Hey, everyone! I thought I’d share a tasty historical treat with you all; something the heroine of a Georgian, Regency, or Victorian romance novel might eat. Serve them warm from the oven with tea for a treat!

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Rout Cakes

1 cup butter (softened)
¾ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp sherry
2 tsp brandy
Zest of one orange
OR 2 tsp orange blossom water (if you can find it)
OR 2 tsp orange liqueur (Cointreao, Gran Marnier, etc)
3 ¾ cups flour
½ cup currants

Preheat oven to 350º

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and beat. Add vanilla, sherry, brandy and zest or orange water/liqueur and mix. Add in flour 1 cup at a time. Add currants with last ¾ cup of flour.
Dough will be cookie-like. Make rounded balls the size of walnuts and bake on a parchment paper or Silpat 20-25 min (until golden). They puff up a bit, but don’t spread so you can put them relatively close together.

After the scandalous demise of her marriage, Lady Olivia Carlow knows the rakes of the ton will think her fair game. So when a letter arrives bearing an indecent offer from the incorrigible Roland Devere, she seizes the opportunity. Turning the tables on the notorious rogue, she blackmails him into playing her betrothed for the season. But no matter how broad his shoulders or chiseled his features, she will never fall prey to his suave charm.

When Roland boasted he'd be the first into Lady Olivia's bed, he couldn't have imagined that behind those brilliant blue eyes lurked a vixen with a scheme of her own. Still, Roland is not about to abandon his original wager. If anything, learning that the lovely Olivia is as bold as she is beautiful makes him more determined to seduce her into never saying "never" again.

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www.isobelcarr.com/

I'm a big fan of playing with recipes, and this is a variation of a basic pumpkin bread. I've traded pie filling for basic puree because the added liquid helps break up the oats. I've also take out the cloves and ginger, Which downplays the traditional pumpkin-pie flavor. One reason I love making these is that I usually bake them with my mom, and that is a rare
treat for me.

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    1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin pie filling

    4 eggs

    1 cup vegetable oil

    2/3 cup water

    2 cups white sugar

    1 cup brown sugar

    3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
   
    2 cups rolled oats

    2 teaspoons baking soda

    1 1/2 teaspoons salt

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three loaf pans. Set aside.
   
(Stand mixer works best for this recipe. If one is not available,
use a hand mixer for the wet ingredients.) In a mixer blend pumpkin filling and one cup oatmeal. Blend until oats begin to break up.

Add The remainder of the wet ingredients. Blend until fully incorporated. Add sugars and blend until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remainder of the dry ingredients except the remaining oats, mix. Add remainder of the oats and mix lightly, until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans. (Optional) Sprinkle a few oats over the tops.
   
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, Or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*note: depending on the pie filling used, finished product may appear to have dark swirls. This is caused by a higher moisture content in the mix and can be corrected in future batches by adding more flour.

 

Evangelos has loved Philomela since before time began. He’s dreamed of having her in his arms and his bed. But she never once looked his way. Instead, she chose a Fall that transformed her into a monstrous creature. He never forgot the one he loved, and he’s determined to bring her back
home.

Cut off from the power that fed them, Meela and the other Fallen angels became demons, thriving on vice and preying on Creation. Hell holds too much pain and Meela wants nothing more than to give in to the temptation Evan offers. But a demon has no place in the arms of an angel.

Meela knows Evan’s determination to save her will be his downfall, because Lucifer wants to feast on the power of angels, and she’s the perfect bait.

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http://www.voireylinger.com

I spent over ten years in the West Texas town of El Paso. During this time I fell in love with the foods and flavors of the southwest. Chiles and peppers and hot spices became an integral part of my cooking. This recipe is an adaptation of Cordon Bleu, with a Mexican twist. I hope you try it and love it as much as my family does.

Happy Cooking!!

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Heavenly Southwest Chicken

3 whole chicken breasts

4 cloves garlic

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups bread crumbs

6 slices turkey bacon

4oz. Cotija cheese

1 small can whole green chiles

6 toothpicks

Cut each chicken breast in half length-wise and tenderize the six pieces.

To the buttermilk add the four minced cloves of garlic and the cayenne pepper. (I like spicy so you can omit if you don’t like it hot.)

On the chicken layer one green chile slice, one slice bacon and a slice of cheese. Roll all these together in a tight roll and secure with the toothpick.

Dip the roll into the buttermilk mixture and then coat with bread crumbs.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.

There's a reason Western romance novels never go out of fashion. The cowboy is an iconic figure embodying the dichotomy of the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male crossed with the male as a nurturer and protector. Cowboys take care of their women in every possible way. Wild and wayward women are gentled by the scent of horse and cow and the sight of sun-kissed skin, the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms, and the sound of a deep-voiced Texas drawl.

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nenaclements.wordpress.com

Lemme tell ya, for those of us that work 8-12 hours a day outside the home, (yes, I have a day job) the crockpot is an absolute LIFESAVER! Nothing like coming home to “supper’s done.” Makes the whole house smell yummy—and makes everyone hungry. I love mushrooms, so this recipe is right up my alley! You want to add the sour cream last minute, so it doesn’t break down.

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3-4 lbs. beef sirloin steak, cubed

2 cans chicken broth

1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms

1 can regular cola

½ c. chopped onion

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

½ tsp. black pepper

***

2 envelopes dry country gravy mix

2 c. sour cream

Hot cooked egg noodles

In slower cooker/crock pot, combine first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for7-8 hours until meat is tender.

With a slotted spoon, remove beef & mushrooms. Place gravy mix in large saucepan, gradually whisk in cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, cook & stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Add sour cream immediately before serving. Serve beef & mushrooms over noodles, top with gravy.

Worst case of mistaken identity EVER…

Guardians of Light, Book 6

As a teacher, Maili is adept at juggling multiple tasks, but this is ridiculous. Erotic dreams make her sleep anything but restful. Her father wants to marry her off to a neighboring chieftain’s son. Her grandmother’s whispered blasphemy about doubting the gods has the local volcano threatening to split wide open.

As she prays in the temple for mercy on her grandmother, Maili expects the mountain to smoke and rumble. She doesn’t expect Afu himself to pop through a dark fissure and squash her flat.

The last thing Dax remembers is vowing to prevent his queen’s assassination. He wakes up in an island paradise, where the primitive natives worship the statue of a troll named Afu. And they expect him—their fyre god incarnate—to stop their cranky volcano from blowing up.

As an incentive, they’ve given him a maiden sacrifice/bride, a dark-eyed beauty who’s just as determined to seduce him as he is to return home in one piece.

While she’s less than thrilled to be traded like a chicken, one thing is certain. Dax is the man in her dreams…and she’s hell bent on making them come true. Or her people may die.

Warning: Contains erotic dreams, volcanic-hot love scenes, one edgy F/F interrogation scene and some self-loving. Also treason, black sorcery and an evil witch doctor who shrinks heads.

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http://reneewildes1.wordpress.com

This Valentine’s desert is decadent and shamefully simple.

What makes it great, is that you can play around with it to your heart’s content, adding or deleting ingredients, according to whatever strikes your fancy.

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Ingredients:

1. Your favorite most fudgy, chocolatey, gooey brownie recipe. (Yep, can be from a box.)

2. A small jar of Morello cherries.

3. A can of cherry pie filling.

4. Whipped cream. (Yep, can be Cool Whip or Reddi Wip if you don’t want to go the heavy cream route.)

5. Or, instead of the whipped cream, ice cream! (I’d go with a rich vanilla or Cherry Garcia.)

6. A soupcon of cherry liqueur, cherry brandy or kir (Optional. I tried this recently with Grand Marnier’s limited release Cherry and didn’t like it at all. I dunno. Maybe because it tasted more like oranges than cherries.

7. Shaved chocolate. Or chocolate covered cherries. (Both Optional. Okay, really, it’s ALL optional. Except the brownie. And even there you can use a gooey, fudgy, devil’s food or red velvet cake recipe. Who am I to judge?)

8. Wine glass, or margarita glass or brandy snifter. Something pretty and clear. (Essentially, this is the ONLY thing that is not optional.)

Assemblage:

1. Let your brownie (or cake) cool and cut it into bite size pieces.

2. Toss a layer of the brownie (or cake) into the bottom of a wine glass.

3. Add a layer of cherry pie filling. (I like to add some of the tart Morello cherries here, so it’s not so sickeningly sweet. You can spritz a little liqueur at this stage, if you’re so inclined. You can test it out on a sample piece of brownie, to see how you like it.)

4. If you’re really ambitious, or LOVE chocolate covered cherries, you can smash up a few.

5. Add a layer of whipped cream. Or ice cream.

6. You can stop here and top with shaved chocolate or a maraschino cherry or a drizzle of liqueur or all of the above.

7. Or you can repeat, depending on the size of your glass!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Dagney Night, a sought-after succubus, is no stranger to blazing hot sex. But as Valentine’s Day approaches, she longs for something more. When oddly erotic paintings arrive for display at her art gallery, arousing everyone who views them, she wonders about the mysterious artist who created the works.

Maxwell Raines, a fire-sex demon, lives a life of solitude and seclusion behind the walls of his compound at Sleepy Hollow, channeling his lustful impulses into his art—until his muse deserts him and his temperature rises past the danger point. He needs sex. Now.

When Madame Evangeline arranges a torrid Valentine’s 1Night Stand for them, will the flames of their encounter be too hot to handle?

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http://tarynkincaid.com/

This recipe came from my mother-in-law, although I’ve modified it for my family. We use turkey sausage instead of pork, reduced sodium vegetables, and more potatoes than the original. It’s a healthy, hearty meal!

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Turkey Sausage Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1lb turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 14 ¾-ounce can creamed corn (reduced sodium)
1 15 ¼ -ounce can whole kernel reduced-sodium corn, drained (I don’t use a whole can – maybe half)
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (can also use skim evaporated milk)
Directions:
1. In large pot, cook sausage over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes more.
2. Add potatoes, water, seasoning, and pepper and stir. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered about 20 minutes (until potatoes are tender).
3. Stir in the corn, creamed corn, and evaporated milk. Heat through.
Leftovers freeze fairly well, although potatoes can get mushy in freezer.
When it comes to sex, Bella Massey wants a man who’ll get down on his knees and beg. And although she’s got the hots for firefighter Marcus Aiello, she can’t believe an alpha male like him could have a submissive bone in his body.
Marcus isn’t looking for a relationship, but Bella is not like any woman he’s ever met. When he discovers what the sexy librarian is really looking for in a man, he’s even more intrigued. But giving up control is difficult for Marcus—no matter how much he desires it.
Despite their intense attraction, Marcus and Bella’s budding relationship is at an impasse. Until a weekend at a unique B&B offering all manner of naughty nightly activities teaches them both just how good it can feel to lose control…
This book contains scenes of both Femdom/male submission and male Domination/female submission.

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www.jodiegriffin.com

The most common comment I get from readers after they finish Meant To Be is that they're left craving brownies, so here's the recipe for the brownies that bring Daniel and Marienne together, first as friends and eventually as lovers.  They're the perfect chewy, chocolatey fudge brownies with a delicate flaky top. Enjoy!

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Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Fudge Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I use Baker’s unsweetened)
¾ cup unsalted butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (go a little over rather than a little under)
1 cup all-purpose flour (I use Gold Medal)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use Nestle’s)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 9x13 inch metal baking pan. (Note: If you only have a glass pan that will work too, but lower the oven temp to 325 degrees.)

Place butter and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir butter/chocolate mixture until all the chocolate is completely melted. (Note: If you don’t have a microwave you can do this in a pot on top of the stove, just make sure to do it over low enough heat that you don’t brown/scald the butter.)

When all the chocolate is melted, stir in 2 cups of sugar. Mix until completely blended.

Add three eggs and the hearty teaspoon of vanilla. Stir until completely blended.

Stir in 1 cup of flour.

Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Spread evenly in buttered pan.

Place pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 33 minutes.

Remove brownies from the oven and insert a toothpick in the center to test them. If the toothpick still has wet batter on it, put them back in for a minute or two. If it has fudgy crumbs stuck to it or comes out clean, you’re done. (You’re aiming for fudgy crumbs, but honestly it depends what you hit when you stick the toothpick in---if it looks like you stabbed a chocolate chip and the toothpick has melted chocolate on it, take a fresh toothpick and try again.) DO NOT OVERBAKE THESE BROWNIES---a few extra minutes in the oven will turn them from a delightfully soft chewy/gooey treat into chocolate flavored bricks. Better underdone than overdone.

Let the pan cool on a rack for at least an hour or so (if you can wait a few hours that’s even better).

Once the pan is completely cool you can cut the brownies into squares (or rectangles, or whatever other shapes you please). Use a very sharp knife, or a pizza cutter, or a sharp-edged spatula. Store any brownies you’re not planning on eating immediately in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Air is not their friend and they will dry up if left uncovered.

Individually wrapped brownies travel well and are great for bake sales, packed lunches, or kept in a purse or briefcase for potentially stressful moments.

For an extra-special treat these can be topped with a swirl of your favorite chocolate frosting and a pretty M&M, but really, they don’t need it.

They’re pretty tasty under ice cream and hot fudge as well.

Sometimes you’re already committed to the wrong person when fate finally brings you the right one. When NYU professor Daniel Gardner’s career-obsessed wife convinces him to move to the suburbs, he hopes it’s a first step toward starting the family he longs to have. Instead of domestic bliss he finds his neighbor, Marienne Valeti. She loves her freelance design job, but must contend with a growing sense of isolation created by her husband’s indifference. A penchant for good books, bad movies, and Marienne’s to-die-for brownies sparks a powerful bond between them. Passion simmers, but they resist its lure, surrendering only in the seclusion of their minds. Their friendship helps them weather every hardship, from divorce to widowhood, leaving them both secretly wondering if it can survive a first kiss.

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karenstivali.com

This is my adaptation of the classic potato bake I learned how to make from my Australian friends. Instead of sliced potatoes, I've diced and added in some extra yummies. I consider this the perfect comfort food for the winter; a slice of starchy, stodgy heaven and I serve it with grilled bangers (sausages) and winter veggies. I hope you enjoy...and don't forget, you can always low cal/fat this recipe down with healthier substitutes if you wish.

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Cajun Sweetcorn & Bacon Potato Bake

Ingredients needed:

1/4 metric cup of plain/multi purpose flour

1 1/2 cup of sweetcorn (I use tinned but frozen& fresh works, too)

2 cups of grated cheese (I use white sharp cheddar)

1/4 cup of bacon bits (either pre-made grocery store bought or hand chopped cooked bacon)

3 1/2 lbs of potatoes, peeled, washed, and diced.

8 to 10 floz of cream

1 small onion finely chopped

cajun spices to taste - I use Slap Ya Mama, three tablespoons full.

Note: all ingredient portions will differ depending on your taste preferences and size of your dish. This is based off me using a deep 10 by 4 casserole dish.

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 375F

Add the potatoes, cajun spices, and flour into your casserole dish and rub the flour into the potatoes so they are all covered lightly.

Add sweetcorn and chopped onion. Mix well.

Pour the cream over the potatoes, for the correct amount, you should just see the cream if you tip the dish slightly.

Sprinkle the bacon bites over the top.

Then sprinkle the grated cheese to cover the full dish.

Cover and bake for 1hr or until potatoes are soft.

Uncover and return to the heat for 15mins to 'brown' the top.

Hot winter kisses to warm broken hearts….

Sick of tending to everyone else’s needs around the holidays, divorced barmaid and granny Sandra ferries it from London to Belfast. All she wants for Christmas is some peace with a romance story in front of a roaring fire in a remote Irish castle. What she gets is a most unexpected Christmas present from her friends at Bell’s—A 1Night Stand with a young Irishman.

Can she hack it in the real world of romance, or are life’s complications and treacherous snowstorms best left to the pages of a book?

Newly widowed Ardan Draighean owns Ballygalley castle. Once run as a hotel with his late wife, the stone building now serves as a home for him and his son. After hearing about Madame Eve’s matchmaking skills, he contacts her in search of the perfect match. Although much older than him—by fifteen years—Sandra is his ideal woman. He be damned if he’ll let a good story get in the way of his happy ever after with her.

Hot winter kisses are all this couple needs to stay warm this Christmas, but will the heat stay long after the magical season of mistletoe has finished?

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www.joannekenrick.com