Tag: Selena Robins

  • Cook Like a Writer

    With recipes, anecdotes and stories, The Book Posse brings a new twist to appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees. Check out beverages from hot coffees to cool cocktails and naughty indulgences. A special holiday recipes section will bring you new ideas for old favorites.

    Together with five of my writing buddies, we came together as The Book Posse to bring you our take on cooking, author-style. Here\’s one of the recipes you\’ll find:

    How To Make Good Coffee

    Good coffee is simple to make but takes preparation. Two things are required: equipment and beans.

    First, the equipment:

    For the best coffee, in my opinion, try a French press. They’re not hard to find; look in the housewares section of any large store or in specialty cooking shops. They do break after a while (I’ve had three and the part that holds the screen down tends to weaken over time), so don’t feel like you have to buy the most fancy one out there.

    A French press is simply a glass jar with a presser bar that has a circular metal flange, a screen and some kind of round press thingie (where it gets its name from, I suppose). When you buy it, take the lid apart. Unscrew the screen assembly from the center pole and pull it apart into its three pieces – but make sure you know what order to reassemble it. Wash everything in hot soapy water. If you buy one that can go in a dishwasher, and you have a dishwasher, run it through to sterilize it.

    As for your beans, my favorites are Jamaican Blue Mountain and the New Mexico Piñon Coffee Company. Jamaican Blue Mountain is very expensive (if it’s cheap, don’t buy it because it’s not the real thing) but I recommend going to a specialty shop and trying some. It’s lovely stuff. Much more affordable is the New Mexico Piñon Coffee Company and their coffees are pure heaven; my favorite is their Chocolate Piñon whole bean. You can sometimes find it ground in canisters at Trader Joe’s; I usually buy it by the bag directly from the company.

    The advantage to using whole beans is that they stay fresh longer. There’s a lot of debate about how to store the beans; do you put them in the freezer? Cabinet? Fridge? I store mine in the freezer. End of debate. (See how easy that was?) The theory is this: the oils in the beans will get stale and, over time, rancid; storing them in the freezer prevents this and keeps them fresh.

    Grinders aren’t pricey; you can find good Krups grinders for about USD $20 in stores and on the internet. That’s what I like to use, but you might prefer the ease of ground beans. If you’re lucky enough to find a local store that carries them, you can buy them whole and grind them at the store. If not, the company will sell you ground beans.

    How much do you use? That depends on your French press. I like the large presses; the biggest one I’ve had holds about 3 cups of coffee. Figure about a tablespoon-ish of beans per cup plus a tablespoon. (This is strong, granted; if you don’t like it that strong then use fewer beans.) Put the beans in the grinder and count to thirteen (you know, one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand, etc.) while pressing the “grind” button.

    Once you have your grounds, put them into the glass container of the press and pour boiling water over them. Fit the lid over the top but don’t press down yet. The purpose of the press is to move the grounds away from the liquid you drink; you want to let it steep first. Figure 3 to 5 minutes; I usually go by the color of the liquid. I like it dark.

    A word to the wise: the coffee becomes more caffeinated the longer the grounds are in the water. Just because you’ve pushed them to the bottom doesn’t mean the coffee has stopped brewing. If you drink the dregs, you will be super-charged with caffeine. (Ask me how I know this? I had the misfortune of finding it out the hard way, in a meeting. One of my colleagues looked at me quizzically and asked me, “Have you had a lot of coffee today?” Since I always drink a lot of coffee, this was saying something.

    Check out my compatriots\’ sample recipes too for a \”taste\” of things to come (sorry, couldn\’t resist the pun):

    \”Cook Like a Writer Cover Debut\” by Denise A. Agnew

    \”Tasty Tuesday Cook Like a Writer\” by Nancy Lauzon

    \”Changing the World One Recipe at a Time\” by Selena Robins

    \”Cookbook a Comin\’\” by Kimberley Troutte

  • Sunday Box Talk: The Next Big Thing

    For today’s offering of Sunday Box Talk, I offer you the Next Big Thing, an event where participating authors share their insights on their current in-progress novel. My agent provocatrix is Meg Allison, fellow author at Beyond the Veil and \”wife, mom, and published romance writer\” (love her tag line, don’t you?).

    I know talking about my favorite subject, my writing, isn’t exactly about the boxes of life, but here’s how I’m thinking of it: my life centers around my writing and my family or home. I think ruminating on that for a while is a useful exercise when we’re thinking about our boxes and why they’re there.

    So, without further ado, here are my Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing. Stay tuned at the bottom for links to some other participants in this event.

    TNBT: What is your working title of your book?

    Noony:  Our next book is called BOUND BY FIRE.

    TNBT:  Where did the idea come from for the book?

    Noony:  I was at my coauthor Rachel’s house and we were talking late one night. She has a print over her desk of a dragon at the portcullis of a castle and he is talking to a castle denizen. Of course, the assumption is the dragon’s there to eat the occupants, but I got to thinking, what if the dragon were an ally?

    TNBT:  What genre does your book fall under?

    Noony:  Fantasy M/M romance.

    TNBT:  Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

    Noony:  We actually selected models to play the two main characters, and use a lovely site called Beautiful. It’s a labor of love by two men in Europe and is one of the most professional sites on the internet for erotic male photography. If you haven’t checked it out, take a visit (not work safe and make sure you’re over 18).

    TNBT:  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

    Noony:  Gosh. Good question! I always find these exercises tough. We struggle over the blurb for the books we write and I hope, someday, they’ll get easier. Let’s see what I can come up with for now:

    Will Vanya, apprentice to an unscrupulous sorcerer, be able to free himself from a powerful binding with an elemental or will he become bait for a dragon?

    TNBT:  Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

    Noony:  Neither. We are targeting a specific house for this one, but we do not use an agency right now.

    TNBT:  How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

    Noony:  Not very long; the first draft only took a month or two. The challenging part has been the ending and bridges in the middle. I’m finding the endings are the most challenging part of any project.

    TNBT:  What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

    Noony:  Some of the elements of the MYTH ADVENTURES series by Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye influenced us, as well as the early Harlequin white-covers where the romance is between two people brought together by arrangement.

    TNBT:  Who or what inspired you to write this book?

    Noony:  My inspiration comes from many different places, especially my coauthor Rachel Wilder and the crew of Writer Zen Garden. I love you guys.

    TNBT:  What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

    Noony:  There are snakes, and bears, and sorcerers, and dragons. What more could you want? Oh, yes. The smut. Lots of lovely smex.

    Be sure to check out some of the other participants in the Next Big Thing:

    Kimberley Troutte’s Blog

    Selena Robins Musings

  • Tasty Tuesday – Recipes for a Toothsome Time

    Stop by the Noon and Wilder blog for Tasty Tuesday.  We have four offerings for your pleasure today.  Enjoy!

  • Monday, Monday… la la la…

    Today, I have two posts for you written by buds of mine, that I think you\’ll like.

    The first is \”Interviewing a Sinkhole\” by Selena Robins.  Selena is smart, funny, and an amazing cook.

    Yes, you’ve read the title of this blog correctly. I have interviewed a Sinkhole.

     I bet you’re wondering if my Yoga classes have finally driven me to discombobulated meditation (or temporary insanity)?

     Nope. Not yet, anyway. more>>

    The second is \”Idols and Inspirations\” by Moira Keith.  Moira is a hero of mine and her blog post discusses what makes a hero for us.

    We all have them. The people we admire and look up to. Our heroes and heroines that drive us to move forward, pursue our dreams, and reach beyond where we ever imagined was possible. I have several authors that inspire me every day. And I thought I would share some random quotes from a few of them this fine Monday morning, to inspire me and remind me why I write the way I do and what I do.  more>>

  • Saturday Showcase – Sitting with Selena Robins

    Saturday Showcase – Sitting with Selena Robins

    Selena Robins is a kindred spirit. We met through shared writing acquaintances and have become fast friends through Facebook and similar passions – writing, food, craft, and family. I\’m excited to bring you an interview with Selena in which she discusses her pursuit of culinary perfection. Please held me welcome Selena to Knoontime Knitting!

    KK: Tell me a little more about your passion for your craft. What do you like to make?

    SR: My craft is the oldest profession in the world—cooking. I’m a big time foodie, so I watch a lot of cooking shows. I love Iron Chef. I then try (the operative word here is try) to replicate what the Iron Chefs made. However, I won’t attempt anything that involves organ meats or gooey duck. My favorite things to cook is anything Italian.

    Italian food is food inspired from the soul, simple to make, delicious, nutritious and shared with family and friends with pride. Italian recipes are handed down from generations of great cooks from the mother country.

    Disclaimer: When I say recipes handed down, I’m not talking about the traditional cook book, detailing ingredients and exact measurements.

    KK: When did you learn to cook?

    SR: I learned how to cook at a young age from my mom, who was the best cook in the world. I know we all say that about our moms, but in my case it’s true. She could produce a seven course meal without ever turning a page in a recipe book or having state-of-the-art kitchen appliances or gadgets.

    It was a rite of passage in our family (daughters and sons) to learn how to make homemade pasta and tomato sauce. Emphasis on homemade. Heaven forbid an Italian is caught with store-bought sauce or worse have a can of Spaghettio’s in the cupboard. Open one of those babies and your FBI status (Full Bloodied Italian) would be taken away.

    My mom taught me to cook using my senses; sight, touch, taste, smell, listen. The latter was ultra important in our household. Always, listen to mamma.

    KK: Have you ever given your love of cooking to a character?

    SR: With my published novels, both my heroines do not like to cook, not only do they not like it, they can’t be bothered learning. However, I did give the skill to the hero’s. So sexy to see a man in the kitchen. With my two works in progress, the heroines do love cooking as much as I do.

    KK: What effect does your writing have on your cooking and vice-versa? Does one fall off when the other is stronger, or do they synergize?

    SR: The same techniques I use in cooking I also apply when writing, adding a lot of love into my writing craft. Using all the senses: touch, taste, sight and smell, creating characters, dialogue and plots that will give the reader not only a visual experience of what’s happening, but hopefully they can taste what the characters are tasting, smell the scents of the scenery, close their eyes and hear the voices (not the ones in our heads, that’s another story), but the tone of the characters, and most importantly feel the passion I (and other writer’s) have put into creating a wonderful story to draw the reader into a comical, suspenseful, mysterious and romantic world.

    KK: What do you dream of making when you have the time or skills?

    SR: The perfect pie crust recipe. I cannot master a pie crust. I can make homemade bread, cakes, pastas, pizza, but that perfect pie crust still haunts me.

    KK: Those of you who have been following the Saturday Showcase know that I include pictures of the authors\’ art. Selena has taken that one step further and included a recipe that we can try ourselves! If you try it, we\’d love to hear how you liked it in the Comments.

    Pasta e Fagioli

    This recipe can be made and eaten the same day, but it tastes even better if you make it a day ahead of time and serve it the next day, as all the ingredients and goodness marinate together.

    Ingredients:

    • olive oil
    • 5 chopped tomatoes (or a can of plum tomatoes)
    • 1 cup onion (finely chopped)
    • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 6 cups beef broth (or vegetable stock)
    • 1 can red kidney beans (drained and well rinsed)
    • 1 can white kidney beans (drained and well rinsed)
    • 1 can chick peas (drained and well rinsed)
    • ½ cup fresh basil (chopped)
    • **3 cups meatballs (use your favorite meatball recipe and make them tiny bite sized)
    • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
    • Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
    • Pasta (your choice: penne, elbow, tubetti)

    **Note: If you don’t want to make meatballs, you can use ground beef, or skip the meat all together.

    Directions:

    • Coat soup pot with olive oil and heat oil on medium. Once oil is heated, add onion and cook until onion is transparent, then add garlic and keep stirring until garlic is infused with the onion.
    • Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring.
    • Add broth and let cook (uncovered) for 45 minutes.
    • Add red beans, white beans, chick peas, meatballs or sautéed ground beef if you are using meat, and let cook for 15 minutes
    • In a separate pot, boil water and make pasta according to package directions
    • While the pasta is cooking, add the chopped basil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and let the soup keep cooking.
    • Once pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the soup pot.
    • Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

    Note: If making soup the day ahead, then don’t add any pasta, make the pasta the day you will be serving the soup.

    Buon appetito!

    Biography

    Genre-defying, witty, humorous, suspenseful, romantic and sexy — words used to describe Selena’s novels. A self-professed foodie and chocolate guru, Selena loves to dance with her dog, sing into her hairbrush and write in her PJ\’s. In love with her family, friends, books, laughter, hockey, lively discussions and red wine, (sometimes all at the same time). Selena is a dragon slayer who enjoys reading and writing sassy heroines and hot heroes (the ones your mamma warned you about, but secretly wished she’d dated a few in her life).