We will have a giveaway for you later either today or tomorrow, but for now some quick notes.
Ingram Spark
BLOOD HEIR is live on Ingram Spark.
That number is 9781641971652.
We are currently working with our bookstore partners to get preorders for signed copies up. Due to COVID, “signed” means the book will have a signed bookplate.
New Story from Jeaniene Frost
New goodies! Details here. While on the subject of Jeaniene Frost, we all know how much she love opossums. Here we go, in honor of BFF Jeaniene.
Like how fat she is. At least she is polite. When there is no food, the raccoons pick up the food ball and bang on the front door with it. Sometimes they knock just like humans. It’s the craziest thing.
Pork Tenderloin
I have found a fool-proof recipe for baked pork tenderloin at Creme de la Crumb. I followed the recipe exactly, and my tenderloin turned out perfect, tender, moist, and best of all, done with no fuss in under an hour. I cut it up prettily, made a sauce for it, and served it with baked potato. Gordon and I had a lovely date in the kitchen.
A word of caution: the rub uses a lot of Italian herbs and the herb flavor is very pronounced. You may like it or you may not. I probably shouldn’t have put quite as much, because I ended up making a fruit/soy based sauce for it.
Sauce:
2 boxes Jumex mango nectar (or any decent mango sauce)
2 large squirts of Kikkoman Sweet Soy Glaze
1/3 cup of brown sugar
A splash of Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water mixed with 1 Tbsp corn starch
I just wanted a quick fruity sauce, so I brought everything except water and starch to boil, and then poured the starch in, while vigorously mixing to thicken it. If I was really high speed, I would’ve doubled the sugar and let it reduce naturally, but I wanted less sugar and sometimes starch is simpler and faster.
Sorry to give you grandma-style recipe, but I wasn’t measuring quantities, and since I mentioned the sauce, someone will inevitably ask in the comments.
Alright, go to go to work.
“Can’t trust that day…”. How r doing better. Is “Down” contagious?
PS Thanks for the recipe and all the Info goodies.
I felt that…today was not my day.
Monday, Monday sometimes it just turns out that waaay…:-)
…”how could you leave and not take me? Every other day of the week is fine, yeah.”
I have this song on my iPod. ????
Thanks for the treats. Tasty food usually improves my day, too. ????
Sounds yummy! Sounds like a nice date night.
Thanks for the information about Blood Heir. Will definitely order it from one of your bookstores. Getting excited about Julie. ✨✨ And The boy wonder. It’s going to be another great series!! Yes, Series!!
I have read everything and was thinking about another go at the Innkeeper. Maybe my third or fourth read. Or maybe Kate.
Always like your recipes.
I didn’t know that an opossum could climb trees so fast. I guess it is the claws. Even a chubby opossum.
I learn something new from you almost every day.
Will order Jeaniene Frost’s books also this year.
Thank you
Is there a direct link for the ingram spark? For some reason nothing shows up when I search that number.
Maybe because I’m on mobile?
Ingram Spark is a wholesaler for bookstores. Likely you want to search at a bookstore or amazon. 🙂
I wanted to make a really nice dinner last night too, so I made prime rib. It’s my husband’s favorite and my son likes it too. I was really happy that it turned out well. ????
Do you have a preference if we buy the physical copy from Amazon or Ingram Spark? I’m happy to buy from either but would like to know if one may be a little more beneficial than the other to House Andrews.
Ingram Spark is a wholeseller for book stores. 🙂
So I went to the ‘IngramSpark.com website and used their search field to look for the number you stated, also searched “ilona andrews” and “blood heir” and I got nuttin’. Nada. Zilch.
🙁
If they’re a ‘wholeseller’ does that mean I can’t buy it through them?
(Please excuse my ignorance).
This middle-man thing of these ‘wholesalers’ makes no sense to me.
If you’ve got the product and there are buyers for it, why not just sell it to whomever wants it?
:/
Yay! I’ve been checking the bookshop link near daily & holding in the panic that it’s not showing yet. No judgment on partnering with Amazon as a seller but I’ve been trying my best not to give them money this year. Happy to hear that I’ll be able to get the book & support a small business instead.
Thank you for the post, Ilona Andrews. Unfortunately Mother has decided no pork consumption allowed for humans but recipe sounds delicious.
College aged Grands already know her as Temperance grandmother due to extremely rigid no alcohol standards. Sigh. Then she complains about Christmas fruit cake being incompetently made. You know a pinch of this and that and splash of liquor. I had no idea until I was grown, married and went to ABC store for “liquor for fruit cake”. I had Grandmother hand written recipe with me so I wasn’t laughed out of store. ????
So enjoy the hmmm, seasonal winter weather weather person said you were having. That would be the freezing rain, ice, snow etc that is headed to eastern coast of USA then North to set another weather record for northeaster storms. ????. Of course weather people might be wrong.
Sounds like you and Gordon had a good date night.
Opossums are definitely unique entities with impressive nasty teeth. Good luck with discouraging their patronage at house Andrews dog and cat water/food bowl area. Sutures and Rabies vaccinations are not pleasant especially human post exposure rabies series.
Thanks for link to Ms Frost website.
Opossoms are immune to rabies and eat lots of ticks.
the rest of the meme…
*pops up* LOVE Santa Possum and Reindeer Possum! I even love them more than Ilona’s video of chubby possum climbing the tree, and that was hilarious.
Go on, Ilona, tell me Santa possum and Reindeer possum aren’t cute–I dare you! Lol.
If you there is any such thing as a fool proof recipe you have not seen me in a kitchen. Any kitchen.
I have pork tenderloin in the freezer so will def have to try this but after I go to Costco for the mango juice, fried herbs, and glaze. I’m a huge instant potter now after getting one so had only been looking at instant pot recipes but will try this one!
Hoping things are better! The week is just starting! Hoping it’s a good week for everyone!
She has an instant pot one on there with balsamic vinegar.
I went and searched for it. I have made that one before!!!
For anyone who is going to make that one, I increased the sauce and it turned out delicious. I researched before I made it and saw that 15 minutes pressure cook was way too long. I did 2 minutes then let it release naturally for 15 minutes and it was cooked fully.
https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/instant-pot-balsamic-pork-tenderloin/
I like pork tenderloin and roast one, two or three times a year. My favorite so far is a variation of Cordon Bleu with Cheddar, chicken breast and Canadian bacon or a spicy thin slice of ham. I will try this recipe with the citrus juice, because I like most variations of ceviche even the German variation, Rollmops (sp. ?), with vinegar instead of citrus juice.
My neighborhood’s trash pickup is Friday morning. My house is downwind and the spill over from the garbage trucks make it to my yard. A FUNYUN snack bag was part if the debris. I thought immediately of Red Deer and its magical inn Gertrude Hunt with a couple of its denizens Lady Caldenia and Orro. Considering the funk our author and many of BDH were in; I recommend a visit to that wonderful place for fun, a lots fun.
Ahem. You just left me there with that delicious description? And no how-to? [sobs quietly into afghan]
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Most grocers sell prepackaged pork tenderloin roasts and they are too narrow. Ask the butcher for one that is four to six inches in diameter. Make sure there is a thin fat layer on one side.
Slice the roast almost through lengthwise (butterfly) lay one layer of thin slices of cheese along the length of the roast.
Cover the cheese with a layer of thin slices of boneless chicken breast. You may substitute the chicken breast with either turkey or chicken sandwich slices.
Cover the chicken with a slice of spicy bacon or ham, you may use Canadian bacon.
On top of all that put another layer of thin slices of cheese.
Place two sprigs of rosemary or thyme over the cheese. I prefer thyme. I have even used thin slices of black Mission figs instead of the thyme for a different sweet flavor.
Depending on the length of the roast, cut enough pieces of cooking string to tie the roast together, about every one and a half to two inches.
Rub salt and pepper on all sides of the roast.
Place the roasting pan on the larger burner of the range at medium heat. Heat a couple of table spoons of cooking oil to the shimmer stage. Using tongs turn the roast until all sides are brown.
I put the browned roast, fat side up, on a rack in the pan. Place the roasting pan in the preheated 350 degree F oven. Cook the roast until its internal temperature is 170 degrees F.
Remove the roast and let it set for 10 to fifteen minutes.
During the resting time make a rue in the roasting pan. Discard all but a third cup of grease in the pan. Place the pan over the larger burner, medium heat, on the range. Pour a couple of table spoons of a red wine of your choice into the heated pan. Scrape loose all the burned pieces in the bottom of pan. Add a cup of hot water to the pan. Mix in a little at a time a quarter cup of flour, salt and pepper to taste. When all that mixture starts to thicken, pour it over the roast.
Cut the roast in one inch slices and serve.
I am one who can’t wait for JF’s Wicked All Night. Between that and Blood Heir, I should be in a happy reading zone for a while. Finish one, read the other when it lands. Repeat. Stop in and tell the authors how much I love them. Repeat. LOL. 🙂
I happened to see my first opossum in the wild last night! I looked out my window when I couldn’t sleep and the neighbor’s security light was on. Sure enough…little round opossum heading for the woods.
We had a large female possum living under our back porch for a while. Once she moved on, Hubby started keeping chickens, so she didn’t return. (we live in a woodland, and before keeping chickens we had quite the menagerie going through the backyard–everything from coyotes to deer to skunks to fox.)
Hubby is currently on a fruit cake bender. He buys them from two different places this time of year. Until a few years ago I never knew what it tasted like. (I’m allergic to tree nuts and wheat) Hubby decided to make me a tree nut and gluten free fruit cake this year. It smells amazing and he’s sprinkling it with cognac. Should be ready to eat in two weeks.
He made one for me about five years ago and it was delicious. This one he’s made with rum in addition to cognac, and I’m really looking forward to it.
The pork recipe looks amazing! I’ll have to see if we can try that next.
Thanks for the ISBN! Just got it ordered for the library.
As no native english speaker could someone please define the Term bookplate for me? I don’t know if something went wrong the last time i ordered one but i got a thin post-it size paper with signatures. It’s totally ok if it’s meant that way but as no native speaker sometimes i got a different picture in mind as it might be meant. Thus “plate“ was somehow different for my “inner eye“.
Regards from lockdown Germany
Book plates are generally small pieces of paper pasted onto the inside covers of books. Historically they have been used to show who owns the book (libraries or fancy nobles or such).
Hope that helps!
I was double checking on Wikipedia, and learned about Book curses (same concept as a bookplate, but added threats of angering gods if you steal the book). And now I’m thinking up ways that I should do that…
I think I saw it somewhere but I can’t find it. Do we have a date for the audio book? Pls and tku!
(I’ll probably cave and just get the ebook version if the audio book isn’t going to be available in a few days)
I had a funny thought today,imagine Harry Potter written by Ilona Andrews, now that would be something…imagine the ending of the last book that actually had an ending where you see the bad guys get it *evil grin*.
Will “your bookstores” be the same three as last time? Or are you changing / adding to the list of stores?
Will a “library binding” (hardback) be available?
As always, I will buy a dead tree version in addition to my ebook. I just would like to know what I will need to do.
Thank you for the other info.
Marsupials are fun. The possum could be expecting instead of overweight. Baby possums are born in multiples of 4 for some reason, though the mama may not rear all of them successfully.
I wish I could justify doing a roast, but I’d be eating nothing else ’til past Christmas – and my microwave just died. ????
Please stay safe. I think the BDH would have a collective heart attack if one of you got sick.
Cool critter, there. And alas, allergies preclude pork on our menu.
Mmmmmmm, pork tenderloin, mmmmmmm. Have you ever tried the sous vide method of cooking? I make tenderloin this way. It’s soooooo easy and it comes out perfect. Every. Single.Time. My hubby got the sous vide stick for me for Christmas last year. Truth be told, it really was more a gift for himself. Definitely going to try your sauce next time I make one. Which will be this weekend, I think. I’ve got a tenderloin in the freezer calling out to me….
Apparently Thanksgiving 2018 or 2019 had a cooking mishap with the prime rib & IA asked about the sous vide. That was my intro. Bought one for my hubby. Best gift received in the history of our marriage.
Perfect timing. I was just grumbling to myself that no matter how good I am at other dishes the freaking pork tenderloin comes out “meh”, every single time.
Its totally ridiculous.
Definitely going to give this recipe a whirl!
We had a possum climb up a camelia to look in our kitchen window. My mother opened the casement window and gave the possum a powdered donut. The possum gently took it, licked off the sugar and holding it in one paw broke pieces off it with the other. She daintily are her donut and climbed back down the bush. The possum showed back up every evening for the next several weeks for her treat! On her last few trips she brought a baby with her.
I love pork tenderloin and this looks like it might be great with polenta. Thanks!
Where is the bookshop link? Can I still pre-order?
Holy Crap! I just realized we’re half way through December, and Blood Heir is less then a month away. ????
This made me so happy and completely made up for a blah Monday. I’m so excited!
Also, will order a physical copy to support our book stores. Any specific stores that you’d prefer we order from (with the HL book you had three sellers as preferred)?
If you want to see fat mammals, look at the raccoon whisperer channel on YouTube.
As I commented above, pork is no longer a viable choice here, due to allergies. This recipe is one we enjoyed, before the problem became apparent.
Barbecued Pork On Buns “River Road Recipes, pg. 154
1 1/2 c.s water
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
4 tsp.s mustard
2 tsp.s salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper
2 slices lemon
2 chopped medium onions
1/4 c. butter
4 c.s thinly sliced left-over pork roast
1 c. catsup
3 tbsp.s Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. chopped celery (optional)
1/2 c. ripe olives, chopped (optional)
In a dutch oven combine first nine ingredients. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Add meat, catsup, and Worcestershire sauce.Simmer slowly 45 minutes. If desired, add celery and olives before serving. Serve on buns or French bread.
We didn’t add the celery or olives, and I think we simmered a couple of small pork loins in the liquids, rather than using cooked meat. I still have fond memories of it, served on slightly sweet rolls.
I made a pork roast this weekend too except with maple mustard sauce . It has thyme , garlic and Rosemary spices. I use wondra flour and white wine to make the sauce . Mine was for family dinner.
I love seeing the wildlife. My wildlife camera confirmed a fox is actual has a den in the scrub pile on the other side of my (chain link) fence. A little unnerving but really cool. I also have a family of raccoons but I haven’t seen a them as much lately.
The photos of the teacups reminds me of when I did field work in Turkey and we had to sit with the mayor and talk while drinking tea before we could do anything. I never did figure out how to drink tea without burning my fingers! But I did bring home a tea set for my mother.
I prefer my own style of cooking, since my taste doesn’t run to as sweet as yours apparently does, but I do enjoy reading the recipes you post.
First, thank you SO much for the intro to Jeaniene Frost! I was desperately searching for something fun to read while I was waiting for Blood Heir, when you mentioned her in another post. Shortly thereafter, I met Cat and Bones — and all the rest of the gang. Now, I’m burning up my Amazon account buying one or two books a day – I read fast! Yesterday, I bought all four of the novellas that fill in the blanks between the first four regular novels. I MAY be able to make the series last until January, but I doubt it!
Secondly, be very careful about your fur babies around the opossums. I used to live in California, in a subdivision that had been built in an old lemon grove and there were still many of the trees around, which tended to drop fruit on the ground. One night, my cat decided he didn’t approve of the invader in our lemon trees, and went to defend them. I broke up the fight with a broom, and chased the critter off — and then spent the evening at the emergency vet getting 16 stitches in the cat’s shoulder. Fortunately, the ‘possum didn’t have rabies …
I also met JF from this blog. As much as I love Cat & Bones I almost liked Vlad’s 4 books best. Ian’s are pretty good too.
Mmmm, sounds good.
So excited for the release! Sorry if you’ve already answered this, but will there be an audio version available at some point?
Also, my favorite possum, Mushroom ???? https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbNn2jlGio/?igshid=1pvz5uv9am2ht
Ooops, I mean Opossum ????
Sorry to bug you for something this silly, but there appears to be no way for mere mortals like myself to actually order Blood Heir on IngramSpark. I made an account and can’t get past all the Author Agreements to sign. (Since I’ve already written and published three books elsewhere, I don’t want to accidentally sign away rights to those!)
Wherever did you go to get the Place Order button to show up for this?
Ingram is a wholesaler for bookstores. Individual copies can’t be ordered.
Your recipe looks good, you might like this one – I wrote it down some 20 years ago from a PBS show featuring chef Caprial and her husband (John?) – it’s really good:
3 lb. boneless pork tenderloin
olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. rosemary leaves, chopped
1/4 c. brown sugar.
Preheat oven to 300 deg.
Mix vinegar, garlic, rosemary and sugar in small saucepan,
bring to boil, lower heat and simmer 5 minutes. Set aside.
Salt and pepper pork, brown well in oven-proof skillet in
a small amount of olive oil. Brush with glaze and put in
oven for 15 minutes. Brush again, and continue to roast
for 15 – 20 minutes, or until internal temperature is at
145 deg. Let sit 3 minutes before slicing.
Hello! If I bought a copy on Amazon in Germany, will I get a signed copy too?
I used to make something like this. After years we got bored of Italian seasonings so I switched to jerk or curry seasoning and I make a fruit sauce using no-sugar apricot preserves (I have also used peach and pineapple. If you use a red or purple colored fruit spread the pork looks much less appetizing.) I heat it and add chicken broth, whichever seasoning I put on the pork, and usually chopped pineapple or mandarin oranges. It’s sweeter but not high in sugar and a little spicy. I don’t measure either but if someone asks I can estimate.
I forgot to say I reduce it until it’s a glaze thickness.
Opossum might not be fat; she might be carrying babies in her pouch ????
Not related to the current post, but given that you both seem to enjoy… unusual real estate listing: https://www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/1926-W-Burnside-St-97209/unit-1602/home/25781246?fbclid=IwAR37s58_yKSWbr7pHi9ydK_2Cau3rOb6VeDS69t3XHTQIMOsNfeU9_RmYYk
So you write and can cook too… What did I get in the genetic lottery? Sarcastic tongue and ability to kill any plant even when trying sooooo very hard to keep them alive. Just saying life is not fair ????
Your raccoons are hilarious! But yeah, I know what those little rascals are like. We learned pretty fast not to leave dry cat food in dishes on the porch. They will come peer in the screen door to let you know they need more, LOL!
BTW, def trying the pork recipe, but also serious thanks for the link; I have a new favorite recipe website! Going to make those quick cinnamon rolls too.
Thank you for the update on Jeanine Frost. I went over to read about that.
I am such a slacker! when I get a pork roast I cut it into three pieces, dump them in my Crock pot, and pour my favorite BBQ sauce over it. I cook the heck out of it for five hours and then shred the meat and put it in a bun. Great and easy pulled pork!