P.G. Forte's Blog, page 62

Sprouts Get Sexy

http://www.calistogainn.com/




So last week I learned that several of my Tasty Tuesday co-bloggers don't like Brussels sprouts. Well, I can understand that. I didn't like them for many years and my husband didn't like them for even longer. Not until just last year, in fact.



Last Thanksgiving it was just the two of us, so my  husband and I decided to travel up to Calistoga and have dinner out at the Calistoga Inn. They had a wonderful holiday menu, with several delicious side-dishes, but the real surprise of the day was the Brussels sprouts, which was so good, it made my husband an instant convert.



Today, I'm posting a recipe that's pretty close. I dare you to try it!  I think you might be surprised.





Ingredients:

1  pound of Brussels sprouts,  trimmed and cut in half
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 large red onion,  sliced
Salt & pepper to taste




Directions:


Cook Brussels sprouts for 5 minutes in salted, boiling water, then drain. 
Fry bacon pieces with onions until bacon is crispy. 
Pour off bacon grease. 
Add brussels sprouts to the pan and stir-fry until brussels sprouts begin to brown. 
Season with salt and pepper.





Please check out these other Tasty Tuesday treats:




Tortilla Soup by Nancy Lauzon




Catch Me Tapa by Kimberly Troutte

Red Flannel FTW

One of the things I like best about living in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the weather.  Yes, I'm a weather wimp, and proud of it. It's never too hot or too cold here and I've developed a real appreciation for cool foggy mornings.  I have a fabulous view from my back deck, but what really gets me excited is to walk downstairs, look out the window and see nothing but white beyond the deck railing. I guess, if it were going to stay that way all day, I might be less excited, but I know   what's going to happen is the fog will gradually burn off and I'll get to watch as the view is revealed, magically, layer by layer.



Cool mornings require a hot breakfast, however, and one of my favorite dishes--because it's as pretty as it is delicious--is Red Flannel Hash, which really does look like lovely, softly faded, red-plaid flannel. Kinda like that picture over there. I first tasted this hash at Rick & Ann's in Berkeley, where I had the vegetarian version, which is equally yummy. 



And, yes, I even have a flannel shirt excerpt for you this week. You can find that: HERE. 




RED FLANNEL HASH



Ingredients






2 cups red-skinned potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sweet potatoes also cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup peeled beets also cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 slices of bacon
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
1/4 fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper



Directions






Steam potatoes and sweet potatoes until tender, about 13 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
In a separate pot, steam beets until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with potatoes. Or wrap beets in foil and roast in oven.  It's important not to combine the beets with the potatoes until cooked, because the variations in color make for a more attractive dish.
While vegetables are steaming and/or roasting, cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Cast iron is really best for this, but not essential. 
Drain bacon on paper towel. Once cool, crumble into pieces and add to vegetables. For vegetarian version, omit this step. 
Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet--or, for vegetarian version, heat one tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, add onion, parsley, heavy cream, salt and pepper to vegetables and mix to combine.
Transfer hash mixture to skillet and flatten with spatula. 
Cook until hash is crispy and brown on the bottom, approx. four to five minutes. 
Continue cooking for another five to ten minutes, stirring occasionally, so that crust is distributed throughout the hash and everything is heated to a uniform temperature.



Makes four servings. Red Flannel hash goes perfectly with poached eggs and may also be served with a dollop of sour cream. Take a big plate of this and an extra-large latte, then go and sit on the porch and watch the day unfold...




For other Tasty Tuesday treats, check out the following blogs:






Lentil & Sausage Soup by Moira Keith  

Men are from Mars Bars Squares by Nancy Lauzon  

Dinner a la Leftovers by Selena Robins

Broken Promises: Special Guest JK Coi

Today I'm very happy to welcome author JK Coi to my blog. JK is one of my antho sisters, as we're two of the authors who have stories in Carina Press' steampunk Christmas anthology,  A Clockwork Christmas. JK's story in the anthology is Far From Broken, a story that I loved. It's dark and angsty and if you haven't read it yet, you're really missing out (Go. Buy. Read. You can thank me later.). I was thrilled to learn she was writing a sequel, and now it's finally here! But I'll let her tell you about that!




Broken Promises by JK Coi




When I wrote Far From Broken, I hadn’t really thought it would be a
series until I finished it and knew that I couldn’t just leave Callie and
Jasper like that. It wasn’t that the story was unfinished or didn’t have a
satisfying ending, but it was a really dark, emotionally draining book and I
wanted to give the reader a peek into their future. I wanted to show everyone
that life wasn’t always going to be so bleak. Sure, there would be difficulties
and conflict, but Callie and Jasper are destined for high adventure!




So Broken Promises is a little lighter than book 1. It’s also got
exploding air ships, speeding steam trains, mad scientists, and lots of other
excitement! I hope everyone has as great a time reading it as I did writing it.





J.K. Coi is a multi-published, award winning author
of contemporary and paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She makes her home in
Ontario, Canada, with her husband and son and a feisty black cat who is the
uncontested head of the household. While she spends her days immersed in the
litigious world of insurance law, she is very happy to spend her nights writing
dark and sexy characters who leap off the page and into readers’ hearts. (www.jkcoi.com)





She also writes Dark Fantasy for young adults as Chloe Jacobs (www.chloejacobs.com)







BROKEN PROMISES (Book 2, Seasons of
Invention series), coming September 10, 2012




Former ballerina Callie Carlisle is determined to rebuild her life with
her new mechanical limbs. She's just learned to accept the enhancements that
saved her from certain death when she experiences uncontrollable twinges and
flashes of light that obscure her vision. Terrified of literally falling apart,
she resists telling her husband. Jasper's already vowed to keep her out of
harm, and she doesn't want to worry him further.




When the War Office's General Black arrives with an urgent
mission—rescue the doctor who created Callie's enhancements—she has no choice
but to accept. A rogue agent and former patient of the scientist believes the
biomechanical modifications he received are killing him, and he's out for
revenge.




Callie must reach the doctor before it's too late.
But with an overprotective Jasper at her side, and her alarming symptoms
getting more frequent, will she be able to hold herself together long enough to
save the doctor...and herself?




Buy this book HERE

I Heart NY Cheesecake

Welcome to another Tasty Tuesday where I and some of my author friends post tasty treats to tempt you. Since today is September 11th, I thought it would be fitting to post an epicurean homage to New York City. 



Now there are a lot of really great things that New York is justly famous for (as well as some not-so-great things) but, at least when it comes to food, cheesecake is arguably the most unique. There are actually several different versions. Everyone has their favorite and, predictably, everyone will tell you theirs is both the best and the most classic variation.  But this is my post, so we won't worry about any of those other versions. They're not as good anyway. 



 Once, a long, long time ago I actually lived in New York--so I know from where I speak. But, even before that, I lived in New Jersey where my mother made The Best Cheesecake Ever. And, yes, that's exactly what we called it. 




My parents loved to host dinner parties and my mother made that cheesecake a lot. Many, many people asked for the recipe and most of them ended up making vastly inferior cheesecake-like desserts from said recipe. Not because there's anything inherently difficult about it. As it happens, cheesecake is a surprisingly easy thing to make. Trust me. I've done it. It is, arguably, the closest thing to a completely fool-proof product that the baking world has ever produced. 



The ingredients are simple, obvious and not persnickety. The directions are even more straight-forward. So why do so many people fail at it? Because to make a perfect cheesecake you must accept one unalterable fact of cheesecake life:  Cheesecake is not now, nor ever will be a health-food. It's dense. It's massive. It's packed with calories, sugar, fat and carbohydrates. It's as white a food as you can possibly find. It is not lactose-free.  It is not gluten-free. It's not heart-healthy or diabetic-friendly. It isn't vegan. 



I'm sure you can make more-or-less palatable versions of something close to cheesecake that are all those things, but it won't be the same and, at that point, all bets are off.  Seriously.You wanna mess with perfection? You go right ahead and do it. Just know that you're on your own with that and I take no responsibility for how it turns out.




New York Cheesecake



Ingredients



For the Crust




2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar



For the Filling




24 oz cream cheese (yes, you read that right. You must use two-and-a-half pounds of cream cheese. This is not negotiable.)  
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
grated zest of two lemons
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
5 whole eggs








Directions






preheat oven to 475F
mix cracker crumbs and sugar in bowl to combine.
add melted butter to crumb mixture
press crumbs into buttered 9" (24 cm) springform pan (covering the bottom and partially up the sides)
place pan in refrigerator or freezer to cool (set) until needed.
in a very large mixing bowl combine first five ingredients (cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla) and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
add eggs and egg yolks a little at a time until it is all incorporated and uniform. It might be necessary (or helpful) to stop several times to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. 
take pan from 'fridge and place on cookie sheet (or baking pan)
pour filling carefully into pan. 
place on center rack of oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until center of cake looks puffy. Do not allow cake to get too brown yet.
reduce temperature to 200F and continue to bake for an additional hour, or until cake is mostly firm. Center will be slightly sunken at that point and will jiggle slightly if pan is shaken. 
remove cake from oven, but do not remove from pan! Allow cake to come to room temperature then place in refrigerator and cool for an additional 6 hours before serving.
remove sides of pan and place cake on a plate. Serve plain or with any topping of your choice. 







Be sure to check out the following blogs for more tasty treats:






Soups On by Selena Robins  




"The Allure of Ice", by A ACatherine Noon





Just a little Devilishly Sweet Red Velvet Cookies! by Moira Keith



 I died and went to Italy by Nancy Lauzon 

Special Guest A. Catherine Noon

Today, I'd like to welcome special guest author A. Catherine Noon (half of the writing team Noon and Wilder with fellow author Rachel Wilder) to tell us a little about her upcoming release.




PGF: It's such a pleasure to have you here today. What can you tell us about "Taking a Chance"?




ACN: “Taking a Chance” is a contemporary M/M romance short story,
written for the Torquere Press 2012 Charity Sip Blitz event to benefit the
charity NOH8.  It’s a bit of a departure
for us, in that we usually write paranormal or science fantasy.  Here’s a short blurb:




Doctor Jacob Davison has outgrown the hookups of his younger
days and wants to settle down.  When he’s abandoned by the side of the
road, a leather-clad stranger stops and offers him a ride. Chance Renton is
different from anyone Jay’s ever met. He’s caring and helpful, yet cynical and
world-weary. 




From the first moment of their shared motorcycle ride, an
attraction begins to simmer between them. Between Jay’s ex-boyfriend showing up
and the misconceptions they have about each other, does this relationship have
a chance?




PGF: Okay, that already sounds awesome. Bikers and misconceptions--two of my favorite things. :) What inspired you to write this book?




ACN: The theme of the event is “Leather,” and we didn’t want to
do the two obvious ones (BDSM or cowboys). 
Instead, we conceived of a character on a motorcycle, with some very
subtle hints toward BDSM play that don’t materialize in this story, but may in
sequels.  We’re already planning a novel
with these two characters as well as a possible offshoot novel.




PGF: Subtle is good and sequel is even better! Which character do you like best? What is it you like about
him? Can you see yourself in either of your characters?




ACN: “Best” is a tough one, since, for me, each of my characters
are different.  I don’t like any one over
any other, because of the work involved in creating them.  I like Jay because he’s gentle but driven,
focused on his medical work.  Chance, on
the other hand, is jaded and a bit world-weary; for him, the blush has come off
the rose.  In Jay, he sees someone with
whom he can reconnect to the fire and passion of life.  Together, they reinvent each other.




PGF: Do you have a dream cast for your book?




ACN: Not for this one, no; however, for others, we do.  In fact, for our first book, Burning Bright,
we cast figure skater and artist Johnny Weir as our main character (not that
we’d ever admit that out loud, smile). 
For other characters we actively look for models, actors, and other
public figures that we can use as inspiration. 
In the process of creating the character, though, they become
individuals and aren’t related to their original genesis.




PGF: Is there a particular song you think of as being the theme song for your book
or any of your characters?




ACN: Yes, definitely.  I
use Pandora.com extensively for my characters (sadly, due to licensing
constraints, the website is not available to those outside the U.S.).  My profile is here:  http://www.pandora.com/profile/a.catherine.noon
and I build stations for projects and books as well as specific characters; it
depends on my mood when I’m writing.




PGF: Oh, that's a great idea! What's the best advice anyone has ever given you? Or what's
the one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?




ACN: Keep writing.  Get on
the page.  Learn to rest on the page,
play on the page, meditate on the page. 
Do any of it, but do it on the page. 
Best advice?  From Julia Cameron,
“Keep the drama on the page.”




PGF: Hmm. Yes. Very good advice. I think I need to remember that more myself! Now, let's get personal. What's your favorite season?




ACN: Seasons in general are my favorite.  I spent a lot of time in Southern California
and, if you can believe it, got tired of the sun.  The seasons bled endlessly into one another
without any real demarcation.  I’ve been
in Chicago for over a decade now and love the abrupt changes – they still catch
me off guard.  By the time I get used to
the heat of summer, I’m having to bundle up because it’s snowing outside.  This is, in my view, a good thing, because it
reminds me I’m a physical being and not just a brain with legs.




PGF: What?! You're dissing Cali weather? Okay, let's move on. Favorite places to travel?




ACN: Anywhere.  I love to
travel.  I’ve found something of interest
everywhere, from tiny towns in the Midwest with nothing to their name but a
dusty building with a sign proclaiming “Museum” to the fancy urban centers with
their glitzy, polished tourist attractions. 
I love travel because I think it brings you out of yourself, and in the
process you meet yourself.




PGF: Oh, yeah. I hear that! Favorite time of day?




ACN: I’m totally a night person. 
The world was designed by and for morning people.  I mean, who said “The early bird catches the
worm?”  Honestly, it was an alert night
person out when the sun rose who caught it before the morning person even
thought to brew coffee.  Night.  It’s where it’s at.




PGF: You're so, so right about that!  Okay, one more. If you were stranded on a desert island what essentials
would you absolutely want with you?




ACN: Yarn, dark chocolate, and coffee. Oh, and a radio.  You
know, TO CALL FOR HELP??  ~grin~




PGF: But, who're you gonna call? lol! Okay, awesome answers. Thank you so much for stopping by today. I will definitely be checking out "Taking a Chance" next week.

-- 

My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora 

Knoontime Knitting:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry

Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Website | Facebook

Team Blogs: Nightlight | The
Writers Retreat Blog | Beyond the
Veil | LGBT Fantasy Fans and
Writers

Publishers: Samhain Publishing | Torquere Press



Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Publishing.

Watch for "Taking a Chance" part of
the Charity Sips 2012 to benefit NOH8, coming September 12th.

Inspiration Cake

Sometimes, life hands you lemons. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, you understand, because there's always lemon cake.



Now, my love for lemon cake is nothing new, but it's only recently that I realized how...well, how truly inspirational a good lemon cake can be. I have Twitter and my lovely friend, author Erin Nicholas, to thank for that bit of insight. 



See, the other night I was attempting a #1K1hr marathon (that's writing one thousand words in an hour, for those of you who aren't obsessed writer types). I was struggling a little with it because, as usual, there was no dearth of interruptions and distractions going on here at Casa Forte. During an hourly Twitter-check-in, Erin happened to mention the fact that not only was she was she getting more wordage in than I was, she was also baking lemon cake while she did it.


Well. I'm afraid my first thought was, "Gee, thanks a lot, Erin!"  or words to that effect because, really, how is it helpful to be handed a craving that you have no way of satisfying, especially at a time when you're having more than enough trouble with the task already at hand? It's a lot like those proverbial lemons, right? Well, exactly.



After another hour or so of fruitless (pun intended) struggle I realized that both my WIP and I would be better served by a little purposeful distraction. So I took a break to bake my own, damn lemon cake. I had everything I needed on hand but the buttermilk, so I used coconut milk instead and it still turned out pretty awesome. In fact, I think I might like it better that way.  And the writing? Well, the night was pretty much shot by then, but the next day, fortified with a nice slice of cake or two, I found the words flowed a lot more smoothly and I was able accomplish everything I'd been having trouble with the night before. Which, in this case, was hot, vampire sex.



So, here's my recipe for inspiration cake. I use Meyer lemons whenever possible for anything lemon-related, but feel free to use ordinary lemons instead...or limes...or maybe grapefruit. Because, just like with the buttermilk, or with writing itself, sometimes trying something different is exactly the inspiration you need.









Inspiration Cake







Ingredients






½ c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c flour
½ tsp baking
powder
½ tsp salt
½ c
buttermilk
Grated zest
from 2 large Meyer lemon
Juice of 1
large Meyer lemon









Glaze



1 cup sugar
Juice of 1
large Meyer lemon









Directions






Preheat  oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 1
standard loaf pan, or line with parchment paper. 
Cream  butter,  sugar and lemon zest together until fluffy.
Try not to ‘taste-test’ too much at this point. 
Sift t flour,
baking powder, and salt together in one bowl. In another bowl, combine lemon juice
and buttermilk. Alternately add wet and dry ingredients into the creamed butter/sugar
mixture until they’re all incorporated. Pour batter into pan and bake for 45
minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Meanwhile,
combine the second cup of sugar and the juice from the second lemon  and set aside.
When the
cake is done,  remove from pan and invert
invert on a rack or plate. Poke holes in the top of the cake and pour glaze
over cake, allowing it to soak in. Allow cake to cool for at least ten minutes
before devouring completely.

Works best
if accompanied by black coffee, or pots of espresso, and served to your author at
her desk. 





























Please check out these other Tasty Tuesday offerings: 



Sometimes you feel like a nut... by Selena Robins 



Romance Is In the Mayonnaise by A. Catherine Noon




And now, because you all know how much I love sharing excerpts, here's a quick scene from Touch of a Vanished Hand.






[Sinead] sniffed the air again, and then
looked around until she caught sight of what she’d been searching for.  An ancient lemon tree stood sentry beside the
stone stairway; starred with blossoms, perfuming the air. 

    


 Yes. She could make lemon curd, as well, something she remembered fondly from her own childhood.
As they ascended the stairs, Sinead pulled a lemon from an overhanging branch and put it to her nose. It was overripe, its skin cracked, the tender flesh inside already drying from the heat. Still, it smelled delicious; bright, pungent, intoxicating. There were so many things she could make with it, not just curd, but pies and cookies and lemonade. It had been a long time since she’d had a chance to do this kind of cooking, homey and intimate, using ingredients chosen spontaneously, because they were close to hand, or had sparked a craving. She’d missed that. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad spending a little time on land.



Read the rest of the excerpt HERE.

Sneak Peek: Finders, Keepers

Finders, Keepers is a sexy new sci-fi menage story (couple of firsts there!) and I'm thrilled to announce that Loose-Id will be releasing it this December, just in time for the holidays. Here's the blurb and a very unedited excerpt. Enjoy!



Blurb:






Sometimes finding what you want is the
easy part.




Caleb is a bionic soldier with little-to-no memory
of his past. He’s traded pieces of himself for some very highly classified,
high-tech hardware, but he’s not always sure how he feels about that bargain.
Could be he’s lost far more than he’s gained. He’s not even sure the choice had
been his to make. He’s seeking the truth. About himself. About his past. About
those missing memories.




Aldo’s an undercover cop who just might have the
answers to Caleb’s questions. But Aldo’s already lost one love too many. The
same truth that could set Caleb free could also send him running—as far from
Aldo as he can get. That’s an unacceptable risk. Because if it turns out
Caleb’s the man Aldo thinks he is, how can he even think about letting him get
away from him a second time?




Then there’s Sally, she’s an ER physician who used
to be married to Aldo’s late partner, Davis. Although she does her best to hide
it, Sally’s not really coping very well with widowhood. She’s used to
compartmentalizing her emotions, staying calm in an emergency, burying herself
in her work, but it’s getting harder every day to find a good enough reason to
keep getting up. She cares deeply about both Caleb and Aldo, and she knows they
both care about her—one as a lover, the other as a friend—but she needs
something more. If the truth about the men’s shared past comes to light, she
could lose them both. Along with her last, best reason to continue living.




This holiday season, chance will bring these three
together and give them an opportunity to help one another find what they each
want most. But every gift comes with a price. And keeping what they’ve found
once they’ve found it? Yeah, that’s gonna be the hard part all right.   




Excerpt:



 “Are you fucking
kidding me?” Aldo’s arm tightened instinctively around her. He was startled by
the blast of anger, by the raspy growl that emerged from his throat. “Are you
saying some sonofabitch got ticked off and walked out on you because you
wouldn’t sleep with him? Who is he? Tell me where to find him and I’ll fucking
kill him.”




“Aldo.” Sally
turned her head to glint up at him. “Would you stop it? You would not.”

The words were
matter of fact, but Aldo wasn’t certain if that was confidence he heard in her
voice, or a hint of challenge, either way, it pissed him off. He arched one
brow. “Oh, no?”

“No. I know you.
And I wouldn’t want you to anyway. 
That’s not what happened, okay? It just… It didn’t work out, that’s all.
No harm, no foul.”

“You don’t even
know what that means, do you?” He hated that plaintive tone in her voice. She
sounded like a lost little girl when she used it. And she clearly didn’t
know  him anywhere near as well as she
thought she did. He wasn’t always the nice guy she imagined him to be. Davis
hadn’t been either, for that matter. He doubted anyone was. She was still too
naïve, too innocent. And he’d be damned if he was going to be the one to change
that. She was the only good thing in his life. And their friendship was still
the only relationship he had yet to fuck up. It was damn sure gonna stay that
way, if he had anything to say about it. Still, it made him mad. “What the fuck
is wrong with this guy?” he groused. “He couldn’t cut you some slack, give you
a little time? Doesn’t he realize how much you’ve been through lately?”

Sally sighed. “Of
course he doesn’t. How would he know?”

“You didn’t tell
him? How come? I thought you said you’d known him for a while?”

“A few weeks—yeah.
And, of course I didn’t tell him? How would that go? What was I gonna say? ‘I
know you think you want me but what you don’t understand is I’m a pathetic
little widow who can’t figure out what she wants’?”

“Stop that. You’re
not pathetic.”

“Oh, babe.” She
shook her head. “I am, you know. I’m not blind. My life is running away without
me and I can’t seem to stop it and…half the time, I don’t even care. I’m tired
of fighting it, tired of feeling lost. If that’s not pathetic…”

“It hasn’t been
that long,” Aldo pointed out, a little desperately. “You have to give yourself
time. Maybe you’re the one who needs
to cut yourself some slack?”

Sally chuckled
weakly. “So says the man who, just last week, told me—yet again—that it was
time for me to move on.”

“Yeah, well…” he
broke off, sighing. “Sometimes I don’t always think things through before I
speak. You know that.”

“Or before you
act.”

“Yeah. That too.”
Davis had made the point frequently, had given Aldo hell on a regular basis for
his hot-headed, impulsive ways. He’d always claimed Aldo would get himself
killed one day, if he didn’t change. And yet, it was Davis who was gone too
soon.

“I miss him.”

Aldo nodded. Eyes
closing for a moment as a wave of pain crashed over him. “I know, honey. I do
too.”

Simple Stuffed Figs

It's another Tasty Tuesday and a couple of my fellow authors and I have gotten together to share some sexy, fun recipes for you to try out.




My contribution this week is stuffed figs. 



The fig is a very sexy fruit, just ask DH Lawrence. And Dan and Lucy Cavanaugh (two of my favorite characters from the Oberon series) would certainly agree. Check out This Week's Excerpt for more about that!



In the final scene of the fourth Oberon book, A Taste of Honey, Lucy makes this dessert.






"Lucy was still in the kitchen, carefully
drizzling a thin stream of warm thyme honey over the platter she’d arranged,
when Dan came up behind her. 

            “Hey,” he murmured softly, and between the
sound of his voice and the feel of his hands, clasped around her waist, she
found it hard to breathe. 

            She put the jar of honey down on the counter
and leaned back against him, closing her eyes as she said, “Hey,
yourself.  You just get back?”

            “Mm.”  He leaned down to kiss her neck.  “Sorry it took so long.  Did I miss much?”

            “Yeah.  Me.” 













Fresh Figs With Goat Cheese and Honey 


Ingredients



12 fresh figs, I like black mission figs, but fresh green or brown figs will work just as well.
4 oz log of Chevre goat cheese (preferably organic)
4 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

4 tablespoons honey, I like using either lavender or thyme honey for this








Optional Ingredients







1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
12 whole almonds, walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup pine nuts
chopped fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme or lavender




Directions



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a small bowl, mix cheese and mint together to form stuffing

3. Quarter each fig, approximately 3/4 of the way through.

4. Fill figs with cheese. If using almonds, walnuts or pecans, insert 1 nut into each fig.

5. Place figs in baking dish. If using pistachios or pine nuts, sprinkle over and around figs at this point, and drizzle with small amount of a mild oil like grapeseed.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

7. Remove figs from oven and transfer to plates or serving platter. Drizzle with honey and, if desired sprinkle chopped herbs over figs.




Be sure to check out these other yummy treats:




Antioxidant Little Pricks by Selena Robins  



Suicide Chicken Wings by Nancy Lauzon 




And now, the rest of the excerpt I started above...








[Dan] slid his arms
all the way around her then, hugging her close.  She placed her own hands on top of his, where
they lay across her stomach.  His skin was warm from the sun.  She wanted to stay wrapped up like that
forever.  “So, how did it go?”

            “Well, let’s see,” he sighed, rubbing his
cheek against her hair.  “I think I spent
pretty much the entire afternoon watching your son eat.  He scarfed down two chili cheese-dogs, some
garlic fries, an order of nachos, a bag of peanuts,  popcorn, a pretzel, a frozen malted, a
hamburger and two of the largest cups of root beer you’ve ever seen in your
life.  I swear I do not know
where he puts it, Luce.  Oh, and the team we
were rooting for lost ten to six.  So--”

            “So, you had a good time, huh?”

            “Yeah,” he chuckled, slipping one arm free and
brushing her hair back behind her ear.  “I really did.  We got a chance to talk, and…we cleared the air.  About a lot of things.  It was good.  I’m afraid it wasn’t much of a Mother’s Day
treat for you though.”

            “S’okay.  The day’s not over yet.  I held dessert up for you.”  She sighed happily as she felt him nibbling on the edge of her
ear.

            “Yeah?”  His voice was a warm, contented rumble in her ear.  “So, what’s for dessert?”

            “Stuffed figs,” she told him.

            “Figs, huh?”

            “Mm-hm.  With honey.”

            “You know,” he said, his grip around her
tightening.  “I’ve been
thinking.  There are a lot of
things we could maybe do with all that honey of yours.”

            “Are there?”  She twisted around and looked up into bright
blue eyes.  “I’m sure I have no
idea what you’re talking about.”

            “Oh, you don’t, huh?”  He smiled, wickedly.  “Well, that’s too bad, babe.  ‘Cause, what I’m thinking of could be a lot of
fun.”

            “Mm.  I guess you’ll just have to show me.”

            He leaned down to just brush his lips against
hers.  “Why, Ms. Greco, it
would be my pleasure.”

            “I know, Cavanaugh,” she sighed, as she pulled
him back in for a real kiss.  “Mine, too.”


For more about Dan, Lucy and their love of figs check out this week's excerpt.

Blood and Moonlight: Special Guest Moira Keith

I'm very pleased to welcome fellow author Moira Keith to my blog today. Moira's here  to talk about her new release, Blood and Moonlight (check out an exciting excerpt HERE)



"Though she shares the bloodlines of both Fae and Wolf, Kiara Morrigan O’Conaill refuses to claim her place in the Fae courts or submit to the animal within. Witnessing the murder of her Fae mother two years ago drives her back into those worlds, to search for answers and revenge.

Devlin McClure lives for one thing—the Pack. When their leader, the Cadeyrn, disappears, desperation sends Devlin to the last person he should be asking for help—the Cadeyrn’s estranged daughter, Kiara.

Kiara and Devlin are drawn to each other by fate and destined to embrace the very thing that threatens to rip their worlds apart. Now, Kiara will have to decide which is stronger, blood or moonlight?"



Sounds great, right? Here's Moira with more on her new book, writing in general and a little about herself as well...

PGF: Hi, Moira. It's a pleasure to visit with you here today. Please tell us a little about your new release.  

MK: What would you like to know? Let's see...the story is about a woman who is of mixed heritatge. She is both fae and wolf and yet not really accepted by either. Exiled after the death of her mother, Kiara is on the hunt for answers. This leads her to Las Vegas and the local wolf pack. When Devlin McClure, the right hand of the pack leader, shows up asking for her help, she finds herself getting a little more up close and personal to her own inner wolf and the one who came seeking her aid. Kiara quickly finds herself looking for a father she thought was dead, fighting attraction to a wolf, and trying to unravel the threads of a mystery that bring both the worlds of the fae and wolves closer together. 



PGF: Mmm. Wolf-shifters and Celtic Fae--it doesn't get much better than that! What inspired you to write this book?  

MK: I've always had a deep love for the paranormal and urban fantasy genres. This story combined elements that I've always been infatuated with - shapeshifters, faeries, and a little dose of Celtic mythology. It was a great opportunity for me to explore a genre that fueled my love of writing and reading. 



PGF: I hear that! What do you like best about your hero? Your heroine? Can you see yourself in any of your characters?  

MK: Devlin McClure, my hero, has a past. There are things we don't learn about in great detail early on in the series. Things that are merely hinted at. They've made him who he is, given him a strength of character if you will. In many ways, he and my heroine are the same in that respect. Kiara Morrigan O'Conaill constantly struggles with who she is. She longs to fit in, yet she doesn't really. I relate to that in many ways. So I think that is what I like most about her. Oops. Guess I unintentionally answered the rest of the question. 



PGF: I think a lot of us can relate to that! And I love me a hero with a mysterious past! Do you have a dream cast for your book?  

MK: Not really. I've tried 'casting' my book and I just can't see anyone particular person in either part. I think perhaps someone that has that Gerard Butler quality to him for Devlin and maybe hmmm... someone like Emilia Clarke for Kiara? I'm horrible at this - especially when the characters are so distinct and alive in my head, putting a living person in their place makes it difficult.  



PGF: Yeaaahh...I think Mr. Butler would be a very busy man if all our books were made into movies (when! when! I meant when--not if!) I'd want him for at least two of my characters as well. ;) Is there a particular song you think of as being the theme song for your book or any of your characters?  

MK: There is a scene in the book that I find to be a huge moment for Kiara and it brings her a little bit closer to feeling accepted. One song played over and over again in my head (and eventually on my iPod) as I wrote it - The Voice by Celtic Woman.  



PGF: Oh, that's such a great song. Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.  

MK: You know I asked my sister this question and she said "Because it's freaking awesome!" - Knowing that isn't what you were looking for, I would have to go with - "The characters make you feel for them, they pull you in and take you along for the ride, and refuse to let go until the very end." 



PGF: Well, I can already feel that just reading the excerpt! Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?  

MK: Too many to list actually, however I am currently working on book two for the Moonlight Trilogy. I also have a contemporary western romance in process as well. Those are the two main focuses at the moment.  



PGF: Well, I'm certainly looking forward to those! Now, let's get personal. ;) What's the best advice anyone has ever given you? Or what's the one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?  

MK: I struggled with trying to force my stories to be what I believed the market, the editors, and publishers wanted. What was selling. The best advice I was ever given was actually given to me by several people (writers and non) and was given in regards to this book. "Write your story. Not the story you think the world wants." I think that is sound advice that I would pass on to aspiring writers as well. The thing is, when you write something you are basically putting yourself onto paper. Your thoughts, ideas, hopes, and dreams. When you force those, I think it is evident in the writing. The manuscript lacks passion that readers tend to notice. 

PGF: What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen? 

MK:  I read so many books that it is really hard for me to name a favorite. However, there was a scene that I remember reading over and over again. It was the scene where the jogger was hit by the car in Pet Cemetery. The descriptiveness in which Stephen King describes the wounds left such an impression on me. It was gross, real, and utterly perfect. I was in awe. Since then, a writer who can pull me in and set the scene ranks high on my list. 



PGF: What's your favorite season?  

MK: Fall. Summers are too hot here in Sin City and winter is kind of well...cold believe it or not. 



PGF: Favorite places to travel?  

MK: Any place where there are family and friends. Anywhere you travel, the connection to the place deepens when you see it through the eyes of the people that live there. To me, that is the best. Go somewhere where there are people you know that can show you the local side of things. Makes a vacation far more interesting. The usual tourist stuff gets boring after a while.  



PGF: Favorite music?  

MK: This changes frequently. I love everything from punk music to country. 



PGF: Favorite color? 

MK: I have two actually. Green and Blue. No particular shade as I find the range in both to be quite lovely. Like the ocean. 

 PGF: Favorite time of day?



MK: Depends on the day. Some days I'm totally a morning person. Other's I'm more of a night owl. One thing is for certain...my favorite time of day is anytime I can sit down and write or spend time with my lil zombies.



PGF: Favorite quote?  

MK: I've always loved Marilyn Monroe and believe she was far more intellectual than the image she projected. This is a quote that hangs over my desk.





“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” 


― Marilyn Monroe




PGF: I love that quote too! I actually used the last part of it to open one of my own books.  Okay, one more: If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future and why?  

MK: I would go back into the past I think. To be able to experience Scotland and the Highlands, maybe fall for a handsome Laird with a nice thick brogue. 

 PGF: Mmm. Can't argue with that. Thanks so much for stopping by and congratulations on your release. I wish you lots of sales! 



Blood and Moonlight is available now at Amazon Barnes and Noble and Smashwords 

The Sexy Spellcaster

Welcome to another Tasty Tuesday!



[Adam] had spent most of the last two weeks preparing for this spell. He had chosen peach for the candle--color and scent--for peach was the fruit of eternity. He had encased it in a thick coating of white sugar scented with rose water, to symbolize the sweetness and purity of love. He had adorned it with a string of pearls, and set it upon a bed of dragonfly wings. 






He’d purchased
the pearls as a Valentine’s present for his lady.  But she had not arrived, and now they must go
to serve another purpose; they would form a part of the offering that would
accompany the spell he was attempting to weave tonight.





That's an excerpt from the opening scene of Touch of a Vanished Hand , the fifth book in the Oberon series. My hero, Adam Sasso, runs a winery--when he's not casting spells. He's also eager to open a Bed & Breakfast in the renovated farmhouse where he lived as a child. From the moment he meets Sinead Quinn, the woman he eventually hires to manage the B&B, he's pretty sure she's his soul mate--the woman he'd been attempting to summon when he cast his spell the previous Valentine's Day. 




The first dinner she cooks for him that really convinces him of this fact, especially the white peach galette she makes for dessert. By the end of that dinner, it's a little hard to tell who's cast a spell on who.




This recipe uses puff pastry--just to make things easier--but any pie crust will do. The custard filling is also optional. I prefer it for its creamy texture, but it can be omitted if you're feeling pressed for time, although I would probably double the amount of almond paste, if that were the case. 




Ingredients




1 sheet of puff pastry

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 powdered sugar

6 white peaches 

(white nectarines can be substituted for the peaches, or a combination of summer fruit--plums, apricots, berries, etc)

1 tablespoon sanding sugar




Optional Custard Filling  



1 lightly beaten egg

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon either vanilla or almond extract

1/4 cup half and half



Directions



Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Unfold pastry sheet and place on buttered baking sheet

Place almonds and powdered sugar in food processor and grind until they form a paste

Spread almond paste on pastry, leaving a 1/4 border

Slice peaches and arrange over almond paste

Moisten the edges of the pastry and roll up or fold over to form a crust around the outside of the galette

Sprinkle pastry border with sanding sugar



For custard variation: Bake galette for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile assemble custard by mixing ingredients listed above. Remove galette from oven and carefully pour custard over fruit. Depending on how much juice you have, it might not all fit. Return galette to oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until custard is set. If not using custard, bake for 45-50 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes on pan before transferring to wire rack.






* * * * *

And now, here's another quick excerpt from Touch of a Vanished Hand :




Picking up his fork again, he took a bite of the galette; and then he didn't say anything else. 



 The taste of ripe peaches, combined with the scent of the roses blooming unseen in the darkness that surrounded the terrace propelled his mind back through time to the night, almost six months earlier, when he'd performed his summoning spell. His eyes squeezed shut as a feeling that went way beyond deja vu swept over him. Past and present melded, then split apart. For an instant, so did he. He found himself in two places at one and the same time. And then, like an elastic band that had been stretched too far, he was all at once snapped back to the present. 



 He opened his eyes to find her staring at him again, her expression one of alarm. He pushed the plate away from him, and alarm changed to dismay. 



 “You don't like it?” 



 “Like? No.” He shook his head. After one taste he was ready to declare his undying love, either by getting down on one knee and begging her to marry him, or by grabbing her up in his arms and ravishing her with kisses.
Either one would work just fine for him. But, certainly neither would be the kind of response she expected. He wasn't sure if he could come up with an answer that would express how he felt and not sound deranged, but he figured he had to try. “Like is...too insipid a word. I think I could fall in love with it.” 



 She set down her fork and gaped at him. “In love? With your dessert?” 



And with you. But it was probably best not to say that yet. He nodded. “Why not? It's very possibly the best thing I've ever tasted.” 



 “Oh.” She stared at him a moment longer. “Well, thanks, but...all the same, I think that would be a bad idea.” Seeing the question in his eyes, she added, “It's a pastry, Adam. It will never love you back.”






Be sure to stop by the rest of the Tasty Tuesday blogs to check out these other fabulous recipes: 



Pesto Making Season by Selena Robins 



A Little Sumpin' Sumpin; Sausage and Peppers by Moira Keith



Sinful Cinnamon Pinwheels by Nancy Lauzon