Caitlyn Willows's Blog, page 5

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Peanut Butter Balls

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1 cup butter or margarine softened
1-1/2 cups peanut butter
1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces chocolate chips
1/8 pound paraffin

Cream butter and peanut butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. Roll into balls and place on wax paper. Let sit overnight. Melt chocolate chips and paraffin and dip balls. Set on wax paper to dry overnight.

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Martha Washington Candy

This was a holiday tradition for me growing up. Two of my aunts would make batches and batches of this delicious candy, and it would be spread out wherever there was a flat surface while it set. It was one of my favorites. Now I'm making it a holiday tradition for my family. 


MARTHA WASHINGTON CANDY

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients, mix well, and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.
Let set for 24 hours.

Chocolate Coating:
1 box semi-sweet chocolate
1 box unsweetened chocolate
1/2 bar paraffin (wax)

Melt chocolate and wax together in a small pan over low to medium heat,
then dip candies and let sit another 24 hours to set.

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Chinese Chicken Salad

 Another great dish for potlucks.
Chinese Chicken Salad
Dressing:
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar works best)
3 packets of Equal

Salt and pepper
Mix well. (I use a shaker to really combine these ingredients.)

Salad:
1 medium head of cabbage (chopped)
2 small or 1 large can of chicken
2 packages sliced almonds
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions (diced)
2 packages ramen noodles (crumbled) (any flavor...you won’t use the flavor packages)

Brown chicken and noodles in a fry pan. Mix cabbage, almonds, sesame seeds, and onions. Add chicken and noodles. Mix well. Pour on dressing and toss.

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Barbecue Sausage

This is the perfect thing for potluck events. Quick and easy. 


Barbecue Sausage

3 bottles of chili sauce1 medium jar of grape jelly3 to 4 pounds of sausage (whatever flavor you like)

Cut sausage into one inch pieces.  Put sausage, chili sauce, and jelly in crock pot.  Mix.  Cook until heated through. 

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Bacon Cheddar Scones

Bacon Cheddar Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon sugar6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes1 cup shredded cheddar cheese3 green onions, minced 5 to 6 bacon slices, cooked and chopped into 1-inch pieces1/2 cup buttermilk or heavy cream, divided1 egg2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350F.
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Gradually cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas. Stir in the cheese, just until combined. Add green onions, bacon, and 1/3 cup buttermilk. Mix by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball Mix as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a light-textured scone.
Place dough on a lightly floured board. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 7 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8 equal wedges.
Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl and brush tops of each scone.
Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet and bake 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.
Serve warm. Serves 8.

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake (or Muffins) (Regular or Gluten Free)

This cake has been a favorite of friends and family for years. It's rich, decadent, and is the only cake I bake. There's no need for frosting with this one. 
There are also a couple of mild variations. 
You can add peanut butter chips instead of the chocolate chips. You can substitute gluten free oatmeal and baking flour for those regular ingredients.You can make muffins (24) instead of the 13x9 inch cake (which has suddenly becomes the family's preference).

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake
1-3/4 cup boiling water3 eggs1 cup uncooked oatmeal1/2 cup butter1 teaspoon soda1 tablespoon cocoa1 cup brown sugar1 cup sugar1-3/4 cup flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 12 ounce package chocolate chips

Directions
Lightly spray 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Pour boiling water over oatmeal and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Add butter, brown and white sugar and stir until butter melts. Add eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients to mixture, mixing well. Add half of chocolate chips, mix well. Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle remaining chips over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes.
NOTE FOR MUFFINS:Place cupcake liners into muffin tins.Fill with 1/3 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Apricot Bars

Apricot Bars

1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup apricot preserves

Mix together dry ingredients.
Stir in oats and sugar.
Cut in butter until crumbly
Pat two-thirds of crumbs in 11x7x1-1/2 inch pan.
Spread with preserves.
Top with remaining crumbs.
Bake about 35 minutes in 375 degree oven.
Cut into bars when cooled.

From Caitlyn's Kitchen - Snickerdoodle Muffins

Snickerdoodle Muffins
2½ cups flour2 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. salt2 tsp. cinnamon1 cup butter softened2 cups sugar3 eggs1 tsp. vanilla¾ cup sour cream1 pkg. Hershey's cinnamon chips3 TB sugar3 tsp. cinnamon
Directions- Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. - Add eggs and mix well. - Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well. - Mix in flour and baking powder until all combined. - Add cinnamon chips and stir into batter. - Spoon batter into muffin pans lined with cupcake holders (only two-thirds full for each muffin). - Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each muffin.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen muffins.

New Release - Christmas and You by Caitlyn Willows

CHRISTMAS AND YOU
by Caitlyn Willows
Contemporary - Erotic Romance - Menage (M/F/M) (M/M/F)
December 2015
Cover Artist - Scott Carpenter
Loose Id www.loose-id.com
ISBN 978-1-68252-048-2

Get in and get out before the emotions remind Steve of what he walked out on fifteen years ago. Fate wastes little time putting its own plan into action, adding a little knife-twist to the heart to let him know he really screwed up.
Kate and Eddy imagined and dreaded Steve walking back into their lives. Now it’s happened. All they can do is deal with the fallout. They’d loved Steve enough to give him what he asked for. Clearly he’s suffered as much, if not more, from his decree as they did.
The aura that pulled them together in the first place draws them close once more. Snowbound, they rediscover what they've missed. There's no denying the magic and love are still there. Dreams for a future war with reality when Steve is offered the job opportunity of a lifetime, in a town three hours away.
Kate fears they are losing him all over again. Eddy knows Steve must make his own choice, no matter how much it hurts. Being fearless made all Kate and Eddy’s dreams come true. Steve’s never been fearless. Now it’s going to cost him the ones he loves all over again.
Buy links:
Loose IdAmazonAll Romance Ebooks
Excerpt:
“Tell me this is a prank.”

The windshield wipers flashed at full speed, and they still weren’t fast enough for Steve to see the road clearly. Few things freaked him out more than being caught in a blinding rainstorm on the freeway. A rainstorm that was turning colder by the minute and promised a rare, low-elevation snow for Southern California. He’d spent five hours on the road already, trying to get home, all thanks to a big rig jackknifed on the I-10 that had taken out ten cars with it. He’d been late getting his column in as a result. Now this? It had to be a joke. His editor couldn’t be that cruel.

“Do I sound like I’m joking, Jackson?” Bert Madison’s cigarette-induced rasp roughened with the increased volume in his voice. The sound reverberated inside the car—aided in part by the hands-free setting on Steve’s phone—and grated against Steve’s last nerve. “Cindy’s snowed in at Tahoe. You’re up. I’m not going to miss out on this interview just because my sports editor is too snooty to talk art.”

“What about my column?” Steve tried not to shout. He detested losing control. It gave the other person too much power.

“I’ll delay the run for you as long as I can. This has priority. The Tremaynes have always been reclusive as hell. This is a one-time deal. I’ve texted you the address.”

“I start vacation tomorrow.” Two weeks of precious time he got to spend with his daughters.

“Not if you don’t get this done. You get your ass up that mountain and do your job, or you won’t have a job to take vacation from. Got it?”

“Got it,” Steve all but snarled and reached over to disconnect the phone.

“Good,” Bert said, getting in the last word.

Damn. This time, for his own sanity, he had really wanted to have the last word. He clutched the steering wheel to keep from slamming his fist into the console. He refused to let Bert get the better of him, though. He had enough to worry about as it was.

His cell announced the arrival of Bert’s text. He needed to pull off the freeway in order to program the address into his car’s GPS. He’d be lucky if he wasn’t killed when he tried to merge back on. The traffic and the road conditions were getting to be a son of a bitch. He snorted. That’d be one way to get out of the interview. Considering how his last couple of days had gone, it’d be a mercy killing. Someone needed to put him out of his misery.

He took the next exit and pulled into an ampmconvenience store. He could use the facilities, grab a cup of coffee, top off his gas tank, and be on his way—still irritated but somewhat refreshed. Steve handled his personal needs first, then returned to his car to punch the address into the GPS while he filled up the car. Idyllwild. The exit was five miles east of his location. Nothing said danger like traveling a winding mountain road in a snowstorm without chains on the tires. Because as cold as it was down here, Steve knew it’d be snowing up there.

As if he’d willed it, fat snowflakes started to fall. Maybe he’d get lucky, and the Highway Patrol would close the road to Idyllwild. Bert couldn’t fault him for that.

Back again on the freeway, Steve ran a list of questions through his mind. It wasn’t difficult to come up with something a hell of a lot better than what Cindy Oswald had planned. She’d been dancing through the office at the opportunity to interview Edward and Catherine Tremayne. Everyone knew the questions she wanted to ask—and they were the stupidest things he’d ever heard. Outdoing her wasn’t going to be a problem. He knew how to work people, get them to let down their guard and open up. Now all he had to do was let down his own guard, get this done, and get out.

Everyone in the office had gotten a constant rundown of the Tremaynesas Cindy had dug into their background and lives. Research that had made Steve more and more nervous with every passing day. So far he’d been safe. But now? He was screwed.

He snorted. It was possible Eddy and Kate didn’t remember him. After all, fifteen years had gone by since that crazy spring. Four months of heaven that had turned into hell—at least for him. He’d changed, filled out from the lean, mean marine he’d been back then. His hair was longer with hints of gray sneaking through the dark brown. Seeing it in the mirror made him feel old. According to his daughters, he was old, out of touch, and didn’t know anything. He was forty, not twenty-five. Beaten down by the life choices he’d made. Still suffering. Still bitter. Still lonely as hell.

Fifteen years was a long time. Eddy and Kate had fulfilled what they called their impossible dream—becoming well-known in the art world. Screw well-known. They’d reached the stratosphere. They even had five children ranging from ages fourteen down to six, as Cindy had proclaimed ad nauseam. She’d longed to see if the fruit had fallen far from the tree. Steve knew about their success, despite his efforts to stay away from that world. He hadn’t known about the kids. Finding out had tweaked something inside—sadness, curiosity, hunger for what he’d given up.

He’d left his dreams behind the day he’d walked away from Eddy and Kate. He’d shoved it all into a dark corner of his soul and refused to acknowledge it had ever existed. Whenever someone talked about art, he put up his shields. Or tried to. Past and present were about to collide. Steve sighed. He wondered what would be left of him afterward.

Damn, I was a fool.

How many times had he told himself that? Too many. He’d lost everything dear to him and was still paying the price. His ex-wife saw to that on a near-daily basis.

Great. Now he had a headache to go with his frustration. Bert would have a shit hemorrhage if he learned how well versed Steve was to interview the Tremaynes. Hell, he’d learned about art from the best. To this day, Steve could still feel the sensation of Kate guiding his hand for the perfect stroke.

An image that had nothing to do with painting caused shivers to run up and down his spine. Yeah, they’d done that too. Things he’d never imagined he wanted. Things he’d never done again. Things he’d been sure would send him straight to hell. Too late he’d realized hell was the one he’d made for himself.

He hit the exit for Idyllwild and mentally crossed his fingers that access up the mountain would be denied. Luck wasn’t on his side. His heart pounded with every mile the car crawled up the winding road. The snow grew heavier. There was no turning back now. Plunging over the side had its appeal. That would end a lot of his problems.

Or create new ones.

He snorted on that one. “So true.”

His phone rang. Steve glanced at the display to see Cindy’s name on caller ID. He ignored her. He knew she’d be calling to tell him how shewanted the interview conducted. As far as he was concerned, she should have kept her ass in Palm Springs. Everyone knew one hell of a storm had been predicted. If the interview meant as much to her as she’d claimed, she would have foregone the trip to Tahoe with her boyfriend of the moment.

GPS ordered him to turn left in one mile. A cold sweat swept over his body. He could play this off. Pretend he didn’t remember them even if they remembered him. Cruel, but wasn’t it for the best? That dark corner next to his heart disagreed. In fact, it actually hurt. Hurt enough that he wondered if he was having a heart attack.

He made a turn onto a steep incline. Snow was thicker here. He saw what looked like an alpine lodge ahead. Lights beckoned from inside large picture windows that were dotted with strings of Christmas lights outside and had wreaths centered on each pane. A trickle of smoke from the brick chimney told him there was a fire going to chase away the chill. That reminded him of hot cocoa. Plush cushions.

An erection filled his jeans. Steve grasped it and tried to maneuver it into a more comfortable position. A deer darted across the road. He jerked the wheel to keep from hitting it and plowed into a drift on the shoulder, barely missing the tree in front of him. Well, damn. At least his erection had subsided. His racing heart let him know he was still alive. Snow curved over the front of the car; he was undeniably stuck. Nevertheless, he put the gear into Reverse and tried to back up and get back onto the road. His tires spun, digging him in deeper.

He sighed. Fate really wasn’t on his side today.

Steve stuck his leather portfolio into his laptop case and grabbed his coat and put it on. Hat and gloves would have been nice too, but he hadn’t anticipated needing them. After all, he’d expected to be in Palm Desert three hours ago, safe and snug in his home. He stuffed his keys and phone into his coat pocket, flipped up the collar, zipped up, and opened the door. It refused to budge. He smacked his head against his seat.

“Now what?”

His phone rang. Caller ID revealed it was his ex. His gut told him to ignore it. Experience reminded him, though, that she’d only use his evasion as leverage. Besides, something could have happened to Cara or Becca.

“Yes, Patricia.” Calling her Patty had been forbidden ten years ago.

“I wanted to let you know my parents are taking the family to Hawaii for the Christmas holiday. So you won’t be able to have the girls after all.” She hung up before he could say a word. Not that it would do him any good. A trip to Hawaii would trump time with Dad any day. Most things did. Patricia had done an excellent job of driving a wedge between him and his daughters. He’d deal with her later. He wouldn’t stand in the way if that was what Cara and Becca wanted, but he wasn’t going to let this pass without his feelings being known.

“Fuck it.” He rolled down the window and crawled out, landing face-first in the snow. After dusting himself off, he rolled the window up as far as he could, then dragged his arm back through. The edge of the window caught his watch and pulled it off his wrist. He listened to it clunk to the space between the door and the seat.

“Whatever.”

He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and trudged up the road to the house. It couldn’t have been more than five hundred yards. Red-and-white-striped north poles marked the path leading to the deep-set porch. Green garland draped between them blinked merrily with multicolored lights. He focused on the tiny beacons, trying his best to ignore the cold slicing through him. It didn’t help. By the time he’d trudged up the steps, he was too cold to stomp the snow off his sneakers. Shivers racked his body, his teeth hurt from clenching his jaw, and he was fairly certain icicles had formed on his nose. He briefly considered banging his head on the door so he wouldn’t have to pull his hands from his pocket. The huge pine wreath covering the door made that impossible. Then he spied the sign RING BELL ONCE, THEN RING AGAINwith an arrow pointing to the cowbell next to the door. Another sign below it said, BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH COWBELL. Snickering, he pulled the attached rope twice. The interior door swung open.

His breath caught. Light silhouetted a body he’d know anywhere. His heart skipped a beat, then thumped against his ribs. Steve watched Kate’s sage-green eyes widen with recognition. Her lips parted in surprise. She wore her long brown hair down. A sweater and leggings revealed that her skinny lines had developed into nice, full curves. A killer figure, thanks in part, he was sure, to having birthed five children. She shoved open the glass door. Eddy’s voice filtered his way.

“That was Mom. CHP just closed the road to vehicles without chains. She’s taking the kids to her house. They aren’t getting any snow in Hemet at all, just rain.”

He appeared from around the corner and jerked to a stop. Surprise turned to something Steve couldn’t define. A cross between amusement and disgust, maybe. He’d filled out too, and Steve felt some measure of contentment in seeing a little gray sprinkled through his wavy dark hair.

Eddy crossed his arms over his broad chest and rocked back on his feet. “Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

“Are you going to let me in, or do I freeze to death out here?” Steve’s voice shook from the chill, ruining his attempt to act like a badass.

“If you’re giving me a choice…” Eddy stared him down.

“I’m freezing my balls off out here.” And rapidly losing what little restraint he had. Seeing Kate and Eddy did things to him Steve had never imagined. Memories crashed into him, reminding him of so many things he couldn’t keep track of them all, and making him want every one of them.

“Looks like the choice is yours.” Hate blazed from Eddy’s eyes. “Freeze them off out there, or I can cut them off in here.”

“Both of you, stop it.” Kate spit the words out, low and deadly, and stepped to one side. “The reporter will be here any minute. The last thing she needs to see is us bickering.”

“In this weather?” Eddy jerked his head toward the door. “She’d be stupid to try. I don’t know whether to be overjoyed or pissed. The last thing I wanted was a fucking reporter—”

She jerked her arm up, cutting him off. “Yes, you’ve made yourself abundantly clear. It’s good for the art program. Suck it up. She would have called if she wasn’t coming.”

Steve couldn’t believe they were keeping him standing there while they hashed this out. As for Cindy not calling, that was par for the course. “Hello? Freezing here. And, by the way, I am the fucking reporter.”

That news dropped their jaws. Steve took advantage of their surprise and shoved his way inside. He was instantly struck by the homey charm in the main room. Golds and greens helped set off the knotty-pine walls. Furnishings were grouped with the focus mainly on the flat-screen TV, but they’d also tried to take advantage of the fireplace. A tall, fully bedecked Christmas tree greeted him from the corner. Presents were scattered beneath. It was a harsh reminder of the Christmas denied him with his girls.

Kate shut the door, finally cutting off the cold air. Warmth called to him from the left. Cheery flames danced in the brick fireplace. He headed for it, not caring how much snow he left behind him.

Eddy muttered a barely audible shit. Neither of them moved. Steve stopped before the fire and stretched out his hands. Warmth seeped in. He pulled in a breath and stripped his coat off. Seven stockings hung with care from the mantel caught his attention. He read their names—Eddy, Kate, Kyle, Jamie, Lauren, Charlotte, Lizzie. Pine garland interlaced with tall red candles filled the mantel. His gaze wandered upward to the huge family photo above. His turn for jaw-dropping shock. He whipped around. They stood rooted in place near the door.

“What the fuck?” Yeah, he yelled. He had every right to do so. There was only so much a man could take. He jerked his finger toward the portrait.

“That’s my son!”

New Release - Like We're Dying by Caitlyn Willows

LIKE WE'RE DYING
by Caitlyn Willows
Contemporary - Erotic Romance
September 2015
Amber Quill
ISBN 978-1-41994-342-3

This reissued version of the story has been revised and reedited.

Hot, hungry and horny, Jim’s looking for a night of scorching no-name sex. Desperate to feel alive, Julia’s on the prowl for a hot, hard body before the Marine Corps sends her back to war. Who knew a one-night stand could be more than either of them ever hoped for? Or that they’d have such little time to enjoy it? Sometimes a person has to take a chance. Do something a little crazy. Live like they’re dying.

Buy links:
Amber Quill Press
Amazon
All Romance Ebooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo Books
iTunes and iBooks

Excerpt:

Jim dropped his free hand to his crotch and indulged his lifelong companion with a hard stroke.

"Would you like some help with that?"

Jim snapped his hand away from his groin so fast he swore he heard denim rip. The whiskey-rough voice didn't match the little redhead who'd slipped into the booth beside him. Light freckles were splashed across her nose, her shoulders, and down between what passed as cleavage for her small breasts. She sat so close Jim could swear he saw her belly button down her dress's loose top. From what he could tell, she wasn't wearing much more than that.

"Wh-what?" For a guy who needed to get laid, you'd think he could find a better opening line.

"This." She squeezed one hand over his dick.

Jim nearly shot out of his seat. His bitch of a hard-on took over, pressing into her hot grip.

A smile lifted the left corner of her mouth. She slid her hand away and rested it on his thigh. It felt as if she'd left third-degree burns behind. He was about to grab her wrist and put her hand back where he wanted when the waitress slid an overloaded plate on the table before him. Eating was the last thing on his mind now. Well...eating food, that is. He wanted to lift that little green dress to find out if she was a real redhead, and if she cropped the hair down there as short as she did above, and if its curls were as cute as the ones around her head.

Or maybe she didn't have any hair at all. Damn, he loved a clean-shaven woman. He liked eating one, too, the feel of her getting hard under his tongue, the rush of juices when she came.

"Mmm...onion rings." She reached for his plate. "Mind if I have one?" That smile flashed his way, helping to shut down what little upper-brain function remained. "It'll make us even, cancel out each other's breath."

"Help yourself." She could take 'em all if she delivered what she was hinting.

Jim's shields went up. Little Red was awful pushy. Maybe she had an agenda of her own, beyond the obvious I-want-sex.

"Go ahead," she said. "I know you want to."

"Want to what?" A thousand things went through his head. None of which dealt with caution. All involved Jim and her fucking like monkeys on crack.

She grabbed his hand, put it on her knee, then pulled it up her bare thigh. Jim's body took over at that point and his hand kept moving until it hit pay dirt--wet, hot, bare, except for a little tuft at the top. He slid in, shoving his fingers deep. Her clit felt like a rock under his thumb.

"If you make me come, I'll be forced to return the favor." Her voice was low again. That tone that said, I want to be fucked.