Happy DECEMBER, my friends!
I wish I could say Iāve been enjoying every minute of this month so far, but I came home from SoCal (Southern California, as the locals call it) with a cold. Two Covid tests were negative, and I was grateful for that, but I havenāt had a cold in so long it took me a minute to remember how much I hate being sick.š
I am on the mend, though, and happy to share some photos from this beautiful part of the world. Could I ever live in LA (city, county, or surrounding megatropolis)? Absolutely not. The traffic is as bad as the media portrays itāat least, on a holiday weekend. The photo below was taken crossing over āthe Grapevineā before we even hit LA proper.Ā
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Still, we loved meeting more members of our wonderful new daughter-in-lawās extended family, and we feasted multiculturally. (The Finnish recipe from Sarahās dad, Frank, below would make a super easy and delicious Christmas Eve main course).
In the photo, clockwise from upper left: Chef Frank with a small portion of the feast: collard greens, sweet potatoes with and without marshmallows, scalloped potatoes, smoked turkey, ham, and tri-tip roast; a beautiful flower from our host's backyard, Frank and JP inspecting the grill/smoker, and our hostess, Carmelita, who made the fabulous Filipino ālumpiaā in the last pic.
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We headed west on Friday morning. The traffic was completely tolerable and we were thankful.š
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The trip to Pismo Beach was not without a traffic slowdown or two, but the scenery was a beautiful, calming diversion, and once we passed through Santa Barbara, the rest of the trip was smooth sailing. We even stopped at a roadside park for lunch and to pick up a bit of California history. I was pretty impressed by DoƱa Bernada Ruiz de Rodriguezās story. Naturally, she wasnāt included in the photo of the treaty signing, even though she negotiated the terms with Fremont. Sigh.
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The popular coastal town of Pismo was hopping with people on this beautiful day, so we wisely opted for hotel a mile or so outside of town. Same beach. No people. Win-win.
The view from our balcony. Ahhā¦
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The photo I used in my new little FB ad video. (See below)
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We timed our dinner reservation for sunset and were definitely not disappointed. West Coast sunsets are a thing of glory.
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In case youāre in the mood for a pre-holiday getaway, Pismo in December canāt be beat.
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RECIPE:
Lohikeitto (Finnish Salmon Soup) Recipe on Food52
Ingredients ā¢ 1/4 cup butter ā¢ 1 leek, trimmed and sliced (about 2 cups) ā¢ 4 cups fish stock or fish stock cubes ā¢ 1 pound potatoes, cubed (2 to 3 cups) ā¢ 1 carrot, sliced (about 1Ā½ cups) ā¢ 1 pound salmon, cut into large pieces ā¢ 1 cup 35% cream ā¢ Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper ā¢ Chopped dill, for serving
Directions 1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes, until wilted. 2. Add the stock, potatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened and fork-tender, depending on the size of the vegetables. 3. Add the salmon and cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through; season with salt and pepper. 4. Divide the soup among bowls. Top with the dill.
Frankās tips: āI used heavy cream and thinned it to taste with milk. And I used clam juice and a can of minced clams because I had too much going on to make fish stock. I already have 2 requests to make it again so I am pretty proud of my work. The Netflix series āSomebody Feed Philā had an episode shot in Finland and that is where I first became acquainted with this dish.ā
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Here are the books Iām using as an escape from my stuffy head and holiday pressures.
Just finished:
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LOVE ME SOME BILLIONAIRES by the Sweet2Heat authors (I loved all the stories in this collection. Who knew it was so easy to fall in love with a billionaire? Honestly, Iām not too impressed by most of the ones I see in the news. Sigh.)
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HOME FOR HANUKKAH by Rebecca Crowley (Great premise. Will be fun to learn more about this holiday.)
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FLIRTING WITH THE BEAST by Jane Porter (Jane is one of my favorites for deeply emotional, conflicted romances. Canāt wait to start reading.)
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A TEXAS CHRISTMAS MIRACLE by Justine Davis (A feel-good story, Iām sure.)
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And, yes, I plan to read my holiday box set, tooā¦to see how it holds up against all of these great stories.š Plus, my free gift thatās included is such a sweet, memorable story. I know youāll love it.
ITāS NEVER THE MISTLETOE by Debra Salonen
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Happy reading, my friends.Ā Enjoy every moment!
Deb
Next Newsletters: 12/22 ā Christmas Read-A-Loud 12/28 ā Guest at Nan Reinhardtās blog. (Iām talking about traditions, and Iāve included a couple of recipes. Plus, there will be a $$ prize that might help finance some of the awesome new box sets we have planned.š) AND Iāll share the links to a great deal from author friend Kay Lyons. A two-fer!! (Kayās had to navigate a few bumps in the road recently, and this boost will do her beautiful spirit good.)
PS: I consulted with a Facebook (now, META) Pro last week, and he suggested I include videos in my ads. Did he mention they can only be 15 seconds long? No. But, of course, I found out when my first video only ran the first half. LOL.
Here it is: in case youāre not on FB or you arenāt in my target audience and they never appear in your feed.
LOVE ME SOME COWBOY short
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Debra Salonen's Book List
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