Meet Darlene

I'm scrambling to make a deadline and my dear friend Darlene Henderson has stepped forward with a blog for me. The sweet tea is ready and because the kids went apple picking today I have warm apple turnovers to go with it. Enjoy the refreshments and meet Darlene. 

Dog Day Afternoons

Since I've been writing, I think the question I've been asked the most is where do I get my ideas.  Rather than saying, the voices in my head of course, I tell them the ideas come from everywhere.  My story Always a Bride started with a billboard for a bridal fair.  My next story, Dog Day Afternoons wasn't quite so easy in coming to mind.  I'd long thought about writing a story about a heroine who meets her teen idol and they fall in love.  My publisher sent out a call for stories with dogs.  How oh how was I going to work a dog into the story I had.  My friend Jillian Chantal suggested an errant dog bringing them together.  One thing led to another and my story was born.  It was a fabulous story to write.  I was so in love with my hero it was like dating someone new.  Well that story was over and I was needing something new to write and had a few things started but not the right thing.  (See me really saying "I have ADD and am easily distracted and like new and shiny and don't finish things).  And the people from Dog Days kept hanging out in my head.  So where next?  Off to Scotland for the wedding.  So now I have a whole new former Scottish rock star to crush on while I write.  So where do I get my ideas?  From billboards, from friends, from the last story, from everywhere.  

http://amzn.to/TQV2E6

http://amzn.to/RNXr1R

~*~

Since I began serving refreshments, I've had several requests for the recipes. Here is the recipe I use for Apple Turnovers. I use Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Dough. (My pastry dough leaves a lot to be desired, like edibility for one thing.) However, if you are a good pastry baker, you may want to substitute your own dough.

Apple Turnovers


2 C peeled, finely-chopped apples
1/3 C natural sugar
2 TBSP flour (coconut flour if you have it)
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
Dash nutmeg 
Two cans refrigerated Pillsbury crescent rolls (They work much better than the store brand.)

Glaze:
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsp water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together first 5 ingredients; make sure apples are well-coated. Separate dough into 16 triangles. Spoon about 1 rounded TBSP of apple mixture into the center of each. Fold 3 corners of dough over the filling, and pinch together. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Remove from pans to cool. Combine glaze ingredients and mix till smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls. 

If you don't want to glaze them, just shake some powdered sugar over the top or a cinnamon & sugar mix.