Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
Posted on: December 7th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
A chance to win a Nook or Kindle before Christmas
I’m giving away one Nook and one Kindle this Christmas season. All you have to do to be eligible is join my mailing list. Go here:
https://www.facebook.com/awriterafoot?sk=app_4949752878
Posted on: November 30th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
Just noticed that the digital price for A Piece of Heaven has dropped to $4.99. Check it out at
Barnes and Noble Nook Store
Amazon Kindle Store
First Chapter
Filler from The Taos News: Full Moon FactsThe full moon is the phase of the Moon in which it is fully illuminated as seen from Earth, at the point when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. The full moon reaches its highest elevation at midnight. High tides. Names for the August and September full moon: Full Red Moon, Full Green Corn Moon, Full Sturgeon Moon.
It was a good thing for …
Posted on: August 30th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
A reader wrote to me recently with these comments:
I just finished another of your books and I really enjoy them……In your stories the women drink a variety of teas…..I’d like to find a good breakfast tea to replace coffee in the morning, is there one that you would recommend? So many choices on the shelves its
confusing……
Although I didn’t realize the characters in my novels drink a lot of tea, it really is not surprising, since I am a serious tea drinker. Always have been. When the Englishman entered my life, that particular habit found a cozy spot and settled in for good. We always drink tea first thing …
Posted on: July 21st, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
If you only read my blog here, you would think I had disappeared into the far reaches of Tasmania, but in fact, dear readers, I have been blogging twice a month at The Lipstick Chronicles, with a group of very entertaining and interesting women writers. I am posting there the first and third Friday of every month, and here are the opening paragraphs of the most recent three. Stop by!
Ian and the Blue Gill
Three women, ranging in age from senior to ancient, are settled in a half circle at the end of the dock. The chairs have been dragged down to the pond from the main house, metal lawn chairs with green and white woven seats. My young son and …
Posted on: March 14th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
Time sensitive! Bids must be in by March 20! Writers for the Red Cross auctions are going on this month, and we can all see what an amazing job they are always doing, but even more so when something like an earthquake or tsunami wipes out cities.
Help raise funds and get a How to Bake a Perfect Life package for your book club. Go to http://www.writersfortheredcross.org/baking-a-perfect-life-in-a-box/#respond to make a bid on a package that includes: 5 signed copies of How to Bake a Perfect Life, a celebratory signed apron, a sourdough crock and starter yeast, a collection of colorful spatulas, and a handwritten collection of the author’s favorite bread recipes.
Posted on: March 11th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
You may not know that I blog regularly in several other places. One of them is at The Lipstick Chronicles, every other Friday (alternating with such luminaries as Joshilyn Jackson and Diane Chamberlain). This morning, I have posted a story of my grandmother, a garden we grew, and my hatred of rhubarb. Don’t miss the recipe for rhubarb pie in the comments.
I also blog regularly on random topics at my long-time blog, A Writer Afoot, where I write about travel, gardens, food, books, writing….pretty much everything. Here is a recent post about the urban farm we’re putting the backyard this summer: An Organic Farm!
Also, I am aware of the slow speed of these pages. We’re …
Posted on: February 17th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
Chicken and Dumplings

I had an aggravating day yesterday and decided I wanted something soothing and delicious for supper. There was a whole chicken in the fridge, so I took it out, washed it, and threw it in a big pot. You can do the same.
1 whole chicken, washed and entrails removed
Water to cover
10 peppercorns
2-3 stalks of celery (I keep them in the freezer, cut up, for just this sort of moment)
1 medium red onion
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
2 tsp of thyme
1 tsp sage
2 tsp kosher salt
Put everything into a big pot and heat to boiling, then cover pot and turn the heat down to medium low. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for three or four …
Posted on: February 9th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
(A recipe from How to Bake a Perfect Life. )
These are actual texts from my sister a few days ago:
Feb 5, 2011 7:13 pm
Making sunshine fruit and honey bread
Feb 6, 2011 12:36 pm
OMG OMG OMG. That bread is soooooo good I could prolly eat the whole thing!!!
Feb. 7, 2011 12:26 pm
I can’t stop eating this bread ! I feel like the guy in the window in Chocolat. LOL
———
I can’t promise you will like it as much as she does, but it’s one of my favorites, too. It would be an excellent offering at a book club.
RAMONA’S BOOK OF BREADS
Sunshine Fruit and Honey Bread
Sometimes a recipe is born …
Posted on: January 26th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
The Brits get a bad name over food, but I’m here to say there is a lot that’s lovely about British cooking. Saveur Magazine has a feature
today on their website about British Pub Food. I receive their emails and clicked right through to find this lovely menu:
Welsh Rabbit, which I thought for years was Rarebit, no idea why, and is only cheese and toast. How simple and lovely is that?
Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, served bloody rare, which I loathe. Not a fan of roast beef, though I love the gravy, and that gravy is a wonder with Yorkshire puddings.
Beef and Guinness pie . I once …
Posted on: January 19th, 2011 by Barbara O'Neal
My publisher had a few of these aprons made for How to Bake a Perfect Life. You can win one of them (autographed if you like) by simply posting a response here on this page (or on Facebook).