Tag: hurricane sandy

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Apricot and Almond Rice Pilaf from the Prince

Two of my fav romantic suspense books are THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE and TO CATCH A PRINCESS. I love stories with siblings like Prince Alexander and Princess Tatiana. Mix in action, romance, arranged marriages, a royal jewel heist, money laundering, and secret identities and you’ve got two fun stories!

There is a scene in THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE where Prince Alexander decides to show FBI Agent Kathleen Martinez just how liberated a man he can be by making her dinner. I guess he hoped to woo his way into her heart by way of her stomach!

Today I’m going to share the recipe for the apricot and almost rice pilaf he made! You can download THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE at https://books2read.com/PrincesGamble.

Apricot and Almond Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

2 cups rice (you can use brown rice. I also wash the rice several times but that is a matter of choice)
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1-2 onions (medium to small. You can substitute shallots here!)
1/2 cup diced apricots
1/3 toasted slivered almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Heat the butter and olive oil in a pot. Add onions and sauté until onions are translucent, but not brown. Add the rice and cook until just turning golden. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce to a low simmer and add the diced apricots. Once all the liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork and add the toasted almonds. You don’t want to add them too early because they will get mushy!

Serve with the sour cream chicken or any kind of chicken. You can also use brown rice or quinoa in the recipe. Possibly even check out using couscous.

romantic suspense

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#ThrowbackThursday – Ocean Grove Pier

I am intrigued by shapes and textures and if I see something interesting I have to take a photo and see what it will take me.

This is a shot of the Ocean Grove Pier from beneath the pier. There was something about the wooden beams and slats that called to me to take the photo from this perspective.
Ocean Grove Pier

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#ThrowbackThursday My Pride and Joy Helping Others After Hurricane Sandy

It’s been five years since Hurricane Sandy barreled into New Jersey wreaking havoc in so many places and forever changing so many towns, especially along the Jersey Shore.

My daughter had only just opened her surf and skate shop when Sandy hit her quaint town. She was lucky that her shop didn’t suffer physical damage although the town did. Parts of the town were flooded, the boardwalk was destroyed in sections, the Great Auditorium was damaged, and a large portion of a fishing pier disappeared into the surf.

In addition to the physical damage, the economic downturn was devastating to so many small businesses including my daughter’s. But as much as she was hurting, that didn’t stop her from helping others. She sold tickets to a One Direction concert that she had fought hard to get and saved to by and she donated that money and a portion of her surf and skate shop’s income to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting association so they could rebuild and help local residents affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Here are some photos of the day my daughter went to present them with a check for their rebuilding efforts. I am so proud of her and the kind and giving person she is!

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#ThrowbackThursday One Direction Contest & My Mini-Me

When Hurricane Sandy hit nearly three years ago, we were lucky that my daughter’s just opened surf and skate shop was not physically damaged. Economically was a different story since the area really suffered during that first year. Despite that, and hurting herself, my daughter donated a portion of her sales to Hurricane Sandy relief and even sold her One Direction tickets and donated that money.

She was able to see One Direction last year since I bought her tickets for a conference last year, but she’d love to see them again and is part of a contest. Please help her out by clicking here to like her video!