Day: November 23, 2014

Thanksgiving: Food & Beyond

I have never cooked a Thanksgiving Dinner in my life. We’ve always gone to my mother’s or (in the early years of marriage) to my in-laws’ for the holiday. In recent years, we’ve all started contributing to the meal. I seem to be in charge of the “yellow vegetable” category.

I made butternut squash with baby spinach several years running, but spinach and cranberries have been added to the ever-growing list of foods someone in the family can’t eat. We also try to avoid dairy (two severe allergies plus several intolerant of  lactose) and gluten (one severe allergy). In 2012, I tried to make a Sweet Potato Galette, which didn’t turn out quite as wonderful as I’d hoped (the story is here), but did become the basis of what I’m now asked to bring to all autumn/winter feasts (fresh fruit salad is my spring/summer contribution). This dish is more savory than sweet–the thought of marshmallows on sweet potatoes makes my teeth ache. And yes, some of these photos are from that earlier blog.

swwet potato 01Wash the sweet potatoes. Please note I purchased long, narrow ones to better facilitate the slicing process.

Peel the potatoes. Then slice (I use a ripple mandoline, but this year, I purchased a new slicer thingamabob.)

2012-11-21+18.11.22I usually buy 6 sweet potatoes, which makes just enough of a side dish for our family of 14 (give or take).

2012-11-21+18.32.48

I also chop one sweet onion (which tends to be large). I mix all of this together with Wegman’s basting oil. (If you don’t have a Wegmans near you, perhaps your supermarket sells seasoned oils. If not, you should move some place where there is a Wegmans. It’s worth the move. Seriously.) Put the mixture in a casserole dish/glass baking pan (My lasagna pan is perfect). Bake at 400F for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

The great thing about this dish (besides meeting everyone’s dietary requirements) is that I can make it the night before, then take it to my parents’ in Tupperware and reheat it in their microwave right before the meal is served. Couldn’t be easier. Unless someone else made it.

I’m so lucky that my family can still be together on the major holidays. We’re a clever bunch of people who try to accommodate each other whenever we can, and that’s good, too. Getting together isn’t about the food, though. It’s about being a family and being there for each other.

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” Eric Hoffer

 

 

 

WIP Wednesday: Brenda Stinnett

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Today’s Work-In-Progress guest is Brenda Stinnett. Welcome Brenda!

MJ: Let’s jump right in. Do you have a life memory you think of often that you would be willing to share with us?

BRENDA: I remember when I was young and my mother would read stories to me at bedtime. I loved it because it was our special time and I didn’t have to share her with my older brother or sister.

MJ: Oh, nice! What are your top three dream destinations and why?

BRENDA: Tuscany, Italy, Cobh, Ireland, and Lourdes, France. I love Italy for the art & architecture, Ireland for its ghostly feel, and France for its spiritual healing.

MJ: Nice mixture. Name one thing most people don’t know about you.

BRENDA: When I was young, I was so terrified of water that baths scared me, I was afraid I’d go down the drain with the water.

MJ: Well, that is a scary thought. What’s your secret talent?

BRENDA: I’m pretty good at chess.

MJ: What’s the top book on your TBR pile?

BRENDA:  I’m determined to read Vanity Fair.

MJ: Do you have any recurring dreams? If so, will you share one with us?

BRENDA: Yes, I do have a recurring dream. Sometimes when I’m in strange situations, I dream that the ‘bad guys’ are after me and I’m running away from them.

MJ: If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

BRENDA: My creative outlet would be learning to play the guitar.

MJ: Other than writing, what would be your dream job?

BRENDA: I would love to be a marriage/family psychologist.

MJ: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

BRENDA:  “What You Gonna Do”

MJ: Name one thing you won’t leave home without.

BRENDA: My pink lipstick, no matter what I’m wearing, I have to have my pink lipstick.

MJ: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you be and why?

BRENDA: I would love to be Stephen King one day and just see what goes on in his mind.

MJ: Now that’s scary! Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version of the story?

BRENDA: The Life of Pi. Somehow, I think I ‘got’ the book more when it was a movie, and I especially liked the special effects.

MJ: What do you normally eat for breakfast, of do you skip it and get straight to work?

BRENDA: I like pizza for breakfast, but most days I eat the eggs & bacon my husband loves.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.

BRENDA: My dream writing space would be a lanai overlooking a warm, tropical beach.

MJ: Briefly describe your writing day/process.

BRENDA: I get up, eat breakfast, and write for a couple of hours, then go do other important family stuff, do my media stuff, write for another hour or two, and then do something fun, go to the show, Disney World, or read.

MJ: Name one writing-related website you use a lot.

BRENDA: Addicted to Ebooks.

MJ: What book do you wish you could have written?

BRENDA: The Language of Flowers. It’s Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s first novel, and it’s fabulous.

MJ: Plotter or Pantser?

BRENDA: Definitely a pantser, even though I admire plotters tremendously.

MJ: What romance convention/cliche most sets your teeth on edge?

BRENDA: I think all romance conventions can be good if they are done originally.  I do think smart, snarky characters can be overdone.

MJ: Do you believe in writer’s block?

BRENDA: Yes I do, and I also believe in Santa!

MJ: Name 3 things on your desk right now.

BRENDA: A small quilt made by my sister talking about Faith, Hope, & Love, a calendar, and a clock.

MJ: Love and true love – what is the difference and what do your characters believe about love?

BRENDA: I think that all love can be true, but we just have to give it a chance. If love isn’t true, then it’s not really love. My characters all want to believe in love, but they are often afraid of confronting it, and sometimes find out that it wasn’t what they expected, but they will know real love when they find it.

MJ: Would you consider self-publishing?

BRENDA: Yes, I have self-published my last book.

MJ: Do you listen to music when you write? Explain.

BRENDA: I love to listen to music when I write, but I have to have the rough draft already committed to paper before I can do this.

MJ: Do you collage your story before writing? Explain.

BRENDA: No, but it sounds wonderful. It sounds so creative and flowing, but I don’t do it.

MJ: Synopses: love them or hate them?

BRENDA: Yes and double-yes. I have to have a synopsis, but I find them difficult to write.

MJ: Thanks for the insight into your writing. Here’s the Lightning Round. Addams Family or Munsters?

BRENDA: Addams Family.

MJ:  Wine-red or white?

BRENDA: Red.

MJ: Beer-can or bottle?

BRENDA: Bottle.

MJ: Stephanie Plum or Eve Dallas?

BRENDA: Stephanie Plum.

MJ: Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick’s Day?

BRENDA: St. Patrick’s Day.

MJ: Last movie you saw in a theater?

BRENDA: Jersey Boys.

MJ: Favorite TV show?

BRENDA: Big Bang Theory

MJ: Paper or e books?

BRENDA: Paper.

MJ: Favorite band when you were in high school (Marching band doesn’t count)?

BRENDA: Rolling Stones

MJ: Coke or Pepsi?

BRENDA: Please, no contest, Coke

MJ: Introvert or extrovert?

BRENDA: Introvert.

MJ: Favorite ethnic food?

BRENDA: Mexican.

MJ: Now for the meat of the blog: Please share the first 5 to 10 sentences of your current WIP.

Escorted by a guard, her face frozen into a sculpture of ice, he watched Anna head toward his booth where nothing divided him and her but a wall and the Plexiglass window. The corridor, greasy gray, same as the cinder-block walls, echoed with each footstep she took.

When she finally reached him, he cut his eyes away, but then slowly drew his gaze back to her. He admired the way she pretended these were normal circumstances.

A folding chair awaited her, close, but not too near the window. She glanced at the guard, and he nodded.

“If you need anything, press the buzzer along the panel on the wall. I’ll be right over there, at the end of the corridor.”

MJ: Wow. Great opening. Do you have buy links for any current releases?

BRENDA: You can purchase Tenth Degree of the Paranormal on Amazon at amzn.to/1sBlyyu

cover2MJ: Great cover! And how can readers find you?

BRENDA: My website:  http://brendastinnett.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrendaStinnett and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/brendastinnett

MJ: Thanks so much for joining me today. Good luck with your books!

 

Confessions of An Introvert

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I am an introvert. That doesn’t mean I’m shy. I’m not afraid of people. What it means is being around people for long periods of time depletes me. I need quiet time, alone time, to recharge my energy.

Introverts are most comfortable with the inner life of the mind, drawing their energy from quiet and solitude, whereas extroverts are vitalized by people, noise, and action. Brain scans have shown that introverts even process information differently than extroverts.

This is an ongoing conversation between my husband and me. He’s an ambivert–he’s comfortable in social situations and enjoys people, but also requires solitude. He tells me I could be less introverted if I wanted. He’s wrong.

Example:

On a recent Saturday, I had my local RWA chapter meeting. I love my chapter. I love the meetings. But they do take a lot of me because I’m surrounded by people. After the meeting, I usually go home and watch a movie with my husband. I have “down” time in which to recuperate from being “on”.

This particular weekend, we were invited to a Saturday evening surprise birthday party for one of my husband’s former co-workers. And I went, determined to have a good time, even though I would know maybe three or people there–people I see once or twice a year for a handful of years at work-related events. They’re nice people, but they’re not my people. Fortunately, there was a basketball game on in one of the rooms. I curled up in the corner and watched a team for which I have some fondness play while my husband socialized. But the game ended and it was birthday cake time, so I had to leave my sanctuary and mingle. And I did, as best I could. The art of small talk eludes me. I used to try, but it’s not my thing. I ran into a former co-worker of mine, and I listened to him recount his life in the twenty or more years since I’d last seen him.

I had a nice time. It was a lovely party.

But I paid for it the next day. I could barely open my eyes and had no energy whatsoever. I felt hung over. Maybe it was bad wine–one of the wines left the same taste in my mouth that blowing up a new pool toy does: Chateau New Vinyl–but I doubt it. This exhaustion happens to me every time I don’t get enough “down” time. Now I know why. I’m an introvert.

If you’d like to learn more, Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain delves into the research; The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World by Sophia Dembling offers practical advice.