167 School Days Down, 13 to Go! The Sunday Post!

  

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.

I don't know who is more excited for school to be over, the staff or the kids. If I had to pick, I'd say the staff. I am really looking forward to summer break, especially since we had summer weather this week. Now the upcoming week is going to be standard spring weather so maybe I won't have summer fever. 

I'm almost done drafting my latest book Your Mr. Brightside. Since I have already shared the cover reveal with my newsletter subscribers, I can now share it here! 

I spent Saturday at a bookstore lit fest in Ottawa, Illinois. The store is called Prairie Fox Books and it is located in the quaint downtown of this town which is near the state park called Starved Rock. I had a lovely afternoon and now I can say that my books are available in store for anyone who is visiting the area!  I hit some ridiculous traffic on the way home, but at least the weather was nice and I had good music to listen to.

How was your week?

Yesterday I watched the first two episodes of "Murderbot" on Apple TV and it was as good as I hoped it would be! Last week I watched the Kdrama The Trama Code: Heroes on Call. It is a great show! If you like medical shows, you practically have to add it to your list!

Next week is a 3-day weekend. We usually have crummy weather for Memorial Day Weekend, but my hope springs eternal. On Saturday, I'll be picking up my heirloom tomato seedlings! 

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!