Rustic Potato-Leek Soup
- At March 22, 2013
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
You might already know this, but I’m an extemporaneous cook. Recipes are guidelines. Creativity rules. Therefore, my instructions can be a bit… vague. But really, when it comes to soup, how wrong can you go??
This week, my youngest spawn is lying on the couch with tonsils the size and colour of rotten plums. When they’ve been sitting in the fridge drawer for, I don’t know, a couple of months. Between the pain, and the appetite-killing antibiotics, she’s not eating much. But soup works, so here’s what I did today.
Chop up an onion, a couple of leeks and a bunch of potatoes. Toss them into a pot, where you’ve got a couple of tablespoons of oil heating. Sweat everything until the onions are clear and limp. Add a box of chicken broth. Cook until potatoes are soft. Puree the whole thing with your hand-held mixer-thing. You can use a blender if you’re careful. I have a history of cleaning soup off the ceiling, hence the hand-held device. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I use sea salt. It just tastes better.) Last, add about a cup of cream, half-and-half or evaporated milk. I use evaporated milk, because of, you know, cholesterol. It would taste awesome with heavy cream though.
Garnish with flat-leafed parsley and/or fresh chives. I thought cheese would be a nice addition. My daughter liked it with Gruyere. I liked it with Asiago.
Super-easy soup, especially for the pathetic tonsillitis-afflicted spawn lying on my couch. Warm and smooth on the throat.
As soon as I figure out Windows 8, I’ll add photos.
Don’t hold your breath.
Romancing Rakes Interview
- At March 18, 2013
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Just in case you missed my interview with Jamie and Kati of Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance, I’ll paste the transcript here. What a great time I had with them!
There’s still a few days left to enter to win a Kindle, too, so don’t forget to get your name in!
Jamie and Kati: Hi Roxanne! Welcome to Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance.
Roxanne Snopek: Thanks! I’m happy to be here!
J&K: Share 5 fun facts about yourself.
RS:
- I like anchovies and I’m not ashamed to say it.
- I got my first tattoo last year, at age 49. Pretty sure there will be more.
- I had my appendix removed at age 14. My sister, brother, one daughter and one niece all had their appendices out around age 14. And they say appendicitis isn’t inherited. (Of course, my husband had his out last fall, which blows my theory. Hm. Maybe it’s me…)
- I go a little bat-crap crazy when I see spelling and grammatical mistakes in advertisements or signs. Rabbies vaccines? REALLY? Nature’s Pickin’s? Nature’s PICKIN’S WHAT? (Oops. Time for my crazy pills!)
J&K: Share a little bit about HIS RELUCTANT RANCHER[no copying blurb :)]
RS: It takes place a few months after Rory and Carson’s story in Three River Ranch, during a Montana winter, bleak, cold, deadly. Into it bursts Desiree, with her vroom-vroom sports car, va-va-voom body and potty-mouth, and pretty much knocks hero Zachary for a loop. There’s grief and longing and pain and a yummy massage scene. There’s horses, cows, dogs, cats, and the cutest kitten named Rogan you ever met! That’s all I can remember.
J&K: What is it that makes your hero and heroine perfect for each other?
RS: They understand each other. They’ve got some similarities in their backgrounds and each of them is able to see perfectly the blind spots of the other. And don’t we all just love to have our mistaken beliefs pointed out?
J&K: If your book were to have a theme song, what would it be?
RS: The intro to Hockey Night in Canada, or whatever it’s called now. I finished this book right around when the hockey strike ended and my husband was in major hockey-withdrawal. Apparently they’re now forever linked in my mind.
J&K: Do you have any writing rituals? (blasting music, eating cookies, drinking wine…)
RS: Silence in the bat-cave. Distractions make me crazy.
Typical scenario happened just now.
“Hey Mom,” called my daughter from the kitchen. “You know what’s interesting?”
I yelled back, “WHAT!!!” with such force that she came to check on me. I guess I sounded mad.
J&K: If you were stranded on an island, what 5 books would you take with you?
RS: HAHA! My e-reader! Gotcha! Okay, okay. You’re right, there’s no power on this island.
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. (My tattoo is a quote from the book.)
- Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD. (Myths!! Folktales!! Psychology!! Plus if I was a Wise Woman, I’d probably figure out how to get off the island)
- Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (So twisted, so disturbing, it would make me grateful for my peaceful pigoon-free island)
- The Blue Castle by Lucy Maude Montgomery (because who doesn’t dream of a blue castle?)
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (why not? I’ve got time.)
J&K: What do you have next in store for readers?
RS: I’m working on the third and fourth books right now. One will be the story of Carson Granger’s brother Mitchell (the one who looks like Keith Urban!!) and one will be the story of Celia Gamble and Jonah Clarke. Since I haven’t figured out a poster-boy for Jonah yet, Mitch’s story will probably be up first.
Lightning Round:
1. Alpha or Beta? Alpha, baby. Bring it.
2. Wallflower or Belle of the Ball? I’m a TOTAL wallflower.
3. Debutante or Spinster? I love spinsters… I love imagining why they never married, who they loved and lost… so many questions! Plus, they often turn into Wise Women.
4. Virgin widow or Secret baby? Secret baby! I’ve got a series in the works, all riffs on the secret baby trope.
5. Titled peer or Working man? Workin’ man. Muscles, you know.
6. Love at first sight or Second chances? Hm, second chances. I’m very indecisive.
7. Naval officer or Swashbuckling pirate? Pirate!
8. Vampires or Shifters? Shifter… Alcide, preferably.
9. Western Historicals or Western Contemporaries? Contemporaries.
10. Writing or Reading? READING! Are you kidding? Writing is HARD.
11. Paperbacks or e-books? 50-50. I told you I was indecisive.
12. Plotter or Pantser? Again, a hybrid mash-up of each. You see? It’s a problem.
13. Author’s choice: I’m going to poach my favorite question from this interview. If you were stranded alone on a deserted island, what book would you most want to have with you? (Don’t say your e-reader, I tried that.) And why?
J&K: Thanks for visiting us Roxanne!
RS: Thank you! It was a pleasure!
Don’t forget to visit the site and enter the contest!
Buy His Reluctant Rancher on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Books on Board, iTunes or Amazon.
Interview and Kindle Giveaway!
- At March 11, 2013
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Hello friends! As many of you know, I’m deep in the midst of a multi-stop blog tour to celebrate the release of His Reluctant Rancher, the second in the Three River Ranch series. The tour-wide giveaway is a KINDLE – how cool is that? And you’ve got opportunities to enter at each blog stop. Some of the stops include reviews of the book; some are guest blog posts by me; some are interviews. The interviews are a lot of fun, and this one at Herding Cats & Burning Soup went particularly well. Good chemistry, I think! Sigh. How I love book bloggers…
Do take a look and let me know what you think. Don’t forget to enter to win! That’s my bribe. (And don’t feel that because you actually know me in, like, real life, that you shouldn’t enter. I’d LOVE to give my prize to someone I know in, like, real life. The “like” is a nod to my lovely daughter Pik, who cannot seem to utter a sentence without it. I mean, like, I like the word like too, but like, I don’t need to, like, use it in, like, every sentence.)
The rest of the tour is posted here, and goes something like this:
Official Blog Tour Stops
Wednesday, 2/27 – Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
Friday, 3/1 – What I’m Reading
Monday, 3/4 – Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance
Wednesday, 3/6 – Bookin’ It Reviews
Friday, 3/8 – Herding Cats & Burning Soup
Monday, 3/11 – RhiReading
Tuesday, 3/12 – The Book Cellar
Thursday, 3/14 – Urban Girl Reader
Friday, 3/15 – Janna Shay’s Fair Play
Monday, 3/18 – My Reading Room
Wednesday, 3/20 – Whispers at Moonlight
Friday, 3/22 – Ramblings From This Chick
And for anyone wishing to, like, clean up their language, here is a step-by-step program:
Don’t forget to hit “LIKE” after reading.