Last day to get a FREE book from me!

December 27th is the last day you can download THE GROOM WANTED SECONDS for free from Amazon! Even if you don't have an eReader, you can download the free Kindle app and read it on your computer or your smartphone. It's the prequel to the USA Today bestselling THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, part of my special Holiday Bundle!

And, I'm guesting on the Heroes and Heartbreakers blog today, so stop on by and chat with me, for a chance to win the Holiday bundle!

Shirley

FREE book, until Dec. 27th!

For two days only (Dec. 26 and 27th), you can download THE GROOM WANTED SECONDS for FREE! If you have an eReader, or just download the free Kindle app to your smartphone or computer, grab this free novella, the prequel to the USA Today bestselling THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE series! This is one of my Sweet and Savory novels, fun, flirty reads with recipes written by the characters!

What'd you serve for Christmas dinner? I made Ina Garten's Prime Rib Roast...and it was OMG to-die-for. It's my second year making it, and I swear it gets better every year! Leftovers today, and it just makes me wish I bought a bigger roast ;-)

Have a wonderful Boxing Day!

Shirley

Merry Christmas! Free Book & Holiday Bundle

First off, I want to wish all my readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'm always like a little kid on the holiday--I absolutely can't wait for the day to arrive! And of course, the meal...this year, it's rib roast. I am literally drooling, anticipating that tomorrow!

For all you who get Kindles or Nooks or iTunes cards for Christmas, I wanted to let you know that THE GROOM WANTED SECONDS will be FREE for two days only, December 26th and 27th! If you download it, you get a taste of the Christmas season, along with some great recipes!

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About the book: Nothing like a little breakup to remind a man why he loves a woman and what an idiot he’s been. After a clunky marriage proposal, Rebecca Wilson breaks up with Jeremy Hamilton, an engineer lacking a romance chromosome. She goes away for the summer and thinks she has found true love. When she returns with a broken heart, Jeremy seizes the opportunity to convince her to give him a second chance.

But it isn’t until he brings out his wild and fun side that Jeremy sees a dim flicker of hope for a future with Rebecca. His determination drives Rebecca to break into her secret cookie stash, hoping Thin Mints can make her forget Mr. Wrong. She’s already been burned twice before—is she ready to take a second chance on love?

The Sweet and Savory Romances will make you laugh, cry, and rev up your appetite with their hunky heroes. As a special addition, satiate your hunger—for food that is— with tried-and-true recipes written by the characters inside.

 

If you want to gift yourself, you can download my all new, limited edition Holiday Bundle of Sweet and Savory Romances, starting with the USA Today bestseller, THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE! Four books in one, plenty of reading for that holiday break!

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours. I'm grateful and blessed to be surrounded by those I love, and I hope you are, too.

 

Shirley

Guest Post: Aurelia B Rowl with a New Book and Mushroom Soup!

Today, I welcome author Aurelia B Rowl, with a quick and easy Mushroom Soup recipe and a new book with an awesome cover (and I love that title, too!).

About CHRISTMAS IS CANCELLED:

 

Matilda 'Tilly' Carter didn't think her day could get any worse, but even Christmas had just been cancelled.

The one girl Dean Watson has sworn never to have—never even expected to see again—just flared back into his life and into his home—his sanctuary—like she belonged there. Christmas would certainly be more bearable with Tilly around though…

As the chinks in Dean's armor appear, Tilly seizes the chance to win her knight once and for all. She's not about to take no for answer—not this time—but Dean must resist, even as his heart rebels and temptation threatens to undermine his resolve.

Win or lose? Love or honor? Which will Dean choose? Assuming he gets a choice…

 

FROM CHRISTMAS IS CANCELLED:

 

Tears welled in her eyes, clouding her vision. She turned and wandered blindly toward the exit as the first tear escaped, forging a track down her cheek for the rest to follow. Tilly took in a lungful of air and then another. Having made a spectacle of herself once already, she really didn't want to be the cause of yet another scene.

The crowds swarmed around her, with students and family members heading home for the holidays only adding to the usual rush-hour melee of commuters. They jostled past, threatening to swallow her whole, as they rushed en mass in the opposite direction, using their briefcases and suitcases as a battering ram.

It was suffocating. She had to get out of there. Breaking into a run, broken heel or not, she raced through the doors and out into the biting December chill. Her waterlogged eyes struggled to adjust to the dark, dreary sky after the bright station lights, but she didn't dare slow down, desperate to escape the throng of festivities and merriment.

Carol singers assembled outside burst into a jovial rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," full of joy and happiness. Didn't they know Christmas had just been cancelled?

"Ooof!" Tilly smacked her shin against the edge of a low bench, too dark to see as she tried to dodge the growing audience. She ended up sprawled across the bench, dropping the handle of her suitcase with a loud clatter.

At least the pain shooting down her leg gave her an excuse to be crying. Unfortunately, it meant she had to stop running too. Not good. Whenever things got too tough, too intimate, or too confrontational, you could rely on her to make a run for it. Running away was what she did best...

A tall figure loomed in the edge of her vision, something vaguely familiar about the man's loping gait. In an effort to see him more clearly, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, then cringed inwardly at the black streaks now etched all over them. Great. She could add impersonating a panda to her day from hell as well then.

The mascara stung her eyes, rendering her unable to focus properly. She blinked furiously as the man strode past her, talking into a mobile phone in a deep voice that resonated throughout her body and made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A surge of adrenaline rushed to her legs, numbing the pain as her subconscious told her to run. Now! 

The cloaked figure stopped mid-stride as if he'd heard her gasp. "Mike, I've gotta go," he barked into the phone, hanging up instantly. He backtracked until he was standing right in front of her, his tone changing from a growl to one of surprise. "Basmati?"

Great. She hadn't heard the nickname for years—nine years, four months and...sixteen days, to be exact—and even then, only one person had ever actually used it. She screwed her eyes tightly shut, shaking her head from side to side. No. No way. There was absolutely no way this could be happening to her. Not now. Not today of all days... Talk about kicking a girl when she was down. Buy the book here!

 

Aurelia’s Oh-So-Simple Creamy Mushroom Soup

 This soup is so deliciously creamy and tasty, yet ridiculously easy to prepare. It can even be prepared in advance, then reheated immediately prior to serving, so is ideal for dinner parties.

 

Ingredients:

Mushrooms 1lb or more – chopped (I like to include a few field mushrooms for their colour)

Cream ¼ pint

Milk 1 pint

Plain flour 1½oz

Butter 2oz

Vegetable stock ½ pint

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook for three minutes.
Sprinkle over the flour, then stir to coat the mushrooms. Stir in the vegetable stock and the milk, then bring slowly to the boil.Simmer for five-to-ten minutes.

Allow to cool, then blend – if you like your soup chunky, only blend half.

(At this point you can store soup in the fridge to reheat later) Return to the pan, then add the cream and reheat.
Serve immediately. (Delicious with fresh, warm crusty bread).

 

Thanks so much for visiting, Aurelia! Love the recipe!

Shirley

All New Holiday Reads!

Just in time for Christmas, I've got two new holiday reads and a cool Holiday bundle of my books! In stores now is MISTLETOE KISSES WITH THE BILLIONAIRE, the final story in the Holiday Miracles trilogy! Take a trip to Beckett's Run for a Christmas to remember!

And in my Sweet and Savory Romances series (romances with delicious recipes written by the characters), I've got THE BEAUTY CHARMED SANTA, an all-new novella featuring a few of your favorites from THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE.

For readers new to my books or those looking for a great bundle of books to load onto your Kindle or Nook, try my limited-edition Holiday Bundle, FOUR books in one! See why readers are raving about this fun, flirty series!

Merry Christmas to all!

Shirley

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

I love cookies. I mean LOVE cookies (and cupcakes, and brownies and fudge...okay, any dessert, LOL). I try not to make cookies the rest of the year, because then I'll EAT them, but at the holidays, I go on a baking spree :-) This week, I made White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints, Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars, and Melted Snowmen cookies.

First up was the Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars, a request from a friend after I saw it on Pinterest. They were delicious, and really easy! I bought the Peanut Butter Pretzels at Meijer--there was a plastic jar of them on the potato chip aisle, by the pretzels. I used Nestle's Chocolate Chip Cookie dough. I ate all the crumbs :-)


Next up is my White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints, which is one of my own recipes (and is featured in Sugar and Spice). It's a favorite with my whole family, and an annually requested recipe. The kids have already eaten all the extras :-) They freeze super well, and are quick and easy. See below for the recipe.

Then I made my Melted Snowman cookies. They weren't as pretty as last year's, and that's because I used the canned Betty Crocker frosting instead of buying the pro tips at the candy and cake decorating store. I almost always forget I've got those metal cake decorating tips in the sink and grind one or more up in the garbage disposal, LOL.


Melted Snowman Cookies
 

These ones are pretty easy. I use the recipe from The Somewhat Simple blog. I use Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (I find that works better than the refrigerated, already made kind), Then I buy the Royal Icing mix, add enough water to make it at "flood" stage, and do the decorating on top of waxed paper.

I bought the Betty Crocker black, green, orange and red icing cans this year, but would definitely recommend pro decorating  tips if you can get them. It takes a little practice, but overall, the decorating is pretty easy, especially for non-crafter like me :-)

I assembled them all on a tray for a party I'm going to tomorrow night. I was going to decorate the tray, then figured the cookies were enough decoration :-)


White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints
(from Sugar and Spice)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I always use real vanilla)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup white chocolate chips
Red sugar sprinkles
 
Trust me, these ones are so good, you won’t have any left for guests (and whoever invented that rule about sharing your cookies, anyhow? It’s Christmas, indulge yourself a little). In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and the shortening with an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer and let the machine do the work), then add the sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, cream of tarter, and the salt. Beat just until combined.

Add the egg and vanilla, then mix in the flour gradually. Cover the dough and refrigerate for three hours. I know, it’s a long wait, but it’ll be worth it later. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, press a circular indentation into the center of each cookie. Drop a 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each thumbprint. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour yourself a glass of milk and get into serious cookie-eating mode. Skip lunch if you have to-there’s no way a tuna on rye can compete.

Put the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until the chips are melted. Pour the white chocolate into a resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny bit of one corner. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies. Sprinkle cookies with red sugar to add that festive flair.

Now you’re ready to indulge-don’t worry about the calories until January 1st. Makes three dozen, just enough for you and a friend!

 

Did you catch my post on the cupcakes and the Salted Caramel Shortbread I made the other week? Tell me, what cookies are you making this year? Which ones are your MUST HAVE cookies for the holidays?

 

Shirley

Salted Caramel Shortbread

I may never eat another vegetable again. I think I'm going to go the rest of my life, eating these every single meal. They are that good. Just awesomeness, in every bite.

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
kosher salt

3 sticks butter (3/4 pound), unsalted, room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, make the caramel. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour the milk into a pie plate, stir in 1/4 teaspooon kosher salt, and cover it tightly with foil. Put the pie plate in a big roasting pan, and fill it halfway up the pie plate with hot water. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, adding more water if necessary. Let cool, then whisk until smooth.

Meanwhile, make the cookies.Set the oven at 350 degrees. The butter has to be room temp for this to work well, so what I did was set the butter out first thing in the morning, make the caramel, then about 15 minutes before that was done, I made the cookies.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer. Add the vanilla. Mix the salt with the flour, then add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until the dough comes together. I formed the dough into square logs (though you can make it into a plate shape and roll it out; I just hate doing cut-out cookies). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Slice or cut the dough into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick cookies (mine were like 1/3 an inch). They don't spread much, so you can get quite a few on an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake for 20-24 minutes, switching the cookie sheets halfway through to get even cooking. Keep an eye on them because they go from perfect to burned fast.

Put wax paper under your cooling rack. Remove cookies from the oven, place on the cooling racks. Heat the caramel for 30 seconds in the microwave, then put it in a Ziploc bag and snip one end (to make a homemade pastry bag). Drizzle cookies with caramel, then sprinkle with kosher salt.
Eat. Repeat ;-)

Shirley

Christmas Treats :-)

 

I love baking at Christmas. It's a nice excuse to have a few thousand extra calories, all in the name of a holiday, of course ;-) I know I'll be running off these calories for the rest of winter, but hey, these desserts are worth it.

Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes
 

 

I've been spending WAY too much time on Pinterest lately, pinning cupcakes and cookies and all kinds of dessert ideas. I saw these Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes and HAD to have them. Reese's are, after all, my favorite candy eva, and these were like big Reese's. They're cupcakes with buckeyes in the center, and Reese's on top.

I mean, really, what more does one need?

Not to mention, they were EASY.

PEANUT BUTTER SURPRISE CUPCAKES

Center: 1 1/2 cups Peanut butter

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups confectionary sugar

Mix all in a mixer (my trusty Kitchen Aid was busy tonight!) then form into balls a little smaller than 1-inch around.

 

For the cupcakes, I mixed up Devil's Food cake mix. Line your cupcake pans with liners, add a little cake mix on the bottom, put in a peanut butter ball, then top with enough cake mix to cover. Bake as directed on the box.

 

The frosting is a Peanut Butter Buttercream  (I know, the calories in this...I can't even think about them!)

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half-and-half)

4-5 cups confectionary sugar

 

Blend all in the mixer, whipping on high speed until fluffy. Add more or less cream and confectionary sugar to get the consistency you want. Frost, top with a mini Reese's, and eat!

 

 

These are the ones I made for my husband's company (along with some Kiss cookies).

Then I made these fun Santa cupcakes. It's a basic yellow cake cupcake (from my trusty Betty Crocker), topped with white buttercream (what I did was double the above recipe for buttercream, but left out the peanut butter. Frosted the Santa ones first, then mixed in the PB and frosted the Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes).

The legs are Twizzlers, cut in thirds. Dip in frosting, then top with black frosting boots. I sprinkled the cupcakes with white sparkles. Easy and cute!!

 

Follow me on Pinterest, or let me know if you're a foodie like me and I'll follow you! Also, look for info soon about a new book!

 

I'm off to have cupcakes and milk! :-)

 

Shirley

Book News, Trilogy Behind the Scenes Peek and JSWI news!

It has been a BUSY few weeks here! I've been writing my fingers off, trying to make a lot of deadlines that just sort of ran together. Not much cooking going on in my house--mainly just dump something in the crock-pot or fix something fast ;-) But I'll get back to it soon, these colder temperatures have me craving comfort foods!

Lots of writing news--first, I wanted to announce the release of THE GROOM WANTED SECONDS, the prequel to the Sweet and Savory Romance series (with THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE and THE ANGEL TASTED TEMPTATION). This all-new book is a fun, sexy novella that features Rebecca and Jeremy's story--read all about how they almost didn't make it to the altar! And at only .99 cents, it's a bargain!

Second, if you're interested in how a trilogy comes together, stop by the Romantic Times blog and read how Donna Alward, Fiona Harper and myself wrote our Holiday Miracles trilogy together. Three friends, working together to tell the story of three sisters. It was a blast and so is our in-real-time interview!
Third, the JumpStart Writing Institute is offering LOTS of awesomeness for writers! Those who join get access to regular motivational posts, writing information and first dibs as well as lower prices on all my classes. From now until October 12th, midnight, there's a special price for signing up! Stop by the membership page for details!


Oh, and local people who pick up Glo magazine, look for Part One of my six-part novella, "Fools Rush In," a Glo exclusive! You can also read it online (turn to page 30).

Happy reading!

Shirley

Melted Snowman Cookies

This year for Thanksgiving we are going to a family member's house for dessert, and I figured everyone will bring pie, so why not make something different? I had seen these cookies on the Crazy Domestic blog and was dying to try them.

I bought Royal Icing mix at the cake decorating store. It was WAY cheaper than buying meringue powder to make my own (Royal Icing mix was $2, the meringue powder was nearly $8) and bought four tubes of frosting to decorate (black, orange, green and red).

I'm not much of a baker, at not at all a decorater, but I did have fun making these. My son did the hair (and then we all had a laugh at how everyone kinda looked like Ron Weasley). :-)

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! I'll be brining my turkey soon :-)

Shirley

More Christmas Cookies: Macadamia Nut Yummies

During my baking frenzy a couple weeks ago a friend of mine asked if I was making white chocolate macadamia nut. I've eaten plenty of these in my lifetime, but never made them, so when I got a few free minutes (my Christmas presents are all bought and wrapped--yeah!), I made a couple batches of these.

I had a bunch of my daughter's friends over last night for "Soup-a-Palooza Dos." I'd held one a month or so ago (and just realized I didn't blog about it...sorry! Will remedy that in the next few days). Anyway, I made these cookies as dessert to go with the soups. They were light and sweet, the perfect compliment, IMO.

I know Macadamia Nut cookies generally call for White Chocolate chips, but I had trouble finding those in the store...for some reason there weren't ANY. So I mixed half white chocolate chips that I had left in my cabinet and half Vanilla Chips, which is what the store had. I think it gave the cookies another dimension of flavor, and each chip was a little surprise, with the two working together nicely. Hence the name "Yummies." :-) You can do a little of both, as I have in my recipe below, or do one or the other (total is one cup of chips)

Macadamia Nut Yummies
Makes 2 1/2 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (plus a little extra if the batter is too wet)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 cup vanilla chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda, then add to the batter a little at a time. If the batter is too moist, add another 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour. You want it pliable but not sticky. Stir in the nuts and chips.

Cut a sheet of parchment paper for each cookie sheet (trust me, it's worth it. You end up with pretty much zero cleanup). Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the ungreased sheets, about two inches apart. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack.

I made 2 1/2 dozen with this recipe. You can get more or less, depending on the size of your cookies. Or how much raw batter you eat (not recommended by lawyers, salmonella and all that) while waiting on the first batch to cook ;-)

Shirley

Easy Christmas Treat: Nutty Balls

Yes, the name of this recipe cracks me up (and my friend Melanie Gold, who was the one to give me the recipe, has many other double entendre names for them ;-) Mel, as a side note, is THE MOST AMAZING pastry chef. It's not her full-time job, but really, it should be. I'm not much of a baker, and if I want an amazing treat (I'm still dreaming about the mini cupcakes she made me this fall), I know I'll find one at her house. Anyway, she made them for my friends get-together this summer and they were amazing. One of those things that are so yummy, it's impossible to eat just one.

The original recipe, Mel told me, comes from GREAT COOKIES by Carole Walter. Doesn't the cover of that book alone make you want some cookies? Alas, ours are gone (I froze some for our holiday party, then donated the rest to the school Cookie Walk...lest I eat them all. Now I DO want to eat them all, LOL).


Anyway, I know several of these amazing nutty balls are waiting in my freezer for the holiday party. And don't tell my Dad, but I'm bringing him some for Christmas this year :-)

Nutty Balls
Recipe from Melanie Gold

2-1/3 cups strained confectioners' sugar, spooned in and leveled
1 cup fine graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or morsels)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and crumbs. Add the butter and peanut butter and stir till thoroughly combined. Portion the dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment-lined jelly roll pans/cookie sheets.

Combine the chocolate and veg. oil in a metal or glass bowl and melt over a pot of boiling water. (This is sometimes called a double boiler.) When chocolate is melted, turn off the heat but don't move the bowl. Place about half the nuts in a wide flat dish such as a pie plate.

Dip one ball at a time in the chocolate (Shirley's note: I used two forks, one to dip, then I transferred back and forth, and tapped the fork lightly on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate), then roll it in the peanuts, coating evenly. Place balls back on the pans/sheets and allow to air dry. (Sometimes I refrigerate them to solidify the chocolate a bit faster.)

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. These treats freeze well and have a fairly long shelf life, but they are temperature sensitive.

Thanks, Mel!!

Shirley

Christmas Cookies #3: Snow-Capped Macaroons

For those of you who are on Facebook with me, you know the dog (not my dog, but DH's pointer, who does his best to drive me nuts) ATE MY COOKIES yesterday. He ate the ginger cookies, and the thumbprints. ALL of them.

Darn dog. And yes, he's okay. And I have forgiven him.

Mostly.

So I spent today in my kitchen baking some more. (argh). I made Peanut Butter Cookies, more thumbprints, some of these Snow-Capped Macaroons as well as a cake. Didn't make more Ginger cookies because I didn't have any more candied ginger so those will have to wait until next week.

I also tried another Food Network Mag recipe for Chocolate Malted Sandwiches. They were a disaster. I don't know if my butter was too soft/warm or what, but the dough refused to cooperate, so I scrapped them halfway in. And they sounded so good, too :-(

Instead, I made these Snow-Capped Macaroons. Quite easy, and very tasty. They don't make very many--I got just under two dozen from this recipe--but they're good. I wished I had some cool white sprinkles for on top, because the sprinkles I did use don't really show very well :-(


Snow-Capped Macaroons (recipe from Food Network Magazine)

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

For the Glaze:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Coarse sugar crystals, for decorating

Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy, then stir in the granulated sugar, almonds, vanilla and salt. Fold in the coconut.

Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Dampen your hands and form into tall pointed mounds. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the macaroons look dry, 16 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: Put the chocolate, corn syrup, butter and 3 tablespoons hot water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.

Dip the tip of each macaroon about halfway into the glaze, then place on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, then refrigerate until the glaze sets, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Shirley

Christmas Cookies #2: Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies

I love ginger cookies. They're the perfect treat with a cup of coffee in the morning, or a cup of tea in the afternoon (okay, so are the White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints I made yesterday, LOL). The problem with most store bought ones is that they're either too bland in flavor or so hard, you need to sit them in the coffee for a while to soften them ;-)

Ina Garten is my go-to chef for when I want something I know will be awesome. Her Ultimate Ginger Cookies were no exception.

The only thing I changed was making them smaller so I could get more out of the batch (her recipe makes 12-16). They cooked exactly 13 minutes, like her recipe says, and they were, as promised, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Just delicious all around :-)




Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups chopped crystallized ginger (6 ounces)
Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.

Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Shirley

Christmas Cookies #1: White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

Today was a day of baking. I made three different kinds of cookies and twelve loaves of chocolate banana bread (Tyler Florence's recipe).

These cookies in the picture are my White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints. Readers will remember them as the featured recipe in Twelve Days, my novella in Sugar and Spice. I liked them so much, I've made them every year. :-)

They're delicious...just a light sugar cookie base, with raspberry jam filling and then white chocolate drizzle and red sugar sprinkles. A couple things I sometimes do (that aren't in my recipe)....add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the white chocolate when it's melting to make it more pliable, and keep it from hardening too fast. I also sometimes roll the sugar cookie dough balls in sugar before flattening them and filling them. What's a little extra sweetness at the holidays? ;-)

Shirley's White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I always use real vanilla)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup white chocolate chips

Red sugar sprinkles

Trust me, these ones are so good, you won’t have any left for guests (and whoever invented that rule about sharing your cookies, anyhow? It’s Christmas, indulge yourself a little). In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and the shortening with an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer and let the machine do the work), then add the sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, cream of tarter, and the salt. Beat just until combined.

Add the egg and vanilla, then mix in the flour gradually. Cover the dough and refrigerate for three hours. I know, it’s a long wait, but it’ll be worth it later. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, press a circular indentation into the center of each cookie. Drop a 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each thumbprint. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour yourself a glass of milk and get into serious cookie-eating mode. Skip lunch if you have to-there’s no way a tuna on rye can compete.

Put the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until the chips are melted. Pour the white chocolate into a resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny bit of one corner. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies. Sprinkle cookies with red sugar to add that festive flair.

Now you’re ready to indulge-don’t worry about the calories until January 1st. Makes three dozen, just enough for you and a friend!

Shirley

Holidays are over...back to life

Well, I had THOUGHT I would keep up with everything during the holidays, but then we went out of town to see my family and I ended up spending...oh, zero time online, so that meant no blogging, and no e-mailing.

Then I came home with the cold from Night of the Living Dead and spent two and a half days in bed.

Now I'm on deadline, a book and a novella due this month, and whoa, that's a lot of words to write really fast :-). At the same time, I'm teaching an online class that's pretty intensive, so there's a lot of material to prepare. Every time I had tried to prep ahead of time...well, had another book to write, LOL.

But that's okay. I'm always happier busier than not. And we had a fabulous holiday. I LOVED the holiday with my family. It was so...Christmas-y. Singalongs, church, a trip to Edaville Railroad, and then when we came home, a New Year's Eve party with friends (and candy cane martinis).

I bet you want that recipe, huh? Those Candy Cane Martinis ROCKED but they will knock you on your butt, I'm warning you, so it's like a one-per person thing :-)

Candy Cane Martinis

1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce peppermint schnapps
1/2 ounce white creme de cacoa
1 candy cane

Mix alcohol in a shaker with lots of ice and shake 15 to 20 times, until it's really cold, then drain into a martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane, letting the long part lay inside the glass (so the candy cane melts into the drink as it warms up).

I do love martinis and cosmos, but can't have a lot of them because they are pretty powerful things. And you know writing with a hangover is no fun ;-).

Tomorrow, I'll try to get a chance to do the thing Patrysha posted.

And Terra -- thank you for reading! Glad you enjoyed the book! Carolyn, thanks for the sweet words!

Brandy, I have to find the bread recipe, and when I do, I'll post it. I went looking for it the other day and couldn't find it. One of these days I'll actually have some kind of SENSIBLE system for my recipes, LOL.

Shirley
reading: One Door Away from Heaven by Dean Koontz
Just finished and LOVED: Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane and Gone for Good by Harlan Coben (also very good).

Decorating and Gorgonzola Cranberry Walnut Salad

Normally, I do all my Christmas decorations on the day after Thanksgiving but that Black Friday 4 a.m. thing (an hour earlier than normal) wiped me out. We were busy Saturday, so I had to wait until Sunday. Sheer agony for a Christmas freak like me, trust me!



But we got the decorations up, and my house was transformed from blah to holiday. One new addition to the decorations this year is my mother's manger set. When I visited my dad last year, he gave me her set, and we shipped it back home. She made this back in 1976, and we had it up at my parents' house every year after that, until she got sick. Everything made it okay, except the stable buildings, which shattered. I spent a huge amount of time puzzling them back into place with Super-Glue, and managed to get them all back together. My husband said it looked so wonderful, we should leave it up all year.


Now, I'm starting the planning ahead for Christmas dinners and dishes. All those ooey gooey calorie stuffed meals that I usually deny myself all year. :-) But tonight, I think I'll have salad again--a preparation for the cookies, and the candy cane bread, and the banana bread for breakfast (hmm...I do have bananas in the freezer, ready to go!).


Gorgonzola Cranberry Walnut Salad


1 bag Dole Lettuce Mix (any one you like, I prefer the 5 lettuce mix)
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese (or blue, if you can't find gorgonzola), crumbled
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup Craisins
Kraft Rasberry Vinaigrette dressing (the Lite version works great)


Just assemble the salad and drizzle with dressing. It's as easy as that. This was awesome, though if you want to save some for the next day, don't put the dressing on, because it doesn't store well if it's soaking in dressing. My husband had one like this at Pizzeria Uno, and then they closed the one near us (sob-sob) so I had to improvise :-).


Now, where ARE those chocolate chips? And the sugar? I've got caloric room for cookies!


Shirley