Monday, May 16, 2016

Nikki's Carrot Surprise #Cake #Recipe from Cozy #Mystery Silence Of The Lamps by Karen Rose Smith





I like to have a few recipes up my sleeve for those special celebrations--holiday gatherings with friends and family, birthdays and graduations. This cake always delights my guests. I developed this recipe years ago when a friend told me her husband particularly liked carrot cake. I baked it for his birthday.  The recipe seemed perfect to use for my sleuth's sister Nikki's piece de resistance for the wedding expo in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMPS.  I hope you enjoy it too. 

Nikki's Carrot Surprise Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour 9 x 13 inch pan

1 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 ½ cups shredded carrots
½ cup crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked coconut

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and orange zest in a large mixer bowl.  To that mixture add sugar, oil and eggs.  Beat on medium speed for about one minute until well-mixed.  Then fold in carrots, pineapple, walnuts and coconut until completely blended. 

Pour into 9x13" greased and floured cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely before frosting.  After the cake is iced, refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter (softened)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon orange zest
1 box (1 pound) Confectioners Sugar

Beat softened butter with softened cream cheese until smooth.  Add vanilla and orange zest.  Blend in Confectioners Sugar and beat until smooth and spreadable. Frost the cake and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.

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Available now!!! 
KAREN ROSE SMITH
Book 5, Caprice De Luca Mystery Series



 SILENCE OF THE LAMPS on Amazon



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Karen and Paddy

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

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Karen's Newsletter IN TOUCH


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Thursday, May 12, 2016

#Feline #Companionship and Compassion--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith


I recently put a new stepping stone in my garden. A Christmas gift from a friend, I loved the message and couldn't wait to put it outside. But as I glanced at it in its new home, I realized how profound the message really was. While we treasure all of our family members and appreciate all the wonderful qualities--love, caring, sharing, loyalty--that they provide to make our homes truly special, our pets fill in the gaps or even augment the human qualities to complete a family.

Bonnie and Clyde
I have observed and previously mentioned the wonderful bond felines have with each other and how protective Halo can be of Paddy, one of her kittens. I have watched Bonnie and Clyde and their togetherness as they explore the yard outside. But felines also share that same relationship with humans.   

Halo and Zoie sleep by my side.
Recently I underwent gall bladder surgery.  I received excellent care in the hospital and when I returned home, my husband was an excellent nurse. But it was my furry family that stayed by my side, day and night. Halo and Zoie have an uncanny awareness of how I feel. They will often settle right on the area of my body that aches the most, as if trying to extricate the pain. While I had to be careful that none of the felines jumped on my stomach, it was a comfort having them by my side or at my feet. Their compassion and companionship were as healing as the meds I had been prescribed. 
Halo is on guard while Zoie snoozes at my feet. 
There is always a lesson to be learned from our pets. If we are open to their loyalty and compassion and are willing to overlook occasional annoying behaviors that are typical of any pet, we will have a level of constant companionship that can transcend that which humans are willing or capable of giving. So often it seems we are overly bogged down by caring for our pets, but the rewards far exceed feeding, walking, playing with or cleaning up after them.

So give your pet a hug today, because tomorrow you can count on him or her being at your side when you need it most. It is in those moments that a family is truly complete.     


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E-BOOK NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER
Release Date:  June 1, 2016

Beth Crandall has known trauma. Kidnapped from her birth family when she was three, abandoned at a mall by her kidnapper a few months later, traumatic amnesia has prevented memories from plaguing her as she was adopted and ushered into a "normal" life. But a twist of fate reunited her with her birth family recently and now she's attempting to move forward in a way she couldn't before.

As a teenager, Beth's face was scarred in an attack at a group home where her best friend lived. Now Beth is seeing a plastic surgeon, Dr. Sam Benedict, so he can remove the scar. Sam volunteers his time to the foundation Kids Cause which sends doctors all over the world to help children. Sam, who came from an abusive home, feels children need to be listened to and fixed. He and Beth connect on a deep level from the first moment they meet.

Beth has believed a romantic relationship is impossible for her given her background. But during integration into her birth family and throughout a search for her teenage best friend, Sam remains by her side. He helps to heal more than the scar on her face. Neither of them realize that Beth's search for her friend with the help of psychic Gillian Bradley (continuing character from other SEARCH FOR LOVE books) will land them in a fight for their lives.


THE WEDDING PROMISE will also be available in print and audio book formats
after its June 1 launch.  Watch for details.


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Karen and Paddy
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

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Monday, May 9, 2016

Growing #Herbs for #Cooking and #Patio Planting by Karen Rose Smith



German Chamomile
As our diets become healthier, I cook with herbs to give additional flavor. I've always used bay leaves in soup and oregano, thyme and basil in my Italian dishes. I like to garden and for the past few years, I've cared for an herb garden. However, I became aware of the pesticide spraying habits of the garden centers. We had visited our favorite early one morning, only to discover we could hardly breathe in the vicinity of the plants from the spray they'd used. Did I really want to use those herbs in our food? (And pesticides last in the root systems. No amount of washing will clear them.) I've grown heirloom tomatoes from seed for about 6 years now and decided to do the same with herbs...or buy them from an organic farm. Localharvest.org was a big help in aiding me in finding organic plants and seeds. The site will also alert you with local farm fresh events. 

Basil Thyme

These are a few different herbs I decided to try this year. I found them at Mountain Valley Growers The healthy plants arrived in excellent condition at just the right time to plant them. 

Trailing Rosemary


Trailing Rosemary was a new herb/plant to me. It can create a fall of green over a pot or stones. I'll see what happens with it this year.



Since we have stray cats wandering in our gardens because of our outside feeder and two siblings who "found" our yard last fall, I decided to grow pesticide free herbs and plants to plant along the patio and in pots for them too. Some of them flower and all give off wonderful scents. This season I've had good luck growing Valerian, Lemon Catmint, Lemon Balm, regular Catmint and Catnip. Lemongrass will grow to about 5 feet tall until the end of the summer. And the Pineapple Sage actually grows to shrub size if given growing room.
Pineapple Sage
 
Catmint
If you have outside cats, keep in mind that many flowers are toxic.  Some safe ones to plant are snapdragons, zinnias, cone flowers, petunias, phlox and roses. Consult the ASPCA list.



I hope your garden can be a happy, healthy place for both humans and our furry friends. 


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Karen and Paddy
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 


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Thursday, May 5, 2016

A #Mother's Day #Feline Story--Rescuing Halo by Karen Rose Smith


Two years ago on Mother's Day, my husband and I found Halo napping in our yard. We'd never seen her before. She was thin and looked as if she needed care. She didn't run but if she'd been on her own for a while, I knew she wouldn't trust easily. She came and went and we began to feed her. After about a month she took refuge from rain and storms in our open patio sunroom. She was staying and I suspected why. She was pregnant.
Halo in the shrubbery along our patio 


After an emergency visit to a vet--she had a severe case of colitis--we found out for sure. She was pregnant. I'd never seen a cat through a pregnancy. I consulted friends who had, put Halo on a special diet I cooked each day--poached chicken breast, white rice and pumpkin--and fed her every few hours to give her the nutrition she and her babies needed. 


A pregnant Halo
She became healthier and delivered three wonderful kittens--Tia, Mason and Miss Paddington. Halo was devoted to them, watched over them, nursed them, washed them. When they were old enough to escape the storage bin where they were born, she'd call them back to her and they'd come running. The awesome experience of watching her devotion and how her kittens thrived with her care is something my husband and I will never forget.


 We found loving forever homes for Tia and Mason. We adopted Halo and Paddy and integrated them with our other two cats.

Halo and Zoie nap together

Paddy and our four-year-old, Zoie Joy, got along from the start. They are now buddies. Halo continued to watch over Paddy when Zoie was around until she finally learned that Zoie is a sweetie too and would never hurt her baby. They even take an occasional nap together.

 Paddy is now twenty-one months old and she still cuddles with her mom. Their bond is beautiful to see.
Last summer, Halo scared us with a series of seizures.  After three vet opinions that ranged from a brain tumor to neurological problems, we took the advice of our own vet and had her spayed. Our vet felt because she hadn't been spayed, hormones were running amuck. There is a condition where the pancreas, liver and gall bladder become inflamed and the vega nerve is irritated and causes the seizure. 


In September we had Halo spayed. At the same time, she also had 6 teeth extracted. It was a very rough time for her but she seemed to recover well. However, it was time for her rabies vaccine. About a week afterward, her nose began running. It wouldn't stop and she became sicker. The rabies vaccination had lowered her immune system's ability to fight off infection. The vets believed the infection had come from the dental surgery. The first antibiotics didn't heal her. We had a rhinoscopy performed with a specialist before Christmas. At first the diagnosis was cancer but then the biopsies came back--she had a severely resistant bacterial infection. We thought we'd lose her. But finally, after being on her new third antibiotic for 2 months, the infection turned around.  I'm so happy to say she has gained weight, is alert with clear bright eyes and spurts of playfulness she never exhibited before. She's a happy, well, fur baby now. 

It's been two years since Halo came into our lives. (I believe my mom, who I miss dearly, sent her!) At first Halo seemed reluctant to accept affection but now she realizes she belongs here too. Now besides rubbing against our legs, she cuddles with us when we watch TV.  She and hubby have a special bond and she often curls up in his arms.
The vet told us she believes Halo was in an accident and had a broken leg that somehow healed. I'd love to know her story. But whatever it was, she is safe and loved now. Watching her, I learned more about motherhood. Mothering her and her kittens is an experience I'll cherish always.

 Happy Mother's Day!

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Karen and Paddy
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

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