Cutest Couple, one of three novellas in my Girls Most Likely To trilogy, is set at a high school reunion. Busy weekend, right? And during the summer, when the last thing you feel like doing is cooking. So here's a perfect quick and easy recipe for a hot summer night. Proportions? Doesn't really matter. If you make too much, you've got leftovers!

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Bruschetta

Loaf of crusty bread (pugliese is a personal favorite)
tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
fresh mozzarella
sliced ham

1. Chop tomatoes and basil leaves and combine. Chill.
2. Slice fresh mozzarella, set aside.
3. Slice bread and brush with olive oil. Broil in the oven until toasty.
4. Remove bread from oven. Top each slice with tomato mixture, slice of ham, and slice of mozzarella cheese. Enjoy!

Book two of the Girls Most Likely To…

Ten years ago, Marc and Bree were voted Cutest Couple—until a graduation-night argument destroyed their relationship. Unable to contact him, Bree had no choice but to forget Marc—and raise the son she never got to tell him about.

Marc got Bree's message loud and clear when he never heard from her again. Now stationed near his hometown, he sees their high school reunion as a chance to make peace with the past. But after one glimpse of Bree, he knows he never really got over her. And after one glimpse of her son, Marc knows he's the boy's father…

Despite the secrets and lies that kept them apart, Marc and Bree can't resist picking up where they left off. But when the weekend is over, it may be too late to build the future they once dreamed of.

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www.kate-davies.com

The recipe I’m sharing is one of three mentioned in my upcoming release, Alien Adoration. Luke hopes Rachel will find it romantic to make a meal together, but things don’t go as he planned.

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Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

1 pound linguini

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 shallots, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a couple tablespoons of salt then the linguini. When water returns to boil, cook for 6 to 8 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes for 3-4 minutes. Season shrimp with salt and pepper then add them to the pan. Cook until shrimp is pink (2-3 minutes). Once cooked, remove shrimp from pan and set aside, keeping them warm. Add wine and lemon juice to pan and bring to boil. Add 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil. When butter has melted, add in cooked shrimp, parsley, and cooked linguini. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a little olive oil and serve.

Erotic dreams fill her with need…

Night after night, Rachel fantasizes about her sexy, playboy neighbor. But in her small town, no one changes, least of all the bad boy next door. But when Luke rescues her not once but twice from disastrous dates, she dares to believe her knight in black leather armor may be the right man for her after all. 

Until she learns the truth...

Life on Earth has never been easy for Luke. Stranded as a little boy, he struggled to craft an existence for himself, but he never forgot the first human he met--and he never stopped wanting to see her again. Returning to Hanton, Luke longs for Rachel. Yet, nothing goes as he plans, and Rachel barely notices him. Convincing her he isn't like all the jerks she's dated means telling her the truth, but can she handle it?

Can she overcome her fears, or will she deny her alien adoration and leave him stranded once more?

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jessicasubject.com

I love food, but I'm not a big fan of cooking, so this simple and easy recipe is just my style. It can almost take care of itself while I'm wrestling my characters into submission.

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Easy Minestrone Soup

4 beef bouillon cubes

One medium-sized onion, diced

Small can tomato sauce

One can stewed tomatoes

Two cans water

Cook all of the above for 20 minutes.

Add one pound hamburger as stock is boiling. Cook another 20 minutes.

Add one can Veg-All mixed vegetables.

Add one cup uncooked orzo. Simmer until orzo is tender.

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby Atwood's personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life – no pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father?

But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.

Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.

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www.AllAboutTheWriting.com

This recipe is in honor of my novel that is set in Spain. When my hubby and I visited, we fell in love with the country and the food. What a romantic place!

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(Spanish Omelet)

Ingredients:

6-7 medium potatoes, peeled

1 whole yellow onion

5-6 large eggs

2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying

Salt to taste

Diced ham, chorizo, red or green peppers, or tomatoes can also be added.

Slice the potatoes into 1/8” slices. Chop onions into 1/4” pieces. Mix potatoes, onion and salt. In a large non-stick pan heat the olive oil on medium-high. When the oil is ready for frying, spread the potatoes and onions evenly over the surface. Cook until potatoes are done then remove mixture from the oil with a slotted spoon. Whisk eggs in a large bowl and add the potato-onion mixture. Pour 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil into a non-stick frying pan. Heat on medium. Stir the potato-onion-egg mixture once more and pour into heated oil. Spread evenly. When the eggs have cooked around the edges, carefully lift one side of the omelet and peek. When the bottom is brown, put a plate on top of the pan and flip the omelet over onto the plate and slide back into the pan to cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Slide the omelet onto a plate and cut into 1 1/2” squares.

Serve with a sliced baguette.

Enjoy!

Seeing dead people is bad enough. Loving him could make her one of them.

When the mother of all panic attacks prompts Erin Carter’s boss to pass her over for promotion, her mind doesn’t just crack. It explodes like an egg in a microwave, shattering her career along with the company car she crashes into the office building.

The death grip she’s kept on her sanity slipping, she takes a friend’s advice and flees to Spain. There she finds comfort in the healing arms of surgeon Santiago Botello—until a fifteenth-century ghost warns her that being with Santiago is dangerous, possibly even lethal.

Santiago has his hands full protecting his sister from a dark curse and his family from a very modern-day psychotic killer. The last thing he needs added to his plate is a neurotic American. Yet something about Erin tugs at his heart so hard he wants to wrap her in his arms and never let go. No matter the risk.

Erin’s attraction to Santiago makes her the killer’s next target. Survival means she must face her greatest fear, solve an ancient murder mystery—and hang on tight to the one man she’s fallen crazy in love with.

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www.kimberleytroutte.com

I like a lot of different cuisines, but when I'm in the mood for some serious comfort, I really love rustic Italian. Fitting that one of the male leads for my recent book is an Italian....

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Mushroom-Leek Ragout on Penne

*This can also be served with fresh pasta and it's quite delicious--but penne is less labor intensive and also delicious. Also, if you're not a fan of vegetarian recipes, you can easily add chicken.*

Ingredients:

One pound penne pasta

2-3 leeks

one pound porcini or baby bella mushrooms

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flake

one can of crushed tomatoes

olive oil

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, keeping the root mostly intact. Rinse them very, very thoroughly--leeks are incredibly full of sand! Chop them into half-moons about a quarter inch wide--it's not that important to be precise, as they cook down. Some people only use the white parts, but I am quite fond of all but the very tips of the leeks.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the mushrooms and saute over high heat until browned. Add the onion, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme and red pepper flake and cook for about ten minutes. add the crushed tomatoes and allow the mixture to come up to a boil before lowering the heat.

In a big pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil with a heavy dose of salt--at least two tablespoons. When the water is at a boil, add the pasta and cook until about one minute short of the instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce, letting the heat from the pan cook the pasta the last minute. You may want to reserve a little of the pasta water to add in, if the sauce gets too dense; but mostly I just don't let the pasta drain as thoroughly, and the residual water mingles with the sauce for a good texture. Serve with grated parmigiano and a glass of the wine of your choice!

When Nick Laurent’s grief over losing his wife transitions into full-blown depression, his best friend Paolo DeLuca is worried. After trying and failing to pull Nick out of his downward spiral, he decides that his girlfriend Angharad Johns can accomplish what he can’t, and convinces her to try seducing the guitarist.

Nick Laurent, missing his wife and wishing that his friends would leave him alone in his grief, is unsure of accepting a new partner in Angharad. As his feelings for her develop, Nick wonders if he’s betraying his late wife by falling for Paolo’s girlfriend.

Angharad Johns is conflicted at the idea of seeing two men at the same time. Instead of being the seducer, Angharad is seduced, and soon finds her schedule fuller than she could ever imagine. If she is going to keep this up, she has to find a way to fit both gorgeous men into her life.

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www.marykpreston.blogspot.com

One of my favorite things is coffee, followed closely by chocolate. What better drink than to mix them together with some tea, to make Ambrosia?

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Ambrosia

Unlike coffee or tea, Ambrosia combines the effects of both and adds the bliss of chocolate.  One cup will open your mind and awaken your senses for whatever you desire, sexy, sweet, or serious.

-1 part high quality brewed coffee (or, even better, make it in a French press)
-1 part high quality black or green tea (Dragonwell is an excellent choice)
-1 part high quality hot cocoa (Valhrona is my personal favorite; Vosges is a close second)

Combine in a tea pot and whisk briskly for thirty seconds. Serve hot with a dash of cream and sugar.

I found this recipe in the Herbal Studies Course by Jeanne Rose, called the Cosmic Caffeinator.  I have made it many times and the darker the cocoa, the better the results.  The quality of the ingredients make a difference, as in anything.  But it's well worth trying, even if all you have at hand is office coffee, black orange pekoe teabags and hot chocolate.  But making it with "the real deal" will show you why I call it Ambrosia.

If you have any interest in herbalism at all, Ms. Rose is the best source of information, bar none.  Her sense of humor and wealth of knowledge are vast and she's written extensively on both herbalism and aromatherapy, as well as other topics.  You can find out more about Ms. Rose, her books and classes, at her website.

 

Chicagoland Shifters, Book 2

Veterinary trauma surgeon and animal empath Sasha Soskoff has found everything he ever wanted with his new partners Neal, Steve and Carlos. Life feels as safe and secure as it can be among a group of ex-Marine tiger shifters. Until a homeless man is found, gruesomely mauled and murdered, near Neal’s BDSM club.

When it’s determined a rogue tiger did the deed, the jaguars’ accusing eyes turn toward Sasha’s lovers. The precarious balance of peace tips dangerously toward war.

Neal knows damned well none of his tigers committed the crime. Someone must be in Chicago without his knowledge or permission, and they’d better find him fast before uncertainty and conflict rip the tight-knit band apart from the inside.

As Sasha struggles to heal the stress fractures forming among his tiger family, he begins to wonder if his dreams of a home, and love, were too good to be true. And it’s precisely that moment the killer strikes at the heart of the tiger clan—Sasha himself.

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http://acatherinenoon.blogspot.com/

I grant you this recipe is a little bit involved. It’s not the sort of thing you want to make at the last minute. It’s more along the lines of something you make to impress your mother-in-law. It’s also very pretty and spring-like. Great for Easter, although that has now passed, but Mother’s Day is coming up.

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For the sponge cake:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup milk

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Beat the eggs, adding the sugar gradually. Keep beating until the mixture is light and lemon-colored. Beat in the oil. Sift the dry ingredients together; add the vanilla and almond extracts to the milk. Stir in dry ingredients, alternating with milk mixture. Pour into pans and bake 20-25 minutes. Cool a few minutes in pans and unmold onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

¾ cup apricot preserves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 kiwi fruit, halved and sliced (to form crescents)

½ pint strawberries, sliced (reserve one whole berry for garnish)

Heat apricot preserves and lemon juice to boiling, stirring occasionally. Strain enough of the preserve mixture to measure 2 tablespoons syrup for glaze. Cool the remaining preserve mixture.

Whipped Cream Cheese Topping:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ cup powdered sugar

¾ cup chilled whipping cream

½ teaspoon vanilla

In a chilled bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

To assemble:

Place bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with half of the preserve mixture. Spread ¾ cup of the whipped cream cheese topping over this. Top with second layer. Spread with remaining preserve mixture. Arrange fruit on top: the kiwi scallops go around the edge; place the whole strawberry in the center and arrange the remaining slices about the center in a star pattern. (This is just the base recipe. You can add whatever fruit you like to it and get creative with how you arrange it.) Brush top with reserved apricot syrup. You can also arrange any leftover strawberries around the base. Frost sides of cake with remaining cream cheese topping. Serve immediately or refrigerate no longer than 8 hours.

Serves 8-10.

After watching her beloved sister Sophia pine over the ton’s Golden Boy for years, Miss Julia St. Claire has foresworn love and put herself firmly on the shelf. Unfortunately, her social-climbing mother and debt-ridden father have other ideas, and jump at the chance to marry Julia off to the newly-named Earl of Clivesden…the man of Sophia’s dreams.

Since resigning his Cavalry commission, Benedict Revelstoke has spent his time in London avoiding the marriage mart. But when he discovers that the Earl of Clivesden has set Julia in his sights, Benedict tries to protect his childhood best friend from the man’s advances—only to discover more than friendship driving his desire to defend her. He surprises them both with the force of his feelings, but when she refuses him and her father announces her betrothal, he fears he’s lost her forever—until Julia approaches him with a shocking scheme that will ruin her for all respectable society…

…and lead them into an exquisite world of forbidden pleasures.

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http://ashlynmacnamara.net

The recipe I’m sharing today is one of my family favorites. I love it because it’s quick and easy when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

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Honey Mustard Pork Chops and Rice

4 – 6 boneless pork chops

One cup brown rice (I use Uncle Bens or Liptons)

½ cup honey mustard

Tsp. of Olive oil

Crushed garlic

In a Pyrex dish, heat olive oil and garlic, add pork chops and bake for 20 minutes. (I do this to make sure the pork is thoroughly cooked.) Heat barbecue grill and then coat pork chops with honey mustard sauce. Grill pork chops for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with rice, salad (or on a summer afternoon I grill vegetables.) Spread aluminum foil out, adding asparagus, yellow peppers, squash and mushrooms (or your favorite veggies). Coat lightly with olive oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce) wrap inside aluminum foil and grill on the top rack (turning occasionally) for approximately 20 minutes.) Excellent combination with honey mustard pork chops.

A terrifying memory is locked deep inside her. A killer wants to keep it that way.

Nine-year-old Eden Moran thought she was saying good-bye to her mentor that fateful day in St. Patrick’s.  She had no idea she’d witness the nun’s demise, or that her child’s mind would compensate.  Now seventeen years later, Albuquerque cops have unearthed human remains, and the evidence points to Eden as being the key to solving Sister Beatrice’s murder.  When a hell-bent cop applies pressure, Eden stands firm.  She doesn’t remember the woman.  Unfortunately for Eden, Sister Beatrice’s killer will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

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www.donnellannbell.com