NEW BOOK-Rancher's Refuge

RANCHER'S REFUGE

 

Released December 18, 2012, book one of the new Whisper Falls series from Love Inspired.

Available anywhere books are sold. The above link takes you to Amazon.com.

Cornbread dressing!

Thanksgiving dinner conjures up memories of heavenly smells,  family, laughter, and a belly so full we all have to watch a little football before we can play Scrabble or move outside to play cornhole. I LOVE Thanksgiving when all my enormous family crowds into my small house for a day. Pure heaven.

My favorite, favorite, favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving--and Lord knows I have many-is cornbread dressing with cranberry sauce, slathered in turkey gravy. Oh, yeah!! So, I'm always on the lookout for tasty new dressing recipes. Down here in Oklahoma, we call it dressing but if you call it stuffing, that's okay. It tastes great either way.

This is a new recipe I'm trying this year.  It comes from Paula Deen's website. Thanks, Miss Paula!
 

Bacon and Pecan Stuffing or Dressing

Save some of the bacon drippings to rub into the turkey skin for extra crispiness and flavor. (Linda's note: or be naughty like me and dump it in the dressing.)

Makes about 7 ½ cups, enough for a 12-pound turkey

4 cups (firmly packed) diced day-old firm home-style bread (crust and all)
4 cups day old skillet cornbread, crumbled
8 slices bacon, diced
1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup toasted and roughly broken pecans
½ cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons crumbled, dried sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons crumbled, dried thyme
About 1 to 1½ cups turkey broth, made from neck and giblets
Salt and whole black pepper in a peppermill
Whole nutmeg in a grater
2-3 tablespoons butter, cut into bits

Position racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 225 degrees F. Spread the bread and cornbread on large, rimmed baking sheets and bake until almost dry. Meanwhile, sauté the bacon in large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat until browned. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings, add the onion and celery, and sauté, tossing, until golden but not browned, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Toss together the bread and pecans in large mixing bowl until mixed. Add the onion, celery, and herbs and moisten well with broth, but don’t make soggy. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, toss to mix, and if made ahead, cover and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature for thirty minutes before proceeding.

If using this to stuff the turkey, put it in the skillet in which onions cooked (or use 2 if you don’t have one large enough). Turn on the heat to medium heat and heat thoroughly, tossing. Spoon it loosely into the turkey while hot. Truss it as usual and roast the bird at once. Do not stuff it ahead and let it sit or refrigerate it.

If baking it separately as dressing, position a rack in the center of oven and preheat it to 350° F. (I put it in the oven when the turkey comes out, so that it bakes while the bird rests.) Lightly butter a 9" by 13" baking pan or dish that will hold all the dressing in a single 1-inch-deep layer. Pour in the dressing and pat flat. Dot the top with butter and bake until the center is set and the top golden brown, about 45 minutes.

 

 

Hurricane Sandy Stories

While taking food to people stranded in one of high-rise buildings today, we met a lady on one of the top floors who stays there to take care of a 100 years old bedridden woman. She was so discouraged and scared they won't make it till power and heat is back and felt she was getting sick and getting fever. She was also so worried about the lady she was taking care of and was running out of supplies for her (diapers, paper towels, gloves, ensure drinks as she can't eat, etc), had her covered with 4 blankets and candles around to keep her warm.

After we gave her food and lots of big hugs, we comforted her, assured that she is not by herself, she is on our list and will be checked on every day till power is back on. I offered to pray for her, she was so happy! I prayed for peace, strength and healing over her. After we came back to our base center, thankfully we were able to find all the necessary supplies, even the last bottles of Ensure drink were waiting for us! We went back to deliver and she was like a new person, said her fever left right after we left (we checked, her forehead wasn't warm any more), she felt so much better, felt strength from God, so grateful to God for providing with all those necessities! She definitely didn't feel they won't make it any more! It was awesome!

Thank you to all the organizers working on this full time and all the people, places, organizations donating food, water, supplies and all the volunteers! You are saving lives!
Lilia, MSNY Volunteer

>>
On Saturday morning, I headed to 10th Street and D Avenue to serve with several MSNY fellow church members. Volunteers and hurricane victims lined the park, a now make-shift hurricane relief center. The multi-organizational effort gave water, food, and a hot meal to the victims. For 5 days prior this lower region of Manhattan had been in the dark, and some homes flooded by Sandy's disastrous influence.

While at the relief site, I found my way to the Mercy Chef kitchen, where for the next 4 hours, serving hundreds of victims their first hot meal in days. Volunteers sang God Bless America and I'm Proud to Be An American as they passed out hot meals, sounding a needed message of hope and healing.

One particular meal served stood out to me. A Volunteer ran in and said she needed 5 meals for a mother and her four children-- they hadn't eaten in some time and were hungry. My heart sunk, wondering how many others that we were serving had empty stomachs and truly hadn't had a hot meal in days. Seeing the church and the American people come together, rally around this tragedy, and extend their hand of help in a time of great need, is what the church is for and the American spirit is all about. I am proud to be an American and even prouder to be a part of church that loves and serves.

Sundy Goodnight, MSNYvolunteer

 

A few of the donations to MSNY

 

Hurricane Sandy Relief

 

 

My daughter lives in Manhattan, New York where she works for a nonprofit. She is also on the church staff of Morning Star New York (MSNY). As such, her church joined other volunteers to serve the enormous needs of those most harmed by the recent Hurricane Sandy.  Saturday MSNY had volunteers in numerous areas of the city, including lower Manhattan which remains without power. Many people had not had a healthy, hot meal since the storm. Volunteers set up in one of the concrete parks where they prepared and served 2000 meals--until they ran out of food.

 

Here are some photos from my daughter's camera.

 

 

 

Sundy in the scarf with other volunteers getting ready to serve lunch!

Volunteers helping hurricane victims get much needed items like food, water, and baby formula.

Much needed water being given thanks to a multi-organizational effort. Msny, Trinity Grace, the National Guard, Salvation Army, Mercy Chefs and others helping with volunteer efforts

 

Many New Yorkers  out of electricity for days were fed a hot meal today.  

 

 

www.msny.org  has a relief donation page if you're interested.

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS-ereader

So excited!  Today my first ebook only released on Amazon.com. CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS is a joint venture with bestselling, award winning historical romance author, Mary Connealy. If you haven't read any of Mary's work, you are in for a treat. Her writing is funny and warm and just beautiful!  I absolutley love "The Christmas Candle", her contribution to our duo, and think you will too.

 Even though I don't have an ereader, I discovered I can download ebooks to my computer or to my phone! Did you know that? If you didn't, check out Amazon's free reading apps here.  Barnes and Noble also has a free app for the Nook--I have that one too!  You can download now and read later when you're in the mood for Christmas.

Our publisher did a beautiful job on the cover, don't you agree?

Order Here and read excerpt

 

I hope you'll give us a try and let me know what you think. Better yet, post a review on one of the sites. As always, my friends, thank you for supporting Christian fiction.

 

Linda Goodnight

 

 



What lies do you believe? This question was asked in a Susan Mae Warren writers' workshop I recently attended. We all have lies in our lives that color our behavior and how we perceive ourselves and our world.  

My character in "The Christmas Child" believed he was unredeemable.  In the  yet untitled book I just finished, coming next July, Haley believes, "People you love always leave."  Common, but equally troubling lies  include,  "I'm ugly,  I not smart,  No one likes me." 

 I'm digging deep into my characters today looking for their inner "lies" .  So I pose to you:  What lies about yourself do you believe? Or if that's too personal,  What lies do you see in others that they believe?



Books currently on the shelves:   A SEASON FOR GRACE classic duo

Available for pre-order NOW!   A SNOWGLOBE CHRISMAS 

I had a hankering for Orange Julius. Do you remember the creamy drink? At one time you could buy it in shopping malls. I think the business is still around, though I haven't bought one in years. So today I found this recipe on line and tried it. Oh, my. Creamy with just the right amount of sweetness and tangy orange--a Dreamsicle in a cup (remember those?).

Homemade Orange Julius

 

6 oz. frozen orange juice

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

10-12 ice cubes  (I used more like 15 or 16)

 

Put the first five ingredients in the blender and blend a few seconds. Then, running the blender on "ice crush", add the ice a few cubes at a time until well blended.

Now, take a new novel-preferrably mine-and a pretty glass fill with Orange Julius, kick back in the recliner and enjoy!

Available now:
A SEASON FOR GRACE, classic duo  (click link to order)

Coming in October:
A SNOWGLOBE CHRISTMAS - Pre-order

Death by Chocolate Cake--Oh My!!

I made this for my hubby's birthday today. It's his favorite. Around our house, we call this "Sin Cake" because we always over-indulge!

Death by Chocolate Cake

4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 package dark chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines dark chocolate is what I use.)
1 sm. package instant chocolate pudding mix (cheap kind is ok)
1  ½-2  cups semisweet chocolate chips (save other ½ cup for glaze) If you have mini-chips those work even better but regular are fine and dandy.)

Mix all ingredients together and beat for about fifty strokes.  Pour into a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan and bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes. Check with a toothpick every 5 mintes after 40 and don't overcook. A few crumbs on toothpick are okay. Turn the the cake out onto a plate after a minute of cooling.

This cake is tender, moists, and dark and rich, a sinful tempation that gets better as it cools. The next day it is killer good.

Three ways to frost

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and eat plain.

Glaze:
½ cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup  milk or cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
½  teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine milk or cream, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a small pan. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils. Pour this over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.

Frosting:
Put two cups of powdered in a bowl and slowly add the above glaze, stirring well until smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

I also sometimes sprinkle chopped pecans over the icing.

Back from RWA And Mickey Mouse land-Photos!!

Back from the Romance Writers of America's national conference in Anaheim, California, land of unending sunshine and Mickey Mouse! I didn't win the RITA but had such a great time being a five time finalist. Schmoozing with fellow finalists at that RITA reception and signing books for readers at a charity booksigning were big highlights for me. Here are a couple of photos from the conference.

Love Inspired Authors. That's me in the front in the brown with red hair.

At the RITA Award ceremony with double finalist, Christine Rimmer. We had a table together with her editor and mine and several Golden Heart finalists. A great group of writers.

Fellow finalist Irene Hannon, Debbie Clopton who writes those funny Mule Hollow boooks, and me in the jacket. We had a blast at the Harlequin Party. Who wouldn't with lots of fun oldies music for the fleet of foot, an ice cream bar complete with bananas foster,  a crepes bar, a dessert bar, and a decorate your own cupcake bar!!

The conference included lots of emphasis on the new trailblazers in fiction publishing--ebooks. So tell me, do you own an ereader? If so, what kind?

BOOKSIGNING JULY 22 ANAHEIM, CA.

RWA huge booksigning of over 400 authors including names like Nora Roberts. I'll be there too signing my Rita finalist book THE CHRISTMAS CHILD and a rerelease of two reader favorites in The Brothers Bond series. All money goes to literacy charities. Come see me. I will be at seat 105 right by the cashier! Anaheim Convention Center near Disney, Wed. July 22 at 5:00 until 7.

THE BROTHERS' BOND, RERELEASED AT LAST!

After years of being asked by you, my wonderful readers, about the Brothers'  Bond books, Love Inspired has rereleased two of them, Books 1 and 3, in a duo. It's available now and if you haven't read these, I hope you will. They are my absolute favorite and won all kinds of awards. Most importantly, I received so much reader mail about these three brothers who were separated as boys and reunited as men. Enjoy!!

Order here. Also read an excerpt.

Here's what one reviewer had to say:

This is a great book; Linda Goodnight is probably the BEST author of the Love Inspired line of books. She really has a talent for making the charaters "3D" and interesting. You feel Drew's pain in this story, as well as the sweetness he discovers can be had in life. But don't stop with this book. Read all three of the books in Linda Goodnight's "The Brothers' Bond" series.

The Barefoot Bride rereleased!

Look what I saw at Walmart!   My very first book, a novella called "The Barefoot Bride" has been rereleased in a collection with 8 other historical romances. This is still one of my favorite books and I hope you'll like it too.

Here's what a reader on Goodreads had to say:

"The Barefoot Bride" by Linda Goodnight made me cry. I would have LOVED to read this in a full length novel."

Perfect, East to Peel, Hard Boiled Egg Recipe

Happy Ressurrection Day!

What's cooking at your house for Easter dinner? For us, we always have lots of eggs, some for the kids to color and others for me to devil and or to eat plain!  For years I struggled to boil eggs properly. They were either gooey in the yolk or green around the edges. Ugh. Worse, pealing them was a nightmare. I ended up with ripped, pitiful egglet things. But finally, at long last, and after many, many unpalatable eggs, I stumbled upon the perfect, pealable recipe for hard boiled eggs.

Here ya go!

1. Put eggs in a saucepan and add water-just enough to cover them--this is important!  It doesn't matter how many eggs. However many you want. The recipe is the same.

2. Put the pan on the burner and turn the heat to high. Again it doesn't matter if your stove is not like my stove. It still works.

3. Set the timer for 10 minutes.

4. When the time goes off, turn off heat, cover the pan of eggs (still in the water), and set the timer for another 10 minutes.

5. When the timer goes off this time, drain the water and cover with cold water. Immediately--I mean, right this minute--start peeling the eggs. DO NOT WAIT.  Crack the egg all the way around the shell and then lightly roll it on the countertop. Then start at the fat end and peel. The shell will come off in big pieces without tearing up the goody part. I promise. I've done it dozens of times and it really, truly works!

6. Once all the eggs are peeled, you can store them in a covered container in the fridge for plain eating or you can devil some for dinner.

Just for fun, cut one in half and notice how perfectly cooked the yolk is. Is that beautiful or what?

THE LAST BRIDGE HOME

Available February 1, 2012, anywhere books are sold.
This is book 5, the last book in the Redemption River series. Romantic Times Magazine gave it 4 1/2 stars. I hope you will too!

Where the Wildflowers Bloom Review

I just finished Ann Shorey’s new book, Where Wildflowers Bloom, a gentle, smoothly crafted prairie romance from Revell perfect for reading on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The heroine, Faith, longs to follow the Oregon Trail and leave behind the sad memories of the loss of her brother and father in the Civil War. Though, at times, I was frustrated with Faith’s immaturity, the other characters, especially the hero, were endearing. Additionally, I appreciated the author’s subtle hand in addressing the prejudice against women prevalent at that time. I was also impressed with Shorey’s knack for strong setting. With precise wording and well-laid details, she brought the 1860’s and a Missouri small town to life. Read an excerpt at http://www.annshorey.com/novels.html