Christmas Traditions

I love this time of year—the music, the colored lights, the tree, the holiday movies and the excitement. Like most families, we have various traditions that have changed or evolved over the years. But one tradition that never changes is my mother’s fruit cake.

Yes, I said it. Fruit cake. We’re big on this holiday staple in my family and all of us would feel slighted if our mother didn’t make us one of her amazing cakes. Heck, when I was a kid, I used to ask for one for my birthday every year. Mom would make a fruit cake for the family celebration and a chocolate one for the party with my friends. I don’t know what makes hers so special. Maybe it’s the rum, maybe it’s the love. All I know is Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it.

Another tradition is chocolate fudge, but not just any fudge. I use the same recipe my mother used when I was a kid. It’s fast and delicious.


Five Minute Fudge (From the Carnation Milk Cookbook)

2/3 cup of Carnation milk
1 2/3 cups of sugar

~Bring sugar and milk to a boil and boil on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Remove from heat.

Add:
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet dark chips)
1 ½ cups of plain mini marshmallows (I use Kraft minis)
1 tsp of vanilla flavouring

Stir until smooth and pour into greased 8” X 8” pan.

Cool and cut into squares.



And if you’re looking for a calorie-free treat to help get you through the season, be sure to pre-order Naughty Heroes now for only 99-cents. Price will go up soon after it releases.

NAUGHTY HEROES: In And Out Of Uniform A collection of UNFORGETTABLE HEROES

MARINE ON A MISSION 
N.J. Walters 

When Mitch McCoy left rural Kentucky to join the U.S. Marines he never thought he'd return. Now he's undercover with a state drug task force. He's not only facing his past, but also Sara Hawkins, the woman who broke his heart. This investigation will risk their lives and their hearts. 

 SEX BOMB 
Nicole Austin  

From first sight I knew Marine Lieutenant Harlie Savage wasn't fragile like a flower—she was fragile like a bomb. Definitely not some princess who needed to be saved, either. She was a queen who only lacked a sword, and I vowed to be her weapon. 

HER SOLDIER OF FORTUNE 
Belle Scarlett 


Leia has no idea who ex-Marine Major Tate McIntyre is when he saves her life in a dark alley. Yet Tate's certain Leia is his to have, hold, and protect. He vows to keep her safe at any cost. His only price is her heart. Semper Fi! 

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN
Katherine Kingston

A disabled vet rescues a woman on a mission to collect evidence, saving her from the men chasing her. As Jace and Shannon race to survive and outwit a traitor, a deep connection grows between them. But staying alive long enough to explore the attraction will take everything they've got.

MILITARY BLUES
Elizabeth Lapthorne

Luke is struggling to recover from a career shattering IED blast that sees him permanently discharged. Milly's career self-destructed and she's moved cities in the hopes of starting again. Can this new life and new relationship be a second chance for them both?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z29RCY1/

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1134068523

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/naughty-heroes

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1483388473

Universal: https://books2read.com/u/b5QgqA

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at: Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK'S DAY WITH FOOD

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/162340761537922735/

I'm not Irish, but I'll never give up a chance to celebrate a holiday. And what better way to celebrate a holiday than with food?!

Corned beef and cabbage is the classic dish for St. Patrick's Day, and I have a slow cooker recipe that's super easy. I'll admit corned beef used to scare the hell outta me. It was one of those meats my Nana used to make in a pressure cooker and it took hours. No way was I ever going to devote an entire day to cooking, much less use a pot that I always believed had the potential to explode in my face. (For the record, I know pressure cookers are amazing, but the amount of skill needed to use one is beyond my realm of comprehension.)

But crockpots I can do. Crockpots are mothers' little helpers. Crockpots are God's way of saying, I know you do all the cooking for the family, so here's a little something to make your life easier.

First rule if you do not own a crockpot: BUY A CROCKPOT!

Trust me on this. It will become your new best friend. You're welcome.

Rule #2: Go to the grocery store and buy: 

2-3 lb. corned beef brisket WITH a spice packet included. This is important because an already-prepared spice packet makes your life easier and that's our goal here.

1 head of green cabbage 

2 lbs. Red potatoes (or baby ones, but the key is using a waxy potato because they hold their shape better.)

1 package of baby carrots

1 onion

1 bottle of Guinness beer (Yes, beer, that's not a typo.)



Are you ready to cook this bad boy? Here we go:

Chop the onion, halve your potatoes, and throw those babies in the bottom of the crockpot.

Lay that gorgeous slab of beef on top.

Pour 3 cups of water and 1 cup of Guinness on top. (Drink the rest of the Guinness.)

Sprinkle that magical spice packet over everything.

Cook this monster for 4-6 hours on HIGH or 8-12 hours on LOW.

Go do whatever it is you need to do without having to worry about what the f*ck is for dinner that night.

Return when the cooking time is done. Don't fret that the previously gorgeous meat has turned a yucky shade of grey. It will be a lovely shade of pink inside.

Chop that head of cabbage up, throw it around the meat, and cook another 30-45 minutes until the cabbage is tender.

Ta da! DONE!

See how easy that was? But tell your family you slaved over a hot stove all day anyway, so they'll handle clean-up while you go take a luxurious bubble bath.


A few notes:

If you're an insomniac and prefer to do your slow cooking at night, then by all means do so. You can cook it on HIGH for 7-8 hours and then simply turn it to WARM in the am after tossing in the cabbage.

If you've banned all alcohol from ever entering the house, feel free to substitute either 4 cups of water, or 2 cups of water and 2 cups of low-sodium beef broth.

Fear not that the veggies will become mushy. The fact that they're on the bottom and left undisturbed should guarantee they'll hold their shape. If not, well, a little mush never hurt anyone.


ENJOY AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!




Tiffany N. York is a romance author who doesn't particularly love cooking, but has to come up with something every night in order to feed her always-hungry teenage boy. You can visit her website at: http://www.tiffanynyorkauthor.com