Cadillac, Texas #2
Sourcebooks Casablanca
April 2014
On Sale: April 1, 2014
Featuring: Carlene Lovelle; Leeny Joe
ISBN: 1402287038 EAN: 9781402287039 Kindle: B00HFDVOFA Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author brings her unique voice to Southern
women's fiction
In small-town Cadillac,
Texas, Carlene Lovelle and her cousins' fancy panty
business, Bless My Bloomers, is booming. But irony strikes
when Carlene discovers another woman's silk bikini underwear
in her husband's briefcase. Lenny Joe hasn't just crossed
the line, he's left it in his dust, so Carlene's taking her
revenge to the kitchen.
For ten years, Lenny Joe's
team has dominated Cadillac's Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off. But
with Carlene's Bless My Bloomers team now in the ring, it's
anyone's game—and when there's pride and food involved,
things are bound to get messy.
Cadillac, Texas..... Gotta love that! (Lisa Hutson 6:45am April 3, 2014)
Good morning everyone...welcome back to Cadillac, Texas! I'm hoping that a good many of y'all share your appetizer or any other recipes for that matter with us today. (Carolyn Brown 7:44am April 3, 2014)
My favorite is grilled jalapeños. Depends on how many you want to make. I usually get about 30 jalapeños, cut in half longways fill each half with creme cheese w/ chives add a small cocktail sausage, wrap a slice of bacon around each one and secure with a toothpick. Cook on the grill. Great for appetizers or like our family, we make a meal out of them. (Kim Cornwell 9:24am April 3, 2014)
Kim, that sounds wonderful. Next time the kids all come home I'll have to make them. (Carolyn Brown 10:03am April 3, 2014)
I don't cook "Texas food," but Hubby won an NCO chili cook-off when he was stationed at Fort Hood in the 1990s. It was a bit of a scandal because he's a Yankee, born in Philly and raised in CT.
I do love the flavors of Tex-Mex food though. (Michelle Mazuros 10:23am April 3, 2014)
Michelle, that is too funny! I bet the Texans didn't appreciate a Yankee (my husband is a PA Yank, too) stealing their thunder one bit! Thank you for stopping by today! (Carolyn Brown 10:34am April 3, 2014)
The one item that comes to mind is my stuffed celery. I clean and take the extra strings off of the celery. I also take regular cream cheese, and let it sit out a bit, so that it softens up. Once it does, I use a regular knife, and take small chunks of cream cheese, and press it into the cavity of the celery, smoothing it out as I go. Once the stalks are filled with cream cheese, I take a sharp knife, and cut them to smaller pieces, then take Hungarian Paprika, or whatever Paprika you have on hand, and sprinkle a little bit on top of the cream cheese for decoration. It's quite tasty, but if there's any left over, it doesn't save very well. I've tried to put it on a plate with a paper towel underneath to collect the extra moisture, and it works a little bit, but it's on the soggy side the next day. Your book sounds like a real old-fashioned down-home read, and I'm looking forward to it. Congratulations on another book with great accolades!! (Peggy Roberson 11:28am April 3, 2014)
Peggy, tasty and healthy at the same time. I bet for some extra flavor that cream cheese could be whipped up with some cucumber ranch salad dressing, too! (Carolyn Brown 11:49am April 3, 2014)
Wonderful and enticing post, the food and the books. Love it. (Sharon Berger 12:02pm April 3, 2014)
Sharon, thank you! This was such a fun book to write. (Carolyn Brown 12:14pm April 3, 2014)
YUMMMMM - I am so cooking-challenged - LOL - my brothers have all of the cooking ability, while I was absent whenever ANY kind of talent whatsoever was given out - that is why, I guess, I love watching the Food Network and the Cooking Channel -
I am hooked on this story already! (Felicia Ciaudelli 12:52pm April 3, 2014)
I hadn't heard of these books - but just the description is whetting my appetite. They sound ... delicious. Thanks for this chance to win. I am addicted to watching cooking shows - and yet I'm not a great cook. Crazy, huh? Thanks for the chance to win. Best of luck with the books! (Nancy Reynolds 1:16pm April 3, 2014)
This book sounds like a real blast! I love the name Bless My Bloomers for a lingerie shop and Cadillac Texas just makes me chuckle. Thanks for the chance to win a copy...but, if I don't win, well, I'll be ordering it for sure! (Ann Martinisi 2:49pm April 3, 2014)
Felicia: I hope that you do get hooked on it when you get a chance to read it! I have one daughter who couldn't boil water without callin' me to see how much to put in the pan, how high to set the heat and which pot holder to use to get it off the stove when it does boil. My son, however, is a fantastic cook.
Nancy: Thank you! The mamas of Bless My Bloomers can't cook, either but they are determined to learn how to make prize winnin' chili so that Lenny Joe can eat a big chunk of humble pie.
Ann: Thank you, thank you! There's lots of chuckles at Bless My Bloomers including an incident when not one of the mama's know that the other two have already added the cayenne pepper. So welcome to Cadillac and happy reading! (Carolyn Brown 3:03pm April 3, 2014)
I don't really have any specific Texas recipes. I do have Italian recipes. The most I would says is putting Honey or Molassas in my cornbread. I do have a favorite HushPuppies recipe that I like. It is 2c cornmeal, 2 eggs beaten for 5 mins, 1/2c margarine, 3 green onions chopped finely, 1/4tsp minced garlic, 1/2tsp garlic juice/water, 1/4tsp salt, 1/2tsp baking soda, 1/4c flour, 1/4c water, 1/4c milk beat eggs then add remaining ingredients. shape into balls and fry for 5 mins turning at least twice. (Tina Ullrich 4:49pm April 3, 2014)
Yummy! I wish my hubby wasn't such a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. (Barbara Tobey 6:15pm April 3, 2014)
Tina: Those hush puppies sound scrumptious. I bet they'd disappear fast when we have our next fish fry. thank you so much for stopping by and for the recipe.
L. Lam: MMMM, love chili nachos! With jalapeno peppers on them! And ice cream for dessert! LOL (Carolyn Brown 6:16pm April 3, 2014)
Love any kind/variation of nachos. I have many recipes. One for Southwest Nachos: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 can diced tomatoes (drained), 1 can tomatoes (with green chilis, drained well), 1 can corn (drained), 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 packet Taco seasoning, tortilla chips, 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded). Brown ground beef, drain grease. Add all ingredients except chips and cheese. Bring to a boil. On a large cookie sheet or baking stone, make a layer of tortilla chips. Spoon meat mixture over chips. Top with cheese. Brown under broiler just until toasty. Love your books, Carolyn. I've read most of them...but haven't read this one yet! (Linda Luinstra 6:47pm April 3, 2014)
Would love this book. My pimento cheese is a little different in that I don't use pimentos. It is more like a delicious cheese spread. I use an 8oz pkg. of cream cheese, softened, a pkg. of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. black pepper, 3/4 to 1 cup mayo. Mix, spread on crackers or bread, eat up! Yum! (Melanie Backus 7:31pm April 3, 2014)
The book sounds great, Carolyn, and I love Jalapeno Poppers. I like this better than canned sauce because you have control of the salt content. Enchilada Sauce 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 Tablespoons chili powder 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion salt 1/4 teaspoon salt Heat oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Makes 2.5 cups. (Marcy Shuler 9:16pm April 3, 2014)
Linda, Melanie and Marcelyn: Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your recipes. They sound so good...I can't wait to try them out! I'm hungry for enchiladas, pimento cheese and nachos just reading through them. (Carolyn Brown 9:58pm April 3, 2014)
Hi Carolyn! I've got an adaptation on your jalapenos that I love. Like most of my recipes, I don't have exact measurements - my husband gets really aggravated when he tries to make something I do because of this. ;-) Jalapenos (stemmed and de-seeded) Shrimp (deveined) Block of your favorite cheese 1 slice of bacon per jalapeno (or more if you love bacon)
Stuff each jalapeno with a shrimp and cheese. Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpick. Grill until bacon is crispy and cheese is melted. Shrimp will cook during this time too. Enjoy! (Glenda Martillotti 12:02pm April 4, 2014)
Love my husbands Cowboy Chili, he has won lots of cook offs with it. Lots of meat, beans, spices and I don't know what else (he doesn't even let me know). (Cindy Olp 12:34pm April 4, 2014)
Oh my goodness, I just really need to read this book in full. After reading the excerpt, I want to immediately; read the book, meet the characters, eat chili (love the recipes) and visit Cadillac, Texas. (C Culp 5:45am April 4, 2014)
My wife and her grandmother would love these books, read them and pass them around to the library. Others would enjoy a good read, too. (Julio Herrera 8:54am April 4, 2014)
I love all these foods-makes me want to eat just reading all the post here. (Barbara Wells 9:11am April 4, 2014)
I haven't made chili in a while, this makes me want to, soon. These books sound great! (Maria Proctor 11:03am April 4, 2014)
these books sounds really good (Denise Smith 11:26am April 4, 2014)
Velveeta and Ro-tel Cheese Dip. I make this dip a lot. It freezes well. I use a 2 # block of Velveeta (Original) and a can of Ro- tel. Cut the Velveeta into chunks and put in a large container one can put in the microwave, add the Ro-tel. Put in microwave for 5 minutes on high. Remove and stir. At one time, I had to buy the Ro-tel when I visited my parents in Texas but Minnesota started carrying this product and so I can get it here. If the dip gets too thick, a LITTLE milk, like a 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
I love the "sweeet tea" and "Bless your heart" in the books. (Leona Olson 12:13pm April 4, 2014)
I've found a quick and easy chicken salad using shredded chicken, mayonnaise, celery, and Chef Cluck's Wing Sauce from Glen's Gourmet Goodies. It adds just a little bit of Buffalo flavor for a flavor kick to the ordinary chicken salad. (Anna Mekus 1:01pm April 4, 2014)
Wow I love chili. This sounds like such a great book! (Denise Austin 2:21pm April 4, 2014)
This is a book that will attract everyone's attention. As we read it laugh out loud people will look and wonder! It sounds like I will love it. (Vennie Martinisi 2:39pm April 4, 2014)
I so love spice food. Can't wait to read your book. (Mary Smith 3:02pm April 4, 2014)
Count me in to win a spicy read or two! (Susan Coster 3:05pm April 4, 2014)
Well, I'm not much of a cook, so I don't have a Texas food recipe. But I do LOVE your books and I cannot wait to read The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off! (Kelli Jo Calvert 5:43pm April 4, 2014)
Yum! Your trying to lure me in with good food and good reading! (Richard Burr 10:51pm April 4, 2014)
Your book sounds like great fun. I wish I knew some Tex-Mex recipes, but I've never made any. (Carol Woodruff 7:10pm April 5, 2014)
What a fun book! Thanks for sharing the great excerpt and recipe. (Bonnie H 1:20pm April 28, 2014)