Author: Reluctant Retiree

Living in FL and enjoying life.
Posted in From My Kitchen

75 Budget-Friendly Weeknight Dinner Recipes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

You don’t have to spend a lot to make something delicious. It can be on your table in an hour or less. Save money by choosing cheaper proteins like chicken, ground beef, turkey, or vegetarian options. Save time by making these dishes all in one pan or using some of our top kitchen shortcuts. Whatever your style, these 83 cheap and easy meals will please your entire family without breaking the bank.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on dinner costs is to go for cheaper cuts of meat. You can also utilize more expensive ones in creative ways. Try adding ground beef, turkey, or chicken to help bulk out old standbys. Try roasting a whole chicken. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken. Utilize it for everything from pizza to tacos all week long. Try adding more expensive seafood or steak to pasta or rice to help make smaller, more affordable portions go further, like in our salmon & potato skillet or our creamy steak fettuccine. It’s all about the way you use the protein that matters, not avoiding them altogether.

If you’ve been on the fence about certain kitchen appliances, like slow cookers, air fryers, and Instant Pots, consider this your sign to take the plunge and get one. They help dinners come together SO fast. Check out our more in-depth lists for your air fryer (over 100 recipes!), Instant Pot, and Crockpot.

Even if you’re not ready for another appliance, we bet you have some things in your kitchen already that’ll help you get dinner on the table fast, like sheet pans, a Dutch oven, and casserole dishes. We’ve included a number of our favorite recipes here, like our sheet-pan garlicky shrimp & veggies, our hamburger casserole (no more flipping individual burgers!), or our Mexican beef ‘n rice skillet, but once you’ve got the basics down, feel free to get creative.

One of the best ways to save some money is to go meatless (and not just on Mondays). And we don’t mean by replacing proteins with all those high-priced meat substitutes (though we’re all about those sometimes)—instead we’re talking about making vegetarian meals out of cheap beans, tofu, and plants. Try our Indian butter chickpeas, our BBQ pulled mushrooms, our sesame tofu & broccoli stir-fry, or our vegan crunchwraps to see how versatile and filling these meals can be.

Want more cheap and easy meals? Check out our favorite 5-ingredient meals, our top 30-minute meals, and former food editor June’s entire Budget Eats series. You won’t believe what she came up with for under $25!

delish

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry (The Rabbi Small Mysteries Book 2)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Rabbi Small returns in this New York Times–bestselling novel to investigate a mysterious death on the Day of Atonement
The day before Yom Kippur, the synagogue sound system is on the blink, the floral arrangements are in disarray, and a member of Rabbi David Small’s congregation—in the Massachusetts town of Barnard’s Crossing—is terribly concerned with how much a Torah weighs. The rabbi is determined not to let these mundane concerns ruin his day of prayer and contemplation. But the holiest day of the Jewish year is interrupted when a member of the congregation is found dead in his car.
 
Details emerge that suggest the man may have killed himself, but the rabbi’s wife suspects murder. Which is it? Rabbi Small kicks into high detective gear to find out. His search for the culprit among the small town’s cast of eccentric characters leads to nail-biting suspense in this highly entertaining and engrossing mystery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A whale of a good time.” —The New York Times
 
“A crackling good mystery.” —Time
 
“A first-rate mystery.” —The New Yorker on Friday the Rabbi Slept Late
 
“Vintage Kemelman—clean prose, quiet wit, absorbing characters, and revealing conversations, with David’s discourses on Judaism as fascinating as ever.” —Publishers Weekly on That Day the Rabbi Left Town

From the Inside Flap

ngs Yom Kippur to Barnard’s Crossing and Rabbi Small is preparing as usual. But his prayers and fasting are interrupted when a member of his congregation is found dead in his car. The police call it accidental. The insurance company calls it suicide. Only Rabbi Small’s pregnant wife, Miriam, thinks it’s murder. Now it’s up to him to prove her right . . . .
“A crackling good mystery.” — TimeEditorial Reviews

Review

“A whale of a good time.” —The New York Times
 
“A crackling good mystery.” —Time
 
“A first-rate mystery.” —The New Yorker on Friday the Rabbi Slept Late
 
“Vintage Kemelman—clean prose, quiet wit, absorbing characters, and revealing conversations, with David’s discourses on Judaism as fascinating as ever.” —Publishers Weekly on That Day the Rabbi Left Town

From the Inside Flap

ngs Yom Kippur to Barnard’s Crossing and Rabbi Small is preparing as usual. But his prayers and fasting are interrupted when a member of his congregation is found dead in his car. The police call it accidental. The insurance company calls it suicide. Only Rabbi Small’s pregnant wife, Miriam, thinks it’s murder. Now it’s up to him to prove her right . . . .
“A crackling good mystery.” — Time

Posted in From My Kitchen

Easy Chicken Dinners in 30 Minutes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

We all know that weeknights get busy—whether you’re working late, shuffling kids to soccer practice or trying to squeeze in an evening yoga class—and there’s not always time to whip up an elaborate meal. That’s why we love having a few tried-and-true 30-minute recipes to rely on. They make meal prep easier and allow you to spend less time in front of the oven and more time enjoying whatever it is you like to do in the evenings.

With the help of shortcuts like rotisserie chicken and naturally speedy dishes like stir-fries, weeknight dinners don’t have to take all night. We’ve found plenty that feature family-favorite chicken and can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. Read on for our favorite easy ideas.

Curiously, water and oil work together to make a magical one-skillet weeknight chicken dinner in this easy recipe. A true hands-off meal, potatoes boil in water alongside crispy chicken thighs until they are tender. Then they fry into golden nuggets in the remaining oil.

Food Network

Posted in #LGTBQ+

Stone Cold Obsidian (Arrowtown Book 6)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Obsidian River, known to his friends as ‘Dian’ has lived a long and comfortable life, working as an enforcer for the Paranormal Council with his friend Eagle. Being sent to Arrowtown to track down a faint lead on a missing rhino shifter was an everyday occurrence. Besides, he would get to catch up with an old friend, Cam and gossip had it, that Cam owned a bar and his mate owned a bakery. Dian was always a fan of fresh baked goods and beer. In his head it was simple – go to Arrowtown, sample some local fun and head home again. That was, until he heard a certain man laugh…

Keenak, known as Kee to everyone around him, hadn’t been working at Cam’s bar in Arrowtown long, but he already felt as though he’d found a permanent home. The people were friendly, he was renting a cute little apartment, and Brutus at the bakery made the best bear claws he’d ever had. It was nice, to just stop running – to shoot the breeze with the locals at the bar, and sleep in a warm bed at night. Cam’s dislike of men in suits added to his feeling comfortable… until two men in suits came to town.

Pixie dust doesn’t always make rainbows. When people start coming out of the woodwork after Kee, the two men must make a choice – run and pray no one catches up to them, or trust in the people of Arrowtown to keep them safe.

Dian and Kee are two new characters to Arrowtown, and this book can be read as a standalone. But the plot lines regarding the rhino and a certain rabbit in Cam’s bar will mean more if you’ve read previous books in the series. This is an MM Fated Mates story containing graphic language, a few incidents of violence, and intimate situations between men written specifically for adults. Please store your ebooks responsibly.

T. Walters
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2021
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I always love journeying back to Arrowtown. The people are amazing and always so supportive of everyone there no matter how long they’ve been around. Even though these two were new and aren’t part of the core group it was still so much fun to get to know them. Dian and Kee are so much fun I absolutely loved the feisty fox and grumpy gargoyle. They complimented each other perfectly and have so much fun doing it. There was tons of sass and and lots of laughter in this book not to mention way overprotective grumpiness. It was great to see how the community comes together to help them and to protect them from outside danger and all the things that could threaten their happiness. I can’t wait for the next time I can visit and hear more of their stories.
Posted in #BookTours

To Hell and Back

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

To Hell and Back
Bill Blume
Publication date: January 20th 2026
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

For one pair of swordfighters, their marriage is worth going to Hell and back.

Ty and Dani are a modern-day, swordfighting husband-and-wife duo who help with exorcisms until a demon kills Dani’s mother and all of their fellow exorcists. Now, they’re on a quest for revenge through the realms of Hell, and killing the demon is just the start of the journey. To keep the demon from reviving, Dani and Ty must escape Hell within seven days and cast the demon’s head and heart into an Eternal Flame. To get back to the mortal realm in time, they rely on their small terrier Wicket to lead them past the demon’s army and thousands of other horrors.

To Hell and Back takes readers on an epic journey perfect for those who believe love can overcome any challenge and that a devoted dog makes the perfect guide no matter where you need to go.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

—

EXCERPT:

They didn’t drive far, parking on a cobblestone street next to the café, sitting on a street corner. The entire front wall of the café was made up of tall doors that were all turned open to take advantage of the pleasant spring weather. Ty sucked down his coffee. It tasted stronger than what he preferred, but as tired as he was, he considered that a good thing.

“I imagine you have a lot of questions.” Maria sat at one of the tables closest to the sidewalk with people dressed in business suits and hospital scrubs walking by. She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, draping her arm over the back of it.

“I’m told you work for the church?” He decided against gambling on whether it was the Catholic or Episcopal Church.

“Heard that, did you?” She cracked an amused grin, as if she’d been privy to his conversation with Barry. “That’s only partially true. We’re funded by the Church of England, but we don’t answer to them.”

Taking a chug of his coffee, Ty then asked, “And who is we?”

“A fair question, and I’ll get to that soon enough.” She paused for her own sip of coffee. When she continued, she stared out at the street as cars rumbled across the cobblestones. “I’d like to talk about you a bit first. I notice you’ve started the transition.”

“The what?”

“Oh, you’re trying to find a way to make a living off that sword arm of yours that doesn’t require a nine-to-five job typing on a keyboard or some other nonsense. You’re going the usual route: giving lessons to wannabes drunk on fantasies of medieval knights or Star Wars. You know. The usual stuff.” She looked at him with a smirk that assured him she already knew the answer to her next question. “You enjoying all that?”

He cleared his throat and sniffed. His sinuses were still killing him.

“I’m paying my bills.” He shrugged, trying to mimic her nonchalance by turning his focus out onto the street and the passersby. Didn’t keep him from seeing her amused reaction to his answer, that she knew he was full of shit.

Yeah, he’d taken to giving part-time lessons at a local fencing club that included saber fighting. Most of the job seemed more about punishing clients into the realization that they weren’t going to turn into Inigo Montoya overnight and that fighting with a sword required both finesse and brutality. Being good with a sword required a killer instinct. Forcing others with limited skills to realize they didn’t have that certain something was taking a toll on him.

“Look, Mr. Faison.” She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. “For some people that’s enough, and that’s fine.” The way she said “fine” left little doubt it was anything but that. “But someone like you…” She shook her head.

He tried to bluff, acting amused and disinterested, but his acting skills failed him again. “You think so?”

The way her expression hardened, that single eye narrowing on him, forced his full focus on her. “I think you’re the kind of person who’s only ever whole when he’s got a sword in his hand and a real fight in front of him.”

She leaned back in her chair again, with all the satisfaction of a wildcat dining on a fresh kill. The silence offered him a chance to respond, but she’d left him speechless. No one had ever peeled him down to his bones like this—not even his parents—not this fast or with such ease.

After giving him his chance to answer and seeing he wasn’t able to, Maria sipped her coffee and then continued. “You’re twenty-six. You used to finish in the top three at most competitions you entered but you haven’t in more than a year. It’s not that your skills or body are fading, and it’s not because you’re distracted by the side work that pays the bills. No, it’s because even the competitions are starting to bore you. Those fights aren’t real anymore, because all that’s at stake there is pride.”

“And what? You’re offering me a ‘real fight’? What is this? Some kind of underground sword fight club, where the loser dies, and the first rule is to not talk about it?”

She shook her head, grinning at his attempt at wit. “This is no game or club. Underground? Somewhat. But what you’ll be doing will make a real difference in people’s lives. I’m offering you a chance to reclaim that fire that ignited the moment you first touched a sword.

“I’m giving you a chance to find your heart.”

Author Bio:

Bill Blume discovered his love for the written word while in high school and has been writing ever since. His latest novel, West of Apocalypse, is now available from Time Killer Publishing. His short stories have been published in many fantasy anthologies and various ezines.

Like the father figure in his “Gidion Keep, Vampire Hunter” novels, Bill works as a 911 dispatcher for Henrico County Police and has done so for more than two decades. He served as the 2013 chair for James River Writers, which produces one of the nation’s best annual conferences for educating and connecting writers.

He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in 1995. In the years after, he worked as a TV news producer, first in Columbus, Georgia, and then in Richmond, Virginia, which has become home for Bill & his family.

You can learn more about Bill at his website: http://www.billblume.net.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook


GIVEAWAY!

To Hell and Back Blitz

—