Yesterday the Weather Channel’s Storm Stories was on in the background while I folded laundry, and my mind jumped to ideas for putting my characters in peril during a tornado.  I’ve already used hurricanes, drought, flood, and forest fires, so why not a tornado?  It worked well in The Wizard of Oz.

Most of my ideas originate from true crime programs aired on truTV. I often watch and wonder “What if…” to spin a fictional story from the old.  I’m not alone, either, because truTV created an entire series on true crime cases inspiring mystery writers called Murder by the Book.  The heroine in my w-i-p, REBUILD MY WORLD, came from a program about a serial rapist-turned-murderer who slit the throat of one of his victims and left her for dead.  She survived and helped law enforcement identify and capture him.  Her courage moved me and I couldn’t get her ordeal out of my mind.  I knew I had to use her story, and you’ll read it (fictionalized of course) in my prologue.

In the prologue of RESTORE MY HEART, I used a staged suicide idea I lifted from another program, The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science, from an episode in which a husband killed his wife and nearly got away with it because the drug he injected her with doesn’t show up in routine toxicology tests. My romantic suspense RUNNING SCARED was a seed of an idea that came to me while doing an early morning training run as part of training for a marathon.  I worked out the plot idea during many, many miles of running.  The opening scene of that book has the heroine in approximately the same neighborhood training for her first marathon when she witnesses a murder.

I can’t go shopping or out to dinner without eavesdropping on couples and families, collecting expressions and figures of speech for my characters.  The drama in everyday interpersonal dynamics finds its way into scenes in my books.  When we travel, I imagine what stories would work well in the locales we visit.  At night when I turn in and grab a book to read, I’m still “write brained.”  I read for enjoyment but can’t seem to turn off that ol’ “what if…” factor, wondering how the story would unfold if the characters made different choices.

So the next time you wonder where an author gets his or her ideas, you’ll know the answer: Everywhere!  We’re all “write brained.”

Diva Cheryl

And yet we are diverse women with broad interests and deep concerns.  We don’t want cotton candy for brains and we know that we must keep our minds active and occasionally focus on things other than the mundane and everyday.  We hunger for those things as we do food.

Yet time is committed.  We need a solution.

In that spirit, and seeking that solution, I created a blog.   Oh no, not another one, I hear you say.  But this one is different.  It’s a single thought.  One sentence.  And I hope it’s a thought-provoking one that you can ponder on throughout your day when you can spare a minute or even thirty seconds.

I tested this for a while on myself, to see if it satisfied my craving to keep my mind from turning to mush.  It helped me, and I found myself going back to that thought several times during the day.  Each time, I added a new layer, considered a perspective I hadn’t thought of before, and so that told me that once I fed the thought into my brain, it weighed and considered it even when I wasn’t, and all these interesting facets surfaced.

We are committed.  Many of us are over-committed and can’t do a whole lot about it except to endure it.  But we still need moments, Divas.  We need moments that are ours for our own well being.  Random thoughts provided a little grist for my mental mill and I hope it will for yours.  Here’s today’s Random Thought.

Blessings,

Diva Vicki
www.vickihinze.com

According to Eating Well Magazine’s Website, it’s never too early to develop good habits for breast health.  It’s good advice for everyone, not just women, for healthful living.  In a nutshell, here are the habits you should follow:

Move.  Whether you regularly visit the gym or make a point of walking extra steps at every opportunity, keep your body moving.  I park far from the door at the grocery to force myself to walk more.  When it’s safe to do so, I take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Every little bit helps.  A brisk 30-minute walk each day is all you need to cut your risk of breast cancer. 

Eat a low fat diet, and make what fat you eat monounsaturates, like extra virgin olive oil or nut oil.

Eat soy products (No, not supplements) like tofu, edamame, and soy flour products.

Eat plenty of vegetables and at least 2 servings fruit each day.  Maybe it won’t keep breast cancer at bay, but it will keep your weight down and immune system strong.  And obesity is a risk factor.

Avoid alcoholic drinks, or drink in moderation. If your family has a history of breast cancer, you should avoid alcohol completely.  If you buy into the red-wine-for-heart-health theory, try substituting grape juice.  It has the same benefits without the risks.

That’s it.  Five lifestyle changes that aren’t that demanding.  I’ll admit #3 is the most difficult for me because I’m not fond of edamame.  But I have a Vita-mix and make smoothies about five times a week.  If I sneak in tofu with my fruit, I don’t know it’s there.  Try this recipe:

1 cup silken tofu
1 cup mixed frozen fruit (usually strawberries, peaches, pineapple, and grapes)
1 Tbsp. honey

Blend until smooth and creamy.  In a regular blender, you may need to add liquid. 

Another way I sneak soy into my diet is with Boca burgers. I dress them up with a slice of Vidalia onion and Mrs. Dash® Mesquite seasoning, and serve them on whole wheat buns. I can’t say they taste like real beef burgers, but they’re a reasonable imitation that’s much lower in fat and higher in fiber.

Diva Cheryl–thinking pink

I didn’t recognize her first name, but recognized her last. So this time I responded that yes, that was me, and was she related to my friend who owned that last name?

Fast forward. She tracked me down, then got me in touch with my best friends in the world at the time. I’ve wondered forever what had ever happened to them, but never realized how I could do it. How stupid am I?

I spent at least an hour tonight talking on the phone with the one person I considered my very best friend during those times, and we laughed so much at the memories.

It is so thrilling to get in touch with old friends. She thinks that I’m an author is really cool and I think that she’s a neo-natal nurse is simply amazing.

She saves little people’s lives. I do nothing but bring people enjoyment for a while. I think she wins. And I’m so happy to know her again.

P.S. Her name is Annie, and I always called her Annabelle. My car is named after her. I named my car way before Annie and I reconnected. That’s how much I loved her years later. Friends rule!

It’s a time to walk safely. Here are some tips:

Choose the safest, most well lit, route; note availability of sidewalks, crossing guards, street lamps, and traffic lights.

Be alert; listening to a device like an ipod or chatting on the cell phone can be distracting. You might not hear the runaway car careening toward you, the ferocious dog, or the mugger.

Be visible and noticeable; wear bright clothing and hats, reflective sports clothing is even better.

Always walk with a buddy or a group.

Walk on the sidewalk. If you must walk along the roadway, walk on the side facing traffic.

Carry a flashlight. When vehicles approach, swing the flashlight side to side (vs. front to back which can cause a confusing dazzling-light effect to the driver), from your body then away. Do it the way air-men directing planes do with their flashing lights, indicating which way the plane is to go. If you swing side to side, you are indicating to the driver to “go around” you and the vehicle will instinctively move away from you. This will make the driver much more aware of your safety. A flashlight can also serve as a weapon against an attack from a person or animal. In daylight, consider carrying some form of other protection like mace or pepper spray.

In a parking lot (day or night), don’t walk too close behind a backing vehicle, assuming the driver can see you. He probably doesn’t. Avoid getting too close even if you think you can “make it” past before he fully backs up. Vehicles have been known to buck. People have been known to “pop the clutch” sending the vehicle flying. Sometimes, if a driver in reverse gets startled by your sudden presence in their rear window, he may panic, or get confused. In turn he could attempt to step (or stomp!) on the brake, but accidentally step on the gas pedal instead, running you down. It is better to just steer clear rather than assume someone sees you.

Lastly, for safety, it’s always a good idea to let someone know the route you’re taking so that they’ll know where to look for you it trouble does occur or if weather problems strike, like a sudden lightning storm.

So, stay safe and get walking!

Diva Kimbling
The Quest for the Holy Veil, Berkley Books

Do you have any additional walking safety tips? Please share them in the comments section!

My sister and I ate late in the afternoon.  There was only one other person in our section of the Buca di Beppo.  A man sat several booths away, talking on the phone.  My sister’s back was to him, but I could see him plainly over her shoulder.  When she took the first bite of the apple gorgonzola salad, she began to moan in ecstasy.  The man removed the phone from his ear and shifted in his seat to get a better look at my sister to see what she was doing to warrant the sounds coming from our booth.  Of course, I was laughing too hard to tell my sister anything other than “shhhh.”  It was a great visit.  I wish she lived closer so be could visit more often.  Well, maybe not.  If we could get together more frequently, we would weigh 400 pounds each.   

Give each one of the salads a try and let me know which one you like the best.  Here are the recipes:
The recipe below courtesy of a Buca di Beppo chef uses walnuts and bottle Italian vinaigrette. If you want to make your salad more like the restaurants version I have included recipes for spiced walnuts and a copycat version of Buca’s Red Wine Vinaigrette. Make the vinaigrette with a white wine vinegar to be more like the version Buca uses on this salad.

Apple Gorganzola Salad
MENU DESCRIPTION:
Apple Gorgonzola Salad (Tart Granny Smith apples, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries and Gorgonzola cheese are tossed with fresh Romaine lettuce and our Italian vinaigrette).  Source: Chef Al Somera of Buca Di Beppo

Ingredients:
1 Apple granny smith (chopped, sliced for garnish)
8 oz Romain lettuce (chopped)
2 T Gorganzola Cheese (crumbled)
2 oz Walnuts (chopped)
1/4 cup Dried Cranberrys
1/2 cup Italian Vinaigrette
Preparation:
Slice off 2 side of apple along side of core. cut long slices for garnish. Then 1/2 inch chop/cube the remaining 2 sides of apple up, around the core. Wash and cut lettuce. Dry the lettuce as much as possible in colander. Prepare cheese. Chop up walnuts.
Mix vinegarette into lettuce. Add chopped apples, 3/4 of the walnuts and 3/4 gorganzola. Toss well. Plate and garnish with remaining walnuts, cranberrys and more gorganzola cheese. Garnish rim of salad along plate with the sliced apples.

For the Apple Gorgonzola Salad I would use a white wine vinegar to be closer to what you would get in the restaurant. This recipe claims to be from Buca but did not include a source.
Buca Di Beppo Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/3 cup red wine vinegar -use white wine vinegar if making the following Apple Gorgonzola salad recipe

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch black pepper
1/8 cup red onion, chopped fine
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
3/4 cup olive oil

Combine the red wine vinegar, oregano, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a blender. Add the onion and garlic. Blend together while slowly adding the olive oil. By adding the olive oil slowly it will emulsufly with the other ingredients creating a thicker vinaigrette.Let vinaigrette sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. This is best made shortly before using.

Spiced California Walnuts
Source: California Walnut Board
Create simply delicious spiced walnut snack and appetizers. Adjust the ingredients to create savory, hot or sweet delights.
Servings 8
Prep Time15 min

1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water
2 Cups California walnut halves and pieces
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 225°F and line a large shallow baking pan with foil.
Combine egg white and water; beat until foamy. Add walnut halves and piecesand toss to coat. Pour the mixture into a strainer and let drain 2-3 minutes.
Combine sugar, cinnamon and allspice in a plastic or paper bag; shake to mix.
Add the walnuts; hold the bag shut and shake vigorously to coat the nuts.
Spread the nuts in one layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Cool completely, stirring occasionally and breaking nuts apart if stuck together. Don’t worry if they stick to the foil, it is easy to peel them off.
Store in a tightly-capped jar.
Makes 2 cups

Columbia Restaurant 1905 Salad

Salad Ingredients

½ head iceberg lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes, cut in eighths
½ cup Swiss cheese, cut in julienne strips
½ cup ham, cut in julienne strips (or turkey or shrimp)
¼ cup green Spanish olives, pitted
2 teaspoons grated Romano cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients

1/8 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation
Toss together all salad ingredients in a bowl, except Romano Cheese.

Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Beat until smooth with a wire whisk. Add olive oil, gradually beating to form an emulsion. Stir in vinegar and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Add dressing to salad and toss well. Add Romano Cheese and toss one more time. Serves 4.

Serve with Italian or French bread — it’s a meal in itself!

Remember to let me know which salad you like best. 

Enjoy.

Diva Dolores

Reading groups are a great way for people (yes, mostly women) to get together to share their love of reading. It’s a time to socialize, catch up, and discuss some really great books. Today, book clubs have expanded from mommy groups that talk about books during playdates, to genre book clubs, to discussing literary works during happy hour! The challenge is how to choose from all those great books out there!

But for now, enjoy the book club and reading group sites in this post. And if you’re not part of a group, you can often find one at your local bookstore or library. If you don’t have one in your area, start one today!

Book Club Girl
Genre Book Clubs
Readers Circle
Reading Group Choices
Reading Group Guides

So, won’t you share something special about your book club or reading group in the comments section?

That reminded me I haven’t cooked my favorite version of the dish in a long time.  Here’s the recipes:  

Grits and Greens

SERVES 8

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup quick-cooking grits

6 tablespoons butter

1 can turnip or collard greens (drained)

1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt

fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine the milk and the cream in a heavy pan and heat to just under a boil.
2. Stir in the grits and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in 2 T of the butter.
5. Add greens to grits
6. Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
7. Can be served as is, or you can pour in a greased casserole dish and top with a little more cheese, then broil.

Garlic Shrimp

• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 16 to 24)
• 1/3 cup clarified butter
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh if possible
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse shrimp and set aside. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add shrimp and lemon juice; cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs if desired.

Guess what I’m having for Sunday dinner. 

I hope you’ll try it and enjoy!!

Diva Dolores

The NY Sate countryside is dotted with roadside farm markets and apple orchards and, when the apple-picking season is at its peak, the air is sweet with the aroma of ripe apples. Living in Florida, I miss driving down the road with the car windows open and inhaling that intoxicating fragrance. Nothing jumpstarts my taste buds faster. Many of the orchards allow you to pick your own apples and there’s no greater fun than spending a crisp fall day in a fragrant orchard with your family picking apples with visions of delicious homemade goodies swimming though your head.

Macintoshes work well in pies, sauces, and salads and are delicious just eaten out of your hand or made into apple cider.  Since Macintosh apples cook down fast, adding a thickener to a pie helps hold the juices down and prevents spillover in the oven. When stewed with the skins on, then strained, they make pink applesauce that delights kids. One of my favorite snacks is a wedge or brie and a peeled and cored Macintosh apple. Yum.  But one of the best things about apples is that one medium apple only has about 80 calories and contains NO fat, sodium or cholesterol.

Below is a dish that I concocted as an after-school snack for my kids, but which quickly became an often requested dinner desert.  It’s quick and very easy and the calories and fat content can be adjusted with your choice of ingredients.

BAKED APPLES

1 medium size Macintosh apple for each person (I always make extras because my husband uses them as TV snacks)

1 tsp of butter per apple (butter substitute can be used)

1 tsp sugar for each apple (again, substitutes are fine)

½ tsp cinnamon per apples (or to taste)

1 box vanilla pudding – fat free or regular – made with whole or 2% milk (the cooked kind works better than the instant as the desert is better served warm)

Core the apples, leave the skin on but remove just a bit of the peel around the opening at the top to allow it to expand while baking. Place apples in a glass pie pan with the opening up.  Insert the pat of butter in the opening, then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender (baking time will vary according to the size of the apples used).

While the apples are baking, prepare the pudding according to the package directions.  Stop cooking before it reaches the thick stage.  It should be more the consistency of a sauce than a pudding. Cover and set aside.

When the apples are done, place each apple in an individual serving dish and pour the pudding over it. (My husband likes the juices from the pan poured over it as well.)

 You can order Macintosh apples at www.nyapllecountry.com

 Bon appetite!

Did I mention eating?

The best fried shrimp I’ve ever eaten is in St. Augustine at a tiny roadside restaurant on A-1-A.  Osteen’s is an old, family owned place that is known for its jumbo butterflied shrimp.  Dipped in a light batter and deep fried, it’s delicious but hardly figure friendly.  That aside, the restaurant itself may turn you off.  Extremely rustic and casual, it has outdoor restrooms and an outdoor waiting bench.  Bring cash because Osteen’s accepts no credit cards.

Aside from the fried shrimp, they serve fabulous hushpuppies (again, deep fried   ) and fresh vegetables.  There are other entrees on the menu, but I never get past the fried shrimp.  For an appetizer, they serve the best Minorcan clam chowder I’ve tasted, which leads me to this blog topic (I know, I took a long way to get here, but Diva Cheryl is easily distracted by food): The Minorcan influence in St. Augustine.

When Ponce de Leon landed in the area in search of the Fountain of Youth, he named the area La Florida, but it took another fifty years for the settlement to be named.  Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles named it for the patron saint, St. Augustine, possibly because he landed ashore on the feast day of St. Augustine.  In 1672 the Spanish started building the fort, Castillo de San Marcos, which you can tour today.  It’s a national monument and is preserved in much of its original condition, rich with ghost sightings and plenty of legends. 

In 1763 Spain ceded St. Augustine to England, and the British flag flew over the city.  In 1767 a doctor from London named Nicholas Turnbull brought 1,400 colonists from Minorca, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain.  He settled them south of St. Augustine in New Smyrna on an indigo plantation, where many died of disease or malnutrition.  The 600 survivors moved to St. Augustine in 1777, and many of their descendents live there today.

The Minorcans left their mark in St. Augustine culture with their cuisine, still popular in the area and served in the local restaurants.  One popular Minorcan dish is a simple one-dish meal called pilau (pronounced pur-lo), which is a rice dish made from whatever is available–poultry, seafood, meat, or simply vegetables–flavored with distinctive herbs and spices. 

Here is a recipe for shrimp pilau, which I have modernized for today’s kitchens:

SHRIMP PILAU

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
2 cups uncooked brown rice
2 16-oz cans whole tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 Tbsp. oil
3 stalks celery, diced
1 sweet pepper (any color) diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 pounds medium frozen cooked, peeled, ready-to-eat shrimp

Directions:
In a 4- or 6-quart pressure cooker pot over medium heat, add the oil and sauté the onion.  Add the rice and stir for 1-2 minutes to brown the rice.  Add celery and pepper.  Sauté with the rice and onion for an additional 2 minutes. Drain the canned whole tomatoes, reserving the liquid, into a blender or bowl and mash.  Stir into the pot with the rice mixture.  Then add 2 cups water plus the reserved liquid (should equal 4 cups total liquid–adjust amount of water as needed).  Add all remaining ingredients except the shrimp.  Secure the lid to the pressure cooker, bring to pressure, then lower heat enough to maintain pressure without scorching.  Time for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, remove the pressure cooker from heat and allow pressure to drop naturally for 10 minutes.  Carefully release remaining pressure and open the cooker according to your manufacturer’s specifications.  Stir in the frozen shrimp, cover, and wait 5 minutes or until shrimp is warmed (remember, the shrimp is already cooked so you’re thawing and warming it only; don’t overcook).  Test taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.  Enjoy!

The Minorcan Clam Chowder is also suitable for the pressure cooker.

MINORCAN CLAM CHOWDER

Ingredients:
1 pint canned clams (Do not drain)
1 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. pepper (I use Redneck Pepper® original)
¼ tsp. salt
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and minced

Directions:
In the pot of a 6-quart pressure cooker, add oil and sauté onions until soft. Add all other ingredients. Cover and secure lid, bring to pressure, and cook for four minutes. Remove cooker from the burner and allow it to sit 5 minutes.  Release pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Cool chowder, and store in the refrigerator. Making the chowder ahead of time allow the flavors to season. Reheat over medium heat and serve.

I’m grateful to the Minorcans for their legacy of spicy, flavorful food.  When you get to St. Augustine, be sure and sample some of it.

Diva Cheryl