Visit my friend's blog!

My writer pal Tel Asiado asked me to be a guest on her blog today. Check it out and leave a message: Inspired Pen Writing.


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5 Writer Friends Having Fun

Check out this fun video 5 writer friends made. All multi-published authors, Sandie Bricker, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, Trish Perry, and I wrote the devotional Delight Yourself in the Lord…Even on Bad Hair Days. We did this video for a little after-the-writing relief.






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Ground Beef Hash

Sometimes, after a long day, the only thing that can satisfy your hunger is comfort food. You don't have to stand over a hot stove for hours to prepare this relaxing meal that will make everyone feel cozy and loved.

Ingredients:
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 can of condensed cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tbsp. of ketchup
• 1 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups of diced potatoes (Use frozen diced potatoes to save even more time!)
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet on medium-high. Drain the fat.
2. Mix the soup, water, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Add to the skillet with the ground beef.
3. Add the potatoes to the mixture. Stir, cover and turn the heat down to low.
4. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
5. After you put the ground beef hash on the plates, sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese over it.

Serve with steamed peas and carrots or a tossed salad.

Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is a Christian statement of faith, and I decided to post it to remind people of what we believe when we call ourselves Christians.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day He rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Deadline Dinner – Shrimp and Shell Salad

A quick and easy meal that shrimp lovers will enjoy is this delicious shrimp and shell salad. It only takes about fifteen minutes to prepare, and it's the perfect meal when you want something light!

Ingredients:
• 1 pound of cleaned, cooked salad shrimp without the shells
• 3 cups of cooked shell pasta
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/4 cup of chopped onions
• 1/4 cup of diced bell pepper
• 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. mustard
• 1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 4 cups of romaine lettuce
• 2 tomatoes cut into wedges

Directions:
1. Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard and Old Bay seasoning.
2. Add the celery, onions, and bell pepper. Stir well.
3. Fold in the cooked salad shrimp.
4. Chill.
5. Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with tomato wedges.

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ACFW

Anyone who writes Christian fiction should consider joining the American Christian Fiction Writers. This organization provides opportunities for both published and pre-published authors to learn, have fellowship, and meet once a year at the national conference. If you're interested, go to the ACFW website and click around to see everything this organization offers.

Deadline Dinner – Fish Alfredo

I've always enjoyed seafood of any kind, cooked any way. If it swam when it was alive, I'm pretty sure I'll like it. One very simple way of preparing seafood is to add a tasty sauce and serve it on pasta.

Ingredients:
• Cooking spray (Do you see a trend here? I should buy stock in Pam Cooking Spray)
• 1 pound of fish without bones
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 can of condensed cream of celery soup
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 4 cups of cooked linguine

Directions:
1. Spray a pan with cooking spray.
2. Put the chopped onion in the pan and sauté it on medium heat.
3. Pour in the soup, milk, and canned tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add the fish and turn the heat down to low. Cook until the fish becomes flaky—8 to 10 minutes.
5. Serve the fish over the linguine.

Add a salad and crusty bread for a delicious meal.


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Abingdon Fiction

One of my publishers, Abingdon Press has some fabulous fiction coming out soon. Here's a link to the fiction page on their website: Abingdon Fiction.

My editor, Barbara Scott has selected a wide range of books to suit a variety of tastes, including women's fiction, romance, medical suspense and mainstream fiction. The covers are gorgeous, so I'm extremely excited about my book, Sweet Baklava, that will be available in Spring 2011.

Deadline Dinner – Herbed Chicken

My husband and I used to have a joke about dinner. He'd call me on his way home, and instead of asking what was for dinner, he'd ask what kind of chicken we were having. I love chicken because it can be prepared so many different ways!

Ingredients:
• Cooking spray
• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce
• A pinch each of rosemary and thyme

Directions:
Spray pan with cooking spray.
Brown chicken in the pan on medium-high heat. Remove the ckicken.
In a medium bowl, mix the soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs.
Pour the soup mix into the pan and bring to a simmer on low heat.
Put the chicken back into the pan and cover. Cook for approximately 5 to 10 minutes or until done.

Serve with rice cooked in chicken broth and seasonings and a steamed vegetable.

Emma at the Beach

How cute is this! We took Emma to the beach, and she loved every minute of it! In the top picture, we'd just arrived. She's enjoying the water with my son-in-law, her daddy, Jason in the bottom picture.