing them out to tell a story. As long as someone keeps reading my books, I’ll keep writing them. So…today’s big question: Who’s your hero?

P.S. Please go buy my book, CROSSFIRE! Books2Read has links to all the stores where it’s live, with more coming every day.

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