Mini Rant & Major Gallery

 

WEATHER BULLETIN:  During last weekend's record-breaking deep-freeze, Central Florida was colder than Iceland! A major blueberry farm (40% of Florida's output) lost its ENTIRE crop, 300 pickers & packers out of work, no blueberries for our supermarkets. I lost a mass of vines that were impossible to protect. Major cleanup. Sigh. 

 

Mini Rant:

I keep a notebook with lists of authors I enjoy, their series, and frequently, the titles, in order, of the books within that series. Mostly, so I always have a handy-dandy list of what I've read and where to look for my next book. Also, so when I wish to re-read a series, I can do it in the right order without painstaking research on Amazon Kindle. Recently, I have been making my way through the many series of a highly prolific author I didn't discover until this past year. Light reading but enjoyable. (Eye & brain candy, if you will.) And then I started a series where the errors in grammar, even word definition, were so appalling they knocked me right out of the story. Even the college-educated characters spoke English as if they belonged to what my father called the "dese, dose, and dem boys."

I can only assume this was one of the author's early series, but Wow! Did that person not realize he/she wasn't paying attention in English class? Please, would-be DIY authors, if you know English was not your strong-point in school, do your readers the courtesy of having someone check over your book before you self-publish it.

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Below, an unusually extensive Gallery—I seem to have acquired a remarkable number of interesting pics over the last couple of weeks.

Headline news first 

 

 

By Michael F. DuBois

Florida

Panther sightings extremely rare

Monster Grouper, caught 100 miles off Sarasota

And even more amazing - in Venice, the Gulf-front town where I lived for 25 years . . . (I saw icicles once & a tornado, but SNOW . . . ?)

WOW!

 

Sunset Trailer, Flagstaff, AZ

Extra Special Deer Photo by Susan Coventry

And last for this week . . . our hope for future space exploration. Sadly, imminent crewed moon launch postponed due to a hydrogen leak & some other unacceptable event in this week's "final" test before launch. Astronauts released from quarantine, allowed to return to families. The Space Coast - and all of Central Florida - are keeping our fingers crossed. We're told, "Nothing before sometime in March." (If you still don't get it, this will be the first crewed mission around the moon in FIFTY years.)

 

Artemis II - on the launch-pad

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Featured Book of the Week

This is a mystery with really authentic background. For three of the twenty-five years I lived in Venice, FL, I ran a costume shop, call DreamWeaver. It was a truly fun time. My daughter Susie was in high school and helped out during our busy Halloween Season. The description of the Venice/Nokomis setting is also authentic. Amazing town, Venice—turned into an "island" by the building of the Intracoastal Waterway, access only over one of three bridges. 

 

 

Costume designers are not detectives. But when a customer ends up dead in Gwyn Halliday's best Santa suit and a senior friend is threatened, what's a girl to do? And besides, a bit of investigation might promote a better acquaintance with the hunky new police chief, not to mention reestablish an old acquaintance with a friend suffering from PTSD, who now needs her as much as she needs him. 

Main Street, Venice, FL

 

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Hoppin' John, a Southern Tradition

 

MAJOR milestone - the first grandchild to graduate college (in May) - has just accepted a job offer from Lockheed Martin (where she has been interning for some time) at a figure that made our eyes pop. Then again, anyone who could survive the agony of getting a degree in Astro-Engineering is likely worth the salary offered. As mentioned before, you'd never guess just by looking at her! Our extended family got together at Kobe Steakhouse for a celebration dinner. Below, Hailey getting Kobe's "birthday cupcake" as I doubt they have many Job-celebration dinners. P.S. It's one of those jobs to which the question of what will she be doing can only be answered by that classic:  "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

 

Gramma Grace got into the act, telling a story with a surprise Lockheed Martin twist. Thank you, Tim Hanes!

 

Although Cassidy was back from her trip to Costa Rica, she was not able to make the long drive from Florida Tech to Longwood & back in the middle of the week. But here she is in the pic below.

 Terry Baber, who used to play in a band with Mike and whose girls played with the grandgirls, moved to the West Coast quite a few years ago, but he has kept in touch through Facebook, with both musical posts and belly laughs. Below, "Couch Potato."

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Below, the last of three recipes that come under the category of "Recipes My Mother Never Taught Me." My mother, whose background was several generations of mid-Westerners, with an ancestry of English, Welsh, Irish, and French, was an excellent cook, but from the era of fried chicken, fried pork chops, baked ham, pot roast, etc. All her spare time was used to write children's books, so where I got my fascination with recipe books, recipe books, and more recipe books I have no idea.

My last two blogs have featured recipes with Spanish and French origins. Today's is just as "foreign" to me (born in Nebraska but raised in New England). Hoppin' John is evidently a New Year's tradition in the South, allegedly bringing Health, Happiness, and Long Life. Though its flavor is not quite as exotic as Picadillo or Cassoulet, it's a one-dish meal that is easy to put together. It's tasty, reheats and freezes well. So why not give it a try?

This recipe is from Taste of Home's Cast Iron Cookbook, March 2022. 

Grace Notes:  Cast iron skillet not needed. But, as with other recipes with a good number of ingredients, it's less hassle if you "prep" the actual assembly: cut up bacon, pepper, celery & green onions (refrigerate); lay out all the spices, so you're not rummaging through the spice cupboard while the water boils away!

HOPPIN' JOHN

½ lb. sliced bacon, cut in 1" pieces

1 small green or red pepper, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped (or thinly sliced)

6 green onions, sliced

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

2 cups water

¼ teaspoon salt

½ - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*

½ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 15-oz. can black-eyed peas, rinsed & drained

*I use no more than a ¼ teaspoon 

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels. Discard drippings, except for 2 tablespoons. Sauté pepper, celery & onions in drippings until almost tender. Add rice, water, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add black-eyed peas and bacon; simmer, covered, 10 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed. Discard bay leaf.

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Featured Book of the Week:

The subject of Brides of Falconfell, my first Regency Gothic, came up at Hailey's party, so I'm making it my Book of the Week. This is the result of my missing that staple of the fifties and sixties, as well as realizing that Gothic novels did not have to be Victorian or Contemporary. The combination of Suspense, Mystery, and Romance could be placed in any setting or time period. Hence the creation of what became my specialty, as well as favorite genre—the Regency Gothic.

                                 

 Miss Serena Farnsworth, spinster, is a managing female, the crutch for her extended family, for whom she functions as nurse, companion, and household organizer. In short, she lives a life of service, devoid of romance. Until she is invited to attend an invalid at a gloomy Gothic-style estate in Northumberland, where she encounters two suspicious deaths, personal animosity, a needy child, and even needier father. Add witchcraft, shake (sink) holes, Mid-summer Eve revels, and a variety of odd characters, as well as the certainty someone is trying to killer her, and Serena finds herself surrounded by a miasma of evil. The lord of the manor should be of help, but he, alas, is a prime suspect in the murder of the Brides of Falconfell.

Author's Note: "Brides of Falconfell" is a tribute to the great era of Gothic novels, written by Victoria Holt, Jane Aiken Hodge, Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, and other talented authors of that time. The books—more "Jane Eyre" and "Rebecca" than "Pride and Prejudice"—have several common elements: they are told in first person, as both heroine and reader must be isolated, unable to know what the other characters are thinking. Frequently, the heroines are married and begin to suspect their husbands of murder. There is often a child, usually the hero's from a previous marriage. A large, gloomy mansion is a must, where murder, madness, and evil abound, with the heroine escaping death by the skin of her teeth. I have put all these conventions in Brides of Falconfell and chosen an isolated location at the very "top" of England as a setting. I hope you will enjoy my personal attempt at "Gothic Revival." 

Blair Bancroft

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Cassoulet - Another Truly Tasty Recipe

 

 Cleaned my office this week (a rare occasion!), and discovered two sticky-note scribbles that I don't believe I have ever shared. Both, I believe, from Facebook. So, here they are:

"Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity."

Will Smith  

 "A writer is a writer not because she has amazing talent. A writer is a writer because even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway." (No attribution)

 

The Reale family made an impromptu visit to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for the new year.

Hailey, Riley, Cassidy

 

 

Mike, Susie, Riley, Cassidy, Hailey*

 *Three in Gramma's "cat hats."

 

Close-up of Riley wearing Gramma's "flag" cat hat

 

Reale Family Fun in Gatlinburg

 

And then on January 18, no need to travel farther than the Florida Panhandle to see snow . . .

Blackwater River State Forest, near Baker, FL: 

Photo by Alan Jonny

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Cassoulet, like Picadillo, is extremely flavorful, and easier to make (fewer ingredients)—its origins French instead of Spanish. Please note the 90-minute baking time.

From the Cookbook I created for the grandgirls in 2021 . . .

CASSOULET

This is one of those recipes that appears to be completely ordinary but has an extraordinary flavor. Well worth trying.


½ lb. bulk sausage*
1 small onion, sliced (½ cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ lb. (1½ cups) cubed cooked ham
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
1 bay leaf
2 15-oz. cans navy beans
¼ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
Dash, ground cloves (not too much)

*I use Jimmy Dean.

In skillet, cook sausage, onion & garlic until meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Drain excess liquid & turn heat to Medium. Add ham, parsley and bay leaf; mix well. Stir in undrained beans, wine & cloves. Pour into 1½-2 qt. casserole. Bake, covered, at 325° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 40-45 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Serve in bowls. Serves 6.  

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 Book of the Week:

Shadowed Paradise was my first attempt at Romantic Suspense. And a remarkable amount of it is based on my own experience of moving to Florida after spending most of my life in New England. Believe me, the wrench was epic! A number of other events are also based on actual events, including the giant spider. (My home in Venice seems to have been built on their native habitat!)

 

When Claire Langdon's affluent, near-fairytale life in New York is shattered by scandal, she and her eight-year-old son Jamie take refuge with her grandmother in Florida. Once a bright, confident young woman, Claire has been so badly hurt that when she stumbles onto a genuine downhome hero, learning to trust, to love again, seem beyond her reach. She is also forced to deal with the discovery that there are more serious dangers in Florida than alligators, snakes, spiders, and macho males. Like a serial killer, with her name on his list.

Reviews:

"Marvelously versatile, wondrously creative, intelligently written and sensuously inventive, Bancroft's Shadowed Paradise adds new meaning to the therm 'romantic suspense.' . . . as fresh as tomorrow and seriously scary. I loved it."
Celia Merenyi, A Romance Review

"Shadowed Paradise contains all the elements I so enjoy in a book, excellent dialogue, great character development and fine descriptive scenes. The romance is steamy, the suspense is taut and exciting, and the result is a supremely satisfying, well-developed read, guaranteed to keep you glued throughout."
Astrid Kinn, Romance Reviews Today 

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Picadillo - the tastiest recipe around!

Next Blog:  January 24, 2026

[Present blog really popular - 3,341 views in one day alone, averaging 2500+ on multiple continents (including Singapore, Kenya, Brazil, the U.S. and umpteen other countries around the globe). The manatees? Or do we have a lot of "foodies" out there? Whatever the reason, thank you all for your interest!] 

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Every winter, hundreds of manatees take shelter from the cold at Blue Springs State Park, not far from where I live. When the TV news announced that 679 had arrived during the cold snap just before Christmas, I informed my middle grandgirl as I knew she and her boyfriend would be interested (but with the qualification not to go until the tourists went home! I've been in the car line-up waiting to get in, and it ain't pretty.) So this past Sunday, Riley and Donald went to Blue Springs. The manatee counter sign said 479 manatees were currently in residence. (I believe the Park Service has a net across the entrance with an entry chute, complete with counter.) Below, two of the many pics Riley took.

 

The Reale family has an over-sized Golden Retriever, named Kylo—uber friendly—but my son-in-law caught him in a sprawl on the couch, taking a pic he sent to the extended family, labeled "Broken Dog." Talk about relaxed!

 

 

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Grace Note:  I've featured this Picadillo recipe before, but it's well worth a repeat. 

A few days ago, I suddenly realized I hadn't cooked Picadillo in a while—and immediately put together a list of what I needed to buy to make it. 

What on earth is Picadillo? (peek-a-dee-o, not pick-a-dill-o.) Well, I didn't know either until I moved to East Orlando—strong on those of Latin American heritage—in 2007. Where did I first see the recipe? Perhaps in the Orlando Sentinel. I was so intrigued by the amazing taste, I kept checking recipes, finally coming up with the following. (As noted, the varieties are as numerous as there are cooks.)

Special Note:  For spry young cooks, no problem. But if you're older, you might want to lay out all the ingredients ahead of time:  chop onion & garlic, lay out vinegar, raisins, canned tomatoes, green olives, slivered almonds & beef broth. Also, dig through your spice cupboard, laying out the whole slew of spices you'll need.

Picadillo is the absolute best thing I know to do with a pound of hamburger. Try it, you'll like it! (Don't forget to make the rice!)

 

PICADILLO

olive oil
1 lb. ground beef (1.25 or thereabouts is fine)
1 onion, chopped or sliced into small bits
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (dry minced will do in a pinch)
1 can (14½ oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
¼ - ½ cup golden raisins*
¼ - ½ cup sliced green olives
¼ - ½ cups slivered almonds
capers, to taste (optional)
½ - 1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
c. ½ teaspoon salt - less if using capers
c. 3/4 cup beef broth - or heaping teaspon of beef granules + 3/4 cup water

*regular raisins can be substituted, but it’s just not the same

Brown ground beef in small amount of hot olive oil in large nonstick skillet, adding onion & garlic when beef is nearly brown (& turning down heat to medium). Cook until onions are soft (translucent). Drain liquid.  Add tomatoes with juice, raisins, olives, almonds, capers (opt.) & all seasonings. Add beef broth. Stir to mix well. Simmer c. 30 minutes for best mix of flavors

While picadillo simmers, cook enough white rice to serve each person. Serve picadillo over rice, with added almonds, if desired. 

Note: picadillo varies according to who makes it - some add apple, some use tomato sauce, some use tomato paste, etc.  Adjust the amount of raisins, olives, almonds, & capers to suit your family’s taste. 

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To keep in step with our Picadillo recipe, this week's featured book is Florida Wild, a contemporary mystery featuring a heroine with Latin American ancestors.

 

 It's far from smooth sailing as Cass Wilder, a fledgling PI of mixed heritage, helps an American James Bond track his missing sister through a maze of backwoods Florida, redneck militias, and Middle-eastern politics. Action, romance, and occasional whimsy mark this tale of the Florida visitors seldom see. And of conditions where Romance is forced to take a back seat to Action.

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For a link to Blair's website & editing info*, click here. 

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 Missed in the Holiday Gallery, my Regency novel which features not only a "purchased" husband, but dicey politics, and lengthy Christmas celebrations, so here it is—one of my favorites, heartily recommended for any time of the year.

 Miss Aurelia Trevor has a problem. Until she reaches the age of twenty-five, she will have no control over her beloved Pevensey Park, and by that time her unscrupulous uncle will have run it into the ground. Marriage to someone other than her uncle's leering son is her only way out, but, one by one, she rejects the men on her list of suitors. In desperation, Aurelia does the unthinkable. She hires a solicitor to find her a husband strong enough to stand up to both her uncle and her cousin. And soon learns the truth of that old adage: Be careful what you wish for.

Thomas Lanning is a man of the City. Unlike Aurelia, who stands to inherit vast land and wealth, he has made his own place in the world. He is not at all tempted by the suggestion of marriage to an heiress, but other considerations, such as a power base for a seat in Parliament, tweak his interest. Plus an unexpected twinge of chivalry when he hears the full extent of Miss Trevor's difficulties with her uncle and his family.

Aurelia, who only wants to live in peace on her acres, finds she has acquired a ready-made family in Thomas's younger sister and brother, as well as a head-strong husband whose campaign for MP fills her household with a shockingly odd assortment of characters. It seems her marriage of convenience is fast becoming a marriage of inconvenience. Just how far will this strong-willed pair bend to accommodate each other? And will they do it before it's too late? 

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 To round out the holiday, a gallery of pics I hope you'll enjoy. 

The first is so spectacular that most will take one look and scream, "AI!" So I am posting all of the message that went with it. Hopefully, I'm not mistaken when I say I believe this photo is the real thing. Setting:  Alaska

 Photographer Adam Norlin was chasing a mysterious blue flash above the frigid sea, where winter bioluminescence painted shimmering threads on the

But as he focused his lens on the sea, the unexpected happened…

Suddenly, in a flash, the sky erupted with a display unlike anything nature had ever witnessed:

A tornado formed far above the sea

Two rainbows illuminated the scene

Lightning streaked across the sky above the mountain

Three breathtaking weather phenomena emerged from a single storm, appearing simultaneously, as if nature had decided to reveal its most beautiful secrets all at once—and this spectacle lasted only four minutes… surreal minutes that combined power, beauty, and wonder.

A scene like this not only reminds us of the grandeur of our planet, but perhaps also warns us that nature is still capable of surprising us, and that behind this beauty lies a silent message still waiting to be understood.

 A quick jump to the far side of the world - Australia

"Liquid Gold" - Gold Coast, Australia

 Now back to Seminole County, Florida, on December 30, 2025. 

I have lived in Longwood for ten years and never seen such a sunset, even though my view was obscured by trees and a tall hedge. The sky, both west and south, was lit up with amazing red, rose, and pink striations. A few miles to the north, my daughter, however, managed to catch the pic below. (My view in Longwood was more pink than Susie's photo.)

Sunset, Seminole Cty, FL, 12/30/25

 

And, of course, we have to have Winter Solstice Sunrise at Stonehenge.

 

 

There are, of course, other items of interest in Florida other than sunsets . . .

 

Myakka State Park, FL*

 

*Myakka State Park is about half-way between Sarasota and Venice, Florida, and chockful of alligators. Also flamingos and other exotic Florida birds. We always took guests on the tour boat around the lake. (I presume it's still running, tho' I've been in Orlando since 2007. Highly recommended - alligators galore!) 

And as a goodbye to the Holiday Season, my Christmas Tree from 2017:

 

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Featured Book of the Week:

I chose Rebel Princess, Book 1 of the Blue Moon Rising series, to lead us back to reality after "time out" to enjoy the holidays. Sometimes, as this SciFi Fantasy series illustrates, rebellion against tyranny is necessary. (Rebel Princess was intended to be a single novel of love and rebellion in a galaxy far, far away, but it refused to conform to my initial vision, taking four books to tell the tale, plus a spin-off that takes place a few years later.)

 The Princess Royal of a pacifist planet, whose people have spent a thousand years developing their powers of the mind, stages a personal rebellion, joining the space academy of a planet that has spent a millennium developing its military might. This odd pairing goes well until her senior year when her new "friends" turn on her. Only the swift action of an honorable huntership captain saves her from rape and possible medical experimentation. As a very special prisoner of war, she spends four years in solitary confinement, where she dreams of her rescuer but has no idea she has inadvertently sparked a rebellion against the military planet's vast Empire.

When the princess-in-disguise is finally freed and tossed into the middle of the Rebellion, she discovers there is a sharp contrast between her fantasy version of the man who rescued her and the flesh and blood starship captain leading the rebellion. She must also cope with his followers who fear her psychic powers, a fey younger brother who speaks only through illusions, royal parents with strict belief in non-violence, and a fiancé who happens to be a sorcerer. It would appear the hope of toppling the Empire is a dim light at the end of a very long tunnel.

Other books in the series:  Sorcerer's Bride, The Bastard Prince, Royal Rebellion

The spin-off: The Crucible Kingdom  

 

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For a link to Blair's website & editing info*, click here. 

For Archives, see the menu on the right. 

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