Tuesday Treats & Titles: Ravioli Lasagna Assassin Style

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Silver James

Baby, it’s COLD outside! 🥶 And when that happens, my family always wants something ooey-gooey-cheesy-hot to eat. This recipe nails it. Plus…EASY! Add a salad and some hot bread and you have a meal that will feed the whole family on a cold winter’s night. FYI, this is Lawyer Guy tested and approved so there ya go.

Prep Time: 25 min.
Total Time: 1 hr. 25 min.
Servings: 12 servings

Bring together two Italian staples with our Easy Ravioli Lasagna. Prep time for this Easy Ravioli Lasagna is just 25 minutes. Buon appetito!

What You Need
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (I used julienne carrots already cut, but then chopped them up)
3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the already-minced in a squeeze bottle)
1 jar (24 oz.) OLIVO by CLASSICO Traditional Pasta Sauce
1/2 cup water
2 lb. frozen cheese ravioli, uncooked. Use the large, not mini, frozen ravioli to prepare this delicious recipe. I used the Bertoli fresh ravioli.
1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It
Heat oven to 350ºF.

Brown meat with vegetables and garlic in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Stir in pasta sauce and water; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.

Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with half the ravioli. Whisk cream cheese spread and milk until blended; spread over ravioli. Top with layers of 3/4 cup shredded cheese, and remaining ravioli, meat sauce and cheeses; cover.

Bake 50 min. or until heated through, uncovering for the last 10 min. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.

Note: I used the non-stick variety of foil, but still hit it with cooking spray before using to cover the lasagna. This will help prevent the foil from sticking to the melted cheese on top of the baked lasagna.

I can heartily recommend this recipe. As always, head over to KRAFT RECIPES to get all the extras. This is a dish that any of my characters would chow down on. When you live on a boat most of the time or in a little beach house along the Outer Banks, you won’t have access to a gourmet kitchen. Brady “Babel” Buchanan does most of the cooking for he and his mate, Zeta Cordero, he is teaching her how to put together some dishes. This one is hearty enough to fill up the Wolf and spicy enough that even Zeta enjoys it. Since the CIA dispatched her to Brazil to kill him, they have quite a story to tell. Their book, UNDER THE ASSASSIN’S MOON, was newly revised and re-published las fall. If you haven’t given it a look-see yet, you might want to grab it from your fave on-line book seller. Just click any pic with the cover, the title, or at Books2Read, which has links to everywhere the book is available. What do y’all like to eat when it’s cold outside?

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Monday At Last

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Silver James

We’ve hit the end of January. How the heck did that happen? And Winter has decided to return in full force. Just ask my knees. I’m ready for warm weather. That said, I like the change of seasons. I wouldn’t be happy living in a place where things remaned the same. Anyway, it’s freaking cold out there today. And there’s ice in the forecast. As a friend says, BLERG. I want to be this cat, still snuggled up under the covers. Ah well. There’s stuff to do. You know, it being Monday and all.

Progress on the WIP was made last week and a slight bit over the weekend. With the weather pretty much dictating that I’m not leaving home, I hope to accomplish more this week. We’ll see. I have made a few notes on things to fix when I go back for edits and revisions.

No Wallyworld today. Yesterday, over my first cup of Cafe du Monde coffee, I debated when to make my supply run. Yesterday at 24 degrees or today at 17. Yeah, I went yesterday. I plan to stay in fuzzy pants, warm houseshoes, and hoodies today. And since the book takes place in winter, here’s hoping I’m inspired. LOL

Over the weekend, I donated blood. One of the local pet rescues was there. They had two adorable pit puppies that barked every time the door opened. As my service dog, Jake pretty much goes everywhere with me. He just looked at the pups, sighed, and gave me big eyes. He’s such a good boy. He laid right there at the head of the table out of everyone’s way while I pumped out my quota. The good news is, the excellent vampire was there. He’s so good at his job that you barely feel the stick and this little to no blood once the needle thingy is removed. No soreness at all. Also, I filled my bag in five minutes. The guy half my age on the next table was all agog.

Saturday night was Stormy’s last soccer game this season. He played excellently at all three positions. Spring season starts in early March. 🥶 or 🥵 depending on Mother Nature’s mood. And yeah, spring is outside, which is why weather is an issue.

I finished a couple of books last week. They were okay. Discovered a searies about dragon shifters on Hoopla. The audio books are free so yay. They’re okay too. If I start something I’m really into, I’ll procrastinate with it rather than working on my own book. I did spend a lot of time looking for a book/series to listen to. I had this vague idea of what appealed but I could neither define exactly what that was. After sifting through long lists of books, nothing “tasted” right. When I found the dragon series, it was sort of “it’s okay for now.” I still have that vague sense in the back of my mind so I’m still looking for just the right thing.

On that note, time for another cup of coffee, checking a few blogs, and then getting to work. What about y’all? Do you always know exactly what you want to read? And how was your week/weekend?

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Friday Sinema: Snow Cat

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Silver James

THIS is the kind of snow I was hoping we’d get Tuesday and Wednesday. We didn’t. Oh, we got some snow but it rained first, during, and after and we barely got enough to cover the grass. Still, this video made me smile because it reminds me of Pete. Except Pete stuck his head out of the cat door, said, “Nope” and retreated to his pillow near the heater. Hey, stray cats know when they’ve got it good. Have a great weekend. Did any of you get snow?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Advice

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Silver James

A writer friend and I had a conversation about writer’s block the other day. Despite everything we do and no matter how much we pretend it doesn’t exist and/or it never affects us, I think every writer has been faced with this “demon” on at least one occasion in their career. I hit that wall far more than I’d like. Sometimes, it depends on my mental health. Sometimes, it depends on the story. And sometimes, I just wanna be a two-year-old whose blankie is in the washer. But I chose this career and deep down, I can’t imagine NOT writing so there ya go. My friend takes long walks and tries not to think about writing. I tend to beat myself up mentally, which, yeah, is self-defeating. Singing in the choir here. When the Universe popped in with this message, I sat back, read it again, and went, “Huh.” Because…yeah…

If you just whistle every now and then, Silver; skip every thousandth step or so; skim the odd stone across the odd pond; go dancing on the occasional blue moon, if only alone in the dark; dress up sometimes, even with nowhere to go…

For simply stirring up some little bit of hope, no matter how silly or disconnected your actions seem to be with the rest of the world, magic flashes in the unseen, friends are summoned, connections are timed, stars are aligned, opportunities are crystallized, and serendipities are calculated, creating possibilities for new realities that cannot now even be imagined from where you presently stand.

Shazaam…
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. And you thought “buy low, sell high” was sage advice, Silver?

What great ways to get beyond writer’s block or any roadblock in your life. I mean, it sounds so simple and deep down, I know that it really is that simple. I’m vowing to myself that when the going gets tough and I want to just stop and play mindless computer “pop” games, I’m going to resist the urge. Mindless doesn’t help. Whistling, skipping, dancing, dressing up is the way to find the magic. And guess what? It’s worked with the current WIP. What started as a story I though would maybe be 45K words? It’s over 51K now and headed toward 60. There are still adventures to be had, declarations to be made, climaxes, resolutions, and hints at what’s to come. Dang, I love my job sometimes. What about y’all? Will you take the Universe’s advice?

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Wednesday Words: Fake It ’til You Make It

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Silver James

Wednesday has once again rolled around and once again, I have a new-word snippet to share. Oh! Guess what!?!? This week’s snippet took top honors in last week’s Thursday Threads! FYI, this is the longer version. I’ve added about 100 words for today’s post. #ThursdayThreads has a 250 word limit. The prompts last week were “We can’t fake this” added to #1lineWed’s **FERAL**. I mean seriously?!?! How could I not take that kind of inspiration and run with it. Also, Dalton was totally on board. Poor Loch is doing his best to rein him in. This is pretty much self-explanatory. I think.
****
“We can’t fake this.” Dalton was determined to put his plan into effect.

“Yer off yer bloody rocker, mate.” Loch was not buying whatever insane plot the younger man was brewing.

“Answer me this, then. Is he happy?”

“Like I’d know?”

Dalton heaved a disappointed sigh. “You’re a Wolf. You take one sniff know exactly what emotions are swirling around. I’ve seen the two of you do just that. Doesn’t matter though. I can tell just by looking at them. Jeez, if we have to suffer through any more of those longing glances they cast upon each other when they think no one is looking, we’ll all go batshit. Good grief, even the kids can see what’s happening between the two of them.”

“He’s bloody well moonstruck, Dalton. Let nature run her course. Kin’ll claim Meg sooner than later.”
Unable to help himself, Dalton rolled his eyes. “Or he’ll go feral in the process.”

Surfer Boy had a point and Loch could admit that to himself. He’d already witnessed the shenanigans Kin’s wolf had pulled. They’d only get worse as time passed. “So what is this master plan of yours?”

Dalton outlined his strategy and waited for Loch’s response. If his plotting had any chance of working, this had to look real.

“Won’t work.”

Indignant, he glowered at the Wolf. “Why not?”

“You said it yourself. We’re Wolves. He’ll know she’s not really in danger.” He tapped his nose. “She’s cool under fire but we can still hear her heartbeat and smell the fear.”

“Then I’ll think of something else.”

“An’ yer a feckin’ tool then. If ya put her in actual danger, once he rescues her, he’ll rip out your bloody guts. I thinkin’ that t’would not make Duke happy with either of you idjits. Put yer scheming t’bed, Dalton.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do! Put those two in bed. Together.”
****
Yeah, and I just thought Wolves liked to gossip and meddle. 🙄 What happens next is exciting. At least to me. And yes, the next part is already written but I need to keep some secrets or no one will want to read the book. FYI, Kin wants to give Meg a “honeymoon” suite if he finally claims her. Doing the deed in a sleeping bag in a Ukrainian winter? Yeah, not so romantic. Writers, take the prompts and run! For all of you, nosy qustion of the day: Have you/would you in a sleeping bag? 😏

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Chocolate Caramel Cookie Moves

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Silver James

Sometimes, you just get a craving. And nothing will satisfy it except for those flavors that right on the tip of your tastbuds. Am I right? And sometimes, you just don’t want to get out and about to satisfy that craving. So here. Just in case this is your catnip, here’s a simple and easy way to fix these ymmers at home. is here.

Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars

Total Time: 2 Hr. 15 Min.
Prep Time: 15 Min.
Cook Time: 2 Hr.
24 servings

Layer shortbread cookies with deliciousness to create these Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars! Our Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars are like a favorite candy bar.

What You Need
35 square shortbread cookies
1 pkg. (11 oz.) KRAFT Caramel Bits
1 Tbsp. milk
3 oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
3 oz. BAKER’S White Chocolate
Reynolds® is a registered trademark of Reynolds Consumer Products LLC

Let’s Make It
1 – Line 13×9-inch pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray. Arrange cookies in single layer on bottom of prepared pan.
2 – Microwave caramel bits and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until bits are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Pour over cookies; spread to completely cover cookies.
3 – Microwave chocolates in microwaveable bowl 2 min. or until almost melted, stirring every 30 sec.; stir until chocolates are completely melted. Pour over caramel layer; spread to completely cover caramel layer.
4 – Let stand 2 hours before cutting into bars.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Substitute: Substitute 1 pkg. (11 oz.) KRAFT Caramels for the caramel bits.

Tip 2 – Note: The combination of semi-sweet and white chocolates results in a chocolate mixture with the flavor and texture of milk chocolate.

Tip 3 – Shortcut: In a hurry? Refrigerate dessert 15 min. before cutting into bars. Serve at room temperature.

My Tip – Y’all know I’m all about the nuts! I vote for a sprinkling of chopped peanuts or pecans, or slivered almonds either as a layer between the caramel and chocolate or on top. Yummers!

Note: Pepperidge Farms Chessmen cookies or Nabisco Lorna Doones fit this cookie bill.

Check out all the nutritional infor and details on My Food & Family and  watch a spiffy how-to video while you’re there! This is a snack right up my alley and if you eat fast (and/or carefully), you won’t leave chocolate fingerprints on your book or ereader. Also, it’s easy so there are several heroines of mine who could accomplish this recipe and who are also chocoholics. The first who came to mind, though, is Lainey Walker, from NIGHT MOVES. The last time she made a cameo in a later book in the series, shew as preggers and most defnitely craving these tastes. When it’s the middle of the night and your mate has already bought out the Twixt supply in a five-mile radius, times are desperate. Lainey learned to make her own. 😉 If you’d like to learn how she and Eric “Hollywood” Hilton meet and end up together, just click on any of the pics with the cover or on the title. You’ll land at Books2Read and can find your preferred on-line bookstore. It’s also available in paperback. Ya know, one of these days, I really should revisit the Nightriders to check on Lainey. 😉 Tough question today, readers. If you make this, nuts or no nuts?

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Counting Down Monday

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Silver James

Wow. After today, there’s only one more Monday left in January. There are eight days left until we hit Febuary. And this puts us that much closer to pticther/catcher report day for MLB spring training. Of course, the World Baseball Classic tournament will be played during the early part of spring training and there are a lot of the A-listers playing for their countries. That’s not a bad thing. It opens up some slots for the Double and Triple A players to show what they can do. We’re also that much closer to college softball too. Can you tell my sports preferences? 🙄

In other news, I’m still hoping to land close to my EOM (End Of Month) deadline for CROSSFIRE. This past week, I started with 38 random scenes. I currently have 20 random scenes. Those other 18 were consolidaed into chapters, 5 and a half chapters now added to the total in the book, all in the correct timeline. I currently stand at almost 49K words. I really should update that widget on the site, huh? Anyway, I have made a lot of progress. And, I think I have those remaining random scenes in pretty good order to slot in where they belong in the story. In the meantime, I need to get with my cover designer and get her started on the thing.

I saw my first robin of the year on Friday. That was cool. We’re forecast snow for tomorrow night. That’s not so cool. Mother Nature teases us with a harbinger of Spring and then jerks the grass out from  under us. That’s okay. We need the moisture in whatever form it takes. I’m hitting Wallyeowrld today so I don’t have to be out in it tomorrow.

In other sports news, Stormy’s team played a team to a tie on Sunday. Stormy played all three positions–midfielder, forward, and goalie. When he substituted in, he kept the other team scoreless for the last 8 minutes of the game, despite getting kicked in the forehead by an opposing player who tried to kick the ball out of his hands. Grrrr.

In reading news, I finished off Ilona Andrews’s The Innkeeper Chronicles last week. The new release is all kinds of awesome fun. I’ve currently got two books “open” in my audio apps. I had a coupon that needed to get spent so I got Rebecca Zanetti’s novel WOLF for cheap. It’s getting better. The other book is THE LIBRARIAN OF CROOKED LANE.by C.J. Archer. I’m doing two because I can get $5 in Audible rewards if I listen to a book for at least 20 minutes for 5 days. The other book is from Hoopla, so free and I have it for like another 15 or 16 days on loan. I’m hoping it grabs me a little more. Set at just after WWI, there’s supposed to be magic involved though I’ve only heard it mentioned like twice so far. We’ll see how that goes. Nothing vedntured, nothing gained, right?

Welp, I think that’s all that’s been going on. Amazing how boring my life is when I’m…like…actually writing. 🤣 Hoping for more of the same this week. What about y’all? Any sports bits, books your reading, family stuffs, or other news to impart?

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Friday Sinema: Original Grumpy Cat

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Silver James

I have a love affair with Pallas cats. Truthfully, I had never heard of them before I read a book from Suzanne Wright that “starred” a Pallas cat shifter. They are grumpy-faced. They are furry. They look like stuffies. And they will rip your face off! What’s not to love? So here. Take a short break. Enjoy this Pallas cat on Patrol and the music. I love the music too! FYI, it’s called “Fairy’s Fear” from These Lands of Ours by Deskant/Epidemic Sount. Evidently, they provide licensed soundtracks for videos. I hope I can find an album! Have a great weekend.

Ah ha! I found it! On Apple Music for $9.99. It was released on my birthday back in 2013 so yeah, it’s Fate. I bought it. You can also find it at the ‘Zon.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Neither Here Nor There

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Silver James

Anyone who’s hung aroud here knows that my Muse is something of a terror. Her nickname is Iffy and she runs with scissors. She also likes scrolling through photos of sexy men and drinks far too much caffeine for my own good. She is flighty, stubborn, and has been known to throw a temper tantrum or three.. When I read this little jewel from the Universe, I immediately thought of her.

Funny, Silver, most folks “there” are waiting for a sign of sorts from folks “here,” before they make a move, take action, or commit.

Same “here.”

Let this be your sign,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Good thing we have eternity, huh, Silver?

I’m pretty sure y’all are giving me the fish eye about now. Bear with me. Writers talk about our muses. We talk about writer’s block. We talk about staring at blank pages because our creativity played Elvis and left the building. Who, exactly, is out “there” waiting? And who is “here” has the info “they” are waiting on? Well…writers and muses, obviously. See, that’s our crutch. Don’t get me wrong. Yes, there are times when creativity hits rock bottom for a variety of reasons. Been there, done that. But just sitting around waiting for the ol’ Muse to get off the bench and get back in the game is kinda fruitless. No new words on that path.

Now, I’m going to take this a step further, but keep that whole creativity/inspiration idea in the back of your mind. There and here. Those there are our characters. As much as they like to pretend they are, they are not autonomous. They live in our imaginations. They’re just sitting around waiting for us to give them marching orders. We tell them where to go, when to go, and who to go with. Easy peasy. Right? Not always, but it should be.

And yeah, sometimes it feels like an enternity when we’re fighting for ideas, to write ourselves out of that corner, to move the story along, to make our characters interesting and multi-dimensional, to put emotional impact into our words. Dang. Writing is hard! But it isn’t. Usually. When I get desperate–or I’m bored–I’ll find a flash fiction challenge. A whole bunch of my writing the past two years has been due to flash fiction. It’s a way to get a prompt, which should prompt an idea, which should lead to words coming from the keyboard. Luckily, I’m a puzzler so those disparate scenes eventually all find their place in the story. This method is not for everyone but it works for me. For “normal” writers, twist that prompt into your next scene. Start a conversation between two of your characters. Make them do something that encompasses the prompt. Even if you toss those words into the cut-scene file, you’re writing. And isn’t that the whole point? So whether you are there or here, don’t waste your eternity.

Sorry, readers. Today’s “class” was aimed at writers. But since you love to read, hopefully, my words will inspire someone and you’ll read their book. Speaking of, what are you currently reading? I just started “The Librarian of Crooked Lane.” We’ll see how it goes.

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Wednesday Words: Missed Youth

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Silver James

Progress! New words! Edits and tightening of old words! Woot! I’ll admit, today’s gave me a nice nudge last week, and because they were so varied, it made for a slightly weird but fun snippet to share today. From #1LineWed, we have the word **YOUTH.** From #ThursdayThreads, we have this delightly little question, **”Did you miss me?”** Once again, the snippet is pretty self-explanatory and I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler.
****
The clearing was small but the trees surrounded it were ragged and spaced apart rather than the dense forest they’d been traversing. Meg wondered if there’d been an avalanche or perhaps an old rock fall that caused it. She startled as three heads all came up in unison—Kin, Loch, and Moshe. Uri quickly followed suit. The three men and the dog stared up the mountain, which was still enshrouded with thick clouds.

Duke came to join them. “Plane or helo?”

“Helo,” they said in unison.

Everyone stood up now, their attention focused the same direction. Meg began edging the children back in preparation to run.

The clouds swirled, broke apart, and a Russian helicopter appeared as if by magic. It circled, then it rotated, hovering about 200 feet above the ground. Duke motioned everyone back to the tree line as Dalton and Tank moved to opposite sides of the clearing. Duke stood facing the craft. It slowly descended and with a rush of wind created by the rotors, it squatted in the center of the space. Nobody moved until a hatch opened along the side of the helo.

A man with dark hair popped out. He removed his aviator-style sunglasses and grinned. “Did you miss me?”

The men all groaned but began to grab packs and gear. Meg motioned the kids toward the hatch. She remembered the cocky pilot from his brief stay at the abandoned barn. Too bad he reminded her too much of Tom Cruise.

As she walked up, Dom winked at her. “Pretty sure you did, darlin’.”

A soft growl at her back had her slowly turning around. Kin stood far too close, glaring at the hotshot. “Sometimes the folly of youth is enough to make an old man weep,” Kin muttered.

Meg stared at him, eyes wide. “Did you just quote ‘Lord of the Rings’?”

He looked shifty-eyed. “Maybe.”

She hid both her snort of amusement and her delighted grin. He’d read “Lord of the Rings.” And obviously knew it well enough to pull that quote out of the air. She felt eyes on her and she glanced back. Dom’s gaze danced between her and skittered away from Kin’s glare.

“Well, damn. Too late again,” Dom groused. He held up his hands in an “I surrender” gesture. “I’m done.” Raising his voice, he called, “Head ’em up and move ’em out, cowboys. We got weather moving in.”
****
There you have it. I hope you enjoyed it. Writers, you know the drill: pick and choose or combine. Ready, set, go! Readers, do you miss your youth? 😉

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