Epic St. Patty’s Day

Welcome to Rudan Thursdays where we talk about…things! Anything from books and movies, to blog posts and authors, to food and drink.

While I’m busy packing for the move, you can have fun with this! :)

The boys over at Epic Meal Time thoroughly enjoyed their St. Patty’s Day, as only they can:

**WARNING: Explicit Language**

So talk to me. What did you think? Have you heard of Epic Meal Time before? Ok, so MusclesGlasses is definitely a favorite, and I’m a big fan of Harley though he had less attitude this time. I like a man with some ‘tude, what do you think? I’m not sure why I enjoy these boys so much, because c’mon, watching them eat their creations is just simply disgusting, but they make me laugh and who doesn’t love a man who can make them laugh?? :P

Yummy Holiday Treat Idea

Welcome to Rudan Thursdays where we talk about…things! Anything from books and movies, to blog posts and authors, to food and drink.

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, so today I thought I’d share a really fun recipe…

Holiday Cheesecake Presents

Here’s what you’ll need:

Your fave sprinkles and decorating gels

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Packages Softened Cream Cheese

1/3 Cup Melted Margarine

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

3/4 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

Here’s how to make it:

Mix crumbs, margarine and 3 tablespoons sugar

Press mix onto bottom of 13x9in baking pan

Mix cream cheese, ¾ cup sugar, and vanilla until well blended

Add eggs, mix until blended

Pour over crust

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is almost set

Cool

Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight

Cut into bars

Decorate bars with decorating gels and sprinkles to resemble presents

 Store leftovers in fridge!

Taitneamh…enjoy!

What are your favorite holiday desserts? Do you have any special family recipes?

Your Health!

Welcome to Slàinte Sundays where I give a toast to those posts I enjoyed during the week.

On Craft…

Kristen Lamb brings us part 2 of her series on story Structure: Plot Problems – Falcor the Luck Dragon & the Purple Tornado.

David N. Walker gives us an in-depth look at how we can build our characters into full four-dimensional people.

On Networking and Social Media…

Sonia Medeiros asks what I sometimes ask myself: Got Blog Fatigue?

Kristen Lamb wraps up her series on the three critical people to know on Social Media with ~ The Closer.

Roni Loren rants about blogging and building platforms…this could also go under “Motivation,” ‘cause I gotta tell you, I was relieved and inspired when I finished reading it…Thanks Roni!

On Motivation…

Jenny Hansen over at Writers In The Storm Blog wraps up their Fear series with this finale on phobias. Don’t look at the spider pic…just scroll down right past it…

Jenny Hansen is back with tips and insight from New York Times Best Selling Author, Susan Mallery.

Jillian Dodd, hosted by David N. Walker, inspires us with her story of the journey up Mt. Fuji…or almost up :p

Just For Fun…

Shéa MacLeod gives us a snapshot at Mermaids and how the different cultures depicted them. Very interesting!

Marcia Richards tells the story of a haunted prison where hangings and murders were the norm.

Piper Bayard and Kristen Lamb are back bringing their vision of America to you, the people. Let’s hear it for Piper-Lamb 2012!

Natalie Hartford brings yet another nifty gadget – the Drill Blender. A must have for anyone on the go.

Gene Lempp explores the beginnings of theatre.

Jess Witkins shares a spooky experience with a Ouija board.. *shivers*

Steena Holmes shares the latest on the Bandit Creek series…whoa, wait, a ménage??

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

To Kristen, David, Sonia, Roni, Jenny, Jillian, Shéa, Marcia, Piper, Natalie, Gene, Jess, and Steena…

Slàinte…your health!

Spoooky Spiderweb Cake…Yum!

Welcome to Rudan Thursdays where we talk about…things! Anything from books and movies, to blog posts and authors, to food and drink.

Halloween will be here before you know it. Here’s an idea for a spooky treat!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 Package (18.25oz) White Cake Mix

1 Can (16oz) Vanilla Frosting

1 Tube (.68oz) Black Decorating Gel

2-3 Black Licorice Laces

4 Large Black Gumdrops

Red Food Coloring

Yellow Food Coloring

Here’s how to make it:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease and flour a 13x9in baking pan.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean – about 28-38 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

  • Set aside ½ teaspoon vanilla frosting.

Place remaining frosting in a medium bowl.

Add red and yellow food coloring, a few drops at a time (start with about ¼ teaspoon each), until desired orange color is reached.

Frost cake with orange frosting.

Pipe spiderweb, using black decorating gel, on top of cake.

  • Cut eight 1 ½in pieces of licorice lace for each spider.

Make 4 holes with a wooden skewer on each side of each gumdrop.

Insert 4 pieces of licorice into each side of gumdrops for legs.

Make eyes with small dots of reserved vanilla frosting using a toothpick.

Add dots of black get for centers of eyes.

Place spiders on cake…voila!

Wanna do cupcakes instead? No problem! Simply prepare the cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes. Pipe a tiny web on top of each cupcake and add one spider. A spookalicious treat for the kiddies!

Taitneamh…enjoy!

Epic Post

Welcome to Rudan Thursdays where we talk about…things! Anything from books and movies, to blog posts and authors, to food and drink.

My husband recently introduced me to the gentlemen at Epic Meal Time. Not directly face-to-face, I mean he introduced me to their youtube channel. Yes, channel. These Canadian boys are so popular they have their own channel, and the hits just keep climbing.

I immediately felt it necessary to share this with all of you. My husband and I have watched almost all of the episodes to date, and I found myself at times disgusted, intrigued, baffled – but always entertained.

Words like this immediately come to mind when I think of Epic Meal Time: “epic,” “gross,” “giant,” “gross,” “monstrous,” “gross,” “colossal” …ok, you get the picture.

Anyway, take a looksie and tell me what you think.

**WARNING: Explicit Language**

<object height=”344″ width=”425″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/m9FRSghXhDM&t=4s&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1″><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></object>

So talk to me. What did you think? Have you heard of Epic Meal Time before? I noticed that for all the…um, artistry…they actually seemed to know how to cook. Well, perhaps that wasn’t fully represented in this particular video, but if you watch more episodes you can see that they actually seem to know what they’re doing…interesting..

And, if anyone knows how to post youtube videos without the coding showing up, pass that info along, eh? ;)

I’ve got more Sherbrooke’s for you!

Welcome to Rudan Thursdays where we talk about…things! Anything from books and movies, to blog posts and authors, to food and drink.

I was supposed to have introduced these next Sherbrooke books to you last week, but decided to talk about myself instead :)

For those that didn’t catch it, or would like a refresher, check out my earlier post on the first part of Catherine Coulter’s outstanding series here.

Now then, let’s get back to those Sherbrookes!

Winifrede Levering’s stepfather tries to force her to marry an evil old man for his own nefarious purposes, but she doesn’t stick around to help him out! She disguises herself as a valet and travels with Grayson St. Cyre’s spinster Aunts in order to escape the trap. She plans on running away for good via one of Grayson’s horses, but he catches her in the act…what follows is a hilarious romp through England, with lots of fun twists and turns along the way. This is easily one of my all-time favorites!

This story has it all: a treasure hunt, a bossy, strong-willed Heroine and a womanizing Hero. A plot we’ve heard of before, yes, but one not told quite this way. Helen Mayberry was first introduced in Mad Jack and Spenser Heatherington is back, we met him in The Sherbrooke Bride, book no. 1. This funny, magical adventure is their story…and what a story it is!

We first met Tysen Sherbrooke in book one, The Sherbrooke Bride. Now it’s his turn. Tysen, a vicar, has lost his first wife, has three children, and finds out he is the proud new owner of a Scottish castle…in a land where he’s considered a filthy Sassenach. Amidst a less than warm welcome, Tysen meets Mary Rose, the Local Bastard. This story has all the humor and wit we’ve come to expect, plus a really great romance.

The Scottish Bride is technically the fourth book in the Bride series, but the story-lines in Mad Jack and The Courtship both begin four years before Tysen’s story. A bit confusing, I know.

The Bride series is actually a fairly long series, 10 books total, with another coming out in the fall. I’ll give you time to get through these next three before moving on to the final four. And remember to mark your calendars; the latest Sherbrooke novel scheduled to release this November is Prince of Ravenscar. I can’t wait!

Check out Catherine Coulter’s entire works here.

So talk to me! Who is your favorite author? When genres do you prefer to read? Is there a series that you just had to buy every book to, and will read over and over again? Let me know, I’m dying to hear from you!