Wow, It’s November and the Holidays are looming. This month I thought we would talk about some of our favorite parts of the Holidays so you can learn more about your favorite authors and how they celebrate. You may even get a character or two! Today’s Guest is Shirley Hailstock.
Cat: Thank you, Shirley, for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us.
Shirley: Thank you Cat for inviting me. Today I have come to talk about food then share about my book Hot Nights in Honolulu.
Food, The First Wonder of the World ( All those others are second)
One of the greatest pleasures in life is food. We’re not going to talk about
what’s healthy or what we shouldn’t eat. The holidays are coming up and we all
know there are no calories in Thanksgiving or Christmas meals.
I love to cook. But I want to cook for a crowd, experiment with new
recipes, and come up with something different and unexpected. So holiday
gatherings are my love. And as the leaves turn gold and red and pumpkins
appearing in every doorway, I look forward to the coming holidays.
Like most families, we have competitions on who makes the best
dressing for the turkey. By far my nephew wins. Consequently, he gets to
reproduce it every year. If you’re good at it, it’s your job. My specialty is the
macaroni and cheese. A sister, two years younger than me got the job of doing
candied sweets (short for sweet potatoes in our family). I also do the Sweet
Potato Puffs (sometimes called Sweet Potato Casserole). Yep, two sweet
potato dishes. Remember, they have no calories so we can have as many as
we want.
A few years ago, I decided to add something we’d never had to the
menu. My son called it the First Time Dish and the name stuck. I dug through
my Betty Crocker Cookbook (that is battered and taped, and I’ve had it since the
flood) and came up with creamed onions. Now I know many people have had
these and love them. I’d never heard of them before that date, but the recipe
sounded good so I tried it — made it for Thanksgiving with no previous taste
test. I also didn’t apologize prior to serving them. If the family and guests hated
them, I’d never make them again. Needless to say, they were a crowd pleaser
and the subject of “this is something different” conversation.
In subsequent years, wherever we gather there is always the First Time
Dish on the table. We look forward to it. As a family, we cook all the standard
familiar and favored foods, but we look forward to seeing what the new one will
bring. Without a miss, it’s been the crowd favorite, the one you want more of
and on the day after the holiday, the question is, “Where is that First Timer? I
want more.”
Here is a photo of my favorite Pumpkin Spice Bran Muffins. I don’t have the recipe since my grandmother taught me to cook by measuring by hand.
Have you ever done this? Have you found a recipe in a magazine or
online, maybe in the back of a romance novel and tried it? What were some of
them? And if you’re ambitious, by all means, post the recipe. I’d love to try
something new. Maybe at our holiday meal this year, it will be on our First Time
menu.
As always, keep Reading. . .
As always, keep Reading. . .Shirley Hailstock
Title: Hot Nights in Honolulu
Series – Ticket to True Love Series
Author name – Shirley Hailstock
Publisher name, release date – Self Published 11/5/2019
Cover artist: JB Schroeder
Pages: 116
Category, heat rating: Contemporary Romance / Heat Level: Sexy
Melissa wants to believe in the legend of the fountain waters, but nothing ever
happened to her in True Springs. Spiriting off to Hawaii, she’s surrounded by
flyboys and the women they see when on the island. Melissa refuses to be one
of them. Then pilot Jordan Scott steps into her world. Will she use the vials of
water from the spring and take the chance that he is her ticket to true love?
You can add it to Good Reads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48708486-hot-nights-in-honolulu?
And BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/hot-nights-in-honolulu-ticket-to-true-love-by-shirley-hailstock-and-ticket-truelove
How about a little teaser? ( heat rating – 2)
The house was quiet when Melissa woke. Memory of the night before
brought a smile to her face. Lazily, she turned onto her stomach, stretching and
cooing as she hugged her pillow as if it were her lover. Melissa didn’t want to
get up. She wasn’t working tonight and she was unsure of Jordan’s schedule.
Her Jeep was still at the hotel and Hailee remained in the guest room.
Reluctantly, Melissa pushed the covers aside and stood up. Wearing
only a T-shire, she pulled her bedroom door open. The smell of fresh coffee
practically guided her to the kitchen – that and the sound of voices.
Forgetting her attire or the lack of it, Melissa stepped through the door.
“Melissa,” Hailee said as if she was surprised to find Melissa in her own
home.
However, it wasn’t Hailee that had Melissa’s feet rooted to the floor. It
was Jordan. He sat on one of the stools at the counter dressed only in
swimming trunks. Thankfully, they were the long shorts type and not a body-
molding Speedo. Yet, he looked at her as she was the one naked.
You can buy it here:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Nights-Honolulu-Ticket-True-Love-%20ebook/dp/B07XBPCSYL/
Apple: Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/hot-nights-in-honolulu-ticket-to-true-love/id1478678271?ls=1
Google: Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Shirley_Hailstock_Hot_Nights_in_Honolulu_Ticket_to?id=rJ-sDwAAQBAJ
Meet Shirley:
Shirley Hailstock began her writing life as a lover of reading. She likes nothing
better than to find a quiet corner where she can get lost in a book, explore new
worlds and visit places she never expected to see. As an author, she can not
only visit those places, but she can be the heroine of her own stories. The
author of twenty-five novels and novellas, Shirley has received numerous
awards, including the Waldenbooks Bestselling Romance Award and The
Emma Merritt Award from Romance Writers of America. Romantic Times
Magazine awarded her a Career Achievement Award and The New York
Chapter of Romance Writers of America gave her their Golden Apple Award
for Lifetime Achievement. In addition, one of her books was included in the
Top 100 Romances of the 20th Century list and she is a recipient of Fairleigh
Dickinson University’s highest award, the Pinnacle. Shirley is a past president
of Romance Writers of America. Her books have appeared on Blackboard and
Library Journal Best Seller Lists.
You can Stalk Shirley:
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/shirleyhailstockfan
Twitter – @shailstock
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/shailstock/
Website – http://www.shirleyhailstock.net
Email – shirleyhailstockfan@gmail.com
Shirley is offering a digital copy of Hot Nights in Honolulu to one lucky person! check out the Rafflecopter below. This will be open until November 29th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
2 responses to “There are no Calories in Thanksgiving #goodfood #holidaygatherings #ShirleyHailstock”
I love the “first wonder of the world” and agree! Oh, and body-molding Speedo. Check!
who doesn’t like the body molding speedo…?