Dinner & A Movie Jan. 12, 2013

Grease is the Word!

Tonight's offering is one of my favorites. Toward the end of my pregnancy with my son, I was confined to bed for a few months. My friends would come over and we'd pop Grease into the VHS (yes, I'm that old) and sing all the songs and they'd do all the crazy dances. We each had our assigned roles. I got to be Rizzo because I was the crazy and ornery one. I also still have the ORIGINAL vinyl from when the movie released in 1978.

This movie features a very young John Travolta as Danny Zucko, high school bad boy and Olivia Newton-John as the ultimate good girl Sandy Olsen. Sandy is a transfer student from Australia who happens to meet up with Danny over the summer. They're just two kids who never expect to see each other again. As if. The next hour and a half is a frolicking ride filled with catchy tunes, smarmy set-ups and Frankie Avalon as the guardian angel of Beauty School Students. If you've never seen Grease, take a couple of hours and have a good time with it.

On the menu:
Healthy Shrimp Scampi

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, raw
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt butter and oil then add garlic. Saute 1 minute. Add shrimp, saute 1 minute. Add wine, lemon juice and pepper. Saute until sauce reduces and shrimp turns pink.

Tastes awesome with:
Mushroom Rice

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon parsley
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice (I love using Jasmine)
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cups water

Saute mushrooms in the butter until brown. Add spices and rice and cook until the rice begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and water. Cover and return to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until rice is tender and liquid absorbed.

These recipes are from one of the greatest cookbooks I've ever been lucky to find: 500 Low Glycemic Index Recipes by Dick Logue and available from Fair Winds Press. It's pretty much the only I use now. If you're interested, here's a link. Go buy the book!

Happy reading,
Jennifer

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

The king of rock and roll would have been 78 years old today. The mind boggles. I grew up with Elvis in my house. My parents were huge fans and passed that appreciation on to me. I was just seven when he passed away but I remember being as shocked as the rest of the world. I have all of his movies, almost every song he's ever recorded and even the Elvis Pez Dispenser set (I know you're jealous!).

When I was a kid he was handsome and intriguing but most of all he reminded me of my dad. Seriously! On-screen Elvis was fun and adorable and quite often vulnerable. My dad, while rarely vulnerable, was also fun and adorable. He had a wit that could not be beat.

My handsome dad

Elvis Presley

As I grew up, I appreciated his music more. The way he switched from rock and roll to country to pop to blues to gospel. I get shivers when I hear him sing How Great Thou Art and revved up listening to Steamroller Blues.

Please don't ever ask me what my favorite Elvis song is. There are more songs on that list than my top three movie list (which, as we all know, has like 100 movies on it!). Off the top of my head, I'd say American Trilogy, Suspicious Minds, Silver Bells, Amazing Grace, Devil in Disguise and T-R-O-U-B-L-E are just a few on my favorited list.

I also adore his movies (except for Love Me Tender). Again I'm torn between Blue Hawaii and G.I. Blues. It's kind of funny though. In Blue Hawaii, the fabulous Angela Lansbury played his mom and she was only ten years older than him while Juliet Prowse was a year younger in GI Blues and looks way older (in my opinion). 

All in all, I'd say Elvis had a profound on me growing up and to this day. I will often listen to his music and think about my dad. It's a sweet way to remember both men for me.

So, happy birthday, Elvis. I hope you're rocking it in heaven.

Happy reading,

Jennifer

The Sunday Quote

Dinner & a Movie Jan 5, 2013

Tonight we settle in to watch Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. This movie, which features the booming bass of Howard Keel and the dulcet beauty of Jane Powell, is one of my favorites. I know every word to every song and I love singing along. It's a classic MGM musical filled with beautiful scenery, intricate choreography and tons of great songs.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
 from MGM

If you're unfamiliar with the movie, it's the story of backwoodsman Adam Pontipee who decides it's way past time he has a wife. His six younger brothers have grown into rabble-rousing ne'er-do-wells and he's convinced the steadying influence of a woman will settle them down. He goes down the mountain into town and convinces Milly to marry him on the spot. She accepts to get out of the drudgery of always cooking and cleaning for so many people. When she gets to his cabin, she's dismayed to find herself surrounded by his brothers who live with him: Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank (really Frankincense) and Gideon. She musters up her manners and decides to make the best of the situation. Soon enough the brothers are restless and wanting wives of their own. After Adam tells them of the saga of the Sabine women, they decide to sneak into town and kidnap their own brides.
This can't end well...

Our dinner menu, inspired by the movie:

Wick Fowler's Two-Alarm Chili

2 pounds ground beef
1 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (half that for one alarm and omit for false alarm)
8 tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups of water
1 1/2 tbs dried onion
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
4 tsp masa harina (corn meal) mixed with water to form a smooth paste

Brown meat. Add cayenne, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, water, onion, paprika and salt. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Skim fat off the top. Add masa harina paste. Stir and cook 30 minutes more.

Serves 4 to 6

Serve with Sweet Country Cornbread

1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottom and sides of round pan 9 inch pan or square 8 inch or 12 muffins. Mix milk, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened (batter will be lumpy) Pour batter into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

10-12 servings

Set the table with sour cream, hot sauce, green onions and Granny's Sweet Tea for the perfect meal.


Granny's Sweet Tea

5 regular bags Lipton Tea
6 cups of water (reserve 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups white sugar

Pour five cups of boiling water over tea bags and let steep 9 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and sugar to a boil then simmer until the sugar is dissolved (2-4 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine steeped tea with 2 quarts of water and add the simple syrup for sweet tea perfection.

Happy eating!
Jennifer

Hidden Menages?

The other day I was watching television and surfing as I usually do. Flipping back and forth between channels and I saw both Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull (yes, yes, I KNOW) and Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (aka the freaking original!) were on.

Indiana Jones as a Dom? Hell yeah!

I watched Indy for a while and idly wondered what ever happened to Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) from Temple of Doom. I have no idea if they addressed it but I got to thinking it would be interesting if Indy, Marion and Willie had a menage. Don't you think? I can see it. And you KNOW how good he is with that whip. My, my, my. The possibilities boggle the brain.

Then I flipped to Star Wars (the Harrison Ford connection is totally coincidental, I promise) and got to wondering if Lucas didn't intend for the Luke, Leia, Han love triangle to become a menage at some point. I'm sure there are tons of fanfic sites out there that have already done this but the way they interact with their bodies and eyes just makes me wonder. Toss in that slave outfit and you've got one lucky Leia. I can see Han being a total Dom while Luke would be more Beta but still with a core of steel. Uh-huh... That's what I'm talking about.

This got me to wondering about other potentially untapped menages. First one that came to mind: Dracula, Mina and Van Helsing. Mmm, good golly Miss Molly.

How about Eragorn, Arwen and Legolas?

Rhett, Scarlet and Ashley. I think Ashley would be the total submissive for Rhett and Scarlet. Oh the jollies they'd have with him!

Beast, Belle and Gaston? Nah, Gaston is too much of an ass.

Rocky, Adrian and Apollo Creed.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner. Oh, that lucky, lucky girl. And she could take both of them down if she wanted.

Neo, Trinity and Agent Smith. Hmmm. There is no penis?

Iron Man, Thor and me! (hahahahahaha!)

During this wonderful onslaught of naughty wonderings, I saw a commercial for Liquid Plumr. It's totally a menage commercial. Two hot and sexy guys working on her plumbing. Snaking her drain and flushing her pipes? Oh yeah, bring it!  I know Liquid Plumr has received some flak for this commercial but I love it. The nuances are great from the 69 cent produce to the Barry White-esque voice over.

Perhaps it's because I've started writing menages that I'm see all sorts of delicious and sexy conspiracies but I'll totally take it. So what about you? What menage pairings do you see in the world today?

Happy reading,
Jennifer

Happy New Year!

As with most people at the new year, I tend to make tons of resolutions and goals. Most of them are blown by the end of the week but a girl's gotta dream, right?

I won't revisit my 2012 goals (mostly because I don't remember them!) but I am going to share some of my 2013 goals with you.

1. Write like a madwoman. I have so many stories floating through my head, it's sort of imperative I get them out before they drive me nuts. I am currently writing five different series. Yes, five. And what happens? As I'm trying to drift off to sleep the other night, I open my eyes (my very blind eyes, I might add) and "see" an entire new series play out before me on the wall. I even saw the series title: ShadowFalls. Sigh... I just wrote down everything I could remember and added it to the stack. I seriously doubt this will make it into the writing mix this year unless it starts burning my brain hard and heavy.

2. Get healthy. For me this definitely means losing weight but it also means getting my joints and back to stop aching so darn much. I drink too much diet soda and not enough water. The strange this is I really like water. A lot. I love the taste and the cool refreshment it offers. The problem is that I'm addicted to Diet Dr Pepper. I need that carbonated awesomeness like others need their coffee in the morning. Instead of setting myself up for failure by cutting it out entirely, I'm cutting back drastically. End of year goal is to be drinking only one per day. <gulp>

3. Get organized. For Christmas, I received a NeatDesk system. I'm so stoked about it. I can't begin to express my delight. I haven't hooked it up yet as I'm still reading paperwork and trying to figure out its limitations but I'll get there. I expect to review it by the end of the month.

4. Learn how to play a Druid in Pathfinder for our upcoming KingMaker game. I know, you're probably scratching your head and wondering what I'm talking about. Pathfinder is like Dungeons & Dragons in that it's a pen and paper role-playing game with dice, swords, magic and monsters. It just has different rules. I usually play a fight and I love it. Nothing like the thrill of hitting an enemy for 90+ damage on one blow -- after you roll a 2 (gamers get that). I admit it, I'm a geek and proud of it. Bazinga!

5. Reduce my stress levels. I'm not really sure how I'm going to accomplish this. I've been told I'm a control freak (this really was news to me), I'm an over-achiever (this I knew) and that my dreams are pretty freaking huge (dream big or go home!). Figuring out where everything in my life fits and HOW to make it fit stresses me out sometimes. This year I'm trying to find out ways to let go of some things. Spiritually, mentally and physically. I'm sort of iffy on that whole project, though.

6. Read, read and read. I fell off the reading wagon in a major way in 2012. I think I only read like 50 books the entire year. Blech. Must. Read. More. I love to read all sorts of stuff (except straight SciFi and Horror) so if you have any suggestions, let me hear them. The last three months I've been reading all of Heather Graham's paranormal stuff, Debbie MacComber's non-fiction stuff, writing craft books and various cozy mysteries. I also re-read the entire Belgariad and Malleroean Series but those 10 books don't count because it's like the 1,000th time I've read them.

7. Mentor a new author. I remember being a new writer and having no idea what the hell rules and formatting and general writing was all about. I had some excellent mentors take me in hand and help lead me to my publishing successes. I try to pay back those kindnesses by judging contests and answering questions on forums and offering one-time critiques to new authors. I'd like to find more of those opportunities in 2013.

I have tons more but I think this is a nice sampling from my very odd brain. How about you? Got any Resolutions? Goals? Aspirations? I'd like to hear them. And check in periodically to let me know how you're doing. I'll post a monthly accounting, too. <bites nails> Oh, I've done it now. Committed!!

Good luck and happy new year to one and all. May your dreams, wishes and hard work lead to great things in 2013 for you.

Happy New Year!
Jennifer

It's a serendipitous day

You know how some days are just made to be uber-special? Today is one of those days.

When I woke up this morning (after having a rather sleepless night) I was groggy and tired and craving Dr Pepper. Fortunately, I had a frosty one and popped the top then drank it down. Ah... waking up now.

Then, I played some Words with Friends and Wham! I scored a 102 point word with a triple letter Z on a triple word. Hey, hey, the day is looking up.

Next I moved to my email where I discovered the FBI had replied to my rather desperate plea for help and assigned me an official FBI contact. Whoa! Hello? Am I dreaming?!

The next email I saw was a lunch confirmation from my BFF whom I haven't seen in a couple of weeks. That not only means I get to spend a good hour with her over yummy Mexican food, I also get a margarita.

Then I realize it's Tuesday and that means another new page from Elfquest. Do I hear choirs going?

Enlightened is now available in print!! Want to buy your own copy? Here's a link...

After that, I toddled on over to Amazon to look for my name (hey, it's a thing, okay?) and found out that Enlightened [Sexual Magic Book 2] is now available to order in print!!
I admit to squealing like a little girl and probably even crying a little bit. Or a lot.
It's an unbelievable feeling.
It's surreal.
It's FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, sorry, toning it down. Sort of.
I'm actually bouncing around like I'm Tigger on crack.
My cheeks hurt from grinning but it's a good kind of pain (you know, like the kind I write about)
People, it's not even 11 o'clock in the morning?!
It makes me wonder what other kind of gloriousness I have in store for me today.

Oh Lucky Cats, what other wonders are in store for me today?

Have you ever had a day that was serendipitous? That totally surpassed all you could have hoped for?
I hope so!
Happy reading,
Jennifer