~ GOODBYE TO THE SUMMER! ~

I won't go down without a fight! I mean it! You're gonna have to take me out!

Hey friends! Summer is *sniff* almost over. As a lunch lady, I'm back to slinging hash and telling the kids that- no, they may not have two slices of cake. But despite my boss' protests to the contrary, I'm not ready to give up summer yet! It's still fairly warm here in the Midwest, so pull up a lawn chair and dip your feet in the blow-up pool because we're going to have a good time on this, our final, Buy the Book Tours Summer Block Party Blog Hop! (Don't worry. I've heard they have more fun in store for us.) 

So my contribution to the festivities today is to share my friend Sandy's family recipe for a Vodka Slushie! And, it wouldn't be an MJ post without some tunes... So, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we work! Have a great week and we'll see you soon!

Sandy’s Vodka Slushie

Empty one can of frozen lemonade into Tupperware. Fill can with vodka and add. Add 2 liter Squirt (not diet) and freeze. She usually doubles. Just scoop into glasses and serve.

And nothing says party more than a rock star, so check out my ROCKING ROMANCE COLLECTION. The book that started it all, TRAPPED UNDER ICE is free on Amazon, BN.com, Kobo, and iTunes! 

TRAPPED UNDER ICE ~

http://amzn.com/B00BDQ9RMC

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trapped-under-ice-mj-schiller/1114481698?ean=9781939274007&isbn=2940016308906

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/trapped-under-ice/id804457789?mt=11


http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/trapped-under-ice-1

Now that you are virtually refreshed and feeling fine, head over to these great authors' blogs and see what they've got happening for today's blog hop:

~ SEBASTIAN'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE ~

I have one more recipe for you ~ from BETWEEN ROCK AND A HARD PLACE! Recipes and excerpts like this one can be found in the SWEET & SAVORY COOKBOOK~over 70 recipes from 35 Amazon authors for only 99¢! Find it here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08SI3S/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Excerpt ~ 

These were the thoughts haunting him when he was supposed to be stirring his sauce. That and images of Jazz from the concert the night before, which had been pushing their way into his mind all day. At least the smoke had thinned out to a sort of ethereal haze. He went to check the table for the fourth time. There was a table cloth Luke had insisted on ironing. It did look a lot less…lumpy. Wine, his and Juliette’s wedding china—which he was hoping wasn’t a bad omen of some sort—wine glasses, candles. Things seemed in order. When he returned to the kitchen and glanced out the window, he could see Luke strolling up the sidewalk with a bag. At the same time, he saw Jasmine pull up outside. “Oh, shit! Shit! Shit!” He rushed to the back door, getting to it at the same time as Luke did. He reached out and pulled the surprised Luke in by his jacket.

“What the—”

“Get in here, you moron! She’s coming!”

“Hey, this moron just went downtown to get you a red sauce—”

“Oh, no! You didn’t go to Sebastian’s did you?” He grabbed the bag out of his hand and recognized the familiar logo. “You went to Sebastian’s.” The despair was thick in his voice.

“What’s the big deal? Sebastian’s has one of the best—” The doorbell rang and he seized Luke by the lapels again.

“I’m going to go out there and distract her.” He pushed Luke hurriedly toward the back door. “You’re going to sneak out the back and keep your head low when you pass the windows.”

“Keep my head low? What the hell for? OUCH!”

He gave Luke a sharp rap on the head and then hissed at him.

“Head. Low!”

“You’re a nut,” Luke mumbled as the door was slammed in his face.

He scrambled to answer the door. “Hey, come on in. How’s it going? Do you want some wine?” he said without taking a breath. He held out a glass he had already poured.

“Hi. Is Luke here?”

“Luke? Luke?” he stated like a parrot, his eyes betraying his alarm.

“Your brother…Luke?” Jasmine repeated, nodding slowly.

“Oh, Luke. No, Luke’s not here. Remember, he’s going to Kole’s.”

“Yes, I know that was the plan—” Her sentence was lost in a sudden kiss. He had seen Luke walking by outside, brazenly holding his head high and waving as he passed the windows. In order to distract her, Heath threw her into an unexpected lip lock. The awkward kiss was over before it had even begun. He tried to inconspicuously scan the windows again. When he turned back, Jazz was staring over his shoulder with a puzzled expression on her face. He spun his head to look out the window but didn’t see anything.

Jazz lifted a hand to the side of his face and turned his head away from the windows so he was looking at her. “Heath—” She kissed him tenderly. “—whatever is bothering you, don’t let it worry you anymore.” She kissed him again. “All I need is right here—” She feathered a kiss on his lips, then looked him directly in the eyes. “—with you.” She planted a kiss on him so wonderful it did make him forget about his annoying brother.

“Okay, then,” he said, “let’s get this dinner over with so we can have sex.” He turned and marched through the swinging door.



As the door swung back and forth he heard her mumble, “That was some of the strangest foreplay I’ve ever had.”

Sebastian’s Spaghetti Sauce ~  

1 onion, chopped

3-4 stalks of celery, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste

2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 ½ c. water

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. parsley

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. brown sugar

½ c. red wine





In large skillet sauté onions, celery, and garlic in olive oil and butter until veggies are soft and slightly browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Add spices and brown sugar. Stir well and bring to boil. Add red wine and simmer on low, stirring frequently, for one hour. Can add ground beef or Italian sausage.

~ COOKIN' WITH M.J.! ~

Hi, y'all! To celebrate the release of our SWEET & SAVORY COOKBOOK (on sale for 99¢ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08SI3S/) I want to share a recipe for a dish in TRAPPED UNDER ICE. Just like this post, SWEET & SAVORY COOKBOOK has both recipes and excerpts from the novels they are inspired by! That's right, baby! I'm going to get you cooking on two different levels! A fun little twist to entertain you while you're waiting for that pot to boil! So, without further ado, I give you Chad and Beth's Rock Cornish Game Hens!

Excerpt ~

She hung her head for a minute, taking her hand from his momentarily to brush away tears. “It’s just, I can’t believe you did all of this for me. Flew me up here—” Her voice cracked. “This is so incredibly special to me. But you know, don’t you, I’d be happy just being with you at a fast food joint. Well, maybe not just any fast food joint, but an upscale fast food joint.”

He laughed, holding her hand up to his lips again as he said, “I know, Beth. Sometimes I just have an urge to show you, in some way, how much you mean to me.”

A tuxedoed waiter appeared out of nowhere with covered dishes of Rock Cornish game hens and wild rice.

TRAPPED UNDER ICE is currently free! Download it here:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo

Chad And Beth’s Orange Glazed Rock Cornish Game Hens

So now you, too, can eat Rock Cornish Game Hens with your fictional rock star!

(This isn't the picture from the recipe, just representative of the dish.)

6 Cornish hens, rinsed and patted dry

½ T. seasoning salt

1 T. lemon-pepper

1 T. poultry seasoning

1 T. basil

1 c. thawed orange juice concentrate

1 c. balsamic vinegar

6 T. olive oil, divided

2 tsp. dried rosemary or 8 stems fresh rosemary



Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking pans with foil. Set a baking rack in each pan. Spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and basil. In a second bowl combine orange juice, vinegar, and 4 T. olive oil. Place hens on racks and rub with remaining 2 T. olive oil. Rub in seasoning mix. Pour vinaigrette over hens. If using fresh rosemary, chop 8 stems. If using dried rosemary rub 2 tsp. between palms to release essence. Sprinkle over hens.





Cook for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then lower temperature to 375 degrees and cook for approximately 30 minutes more or until thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 165 degrees and juices run clear. Remove the hens from ovens and loosely tent for ten minutes before serving.

Enjoy!