Christina Hollis: Oranges and Lemons

When I’m not writing, I like to grow delicious things to eat. This has been a great year for my collection of citrus trees. They're not keen on English weather, so I grow them in big tubs and keep them in a greenhouse between September and May. In early summer, I wheel them outside and line them up in the sunshine—or what passes for sunshine 800 feet up a breezy, east-facing Gloucestershire hillside!

Part of our crop 

My interest started one Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day). I told the children I'd love to try growing our own lemons. Three weeks later, on the day before Mothering Sunday, a mysterious parcel arrived. It was a little Meyer lemon tree—a present from my daughter.

We had some good crops from that tree over the next few years. Sadly a very long, cold and wet winter finished it off. Citrus fruit don’t like too much moisture, and the atmosphere inside the greenhouse was too damp for it. 

That lemon tree’s successor had almost sixty fruits on it this year. Lemon curd made with eggs from our hens is a million times better than the stuff sold in the shops. It’s a lovely deep yellow colour too, thanks to those golden organic yolks.

My orange tree only has one ripe fruit!

As well as a lemon tree, I have a Tahiti lime, and a Seville orange fruiting at the moment. I bought a small yuzu bush earlier this year, but that will need to be a bit older before it produces any flowers. 

It will soon be marmalade-making time, but my single ripe orange won’t produce enough peel and juice on its own. I’ll have to buy some fruit to add to it!

The tahiti lime is fruiting for the first time. Until this morning it has fifteen fruit on it. Now there are only eleven left, as I made what Tesco calls Key Lime Pie. I’m not sure what Florida residents will think about the recipe, but it was very easy to make and absolutely delicious. 

This picture is courtesy of Pixabay—my basic pie looked the same, but the presentation was so much prettier I used this photo instead of my own. 

Have you ever grown anything exotic?

Christina Hollis's first non-fiction book, Struggle and Suffrage in Bristol will be published by Pen and Sword Books on 28th February 2019. You can find out more about that here, catch up with her at https://christinahollisbooks.online, on Twitter, Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at christinahollis.com

Cooking with the Seasons

Pull up a chair while I fix dinner! I’ve been cooking non-stop lately, so it’s only fitting that I write my blog post while I work on tonight’s meal. My favorite time of year to cook is September through December, so it’s no surprise that I’ve been in the kitchen often lately. But I’m also feeding two of my grown sons and my husband while they work on a major house renovation, so I’m trying to pour some extra love into my cooking efforts as small way to thank them for all the manual labor.

My future office is part of the home renovation project

Tonight, it’s soup for dinner. I’m merging a recipe for turkey noodle soup and corn chowder so I get a turkey corn chowder. There’s bacon in it, so that’s always a win. Plus potatoes, noodles, corn and turkey. It’s a good post Thanksgiving meal because it puts the turkey carcass to work! I could live on soup because I like the taste, and the chef in me appreciates a one-dish meal.

My favorite soup recipes are for butternut squash and sweet potato (heavy on the ginger… I love ginger!), roasted tomato soup, and a ham and navy bean soup. I would have never imagined I’d like roasted tomato soup since I wouldn’t go near a tomato as a kid—(so sad since my father grew mostly tomatoes on our vegetable farm in my youth). But I’ve grown fond of tomatoes and I always make homemade croutons for that one, which takes the soup to a whole other level.

For tonight though, I’m working on my turkey corn chowder and find I have to make all kinds of substitutions since I haven’t been to the grocery store in awhile. Do you do this when you cook on the fly? No Worcestershire sauce, so in goes some soy sauce instead. No soup noodles, so get creative with the pasta element.

In the next few weeks, I’ll put a soup in the dinner rotation about once a week. And it’s a good thing to balance out some of the rich meals we’ll have all December long! Maybe that’s why I simplify my cooking tremendously once January comes. I’m back to grilled fish and chicken, lighter vegetable prep, and less sauces. The nice thing about living in Florida is I can cook on the grill all year long, and I take full advantage.

Win my January book

But for now, I’m unapologetically cooking with more calories (for my hard working laborers! They need it, right?!). My Christmas dinner goes all out with a standing rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. If we go to a family member’s house on Christmas Day, I’ll just rotate my own Christmas meal a day or two, but I don’t skip the chance to make those dishes that I look forward to all year long.

Free for a limited time

What about you? What’s on your menu most often through the fall and into the holidays? Do you change up your menu seasonally? I’ve got an advance copy of THE RANCHER’S BARGAIN, my January Harlequin Desire for one random commenter. And for everyone, please download my FREE book LAST CHANCE CHRISTMAS while it’s still free through 11/29.

Nicole Locke - A Medieval Feast...Sort Of.

My latest release, The Knight's Scarred Maiden, involves the heroine, Helissent, who is obsessed with cooking and baking. To understand her, I tried some of her recipes. Today, I'd like to share the Medieval Feast I, and my cousin, made (under no circumstances do I recommend trying this alone).
 
For the guests (I actually invited people over--or should I say: people actually came!), we made:

Fish with Sauce Verte

Roast Chicken with Peynreguson (raisin paste)
Fennel Soup
Rastons Bread (an egg bread, that is twice baked)
Dessert of Chardewardon (pear sauce) and Herbed Fritters

So how did it turn out?

The Sauce Verte (parsley, mint, betony, pellitory, and bread soaked in vinegar) tasted like vinegar and herbs. To save the day, my cousin added mayonnaise. It was yummy.

The Peynreguson (raisins, pepper, ginger, breadcrumbs, white wine), was ugly before and after it was cooked, but it was delicious with chicken. When I wasn’t looking my cousin added butter and champagne...as you do.

Then there was the fennel soup (water, fennel, and onions). It tasted like water, fennel, and onions. Asiago cheese was added to that.

Raston’s bread fascinated me because after the first bake, you’re required to slice off the top, scoop out the middle, saturate that in butter, put it back in, and reassemble it to bake again. I didn’t know how this would work without falling apart when you cut it. Guess what? It fell apart when I cut it. But at no time did the extremely buttered bread not taste good.

There was the delicious Chardewardon pear sauce that was supposed to be a burgundy broth with a jewel-like clarity. It looked and tasted liked spiced applesauce and the kids ate it all.

 

As for the Herbed Fritters. Out of everything, I doubted these the most. Flour, water, salt, herbs (thyme, sorrel, parsley, marjoram), fry, and slather with honey.  I was concerned the herbs would make it taste soapy. But I was wrong. The little dough balls could have handled a lot more herbs, and they were devoured by the pickiest eater.  

Will I do it again? Yes, but I won’t tell my family what they’re eating next time. Using the word Medieval made the children suspicious.

More importantly, did it give me a good idea of what Helissent shared with the hero Rhain in the story? Maybe. But I suspect she is a better cook than me….

 

You can read my other misadventures on different recipes on the Harlequin Blog May 25, June 2^nd and June 13th. http://harlequinblog.com. I've also shared recipes on my website. http://nicolelocke.com

Nicole

Nicole Locke is the author of Harlequin Lovers and Legends series. For more information about her and her writing, check out her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.



 

What's for Dinner?

by Joanne Rock

Available now!

When I was writing historical romance, I was frequently frustrated by the lack of texts handed down

by women. There are a few notable pieces from medieval times, spiritual writings or diaries, penned by powerful nuns or queens who could afford the expense of preserving their thoughts and who were well educated enough to write them down. Some of the more mundane texts by women that have survived the times are recipes, cooking instructions and ingredients lists that sometimes contain amusing asides about potential preparation hazards.

I am not surprised that at least a few of these writings survive given the necessity of cooking in everyday life and how much it has dominated feminine time for decades. Even now, when we can throw dinner in an “Insta-Pot” we still need to share recipes and idea for how to best use the tools available, and there is no escape the endless rounds of shopping for ingredients. Cooking take time. Furthermore, with studies showing that kids who take part in regular family meals are more well-adjusted, happier, higher achieving, you name it, we are called upon to make a ritual of eating. That means more thoughtful planning, table setting, shopping. If we’re lucky, there will be wine.

I have a binder full of recipes that I’ve acquired since getting married. My favorites are written in loved ones’ handwriting. My grandmother’s scrawled notes on cheesecake. Beloved dinner meals from my youth that my mother wrote down for me. My mother in law’s bonus notes on choosing cuts of meat after I confided that I was often flummoxed at the butcher window. I feel the love when I read those notes.

Available April 1st

But there are other personal recipes that call to me, too. I have a handful of emails from my critique partner, Catherine Mann, from the crazy years when we were both trying to sell our first books, writing constantly while raising lots of kids. Cathy’s asides are all about how to make things better, faster and tastier, how to adjust a main meal for the younger set so that there’s less time spent on prep. Like every other arena of my life, my cooking efficiency benefitted from her friendship.

In a life filled with books, my recipe binder is one of my most important. When I move houses during the year, it’s one that always goes with me. I can understand why medieval women made sure their cooking notes were well protected throughout their lifetime. Long after my latest romance novel is out of print, I hope my granddaughters will find something to smile about in the cooking adventures of their granny Joanne.

***

Friends, my husband brought home a rice cooker for me this week. Any hints? Fav recipes to share for a writer still looking to make the kitchen work faster, easier and tastier? I’d love to hear any and all dinner suggestions! I’ll give one random poster an advance copy of my May Harlequin Desire, The Magnate’s Marriage Merger. In the meantime, I hope you’ll look for the prequel book, The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride, available April 1 from Harlequin Desire!

A Tasty, Snacky Recipe

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving - I'm ready for it, but I still can't believe that it's here. It seems like we should still be rummaging through the leftover Halloween candy, don't you think?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, from the parade in the morning to the football that will be on for the whole rest of the day. I like that turkey-coma feeling, and I love pumpkin pie, and I even like that it takes nearly six hours of prep for a meal that lasts less than an hour.

You know what I don't love? Cleaning up (which is why we've instituted the Kristina Cooked It, Someone Else Cleans It rule at Casa Knight). Also, after slaving away for six hours, the last thing I want to do for about a week afterward is cook. And there are always people in our house who come looking for snacks an hour or so after the big meal.

I know, after all that turkey who has room for snacks? It's a mystery to me, too, and yet every year - usually in the middle of the second football game of the day - someone (*coughRadioMancough*) comes into the kitchen looking for a snack. I've found that sometimes a little spice is the perfect thing to make turkey-tummies happy. So, I'm sharing my super-simple Easy, Cheesy Dip recipe today. It's so easy there are 3 ingredients. Seriously, three.

Ingredients:

1 container of Philadelphia Cream Cheese - the kind in the foil wrapper and don't go with the light version
12-16 oz of salsa - brand is your choice. I'm partial to Tostitos or On the Border
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: 

Allow the cream cheese to soften for 45 minutes before beginning preparations. Once softened put the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and pour the salsa over it. Stir with a spoon until well mixed - you don't want chunks of un-mixed cream cheese. Put the mixture in a serving bowl and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Cover and refrigerate until party time!

Although this dip is great with tortilla chips, I think it's the best with Fritos Scoops. Also, if you like a lotlotlot of spice, add some sliced jalepeno.

That's it. Enjoy! Do you have any favorite snack recipes - especially those that are super-easy for the holiday season?




Kristina Knight's latest release, Protecting the Quarterback, is available now from Harlequin Superromance: 

This is more than just a game … to her

Sports broadcaster Brooks Smith has always been more involved with the game than the players. But after she shares the spotlight at an awards ceremony with tabloid sensation Jonas Nash, one night of letting her guard down around the infamous quarterback spirals into many heated days and nights together when she gets assigned to the story of the year…

The hottest player in professional football is hiding a secret that could end his career for good. Now Brooks is caught on the sidelines between the job she loves and the man she is falling in love with.

Amazon  B&N  KOBO  iBooks  Harlequin

You can find out more the book and Kristina on her website, and feel free to stalk follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

Taking a minute to relax...

I and a get-up-and-go sort of person.  I'm usually out of bed by five and generally hit the ground running.  Between family stuff, books I'm writing and books that are out and about...and gardening, my love of cooking and...  Well, I don't chillax very often.

But I work at relaxing.  One of my favorite ways over a hot cup of coffee (or two, or three...) and the newspaper in the morning, or over reading a good book (I know, shocker, right?). And even though it is technically work, I find gardening and cooking relaxing as well.

And one of my all time favorite ways to relax, especially here in Erie is a sunset on the lake...

So here's today's short blog...what are you favorite ways to relax after a busy day or a busy week?

Holly

PS. Here's one of my relaxing moments...combining my love of cooking and gardening!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

www.HollyJacobs.com 

Hold Her Heart, 9/16

Same Time Next Summer, 7/16

I Waxed My Legs for This? 6/16

A Day Late and a Bride Short, 3/16 

Christina Hollis: Monkey See, Monkey Do, Choux...

Last week I had a real eureka moment, courtesy of the internet.

By Andrew Knowles

I learned to cook by watching my grandmother. In her day, women didn't work outside the home after marriage, so she went from creating dishes for aristocrats to catering for her own family on a fraction of the budget. When I was little, if I wanted to try making a recipe from one of her old books, it had to be something economical. One thing I always wanted to try but never did was choux pastry. Not only does it contain butter and eggs, it then gets filled with Chantilly cream or crème pâtissière and topped with  chocolate ganache. That was several extravagant steps too far for Gran!

Years later, once I’d left home, I tried making choux pastry.  It was an inedible disaster. I never got as far as experimenting with any classy fillings or toppings. Then the Great British Bake-Off started on TV and I decided to try again. I used the basic choux recipe from this Bake-Off challenge (I wasn’t mad enough to think I could construct religieuse, I just wanted to get the pastry part right!). The result was at least edible, but as DD said, they looked like “fried pinwheels”.  I adjusted the oven temperature, in case my oven wasn’t hot enough. Batch two was better, but still heavy and close textured so I gave up. Then OH reminded me that my home-made bread improved enormously after I watched Daniel Stevens baking on TV. Before that, I'd been following recipes to the letter but the texture of perfect dough was something I needed to see before I could get it exactly right. 

That sent me straight to YouTube, where I found this 101 on choux pastry...

and yes, there's a world of difference between following written instructions and actually watching someone work. I didn't use the quantities in the film, it was the consistency of the paste while cooking and when ready for piping that I needed to see. My next batch of choux pastry turned out perfectly, and was filled with crème pâtissière and topped with shiny chocolate ganache (though I still didn’t bother turning them into religieuse).  If only I’d been able to see Gran working with the right consistency of choux dough years ago, I could have saved myself a lot of time and effort.  

What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned online? There’s a signed book from my backlist for a comment drawn at random on Monday, 18th November.

Christina Hollis – Hedgerow Harvest

Coe's Golden Drop

After a practically non-existent harvest in 2012, we were hoping for a better year this year. It didn’t get off to a good start. Only two of my colonies of bees made it through to spring. Both were headed by new young queens, but the foul weather last summer meant neither had been properly fertilized. They couldn’t lay replacement workers, so those two hives soon died out as well.  It meant for the first time in  four years the hum of honeybees was missing from our garden. That was sad enough. Then forestry work out in the wood sent the deer in the direction of our garden.  All the lower branches of our cherry, plum and apple trees were nibbled to death. The lay of the land around  here means it’s impossible keep them out, so we resigned ourselves to having no fruit for a second year running. The orchard at Tottering Towers now resembles a Capability Brown landscape in miniature, with trees pruned drastically to livestock-height. We thought things horticultural couldn’t get any worse - until the rodent population exploded. Our cat can cope with the mice and voles, but with the garden encircled by trees, most of the squirrels can bounce out of his reach. When rabbits finally returned to our neck of the woods, it felt like the last straw. 

Damsons

Then unexpectedly, things began to look up. We finally shook off the cold, wet spell that lasted from winter right through to midsummer. The sun started to shine, and forgot to stop. Our local beekeeping group managed to raise enough new stock to sell replacement colonies to those who, like me, had lost all their bees.  Best of all, our garden went into overdrive.  The blackcurrant bushes produced about double their normal yield of fruit, while the remaining branches of  our fruit trees are bowed down with fruit. Even the damson tree my sister gave us for our wedding anniversary a few years ago rose to the challenge. Unusually, it didn’t have many flowers on it this spring, but just about every one it did have turned into a fruit. They looked ripe last week so I tried one. Big mistake. The taste was so sharp, it made me pucker up like a Siamese cat in a wind-tunnel. It’ll be a while before they’re even ready to turn into jam.

Blackberries

At the moment I’m busy trying to grab windfall apples before the deer can hoover them up. It’s been such a good year for brambles, the hedges are full of them. Here’s a really simple recipe for making the most of this hedgerow harvest. The amount and type of fruit can be varied according to what you have available. You just need to make sure you have about a pound and a half of prepared fruit in total. 

APPLE AND BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE

1.5lbs peeled, sliced cooking apples and washed blackberries

Sugar to taste

4oz flour

3oz butter or margarine

2oz demerara (brown) sugar

3oz rolled oats

Put the prepared fruit into an ovenproof dish with sugar to taste and a couple of tablespoons of water.

In another bowl, rub the fat into the flour. Stir in the sugar and oats. Spread this crumble mixture evenly over the fruit, making sure to cover it completely. Cook in the oven for around half an hour at 180°C, (fan oven 160°C) Gas Mark 4, or until the fruit is cooked and the topping is golden. Serve it hot or cold, with plenty of custard, cream or ice cream.

What’s your favourite fruit dish?

You can read Christina's blog at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com and see a complete list of her published books at http://www.christinahollis.com