j. rose allister

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gourmet Pizza w/Applewood Bacon and a Surprise!

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!
Gourmet Pizza with Applewood Bacon, Chicken, Onion, and Balsamic Strawberry

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious!

Just in time for Superbowl Sunday, here's a gourmet pizza unlike any you have tried!

GOURMET PIZZA WITH APPLEWOOD BACON, CHICKEN, ONION, AND BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Carmelize the onion first for an even milder flavor, but I like the added crunch and kick of thinly sliced raw onion. Mushrooms are an added bonus, if you'd like.

Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup strawberry preserves/jam
sriracha to taste
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1 pizza dough
4 slices smoked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked
1/4 cup sweet onion, sliced
3/4 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, torn optional

Directions
Bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small sauce pan, reduce the heat and simmer until it reduces by half, about 4-5 minutes.
Mix in the strawberry preserves and sriracha to taste.
Mix 2 tablespoons of the balsamic strawberry sauce into the chicken.
Roll out the pizza dough and spread the remaining balsamic strawberry sauce onto it.
Sprinkle on 3/4's of the cheese, the chicken, bacon and onion followed by the remaining cheese and finally 1/2 cup the strawberries.
Bake in a preheated 500F oven until golden brown on top, about 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle the remaining strawberries and the cilantro onto the pizza.

~~~

J. Rose Allister is the author of more than twenty-five books, primarily romance and erotic romance. A former editor and submissions director, she now works as a mild-mannered hospital secretary by day, naughty writer by night. Connect with her on Twitter or Goodreads. She loves talking to people.

Monday, January 28, 2013

DIY Studio and How The Hobbit Should Have Ended

J 12:30 AM 0 Comments

On Mondays I gab about, well, pretty much whatever!

Is it Monday again already? And not only that, but the last Monday of January. The weeks just fly by these days, honestly!

I was so busy this week that I didn't get a chance to catch up with Downton Abbey or Revenge. However, I had to mention this hilarious clip: HOW THE HOBBIT SHOULD HAVE ENDED. If you've never seen the hilarious H.I.S.H.E. series, you definitely need to check it out.

Good news to report! I got acceptances on two books this past week: PETER AND THE WOLF and NATURE'S BOUNTY. Contracts are being perused and signed as we speak. Tentative dates for these are March and May, respectively. Mike's latest erotic story just went up on Amazon, a voyeur piece titled BAR ROOM BIRTHDAY. We also sat this week and talked about ideas he's got for two full-length titles. I hope he goes for it!

I'm back to work on BOUND TO HER MASTER, with several scenes still to go before typing those two fateful words. (The End, for those who were wondering.) This week was also busy as heck at work, as well as family-intensive.

Bri started Tae Kwon Do this week, and I was so thrilled when work called and canceled my shift just in time to be able to attend her first session. She's had two classes and so far loves it. Her instructor is awesome, a perfect match for her I think. She's come down with a sore throat today, and I hope she kicks it before classes this week. (Yes, karate pun intended.)

We transformed our dining room into a mini studio over the weekend to film a short FX clip for my husband and some stuff for Bri's vlog. The bad part was discovering (after two hours of shooting) that our new, bigger green screen is an epic failure. To save Yours Truly a whole ton of editing work, we'll try re-shooting against a blue screen instead.

Also under the category of epic fail: I finally re-colored my hair and it turned out too reddish-brown. Bleh. (It's supposed to be blonde bordering on strawberry.) I'll wait a couple weeks and give it another go. To go along with that, I did my nails and then was promptly called to duty "on set," which put ratty dings ALL over my polish. Um, maybe a hammered, grunge finish can become a new "look?"

On deck this week: Lots of hustle bustle. More edits for me, both on the latest book and the family's videos. Mike's brother is visiting from Australia, and his cousin is coming in from San Francisco. By the end of this week, I hope to have 1-2 chapters done on BOUND TO HER MASTER, Bri's next vlog posted, and Mike's video short completed. Yeah. And I'll also be solving world peace and knitting a new ozone layer. Ha!

~~~

# Mild-Mannered Mondays # Monday Musings

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Caught and Shackled-Six Sentence Sunday

J 12:30 AM 0 Comments

This is the last official Six as overseen by the awesome sixsunday.com, and I wanted to take a minute to say a huge THANK YOU to the volunteers who made it possible, and to the awesome Sara Brookes for originating the idea and working tirelessly to showcase the massive number of authors who came, saw, and posted.

That all said, I just wanted to say this is one tradition that has been far too fun to let die, and I will continue to post Sunday excerpts here. I hope you'll subscribe to my blog and check them out!

Today's six is from my erotic BDSM/capture fantasy novel, BOUND TO HER MASTER.

In a blur of movement, Stepanyan grabbed Maddie's wrist and clamped on the shackles.

“Why are you doing this,” she whimpered in frustration, “when you never even wanted a slave?”

He didn't answer as he pushed her against the wall, although far more gently than he had done to her would-be attacker, and slid a metal collar around her neck.

Her eyes lifted to the symbol of her freedom, the top of the portal arch that was barely visible from her current vantage point. “Just let me go.”

“That certainly seems to be the popular opinion where you are concerned, but I will not.”

~~~

# Post # Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Brown Sugar/Yogurt Sauce

J 1:16 AM 10 Comments

*A Too Yummy Tuesday Favorite!*
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Brown Sugar/Yogurt Sauce

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious!

Today's recipe makes the house warm and wonderful-smelling on those chilly winter days!

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING W/ BROWN SUGAR-YOGURT SAUCE

I loves me some pumpkin, and this ingredient turns up in everything at our house from chili to fudge. This is a delicious take on bread pudding. The yogurt sauce is easy and delish! Sometimes, however, I like to add a little something extra with either a dollop of whipped cream or a little vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

12 slices bread, cut into cubes (12 cups)
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries or raisins, chopped
2 cans (12 fl. oz. each) evaporated milk
1 can (15 oz.) canned pumpkin
1 cup refrigerated egg substitute or 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Combine bread and cranberries in large bowl. Combine evaporated milk, pumpkin, egg substitute, sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture; stir. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish; let stand for 10 minutes.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with Sauce.

Brown Sugar/Yogurt Sauce

2 containers (6 oz. each) or 1 1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Combine in a small bowl and stir well. Serve over bread pudding.

Makes 15 servings.

~~~

# Post # Recipes

Monday, January 21, 2013

Fringe Finale and My Kid's a Star!

J 12:12 AM 0 Comments

It's mild-mannered Monday, when I gab about pretty much whatever!

Who watches Fringe? Show of hands. I caught the series finale this week, and I was pleased with the way they wrapped up (admittedly, I cried a little at it). I'm sorry to see it go, but I was grateful that they were given half a season to wrap up the story arc. Some great father/son moments between Walter and Peter. I was also thrilled (and had suspected) at the way they used the final battle as a sort of homage to many highlights of the early series.

Still riveted to Downton Abbey. I'll be trying to catch last night's episode as soon as I finish posting this. All I can say about episode 2 is, poor Lady Edith. And I was literally holding my breath when Mrs. Hughes finally got news about her health scare.

I got another book sent off this past week, so yay for me! PETER AND THE WOLF is officially in the hands of my publisher. I would be remiss as a parent, however, if I didn't shove the limelight aside to toot my kid's horn. Her first YouTube video went live this week! Brianna's Wonder World will take a random and often humorous look at life through the eyes of a 9-year-old. I'm posting the 5-minute segment here--please check it out and give her a thumbs up and a share if you enjoy it!

As a follow-up to last week's post about my tendency to spend oodles of time on video production, I must confess that getting this done took a lot more elbow grease than anticipated. This was mainly thanks to bizarre issues with my editing software randomly and frequently trashing sections of the audio. A whole lot of the week was spent redoing segments, attempting to research the problem on Google, and glaring at my laptop disapprovingly. We finally hit Best Buy for new software, and a chunk of change and some hours of learning curve later, we were back in business.

Monday is not only my "gab" day here on the blog, but it's also my first official writing day of the week. True confession: I don't actually write Every Single Day. Shh. (Well, sometimes I get on marathon rolls.) My "scheduled" writing days are M-T-Th. Sa-Su are editing days, including Mike's indie work, and W-F are days "off" where I give myself full permission to focus on other things. This week I'll be jumping back into BOUND TO HER MASTER, which was rocking along at a promising 77k when I stopped for NaNoWriMo. Picking up a story after a couple months of writing others can be tricky, since this involves getting back into the flow/flavor of a different plot and characters. I've done a re-read over the past week to help call up the mood, and we'll see how it goes.

We'll be doing some more filming for Bri's show this week, and I'm going to try and get my husband to hand over his zombie novel for me to start editing. And then there's the outline for my next LONE WOLVES book to flesh out. Better get to it!

Have a great week!

~~~

# Mild-Mannered Mondays # Monday Musings

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A Jungle Chase-Six Sentence Sunday

J 12:30 AM 0 Comments

On select Sundays I post six sentences from my current works in progress.

Today's six is from my erotic BDSM/capture fantasy novel, BOUND TO HER MASTER.

The wild, foreign noises of the nighttime jungle surrounded the fleeing woman, but they didn’t drown out the sound of her desperately pounding heart as she came to a stop. Maddie fought a swell of nausea while she stared at the chain link fence and the locked gate barring her path. In front of her was a large sign, bright white with bold, red lettering that was plain to see despite the dark canopy of trees.

Danger/Peligro

Unstable Zone. Absolutely NO Access Beyond This Point.

Someone wanted to make certain visitors didn’t stumble across whatever was so “unstable” on this part of the island.

~~~

# Post # Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Caramel Apple Cookies

J 12:30 AM 0 Comments

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!
Caramel Apple Cookies

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious!

Today's recipe goes great as a dessert treat with last week's Crock Pot London Broil!

CARAMEL APPLE COOKIES
I forget where I first ran across this recipe, but I was looking for ways to use up the rest of a bag of fall apples. These turn out somewhat "cakey," not chewy like some cookies. The caramel is homemade from brown sugar and cream.

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup grated peeled apple
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Caramel Icing:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons light cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together shortening, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Blend well and then stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove them from the pan and rack-cool.

To prepare icing: Heat butter and brown sugar in saucepan or in microwave until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients. Beat well. If too thick to spread on the cookies, thin with additional cream. You can also thin down even more and drizzle patterns onto cookies instead.

~~~

# Post # Recipes

Monday, January 14, 2013

Busy Bees and Downtown Abbees

J 12:34 AM 0 Comments

It's mild-mannered Monday, when I gab about pretty much whatever!

It was another busy bee week. Do you ever feel like no matter how much you get done in a day, there are still fifty other things you "should" have accomplished? Yeah. I needed a t-shirt with that stamped on it all week.

Le sigh.

I am happy to say that I finished PETER AND THE WOLF, and edits are underway. Mike's next erotic short story, a paranormal titled THE HOT SEAT, is being processed by Amazon and should be available today or tomorrow. Mike's car is still in the shop, and hopefully we'll be getting some good news on that front later today. Relying on my car, which he has nicknamed "the Milennium Falcon" (for its quirky, eccentric ways, not its appearance) is always a risky business.

The flu bug at our house has thankfully (and FINALLY) dwindled to the occasional cough and sniffles, and with everything that's been in the news, let's hope it stays that way.

For you fellow Downton Abbey fans, I waited anxiously all year for Season 3, and the opening episode was no disappointment. I laughed, I cried, sometimes simultaneously. Dame Maggie Smith has some of the best lines, especially with the addition of Shirley MacLaine. The two of them interacting made for some great and hilarious moments.

Just when I thought I was making a dent with my to-do shovel, the family intervened and added more to the pile! Both my husband and daughter decided to launch YouTube channels, and Yours Truly was voted as special effects artist and video editor extraordinaire. The good news: I happen to find video editing to be pretty darn fun (although frustrating at times). Really fun. TOO fun. Which leads to the bad news. Me+video editing=writing slacker.

I tried to rein myself in, I really did. But there's already been one all-night editing marathon and half a day's filming for my daughter's opening credits and first segment. But hey, it's all part of the joy of being a homeschooling family. The world is our classroom, so we go where the winds of learning take us at the moment!

This week I plan to send PETER AND THE WOLF in to the publisher and resume working on BOUND TO HER MASTER, the bondage/fantasy I had to put aside in order to participate in NaNoWriMo. It's also high time I firmed up the outline for Book 6 of the LONE WOLVES series, a task I'll fit in somewhere between my CPR for health providers renewal and more edits for Bri's first official YouTube video. And I still have laundry to do. And one of these days I've got to get around to coloring my roots, which are getting large enough to qualify for their own zip code. And, and and. Where's that t-shirt?

Bee animation courtesy of http://www.fg-a.com

~~~

# Mild-Mannered Mondays # Monday Musings

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Power of the Full Moon-Six Sentence Sunday

J 12:30 AM 0 Comments

On select Sundays I post six sentences from my current works in progress.

Today's six is from my erotic MM/werewolf novel, PETER AND THE WOLF. (a Siren bestseller! BUY LINK)

In that moment, everything was the moon, and the moon was everything. He raised his muzzled and inhaled the scent of moonbeams, a smell that was drenched with life and with power. The aroma was ripe and rich, almost citrus-like. It made him want to sink his teeth into fruit off the vine and wash it down with the blood of a hunt.

He reveled in the freedom and strength inherent of turning his animal loose, for a change, and suppressing the human within. And as a breeze bristled the fur on his neck gently, Peter stretched his head back and howled.

~~~

# Post # Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Crock Pot London Broil

J 12:30 AM 0 Comments

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!
Crock Pot London Broil

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious!

Seems like one of my recent books is all about red meat right now. In PETER AND THE WOLF, cravings for red meat are strong, and indulging that need stirs the animal within. Although I don't eat it often, all that talk of red meat got me hankering for a good recipe, and this one has been a family favorite since I first tried it a few years ago.

CROCK POT LONDON BROIL
Talk about easy! Throw everything in the crock pot in the morning, or even the night before--and wake up to an enticing smell that will have the whole gang ready to dive in!

Ingredients:

1 London broil
1 pkg. Ranch salad dressing mix
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1-1/2 cups water

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients with the 1-1/2 cups water. I like to use a whisk to really get it all dissolved. Place roast in crock-pot and pour the mixture right over the top. Cook on low several hours or overnight until meat is tender and falling apart. Serves 4.

Recipe courtesy of cooks.com

~~~

# Post # Recipes

Monday, January 7, 2013

(The New) Mild-Mannered Mondays

J 1:08 AM 0 Comments

(At left: Farewell, Starbucks' Frosted Cookie Snowmen!)

It's the new Mild-Mannered Mondays, when I will gab about, well, pretty much whatever the heck I feel like!

The first week of 2013 has come and gone, with 51 more like it until it's time to put on the funny hats and watch the ball drop in Times Square again. So I ask myself, what did I accomplish this week?

For one thing, this was NOT the week to use as an example of the "exciting and fabulously glamorous" world of erotic romance authors everywhere. My kid has been sick since Christmas, and endless nights have been spent pushing fluids and Vick's Vapo-Rub, not to mention holding her hair back like a dutiful parental unit when she gets barfy. Apparently jealous of all the attention the kid's been getting, both our cars have been acting up. One is on the critical list and waiting for a crucial part before being towed to our faithful mechanic. The other likes to mimic the problems th first one's having just to mess with us.

In other news, work has been enough of a stress fest that I have come home at night either shell-shocked into stunned catatonia or spouting manic gibberish that includes, according to my hubby, wild hand gestures, occasional fist-pounding, and repeating the same story three times. Add to that the fact that Starbucks has reverted to their pre-holidays menu and it's been a week thrown askew.

On the plus side, I'm getting pretty okay with this new site design, although I can't seem to resist the urge to keep tweaking it (it's like editing, only in web code). I also didn't have to report in for jury duty this week as scheduled, which is probably a good thing for the judicial system as well as my personal schedule. I managed to send in my first book of 2013--my NaNoWriMo project, NATURE'S BOUNTY. My current WIP has my characters poised for the final showdown, featuring a trio of honked-off werewolves baring their fangs and ready to strike. Mike's first erotic short for the year is almost through edits and layout, while his very first novel is on deck just after that. And the new season of Downton Abbey just started up.

~minor spoiler alert~And is it just me, or was anyone else genuinely sorry for evil Regina on last week's "Queen of Hearts" episode of Once Upon a Time? Ugh, I practically felt the boot kicking her stomach at the end.

The mind reels with thoughts of what next week will have in store, but by the end I'm hoping for a reprieve from the eternal cough-barf cycle, two cars that function (preferably at the same time), and my next book with "The End" typed neatly after a stunning conclusion. Wish me luck!

~~~

# Mild-Mannered Mondays # Monday Musings

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Taking off the Blindfold-Six Sentence Sunday

J 12:15 AM 0 Comments

On select Sundays I post six sentences from my current works in progress.

Today's six is from my capture/bondage fantasy, BOUND TO HER MASTER.

“Matron, remove the blindfold,” Stepanyan said. “And for her sake, I hope my joona has learned a lesson about meeting the eyes of a god, even if it was not my father’s place to teach it.”

When the blindfold came away, Maddie was staring at black leather pants that were tight enough to make a woman drool. She could feel his eyes on her, and she let hers wander up just high enough to see where his shirt’s deeply slashed neckline revealed chest hair and the top of a six-pack she very much remembered. He looked like a disco dancer had collided with a biker, or maybe more like an expensive gigolo. Either way, he looked good.

~~~

# Post # Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Jade's Easy Holiday Hot Cocoa

J 12:30 AM 6 Comments

*A Too Yummy Tuesday Favorite!*
Happy New Year!

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious!

Today's recipe is a fun treat to sip while you enjoy a chilly New Year's Day. Whether you're packing away the holiday decorations, coming home from those post-Christmas sales, or just hanging out with family and friends, what better way to drive away the chill than with a cup of steaming hot cocoa? And since this is a busy time of year, I start this off with a cheat--a packet of regular hot cocoa mix.

JADE'S EASY HOLIDAY HOT COCOA

A splash of strong coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor and gives this added zip! Homemade marshmallows sprinkled on top are an even better bonus, but store bought will do...or follow the recipe and use whipped cream and cinnamon. And by all means, put those leftover candy canes to use as a stirrer!

Ingredients (per 1 mug):

1 packet of your favorite instant hot cocoa mix (I like Swiss Miss)
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
1 tbsp non-dairy creamer
1 tsp sugar or your favorite artificial sweetener
A sprinkling of chocolate chips or a chopped up leftover holiday chocolate candy
Water
Milk

Directions:

Empty contents of cocoa packet into a large mug, along with creamer, sugar, and chocolate pieces. Add hot coffee and stir to dissolve ingredients. Pour in hot water until cup is about 1/3 to less than 1/2 full. Top off with milk until mug is almost full (leave room for toppings!). Zap in the microwave for 30 seconds until steaming. Top with marshmallows or whipped cream and cinnamon.

~~~

# Post # Too Yummy Tuesday

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gourmet Pizza w/Applewood Bacon and a Surprise!

Monday, January 28, 2013

DIY Studio and How The Hobbit Should Have Ended

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Caught and Shackled-Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Brown Sugar/Yogurt Sauce

Monday, January 21, 2013

Fringe Finale and My Kid's a Star!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A Jungle Chase-Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Caramel Apple Cookies

Monday, January 14, 2013

Busy Bees and Downtown Abbees

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Power of the Full Moon-Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Crock Pot London Broil

Monday, January 7, 2013

(The New) Mild-Mannered Mondays

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Taking off the Blindfold-Six Sentence Sunday

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Jade's Easy Holiday Hot Cocoa

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