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Monday, April 28, 2014

COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR LINDA ANDREWS COOKS SAUERKRAUT AND RIBS

Linda Andrews lives with her husband and three children in Phoenix, Arizona. When she announced to her family that her paranormal romance was to be published, her sister pronounced: "What else would she write? She’s never been normal.” Learn more about Linda and her books at her website and blog.   

I come from a family of foodies. Which means the holidays are full of homemade goodies. Growing up, one of the Thanksgiving foods in our house was sauerkraut and spareribs as a side dish along with the traditional fixings. It wasn’t until I celebrated Thanksgiving with my husband’s family that I realized not everyone served sauerkraut and spareribs with their turkey dinner. How weird was that? Last year I introduced my children (all now adults) to this amazing side dish. Sadly, they all enjoyed it and there were not many leftovers. I found my husband layering it onto the brats we grilled up when we tired of leftover turkey. So you see, you can use it for backyard barbecues, too. And best of all, it’s a very simple recipe.

Sauerkraut and Spareribs

Ingredients:
3—15 ounce cans of Libby’s Bavarian Sauerkraut (you can drain one can for a less salty dish, but don’t rinse)
4—6 pounds of spareribs

Cut spareribs into pieces so they fit in a crockpot. Add the three cans and liquid on top. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours. Serve warm.

Yep, that’s it. Some times the best things don’t require a lot of work. I’ve made it twice this year, mostly because I’ve been writing about World War I, and a derogatory name for the Germans was cabbage heads.

Hearts in Barbed Wire
Lieutenant Lucien Duplan is wounded and trapped behind German lines. To reach the Dutch border and freedom, he needs Madeline Thevenet—a woman who eases his pain but is destined to become a nun.

Aiding the man responsible for her parents' death is the last thing Madeline wants to do. But to get her young brother safely to Holland, she will do anything to avoid being caught by the Germans and tried for treason, including putting her heart on the line. 

Madeline and Luc must stay one step ahead of the enemy. But the war around them is nothing compared with the battle raging inside. For honor and duty demand one action; and love requires another.

Loves Great War: Belgium, 1914

Excerpt:
"Madeline." Mille sighed. "Do you think she knows how pretty she is?"

Madeline's face blossomed in Luc's mind. The soft angle of her jaw, the two lines that appeared above her nose when she didn't understand something, and the gentle curves of her body. He hadn't meant to scare her this morning. He just wanted to punch through that clinical detached shell of hers, make her see him as a man, not a patient.
And he'd nearly kissed her in the process.

"No, she can't know. Girls that know, they know just how to tease. And they do it on purpose." Mille shifted his leg, banging Luc's ankle.

How could she be so tempting and innocent? How would Luc survive being next to her morning, noon, and night until they reached Holland? He clamped his lips together, forcing the groan into a grunt.

4 comments:

Linda Andrews said...

Thank you for having me today Lois.

E. Ayers said...

Simple and basic. My grandmother used to pour off most of the sauerkraut juice and add some apples slices and apple cider. (Not apple juice -too sweet)But we didn't eat it for Thanksgiving. Yummy good.

Great excerpt!

Angela Adams said...

Great premise. Best wishes with your book, Linda!

Linda Andrews said...

Thanks E. My mom isn't German but she made it to please my Dad and grandparents. Somehow it became a family tradition.

Thanks for the good wishes Angela. I find the time period fascinating.