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.

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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.

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website: http://cluhrs.com

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

When I'm busy writing, dinner is the last thing I want to worry about- but when it comes to the crock-pot, I've always been a little picky. This easy comfort food recipe is one of my favorite go- to meals when I have a lot to do. Bonus: Not only is it a crock-pot recipe- it only takes 2 1/2 hours from start to finish!

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Busy Day Mac and Cheese

2 1/2    cups macaroni ( uncooked, elbow )
5    tablespoons butter
3   cups medium cheddar cheese ( grated )
1/2    cup sour cream
10 1/2    ounces (1 can)   cheddar cheese soup ( condensed )
1/2    teaspoon salt
1    cup milk
1/2    teaspoon dry mustard
1/2    teaspoon black pepper
2 Tbps dried onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder

Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes and drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Heat over medium high heat and stir until the cheese melts. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cheese mixture, sour cream, soup, salt, milk,  and spices in your slow cooker. Add the drained macaroni and stir again. Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Sophia Randall had no intention on returning to her home in the polygamist community she grew up when she left Hiram Jefferson just hours before their wedding. Though she cared deeply for Hiram and his family, she was young and impulsive.
Ten years, two children, and one monogamous marriage later, returning to Green Valley after the death of her husband is the only option left.

Hiram was devastated when Sophia left him at the altar. With everything already on his plate-- between his job as the district superintendent, his large family, and one sick wife, the last thing he needs is the headache of Sophia being back in town.

When his wives go behind his back and form an alliance with Sophia, what is left for him to do but show them the error of their ways with a little old fashioned discipline. But what will happen when he finds out the true reason Sophia left him in the first place?

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http://rayannajamison.blogspot.com/

In my book EMERALD, Caithren and Jason stop at a tavern for a meal and are served this delicious mushroom pie. It’s one of my family’s favorites—my daughter and I make it every Thanksgiving and often at other times, too. If you need to eat gluten free like I do, simply buy GF pie crust. Everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten free. For more historical recipes from my novels, visit the recipe page on my site at http://www.laurenroyal.com/3.0/bookshelf/recipes/. Enjoy!

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Mushroom Pie

Original Historical Recipe:

Mushrooms of one night be the best and they be little and red within and closed at the top; and they must be peeled and then washed in hot water and parboled and if you wish to put them in a pasty add oil, cheese and spice powder.

—From The Goodman of Paris (Le Ménagier de Paris), written in 1393 and translated by Eileen Power

Modern Version:

1-½ lbs. sliced button mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-½ cups grated or shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, or a combination)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon chopped or crushed ginger (I use the kind you buy in a jar) or dry ground ginger

¼ teaspoon pepper

9″ ready-to-bake pie crust (top crust optional)

Follow the directions on the pie crust package to pre-bake the bottom crust.

Saute the mushrooms. Drain any liquid, then place in a large bowl and add olive oil, cheese, salt, pepper, and ginger. Mix well.

Place mushroom mixture in the pie shell. Add top crust if desired, and make slits with a sharp knife.

Bake at 350° F (180° C) for 35–40 minutes, or until pastry is a golden brown.

England and Scotland, 1667

Jason Chase, the Marquess of Cainewood, is out to bring a blackguard to justice when he crosses paths with a woeful Scottish lad. When the lad turns out to be a lovely Scottish lass, he realizes she must be the notorious bounty hunter Emerald MacCallum. Convinced they're after the same man and her very life may be in danger, Jason decides he must keep Emerald close…

In Caithren Leslie's view, there couldn't be enough distance between her and the handsome but overbearing Englishman. She's searching for her wayward brother, but Jason won't let a little thing like the truth interfere with his absurd conviction that she's living under an assumed identity. Mindful of the dangerous traveling conditions, Cait grudgingly accepts his protection. Until, that is, she begins to suspect that mistrust isn't the only emotion between them…and their mission for justice just might turn out to be a quest for love...

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http://www.LaurenRoyal.com

In Problems in Paradise, the third book in my Texas Nights series, the heroine—Eden Durant—owns Paradise Garden Café. People around the small town of Shelbyville are a little suspicious of her healthy fare, but they’re slowly trying her “clean food” menu. But when three men in town get hit with food poisoning after eating at her restaurant, Eden’s future and her lover’s election chances are jeopardized.

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Serves 8

Eden’s Killer Quiche

(adapted from Rachel Ray’s Basic Quiche Recipe)

Ingredients:

· Store bought or homemade pie crust (I favor the refrigerated ones from Trader Joe’s)

· Chanterelle powder (only if you want to recreate Eden’s quiche. If not, you can omit.)

· 6 eggs

· 1 cup milk

· 2/3 cup cream

· 1/2 cup of chevré (goat cheese)

· 1 cup prosciutto, chopped

· Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

· Pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 425ºF. If your oven is anything like mine, that’ll take half an hour J.

Whisk the eggs in a decent sized bowl. Then dump in the milk and cream and whisk again. Stir in chevré, prociutto, and spices (except for the chanterelle powder, which really isn’t a spice).

Sprinkle the chanterelle powder over the crust (It’s a mushroom powder. And yeah, I have no idea if you’ll ever be able to find this so don’t get all hyped up about it because it’s the ahem…killer…ingredient in the book – LOL).

Pour your eggish mixture into the piecrust and bake for 30ish minutes. If it’s still jiggly in the middle, pop it back in for another 10 minutes or so. If you don’t like your crust too brown, consider wrapping the edges in aluminum foil after about the first 15 minutes the quiche is in the oven.

Okay, now it’s time for me to admit I’ve yet to cook this exact quiche, but if you try it, let Eden and me know what you think! Happy quiche-ing, y’all!

Eden Durant hasn't always been Eden Durant. She's made a fresh start in Shelbyville, Texas, far from her mother's notoriety. Running the Paradise Garden Café is as much excitement as Eden wants—or it was, until she meets Beck Childress. Although he's the one man who could expose her past, she's willing to open up enough to see if he might be her future.

Chief Deputy Childress is determined to get to know the real Eden, when he isn't busy cleaning up after the sheriff and running in the election to replace him. When several men fall sick after eating in Eden's café, he investigates even as her mysterious past raises both his suspicions and his protective instincts.

As their relationship heats up, so do the pressures of Beck's campaign. When Eden's secrets are revealed, jeopardizing his dream of becoming sheriff, he'll need to choose: serve and protect the town he loves or the woman who makes it home.

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Hi everyone. There is some weird food in Valia’s Villain, the second book of my Sempire Seductions series. The recipe I’m sharing with you today is not weird but it is healthy, relatively low calorie, vegetarian and yummy. Hope you like it.

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Zucchini Pizza Casserole

3 Medium Zucchinis

1 Can Black Olives (or however many you want)

¼ Cup of Garlic (I’m a garlic freak. You may want to use less.)

1 Can Pizza Sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

1 Can Sliced Mushrooms (or however many you want)

4 Large Jalapeño Peppers (skip these if you’re scared of the spice)

2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning

2 Cups Shredded Cheese (whichever kind you like)

1 12oz. Bag MorningStar Farms crumbles

 

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Shred the zucchini using a cheese grater, salt and set aside for 10 minutes, then pick up handfuls of the zucchini and squeeze them over the sink until you’ve removed as much of the water as possible. You don’t want a soggy casserole. Layer the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish with the zucchini.

Sprinkle some garlic and Italian seasoning over the zucchini. You can also salt and pepper it if you want, but I don’t.

Add a layer of cheese.

Dump your frozen (or thawed - works either way) veggie crumbles on top of the zucchini.

If you’re using the jalapeños, chop two of them into tiny chunks and sprinkle over the veggie crumbles.

Add more garlic. (Or not. Whatever suits you.)

Cover veggie crumbles with the pizza sauce. (Or spaghetti sauce.)

Add a layer of mushrooms.

Add more garlic. (Haha. I can’t get enough of the stuff!)

Add another layer of cheese.

Slice the remaining two jalapeños (thin, round slices) and layer on top of cheese.

Add olives to top.

Cook for 30-45 minutes. Let cool, then dig in and eat!

When Valia approaches the Ferox demon, hoping for scorching sex and a feed, she doesn’t expect to be handcuffed, transported to the demon realm, accused of dirty deeds she has no memory of committing and held captive for three days.  Even though she believes her captor to be crazy, she feels a connection to him she’s felt with no one else.

When Rydin senses the Sempire who locked him up, fed on him and used him as a sex slave many years ago, he knows his wait for revenge is finally over. Burning with the need to punish her, he imprisons her in the demon realm, where she is at his mercy, but as much as he tries to ignore it, a connection sparks between them every time they touch.

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http://www.jocelyndex.com

 

My family likes this recipe so much that I make it all year long. When I don't have leftover turkey, I simply substitute shredded chicken breasts. I frequently double the recipe and freeze one for later.

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Turkey/Chicken Tetrazzini with a New Mexican Twist

Ingredients

8 oz whole wheat fusilli/spiral pasta (or whatever pasta you have in the pantry)

2 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion chopped

2 cups shredded Cheddar/Jack cheese

2 cups half and half

2 oz jar diced pimentos, drained, or ¼ cup chopped roasted red bell peppers

4 oz can chopped green chile, drained (I use mild, but if you'd like something spicy, try medium or hot.)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1-2 cups fried onions (Although, I've made it without these when I don't have them.)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and spread in 9x13 pan. Mix in shredded turkey or chicken.

Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add cheese, half and half, and pimentos or roasted red bell peppers, green chile, salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly heated. Pour into pan with pasta and turkey/chicken.

Sprinkle fried onions on top. (If freezing, put the fried onions in a Ziploc and freeze with casserole. After thawing the Tetrazzini, sprinkle the fried onions on top.)

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Hailey Anderson's deep, dark secret? She's been madly in lust with her overprotective brother's two best friends for years. Gorgeous woodworking artist Mark Allen and sexy doctor Tony Adamo have no idea they star in her fantasies every night.

After a nasty breakup with her abusive boyfriend, Hailey's looking for a little distance. Headed for a two-week Hawaiian vacation with her brother and his hot friends, Hailey can't wait to feast her eyes on Mark's and Tony's rock-hard, ocean-slick bodies. Even if she can't touch.

But instead of treating her like their little sister, Mark and Tony have a surprising proposition: a monogamous ménage à trois. The three of them—and no one else. Both men want Hailey and have agreed to share her. The red-hot reality is even better than the forbidden fantasy. Until Hailey's ex threatens their newfound happiness…

J L Wilson here, with a recipe from one of my earlier books. It's a tried-and-true recipe that I've used over and over. And it's the casserole that the heroine in my novel, Brilliant Disguise, happens to be eating when the hero pops the question -- hence the title of the recipe.

If you'd like a PDF of the recipe, just go to my recipe page (http://tinyurl.com/q7e6cgn) for this and other recipes from my other books.

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Wedding Proposal Casserole
(I can’t guarantee a proposal, but it worked for Nick!)
1 ¼ c brown or white rice (instant or regular)   
1 can each:
  cream of mushroom soup
  cream of chicken soup
  cream of celery soup
¼ -½ c sliced mushrooms         
¼ cup sliced almonds         
½ c cooking sherry or white wine         
3 oz. parmesan cheese (small can or grated)   
1 soup can milk
1 chicken or 10 split chicken breasts

Butter a 9x12 pan and put rice on bottom. Mix soups, mushrooms, wine, and 1 soup can of milk.
Pour half of the mixture over the rice. Arrange the chicken pieces on top and cover with the remaining liquid.
Top with cheese and sprinkle with almonds.
Bake 275 degrees uncovered for 2.5 hours.
Don't peek while baking!

Nick Baxter, an undercover FBI agent, thinks his brilliant disguise will fool the hicks in New Providence, Iowa. They won't suspect he's there investigating widow Shannon Delgardie, under suspicion of treason. What Nick doesn't know is that everybody in town is conspiring to protect her and investigate him in return.

Shannon needs help. The men her late husband blackmailed are closing in and the FBI might be involved. When Nick approaches her, can she trust him? With the aid of computer hackers and hair stylists, she uncovers the truth, finding a love she never expected in a tiny Iowa town.

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http://jayellwilson.com

This rich, decadent recipe has been in my family for years, and to tell the truth, nobody remembers where it came from. Because it’s so rich, we only make it for special occasions. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser and a family favorite.

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HOLIDAY SPINACH/ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE

(This recipe can be doubled easily, made ahead and frozen.)

2 – 10oz. boxes of chopped spinach. (I get the steam in the bag kind, cut a small corner off, and squeeze the fluid out, which saves a lot of mess and time.)

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 stick of real butter (can be reduced to 1/2 stick)

1 pint of sour cream

1 large can of artichoke hearts, quartered

10 slices of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled.

Steam the spinach, cool to room temp., cut a small corner off and squeeze as much liquid out as you possible can. Sauté onion in the butter. Mix all ingredients together well. Make sure to break up clumps of spinach. Put in baking dish, sprinkle the top with more parmesan and bake in 350°F oven until bubbly all the way through. (About 35 minutes)

Noah Langford narrowly survived the roadside bombing in Iraq that killed five of his men and took his leg, leaving him haunted by flashbacks and riddled with guilt. When his stepbrother Matt dies in a car accident, the loss feels like the final blow to Noah’s shattered soul. But then he learns about the girlfriend and baby Matt abandoned years earlier, and suddenly Noah has a new mission…

Ceejay Lovejoy was nineteen and pregnant when her boyfriend walked out, disappearing from her life just like her parents did. Since that day, Ceejay has devoted herself to giving her daughter a better life, avoiding any man who could threaten that security—until the day Noah Langford shows up on her doorstep. His gentle spirit has an unexpected effect on Ceejay’s guarded heart, tempting her to take one last chance on love. But when a painful secret comes to light, it threatens to break the fragile bond growing between them…and to destroy a love powerful enough to heal them both.

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www.barbaralongley.com