Monthly Archives: February 2017

Mystery Blogger Award February 2017

26 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by in Books, Food, Life, Writing

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mystery-blog-award

Hi everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend. I have a few new posts coming soon, but first some news: I was nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Pat at All Day I Eat.  Thank you so much, Pat!

Here’s a link to the original post.

A little background on what the Mystery Blogger Award is: It is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. Okota Enigma 

The Rules:

Display Award Logo
List The Rules
Mention Creator Of Award & Provide A Link
Thank The Blogger(s) Who Nominated You & Provide A Link
Say 3 Things About Yourself
Nominate From 10 to 20 Bloggers
Notify Nominated Bloggers By Leaving A Comment On Their Blog
Answer 5 Questions From Nominee
Write 5 Questions For Your Nominees
Share Your Best Post

3 Things About Me:

  1. I love writing and it’s a path I’m passionately pursuing. My blog will take readers along my journey to publication. Hopefully, I’ll be able to provide some tips and humor along the way.
  2. Another passion of mine is food. Who doesn’t love to eat delicious things? From appetizers to meals to dessert – yummy, yummy dessert – I love finding new recipes to try.
  3. One day I want to travel all of Europe for an indefinite amount of time, exploring the scenery, history and culture.

5 Questions for me:

  1. What if anything, intimidates you when it comes to cooking/baking and why? I’m always nervous to try complicated or lengthy recipes. I usually gravitate toward quick and easy ones.
  2. What challenges do you have when it comes to writing? Time! Having a day job and a family can create challenges in carving out quiet time for my writing.
  3. Where do you get your inspiration? Early morning when no one else in my house is awake is when I can let my imagination and thoughts soar. The characters are usually in my mind for a while before I’m able to understand their story and write it down.
  4. Where do you see your website going one year from now? I hope to have a well-rounded and interesting blog with regular posts that readers enjoy.
  5. What is your day job? Banking

I’m supposed to include my best post, but being so new to blogging I can’t say that I have a best one yet. However, I’ll share one of my recent ones with a delicious and healthy recipe. Shrimp and Avocado Salad.

5 Questions for the Nominees:

  1. What prompted you to start blogging?
  2. What are your favorite books?
  3. Share one of your favorite quotes
  4. Are you pursuing writing/blogging on a full time basis?
  5. If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?

Nominees (in no particular order):

The Purple Almond

The Happiest Pixel

Kate M. Colby

Work Mum Balance

4am Writer

Nature Photography by Urmo Parts

Recipe in a Bottle

Cooking Without Limits

My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki

Mrs. Twinkle My Wonderful Little World

Millie Schmidt Writes

Duri Rolvsson – Stories of Adventure & Friendship

L. A. Lancaster

Jane’s Patisserie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potato Soup

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Food, Life

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This is a perfect dish for cold winter nights. Soothing and flavorful, pair it with your favorite book in front of a cozy fireplace and you’re in for a delightful evening.

As with all my recipes, feel free to play with it and make it your own. Details and pic below. Enjoy!

Until next time . . . just love, Collette

potato-soup

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 medium red potatoes
  • 1 medium sweet yellow onion
  • extra virgin olive oil (approximately 2 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s or salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
  • 13 ounces chicken broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil
  • 1/3 cup instant potato flakes (baby reds) – you can add more to create the consistency you desire
  • 1 pint 1/2 & 1/2
  • toppings: chopped green onions, grated Cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon

Recipe:

Peel and dice potatoes into small cubes. Slice onion and sauté in olive oil until soft. Add the diced potatoes and cook until potatoes are almost tender (about 5-7 minutes). Season with onion salt, Tony’s (or salt and pepper). Add chicken broth and sweet basil. Simmer covered until potatoes are tender. Mash the potatoes as you like and add the instant flakes. Stir well until blended. Add the 1/2 & 1/2 and heat over low heat until hot. Do not boil.

Garnish each bowl with toppings and serve. Enjoy!

Organization 101

09 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Life, Writing

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It’s that time of the year. Out with the old, in with the new. 

To be honest, I started on the path of clearing out and reorganizing in late 2016, but I still have a few things left on my to-do list. The feeling of starting over fresh with a clean space and a new set of goals is, well, refreshing and something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Starting was the hardest part. Knowing what I wanted to accomplish was only part one. I had to outline a plan with an end goal in mind.

One of my big areas was creating not only a space, but defined goals I wanted to achieve with my writing. I don’t know about you but I’m a big fan of organizational tools. Calendars, planners, storage boxes. All of these things make me happy. Of course, I’d also like to say that I use them to their full advantage, making my life easier and more productive, but I’d be lying. Don’t get me wrong. I have a calendar above my desk that I use regularly. It keeps me on track with appointments, school/extracurricular activities for my child and this blog schedule. However, I felt like my writing and goal-setting could use revamping.

I did some searching and came across this planner and fell in love! It’s portable, customizable and and just too cute. I started using it about two weeks ago and I’m already experiencing the benefits. I’ve used it to map out plot points, flesh out characters and set daily/weekly/monthly word goals. It’s great!

This designer also has one geared for meal prep and kitchen planning, which I plan on purchasing soon.

Decluttering is another hot topic for me right now. I’ve been cleaning out my house, room by room, and find that so freeing. Now, I’m not saying that I’ve gone full force with the KonMari Method, but I have refocused my way of thinking, keeping only what is necessary and truly important. It’s amazing what an impact a clean, organized closet can have on your life!

With only one room to go and my goals in place, I’m ready to take on 2017. Have any of you made changes this year? Please share your tips and tricks below. I’d love to hear about them.

Until next time . . . just love, Collette

 

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

05 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by in Food

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Sunday Fun Day!

Today I thought I’d share one of my favorite quick and light recipes that just happens to contain one of my favorite ingredients – avocado. Healthy, versatile and good for you. I use sliced avocado in my wraps daily that I bring to work for lunch. And please, don’t get me started on guacamole!

The salad itself consists of three ingredients: shrimp, avocado and red onion. Add the delicious and simple dressing I include below and you’ve got a tasty and healthful salad.

Light doesn’t have to mean bland. I promise you’ll love this one. Give it a try.

Enjoy! Until next time . . . just love, Collette

shrimp-avocado-salad

Recipe:

  • 1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (I saute mine in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and Tony Chachere’s seasoning. Boiled or steamed shrimp can be used, if you prefer.)
  • 1 avocado, cut into bite-size chunks
  • 1 tablespoon diced red onion
  • Dressing:
    • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
    • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon parsley, chopped
    • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • Tony Chachere’s seasoning or salt and pepper to taste
  • Once you’ve cooked the shrimp, toss with the avocado and red onion in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing then add to the shrimp mixture. Toss together and enjoy!

Write. Rewrite. Repeat.

02 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Writing

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Hi Lovelies! Hope that wherever you are, you’re enjoying your writing.

I thought it was time to give you all an agent update. No, I don’t have news to share, just a tally of my querying so far.

  • 11 agents queried
  • 1 partial request (ultimately a rejection)
  • 3 rejections
  • 8 no response

And so it goes. I’ll keep plugging away while starting on something new. Onward and upward.

My current WIP is a YA Paranormal. It’s quite different from my previous story, which is a MG Fantasy, but I’m enjoying it. YA is my preferred age range to write in; fantasy and magical realism are my preferred genres.

In my last post I talked about outlining. It’s a structure I’m learning my way around, but I can see the benefits. Having a guideline with the different plot points along the way is proving to be more useful than I expected. It’s like having small goals to work toward with each chapter – each scene – and baby steps tend to work well with me. Who knew?

Now, I’m not saying I’ve completely abandoned letting the writing muse take me wherever she wishes, but I think giving her a hint of what I want to accomplish is not such a bad idea. And I also find having a map for my story helps with writers block, something I’ve experienced more than once and know that no writer likes.

With that thought in mind and being new to blogging, I’ve been checking out other bloggers and their posts and found several I like. I’ve included a link from one blogger I recently discovered with her post about how to handle writers block. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

May your words and ideas flow freely! Until next time . . . just love, Collette