The Dream Bucket: Price Reduction of the Paperback Version

The Dream Bucket, which continues to be the most popular book of the Covington Chronicles, has a new

The Dream Bucket
Paperback Version

price. If you go to CreateSpace.Com and search the store link, you'll find it, or you can click on  The Dream Bucket. 

It's been reduced from $20.00 to $15.99. This price change has not yet been reflected on Amazon.

The Dream Bucket has two distinct voices. Ten-year-old Papa shows how it feels to lose her father and learn to trust her mother. Zoe, the mother, walks through grief and destitution.

The Dream Bucket Paperback is now $15.99.

As always, the Kindle electronic version is still available on Amazon.com, The Dream Bucket. While you are there, please listen to the dramatic reading  by Clay Lomakayu.

The Dream Bucket
Audible Version

The Dream Bucket
Kindle Version

Priceless Tips from Friends on Cooking Turkey Dressing

Family treasures passed through the generations.
Thanksgiving is a time of traditions, and it’s valuable to keep them. What could be better than cooking the heirloom recipes?

After I published on 10-29-2007 the blog entry 

2017, Mom's Dressing Recipe with a Few Notes (Cornbread Dressing) it seemed interesting to post a question on Facebook about making dressing. The original question was, “How do you make dressing?” A friend instantly remarked that the question was ambiguous. Was it about salad dressing, gravy, or a side dish. The question required rewording. “How do you cook dressing for turkey?” received the answer of “Duh! In the oven.” Again the question was reworded. “What is your favorite recipe for dressing with turkey? Also stuffing.” A new friend thanked me for sharing love recipes. She saw through the motive of this posting project. Making dressing for a holiday is a sweet labor of love, a dish constructed from ingredients any pioneer woman had readily available. The recipe featured on the earlier blog appeared in my story cookbook, Flavored with Love, now out of print. If you have a traditional dressing recipe, update and cook it. If not, start a tradition--dressing or something else you prefer. If you cook too much food, freeze it. I’ve never met a (bread) dressing I didn’t like. Thanks to my friends who shared their families’ heirloom recipes. What a culinary delight! Some tips friends shared with me. (For the full story with the names of the contributors, friend Mary Cooke on Facebook and check my Timeline.) ·         You will learn not to wear plaid if the turkey is dressed in pastels. ·         Elastic pants are good dressing for the person who stuffs himself into them. ·         Are you supposed to use a recipe? ·         Stove Top®   Unique ingredients listed in the responses: ·         Cooked rice mixed with cornbread and other traditional ingredients to be stuffed into the turkey ·         Instead of white sliced bread, using the heels from several loaves and freezing the loaves to be eaten later ·         Chopped hard boiled eggs ·         Green onions ·         Red pepper flakes ·         Cream of chicken soup, along with the chopped hard boiled eggs Most responses including cornbread, except for one person, who makes, Bread Sausage Stuffing. “Take 1&1/2 -2 loaves of white bread moistened with a little milk, one egg, a roll of sage sausage, chopped onions, dried cranberries, parsley and Bells seasoning, mix all together and stuff into turkey.”

2017, Mom's Dressing Recipe with a Few Notes (Cornbread Dressing)

2017, Mom's Dressing Recipe with a Few Notes (Cornbread Dressing)

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and it's time to start making plans to cook. Here's some information about our family's favorite food.

My first mother-in-law, Mary Cheatham, cooked this traditional family recipe. She learned how to make dressing from  her mother. She always did everything the same way, and the results never varied.. (Because her name was Mary and for a few more reasons, I have reverted to the name Mary Lou Cheatham to avoid confusion.)

Mom’s Dressing, Her Original Recipe

2 batches cornbread prepared according to the instructions on the mix (Mom used Martha White buttermilk mix.)
½ - ⅔ large loaf white sandwich bread
6 large onions
1 bunch of celery less 2 stalks
½ bunch parsley
1½ teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Salt to taste
5 large eggs
Hot water or chicken broth (depending on the use of the dressing.)
Cooking oil

In a huge pan crumble the cornbread; tear the white bread into small pieces.

Sauté the celery and onions in oil but do not allow them to brown. Cut the long stems off the parsley and tear the parsley into small pieces. Stir the vegetables and the seasonings into the breadcrumbs. With vigorous stirring, add the eggs. Continuing to stir, add enough hot water to make a moist dressing. (Alternate directions: if the dressing is to be served as a side dish instead of stuffing, moisten it with chicken broth.)

Cook the dressing in a scant amount of oil in a large electric skillet until it is warm. Adjust the seasonings according to your mood.

Store the dressing in the refrigerator until it is time to stuff the turkey. (If the dressing is to be served as a side dish at a later time, bake it until it is light golden brown on top. Store it in the freezer.)

A Few Notes 

To stuff or not to stuff.  We quit stuffing our turkey years ago. Instead we cook our turkey separately. That way we can easily bring our dressing to the required temperature of 165°F.

About making the turkey taste not so gamy.  (A little off the subject) When we cook our turkey, we rub olive-and-canola oil blend and sea salt all over the turkey inside and out and place big chunks of onion and celery inside the big turkey cavity and the little cavity after removing the giblet package. Also we slip slices of oranges, peeling included, under the turkey's skin.

My secret seasoning. Having lived in Louisiana for more than half my life, I’ve become addicted to cayenne pepper. This dressing is better if you shake a tiny bit of cayenne into it. Stir well so one of your guests won’t get a mouth full.

Alternate ingredient: My friend Debbie told me she sautés the vegetables for her dressing in butter. That sounds yummy.

Just a reminder: Stuffing is cooked inside a bird, and dressing is cooked outside of it. My mother-in-law used this recipe to stuff a turkey, and she always had two cake pans of it left over no matter how big her bird was.

One more note. My daughter and I have stopped cooking the dressing in a small amount of oil when we bake it immediately after stirring up all that goodness. (See the last step of the recipe.) Mom did that to avoid food poisoning from stored raw eggs. Instead of frying it again, we mix it just before we bake it. Then there is no danger. I never stuff a bird. Instead I cook it in a separate pan. It’s lighter and lower in calories. Also there’s no danger this way. The problem of food poisoning arises when a bird is stuffed.

Embellishments. Mom never added meat to the dressing on Thanksgiving, but the day after she stirred leftover turkey into it, mostly dark meat, along with a small amount of giblet gravy. She called this hash. One year, my daughter and I stirred in some andouille and Tasso. It was delicious. My mother made a similar batch of dressing, in which she added dark chicken meat, possibly hen.

Safety. When the women  and men in our family prepare dressing, we always adhere to strict safety rules. Mom was a stickler, who made sure we learned what we should and shouldn't do to keep this food safe.  To make sure we kept it safe, we have prepared the dressing ahead of time by baking it, transferring it to a slow cooker, and keeping it warm and safe there while we served it at a leisurely executed Thanksgiving dinner, where family and friends kept returning for seconds and thirds. Of course, we had to stir it.

From the USDA.gov, here are some safety questions and answers:

Why is it essential to use a food thermometer when cooking stuffed meat or poultry?
Cooking stuffed poultry, pork chops, and other meat can be somewhat riskier than cooking them unstuffed. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F, possibly resulting in foodborne illness. Even if the meat itself has reached this temperature, the stuffing may not have reached a temperature in all areas sufficient to destroy foodborne bacteria.
If stuffing does not reach 165 °F when the meat itself is done, further cooking will be required for the stuffing to reach 165 °F.
For optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook stuffing separately.

Can you make stuffing in a slow cooker?
It is safe to make stuffing in a slow cooker if you follow these guidelines:
The stuffing needs to be very moist.
Fill the slow cooker loosely no more than 2/3 full.
The lid should fit tightly on the slow cooker.
Start cooking on the high setting for at least 1 hour before reducing the setting to low.
Cook until the center of the stuffing reaches 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
If these guidelines have not been followed, discard the stuffing.
Consult your slow cooker manual for approximate times.
NOTE: Never place frozen stuffing or other frozen food in a slow cooker.

For a more detailed discussion, please go to
USDA Information about Cooking Dressing

Trailer Related to As Doves Fly in the Wind

This video is a trailer made by Jodi Hockinson for As Doves Fly in the Wind.

Jodi is in the process of recording the book. It's amazing the way she can act all the parts. When she finishes the recording, we will be able to hear the women as well as the men, and she'll stir in a Cajun flavor where it's needed.

As Doves Fly in the Wind is available in electronic and paperback forms at Westbow and also Amazon . Just click on the names of one of the pages in the previous sentence. Or if you'd prefer, you can purchase it on Barnes &Noble as a Nook or paperback.

As Doves Fly in the Wind is a contemporary inspirational romance. It's set in Louisiana--mostly south and some north. Some of the characters (Jessica and the men pursuing her) are mature, in their fifties. None of them are perfect. The novel explores subjects such as

• Cyber romance
• Hurricanes with tornadoes and floods
• Superstitious reactions to haunted houses
• Mild humor
• Loneliness
• Frustration over difficulties with family members 
• Christmas celebrations 
• South Louisiana food
• Forgiveness
• Spiritual renewal

Happy reading!

A new audible book is soon to be released: As Doves Fly in the Wind

photo by ipopba, I-Stock or  ShutterStock

The Audible version of As Doves Fly in the Wind is in production. How exciting!

As Doves Fly in the Wind is now a paperback book and a Kindle book. The publisher provides a service of producing an audio book, but ACX will do so without charging unless one chooses to pay for certain services.

A few thousand producers have placed samples of their work on ACX,com. Along with clear instructions, the site provides filters that will aid authors in finding the producer you need.

Jodi Hockinson, who has already recorded Secret Promise, The Courtship of Miss Loretta Larson, and Travelers Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek, is a skilled producer, who can make her voice sound many different ways. A true professional, she and her husband have all the electronic equipment needed to produce a polished recording. Other artists have done a splendid job for me too. I usually select a voice that fits the main character of narrator of the story.

Jodi has begun recording As Doves Fly in the Wind. When she finishes fifteen minutes, she will post this sample on the website in a private place for evaluation before she continues with the rest of the novel.

In the meantime, a new cover will be required. When the publisher gave permission  to have the book recorded by another service (which in my case is ACX), reuse of the book cover was forbidden. The  publisher designed the cover with a photograph selected by me, the author. The picture of the woman with doves perfectly matched the text.

On the page with it were some related photographs available to be purchased. My husband John and I selected the one featured here. John, who has designed some of my other covers, will crop the photograph, which has to be square for the audible book. (The dimensions of a  square cover must go back to the days of  record album covers. ) Also, Jodi's name must appear on the audible book cover.

If you'd like to discuss this process with me, please contact me on Facebook Messenger. We can always learn from one another. Have a blessed day.

23 Cents Worth of Gas

Summer was hot and weeks had passed since I saw any of my friends, except for E, who went to the same church I did. I lived three miles from town—two miles down the road from Taylorsville, Mississippi, and one mile west, up the road on Gregg Hill, near the end of the road on the Smith-Covington County line.

In the field up the hill from my house, the very pinnacle of the hill, my dad had a beautiful terraced field, where he grew corn, watermelons, or field peas. Scattered about in that field were our famous plums, the most delicious in Smith County.

One of my friends, MB, had a new Chevrolet, which she drove from house to house and collected her friends in town. She loved the plums we had. One afternoon, she gathered up a car full of girls and headed up the hill to my house.

When I saw her car, I rushed out to our big front porch to greet them. Since they were town girls, I didn’t ask them inside.

“Could we get some of your plums?” MB emitted a nervous giggle. “We just love those plums.”

My mother appeared with a bucket. “Here. Take this. You can keep it.”

“Is it all right if we take Mary Lou for a ride?” MB asked Mother.

“Sure. Y’all be careful.”

“Come on.” MB climbed into her car. “Y’all get in the back seat and let Mary Lou sit up front.”

We piled in and drove the short distance to the edge of the yard and took off by foot to the plum trees. As soon as our buckets were full, we climbed back into the car.

At the bottom of the hill when it was time to turn back onto the road, somebody in the back seat said, “Where y’all want to go?”

“Hot Coffee,” a voice said.

“Yes, let’s go to Hot Coffee,” two other voices answered.

MB turned to the right, and soon we were giggling and talking all at once.

“Oh no!” MB’s hand slapped her own face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m out of gas.”

“Let’s go get some gas then,” BA said.

“Have y’all got any money?”

I had a nickel and a penny in the pocket of my shorts. Squirming in the back seat, the girls collected a total of fifteen cents.

MB checked her billfold. “Two cents.”

“Oh, no. What will we do?” E was laughing, and we were all chewing our nails and twisting our hair.

“Everybody just calm down.” Always a natural leader, MB took charge as she pulled up to the service station in Hot Coffee. “Mary Lou, you’re on the passenger side. Here comes the attendant. Tell him we want to buy twenty-three cents worth of gas.”

By the time the attendant arrived, the girls in the back seat were laughing so loud, they got me tickled. I tried to say it, but the amount wouldn’t come out of my mouth. “We need some gas.”

MB spoke up. In a no-nonsense voice, she said, “Y’all be quiet. Sir, we need twenty-three cents worth of gas please.”

That’s the end of the story. MB took me home and rushed back toward Taylorsville.

As Doves Fly in the Wind is now available.

The paperback version of As Doves Fly in the Wind is available on Amazon, Westbow, Barnes & Noble. It's available in paperback and Kindle versions, and today my first paperback copy came in the mail.

It is a story about a retired school teacher (a university music professor), who was married to a jerk. He died in a bar fight when they were young.

It's about a woman trying to start a new life in a new town, where people shun her, where no one seems to notice she needs help taking care of her developmentally challenged little sister. Loneliness is palpable.

It's about a haunted house, a hurricane, a flood, and a tornado.

Jessica's life has humor, heartbreak, victory, achievement. Will she give up or will she keep trying to succeed in a new chapter of her life?

Jessica Boudreaux Hays, a retired music professor, has recently moved to Rousseauville to open a bed and breakfast in her grandparents’ house. An attractive and talented fifty-five-year-old widow, Jessica loves to cook, entertain, and play the piano. Her life is filled with problems. Emmie, her younger sister who lives with her, cannot be left alone. The sisters recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. The residents of the village are charitable but superstitious. For some mysterious reason, they refuse to go near her or the bed and breakfast. Another frustration in Jessica’s life is her cyber romance with a mysterious stranger.

As Doves Fly in the Wind begins with manslaughter of Dale Bonnier's family. And then he goes to prison.

Dale Bonnier, a fifty-five-year-old widower, pastors two small churches in rural south Louisiana. He inspires the people in Rousseauville with his compelling sermons. He is considerate and approachable but at times disorganized and impetuous. His parishioners, especially Jessica, find his preaching inspiring.

Dale has a recurring problem with his past. In the 1980s, when he was an intense young man, he destroyed his home and family as he sought to satisfy his cravings for illicit drugs. Thirty years have passed. God has forgiven him, but the past has left indelible scars. Can Dale forgive himself? He cannot turn his past around, but he hopes it will be used to influence and inspire others.

Jessica tries to start over in Rousseauville, but she encounters unpredicted stormy times. Can she find acceptance? Will she ever find a man she can love and trust?

These problems are only the beginning. It would seem that Jessica and Dale, who find each other attractive, could fall in love...not so fast though. She's in love with someone else, and he has issues.

Reading what happens to the characters in this book will bless and inspire you.

Bubba Dreaming about Going to the Library

Sunday afternoon, and the real live Bubba is relaxing on his downstairs bed while his mommy relaxes

Bubba lounging on his downstairs bed.

by sketching the some drawings for the future Bubba book. She has named it Bubba Goes to the Library.

On Saturday, December 16, 2017, Christie Marie Underwood, illustrator, and Mary Lou Cheatham, author, will be the guests of Ransom Canyon Librarian, Angie Fikes,  for a children's Christmas program. The honored guests will be the young readers of Ransom Canyon, Texas.

Books featured on the program are Brother Star, Sister Moon; Seth, the Shepherd Boy; Bubba, the Firedog; and maybe Bubba Goes to the Library. 

Here's a preview of Bubba Goes to the Library. 

(c) 2017 Mary Lou Cheatham and Christie Marie Underwood. All drawings and photos may not be copied and reproduced without written permission.

Bubba, the Firedog, goes out to eat.

Today we ate Sunday lunch with a huge group from church. Next to me was a precious four-year-old boy, who played with his toy but became restless. His grandmother, great grandmother, and great grandmother brought him on the adventure. He sat politely in his chair, but it was taking forever for our food to arrive.

I pulled out my cellphone and went to our new Bubba story, which is downloaded on my Kindle. He looked at the pictures and listened to every word   as we read it.

He paid attention to the telling of the ways the dog got into trouble, and he laughed out loud at the picture of the real Bubba wearing a fire hat.

He told me he didn't have a dog but his parents were planning to get him one soon.

Cellphones are amazing because they can perform all sorts of chores. It was convenient to have a story handy to read. One never knows when such a book could come in handy.

Bubba, the Firedog, on Kindle



(c) 2017 Mary Lou Cheatham and Christie Marie Underwood. All drawings and photos may not be copied and reproduced without written permission.

My daughter's art

Christie, my daughter, has a simple style of drawing. Children love her primitive pictures. Through her colorful art work, she communicates with the youngest lovers of books, the aspiring readers. The three-year-olds notice the details and become excited. Children want to enjoy her books every night at bedtime, and they walk around looking at the book and showing adults the bright-colored cartoon-like drawings.

Producing her clever pictures is a hobby that helps her relax. All who look at her pictures--the young people and the more mature ones--comment on her brilliant colors. These are a preview of some of the pictures she created for Bubba, the Firedog.

(c) 2017 Mary Lou Cheatham and Christie Marie Underwood. All drawings and photos may not be copied and reproduced without written permission.

Available in 3 Formats: Bubba, the Firedog

Some Good News:

October 20, 2017, Bubba, the Firedog, became an audible book.

Bubba, the Firedog

Audible Cover

It is now available on Amazon
 and also on Audible.

Each site has a long sample. It can also be found on I-Tunes.

The producer is Joseph A. Batzel, who has been a professional voice actor for over thirty-five years. He has narrated film, television, radio, and audiobooks He's also a voice instructor. His recording of the Bubba book is fun because he has enough dogginess in his rendition to allow little ones to think about a dog but not so much that it detracts from the message of the story.

If you have one of the other formats, it is easy to follow along with the reading.

More Good News:

Bubba, the Firedog
Paperback Cover

 

The printed paperback version of Bubba, the Firedog is available at Amazon and also at .

Create Space  It was released October 12, 2017.

What's it all about?

Bubba, a happy dog, lives in a friendly village in Texas. His humans give him affection, treats, and love. They take him on walks. He becomes a firedog, who helps his owner, a volunteer fireman, by guarding the tools and by being a friend to the other men in the fire department. Sometimes he is frightened, but he relies on his human mommy and daddy to make everything work out right. Sometimes he gets into mischief, but most of the time he is well behaved. He likes to play with his toys.

And the Oldest News:

Since September 17, 2017, it has been available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon 
Children have enjoyed the electronic version for more than a month. The illustrator, Christie Marie Underwood,

Bubba, the Firedog

Kindle version

and the narrator, Joseph A. Batzel, join me, the author, in the excitement of being a part of bringing this enjoyable book to young minds.

A friend asked me, "What age is this for?"

Here is my answer: "Children from a few months up through four years old seem fascinated with the pictures. Kindergarten and first-grade children can read most of the words. This week my husband John and I have visited with his grandsons, who are almost four. They have carried the book around and talked about the pictures. The almost-eight-year-old girl loves it too."

(c) 2017 Mary Lou Cheatham and Christie Marie Underwood. All drawings and photos may not be copied and reproduced without written permission.

What if an alligator knocked on your front door?

A preview from As Doves Fly in the Wind.

First, here's a quick background: Jessica's neighborhood is enduring a flood caused by a hurricane that hit south Louisiana. A tornado has ripped up the trees in her yard, and two misguided men had a drag race in the mud in her large yard. She goes outside the morning after to inspect the damage.

After donning her robe and slippers, she walked into her yard with the dog. There in a new ditch dug the night before by the wild drivers was a grayish brown alligator.

It was sloshing around in the fresh mud. Zsa Zsa hid like a coward behind Jessica. For once Jessica was glad her dog was not aggressive. In a wrestling match with the reptile, the dog would have lost to the bone-crushing bite of the beast. Zsa Zsa would have served as a delicious breakfast morsel for the gator. Jessica didn’t feel brave either. Through the big earthen wheels with tree trunk axles, she backed away as fast as she could. “Come on, Zsa Zsa. Leave me some room to step.” Everywhere she tried to go the dog was tripping her.

“Come on, Zsa Zsa. Let’s go.” The two of them broke into a dead run through the downed trees and muddy ruts. Jessica almost slipped down, but she recovered quickly and kept on trucking. They ran back to the house and up the steps.

As soon as she and the dog were inside, she locked the door and called 9-1-1. “There’s a twelve-foot alligator in my front yard.”

“What’s your name?”

“Jessica Hays.”

“Are you sure it’s an alligator?”

“Yes.”

“Not a log?”

“It’s an alligator.”

“You know there are a lot of emergencies around here right now.”

“Logs don’t move splashing their way along the ditch.” She walked to the window and saw the alligator approaching her house. It was sauntering down a muddy rut the squad car had left the night before.

“Where are you?”

She gave the dispatcher her address.

“Are you inside?”

“Yes, but the alligator is coming toward my house. There is a sick child in the apartment behind my house. Sometimes they have to go out for emergencies involving her. Get animal control over here now.”

“Chances are the gator won’t bother you if you leave him alone.”

Jessica blew her hair out of her face. “Did you not understand? The alligator is trying to come inside my house for a visit. Also I have a litigious tenant whose daughter is critically ill.”

“We’ll send help soon. Try to calm down.”

After the 9-1-1 dispatcher hung up, she stayed by the front window and watched the alligator. While she waited for Animal Control, she called the Lafacettes.

“Hello.” Mr. Lafacette was irritable.

“This is Jessica Hays. There is a large alligator on my porch. Don’t go outside until I tell you it’s been caught.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” He clicked the phone.

The alligator stationed himself near her front doorsteps, and she parked next to a front window. Sergeant Goodgoin drove up behind the animal control people.

A bang on her front door caused a barking conniption. The front door shook. Jessica trusted the door to hold against the reptile. Pulling back the lace curtain, she found herself eye-to-eye with the alligator as he tried to open the door.

One of the men lassoed the alligator’s head. Then he managed to lasso the tail. Five men pulled until the alligator was far enough from the side of her house for them to reach it easily. They duck taped his mouth and tied him with more ropes. Using a pulley, they curled and loaded him into the back of a pickup.

Sergeant Goodgoin knocked on her door. “Are you all right, Ms. Hays?”

“I’m fine, Officer. Thanks.”

Our Cat Roberta on the Roof

Ever feel like going somewhere away from all the stuff going on around you? It would be fun at times like that to detach yourself--go far enough away to escape any obligations or demands but at the same time be close enough to watch what's going on?

Roberta, the cat, feels that way. She likes the dog, but why does he drink her water, take up her space, eat her food, and sniff her tail while he wags his? Ugh!

Cauliflower is the new spud.

A popular food is cauliflower treated as mashed potatoes, faux potatoes. Cauliflower has only twenty-five calories, whereas it has cancer-fighting compounds, vitamins, and a distinctly different, delicious flavor. White potatoes aren't so bad either. A potato is loaded with vitamins, but a serving has three times as many calories as cauliflower.  

The secret decadence is all that stuff we put in our potatoes and faux potatoes—the butter, cheese, sour cream....

Cauliflower tastes good, but it isn’t as smooth as good ole mashed potatoes. We haven’t called them “creamed” for several generations without a good reason.

We’ve decided the combined taste of cauliflower and potatoes is best. When we have guests, we make a big batch of this incredible food the day before. Our guests ooh over them and clean out the bowl. Usually we tell them the potatoes have cauliflower mixed in. they don’t know why the potatoes are more delicious than usual.

Cook the potatoes as you usually do. Peeling them is a waste of time and energy. It's easy to cut them in chunks and boil or steam the until they are tender.

When you go to the grocery store (do you call it supermarket?), select the biggest cauliflower you can find.

You want it to be pure snowy white, but if it has a few brown or black spots on it, plan to trim those off.

Now you have your cauliflower. You take it home and remove the clear cover if it has one. If you found a large one, you have a big vegetable to cook. Such a big piece of food to prepare is scary, right?
At this moment, the cauliflower has been cooked, and the perfume of it is a treat to the nostrils. Do you like the way cauliflower smells when it is cooked? All that good taste and smell are irresistible.

It doesn't have to frighten the cook though. Place it in a clear glass pan, cover the cauliflower with a generous piece of clear wrap. Fasten the wrap to the sides of the glass pan, and punch four or five holes in the wrap. Punching those holes is an important step.

Place it in the microwave and cook it until it is soft. 

Since you are preparing this dish a day ahead of time, you don't need to burn yourself on the steam. Let it sit and cool a few minutes. Peel off the greenery underneath and discard it. 

Remember, the cauliflower and the potatoes do not have too many calories. Although potatoes are loaded with carbohydrates, the problem is what we stir into the cauliflower and vegetables. 

At some point, you'll need to add a few pieces of finely chopped--minced--onion. If the onion makes its appearance after the vegetables finish cooking, it gives an interesting texture.  

After you've cooked and drained the potatoes and microwave-steamed the cauliflower, cream them with a mixer. It's better to have the potatoes or the cauliflower slightly warm so the ingredients can blend better. 

Add what you like. Today we're adding sharp cheddar, sour cream, and butter. Let your conscience and your taste buds be your guide. After whipping all that in, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a shake or two of sea salt, some garlic powder, and a shake of parsley. Grind some fresh black pepper into it.

Shortly before serving it you may want to add chopped green onions or bacon bits.

(Photographs by John Cooke)

A WALK THROUGH BETTY VIRGINIA PARK

Betty Virginia Park is the former site of Deer
Lake, one of the raft lakes in Shreveport. At one time, farmers would bring cotton on wagons to Deer Lake to be transferred to the Red River by steamboat.

In the 1830's, when Captain Henry Miller Shreve unlogged the logjam in the Red River, Deer Lake began draining creating the park we know today.

The 23 acres, which make up Betty Virginia Park, were donated by Shreveport businessmen Elias Goldstein and A. C. Steere.

The park was named in honor of their daughters, Betty and Virginia.
Since its founding, the park continually served the city of Shreveport.
(Copied from the sign because the shadows made it difficult to read.)

We take walks in the park often. Almost always we travel counter-clockwise.

It's upsetting to see graffiti 

under the bridge.

Temu loves the walk in the park.

John is a great walking partner.

Children play games in this wide open field.

The park is full of resting places.

A beautiful blue-sky sunny day.

Interview with Shreveport Author, Jonni Rich

Jonni Rich is an inspiration. When the Grave Expectations writers meet to discuss the art and science of fiction writing and to report on what we’ve written lately, Jonni always relates the news about something she is working on.

. She is one of the youngest adults you may ever meet because she approaches every day with fresh enthusiasm. She writes and reads on a regular basis. “I read to improve my craft,” she says.

Go to the Grave Expectations page on Facebook to learn more about the group, which does not participate in a national organization, does not restrict itself to one genre, does not have dues or officers. It’s simply a group of writers meeting once a month to discuss writing and to study. 

Currently the writers are taking turns presenting lessons from The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. Meetings are every second Saturday beginning at noon in the back room of Podnuh’s on Barksdale Highway, Shreveport. Last week the meeting started at noon, although it actually starts at 12:30. People showed up when they could and visited over barbecued chicken or brisket. About one o’clock the meeting officially began.

https://www.facebook.com/grave.expectations.group.for.writers/  

Jonni honored us by granting an interview. First let’s meet her by looking at some information she placed on her Amazon Author Page:

I am a North Louisiana native, and still live in that part of the state. I am a retired retail store owner. Also a librarian in the public sector. I was educated in North Louisiana, and have studied writing from the University of Florida.

I'm multi-published in Gothic Suspense, Romantic Suspense, and Mystery.

Now, let’s move on to the interview.

Jonni, where did you grow up?

Monroe, Lousiana.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

·         Train trip to Clark County, Mississippi, in the summers

·         Wading in the creek

Who are some of the writers who have influenced you and how?

·         Agatha Christie – Best puzzles in the world.

·         Dorothy L. Sayers – Great plots

·         Kathleen Woodiwiss – Great characters

·         Ruth Rendell – Psychological mysteries

·         Nora Roberts – Good characterizations time after time

Of the books you have written, which is your favorite?

Deadly Sweet Sixteen. I like Emmaline and Byrd in my Deadly Series.

Why?

Both struggle with everyday life and how to solve the murders that pop up in their lives.

How can it be obtained?

Amazon:  Deadly Sweet Sixteen

What are some of the other books you have written and published?

·         EVIL AT MIDNIGHT:
Contemporary Romantic suspense. The kidnapping if a special needs child pushes a small town into a suspicious backlash against the child's mother.

·         GHOSTS OF CHARTRES  HOUSE: An inherited mansion, ghosts, murder, and secrets.

·         DEADLY SWEET SIXTEEN:  Amateur sleuths, Emmaline and Byrd solve the long standing mystery of a former classmates disappearance.

·         GHOST OF DRAGONCROFT: Novella. Historical. Disappointed by her fortune reversal, and her stepmother 's meddling, Vanessa Threadbolt takes a position as governess in a distant village at Dragoncroft Castle where things are not as they appear.

·         HOOCHIE COOCHE DANCER: Contemporary Short Story:  Small town antique store owner awaits the arrival of her famous actress sister's homecoming with unexpected results.

 What is your next book to be published?

Deadly Black Pearls – Second book in Deadly Series. Murder in small town. Emmaline and Byrd solve the murders.

In your writing, what do you see to accomplish?

It’s a creative outlet. I want to touch other people’s lives.

What do you want to tell your readers?

To enjoy stories, to look at their lives, to value human beings.

Thanks, Jonni, for inspiring readers and writers.