Thursday, March 11, 2021

LUCKY IN LOVE - IN HISTORY By Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless #romancegems


 

Did you know that on this day in 1961, Barbie got lucky in love?  That’s right, March 11th, Ken was born with a full head of molded hair, sporting his trademark tan, sandals and swimming trunks.  Before long, he boasted a wardrobe of designer clothing.  Finally, Barbie had a mate!


I can relate.  Ten years ago this summer, I met my forever guy and we’ve been having fun ever since, sharing experiences, making memories and using every excuse to celebrate our good luck with love the second time around.

For a lot of us love doesn’t come easily, and that transfers to my characters.  I like to make them really suffer and angst—especially the heroes—as they deny their feelings, fight their attraction, and learn whatever life lessons they need to in order to form a forever union with their perfect match. 


In Mail Order Martina, Will doesn’t want a wife and Martina doesn’t want a husband, yet they have no choice except to form a union and ultimately, together, beat the bad guys at their own game.  In one scene, Martina’s young half-brother Charlie, who stopped talking when their father died, takes a shine to Will. 


          Will listened with half an ear, the rest of his attention focused on Marty as she babbled to the young one, all the while wiping his hands and face with a face flannel. 

          Charlie didn’t take much to being cleaned up, his face screwed up in a comical way as he tried to evade her swipes with the rag. 

          “You’ve near abouts scrubbed all the skin off the poor little gaffer’s face,” Will said, leaning in close.  “Isn’t that right, Charlie?”

          To his amazement, Charlie’s face near split in half with a huge, toothy grin.  Soft, plump baby hands grasped Will’s chin. 

          “Wiw,” he said.

          Will heard Marty catch her breath.  Her eyes flew to his. 

          “Did you hear that?” she said in soft, reverent tones.

          “Uh, huh,” Will said, wondering what to do next.  With an instinct he hadn’t known he possessed, he scooped the boy from his seat and tossed him in the air the way he’d seen Marty do.  “Will sends Charlie high.  Right up to the moon and back.” 

          The youngster giggled and kicked his feet in delight.  When Will brought him back to eye level, the youngster reached out and touched Will’s face: his eyes and his nose, even his mouth.  

          “Wiw,” he said again.

          Marty rose and stood next to them.  “That’s right Charlie.  Will’s your big brother.  He’ll always take care of you and never let anything happen.”

          Will jerked upright at her words and shoved Charlie into her arms.  “My track record as a big brother’s nothing to write home about.”

          He saw Marty’s face fall, her delight at hearing Charlie speak again ruined by his clumsy words. 

 

Mail Order Martina debuted last week with a #1 Hot New Release Ribbon.  You can pick up your copy here or read it for free in Ku. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SLC93KN

Saint Paddy’s day is around the corner, so if you’re looking for something fun, green and delicious to make, I include the recipe for an out-of-this-world breakfast pizza, a new favorite in our house that’s just as good the next day.


                   FLORENTINE BREAKFAST PIZZA

You need a deep Chicago-style pizza pan or regular pie pan, not a flat pizza pan.

I use frozen pizza dough that I roll out and blind bake at 450 for 6 minutes.  Or make your own.  Don’t skip the blind-baking step or you will have a soggy crust.

Note:  If you like a thinner crust, I have also used phyllo, again pre-baking before I add the filling. 

Lower the oven heat to 400 degrees.  

Filling 1 lb spinach – wilt spinach by placing in a large frying pan over medium-high with a little oil and tossing with tongs for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and set in a strainer until cool enough to touch.  Wring out excess liquid. 

 In a blender or food processor:

4 eggs, 1 cup ricotta cheese, Prepared spinach.  Blend for 2 minutes until frothy and increased in volume.

In your prepared, partially-cooked crust sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over top, being careful not to overflow your pan.  Thinly slice one large tomato (I use Roma) and scatter the slices overtop.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until filling is set.

This is easy to double and will feed 6-8 for a decadent brunch.     


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14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the Barbie update. I have her in my closet from all those years ago. And a huge congrats on your release hitting the charts at magic numbers. Here's to many more.

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    1. If only we knew to keep Barbie's original packaging, we could all retire. Sadly, my sister inherited my Barbie and our brothers' dog mauled her to death.

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  2. Oh, if only I could cook. That pizza sounds delicious. Hard to believe Ken's almost as old as me. Still smh over that. Awesome to debut in a #1 spot. Wishing you many sales.

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  3. So lovely that you, and Barbie, found your forever mate!! The new book sounds great!! Congrats on having it do so well!

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    1. Thank you. I'm in with a good crew for this series.

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  4. Great blog post, Kathleen. Congratulations on #1...that's fantastic. I'll have to try the recipe too. It looks great!

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  5. I bet your grands would love it, even though it's good for them.

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  6. So cool! And thank you for the recipe!

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  7. I love mail-order-bride stories! I'm so happy you got your HEA.

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  8. Thanks, Liz. I was just about ready to give up after 80+ less than stellar dates in 15 years.

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  9. Pizza is one of my favorite foods ever. Thanks for the recipe. Good luck with the new release. #1 Hot New Release—very nice!

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  10. I love pizza in all forms. Eating it for breakfast is a treat.

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