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.

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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.

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jessicasubject.com

My name is Michelle Roth and I'll be sharing with you what I like to think of as the French culinary world's best kept secret. Nanette Sauce. Its deceptively complex flavors hide the fact that this recipe has a total of six ingredients and takes less than twenty minutes to make.

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What you'll need:

4-6 center cut pork chops, depending on how many you want to feed

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp tomato pasta

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

What you'll need to do:

1. Pat pork chops dry, season with salt and pepper

2. Put olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat

3. Once pan is hot, add pork chops. (Don’t overcrowd the pan so everything gets all brown and yummy)

4. Cook about 3 minutes, flip over and brown the other side.

5. Remove pork chops from the pan, place on a platter to the side.

6. Add cream to pan, scrape off delicious bits from the bottom of the pan

7. Add tomato paste, mustard.. stir until combined

8. Add chops back in, cook until they reach desired doneness.

Elle Thomas has had a crush on Jim Conroy for months now. Among their small circle of friends, they're the only two single people left. It makes sense that he might gravitate toward her at social events, and maybe even flirt a little bit, right?  Elle can't help but want more, though.

Jim may be going insane. He's been chasing Elle for months. He's flirted with her, asked her out, and done everything else he could think of to get her attention short of skywriting his feelings. When Elle finally agrees to go out with him, things quickly heat up between them.

What starts out as a single spark of attraction between them quickly burns out of control. As they settle into the beginnings of a relationship, one moment will change their lives forever. Is their relationship strong enough to survive when reality sets in?

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http://www.michelleroth.net

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

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Honey Mustard Pork Chops and Rice

4 – 6 boneless pork chops

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

½ cup honey mustard

Tsp. of Olive oil

Crushed garlic

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

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

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

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

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www.donnellannbell.com

This is one of my favorite recipes from Better Foods & Gardens. The smoky flavor of the root beer makes for a yummy and easy marinade.

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Pulled Pork with Root Beer Sauce

1 - 21/2 to 3 lb pork sirloin roast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cooking oil

2 medium onions cut into thin wedges

1 cup root beer*

2 tbsp minced garlic

3 cups root beer*

1 cup bottled chili sauce

Hamburger buns

1. Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. In large skillet brown meat on all sides. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to slow cooker. Add onions, root beer and garlic.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hrs or on high for 4-5 hrs.
3. For sauce combine the 3 cups root beer and the chili sauce. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Boil gently uncovered stirring occasionally about 30 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 2 cups. (It'll also turn a vibrant red color when done.)
4. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Using a slotted spoon remove onions from cooking juices and place on serving platter. Discard juices. Using 2 forks pull meat apart into shreds. To serve, if desired, line buns with lettuce leaves and tomato slices. Add meat and onions; top with sauce.

*Do not use diet root beer.

I personally don't make it with tomatoes and lettuce, but I've never tried it that way so maybe it's good. The sauce takes a while to make so don't underestimate that cooking time. Also if you don't think you'll need as much sauce you can reduce the ingredients, just keep the ratio at 3:1, root beer to sauce :)

Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party--while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for "seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive." Lauren can't take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.

But Jamie is a complicated man. He can't handle how desperately he wants her in his bed--and his life. It's up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.

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www.gillianarcher.com

Fun fact: Iowa is the #1 pork producing state in the United States. Go us! This time of year, we grill like crazy so I thought I’d share one of our favorites.

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Ham Steak

In a saucepan, heat until well-blended:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup horseradish (Coarse ground horseradish, not the creamy sauce. I personally like a little more
horseradish, about 1/3 cup but since this is my husband’s recipe…)

1/4 cup lemon juice

Let it cool to thicken up a bit.

Score the ham steak, grill until nearly done and then brush sauce over the steak.

Easy, easy, easy. And delicious! And cheap! The new pork slogan is “Pork: Be inspired” and clearly you can see why. Here’s a picture of my husband preparing the steak.

There’s really no way to make that pretty, is there? See the horseradish sauce in the background. DON’T BUY THAT SAUCE. I bought the wrong kind and had to run out to the store for the real stuff.

 

Private investigator Grace tracks a kidnapped child to middle-of-nowhere Iowa. Encountering a strange creature she knows can't be a local animal, she doesn't need her psychic abilities to figure out the sleepy town is not what it seems. When she meets the intriguing Aiden, she's plunged into a world of Norse gods and fire demons where the Wild Hunt still rides the night.

Aiden needs Grace's help to cross the portal between worlds and rescue his daughter. Grace is unlike any woman he's ever met. He's drawn to her courage, distressed by her vulnerability and doubtful of her motives. But he knows that her visions are the key to defeating the enemy and bringing everyone home alive.

Grace wants a future with Aiden, even if it means she'll never have a normal life. When a test run to the portal takes a terrifying turn, they must learn to finally trust each other or Aiden's daughter, and their chance at love, will be lost forever...

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www.eleristone.com