The following recipe is our family's all-time favorite recipe. I am sharing it now in honor of the character of Grandma Lena, who hailed from Pittsburgh and had a great command of the grill. It is the perfect recipe for Memorial day celebrations. Enjoy.
Grilled Pittsburgh Steak Salads
serves 4
1-1.5 lb flat iron steak
Your favorite steak seasoning (we use salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika)
Ore Ida Crispers (4 servings cooked according to instructions in oven while your steak is grilling)
Torn lettuce, either a mix from a bag or we use leaf and/or romaine
One large red pepper, halved with stem and seeds removed
One bunch green onions, cut off white and skewer them, chop the green parts
Chopped tomato
Your favorite shredded cheese. We like cheddar jack.
Your favorite dressing. We like Southwest ranch
-Heat grill to medium high and season steak
-Put red peppers on grill, skin side up. Grill for a few minutes and then flip (skin side down) and grill until skin is charred, about ten minutes.
-Put onion whites on grill with peppers. These will cook faster and will have to be removed after only a couple of minutes.
-When red peppers are done, put them in a plastic container and let them steam a bit.
-Put steak on the grill and grill to liking. We grill by temperature, so we take it off when it registers 135 degrees for medium rare. Remove from grill and tent with foil for ten minutes.
-Rub blackened skin off peppers and slice.
-Slice steak into thin slices across the grain
-Build your salad: lettuce, onion greens, sliced peppers and white onions, chopped tomatoes, steak slices, Ore Ida Crispers, cheese, dressing
Enjoy with a nice California Cabernet Sauvignon
Showing posts with label Summers at Blue Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summers at Blue Lake. Show all posts
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Movie Version
My kids and I are going to see the Hunger Games today. We all read the book. Over the years we have seen many of our favorite novels (either ones I read to them or ones we all read) turned into film. I wonder when it was that authors started thinking of film as the final destination of their imaginations? To have your book published is a wonderful experience, but can you really hold the finished product in your hand without giving some thought as to who will play the lead? At that time, I remember thinking that Katie Holmes would be a good casting choice for BJ, but now I have some other thoughts. Kristen Bell? Emily Blunt?
Recently, Diana Gabaldon did some fan Facebook casting of her characters from the Outlander series. I spent much of 2011 in her imaginary worlds, so it was fun to see the options people came up with. Why HBO hasn't snatched this up to become a cable series is beyond my comprehension.
In the near future, my family and I will be going to London. One of the stops on our trip is to see the newly opened Warner Brother film sets from the Harry Potter movies. I read every single one of the books out loud to my kids, and we saw all the movies together. This is an activity for us. In 2004, we drove to Boston on my son's birthday to see the Lord of the Rings Movie art exhibit at the Museum of Science. It isn't enough to read. We need to see the costumes and the props.
And then there is the Harry Potter World theme park I visited this February with my son. We donned butterbeer mustaches and rode the castle ride with our hologram character guides. Okay, maybe having your own theme park based on your books is the final destination.
One of the book series I read to my kids when they were younger was Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. In this series, a man has the ability to bring fictional characters into reality simply by reading books aloud. Eventually, the main characters find a way to plant themselves inside the stories they have been reading.
This is what readers want as their ultimate destination: to be on the inside of a book looking out. As a writer, this is where I begin the process. I spend many days (weeks, months, years) immersed in the story. The only way I can leave is to write my way out. It is an exorcism, an escape, and a ascension all in one. Why do we get writer's blocks? Sometimes we don't want to write ourselves out of the tale. We like our mind prisons. Imaginary worlds are a fun place to be—especially during an election year.
Recently, Diana Gabaldon did some fan Facebook casting of her characters from the Outlander series. I spent much of 2011 in her imaginary worlds, so it was fun to see the options people came up with. Why HBO hasn't snatched this up to become a cable series is beyond my comprehension.
In the near future, my family and I will be going to London. One of the stops on our trip is to see the newly opened Warner Brother film sets from the Harry Potter movies. I read every single one of the books out loud to my kids, and we saw all the movies together. This is an activity for us. In 2004, we drove to Boston on my son's birthday to see the Lord of the Rings Movie art exhibit at the Museum of Science. It isn't enough to read. We need to see the costumes and the props.
And then there is the Harry Potter World theme park I visited this February with my son. We donned butterbeer mustaches and rode the castle ride with our hologram character guides. Okay, maybe having your own theme park based on your books is the final destination.
One of the book series I read to my kids when they were younger was Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. In this series, a man has the ability to bring fictional characters into reality simply by reading books aloud. Eventually, the main characters find a way to plant themselves inside the stories they have been reading.
This is what readers want as their ultimate destination: to be on the inside of a book looking out. As a writer, this is where I begin the process. I spend many days (weeks, months, years) immersed in the story. The only way I can leave is to write my way out. It is an exorcism, an escape, and a ascension all in one. Why do we get writer's blocks? Sometimes we don't want to write ourselves out of the tale. We like our mind prisons. Imaginary worlds are a fun place to be—especially during an election year.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Speed of things
Back in the day, I used to be fast. Not set records fast, but get a few medals and get your name in the paper fast. The years past. The pounds came on. I still have one speed that it is above a walk that I use when I go to the track, but slow is that only way to describe it.
Such a slowdown is not the same for the publishing industry. After I wrote Summers At Blue Lake, it took me two years to find an agent. It took my agent two years to find a publisher. It took the publisher two years to publish the book. Writing novels is not for the sprinter. I often thought that I'd be so much better at rejection if I were a song writer. But who wants rejection in a process that is so long and so time-consuming. (And that isn't even counting the time it takes to write the thing.) Fear of rejection has frozen my pen. I just don't have the heart to go to the page even though the ideas still do mad laps around my brain. You would think they would have tired themselves out by now.
Two weeks ago, I received a letter from my agent's assistant. My book rights have reverted back to me from the publisher, and she wanted to know if I was interested in pursuing ebook publication. Well, the book was already written; I might as well capitalize on it. I called her that day, and she asked me to write a few bullets of an e-marketing plan to submit with a pitch to one of the big ebook companies. I spent a frenzied weekend researching e-marketing for e-books. I turned in my plan for which I got kudos and was told that I would need a new cover if this went through. (My publisher held the rights to the old cover.) Being an artist and a perfectionist, I thought I could try my hand and doing my own cover. Off to do more research. That process was fast and fun. I learned a lot in the 22 revisions that I did for the final product. That process probably took me a week. And in that time, I had an answer: Nook accepted my ebook for their Nook First program.
Beginning May 28, my ebook will be featured on Nook's main page. It will run exclusively for a month on Nook before becoming available in other markets. My head is spinning. I must go back to the Internet to research how to execute the points I outlined in my marketing plan. It is thrilling to say the least.
Now that I have this outlet that moves at the speed of light, I see hope again for my work. I want to write. I have stories to tell. I want to arrange words in a way that only I can.
I work as a substitute teacher. It is seasonal work that begins to dry up toward the end of a school year. Very soon, I will have time to work.
Writer, take your mark.
Get set.
Go!
Such a slowdown is not the same for the publishing industry. After I wrote Summers At Blue Lake, it took me two years to find an agent. It took my agent two years to find a publisher. It took the publisher two years to publish the book. Writing novels is not for the sprinter. I often thought that I'd be so much better at rejection if I were a song writer. But who wants rejection in a process that is so long and so time-consuming. (And that isn't even counting the time it takes to write the thing.) Fear of rejection has frozen my pen. I just don't have the heart to go to the page even though the ideas still do mad laps around my brain. You would think they would have tired themselves out by now.
Two weeks ago, I received a letter from my agent's assistant. My book rights have reverted back to me from the publisher, and she wanted to know if I was interested in pursuing ebook publication. Well, the book was already written; I might as well capitalize on it. I called her that day, and she asked me to write a few bullets of an e-marketing plan to submit with a pitch to one of the big ebook companies. I spent a frenzied weekend researching e-marketing for e-books. I turned in my plan for which I got kudos and was told that I would need a new cover if this went through. (My publisher held the rights to the old cover.) Being an artist and a perfectionist, I thought I could try my hand and doing my own cover. Off to do more research. That process was fast and fun. I learned a lot in the 22 revisions that I did for the final product. That process probably took me a week. And in that time, I had an answer: Nook accepted my ebook for their Nook First program.
Beginning May 28, my ebook will be featured on Nook's main page. It will run exclusively for a month on Nook before becoming available in other markets. My head is spinning. I must go back to the Internet to research how to execute the points I outlined in my marketing plan. It is thrilling to say the least.
Now that I have this outlet that moves at the speed of light, I see hope again for my work. I want to write. I have stories to tell. I want to arrange words in a way that only I can.
I work as a substitute teacher. It is seasonal work that begins to dry up toward the end of a school year. Very soon, I will have time to work.
Writer, take your mark.
Get set.
Go!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Resuscitation, Revival, Renewal
In Pennsylvania, spring has come early. Rotatillers, openly displayed pedicures, and eating outside on the deck--all of those before the month of March hit is teens. Spring has always been about renewal for me. Our family is taking a big trip this spring, so I have to admit that I didn't have my sights set on specific acts renewal this year. No new exercise regiments, and I have yet to crack open a gardening catalog. I am, however, revelling in this weather and the spurt of energy that has come with it.
Into this early spring, a letter arrived from my agent. With no fully formed efforts to show, I have been hiding from my agent. But the letter announced good news: SUMMERS AT BLUE LAKE has been released from my publisher so that I am free to pursue other avenues of publication. More specifically, I am free to pursue my novel's publication as an e-book. E-books were around when SUMMERS was published, but Nook, Kindle, iPads had yet to be the go-to gift at the holidays.
Now, in anticipation of pitching my book to one of the biggies, I must explore an online marking strategy. Twitter, Facebook, Linked In as the holy trinity, with my website/blog keeping pace. As much as technology can be daunting with its sparkle and speed, I am welcoming this chance to revitalize my career. E-books? It seems less threatening than a printed books somehow. Don't get me wrong; I love the printed page. But if I blunder about in my attempt for another novel, I won't be killing off any trees or picturing skids of books abandoned in a warehouse somewhere.
And so, I will keep this first entry of my revived blog on the short side. I have some other writing to do and a career to resusitate.
Into this early spring, a letter arrived from my agent. With no fully formed efforts to show, I have been hiding from my agent. But the letter announced good news: SUMMERS AT BLUE LAKE has been released from my publisher so that I am free to pursue other avenues of publication. More specifically, I am free to pursue my novel's publication as an e-book. E-books were around when SUMMERS was published, but Nook, Kindle, iPads had yet to be the go-to gift at the holidays.
Now, in anticipation of pitching my book to one of the biggies, I must explore an online marking strategy. Twitter, Facebook, Linked In as the holy trinity, with my website/blog keeping pace. As much as technology can be daunting with its sparkle and speed, I am welcoming this chance to revitalize my career. E-books? It seems less threatening than a printed books somehow. Don't get me wrong; I love the printed page. But if I blunder about in my attempt for another novel, I won't be killing off any trees or picturing skids of books abandoned in a warehouse somewhere.
And so, I will keep this first entry of my revived blog on the short side. I have some other writing to do and a career to resusitate.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Girl-a-marketing (Guerilla Marketing)
New author, here, trying to get new of her novel to every corner of the book-buying public. HOW? I am at a loss. Book sales have been strong locally, but outside of the northeast, I am not even a blip on the screen. My head is swimming with ideas. Summers at Blue Lake is a good book. I am proud of it. I just need to get it into the hands of the readers out there.
My friends and neighbors have been coming out of the woodwork with their suggestions. Which are practical? What is the best way to proceed? Here are some of the ideas I have received.
1. Get together with other authors who have books that deal with breast cancer and donate a percent of author proceeds. Garner publicity based on this fact.
2. Market to lesbians by sending the introductory chapter to websites who cater to gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/questioning crowd.
3. Join sites who facilitate author phone-ins to book clubs.
4. Create a stir by getting the book placed in a high school library. (Voices of Youth Advocates gave it 4 out of 5 stars and deemed it appropriate for 11th and 12th graders.) Sit back and wait for the book to be challenged by those who don't agree lesbian grandmothers should be in the schools.
5. Cut out genteel blogger essays and write something to get everyone's forwarding finger itchy. Something controversial, heretical, hysterical, political--whatever.
6. Be a guest on various websites and chat boards.
So where am I on these suggestions? I am writer who likes to write. So anything that lets me sit here and type is good. That would be #2, 5 and 6. I especially like number five because it appeals to who I am: someone with a lot on her mind who (with self-loathing) disguises herself as a nice girl in conservative Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
So what would I say if I went BLOG wild? Yikes! The nice girl mask is mouthing, "Don't alienate all the fine local folks who stretched themselves to support the book." But it has got me thinking. I have got stuff to say, and I think I can say it in a way that will make others think--at least I hope so. I don't think of myself as salacious, so I wouldn't say something just for the shock value, but perhaps I will up the ante on my blog and see if someone out there will hit the forward button on me.
Meanwhile, help spread the word. Here is a link to forward--an excerpt from Summers at Blue Lake. Keep the word alive. And send me other ideas for marketing myself. I am all ears.
P.S. Join me this weekend at Moon Dancer Winery in Wrightsville, PA. I am having an artist reception and book signing. 2-5 PM on October 13th. See you there!
My friends and neighbors have been coming out of the woodwork with their suggestions. Which are practical? What is the best way to proceed? Here are some of the ideas I have received.
1. Get together with other authors who have books that deal with breast cancer and donate a percent of author proceeds. Garner publicity based on this fact.
2. Market to lesbians by sending the introductory chapter to websites who cater to gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/questioning crowd.
3. Join sites who facilitate author phone-ins to book clubs.
4. Create a stir by getting the book placed in a high school library. (Voices of Youth Advocates gave it 4 out of 5 stars and deemed it appropriate for 11th and 12th graders.) Sit back and wait for the book to be challenged by those who don't agree lesbian grandmothers should be in the schools.
5. Cut out genteel blogger essays and write something to get everyone's forwarding finger itchy. Something controversial, heretical, hysterical, political--whatever.
6. Be a guest on various websites and chat boards.
So where am I on these suggestions? I am writer who likes to write. So anything that lets me sit here and type is good. That would be #2, 5 and 6. I especially like number five because it appeals to who I am: someone with a lot on her mind who (with self-loathing) disguises herself as a nice girl in conservative Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
So what would I say if I went BLOG wild? Yikes! The nice girl mask is mouthing, "Don't alienate all the fine local folks who stretched themselves to support the book." But it has got me thinking. I have got stuff to say, and I think I can say it in a way that will make others think--at least I hope so. I don't think of myself as salacious, so I wouldn't say something just for the shock value, but perhaps I will up the ante on my blog and see if someone out there will hit the forward button on me.
Meanwhile, help spread the word. Here is a link to forward--an excerpt from Summers at Blue Lake. Keep the word alive. And send me other ideas for marketing myself. I am all ears.
P.S. Join me this weekend at Moon Dancer Winery in Wrightsville, PA. I am having an artist reception and book signing. 2-5 PM on October 13th. See you there!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
What's your sign?
On Saturday, my daughter and I were driving by Wal-mart. A woman, flanked by two young children, stood at the entrance to the parking lot. She was holding a sign that said, There is no such thing as a Christian homosexual. I had to wonder what prompted this woman to gather her children and parade her sign before all those people. Was there a recent controversy I missed, or was she simply spewing her views before the largest gathering of folks she could find? Did she feel her family was so threatened by these opposing values that she would risk ridicule rather than to sit in pew with someone who was gay?
This sign fascinated me because of the characters in my book, SUMMERS AT BLUE LAKE. The opening scene, which takes place inside a church, introduces the protagonist's grandmothers and outs them as lesbians. The entire book emerged from the opening sentence which juxtaposes the words lesbians and grandmothers. It gives a tension in the mind as we counter contemporary gay rights issues with our sociological history. On one hand is a population that is still being shunned (as evidenced by the woman's sign) and on the other hand we have a pair of grandmothers (Who doesn't love their grandmother?) belonging to the revered WWII generation. I will admit that I deliberately set the stage in a church to take advantage of the tension. In my earliest drafts I was very hard on the members of the congregation--judging them for their judgments toward my characters. It took many rewrites to soften my words to the concerns of the congregants. The scene was post WWII America. The happy family was the ideal. Rec rooms. Backyard barbecues. A reality worth preserving against all perceived moral threats. But...What if the church-goers genuinely liked Anja and Lena, the grandmothers? What if they had a hard time applying their moral certainties?
I don't carry any signs. I envy people who have convictions so powerful as to take a stand for what they believe--even if it is, as in this case, a belief counter to my own. I have never marched on the capitol or stood on courthouse steps. I have contemplated both, but I guess that makes me a contemplatist not an activist. I consider things deeply, perhaps to extreme. For every truth I have been taught, I have asked a question. Maybe--just maybe-- that's what makes me a writer.
This sign fascinated me because of the characters in my book, SUMMERS AT BLUE LAKE. The opening scene, which takes place inside a church, introduces the protagonist's grandmothers and outs them as lesbians. The entire book emerged from the opening sentence which juxtaposes the words lesbians and grandmothers. It gives a tension in the mind as we counter contemporary gay rights issues with our sociological history. On one hand is a population that is still being shunned (as evidenced by the woman's sign) and on the other hand we have a pair of grandmothers (Who doesn't love their grandmother?) belonging to the revered WWII generation. I will admit that I deliberately set the stage in a church to take advantage of the tension. In my earliest drafts I was very hard on the members of the congregation--judging them for their judgments toward my characters. It took many rewrites to soften my words to the concerns of the congregants. The scene was post WWII America. The happy family was the ideal. Rec rooms. Backyard barbecues. A reality worth preserving against all perceived moral threats. But...What if the church-goers genuinely liked Anja and Lena, the grandmothers? What if they had a hard time applying their moral certainties?
I don't carry any signs. I envy people who have convictions so powerful as to take a stand for what they believe--even if it is, as in this case, a belief counter to my own. I have never marched on the capitol or stood on courthouse steps. I have contemplated both, but I guess that makes me a contemplatist not an activist. I consider things deeply, perhaps to extreme. For every truth I have been taught, I have asked a question. Maybe--just maybe-- that's what makes me a writer.
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