Fan Appreciation

And the winner is Tammy. If you'll send me your snail mail addy to joannawayne@hotmail.com, I'll get that in the mail to you.

Okay, I have to say that Intrigue has the best fans in the world. I can't count the number of fan letters and emails I've received about the Sons of Troy Ledger series. At first I worried about keeping the interest of readers over five books. Now I'm getting  letters saying they hate for the series to end. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel.

So I was thinking what can I do for our readers--besides giving away books--which I'll do today. I'll randomly choose two winners to receive books, but you'll have to check the post again in the next couple of days to see if you were a winner. If you are, I'll need your snail mail addy.

So what can I do? Tell you what, I'll share one of my favorite recipes with you, a great dish to warm you up on a cold night and oh so easy to make. It's the same kind of dish I imagine them eating around the Ledger dinner table. If you try it, let me know what you think.

                  Hamburger/Black-eyed Pea Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 small to medium onion, finely chopped

2 small garlic cloves, minced

2 (15 oz) cans black-eyed peas

1 can Rotel tomatoes

2 cups cooked rice (white or brown)

1 cup sharp grated cheese, plus another 1/2 cup for topping   (I LOVE cheese.)

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown beef in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic. Mix in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, rice, 1 cup of cheese, butter and salt and pepper. Spoon into casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until bubbly.

I usually serve this with a pan of hot cornbread. Hubby loves it. Hope your family will, too. Or if you live alone, freeze the extra into serving size portions and have it on nights you only want to eat and read.

Hugs to all,

Joanna