On Thanksgiving side dishes and book giveaways

Autumn is my favorite time of the year, but Thanksgiving isn’t. I mean, I like the FamiLee time, and the parades, and the chances to see old friends, but here’s my confession: I hate turkey. And stuffing (how many of you call it "dressing" instead of "stuffing"?). And cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. I don’t even particularly like gravy or green bean casserole. On Thanksgiving, I survive mainly on mashed potatoes (which I love) and pecan pie. It’s a FamiLee joke that when/if I ever have to host Thanksgiving, we’ll be eating Chinese food (which I love).  

You might remember that in A Cheyenne Thanksgiving, my heroine Tess is half-Chinese, and her contribution to the Thanksgiving table is a fried-rice dish. This wasn’t a random choice. Some of you may know that my husband is half-Chinese, and the easiest (and yummiest!) dish my Father-in-Law taught me to make is fried rice. What better way to kick off a season of giving (and giveaways!) than with this super-simple “Thanksgiving” (at least as far as I’m concerned) dish?

Mmmmmmm.....  Image by JeffreyW

This recipe is my favorite use for leftover Chinese food. The best types to use here are the dishes that are chunks (meat, tofu or non-soggy veggies) swimming in yummy sauces. Separate your food from the sauce and chop it up as small as you want. Warm it (and the separate sauce) up a bit.

Cook the white rice completely, let cool just slightly. Scramble some eggs and set aside.

In a large pan, fry up whatever veggies you’ll want to throw in. Use any kind of oil; veggie oil will work, but peanut or sesame is better. In the pan, toss in your chopped-up carrots/green onions/chopped-up peppers/minced garlic or ginger/green peas, and cook until… well, until they look done. Mix these veggies in with the egg and the chopped leftovers and let sit for a bit.

Add it more oil to the pan and dump in the rice, tossing to coat, and fry it up! When the individual grains are darker and a bit firmer, you know it’s fried enough… so toss in your chopped veggies/egg/Chinese food and mix (see, this is why you needed a large pan). Then pour in your sauce (this is why I told you to reserve it). Oyster sauce works well, but the best choice is the sauce from your leftover takeout! Just pour it over the mixture and toss to coat while on the stove-top.

So. Good. So simple. Mmmmm--mmmmm. I'm hungry now.

Seriously, how could you NOT chose this yumminess over turkey?? Photo by JefferyW

So now that you know my secret—I’d much rather be eating friend rice than stuffing this year—I’ll let you in on the Sexy Scribblers’ giveaway!
 
Our raffle is for 12 books, many autumn-themed, and all by the Sexy Scribbler authors. Here is a list of the ebooks that will be given away:

1. Blind Love, by Kishan Paul
2. Lead Me From Temptation, by Kris Calvert
3. Sliding Into Home, by Anne Lange
4. Dante’s Gift, by Aubrey Wynne
5. First Love, by Lena Hart
6. Cheyenne Thanksgiving, by Caroline Lee
7. Portrait of a Girl, by Luanna Stewart
8. Too Hot To Handle, by Chanta Rand
9. Hell On Heels, by J.A. Coffey
10. A Christmas Wish, by Mina Khan
11. Spanish Nights, by Valerie Twombly
12. Curious, by Angie Daniels

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join the rest of the Sexy Scribblers for the Fall Into Romance blog hop, November 15th-22nd.
Grand Prize: a collection of ebooks from the Scribbler authors.

Visit these blogs for more great autumn recipes and stories, as well as more chances to win!

1.  www.valerietwombly.com/2015/11/15/fall-into-romance-blog-hop/  
2. www.carolineleeromance.com/blog  
3. http://sexyscribblers.com/  
4. www.kriscalvert.com  
5. chantarandblog.com/2015/11/15/sexy-scribblers-fall-into-romance-blog-hop/  
6. denagarson.net/2015/11/fall-into-romance-blog-hop/  
7. scatblogging.blogspot.com/  
8. traceylclark.com/category/everyday-insanity/  
9. authorannelange.com/2015/11/15/fall-into-romance/  
10. angiedaniels.com/  
11. jacoffey.com/blog-2/  
12. www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/  
13. www.robynneeley.com/  
14. www.annadurand.com/blog  
15. kishanpaul.net/  
16. minakhan.blogspot.com/  
17. www.rachelleighsmith.com/2015/11/fall-into-romance-hop.html  
18. www.luannastewart.com/p/happenings.html  
19. www.winteraustin.com  
20. www.kmccullough.com  
21. www.aubreywynneauthor/blog  
22. sexyscribblers.com/2015/11/fall-into-romance/ ‎