Author Archives: Leigh Goff
Need something spooky? Listen free at shorturl.at/izJUY & leave a comment on SoundCloud. Winner will be chosen on Halloween and receive an Audible code for a free copy of the newly released audiobook of Koush Hollow from Parliament House Books!
Celebrating Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is the festival to end all festivals that is celebrated around the world but started in Munich, Germany for a royal wedding in 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to all the festivities held in fields just outside the city gates. And from there the world adopted this grand event. It runs from late September to the 1st Sunday in October. Be sure to include plenty of German music when you celebrate.
MENU
Sauerbraten –
Marinated Pot Roast
Boiled Potatoes
Red Cabbage with
Apples
Rye Bread
German Red Wine – Spätburgunder
which is German for Pinot Noir
Sauerbraten – Marinated Pot Roast
4
whole juniper berries*
1
med. onion, sliced thin
½
cup (120ml) dry red wine
½
cup (120ml) red wine vinegar
2
cups (450ml) cold water
2
small bay leaves
4
lbs. (2kg) boneless beef roast, top or bottom round or rump
3
tbsp. (43g) lard or solid shortening
½
cup onion, chopped fine
½
cup carrots, chopped fine
½
cup celery, chopped fine
2
tbsp. (30ml) flour
½
cup (120ml) beef stock, if needed
½
cup (50g) gingersnap cookie crumbs
Use a mortar and pestle or a baggie and hammer to crush black peppercorns and juniper berries together.
In a medium-sized saucepan combine peppercorn mix, sliced onion, wine, vinegar, water, and bay leaves. Bring marinade to a boil over high heat. Remove pan from stove and let cool to room temperature.
Trim excess fat from roast. Set beef in a deep flat bowl or pot just large enough to hold it comfortably. Pour marinade over the top. Add more wine if marinade is not halfway up the sides of the meat. Turn meat to moisten all sides. Cover pan tightly with foil or cling wrap. Refrigerate for 2 – 3 days. Be sure to turn the meat over at least twice a day.
Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C).
Remove meat from marinade. Pat dry with paper towels. Strain marinade through a fine sieve set over a bowl. Discard spices and onion, but reserve marinade.
Melt lard in a Dutch oven over high heat until it sputters. Add roast and brown well on all sides. Adjust heat so as not to burn the meat. Transfer meat to a platter. Pour off and discard all but 2 tbs. (30ml) of fat. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot. Cook over moderate heat until they are soft and light brown, 5 – 8 minutes. Sprinkle flour over veggies. Cook, stirring constantly 2 – 3 minutes or until flour begins to color.
Pour in 2 cups (450ml) of reserved marinade and ½ cup (120ml) water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Return meat to pot. Cover tightly. Cook in the oven for 2 hours or until meat shows no resistance when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Transfer meat to a heated platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Discard veggies. Pour liquid from pot into a measuring cup. Skim off fat. You need 2½ cups (570ml) liquid for the sauce. If you have more, boil briskly to reduce the amount. If you have less, add beef stock. Combine liquid and gingersnaps in a small saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. The crumbs will dissolve and thicken the sauce. Strain sauce through a fine sieve. Keep warm on very low heat until ready to serve.
To serve, carve meat into ¼ inch (.64cm) slices. Arrange on individual dinner plates or a large platter. In either case moisten the meat with a little sauce. Pass the remaining sauce in a gravy boat.
*Rosemary is a good substitute for juniper berries. Use one fresh sprig.
Boiled
Potatoes
Tap water
1 lg. bay leaf
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Butter to taste
Add potatoes to a saucepan that holds them comfortably. Pour stock
halfway up the potatoes. Top off with water, covering potatoes by an inch
(1.25cm) or so. Add bay leaf. Set a lid on top.
You can do up to this point earlier in the day. Leave on the counter or
stovetop until you are ready to cook.
Bring pan to a boil over medium heat. Adjust the lid and heat so the water
continues a soft/light boil, but does not spill over. Cook 15 – 20 minutes,
then test for doneness. A fork will insert easily.
Drain potatoes and discard bay leaf. Sprinkle pepper over potatoes. Add butter. Stir carefully so as not to smash potatoes.
Don’t have bay leaf? Add 1 tablespoon (20ml) or so of dried basil to the pot. When you drain the potatoes most of the leaves will be gone, but the good taste remains.
Red
Cabbage with Apples
2
– 2½ lb. (1 – 1.5kg) red cabbage
⅔
cup (150ml) red wine vinegar
2
tbsp. (30ml) sugar2
medium-sized apples, peeled and cored
2
tbsp. (25g) lard or bacon fat
½
cup (50g) onions, chopped fine
1
whole onion, pierced with 2 whole cloves
1
bay leaf
5
cups (1.2L) boiling water
3
tbsp. (45ml) dry red wine
3
tbsp. (45ml) red currant jelly, optional
Wash cabbage under cool water and then remove tough outer leaves. Cut cabbage into 4 pieces. Remove core. Shred easily by slicing each section into thin strips.
Place cabbage in a large mixing bowl. sprinkle with vinegar and sugar. Toss with a spoon to cover the shreds evenly.
Slice apple into thin wedges. Melt lard or bacon fat in a large pot. Add apples and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until apples are lightly browned.
Add cabbage, onion with cloves, and bay leaf. Stir well while pouring in boiling water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat so cabbage does a slow simmer. Cover and cook 1½ – 2 hours, or until cabbage is tender. Check occasionally to be sure cabbage is moist. If it seems dry, add 1 tbsp. (15ml) or so of boiling water. When cabbage is tender there should be almost no liquid in the pan.
To serve remove whole onion and bay leaf. Stir in wine and jelly. This recipe freezes nicely.
Sloane
Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning author with a second passion in her life. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.
Taylor’s cookbooks, Date Night Dinners, Date Night Dinners Italian Style, Summer Sizzle, and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire are released by Toque & Dagger Publishing and available at all book vendors.
Short & Sweet: A Halloween Treat
from HL Carpenter
October is National Pumpkin month, but we think such a beautiful fruit should get more than just one month of notoriety. So smile, say cheese, and make your own yummy appetizer for any holiday get-together.
Cheese Ball Pumpkin
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
4 ounces crumbled feta or blue cheese
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
½ tsp. onion powder
Paprika
The stem of a green bell pepper
Place all the cheeses in a large bowl and let soften to room temperature.
When cheese is soft, add Worcestershire and mustard. Blend with electric mixer or food processor on low speed. Scrape bowl and beat blended mixture on medium speed 1 or 2 minutes more until well mixed (do not over-beat).
Turn the mix onto plastic wrap. Pull the wrap up and secure with a twist tie. Shape the wrapped mixture into a ball. Score the pumpkin “ribs” onto the cheese ball with your fingertip or a flat knife.
With the plastic in place, set the cheese ball in a bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving, sprinkle with paprika and add a bell pepper stem to top.
Keep refrigerated until the crowd arrives, then serve with assorted crackers.
Once upon a time there was a mother/daughter author dup named Helen and Lorri, who wrote as HL Carpenter. the Carpenters worked from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories was unreal but not untrue. Then one day Lorri left her studio to explore the land of What-If, and like others who have lost a loved one the magical place lost much of its magic. But thanks to family, plus an amazing group of wordsmiths named Authors Moving Forward (AMF), the magic is slowly returning.
October is National Pumpkin month, but we think such a beautiful fruit should get more than just one month of notoriety. So smile, say cheese, and make your own yummy appetizer for any holiday get-together.
Cheese Ball Pumpkin
4 ounces crumbled feta or blue cheese
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
½ tsp. onion powder
Paprika
The stem of a green bell pepper
Place all the cheeses in a large bowl and let soften to room temperature.
When cheese is soft, add Worcestershire and mustard. Blend with electric mixer or food processor on low speed. Scrape bowl and beat blended mixture on medium speed 1 or 2 minutes more until well mixed (do not over-beat).
Turn the mix onto plastic wrap. Pull the wrap up and secure with a twist tie. Shape the wrapped mixture into a ball. Score the pumpkin “ribs” onto the cheese ball with your fingertip or a flat knife.
With the plastic in place, set the cheese ball in a bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving, sprinkle with paprika and add a bell pepper stem to top.
Keep refrigerated until the crowd arrives, then serve with assorted crackers.
Helen Carpenter loves liking and sharing blog posts from other authors. She lives in Florida with her husband of many years and appreciates everyday, especially those without hurricanes.
Cover Reveal from Stella May’s Upcoming New Romance
COVER REVEAL for Stella May’s latest Time Travel Romance.
This engrossing novel has wonderful moments of humor and honest soul-searching. This book contains a house flipper who talks to her projects, a beloved grandmother, a case of mistaken identity, and a slow-burn romance. Look for its release on Amazon and all major vendors September 27, 2021.
The twist of a key answers many questions…but could also break her heart.
BLURB: Nika Morris’s sixth sense has helped build a successful business, lovingly restoring and reselling historic homes on Florida’s Amelia Island. But there’s one forlorn, neglected relic that’s pulled at her from the moment she saw it. The century-old Coleman house.
Quite unexpectedly, the house is handed to her on a silver platter—along with a mysterious letter, postmarked 1909, yet addressed personally to Nika. Its cryptic message: Find the key. You know where it is. Hurry, for goodness sake!
The message triggers an irresistible drive to find that key. When she does, one twist in an old grandfather clock throws her back in time, straight into the arms of deliciously, devilishly handsome Elijah Coleman.
Swept up in a journey of a lifetime, Nika finds herself falling in love with Eli—and with the family and friends that inhabit a time not even her vivid imagination could have conjured. But in one desperate moment of homesickness, she makes a decision that will not only alter the course of more than one life, but break her heart.
Stella May is the pen name for Marina Sardarova who has a fascinating history you should read on her website.
Stella writes fantasy romance and time travel and is the author of the family saga/trilogy Once & Forever, and the stand-alone book Rhapsody in Dreams. Love and family are two cornerstones of her stories and life. Stella’s books are available in e-book and paperback through all major vendors.
When not writing, Stella enjoys classical music, reading, and long walks along the ocean.
She lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Leo of 25 years and their son George. They are her two best friends and all are partners in their family business.
Follow Stella on her website and blog Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
NEW RELEASE! The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave
Welcome to the 1-week virtual book tour for
The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave
The Last Timekeepers, Book 3
by Sharon Ledwith
About the Book:
Eleven-year-old Drake Bailey is an analytical thinker and the genius of the Timekeeper crew. However, no logic or mathematical acumen can change the color of his skin, or prepare him for this third Timekeeper mission in antebellum Georgia. To survive, Drake must learn to play the role of a plantation slave and when confronted with the brutality, hatred, and racism of the deep south, he’ll have to strategically keep one move ahead of his sadistic captors to ensure his lineage continues.
In a dark world of Voodoo, zombies, and ritualistic sacrifice, the Timekeepers must ensure a royal bloodline survives. Can Drake remove both literal and figurative chains to save both himself and a devout slave girl from a terrible fate? If he can’t summon the necessary courage, humanity could stand to lose one of its greatest leaders.
Book Details:
Genres: Young Adult, Time Travel, Fantasy
Page Count: 244 Pages
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing
Release Date: September 17, 2021
Follow the Tour to Read Exclusive Excerpts, Guest Posts, Reviews, and Spotlight Posts:
Read an Excerpt:
The rattling chains chilled Drake’s blood. Leaning back, he trembled as O’Hara threaded the chain through a metal loop screwed into the wagon’s floor, and fastened the shackles to Drake’s wrists. He stared numbly. These chains were not the same as the ones slapped on him in Nottingham Castle. Those shackles fell off easily because his hands were too small. Not this time. These shackles fit him perfectly, as if made for a child. His heart raced, wishing this was a nightmare so he could wake up.
O’Hara clapped his hands, making Creecy, and the other girl and boy across from Drake flinch. “I’m going to get rid of this morning’s whiskey.” He belched and undid his belt. “If I hear any noise coming from this wagon, you’ll get ten lashes each. Understood?”
They all nodded vehemently. Drake cringed. His face and lips throbbed. O’Hara jumped down, and grunted as he side-stepped rocks and saplings to get into the woods as quickly as possible. When Drake was sure O’Hara was out of earshot, he let out a deep, sour breath.
“Are you all right?”
Startled, Drake looked up to find the girl across from him reaching over to wipe a trickle of blood from his chin. She seemed to possess an air of maturity, and he thought she might be older than Creecy. Her warm touch soothed Drake, and he forced a half-smile. “T-thanks. I-I’m okay, I guess.”
“Eilish, what are you doing?” the boy next to her whispered. “Keep quiet.”
As soon as the girl called Eilish shifted to the side, Drake realized she was pregnant under her red and white skirt. Her long braided black hair was decorated with tiny seashells, and her head was covered with a red and white bandana that matched her skirt. A loose-fitting white blouse was a stark contrast to Eilish’s smooth, brown skin. But it was her rich, mocha-colored eyes that mesmerized Drake and reminded him of his mother. His throat tightened.
Eilish entwined her fingers around her beaded necklace. The contrasting shades of red and white beads glistened as if a spirit resided in them. “Do you have a problem with me comforting the boy, Adam?”
Adam pushed his creamed-colored straw hat off his forehead and frowned. “No, but as your brother, I have a problem with you getting beaten by that quashie. Your baby needs protection, even from you.”
Eilish cupped Adam’s chin. “You forget I am the oldest, and know what is best.”
Drake raised an eyebrow. Why do they sound so familiar?
Adam slapped his sister’s hand away. “What is best is that we get back to Jamaica before the baby is born.”
“You’re both from Jamaica?” Drake asked. “I thought I detected a subtle island accent, though you’re lacking the informal dialect I’m used to hearing.” Hmm…maybe our Babels can’t translate cultural idioms? He inclined his head. “What are you doing here?”
The siblings glanced first at each other, and then at Drake. Adam was definitely younger than Eilish, but older than Drake. Maybe twelve or thirteen, but no more. He also seemed on the mature side, but given the time period they were in, Drake figured kids grew up way too fast here. Adam wore a white cotton shirt like Eilish’s, but his sleeves were rolled up past his elbows. Heavy denim pants held up with a rope didn’t seem a wise pick for the humid climate of Georgia, but Drake knew slaves had no choice when it came to their wardrobe.
Adam drew his knees to his chest and shuffled his leather sandals that appeared too small for his growing feet. He checked over his shoulder toward the woods, and then turned to whisper, “Why do you think we’re here? We’re slaves like you.”
“Look, my name’s Drake, and by the way—I’m not a slave, and neither are you. I know for a fact that slavery is abolished in Jamaica. Why would you leave Jamaica to come to America when you were already free?”
“We didn’t,” Eilish replied. “We were kidnapped.”
Purchase Links:
Mirror World Publishing:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Xgp5yB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-timekeepers-and-the-noble-slave-sharon-ledwith/
Meet the Author:
Escape to the past and have a blast.
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventure series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the award-winning teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her spoiled hubby, and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her WEBSITE and BLOG. Look up her AMAZON AUTHOR page for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, LINKEDIN, INSTAGRAM, and GOODREADS.
Publisher Website:
Giveaway Information and Entry Forms:
2 winners!
1 winner will received a signed paperback of The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave (International).a Rafflecopter giveaway
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1 winner will receive a Kindle copy of The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave (US only).a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Leigh Goff is a young adult author with type 1 diabetes who is inspired by caffeine, enchanted spells, and unforgettable, star-crossed fates. She is the author of three published young adult novels, KOUSH HOLLOW, BEWITCHING HANNAH, and DISENCHANTED. She is also a member of SCBWI and a graduate from the University of Maryland. Although she’s terrible at casting any magic of her own, she is descended from accused witch, Elizabeth Duncan of Virginia, who went to trial in 1695.
Leigh Goff 