When I tried this recipe for a party, it was the first platter to be emptied. It combines some of my favorite things (maple syrup, bacon, cinnamon, sweet potatoes) and it's naturally gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and grain free so it's suitable for people with a wide range of food allergies. Also---YUM. Enjoy!

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Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites with maple drizzle

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes (3/4"-1")

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less, to taste)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 lb bacon strips, halved

maple syrup, for drizzling or dipping

wooden toothpicks

 

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Melt butter and mix in cinnamon and cayenne.

Toss sweet potatoes in butter mixture.

Dip into brown sugar to give a light coating (press on gently with fingers).

Wrap each cube in bacon and secure with toothpick.

Place on cookie sheet (with rim) or in 9x13 pan. (Or use disposable aluminum pans for quicker clean up.)

Bake until sweet  potato is cooked through and bacon is desired crispness (40-60 minutes depending on size of cubes).

Drizzle with maple syrup and serve warm (with extra maple syrup for dipping, if desired).

Makes roughly 30 bites (you can tweak the amount depending on how many bacon slices you have, etc).

When love throws you a curve, swing for the fences.

Parker Wood’s dreams of becoming a professional baseball player are shattered when he’s injured in a devastating car crash. After two years in hospitals and physical rehab facilities, he’s ready to move back to his childhood home and take over the family landscaping company. The house and business are his, now that his father has passed.

Sophie Vaughn has suffered through a hellishly public divorce from a husband who couldn’t manage to stay faithful for two months of marriage. Determined not to let her personal drama impact her successful wedding and party planning business, she buys her parents’ old house, hoping the comfort of familiar surroundings will help her heal.

When Parker and Sophie discover they’re neighbors once again, it’s as if time has stood still. Their friendship is quickly rekindled, along with the decade-long crush neither of them ever admitted having. Then the heat between them exposes a long-held secret that threatens to tear them apart…unless they can detach from their painful pasts and move forward—together.

Warning: Contains sultry summer nights, steamy pool-side encounters, and you’ll never look at a jar of peanut butter the same way again.

~ ~ ~

karenstivali.com

Has your coffee been lacking of late?  Tired of the same old donut or danish?  Then I have a treat for you. Try my grandmothers Best Banana Bread Ever...Even with the Vinegar!

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Best Banana Bread Ever...Even with the Vinegar

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Mix and sift dry ingredients together
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
l/2 cup sour milk (or regular milk with 1 tsp vinegar added)
1 cup mashed bananas

Cream sugar and shortening. Add sifted dry ingredients and eggs. Add mashed bananas alternately with the sour milk. Mix well.

Add 1/2 cup walnuts if desired.

Pour into well-greased (one large or 2 small) pans.

Bake at 350 degrees.

1 hour for large pan, 40-45 mins for small pans

Two is better than one. Most would agree with that statement, but not full-blooded shifter LeAnn Turone. To accept her need for multiple partners means facing a lifetime in a one-sided triad. She’s better off denying her heritage even if that means walking away from two of the most delectable alpha males she’s ever met.

Rick Taylor and Trent Warren each think they’ve found their mate in LeAnn, but a midnight meeting deep in the woods proves them wrong. Not only do they both long to connect to the sexy, but skittish, female they also find themselves attracted to one another.

Each member of this triad must free themselves from the fear of the future and submit to the greater power of love.

~ ~ ~

www.serenashay.com

Want something that tastes like a real restaurant stir-fry, without the extra fat/calories?  Use Korean pepper paste, for a spicy kick and it makes a great sauce base for about 40 calories/TSP.

~ ~ ~

Healthy Korean-Style Firecracker Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast  (you can substitute Tofu or go half Tofu/Chicken combo)
1c Broccoli Florets
1c French Green Beans halved
1c Roasted Brussels Sprouts halved
1/2c Baby Carrots
1 heaping TBL  Korean Pepper Paste (You can find this in an Asian Market)
2 TBL Lo Sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar (white or brown, doesn't matter)
1 cup of cooked brown rice (cold works best)
Cooking Spray (like Pam or other brands)
Sriracha Sauce to taste (also found in Asian Markets)

Cut the chicken breast into small cubes about 1" square.  Heat pan or wok, with about 2 seconds spray of cooking spray oil.  Put in chicken, and baby carrots, turn occasionally.  When chicken looks near cooked add the remaining vegetables, toss.  Mix the pepper paste with about 3/4 cup of water until it's dissolved.  Add soy sauce to the water/pepper paste mix. Pour into pan, make sure heat is high.  Continue to toss as vegetables become slightly tender.  Add the rice to the mix, toss.  Add water if it dries, 1/4 cup at a time.  When sauce is mostly evaporated and resembles a stir-fry consistency, sprinkle the sugar and black pepper, and toss lightly.  Serve.  Note that you can freely substitute other vegetables or meats in this dish.

LOVE IS BLISS features two hot, erotic novellas by award-winning Leigh Ellwood. Both stories are also available separately.

SHEER BLISS

Living in Bliss, New Jersey has it perks, unless you're a shifter looking for love or a human looking for peace and quiet. Not only does Calla Savitch, owner of Shear Bliss salon, have to deal with warring panthers and werewolves with overlapping appointments, she's fed up with their constant matchmaking attempts. The last thing she wants especially is a hook-up with the one shifter who broke her heart years ago. Handsome were-panther Caleb Houlihan still nurses the guilt of Calla's heartbreak, but when presented with a second chance to woo her he is reluctant. Calla may forgive his youthful indiscretions, but when she discovers his aunt's true motive for wanting them together, will she send him packing?

PURE BLISS

Betrothed for years to Malcolm Weaver, Trisha Houlihan has grown tired of archaic panther shifters ways and wants to live on her own terms. A chance meeting with a hot stranger serves to spark her rebellion, but backfires when she discovers she's fooling around with her intended. Malcolm isn't keen on old traditions, either, but there's something about Trisha that inspires him to make an exception. Trisha is certainly exceptional, unlike other she-panthers, and he is convinced they were meant to be, regardless of the circumstances that brought them together. Trisha wants to resist, but her growing attraction to Malcolm proves problematic. Can these two find a balance between tradition and passion and create a happily ever after?

On this stretch of the Jersey Shore, it's a different "situation"!

~ ~ ~

http://www.leighellwood.com

I’m here to spice things up. My Taco Soup is easy and it freezes very well which gets bonus points in my book. I always make it in giant batches and freeze it in single servings and larger ones too. I’m also including my homemade taco seasoning recipe that you can use instead of the store bought seasoning packets.

~ ~ ~

SJ’s Taco Soup:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

1 yellow onion diced

1 can black beans with the juices from the can

1 can corn

28 oz crushed tomatoes

8 oz plain tomato sauce

1 pkg taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning to taste (start with 1 T)

Brown the meat, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer. That’s it! Serve with taco chips and a sprinkling of cheese and sour cream too if you’d like.

SJs Taco Seasoning:

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg

Make this seasoning your own. A few ideas include increasing the chili powder if you want it hotter, eliminating the salt or doubling the salt.

Lydia’s father walked away from her when she was eight. She’s struggled to not let him affect her, but fears she wasn’t loveable enough to make him stay. Jake wants to love one woman, but after scaring the last woman he met outside of the club, he doubts he deserves the right. She protects her heart by sticking with her fantasies and he lives by a set of rules that excludes women who choose a vanilla lifestyle.

The two will be kept in a conference room working together until their special project is complete. If Lydia and Jake hold tight to their bland lives, they’ll always yearn for love that is out of reach. Together they find common ground, passion, and a reason to take chances. Once they discover the grand possibilities of the love they desire, they find themselves in the very place they tried never to be again, facing unguaranteed loved.

~ ~ ~

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Who doesn't love the marriage of peanut butter and chocolate? And it's healthy too! No excuses not to eat these eggs right up!

~ ~ ~

Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

• 1/4 cup peanut butter or nut butter of choice

• dash salt

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder

• 2 tbsp. virgin coconut oil

• Liquid stevia to taste, or 2 tbsp. agave or pure maple syrup

• 2 more tbsp. of the sugar/sf sugar, if needed

Mix the nut butter, salt, and powered sugar in a bowl until it's a crumbly dough. Take a test and see if it needs more salt. Form the dough into flat ovals or eggs. Freeze until hard.

Mix the cocoa and the oil in a dish. Add the stevia (along with 2 tbsp water or oil) or agrave/maple. Mix until it becomes like chocolate sauce. Remove an egg from the freezer at a time and dip until covered in chocolate. Return to freeze and allow to harden. Can be enjoyed frozen or thawed slightly. Enjoy the awesomeness!

After destroying Skull Krusher, Nicholas Adams thinks Falledge is safe and becomes a security guard at the museum, watching a valuable statue. Unfortunately, the Egyptian statue houses the soul of a scorned witch, biding her time to have her revenge on the descendants of her cheating lover.

Kiya the witch isn't the only new foe in town as the drug that created Skull Krusher has now transformed a scientist into yet another monster, forcing Nicholas to don his Black Hellebore mask again and save Falledge.

Nicholas has no help this time as Kiya gains possession of his love Julianna's body and brings the soul of Justina, Nicholas's high school sweetheart and Julianna's twin, with her. Despite himself, Nicholas is torn between the sisters. If he can't stop the fiends from taking over the world and destroying humankind, he'd never be able to find lasting, true love.

~ ~ ~

http://NicoleZoltack.blogspot.com

Like your favorite chips, you won’t be able to eat just one pickle slice. These pickles can be eaten alone, but are great on burgers, sandwiches, chicken, tuna, and pea salads, or any recipe calling for pickles.

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Sweet & Savory Pickles

Ingredients

· 1 jar of dill pickles

· 2 cups granulated sugar

· 12-15 splashes of hot sauce (Tabasco works great!)

Directions

1. Remove pickles from the jar and drain juice.

2. Blend pickles with sugar in a bowl.

3. Add hot sauce and blend

4. Return pickles to the jar.

5. Every day for a minimum of one week, flip the jar. (You can shake it a little, too, if you want.) This guarantees the flavor infuses every slice

6. Enjoy!

Graciela DuBois is desperate to find the vile pirate who took her sister. What better way to hunt a pirate than with another pirate? When she strikes a reckless bargain with the infamous Captain Banning, she soon realizes a ship full of rogues isn’t as dangerous as her growing desires for the captain.

Captain Cutler Banning is hardly impressed by the lass’s quest—especially when the man she seeks is a member of his pirate brethren. That is, until she offers to pay handsomely with a legendary gold nugget and her body. the curse the gold is said to bring, he agrees to help. Doing so invites trouble both on board his ship and in his wounded heart. And Gracie has a secret that just may destroy the brethren.

~ ~ ~

www.jbrayweber.com

 

The perfect reward after a hard day of work is cheesecake. Don't argue with me, I know I'm right. The thing is, an entire cheesecake isn't good for anyone so I changed the way I make cheesecake – I make them mini with the help of cupcake wrappers.

~ ~ ~

Kristina's Mini-Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

1 cup of smashed graham cracker crumbs (buy the crumbs or just toss a packaged of crackers in a plastic bag and use your rolling pin to crumble)

3/4 cup plus 2 TBS sugar, divided

3 TBS melted butter

3 pkg Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup whipping cream

**Toppings - lemon zest + blueberries, strawberries, cherries, a mixture...go to town!

**18 cupcake wrappers

Preparation:

Heat your oven to 325. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, 2 TBS sugar and butter together; press into the bottoms of paper lined muffin pan cups. Next, beat the cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla until it's well blended. Then, add eggs and mix on low until well blended. Pour this over the crumb lined cups. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the center is nearly set and then set out to cool. Let it cool completely. Place in the fridge for at least two hours. Once cooled, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form and then spread over the cheesecakes. Top with whatever toppings and serve.

**Note from Kristi: this makes 18 mini-cheesecakes. But who needs to eat 18 cheesecakes all at once, right? So, I like to freeze them once they're made - I place them in an oblong tupperware container and stack, putting wax paper between the layers. They're perfect an afternoon snack. To thaw, just set them out on the counter for 20 or so minutes and badda-bing, top with the lemon zest and the fruit of your choice and enjoy!

The wrong guy might be just right for her. When her celebrity boyfriend of three years dumps her and claims he's now gay, unlucky-in-love author Casey Cash decides to get out of New York. A cruise seems like the perfect escape: everyone onboard will be locked away from television, newspapers and internet gossip pages, allowing her some much needed relaxation. There's only one problem: her oh-so-helpful agent has hired a male escort for her...and a big NYC paper has sent a pesky reporter on-board, vowing to get the dirt. Mason Drury doesn't want to write an expose on Casey, but he's in a bind. After a source flipped on him, he's persona non grata at his newspaper. Celebrity trash or not, this story will put him back on top. Too bad he finds himself breaking the first rule of reporting by getting attached to his subject and letting bias influence his story. Casey's much more interested in sexy Mason than the annoying escort who's bunking in her room. Mason might even have romantic potential if she can shake her well-meaning-but nosey-fans. Oh, and that reporter. She's got to avoid him at all costs...

CONTENT WARNING: A smattering of sass, sex and a heaping happily ever after. A Lyrical Press Contemporary Romance

~ ~ ~

Website: http://www.kristinaknightauthor.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/kristinaknightromanceauthor
TW: @AuthorKristina
GR: http://www.goodreads.com/authorkristina
PI: http://www.pinterest.com/authorkristina

Can you cook and clean up with one hand? It’s hard right? Well, that’s me. I had hand surgery and it’s not an easy task. Especially if it’s your main hand.

So I’m pretty much useless right now. But! Here is a fab recipe that needs TWO hands to prepare. And as a side note. My son, chef trained, got a job today in a bakery. Let’s hope he brings home the bacon...er bread.

~ ~ ~

Easy Beef Wellington

It really is easy and don’t let it intimidate you. Have everything ready beforehand and read the instructions first so you know what you’re supposed to do when. The puff pastry is probably the trickiest part, but don’t sweat it. Make sure surface is floured just enough to keep it from sticking and the pastry will get sticky if it gets warm, so you do have to move quickly with it.

2 tsp canola oil

2 lb centre cut beef tenderloin, trimmed and string removed

½ tsp each salt and pepper

1 pk whole bella mushrooms, or portabella finely chopped (the finer the better) in processor or with knife

1 tsp unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped – hold one end of the stem and run your nails down the stem gently pull against the leaf so they come off in your fingers – easy way to get them off

3-4 slices prosciutto

1-2 tbsp flour

1/g package puff pastry, thaw according to pkg directions

1 egg for egg wash

1 tbs water

½ tsp kosher or coarse salt

Take a deep breath and have a glass of wine handy

· Heat 1 tsp oil skillet over med-high heat.

· Season beef with half S&P on all sides and sear in skillet, cooking 2 minutes on each side until brown. Set aside on a towel lined plate and refrigerate to cool

While beef cools

· Add 1 tsp oil and butter to used skillet – cook shallots til soft and fragrant but not browned

· Then add mushrooms, rest of S&P and sauté stirring constantly until mushroom give up their liquid and brown slightly

· Stir in thyme and put in small bowl, cool completely – put in frig if you have to and stir it around to cool

Once everything is cool...probably about half hour to 45 minutes – so have a sip of wine!

· Lay out a larger piece of plastic wrap and lay prosciutto evenly

· Spread mushroom mixture – proper term for this is duxelles (pronounced dook-SEHL J)

· Dry bottom of meat with paper towel and place in centre

· Pick up one edge of plastic wrap and roll it around the meat to make a cylinder, twist ends and refrigerate

Now the tricky part: puff pastry – which really isn’t so tricky if you RELAX

· Beat egg and water together to use as a glue for the pasty ends and for a wash and set aside

· Dust work surface with flour and roll pastry into a rectangle as best you can about 1/8 inch thick

· NOTE- it has to be big enough to cover the meat completely and extra inch or two around

· Place meat in centre of pastry

· Paint ends with the egg wash and wrap around the beef, if it’s too big, trim off but make sure there is a slight overlap

· Tuck ends in

· Place seam side down on parchment paper lined baking tray.

· Cover and chill minimum 20 minutes or up to two hours – this helps to stop the pastry from getting soggy during cooking – note mine still did a bit and I think next time I would put it on a broiler type pan with holes still using the parchment paper and poke holes in the paper so the juices drip through to the catch pan

Time to cook!

· Preheat oven to 425°

· Paint chilled pasty with remaining egg wash

· Cut 3 diagonal slits across the top with a sharp knife and sprinkle with coarse salt

· Roast on 2^nd rack from bottom

· 45 minutes for medium or until thermometer reads 160°

· Let meat rest for at least 10 minutes and if possible not in its juices because that means a ‘soggy bottom’

· Cut into 1 inch slices using a serrated knife. Don’t push down the pastry. Put your forefinger and middle finger on one side of pastry and thumb the other lightly and the knife between your forefingers...saw gently until cut through.

· Plate it

· Ta da!

Spectator Sex. Intriguing. Risqué. The idea of watching other people have sex excites Tara to distraction. She hopes Joe is as eager as she to slip into voyeur mode so they can take another step in their sexual adventures. The last thing she expects is to evolve from watching ménages to being part of the show. Or for the two hot men who join her and Joe to not be able to keep their hands off each other.

~ ~ ~

You can find me at:

www.cristalryder.com

https://twitter.com/#!/CristalRyder

The Cabal of Hotness

https://www.facebook.com/cristal.ryderauthor

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