Food, and Magic
Catherine
Castle and Donald Hersh, writing as co-authors CD Hersh, share their optimistic
outlook on living, based in large part on love, food, and magic. Always and
ever in pursuit of a happily-ever-after ending, through their work and the
example of their marriage, the couple points readers in at least one viable direction
to get it for themselves. -Linda Lee Greene Author/Artist
LOVE, FOOD, AND MAGIC
From C.D. Hersh
Our book Can’t Stop the Music opens in
Woodstock and is filled with musical references of the era and of food.
But you don’t have to worry about that, because we’ve got a special treat for you today.
As writers, we know that love and food go together like romance
and a happily-ever-after ending. Maybe that’s why in most of our novels the
hero and heroine share a meal of some sort. There’s just something magical
about a special dinner with the one you love. Don’t you remember that special
dinner, or dinners, with your honey? On the first dinner Catherine made for
Donald she accidently fed him a toothpick—which he unwittingly ate. Trust us,
we remember that!
Like
most humans, we like to eat, and food works its way into our stories. In our
book, Can’t Stop the Music (The Soul Mate Tree Book 2) the
hero cooks an Italian meal for the heroine that is positively orgasmic. Can’t
Stop the Music is a nostalgic romance set in Woodstock 1969 and
contains a paranormal element. The paranormal involves a magic Soul Mate Tree
that grants soul mates to deserving persons.
The Soul Mate tree is
An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds.
To some, it’s nothing more than a dream.
To others, a pretty fairytale handed down through the generations.
For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.
And our heroine and hero are in definitely in need of a happy
ending.
Speaking of happy, who doesn’t love a delicious pasta dish? We
do, but pasta is something we don’t eat a lot of anymore because of the high
carb content. Recently, we’ve begun experimenting with ways to make high-carb
pasta meals friendlier, because we do miss our pasta. In the process, we’ve
discovered things like lentil and soybean pastas that are great substitutes for
wheat pasta. They have a high fiber to carb ratio, which not only puts more
fiber in the diet, but slows the release of sugars into the blood stream, both
which are great boons to people with insulin resistance issues. The soybean
pasta is fantastic and has become our go-to pasta for spaghetti.
Unfortunately, we haven’t found a soybean lasagna. So, Catherine
got creative and made a meatless version of lasagna that uses a smaller amount
of lasagna on the bottom of the dish and substitutes sliced zucchini for the
pasta in the other layers. Putting a single layer of pasta on the bottom
provides the traditional taste of lasagna and helps the servings come out of
the dish better, without the added high-glycemic carbohydrates. We made this
lasagna recipe meatless, but you could use a meat sauce if you prefer. Bon
appétit!
½ jar (1 1/3 cups) spaghetti or marina sauce (any flavor you
prefer)
2-3 oz. fresh baby spinach (2-3 handfuls)
1 8 oz. box sliced mushrooms
2 small zucchinis, sliced into scant 1/8 inch thick ribbons
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12 tbsp. low-fat ricotta cheese
Trim ends of zucchinis until they fit inside a square 1-1/2
quart baking dish. Then slice zucchinis into scant 1/8 inch thick ribbons.
Place on a plate and salt liberally both sides. Let stand about an hour to draw
out the excess moisture. Rinse off salt and pat slices dry with a paper towel.
Set aside.
Rinse mushrooms and place in a skillet or large saucepan. Using
2 sharp-bladed spatulas, coarsely chop mushrooms in the pan. (Alternately, you
could use a knife and cutting board, but Catherine found this method to be
quicker.) Sauté mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of water until the mushrooms
darken and excess water from the fungi has appeared in the pan. Drain and set
aside.
Fit the 2 sheets of pasta in the bottom of a square, 1-1/2 quart
baking dish, breaking edges off as necessary so the pasta lays flat in the
bottom. Remove pasta and broken pieces from the dish.
Pour 1/3 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of the dish and lay the
pasta sheets and broken pieces on top.
On top of this base, layer 1/3 cup pasta sauce, 1/4 cup shredded
mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup mushrooms, a handful of spinach, torn into small
pieces, and four tablespoons of ricotta cheese (dotted over the top of the
spinach), and enough zucchini slices to cover the ingredients. Spread the
ingredients so they are evenly layered. Repeat layers to the depth the dish
allows, ending with a layer of zucchini, sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella
cheese.
Bake 45 minutes.
Let stand and couple of minutes before cutting. Catherine found
using a chef’s knife to cut the layers works best to cut through the zucchini
without destroying the layers. Serve with a fresh salad and warm, Italian
garlic bread.
Note: We went light on the cheeses, which gave each square of
lasagna about 1 serving each of the cheeses. If you like a heavier cheese
taste, add more cheese on each layer.
Serve the lasagna with a fresh green salad and some yummy
Italian bread and you have a complete meal.
After
the dishes are done and you’re ready to relax, download Can’t Stop the Music (The Soul Mate Tree Book 2 and
take a trip back to Woodstock 1969 with our heroine Rose and her Italian
stallion Dakota. To whet your appetite, here’s a peek at Rose and Dakota’s
first meeting. Enjoy!
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She looked around to see
if there was anyone else with red hair. Then she glanced up and spotted two
guys, one blond and the other dark-haired, leaning over the side of the bridge.
“Yeah, you,” the blond
called out as he caught her gaze.
Willow halted beside her.
“He’s cute. How about him?”
Rose looked away, her
gaze landing on the other guy.
He jabbed his companion
in the ribs. “Quit trying to pick up every girl you see.” Then he leaned
farther over the rail. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s high.”
“So she’s not beautiful?”
Willow yelled to the hippie.
She poked her friend.
“Stop it, Willow, you’re making a scene.” In spite of her protest, her gaze
remained on the dark-haired guy.
He rested his elbows on
the rail and stared back at her. The intensity of his expression shot heat into
her belly.
“I didn’t say that, just
that she shouldn’t pay attention to him.” He flapped a hand at his blond buddy,
then tapped his own chest with his thumb several times as if to say, ‘Choose
me!’
Does he want me to pay
attention to him? Her heart thumped in rhythm to his jabbing thumb.
“Take that one,” Willow
whispered. “He’s the real cutie.”
Before she could respond,
the crowd pushed them forward. When they reached the other side of the bridge,
she looked back, searching for the dark-haired hippie, but the spot where he’d
stood was empty.
Just my luck. I see
someone who’s intriguing and he disappears.
With a sigh, she
continued the trek to the festival grounds.
C.D.
Hersh–Two hearts creating everlasting love stories.
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors
C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered
their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school
sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and
happily ever after.
They
have a short Christmas story, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas
anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection, with seven other authors. Plus their paranormal series
titled The Turning Stone Chronicles.
They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book
sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real
life.
Join them on social media:
#Woodstock,
#Love, #Food, #Magic, #Paranormal, #Mushrooms, #Zucchini, #Lasagna,
#Can’tStoptheMusic, #TheSoulMateTree, #CatherineCastle, #DonaldHersh, #CDHersh
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