The Sunday Post: Christmas Week is Here

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. you can write about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

Friday afternoon at 3:30pm Winter Break began!  I kicked off my break by getting into pajamas as fast as possible when I got home. Then on Saturday, I got a facial. This was my celebration for finishing not only the first semester of school, but also for finishing my latest book! Love and the Three of Cups is uploaded and will be published the day after Christmas! 

You can check it out here: https://a.co/d/89DCasv

I'm also doing a big release party celebration with fellow authors in the Fireside Book Cafe on Facebook. If you'd like to join the party, you'll have lot of chances to win books and bookish prizes during the day on December 30, 2025. 

Here is the group link: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AWaNgk8kh/

Today my plan is to wrap up my present wrapping--LOL

What are your plans for today?

Readingwise, I'm still reading my way through my holiday book stack. I hope to finish three books this week and watch my favorite holiday movies before the big day.

And then once January rolls around...clean eating goals here I come!

I Love This Recipe So Much I'm Putting It In My Book

In It App-ened One Night, Susan makes a butternut squash soup for her mom. It's a soup I love to make in the fall and winter because the veggies are in season and usually on sale and it is vegan as made so a good choice for any diet. You can of course add cheese or a protein to the finished soup.

I'm putting the recipe in the back of my book, this isn't traditionally done in romance books. Those of you who read cozy mysteries know many of the books include recipes.

I think I'd like to include a recipe in the back of each of my romances going forward. It adds to my desire to embrace coziness as my author brand. Is there anything better than enjoying a cozy day? 

And now on to the recipe:

Butternut-Leek Soup

Ingredients:

Peel and dice one butternut squash - Or use a package of precut squash

Slice two leeks, just the white and a little of the light green portion.

Peel and dice one potato or sweet potato 

Peel and slice one parsnip. (optional this is my secret ingredient)

4-5 cups of vegetable or chicken (if you don't need it to be vegetarian) broth 

a tbsp of dried poultry seasoning or thyme

or 1-2 tbsps fresh rosemary and thyme

Salt and pepper to taste.

Put it all in a slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours or until the vegetables are soft. Then use an immersion blender to puree the soup. 

Serve with gruyere or Swiss cheese grated on top or add a couple of tbsps of diced ham or crumbled bacon. 

This soup pairs very well with a nice crusty bread. I would pair it with a Reisling if I was having a glass of wine.

The leftovers taste great and this soup freezes well. 

If you try it let me know!