Tempting Tuesdays ~ Top 5 of 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, we look back at some of your favorites recipes from the year. We've only been doing this weekly post less than a year, but they seem to be a success. We have plans for many more delicious recipes in 2014 and hope you'll keep reading.

Top 5 of 2013

#5

http://author-to-author-blog.blogspot.com/2013/09/tempting-tuesdays-skillet-honey-butter.html

#4

http://author-to-author-blog.blogspot.com/2013/11/tempting-tuesdays-crock-pot-breakfast.html

#3

http://author-to-author-blog.blogspot.com/2013/10/tempting-tuesdays-apple-fritter-rings.html

#2

http://author-to-author-blog.blogspot.com/2013/10/tempting-tuesdays-pumpkin-bread-with.html

#1

http://author-to-author-blog.blogspot.com/2013/08/tempting-tuesdays-homemade-carmel.html

Thanks for making our first year of Tempting Tuesdays so much fun. Can't wait to get started on 2014!

Sunday Sneak Peek - Savannah Leigh

Blurb:

Drew and Lily sitting in a tree (or a church garden)

K-I-S-S-I-N-G (and then some)

First comes sex

Then comes marriage

Then, well, we’re just not sure what comes next.

Lily Kramer accepted Drew Hamilton’s marriage proposal but it wasn’t a traditional proposal. He wants her to marry him so his mother, who has dementia, will know that he got married. Lily, an over-thirty wedding planner, doesn’t see any other offers of marriage in her future so she accepts. Now she has to plan a wedding that looks and feels like a real wedding, but isn’t.  Drew doesn’t want a relationship, but he wants it to look like he and Lily are married, including living together, so that everyone believes.

Will they be able to pull it off? Will Drew’s mother succumb to the dementia before the wedding? Will Lily be able to shield her heart and still have the wedding of her dreams?

**This is the follow up novel to With This Ring.**

Excerpt:

When I reach my room, I stop short at one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.

Lily is curled up on my bed, her hair splayed out on the pillow, and she’s sleeping. She looks so peaceful and content; my dick twitches at the thought of burying myself inside her. My heart rate speeds up and I realize I really like this view. I want to have it view every day. Fuck. There go my plans to keep things simple. I’m falling in love with Lily. I didn’t see that coming, but I kind of like the idea. As I change my clothes, I wonder how this woman got under my skin so quickly.

I know I should let her sleep, but I have to touch her to figure out if what I’m feeling is real, if I want to put my heart on the line again and risk it being crushed. I climb carefully on the bed and she rolls toward me, but doesn’t open her eyes. I brush a few strands of hair away from her face and she smiles. That smile pushes me over the edge. I know I want this woman in my life, and I’m going to do what I can to keep her. It’s a foreign feeling, one I’ve fought for years, but it feels right. I pull her into my arms. She makes a small moaning sound and curls into me. She’s soft where I’m hard and we fit together like we were made for each other. I relax and get lost in the rhythm of her breathing. Soon, I’m dozing, too.

 

Buy Links: 

I Thee Wed

http://www.amazon.com/I-Thee-Wed-Wedding-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00HK0NG7W/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388177628&sr=1-3&keywords=savannah+leigh

Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/391706

With This Ring

http://www.amazon.com/With-This-Ring-Wedding-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00EHMXUW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387977330&sr=8-1&keywords=savannah+leigh

About the Author:

Savannah Leigh is a small-town girl with big city dreams. She has always had a love of romance novels and never thought she would actually be able to publish one of her own. Savannah is inspired by photos of shirtless men on the internet, hot actors in steamy scenes, and her own fantasies. A lover of wine and Bailey’s Irish Cream, Savannah enjoys spending time with friends and reading steamy novels.

Connect with Savannah:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Savannah-Leigh-Books/511879988884673
Twitter: @savannahlbooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173576.Savannah_Leigh

Saturday Snapshots: 12/28/13

Saturday Snapshots is a picture prompt brought to you by Author to Author, meant to inspire the creative genius within you.

Maybe you'll be moved to write flash fiction for it, perhaps it will kick start an old idea for a novel, or it may inspire a new short story. Whatever it does, we hope you'll enjoy these images around the web.

If inspiration does hit, we hope you'll post a snippet in the comments.

Today's image: New Years Kiss

http://www.fitsugar.com/How-Kissing-Affects-Your-Health-21073641

Tempting Tuesdays ~ Peanut Butter Cup Fudge and Classic Egg Nog

Merry Christmas Eve! I almost thought this day would never get here. We're bringing you two holiday favorites.

A lot of the memories I have from the holidays of my childhood are of the food. One thing I LOVED was my grandmother's fudge. Chocolate and nuts in a little block of goodness, what's not to like? When I found this recipe from Center Cut Cook, I couldn't help but drool a little and run to the store for some PB cups!

Ingredients

20 Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures, roughly chopped
2 cups brown sugar
2 1/2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cups of creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

First, prepare your pan. Line and 8x8 pan with plastic wrap so that it will be easier to lift out of the pan when your fudge has set.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk, then bring to a rapid boil. Cook and stir frequently for exactly two minutes. Stir in Peanut Butter and combine, then add vanilla.

Transfer mixture into a medium sized bowl. Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time and mix well. Mixture will be thick!

Press mixture into your prepared pan.

Sprinkle chopped Peanut Butter cups on top and press firmly into fudge.

Chill in refrigerator for an hour or until your think it is firm enough. Use the plastic wrap as handles and pull out of the pan. Cut into small pieces because if you cut large pieces, you will OD on the fudgy goodness with one piece.

Enjoy the fudge!

Egg Nog from scratch

For many of us, Christmas and New Years just isn't the same without egg nog. Most of the time we give in and pick up some from the store because there's certainly no shortage of options. However, once you've had homemade egg nog, you just might find the store offerings not quite standing up to the real stuff!

Ingredients

• 2 c whole milk
• 2 c heavy whipping cream
• 1 qt half-n-half, portioned into 2 servings of 2 cups each
• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1 dozen eggs, separated into yolks and whites.
• 1-2 c spiced rum (if you like strong eggnog, lean toward the 2 cup end of the spectrum)
• Spices: 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, cardamom, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract

What you'll do:

Step 1. Separate your eggs; yolks in your mixer bowl, whites in a large bowl (you'll need the room later)

Step 2. Put all of your milks (except for 2 cups of the half-n-half) vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves into sauce pan and begin to warm on low. 

Step 3. While the spiced milk is warming, prepare your egg whites. Sprinkle a generous pinch of Cream of Tartar over the top before you begin to help ensure light and fluffy whites ;)

You want to start your mixer on low, until the whites begin to come together, then give a generous sprinkle of Cardamom and increase your speed. Keep the bowl moving as you beat the whites until thick. This will take about 10 minutes. 

(Remember to stir your spiced milk every couple of minutes so it doesn't scald!)

Step 4. With the egg whites prepared, you can now work on your yolk base. Add the 2 cups of powdered sugar to the egg yolks and combine.

(Optional Step) You can go ahead and 'alcohol cook' your yolks if you are squeamish about raw egg products, but remember we are warming the milks to do this as well. To cover your bases, however, you can add 1-2 T of your spiced rum to the yolks and mix at this point.

Step 5. Temper the spiced milk and sweetened egg yolks. If you just dump your warm milk into your egg yolks, you are going to effectively scramble them and you will end up with lumpy egg nog. Nobody wants that. To do this: 

• you simply add about 1/2 to 1 cup of your warm milk mixture to your egg yolk mixture WHILE YOU STIR. It is important to keep the mixture moving as the folding in of air will help to cool it down. 
• gradually work another couple of cups of milk into the yolk, continuing to stir, then you can pour the yolk mixture back into the milk mixture, give it a good stir, then pour everything back into the mixer bowl the yolks originally started in.

Step 6. Turn on your mixer and add the 2 cups of Half-n-Half we held back at the beginning. Again, this step is to help bring the overall temperature of your eggnog back down. At this point, if you are making your eggnog alcoholic, you will go ahead and add the spiced rum, too.

Step 7. Fold in the beaten egg whites and top with nutmeg. You'll want to store in the refrigerator, covered, until cool before serving.

From my house to yours, Happy Holidays!

Saturday Snapshot: 12/21/13

Saturday Snapshots is a picture prompt brought to you by Author to Author, meant to inspire the creative genius within you.

Maybe you’ll be moved to write flash fiction for it, perhaps it will kick start and old idea of a novel, or it may inspire a new short story. Whatever it does, we hope you’ll enjoy these images from around the web.

If inspiration does hit, we hope you’ll post a snippet or link in the comments.

Today’s image: Emotions

Photo from: http://hplusmagazine.com/sites/default/
files/images/articles/sept09/can-bots-feel-joy.jpg