I'm a Bad Catholic... Sometimes

Yes, I was raised Catholic. I'm a bad Catholic, though, I'll admit. The only reason I'm following Lent? To lose weight. Yeah, I know. It's bad.

On the bright side, I'm giving up soda and sweets. Basically sugar, but I like diet sodas usually. Not because they're diet, but because I like the flavor better. I know. I'm weird. Been told a lot. But I have read many many times that soda, whether diet or regular, is still bad for you. Multiple reasons. I'm giving that up. I'm also going to start Weight Watchers. I'm signing up tomorrow and my dad might even do it as well. We had a silly conversation tonight about it.

Dad said "We'll see how it goes. (whether or not he joins) If it works for you, I'll do it your way, but if starving myself and stressing out and exercising a lot works for me, you do that instead." Now, you may have to know my dad to understand his humor. He's not ever going to have any sort of eating disorder. He's too intelligent for that. I said it was deal. :)

Anyway, I'll try to share my experiences and even recipes if you're interested. I know this blog was sort of supposed to be about my book, but I'm using it for everything in life. I'm an author, working in a bakery, trying to lose weight. Crap, that sounds bad. Working in a bakery and trying to lose weight... Giving up sweets for Lent... Yeah... We'll see how that goes.

On another note, I've gotten it into my head that I can go to Australia in about a year and a half if I save up enough money. I'd like to go on a work and holiday visa, so it would be for a year. Big, big goal in terms of money... BUT... I just put $150 in a new savings account today. It's a start. A small start, but a start all the same.

That's all that's new with me in case you were wondering. It was a bit random, but who cares?! That's the name of this blog!

Until next time...

Stay random!

Oh my good, golly, gosh!

Holy crap, have I been gone a while! It's been, what? Four months or so? I apologize. Really.

What's new with me? Well, I'm back from Orlando and in Overland Park once more. I like it here, but I'd still rather be somewhere else. I see Australia or New Zealand in the future, I'm thinking. But that's a ways off. Still, keep an eye out for another blog like What's Under the Kilt? because I may just have some more epic adventures on the horizon.

In the meantime, I'm working for a local bakery back home and I do love it. I love the people I work with and the bakery is doing really well. I came in at just the right time, too because they're expanding and they need more people! Score!

Anyway, I'm also planning on appearing at some schools/libraries/stores(?) in the next few months and will be happy to keep y'all posted because I'd love to meet any fans/readers. This also would give you the chance to purchase a copy and bring it for me to sign! Yay! I may have a few copies with me that I'll be selling, but the better choice is to purchase one in case I run out.

Would y'all be interested in watching short video blogs about what it's like to be a writer? What I've come up against and all that? I wonder who would be interested because I'd also feature more contests that I've been unable to feature thus far. I'm trying to think of ideas for titles at the moment so we'll see what happens once I do that. Gotta have a great name! Something snappy and clever, you know? Something like "Written in Stone" or "Victorious Vernacular". Cliché, yes but catchy.

You may be seeing/hearing about weight loss, eating healthy, etc. in the next few months as well. Just a warning. I'm starting Weight Watchers in the very near future and will more than likely want to talk about it. If you have questions, post them! Doesn't matter what they're about, I'd love to answer them if at all possible!

That's all for now, folks!

Happy Turkey Day!

So, I'm doing Thanksgiving early. Gotta work on Thursday. And with that thought, I also decided to post some of my absolute FAVORITE recipes! So, here goes:

Cheesy Potato Casserole (made with cheesy, potato-y goodness)

32 oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes

1/2 cup melted butter/margarine

1 can dream of chicken soup

10 oz grated cheddar cheese

8 oz sour cream

dash of salt

1 small onion, grated

TOPPING:

2 cups corn flakes

1/4 cup margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

TIP: Try to warm the hash browns a little to prevent the melted butter from hardening and becoming difficult to mix.

Mix all ingredients (except those for the topping) in large bowl. Place in large casserole dish. Top with cornflakes and remaining melted butter (1/4 cup under TOPPING).

Place in oven for 45 minutes. If dish is deeper, cook a little longer.

One of my other favorites is the infamous green bean casserole! Now, the recipe can be found on the back of a box/can of French's fried onions. It's really easy to do, but a tip to drain the green beans, if you got the easy-to-open cans with the little tab? Pop the tab, but don't pull it back yet. Hold the fan sideways so that the tiny slit is vertical and drain into the sink. Then open the can fully. It's easy, mess free, and quick. Also, use the 2/3 cup of French's onions in the main part of the dish, like the recipe says, but then pour what's left over all of the casserole for the topping (after having cooked for 30 minutes as instructed). More onions? More flavor!

My last favorite bit of Thanksgiving (and Christmas at my house) is the frozen, chocolate pie! Mmm. It's really easy and the recipe is inside the box of Baker's German Chocolate. I think it's the bittersweet or semi-sweet box. Here is the recipe copied and pasted from the website.

What You Need

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate

1/3 cup milk, divided

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

Make It!

Microwave chocolate and 2 Tbsp. of the milk in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after each min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add cream cheese, sugar and remaining milk; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Refrigerate 10 min. to cool.

Add whipped topping; stir gently until well blended. Spoon into crust.

Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature or in refrigerator about 15 min. or until pie can be cut easily. Store leftover pie in freezer.

What I'll tell you from my experience is this: All you really need is the chocolate, the cream cheese, the Cool Whip and the pie crust. It's sweet enough without adding sugar and the milk isn't enough to do anything.

Next, soften the cream cheese... A LOT. This is the only reason I could see the milk helping. If you add the melted chocolate to cold cream cheese or even slightly cold cream cheese, it'll harden up again and become grainy. Doesn't affect the flavor, just the look of the finished product.

Last, but not least, I like the chocolate graham cracker crust, rather than Oreo (which is still tasty) or regular graham cracker. Regular graham cracker doesn't stick together well when you're trying to smooth out the filling. Trust me. I just ran into this problem today because that was the only kind of crust at the store yesterday.

I think that's it, though. Yep, that's it. Now go enjoy these on Turkey Day!

This is Kate Brown, signing off.

Stay random!!!

VACAY!

OK, so not really vacation time, but sort of... I'm planning for one. A year and a half from now, give or take a month or two. My friend and I are planning a trip to Europe. Backpacking and doing things I may have already done, but need to explore further. Not to plug my book, but the profits I get will help to go toward the trip. The trip where I will further research TRL (The Rose Legends) destinations/locations and find little nuances that, perhaps, my characters will find too.

Remember things like the Eliminator or the football game from Book One? I'm trying to insert those into the second book right now. Things I've seen or done that will make the characters and the places they visit more relatable. It's what makes reading a book that much better. Sure a character could be nice or somewhat interesting, but seeing them in a real place that you know the author has seen or that you've seen yourself? Well that's even better.

Also, I'll be taking suggestions. Remember, I'll be on a budget, but if you have tips or ideas for places (even specific restaurants, etc) to visit, please post them here!

This is Kate Brown, signing off!

Never Forget

Remember 9/11/01 and what happened that day.

Remember those who died.

Remember the heroes who gave their lives.

Remember where you were and what you were doing.

Never forget the flag flying, no matter where it is; in your front yard, in your school, high over the memorial fountains. Keep the families of those lost in your prayers and in your hearts. This is a day we will never repeat. Because we are stronger now. We have come together as a nation to show those responsible for this tragedy that we can only come together during an attack like this. We cannot be divided.

The cowards who caused these attacks; the ones who took not only their own lives, but the lives of nearly 3,000 people. They tried to bring down this nation by tearing us apart. Did they think we would not retaliate? Did they think we were so weak? We are the longest surviving republic of our kind and we will continue to be strong.

In the New York City skyline, there is something missing. We all know it when we see it. Those two towers, which never really stood out to most of us before, are gone. And in their destruction, in the place where they once stood, we see twin fountains, around which the names of the victims and heroes have been etched into the black stone. We are going to soon see the memorial building which is currently under construction. And every time we see that building along the NYC skyline, whether in person, picture, or film, we will remember the strength of the city that lost so much ten years ago. We will remember the families of those we lost; of those who gave their lives for others. We will remember.

Never forget. This is Kate Brown, signing off.

Spicy Pico de Gallo Chicken Pasta

Ready for my first recipe post? Y'all didn't know I could cook, huh? Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, I can!

First off, let me just say that I bought the ingredients at Wal-Mart yesterday and didn't know what I was going to do with it all. A handful of parsley, a yellow onion, some tomatoes and frozen chicken. How does that turn into a fantabulous, spicy pasta? Like this!

Ingredients:
2 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1-1 1/2 TBSP fresh, chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1-2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
Crushed red pepper
Salt
Black pepper
Dried parsley
Garlic powder
1-1 1/2 cups pasta (any type, though spaghetti and fettuccine are not recommended)
Shredded cheese for garnish (mozzarella is what I used, but you can choose)

Directions:

Thaw frozen chicken breasts.

Heat water for pasta on the stove.

In skillet on medium high heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Try not to caramelize, though it's certainly an option if you like. When onions are softened, add olive oil and thawed chicken breasts. While chicken breasts are cooking, add a few shakes of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to uncooked side. Add a pinch of dried parsley, pinch (or more if you like) of crushed red pepper and all of the chopped cilantro. You can leave a bit of the cilantro for a garnish or simply chop a little extra. Add the diced tomatoes at this stage. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes and then turn. Add the same seasoning to the other side. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

THIS STEP OPTIONAL
BEFORE the chicken is thoroughly cooked, take both pieces out and cut them on the cutting board. Place back in the skillet to continue cooking.

When chicken is cooked, throw in the pasta and tossed thoroughly. Garnish with cheese, possibly cilantro and any other Mexican-style flavors you can think of!

Serves 2-3 people

BEFORE

AFTER

I've got to say that my taste buds were very happy with this dish. It was spicy and flavorful and filling. Mmm... Well, that's all for now!

This is Kate Brown, signing off. Remember...

Stay random!

The Update To End All Updates! But Not Really

I know I've been absent for a while, but I have had so many other things with which I've been occupied. First of all, many of you may know I have an internship which I am completing. Working on that until January and then we'll see where I go from there. Also, you may not know my goal for Book Two, working title Brand. I'm attempting to finish it (without forcing it) in time for a release summer of 2012. Again, that's just a goal, but it's the first I've set. I'm well on my way, though, with about half of the length I want already achieved!
When I say that, what I mean is that, while the story was complete and finished, I feel Book One just wasn't enough for the readers. Not enough material. So I'm trying to put as much detail into Book Two as I possibly can and trust me: it won't be hard. I've done some free writing in which I've added some major twists that I never intended to pop up. I've also done much more character development while keeping the potential readers in the dark from the real goings on. Yes, I'm evil. An evil genius.
For those of you who don't know, I created a new official website for The Rose Legends and it is up and running now! You can join for free by heading on over to http://theroselegends.webs.com/ and register on the right-hand side! It's free and you gain access to things like the forum where you can interact not only with the author (yours truly), but other fans as well! Sounds like fun, doesn't it? I thought so.
Also, don't forget that I'm shoot for 500 fans on the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rose-Legends/181205465232041) by October 1. If we reach that, I'll send on lucky fan a FREE, SIGNED copy of The Rose Legends, Book One: Found! Awesome, right? That's what I thought.
That's all for now, folks. This is Kate Brown, signing off...

Remember, stay random!