FRIDAY FRAGMENTS

I apologize this post is late. WordPress issues.

Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for an entire post but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations. “Heard” items, and other small gems throughout your week and put them together in a Friday Fragments Post. Add a recipe or something ‘foodie’ from your week. Leave me a link in the comments so I can read your Fragments.

Happy Spring! Here in Philadelphia the April rains started early and it is COLD! I don’t think March will be going out like a lamb this year.

Back in November I joined a ‘Speak Up Philly’ panel for The Philadelphia Daily News. The panel consists of 10-Independents; 10-Democrats and 10-Republicans. The panel was the idea of Metro Columnist, Ronnie Polaneczky. She put together some great ground rules that leave all the participants feeling respected and heard. The meeting before the election was such a great experience and we all left the Daily News Building feeling like we made a difference.

I was looking forward to our meeting after the election and was hoping for the best. I was also a bit nervous. When I heard some of the panel members dropped out I was disappointed. I assumed they were Hillary voters that dropped out because they just weren’t ready to move forward. I was surprised to learn it was mostly Trump voters that dropped out because of The Daily News’ coverage of Trump. The meeting only got a bit touchy for me at one point and I did leave the building with a positive feeling. We all agreed that what it boils down to is we all want the same things as a community and uniting as neighbors not political parties is the way to move forward and get stuff done.

While I was there I met and had the pleasure of having dinner with The Philadelphia Daily News’ brand new editor for reader engagement, Michael Days. It’s no secret the newspaper business is on life support and for me that is so sad. If there is any hope for survival I believe it is in reader engagement and concentrating more on Philly people writing about real local Philly people and less on canned national news. Michael is also an author and wrote a book on President Obama. Good luck Michael!

I love history and I’m looking forward to AMC’s new 10 episode drama series premiering on April 8^th, The Son. It stars Pierce Brosnan as Eli McCullough.  Based on the New York Times best seller and Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel, The Son is a sweeping family saga that spans 150 years and three generations of the McCullough family. The series spans Eli McCullough’s transformation from good-natured innocence to calculated violence, as he loses everything including two families on the wild frontier, setting him on the path to building a ranching-and-oil dynasty. Eli’s ruthlessness and quest for power triggers consequences that span generations, as the McCullough’s rise to become one of the richest families reigning in Texas.

I’m hoping to do a cover reveal for Realize Your Writing Dreams soon. The artwork was done by someone very special to me and I can’t wait to share it with you. If you haven’t subscribed to the email list up there on the right please do. I promise I don’t send a lot of emails. I pretty much only send one when a book comes out.

If you are local check out the Press Club’s Event, Meet the Media. I’m looking forward to it!

Thursday night I attended a Fem City Philadelphia After Hours Event at Tiffany & Company on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. I recently joined this fabulous group of #femfessionals and am enjoying meeting them all. They are a supportive group of brilliant professional women that also know how to have fun.

The most sparkly store in all of Philadelphia what caught my eye? Yep, I’m a writer.

I knew it was going to be a crazy busy week and I wouldn’t have much time to cook so I made a batch of taco filling and all we had to do was heat it up and add our toppings. We had taco week instead of taco Tuesday we had taco week!

Taco Filling

• 1 lb ground chuck
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ minced onion
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ cup Hunts diced tomatoes
• ^1/8 teaspoon cumin
• ¹⁄₄ cup of crushed tomato
• ¼ cup of water
• 2 tablespoons chopped spinach
• Taco shells
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Shredded lettuce

Lightly brown the hamburger and drain. Add the spices, tomatoes, spinach and water. Stir and simmer for 10-minutes. Scoop into warmed shells and top with sour cream, lettuce and cheese and enjoy!

What are you watching, eating and looking forward to?

I am so ready for the weekend but I’m honestly not ready for it to be April. There will be chocolate, pretty dresses and an Easter gathering with my family, so there is that to look forward too.

Have a blessed weekend,

Doreen