“I took hold of that scourge -filled ship and crushed it between my limbs, hurtling it into the second sun, the red one that gave me strength. But I was too late." Terraformer
AUGUST 11th is JUST AROUND THE CORNER and we have been busy preparing for the BIG EVENT!
REAWAKENED is going to be released on August 11th and to celebrate, Colleen Houck will be appearing at a few book stores to not only sign books but to host a SMASHING PARTY!
Here’s a list of upcoming events you WON’T WANT TO MISS:
August 11th- Book Signing and Giveaways!
Book Bin, Salem East
2235 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, Oregon
Village East Shopping Center
August 12th- REAWAKENED LAUNCH PARTY!
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005
August 13th- Book Signing and Giveaways!
Elliot Bay Book Company
1521 10th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98122
Here’s a little sneak peak behind the scenes in preparation for these events:
Labeling the water bottles with REAWAKENED stickers! We thought it’d be fun to put something like “Magical restorative powers in every drop of water straight from the Nile” but oh well.
Branding 250 gift bags! That’s right, Colleen SPOILS her loving fans. She is planning on giving away these bags filled with FREE books, candy, and much more.
The gift bags were filled with LOTS of goodies including candy, bookmarks and swag, Egyptian key chains, jewelry, nail polish, pins, and more!
After we finished the 250 gift bags, we assembled more than 20 HUGE prize packages! The one featured above is valued over $150 which, as you might have guessed, is Egyptian themed to compliment the release of REAWAKENED. It includes a high quality Egyptian costume, silk scarf, books, lotions, perfume, candy, tea, and a gift card to Amazon for $50! We were working like mad elves putting all of these amazing prizes together. Thе higher strata people аrе known fоr thеіr parties. If уоu аrе thinking аbоut throwing a party tо уоur immediate family, friends оr colleagues thеn уоu don’t hаvе tо gо аnуwhеrе, hire a Limousine Party Bus. Thеѕе amazing party limousines саn accommodate a lot оf people, аrоund 28 аlmоѕt аnd іn ѕоmе cases 40 tо 50. Wіth thе word “bus”, a huge public transportation соmеѕ іntо mind; hоwеvеr thеѕе limousine buses аrе entirely different frоm thе regular buses; thеу аrе mоrе glamorous аnd luxurious. Check This Out link for more information.
Still undecided if this party is something you’d want to attend? So not only will you get to meet Colleen Houck the author, get a signed copy of REAWAKENED, get a gift bag (first come first served), be entered into a raffle for a GRAND PRIZE package, but she will be catering the event with lots and lots of DELICIOUS foods (um can I say cupcakes and chocolate are just a couple of the highlights?)
Still not sure? Well, if you haven’t been convinced yet… sigh… I guess I can understand if you’d rather be watching a re-run on the television in your old pajamas eating leftovers. Wait, um no I guess I can’t understand. If you’re anywhere close to the area and you like reading, getting free stuff, eating cupcakes, and possibly scoring big with gift cards then there’s no excuse!
There you have it, a sneak peek into what’s to come in the next few weeks. Hope to see you all there! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!
This entry was posted in Events, Fans, Reawakened.
I’m Linda Louise, one of the bloggers on this website and Colleen’s little sister. I’m just a girl in her mid-thirties who feels thirteen when I play outside with my boys, fifteen when I sing my heart out listening to tunes while driving by myself, and sixty five when I go out past ten at night. I have a thing for junior mints, Mt. Dew, shrimp and kale (though not all at once) and I have a crush on Superman. I still get girlish butterflies when I read Twilight, cry when I read These is My Words, and smile from ear to ear when I read Anne of Green Gables. I have nightmares about aliens on a regular basis and I have a bad habit of midnight snacking. I love everything sports, except golf (although can that honestly be considered a sport??), and I hate anything that slithers, hisses, or stings. I have a problem with giggling at inappropriate moments and I sometimes wish life was a musical. I love science, hate math, love Dr. Seuss, and hate olives. My family is my world and my joys come from their happiness. I’ve learned I don’t know much about anything and I live for a good adventure, naps, cuddles, stories, exceptional food and The Shire.
RECIPE: Cashew Curry Cheddar Spread
I was first introduced to Cashew Curry Cheddar Spread by a friend about 25 years ago. At that time I did NOT like curry powder, so I didn’t pay much attention to the specifics. Somewhere along the way my tastes changed, I began to see the merits of curry powder, and eventually decided to try and recreate this recipe. Developing a dish is a great way to hone your talents, so make sure you’re working with flavors and products that you’re passionate about and can keep you focused for the long run. CookingPlanIt got you covered by giving cooking tips and techniques that will surely make your dishes irresistible. I’ve made it with several variations in my efforts to perfect it and it always turns out delicious. I like to make the whole thing in the food processor from start to finish since Colleen & I have decided we like the finer texture of the spread when made that way. We’re pretty much addicted to this stuff, so I’ve made 3 or 4 batches in the last couple of months. I’ve tried crushing the cashews with a rolling pin…even once with a hammer!…but I didn’t have the patience to keep pounding away until I got coarse crumbs. Thus, the food processor wins so far. I suppose a blender might work also. The recipe is easy to make, highly addictive, and is one of my most often requested potluck recipes. This spread goes well with crackers, chips, veggies, bread, you name it. It’s even great on a baked sweet potato!
RECIPE: Cashew Curry Cheddar Spread
10.5 ounces cashews, roasted
(about 2 cups ground)
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2t-2T curry powder or to taste
pinch of sugar, optional
salt, optional or to taste
Some notes before we get started:
CASHEWS: I use unsalted cashews so that I can control the amount of salt. If salted cashews are your only option, they work fine as well, but you probably won’t need to add any additional salt. If you have raw cashews, just roast them first. Having not personally roasted cashews before, I can’t really give you any tips on that. I would use google for advice.
CHEESE: You want cheddar cheese here. From there it’s pretty much up to you. I’ve used mild, medium, sharp, 3 cheddar blend, etc… I hate cleaning the cheese grater so I always buy pre-shredded cheese. Some people swear grating it yourself is better. You do what you prefer. You could try low fat or vegan cheese. I’ve not tried either of those options, so I don’t know what the results would be.
CREAM CHEESE: This is going to be your binder…the thing that makes this recipe a “spread” and not “a crumbly mess”. I use full fat cream cheese with as few ingredients as possible. You could use low fat or whipped cream cheese. I have also used mayonnaise, sour cream, & coconut milk, either solo or in various combinations. Eventually I’ll try it with plain Greek yogurt. Colleen prefers it with cream cheese. I prefer it with half cream cheese and half coconut milk.
CURRY POWDER: I use a very mild yellow curry powder that is one of the cheaper brands in my area. I like this one specifically because it is very mild. While it lists red pepper in the ingredients, it has no heat to it whatsoever. Which is good, because I don’t do chilies. Use whatever kind you, or the people you’ll be sharing it with, like. The measurements I have listed for the curry are just to give you some idea. I honestly never measure it. I just keep adding it until I’m happy with the resulting flavor of the spread. I usually start with about 1.5T, taste, and add more if I think the spread needs it.
SUGAR: I have gotten into the habit of adding at least a pinch of sugar to any dish I make with yellow curry powder. I just like the curry flavor better when it’s mellowed with that bit of sweet. Use whatever kind of sweetener you prefer, but use it sparingly, and taste before adding more. This is a savory dish and you don’t want to go to some weird curry dessert place. Ew. You could also skip the sweetener altogether if you prefer.
SALT: Sometimes I don’t add any salt, especially if I’ve used salted cashews. This is another one of those “to taste” kind of things. Add a pinch if you think it needs it. Skip it if you want. Usually whatever crispy dipper I’m using has salt (tortilla, potato, pretzel or pita chips) so it doesn’t seem lacking. If I was using something like celery sticks and apple slices with the spread I might want to salt the spread itself more thoroughly.
Okay, now on to the instructions:
-Add the cashews to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to grind the cashews into fairly uniformly small bits. Stop processing before it turns into cashew butter!
-Add the shredded cheese and pulse a few times until the cheese is about the same size as the cashews.
-Add cream cheese, curry powder, and sugar & salt if using. Process until well blended. Taste. Adjust seasonings as desired.
May be served immediately or refrigerated until ready to serve. This spread tends to harden in the refrigerator regardless of what type of binder (cream cheese, coconut milk, sour cream, etc.) is used. A few seconds at a time in the microwave will loosen it up again without melting the ingredients. Alternately, just remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes or so before you want to serve it.
I have not tried freezing it yet as there is never any left! I would recommend using full fat dairy as the binder if you do plan to freeze it. Low fat dairy products tend to separate after freezing, as does mayonnaise.
I’ve been thinking this spread might be great in a Texas Toast type of preparation or as the filling in a grilled cheese sandwich. And I’m kind of obsessed with the idea of trying it with smoked almonds and smoked cheddar cheese. I wonder what would happen if you added some chopped golden raisins, dried apricots or craisins?? We’ll see how it goes!
.
This entry was posted in Mr. Kadam's Spice Kitchen, Recipes.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.