I know April Showers brings May flowers is the proper statement but this month me and several author friends are going to shower you with fun tips to make the best of this Corona Virus Pandemic, crafts and or recipes plus there is a big giveaway at the end so read on and enter! Today’s guest is Sadira Stone. Hi Sadira.
Sadira Stone: As of April 21st, Hubs and I are on our 40th day at home, leaving only for our daily walk and trips to pick up groceries. I’m so grateful to the grocery workers, medical personnel, and all the other essential workers who make it possible for us to stay home, healthy, fed, and safe. And thank heavens for Zoom and Facetime, which keep us connected to family, friends, and colleagues.
Not that much has changed in my daily routine, since I already spent the bulk of most days writing in my home office. Time I would have spent running errands is now spent reading through my huge collection of writing craft books.
What has changed, of course, is our stress level, and our lack of in-person contact with loved ones. We especially miss our weekly dart league with AmVets, an organization that supports veterans. To keep our skills up, Hubs and I play darts every evening. He’s an excellent dart player, and our Wednesday league awards frozen steaks to the winners. Here’s a recipe I developed to transform those tough cuts into a tasty soup, perfect for drizzly spring days:
Steak and Potato Soup in the Slow Cooker
Dice up a big yellow onion, about a cup and half of celery, including the leaves, and three big carrots. Into the slow cooker they go, along with three cloves of garlic, minced, two bay leaves, a generous grinding of black pepper, and about 2 teaspoons of Herbes de Provence—or whatever tasty herb mixture you’ve got handy. If you have some mushrooms, fresh, canned, or frozen, toss them in as well.
Trim the biggest chunks of fat and gristle from your steak, beef chuck, or whatever tough cut lurks in your freezer. Aim for around a pound of meat. Cut into ½ inch cubes, pepper it generously, and dredged it in flour. In a skillet, brown the meat in olive oil in two batches, adding each to the slow cooker atop the vegetables. Peel and dice up a monster russet potato (or 3 or 4 smaller potatoes, whatever type you’ve got)—again, about ½ cubes. Fill the slow cooker with four cups of beef broth (I use Better than Bouillon beef stock concentrate) and one can of Cream of Mushroom soup—the kind with roasted garlic, if you’ve got it. More pepper, a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce, and on goes the lid.
I intended to cook this on high for a few hours and then turn it down to low for 4 hours—but I forgot to switch to low, so I ended up leaving it on high for a good six hours. The result was perfect: tender meat, velvety potatoes, and a nice peppery bite. (According to my editor, I overuse the word “velvety,” but it fits here.)
I’m not sure this qualifies as a sexy recipe, though it’s quite satisfying. My newest book, Love, Art, and Other Obstacles, contains several scenes in which the main characters flirt over delicious food, including a steamy scene involving strawberries!
Title: Love, Art, and Other Obstacles
Series: Book Nirvana Series
Author: Sadira Stone
Cover designer: Rae Monet
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre/heat: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Pages 354
Rejected by her family for her bisexuality, graphic artist Margot DuPont yearns for a life with no fences, no limits, and no family ties. Between college, work at Book Nirvana, and an art competition, she barely has time for her part-time girlfriend much less a flirtation with her competitor.
Dumped into the foster system at a young age, ceramics artist Elmer Byrne craves a big, loving family of the heart. His artist family almost fills that need, but something is missing…until Margot. But when he offers his heart, her thorny defenses shatter him.
Thrown together in an art competition that could jump-start one artist’s career, but not both, their irresistible attraction forces them to reconsider the meaning of success.
Buy Links:
Amazon Barnes & Noble Apple Books Kobo Google Play
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086YLR81G/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-art-and-other-obstacles-sadira-stone/1136831927
Excerpt/heat rating
“Tell you what,” he said. “How about if we have drinks and talk about anything but the competition?”
“Because…why?”
“You’re a real hard-ass, aren’t you?” He rolled his eyes. “Because I like you, Margot.”
“Why?”
He leaned so close their foreheads almost touched, a challenge simmering in his smile. “Have a drink with me and find out.”
If there was one thing she couldn’t resist, it was a challenge. On the other hand, he might not like her so much if he knew about Darcy. Let that be the test, then. Let him prove he wasn’t one of those possessive, controlling guys Darcy warned her about.
“Okay. I will.” She stepped back. “But you should know, I’m sort of seeing someone.”
His thick auburn brows contracted. “Sort of?”
“A woman.”
His nostrils flared on a deep inhalation, but he held her gaze. “Is it serious?”
“Not really.” Might as well serve up the truth, raw and ungarnished. Might as well be honest with herself too. “She lives in Berkeley. I only see her every month or two.”
Holding her gaze, he nodded. “Okay then. Thanks for telling me.” The tense lines of his mouth relaxed into a casual grin. “So, drinks?”
Well I’ll be damned.
You can get an ecopy on sale for $2.99 May 18-29
Meet Sadira
Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After nearly 30 years in Germany, first in the U.S. Army, then as a teacher to kids of U.S. military families, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance from her home in Washington State, U.S.A. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, plays darts (pretty well), plays guitar (badly), and gobbles all the books.
Visit Sadira on All the Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadirastone/
Author newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dKLMP2
Backlist
Book Nirvana Book One: Through the Red Door
Book Nirvana Book Two: Runaway Love Story
Coming Summer 2020: Gelato Surprise, a steamy romance in a Washington State beach town. She came to the beach to find herself—and found him.
Now for the giveaway! There are two huge grand prizes and lots of other ways too win. Sadira is offering a copy of Love, Art, and Other Obstacles and a ecopy of Runaway Love Story
a Rafflecopter giveaway
2 responses to “”
I have seen Sadira’s posts on instagram. Story sounds complex and interesting! I am going to copy that recipe for my son. He has been making all kinds of concoctions in the slow cooker.
It sounds good I copied too