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Catherine Castle

~ Romance for the Ages

Catherine Castle

Tag Archives: food

Tasty Tuesdays-Down on the Farm, Grandma’s Shucky Beans from Catherine Castle

06 Tuesday Jul 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in A Groom for Mama, Author Catherine Castle's blog, Catherine Castle author, clean romance, food, Recipes, Romance, Sweet romance, Tasty Tuesdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

A Groom for Mama, Catherine Castle's Food blog Tasty Tuesdays, Farm living, food, old-fashined bean preservation, recipe, Tasty Tuesdays

Shucky beans from my freezer

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of visiting my grandparents down on their farm.

Mom and Dad would pack us up in the car after Dad got home from work and we’d drive down into the hills of Kentucky for the weekend.

The house would always be dark when we arrived. Grandma and Grandpa didn’t have a phone, so they were never expecting us on our weekend trips. It was probably only nine or ten p.m. when we arrived, but my grandparents were farmers who went to bed with the chickens the minute it got dark outside.

The moment Daddy pounded on the door, my grandparents awoke and the lights came on. After hugs and kisses, we were hustled into the kitchen for hand pies, cornbread, leftover shucky beans, and meat. It never failed to amaze me how much food Grandma had on hand, especially since it was only her and Grandpa there. The hand pies were half-moon pastries made from dried apples Grandma had preserved. The meat varied, depending on whether she’d killed a chicken or they had purchased beef from someone. The shucky beans were the item my mouth always watered for—and still does today. It’s been years since I’ve eaten them, but I remember the salty, silky texture of the once-dried bean.

You say you don’t know what shucky beans are?

Shucky beans are green beans that have been dried in the shell. Shucky beans were always on the table at Grandma’s house. In fact, I don’t remember ever eating any other kind of green bean when we visited her.

Mom and Grandma always used white half-runner beans, although I do remember Mom using other green beans when she couldn’t get half-runners. Every summer we would visit Grandma and help her preserve the veggies from her garden. Getting the shucky beans ready was something I could do as a child, because Grandma preserved her beans the old-fashioned way. She strung them on cotton thread and hung them on the back porches until they dried.

The process was time consuming, but I don’t remember minding it at all. While the black-eyed Susans nodded in the breeze at the front of the yard, I strung my pan of beans sitting on the white porch swing, listening to the chains creaking softly above me and Mom and Grandma talk. There was something satisfying about watching the green column of beans grow on the thread, knowing I was going to enjoy the taste of them in the fall and winter. Grandma always shared some of the crop with us.

Below are the quick instructions for making Shucky Beans as given to me by my mother. My additional clarification comments are in parenthesis. Notice there are no amounts given for beans: Grandma and Mom just strung them until they were all picked from the garden. From my research I’ve discovered a bushel of fresh beans makes about 1 gallon of Shucky Beans.

Grandma and Mom’s Shucky Bean Recipe

Pick white, half-runner beans when they have a bean in them. Do not wash beans. Break ends and remove the string from the beans. Using a sturdy needle and white cotton string, knotted on one end, string the beans. (Pierce the bean pod and not the bean with the needle.) When the string is almost full, tie the ends and place in a warm place to dry: an attic, porch, or in the direct sun.

(Depending on how you plan to dry them, either tie the ends together to make a circle, or make a loop in one end, so they can be hung on a nail. You could also just knot the other end and drape over a clothes line.  I know Grandma hung hers on the back porches, but I’ve read about other cooks drying their beans on sheets laid on patio tables, car hoods, and even spread in the back window of a vehicle. If you don’t want to do this the old fashioned way, you can use a food dehydrator. I actually dried a few of them last year on a rack on the kitchen table. I stored them in a glass jar. I haven’t cooked them yet. I just like to open the pantry door and look at them. I t reminds me of Grandma and those lazy summers as a child.)

Once the beans have dried, they can be stored in the freezer in plastic freezer bags. Just be sure they are really dry before you store them. (When you can run your fingers through a batch and hear a rattling sound, reminiscent of the sound dried corn shucks make, beans should be dry enough to store.)

To Cook: Place the beans, strings and all, in a pot and boil for 30 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the beans. Take them off the strings and place in a clean pot with more water and seasonings. (A cottage ham or slab of bacon works well as seasoning). Cook until tender. (About 2-2 ½ more hours.)

Some recipes call for the beans to be washed before stringing.  Grandma didn’t use pesticides, so she didn’t have to worry about chemicals. If you wash the beans before stringing, make sure they are hung where the air can reach all sides to prevent spoilage. Other recipes also suggest removing the beans from the string before boiling. I’m not sure which method works best, since I can’t recall what I did the one time I cooked the beans.

Have you ever eaten Shucky Beans? How did you like them?

While your beans are cooking, check out Catherine’s Romantic comedy with a touch of drama, A Groom for Mama available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

A Groom for Mama

By Catherine Castle

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Tasty Tuesdays—Grandma’s Meatballs and Spaghetti from Viola Russell

04 Tuesday May 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in books, food, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

food, Love At WAr, meatballs and spaghetti, recipe, Tasty Tuesdays, Viola Russell, WWII fiction

picture courtesy of Pixabay

My novel Love at War is a WWII historical romance set in New Orleans.  The family matriarch is a German native, and many of my family members noted similarities between the mother Magda and our own grandmother, Viola.  Of course, many family stories and lore formed the basis for Love at War.

I started writing the book after my mother died when I began reading letters her brothers wrote home while deployed.  The scene that aroused the most discussion, however, was not about battle scenes or historical documentation. Rather, a dinner table scene in the novel resulted in multiple emails, phone calls, and text messages. 

The family had gathered for Sunday dinner; the main dish was meatballs and spaghetti. Many of my cousins expressed horror that I’d described the gravy as “brown gravy.” My cousin Trudy said, “Grandma’s meatballs were never in brown gravy, always red.” Cousin upon cousin emailed about this issue.  “I vote red.” “I vote brown.” The red gravy cousins won. 

My cousin Emmett resolved the controversy surrounding my betrayal of family tradition.  “Grandma’s stewed chicken had the brown gravy. The meatballs were always in red gravy.”

 Well, I’m almost certain I remember some brown gravy with the meatballs, but I agree that she fixed meatballs more often with red gravy than with brown.

Pardon me, Grandma, for my inaccurate recollections! 

My mother used her mother’s recipe for meatballs and spaghetti, and I want to share it with this audience.

Grandma’s Meatballs and Spaghetti

Ingredients:

  1. Shallots–3 stalks
  2. Butter–1 Tablespoon
  3. Breadcrumbs–1 cup
  4. Ground meat–1 pound
  5. Salt–1 Tablespoon
  6. Pepper–1 Tablespoon
  7. Lea and Perrins Sauce-1 Tablespoon
  8. Cooking oil–1 teaspoon
  9. Onion powder–1teaspoon
  10. Garlic powder–1 teaspoon
  11. Sugar–a pinch
  12. Bay Leaf–3-4
  13.  1 can tomato paste
  14. Parsley–1 teaspoon
  15. Oregano–1 teaspoon
  16. Flour–2/3 cup
  17. Bell pepper–1/2 of a bell pepper

Steps:

  1. Chop Shallots into a bowl with the ground meat
  2. Mix ground meat, shallots, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Lea & Perrins sauce into a mixing bowl.
  3. Roll the ground meat in flour into compact balls and place in a pot.
  4. Heat cooking oil in another pot and fry the ground meatballs. (The balls must be compact. My mother used to say that keeping things tight and compact was also good advice in life)
  5. Set aside the meatballs.
  6. Drain excess grease into an empty can.
  7. Put a pinch of sugar and bay leaf into the tomato paste can.
  8. Stir shallots and bell pepper with butter in a pot. 
  9. Spoon tomato paste into the pot.
  10. Add water or beef broth.
  11. Stir while seasoning with parsley, oregano, salt & pepper.
  12. When seasoning comes to a boil, add the meatballs.
  13. Cook on a medium flame for one and one half to two hours.
  14. Cook spaghetti for approximately 10-15 minutes.
  15. Spoon gravy and meatballs over spaghetti.

While the sauce is simmering, check out Viola’s book Love at War, available on Amazon

Love At War

by Viola Russell

Nuala Comeaux and her brothers are part of a typical working-class family living life on the brink of World War II. Like most Americans, they pray war won’t come their way, but Nuala is more preoccupied with her budding romance with the handsome and intoxicatingly sexy Keith Roussell. Nuala willingly gives in to his charms, but soon, the tides of war will engulf Nuala and her family. Nuala marries Keith, and soon, Keith and her brothers are overseas, facing the enemy. 

Keith’s talent with a rifle earns him the respect of the top brass, and he soon works as a sniper under the command of ranking officers. When Nuala learns of Keith’s death at the hands of a dangerous German general, she joins the female branch of the military. From there, she is recruited for OSS and joins her highly decorated brothers on clandestine operations. Even though patriotism plays a part in her motivation, Nuala is also consumed with the desire to seek revenge for the murder of her sniper-husband. 

About the Author:

Viola Russell is the pseudonym for Susan Weaver Eble. A homegrown New Orleanian, she holds a doctorate in English literature from Texas A & M University. She has traveled far and wide and relishes the memories she has made in places as distant as England, Ireland, Canada, and Jamaica and as near as Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Massachusetts. She lives with her husband Ben, the love of her life, in a New Orleans cottage and is most comfortable at her computer creating the worlds that drift into her imagination.

Connect with Viola on her website

Tasty Tuesdays–An Easter Brunch from Sloane Taylor

02 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in food, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Breakfast souffle, Easter Brunch, food, prepare ahead recipes, Recipes, Sloane Taylor, Tasty Tuesday

Here’s a great brunch that works for those big holidays like Easter, which is coming up soon. This meal is wonderful because so much can be prepared well in advance and stored in the fridge until it’s time to cook.

MENU
Breakfast Soufflé
Hash Browns
Fresh Fruit Salad
Mini Croissants
Cookies & Leftover Desserts
Mimosas

Breakfast Soufflé
1 lb. (½kg) ham, bacon, or breakfast sausage
9 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups (750ml) milk
1 tsp. (5ml) dry mustard
Diced green, red, and/or yellow pepper to taste
½ lb. (57g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ lb. (57g) Swiss or Gruyere cheese, or a combination of the two, grated
Diced onion to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 – 1 in. (2.54cm) slices Vienna or French bread, cubed

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Dice ham or bacon. If you use ham, set aside in the bowl you use for the eggs. Fry bacon to the crispness you prefer. Drain on paper towels. If you use breakfast sausage, fry meat until no longer pink. Be sure to break up any clumps. Drain meat in a colander while you continue to prepare the soufflé.

Add all ingredients, except the bread, to eggs. Stir well. Gently stir in bread.

Pour mixture into an ungreased 9 x 13-inch (33 x 22cm) glass baking dish. Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center has no egg clinging to it.

This dish can be assembled one or two days ahead of time. On serving day allow the soufflé to sit on your counter 1 – 2 hours before you bake it.

Leftovers are excellent from the microwave.

Hash Browns
If you need to increase the hash browns recipe for a larger group of people, it’s best to sparingly add more garlic powder. As is this recipe serves 6. Leftovers reheat beautifully.

3 russet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled
1½ tsp. (7.5ml) garlic powder, not salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

Shred potatoes on the large holes of a box grater or use the coarse grater disk on a food processor. Transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Allow them to soak for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and then rinse under cold water. You do this to remove the starch that makes hash browns gummy.

Transfer shreds to a kitchen towel. Gather together ends of towel and twist over sink, squeezing firmly to wring out as much liquid as possible. This step creates crisp hash browns. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl and toss with garlic powder and pepper. Be sure to evenly distribute the seasonings.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, press down to form a thin layer and cook for a minute or two. Stir and then press down again. Cook until a dark golden crust forms, about 5 minutes.

Turn potatoes in sections. This is easier than trying to turn the food as a whole. Continue to fry until hash browns are crisp and browned all over, 5 minutes or so. Transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Fresh Fruit Salad
1 banana, peeled
1 pear, cored
1 tbsp. (15ml) lemon juice
¼ pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
10 seedless red grapes, halved
10 blueberries
10 raspberries, optional

Slice banana into bitesize pieces. Scoop into a medium-sized bowl. Dice pear and add to bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice over fruit to stop it from turning brown and mix well.

Gently fold in remaining fruit.

Spoon into a glass bowl, cover with cling wrap, and chill until time to serve. Leftovers are still good the next day.

Mimosas
1 bottle sparking white wine or champagne, cold
1 carton orange juice, cold
Tall slender glasses

Fill glasses half full with wine. Tip the glass slightly as you pour to retain the fizz. Top off with orange juice. Don’t stir. That will destroy the bubbles.

NOTE: If you don’t drink alcohol, try making virgin Mimosas with sparkling white grape juice to provide the fizz.

May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!


Sloane

Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning romance author with a passion that consumes her day and night. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.

Learn more about Taylor’s cookbooks, Date Night Dinners and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire on Amazon.

Connect with Sloane on her website, blog, and her Amazon Author Page. Connect with Taylor on Facebook and Twitter.

Tasty Tuesdays–Il Cibo è Amore (Food is Love) from Rose Spiller

23 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in books, Devotions, food, non-fiction, Recipes

≈ Comments Off on Tasty Tuesdays–Il Cibo è Amore (Food is Love) from Rose Spiller

Tags

Bible Study, Chicken and crepes, Chis Paxton and Rose Spiller, food, food blog, Italian crepe soup, No Half Truths Allowed, recipe, Scarpell, Tasty Tuesdays

Il Cibo è Amore – Food is Love. Growing up in a very large and very Italian family, this was our creed. We were poor by American standards for sure, but there was always fantastic food to eat! Soups, casseroles, stews, meats, and of course, pasta! Whenever anyone showed up at our home, whether expected or unexpected, a feast was put before them. Friends and extended family knew Sunday was spaghetti and meatballs day. Every Sunday morning, my mother would fry dozens and dozens of homemade meatballs to put into her “gravy” (Real Italians call spaghetti sauce gravy), while we begged for a few to eat for breakfast. It seemed my mom was always cooking something! But the incredible thing is, she never acted like it was an imposition. She showed people her love through the food she served them; and felt their love was returned by their enjoying what she prepared.

What I learned growing up in this crazy, loud, delicious environment was the importance of showing people that they are special; making a fuss over someone by serving them a wonderful meal is showing love to them. I have also learned that this can be a great opportunity to share the Gospel with people. Jesus’ pattern was to fulfill a person’s physical need, and then fill their more important Spiritual need. When people feel like their physical needs matter to you, i.e. you feed them a good meal, they will be much more receptive to you telling them of their deep need for a Savior to save them and reconcile them to God. Being told you are a sinner who is under God’s wrath may go down a little easier when it is preceded by a delicious bowl of scarpell soup – one of my mom’s most famous dishes, and now mine, too. Please also check out our book below, No Half Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message. Armed with our book and a hot, steaming bowl of scarpell soup, you will be ready to witness to anyone!

Scarpell Soup (Italian Crepe Soup)

Ingredients:

Chicken Broth – Made by boiling and then simmering a whole chicken, chicken stock, onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper for about 3 hours.

Scarpells:

Whisk together

  • 10 eggs
  • 3 cups of flour
  • 4 ½ cups of water
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Black pepper

Directions:

  • Using a very hot non-stick frying pan, pour a little of the batter in, swish it around by moving the pan so batter covers the entire bottom.
  • Cook about 15 seconds then using a fork or your finger, flip it over to cook 15 seconds on the other side.
  • Lay the scarpell out flat, sprinkle parmesan cheese and black pepper on it. Roll it up.

When you serve, cut the scarpell tubes in pieces, place in a bowl and cover with chicken broth.

Note: You can make scarpells and freeze for later! Just leave them flat, with no filling, and put a piece of wax paper between each one.

While you’re waiting for the chicken broth to cook for this delicious soup, check out Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller’s book.

No Half-Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message

by Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller

Authors Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller were frustrated at the fluff and heresy being pedaled as “Women’s Bible Studies.” Many studies are shallow and emotion-based, not grounded in the truth of Scripture, and they found this particularly true in regard to the Gospel Message. Because of a genuine concern for salvation and what was being witnessed, they wrote their Bible study, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message (Ambassador International, May 8, 2020, $15.99) to teach the women of our church. Originally used with just their church, the response was exciting! They saw women’s lives change as they became excited and hungry for the Word of God. Paxson and Spiller felt led to branch out beyond just their church and community by turning their study into their new book, No Half-Truth’s Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message.

About the Book: When it comes to proclaiming the Gospel message, half-truths, vague notions, and generalizations can be dangerous. What are the important truths we need to know and share with others?

• Is it enough to believe that God loves us and wants a relationship with us?

• Is it enough to “ask Jesus into our hearts”?

• Is it enough to recite the “sinner’s prayer,” or do we need to repent of our sin?

• Is going to church and serving others enough?

• Is what Jesus suffered more than just a gruesome death on a cross?

• If Jesus, who is fully God, was crucified, did God die on Good Friday?

• Is God mad at us when we sin and happy when we’re behaving?

• Can we lose our salvation?

If you’re not sure of the answers to any of these questions, you are not alone. There are a lot of false ideas out there about Christianity and the Gospel. Join Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller as they explore the answers to these and many other questions about the true Gospel message in No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Complete Gospel Message. Learn what Jesus did for you, why He did it, and how you can articulate the Gospel to others. Also available is the companionNo Half-Truths Allowed Study Guide, an interactive study guide with questions and Scriptures to help readers delve even deeper into understanding the complete Gospel message.

About the Authors:    

Chris Paxson & Rose Spiller are co-founders of Proverbs 9:10 Ministries and co-hosts of the No Trash, Just Truth Podcast. They have been teaching Bible Studies for over 20 years and have written many of their own studies. Along with teaching together, they speak at conferences and retreats together.

Chris resides in Lancaster County with her husband, John, of over 31 years. They have twin sons in the USAF. Rose and her husband, Ed, have recently sold their home and now live full-time in their RV to travel between their four children and eight grandchildren.

Besides their first book, No Half-Truths Allowed, Chris and Rose have a second book, The Bible Blueprint – A Guide to Better Understanding the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, due out in spring  2021. They are in the process of writing their third book. Connect with Chris and Rose:

Links toProverbs 9:10 Ministries&No Half Truths Allowed

Website:  https://proverbs910ministries.com

Proverbs 9:10 Ministries on MeWe:  https://mewe.com/p/proverbs910ministries

Instagram: proverbs910ministries

No Trash, Just Truth! Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/615385 can also be found on all major podcasting sites, Rumble, & YouTube

Tasty Tuesdays–Quick White Chicken Chili from Catherine Castle

09 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in books, Catherine Castle author, clean romance, food, Recipes, Romance, suspsense, Sweet romance

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Catherine Castle, entree, food, Quick White Chicken Chili, recipe, Tasty Tuesdays, The Nun and the Narc

The other day I made some chicken breasts in the crockpot in anticipation of making a batch of chicken pot pies. I threw in a couple extra boneless breasts, and hubby and I went out to run some errands. When we got back later that afternoon we were hungry and the scent of chicken filled the house.

“What’s for dinner?” hubby asked.

I decided to use some of the crockpot chicken breasts and throw together a quick White Chicken Chili with what I had in the pantry. I didn’t have enough cannellini beans so I substituted and came up with a pretty good chili, if I do say so myself. I hope you’ll think so, too.

Here’s what I had in the pantry to make this chili.

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans), drained

1 15-ounce can of butter beans

1 4-ounce can green chilies

8-16 ounces of chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Cumin to taste if you like a hot chili

Directions:

Place cannellini beans, diced green peppers, and 8 ounces of chicken broth into a pot.

Place butter beans in a food processor and pulse until beans are mashed up.

Add to ingredients in pot and stir well. 

If chili is too thick add more chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you want.

Heat and serve with homemade cornbread and coleslaw. 

Makes 4 1-cup servings

While you’re waiting for the chili to heat check out Catherine’s Award-winning Inspirational Romantic Suspense The Nun and the Narc.

Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

The Nun and the Narc

By Catherine Castle

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Tasty Tuesdays- No-Tomato Crockpot Chili from Catherine Castle

26 Tuesday Jan 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in Book Reviews, books, Catherine Castle author, Catherine Castle’s food blog, clean romance, food, Recipes, suspsense, Sweet romance, The Nun and the Narc

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

arthritis menu, Catherine Castle, entrée, food, nightshade-free recipe, No-Tomato Crockpot Chili, Tasty Tuesdays

Recently tomatoes have been cut from our diet. I love tomatoes and many of the recipes I cook are tomato based. Here’s the issue: tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, along with a few more of my favorite foods such as peppers and eggplants. In some people the nightshade plants make arthritis worse and eliminating nightshade foods can help keep arthritis at bay.  The problem comes when one family member loves tomatoes and the other one now has to avoid them.

There are very few, if any substitutes for tomatoes, so I’ve been on the hunt for ways to make my favorite dishes without tomatoes for the non-tomato eating half of our family, yet please the tomato-loving member. It’s been tough, especially with chili season upon us.

So, I set out to conquer the problem. Here’s one of the recipe I came up with: No-Tomato Crockpot Chili. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 

photo from the kitchen of Catherine Castle

No-Tomato Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 can beefy mushroom soup (I used Campbell’s soup)
  • ½ large onion, diced
  • 2 cans of beans with the canned liquid. The bean liquids help make up for the loss of the volume of the tomatoes. You can use seasoned or unseasoned chili beans, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, or lentils. Your choice and you can mix and match beans types.
  • 1 small can diced chilies, if the non-tomato eater can eat them without issues
  • One garlic clove, diced (optional)
  • Chili powder to taste
  • ¼ cup water, or less if you want a thicker chili
  • Salsa, your heat preference for the tomato-eating family members
  • Cheese for topping (optional)
  • Spaghetti (optional)

Directions:

  1. Break up ground beef in a large skillet and brown along with the diced onion and garlic.
  2. Add beans and bean liquid, diced green chilies, soup and water to crock pot. Stir to mix well.
  3. Drain beef mixture of fat and place in a crock pot. Stir to mix
  4. Cook on high for 2 hours or until hot, or on low 4-6 hours or until hot.

At serving time, place spaghetti in bottom of bowl and add beef chili.  For those who can eat green chilies and tomatoes, top their bowls with ¼ to ½ cup of salsa and 1 teaspoon of green chilies to each cup of the beef-soup-based chili.  Stir lightly to combine.

While your chili is cooking settle into a comfy chair and check out Catherine’s multi-award-winning, inspirational romantic suspense book, The Nun and the Narc. It’s not your usual inspirational romantic suspense. Here’s what one reviewer said:

“You know that you aren’t supposed to laugh during a romantic suspense book, right?  And it’s a different kind of Inspirational Romance, too.  There were times in this book that I was rolling with laughter.  We needed the laughter considering that Maggie and Jed were dealing the Mexican drug cartel, trying not to get killed in the process and coming to terms with their faith and each other.  Oh and falling in love…

… Ms. Castle wrote some the most dramatic scenes that I’ve read in a while.  She could write an action/thriller movie with no problem.  I really felt like I was the fly on the wall and actually cringed, ducked and held my breath.  I will also say the James Bond references were spot on.  Jed Bond!  LOL!  Priceless and needed when you are dealing with the cartel.  Also, the humor that she writes helps with the tension and action sequences, too.

Don’t worry about the book being “preachy” or heavy handed.  Ms. Castle wrote a book that everyone can relate to in one way or another…” From Harlies Books.

The Nun and the Narc

By Catherine Castle

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

The Nun and the Narc is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Tasty Tuesdays–Pantry Pie from Chris Pavesic

03 Tuesday Nov 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in food, LitRPG fiction, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays, YA fiction

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Chris Pavesic, entree, food, LitRPG books, Pantry pie, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays, YA fiction

from Chris Pavesic

This is a good “pantry” meal–which is a dinner where you use items from your refrigerator/pantry to create a healthy, tasty dish.

My recipe was created for substitutions. Any type of vegetables will do. You can even use canned vegetables if you drain them well. Also, any type of cream soup works. I am fond of cream of celery and mushroom for pot pies.

If you do not have fresh turkey/chicken, substitute chicken in a can or even tuna in a pouch.

Let your creativity be your guide.

Pantry Pie

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup cooked turkey or chicken, cut up
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk, divided
1 cup Bisquick Original Baking Mix
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In large bowl mix vegetables, turkey, soup, and ½ cup milk. Pour into ungreased baking dish.

In medium bowl whisk together Bisquick, ½ cup milk, and egg until blended. Spread over vegetable mix completely.

Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

After you enjoy your meal, why not read a good book? May I suggest one of the books from my LitRPG series The Revelation Chronicles? ?


In Starter Zone Cami kept herself and her younger sister Alby alive in a post-apocalyptic world, facing starvation, violence, and death on a daily basis. Caught by the military and forcefully inscribed, Cami manages to scam the system and they enter the Realms, a Virtual Reality world, as privileged Players rather than slaves. They experience a world of safety, plenty, and magical adventure.

In the Traveler’s Zone magic, combat, gear scores, quests, and dungeons are all puzzles to be solved as Cami continues her epic quest to navigate the Realms and build a better life for her family. But an intrusion from her old life threatens everything she has gained and imperils the entire virtual world.

Time to play the game.

AMAZON BUY LINK
SMASHWORDS BUY LINK

Want to learn more about The Revelation Chronicles? Click HERE for updates on this and the other series by Chris. Watch the video on YouTube.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Pavesic is a fantasy author who lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee, steampunk, fairy tales, and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends.

Learn more about Chris on her website and blog.

Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and her Amazon Author Page.

Tasty Tuesdays–Baked Caramel Corn from Chris Pavesic

22 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Fantasy, food, LitRPG fiction, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays, YA fiction

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Baked Caramel Corn, Chris Pavesic, Fantasy, food, LitRPG books, recipe, snack, Tasty Tuesdays, The Revelation Chronicles

from Chris Pavesic

Is there anything better than homemade sweet and salty caramel corn? Not only does it taste delicious, the aroma that fills the air when you are cooking it is heavenly.

Baked Caramel Corn
Nonstick cooking spray
24 cups air popped popcorn
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup light or dark corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Coat bottom and sides of large roasting pan with nonstick spray. Place popped popcorn in roasting pan.

In saucepan, slowly melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Gradually pour over popped popcorn, mixing well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, and cool completely. Break apart and store in tightly covered container.

While you enjoy your treat why not read a good book? May I suggest one of the books from my LitRPG series The Revelation Chronicles? ?

 

In Starter Zone Cami kept herself and her younger sister Alby alive in a post-apocalyptic world, facing starvation, violence, and death on a daily basis. Caught by the military and forcefully inscribed, Cami manages to scam the system and they enter the Realms, a Virtual Reality world, as privileged Players rather than slaves. They experience a world of safety, plenty, and magical adventure.

In the Traveler’s Zone magic, combat, gear scores, quests, and dungeons are all puzzles to be solved as Cami continues her epic quest to navigate the Realms and build a better life for her family. But an intrusion from her old life threatens everything she has gained and imperils the entire virtual world.

Time to play the game.

 

AMAZON BUY LINK
SMASHWORDS BUY LINK

 

Want to learn more about The Revelation Chronicles? Click HERE for updates on this and the other series by Chris. Watch the video on YouTube.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Pavesic is a fantasy author who lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee, steampunk, fairy tales, and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends.

Learn more about Chris on her website and blog.

Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and her Amazon Author Page.

Tasty Tuesdays—Cinnamon Biscuits from Jo-Ann Roberts

11 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in food, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bread, Cinnamon Biscuits, food, historical romance, Honey Butter, Jo-Ann Roberts, Posey-Brides of New Hope Book Two, Tasty Tuesdays

Since moving to North Carolina, we’ve notice that many restaurants offer biscuits in addition to yeast rolls with their entrees. So when a favorite eatery offered cinnamon biscuits with honey butter, my husband could hardly sit still until a basket of cinnamon-and-sugar dusted rounds accompanied by a ramekin of honey butter.

Consumed with these rounds of manna from heaven, my husband asked me to try baking some. Admittedly, I haven’t had much success with biscuits…I more of a traditional yeast-based breads and rolls baker. However, I willingly took on the challenge.

I dug through my recipes, cross-referenced with those on the Internet, and came up with what I thought was a pretty good imitation.

One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to prepare. Mix all the dry ingredients, cut in the butter-flavored Crisco, then add the wet ingredients to form a dough. Pat it into a disc (or square, if you prefer square biscuits). Using a round cookie cutter cut out shapes (or if dough is shaped in a square, use a sharp knife to cut into equal squares). Place into a light greased pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar coating.

Once baked what you have are pillows of soft, fresh from the over cinnamon and sugar goodness!

CINNAMON BISCUITS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon*
  • ¼ cup butter-flavored Crisco
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • ½ tsp. vanilla

 

CINNAMON BISCUIT TOPPING

  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon*

*Since my husband loves this spice, I usually double the amount when using cinnamon.

 

HONEY BUTTER

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup honey

 

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 450°F and grease an 8-inch cake pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Cut in the Crisco using a pastry blender until crumbly. Add the milk and vanilla. Stir just until a dough forms.
  4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and using your fingers, pat down into a 7-inch disc. Use a round cutter to cut dough into rounds and transfer to the prepared cake pan. Bring together any leftover dough scraps and repeat.

CINNAMON BISCUIT TOPPING

  1. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the biscuits. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly in the pan before serving.

HONEY BUTTER

  1. While the biscuits are baking, make the honey butter by stirring together the butter and honey. Serve with warm biscuits.

 

While you’re waiting for you biscuits to bake, check out how Jo-Ann cleverly included her cinnamon biscuits in Posey-Brides of New Hope Book Two.

In Posey-Brides of New Hope Book Two, Posey Campbell is known for her Cinnamon Honey Biscuits and is often asked to bring a dozen or three to the weekly Sunday picnic in the small town of New Hope, Kansas. So when she accepts a supper invitation to Eli and Lessie MacKenzie’s home, she’s requested to bring her  biscuits along with the new U.S. marshal, Grayson Barrett.  She’s happy to bring the treat but not so eager to accompany the man who tips her world off-kilter.

 

Posey-Brides of New Hope Book Two

by Jo-Ann Roberts

Posey Campbell couldn’t understand why her love life, or lack thereof, was of such interest to her family and friends. Having endured one ill-fated relationship, she resigned herself to living out her days as New Hope’s spinster schoolteacher…until an unkempt U.S. marshal with inviting grey eyes and a kiss-me-smile came to town turning her well-ordered life off-kilter.

Glad for a temporary assignment keeping him in one place, Grayson Barrett never expected to find love, let alone a wife, a set of orphans, and a life he’d feared had passed him by.

When a secret from Posey’s past comes to light will Gray’s steadfast love be enough to convince her he is the right man? Or will an old nemesis put an end to their love before it begins?

BUY LINK

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Jo-Ann Roberts was fascinated by America’s Old West  and always felt she was destined to travel on a wagon train following the Oregon Trail. With her love of history and reading, she began reading historical romance during high school and college. Victoria Holt, Jude Deveraux, and Roseanne Bittner were among her favorites. Influenced by her father, she fell in love with John Wayne, James Garner, and her all-time favorite, James Stewart and grew up watching Wagon Train, Bonanza and Rawhide.

A firm believer in HEA with a healthy dose of realism, Jo-Ann strives to give her readers a sweet historical romance while imparting carefully researched historical facts, personalities, and experiences relative to the time period. Her romances take her readers back to a simpler time to escape the stress of modern life by living in a small town where families and friends help one another find love and happiness.

When she isn’t creating believable plots and relatable heroes and heroines, Jo-Ann enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandson. She also enjoys baking, quilting and eating way too much chocolate.

After 38 years in public education in Connecticut and Maryland, she’s now calls North Carolina home. She is a member of  Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina RWA, and the 2018 Winner (Historical Category) of NEORWA’s Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest. Her debut romance, Lessie-Brides of New Hope Book One, is a 2020 RONE Award Nominee.

SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

Website: Facebook Group: BookBub

 

 

 

 

Tasty Tuesdays–Succulent Sour Cream Pork Chops from Sharon Ledwith

28 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in food, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Blackflies and Blueberries, Fairy Falls, food, recipe. pork chop, Sharon Ledwith, Tasty Tuesdays

from Sharon Ledwith

The perfect comfort food to serve your family or friends in late fall or the dead of winter, these melt-in-your-mouth chops are the most tender—dare I say succulent pork chops—you’ve ever tasted. Food seems to be the source of comfort in all family matters, and I’ve found that meals bring us together to celebrate, cry or support each other in so many ways. Call me sentimental, but there’s something about those family chats at the dinner table after a long day or weekly family get-togethers on Sunday that you’ll hold in your heart for years to come.

Succulent Sour Cream Pork Chops
6 pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. (15ml) olive oil
1 large onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp. (30ml) flour
1 8 oz. (250 g) container sour cream

Season pork with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge in flour.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When the oil shimmers lightly brown chops.

Place chops in slow cooker, and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water and pour over chops. Cover, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 200° F (95° C).

After the chops have cooked, transfer them to the oven to keep war. Be careful, the chops are so tender they will fall apart.

In a small bowl, blend flour with sour cream. Stir into meat juices in slow cooker. Turn cooker to HIGH for 15 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened.

Spoon sauce on pork chops, and serve over rice or noodles.

With a prep time of 15 minutes and cook time of 8 ½ hours, there’s plenty of time to get some weekend reading done while you wait for your guests to arrive. May I suggest a visit to Fairy Falls, or if you’re feeling really adventurous, a trip back in time with The Last Timekeepers? Whichever you choose, I guarantee either series will take you on a journey far away from dirty dishes and messy pots.

Here’s a glimpse into one of the books from Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, my teen psychic mystery series.

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.

Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

AMAZON BUY LINK

 

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.

Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.

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