This recipe has been handed down for generations. It's appropriate because it's a Christmas must around my house and it's English (which goes right along with my time-travel Victorian novel). And I saved the best for last. It is ridiculously easy.

~ ~ ~

English Toffee

• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 stick of margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 12 oz. of chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet. Choose your own adventure here.)

Spread chopped pecans on the bottom of a cookie sheet

Combine margarine, butter, sugar, corn syrup and water.  Bring mixture to boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and it reaches a hard crack stage.

Pour over the pecans in the prepared cookie sheet.  Top with chocolate chips and swirl into tasteful shapes while you realize that you are an artiste and chocolate is your true medium.

Wait for it to cool, then break into chunks and boom goes the dynamite.

 

How to woo a gentleman—and weaponize dessert.

Romance novel junkie Eliza Pepper always thought she was born too late, but now she really is stuck in the wrong time. Tasked with mending a tear in the timeline, she’s trying desperately to fit into 1873 London. But dang it, mucking out a fireplace while looking like the lunch lady from hell is hard.

If she can just keep from setting the floor on fire and somehow resist her growing attraction to the master of the house, she’ll be fine. All she has to do is repeat her mantra:  “He’s nothing like Darcy. He’s nothing like Darcy.”

William Brown has always taken pride in his mastery of English decorum, but his new maid is a complete disaster, has thrown his household into chaos…and he finds her utterly captivating.

Though he’s willing to endure extreme physical discomfort to keep their relationship in proper perspective, her arrival has brought out a side of him he never knew existed. And Eliza has an innocently erotic knack for coaxing that decidedly ungentlemanly facet of himself out to play…

Warning:  A modern girl who knows bupkis about nursing and maiding in the 19th century, a gentleman poet with a repressed wild side, and inappropriate use of a pair of pantaloons.

~ ~ ~

terrimeeker.com

In The Duality Principle, Connor and Gabriella share a piece of strawberry shortcake on their first date. I am a terrible baker, but my husband loves strawberry shortcake, so my shortcake trifle recipe has turned out to be a good compromise in our house!

~ ~ ~

Shortcake Trifle

Ingredients:

1-2 loaves store bought shortcake (or make your own, if you’re brave!)

2 cups strawberries, halved (recipe as pictured includes blueberries, too)

1 can Reddi Whip

Cookie cutter in desired shape

Clear trifle dish

Slice cake into 1½ inch thick layers. Use cookie cutter to create desired shapes. Layer remaining pieces of cake onto the bottom of the trifle dish, and use any leftover pieces as filler for the middle. Begin stacking shapes along the side of the dish, adding fruit and whipped cream as you go. (I recommend Reddi Whip because it holds its shape much better than Cool Whip or homemade.) Continue adding until you have reached the top.

I used star shapes for mine, as this was a dessert I served on Independence Day. Heart shapes can be used to create a Valentine’s Day dish, or holiday shapes to create a festive Christmas dish.

Gabriella Evans’s life exists in terms of logic and definitions. She’s holed up in Portland, Maine, for the summer to work on her PhD thesis, but something is screwing up her concentration: the rumble of a motorcycle every time the embodiment of her rough-and-tumble fantasies rides down her street.

When her best friend talks her into a blind date, she finds herself out with the opposite of her fantasy. He’s polite and well-mannered, yet something behind his crisply tailored shirt doesn’t add up—a rebellious gleam in his eye that piques her curiosity.

Orphaned at fifteen, Connor Starks has finally put the years of failing grades, breaking laws and breaking hearts behind him. The only holdover? His penchant for getting down and dirty in public places. But Gabriella makes him want to prove he’s become a better man.

Nothing intrigues Gabriella more than a problem she can’t solve. But the more Connor tries to bury his past, the more determined she is to uncover it. And what she finds makes all her trusty logic begin to fail her.

~ ~ ~

www.rebeccagraceallen.com

I recently ordered a recipe book called The Cupcake Bible, and there’s a recipe sticks out to me as a Try-Soon-Please-And-Thank-You type of thing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this makes it to some part of my Christmas baking fiasco that runs during December :) Here’s the general idea of what the book details:

~ ~ ~

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

1 cup of creamy peanut butter, divided

¼ cup (or ½ stick) of unsalted butter, softened

1 cup of packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of milk

1 ½ cups of mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided (plus more for the top, if you’d like)

Peanut Butter frosting (or, if you’re a Kentucky girl like me, “icing”) – instructions to come!

Instructions for Cupcakes:

1. Oven should to be at 350 degrees.
2. Clearly, you’ll need to use baking cups in the pan, use Pam, smear butter… Something to keep the cupcakes from sticking.
3. Use an electric mixer (on medium) to mix the butter and ½ cup of peanut butter together.
4. Add the brown sugar, and mix again – thoroughly.
5. Add one egg, then blend with the electric mixer.
6. Add the other egg, then blend with the electric mixer.
7. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a different bowl.
8. Add the mixture from step #7 into the peanut butter blend, but not all at once. Instead, alternate between adding that mixture and the milk.
9. Use the electric mixer on low until everything is blended.
10. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
11. Dip the batter into the pan.
12. Bake for about 15 minutes.
13. Let them cool while you prepare the icing (instructions to follow).
14. Spread icing over the cupcakes.
15. Heat the remaining peanut butter in microwave (on High) for about fifteen seconds – or until it’s melted – then pour over the iced cupcakes.
16. Heat the remaining chocolate chips in microwave (on High) for about fifteen seconds – or until it’s melted – then pour over the iced cupcakes.
17. Add additional chocolate chips to the top, if you’d like.

Ingredients for Icing:

½ cup (or 1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened

½ cup of creamy peanut butter

2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

½ teaspoon of vanilla

3-6 tablespoons of milk

Instructions for Icing:

1. Use electric mixer (on medium) to mix ½ cup (or 1 stick) of butter and ½ cup of peanut butter in a bowl.
2. Gradually add 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla.
3. Add 3-6 tablespoons of milk, one at a time until it’s smooth.

Preston and Nick endured the breakup of all breakups when Nick accused her of cheating on him. He insisted, and she denied while the rain pounded against her driveway and thunder roared in the distance. Then they both ran – Preston to a life of Rock and Roll, and Nick to a career in the Army.

Over four years later, they’re damaged and broken almost beyond repair. He’s carrying baggage from his military days, and she bears the scars of living a lifestyle she’s grown to hate.

When Preston’s label forces her to take time away from music, their paths cross in a parking lot not twenty-four hours after her hometown return, anger and sparks flying in a confusing blend. But regardless of the feelings neither has been able to shake, too many lies and secrets stand in the way of the one thing they need in order to recover.
Each other.

~ ~ ~

Main Site/Blog: http://clsmithbooks.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clsmithbooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257320.Connie_L_Smith

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/conniel0194/

Readwave: http://www.readwave.com/connie.l.smith/

One of the foods my family has always enjoyed on Christmas Eve was tortière. It is a French-Canadian meat pie that my mother learned to make when she grew up in Northern Ontario.

~ ~ ~

TORTIÈRE

2 lbs ground pork

1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp butter
1 large or two medium potatoes
1 large onion (diced into tiny pieces)
2 teaspoons allspice
pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
4 Deep Dish pie shells (I use pre-made)

1. Peel, cut up, and boil potato(s). Mash them well. Put aside. They will be used later in the recipe.

2. In a large skillet or pot, melt the butter. Add onions until they've turned clearish.

3. Add the ground pork and ground beef until well cooked. Drain the grease.

4. Add the mashed potato and mix well.

5. Add the allspice, pepper, and cinnamon. Mix well. 

6. Add enough water to cover the mixture and let simmer for a few hours, allowing the potato to thicken the mixture.
7. Once the mixture is thickened, divide equally into two of the pie shells. Cover each with one of the remaining pie shells and pinch the edges, using a wee bit of water to bond them. I always cut an eight-point star into mine to vent them well when cooking.   
8. Bake at 425 degrees F until edges are golden brown and pie dough cooked. I usually undercook one just slightly so I can freeze it and just pop into the oven to reheat without the pie dough getting burned during reheating. The other one I cook fully for dinner.

In one week, Princess Ro’sa will board a spaceship, leaving her home on Minjet to be with her betrothed on Earth. The only problem is, she detests the prince’s selfish and arrogant ways, preferring to spend time with his personal aide, a man who stirs her desires in ways she never imagined possible with his radiant blue eyes and smouldering lips. And oh, the way he touches her.

Earth’s post-apocalyptic landscape offers little but the alliance offers much and a princess must do her duty, no matter the danger to her person and to her heart.

~ ~ ~

jessicasubject.com

I learned almost all of my cooking skills as an adult. Growing up, I just wasn’t that interested. The sole exception was at Christmastime, when I hovered over my mother’s shoulder as she made such delectable treats as divinity, pecan pralines, and Martha Washington candy. Once I hit middle school, she started putting my annual burst of interest to good use. I didn’t have the skills for divinity or pralines—in fact, I’m not sure I could make them now—but I could dip pretzels in chocolate, simmer mulled cider…and make these simple but addictive savory treats:

~ ~ ~

Sausage and Cheese Balls

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage, crumbled

3 cups Bisquick

1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine uncooked sausage, Bisquick, and cheese in bowl; mix well.

Shape into small balls; place on baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or until brown; drain on paper towels.

Gabriel Shepherd has never forgotten his humble origins. So when he discovers a war orphan at Christmastime, he resolves to find a home for her—even if that means asking help from the very family who found and raised him, only to cast him out for daring to love the wrong woman.

Lady Catherine Trevilian has spent five years poring over the British Army’s casualty lists, dreading the day she sees Gabe’s name. She’s never forgotten him, and she’s never forgiven herself for not running away with him when she had the chance, though she’s agreed to a marriage of convenience with a more suitable man.

When Gabe returns home on Christmas leave just days before Cat’s wedding, a forbidden kiss confirms their feelings haven’t been dimmed by distance or time. But Cat is honor-bound to another, and Gabe believes she deserves better than a penniless soldier with an orphan in tow. How can Cat reconcile love and duty? She must convince Gabe she’d rather have him than the richest lord in all of England…

~ ~ ~

http://www.susannafraser.com/

Christmas is my favorite season. I love the sights, the smells, and the tastes. One of my fondest memories is watching my grandmother make her pralines. Now my husband makes them for our holiday. I hope you enjoy the sweet southern confection as much as we do.

Happy Holidays!

~ ~ ~

Oma’s Pralines

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons dark corn syrup

1 cup canned milk (Carnation or Pet)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups pecan halves

Butter sides of heavy 3-quart saucepan. Combine sugars, corn syrup, and milk.

Heat and stir over medium heat till sugars dissolve and mixture comes to boiling.

Cook to soft-ball stage (234 degrees), stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, cool slightly, and add vanilla.

Beat by hand about 2 minutes before adding pecans then beat until mixture loses its gloss.

Drop by heaping tablespoons on buttered foil or waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. (If candy becomes too stiff to drop from spoon, add a teaspoon of hot water.)

Makes nine 3 ½ inch pralines.

He never doubted he’d find her.

She moved on without him.

Can he reclaim her heart before it’s too late?

Annie’s heart is torn between the man she'll always love and her promise to her fiancé’s young daughter.

A father’s lies. A first love’s determination to change her mind and her heart. A promise to . Annie is torn between the man she'll always love and the young daughter of her fiancé whom she’s promised never to abandon.

Her father’s lies. Her first love’s determination to change her mind and her heart. Annie’s heart is torn between the man she'll always love and the young daughter of her fiancé whom she’s promised never to abandon.

Her first love’s determination to change her mind and her heart. Her commitment to her fiancé and his child. Who will claim her heart?

Her first love’s return forces Annie to exam her commitment to her fiancé and his child. Who will claim her heart?

Her first love’s determination to change her mind and her heart forces Annie to exam her commitment to her fiancé and his child. Who will claim her heart?

~ ~ ~

http://www.judythemorgan.com/

My mom rarely baked when I was a child – she was too busy working – but the one thing she made on a pretty regular basis was Snickerdoodle Cookies. Probably because they were my dad's favorite. Like my mom, I don't have a lot of time to bake – and I find cookies too time consuming. Luckily, I discovered this wonderful recipe.

~ ~ ~

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

· 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

· 1/2 C white sugar

· 2 1/2 C flour

· 1 t baking powder

· 1/2 t baking soda

· 1/2 t salt

· 1 C butter, softened*

· 1 C sugar

· 1 C brown sugar

· 3 eggs

· 2 t vanilla

· 1 C full-fat sour cream*

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease or spray the inside of your bundt pan.

In a small bowl combine the first two ingredients until well mixed. Generously dust the inside of your bundt pan with cinnamon sugar (you want it to form a crust when it bakes). Shake out extra. Save some for the middle of the cake.

Next, mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) and set aside.

In a third, larger, bowl, mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.

Then alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to your sugar, butter, and eggs, mixing after each addition.

Pour enough batter into your bundt pan to coat the bottom.

Sprinkle in a (not too) generous layer of cinnamon sugar (if you use too much, the cinnamon sugar layer turns hard after the cake cools).

Add the last of the batter. Do NOT mix.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55-65 minutes. Allow to cool for 30-45 minutes (I find it comes out better if it's almost cool). Invert onto a plate or wire rack and allow to finish cooling—or eat warm :D

(*I have subbed out non-fat greek yogurt (Fage) for half the butter and half the sour cream with good results. )

Betsy Henley has sworn off cowboys for good, and only an invitation from a long-time crush could draw her back in to the rodeo world she left behind. She accepts, eager to find out if Alex Lucero sees her as more than his former team- roping partner’s little sister.

There’s only one problem. . . Alex is now roping with her ex-boyfriend, who also wants her back. How can she choose between the man she’s lusted after for years and the man she has a history with?

Then again, maybe Betsy doesn’t have to.

~ ~ ~

http://amiestuart.com

My family loves green beans so I’m always on the hunt for new ways to cook them. Sautéing them has become my favorite method, as they turn out so tasty.

~ ~ ~

Gourmet Green Beans

1 1/2 - 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed

2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and fresh black pepper

Option 1 - Herb Butter:

•    1/4 cup fresh herb* leaves, roughly chopped

•    1 large lemon, zested and juiced

•    2 garlic cloves, smashed

•    1 stick unsalted butter, softened

•    Salt and pepper

*Use herb of your choice such as sage, rosemary, basil, chives

In a food processor, pulse together the herbs, lemon zest and juice, and garlic. Once coarsely chopped, add the butter and pulse until combined. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Use 1/3 of the herbed butter for this recipe and freeze the rest for another use.

Option 2- Vegie Dressing:

•    2 ounces salted butter, melted

•    1 tablespoon soy sauce

•    1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together. May double recipe if desired.

Sautéing Green Beans:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the green beans in an even layer and cook without disturbing for one minute. Add the herbed butter or vegie dressing and sauté for 1-2 more minutes or until beans are crispy and still bright green. Season with salt and fresh black pepper as needed.

Christmas in Sugar Land contains four romantic and heartwarming Christmas themed stories featuring fictional residents of Sugar Land, Texas:

THE CHRISTMAS STAR – Under the glow of a magical Christmas star, two lonely people find each other and learn that the true meaning of the holiday does indeed entail family and love.

A HOLIDAY SURPRISE – After divorcing fifteen years ago, can two mature and successful adults overcome the differences that forced them apart and then succeed together at love a second time?

CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT – With the company of a clever puppy, a widowed freelance writer falls for a hunky landscaper as feelings of loyalty to her dead husband threaten her chance at happiness.

ROCKIN’ JINGLE BELLS – Can high school sweethearts now in their mid-thirties, a coffee café manager and a famous rock singer, overcome the dissimilarities in their lives and build a relationship based on love and trust?

This collection has additional Enriched Content that includes pictures, recipes, and author notes for each story with access or a notation to it throughout each story.

~ ~ ~

www.karensueburns.com

Many years ago I attended a Christmas Party that had a cranberry dish that I loved. I asked the person for the recipe several times through the years but she would never share! I finally found it!

~ ~ ~

Cranberry Cloud

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 cups miniature marshmallows

¾ cup sugar

2 green apples

1 cup seedless green grapes

½ cup toasted chopped walnuts

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Put cranberries in food process and pulse until they are chopped in slices.

Add cranberries, marshmallows and sugar in large plastic container and shake until mixed.

Set aside for an hour in the fridge. The sugar will turn a delightful pinkish color.

Chop the apples, slice the green grapes and toast the walnuts in oven for ten minutes at 350 degrees.

Whip the heavy whipping cream until peaks form.

Add apples, grapes, walnuts to cranberries along with the whipped cream.

Fold with rubber spatula, then chill the mixture for at least an hour.

About every fifteen minutes, turn the container over and shake a bit to mix the flavors.

That’s it. Delicious, simple to make and men like it. Enjoy!

Adopted!

In the Deep South, one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new in a small town is, “Who’s your daddy?” The answer defines you as a person. Not knowing is disheartening.

Sara McLaughlin never knew she was adopted and is stunned to realize that if she wants to find out the questions burning in her brain as to the ‘why’ she was given up at birth, and who her father might be, she has to live in her birth mother’s apartment for the next six weeks.

Grant St. Romain, attorney, is supposed to be helping, but the hunky dimpled devil is making her mind think of other things.
Can she find the truth? Or will she break her heart trying to find out the answers in Boggy Bayou, where many secrets are hidden?

~ ~ ~

http://pepper.phillips.com

Next week, my debut sexy contemporary romance series, Texas Nights, will conclude with the release of Designed for Love. And to thank my writer gal pals, fabulous readers and Carina Press for supporting and loving this series, I wanted to share a delicious hot chocolate recipe that will warm you up on these chilly November nights when you’re curled up reading stories by your favorite authors.

(Originally published in Southern Living—I think!—but I’ve tweaked the instructions over the years.)

~ ~ ~

Mexican Hot Chocolate

• ¼ cup cocoa

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 − 14-ounce can (fat-free) sweetened condensed milk

• 4 cups (low-fat) milk

Stir together dry ingredients in a small bowl. (I actually like to make up several batches of this dry mixture early in the season and keep them in plastic containers or baggies. That way, I can get straight to the hot chocolate making with no measuring.)

Heat a cup or so of milk over medium heat. Whisk dry ingredients into the milk. Make sure the cocoa and spices are well incorporated. Then add remainder of milk and the condensed milk and whisk well. Cook until the whole chocolaty yumminess is heated through.

Pour it up into four or five cups and share with the folks you’re most thankful for!

NOTE: This hot chocolate is killer top offed with a little shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey. :-)

Ashton Davenport: Hot blonde. Old Money. Off-limits.

That’s how Mac McLaughlin sees her, anyway. And now that he’s enduring a temporary self-imposed exile in tiny Shelbyville, Texas, he’s seeing her way too often. Mac only wants to succeed as the contractor for the Lily Lake development in order to rebuild his reputation and return to Dallas, pronto. A sexy distraction like Ashton was not in the plans.

Mac McLaughlin: Hot builder. Cash poor. Hands-on.

Ashton kissed her trust fund goodbye and left her life as a society princess to prove she could make it on her own. Developing Lily Lake is her big chance, but it’s hard to stay focused working side-by-side with bossy, rough-around-the-edges Mac. Especially when he pulls off his shirt.

When the discovery of an endangered species derails the project, Mac can’t afford to stick around for a stalled job. His and Ashton’s explosive chemistry aside, he’s outta there…unless she can convince him that they just might be able to build something together.

~ ~ ~

Connect with Kelsey: Email / Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest

I think every great Christmas story has some baking going on, as it is a big part of the season. In my Christmas Novella, A Little Bit of Christmas, a tradition the Lewis family has is to make a gingerbread house together. I'm going to give you a recipe that is one of my own family traditions, buckeyes.

~ ~ ~

 

Easy Buckeye Recipe

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1 t. vanilla

Chocolate fudge magic shell

Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, margarine and vanilla until semi-dry. Shape into bite sized balls. Place balls on wax-papered covered cookie sheet. Freeze 1 hour. Dip into Chocolate fudge magic shell, leaving top uncovered to resemble a buckeye. Freeze until serving.

A Christmas Novella

After a tragic accident that brought the small town of Wynter Haven to their knees, Claire Belmont and Nick Lewis went in opposite directions coping in very different ways. Three years later, Claire gets a call urging her to come back to help her friend move past his grief.

It will take more than a little hot cider, gingerbread and mistletoe to bring back Nick’s holiday spirit. He hasn’t celebrated Christmas since his twin sister died. In fact, he’s mastered locking up his feelings so he will never be hurt again.

Claire has a secret and hopes that somehow she and Nick can both get a Christmas miracle this year. After all, Nichole would want them to be happy and cherish the holiday that had been their favorite. Maybe a little bit of Christmas is just what they both need.

~ ~ ~

www.christynewton.com

Cold nights call for a comforting warm dish that’s super easy to make. A chicken pot pie and a prepared salad makes a great meal whenever you're called upon to bring a meal to someone in need. They’ll ask, so make sure to include a copy of the recipe.

~ ~ ~

Down Home Chicken Pot Pie

makes 2 pies (cook one now and freeze one for later). Each pie serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 packages pie crust (found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 29oz can of veg-all homestyle large cut vegetables OR cut up your favorite veggies. Approx. 3 1/2 cups. try carrots, potato, asparagus and green beans

Directions:

1. season the chicken breasts with lemon pepper or McCormick montreal chicken seasoning and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until no longer pink. cut into bite-sized chunks.
2. mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
3. in a deep dish pie pan, press crust down and fill with half the chicken/veggie mixture. Top with another pie crust, crimping edges together. Pierce the top of the crust with a fork in several places.
4. Repeat for 2nd pie.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. 
6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Note: If you only want to cook one pie, either half the recipe or freeze the second chicken pot pie after assembling to cook at a later date.

BORN IN SHADOW This short novella is a prequel to the series. It tells the legend of how the Shadow Walkers came to be.

TWO BROTHERS BORN TO A GODDESS…

Thorne and Dayne. Brothers. Sons of the goddess Terya. Rivals who will become bitter enemies because of a woman.

FORGOTTEN BY TIME…

Luna is the fairest maiden in Arcadium. As Thorne falls hopelessly in love with her, events are set into motion that will change their lives and the lives of everyone around them, sending Arcadium to its destruction.

RISE TO CREATE THE SHADOW WALKERS…

Punished for their crimes, Thorne and Dayne are imprisoned for a thousand years, forgotten by time. Until one day, a handmaiden to the fates frees them both. For she has foreseen what will happen if she releases the gods from their prison in the nether realm.

If you enjoy persnickety gods, supernatural creatures and ghosts with the ability to manifest physical bodies, then BORN IN SHADOW is for you.

~ ~ ~

website: http://cluhrs.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthialuhrsauthor

My sister made this cake and posted a picture of the gorgeous end product on Facebook. She started with a recipe she found at Epicurious.com but made a few changes, reduction of calories not among them.

~ ~ ~

Triple layer banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter icing and chocolate shavings

Ingredients

Cake:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 10-ounce bag mini chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Mini chocolate chips, crushed chocolate bars or shavings for garnishment

Equipment: Three 8" round cake pans, parchment paper

Preparation

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment; coat paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in vanilla.

Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend. Add bananas and sour cream; beat just to blend. Fold in mini chips. Divide batter evenly among pans; smooth tops.

Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment and let cool completely.

For frosting:
Using an electric mixer, beat first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes.

Assemble:
With a bread knife, even out the layers as needed to create level surfaces. Place one cake layer on a platter. Spread one fourth of the frosting over that layer and repeat for layer two. Place the third cake layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with chocolate chips, crushed / shaved chocolate.

Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

An all expenses paid, trans-Atlantic cruise has romance written all over it...unless you’re the poor sap who has to inspect the toilets and time the cafeteria lines. As if secret-shopping her company's failing cruise ship isn't bad enough, Lydia Johnson is forced to bring along a "top talent" new hire as her assistant. With a heart barely healed from her ex-fiancé’s deceit, she's in no mood to train a man who might cheat her out of an overdue promotion.

Paul Thomas may be new to J.P. Theriot Enterprises, but he certainly knows his way around cruise ships. The Cajun charmer also isn't shy about pursuing his desires, including his wary, but oh-so-sexy-when-she lets-her-hair-down manager. He's shared more about himself with Lydia than any other woman...except who he really is--J.P. Theriot.

~ ~ ~

Claire Gillian Website

After I got married, my MIL introduced me to pumpkin bread. Oh my, it’s so good, a perfect side to my favorite cup of coffee and the story I’m writing. I make double batches because it freezes so well. For this, I use real pumpkin.

~ ~ ~

Mrs. Maylee’s Pumpkin Bread

Makes two loaves

Sift together:

3 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon ginger

In a bigger bowl beat together:

16 oz. can pumpkin

¾ cup canola oil

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until well blended. Spray non-stick loaf pans with cooking spray and fill with the batter. Bake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees F or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.

Jane thinks she’s ready to take the risks her business and love life desperately need. Rob’s still punishing himself for a broken relationship that wasn’t meant to last. When the pair let an opportunity pass them by, fate steps in and throws them back together.

An evening of pitch black unrestrained passion at Club Blind opens her eyes to life’s possibilities. Now, if they don’t fight past their personal demons, they might never truly discover what they need most. If they can open their hearts, it might lead them directly to each other where they can discover their truth. If not, they may forever stay in the blind.

~ ~ ~

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

At this time of year everyone's thoughts turn to …pumpkins! Some people focus on carving them but I prefer to eat them. J

I recently tried this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins and they are delicious. I don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen as I'm usually busy writing, so I can assure you they are quick and easy to make. Enjoy!

~ ~ ~

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

MUFFINS

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

TOPING

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk (The white can be added to the muffin mixture.)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In bowl one put the pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon until well mixed.

In bowl two put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix with a fork.

Add the contents of bowl two to bowl one gradually, mixing well with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.

For the toping, mix together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Grease a standard sized muffin tin.

Evenly distribute the muffin mixture between the twelve cups.

Add a small spoonful of the cream-cheese mix to the top of each muffin and swirl in with a skewer.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees, turning the tin halfway through cooking.

Store in an airtight container. Lasts for two to three days.

First in a Christmas trilogy set in Naples and the Amalfi coast 

Desperate to forget her controlling ex fiancé and have a fresh start, Claire goes to Italy to write about how the Italians celebrate Christmas. Leo has his own troubled past to overcome, but when he rescues Claire from the rain and takes her home to meet his daughter, the magical Italian Christmas offers them both a second chance at happiness.

~ ~ ~

www.helenscotttaylor.co.uk

 https://www.facebook.com/HelenScottTaylorAuthor

One of the things I loved best about visiting my grandmother’s farm in Arkansas was her cooking, and anything she made with muscadines was a special treat. If you’ve ever seen these grapelike berries, you know they’re a little tough on the outside. Homesteaders learned how to make the best of every part of the muscadine, letting nothing go to waste.

~ ~ ~

You will need:

• pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie

• 2 quarts ripe muscadines

• lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

Line a pie plate with half of the rolled out pastry. Refrigerate the pie shell and remaining pastry until ready to fill pie.

Mash the muscadines. Separate hulls from pulp and set aside. Strain through a sieve to get juice. (You can use the pulp to make yummy muscadine jelly or discard along with the seed.) Cook the reserved hulls in juice until tender, adding a little water if needed.

Let cool, then add lemon juice, flour, and sugar. Put fruit mixture in the prepared bottom crust. Carefully arrange top crust over fruit, lattice style to allow steam to escape. Flute edge. Bake in a 400° oven for approximately 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375° and bake 30 minutes longer.

She played right into his hands.

Possessing uncanny people-reading skills like her mama, Philadelphia “Dell” Samuels has spent thirteen years in her aunt’s rustic Ozarks home, telling fortunes over playing cards and trying to pass as white. But the treacherous Mississippi River childhood her mama dragged her away from finally catches up to her on a steamboat captained by her old friend Rory Campbell.

Known to his crew as the Devil’s Henchman, Rory is a gambler in need of a miracle. Following the cold trail of his boss’s wife and bastard daughter, Dell, Rory has only one goal in mind: saving his crew from the boss’s cruelty by ruining him. The only one who can defeat the Monster of the Mississippi is the man trained to take his place. Rory’s convinced he can lure his boss into a high-stakes game against a rival, and with Dell’s people-reading skills, the monster will lose everything.

Under Rory’s tutelage and protection, Dell agrees to the tortured captain’s plan. Passion and peril quickly bring them together as lovers. But when Rory’s plan goes awry, the lives of the innocent depend on Dell’s ability to read the situation correctly—and hopefully save them all.

~ ~ ~

www.sandrajonesromance.com

https://www.facebook.com/sandrajones.author

So how about some luscious and creamy tiramisu with an autumnal twist? It’s no bake, and so unbelievably simple, even I can make it. It’s decadently rich and sinfully sweet and will satisfy your wildest desires. Well, maybe not your wildest desires.

~ ~ ~

Sinful Pumpkin Tiramisu
Ingredients:
· 8 oz. mascarpone cheese

· 1 cup (1/2 of an 8 oz can) pumpkin puree (make sure you get the can of 100% pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie filling – they often look the same)

· 1 cup heavy whipping cream

· ½ cup sugar

· 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

· 1 tsp. cinnamon

· 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

· ¾ cup espresso or coffee (you can try this with the pumpkin spice coffees out now to make everything more pumpkin spicey, but I think they are pretty dreadful and, really, you  do want more of a coffee taste. I mean, don’t you? Set it aside until it cools to room temperature.

· 2 tbsps Tia Maria or Kahlua, dark room or other coffee liqueur. (Optional. If you don’t use it, though, you might want to add a smidge more espresso or coffee.)

· 2 packages soft lady fingers (the packages are 3 or 3.5 oz. each). They will be attached to each other in rows. Separate the rows, but do not separate the top and bottom of each  lady finger.

· 2 tsps unsweetened cocoa. (You might substitute cinnamon here, I think.)

Directions:
· Combine mascarpone, pumpkin, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl, beating on low until the ingredients are mixed together, then beating on high until little peaks form. Don’t overbeat.

· Combine espresso and liqueur in a cup or small bowl and set aside until room temperature.

· Arrange half of the ladyfingers in an 8-inch square baking or serving dish. Evenly slosh half of the coffee mixture over them. Slather half of the pumpkin cream mixture on top. Add another layer of lady fingers. Drizzle the rest of the coffee over them. Then add the remaining pumpkin cream on top.

· Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.

· Dust with the cocoa before serving.

Makes enough for 12 and can sit in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.

Derek Dunne is a Cordon Bleu-trained food critic for the prestigious New York Monitor, whose scathing review of a popular Italian bistro has driven away all but the most loyal neighborhood patrons.

Lucrezia Serafina DiCicco is a clumsy business school drop-out, working as a chef and scrambling to keep her family's restaurant afloat, after her father develops diabetes and is banned from his kitchen for his own good.

Now, with The Monitor folding, Derek is searching for his next career path and longing to get back to his first love—cooking—while Lu is desperate for an influx of cash to save the struggling restaurant…even as her father puts his foot down about non-family employees.

Derek and Lu embark on a marriage of inconvenience to save the restaurant. But can Lu ever really trust the man who nearly destroyed her family, once noted her initials spelled “LSD,” and her food was like a “bad trip?”

Or will it be their hearts on the chopping block?

~ ~ ~

 Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

In LIAR, LIAR, by J.A. Coffey, Matteo knows there's so much you can do with a beautiful woman and chocolate. Here's the decadent soufflé that went untouched at the Horseshoe Lodge in Montana. Don't be afraid to try this super easy, yet so impressive dessert!

~ ~ ~

Chocolate Soufflé

Ingredients (serves 2)
• 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar, divided
• 2 1/2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 large egg, separated, plus 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preparation
1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Lightly coat two 10-ounce ramekins with cooking spray; coat the insides of each with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.

2. Using a microwave melt chopped chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl on medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes. Note: You may also use a double boiler, if you prefer.

3. Whisk egg yolk and cream in a medium bowl until combined. Temper by adding a small amount of melted chocolate and whisking, to bring to temperature. Then whisk in the remaining chocolate until smooth. Be careful not to dump it all, or you will have chocolate scrambled eggs!

4. Whisk flour and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to cream/egg/chocolate mixture until incorporated.

5. Using an electric mixer or hand held mixer (separate bowl), beat egg whites and salt in a on high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in four additions, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Egg whites should stand up when touched and not meld back into the bowl.

6. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold (a “bottom to top” motion—don’t stir!) half the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture until fairly smooth; then gently fold this combined mixture back into the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Divide between the prepared ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake until puffed and firm to the touch, 18 to 22 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Serve immediately to your favorite sweetie!

-Based on the recipe at Eating Well, 2008

Certified fraud examiner Jessica Barlow catches liars for a living. After a sexless first year of divorce, she decides to branch out of the traditional dating scene to find romance at LoveLines, an upscale online dating service with a guaranteed success rate. Just when things get interesting, she’s assigned to snoop on the very company that might show her a good time.

Texan horse rancher Matteo Brandt is secretly the corporate owner and mastermind of LoveLines’ thirty-one point matching system. He suspects Jess might be a plant for a pending court case. She just can’t be as good as she looks. He’s determined to save both his company and his reputation-- even if it means seducing Jess himself.

Will it be all work and no play? It’s all clothes barred in this battle for truth and love.

~ ~ ~

www.JACoffey.com