Rachel Warren's Blog

I get Spring Fever. Bad. Got a rough case this year after such a long, heavy winter. And like any raging fever, Spring Fever can cause a person to do things a bit crazy when in its grip.

Today had all the glorious makings of a delightful day for a walk–sunshine, warmth, inviting blooms …. and rain. Sigh. I looked out on the world at my front door. The sunshine so bright and warm, the rain, soft and quiet like a misty veil. I gazed longingly at the freshly mown lawn that I had wanted to feel beneath my feet, saw how the water pooled in the dips, and went out in it anyway. Barefoot. Walking on the soft, springy, wet grass like an April fool.  Which I am.

It felt so good.

I know I looked completely goofy, grinning and walking shoe-less through the yard. But I didn’t care. What I had thought a hindrance actually made my day and gave me a bit of childlike glee of which I could stand to have more.

If you get a chance to be an April fool, take it. And take it from me, it’s good for the sole. And the soul. :) Here’s wishing you a rainy day.

BOOK PROMO: If you’ve read my book, The Road Home, or want to read it, you can enter to win a $25 amazon gift card by reviewing the book on amazon and telling me your reviewer name. After ten reviews are up, I’ll randomly select one person to win. 1 review down, 9 to go. Good luck!

Read my book. Review my book on amazon. Reveal your reviewer name to me. :)

When ten people enter, I’ll hold the drawing to win the gift card. A one in ten chance for $25! 9 more to go. Good luck.

The book is available at amazon. You can buy it or borrow it there. Hope you enjoy!

The Road Home

Detective Cecily Adams escapes from a car crash, bleeding, disoriented, and scared for her life. So she does the only logical thing and runs to the man she knows can protect her, her fiancé, Detective Nathan Hughes.

When the woman who’d left him broken years ago arrives frantic and frightened on his doorstep, Nathan is determined to protect her and his heart. Cecily rushes into his house and his arms like three years never happened. Because for her they haven’t. And now she needs him to help her get her memory back and find a killer who has a job to finish.

If I learned anything from The Beverly Hillbillies, it’s that come spring we all need a good dose of tonic. :) I have certainly been feeling it lately. No spring in my step even though it’s on the ground. So, I whipped up a batch of this delicious and nutritious tonic soup. A panacea for what-ails-you. Cures bloat, fatigue, and some other things you’ll find out for yourself. Even if you want to drop a few pounds, it’s helpful. Eat it 2 meals a day with a breakfast of protein and good fats, and viola!

Also might be good for your goozle.* Who knows? Granny would be proud.

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Here’s what you’ll need:

2 c. carrots chopped (I use many colors)

1 c. celery chopped

1 c. onions chopped

1 small cabbage shredded

4+ garlic cloves (I use a whole head, but I’m a fanatic so …)

1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (organic first cold pressed for me)

1 can kidney beans (pint homemade)

1 large can crushed tomatoes (qt homemade)

1 pkg frozen spinach (drain, don’t drain, up to you)

3 cartons chicken stock (3 qts homemade)

salt and pepper to taste

2 TB basil

2 TB oregano

2 TB parsley (fresh if you have it is even better)

Sauté all fresh veggies in EVOO with salt and pepper. Add to broth. Put in tomatoes, beans, spices. Cook until tender and add shredded cabbage and spinach. Cook down cabbage until tender. If using fresh parsley, add it last with cabbage.

Add other veggies and pasta if desired. I add Great Northerns, cooked pasta, potatoes, anything handy and it all goes great together. This is an easy and delicious minestrone-like soup with extra good-for-you veggies that provide some pep for your step.

Enjoy. [image error]

*If you don’t know what a goozle is . . . you never watched TBH. :)

Need a book with your soup? You can win a $25 amazon.com gift card for reading and reviewing. Simply download, buy, or borrow my book The Road Home, leave a review, and tweet, comment here, or email me your reviewer name. Once I receive your reviewer name, you’ll be entered to win. And when ten reviews are up, I’ll randomly select a winner. 1 review down, 9 to go! :)

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. Sydney J. Harris

This really hit home with me today. I’ve often let my dreams go, deferred to time, to others, to an idle mind . . . TV.  This is no way to live, letting life slip by, time and possibility sifting through your fingers like grains of sand.

Time stops for no one, but, as Emily Dickinson said, “Because I could not stop for death/He kindly stopped for me.” I do not wish to let time and death find me at my last moment having lived a wasted life, a life of no purpose, a life full of deferred dreams and regrets that render me inconsolable. Each day is a gift, a precious chance to seize time, seize dreams, seize the chance to be one’s best self, to make a difference, change something, fulfill the promise within.

So I want to live. And live well and with purpose. But most of all, I want to live with no regrets for those things I did not do, and as Thoreau, I do not wish to come to the end of my life and find that I have not lived.

I encourage you and me to consider what future we want, how we want to find ourselves when reflecting in that last moment, and to take action to change any wrong course, to find the source of our happiness, to live present and with purpose. So live . . . Today is a gift, your present. Do not squander so valuable a thing as time. Here’s wishing you a dream not deferred. :)

PS If you are interested in winning a $25 gift card to amazon, see my previous post regarding reading and reviewing my book, The Road Home, an inspy romantic suspense.

Here’s how to win:

Buy, download for free with Kindle Unlimited, or borrow my book The Road Home and leave a review on amazon.com. Once your review is up, tweet, email, or comment here and tell me your reviewer name. Once my book reaches ten reviews from commenters who contact me, I will put the names in a hat and draw at random a winner to receive a $25 amazon.com gift card!

Also, still giving away a $25 gift card for a commenter for the month of March. Two chances to win!

I love all things Irish, and St. Patrick’s Day gives me an excuse to talk with the best brogue I can muster. Sure and it does. :) My family is of Irish and Scottish origins, so we go all out for St. Patty’s. Today, I’m cooking up some cabbage and potatoes and corned beef and a nice bread and, um, dying my cake batter green. Today also happens to be my parents’ anniversary, so the festivities will be two-fold, and probably the heartburn too.

I hope you enjoy the day and go for brogue!

Giving away a $25 amazon gift card and a copy of my book. Comment to enter for this month.

Sweet Potato Casserole is a comfort dish that I love. I take it to picnics and reunions, and everyone loves it as a side dish or dessert. I think it’s dessert! This one is simple and quick. Enjoy!

Nana’s Sweet Potato Casserole

The potato mixture:

3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked, drained, and mashed

1/3 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together until smooth and incorporated and put in a buttered dish.

The topping:

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup nuts

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

Mix all ingredients and pour on top of sweet potato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Have a recipe to share? I’d love to hear yours. Comment to win a copy of my inspy romantic suspense, The Road Home, and a $25 amazon.com gift card.

In my family, we love soups, chilis, any good hot meal that makes a cold day into a cozy gathering indoors. My sister and I came up with this chili recipe one day after gathering up extra tomatoes and peppers from the garden. Not enough to can, but too many to eat up. This recipe quickly became our favorite. You can vary the heat level by altering ingredients. Make it yours. We love it hot, but mild is still delicious! I hope you enjoy it too. From my family to yours . . .

Our Family’s Favorite Chili Recipe.

2 quarts tomatoes cooked/juiced

2 bell peppers chopped

4 hot banana peppers chopped

2 jalapeno peppers chopped

1 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves minced (optional)

3 cups kidney, cranberry, or any good shell bean, cooked

1 pound ground beef, browned (we do it with an extra half onion and 1 green pepper)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp curry

3 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt to taste

3-4 Tbsp. Frank’s Hot Sauce

 

Mix the wet ingredients, add spices. Cook mixture until heated, add browned beef and beans, and simmer until it reaches your desired thickness and flavor peak. This is also a great chili to dump in the crock pot in the morning and have as lunch. If you desire thicker chili, add tomato paste. It will, however, alter the flavor somewhat. Serve with crackers, cornbread, baked potatoes. We love it with all those and often will also make Texas Cornbread to go with it. We think the peppers, onions, cheese, etc., make Texas Cornbread a great side with this chili.