Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Monday, December 12, 2016

Author Jessica E. Subject shares a Canadian holiday #recipe @jsubject #romance

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Don't forget to enter the Romance Eh? Christmas Giveaway!

When I start planning for the holidays, the first thing I do is to ask my family what goodies they want me to make for the year. I have some tried and true favourites that I make every year, and on occasion, I get asked to make something new.

One of the foods I make every year is tourtière. It is a pork meat pie with French-Canadian origins. It was something my mother always made for us to eat on Christmas Eve, and I now do the same with my own family. Though, I also make it for other occasions as well. Here's the recipe I use...



JESSICA E. SUBJECT'S TOURTIÈRE RECIPE

I use store bought pie crusts. But, if you want to make your own, this recipe includes the crust...

Pie Crust:

5 1/2 cups flour
1 lbs lard ie. Tenderflake
1 tsp salt
(cut lard into flour/salt until well combined using a pastry cutter)
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
water

Take a measuring cup, gently beat the egg, add vinegar and up to the one cup mark with very cold water. Slowly pour into dry mix using enough only to moisten the dough until it sticks together into a ball. Divide into six equal portions and wrap for later. If needed refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

Tourtière filling:

2 lbs lean ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp butter or margerine
1 large or two medium potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1 large onion (chopped into tiny pieces)
2 teaspoons allspice
pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions until they've turned clear. Add the ground pork and beef until well cooked. Add the mashed potato and mix well. Add the allspice, pepper, and cinnamon, and mix well. Add enough water to totally cover the mixture and let simmer for a few hours allowing the potato to thicken the mixture. Add more allspice, pepper, and cinnamon to taste.

When mixture is thickened (very little water left), divide equally into prepared pie crusts. (I use deep dish pie shells, so I find this mixture is only enough for two pies). Cover with dough and pinch the edges. I always cut a star shape into the top of the pie.

Bake at 425 degrees F until edges are golden brown and pie dough cooked. Usually about 35 minutes. I will undercook one (25 minutes), so I can freeze it and pop into the oven to reheat without the pie dough getting burned during reheating.

Tell me, do you have any holiday recipes you like to make?



Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica is not reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Cozy Up With A Good Book Event In Burlington





February 12, 2016 - I made a special appearance in Burlington, Ontario!

The Event Was: COZY UP WITH A GOOD BOOK
       On:   FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12 
6:30 – 8:00 PM



Interested readers signed up in advance for a print copy of "As Angels Weep" for a tasting and book discussion experience that blew my mind!



This event was arranged in the winter schedule for LCBO Greater Toronto guide. I had two lovely hostesses in the kitchen of the Burlington LCBO, (Corinne & Julia) for what turned out to be the most unique and intriguing author-reader interaction I've attended yet. 



12 readers registered, and arrived, despite trying weather conditions. Our hostesses paired 3 different beverages with the theme of the book, and served up a delightful array of goodies as we mixed and mingled for two hours. 



We learned about champagne, sparkling wine, specific wine regions, different taste aspects, and to top it off, tried an incredible Tequila-coffee liqueur. To better understand the association of these flavours with As Angels Weep, you really should read the book, but I'll give you a hint: our anti-hero in the beginning of the book has a love of the finer things in life, and Mexico played a pivotal role in the story. That's all I'm going to say, except, the evening was complete perfection!



The readers were able to sample and learn about the products and ask me any questions they wanted about my books and my writing career. They had so many questions, I swooned at their interest. There were many new-to-me readers and an already dedicated fan. A second fan wanted to attend, but had to work. We agreed we would make up the missed chance this coming May at Romancing the Capital in Ottawa. Even LCBO staff members wandered in from time to time, curious about my banners, books and topics! The store is massive and beautifully run, the staff all sublime and the kitchen is exquisite. I could totally envision serving up many of my own creations in there!



People always ask if I'm nervous in front of readers, and the truth is, I'm really not. Serving in the child welfare sector for over 27 years, and being a trainer, I developed a comfort in groups. That's not to say I don't stammer from time to time, but I love the interaction and the chance to meet my readers in person. It's highly rewarding to hear their take on my stories and I love feedback. (It would seem a growing population of "As Angels Weep" fans would like a second story! I can't make any promises, but I won't rule it out, either.)


I came to learn, there are only 6 LCBO's in Ontario with kitchens, none of which are close to my Eastern Ontario home, sadly. These locations provide cooking classes, wine tastings and other events to provide the public with more product knowledge and learning to improve the taste and enhance the quality of their entertainment options. Because they are so few and far between, I had not ever been aware of them until this fantastic opportunity was presented to me. 



If there is one business proposition I could offer as a Canadian connoisseur, it would be to invest in more locations like this. They bring in top chefs across the region, provide a high caliber of cooking instruction and educate patrons on flavours that enhance meals, snacks, parties and more!



It's not just good Canadian business, it's great Canadian living!

Stay tuned for more public appearances, the Canadian authors are on the rise!

Until then, please leave a comment and happy reading!