Blog Archives

I’ve uploaded a new theme for this blog and would love your opinion on the lay out. I’m also re-posting the delcious recipes my fellow authors have provided along with a picture of all their beautiful covers.

Hope you try out some of these fun & tasty recipes. 

• BEG ME BABY BROWNIES from The Secret Ingredient by Misty Evans
• COWBOY COOKIE RECIPE by Cat Johnson
• QUICK & EASY BLACK BEANS by Jody Wallace
• SWEET & SPICY BEST NACHOS EVER by Denise Agnew
• SUMMER SLUSH by N.J. Walters
• THE ZILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE COWBOY’s SECRET WEREWOLF RECIPES CULINARY TEMPTATIONS From the Nine Naughty Novelists
• MEXICAN CHICKEN by Beverly Rae
• GREEN APPLE MARTINI from Nancy Lauzon
• THE TORTILLA ESPANOLAIS by Kimberley Troutte

THE RECIPES

BEG ME BABY BROWNIES from The Secret Ingredient by Misty Evans

1 stick butter
2 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 Tbsp instant espresso

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour an 8″ square pan. Shake out excess flour.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a 3 qt saucepan over low. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cardamom and coffee. Stir into the chocolate mixture, combining just until flour disappears. Do not over stir.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack completely before cutting into squares.

Serve with your favorite coffee, cappuccino or espresso

COWBOY COOKIE RECIPE by Cat Johnson

I grew up eating these cookies. It was my grandmother’s recipe and every Christmas my mother and I would make and decorate them together. Enjoy!

½ lb Butter

1 Egg

1 Cup Sugar

2 ½ Cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Lemon Extract

Preheat oven – 325 degrees

Cream butter. Add sugar then egg & extract. Add flour & baking powder. Chill dough. Roll out flat on a floured board. Cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased pan 8-10 minutes (or until just beginning to brown).

Can be decorated with sprinkles before baking or iced after baking.

QUICK & EASY BLACK BEANS by Jody Wallace

2 cans black beans (plain, not seasoned)
2 cans diced tomato (Mexican, chili-ready, your preference)
1 can corn (or frozen corn)
chili powder to taste
garlic powder to taste

1) Empty beans into the saucepan.

Note 1: I do not recommend turning on the burner beneath the saucepan and then forgetting it was on so that the saucepan gets really hot and sizzles and splatters the bean juice into your face when you dump them in.

Note 2: Not even if your kid is in the bathroom yelling for you to come quick.

Note 3: Unless she says the toilet is overflowing. And if so, be aware she’s been standing there watching it overflow for about 2 minutes already and the bathroom has an inch of toilet water in the floor.

Note 4: Back in the kitchen, finally, you may want to drain and rinse the beans in a colander first. It rinses the excess sodium off and reduces the sauce that *may* later give the beans an overly soupy consistency.

2) Empty tomatoes into the saucepan.

Note 1: I do not recommend using tomatoes with diced hot peppers if you are planning on trying to convince your kids to eat the beans.

Note 2: I also do not recommend adding sugar to the beans to reduce the burning sensation with the bribe of sweetness.

Note 3: Or salt.

Note 4: Or barbecue seasoning.

3) Empty corn into saucepan.

Note 1: I do not recommend allowing the children to accompany you into the garage, where the freezer is, when you go look for your bag of frozen corn.

Note 2: At the same time, I do not recommend leaving your children alone in the house, not for a second. Remember the toilet?

Note 3: I do not recommend, after you’ve pulled the children out from under the car, off the workbench and made them pick up all the recycling, forgetting to take your husband’s tools off the lid of the large chest freezer before you open it.

Note 4: I do not recommend, after you dragged the tools out from behind the stupid freezer and then, to add insult to injury, failed to locate that blasted bag of frozen corn, resorting to a can of CREAMED corn in the seldom-seen back corner of the pantry.

Note 5: Just because the can of CREAMED corn is expiring this month
doesn’t mean you have to use it. Really.

4) Add garlic & chili powder to taste.

Note 1: After you *might* have added creamed corn instead of normal corn, I do not recommend doubling up on chili power in hopes of counteracting the sugar you *may* have added to the beans in step 2 and the sugar in the CREAMED corn that expires this month. Your taste testing is not reliable.

Note 2: I also do not recommend adding a little cayenne pepper since the chili powder, well, it just seems so mild compared to the cloying sweetness that the CREAMED corn has given your go-to pot of easy beans.

Note 3: I seriously do not recommend asking any of the children to taste the beans because it will set them against it before they even see the soupy mess on their plates at dinner.

Note 4: And when the child in question, pretending to gag on the beans you asked him or her to taste, spits beans on the cat, I do not recommend sending the child to a time out session on the couch. The couch is still within earshot. Send the child to his or her room until it’s time for dinner.

Note 5: But do remember to call the child for dinner, because those scars can last a lifetime. Or so the child would have you believe.

5) Heat through and enjoy!

Note 1: I do not recommend serving this hot mess to the already resistant children. I mean, if you obeyed my recommendations, it’s probably fine, but otherwise, bad idea.

Note 2: When your spouse tastes the beans, I do not recommend that he or she ask what in the world you did to the beans tonight while making a horrible face.

SWEET & SPICY BEST NACHOS EVER by Denise Agnew

Your choice of a half pound/pound of ground beef or ground turkey browned in a skillet. Mix (in large bowl) one can of fat free refried beans, half cup low sugar barbecue sauce, a cup of shredded cheddar or other cheese of your choice with the browned meat. Spread in a baking dish. Bake at 325F for at least twenty minutes. Remove and garnish with chopped green onions, sliced black olives, chopped tomato and more sprinkle cheese. Enjoy with your choice of tortilla chips. I like blue chips. You can also spread Picante or salsa on top of this nacho dish but I find that sometimes makes it a little soupy. So use it sparingly. Actually, this isn’t much in the spicy department, which is okay with me.

SUMMER SLUSH by N.J. Walters

MEXICAN CHICKEN by Beverly Rae

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts 4-6 (I use the already skinned frozen chicken in a bag.)
Olive oil
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Chili powder
Salt and pepper
Red and green pepper
Onion (I like red onions)
Tomato
Four cheese shredded Mexican cheese

Line baking sheet with foil. (Makes for an easy clean up!)

1. Place chicken breasts on foil.
2. Brush olive oil onto breasts.
3. Salt and pepper as much or as little as you like.
4. Sprinkle on the remaining spices to whatever amount you like. (Be careful not to add too much cayenne pepper!)
5. Cut peppers and onion into thin slivers approximately 1 inch long and place on top of each chicken breast.
6. Slice tomato and place one slice on top of each breast over the pepper and onion slivers.
7. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked.
8. Add four cheese shredded Mexican cheese to top of chicken until melted.
9. Serve with Mexican rice, chips and salsa.

Hint:
I cut up my peppers, onions and tomato ahead of time so that it takes only a few minutes
to get this dish ready for cooking.

Try using a spoonful of salsa instead of the tomato for a zestier taste. Enjoy!

Email me at info@beverlyrae.com and tell me how you liked the recipe!

GREEN APPLE MARTINI Featured Recipe from Saving Haley

If you don’t have a juicer, you can substitute 1/3 cup store-bought unsweetened apple juice for the fresh apple juice in step 2. Repeat this recipe in batches, as needed.

• Yield Makes two 6-ounce martinis

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 medium green apple, about 8 ounces, peeled (peels reserved)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 ounces best-quality vodka

1. Bring sugar, 1 cup water, and 3/4 of the apple peel to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. (Reserve the remaining apple peel for garnish.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer syrup to a medium bowl set over an ice bath; let stand, stirring occasionally, until cool. Pour through a fine sieve into another bowl; discard solids.
2. Cut apple into chunks; press through an electric juicer into a small bowl. Pour through a fine sieve into another bowl; discard any solids, and set juice aside
3. Cut remaining peel into thin, 4-inch-long strips. Tie each strip into a knot; set aside in a bowl of water with lemon juice.
4. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, 2 ounces syrup, and 1/3 cup apple juice; shake. Divide between 2 martini glasses; garnish with apple knots.

THE TORTILLA ESPANOLAIS by Kimberley Troutte

The Tortilla Espanolais one of the most common dishes served in Spain. It can be eaten as a light dinner, or served as a tapa with baguettes so that guests can make mini-sandwiches with it.

Ingredients:

·6-7 medium potatoes, peeled

·1 whole yellow onion

·5-6 large eggs

·2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying

·Salt to taste

Directions:

Slice the potatoes into 1/8” slices. Chop onions into 1/4” pieces. Mix together the potatoes, onion and salt. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high until it is ready for frying. Spread the potato mixture evenly over the surface and cook until potatoes are done then remove mixture from the oil with a slotted spoon.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl and add the potato-onion mixture.

Pour 1-2 tbsp of olive oil into a non-stick frying pan (appox.  9-10”) and heat on medium. Stir the potato-onion-egg mixture once more and pour into heated oil. Spread evenly. When the eggs have cooked around the edges, carefully lift one side of the omelet and peek. You want the bottom to brown while the inside of the mixture remains slightly runny. When ready, place a plate on top of the pan and flip the omelet over onto the plate. You may need to add a little more olive oil to the frying pan to keep the tortilla from sticking. Then carefully slide the flipped omelet back into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 2 minutes.

Carefully slide the tortilla onto a plate and cut into 1.5” squares and serve with a sliced baguette.