What's in your oven?

Hey Hey everyone and welcome!

Can you believe that 2019 is almost done? How the heck did that happen???

As the year draws to an end I know may people spend time reflecting on the past 11 months or setting goals for the next 11 months.  Me???? I bake.

As I shared last month I love Thanksgiving, it makes the perfect bridge into the baking season. Because if I'm honest everything I do for the following month and half requires food of sometime....
Looking at lights???? I've got a cookie and drink for that :-) (Amaretto cookies and hot chocolate or for the kiddie crowd - chocolate covered cherry cookies and hot chocolate)

This is a local display... so much fun

Making a snowman??? I have the prefect pancake breakfast (heart shaped pumpkin spice)

Or

Maybe you are decorating the house and tree - a big bowl of puppy chow is a must!

Did you go to a candy cane hunt and end up with 249 candy canes??? Well, I have a cookie to use them in. 

I share most of these in the free recipe book  I made that goes with my sweet Christmas romance - The Christmas Reunion - Recipes

If you decide you want to read a sweet Christmas Romance that has a bear, North American cougars, marmosets, and serval cats with  a 6 year-old and snowman building contest here's the link - The Christmas Reunion

While some of these are tried and true recipes, I'm always up for new ones. Actually, it is my goal to try five to seven new recipes a holiday season. This isn't welcomed with open arms by my family. They want the tried and true. But as with my most things, I'm about the adventure. Now while about 90% of what I make is a welcomed replacement...there are those not so successful.

Like the asparagus blueberry shortcakes- we love asparagus, we love blueberries, we love shortcakes. But we don't love them mixed together.  But as with life you never know unless you try. For example, my hubby is certain bacon doughnuts would be awful, while I don't think there is such  a thing as an awful doughnut... okay maybe asparagus blueberry... he tried them and like Sam I am, he loved them!

I'm looking forward to cooking many new things in 2020. I'm going to start Keto in January. I've sort of dabbled but I've committed all of January to Keto.  I have the menu made - I used Keto Made Easy for my recipe ideas. One's I'm forward to trying are the Cauliflower baked Ziti and loaded cheese nachos.

I'm also cooking up some new recipes for my current WIP - What's In the Pie...

I also have novellas coming out for a new series - Adrenaline Rush - these will be the  guys I'm cooking this series with. Yeah, sometimes life is hard ;-)

So what is in your oven??? I love to try new things :-) Have a great holiday...see you next month

Exploding Turkey...

Happy Thursday everyone! For many of us next week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.

This is hands down my favorite holiday. It's calories without guilt and more importantly it is a time that everyone is encouraged to take a minute and 'count their blessings'/look at the positive/be thankful (or your wording of choice).

Sometimes I need this reminder that I have a lot to be thankful for...this year has been rough.

Charlie was hit in the head this summer which resulted in a concussion which led to finding out that he had a traumatic brain injury when he was 1 and 1/2 to 2 (before coming into my care) which explains some of his behavior.

I found out that I have diabetes (the lack of a steady diet of doughnuts has been brutal). Learning how to manage it has been stressful and often challenging. I know all of you parents/grandparents aren't going to believe this but my 7 year old grandson didn't want to give up Carbs...he doesn't want his meatballs on zucchini noddles... I know SHOCKER!!!!

I had a scare with cancer.

And there were a few more things...so it would be easy to say 2019 sucked hairy troll toes. BUT...there were good times - so many....

Watching the sunset ...and wham you're taking a shower!

Celebrating a good report

Another day...and it's beautiful

Doughnut bling is almost as good as eating one

Spiders will be destroyed

Making homemade ravioli 

writing his 1st song

creepy setting for a story

Finally doggie hugs

 And for me this time of year is all about the memories of this year and all those before it...
Like the time I made Thanksgiving for my family and the turkey exploded... I mean we had turkey guts all over the entire oven. To the point it was a serious conversation if it could be cleaned or if we just needed to get a new oven!

We've all had those moments/events right?

So has my main character Joleigh in Christmas Reunion (a sweet romance with lots of animals). She runs an animal rescue reserve. She needed to build a holding area for 2 serval cats that were going to come and live on her reserve. She had the housing she just needed to get the fencing up. And it had to be totally enclosed. And it’s November (she lives in Wisconsin so it’s cold). And her then 4-year-old wanted to ‘help’. She told him to go inside the small house and make the beds for the cats. He’d be out of the way and warm. After struggling with the wire with cold hands. She finally gets the enclosure done – it’s totally self-contained with only a small hole for the food and water. She’s proud of herself. She calls her son. He comes out of the house. Proud of himself also for the beds he made. She then realizes she has NO way to get him out….

Where to buy Christmas Reunion

Universal Buy Link https://books2read.com/u/mVBJEM
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-christmas-reunion-lyncee-shillard/1029765839
iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1442851217
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-christmas-reunion-2

I'd love to hear your 'oh no' stories! See you next month

Bright light in the dark night....

As I've mention before I live in cold Northern Michigan. Not only is it cold...it's gloomy. November had less than 9% sun! BOOO!

Because of the lack of sun, the short days, and the cold, Christmas lights have become my favorite part of the holiday. You are never too young or too old to enjoy Christmas lights. AND they can be enjoyed while eating a doughnut or hot chocolate cookies (the recipe is on my blog if you are interested - )

I love the Christmas parade...I really think I enjoy this more than the summer ones. Granted I'm dressed in 10 layers of cloths but it's soooo beautiful.

Then is the guy who has been doing this for years and now has over a 500 people come and visit his house...

He has a fire to roast marshmallows...

Christmas music is in the background....
It's soooo much fun!

And for those fans of the Polar Express... We've got that!

Now with all this visiting you'd think my house would be something out of movies - right?

Wrong! I have a tree...and unless you come inside you won't be able to see it.

Christmas lights is a tradition I love to observe but have no desire to be a part of.


While I don't do lights in my 'real life' I do in my writing. In my sweet Christmas romance - The Christmas Reunion - they decorate the animal reserve in lights. Each animal guest has their own theme.

Is there something you enjoy observing but have no desire to be a part of?

The Christmas Reunion is available - here

Blurb: 

Five years ago, Joleigh Nelson turned her back on the only man she'd ever love to save her father and unborn son's lives. Now that man may be the only one who can save her home, the New Forks animal reserve.

Spencer Thompkin has spent the last five years in an emotional wasteland.  Unable to let anyone in after Joleigh disappeared without a word.

On a routine foreclosure of an animal reserve, he finds not only Joleigh but a son he never knew about.

Can he get over the feelings of betrayal and help Joleigh save her home – the animal reserve? Or will the heartless lawyer part of him prevail leaving Joleigh homeless and without her son?

A Christmas Reunion may not even be enough to save the animal reserve and restore their love.

My Muse was Kidnapped!

I'm not a winter fan. Which is odd since I live in the cold cold snowy Northern Michigan...This was what happen this past Thursday (Thanksgiving for me)....Snow...

 but that didn't keep us away from the beach...oh no! We still played on the sand dunes....just dressed a little differently :-)

But what happens when the Christmas spirit becomes your muse? 

   You write a sweet Christmas romance! I wrote a sweet Christmas romance…

                                No dead bodies

                                                No steamy sex

                                                                No VODKA!!!!

But there is ….

                                A sweet five-year-old

                                                A snowman building contest

                                                                AND animals… lots of animals.

While it doesn't have vodka.... it does have some yummy recipes. These are a holiday favorite at my house and I made them Harper's fav too... well because I'm the author and can do that ;-p 

They are butterscotch pancakes... ohhhh soooo good!

What you need....

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

·         2 tablespoons brown sugar

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/2 tablespoon fine salt

·         1 1/4 cups buttermilk

·         1/4 cup melted butter

·         1 large egg

·         1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or to taste

·         1/3 cup butterscotch chips

·         cooking spray

What you do....

1.      Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

2.      Mix buttermilk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Add to flour mixture; stir until just combined. Fold butterscotch chips into batter; allow to rest 5 minutes.

3.      Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat; coat with cooking spray. Pour in 1/3 cup batter; spread with the back of a spoon into a circle just over 1/4-inch thick. Cook until edges are set; 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.

AND it has a GREAT AMAZING Cover (thanks to Lia Davis at Glowing Moon Designs PreMade Covers). 

Blurb:

Five years ago, Joleigh Nelson turned her back on the only man she’d ever love to save her father and unborn son’s lives. Now that man may be the only one who can save her home, the New Forks animal reserve.

Spencer Thompkin has spent the last five years in an emotional wasteland.  Unable to let anyone in after Joleigh disappeared without a word.

On a routine foreclosure of an animal reserve, he finds not only Joleigh but a son he never knew about.

Can he get over the feelings of betrayal and help Joleigh save her home – the animal reserve? Or will the heartless lawyer part of him prevail leaving Joleigh homeless and without her son?

A Christmas reunion may not even be enough to save the animal reserve and restore their love.

The Christmas Reunion is available at Amazon
                                                              Other distributors

Have a great weekend!!! And try the pancakes ;-)