Time for Family and Friends by Margot Justes

I've always decorated for Halloween, and always had family and friends over for pizza. Things have not changed. Today is Pizza day.

It's been a tradition for many, many years I know what everyone likes, so the menu is simple. Most pizzas have to have sausage, as long as I order something with meat in it-I'm good.

My personal preference is thin extra crispy artichoke hearts and giardiniera combo. It is spicy and absolutely delicious. One local pizza place makes it to perfection, Good & Fresh Pizza Bakery.

I used to bake for Halloween, now Costco fills the void well. My baking starts at Thanksgiving. Time does have a way of catching up with us. Maybe once I retire I'll have a bit more of that elusive thing called 'time'. Somehow, I doubt it; the plan is to immerse myself in writing and prove to myself that I can succeed in this strange, wonderful and challenging business.

In the meantime there is one more rum recipe I want to share with you. Positively yummy and easy to make. It's all about easy.

Rum Balls:
2 1/2 cups of ground Vanilla wafers
5 1/2 cups of ground walnuts ( I use a food processor for both the wafers and nuts)
1 cup of honey
1 cup of rum (I use dark rum)
1 cup or as needed of powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients well. Let rest covered in bowl for a couple of hours. I've even left overnight.
Form into balls and roll in powdered sugar. ( I use a teaspoon to scoop out the mix)
Set on foil or plastic wrap and let dry a couple of hours, put on serving plate, sprinkle more powdered sugar on top and enjoy!

Cheers,

Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Cool Crimes Hot Chicks
and coming soon A Hotel in Bath
www.mjustes.com

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate and Rum by Margot Justes

My modem failed and I lost contact to the internet. I don’t have a smart phone, so communication has been difficult at best. If nothing else this has emphasized the need for a smart phone. I’m going to join the 21st century and put the smart phone on the agenda for next year.

In the meantime, I promised a recipe for fudge. Adding the rum was a huge success. I can confirm that rum and chocolate go well together. Very well.

Fudge
½ cup of butter
1 large can of evaporated milk
2 oz bitter chocolate (I only use Ghirardelli chocolate)
20 oz semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
3 ½ cups of sugar
12 oz dark chocolate
½ lb marshmallows
1 ½ tbsp Vanilla
1 cup of chopped walnuts (I use 2 cups)
1 ½ cups of raisins soaked in rum overnight

Combine butter, canned milk and sugar, stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, cook to a boil, about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and add marshmallows, stir until melted, add the 3 types of chocolate, one at a time, stir until each is dissolved. Add vanilla and nuts, and raisin mixture and stir until everything is well blended.

Line a cookie sheet with saran wrap, extending the edges; pour the fudge into the cookie pan, spread evenly with knife or spatula.

Let dry for 2 days. Invert the fudge unto your counter, remove wrap and let dry for another 2 days. Cut into squares and serve.

This recipe makes quite a bit of fudge, I cut it all up and store in a sealed plastic bag. My family loves the fudge; usually it doesn’t last very long. Makes a great gift too…

Cheers,

Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
And coming soon A Hotel in Bath

Fall by Margot Justes

Fall automatically means the start of the holiday season; at least to me. The golden, burgundy and gold foliage outside, the cloudy overcast sky, and the occasional rain drops add to the comfort of being home. Today is just such a day.  A perfect day to sit on the couch, sip a great cup of coffee and read that wonderful book.

I'm half way there, I do have that terrific cup of nectar, but instead of sitting on the couch I'm waiting for my kiddies to arrive. We're going to decorate for Halloween and bake cookies. That is also a perfect fall day.

In my last blog I mentioned a banana bread with rum raisins-the addition of rum worked really well-the bread was yummy. Below is the revised recipe.

Banana Bread:

½ cup cooking oil (I use extra virgin olive oil-but any oil will do)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs-beaten
5 ripe bananas-mashed
2 cups whole wheat flour (you can use any flour, but I love the nutty flavor of the whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup of chocolate chips (optional)
1 cup of raisins (soak raisins overnight in rum and pour everything into mixture. I use dark rum)

Beat oil and sugar together. Add the beaten eggs and banana pulp and beat well. Add the dry ingredients, milk and vanilla. Mix well and stir in nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3). I use a lasagna pan, cooks more evenly.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for about an hour. Cool well before cutting.

Cheers,

Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Cool Crimes Hot Chicks
and coming soon A Hotel in Bath

www.mjustes.com

 

 

 

 

 

A Nip in the Air by Margot Justes

 

There was a nip in the air last night; we had our first frost. The holiday season is upon us.

Our local Costco was selling Panettone, an aromatic yeast semi sweet cake filled with raisins and candied orange peel. I love anything orange peel-my favorite is dark chocolate covered orange peels; Marshall Field's used to have the best, but I digress.

Panettone is just a sign that the holidays are approaching, it is a traditional Italian holiday offering that has become popular here at home. I even see it for sale at the local grocery story. There is something very special about the scent of oranges and yeast dough that brings back memories from my youth.

During my young life in Poland, oranges were a rarity, a luxury, not available under normal circumstances throughout the year. In the winter time they became available, but not to any great extent. The scent of a freshly peeled orange has remained with me to this day. Those happy memories are few and far between. They are safe and uncomplicated memories. Maybe that is why I love orange peels and the holiday season.

We always decorated for Halloween, carved pumpkins, baked cookies and cakes that looked like witches. My daughter Solonge has continued the tradition. Next weekend the kiddies are going to help decorate, design their pumpkins and bake cookies. It is something I look forward to every year. I will post pictures of our efforts in my next blog.

I thought I'd share some favorite fall recipes this season. I'll start with a rather strange concoction.

Bake a spaghetti squash. I usually split it, season with pepper a dash of olive oil and cook until done. I don't use salt, but that is a personal preference. After squash is done, shred with fork to get that spaghetti look, and fill with chili. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve. I love the sweetness of the squash and the spicy acidic taste of the chili. I told you this was strange. I made chili last week, and bought the squash yesterday.

Guess what's for dinner tonight?

Cheers,
Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Cool Crimes Hot Chicks
and coming soon A Hotel in Bath

www.mjustes.com

Apple Picking by Margot Justes

In the fall we always go apple picking, something I've done with my daughters since they were little, very little. The tradition continues now with my grandchildren. Fall is upon us and of course it's apple picking time.

We tried to go apple picking today, tried was the operative word, no apples to pick at this particular orchard in Woodstock, Illinois. All the apples packed in tiny little bags with huge price tags were kept in the cooler.

The top two or three apples in the tiny bags were nice enough, the bottom few not so much, they were bruised and soft. I do understand the drought, the lack of apples, and the necessity for the orchard to support itself, but I don't have to pay a premium for at best mediocre quality.

I chose to vote with my pocketbook and not buy any of their apples, instead I went to a fresh fruit market and bought the delicious honey crisp apples for a fraction of the cost and I still supported the local growers.

The day was fun, we were together and the drive down was gorgeous. Fall arrived early and the trees were in their glory-the colors were magnificent. We stopped at Papa G's, for a late lunch. A delightful diner in Huntley, where the food was good and my meatloaf (love meatloaf) delicious. I tend to judge diners on their meatloaf.

Cheers,

Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Cool Crimes Hot Chicks
www.mjustes.com

The Voices Within by Margot Justes

I've noticed that anytime I do something mundane I hear voices. Not only voices but dialog, darn good conversations. It used to scare the proverbial living daylights out of me. Now, I look forward to them because not only do they wind up in my stories, but they are fun. I like my imaginary characters.

It is in essence an escape from reality. I'll be a full time writer next year and as the saying goes, I have one foot out the door at work. I'm retiring from my paying job. The thing that I want most is to be able to say to myself  'I'm a full time writer'.

Once I've reached that decision and have something that I truly love waiting for me, there is a sense of freedom. The sameness is slowly ebbing away, and excitement builds for what's ahead. Now I  want to push the time forward, but still enjoy the coming holiday season with friends and family.

I started to think about my brand, visibility in the magic world of the web-have to connect Mr. Gore's internet tubes-they seem to be pretty darn long. I want it set up so that after I retire I'll know what I'm doing, well, at least know more than I do now. Any progress in that direction would be an improvement. I'm even thinking of joining the 21st century and get a smart phone. Next year...first I have to remember to keep the one I have on.

All this electronic connectivity is not my thing. People can't even enjoy lunch or dinner without their gizmos. Is there something that is so important that you would text yourself off a cliff, or fall into a well or get run over? Is it so important that you can't even hold a conversation with a friend without an electronic interruption? Maybe I'm missing something...

Cheers,

Margot Justes

A Hotel in Paris

Hearts & Daggers

Cool Crimes Hot Chicks
www.mjustes.com

Another da Vinci by Margot Justes

Leonardo da Vinci was in the news again. It is amazing how frequently he's made headlines, well at least in the art world. Yahoo News claims a Scottish farmhouse was the recent venue for the discovery. The value of the painting could be upwards of 150 million dollars. Leonardo has indeed survived centuries and through his work became immortal.

According to the Daily Mail, it is believed to be a painting of Mary Magdalene holding a child. If it is not an original da Vinci, it most probably is from his school, maybe one of the master's students. Further analysis and tests are being performed at Cambridge University and the Hamilton Kerr Institute.

I wonder why the recent rash of discoveries of his work? There was the article about the metal casting of a sculpture. The hunt for the grave of the Mona Lisa? Who was she? Was it his lover in the portrait? Or maybe bits and pieces of his lover blended in the Mona Lisa work? When you think about it, new discoveries are being made about him as an artist, as a man and as an immortal. In his time he drew things that were beyond the scope of imagination for mere mortals. In a century where industrially we were just beginning to walk, he had us flying.  

In this century we are captivated by his vast talent and the things he foresaw.  

I'm fascinated by all things da Vinci. He plays a prominent role in my paranormal romance because I find him to be an incredible talent whose myth grows larger than life with every new discovery. Every new whisper. As if what already existed wasn't enough.

The new discoveries just add substance and depth to an incredible existence.

Cheers,
Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Cool Crimes Hot Chicks
www.mjustes.com