Wednesday, March 2, 2022

In the Kitchen with Neely Powell #InTheKitchen #ChickenCasserole #Recipes


In the Kitchen with Neely Powell (AKA Leigh Neely and Jan Powell) By Leigh Neely

Because both of us are Southern women, we were raised with a love of food and the traditions that go along with that love. Food is very important to the coven of The Witches of New Mourne. They rarely gather without a full table I the dining room of the homeplace. 

There are four generations of Connelly witches, from age four to the elder aunts, who are in their late seventies. These ladies keep casseroles in the freezer and whip up cakes the minute they hear someone in the community is dead or in the hospital. 

These ladies are the queens of thinking green. They not only use leftover food in soups and casseroles, they also wash and reuse aluminum foil, to-go containers, and plastic containers for margarine, whipped topping, and deli meats. And…they keep historic family recipes in The Connelly Book of Magic.

In my own family, my mother had six sisters, and two brothers with wives. When these women and men got together, the food was incredible. They all had their own specialties, from congealed salad to amazing homemade desserts. The table would always look like it was about to collapse under the weight. Though they were staunch Baptist, one of the sisters made a mincemeat pie that would get you tipsy!

One of my own family’s favorite recipes was for chicken casserole prepared the way my mother-in-law fixed it. Though the recipe called for the crispy onion rings that normally top a casserole, she didn’t like them. She topped her casserole with her favorite snack—potato chips! They were crumbled and spread on top. 

To this day, my children love that casserole and eat it with potato chips on top.

Here’s the recipe:

Chicken Casserole

2 chicken breasts (or a rotisserie chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup uncooked minute rice
1 cup chicken broth

Add ingredients to a large saucepan on stovetop until mixed well and bubbly. Put in a casserole dish and put potato chip crumbles on top. Bake until bubbly and serve hot. Can be frozen and reheated later.

Family gatherings usually mean food, and wherever you live, there’s a recipe you connect with home. 

That’s what we did with the Connelly family in our books about the Witches of New Mourne.


Awakening Magic   
The Witches of New Mourne
Book One
Neely Powell 

Genre: Paranormal Romance 
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Date of Publication: 2020 
ISBN: 978-166-4926707  
ASIN: BO8PPTZ2CJ
Number of pages: 332
Word Count: 65,001
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Book Description: 

An enchanted town. A vengeful spirit. A powerful coven under siege. For generations the Connelly witches made a great sacrifice to protect their town. In exchange, New Mourne remained a refuge for humans and supernatural beings to live in peace. 

Now Brenna Burns, or another chosen female of this generation, is next in line to die—unless Brenna can find a way to end the curse of the malevolent Woman in White. With coven protections breached, Sheriff Jake Tyler joins the battle. The witch and the shapeshifter search for answers to break the curse, becoming closer every day. Passion overrules reluctance as their romance intensifies. But how can love grow when murder and violence threaten their world? The time for sacrifice draws near. 

The powers of the Connelly witches may not be enough to defeat the dark magic that holds New Mourne. As the demonic influence drains the small town of its peace, the coven struggles to break its deadly bargain with the Woman in White.



Excerpt Awakening Magic:

Connelly land had been stained by death But Brenna was determined to vanquish any trace of dark magic from this sacred clearing. “You’ll not take this from me.”

She wanted the Woman in White to appear and answer her. She wanted to challenge the spirit’s right to inflict misery on her family yet again. The only response was the sudden, sharp screech of an owl.

Brenna learned as a child that barn owls didn’t hoot. Their call was shrill, almost a scream.

“You feel it, don’t you?” she said to the bird. “This beautiful place is soiled.”

The owl fell silent as Brenna set up her candles at five points. With a flick of her wrist they flamed to life. Then she shed her clothes and shoes. Skyclad, she lifted her hands, palms up, and chanted, “Dirt from the earth, wind through the trees, water to cleanse, salt to set free. Banish the evil, honor my plea. As I will, so mote it be.”

She poured salt and water in a wide circle and repeated the cleansing spell. The calm and beauty of her family’s land pushed against the darkness. The owl called out another warning.

Brenna opened her eyes and locked gazes with a white tiger. Huge. Predatory. Standing like a statue just beyond her charmed circle. His tongue flicked around his mouth and displayed gleaming, sharp teeth.

Brenna expelled a deep breath. “God, shifter, you scared me.”




Haunting Magic 
The Witches of New Mourne 
Book Two
Neely Powell

Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Findaway Voices 
Date of Publication: 2/15/2021
ISBN:  978-166-9617143
Number of pages: 286
Word Count: 55,000
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Book Description:

Fiona Burns, a witch who sees dead people, meets Hollywood producer Bailey Powers, who sees her as the next cable star—and a fake. Even so, she’s tempted by the dynamic producer in more ways than one. But she has a big distraction—a vicious curse on her family coven. The ghosts of New Mourne warn of the return of the Woman in White, a vengeful spirit who claims the life of a Connelly witch from every generation. 

During the battle, Fiona unwittingly fuels the demonic forces, and black magic brings death and heartbreak to her family. Initially a skeptic, Bailey is soon caught up in her supernatural battle with forces of evil. He’s also beginning to think Fiona can help him escape his haunting past. 

With magic and mayhem at war and survival on the line, the Witches of New Mourne face a new challenge from their ancient foe. They discover that not all dark deeds are borne of the Woman but a demon who is bent on gaining the Woman’s powers for his own. Will another generation fall? Or does the curse end here?

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Excerpt Haunting Magic:

Overgrown weeds covered the back of the cemetery. In the deepening gloom, Fiona stumbled over a stump. The baby’s screams filled her head. She had to help this child.

The grave markers in the back of the cemetery were the oldest ones. Some of them were so weathered it was impossible to read the names and dates on them.

When they reached the back corner, Fiona knelt. All she could hear was the baby’s cry. She dug through the weeds and scruff in front of her, ignoring the sting of thorns on her hands.

Bailey dug with her, and soon she touched the cool stone of a broken grave marker.

“Baby MacCuindliss” was carved in uneven letters deep in the stone.

“This is the Woman in White’s baby.” Fiona traced the name on the marker with tender fingers. “Please don’t cry,” she whispered. “I’ll try to find your mother, I promise.”

The baby’s cry faded to a whimper. The mist blew away, leaving Fiona and Bailey under a canopy of threatening clouds.

“MacCuindliss,” Fiona breathed. “The Woman’s name.”

Lightning streaked over the mountains, and the ominous stink of sulfur infused the air.


Audio Book Trailer https://youtu.be/BazRulpFQdI




About the Authors:

Leigh Neely and Jan Hamilton Powell are the writing team of Neely Powell. They met working at a rock ‘n roll radio station, discovered they’d both rather be writing fiction, and have been close friends ever since. Their path to cowriting paranormal romance took some detours. Leigh’s resume chronicles a diverse career as a disk jockey, newspaper reporter, advertising copywriter, magazine writer and editor. 

Jan wrote 24 romance novels as Celeste Hamilton for Silhouette and Avon Books and then built a career in corporate communications and public relations. 

Neely Powell became a successful team when they turned their attention to shifters, werewolves, witches, ghosts, fae and all things supernatural. Their first novel was TRUE NATURE from The Wild Rose Press, followed by AWAKENING MAGIC, HAUNTING MAGIC, and HEALING MAGIC. 

Their rules for maintaining a partnership are simple:  be honest, be kind, and bring Diet Coke and chocolate.











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