Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thursday Thirteen!





Thirteen Stars Who Got Their Start on Soap Operas!





1.
Corbin Bernsen



Ryan's Hope




2.

Julian McMahon

Another World




3.

Kevin Bacon

Guiding Light




4.

Kirsten Dunst

Loving




5.

Meg Ryan

As the World Turns


6.

Nathan Fillion

One Life to Live




7.

Richard Dead Anderson

General Hopsital


8.


Rick Springfield

General Hopsital




9.

Ricky Martin

General Hopsital




10.


Sarah Michelle Gellar

All My Children




11.


Teri Hatcher

Capitol




12.


Vanessa Marcil

General Hopsital




13.


Viggo Mortensen
Search for Tomorrow

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Thursday Thirteen!




Thirteen Types of Cheese You Might Not Have Heard Of!



1.Anejo Enchilado
It is commonly used as a topping or stuffing for enchiladas burritos and tacos. Anejo Enchilado has a mild and slightly spicy flavor. It has a red, spicy coating with white interior. Enchilado Anejo has a hard and dry texture. The cheese softens but does not melt under heat.



2. Ardrahan
Modern, farmhouse, vegetarian, washed-rind cheese made from cow's milk. It has a distinctive, earthy aroma. Beneath the brine-washed rind, the deep yellow interior is firm and slightly chalky. It exudes a wonderful complexity of flavors, the zesty acidity underscoring the buttery, savory, meaty character.




3. Buffalo
Modern, unpasteurized, hard cheese of wheel shape with thin, leathery, polished, natural rind. It is made from buffalo milk has a mild flavor with a hint of almonds.





4. Caboc
The cheese is made from cow's milk. It has a shape of chubby log rolled in oatmeal. The cheese is made with cream-enriched milk, and it is buttery. The toasted oats give it a nutty, yeasty flavor. This cheese has a long history and is made according to an ancient recipe. It is a table cheese which is spread on oat cakes.





5. Caravane
Caravane is the brand name of a camel-milk cheese produced in Mauritania by Tiviski. The milk is collected by a thousand nomadic herdsmen, and is very difficult to produce, but yields a product that is low in lactose.




6. Cotija
It is a Hispanic-style cheese, known as the "Parmesan of Mexico". It was originally made with goat's milk but today cow's milk is preferred. This cheese is strongly flavored, firm and perfect for grating. It is used in Hispanic cooking, in a manner similar to the way Parmesan is used in Italian cooking. Cotija is commonly used to add a lively garnish to common dishes: simply sprinkle on top of refried beans, salads, chili or lasagna. In Mexico, it is also widely used to enhance the flavor of many savory dishes by mixing directly into the casserole or recipe. In the U.S. it is increasingly popular on pasta. It is typically shredded onto cooked foods, also in salads and with fruit.




7. Derby
The cheese has a shape of cylinder with natural rind. This cheese is very similar to Cheddar, but has a softer, flakier curd and a butter taste.





8. Emlett
It is a soft-white, smooth and creamy cheese. As it ages, the cheese softens like ice-cream and has the sweet acidity and characteristic nuttiness.




9. Filetta
Filetta comes from Isolaccio, which is south of the town of Bastia. It means "the fern" in Corsican. It has a faint smell of the cellar and fern leaves and is decorated with a sprig of fern.



10. Fontal is tender and buttery with a bland taste and a yellow paste with tiny holes.



11. Montasio
Montasio is creamery, unpasteurized, hard cheese made from cow's milk. The yellow-brown rind is smooth and springy at first, later becomes darker and harder. This cheese was developed in the thirteenth century in monastery of Maggio. The body is firm with small holes. It is creamy, rich and fruity, with a hint of pineapple.



12. Panela
The most popular fresh cheeses in Mexico, this cheese is mild, white and crumbly. It is used commonly crumbled over salads, tacos, chili and burritos.



13. Toscanello
Semi-hard cheese with a smooth rind and a whitish paste. The flavor of the cheese is mild, slightly sharp.



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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

SQUEE! New Contract with Ellora's Cave!


So doing the Snoopy Dance! I just signed with Ellora's Cave for GHOST HUNTER , a full-length paranormal romance for their Blush line! My editor told me she got so caught up in it, she forgot she was reading a submission! I'm so excited! This book is one of my favorites! Is it okay to have a favorite when it's your own book?! LOL!


Here's the blurb!

Almost getting murdered by a serial killer gives Cassidy Kincaide a new lease on life and convinces her to go ahead and tackle that ghost-hunter novel she's always wanted to write. So, she hooks up with a gorgeous paranormal investigator named Trace McCord to do some research.

Cassidy and Trace rub each other the wrong way right from the beginning, but they have to put aside their differences when the serial killer who attacked her comes back from the grave to continue his string of grisly murders, with her at the top of his list.

Trace has to keep Cassidy close to keep her safe, and as they try to stay one step ahead of the ghost while figuring out how to stop it, he and Cassidy end up in each other’s arms. While Trace has a whole list of reasons why he shouldn’t get involved with her, he finds himself falling in love with the beautiful blonde anyway. And even though Cassidy started out thinking he was a jerk, she learns that underneath the rough ghost hunter exterior, he’s just the man she’s always been looking for. Now, all they have to do, is live long enough to be together.

For an excerpt and a look at my vision of the gorgeous ghost hunter himself, check out my website at
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ExcerptGhostHunterforHire.html


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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day - Just Romance Me Blog Hop!

Hey everyone! Welcome to the Just Romance Me Valentine's Weekend Blog Hop! To enter to win some very sexy books, including a copy of my EPIC Award Finalist GOOD COP, BAD GIRL from Ellora's Cave, you must comment on every blog along the tour!

Hope you enjoy my hot hunk! And if you're looking for some equally hot books to curl up with, check out my website for lots of sexy excerpts, including my new releases - DEAD SEXY from Ellora's Cave and PROTECTIVE CUSTODY from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid!

http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/





For the complete list of participating authors, visit
http://justromance.me/bloghop/



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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thursday Thirteen!



Thirteen Types of Chocolate!



1. Cacao

This is the cacao bean, minus the shell, and nothing else. You can buy cacao raw or roasted. Whole cacao is the whole bean, cacao nibs are crunched up pieces of bean, and ground cacao is powdered. Really the healthiest form of chocolate there is, cacao can sometimes be quite bitter.




2. Chocolate Liquor
This is the basis of all types of chocolate, formed by grinding cacao beans into a smooth, liquid paste. Nothing is added, and it does not contain alcohol, despite the name.




3. Unsweetened Chocolate
Chocolate liquor that has been allowed to cool and harden. It is used for baking and to make other types of chocolate. Many bakers prefer this type of chocolate for baking because they have more control over the flavor and sweetness.

4. Bittersweet Chocolate
Contains at least 35% chocolate liquor, plus cocoa butter and sugar in varying amounts. There is no technical difference between bittersweet and semisweet types of chocolate, and they are often referred to as "dark." Note that there is such a thing as "bittersweet (or semisweet) baking chocolate," which is sweetened cocoa liquor without the added cocoa butter.




5. Dark Chocolate - My Favorite!
Similar to semi-sweet chocolate, it is not always possible to distinguish between the flavor of sweet and semi-sweet chocolate. Contains often 35-45% cocoa solids.




6. Milk Chocolate - Another Favorite!
Contains at least 10% chocolate liquor, plus cocoa butter and sugar in varying amounts, and at least 12% milk (milk, cream, milk powder, etc).




7. White Chocolate
White chocolate is not technically one of the types of chocolate because it does not contain any chocolate liquor. It must contain at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% milk, plus sugar in varying amounts.




8. Semi-Sweet Chocolate
This is the classic dark baking chocolate which can be purchased in most grocery stores. It is frequently used for cakes, cookies and brownies. Can be used instead of sweet dark chocolate. It has a good, sweet flavor. Contains often 40-62% cocoa solids.




9. Cocoa Powder
Is made by slamming chocolate liquor with a hydraulic press to expel the fat, i.e. the cocoa butter. What's left is allowed to harden, and then it is crushed into a powder. There is roughly 10-20% fat remaining in the powder. Cocoa powder is often used in low fat cooking because it retains the chocolate flavor but has much of the fat removed.




10. Chocolate Extract
Chocolate extract is a good way to add chocolate flavor to your cooking without adding fat, but the flavor can be a bit strong. It is made like vanilla extract; cacao beans are soaked in alcohol.




11.Courverture
A chocolate coating, it's usually some type of dark chocolate with extra cocoa butter added to make it melt nicely for enrobing (drizzling onto the outside of a chocolate confection). Because the high cocoa butter content (roughly 35-45%) makes it melt well, it is ideal for chocolate fountains, and usually no oil need be added.




12. Cocoa Butter
When chocolate liquor is pressed to expel the fat and make cocoa powder, the fat expelled is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is added to chocolate liquor to make the type of chocolate we enjoy eating; it gives chocolate that smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Because it melts at about 97° F, it smoothes into the skin nicely. Also, it has healing properties and is resistant to spoilage.




13. Chocolate Body Paint - My Other Favorite!
Luxurious paint made out of chocolate made especially for the body!


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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

DEAD SEXY is up for BOOK of the MONTH!


Hey everyone!

I'm so excited! DEAD SEXY is up for Book of the Month at Siren Book Reviews and I'd so appreciate your vote! I think you can even vote as many times as you like!

http://sirenbookreviews.weebly.com/book-of-the-month-january.html

Thanks so much!

You guys rock!



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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Thursday Thirteen!

Thirteen Hot Football Hunks!

Since the Superbowl is This Weekend, I Thought I'd Share!

While I Love Football and Watch the Game for the Game, I Wouldn't Mind if More Players Looked Like These Guys!



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11.





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13.



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