When Introverts Attack...

10pm last night. Phone rings.

Hubby, agitated: Who's calling us now?
Me, undeterred: Your people.
Hubby, wounded: My people? Why do you always assume it's my people?
Me, smug: Because my people don't call. They're introverts.

It was his people... ;)

Introducing: The Writing Retreat at Lia Mack's Blissfully Begiuling B&B!

I'm excited to introduce the BB Writing Retreat series here at my B&B.

Yes, this is just a blog. No, you can't physically stay at the BB B&B. Yet...

BUT... you CAN attend a BB Writing Retreat all the same ;)

Here's how it works:

Writing retreats are all about finding a cozy, quiet space to write; getting together with other writers for comradery and an exchange of ideas; and also a place to meet guest authors and listen as they talk about all they love and hate of the craft of writing.

Then take all that new, wonderful information and momentum and start. Write that story, poem, novel that's been swimming inside of you, just waiting to get out.

A writing retreat is all about YOU getting some writing done after all ;)

All are welcome here at the BB B&B Writing Retreat. Aspiring writers. Closet writers. Published authors. Anyone who loves the craft of writing or is just getting acquainted with what that means. And loves to write.

And writes ;)
 
So, pull up a seat, help yourself to the tea and treats, and settle in for a wonderful meet and greet of some fine guest authors here on the BB B&B blog. 

Of course when the BB B&B is up and running (as in brick and mortar) these retreats will be in person, on the premise, as well as online. But I think, instead of waiting for that mortar to dry, let's start getting together now and write today.

That novel isn't going to write itself after all.

;)

Last Days of Summer... Tomato Basil Salad

Today I woke up missing my grandmother and the feeling of her - her presence - has been with me all day. Dropping off the kids. Going to the farmer's market for fresh veggies.

The market is right next to where she used to live and we'd go there often together. So it was no surprise that the tomatoes were not only on special, but good and plump and calling my name. As were the Italian peppers that will be making their appearance tonight in one of her most famous dishes.

However, I don't want to wait until tonight to make something that reminds me of my Nonna. Smells like her. Tastes like her cooking. Well, almost. No matter how many times I make her food, it never comes out quite right. Not like grandma used to make.

And her food was famously good...and good for you.

Well, as I type this, I have her Insalata Pomodoro - Tomato Salad - marinating on the kitchen counter top and making my mouth salivate.  THIS is the secret to great tomato basil salad: letting it sit, the flavors marry.

From the peck of tomatoes I got from the farmers market, along with a bunch of basil and 1/4th of a gigantic locally farm raised red onion, I made a lunch worthy of my grandmother's presence. I just wish she were here to enjoy it with me.

Tomato Basil Salad - Insalata Pomodoro

* 3 cups free cut ripe tomatoes (see below for free cut)
* 1/4 cup sliced red onion
* a bunch of basil, riped
* 1 1/2 cup olive oil
* salt to taste (I use a lot of salt, you do what you want)

1. Wash the tomatoes and, over the salad bowl free cut the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. THIS is the other secret to perfect tomato salad. Never use a cutting board, as all the juice from the tomatoes will just sit there on the board when you want the juice in the salad. That's the best part - sopping up the left over juice with a good piece of bread :)
2. Next, slice the onions and add to the bowl. I like mine in long, skinny slices. "Cut them how you like," is what my grandmother would say.
3. Tear the basil up into bits and pieces over the bowl. Let the aroma carry you away and don't bother with the cutting board. Cutting basil bruises it and it just doesn't taste the same as when you rip it up with your fingers.
4. Lastly, drizzle all your warm, lucisous olive oil over the salad and add salt. Like I said, I use a lot of salt, probably about 2 teaspoons or so. Why? It neutralizes the acidity of the tomatoes and THAT is what makes this salad so scrumptious - the smooth bite and flavors.
5. If you're in a hurry, go, eat. But if you have time, stir all the ingredients together and let them sit in the bowl for a few minutes to meld together. The longer, the better. This salad is best served at room temp.

And that's it!

One final summer dish during these last days of summer...

Enjoy!

:)

Pumpkin Muffins...Yummy and Gluten Free :)

At the suggestion of my best cooking buddy Amanda Green at A Whole Lot Of Crock, I made pumpkin muffins this morning...yummy gluten free pumpkin muffins :)

Now, I used to whine and complain when I first had to go gluten free. But now that it's been, what, 2 years? I've found there are so many "alternatives" out there that I really don't miss out. And I say "alternatives" in quotes because let's face it: if we ate a variety of grains - aka, not wheat all the time - do you think we all would be having such a problem with wheat? Like I always say, eat the rainbow everyday...aka, eat a variety of everything, everyday :)

Anyway, back to the muffins...

To make the muffins yummy, EASY, and gluten free, I use Bob's Red Mill GF all-purpose baking flour.  I've been using Bob's Red Mill gluten free flours for years and everything I make, from banana nut bread to, well, bread, turns out great. It's quick, easy, and I use this gluten free flour in place of the wheat flour any recipe asks for. Just like that. Yep, being gluten free is that easy.

I added a sprinkle of sugar crystals on top of the
muffins before I popped them into the oven.

This recipe asked for King Arthur's GF flour, but I've used it before and I wasn't all that impressed. What I baked felt gritty when we ate it, like there was too much corn meal or something. That, and it wasn't exactly gluten free since I didn't feel all that well after eating what I made... Hence, I use Bob's Red Mill GF flour instead and everything I make with it comes out perfect.

That is, if I follow the recipe...

But I followed the recipe this time, much to my surprise (and I'm sure also to my cooking buddy's surprise when I tell her ;)

Warm out of the oven, they turned out great. Can't wait to surprise the kids with them after school...and my hubby too. The kids can have gluten, but thanks to both their parents having Celiacs, well, they eat gluten free about 80% of the time. That's why I'm glad I've found substitutes for wheat flour that don't short change taste, flavor and that all important YUM factor.

Here's the recipe I followed. I'm only going to post BB original recipes here for my B&B, so, when I am brave enough with baking (and following directions) I'll post my own creative baking recipes!

;)

Dogs, Sleepless Nights, and Squishy Surprises in the Hallway...

For some deranged reason, my dogs love to bark at night. Maybe it's the foxes that peruse our neighborhood for yummy fluffy bunnies that get them all hyper. But, as for my husband, any reason is a stupid reason and the dog must be punished!

Well, not really punished. Just silenced... He's a Mack. Mack's are cranks if woken up before their 10 hour sleep is over.

I may be a Mack as well, but I married into this wonderful family. I'm a Green by nature. Yep, that's me. Lia Jean Green Mack ;)

Needless to say, once my dogs start barking at night - and they are always MY dogs when they start barking, not the family's dogs - I'm non-crank enough to rush out and quite them down.

Turn on outside lights to see what's all the fuss is about. Lock them inside so they can't get back out. Poor things, you'd think I locked them in a cage rather than in a whole house, complete with water and food and fluffy couches to sleep on!

But I digress...

The other night, they started barking at 3am. And it wasn't just a little yip here, a little yap there. It was full on insane barking that wouldn't stop. So I turned on the lights. Looked to see what was their problem. Seeing nothing, I went back to bed and told them to do the same.

(I have two Rat Terriers who, unlike their size, have BIG mouths, aka, BIG barks)

Well, the quite lasted a whole 2 minutes. I was up again, hoping to not wake up the sleeping beast (my husband) in the process. Again, I turned on the lights. Again I looked outside. Again I told them to GO TO BED. Sulking, the doggies did.

I was just about to fall back to sleep and BAM! A full on barking party erupted in the backyard. "For the love of...!" I ran outside, grabbed the dogs, locked them in the house - poor puppies my ass - and said one last, blasted, "GOOD NIGHT!" to them as I made my way back to MY bed.

Grumble. Grumble.

Maybe I'm a Mack after all...

Then, on my way down the hall to my bedroom...I step in something. Rolling my eyes, I turn on the light to see what it is.

Poo? No, it's not poo...
Barf? No, it's not barf...

It's...a baked potato.

That's right. A BAKED POTATO. Skin still attached, all squished up between my toes.

Thing is, we haven't had baked potatoes in months. I'm such a quick cooker, I don't bother with them as I never seem to let them cook long enough and, well, I don't have the patience to cook anything that takes longer than 30 minutes.

So the question is...where did the dogs get it from? AKA, whose yard did they snatch it from? Whose trash did they dig through and then decide it was a great idea to bring it INSIDE MY HOUSE!?!?!?

Ugh...

At least baked potatoes flush real easy and they don't stink up the house, unlike dead squirrels.

That's another night I'll never forget...

:/

Reading while Writing... "My One Square Inch of Alaska" by Sharon Short

When I read, I read for enjoyment and the craft of writing. In my "Reading While Writing" blog posts, I list and discuss the lessons I feel each book contained for me. Feel free to follow along and add your own lessons learned :)

I think I just read my favorite book.

Of course, I say this often after just finishing a book. But it's true this time ;)

This book was, in a word, lovely. It was packed with adventure, love, and beauty. If you want to read a great book, pick this one up. I mean it! I don't have a poker face, I don't lie. This book is that good.

What did I learn about it, in terms of the craft of writing?

Craft Lesson #1:

Don't color within the lines.

This author took an idea and ran with it, not looking back, not noticing the sideways looks. She just found inspiration and starting coloring and scribbling and I love what she did with the place.

I really enjoyed the time period the book was set in and the author did the perfect job of making sure I felt like I was there. 


Craft Lesson #2:

Have a unique attention grabbing cover.

This is why I picked up the book in the first place. As a women's fiction writer, I tend to lean towards the Barbara Delinsky type books with their covers beckoning me for another look. However, I couldn't not notice a dog outside a cute little camper in the middle of beautiful Alaska. Now that I've read the book, the cover is PERFECT for the story. I just wish I could visit the square inch with the characters.

Craft Lesson #3:

Don't shy away from hard subject  matter.

I won't spoil the book for anyone, but I will say that this book had a very heavy side to it. One that made the book, the adventure, the pain all worth while. When writing, we want to sugar coat things that aren't in the relm of pure love, happiness and all that jazz. But don't let that stop you. In the words of Stephen King, "This isn't church. This is writing. Tell the truth." And this book did just that with a topic that, yes, you'll need a box of tissues. But Sharon Short does it an a way that you feel enlightened by living through the storm with the characters' trauma.

Things happen. Life isn't always fair. But there are still ways to find the good in all the darkness.

And have fun doing it too.

:)

"Waiting for Paint to Dry" by Lia Mack

Waiting for Paint to Dry is a quirky, late coming of age story of Matty Bell who is stuck in her monochromatic life until the night of her thirtieth birthday, when a moving box falls on her head, revealing all she's left behind.

A women's fiction novel at 100K words, if you'd like to see more, please contact me.

Hello, I'm Lia Mack...

Hello and welcome to my beautiful blissfully beguiling B&B blog!

Sat that a few times fast ;)

I'm Lia Mack, host of my very own Writing Retreat and soon to be debut author. My novel Waiting for Paint to Dry will be coming out April 2015!

A born and raised military brat - Go Air Force! - I was born in Kansas, then moved to Michigan, Texas, Colorado, Italy, Maryland and now reside between Maryland and California with my hubby, two kids and three American Rat Terriers (Magothy, Marley and Maple.) I graduated with a degree in Psychology from University of Maryland Baltimore County (U Must B Crazy) and have a severe passion for real food. Good food. Local, organic, know-your-farmer-food.

In addition to my creative non-fiction being seen in such publications as The Washington Post, Nickelodeon Jr. Magazine, Advances in Bereavement Magazine and Nesting Magazine, I'm also a frequent guest blogger for Angela Shelton's Survivor Manual, a blog dedicated to inspiring and empowering sexual abuse survivors to lead joyful lives.

I am a down to earth, easy going, crunchy granola kind of gal who loves Love, enjoys running and a bunch of other things I'll keep for future blog posts (so this doesn't turn into too much of a rambling tangent)...

I am a writer after all. Long-windedness is my specialty...

Feel free to contact me anytime!

And thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy my tangented thoughts.

;)