Tag Archives: Ice Cream

Gulliver Box set, New Ice Cream Maker, Gardening: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

So, I have the Smashwords copy of the Gulliver Station Box set formatted and the table of contents linked. I’m going to go through it today to try and get rid of the punctuation and grammar errors I see in there so when I do the paperback version, it will be cleaner. I’ll update the Kindle copy as well. It’s a tedious process, folks, so please bear with me.

Ice Cream Maker

I mentioned a few of days ago that I was buying a new ice cream maker because I couldn’t find the motor and paddle for my old one. Well, the Cuisine Art maker came, and Saturday I made a new batch of vanilla paleo ice cream. I put it into the maker and it worked beautifully. Hubby tried it Saturday night and while he declared it wasn’t as creamy as regular ice cream, it was good. Better with the addition of fresh, cut-up peaches, of which we’re swimming. That’s a whole ‘nother story.

The garden is going strong. I have peaches. Lots and lots of peaches and they all ripen at once. So we give away a lot to friends. The a good many I’ll blanch, peel, and cut into slices to freeze. The freezing part is easy. Lay the slices out on a freezer paper lined baking sheet and put in the freezer. The next day, loosen them from the paper, put into a gallon freezer bag, and you’re done. Unless of course, like me, you have several more containers of fresh peaches in the fridge. Then it’s round two! The picture is of 2 containers already washed, and my gathering basket of just picked peaches, before they get their bath.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Authors/Bloggers Summer Giveaway is in progress at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. There’s $80 as a Grand Prize Paypal Cash and 27 books and 27 prizes available to win.

The Smashwords’ site’s Summer/Winter Giveaway is over. I hope you had the chance to get many of my books for free or at a significant discount. Now you can find a list of all of my books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell and in whatever ebook format works for you.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming.

Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Book Release:

The Gulliver Station ebook box set released July 30th, 2018. You can buy it at Amazon today. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Ice Cream Maker, Interviews and Talks, The Garden: Monday Blog Post

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Ice Cream Maker

Newest News:

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I couldn’t find the motor half of my ice cream maker. I’ve looked, hubby has looked, and it is just not anywhere to be found. We went to the local Walmart on Sunday only to find they don’t carry any, at least at the local store. So of course, I’m headed off to Amazon when I finish with this post, to order one. I’m thinking Cuisinart, as I already have a Cuisinart food processor and really like the brand. Probably less than 2 quarts. I don’t have any recipes that make 2 quarts of ice cream. In the meantime, I dug out my popsicle forms and poured the ice cream base in there, then took out a metal bread pan and poured the rest of the base in that. As I was putting it in the freezer I remembered I should have lined the pan with plastic wrap for easier removal. Sigh. I can now look forward to a fight to get the ice cream from the pan, but I’ll manage somehow. I’ll take a picture when I get a bowlful or eat one of the ice cream bars. Hmmm, wonder if I can make a chocolate shell????

 

I’ve been contacted recently by a couple of different people to appear on their radio show and in March, as a speaker at their fund-raising event. The show interview will probably be this fall. Details are still being set up. But the March thing is solid. I’m pretty excited and will certainly share specifics with you all when I get them, and the dates get closer. Both of these came about because I was at the Payson Book Festival. For many authors, attendance at these kinds of book signings is a money losing proposition. We never sell enough books to cover the costs involved in attending. However, the main reason we attend is to talk to readers. And, sometimes, we meet people that want to bring us along for other events. These are ways to get to meet more readers and, perhaps, generate future purchases of our books. I love talking to others about my journey as an author and about my books. I’m looking forward to both of these events. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a speaker, check out my media page. I have samples of interviews I’ve done, and basic information about me for you to download. There is contact information as well. I’m always looking for new opportunities to meet readers.

Hornworms

The garden is going strong. I’ve been in a battle for the tomato plants the last few days. Since last Wednesday I’ve gotten rid of about three dozen tomato hornworms. Ugh. They eat the plant down to the stem and they do it fast! Above is a picture hubby took of just a few of them before I sent them over the fence into the drainage ditch.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Authors/Bloggers Summer Giveaway is in progress at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. There’s $80 as a Grand Prize Paypal Cash and 27 books and 27 prizes available to win.

The Smashwords’ site’s Summer/Winter Giveaway ends tomorrow! I have books ranging from free to 25% or even 75% off. I don’t usually do this so if you’re interested in some discounts, this is your last chance for a whole year! You can find a list of all of my books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell with the discounts already marked. Enjoy!

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter.  I just published a new one last Sunday. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming.

Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Book Release:

Tested released January 31st and I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, today! You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

 

Ice Cream, Concert in the Park: Daily Blog Post

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Potato Lake

Hey!

So hubby took a handful of hikers on a non-standard day hike today, meaning, we don’t usually do Saturday hikes. However, a hiking friend of ours from Phoenix heard about our Tuesday hike to Potato Lake and wanted to see it. So, he arranged a hike. I didn’t go. I was just there Tuesday and besides, there were things I wanted to do. This blog included.

Anyway, among talking to one of my brothers back east, going to the Farmer’s Market, and watering the garden, I decided to make a paleo ice cream. The base is sitting in the refrigerator right now. Why isn’t it churned and in the freezer? Because while the base of the ice cream maker is in the freezer, where it belongs, I cannot find the paddle or the motor part. Hubby and I have looked everywhere. Even places it shouldn’t be. No motor. No ice cream. Sigh. I can hold the liquid base and go to the store and buy a new ice cream maker, but I’ll have to let that base freeze for 24 hours. No ice cream for me tonight.

Payson concert in the park

Also today is the last concert in the park. The town’s Park and Rec department puts on this concert series every summer and this is the last one for the season. It’s a good band, too, so I don’t want to miss it.

That’s it for today!

Tested released January 31st and I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, today! You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Poached Pears: A Chicklets in the Kitchen Post

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Poached Pears with Frozen Custard and Orange Slice Garnish Picture by Connie Cockrell

Lots has happened to me since my last post in June. July held the Payson Book Festival for which I am the director, then August is prep for the Northern Gila County Fair which is the weekend after Labor Day. Then, well, I was just tired.

But, news! In August I began eating the Paleo Diet. I love it! I lost 15 pounds in August alone. If you don’t know what the Paleo Diet is, a quick explanation is that you stop eating grains and dairy. You can Google it for a more complete explanation. I have Celiac Disease which is closely related to Hashimoto’s disease. With that, you should also stop eating sugar (well, we all should anyway), caffeine (which I gave up years ago), and raw cruciferous veg (cooked is ok). So that’s what I’ve done.

I don’t feel deprived at all, despite my strong love of anything pasta. But it was making me feel bad so, while I may make the very seldom choice to go gluten-free pasta, it’s gone! Now I eat as clean as possible (meaning organic, grass-fed meat, organic veg, organic fruit. It helps that I have my own pear, apple, and peach trees, and grow a lot of veg in my small garden.

The pears are where this blog comes in. My Bartlett pears became ripe the end of September. They’re not a soft pear. I was having my brother-in-law and his girl for supper and was thinking about dessert. At first, I thought about an avocado-chocolate mousse, (more on that next month), but then I was looking at all of my lovely ripe pears and decided poached pears would be a better choice.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really missing anything on my new diet, but a girl does like the occasional sweet, am I right?

Serves 4 – 6.

Hardware

Cutting board

Knife

Saucepan

Ingredients

4 pears, peeled, cored, cut into quarters or sixths

3 navel oranges, 2 juiced (1/2 cup or more if extra juicy), 1 sliced into rounds

See the rest at Chicklets in the Kitchen.

 

Thanks for stopping by Chicklets in the Kitchen. Do you have a favorite dessert to serve guests? Please tell us about it in the comments box below if you feel so inclined.

My name is Connie Cockrell and I write SciFi, Fantasy, Mysteries, and a lot of other things and you can find links to all of my books at www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com.