1 4-lb pork roast
Dry rub (see below)
1 onion, sliced
1 apple, seeded/quartered
3 cups chicken broth
optional: 1/8 tsp liquid smoke or 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 


Dry rub: Combine 2 Tbsp Salt, 1 tsp paprika (I used smoked, but any will do), 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp brown sugar.

Directions

Layer onion and apple over bottom of crock pot. Pat dry rub over all sides of pork roast, set on top of onion/apple. Pour chicken broth around sides, add liquid smoke/Worcestershire. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until pork is tender enough to shred with a fork.

Remove roast to cutting board or large baking dish. Using 2 forks, shred meat. Return to crock pot, stirring into juices, and taste. Add salt if needed. You can serve it at this point, but I like to cook it an additional 30 minutes so all flavors are well combined and the pork has a chance to soak up some of the juice.

Serve with rice or on a bun with barbecue sauce or sriracha mayo for a yummy sandwich. 


Serves 3-4

Surprise, Ti-Hana! Lord Stepanyan has just raised the stakes on her submissive training--and he isn't done yet.
What do you think?

About Bound to Her Master:

Single and pregnant, Maddie stumbles through a portal to a strange, exotic world ruled by gods who practice ancient traditions of  sexual slavery, bondage and Domination. And in this land where pregnant females represent the ideal of erotic beauty, Maddie has just become a prize catch. 

The last thing Stepanyan wants is a sex slave. The heir to the high seat has bigger problems, such as passing the trials of ascension and keeping his rival, Vo'Dan, from stealing his right to rule. But when they both encounter a lost human in the desert, Stepanyan jumps to claim the beauty before his nemesis can have the satisfaction. Although he has no intention of keeping her other than to rob Vo'Dan of a victory, Stepanyan must first become her Master, and she his bondage slave, in a convincing show of Dominance to avoid allegations of a wrongful claim.

Maddie knows nothing of the ancient ways, but she must learn in order to stay safe and hide Stepanyan's true motives. In return, he will offer her far more concessions than other Masters, especially the cruel and sadistic Vo'Dan.
But as Stepanyan and his female--now known as Ti-Hana--act out their roles as Master and slave, there will be unexpected consequences to their intimacy. A growing attachment to her sexy Master takes Ti-Hana for a hard ride she fears she won't recover from, and Stepanyan will undergo a change that will not only threaten his right to rule, but could forever alter a religious practice that has endured for thousands of years. 

And when Vo'Dan discovers the pair has broken the laws of slavery to pursue their passion, he will win the right to claim the female Stepanyan never wanted, but can no longer live without.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *

For more awesome snippets, check out 

Weekend Writing Warriors!

1 cup coffee, still hot
1 packet hot cocoa (I use the No Sugar Added, or use 1 Tbsp regular baking cocoa sifted with equal amount sugar)
1 Tbsp sugar or to taste (I'm limiting table sugar, so I've found real, organic maple syrup gives this a nice "wow" factor)
A tiny dash of salt (brings out the flavors)
6 Coffee Cubes (see below)
1 dash vanilla
Around 1/2 cup milk (coconut is nice, but any will do)
Whipped cream topping (I'd say this is optional, but is it? Really?)


Directions

Stir cocoa mix, sugar, and salt into hot coffee until dissolved. Add to blender with coffee cubes, vanilla, and milk. Cover and whir on medium-high until blended well. Taste and adjust sweetness. If it's too thick to pour, add more milk and pulse briefly to mix. Pour into tall glass and top with whipped cream. (A sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg is nice too.)

I was in such a hurry they turned out turtle-shaped!

Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp maple syrup
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Glaze
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
scant 1/4 cup milk


Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together until light. Stir in pumpkin, egg, and maple syrup until well blended. In separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture in batches, combining well between additions. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets (ideally into rounds, because if you plop too fast you get those funny turtles shown above!). Bake for approx 11 minutes or until edges of cookies are dry and set. Remove to racks to cool. 

While cooling, make glaze by combining ingredients in a medium bowl, beating well until nice and creamy. To frost cookies, drop them straight down upside down into the glaze, then twist up and off. Let glaze set for 15 minutes, if you can stand to wait, before serving.

Makes 4 dozen or so cookies, depending how large your "spoonfuls" are.

Part of a series of Weird Writing Tips that have helped me craft that wacky thing we call "fiction".

Hm, so he's managed to avoid the issue--for now. Should he stay off the hook?

About Bound to Her Master:

Single and pregnant, Maddie stumbles through a portal to a strange, exotic world ruled by gods who practice ancient traditions of  sexual slavery, bondage and Domination. In this land where ripe, pregnant females represent the ultimate ideal of erotic beauty, Maddie has just become a prize catch. 

The last thing Stepanyan wants is a sex slave. The heir to the high seat has bigger problems, such as passing the trials of ascension and keeping his rival, Vo'Dan, from stealing his right to rule. But when they both encounter a lost human in the desert, Stepanyan jumps to claim the beauty before his nemesis can have the satisfaction. Although he has no intention of keeping her other than to rob Vo'Dan of a victory, Stepanyan must first become her Master, and she his bondage slave, in a convincing show of Dominance to avoid allegations of a wrongful claim.

Maddie knows nothing of the ancient ways, but she must learn in order to stay safe and hide Stepanyan's true motives. In return, he will offer her far more concessions than other Masters, especially the cruel and sadistic Vo'Dan. As Stepanyan and his female--now known as Ti-Hana--act out their pretend roles as Master and slave, there will be unexpected consequences to their intimacy. A growing attachment to her incredibly sexy Master takes Ti-Hana for a hard ride she fears she won't recover from, and Stepanyan will undergo a change that will not only threaten his right to rule, but could forever alter a religious practice that has endured for thousands of years. 

And when Vo'Dan discovers the pair has broken the laws of slavery to pursue their passion, he will win the right to claim the female Stepanyan never wanted, but can no longer live without.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *

For more awesome snippets, check out 

Weekend Writing Warriors!

1 box of brownie mix, batter prepped per package directions
60 caramels, unwrapped (or make a batch of caramel from this recipe)
2 Butterfinger bars
Powdered sugar

Directions

Just out of the oven..see caramel bubbling around the edges!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Divide prepared brownie batter in half. Press one half into bottom of a 9" square cake pan. Bake for 6 minutes. While baking, melt caramels in microwave or over top of double boiler until smooth. Cool slightly. Crush Butterfinger bars into fine bits. (I've chopped them and run through the blender/food processor for just a few quick pulses.)

Pour caramel over bottom half of brownie; sprinkle evenly with Butterfinger bits. With remaining half of brownie batter, lay out on a surface and press/roll out into a square about the size of your pan. (This is so you don't make a mess trying to shape the batter into the pan on top of the caramel.) Set on top of the caramel/candy layer. Bake an additional 20 minutes until the top is done--it springs back when you press a finger on it and starts to pull away slightly from pan. Remove and let cool on a rack. Sprinkle with a generous layer of powdered sugar before slicing. (I like to do this through a sieve so it's sifted nicely.)

Stand back and prepare for these to be devoured before you can take a photo of the finished product. 

Makes 16-24 brownies, depending how large you slice them.

The fourth in a series of Weird Writing Tips that have helped me craft that wacky thing we call "fiction".

~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *

For more awesome snippets, check out 

Weekend Writing Warriors!