When I make a batch of these carrot muffins, there’s as good as gone—if I make them in the morning, they’ve disappeared by supper. I hope you enjoy them too!

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Ingredients for 10 muffins:

• ¼ cup grapeseed oil (or other light vegetable oil of your choice)

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 ½ cups carrots, grated (about 2-3 large)

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 1 heaping tsp. cinnamon

• ½ cup skim milk

Ingredients for Topping (Optional):

• ½ tbsp. cinnamon

• ½ tbsp. very soft butter

• 1 tbsp. flour

• 2 tbsp. golden or brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

2. Mix oil & sugar in a large bowl. (You’ll be adding everything to this bowl eventually, so make it a big one.)

3. Add the beaten eggs & grated carrots to the oil/sugar mixture. Stir well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together: whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & cinnamon.

5. Add the dry mixture to the carrot mixture alternately with the milk, stirring until just blended after each addition. Do not beat or over-mix.

6. Pour into 10 average-sized muffin tins. I use paper liners to avoid greasing, but you can grease the pan instead, if you prefer.

7. Optional Topping: In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the topping. It is perfectly okay if this mixture is lumpy.

8. Sprinkle the topping on the muffin batter.

9. Bake on a higher rack in your oven at 350°F for 17 minutes. (I recommend you check them at 15 minutes, as baking times can vary oven to oven.)

This recipe also works as monster muffins, mini muffins, or a small loaf, but be sure to adjust your baking times. Enjoy J

A brutal mugging two years ago left Calli terrified to go out after dark, and incapable of real dating. Hanging out with a resentful Chihuahua every night hasn’t filled the void, and all the sex toys from the store she owns could never replace a flesh-and-blood man. An online Scrabble site promising anonymous, flirty fun sounds like just the ticket. A like-minded geek, that’s what she needs. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the game is anything but geeky.

Tired of the party scene, Travis seeks a venue where he can meet a woman who is drawn to his mind, not his profession. Having women chase after his bad-boy musician persona has grown stale. After heating up the tiles online with Calli, he knows he must meet her in person. Touch her in person. And when he does, their chemistry is undeniable. She stimulates him, mind and body. But when he discovers her tragic past he realizes it will take more than words to win her heart…and her trust.

~~~

www.karladoyle.com

I love this cookie recipe! It's a bit of work, but requires very few ingredients.

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In a large bowl, mash all this up with a fork until it's a crumbly mess:
1¾ cups white flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup white sugar
1½ sticks salted butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract (or mint or lemon, whatever you dig)

Once it's well mixed, pack it into a ball with your hands. It may seem crumblier than it should. Just trust me. Flatten the ball a bit and place it between two sheets of waxed paper. Roll it out with a rolling pin, not quite a quarter-inch thick. Keeping the dough between the waxed paper sheets, slide it onto a plate or other flat surface and stick it in the fridge for about 10 minutes, to firm up. It's easier to cut this way.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Once the dough is firm, stamp out shapes with your favorite cookie cutter, or just cut into squares. Place the cut-out shapes on an un-greased baking sheet, with a bit of space between them. Repeat the rolling-out and cookie-cuttering process with the leftover wonky shapes, and feel free to eat the last few scraps raw. I always do.

Bake the cookies on the middle shelf for about 15 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden brown.

While the cookies cool (feel free to put them in the fridge to speed things up) melt a broken-up large bar of good-quality dark chocolate either in a small bowl in the microwave, or with a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Or, if you don't own either of those first two things like me, put the broken-up chocolate bar in a small glass bowl, and put that in a half-inch of water in a sauce pan, and melt it on medium-high heat, stirring often.

Lay a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet or cutting board. Once the cookies are cool, dip each in the melted chocolate, then lay them on the waxed paper. I always end up putting them in the fridge or freezer while the chocolate hardens. Once they're firm, store them in an air-tight container.

This is the first title in the Curio Vignettes series, follow-up stories to the novel Curio. Out August 29.

June has come to Paris. But while his neighbors are shedding layers and going out in search of spring sunshine, Didier Pedra prefers the quiet sanctuary of his garret, content to watch the city’s bustle from the safety of his windows. He’s shaped his life around venturing inside of things—inside clocks and other brass curiosities to pass a lonely afternoon, and, once the sun sinks, inside the bodies and minds of the women who pay for the privilege of sampling his other skills.

 

But one visitor is unlike the rest. Once a hesitant patron, Caroly is now his eager lover and a challenging but cherished companion. For weeks Didier’s indulged her questions about what other women want from him, but in words only. Now he’s ready for them to take the storytelling to the next level, and act out his clients’ most wicked desires.

Reader Advisory: This story contains forced seduction role-playing.

~~~

http://www.caramckenna.com/

I’m going to tell you a secret: I hate standing in a hot kitchen baking for hours. I love recipes that allow me to take something amazing to parties but still have time to do my hair. This cobbler recipe is easy to make and requires very little effort.

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Ingredients:

2 sixteen ounce cans of cherry pie filling (you can substitute whatever kind of filling you want)

1- 17.5 ounce pouch of sugar cookie (or whatever kind of cookie you want)

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup brown sugar (optional)

¼ cup walnuts (optional)

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Grease a 9x13 dish

3. Spread pie filling evenly across the bottom

4. Sprinkle the cookie mix over the top, covering the filling

5. Pour the melted butter over the top, attempting to thoroughly soak the cookie mix

6. Sprinkle brown sugar and walnuts over the top (optional)

7. Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes

8. Serve warm with a scoop of your favorite ice cream

Goalie Interference, Hat Trick Trilogy Book 1

Hockey goalie Tarah 'TJ' Elliot is too busy stopping pucks to go looking for love. When her friend Natalie sets her up through Madame Eve's 1 Night Stand service, she grudgingly agrees
to go. Her ultimate fantasy comes true when Scott Alarid, one of the top scorers in the league, shows up at her hotel room. Hockey player TJ can't possibly spend a night with him, but Tarah certainly can.

Scott's tired of dealing with women who only like him for his all-star status. After his teammates arrange a date for him using the 1NS website, he's delighted to find a woman who doesn't know a thing about the sport. But, will the truth force them to put their relationship on ice?

~~~

http://www.emilycale.com

Lemon meringue pie is one of my favorite treats and my mom made it often when I was a kid. This recipe is light and tart, perfect for a hot summer day.

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Baked 9” pie shell:

Use your own favorite crust or-

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 to 4 tablespoon cold water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening. Sprinkle with water 1 tablespoon at a time and toss with a fork until the dough holds together but not sticky. Press into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for a half hour. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll the crust out until it fits your pie plate, ease gently into the plate, press out air pockets and crimp the edge. Prick the entire surface with a fork. Bake 10-15 minutes. Cool.

Filling:

7 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar (This is a tart recipe, if you like sweeter, add ¼ to ½ cup more sugar.)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup hot water

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

½ cup fresh lemon juice

Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the hot water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Remove from heat, turn heat to low. Stir about a 1/2 cup hot filling into the egg yolks, stirring briskly. Stir this mixture back into the hot filling. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Add the lemon juice and peel and stir until smooth. Cool and pour into the baked pie shell.

Meringue:

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar (superfine, if you have it)

Beat the eggs whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually add in the sugar. Beat until the meringue forms firm peaks. Spread the meringue on the filling and make sure the meringue touches the piecrust all around. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until a delicate brown. Cool, chill in the refrigerator, and enjoy!

What’s a girl to do when her summer lover wants forever?

Haunted by dark memories of her parents’ volatile marriage, artist Kay Browning keeps her heart locked behind a free-spirit facade and contents herself with the comfortable affair she has every summer with easygoing photographer Nate Quinn.

The only trouble with her plan? This summer Nate’s come to Lake Mohave to claim the lover he can’t let go. He’s done with the endless traveling and settling for temporary homes and temporary loves. Kay’s always been more than just a vacation fling, and now he must convince this woman, who sees love as a course to certain heartbreak, to take that leap of faith and learn how safe love with the right man can be.

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http://babettejames.com/

Fun fact: Iowa is the #1 pork producing state in the United States. Go us! This time of year, we grill like crazy so I thought I’d share one of our favorites.

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Ham Steak

In a saucepan, heat until well-blended:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup horseradish (Coarse ground horseradish, not the creamy sauce. I personally like a little more
horseradish, about 1/3 cup but since this is my husband’s recipe…)

1/4 cup lemon juice

Let it cool to thicken up a bit.

Score the ham steak, grill until nearly done and then brush sauce over the steak.

Easy, easy, easy. And delicious! And cheap! The new pork slogan is “Pork: Be inspired” and clearly you can see why. Here’s a picture of my husband preparing the steak.

There’s really no way to make that pretty, is there? See the horseradish sauce in the background. DON’T BUY THAT SAUCE. I bought the wrong kind and had to run out to the store for the real stuff.

 

Private investigator Grace tracks a kidnapped child to middle-of-nowhere Iowa. Encountering a strange creature she knows can't be a local animal, she doesn't need her psychic abilities to figure out the sleepy town is not what it seems. When she meets the intriguing Aiden, she's plunged into a world of Norse gods and fire demons where the Wild Hunt still rides the night.

Aiden needs Grace's help to cross the portal between worlds and rescue his daughter. Grace is unlike any woman he's ever met. He's drawn to her courage, distressed by her vulnerability and doubtful of her motives. But he knows that her visions are the key to defeating the enemy and bringing everyone home alive.

Grace wants a future with Aiden, even if it means she'll never have a normal life. When a test run to the portal takes a terrifying turn, they must learn to finally trust each other or Aiden's daughter, and their chance at love, will be lost forever...

~~~

www.eleristone.com

This is a long time family favorite, and especially of those family friends who have been fortunate enough to receive them as part of gifts. The best part is how simple it is!

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Crumb mixture:

1 1/4 /c flour

1 1/4 C Oats

1/2 C sugar

3/4 C butter, melted

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 t vanilla

Filling: 10oz jar apricot preserves

1/2 C flaked coconut

Begin by heating the oven to 350 degrees. Assemble the crumb mixture.

You can do this by hand, by hand mixer or by stand mixer. No matter how you assemble it, avoid overmixing. Take one cup of the crumb mixture and set it aside for use later. Grease a 9" by 13" pan. Using the main batch of crumb mixture, spread it evenly across the bottom of the pan. Combine the filling ingredients, and then spread the resulting mix on the crumb crust, keeping about a half inch between the filling and the pan edge. Take the 1 cup of crumb mixture you had set aside, and then spread it over the filling in a random pattern.

You want it looking crumby and not like a flat second layer. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are browned. I'd strongly recommend waiting until these are cooled a little bit before eating so that you don't burn your mouth with hot sugar.

 

Chef Tommy Howard has more in mind than prepping for a reality show competition with Liana Richardson. He's determined to finally make his move with Liana and will do everything at his disposal to convince her to give him, and the possibility of "them", a shot. He just has one weekend in which to accomplish his mission.

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http://www.kellymaher.com

I'm not a good cook, but I love to bake. When it came to Better Off Red and thinking of the scents and tastes surrounding my vampire queen, Camila, snickerdoodles come immediately to mind. Here's a super easy recipe from Betty Crocker.

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Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 package Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix (or the cake mix of your choice. also works with sugar cookie mix)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Step 1: Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). Mix cake mix, butter and egg in large bowl with spoon until dough forms (some dry mix will remain).

Step 2: Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Step 3: Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

optional Step 4: If you like soft cookies, like I do, before cookies completely cool, put them in a ziplock bag or plastic container. Seals in the moisture and the soft freshness. :)

 

Every sorority has its secrets...

And college freshman Ginger Carmichael couldn't care less. She has more important things on her mind, like maintaining her perfect GPA. No matter how much she can't stand the idea of the cliques and the matching colors, there's something about the girls of Alpha Beta Omega—their beauty, confidence, and unapologetic sexuality—that draws Ginger in. But once initiation begins, Ginger finds that her pledge is more than a bond of sisterhood, it’s a lifelong pact to serve six bloodthirsty demons with a lot more than nutritional needs.

Despite her fears, Ginger falls hard for the immortal queen of this nest, and as the semester draws to a close, she sees that protecting her family from the secret of her forbidden love is much harder than studying for finals.

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http://letusseeshallwe.blogspot.com/

This family favorite is the number one requested dish for gatherings. The image is more cauliflower heavy because we were using some up that night, but normally this salad is loaded with beautiful green.

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Broccoli Salad
1 bunch broccoli, separated into florets
1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
8 bacon strips, fried and crumbled
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoons vinegar

Combine broccoli, cauliflower, bacon, onion, tomatoes and eggs. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar and mix until smooth. Poor dressing over salad and toss. This is great served immediately, but can also be made ahead and refrigerated to let the flavors settle. I sometimes add more eggs or substitute veggie bacon when serving to vegetarian friends and family.

Crux Survivors, Book 1

Seventeen years after the Crux Virus wiped out most of the world’s population, Ross is doing what he can to keep his small community safe from raiders in a self-contained artist retreat in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. He’s made a habit of collecting survivors and they’ve all become family, but the most important members have always been Jenna and Dorian.

At fourteen, Ross stumbled into the basement where the nine-year-olds were hiding and the three have been together ever since. Years later, Jenna and Dorian became lovers. Now, at thirty, Ross hopes to find a love of his own on supply runs, but he suffers incredible guilt because his heart has long been snagged by his two best friends.

Alone with his tangled emotions, Ross is about to discover that his friends have their own ideas about their relationship…and how it is about to change.

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 http://daniworth.wordpress.com