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

Welcome Vicki Bateman and Not Your Grandma's Fruit Cake recipe!

Today, I'm thrilled to have Vicki Bateman on my blog, along with her recipe for Not Your Grandma's Fruit Cake (this one sounds so yummy, I'm going to have to try it for sure! I mean, how can you go wrong dipping ANYTHING in chocolate?) Welcome, Vicki!
She's also got a Christmas release, Twinkle Lights, out now!

Recipe: It Ain't Your Grandma's Fruit Cake
Fruit cake is maligned. And I'm here to make it delectable for everyone (and they won't even know it is fruitcake).

A good fruit cake (I use Collin Street Bakery)
Wilton Dark Cocoa Candy Melts
Wax paper
Drying rack


Cut the cake into bite-sized chunks. (Be sure to occasionally clean your knife).

In a microwavable bowl, pour in candy melts. Prepare according to directions.

Set cooling rack on top of sheet of waxed paper. Take a chunk of cake and dip into melted cocoa. Be sure all sides are coated.
Once cake is covered in cocoa, set on rack for cocoa to solidfy.

When cocoa is hardened, remove from rack and store in airtight container. Set in fridge. Will keep for a while.

Makes a lot of treats. Don't tell your guests what it is. They think they're eating an exotic dessert.

Look for her book at any major etailer, and also find out more about Vicki at:

 

Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction/133506590074451?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickibatman

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4814608.Vicki_Batman

Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Vicki-Batman/e/B005AY5ZN8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1343929464&sr=1-2-ent

 

Thanks for visiting, Vicki!

Shirley

Alton Brown's Brining Recipe

Brined turkey, literally falling off the bone after roasting :-)
 

If you google Alton Brown and brining, you get a few different results that aren't this one. I don't like the one he has on Good Eats as much as I do this one, from I'm Just Here for the Food. This one has yet to let me down :-) I've added a few adaptations to it, based on other brines I've used:

1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
10-14 peppercorns (whole)
2-4 whole bay leaves
1 6-ounce container frozen OJ
1 gallon water
1 16-18 pound turkey
1 gallon ice cubes
canola oil

Dissolve the salt, sugar, and juice in 1 quart of hot water. Cool with the remaining 3 quarts of water. Remove the guts and stuff from inside the turkey and put it in the brining bag or container. Cover with the liquid. If it doesn't completely cover the bird, add more liquid (he uses chicken broth). Cover wtih ice and soak for at least 5-6 hours.

Alton dries off the bird, rubs it down with canola oil, then starts cooking the bird on high (500) then after a half hour, turns it down to 350 degrees. I've found that works pretty well. He covers the breast with a tent of foil, removes it at the end to get a little browning.

I highly recommend brining if you've never tried it before. Easy and quick, and the most tender bird ever!

Shirley

The Thanksgiving Plan

This has been my Thanksgiving plan for four years in a row, so I thought I'd rerun the tips. I have changed this slightly--in that I bought the brining bags at the store instead of using a pail (Farberware makes them and they were in the aisle with the roasters and kitchen twine, etc.). I have had success every time I use this recipe. Buying a fresh bird makes life ten times easier, but I have in a pinch defrosted a frozen bird and then brined it.

(and as an aside, for those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, on Monday I posted a link to my blog and a friend who is a professional chef shared his tips for brining, so check that out!)

Thanksgiving was a HUGE success in my house. Brining the bird was DA BOMB and I highly recommend it. I mean, HIGHLY recommend it. I have never had a juicier, more delicious turkey--it was beyond simple to cook, and twelve people devoured nearly an entire 21-pound bird. Lots of going back for seconds and thirds that day!

Take notes if you want for next year, because here's how I did it (and managed to have a LOT of relaxation time on the big day, too):

Wednesday Night: Brine the Bird (in the fridge by 8pm)
Equipment needed: 5-gallon pail from Lowe's or Home Depot
My version of Alton Brown's recipe for Brining from I'm Just Here for the Food
(which involves essentially cooking some water, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves and kosher salt, then cooling and adding to the bucket).
Plus: 3 gallons ice water and 1 1/2 cups kosher salt

Thursday Timeline:
7:00 a.m.: Remove bird from Brining Liquid
Preheat oven
Dry bird, stuff with an onion, celery sticks. Brush whole bird with melted butter, then tent with foil, stick a meat thermometer in it, then put the bird in the oven.

8:00 a.m.: Cook sausage for stuffing, chop vegetables for stuffing (celery, carrots and onions), then cook when sausage is done. Add dried cranberries, leave to cool and set aside

8:15 a.m.: Peel 8 pounds of potatoes and start boiling them for mashed potatoes

8:45 a.m.: Start simple syrup for kids' Floating Island Punch
Put Frozen raspberries, pink lemonade and sugar in bowl to thaw for Poinsettia Punch for grownups :-)

9:30 a.m.: Mash potatoes and put in crock-pot--done till 11:15 a.m. (take a nap, read the ads for Black Friday shopping...I do all my house cleaning on Wednesday, so I'm chilling for these two hours)

11:30 a.m.: remove foil tent from turkey, baste with more butter and turn oven temp up to 425 degrees
Start green beans (I made a healthy version, which I can post later)
Start Citrus-Glazed Carrots

12:15 p.m.: Assemble stuffing

12:30 p.m.: Remove turkey from oven and let set
Put rolls in oven
Put stuffing in oven
Make gravy

1:00 p.m.: Serve and eat ;-)

My MIL made the pies, and I had baked cookies on Wednesday night, so all the rest was done ahead of time. I usually make the pies a day or two ahead of time, but this time someone else did them, so I was saved that chore. This turkey was SO SO good, though. I just can't even tell you ;-)

How was your Thanksgiving? Was it a huge success? I do dishes as I go, and run the dishwasher about halfway through so that everyone can eat on real plates. Clean-up is still a lot of work, but it's not AS bad as it could be.

And if you want to read about my Black Friday adventures, I posted on RTB today about them!

Shirley

FREE! This weekend only!

THE GROOM WANTED SECONDS
a Sweet and Savory Romance Prequel

A limited time offer--you can get THE GROOM WANTED SECONDS for FREE! Pop on over to Amazon and grab this deal before it's gone! And FYI for those in the UK, it's free there too! Here's the UK link!

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.

 

Look for the other books in the series, too: THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE and THE ANGEL TASTED TEMPTATION. Available for your favorite eReader!

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Easiest Crock-Pot Roast Beef Ever

I love an easy recipe. Even better, one that requires almost no effort on my part, yet still gets rave reviews from my family. This roast beef fit the bill on all levels.

Easiest Crock-Pot Roast Beef Ever

1 chuck roast, 3-4 pounds
1 package Italian dressing mix
1 package Brown gravy mix
1 package Ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

Put the roast in the crock-pot (browning beforehand is optional). Mix the three mixes and the 1/2 cup water, then pour over the roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. When done, remove the roast and put on a cutting board, allowing it to rest before slicing. Meanwhile, mix the corn starch and cold water in a bowl, then add to the gravy in the crock-pot. Turn crock-pot to High and stir, until gravy thickens.

This was so tender, you could cut it with a fork. The gravy was AWESOME and definitely made the beef way more flavorful. Easy and quick, my favorite kind of cooking!

Shirley

A Behind the Scenes Peek at a Trilogy

Last year, two of my author friends and I pitched and sold a trilogy to Harlequin. It was so much fun to work with Donna Alward and Fiona Harper, and to create three sisters who had a troubled past. We set the story in a fictional town in Massachusetts, and created three strong heroes for these amazing sisters. Read all about how this worked on this thread on eHarlequin, and pick up the first book, Snowbound in the Earl's Castle, in stores now! Look for Donna Alward's story, Sleigh Ride with the Rancher at the end of the month. My story (the third one) will be out at the end of November--Mistletoe Kisses with the Billionaire.

Read our thread here, and add your comments or questions for any one of us, or the group!

Shirley

Perfect for Fall's Chill: Oven Baked Beef Stew

There's just something about fall that has me in the kitchen, cooking. I love the smells of things in the oven, love hunkering down with my loved ones and enjoying a dish I've made myself. This oven-baked Beef Stew is one of my all-time favorites and one of those things I crave as soon as the temperatures dip. I've made it a couple dozen times (which is a miracle in my house, because I'm always trying something new!).

Oven-Baked Beef Stew

1 pound round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes

2-3 cups red wine (I use a Shiraz, or a Merlot, something we would normally drink; enough to marinate the beef)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound carrots, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups red wine (same wine; but NOT the wine in the marinade; I basically dump the rest of the bottle in)
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cold water
3 tablespoons corn starch

Marinate the beef in a zip-lock bag for 1 to 3 hours, depending on when you remember to start this ;-). Remove from marinade, then heat olive oil and cook beef until browned. Remove from pan. Cook garlic and vegetables until browned, remove from pan. Melt butter, add flour and make a roux (the base for a sauce, if you don't know what this is, you can go here for the basics). Add the wine gradually, stirring with a whisk. Then the chicken stock and tomato paste. Put the beef, vegetables and liquid into an oven-safe Dutch Oven or other large pot/pan and bake at 375 for two hours (you can also put this in the Crock-pot).

Just before you're ready to serve, you can thicken the stew. I like a really thick stew, so I mix the water and the corn starch, then stir this into the hot stew. It makes it nice and thick, really yummy . I serve it with biscuits and that's enough for a mega meal. Okay, this is totally not Weight Watchers friendly but when it's 25 below outside, I really don't care ;-)

 

Enjoy!

 

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

White Chicken Chili

This is one of my favorite dinners. I usually poach extra chicken when I'm making stock or a soup or something else that requires cooked chicken, then make this quick dinner on a busy weekday.

 

When I made it this week, I used fresh peppers and jalapenos from the garden, instead of the pickled jalapeno. It made it hotter, for sure, but still delicious! :-)

 

 

White Chicken Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno (comes in a jar in the Mexican food aisle), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or regular; I just prefer to cook with kosher)
2 cups chicken broth (I used the broth I made from the chickens I roasted the other day)
2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 pound cooked chicken, shredded (again, from those chickens I roasted; I just made two instead of one)
1/2 cup whipping cream (I rarely have that on hand so I used half and half)

Heat oil in a large pot (like a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper and jalapeno. Saute about 4 minutes, until soft and onion is translucent. Add garlic and spices. Cook for one minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add vegetables, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender. Add beans and chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cook until heated through. Serve.

Shirley

Easy Honey-Beer Bread

I saw this on Pinterest the other day. It looked super easy and delicious...and it was both! Although I LOVE homemade bread, all the time involved...I'm not a fan of that. So quick and easy bread, definitely my kind of homemade bread!
This one turns out really dense. I used Coors Light beer, and don't know if a regular beer would change the density, but it was still good. Next time I think I'll experiment with a different kind of beer, maybe something that has a flavor to it, just to add a twist :-)

It's a five-minute batter, literally. Mine baked for 60 minutes, but your mileage may vary depending on your oven.

Honey-Beer Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons honey

1 can beer

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and divided

Preheat over to 350F. Grease a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan (I used Pam and I missed one spot, so definitely get the whole pan well). Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom and press it into the Pam/butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Heat the honey in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make it easier to stir, then add the honey and the beer to the batter. Mix until all ingredients are blended well.

Pour half the melted butter onto the bottom of the loaf pan. into the loaf pan. Spoon in the batter, then drizzle the rest of the butter on top. If needed, spread it with a pastry brush (this gives it a nice golden crust).

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. It rises pretty quickly in the oven, so make sure there's enough room between racks for it :-)

Shirley

Low-Fat Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Okay, so this is a cake that kind of cancels itself out, sort of the fries with Diet Coke theory ;-) But in my defense, it's overall pretty healthy and I only made half a buttercream frosting, so it's a thin layer of that. Not so bad, right?

I saw both recipes on Pinterest and thought they'd be more fun together ;-)

The cake recipe is from Dr. Oz and is insanely simple. I found that using a name-brand cake mix (Pillsbury) produced a denser cake than store brand, so next time I use name-brand, I'll add a tiny bit more water. Also, the Dr Oz version called for plain Greek Yogurt, but I thought vanilla would add a tiny bit more flavor (and I was right ;-). I use Yoplait's, but there are a ton out there to choose from.

Low-Fat Devil's Food Cake

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 container Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 cup water

Preheat oven according to package directions (I use a 13 by 9 pan and did 350 degrees). Spray pan with cooking spray. Mix all three ingredients, pour into pan. Bake according to package directions. Cool, then frost.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting (half batch)

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Nutella spread
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed and light yellow in color. Add nutella, mix thoroughly. Add vanilla, then cream, and mix until combined. Frost :-)

That's it! It's easy and quick and a HUGE hit with my kids. Also, delicious with coffee for breakfast--something I know from personal experience ;-)

Shirley

Running and Writing

Those who are friends with me or follow me on Facebook know I've started running this past fall, both to get in shape and lose those last few pounds, and to take advantage of the gorgeous weather outside. I have NEVER been anything remotely close to an athletic person (in high school, the only "sport" I did was intramural swimming, where we basically went to the Y and hung out by the pool). My husband is an athletic guy, though, and he's encouraged me to find a sport I like.

I wouldn't say I like running, but I sure like having run. When I'm done, I'm always glad I got those miles in. One thing that helps me run is great music, and a friend of mine who is a DJ and wedding planner puts great free mixes up on his Facebook page from time to time. The one I had on my iPod today started with Pitbull's "Back in Time," and had me motivated from the first note.

What does all this have to do with writing? Well, I find that working out regularly  has a two-fold effect--it keeps the dreaded "writer spread" from making my butt the size of Toledo, and it sharpens my senses. When I treat my body well (eat right, exercise), my thoughts are clearer, I have more energy and I accomplish a lot more during the day. So it's a good thing, all around. Now, will I ever be a marathoner or triathalon competitor? I doubt it. I'm pretty happy with my 5k ability (and have done two 5k races so far) and might inch up to the 10k, but that's about it. I run for the benefits it gives me, not to become the next Olympic sprinter  (and at my age, it'd have to be the Senior Olympics, LOL).

Do you run? Any tips for this non-athlete to increase speed/distance? Or do you have another exercise you like to do, like Zumba? Pilates? I do lots of other things in the colder weather, from spinning classes to Piloxing (a combo of kickboxing and Pilates) and that helps tone up all those other parts :-)

As for the chili mix, it was okay but nothing I wanted to write home about. I much prefer my own chili recipe to the one DH brought home :-)

Shirley

Talk about Dialogue and FREE online read!

For the next few weeks, Harlequin is posting my FREE online read about the McKennas, featuring Finn, Riley and Brody's cousin Alec (you see snippets of him in the McKenna books--the first book is out now (ONE DAY TO FIND A HUSBAND) and book two comes out in a week (HOW THE PLAYBOY GOT SERIOUS). Stop on over at eHarlequin to read a new chapter every Tuesday!

Also, as part of the "Book in 3 Months" program on eHarlequin, I'll be talking Dialogue with editor Keyren Gerlach from Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Stop on by and learn our top tips for writing powerful dialogue!

I'm trying out a new chili mix tonight for dinner, something DH brought home from a recent road trip. Will have to let you all know how it turns out! I'm also sneaking in some healthiness by using ground turkey instead of ground beef ;-)
Shirley

Enter to Win a Kindle copy of THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE!

From now until midnight EST July 25, 2012, post your favorite chocolate treat below and be entered for a chance to win one of two Kindle copies of THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE. Note, this is for the Kindle ebook copy--and if you don't have a Kindle, you can download the free app for reading on your computer or iPad. All entries must comment below, and be sure to include a way to contact you.

Also, don't forget you can buy the Nook and Kindle editions of books #2 and #3 in the series! Look for THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE and THE ANGEL TASTED TEMPTATION.

This contest is easy, it's fun, and should get all of us in the mood for a little chocolate! :-)

Shirley

A New Member of the Family :-)

My daughter rescued a kitten that was in our drain pipe a few weeks ago, and I have to admit, he's grown on me. He's hilarious, and is best buds with my little Sophie. He doesn't the funniest things, and has already decided my writing chair is his nap spot :-) Here's a few pics of him.

The first one is when we first found him, and the second is a few weeks later, and is the way he sleeps :-)

Shirley

189 Calorie Dessert, Free Online Read

It's a busy summer here for me! Not only do I have three ebooks out this summer (THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE and THE ANGEL TASTED TEMPTATION) but also three print books (ONE DAY TO FIND A HUSBAND, HOW THE PLAYBOY GOT SERIOUS and RETURN OF THE LAST MCKENNA (those are Kindle links but the books will be in paperback in stores too; look for Finn's book in stores now). The McKenna brothers were a blast to write, and I'm thrilled to add to their stories with a FREE online read featuring cousin Alec.

So, stop on by once a week (and I'll post the links here and on my Facebook author page as well each week) and see if Alec makes it right with his high school sweetheart in McKenna Homecoming.

This weekend, I tried out a 189-calorie cake for dessert. FABULOUS and really easy! It combines my favorite ingredients--peanut butter and chocolate, and ooooh, Reese's! I found the recipe here, and already pinned it on my Pinterest board, too! :-)

And one more piece of news--if you missed the latest edition of my newsletter, click here to read it online. Lots of news to share--I think I'm going to need a summer break from my summer! :-)

Shirley

Now on Kindle! THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE

I'm thrilled that THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE is now on Kindle, too, for all my Amazon reading fans! Now you can buy the entire Sweet and Savory Romances series on both Kindle and Nook, so no matter what kind of e-reader you have, you can read these funny, recipe-filled romances!

Click here to buy it on Kindle and here for Nook!

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Pie

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Pie

I'm all for a dinner that's quick and easy, especially when it's hot outside and I don't feel like being in the kitchen. I made this spaghetti pie the other night, and the entire family loved it. Quick, easy, one pot on the stove, one dish in the oven:

1 pound spaghetti, cooked
3/4 jar spaghetti sauce or equivalent of fresh sauce (I made fresh)
1 container Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Cream Italian Herb flavor
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the spaghetti, drain it, and return it to the pot. Add the spaghetti sauce and Philadelphia Cream Cheese sauce, stir, then add in spinach and stir until it's wilted. Pour the spaghetti mixture into a greased pie plate. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Done! :-)

FYI, I used the reduced fat PCCC, and it tasted the same as the regular. Saved a few calories there :-)

Shirley