Mom's Home Cooking

I've been terrible with my food blog posts!! Sorry. If you read my earlier blog, you'll understand that I've lost my head, mind...whatever.

Karl and I went and saw my mommy for Mother's Day back in Roscoe (yes, home of Danica Patrick, Miss Illinois Nicole Manske and Jump Rope for Heart American Champs 1980-something...sorry couldn't find a link for that). It was a very special day and like the wonderful mother she is, she cooked.

I know what you're thinking.

But she's just that great. So I thought in honor of her I'd feature one of our favorite foods she makes when we visit. This is like one of the simpliest meals, but there's just something about it. Love you Mom!!!

Tortellini Soup
serves how many you'd like...maybe 6 or 8?
(recipe found in her neighbor's church cookbook)

1 lb of Italian sausage (she boils first)
3-4 cans of Minestrone Soup (she uses Progresso because it has penne in it and/or Wolfgang Puck but says it's impossible to find in the grocery stores anymore)
1-2 cans of petite diced tomatoes (Red Gold)
1-2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 lb packaged tortellinis (cheese, chicken, beef stuffed...whatever you want)

1. Boil sausage and cut into pieces.
2. Put soup cans, tomatoes, broth in large sauce pan and stir. Add pieces of sausage.
3. Boil tortellinis separate and add to soup.
4. Mix together and simmer

You can add tons of veggies: spinach, zucchini, chick peas, whatever. This soup is just so good!!!

Top with cheese and serve with crusty bread. It is oh so delicious!!!

Karl's reaction: "Amazing Cindy!!! This is why I come and see you guys! Ahhhh!"

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Spring is here....or maybe summer

Nothing like a 85+ degree weather day in early May...in Minnesota.

YEAH! I love it. Our thermostat shows 77 degrees right now. Oh, wait, it just jumped to 78. (This is the perfect temperature for me, not so good for Karl.) I refuse to turn the air on for fear it could snow tomorrow.

The buds are bursting with life on trees. The grass is greener every day. Birds are singing sweet music. I'm allowed to drive with my sun roof rolled back, windows down, gangsta tunes blaring on my way to work. (I seriously can't get enough of Usher and my girl J. Lo right now.) It's light out by the time I roll out of bed and all the way until 8:45 p.m. I have that extra bounce in my step, usually more so around 4:30 p.m. ... The flowers are blooming and it smells delicious out! I say, "yeah, for a short month of spring in Minnesota!"

But I'm not gonna lie. My head fell off weeks ago and I really need to attach it again. Trying to find balance and learning to let go is such a battle. It's always so hard to do! We're trying to clean out our town home in Burnsville (and keep up with the one we currently live in). We're also slowly working on learning all the steps behind pulling a last minute garage sale together, oh, and must (did I say STAT?) put the one town home up for sale.

However, two weekends ago we were in Kansas City visiting family. Last weekend we were in Roscoe, Illinois for wedding number one. This weekend it's Milwaukee for wedding number two. Next weekend is wedding number three. All these consisted of, or will consist of, driving more than eight hours round trip. Not a lot can be accomplished sitting in a car. Okay, I wont say that because I did type the first three chapters of my next book on our way back from Kansas.

We both have full time jobs and I kind of have a bazillion freelance jobs going at once. Throw in revising a manuscript, working with a trainer to manage and control my jelly bean and wine obsession/addiction, trying to host a dinner for church and our new young(er) adults group and the other tasks wives are supposed to keep up with...cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc., and seriously, my head is about to roll far away, never to be found again. Then I ask myself, "But how can it when I don't even have kids? Who am I to complain?"

But anywho, getting back to the point of my quick blog post that has turned out longer than I thought (a much needed therapy session with myself)...thunderstorms seem to calm me. It's weird, I know. But I feel like a kid again.

Fearless.

We all need to feel that now and again.
 
Maybe it's because instead of going in the basement as kids, my brothers and I stood outside in the driveway and watched the clouds grow and felt the wind whip through our hair, and watched our dad climb on the roof and clean out the gutters in a mad rush, dodging lightning bolts.
In my eyes there's something peaceful about storms. I don't know what is is... But in honor of storms and spring and all that good stuff I mentioned above, I've posted some pretty "spring-like" pictures!

Hope you enjoy. Oh, and don't let your head fall off and roll away like mine. Take a deep breath and attach it back on. But this time...be fearless. You can "weather" any storm that comes your way. There's a rainbow waiting for you.

So I say bring it!

Oh, and force yourself to take a long look at the beauty all around you. Cuz it's neat!

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Tomato Basil Pizza Snacks

Quick Tomato Basil Pizza Snacks
serves 4
(found in a cottage cheese ad in one of my health magazines)

Pack of whole wheat pocket pitas
Basil pesto
Cottage cheese
tomatoes
fresh basil

1. Turn oven to 400. Spray pitas with olive oil and heat for 8 minutes.
2. Spread basil pesto for first layer.
3. Spread cottage cheese.
4. Sprinkle tomato slices and basil.

Enjoy! Yes, it's that easy and quick.

This is soooo good. Refreshing and easy to make. I made it for dinner and we both loved it.

Karl's reaction: "Damn tomatoes squirt everywhere, but this is delicious!"

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Why Manuscripts Get Rejected by Literary Agents

Time to get back to work writing!

February began my query process. And guess what? Today, yes, I'm still querying hoping to snag that one literary agent who screams, "I LOVE THIS! Yes! Yes! Yes!" (i.e. the one who LOVES my story, my writing...and me as a person:))

Bite they have. I can't ignore this or get discouraged either (though it's so easy to)! I feel like I get so stinkin' close (so close) and then "poof" it's back to focusing on sending out more query letters again. I can't wait to show off my color-coded excel agent-tracking system someday on here. It's kind of like planning for my wedding all over again! Yeah!!

I needed one of my critique chicks - the awesome Julie Lindsey - to remind me today that she believes someone will sink their teeth in my mss. She mentioned some of her writer friends have received close to a hundred "no thanks" from agents and can't seem to get past the query stage. I've been able to get past it.

In the meantime, I'm working on making my manuscript (mss) better. 

Julie is right - I'm able to stir up some interest. But I can't help and think, if I haven't received a solid "yes", does that mean something is more than wrong with it? I've been very fortunate to have some really great agents read my work. They were kind enough to spend time writing back personal emails saying the story is definitely there and they like it but what I need is an agent who loves it and they believe he/she is out there; it's just not them.

Sigh.

But they know these things! I trust what they're saying. And so appreciate the feedback!

I also have a few literary agents who still have a partial or full right now, and I'm praying and hoping something is going on behind the scenes and that's why I haven't heard back from them just yet. (Have I mentioned I live in bit of a fantasy world?)

I have this email saved from my other critique pal Gabi that's a perfect analogy [for me]. She used my husband as an example. Back in my 20s, I wanted to get married so frickin' bad and was fed up with playing bridesmaid 20 million times and watching everyone else fall hopelessly in love. When would it be my turn?? I dated a lot of frogs, something was always off...my patience wore thin. Blah, blah, blah. Sometimes I wanted to pull my hair out or cry myself to sleep wondering if I was destined to be single. Would someone magical be out there for me? Were all the good ones taken? Well, well, well....someone perfect did come along at just the right time. Took timing, learning and letting go to get there, but he sure was someone I fell totally head over heels for and he the same for me. And it's still happening day after day. I can't thank God enough for what we have. And that's what I need in an agent. Okay, okay...not all that lovely dovey stuff, but an agent who's crazy about my writing! Someone who supports me and wants to cheer for me and wants to see me grow and light up the world.

I want that. I deserve that.

However, I can't help myself from researching some of the other reasons my manuscript might have been rejected. I know agents are crunched for time. There has to be more to it and I'm on a mission to learn and grow. This is my dream we're talking about here and I can't just throw in the towel. Here's what I've found from several bloggers, agents, etc.

It's time to get to work!

Note: If you click on some of the highlighted words, they'll take you to the whole article.

1. Mechanical Problems
2. Passive Voice
3. Stale story ideas
4. No recognizable genre
5. Unsuitable word length
6. Too many adverbs (and flowery words/purple prose)
7. Predictability
8. Too many killers
9. Out of control point of view
10. Prologues that don't work
11. Plot with no spine
12. Writer uses phrase "fiction novel"
13. Doesn't seem organic/authentic
14. Too complicated
15. Too boring
16. Writer offers no reason to care for the character
17. Slipping into a sliding point of view
18. Too many stock characters
19. Too "moral"
20. Writers says how great book is over and over
21. Too many cliches
22.Unpleasant tone and attitude
23. Pacing is off
24. Genre isn't doing well
25. Bad dialogue
26. Not having the protagonist involved in climax
27. Spending too much time at the beginning on the story on a character who seems to be a protagonist but isn't.
28. Story starts too slow
29. Too many characters introduced too quickly (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has this and made it big. Hmmm)
30. Too much backstory
31. Flashbacks too early and too often
32. Story starts too quickly

For those who've had their mss rejected, what have you noticed? Please share!

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Tuscan Salmon with Rosemary Orzo

Tuscan Salmon with Rosemary Orzo
"Fresh herbs abound here - as does niacin, an energizing B vitamin: One serving of salmon dishes up nearly 70 percent of our daily niacin needs."
(Recipe found in Self Magazine April 2011)
serves 4

6 oz orzo
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
1 TBS chopped fresh rosemary
4 salmon fillets (5 oz each), skin on
1/4 cup plus 1 TBS chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Cook orzo as directed on package until al dente. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 1/2 cup onion and rosemary until onion softens, 9 minutes. Combine with orzo in a bowl. Season salmon with 1 TBS basil, salt and pepper. Heat same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook salmon until golden, 5 minutes per side, flesh side down first; set aside. Add garlic and remaining 1 cup onion to skillet; cook until soft, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and olives; cook until tomatoes break up, 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in parsley and remaining 1/4 cup basil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve fish over orzo; top with tomato mixture.

When Karl and I went to Savor Minnesota, we picked up this awesome sauce made in Minnesota. The woman who makes it said it's fabulous over salmon. So I topped over our meal and it really was heavenly.



I also topped with some leftover feta cheese we had in our fridge. Yum! And white beans for more protein and fiber!

Karl's reaction - Whoa! This looks fancy. Mmmmm, that sauce is good. This is real good, babe. Real good.

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Star Tribune Blog - Are you Waiting on Something?

My latest blog in Star Tribune! Are You Waiting on Something?

Waiting. I feel like I've been doing that a lot. You?
 Read more.

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Pet Peeves

We all have em, right?

It's always good to get things off your chest. So I am. Because today wasn't a good day for me. Snow is coming. It's cold in late April (where are you spring?). I'm wearing the same turtleneck purple sweater I've already worn like 15 times this winter and am so ready to retire to the back of my closet. I feel so out of touch with fashion right now. I'm wondering what the heck I'm doing with my life. I feel like I have so much to give and I'm stuck. I want to do amazing things, but what if this is all I'm supposed to be doing? What if I'm supposed to be making labels for bins and fixing PowerPoints? No! No! It can't be. What's in store for me? Am I doing everything right to get to where I want to be? Ugh...I hate this feeling. Hoping I feel a little more refreshed tomorrow!! And I'm hoping venting will make me feel better. Enter below - a list of my Pet Peeves. In no particular order of course. Sometimes when I unload in my writing, I feel better.

1. Semis. Yes, as in those big ol' trucks. I work too close to them. They are slow, smelly and make me miss the green light (EVERY TIME) on the already strung out stoplight on my way to and from work Plus, I'm still pissed at the one who flung a giant sheet of ice off the top of its body and onto my windshield, cracking it into a thousand pieces as I was drove 78 mph on 35E last winter.

2. People who cough and don't cover their mouth. Seriously, didn't your mom teach you anything?

3. People who take the locker right next to mine at the gym when there are 100 other ones available. Maybe I smell good? Maybe they want to see what's in my gym back? I don't know. But it happens a lot.

4. People who can't figure out the merging system in Minnesota. As far as I see it there are no stop signs, yet I always seem to get behind the one person who believes they need to stop instead of accelerate. What am I missing?

5. People who tell me all about their bad day and forget to ask how I'm doing. Or they just keep talking and talking...and talking...and talking....

6. When I email a simple question and don't get an answer back, just a bunch of "I'm so busy" jargon. As I see it, you weren't too busy to tell me how busy you were. I ponder this one quite a bit.

7. Someone who tells me he has nothing to do and is bored, but then passes work on to me because he just doesn't want to do it.

8. Really great people getting cancer and then really mean people walking the earth healthy, continuing to do really mean things.

9. Fake people. You know the ones I'm talking about. The one who is so insecure they have to raise their voice several octaves hoping to sound sincere but have a perma scowl burned on their face.
10. Someone who disappears off the face of the planet when I invested time and money working with them and they continue to send invoices.

11. Writing up a "to-do" list and not being able to get to a single one because of course at that moment all hell breaks loose.

12. People who throw trash out their car window. Not okay with this. What did Mother Earth ever do to you??

13. Road construction, especially when it's right next to my house.

14. Potholes. Need I say more?

15. Snow in April. Boo hiss.

16. Working out and gaining weight. Could be the extra treats, but seriously...why can't I just eat an entire chocolate bar and be fine?

17. Trying on my fave pair of jeans and barely getting them zipped. See #16.

18. Lack of initiative.

19. People who don't think they're good enough. (Wait a sec....did I just contradict myself here?)

20. Those ambiguous damn posts on Twitter and Facebook that are usually followed by a ... and go something like.
"Waiting...."
"Not sure what to think..."
"OMG! OMG! OMG!"
"I'll miss you..."
"Heart is breaking...."
"Not sure how much more I can take..."

And there are a ton of posts asking what's up and no response. So is it attention you're after, or what?

Do you have any you'd like to add? I promise it'll make you feel better! We are human and are all allowed to feel annoyed every now and then.

Here's to hoping for a good night's sleep. Answered prayers and dreams coming true tomorrow! Happy Christie is back tomorrow!!!

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