Tag: prohibition

Posted on

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

Posted on

#FreebieFriday Ghost of a Chance

GHOST OF A CHANCE, my ghost hunting story set on the Jersey Shore with a Prohibition era ghost, is free to download. Here’s a little blurb for the story:

What would you do to win a million dollary prize?

True crime writer Tracy Gomez is unsure of what to make of the unusual invitation from New York City attorney Peter Angelo: A one million dollar prize to anyone who can solve the mystery of three deaths which had occurred nearly eighty years earlier. Tracy desperately needs the money to fix up the old inn she’s just inherited and solving the crime will also provide welcome publicity to help her sagging writing career. But accepting the invitation brings unexpected challenges, like spectral help during a séance and Tracy’s attraction to the sexy attorney monitoring the contest. Does Tracy only have a ghost of a chance to discover the secrets of the past or can she win a prize far better than a million dollars?

The novella is not yet free on Amazon despite my many requests for them to lower the price. Please let them know about the lower price at the other retailers by clicking on the “tell us about a lower price” on the website (see below)! Thanks.
Amazon Lower Price
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dOweOJ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2eCNWDW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2eCJFQR
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2eCQMJ9

Don’t forget you can also get a great deal on 25 ALL NEW stories from 25 bestselling authors in Taming the VampireTAMING THE VAMPIRE. My contribution to the collection is DARE TO LOVE, a new story in THE CALLING IS REBORN Vampire series. The anthology is only 99 cents for a limited time and best of all, these are ALL NEW stories! Not re-releases and not available anywhere except in the anthology. You can read more about the anthology here: http://bit.ly/tamingvamp

You can purchase TAMING THE VAMPIRE at these online retailers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bfy9Js
Kobo http://bit.ly/2by9MsM
iBooks: http://apple.co/2byaNAP
B&N: http://bit.ly/2byaGoW

Posted on

#ManCandyMonday Jack Huston, Ben Hur and Boardwalk Empire

My husband turned me on to Boardwalk Empire and I’ve been catching up the first four seasons so that they two of us can finish the rest of the seasons together. I’m surprised I didn’t get to it sooner since I love the history of the Jersey Shore and its role during Prohibition. In fact, those two elements played major roles in GHOST OF A CHANCE and my story in A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS.

Today’s Man Candy is one of the actors from that series and the remake of BEN-HUR that just released this weekend: Jack Huston.

In Boardwalk Empire, Jack plays Richard Harrow, a physically disfigured military vet who gets caught up in the intrigues of Prohibition in Atlantic City when he is befriended by another vet who brings him to Atlantic City. He did such an awesome job in that role, that we’ll definitely go to watch Ben-Hur (although I wonder why anyone would try to remake a classic that still has a record 11 Oscars.)

Interesting fact about Jack: He is both British and Hollywood royalty. His mother is Lady Margot Lavinia (Cholmondeley) and on his paternal side he is the grandson of famed Hollywood direction John Huston.
Jack_Huston_by_Gage_Skidmore

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America (Jack Huston) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Posted on

#WriteWed Jersey Girl Bridemaids #JerseyShore Mansion

I love my little part of the Jersey Shore and you’ve seen lots of it in various stories, like the Sin Hunter series and the Take a Chance series. The heroine of the first book in the Jersey Girl Bridesmaids may live in New York City, but her heart is on the Jersey Shore in the mansion where she used to spend summers with her grandparents.

That mansion is going to be set in Sea Girt, an absolutely lovely community in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It has a restored lighthouse, a National Guard Training Center, the beautiful Beacon House Inn, and many wonderful beach homes, including ones with direct access to the beach (something you don’t have in many of the other towns in this area).

Both the hero and heroine have homes here, large ones with lots of space around them. I imagine the homes being built right around the time of Prohibition, with a Victorian feel. Who knows if their ancestors even made some extra money running rum or other alcohol along this part of the shore!

For my #WriteWed this morning, I’m sharing with you some photos of homes in the Monmouth County area so you can get a feel for the architecture of this part of the Jersey Shore.

Posted on

Rum Runner Punch from GHOST OF A CHANCE

GHOST OF A CHANCEWhen I was creating the backstories for the vampires and angel in my vampire Christmas novella, WHEN HERALD ANGELS SING, it seemed only natural that someone who chose a pirate’s life in the 1800s might decide to become a rum runner during Prohibition.

It was so much fun exploring that period of time, that when the opportunity presented itself to write a novella, GHOST OF A CHANCE, I decided to do some more research and created a story with a mystery that had occurred along the Jersey Shore during the height of Prohibition.

Those were exciting and dangerous times along the shore then. Bootleggers ran rum from the Caribbean and whiskey from Canada in various forms and a great deal of the liquor that was sent throughout the country made its way through Newark at one time.

Anyway, I thought it would therefore be appropriate this morning to offer up a recipe for a Rum Runner’s punch for you! If you don’t drink alcohol, feel free to leave out the rum or substitute some rum flavoring in the recipe.

Rum Runner’s Punch

2 cups rum (light or dark. Dark is sweeter)
1 bottle sparkling apple cider (about 25 ounces)
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
1 quart fruit punch (feel free to use a sugar free product)
Shot of grenadine for color
Ice

Mix all of the above in a punch bowl or large container. Slice up some oranges, pineapples and maraschino cherries as a garnish. Serve over ice.

You can also substitute a sparkling wine or ginger ale for the sparkling apple cider. Also feel free to go with a spiced or coconut-flavored rum for some variety.

Posted on

GHOST OF A CHANCE Free Read

GHOST OF A CHANCE paranormal mysteryToday I’ve got a free read for you from my paranormal mystery/romance e-novella, GHOST OF A CHANCE.

This story first appeared in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE. As a thank you to fans, the e-book specially priced at .99 until March 31! For all of you who still love a print book, it is also available as a paperback for only $3.99. Here’s what the Paranormal Romance Guild had to say about GHOST OF A CHANCE:

Paranormal Romance Guild: 5 Stars – “This is not just a ghost story and romance but it is a very good murder mystery. Who killed the Ryan’s and why? The wife and daughter’s bodies were never discovered are they really dead? This short story was a wonderful mystery in addition to a wonderful ghost romance.”

If you can’t see the excerpt below, you can click here to read it.

GHOST OF A CHANCE, paranormal mystery e-novella by Caridad Pineiro

Posted on

#SixSunday A Hoped For Reunion #pnr #vampire

This is my first Six Sentence Sunday! Welcome. These six sentences are from WHEN HERALD ANGELS SING, my Dickens-like novella in A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS. The vampire hero, Damien, has been hoping that Angelina will return to him yet again and that this time, they will have a happily-ever-after.

She lay naked in the center of the sail, her raven hair spilling out against a mosaic of bright red and rusty brown splotches on the white canvas.

There was no denying the scent of blood, but more powerful was her familiar aroma.

Even with the storm swirling around him, her natural perfume filled his senses, making him think of bright summer days and fields of wildflowers.

Impossible and wonderful all at the same time, he thought, reaching for her.

He encircled her in his arms and the heat of her blood bathed his hands.

Seeped through the thin wet fabric of his cotton shirt.

A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS Paranormal Romance Vampire Romance

Proudly powered by WordPress