Hailey Edwards's Blog, page 76

Baked Zucchini Sticks

You would be surprised how many of my baking experiments come to me via Twitter. I saw several fellow authors tweeting this recipe up the other day and had to give it a try. These sticks are delicious! I bought more fresh zucchini while I was shopping today just so I could bake these and let my husband try them. He might have moved a little too slow the first time around. *cough*

(Image courtesy of What Megan's Making.)
Baked Zucchini Sticks
from King Arthur Flour Baking Sheet
(printable recipe)
3 medium zucchini (about  1 1/4 lbs), cut into 3 inch sticks
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
2 eggs, scrambled
olive oil spray
salt

Place the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let the zucchini drain for 1 hour. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings in a bowl and set aside.. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Blot the zucchini dry with paper towels. Dip them in the eggs, roll them in the bread crumb mixture, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Once all the zucchini are on the baking sheet, spray the tops lightly with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the sticks over and bake for 8 more minutes, or until gold brown and crispy. Serve immediately with marinara sauce for dipping.

 

For more great recipes, visit What Megan's Making. I don't know about y'all, but I'm already thinking ahead to Christmas. I saw a Cranberry Tea recipe I must try!

The Bar Exam

My daughter brought this home from school this week, and I failed so hard! LOL It was still a lot of fun, though. She even typed this up so I could share it.

 

BAR-EXAM

Fill In The Blank With The Name Of A Candy Bar

1. __________________________ is a constellation of stars.

2.________________________ is a giggle or short laugh.

3._____________________ is a clumsy person.

4._________________ was a baseball player.

5._________________ is a small hill.

6. ______________________ is a happy nut.

7. ________ is a planet.

8. _______________________ doesn't really have a name.

9. ________________________ is what a worker looks forward to at the end of the week.

10. _____________________________ dollars equal 10 million pennies.

11. ____________________ were sword fighters.

12. _____________ comes before one.

13. Lewis and __________ led an expedition.

14. ______________ contain two pronouns for girls.

15. __________ is a synonym for add it.

16. _______________ is what you do when you eat.

17. __________________ is one of Charlie Brown's friends.

18. ___________________ is the sound a fire makes.

19. ________________________ is nutty happiness.

20. ______________________ is a short name for a small feline.

BAR-EXAM ANSWERS

1. Milky Way

2. Snickers

3. Butterfinger

4. Baby Ruth

5. Mounds

6. Almond Joy

7. Mars

8. Whatchamacallit

9. Payday

10. 100 Grand

11. 3 Musketeers

12. Zero

13. Clark

14. Hershey

15. Skor

16. Crunch

17. Peppermint Pattie

18. Crackle

19. NutRageous

20. Kit Kat

Lone Wolf by Shelley Munro

[image error]When you fall out of step, that's when everything falls into place.

R.J. Blake begins a new session tutoring young werewolves in the old ways—before the introduction of the shift-suppressing drugs that allow their kind to live secretly among humans. He expects nothing out of the ordinary. Until sexy, smart, aggravating-as-hell Corey Wilson arrives. Older than the others, son of a powerful Los Angeles pack leader, Corey is an instant temptation he cannot afford.

The last thing Corey wants is three months stuck in the Yellowstone wilderness, followed by the stifling life his father has all mapped out for him. One glimpse of R.J., though, sparks a determination to seduce the older man before he leaves. Yet as R.J. guides him through the sometimes terrifying process of rediscovering his heritage, a deepening respect calls to his artistic soul and fuels a burst of creativity.

When their time comes to an end, Corey senses hesitation behind R.J.'s insistence that theirs was simply a summer fling. Inspiring him to take a leap of faith with consequences neither of them saw coming. A dangerous plot that reaches from the heart of their love to the highest office in the land…

Product Warnings: This book contains a young werewolf intent on seduction, an older werewolf determined to resist said seduction, werewolf politics and brutality, a little spilled blood, and hot, naked manlove in the great outdoors. 

Read an excerpt here or purchase here. For more information on the author, visit her website.

Six Sentence Sunday

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I am so ready to get back to writing this story. I'm free from Evermine until FLE arrive on the 27th. I have first round edits on A Hint of Frost due on the 25th. Maybe if someone adds a few more hours in the day, I'll get some new words written on this before the end of the month.

With trembling fingers, I reached into my bag and withdrew the envelope. Tucked into the crease was a lock of chestnut hair with a slight curl at the end. Fumbling in a different pocket, I withdrew a similar strand and compared the lengths. One hung slightly longer than the other. I held it to my nose and inhaled the violet-scented strands until hot tears pricked my eyes.

I knew better than to trust his word, I did, but he had baited his trap too well for me to resist.

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the official website.

Hysteria

I saw something mentioned about this movie a while ago, but forgot about it until I saw the trailer on Smart Bitches today. I must see this! It looks like such a good time.

Foodie Friday

I suppose it could be the fact we're in the middle of summer, but I've seen several books released over the past few weeks with lemons or lemonade in the title. Now, I'm not a big fan of lemons–or lemonade–but I am a big fan of cupcakes. So when someone also tweeted a Pink Lemonade cupcake recipe, on Twitter no less, I had to give it a try.

(Plus, hubs and DD do drink lemonade, so I figured I was the only one in danger of being left out. LOL)

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(Don't you love this picture?)
Photo: Erica's Sweet Tooth

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

For Pink Lemonade Cake:

1 box white cake mix

3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 egg whites

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 muffins tins with liners

- Combine all of the ingredients in an electric mixer and begin by mixing low for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium for another minute.

- Divide the batter evenly, filling the liners about 2/3 full

- Bake cupcakes for about 25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean

- Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting

For Two-Tone Pink Lemonade Buttercream:

3 cups confectioners sugar

1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 tbsp frozen pink lemonade concentrate

Pinch of salt

2 colors of food coloring

- Combine all ingredients in an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment and mix on low until combined

- Increase speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and to your desired consistency

- Separate frosting in 2 bowls and color as you desire

- Follow Grin and Bake It's tutorial on the technique for piping two-tone frosting

- You may need to double the buttercream recipe if you plan on piping tall frosting swirls on 24 cupcakes like I did (that's a lot of frosting per cupcake, just the way I like it!)

I copied this recipe exactly from Sweet Tooth, so I didn't flub on the directions or preparations. (Y'all know how my mind is.) I really loved these. They were refreshing and a great change from my normal white cupcakes. Thanks, Erica, for this sharing this delicious recipe!

Six Sentence Sunday

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School starts back tomorrow. Can you say writing time? Quiet thinking and plotting time? Or lately, editing time? Woo hoo!

Hissing as my skin throbbed with renewed heat, I gasped as the impression of male lips and teeth left their damp sting on my bare neck. Roland. Sultry whispers caressed my ears, beckoned come to me, and I was helpless to resist. Pressure from phantom fingers compelled me toward a figure coalescing in the shade of a billowing tent. Swirling tendrils of power cloaked him from passersby and elicited a shiver of recognition from me. Inclining his head, he acknowledged me, and his smile made my pulse race with the first stirrings of cold, genuine fear.

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the website.

 

 

Facebook Chain Messages

Some Facebook chain status messages, okay, most Facebook chain status messages, are annoying. These, however, made me laugh. So I thought I'd share them.

A real man is a woman's best friend. He will never let her down. He will comfort her after a bad day. He will inspire her to do things she never thought she could do. He will enable her to express her deepest emotions. He will enable her to be confident, sexy, seductive and invincible …No, wait. Sorry. I'm thinking of Tequila. It's tequila that does all that. Never mind.

 

PLEASE post this as your status if you know someone who has been eaten by Penguins. Penguins are nearly unstoppable and, when hungry, also breathe fire. 71% of people won't copy this into their status because they have already been eaten by Penguins. Another 28% won't because they are hiding in their showers with fire extinguishers awaiting the coming Penguin-apocalypse. The remaining 1% are awesome and will re-post

 

A real woman keeps her house clean and organized, her laundry basket is always empty. She's always well dressed, hair done. She never swears; behaves gracefully in all situations and circumstances. She has more than enough patience to take care of her family, always has a smile on her lips and a kind word for everyone. Post this as your status if you, too, have just realized that you might be a man.

 

I hope you got a smile from those as well.

Six Sentence Sunday

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Well, I think I'm settled on Eversworn. My editor likes it, I like it, and having a title on the file does my little heart good. Here we go with another six from Dillon's book.

"It's past midnight." Her cheeks were rosy from windburn. "No one will notice."

"Several males noticed." His voice lowered to a rumble. "I noticed."

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the official website.

Wishing For Grace

Since giving me instruction is like talking to a brick wall, I'm always mildly surprised when anything comes of my attempts to make book covers for my friends, but I was particularly proud of the cover I made this week and wanted to share it.

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This cover is for the short story, Wishing for Grace by Inez Kelley.

It's a follow up to her Carina Press release, Turn It Up.

I like the image Inez chose. The chubby little hand, the light, all of it. I read the short, too. Even without having read Turn It Up (which released today), the short made me misty-eyed.