TJ Wilde Trilogy · Duxbridge Mysteries · Jennifer McCaffrey Mysteries
Author of the TJ Wilde Trilogy, Duxbridge and the Jennifer Cozy Mysteries
It’s going to be a busy few weeks as my family and I deal with my dad’s illness. So postings will be brief.
I wanted to talk about cooking shortcuts, which somehow dovetailed nicely into things being so crazy that cooking becomes secondary.
Hard to believe he’s been here three years and is nine. He still acts like a teenager. He’s come so far from this day.
I wrote this on social media this week: “I feel like I have hammered and honed chapter two into a lovely opening to act 1.” No matter how I might gripe about the process, rewrites are actually very satisfying. Watching a story come sharply into focus is thrilling.
As I mentioned last week, Full Sail, the third book in the TJ Wilde Trilogy, needs some major rewrites. The problems were glaring by the time I hit chapters twelve and thirteen.
Sometimes the cover is so much better than the original. This will always be my favorite version of this song.
Revisiting a summer favorite:
Pasta Caprese
saucepan and large serving dish
Prepare pasta according to package directions. While it’s cooking, mix the remaining ingredients together. Drain pasta completely (dab with paper towels, if necessary) then add to tomato mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors blend. Serve warm or you can refrigerate and serve cold.
I use a fairly expensive mozzarella for this dish because it’s softer, tastier, and absorbs more flavors. Any locally produced mozzarella would work. Also, my local farmers’ market has a pasta vendor, who hand-makes many flavors of pasta. This dish works very well with flavored pastas – fire-roasted chili, lemon pepper, tomato basil, red bell pepper – the list goes on. You can also change up the cheese to a Queso Blanco (again, use a fairly expensive or locally produced one), use cilantro instead of basil, and use a chili-flavored pasta for a whole new dish. The possibilities are endless.
Annie DeMoranville 