Blog - Page 41 of 48 - Debra Sennefelder

Happy June!

It’s June 1st. Wow! It’s hard to believe we’re half way through 2016. I had a feeling that 2016 was going to be a good year and so far, it is pretty good. At the end of March I signed with an agent to represent my cozy mystery series! Very, very excited about that. I’m currently working on the second book in the series. In fact, over the three day weekend I wrote 10,017 words. That was pretty awesome.

But it hasn’t been all work. I’ve gotten some play in. And I have pictures!

Today was a perfect late spring day to get the dogs outside so I took them to their pen. Susie ran around and rolled several times. Boy, she just body slams the grass. LOL. Meanwhile, Billy stood close to me. I had him on a lead and walked him around several times so he could sniff and get some fresh air. He’s pretty much completely blind so letting him loose in the pen wasn’t a good idea. I think he would have been too disoriented.

Just as I snapped the photo, she turned her head. So typically Susie. 🙂

When she was ready for her photo to be taken she posed.

Here’s Billy.

Billy was ready for his close-up. 🙂

While I was at a writer’s conference in April I visited a knitting shop with my roommate, fellow author Megan Ryder, and I fell in love with a sample baby blanket and knew it would perfect for a certain little guy. So I bought yarn and a circular knitting needle. And I’ve finally had the time to start the project. Here’s my work in progress.

In the above picture you can see a glimpse of my new knitting tote. Before we hit the knitting shop we stopped in Michael’s (we needed to get a few things for Megan’s basket for the raffle) and we came across the prettiest totes. I couldn’t resist. Then I found the yarn and then it all came together. My yarn needed a bag!

I hope you have a great start to June. This month I want to finish the blanket and I have to continue writing the first draft of the second book in my mystery series. What are you up to this month?

Writing

Plotting a little murder.

Dreary day. Sticky notes. Plotting board. Coffee. I spent time over the weekend laying out book two in my cozy mystery series.

Friday Faves

Friday Faves #5

Happy Friday!

Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? Well, you have to see a photo of it. I hear angels singing, I really do. Three layers of dreamy yumminess (not sure if that’s a real word).

This is an adorable fun way to welcome spring. Cheryl shows us how to make Easy Spring Door Umbrellas. With snow coming in a couple of days this bright, cheery craft keeps me hoping that spring weather is not that far away.

I think because we’ve had a brief taste of warmer weather and in a matter of hours the temperatures will dip and snow will arrive I’m craving anything summery and this Homemade Salsa Fresca recipe is calling to me.

Have a great Friday!

Debra

Baking, Quick Breads

White Chocolate Scones

ByDebra Sennefelder | On March 29,16 | 1 Comment

It seems like a forever since I’ve tied on an apron, pulled out the flour canister and rolled up my sleeves to do some baking. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of bad news, a beautiful destination wedding , a holiday and a (finally) completed partial submission to an agent. To break my non-baking period and to welcome the new season of spring I opted to baked up a batch of scones. There’s just something about spring and scones that speaks to me.

Baking is my yoga. It’s where I go when I need to find balance, to center myself. Baking requires that you give your full one hundred percent attention or else you’ll end up with a loaf of Irish Soda bread minus the sugar (yeah, that happened). Baking allows me to step away from reality for a brief period of time and not think about what’s going on around me. For a little while it’s just me and the ingredients and a recipe.

Baking is also what I do when I want to celebrate a holiday, an event or an accomplishment. So much has happened over the past few weeks, the biggest for me is that I’ve completed the partial to submit to an agent. Query letter, synopsis, three chapters and a marketing plan all done! That definitely requires a celebration. Below is my celebration, followed by some time on the treadmill. Balance, you know. 🙂

These scones are light and sweet and one is just never enough. They also come together quickly and easily so if you need to serve something up at the last minute this will be a perfect go-to recipe for you to have in your recipe box.

What recipe speaks to you when spring rolls around?

White Chocolate Scones

Author: Debra Sennefelder

Light and sweet, these scones are perfect for breakfast or a mid-day snack.

Ingredients

1 egg (slightly beaten)
Buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

Place egg in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough buttermilk to equal 1 cup, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins and white chocolate chips. Add milk and egg mixture. Stir until dough clings together.
Drop dough, use 1/4 cup measure, onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Six-Sentence Sunday

Six-Sentence Sunday #7

Happy Sunday!

Excerpt:

If Audrey had noticed Janine arrival she never let it show.

“I use leaves that I’ve raked up in autumn and pile them around each rose plant,” Audrey said standing in front of her expansive rose garden. “Then I wrap them in burlap and as you can see that there’s been very little, if any, damage to them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hope noticed that Janine had caught up with them and stood dead silent behind them.