The world is best viewed through the ears of a horse – by Jan Scarbrough

Once again, I looked for inspiration for this blog from a website called Think Like a Horse. I found a page about Cowboy Wisdom that had a list of horse quotes.

 

I really liked the one about viewing the world through the ears of a horse. It reminded me of a Facebook group I belong to called Between the Ears. Because of it, I’ve viewed photos of folks riding their horses in all kinds of places around the world. For example, some of the countries and states have been Missouri, Bavarian Forest (Germany), Ontario, Bodega Bay, CA, Idaho, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Iceland, Texas.

 

It's fascinating to see how many people own horses and use them for trail rides or sporting events. Some people even post pictures of other pets. One was a kitten’s ears. The kitten was looking out the window into its back yard.

 

I posted a couple of photos from my 2016 trip to the Covered Wagon Ranch in Montana.

Here I am on the back of Mr. Black, a Tennessee Walking Horse. I also took a picture of the valley and mountains in the distance. It was an exhilarating experience to trust another creature to safely carry me up a steep mountain and then back down.

 

So, if you get the chance to view the world from through the ears of a horse, I’d say go for it!

 

My Ghost Mountain Ranch series took its inspiration from that trip to the dude ranch in Montana.

Delicious Fall Soups ~ Julie Lence

ClipArt Library

Crisp mornings, cool evenings, leaves changing colors; Autumn is my favorite season. Early September, I decorate my home with scarecrows and pumpkins and patiently wait for the hot days of summer to die off so I can turn off the A/C and open the windows and let the fresh air fill the house. Early September, I’m also thinking about abandoning my summer menu for my winter menu, and on the winter menu is soup. My son will gag and probably try to convince you soup is the work of an evil person, but hubby and I love all different soups, so this month, I’m sharing some fall soup recipes.

 

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin, approx. 2 lbs, scrubbed clean
1 small onion
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
4 cups vegetable broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp pepper

Directions:

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove seeds with edge of a spoon. Cut into 2-inch chunks, roughly the same size.

 

Add pumpkin, onion, and potatoes to the slow cooker, along with vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

 

After the soup is cooked, carefully use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. To avoid splatters, partially cover the crockpot with a clean towel while you process the soup.

 

Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Adjust seasonings, and serve.

Esquire.com

Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup

 

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 cup couscous

1/4 cup roasted pistachios, finely chopped

1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 scallion, sliced

 

Directions:

 

Cut neck off butternut squash (reserve base for another use). Peel and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in nonstick skillet on medium. Add the squash and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in Dutch oven on medium. Add onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute.

 

Add broth, thyme and butternut squash and bring to a boil. Using a fork, mash white beans and add to soup along with chickpeas.

 

Cook couscous as label directs; fluff with fork and fold in pistachios, apricots, cilantro and scallion. Serve soup topped with couscous mixture.

 

 

Esquire.com

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tbsp  olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed

Kosher salt 

Pepper

1 tsp  ground coriander

2 12-ounce jars roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1 32-ounce container low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

Toasted sliced almonds, sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, for serving

 

Directions:

 

Heat large Dutch oven on medium. Add oil, then onion and garlic; season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

 

Uncover, stir in coriander and cook 1 minute. Add red peppers, chickpeas and broth; cover and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in vinegar.

 

Using immersion blender (or standard blender, in batches), puree soup until very smooth. Serve topped with almonds, scallions, and cilantro if desired.

 

All recipes can be found here:

https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/g38071128/top-fall-soups/ 

https://www.rachelcooks.com/crockpot-pumpkin-soup/ 

 

 

 

Challenging the Chef

 

I am excited to have a new sweet and wholesome western small-town contemporary romance to share with you!

Challenging the Chef releases October 19. 

It involves a celebrity chef who can ride and rope with the best of them, a school psychologist who cooks as a way to deal with the stress of her job, and the town of Summer Creek, filled with a cast of quirky characters. 

When an interloper arrives in his kitchen, will romance start to simmer?

 Chef Owen Thorpe left behind his celebrity status when he moved to Summer Creek. The quaint town and country atmosphere allow him to seek solace in his recipes. His peace and quiet is threatened when he’s coerced into being part of a big auction package that includes the winner spending a week cooking with him in his restaurant. The last thing he wants is some chef wannabe in his way. However, the real danger he faces is losing his heart when the winner turns out to be a beautiful woman who knows her way around a kitchen.

 Burdened by the weight of her demanding career as a school psychologist, Tawni Young turns to cooking and gardening to escape from the never-ending stress of her work. When her aunt gifts her an auction package that includes cooking lessons in the small town of Summer Creek, Tawni realizes the chef she’ll be working with is none other than a celebrity she had a huge crush on during her college years. From the moment the two of them meet, an undeniable attraction sizzles while wits collide.

 As they embark on a tantalizing journey of culinary delights, will Tawni and Owen discover the most important ingredient is love?

 In this heartwarming and deliciously wholesome tale, Challenging the Chef takes readers on a savory adventure filled with sweet romance.

Writing this story made me so hungry. Here's one of the recipes shared in the book!

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

FILLING

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

20-ounce can crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS

Mix together flour, butter and cream cheese until dough forms a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour (or overnight).

While dough chills, combine pineapple with sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stirring continually, bring to a boil (about 4 minutes) and continue boiling for two minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

When ready to bake tassies, preheat over to 350 degrees.

Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray, then roll dough into balls about the size of a pecan and drop into muffin cups. Using a tart tamper, press it into the dough until it flattens on the bottom and comes up the sides of each cup. If you don't have a tart tamper, use the bottom of a small jar or glass to press the dough.
Stir nuts and coconut into filling, then spoon filling into each cup. Bake for about 30 minutes, until filling is bubbling and the dough is just starting to brown.

Cool  in pans, then enjoy!
Yield: 24 tassies

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create sweet romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength.

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

http://shannahatfield.com

The Peppermint Tree is FREE

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

My contemporary western Christmas romance novella is currently a FREE digital download until October 6, 2023, so grab a copy today!

A second-chance romance …

In high school, she had been quiet and wickedly smart, both a determined tomboy and a girly-girl, a combination that was uniquely Skye. She had always caught his eye but for his own self-preservation, he’d stayed away from her, even when she’d made a play for him.

Skye Mallory has always aspired to leave her family’s ranch, and she takes pride in having achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer. But when an unexpected inheritance draws her home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in the wide-open meadows and woodlands of southwestern Colorado. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart nine years ago.

In high school, Joe Carrigan admired Skye for her spirit and intellect, but he knew she was destined for a life beyond ranching. Turning down her romantic overture was the best course of action for them both. But now, he’s returned to their hometown, and it’s inevitable he’ll come face-to-face with his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. This time, however, he won’t be so chivalrous.

THE PEPPERMINT TREE is a standalone novella with a HEA set in Durango, Colorado. It features a second-chance romance, the Christmas holidays, ’70’s music, and medium spice.

Read Chapter One at my website

Download your copy today!

Amazon US |  Amazon UK |  Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Apple Books | Nook | Kobo | Google Play Books

Find it at Goodreads and BookBub

Read an excerpt

Joe Carrigan watched as the red taillights in the distance slid from left to right and then right even more, finally stopping. He’d been following the Prius for a while, and the driver had been conservative, but their luck had just run out. He was in his Bronco—the same one he’d driven in high school on these very roads—and it could still be trusted in bad weather. He’d been able to afford better cars over the years, but he still had a habit of jumping in this one, especially on a night like this.

He checked his rearview mirror. Thankfully, no cars behind him. He slowed the Bronco and guided it as far to the right as he could without getting stuck.

Stepping out of his vehicle, a blast of cold air hit him as heavy snowflakes engulfed him. He really shouldn’t be out in this, but he’d agreed to meet Oliver and Celeste and a friend of Celeste’s, a blind date he’d been badgered into. His life had been too busy of late for a woman, but it didn’t mean he actually needed or wanted one in his life.

He reached inside the Bronco and grabbed his heavy canvas coat, quickly pulling it on and zipping it to his neck. The snow crunched beneath his boots and his breath came out in white puffs as he crossed the beam of his headlights and approached the Prius. He tapped on the driver’s window, the shadowy figure of a woman on the other side. She hesitated a moment then rolled the window down.

“Are you all right, miss?”

As the woman’s face became fully visible, he did a double-take. “Skylar?”

Her forehead pinched into hard ridges, and her eyes registered a flash of outrage. “Carrigan?”

As if a freight train had hit him, he uttered, “It’s been a long time.”

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A little early :-)

Formation of the Sierra Railway by Zina Abbott

 

The Sierra Railway Company of California was incorporated on February 1, 1897 by founders Thomas S. Bullock (New York railroader and former owner of the defunct Prescott & Arizona Central Railroad), Prince André Poniatowski (Polish nobleman who became a prominent French financier and industrialist), and William H. Crocker (of Crocker National Bank). Its purpose was to connect the California Central Valley to the Mother Lode Gold Country foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Construction began on March 24, 1897. The first rails were laid in the grain fields just east of Oakdale in May.

The stops included Occidental (Now called Arnold), Paulsell, Warnerville, Cooperstown, Chinese Camp, and finally, on November 8, 1897. Jamestown, California, the headquarters for the rail system. From there, the line was extended to Tuolumne City, some sixteen miles from Jamestown.

 In 1899, it reached Sonora, where it was received with much fanfare. The architecture of the Sonora depot displays its Chinese temple influence. 

The depot burned down in 1946. The current Sonora Post Office was built on the site. The line was also beneficial to the Standard factory in Sonora, which was located next to the depot building. Cut lumber was transported from the company’s mill at Standard via the railroad.

The Sierra Railway also provided much needed passenger service. The Sierra operated to Oakdale, where the cars were attached to a Southern Pacific train bound for Stockton. At Stockton, passengers changed trains for the trip to San Francisco. A passenger could leave Sonora in the morning and be in San Francisco in the afternoon. Locally, special commuter trains were made up for workmen and high school students who commuted daily to Sonora.

By 1900, the line had been completed to Tuolumne City, the same as present with the exception of the abandonment of the Standard to Tuolumne Right-Of-Way. It allowed lumber from that locality to be shipped to points west.

Its historic western terminus has always been in Oakdale where a junction was once formed with both the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and the Southern Pacific. The Santa Fe's (now BNSF Railway) Oakdale Branch provided one freight outlet to the AT&SF mainline at Riverbank, California. The Southern Pacific Oakdale Branch from Stockton was abandoned in 1986 and torn out by 1990.

Like many other businesses, the Sierra Railway was hit hard by the Great Depression. In 1937, the Sierra Railway was sold at a public auction to the new Sierra Railroad Company, and the debts of the original company were settled.

The portion of the former Sierra Railway conveyed by the railroad's historic owners, the Crocker Family, to the California State Park System are with "Sierra Railway", which preserves the original operating name of the entire line and is headquartered at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California. 

Because in 1886, the Sierra Railway was three years away from arriving in Sonora, the characters in my latest release, A Watchman for Willow, still arrived by stagecoach. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

Sources:

Perry, Patricia. Sonora Remembered: A Nostalgic Tribute to a Gold Rush Town. Sonora, California: Tuolumne County Historical Society, 2003. Page 29.

Gahagan, Michael. Images of America: Sonora. Charleston, South Carolina; Arcadia Publishing, 2007. Pages 73- 74.

Wikipedia

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park