Breakfast in Bed

With so many things still closed due to covid, many are choosing to stay in for Valentine's Day. What belter way to celebrate V-Day than to spend a lazy morning together 

sharing breakfast in bed! 

Spice up your day with this starter!

  Mexican Fiesta Quiche 

  Ingredients: 

2 eggs, divided 

1 1/3 tablespoons water 

1/16 teaspoon garlic powder 

3/8 cup yellow corn meal 

2/3 teaspoon chili powder 

5 ounces canned pinto beans 

1 1/3 ounces canned diced mild green chilies, undrained 

2 2/3 tablespoons green onions including tops, chopped fine 

2 2/3 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

salsa, or taco sauce 

  Preparations: 

In medium bowl, beat together 1 of the eggs, the water and garlic powder. Stir in cornmeal until mixture is crumbly. To form crust, press cornmeal mixture onto bottom and up sides of lightly greased 8-x-8-x-2 inch baking dish. Beat together remaining eggs and chili powder until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except salsa until well combined. Pour into prepared crust. Bake in preheated 375 degrees F. oven until puffed in center and knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. Drizzle with salsa. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

  Microwave Instructions: Cook on full power, rotating dish 1/2 turn once or twice, 5 minutes. Continue cooking on 50% power, rotating dish 1/4 turn 2 to 3 times, until puffed in center and knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 8 to 12 minutes. Let stand to complete cooking, about 10 minutes. Makes 2 Servings. 

Picture This, A Steamy #Excerpt

Striking a pose left her breathless.  A red ribbon wrapped around his black top hat, resting at an angle over his right eye.  The shoulders of his tuxedo coat accented his broad shoulders.  The coat opened to reveal a red vest, blue bow tie and black shirt.  Josh stood with his feet wide apart, black tails of his coat hung behind legs clad in black.  He wore fingerless red and black gloves with one hand resting on a carved rabbit head on his white cane.  His other hand was fisted at his side with tension.

Lifting her eyes back to his face, Josh's eyes bore into her soul with need and desire.  His jaw was taunt, until his lips slowly slide into a sexy smile.

When Josh spotted Jenny standing next to Tracie he saw the flush in her face and enjoyed the moment of watching her eyes travel across his body.  He imagined feeling her eyes and fingers on his body without clothing.  Taking a moment to admire his Queen of Hearts, she was incredibly sexy. 

Black leather boots fit tight up to her knees.  Her risqué gown was black velvet, trimmed in white satin with red hearts on her bodice.  The long part of the gown was open in the front along with the skirt hiding what most desperately wanted in the shadows of the material.  Jenny's hair was pulled back tight with a crown of crystals upon her head.  She wore makeup and red lipstick fit for the queen.  Resting her weight on one leg, holding a glass of champagne in one hand, she looked like true royalty.

His, yes, tonight and forever, she would be his. 

With determined strides he crossed the room; his eyes never leaving hers.  Josh noticed her lips part.  Ruby red lips simply desiring to be kissed.

"You made it!" Tracie laughed.  "The costume is so you.  You’re such a Mad Hatter."

Josh stopped so close to Jenny he could feel her heat.  He tipped his hat to the ladies but only focused on one.  He carefully took the champagne from Jenny.

"Well, I'm mad," handing the glass to Tracie, he raised an eyebrow at Jenny.

Her lips parted as if she was going to speak but Josh decided not to let a word escape.  He moved forward placing one hand firmly on her back and pulled her close.  With the other hand he cupped her head and brought his lips down on hers.  She tasted so good, he could certainly get used to kissing her every day...all day. Her lips parted allowing her tongue to dance with his.

 He felt her body wilt slightly as she let out a moan when his lips left hers for a moment.  His grip tightened on her.

Queen of Hearts is available on Smashwords for 99 cents!

Check it out!

READ IT NOW

No-Stress Valentines

Valentine gifts don't have to be difficult to select. 

Don't get stressed about buying that perfect gift. Simply pay attention to what your honey enjoys. 

* A fancy Valentine box of chocolates or a big bag of Reese's? 

* A dinner out or one made together? 

* A weekend away or a night in snuggled under a blanket watching a movie? 

* Many jewelry stores offer really good deals for the holiday. 

* Check adds for sporting good stores for deals on items both of you can use & enjoy.

Think of a romantic getaway in a tent or a day hike together.

Always remember, love should be celebrated every day not just Feb. 14. 

A Morning Warm Up

9 degrees Farenheit in my neck of the woods. The dogs didnt want to stay outside long. I managed to shovel the deck before I gave in to the need for a hot breakfast.

Back inside I whipped up my favorite veggie omelet on grts. Today I used only egg whites instead of the whole egg. 

(Teen Son said he would take care of the yolks.)

Anyways...the dish was yummy!

Today's tea is Breakfast In Paris form Stash. 

Author KT Egan Talks About Romance

February is the month of Love and Romance. 

A perfect time to pick the brain of a Romance Author

KT Egan writes mainly sweet romances with some suggestive moments and is the author of the Anderson Creek Series. She took time from her busy schedule to stop by and share her thoughts on Romance.

 

Thanks for stopping by today, KT. I love your book, All You Hold On To. How would you describe your Romance Writing Style in 5 words?

KT: Sweet, with cozy happy endings.

I love sweet with cozy, happy endings. *wink, wink* What food or drink would you consider sexy or romantic?

KT: For me, the sexiest food out there is shrimp (mainly ‘cause I’m slightly allergic so it’s a forbidden treat)

Definitely agreeing with shrimp being sexy, especially when your honey feed it to you. *sigh* I’d probably end up wearing it tho. LOL We know romance isn’t perfect. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you while on a date?

KT: My now partner and I met in college. We’d been friends for a while before we started dating – but like, the kind of friends who would just hang out on campus mainly. So on our first date, we were getting in his car, and out of nowhere (and without really thinking about it) I go “Please don’t be a serial killer…and like…kill me.” It’s been over two years and he still doesn’t let me live it down.

Too funny! So….What’s the kinkiest, sexiest thing you’ve ever done?

KT: Uhhhh…I’m not really sure that I’ve done anything that could even be considered close to kinky.

Ok, I’ll give that one to you. We’ll talk more later. Back to Romance…if you could spend a romantic weekend anywhere in the world, where would you go?

KT: I would go to Aspen and spend a weekend in a little ski shack curled up in front of the fire with my partner, some really decadent food, and no internet access.

Ooooo… sounds wonderful. But how about some tunes. What are your favorite songs for love and romance?

KT: Oh there’s too many to count! Right now my favorite love ballad is Ever Long by the Foo Fighters and my all time favorite romance song is When You Say I Do by Jamestown Story featuring Michelle Rene.

 

Oh, yeah…now we’re talking. Let’s cover fragrance now. What are your favorite scents for love and romance? 

KT: Roses, vanilla, definitely the scent of a fireplace.

That certainly sounds like romance. What bit of romantic advice would you give your readers?

KT: Follow your gut – even if it leads you to make mistakes along the way. Don’t overthink it when it comes to love.

FUN STUFF:

Dine in or dine out? Dine out

Flowers or candy? Flowers

Roses or name another flower? White roses

Diamonds or name another gem? Opals

Ice cream or frozen yogurt? Ice cream

Pillow talk… flirty or dirty? Both!

Perfume or jewelry? Jewelry

Tall or dark or handsome? Or all three? Dark and handsome – height is overrated sometimes. 

Thanks for joining us today, KT! 

Find KT Egan:

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

GOODREADS

Make sure to check out her book, All You Hold On To.

BUY NOW ON AMAZON

Aspiring author Roxanne Wortham lives a comfortable life in Las Vegas. She spends her days at her nine-to-five job and comes home to her boyfriend, Ethan, and an unfinished novel that she can’t seem to crack. Her life is simple— that is, until she gets a phone call saying that her childhood best friend and ex-boyfriend, Maverick Sterling, has been in a near-fatal car crash.

As Roxanne discovers that she still has power of attorney over his affairs, she places her life on hold and rushes to Maverick’s side in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While helping him to recover, memories of childhood and old relationships resurface, making it difficult for Roxanne to balance her new life with her old one. Roxanne is left to sort through complicated feelings from her past alongside the realization that Maverick may still have feelings for her— and even worse, she may still have feelings for him, too.

Kitchen Help

I enjoy my canine company in the kitchen. The new pup, Reyka, hangs out with me but hasn't quite figured out how to stay out from underfoot. 

 

Today's dinner is pot roast using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman cookbook.

Perfect Pot Roast is on pg 120-122

The roast is the first dish I've prepared in my new Durch oven. 

Cookies for dessert. That is if they survive teen boy who keeps grabbing a handful every time he comes in to take a break from shoveling snow.

Rescue Pup Wake Up

Reyka is a 64lb pit lab mix who joined our family December 18. She's pretty rough around the edges but learning fast. Her favorite thing to do is snuggle with us in the night.

But on her first school called off snow day, she wasn't about to sleep in.

Wake up! Everyone is home! it's playtime!

#Thursday13 - Truths About Love

Thirteen Truths about Love In a Kids Point of View 

1.  “I think you fall in love why you get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn’t supposed to be so painful.” 

2. “One person who has freckles finds somebody else who has freckles and they fall in love.” 

3. “If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long.” 

4. “No one is sure why people fall in love. But I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That’s why perfume and deodorant are so popular.” 

5. “Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time.” 

6.  “Lovers hold hands. They want to make sure their rings don’t fall of because they paid good money for them.” 

7. “When people hold hands they are just practicing for when they might have to walk down the aisle someday and do the matchimony thing.” 

8.  “I’m in favor of love as long as it doesn’t happen when Sponge Bob Squarepants is on TV.” 

9.  “Love is foolish…but I still might try it sometime.” 

10.  “To make a person fall in love with you, tell them that you own a whole bunch of candy stores.” 

11. “Love with find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I’ve been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me.” 

12.  “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.”

13. “Falling in love is like an avalanche where you have to run for your life.” 
 

For more Thursday 13 lists visit the New Thursday 13 blog.

Sunny With A Chance of Happiness

 It's a chilly but a beautiful day in my neck of the woods. It's only 15 degrees outside and no breeze, I was able to walk outside comfortably without a coat to take a few photos.

Did you know sunshine is very important to your health in winter? 

According to an article in Good Housekeeping, a little bit of sun exposure is a good thing.

* Provides Vitamin D - protects against disease & slows the aging process. “Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin with strategic sun exposure, enabling the body to build bones, tame inflammation, and boost immunity,” writes Frank Lipman, MD. for Well + Good. Just 10-15 minutes a day is enough.

Vitamin D does a lot for us.

* Improves mood Half a million people in the United States have seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—which is just as serious as other forms of depression—and 10 to 20 percent of people deal with a less severe case of the winter blues. Sunlight has been shown to help improve your mood, helping keep those feel-good vibes going.

* Improves sleep

* Lowers blood pressure

Today's view from my office.
I have a large window facing the north.

Sunlight energizes also you. “When your eyes detect light, that tells your brain to wake up and release the cortisol you need to increase your metabolism and get through your day,” hormone expert Anna Cabeca, DO. Maybe lack of sunlight is why I get so sleepy some days in my office.

The paths at our local park are clear.

Get outside today! Step onto your porch & take a few deep breaths.

Let the sun touch your face.

Grab your honey for a little winter stroll and catch a few rays.

Mad About the Queen of Hearts

Love and a Valentine's Day costume party.

I was inspired to write this story after seeing this photo in a Lover's Lane Catalog.

Wouldn't it be fun to attend a Valentine's Day Masquerade Ball, 

especially if the theme was Alice in Wonderland.

Imagine all the guests dressed as the sexy versions of our favorite characters!

I did and Queen of Hearts was the result.

Jenny has secretly lusted for her sexy next door neighbor for years but won't cross that invisible line dividing friendship and romance even if it is Valentine's Day.

Josh is done with his provocative life and ready to settle down. With a few tricks up his sleeve and the Valentine's Day costume party, he takes a chance on seducing his best girl pal.

Will the Queen of Hearts allow herself to be seduced by Madd Hatter's kiss and offer of more?

Queen of Hearts is available on Smashwords for 99 cents!

Check it out!