Author in the Kitchen: Winter Warm Up Soup Served by Helen Carpenter...

Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it in a pot nine days old. Remember the Mother Goose “pease porridge” rhyme? While today we may think of porridge as cereal, in the sixteenth century, “porridge” was a derivation of “pottage” or “potage” meaning cooking pot. “Chowder” also comes from the word pot, via the French “cauldron.”

However you like your soup—hot, cold, or nine days old—combining savory ingredients in a pot and letting the flavors mingle is a time-tested menu favorite.

But what if you want your soup NOW? Well, you’re our kind of person, and we have just the recipe for you. Using already cooked ingredients makes this soup a quick lunch, ready in twenty minutes or less.

Corny Ham Chowder

1 cup milk
1 can cream style sweet corn
1½ cups cooked ham, cut into chunks
1½ cups cooked potatoes, drained and cut into chunks (canned works too)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 cup (4 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Green onion or scallion slivers (optional)
Salt or chicken bouillon to taste

Mix milk, corn, ham, and potatoes in medium pot. Cook, be sure to stir occasionally until heated through.

Add cheese. Cover pot and let cheese melt completely.

Serve with a chunk of hearty bread.

Bonus Goodness:
Crave added richness? Substitute ½ cup of cream for ½ of the milk.

Are you a vegetable fan? Toss in the veggie of your choice, either frozen or fresh. We like frozen carrots for the added color—and the nutrition too of course.

No ham? Smoked sausage is a nice substitute.

Bland potatoes? Mix in sweet pickle juice. A teaspoon gives the soup zing.

Need more soup? Add more stuff. The converse works too.

Fighting off vampires? Switch out the regular salt for a teaspoon of garlic salt. If you have a bad infestation, add ½ teaspoon crushed garlic to the soup and serve with a wood spoon.

Once upon a time there was a mother/daughter author duo named Helen and Lorri, who wrote as HL Carpenter. the Carpenters worked from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories was unreal but not untrue. Then one day Lorri left her studio to explore the land of What-If, and like others who have lost a loved one the magical place lost much of its magic. But thanks to family, plus an amazing group of wordsmiths named Authors Moving Forward (AMF), the magic is slowly returning.

Helen Carpenter loves liking and sharing blog posts from other authors. She lives in Florida with her husband of many years and appreciates every day, especially those without hurricanes.

Stay connected on her blog and Facebook.

A New Year, A New Way of Living the Author Life…

First, I want to wish my followers a very Happy New Year! We finally made it into the mid-20s, and sooo much has happened in the last five years. A pandemic knocked us flat on our butts, and made us take stock in how we were living our lives. Though there was a lot of pain, suffering, and heartache, there was also tremendous growth and change too. People worldwide were starting to find their voices, and not put up with the outmoded ways of the ‘old guard’ anymore. From Black Lives Matter to Iranian women refusing to wear their hijabs, the world as we knew it changed before our eyes. And I changed too.

During this past year (2024) I realized that there is no ONE way, only YOUR way, and what’s best for YOU. I wrote a post last year about being true to yourself by staying in your lane. You can find it HERE. I decided to pull out of the hustle culture in 2021, feeling as if my electrical circuits were on all the time and ready to blow. I had to slow down and choose to do the necessary inner work. This ‘writing career’ that I put my blood, sweat, and tears into was not what I thought it would be. So, I experimented with Facebook ads, running them for 10 days at a set price, then switching that ad out for a new one for the next 10 days. I did this consistently for almost four years. My reach got larger and larger, topping 19 million at one point…then something happened. The ads didn’t seem to have the same reach anymore starting in the winter/spring of 2024. Even the book sales never reflected the amazing reach I garnered, and I discovered a lot of spammers had infiltrated my Author Facebook page feed. Augh! I had to quit cold turkey on those ads. I changed lanes and looked into doing Amazon ads, but got a sticker shock with the amount of money to run these ads: about $300-$500 per month. Wait, what?

I did the math. It seemed like the whole book marketing industry was rigged in their favor—just like going to a casino and finding out that the house always wins—so I stepped away, pulled the plug on advertising, and took back my power. It felt rather weird at first. Like a boat adrift with no port to dock at or no destination to sail to. I kept showing up though. Shared, Tweeted, and LinkedIn my book series ads faithfully every week. Blogged every Monday. Worked on, and finished, Sticks and Stones, the third installment in Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls teen psychic mystery series. Submitted this book to my publisher, and then took a well-deserved break for the summer and fall, and enjoyed the time e-biking with hubby, and hanging with my family. The weather applauded my decision, and I took full advantage of relaxing on our patio, and sipping on my favourite brand of single malt scotch. Wink.

Then came the death blow at the end of this past December that changed the trajectory of my author life. My publisher, Mirror World Publishing announced that they would be closing their doors at the end of this year. My heart sank. I succumbed into grief. I’ve been here before, so it’s not my first publishing rodeo. Still, there was also so much emotional investment with this publishing house too. Ten years worth. Though, I completely understand their reasons for shutting down, and if I’m honest with myself, I’ve probably been living in my comfort zone for far too long. Sigh. Guess it’s time to stretch my wings, and see what the next chapter looks like for me, as I affirm every morning: “Everything happens for me, and through me, not to me.”

On a positive note, I did manage to get a refreshed book trailer done for The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis to replace the outdated versions on my website. Care for a peek? Click the link below… 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oczrgVYJo6proAJqRTyPuOdbsfdhNYPk/view?usp=drive_link

So, what’s next for me personally? I’m on the list for a knee replacement this year, which should be happening in the late summer or early fall. Hubby and I will also be celebrating our 40^th Wedding Anniversary in August, which is a huge milestone for many couples these days. Unfortunately, we can’t make any plans or book anywhere to go because of my impending knee replacement. We’ll just have to give ourselves a vacation raincheck. On the happy news front, we’re expecting another grandchild in the late spring! Woohoo! As for my author life’s future, it’s going to be determined by the choices I make, and actions I take within the next six to twelve months. No pressure, right? LOL! I kind of feel like I’m visiting my fictitious town of Fairy Falls, and waiting for the unexpected to happen! Wish me luck in my uncomfortable endeavors!

How was 2024 for you? Any milestones? Did you need to take a welcome break from all the craziness we’ve endured the past five years? Have you been in your comfort zone far too long? Would love to read your comments! Cheers, Happy New Year, and thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate you!