Sunday, January 10, 2016

Welcome guest author Rebecca Adler! + book #giveaway


Rebecca Adler is the pen name of author Gina Lee Nelson. Gina grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and high-tailed it to the Southwest.

Prior to writing women's fiction, Rebecca always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life: dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, flower shop in Germany, acting school on Broadway, sweatshirt boutique on Madison Avenue, all night dive on the Lower East Side, video series in Jersey, and a giant Furskin at the New York Toy Fair...


...plus the occasional play and musical.

She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing cozy mysteries with a hint of romance and a sweet, Southern-fried flavor.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!! 
see below

Take it away, Gina/Rebecca!


Growing up in small town Florida, my exposure to Tex-Mex was limited to the locally-owned Pancho’s on Okaloosa Island. This local favorite offered everything my young heart could desire: tacos, queso, and enchiladas. Occasionally, I would try something exotic from my mother’s plate. Guacamole, refried beans, or tamales.

Have you heard the old saying, I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got there as fast as I could? That’s me. After living in NYC and Maine with limited access to quality, lip-smacking Tex-Mex, I was thrilled to be in the midst of an overabundance of restaurants and taco stands offering, not one, but countless varieties of my very favorite foods.

With the release of Here Today, Gone Tamale--the first book in my Taste of Texas series-- I am excited to share the recipes for some of my very favorite Tex-Mex, and Texas, culinary delights. My favorite recipe in the book is definitely Uncle Eddie’s Favorite Chile Rellenos. I recently made this dish with a dear friend. We shopped at our local Mexican grocer, enjoying the process of choosing poblano peppers of just the right size and ripeness. The prep time spent roasting, peeling, stuffing, and sautéing the chiles flew by as we shared fond memories of other meals we’d prepared and enjoyed together. The end result? A delightful afternoon filled with scrumptious fare and heartwarming conversation.


I hope you’ll enjoy this savory dish with someone dear to your heart. May your coming year be filled with cozy mysteries, heartfelt conversation, and delicious food.


Uncle Eddie’s
Favorite Chile Rellenos

6 fresh ancho, pasilla or Anaheim chiles, or 1 (27 ounce)
        can poblano peppers or mild whole green chiles
½ pound Oaxaca cheese, thinly sliced
6 raw eggs (separated)
¼ cup flour
2 cups salsa verde
2 cups homestyle Mexican salsa
1 cup corn oil
Salt or Mexican seasoning to taste

Rinse the chilies. Preheat your oven to broil. Place the chiles
in a 9x14” baking dish and place on the top shelf of your oven.

Watch and listen closely. When the skins start to make popping
sounds and to char and turn black in places, take the
chiles out and flip them over. Be sure and use a potholder so
you don’t burn your hands!

When both sides are fairly evenly charred, remove them from
the oven. Wrap each chile in a moist paper towel or place in
a sealed plastic bag to steam. After a few minutes, check
them. Once the skin comes off easily, peel each chile.

Cut a slit almost the full length of each chile. Make a small
T across the top, by the stem. Pull out fibers and seeds (this
is where the heat is) and replace with a slice of cheese. You
can set these aside, for a few minutes or a few hours if you
put them in the refrigerator.

Heat the oil in a skillet until a drop of water sizzles when
dropped into the pan.

Whip the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer,
until stiff peaks have formed. Beat the egg yolks with one
tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and
stir until you have a thick paste.

Roll the chiles in the remaining flour and dip each one in the
egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides
until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

Meanwhile, heat the salsa in a medium saucepan (either one
or some of each). Place one or two rellenos on each plate and
pour salsa over them. Serve them immediately.

Tips:

Fillings can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, then brought
to room temperature before stuffing chiles. Fillings should be at
room temperature or slightly chilled. If fillings are hot, the juices
will flow out and cause the coating to slide off. Use enough filling
to stuff each chile relleno as completely as possible, but not so much
that the seam won’t hold together.


GIVEAWAY


I am giving away a copy of Here Today, Gone Tamale to one fan. 


Leave a comment with your email and tell me what was your favorite food growing up!


You can contact me at:
Twitter: @GinaLeeNelson 
or on Facebook

122 comments:

  1. My mother was an excellent career woman. She cooked because she had to. Probably my favorite thing was her chocolate cake with fudge icing. suefoster109@netzero.net. Now my neighbor's mom made the best biscuits I've ever tasted.

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  2. I remember hating spaghetti back in the 40s. It must have been too spicy because I still don't care for spicy foods. Now - and then - give me a cookie and you have a happy camper!

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  3. Hi Rebecca! We love spicy food in our house, but we once had a chili relleno at a restaurant that was so spicy we couldn't even finish it, we were fanning ourselves at the table - lol! Your recipe looks yummy (but not as dangerous!!!), I'm clipping it to give it a try. Happy Sunday! Nicole :-)

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  4. My favorite food when I was a kid was spaghetti.
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

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  5. Hey friend, congrats on the book release!!! My favorite food growing up (and still is) a bowl of cereal. :) Of course the cereal has changed over the years and I prefer something a bit healthier these days. Best of luck with the book!

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  6. Good morning, early risers! Sue, I'm with you. If I had to list two of my favorite foods, chocolate cake with double-fudge icing and homemade biscuits would be at the top. When I think of Grandma Wallace, I think of making biscuits with her in the mornings.

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  7. Karen, I love ginger snaps for breakfast. It's all about the snap!

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  8. Happy Sunday, Nicole and Sandy.

    Nicole, this recipe wasn't too spicy for me--but I live in Texas...

    Sandy, ever tried cold spaghetti sandwiches? That's how I ate leftovers as a kid before we had microwaves!

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  9. My favorite food growing up was anything cooked by someone other than my mother. Thankfully a place opened up across the street from us that also sold pizza so I didn't go totally hungry.

    NoraAdrienne (at) gmail (dot) com

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  10. Nora, I love it! Growing up, I thought everything was supposed to be cooked well-done. Especially, pan-fried okra. It was always black. Funny, I can't seem to find it that way in restaurants!

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  11. My favorite food was pot roast and gravy. Yummmmm

    llcejka at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Lisa, I always loved pot roast and gravy, plus roasted potatoes and carrots! Nom nom.

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    2. Lisa, by random generator, you won the giveaway! Congrats. I'll be contacting you to put you in touch with Gina. ~ Daryl / Avery

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  12. Thank you for the wonderful interview,the delicious recipe and the chance to win. My favorite food growing up was pizza and it still is. �� areewekidding@yahoo.com

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    1. It's still pizza? That's great. You're still a kid! LOL

      ~ Daryl / Avery

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    2. Wish I could still eat all the pizza my heart desires!

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  13. Spaghetti, for sure. Then and now. Thanks for the chance to win.

    lauraalbert@hotmail.com

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    1. Hi Laura, glad you enjoyed it! Remember when we could eat all the pizza we wanted?

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  14. My mom's chicken and rice. I've tried to make it but it's just not the same.
    frybbe@gmail.com

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    1. Hm. Did she have a favorite ingredient, like chicken broth or onions that made it special?

      ~Daryl / Avery

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    2. Laura, did your mom use a pressure cooker? Chicken and rice was one of the best things that my mother cooked. I'm convinced that cooker made all the difference.

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  15. I loved most anything but I had two seasonal favs. Wiltted lettuce in the spring and potato pancakes in the fall. This looks like a great new series. Thanks for the giveaway. ofhp@att.net

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    1. Thanks, Karen! Potato pancakes always make me think of my favorite Russian restaurant in New York's Lower East Side. Yum.

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  16. I loved most anything but I had two seasonal favs. Wiltted lettuce in the spring and potato pancakes in the fall. This looks like a great new series. Thanks for the giveaway. ofhp@att.net

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  17. I can't choose. It's like when my mom would ask what we wanted for a birthday dinner. I once asked for spaghetti, vegetable soup, pot roast, tapioca pudding, and naked chocolate cake. She made the cake, but I had to pick ONE of the others. SHEESH.
    pmettert@yahoo.com

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    1. Really? She wouldn't make them ALL for your birthday? Sheesh is right. LOL

      ~Daryl / Avery

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    2. Hi Ann, naked chocolate cake...hmm. You're an original for sure! ;-)

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  18. I loved my mom's meatloaf with real mashed potatoes. But then, there's her Swiss steak, beef stew, and snickerdoodles... kat8762@aol.com

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    1. Hi Kathleen, Swiss steak gets my vote...anything with gravy!

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  19. My favorite food from childhood was my Mother's pork schnitzel. She really knew how to cook pork!
    diannekc8@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Whoa, pork schnitzel. I didn't have that in my neck of the woods, but fortunately we did live in Germany for while--so I can attest to the fact that it is yummy.

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  20. Mom and I didn't have a lot of money, so many nights we had milk gravy and bread and Fordhook Lima beans! To this day it's my go to comfort food!!

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    Replies
    1. Stephanie, I grew up with butter beans or baby limas, depending on where you're from. I can still eat a pot full in one sitting.

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  21. We didn't have it very often, but steak fixed on a grill or BBQ was one of my favorite foods. Also my Aunt's homemade kolaches (prune filling). dbahn@iw.net

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    Replies
    1. Dianne, my favorite part of my well-done steak was the charred bits. (See my mother's brand of cooking above.)

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  22. We weren't very adventurous in Indiana, so no Tex-Mex until I was almost an adult. My sister learned to make very, very, very bland tacos in Spanish class (go figure) so my favorite foods growing up were pizza and spaghetti.
    sallycootie@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Grandma Cootie, you can't go wrong with spaghetti. Even today, it's the only entree I'll eat in my school's cafeteria.

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  23. My Nana's chicken and rice! mrsstarkent (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. One of my absolute favorites. My mother would cook the chicken and rice in the pressure cooker. I remember thinking it would never be ready, but was worth the wait!

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  24. My favorite food growing up was my grandmother's meat pie----I so wish I would have found out how she made it.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Sue, thanks for stopping by! What kind of meat was it?

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  25. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with pan gravy. Still my favorite.

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    Replies
    1. Girl! Now you're talking. Love me some chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken. Didn't grow up with it, but became addicted when I moved to Texas.

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  26. My mom's breaded pork chops and her manicotti were my favorites and still are today. kapw@iquest.net

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  27. My favorite was roast chicken with potatoes. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Traveler, sounds yummy. We didn't have roasted chicken very often when I was growing up. Everything was fried!

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  28. My grandmother's blintzes were a wonderful treat since she was a great cook and baker whose expertise in the kitchen was known far and wide. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Petite, I bet they were scrumptious. What a blessing to have such a wonderful cook in your family.

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  29. My Mom made the best Roast Beef. She had a way in making it just right. I miss having this on holidays. b5sycop@nefcom.net

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    1. Patti, thanks for stopping by! Roast beef at the holidays makes me think of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I bet it was delicious.

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  30. We moved here from England when I was 8. I think my favorite food growing up was chocolate. It still is. gillian.pilcher@gmail.com

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    1. The really good chocolate is absolutely to die for...

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  31. My favorite food my mom made was the roast beef dinner,she always added one bay leaf, Perfect! I am going to make these Chili Rellenos for my hubby Dano! He loves them!!! Thanks for the chance!

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  32. My mom and I lived with my grandparents and every weekend she used to make silver dollar pancakes with boysenberry syrup. That was the best. ourbutton@yahoo.com

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    1. Hi Fish Mom, you're making me hungry! Silver dollar pancakes sound perfect for a Sunday brunch.

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  33. My favorite food my mom made was the roast beef dinner,she always added one bay leaf, Perfect! I am going to make these Chili Rellenos for my hubby Dano! He loves them!!! Thanks for the chance!

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  34. My mom made a great corned beef and cabbage but I hated meat so I just ate the cabbage. It was the best. She put lots of other vegetables in it like carrots. It was really good. skatss63@gmail.com

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    1. Sharon, that sounds familiar. I remember the best part of that dish being the cabbage!

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  35. Growing up in Napa with a dad born in Italy ,you can guess what my favorite food was. We still drive to Napa for Malfittis for Christmas Eve dinner.Ruth Nixonruthenixon@sbcglobal.net

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    1. My hat's off to you! I learned something new today. Malfattis sound delicious! I shall have to find some here in Texas. :-)

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. My fave food was lasagna. I can't wait to read this book. Zeta@iwon.com

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  38. Mine was Southern Fried Chicken.
    Theresa Norris
    206 W. Main Street
    North Augusta, SC 29841

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    1. Oh no you didn't! Those were the days, Theresa, when the women in my family would stand over a hot stove and fry up some delicious chicken!

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  39. My Mama was a country cook and everything she made was good, even her hamburgers. My favorite was her salmon patties and corn cakes. She also made a mean spice cake and the best peanut butter fudge I ever ate.

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    1. oops, my email is dr(dot)oldsmobile(at)icloud(dot)com

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    2. Jeannie, I loved, loved, my mother's salmon patties. Wish I had some right now.

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  40. My favorite food growing up was lasagna. It wasn't something that my family knew how to make but my best friend's mom would invite me over to dinner every time they had it. Around my teen years, she shared her recipe and I have been lovingly throwing it together myself ever since.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com
    Lil

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  41. Glad you can make it yourself now and partake whenever you want!

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  42. We had a friend who was from the southwest and she showed us what "real" Tex-Mex was like, rather than the stuff many restaurants serve. Great stuff.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  43. Since I love stuffed veggies, red peppers are one of my favorites, I look forward to trying this recipe. Growing up my comfort foods were rice and beans. my mom is Puerto Rican and I love when she makes rice. She also makes great plantains.

    Suzieqsb(at)aol(dot)com

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  44. My favorite food when I was young was my great grandmother's fried shrimp.
    jenne.turner@unt.edu

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    1. You can probably guess that one of my childhood favorites was fried shrimp...being from Florida and all. Always wait to order it when I'm back home on the Gulf Coast.

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  45. Good to know, Libby. There can be a huge difference!

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  46. My favorite was my mother's made from scratch coconut cream pie with meringue. She used the same homemade custard for banana cream and cherry cream pies. For the cherry cream pie, she used a well drained can of pie cherries, not pie filling. Scrumptious!

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    1. Coconut creme sounds good. I'd love a piece right about now!

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  47. My favorite food growing up was homemade flour tortillas my mom made. I would watch to see how to make them, but they never tasted the same as hers. She could make them perfectly round but not me. Sadly I don't have a recipe and she never used a recipe. It's probably good I never learned to make them cause she used lard. Lard is bad I learned later. Thanks for the chance to win! crossxjo@hotmail.com

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    1. Yes, lard is bad, but didn't it taste so good! Thanks for stopping by.

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  48. Growing up, when my mom made tacos we grabbed the green salsa. That is all I knew there was--never red. Lol. I didn't try the red salsa until I got married. Green always puts a smile on my face as I remember my childhood.

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  49. Mine was the Midwestern style fried chicken my mother made. (My southern born father loved it, too!) rebarger@bellsouth.net

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    1. Yum yum. I miss my mother's fried chicken, even now.

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  50. My husband loves Mexican, so I can't wait to read these books. My favorite food was my aunt's homemade steak fries. Kkcochran@hotmail.com

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    1. Kristin, I can't wait for you to read them either! I remember how exotic steak fries seemed to me when I was growing up, and delicious.

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  51. Growing up, my dad was a writer who worked from home while my mom worked as a secretary at the phone company. So dad made dinner every weeknight and mom cooked on weekends. Dad's meatloaf and mom's scalloped potatoes with ham were two of my favorite dishes. This looks like a fun new series! Thank you for the chance to win! rencw@verizon.net

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    1. Hi Renee, I hope you enjoy it! Scalloped potatoes were a big favorite of mine too.

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  52. I loved my mom's fried chicken. I also loved her salmon croquet's. marlene.ezell@gmail.com

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    1. Don't know why autocorrect put all those spaces between salmon croquets. Also it added the apostrophe. Shaking head.

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    2. Salmon croquettes is what we called them when I was growing up. Loved 'em!

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  53. saracarver07@gmail.com my mom's homemade banana nut muffins

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  54. Since I grew up (and still live) in Texas, I love Tex-Mex food. My favorite thing growing up was my mother's cheese enchiladas. I can't wait to read Here Today, Gone Tamale. cking78503@aol.com

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    1. Hi Chris, hope you enjoy the book half as much as your mother's cheese enchiladas!

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  55. Banana pudding (homemade). Thanks for a chance to win a copy of your book. elainehroberson@gmail.com

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    1. Elaine, you're so welcome! Good banana pudding is a joy!

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  56. I think the best thing ever was what ever my grandmother was making. She was a wonderful cook and she made the best chocolate chip cookies that were crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, oh that warms my heart just thinking about it. I can't wait to read this book. jillybeans41@gmail.com

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    1. Thanks, Jill. Your grandmother's cookies sound delicious!

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  57. I loved my Mother's Swedish Meatballs, Love your books & I would be thrilled if I could win one. Thanks for this awesome chance. Linda May lindamay4852@yahoo.com

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  58. Hi,my name is Nancy & I'm a chocoholic!! Tex mex is a fav now, though. Thanks for the chance to win this book! nschwenkner@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Nancy, hope you enjoy the book and the recipes!

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  59. Looks like great cozy mystery. Favorite food growing up was Pizza.

    xzjh04 @gmail.com

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    1. Hi Kiki, hope you enjoy the mystery! Pizza was always a special treat for me as well!

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  60. My grandmother lived with us and cooked 3 huge meals a day! My favorite was her fried chicken!

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  61. Love the recipes!

    davisel1830@hotmail.com

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  62. My favorite food growing up was milk. I loved milk. My dad did also, all of his life.

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com











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  63. My favorite food growing up was either my Grandma's corned beef and cabbage or my mom's chicken and rice soup. Both of these are things I can cook though not as well as my family. utaker555@gmail.com

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  64. Sunday dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, ice cream.

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  65. My favorite food was and still is chocolate.

    gibsonbk at hiwaay dot net

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  66. My mom's homemade chicken and noodles. I also love my mom's fried chicken.
    Thank you for the chance to win.
    angelbear19662000@yahoo.com

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  67. My favorite food as a kid was fried pork chops. Still love them. Thanks for a chance to win. Sounds like a great series.
    babemomara@att.net

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  68. My mom didn't like to cook very much, but made the best beef burgundy.
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  69. My favorite food was peanut butter. I still love it.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  70. My mom's spaghetti. Still is one of the best things on earth!
    Awilcox1182@gmail.com

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  71. My mom's spaghetti. Still is one of the best things on earth!
    Awilcox1182@gmail.com

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