Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas to all of you from Brett and me. Oh yes, and from Teal’c, our furry child.

 If you like Christmas recipes, stick around and I’ll give you some of my faves. 

Do you have any traditions in your home that your family and friends always expect?  We do. First of all it seems to be centered on food – go figure! Brett, my sweetheart hubby cooks the best prime rib Christmas dinner for all our children and grandchildren.  It’s the dinner of the year.   His prime rib is succulent. Sorry, he won’t let me in on his secret for cooking the perfect prime rib, but here are my recipes that I add to our special Christmas Day.

Besides making all the fudge, rice crispy squares, and sugar cookies that everyone has for Christmas, I always add two more to my list:

Christmas Sandies (if you’re a coffee lover, these are to die for…

1 cup butter (please use REAL butter) I find real butter makes a huge difference in baking

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla (REAL vanilla)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup nuts (I love walnuts)

Cream butter and sugar

Add water & vanilla

Blend in flour and nuts – chill

Shape into balls or fingers.

Bake on ungreased pan 325 degrees for 20 minutes

Roll into confection sugar and serve

Christmas Sandies lower right

If you’ll look at the small plate between the cake and the Sandies, you’ll see my son-in-laws favorite – Fudgy Brownie Cups

1 Package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (this is where I got the recipe)

4 squares of Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate

¼ cup butter (remember REAL butter)

¾ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla (REAL remember)

2 tablespoons flour

Thaw sheets

Microwave chocolate and butter on high for 1 minute

Stir in sugar

Mix in eggs and vanilla and flour

Unfold sheets and roll into rectangle

Cut 20 squares

Press pastry squares into bottom of each muffin cup of the muffin pan

Spoon 1 tablespoon chocolate mix into center of each pastry

Bake 15-20 minutes 400 degrees

Sprinkle with powder sugar

Enjoy

 If you would like my Christmas Jell-O recipe that’s always expected on our Christmas table, you’ll find it on http://canyonlandpress.blogspot.com

Also, everyone needs a cheese ball to serve when friends and family come over – my son makes the best cheese ball every holiday, including 4^th of July. His cheese ball recipe is on my website at http://judybaker.coffeecup.com

 

I’d love to hear about your traditions and your recipes for the holidays.

It’s been fun and I do wish you and your families and friends a very Merry Christmas.

Love, Judy

By the way, you still have time to enter my contest to win Sherry Gail's Jewelry set. Information found at http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/Holiday.html

 

 

HOLIDAY CONTEST

Now that the holidays are rolling around, and quickly too! I'm having a contest

Starting November 20   
Ending January 1, 2013.

The winner will be announced on January 2. The Rules are simple.

Jump on over to my e-books' website for the guidelines, http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/Holiday.html, for a chance to win this beautiful custom made jewelry set by Sherry Gail.

Willow Blue

 

For those of you that live in the US and are planning a family dinner for Thanksgiving this week, my friends and I have listed a few traditional Thanksgiving recipes. Go to our emagazine, Canyonland Press at http://canyonlandpress.blogspot.com and check out our favorite recipes for this coming holiday.

And, don’t forget to go to the sites of those authors that I have tagged for this week’s The Next Big Thing:  http://moniquedevere.blogspot.com and http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com

I wish you and your families a blessed Thanksgiving.

Love Judy

 

The Next Big Thing

Wonderful fellow author, Mary Martinez was kind enough to tag me in an ongoing game of The Next Big Thing, a blog circle where authors have a chance to discuss their current Works in Progress/what they’re currently working on now. So, on to the post!

The Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?

Better She Die is a first of the three Silver Sage Creek Saga books.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The early years during the 1800s have always intrigued me and I’ve always known that I would someday write a historical western novel. I enjoy watching western movies which are few. One of my favorite is Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves, Open Range with Annette Bening, and of course the TV series Lonesome Dove with Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. I’m not sure where the idea for my book actually came from, or if was inspired by any movie, maybe a combination of all the women in many of the movies and books.

What genre does your book fall under? Historical western women fiction/romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmm, that’s a question that I had to think about for a while.  I think I would like Emily VanCamp (TV series Revenge) to play Clare Rose Coulson. Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels) would be the perfect Texas Ranger, Captain Drury Burchett, and the Comanche Chief, Chakotay would be Michael Spears.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  

After living with the Comanche band for four years, Clare Rose Coulson’s return to the white man's society is a struggle, especially with her half-breed baby. 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?  Unknown at this point. I’ve submitted my manuscript to a publisher, now, it’s wait and see!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Off and on, probably six months to complete the draft, while editing another story.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

Hmm, I’ll have to think on that question. Jo Goodman is one of my favorite historical western authors, but I can’t think of a title that would be compared to my story.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

During the historical days of the 1800s women were caught between the white man’s need to conquer the west and the Indians’ struggle to keep a culture from extinction. In Better She Die, Clare Rose Coulson, to survive in such harsh territory, learned to be tough and resilient in order to endure living under conditions that demanded so much of her physical and mental moral fiber, as did many women of that era.

I’ve tagged these writers to join in the game!

Monique DeVere  http://moniquedevere.blogspot.com/

Kim McMahill  http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com

Please tune into these blogs the week of November 19-23 to check out their posts!

While you’re waiting for those new posts next week, be sure to visit Mary Martinez (http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com ) who tagged me, as well as any other participants in The Next Big Thing. Have questions about my current work in progress, Better She Die? Leave ‘em in the comments!

 

Dogs in Books

 Dogs. I love dogs. Sometimes more than people.They love unconditionally; they’re loyal, dependable and will be your long lasting friend if you’re willing. My blog today is dedicated to my loving friend, Teal’c.He’s an Airedale Terrier that has lived with us for eight and a half years, but is approximately twelve years old. We rescued him from a shelter and the vet figured he was about three years old at that time. He’s been a wonderful addition to our home.

Several of my books have dog characters that were created from my fondest memories of our past four legged family members. I haven’t written a book with an Airedale, as of yet, but I’m sure he’ll be appearing in something down the road. (check my website for Teal'c picture) http://judybaker.coffeecup.com/Bio.html

My book, Homeless Santa, was dedicated to our Dalmatian, Drake. Lena Belle purchases a Dalmatian puppy and names him Nick, for St. Nick, of course; after all, it is a Christmas store. Homeless Santa has been republished as an ebook (aka Anna Sugg) with a new title of Santa’s Pretty Lady (Book cover and blurb listed on the right side of my blog). 

Drake, 1992-2004
      He loved chairs.

In Yellow Creek Book One, Secret Past, Sarah has a Dalmatian named Drake. Her dog is her companion throughout the book, even on a dark scary night when she searches through her grandmother’s old dilapidated house. Yellow Creek Book Two, Night Thunder, Becca has a Britney Spaniel named Maxine. Night Thunder will be out as an ebook in December.  Here's Maxine, our Britney Spaniel with Drake.

 

Maxine lived to be nineteen years old and Drake, twelve.  Two of our dogs that will always be treasured memories in my books.
 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=anna+sugg
Only a dog lover (or cat) can understand how much a pet can mean to a person or family. They're not just an animal, but part of you.

 

 

North Carolina and a Movie

Just returned from my yearly YaYa Sisters’ trip in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Since we’re in different states, we get together once a year to catch up on everything including family news, trips, politics, religion, new recipes, weight gain, ailments, meds, husbands, sex & hormones – the list goes on. I know one week out of the year isn’t a lot of time, so you can imagine how much we talked, laughed, and of course, eat. 

 Judy Gail's backyard

NC is a beautiful state. If you’ve never been there, you should visit. It’s amazing. Two of my sisters live in NC and if I didn’t love the west so much, I would love to live in NC.

One of my favorite movies, Last of the Mohicans was filmed (1992) throughout North Carolina in the western mountains of Hickory Nut Gorge, where you’ll find Chimney Rock Park. It’s one of the most beautiful natural landscapes where you’ll see a three mile Rocky Broad River carving its way through rugged cliffs with a 400 foot waterfall and the awe inspiring rush of wildlife.

My favorite part of the movie is the final scene where Chingachgook, Chief of the Mohicans, speaks of being the last.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUJTamqdq8E

The soundtrack by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman is worth listening to and also my favorite. It’s the soundtrack I listened to over and over when I wrote The Quartering Act.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Quartering-Act-ebook/dp/B001VH7WGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348860378&sr=8-2&keywords=the+quartering+act

Can you believe, The Last of the Mohicans was written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. The historical novel takes place in 1757 during the French and Indian War, when the Native American tribes were asked to fight against the British colonists. Daniel Day-Lewis is the character Hawkeye/Nathaniel Poe and Russell Means is the last of the Mohicans. Great movie and scenery.

The Last of the Mohicans: A must see movie

Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe

 

 

I'm Retired

I'm Retired, so Where Am I Going?

 As of August 1, I am officially retired. During my first week, I felt as if I just had time off, but this second week is slightly different. I woke up this morning realizing I didn’t have to hurry, dress and get to work on time. I can tell you right now, I’m going to love not working at my day job, although it was a wonderful job and I loved the people I worked with, I am so really to be at home and do what I never had time to do. My list is growing and that’s not even a bucket list!

My daughter and son-in-law had a retirement party for me and it was a blast. The entire family was there including friends. I even received presents, which I had not expected. The most surprised gift came from my daughter and her family. They gave me a trip to Disneyland. They’ve paid for the entire trip, including airfare for Brett and me. They will be going with us, along with another couple. Brett and I love Disney World and I’m sure we will have loads of fun at Disneyland.  We’re going in November, which should be perfect since the Halloween decorations will still be on display.

In September, I’m flying out to see my sisters in NC. We have our YaYa Sisters Trip every year to get together since we’re so spread out (2 in NC, 1 in KS, 1 in UT). We take turns cooking a meal so that each of us can bring our special recipes to share. I haven’t decides yet, but I’ll let you know what recipe I’ll be using.  

Even though I’m officially retired now, I finally can have office hours for writing, etc. I have completed an historical western, a women’s fiction and looking forward to finding a home for it. I’m a month behind on my second Yellow Creek novel, so I’m loving my office hours to do all the writing that I’ve never had time before.

This is a new journey that I’m taking and it’s exciting. I pray with each door I step through during my lifetime, it proves to be adventurous and productive, so far, it has. 

A friend had a wonderful video that she directed everyone to her blog:  www.sheliaboltrudesill.com/

Worth the watching a scene from Wings of Life…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQiszdkOwuU&feature=player_detailpage

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey. Stephen Covey

I would love to hear from you.  Judy



Great Trip on a Motorcycle

My friend said, "you rock, girl" and I seriously believe I earned that title.  I spent 10 days on the road, riding with my hubby on his Road Glide Harley. It was an amazing trip. We road for 2,550 miles and saw some of the most beautiful coastlines in America.

Day One:  Left Salt Lake City in the sunshine – yep, that’s Brett & my shadows on the bike headed west. Met Alan and Maxine in Wendover for breakfast.

By the way, Alan and Maxine opted to ride in a red Corvette.  

On to Wells, NV where we me Robin and Mitch –Robin rides her own bike (now she really rocks!)



Mitch


Next stop Elko, NV where we met two more couples, Brett’s sister and brother-in-law, Peggy and Paul. As you can imagine, we ate a lot and laughed a lot.

Day Two: Rain geared up. On the road again, headed for Reno:  RAIN, SLEET, WIND, FREEZING WEATHER.

And, the next day didn’t start out too good either.  Brett asked if he needed to put me on a plane for home.  Hmm. Too bad the Corvette didn’t have room for a third person.  Brett promised the weather would get better. Okay, I’ll keep going!!!

I see blue skies!!!!!

Day Three:  Ride into San Francisco was a better day, even though I wore three pairs of pants and two coats to get there. My legs were covered with jeans, leathers, and rain gear, while I wore a sweather, sweatshirt with hoody, leather jacket, and a raincoat – it’s a wonder I could even move!!!  The ride over Donners Pass was COLD and at least in the 30s, but we didn’t run into rain or snow (they had actually had snow two days before requiring chains.

San Francisco was beautiful, sunny and around 60 degrees. We had wonderful food on Fisherman’s Wharf and visited Ghirardelli Square.

Day Four thru Eight:  Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and rode Highway 1 going north along the coast's beautiful scenery. Stopped along the way in many little towns, Eureka, Cresent City, Coos Bay, Newport:

Here's a few more pictures:

   Oregon Coast

  Redwoods

Brett surfing!!

 

 

 

 

Lighthouses everywhere

 Our last meal near the ocean

Taking a break in nowhere land!

Headed inland through Oregon and Idaho through the desert



UTAH



 Day 10:  Arrived HOME safely!!!

2012 Motorcycle trip -  an amazing trip!