I have the wonderful honour of kicking off our special event "week"  of Christmas carols - which is actually not a week but 12 Days. And so how appropriate that I get to kick it off with The Twelve Days of Christmas!

Of course we're starting things off on December 19, but the first thing to remember about this song is that it is really about the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany. This is the time when the Wise Men made their journey with gifts to the new baby king - so a song dedicated to the bringing of gifts is pretty appropriate.

Epiphany ends January 6, so the Twelfth Night meant celebrations! In some cultures the last day is known as Three Kings Day or Day of the Kings - and for some this is the time that gifts are exchanged, rather than on December 25.

There are tons of opinions about the meaning of all the gifts, enough that my head was swimming. Instead of bringing you all the various interpretations, I thought instead I'd share a few of my favourite versions. Ready?

And one that my girls STILL love even though they are wayyyy past Sesame Street age. The video is a synchronized light show, but the clincher for me is ONE DELICIOUS COOKIE:

Of course if you're a traditionalist at heart - you can't go wrong with Perry Como.

Either way - to celebrate the season I'm giving away a copy of ANY of my 2011 releases as a way of winding up the year. Just leave a comment and we'll choose a winner and you can have your pick of my 2011 titles (there are five! Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle; Honeymoon with the Rancher; A Family For The Rugged Rancher; How a Cowboy Stole Her Heart; and Off the Clock).

Happy Holidays!

Have you ever been to a cookie exchange? I went to my first one last Sunday and had a blast. All those treats!  Even better, the exchange was part of a bigger program. The Women’s Ministry at Centerpointe Christian Church here in Lexington used their December event to support a ministry called the Refuge for Women. The Refuge is a safe place for women who want to leave the adult entertainment industry. It’s an awesome program and one that is much needed. Yesterday’s event was a combination of education for those of us attending, gift giving to the women and children at the Refuge, and . . . cookies. I’ll get to the cookies, but they weren’t the best part of the day.  The best part was seeing changed lives. As the women spoke, I thought of the Old West, brothels and how few choices women had then and sometimes even now. Today we have many more options, but once a person goes down a rabbit hole of abuse, drugs and the allure of quick money, it’s as hard to get out as it was for a woman in the Old West who found herself alone and in need for whatever reason. The subject’s been on my mind a lot lately.  My current project has an 1894 story line about a crusading young woman from Indiana who goes to Cheyenne, Wyoming to teach school. Her story isn’t pretty. The handsome outlaw she meets is alluring but not hero material. Not at all. She goes down that rabbit hole of abuse and is afraid to go home. She’s about as low as a woman can go when her father comes to her rescue. Things turn around for her, just as they are turning for the women at the Refuge. It was pure joy to share the holiday with a mom recently reunited with her son and another woman thriving in a new career. It was sweet indeed . . . Which leads me to the cookies! There must have been 50 different kinds, everything from decorated sugar cookies to ooey-gooey concoctions of pecans, caramel, peanut butter, coconut and every other ingredient in the baking aisle at the grocery store. The cutest were the reindeer cookies. I brought Christmas Tree Spritz. They’re super easy. I had planned to bring something else, but I’ve been in the hurt locker with a tooth problem. If it weren’t for the tooth (which included a trip to the ER for pain meds and an antibiotic shot), I would have made “Nana Bylin’s Almond Crescents.”  Just for fun here are the recipes for both.

Super Quick Spritz Cookies

• 1 lb. butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4-1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar.  Add beaten eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add flour.  Use a small cookie press on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until bottoms are just slightly brown. Makes about 10 dozen little cookies

Nana Bylin’s Almond Crescents

• 1 lb. butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 lb. raw almonds, ground fine in a food processor or blender
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add almonds and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour. Shape into small crescents, about 2 inches long. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar. Makes about 8 dozen cookies. Merry Christmas to all! I hope your holidays are filled with bright lights, beautiful music, reindeer on your roof, cookies, love and good cheer.

One of the things I love about Christmas is traditions. I'm a farm girl, and I have a lot of "country" based traditions that I remember fondly. Some of them have gone by the wayside as I bring up my own family, but I remember them with a special sense of nostalgia, and one of the things I love about writing Christmas stories - in particular westerns - is that I can bring those traditions back to life. Sometimes I think those traditions are part of what's missing these days, too. Our lives get so busy that it's a challenge to take the time to put in extra effort-  it's easier to go into a store and buy it. But there really is nothing like a down home holiday and I think readers like them too - it provides a connection that they might not experience, or it may bring back fond memories too. So what makes a down home Christmas? Do you all know the scene in Christmas Vacation where they go out looking for the Griswold Family Christmas Tree? It's a little extreme, but there's nothing like going out in the back 40, finding the perfect - or not so perfect - tree and cutting it down for Christmas. Then freezing your feet off when you haul it back on a toboggan, and then put it in a Christmas tree stand and turn it to hide the "bad" side. For our family, it's also Christmas carols and movies. We have our favourites and make a point of watching them curled up on the sofa, or playing the carols as we work around the house. When I was a girl, I adored The Sound of Music. And I lived for Christmas specials on television. DVDs have kind of made that a little more "unspecial" because you can watch it when you want, however many times you want. How about a candlelight Christmas Eve service at church? When I was a girl we also used to gather at my brother's house after church on Christmas Eve and have a potluck. My fond memory of that time is my sister in law's chocolate bundt cake with peanut butter frosting. MMMM! And speaking of food - how many traditions revolve around food? I'm guessing more than any other. There's the Christmas dinner, of course, complete with turkey and stuffing and potatoes and vegetables and any number of desserts. My mom used to make a steamed pudding with sauce, and she always had pie for anyone who wasn't into pudding. But beyond the meal there's so much more to enjoy. For me, it's the making of it that is as special as the eating. I have carried a lot of traditions forward to my girls. Some we've changed to suit our tastes - making shortbread is a big one, and fancy iced cookies, and my daughter makes a gumdrop cake each year and her younger sister is the master of Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters. I remember being in the kitchen and making mocha cakes with my mom - what a mess! My mom did so much Christmas baking she could feed an army - and often did. We had a lot of drop in company in December, or she'd go to a church or community function with a big tray of goodies. Peanut Butter Balls, Scotch Cakes, Mocha Cakes, Doughnut Holes, Squares of every variety.... And there was always time to put on a kettle. When the baking was done and the mess cleaned up, it was pretty normal to find my mom sitting with her latest knitting project in her hands, too. That's how you'll find me a good portion of the winter - especially Sunday afternoons, curled up with my girls and a movie. It's those sorts of things that make me really happy to be writing a holiday story right now. Not just drawing on the experiences but the warm, happy feelings that the memories bring. I can't wait to bring this story to readers next November!  

   

  Poor Thanksgiving Turkey doesn't stand a chance. I have this vision of Santa bringing up the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade with spurs sparkling and guns blazing!  A signal, for "Let the holiday madness begin!" There's hardly time to put away the turkey leftovers with Black-Friday sales starting at 10pm Thanksgiving night...sheer madness. I'll admit, even as I write this post, I'm waiting to check out some Black-Friday on-line deals. I'm all for nabbing those sales...without the crowds ;-)  How bout the rest of y'all--anyone braving the crowds today? I'm having my own Black-Friday giveaway today! One comment shooter will win a western holiday tin star and a yet-to-be-released LARGE PRINT copy of my first book, MUSTANG WILD. I received a box of these new large-print books last week, along with the news that my first two books will finally be available in e-book format on December 15th. I'll be giving away e-books next month on my Facebook Fan Page, so sign on to my FB Fan Page if you're interested!    

I'd love to hear some Black-Friday survivor stories :-D

Any mall-mishaps or Tickle-Me-Elmo tug-a-wars in your past? Come away with any amazing deals? What's the earliest you've hit the stores? I did the whole 4 a.m. thing ONE time, and my cell phone beeped around 8 am--it was my niece letting me know my 5 & 6 year-old boys had just seen me on the morning news with my arms full of Hot-wheels and Pokemon. Another reason Black-Friday can be dangerous, those sneaky news crews ;-)

Hoping everyone had a fun Thanksgiving and wishing y'all a smooth ride into the winter holiday season!

 

 

Thanksgiving Delights

By Joanna Fuchs

 On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for Our blessings all year through, For family we dearly love, For good friends, old and new.

For sun to light and warm our days, For stars that glow at night, For trees of green and skies of blue, And puffy clouds of white.

We’re grateful for our eyes that see The beauty all around, For arms to hug, and legs to walk, And ears to hear each sound.

The list of all we’re grateful for Would fill a great big book; Our thankful hearts find new delights Everywhere we look!

Hi everyone. Our Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA is tomorrow. For the last several years, I have not “cooked” a big Thanksgiving dinner. With my daughter going to LA every year at that time and my son opting for McDonald’s so much of the time in the past, there just wasn’t a need to make a big dinner. Yes, my husband did complain. Every year. But he never offered to help with anything, either.  In desperation, we tried different traditions—the “Festive Fajita Party Pack” from our nearest Mexican restaurant, which is wonderful, by the way; the “Smoked Turkey Dinner and Fixin’s” from a fantabulous barbecue place we love…but of course, it wasn’t the same. This year, my daughter will be home with us, and she wants “the dinner.” I haven’t bought my turkey—or anything else. It’s Tuesday.  I’m not stressed, though. Let me tell you why. I have the money in the bank to buy those groceries.  So many people don’t. If I want to make sweet potato pie, I don’t have to skimp on the marshmallows. If I want to make turkey, I don’t have to worry about one brand being ten cents cheaper than the brand I really want. And best of all, I can buy both kinds of cranberry sauce, since I’m the only one in my family who really loves the whole berry kind.  So I’m very thankful for the fact that I don’t have to worry about being able to provide the menu I want to make for this holiday dinner. I have learned to cook pretty darn well. It wasn’t always this way, believe me. My mother was a wonderful cook, but being a child of the 60’s I couldn’t have cared less about learning from her. I was happy with a hamburger (which I did learn how to make for myself) and chips. I learned how to cook only after I got married—and there were quite a few trial and error “errors” that had to be tossed. They were unsalvageable. So I’m glad that now I have learned through the years and am able to do the job right at this point. I have the physical ability to cook. This may seem like a little thing. We gripe and complain sometimes about having to fix a meal, but I promise you, one short walk through a nursing home will make you thankful for so many things. Seeing the older people there who would give anything to be able to prepare a meal once more, or go work in their gardens, makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for—even the simple preparation of a holiday meal takes on new meaning. I have a wonderful family. And this year they are all going to be home for Thanksgiving! So many military men and women are far away from everything familiar in dangerous situations. Families separate as children grow up and move away. It’s not always possible to get home for the holidays. And many homeless men and women have no families to go to. I have fantastic memories of growing up, all of us gathered around my grandmother’s table, or wherever we could manage to find a place to perch with our plates. We spilled out onto the porch, into the living room, eating in shifts. Of course, the men ate first.  It was a huge gathering—my grandmother had eleven children. I have thirty-three cousins on my mother’s side of the family. When we were done there, we’d go to my dad’s side and visit. There were only eight cousins there, but two of them were boys and loved to play cowboys and Indians. What could be better? Another blessing to be thankful for—boy cousins who were just my age. A good time was always had by all, and that was the holiday that brought everyone home to granny’s house, even if they couldn’t come at Christmas. I had a cousin, Julie, who was a few months older than I. She was my “partner in crime”. One Thanksgiving, we spotted a package of six Milky Way candy bars in the refrigerator—our favorite. With everything going on, we managed to sneak the package out, and she hid it in her jacket. We made it out the door and into the nearby woods. This was quite a trick since she had three younger siblings at the time. We ate those candy bars, three each. I can tell you, I was feeling sick when I ate that last bite. But we were so proud of ourselves for managing to get them out undetected and to actually be alone to commit the rest of the crime. When we got back to the house, our Aunt Joyce was beside herself. It turned out, she had bought those candy bars for a specific purpose—to make her “Mississippi Mud Slide Cake” that two of her brothers-in-law had requested. Of course, as eleven-year-old children, we’d never even thought that the candy bars might be needed for a recipe. We laugh about it now, but at the time, it was serious stuff. These are only a few of the “everyday” things that I’m so thankful for. This is really just the tip of the iceberg. When we think of everything we have in this beautiful world, it’s impossible to make a list of things to be thankful for, isn’t it? What are you thankful for this holiday? Do you have a favorite memory to share? Come on, we'd love to hear it! HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

 

One of the things I like to do at holiday time is regale my guests with fascinating facts.  This takes their minds off the burnt rolls and lumpy gravy--works every time.  Below are some interesting tidbits to share at your own table. They work even without culinary disasters.

 

 Now Let's Talk Turkey

 

• We all know that Columbus was geograpically dyslexic and thought the land he discovered was part of India. Since he’d heard that India was highly populated with peacocks he named the large birds “tuka,” which  means "peacock" in  the Tamil language.  Actually turkeys are related to peasants.

 

• Turkeys happened to be the most plentiful meat available at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, which is how the tradition started.  (Aren’t you glad the most plentiful meat wasn’t squirrel or ‘possum?)

 

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird and one day a year he gets his wish: 91% of us eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

 

• The Apache Indians thought the turkey timid and refused to eat it or use its feathers on their arrows.

 

• Only toms gobble.  Hens make a clicking sound.

 

• Be warned:  If you want to go “natural” and catch your own turkey you better get yourself a good pair of running shoes. A spooked wild turkey can run up to twenty miles per hour. They can also burst into flight with speeds of at least fifty miles per hours in a matter of seconds.  Domesticated turkeys can’t fly.

 

• Turkeys are more delicate than they look. They can drown if they look up in the rain and have been known to have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys dropped dead.

 

• The first meal in outer space was—you guessed it—turkey!

 

• We’re told to be extra careful in handling poultry but that wasn’t always true.  It was common practice for store owners to hang turkeys in the window for display.  A 1910 edition of The National Provisioner ran an article on why butchers lose money on turkeys.  According to the article turkeys often had a “foul” smell on Thanksgiving day, resulting in the customer storming the store the following day for a refund.    (We now know the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday but back then it was more like Red Friday since store owners had to appease disgruntled housewives with refunds.

 

• From the same article: “Those turkeys are on the road two or three days or more before the butcher gets them….then they hang in his window in foul air all night.” The  writer goes on to say, “The customer who buys one puts it in a dinky little icebox—if she has one.  If not the windowsill will do as well, or so she thinks.”  The writer urged butchers to store turkeys in coolers and stop the habit of window displays.

 

• Not all turkeys hung from windows.  The Los Angeles Fruit store in Tombstone in 1886 advertised fine live turkeys.

 

• And in Arizona Territory turkey shoots were popular on the day prior to the holiday.

 

• Wild turkeys have a very different taste from farm-raised turkeys. Almost all of the meat is "dark" (even the breasts) with a more intense flavor

 

• We have the turkey to thank for TV dinners.  In 1953 Swanson created the dinners because they needed to do something with the 250 tons of frozen turkeys left over from Thanksgiving. 

 

See if you can answer this question: What every day item on your Thanksgiving table was not on the pilgrim's table in 1621?   Try to guess for a chance to win a copy of the New York Times Bestseller A Log Cabin Christmas. 

 

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

 

 

     

Yeeehaw! It's Stampede week once again and Calgary is rockin' to great food, great music, and great rodeo! Stampede Royalty usually refers to the Stampede Princesses, but this year the celebration is a little extra special. Because a new Princess is in town with her new husband: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge! A lofty title for the couple the world knows best as "Wills and Kate".  And the gorgeous pair helped kick off the Stampede on Friday! Upon their arrival in "Cowtown", they were presented with the equivalent of the keys to the city: the White Hat. Custom made thanks to measurements provided by the palace, the Smithbilts were given to the couple filled with the good wishes of the people of Calgary. They didn't put them on right away, but later wore them during their Stampede appearances. I know Catherine gets the majority of the interest as Princess, but I have to say Wills is looking AWFULLY good in his plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves, jeans, and hat. What I love about Will is that he looks great in a suit as a Prince - but just as much at home in his flight suit (man in uniform! Gah!) and now - in cowboy gear (double gah!).         And look - here they are with our Prime Minister (also a Calgarian!) watching my favourite Stampede event - Mutton Busting! There's something so gosh-darned cute about kids on sheep!       But the couple actually arrived in Calgary a bit earlier, taking a helicopter west for a secret night away in a remote cabin in the backcountry around Lake Louise. Reports say that a special "loo" was built in the rustic accommodations just for the occasion. A friend of mine took her kids to the airport to catch a glimpse, and her son (same age as my youngest!) snapped a photo of the couple chatting with the helicopter pilots on the tarmac. Stampede is always special, but this week it's a little extra special for that touch of royalty.

June 23^rd is National Penny Day (some calendars have it listed as National Lucky Penny Day).   In honor of the occasion I looked up a few interesting facts about that ubiquitous copper coin to share with you:                         

• Pennies are normally considered lucky.  Remember the old jingle “See a penny, pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck”?  And many a bride has placed a penny in her shoe for good luck.  (I certainly did).
• The Continental Congress authorized the first US penny in 1787.  It was designed by Benjamin Franklin and was made of pure copper.
• In 1909, on the 100^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the very first Lincoln penny was issued.  It was the first regular issue US coin to honor an actual person.
• There are more pennies produced in the US than any other coin.
• In 2009 there were approximately 150 BILLION pennies in circulation.
• A 2006 national poll revealed that 74% or males and 84% of females stop and pick a penny up off the ground when they spot one.
• As of May 2010, it cost the US mint more to create a penny (about 1.67 cents) than its face value. 

All that being said, I’ll admit to being surprised that the lowly penny rated having a special day set aside for it since that poor copper coin hasn’t gotten much respect lately.  In fact, over the past several years there have been ongoing debates about whether or not we should do away with the penny all together.  Those opposed to doing away with the penny argue that it will cause prices to go up as merchants round everything up, that many charities depend on penny drives to bring in funding, and that Americans on the whole are traditionalists who have a sentimental attachment to pennies. Those on the other side of the debate argue that pennies are all but worthless on their own (you can no longer buy anything for just a penny), processing pennies wastes time (there are statistics that show the average individual spends about two and a half hours a year handling pennies or waiting on folks who handle them), producing pennies wastes government time (if we did away with pennies the Mint would only have half the work to do). As for me, though I’m normally one of those sentimental traditionalists, it wouldn’t really bother me unduly to see them permanently retired.  I don’t carry any around with me if I can help it.  Any that do end up in my wallet get transferred to a large jar I keep by my front door (see picture).  On the other hand, if I spot one on the ground, I can’t resist picking it up for good luck  :) .                                     So what about you?  Are you for or against our government continuing to mint pennies?  And do you have a penny jar of your own?

 

Margaret Brownley

 

and Daughter

 

Robyn Fennessy

 

 

 

The following article appeared in several major newspapers around the country and was written by my good friend Lee Duran.  I wanted to share it with you--and wish you all a very happy Mother's Day.  Be sure to print off my daughter's yummy recipes at the end of the article.

 

Bestselling author and professional chef team up for Mother's Day

          The result is tasty recipes to go with national popularity of books

 

One writes bestselling inspirational romance novels and on a famous occasion burned the orange juice; the other is a Le Cordon Bleu chef. 

 

Together this odd couple is mother Margaret Brownley and daughter Robyn Brownley Fennessy.  They’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day together with the rest of the family on May 8 when Margaret, who earned the sobriquet  “Microwave Mom,” graciously allows Robyn to do all the cooking—the dream of many a mom.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       )

Although they’re pursuing wildly differing goals, they’re also busy supporting each other while respecting the differences between them.

How does a writer support a chef?  “She cooks and I eat,” Margaret says with a laugh. “It works out very well.” 

 

And how does a chef support a writer?  “By creating recipes inspired by the flavor of the novels,” Robyn says.  “I whip up desserts to capture all the romance, sweetness and fun of Mom’s books.  I started with a luscious Rocky Creek Chocolate Mousse Torte for the first book in her current series and the idea just took off from there.”  The recipes are a great promotion tool and Margaret includes them on her website and in her newsletters.

 

Margaret has written more than 25 novels, including the bestselling western historical Rocky Creek series for Thomas Nelson.  The third and last book in the series, “A Vision of Lucy,” will be released June 28 in both print and e-book.

 

Margaret’s writing career began, and ended, early.  She wrote her first book in fifth grade—a mystery without an ending.  Unimpressed with Margaret’s essay on why she wanted to be a writer her eighth grade English teacher not only flunked her but suggested she not even think about a career as a writer.

 

Dream squashed, she did little writing until she became editor of the church newsletter many years later.  After making a church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her then pastor took her aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”

 

Robyn’s dream began with an Easy-Bake oven when she was eight and carried her through to a full scholarship to a Cordon Bleu school in England—presented by Julia Child.  She also trained under Master Chef Raimon Hoffmeister.

 

On her first day on a job in a hotel restaurant, she said, “An irritable head chef greeted me by declaring ‘Women don’t belong in the kitchen.’”

Which just happened to be her mother’s philosophy so she didn’t take it to heart.  She currently does private catering and will answer all your cooking questions at www.chefsline.com.

 

Margaret, a 2010 Romance Writers of America RITA finalist, is currently working on a new book series.  And yes, she really did burn the orange juice while trying to defrost it in a pan.

 

Here are a few of the recipes Robyn created for her appreciative mom.  “I hope you enjoy them, and that everyone has a happy Mother’s Day,” she says.

  

RECIPES:

Robyn created a nutty crust to represent the fictitious town of Rocky Creek, Texas in her mom’s book.  The same crust can be used for both the Chocolate and Raspberry Tortes.

 

Ingredients For Rocky Creek Crust:

½ cup butter                                 1 cup flour ½ cup chopped blanched almonds ¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (omit for raspberry torte)                     

Directions for Crust

Preheat oven 350°. Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add flour, sugar, cinnamon and almonds.  Cook, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.  Press into the bottom of a Torte pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

 

Rocky Creek Chocolate Torte

Nothing says romance like chocolate, which just happens to be this mother/daughter team’s favorite treat.

 

Ingredients for filling

8 oz sweet or semi-sweet chocolate, melted

6 tablespoons butter, softened

3 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream (make sure it’s heavy)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 egg whites

¼  cup sugar

 

Directions for filling

Beat the soft butter into melted chocolate.  Beat in egg yolks one at a time.  Beat the cream and add vanilla extract. Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Sprinkle in sugar by spoonfuls and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. Fold into chocolate mixture. Whip cream and gently fold into chocolate mixture.  Turn the mousse into prepared cooled Torte dish. Cover and chill for several hours.  Decorate with swirls of whipped cream or raspberries.

 

  

Rocky Creek Raspberry Torte

Robyn calls this torte the perfect ending to a summer meal.

 

Ingredients for filling

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 cups whipped cream

¼ cup sugar

 

Directions for filling

Whip three cups whipped cream and chill. Combine 1½ cups raspberries and sugar. Heat and stir over medium heat until liquid. Stir in gelatin. Remove from heat and scrape into a large bowl. Cool five minutes. Add one cup chilled whipped cream to raspberry mixture and mix well. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Pour into cooled prepared Torte Pan.

 

www.chefsline.com

www.margaretbrownley.com

 A Vision of Lucy (A Rocky Creek Romance