Nicole Locke: Where's the Choice?

There’s a poem I read years ago. It was about ice cream and a little girl. When presented with a choice between two flavors, the girl replied, ‘Both!’ If anyone knows of this poem, I’m desperate to read it again.

I’m not desperate about grocery store choices. Holy Moly are there a lot of food choices in America. And for a person who doesn’t like to shop, I am deeply flummoxed with the food here.

For example, I went to the store for coffee. There were 50 brands staring back at me. I’d like to say thank you again to that kind lady who approached me slowly, and now that I reflect on it…a little warily, and suggested a brand though I never asked her. Did she see my panic? Did she wonder if the store would close and I’d still be there?

I’d also like to say, I’m not crazy Mr. Laughing-At-Me in the candy aisle. Yes, every woman talks to herself while choosing chocolate bars. When did America get so many choices in chocolate bars?  Did I want chocolate with natural mint, with quinoa and black rice, with bacon? No, I simply wanted plain dark chocolate, but that was in a different section altogether. And let me tell you, you don’t want natural mint in your chocolate. There were leaves in it. Leaves!

Don’t get me wrong. I understand about different flavors. And in that, I want choice, but when the choice means there is bacon in my chocolate bar, I think we’ve gone too far.

Or have we? Should there be limit on choice? Because, obviously, marketing was done with a panel of people. They liked chewing leaves while chocolate melted in their mouths. So maybe choice is okay.

Maybe it’s not the novelty foods I find the most frustrating. Maybe it’s just that all the novelty foods have replaced the staple food.

It’s not the choices of food I’m missing, but the variety. Why does my store have 50 brands of coffee, but I had to find a clerk to show me where the green lentils are? I’ve been to many stores. Either the pulses are on a shelf in the back on the bottom and covered in dust (true!), or they are put in fancy bins.

Why are spices so limited? Where’s the yogurt? And why is staple food in bins with gasping prices?

I’m not a gourmet cook. One of my favourite ‘recipes’ is spaghetti, butter and marmite with parmesan cheese (thank you, Nigella). I’m not picky. I’ll happily eat those eggs and ham.

I simply want to be like that girl with the ice cream. Not with two choices of ice cream, not with only novelty, I want staple food like it used to be, too. But I wonder if I’ll ever get that choice….

I know I’m new back to America and shopping, but what's the strangest food you've come across?

 

Nicole :-)

To find out more about Nicole Locke, visit her website, and follow her on Twitter.

 

Celebrating the Release of The Knight's Broken Promise, the first book in the Lovers and Legends series!

 

 

 

 

 

Food and Travel and 'The Sinner's Marriage Redemption' - Annie West

If you know me you'll also know that some of my favourite things are food, travel and romances. What's not to like? So it's with great pleasure that I share the news my latest romance, THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION, is on sale now. It's one of a collection called the Seven Sexy Sins! Yes a book for each sin. I'm thrilled by this story. Writing it was fun and challenging too as it's different from any romance I've written. it definitely had a different vibe when I wrote it and redeeming a hero with Flynn's particular hangups was a fun challenge. But I fell for him along the way, which made it far easier. One of the great things about this story was the fact that I got to do some wonderful research for the book which included travel to a place I've always wanted to visit, and of course the chance to taste some local treats. What could be better? So strap on your seatbelts ready for a little armchair travelling and tasting.

First up though, here's a taste of what the story is about. 

A merciless mission  

There are three goals self-made magnate Flynn Marshall set out to achieve:

1. A multimillion-dollar business empire

2. Acceptance in the highest echelons of society

3. A wife to make him the envy of all men!

Flynn’s ruthlessly accomplished his first goal and he’s on his way to the second. As for the third, he will rush stunning, well-connected Ava Cavendish to the altar at the first opportunity. A trophy bride should complete his plans, but passionate Ava and the desire she inflames in this untouchable CEO threaten to turn his carefully ordered strategy on its head…

 

And now to the travel. I've posted the Australian cover here as it includes a location shot. It's a bit hard to make out but do you recognise this gorgeous European city?

 

Okay, that was a tough one. The city is Prague in the Czech Republic - filled to the brim with quaint buildings and bridges, spectacular views and a river that turns the red roofed city into something quite special. The first part of THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION is set in Prague. In fact every scene is based on somewhere I visited! Here's a quick peek of the town hall square from the top of the clock tower.

 

And here's proof that I was there. This is on the long, hot walk up to the citadel. No, that's not red wine I'm drinking, but cherry juice.

 



 

One of the local treats on offer was this spiral of deep fried potato. If only the weather had been cold I'd have been tempted. But I visited in a heatwave. I'll have to go back in winter when I hear the city is just gorgeous too.

 

That didn't stop me from trying the hot dishes on offer at night. Here's my first evening meal in Prague - pork with sauerkraut, two sorts of dumpling and a local beer. The Czechs really love their dumplings!

 



 And of course I needed to try the local version of a kebab in a cellar restaurant! I must admit though that the size of the serve surprised me.

But one of the best things about Prague in warm weather is the ice cream, often with fruit. Sigh. This was at a pavement café in Wenceslas Square and it tasted as good as it looks.

 

Do you have a favourite food or drink treat for summer? I'd love to hear.

It's winter in Australia now but I'll store up suggestions for the warmer months.

 

If you want to see more photos of Prague, drop by my website and you'll find some of the places that inspired the book on the page for THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION. There's also a contest running till 10th August with chances to win signed books.

 

And if you want to snaffle a copy of my Sinner, here are a couple of links to buy:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Depository

Kobo

Harlequin





Food Travel! Annie West

I've recently returned from a short overseas trip. It was an absolute treat even if it was work-related. Because, of course, even when you're meeting editors and authors or researching locations for stories, you have to eat, right? And after all, travel is meant to broaden the mind (and the waistline if I'm not too careful) and you learn a lot about other cultures from their food, don't you? So of course you have to try some of the local specialities along the way, don't you? That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

Actually this is one of the joys of travel for me - exploring new tastes in a place as well as sights and sounds and talking to the people. Flavour is often a shortcut for me to remembering a place I've been and so useful when I'm writing about a far away location. If I think about the food, I can place myself there instantly!

So here are just a few of my recent food adventures from my flying visit to London and Venice a couple of months ago. At the top of the page is the top tier (of three) from high tea at a very nice London hotel. The cake on the left is beetroot and orange (and surprisingly yummy). The citrus macaron was fantastic and yes, that is a coffee bean covered in gold leaf on top of the coffee slice! Who'd have thought afternoon tea could be so decadent? Next time I want to have a hero seduce a heroine in full public view I'll have him take her to high tea!



 Of course with food, it's not just the tasting, is it? I came across so many ornate displays that must have taken hours to perfect. The one above is in a room full of sweets in Harrods in London.

And then there was Venice. Fantastic food, especially the seafood. But here are some sweet treats that caught my eye. You probably can't tell from this photo but these were enormous! Too much, in fact for one person. A great excuse to share with a friend.

And the food doesn't even have to be ready prepared for eating. I love wandering around markets and seeing what the fresh produce is like, even if I'm staying somewhere without a kitchen. Naturally I gravitated to the markets in Venice to see what was on offer.

And just to prove that simple foods can be scrumptious, I ended my Italian stay with a tomato, basil and mozzarella pizza at Marco Polo Airport, expecting airport food to be less than appealing. Instead it was packed with flavour and had me eager to return.

How about you? Do you find yourself trying new foods when you're away from home? Or do you always order the same foods? What's the nicest new food you've tried lately?

Right now I'm celebrating the release of THE SHEIKH'S PRINCESS BRIDE, the second of my Desert Vows stories. Though the book starts in Paris, much of it is set in the Middle East and I spent a lot of time drooling over thoughts of delicious skewered meats, pilaf rice, gorgeous vegetable dishes, syrupy desserts and Turkish delight. Sigh. It's a wonder I didn't put on lots of weight as I wrote.

Here's a taste:

Wanted: royal bride and mother 
For Sheikh Tariq of Al-Sarath, one miserable marriage was enough. With a kingdom to rule, he has no time—or wish—to find a bride, but his children need a mother.  
Could Princess Samira of Jazeer be the answer? Samira has sampled passion, and it left a bad taste. With the knowledge she can't have the children she's always wanted, Samira steps into Tariq's ready-made family. Her only condition? No sex! 
Samira thought royal duties and her love for Tariq's children would fill the hole in her heart, but a craving is building that only the sheikh's touch can cure…

You can buy THE SHEIKH'S PRINCESS BRIDE wherever romances are sold. Here are links to it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Harlequin and the Book Depository.

Christina Hollis: Food, Glorious Food...

Venus of Willendorf, by Matthias Kabel

Poet Philip Larkin had strong views on parenting. If you don't know This Be The Verse you can read it here, but be warned. There's strong language right from the start, as they say on the BBC.

I knew I was in trouble from the moment I could tell Mama from Dada. They were both healthy, active people but while my mother was permanently on a diet she was never anything less than...er...substantial. In contrast, my father ate like a horse, yet was built like a greyhound. You can guess which traits I inherited from each parent. I love my food. It adores me in return, so I'm in constant danger of turning into the Venus of Willendorf.  I'd love to excuse my weight problem by blaming it on my family, but there comes a time when everyone has to excuse their genes and accept responsibility. But cake is so delicious, and celery's not a comfort food–no matter how you dress it up.

Writing all day doesn't help me. Sitting is fast becoming the new smoking here in England, where we have a real obesity crisis. Strapping my keyboard to the treadmill to make a standing (or walking) desk hasn't been too successful. So what's the answer? In my case, there's no substitute for eating less and moving more. Reducing portion size is horrible.  Using a smaller plate and chewing every mouthful forty times is no substitute for that lovely  "full-up feeling", to quote Lionel Bart's Oliver! again. Driving ten miles to the gym and back eats into writing time, so I had to find a different exercise regime, that fitted in with my lifestyle. In theory I use my non-electric treadmill to jog for twenty minutes every other day, but sometimes that's just too much like hard work.

Wearing a pedometer helps, as I have a competitive streak. During an uninterrupted writing day, I'm lucky to clock up 2,000 steps. That only burns about 24 calories, according to my pedometer. On the bright side, that would earn me all the celery I could eat. Knowing how hard it is to "earn" treats is a powerful incentive to keep my step-count going.

Venue-The School Run

The school run is a non-negotiable part of my day, so I've tried adding exercise into it. Every morning in term-time, I have a quick walk by the river after dropping Son Number One and his huge haul of books at the bus stop. Then in the evenings, I power-walk the two miles from home to the bus stop (4,100 steps, btw)  and meet up with OH. He drives there after finishing work in the city, to give both me and Son Number One a lift back to the house. It's a lovely area for walking when the weather's good, and the view from the bus stop is pretty stunning, don't you think?

Smaller portions and more exercise has kept my weight stable for several months now. To actually lose weight, I'd have to cut down on food still more and run harder, too. The trouble is, exercise makes me hungry and fills me with a gnawing sense of entitlement ("I got up in the dark and did all that running in the cold. I'm entitled to another slice/chunk/handful!") Increasing it can only make things worse,  which means temptation will be ten times harder to resist. All things in moderation–including moderation!

And my children cook like this...

I love cooking as well as eating, and include recipes in my occasional newsletters. Taste and satisfaction feature more often than low-calorie this, or fat-free that. As long as you watch the size of your portions and go easy on other treats for a while, what's not to love? My next newsletter's going to feature Roasted Pumpkin Soup, which went down a storm at our local Harvest Festival. To find out how to make it, you can sign up here. What's your favorite tip for healthy living?

Christina Hollis writes both contemporary and historical fiction–when she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping. Her books have been translated into over a dozen different languages, and she’s sold nearly three million books worldwide. You can catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com,on Twitter and Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at http://www.christinahollis.com

Food for Love by Natalie Anderson

There's an old adage that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach... whether it's true or not I don't know, but I can say that for me, food is one of life's great pleasures - yes, we women are allowed to enjoy our food every bit as much as men, right?! ;)

And being the chief cook and bottle washer in a family of six, having someone else cook a delicious dinner for me is such a treat - it's more than a meal, it's a gift.

Roxie, the heroine in my May US release FIRST TIME LUCKY?, has been the chief cook and bottle washer for years. For her food has been medicinal more than pleasurable as she tried to help her Grandfather through his illness. And she didn't just cook the food - she grew it. It became a lifestyle and a part of her identity. But now she's about to embark on a new phase in her life - she has a six point checklist and and airplane ticket... But first, there's something she wants from her new neighbour. Only he, Gabe, wants a few things himself... and one night he pushes to make Roxie see that he's more than just another item for her 'to do'.

Roxie eats veggie, so she knows that for Gabe to have made her a meal from scratch has taken real time and effort. It's the kind of effort that thrills her, but also scares her...

“Wow,’ she said, taking in the laden plates on the outdoor dining table. “Not sure the Bolly is good enough for this.”                       

“Don’t get too effusive, it’s only burger and chips.”            

“Not your average burger and chips.” They were home-made bean patties, ripped-from-the-plant salad and freshly dug new potatoes cooked then crisped up something yummy. Her mouth watered, her appetite suddenly screaming. “You cooked all this?”  

“I’m a single man, living alone,” he drawled. “You didn’t think I could cook?”             

“But it’s...”             

“Veggie, I know. Not bad for a beef farm boy, huh?” He popped the cork and poured the champagne into two glasses – frowning when that was enough to empty the bottle.             

She picked up her fork and took a bite of the patty poking out from the toasted roll. Oh, wow. “You really made this from scratch?”             

“Your amazement is insulting.”             

She chuckled, a trickle of warmth flowing back into her chilled body. “I’ve never met anyone who makes veggie burgers like these. From scratch. Not even me.”             

He pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped the screen a few times. “Okay, I got the recipe online. Here.”             

She angled her head to read the page he’d pulled up. “The Heganator?” She didn’t just giggle, she squealed. “Hegan?”             

“Yeah, cool recipes for the hot vegan male,” he turned the phone back to study it oh, so intently. Then he peered over the top of the phone, eyes twinkling. “I think it’s really written by a woman. Apparently hegans like burgers and barbecues.”             

“You’re hot but you’re not a hegan,” she said, almost all her old flirt tone back.             

“But I can cook like one on occasion.”             

“It is amazing. I mean that in a good way,” she looked at him and her teasing smile died. “Thank you.”             

Her heart was beating too hard. She couldn’t remember when someone else had cooked dinner for her. When someone had gone to so much trouble and thought. Someone who bothered to understand what she preferred to eat and not eat. Certainly not her lame ex-boyfriend. The joke died from his eyes too – leaving them warm and gentle and so deep...             

She dropped her knife so she had the excuse to break away from that acute, wordless communication. Surely she was reading the wrong messages. It wasn’t caring she was supposed to see in him, it was supposed to be all carnal. But for a weird second there everything had gone upside down and inside out.

If you had a handsome hero on hand to prepare a lavish feast just for you, what would you have him make?!

SLIM TO NONE is here!

by Jenny Gardiner:

Hey all! I haven't even put this up on my website yet but I HAVE ANOTHER BOOK OUT!!! The title is SLIM TO NONE and details follow, as well as a sneak peek of chapter one.

This one I've put out in a different sort of way--it's exclusive on Kindle (though you can also get it through the Kindle app for iPad and iPhone as well as for download to your PC) till July, then will be available unlimited for all e-readers and as a POD (publish on demand) through Ingram's, one of the major book distributors. My literary agency launched a digital imprint and I decided to put this book up with the debut of the line. I LOVE this book and know that you will too!!

Here's the premise:

In SLIM TO NONE, Abbie Jennings is Manhattan's top food critic until her expanding waistline makes staying incognito at restaurants impossible. Her cover blown on Page Six of the New York Post, her editor has no choice but to bench her—and suggest she use the time off to bench-press her way back to anonymity. Abbie’s life has been built around her career, and therefore around celebrating food. Forced to drop the pounds if she wants her primo gig back, Abbie must peel back the layers of her past and confront the fears that have led to her current life.

I loved the idea of taking this character who has to eat for a living and then make her not be able to eat in order to continue being able to eat for a living. You got that? The book is funny, sweet and poignant and I really hope my readers will be able to get hold of an e-reader to check this out!!

Here are some author blurbs on it:

With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she’s held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way.

—Beth Hoffman, bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Satisfying as a Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's. ... Jenny Gardiner's heroine gives us a sarcastic but provocative look at our love-hate relationship with food. You'll eat this up in one sitting.

Ad Hudler, bestselling author of Househusband and Man of the House

Jenny Gardiner has done it again - this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read.

Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Opposite of Me

And check out a sneak peak of the first chapter on my blog