It’s summertime and the living is easy. I grab my aunt’s vintage recipe box and pull out our favorite baked bean recipe for cookouts and picnics. It’s fast and easy and DELICIOUS.

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Aunt Bick’s Picnic Baked Beans

2 16 oz canned pork ‘n beans

½ cup of ketchup

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 medium chopped onion or 2 TBS dry minced onion

2 slices bacon

Mix beans, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and onion together. Pour into a 9x12 Pyrex casserole dish. Place bacon on top. Bake at 350^o for one hour. 6-8 servings.

For twenty years, Lily Johnson’s life, albeit a life of lies, is good. Then her daughter falls in love and Lily's world goes upside down.

Her daughter’s fiancé turns out to be the godson of her daughter’s biological father, Alex Cabot. The Green Beret Lily thought died in Vietnam. When Alex and Lily meet face-to-face, the years melt away and old passion returns.
Only he believes she betrayed her promise to wait for him. And, Lily’s convinced revealing the truth would mean losing her daughter and the only man she’s ever loved.

Can a love, sidetracked by war, be rekindled when the child born from that love feels betrayed or will Lily’s original, well-intended lie cost her the only man she ever loved and her daughter?

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http://www.judythemorgan.com/

Since Return To Newport takes place in Newport, RI, I decided on a dish that Jake eats for the first time in a small family restaurant outside of town. While the restaurant is fictitious, the butterfish is a local fish, and the recipe is authentic to the area.

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Ingredients Original recipe makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 1/2 pounds butterfish fillets

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch fresh parsley

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

. In a bowl, cream together the butter, chopped parsley, and chives.

. Arrange the butterfish in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Dot the fish with about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture.

Bake 5 minutes in the preheated oven, until the butter is melted. Turn fillets, brush with remaining butter mixture, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges to serve.

Eve is ready for a clean slate. She nearly lost the love of her life in The Return. Now Eve must confront the people refusing to let her go quietly into her happily ever after with Jake. Returning to Newport to tie up loose ends may be the biggest mistake of her life.

Jake wants one thing – and one thing only – Eve. He is ready to build a life with her, and spend the rest of his days loving only her. But his surprise visit to Newport makes him question everything he thought he knew about her, including her love.

At the center of the turmoil is Eve’s ex-husband. Intrigued by the changes he sees in her, Brad is determined to sabotage Jake and Eve’s relationship – and take Eve back.

Jake and Eve must face their demons, and battle the outside forces that seek to destroy their future. Can their love survive the Return to Newport?

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http://www.alparksauthor.com

I love High Tea with scones and clotted (Devonshire) cream. It was a great experience when I had High Tea at the Savoy Hotel in London. I sat at the window overlooking the Thames River. Sitting at a settee with tea, scones, and small sandwiches was like being in another era. I loved the experience so much I wrote a similar experience into my story, Knight of Runes.

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Scone Recipe from Alton Brown

Ingredients

· 2 cups flour

· 4 teaspoons baking powder

· 3/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/3 cup sugar

· 4 tablespoons butter

· 2 tablespoons shortening

· 3/4 cup cream

· 1 egg

· Handful dried currants or dried cranberries

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into biscuit size rounds. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

When Lord Arik, a druid knight, finds Rebeka Tyler wandering his lands without protection, he swears to keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself. When Arik sees her clash with a group of attackers using a strange fighting style, he's intrigued.

Rebeka is no ordinary seventeenth-century woman—she's travelled back from the year 2011, and she desperately wants to return to her own time. She poses as a scholar sent by the king to find out what's killing Arik's land. But as she works to decode the ancient runes that are the key to solving this mystery and sending her home, she finds herself drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.

As Arik and Rebeka fall in love, someone in Arik's household schemes to keep them apart, and a dark druid with a grudge prepares his revenge. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to return to the future or trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her heart.

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www.RuthACasie.com

In my newest book, Finding Their Bliss, one of my characters introduces her (*cough* my) recipe for decadent Hot Chocolate. Even though the weather is warming up on my side of the world, I still think it’s worth sharing. And drinking.

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The World’s Best Hot Chocolate (No, I’m not proud of it or anything *grins*)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

6 Tablespoons Dutch Process (High fat) Cocoa Powder

4 Tablespoons Vodka (Regular vodka is Great. Kissed Caramel, Fluffed Marshmallow, or Coconut flavored vodka is even better)

4 Tablespoons (divided) Marshmallow Crème

Directions:

Take two large mugs. In each, put 2 Tablespoons Marshmallow Crème, 2 Tablespoons Vodka, and 3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder.

Heat milk over stove on medium heat. Stir to make sure milk doesn't scald. Remove from burner when it is hot but hasn't started to boil. Split between two mugs and stir all ingredients together. Enjoy

Brent Carmichael loved Corbin's Bend. A small community at the base of the Rocky Mountains just for spankofiles, he worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly and that the residents were safe and happy. He never intended to fall in love but when Charmagne Kendle stumbled into his life, he found an attraction he had no intention of fighting.

Char moved to Corbin's Bend after losing her job, her apartment, and her fiancé all in one day. She had no idea she was actually moving to a spanking community but with the freedom to explore her secret fetish, she found herself happily upended over Brent's lap.

As their relationship deepened into domestic discipline, her ex appeared wanting her back. Now she had to choose. The rich, handsome, and charming Nathan Korven or former police officer Brent Carmichael. To find her bliss, there was really only one choice.

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http://www.thiannad.com/

With the warmer weather finally here, I like to eat more fresh vegetables and salads. One of my favorites at the moment is broccoli salad. Here’s how I make it:

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Broccoli Salad

3 cups broccoli florets

¼ cup chopped red onion

½ cup of raisins (dried cranberries work as well)

½ cup brick cheese cut into small cubes (I use marble)

½ cup mayonnaise (or salad dressing)

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1. Combine broccoli, onion, raisins, and cheese cubes into a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat.

3. Let sit in fridge for minimum of 10 minutes before serving.

4. Enjoy!

*Please note: Other broccoli salad recipes also include cashew, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and/or bacon.

She is desperately seeking freedom...

On the eve before her twenty-first birthday, Skylar steals a ship and escapes from the planet Rebed. She refuses to be another wife for the slimy space pirate that is her betrothed. After hearing of her brothers’ success, she applies to the 1Night Stand service on her way to Earth, hoping Madame Eve can find her a hero, to make her feel special, even if for only one night.

He is trying to fit in...

A longtime friend to Skylar’s brothers, he’s always relegated her to the look and don’t touch category. Though, Daran traveled to Earth years ago, he still struggles to fit in on the planet. When his boss suggests a blind date, he reluctantly agrees. What would happen if anyone found out about his alien ancestry?

And they are not at all meant to be together...

Has Madame Eve made a huge mistake, or will Daran tread into forbidden territory to be with the one woman he’s always wanted, and become the hero Skylar craves?

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jessicasubject.com

Here's a recipe sure to please, whether you share it with a small group or a big gathering. This guacamole recipe easily doubles for twice as much fun!

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Bellamy Blake's Late-Night Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe avocados (Haas preferred)
• Freshly squeezed juice of one large lime
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Tabasco to taste
• Roughly ½ of a medium red onion, small dice (adjust amount to taste)
• One medium tomato, seeded and diced (in a pinch, you can also use about ¾ cup of jarred salsa, but fresh is much better)
• One large clove of garlic, minced fine
• About a Tablespoon of chopped, fresh cilantro (also to taste)

Cut avocados in half and remove the seeds (one good whack with a sharp knife should help it pop right out, but be careful!). Scoop the pulp from each avocado into a large bowl (I like to use my hands for this, but a spoon works too). Discard skins. Add lime juice, salt, cumin and Tabasco. With a potato masher, work mixture to desired consistency. Note: texture is important in good guacamole. Over-mash, and you end up with baby food (eek!), but not enough, and it won't "dip" without destroying your chips. You want the chunky feel of salsa.

Add onion, tomato, garlic and cilantro. Stir gently to combine well. Let sit (for flavors to really pop) for about an hour in the fridge with light cover. Serve with tortilla chips, preferably to your friends after a late night out. Licking the bowl is optional, but encouraged.

Sharing food doesn't have to be an intimate thing between lovers—it can be what ties us together with anyone we love or care about, such as our family and friends. One of the big mantras in my house is that "Food is love", and Bellamy's guacamole in Turn Up The Heat is a prime example. As an aspiring (and closet) chef, Bellamy cooks from her heart, and in turn that makes everything she prepares into a feast for the emotions. Even late-night guacamole! Bellamy's desire to feed her friends shows how much she cares for them, and following the path of your heart is a big theme in Turn Up The Heat. Give this recipe a try, and share it with some friends (over margaritas!) to embody "food is love" in your house, too.

"It's not you."

There are only so many times a girl can hear those words before she believes that it is, in fact, very much her. Unexpectedly jilted by her locally famous boyfriend and haunted by a boss who makes Attila the Hun look like a lap dog, Bellamy Blake does what any self-respecting girl in her shoes would do. She rounds up her two best girlfriends and makes plans to get the hell out of Dodge. . .

But Bellamy's escape plan takes a nose dive on the side of rural route 164 when her transmission self-destructs, leaving her in the middle of a cell phone dead zone with nothing but her wits. Oh, and Shane Griffin, the hottest mechanic who's ever checked under her hood.

Yet this small-town man isn't all he seems. Can Shane and Bellamy prove that sometimes the most unlikely ingredients make the most deliciously sexy mix?

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www.kimberlykincaid.com

In the mood for a little something lightly sweet with a kiss of lemon? I’ve always enjoyed this recipe from my grandmother, perfect for a relaxing break along with a cup of tea or coffee and a good book!

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Lemon Nut Bread

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter (or- I use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for non-dairy version)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk (or rice milk for non-dairy version)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon peel. Beat well. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in nuts.

Pour into a greased loaf pan.

Baked in 350° oven for 50 minutes.

Let cool in pan 10 minutes, remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Slice and enjoy!

The Fourth of July is over, but for these summer lovers the fireworks have just begun.

An unexpected inheritance brings business consultant Christopher Gordon from Los Angeles to quaint Falk’s Bend. He’s carved a week from his demanding schedule to list his great-grandparents’ house for sale and explore his roots. However, disturbing family secrets and the sweet temptation of writer Margie Olsson derail his plans, challenging him to seize the elusive dream missing from his hectic life— love.

A recent brush with death shook Margie’s life, but not her dreams and she’s ready to move forward. Only, standing up to her loving, over-protective family isn’t easy. Helping Christopher explore the derelict mansion and unravel his grandmother’s mysterious past should be a harmless fun taste of independence. But when her experimental summer fling ignites into unexpected love, how can her small town dreams work with his big city life?

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http://babettejames.com/

My mother whips up these great-looking treats when she’s short of time but wants to impress, and now so do I. They're especially handy when I'm on deadline or even when I don't want to tear myself away from a good book. The finished product has an elegant appearance and tastes yummy.

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Easy and Elegant Chocolate Pretzel Bites

1 package small chocolate-covered pretzels (in my grocery store, these are in the candy aisle)

1 package chocolate kisses (any variety, but I use milk chocolate)

1 package M&M’s

Put the pretzels on a greased baking sheet. Place a chocolate kiss in the center of each pretzel. Bake at 200 degrees for about two minutes.

While still warm, top each chocolate pretzel bite with an M&M, pressing down slightly. (I use the colored ones, because they look prettier). Chill for about 10 minutes in refrigerator. You're done!

Dead Ringers 1: Illusion

An Original Publication, This is a 25,000-word novelette that is the first volume of a nine-volume serial with mystery, romance and missing memories. The volumes are also available in boxed sets.

Do you know who your friends are?

Jade Greene remembers nothing from the time she went missing except a blinding headache and an evil clown with a syringe. Not exactly the stuff to convince others of your sanity.
Nobody at the summer carnival believes Jade was even in danger except her secretive co-worker Max Harper. Max offers to help Jade solve the mystery, but he’s sidetracked by the case of a Black Widow.

When Jade and Max stumble across a body on the beach, only two things are certain. People in town aren't who they seem. And things for Jade are about to get much, much worse.

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www.darlenegardner.com

This corn salad is so easy, even one of my bull riders could make it! And it’s so colorful it’s as beautiful to look at, as it is tasty. I serve it on its own as a side dish with steak or burgers, but I’ve also used the leftovers to dress up plain lettuce to create a quick and impressive tossed salad.

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Corn Salad

1 can corn (drained)

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 small red onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (diced)

Juice of one fresh lime

2 TB olive oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix all ingredients and serve room temperature.

This ain’t their first rodeo...but there are a lot of other firsts they can experience together .

Skeeter Anderson was born to ride bulls. He bypassed college to shoot straight to the top of the elite pro tour, but lately all he can seem to do is hit the dirt. Unwilling to admit his career might be over at twenty-one, Skeeter brainstorms a bull-riding boot camp with his buddies, which will put him closer to a girl who’s caught his eye—a stock contractor’s daughter called Riley.

Riley Davis lives and breathes bulls. Since her mother’s death, she’s been her father’s business partner as well as the apple of his eye—until a coronary rips him out of her life. Now, at nineteen, she must find a way to hang onto the family business.

When Skeeter hears about Riley’s dad, he drives straight to Mississippi to lend her a hand, his buddies hot on his heels. Suddenly Riley has more help than she can shake a stick at, and an attraction to Skeeter that’s heating up by the minute...

Warning: Contains cowboy yoga, cowboys in love, and a romance that hits so hard and fast, it makes being thrown from a bull look like a friendly game of hopscotch.

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www.catjohnson.net