The Muse Strikes

Hmm...the muse strikes. Whenever, wherever, she wants, she hits me sometimes so hard I nearly smack my head on the tiled shower wall. Yes, that's where I usually am when the muse strikes. In the shower. Which is exactly where I was this morning when she made another unannounced, unscheduled visit. Shampooing my hair and BAM! An idea.

For now, it's just a little niggling idea. A "what if?" kind of thing. But who knows? With a little thought and some tweaking, the little idea could be something more. The next book, perhaps?

I'll keep you informed. For now, I'm wondering if I need another shower...

Memorial Day Weekend

Hi all. First, Happy Memorial Day Weekend. Please take a moment to remember those who deserve to be honored this weekend. There's so much more to these days than cookouts and parties--but aren't those fun, too?

Today we're headed out to the North Fork of Long Island, to a friend's beach house. We'll spend a few days wading, beachcombing and spending time with good friends. Mickey's already made his world-famouse potato salad (all right, it's only famous in our world!) and we're set to relax for the long, begin-the-season weekend.

Hope your Memorial Day weekend is a good one!

~Nina

A yummy kind of day!

What am I doing today? It is a glorious, beautiful sunny day here and days like this make me think of summer treats. My author friend Jenyfer Matthews has an amazing recipe for banana bread she's shared with me (check her blog, I know it's there, too) and I've been thinking the only way this yummy treat could be any yummier would be if it had a scoop of chocolate gelato beside it. So here's my recipe for chocolate gelato. I'm making that this morning, and Jenyfer's banana bread this afternoon. By dinnertime we'll have a wonderful desert!!


Enjoy!!

Chocolate Gelato

3 cups whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Bring 2 1/4 cups milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan.


While milk is heating, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 1/4 cup cold milk in a bowl until smooth. When milk on stove boils, whisk this mixture into boiling milk and bring to boil again, whisking all the while. Whisk in pot for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Bring remaining 1/2 cup coldmilk just to a boil in a separate heavy saucepan. When boiling, remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Let stand until chocolate melts, then whisk until smooth. Add to bigger pot, then force entire mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cool slightly, stirring often to prevent a skin from forming. Cover surface with wax paper and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.

Freeze mixture in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until hardened, about 4 hours. Let soften 5 minutes before serving.

*This recipe is originally from Gourmet, 2003, but I've modified it somewhat. I'd like to think I improved on it! :)

Finding myself -- In Italy!!

How cool is this? Along with the cover for Violet Moons, this is what I found here.

VIOLET MOONS by NINA NASH, Ellora's Cave

The land of Vestia is forced to replenish its life force from a circlet of power that is kept in a distant kingdom. Wathalia, one of the Vestian princesses, must make a swift, secret journey to retrieve the circlet. Along the way she meets all manner of odd creatures as well as one very handsome man. A man whom she has seen many times before — in her dreams.

It appears that Wathalia's mission is leading her to something other than the circlet and she realizes that her destiny may include more than a trip to the kingdom of the North. Meeting Priam makes her wonder if all moments in her life have been leading purposefully to the instant of their coupling. She wonders, too, if the man from her dreams is all he seems to be. Could he, too, have secrets? And will his secrets interfere with her ability to save the people of Vestia?

La terra di Vestia è costretta a rifornire la sua forza vitale da un anello di potere che è tenuto in un regno distante. Wathalia, una delle principessa Vestian, deve fare un viaggio rapido e segreto per recuperare l'anello. Lungo la strada incontra tutte le specie di strane creature così come un uomo davvero affascinante. Un uomo che lei ha visto molte volte prima - nei suoi sogni.

Sembra che la missione di Wathalia la stia conducendo verso qualcos'altro rispetto all'anello e lei capisce che il suo destino potrebbe includere più che un viaggio verso il regno del Nord. Incontrare Priam le fa domandarsi se tutti i momenti nella sua vita stavano conducendola apposta all'istante del loro accoppiamento. Si domanda, anche, se l'uomo dei suoi sogni sia tutto quello che sembra essere. Anche lui potrebbe avere dei segreti? E i suoi segreti interferiranno con la sua capacità di salvare le persone di Vestia?

Pubblicato da Elisa a 4.14 1 commenti
Etichette: elloras cave, nina nash

Weather sets the mood

A rainy Sunday morning in New York City. I might be in the minority, but I love rain, especially on the weekends. I know, I can hear the "Boo"-ing!! But really, I love a rainy weekend. Why? It gives us a great excuse to not do anything. No running errands, no pressure to walk in the park, visit with friends or relatives, jog...none of it. Instead we get to stay in, lounge with the fat Sunday Times, have bagels delivered from the corner deli, and...well, I won't go on. You let your imagination run wild.

But I ask you, wouldn't you like to snuggle up with your honey on a rainy Sunday morning?

Mickey and I, we might cuddle all day long... :)

Black Thumb

Okay, it's confession time. I have a black thumb.

No, I'm not kidding. You know how gardener's always boast about having a green thumb? Well, mine's black. Or it should be.

I try. Really I do. I go to the nursery, filled with high hopes. I choose only the biggest, bushiest, greenest herb plants for my window box. Remember, we live in Manhattan during the summer, so it's not like I've got real ground or anything. A window box, that's it. Shouldn't be hard, should it?

This morning I woke up, padded to the kitchen, put the coffeepot on and looked at my window box.

Dead. Creeping thyme? Done creeping. Oregano? Laid out flat. Parsley? Ditto. Purple sage? Curled up and yellow.

Ugh. The black thumb, a curse for all time.

Lazy afternoons

We've just returned from a week in Vermont. Let me tell you, Vermont in the spring is gorgeous. Daffodils blooming, tulips opening, birds chirping. Lots and lots of time to relax...

I did a lot of reading, a good amount (just ask my checkbook!!) of shopping in the little boutiques and art galleries and waaay too much eating and drinking! Stairmaster here I come! But I had a great time, and I certainly needed the break.

I mean, really, doesn't everyone need a break now and then? Is your life as hectic as mine? I'll bet it is. Some days I feel like I'm trying to breakdance, twirl a baton and organize a gala all at once. But that just makes the lazy afternoons, spent with my darling Mickey, all the more enjoyable.

How do you get away? Unwind? Relax?

I could use a few hints, maybe a suggestion or two. Because really, once I unpack and do all this damn laundry, I'm going to need a mini-break...

Rites of Spring

There are certain rites of spring that are accepted in some circles. They vary greatly depending on what circle they're a part of.

For example, my mother and grandmother firmly adhere to the "Spring Cleaning" rites, airing out their homes, having drapes cleaned and even changing the "winter drapes" for the "summer" ones. Neither will rest until every inch of the house sparkles. Although I respect their right to ruin their manicures, I do not ascribe to the spring-as-houseslave credo. Yes, I'll wave the duster to each corner, as if saluting all points on the compass, but I refuse to break a nail over drapes. Not me. Nuh uh.

Others view springtime as the time for "Spring Break." Yep, time to head south, drink too much, party too hard, hook up with someone you barely know and puke your way back home. Again, not for me.

Then there are the gardeners. They see spring as the tilling time, the weeding time, the plowing time, the stooping-till-your-shoulders-break time, the planting time, the watering.... Well, you get my drift. Once more, not my style.

So what, then, is my spring ritual? My rite of spring, the thing that assures me that the warmer weather is here to stay?

One word.

Swimsuit.

Yes, it's the time for me to toss fray-bottomed, chlorine-bleached, droopy-bosomed, last-year's-color swimsuits and head to the store in search of replacements. By summer, I practically live in a swimsuit so I'll need a few.

What are your rites of spring? Tell me, please. I'm very curious. Besides, I'm just sitting here trying on swimsuits. I could use a diversion!!